Manage Licenses

Cisco Smart Licensing

Cisco Smart Licensing is a flexible licensing model that

  • provides an easier, faster, and more consistent way to purchase and manage software across the Cisco portfolio and across your organization

  • enables centralized control over license usage and access, and

  • is secure allowing you to control what users can access.

Cisco Crosswork Planning supports Cisco Smart Licensing. A license is required to use all the features in Cisco Crosswork Planning. If you have questions about obtaining a license, contact your Cisco support representative or system administrator.

Benefits of Smart Licensing

Key benefits of Smart Licensing include:

  • Easy activation: Establishes a pool of software licenses that can be used across the entire organization, eliminating the need for Product Activation Keys (PAKs).

  • Unified management: Provides a complete view into all of your Cisco products and services in a user-friendly portal, helping you always know what you have and use.

  • License flexibility: Allows you to easily use and move licenses as needed since the software is not node-locked to your hardware.

Configuring Smart Licensing

Summary

A Cisco Smart Account provides a repository for Smart enabled products. It enables you to activate Cisco licenses, monitor license usage, and track Cisco purchases.

The Cisco Smart Software Manager (CSSM) enables you to manage all your Cisco Smart software licenses from one centralized website. With CSSM, you can create and manage multiple virtual accounts within your Smart Account to manage licenses. For details on Cisco Licensing, go to cisco.com/go/licensingguide.

In the Cisco Crosswork Planning UI, from the main menu, choose Licensing. The Smart License page opens. You can register Cisco Crosswork Planning, edit the transport settings, renew the license, and deregister the application on this page.

Workflow

These are the stages of configuring Cisco Smart Licensing in Cisco Crosswork Planning.

  1. Set up a Smart Account on Cisco Software Central (software.cisco.com).
  2. (Optional) Configure transport settings. For details, see Configure the transport mode between Cisco Crosswork Planning and CSSM.
  3. Register Cisco Crosswork Planning with CSSM. For details, see Register Cisco Crosswork Planning via token or Register Cisco Crosswork Planning via offline reservation.

Configure the transport mode between Cisco Crosswork Planning and CSSM

This topic describes how to configure the transport settings to control how Cisco Crosswork Planning communicates with CSSM.

Cisco Crosswork Planning supports multiple transport modes to connect with CSSM:

  • Direct: Cisco Crosswork Planning directly connects with CSSM.

  • Transport Gateway: Cisco Crosswork Planning communicates via a Transport Gateway or CSSM on-premises. This approach replicates a cloud-based user experience while keeping all communication on premises. For details on the CSSM on-premises option, see the Smart Software Manager guide.


    Note

    Cisco Crosswork Planning supports only SmartTransport URL. The URL format is: http://SSM-ONPREM-IP/SmartTransport.

  • HTTP/HTTPS Proxy: Cisco Crosswork Planning connects to the direct mode end point through the configured proxy, if a proxy exists.

Follow these steps to configure the transport mode between Cisco Crosswork Planning and CSSM.

Before you begin

If Cisco Crosswork Planning is in Registered mode, you cannot change the transport settings. To modify transport settings, you must first deregister the product.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Licensing.

The Smart License page opens.

Step 2

In the Transport settings field, view the current transport mode. To modify it, click View / Edit.

The Transport settings page appears.

Figure 1. Transport settings page
Transport settings

Step 3

Select the appropriate transport mode. Enter values in all the required fields.

Step 4

Click Save.

The selected transport mode and settings are saved. Cisco Crosswork Planning will use the configured transport mode for communication with CSSM.

Register Cisco Crosswork Planning via token

This topic describes how to register Cisco Crosswork Planning with CSSM using a registration token.

To enable the licensed features, you must register the Cisco Crosswork Planning application with CSSM using a registration token. Once registered, an Identity Certificate is saved securely in your Smart Account and used for all ongoing communications. The certificate is valid for one year and is renewed automatically after six months to ensure continuous operation.

Before you begin

  • Confirm that you have a Smart Account. If not, go to Smart Account Request and follow the instructions to create one.

  • Ensure you have a valid product instance registration token. For guidance on generating the token, see the support resources in Cisco Software Central.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Licensing.

The registration status and license authorization status display as Unregistered and Evaluation mode, respectively.

Figure 2. Smart software licensing unregistered example
Smart software licensing - Unregistered

Step 2

In the Smart Software Licensing area at the top, click Register.

The Smart Software Licensing Product Registration page opens.

Figure 3. Smart software licensing product registration page
Smart Software Licensing registration page

Step 3

In the Product instance registration token field, enter the registration token generated from your Smart Account. Ensure the token ID is accurate and within its validity period.

Step 4

(Optional) If you are re-registering the application, check the Re-register this product registration if it is already registered check box.

Step 5

Click Register.

Note

 

  • The request takes at least 20 seconds to succeed. If you do not receive a correct response from the backend within 20 seconds, the UI continues to check every 10 seconds for up to 5 minutes. If you do not receive any response after 5 minutes, a generic error message appears.

  • If you see a registration error (such as "Communication send error" or "Invalid response from licensing cloud"), wait for some time and then retry the registration. If the error persists after multiple attempts, contact the Cisco Customer Experience team.

  • In some cases, after successful registration, you may need to refresh the page manually to see the updated status.

After the registration is successful, a "Product Registration completed successfully" message appears.

Cisco Crosswork Planning is now registered with CSSM using a registration token. The registration and license authorization statuses are change to Registered and Authorized, respectively.

Manually perform licensing actions

This topic describes how to manually renew, register, or de-register licenses in Cisco Crosswork Planning.

By default, Cisco Crosswork Planning automatically handles registration and authorization renewals. However, if communication between the application and the Cisco server fails, manually initiate specific licensing actions using the Actions drop-down menu.

Before you begin

Ensure the Cisco Crosswork Planning application is in Registered mode.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Licensing.

The Smart License page appears.

Step 2

Click the Actions drop-down button.

Step 3

Select one of these options as required.

  1. Renew Authorization: manually renews authorization if automatic renewal fails after 30 days.

  2. Renew Registration: manually renews registration if automatic renewal fails after six months.

  3. Re-register: re-registers the application, for example, if registration token has expired.

  4. De-register: de-registers the application, for example, when you need to change the transport settings.

    Note

     

    After you de-register the application, it enters the Evaluation mode if evaluation period is available. Otherwise, it enters the Evaluation Expired mode. For more information, see License authorization statuses.

The selected manual licensing action completes, and the application’s license status is updated accordingly.

Register Cisco Crosswork Planning via offline reservation

This topic describes how to register Cisco Crosswork Planning with CSSM using offline reservation.

When you use Smart Licensing, Cisco Crosswork Planning shares usage information with CSSM at regular intervals. If you do not want to connect with CSSM regularly, Cisco Smart Licensing provides an option of offline reservation.

Before you begin

Confirm that you have a Smart Account. If not, go to Smart Account Request and follow the instructions to create one.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Licensing.

Step 2

In the Smart Software Licensing information box at the top, click Register.

The Smart Software Licensing Product Registration page opens.

Figure 4. Smart software licensing product registration page
Smart Software Licensing registration page

Step 3

Select the Register via reserved license option.

Step 4

Generate a Reservation Request Code.

  1. Click Generate in the Reservation code section. The Reservation Request Code appears in the text field.

  2. Click the Copy button to copy the generated code.

Step 5

Generate the Authorization Code in CSSM.

  1. Log in to CSSM and select the appropriate Virtual Account.

  2. Click the Licenses tab and then click License Reservation.

  3. Paste the Reservation Request Code you generated in Step 4 and click Next.

  4. On the Select Licenses page, select the type of reservation you need and click Next.

  5. On the Review and Confirm page, click Generate Authorization Code.

  6. Copy the generated code using the Copy to Clipboard button.

Step 6

Navigate back to the Smart Software Licensing Product Registration page in Cisco Crosswork Planning.

Step 7

Select the Paste authorization code option and paste the authorization code in the text field.

Step 8

Click Register.

It may take a few minutes to process the registration.

Cisco Crosswork Planning is now registered with CSSM using the offline reservation method. The registration and license authorization statuses change to Registered and Authorized, respectively.

Update offline reservation

This topic describes how to update the license counts associated with a product instance that uses offline reservation.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Licensing. Note the Product Instance Name under the Smart Software Licensing Status section.

Step 2

Generate the Authorization Code in CSSM.

  1. Log in to CSSM and select the appropriate Virtual Account.

  2. Click the name of the product instance that matches your Product Instance Name.

  3. For this product instance, click Actions > Update Reservation.

  4. On the Select Licenses page, select the type of reservation you need, update the count of the necessary licenses from the list, and then click Next.

  5. On the Review and Confirm page, click Generate Authorization Code.

  6. Copy the generated Authorization Code using Copy to Clipboard.

Step 3

Navigate back to the Smart License page on the Cisco Crosswork Planning UI.

Step 4

Click Actions > Update Reservation.

Step 5

Paste the Authorization Code generated in Step 2 and click Update.

A Confirmation Code is generated. You can find it under the Smart Software Licensing Status section. Copy this code.

Step 6

Enter the Confirmation Code in CSSM.

  1. Navigate back to CSSM and click the required product instance name.

  2. Click Actions > Enter Confirmation Code.

  3. Enter or paste the Reservation Confirmation Code generated in Step 5.

  4. Click OK.

The license count is updated on the Smart License page of the Cisco Crosswork Planning UI.

Disable offline reservation

This topic describes how to release reserved licenses in Cisco Crosswork Planning.

Releasing the reserved licenses returns them to the pool and stops the application from consuming reserved licenses. After you release the licenses, the application enters the Evaluation mode if an evaluation period is available. Otherwise, it enters the Evaluation Expired mode.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Licensing. Note the Product Instance Name under the Smart Software Licensing Status section.

Step 2

Click Actions > Return Reservation.

Step 3

On the Confirm Return Reservation page, click Confirm.

The system generates a Release Code (Reservation Return Code). Use the Copy button to copy this code .

Step 4

Enter the Reservation Request Code in CSSM.

  1. Log in to CSSM and select the appropriate virtual account.

  2. Click the name of the product instance that matches your Product Instance Name.

  3. For this product instance, click Actions > Remove.

  4. In the Remove Reservation page, paste the Reservation Return Code that you generated in Step 3 and click Remove Reservation.

Step 5

Navigate back to the Smart License page in the Cisco Crosswork Planning UI. Notice that the Registration status has changed to Unregistered.

Step 6

Click Actions > Disable License Reservation.

The reserved licenses are released. The application enters Evaluation mode if available, or enters Evaluation Expired mode.

Update license counts

This topic describes how to update license counts in Cisco Crosswork Planning to ensure compliance and proper operation of the tools in the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design application.

Before you begin

Ensure you have a sufficient number of licenses in your Virtual Account in CSSM. Otherwise, the licenses will be out of compliance.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Licensing.

Step 2

In the License usage section, click Update license count.

The Update License Count page appears.

Step 3

Enter the required license count in the Modified count column.

Figure 5. Update license count page
Update license count

There are three types of licenses in Cisco Crosswork Planning:

  • CP_RTM_ESS: You can choose to have either one license or a number of licenses equal to the number of nodes in the network. Cisco Crosswork Planning Collector application functions even if there is only one license. However, for Cisco Crosswork Planning Design application, the count must match the number of nodes in the network. This is necessary for the tools and initializers to function correctly.

  • CP_RTU_ESS: A count of 1 is sufficient for both Cisco Crosswork Planning Collector and Design applications to function correctly.

  • CP_RTU_ADV: A count of 1 is sufficient for both Cisco Crosswork Planning Collector and Design applications to function correctly.

Step 4

Click Save.

The system updates and applies the number of licenses.

License authorization statuses

Based on the system registration status, the application displays several distinct license authorization statuses. This topic describes each possible combination of registration status and license authorization status and explains what each means for application usage.

Table 1. License authorization statuses

Registration status

License authorization status

Description

Unregistered

Evaluation mode

A 90-day evaluation period during which all licensed features of the application can be freely used. This state is initiated when you use the application for the first time.

Evaluation Expired

The application has not been successfully registered at the end of the evaluation period. During this state, the application features are disabled, and you must register to continue using the application.

Registered Expired

The application cannot contact the CSSM before its Identity Certificates expire, causing it to return to the unregistered state. The application resumes the remaining evaluation period, if available. At this stage, a new registration ID token is required to reregister the application.

Registered

Authorized (In Compliance)

The application is fully authorized to use the reserved licensed features. The authorization is automatically renewed every 30 days.

Out of Compliance

The associated Virtual Account does not have enough licenses to reserve for the application’s current feature use. You must renew the entitlement or usage limit registered with the token to continue using the application.

Authorization Expired

The application is unable to communicate with the CSSM for 90 days or more, and the authorization has expired.