Table Of Contents
Software License Activation for Cisco RF Gateway 10 Line Cards
Licensing on the Cisco RFGW-10
Licenses on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 Line Card
License Components on the Line Card
Downstream QAM License Enforcement
Licensing with SSO and Line Card Redundancy Configurations
License Transfer Between Two Working Devices
How to Install Licenses on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 Line Card
Installing Licenses Using Cisco License Manager
Registering Licenses Using the Product License Registration Portal and CLI
Upgrading the Line Card Software License
Installing and Upgrading Licenses using Software Activation Commands
Upgrading the License When Line Card is in Redundancy Mode
Verifying Activation of Licenses
Feature Information for Licensing for Cisco RFGW-10
Software License Activation for Cisco RF Gateway 10 Line Cards
First Published: October 16, 2012
Part Number: OL-28080-01Software licensing allows a product to ship with a base set of functionality enabled, while containing advanced functionality that can be offered without a change in the underlying hardware. Using enforceable licenses helps in preventing the illegal usage of the advanced functions.
The Cisco Software License Activation feature is a set of processes and license keys, and Cisco IOS commands to activate Cisco IOS software feature sets by obtaining and validating fee-based Cisco software licenses. The Cisco RF Gateway 10 (RFGW-10) licenses are used to control access to the RF channels.
The Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card supports 384 channels on the Cisco RFGW-10 platform. It supports QAM-capacity licensing where a customer can invest in partial QAM-capacity of the line card. For detailed information on Cisco IOS Software Activation, see Cisco IOS Software Activation.
This document explains the procedures to install, upgrade, and maintain licenses on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card. This document also discusses platform specific features such as OIR, RMA, high-availability, and the implication of licensing on them.
Audience
This guide is intended for system and network administrators who configure, and maintain the Cisco RFGW-10 platform.
This guide can be useful for application developers who are developing management applications for the Cisco RFGW-10.
Finding Feature Information
Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest feature information and caveats, see the release notes for your platform and software release. To find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the "Understanding Licensing" section.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to http://www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.
Licensing Workflow
Table 1 Checklist for Licensing
Review the prerequisites and restrictions before installing the licenses on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card.
Familiarize with licensing concepts.
Learn about the different licenses on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card, and its operations.
Understand about transferring of licenses and RMA.
Install the licenses using the procedures.
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Installing Licenses Using Cisco License Manager
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(Optional) Upgrade licenses on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card.
Verify the license after installation.
(Optional) Remove permanent license entries in license files.
(Optional) Review the troubleshooting section for assistance.
Review the additional reference section for information about related documents, Standards, MIBs, and technical assistance.
(Optional) Review the feature information history table for updates to this feature.
Prerequisites
When you order a new Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 Universal Edge QAM line card, it is shipped preinstalled with the software image and the corresponding permanent licenses for the packages and features. You do not need to activate or register the software before use.
To enable all software features, all new or upgraded Cisco devices that require software activation must be registered with Cisco. The registration process requires a Product Authorization Key (PAK), which is an 11-character alphanumeric key printed on the purchase order document shipped with your device hardware. The registration process converts the PAK to an electronic license file containing a unique key for your device hardware. The license file must then be installed on your device to unlock the product and its features.
The following prerequisites apply if you are upgrading or installing a new Cisco IOS software license on the Cisco RFGW-10:
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Cisco IOS Software Releases
The following Cisco IOS Releases support software activation on Cisco RFGW-10.
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Understanding Licensing
This sections describes the different license types, license operations, enforcement policies, and licenses available on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card.
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License Types
The following license types are available for the Cisco RFGW-10.
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For information on these licenses types, see the Cisco Software Activation Conceptual Overview chapter in the Cisco IOS Software Activation Configuration Guide.
Licensing on the Cisco RFGW-10
These sections describe licensing flavors, license operations, enforcement policies, transfer and RMA of the licenses on the Cisco RFGW-10.
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Licenses on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 Line Card
The Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card is a high-density line card that is installed in the Cisco RFGW-10 UEQAM. It supports a maximum of 384 downstream channels through flexible QAM-capacity licensing. Table 2 lists the different licenses available for the Cisco RFGW-10 line card.
The hardware components introduced in a given Cisco IOS Release will be supported in all subsequent releases unless otherwise specified.
License Components on the Line Card
Quack
A tamper proof chip that stores the serial number and product ID combined to form the universal device identifier (UDI). The UDI has two main components: the product ID (PID) and the serial number (SN). The UDI is printed on a label located on the back of most Cisco hardware devices. The show license udi command displays the UDIs for the line card.
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License Storage
The license storage are for the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card is within the bootflash of the line card. The storage is on two 1MB partitions on the bootflash. It is accessible via the line card console for debugging.
License Infrastructure on the Line Card
The core license infrastructure is Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) compliant. The software interacts with the:
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License Operations
All license operations on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card such as installing, rehosting, upgrading, and downgrading the licenses are performed using the Cisco License Manager (CLM) or by using below command.
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The license commands available on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card are:
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The license operations available on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card are:
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The license operations available on the Supervisor engine are:
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For information on managing licenses using the software activation commands, see the Configuring the Cisco IOS Software Activation Feature chapter in the Cisco IOS Software Activation Configuration Guide, and see the Cisco IOS Software Activation Tasks and Commands.
Enforcement Policy
The Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card licensing feature provides flexible QAM capacity licensing. The number of downstream channels that can be licensed range from 0 to 384 QAM channels. When a Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card is initially purchased, the card must be configured with a minimum of 64 QAM licenses. The RFGW-DS384-SP= which is used for sparing, is shipped with no licenses.
The enforcement of the licensing policy will occur when the user un-shuts (rf-unshut operation) a specific QAM channel. The Supervisor enforces the license only after validating that the number of un-shut QAM channels in the running configuration against license. Based on the license, the first N channels are un-shut, and the rest are shutdown.
The key characteristics of the license enforcement policy are:
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Downstream QAM License Enforcement
The QAM module generates the configurations based on the downstream ports defined by the max port density. On first time system bootup, the max port density may be zero and the line cards bootup with the licenses. The user can set the QAM configurations using the cable downstream max-carriers command.
If the user sets the max-carriers as 48 channels per port on a line card, then first 48 channels are configured.
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The rf-shutdown command changes the QAM channel state to RF-SHUT state, and the no rf-shutdown command changes the QAM channel to the NOT-SHUT state. Licenses are not released if the QAM channel is in the RF-SHUT or LIC-SHUT state.
The default channel state in each QAM channel is RF-SHUT. The channels with license configurations are in the NOT-SHUT state, and the remaining channels remain in the RF-SHUT state. Thus, if 192 licenses exist on a line card with a max port density of 384 QAM channels, 192 channels are marked are in NOT-SHUT state, and remaining192 channels are in the RF-SHUT state.
When there is a max port density change, the enforcement policy ensures that the new downstream configuration reflects the current port density, and the license state is in sync with the new configuration.
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Increasing the max-port density on the line card creates new QAM channels with the default RF-SHUT state. Different max port density configurations examples on the line card are explained.
Consider an example for max port density configuration for a QAM license count of 192 licenses, and user sets the max port density for 48 channels per port on a line card (see Table 3).
If you configure all 128 channels on the 2, 3 and 4th port on the line card, the max port density should be set accordingly (see Table 4).
The rf-shutdown command can be used to shutdown desired licensed channels on the line card. Whenever a channel is shut, the channel is marked RF-SHUT, and the license count increments. A no rf-shutdown command is allowed, and can be executed if the available license count is greater than zero.
The no rf-shutdown command can be used to unshut a channel that is shut either by LIC-SHUT or RF-SHUT. The channel will then be marked as NOT-SHUT.
License Upgrade
Upgrade licenses increase the QAM channel availability on the line card. For example, consider the above example (Table 4) where you have the 192 QAM license installed, and you have configured the licenses on 2, 3, and 4th QAM ports.
You now have purchased an additional 32 QAM upgrade license, thus your total license count is 192+32= 224 licenses. The additional licenses are added to the QA M channel in NOT-SHUT state.
Table 5 lists the max port density of 128 channels with a 32 upgrade QAM license.
License Downgrade
An OIR or RMA of a line card may result in a license downgrade. Consider an example, where OIR is performed on the (192+32 licenses) line card, and the replacement line card has a 96 QAM upgrade license. When the line card boots, the max port density and the status of the line card is checked. The channels marked NOT-SHUT are checked, and licenses are used on these channels.The 96 licenses are used, the other NOT-SHUT channels are marked LIC-SHUT. The channels marked LIC-SHUT require to be shutdown due to lack of licenses.
Table 6 lists the above scenario of a license downgrade.
RMA of the Line Card
During a line card RMA, the faulty line card is replaced with another line card. The new line card boots up with zero downstream license count. Thus the license count may be zero or may not be the original license count on the line card. The original license count and configuration is restored once the line card is returned from repair.
Minimum Mode Operation
The Minimum mode or M mode refers to the state where no valid licenses are available. The Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card is always shipped with pre-installed licenses purchased with the order. The minimum mode (besides the normal mode), is used to install license for a clean board and perform any license operations when an error occurs due to non-availability of licenses.
In the minimum mode operation, the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card will function with the following characteristics:
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Licensing with SSO and Line Card Redundancy Configurations
As (Stateful Switchover) SSO is supported on the Cisco RFGW-10, the state information is check pointed across the secondary Supervisor.
When line card redundancy is configured on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line cards, the secondary line card has a superset of the licenses of the primary line card. The line cards (primary or secondary), are added to the redundancy configuration group if they obey the licensing count policy.
A secondary line card is not allowed to join the group if the (superset) policy is violated. A primary line card with higher count than the secondary line card is allowed to join the group, only with a count equal to the secondary line card. When the secondary is upgraded with a count equal to or greater than the primary line card, the primary line card is automatically allowed to use all the available licenses.
After a switchover, the active secondary card may have a higher license entitlement than the primary line card, and the QAM channels that are in LIC-SHUT state become active.
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License Transfer
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The Cisco RFGW-10 support two scenarios to transfer licenses between devices:
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License Transfer Between Two Working Devices
The Cisco RFGW-10 support fully automated, customer-initiated, transfer of licenses. You can transfer licences with a process known as rehosting. The rehosting process transfers a license from one UDI to another by revoking the license from the source device and installing it on a new device.
You perform a license transfer (rehosting) by using one of these methods:
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Figure 1 shows the processes involved for rehosting (transferring) a license.
Figure 1 License Transfer Work Flow
This is a summary of a license transfer process using the Cisco Product License Registration portal:
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Select the licenses that need to be transferred. A permission ticked is issued. Use this permission ticket to start the rehost process by using Cisco IOS commands.
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By using Cisco License Manager, you can select the source and destination devices from a GUI wizard for automated processing.
RMA License Transfer
When a line card fails, a replacement card is required with equivalent licenses for restoring the services completely. If the failed line card has the same license as the shipping order, the return materials authorization (RMA) replacement and spares will also have the same license as the failed line card.
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To transfer a software license from a failed device to a new device, the devices must interact with the Cisco Product License Registration portal to initiate an RMA replacement license (http://www.cisco.com/go/license).
If you need assistance to obtain a license, contact Cisco technical support at: http://www.cisco.com/cisco/web/support/index.html
Figure 2 shows the RMA replacement license process.
Figure 2 RMA Replacement License Work Flow
The RMA replacement license process involves these steps:
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The license portal determines licenses associated with defective device. The license portal issues replacement licenses.
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Restrictions for RMA
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How to Install Licenses on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 Line Card
The Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card is a high-density line card that resides in the Cisco RFGW-10 chassis. This card supports 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and up to 128 QAM channels per port, and up to 384 downstream channels. The Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card requires software licensing to enable appropriate number of QAM channels per card. For information on licenses supported, see Table 2.
The following sections describe how to activate the licensed features, and register licenses on the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card:
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Installing Licenses Using Cisco License Manager
Cisco License Manager (CLM) is a software application that assists you in obtaining licenses from Cisco, deploying the licenses on to the Cisco devices in your network, discovering the devices, and managing and viewing your inventory of licenses and devices. CLM is used with Cisco devices that require Cisco licensing.
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See the User Guide for Cisco License Manager for more information.
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To use CLM to automate all license-related workflows, follow these steps:
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Registering Licenses Using the Product License Registration Portal and CLI
The Cisco Software License Activation feature includes Cisco IOS EXEC commands that allow basic licensing tasks from the CLI.
To install a license using Cisco IOS commands:
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http://www.cisco.com/go/license.
Enter the PAK to retrieve the Stock Keeping Units (SKU) and enter the UDI of the device where the license should be installed. A Download License button appears on the screen. You can select this button to download the license or use the license details provided in the e-mail sent to the customer.Step 4
Figure 3 shows the process for registering a license using the Product License Registration Portal.
Figure 3 Product License Registration Work Flow
Note
For more information about configuring licenses using Software Activation License, see Configuring the Cisco IOS Software Activation Feature.
For more information about using commands for Cisco software activation, see the Cisco Software Activation Tasks and Commands document.
Upgrading the License
Perform the following to upgrade the licenses on the Cisco RFGW-10. Table 2 lists the licenses available for upgrade.
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Upgrading the Line Card Software License
To upgrade and install a license, perform these steps:
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You can manually upgrade a license by using the install license command. However, before you upgrade the license you must have already received the license file from Cisco Product License Registration at http://www.cisco.com/go/license.
Installing and Upgrading Licenses using Software Activation Commands
Prerequisites
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SUMMARY STEPS
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DETAILED STEPS
Step 1
Obtain the PAK.
The PAK is provided to you when you order or purchase the right to use a feature set for a particular platform.
The PAK serves as a receipt and is used as part of the process to obtain a license.
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login>cable telnet slot-id
Example:Router# cable telnet 3
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Exit the Supervisor console and login to line card console with login as the root.
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show license udi
Example:# show license udi# exit(Executes on line card console)
Displays all the UDI values that can be licensed in a system.
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Exit line card console.
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Convert the PAK to a license by entering the PAK and the UDI into the Cisco Product License Registration portal: http://www.cisco.com/go/license.
After entering the appropriate information, you will receive an e-mail containing the license information that you can use to install the license.
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copy license-file linecard slot-id flash:Example:Router#Router# copy license-file linecard 3 flash:Router# exit(Executes on Supervisor console)
Login to Supervisor console.
Copy the license file received from the Cisco Product License Registration portal to the line card flash.
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Exit Supervisor console.
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Router# cable telnet 3
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Exit Supervisor console and login to line card console with login as the root.
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license install /flash/license-file
Example:# license install /flash/38a.lic# exit(Executes on line card console)
Install the license from the flash.
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Exit line card console.
Upgrading the License When Line Card is in Redundancy Mode
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If the Cisco RFGW-10 DS-384 line card is in the line card high availability (LCHA) mode, complete the following steps while upgrading:
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Removing Licenses Using CLI
The license clear command clears all licenses, but some licenses, such as built-in licenses, cannot be cleared. Only licenses that have been added by using the license install command are removed. Evaluation licenses are not removed.
If a license is not in use, the license clear command displays all the licenses related to this feature and prompts you to make a selection. Different prompts are displayed, depending upon whether single or multiple licenses are available in the device. The selected licenses are removed from the router or switch. If a license is in use, the license clear command might fail. However, depending on the application policy using the license, some licenses might be cleared.
For information on removing licenses from permanent license files, see Removing Licenses by Using Software Activation Commands in Cisco IOS Software Activation Configuration Guide, and see Cisco IOS Software Activation Tasks and Commands.
Use the license revoke command to revoke or transfer licenses between two devices. For information on revoking or transferring licenses, see Removing Licenses by Using Software Activation Commands in Cisco IOS Software Activation Configuration Guide, and see Cisco IOS Software Activation Tasks and Commands.
Verifying Activation of Licenses
You can verify the license activation or license upgrade by using the following commands:
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This command displays details of all licenses in the chassis. This is the sample output from this command:
Router# show cable license allSlot 3 : License Configuration : DS384_384_CLEAR---------------------------------------------------Feature: Downstream LicensesInstalled: 384 Consumed: 384 Available: 0 Forced-Shut: 0license_ipc_received : TRUETroubleshooting Licensing
This section provides troubleshooting tips and procedures that you can use while activating the licenses on the different line cards.
The license file from the SWIFT server is corrupted.
Re-download the license file from the Cisco.com or the SWIFT server.
The line card Bootflash disk is corrupted.
Ensure that the cable line card is in the minimum mode of operation.
Reload the line card and reinstall the license file from the Cisco.com.
The license storage partition space is full.
Run the license clear command to clear the storage space.
Quack Authentication Error
Ensure that the cable line card is in the normal mode of operation.
If quack authentication error shutdowns the line card, RMA the line card.
The no shut operation has failed.
Check the output of show cable license all and show license detail commands and ensure that the required licenses that are available.
The license file has expired and results in the downgrade of the line card.
Install the permanent license as soon as the warning messages are seen.
Additional References
These topics provide references related to the Software License Activation feature and the CMTS routers.
Related Documents
Cisco IOS Software Activation Configuration Guide
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios-xml/ios/csa/configuration/xe-3s/csa-xe-3s-book.html
Cisco IOS Software Activation Command Reference
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios-xml/ios/csa/command/csa-cr-book.html
Cisco IOS Software Activation Tasks and Commands
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/csa/configuration/guide/csa_commands.html
Introduction to Cisco Software Activation
http://www.cisco.com/assets/cdc_content_elements/flash/ios/csa/csa_softwareactivation.htm
Cisco RF Gateway 10 Command Reference
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/cable/rf_gateway/command/reference/RFGW-10_Book.html
Cisco RF Gateway 10 Software Configuration Guide
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/cable/rf_gateway/feature/guide/rfgw_scg.html
Standards
MIBs
Technical Assistance
Feature Information for Licensing for Cisco RFGW-10
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and software image support. Cisco Feature Navigator enables you to determine which software images support a specific software release, feature set, or platform. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to http://www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.
Note
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1110R)
Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses. Any examples, command display output, and figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.
©2012 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
