Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 7.2.x Administration Guide

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Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 7.2.x Administration Guide

Smart Licensing in Crosswork Network Controller

Updated: August 14, 2026

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Explains how Crosswork Network Controller uses Cisco Smart Licensing, reports license usage, and handles evaluation, registration, reservation, and compliance states.

Cisco Smart Licensing is the licensing model that Crosswork Network Controller uses to register product usage, reserve licenses, and report license compliance through Cisco Smart Software Manager (CSSM).

Crosswork Network Controller supports two licensing paths:

  • Online licensing: Crosswork connects to CSSM, CSSM On-Prem, or CSSM through an HTTP/HTTPS gateway.

  • Offline reservation: Crosswork uses Specific License Reservation (SLR) when the deployment cannot connect to CSSM regularly.

Licensing lifecycle

The Crosswork licensing lifecycle includes these states:

  • Evaluation mode: Crosswork starts a 90-day evaluation period when the Smart Licensing service becomes active and licensing is not yet registered or reserved.

  • Initial registration or reservation: Register online or complete offline reservation before the evaluation period ends.

  • Licensed operation: Crosswork reports license usage and displays the registration and authorization status on the Smart Licenses page.

  • Out-of-compliance status: Crosswork reports out-of-compliance status when the associated Smart Account or Virtual Account does not include enough licenses, the correct license tier, or the required license type for current usage.

Note

Evaluation Expired is the licensing state that blocks access to Crosswork features. After registration or reservation is complete, out-of-compliance status does not block users from using Crosswork Network Controller.

License usage reporting

Crosswork Network Controller reports the licenses that the deployment uses. CSSM compares the reported usage with the licenses that are available in the associated Smart Account or Virtual Account.

Current Crosswork Network Controller consumption-based licensing is based on device Right-to-Manage (RTM) license counts.

External licensing resources

Use these resources for licensing information that is outside the Crosswork Network Controller user interface:

Lab system licenses

Use this information when you need licenses for a lab deployment.

Lab licenses follow the same product behavior as production licenses in Crosswork Network Controller.

  • Engineering does not implement lab licenses differently in the product.

  • Use the Cisco account team or Cisco partner process to obtain lab licenses.

  • Deposit lab licenses in a separate Virtual Account from production licenses.

  • Do not treat lab licensing as an extension of the 90-day evaluation period.

Crosswork Change Automation and Health Insights license guidance

Use this information if your deployment includes Crosswork Change Automation and Health Insights licenses from an earlier purchase.

New Crosswork Change Automation and Health Insights licenses cannot be purchased. Existing Crosswork Change Automation and Health Insights customers must work with the Cisco account team and Cisco Customer Experience if they need to renew, replace, or change an existing Crosswork Change Automation and Health Insights license.