Cisco HyperFlex Systems Ordering and Licensing Guide

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Updated:
March 2, 2023

Chapter: Cisco HyperFlex Software Licensing

Cisco HyperFlex Software Licensing

Cisco HyperFlex Features and Software Edition Matrix

The following table lists all features supported in HXDP. The features are functionally grouped by software (such as Data Protection) and hardware (such as Hardware Platform).

Table 1. Cisco HyperFlex Supported Features Matrix

Category

Features

HXDP Edge Advantage

HXDP Edge Premier1

HXDP Datacenter Advantage

HXDP Datacenter Premier
Hardware Platform

220 M6 SFF

✔

✔

✔

✔
240 M6 SFF

✔

✔

✔

240 M6 LFF

✔

✔
240 M5 SFF Chassis ✔ ✔ ✔
240 M5 LFF Chassis ✔ ✔
220 M4 & M5 SFF Chassis ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
220 M4 & M5 SFF Chassis ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
240 M4 SFF Chassis ✔ ✔
Performance

All NVMe

 ✔

HyperFlex Hardware Acceleration Cards

 ✔
Scale, Performance, HA, Resiliency

Compute node to converged node ratio - 1:1

 ✔ ✔

Compute node to converged node ratio - Between 1:1 and 2:1.

Note

 
Ratio more than 2:1 is not supported.

✔
All Flash ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Maximum cluster scale ✔ ✔

Data Tiering

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Online Cluster Grow, Online Cluster Shrunk

 ✔ ✔

Data path Redundancy

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

NVMe Flash caching

 ✔ ✔

Logical Availability Zones

✔

✔

Edge Scale

Fixed Scale (2, 3 or 4 node)2

 ✔ ✔

Data Services and Security

Inline Compression, Performance Deduplication

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Read/ Write SSD caching

✔

✔

✔

✔

SED Self-Encrypted Drive

 ✔ ✔

Client Authentication

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Cluster Lockdown

 ✔ ✔

Software Checksum

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

iSCSI3

 ✔ ✔ ✔

Software Encryption4

Note

 

  • In order to use HX Data Platform Software Encryption, each server in the cluster will also require, at minimum, Intersight Essentials license

  • Before enabling Software Encryption on a cluster, a customer also needs to purchase a special software PID (HXDP-SW-PKG-SE-K9=)5
✔ ✔

Networking

1G/10G/25G non-fabric Interconnect

 ✔ ✔

10G Fabric Interconnect

 ✔ ✔

40G Fabric Interconnect

 ✔ ✔

Virtual Distributed Switch

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Data Protection

NR/DR (One to One DR)

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Asynchronous Replication for Disaster Recovery

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

vSphere Replication

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Advanced Data Protection

Stretched cluster (Metro Availability)

 ✔

N:1 Replication (source cluster)6

 ✔ ✔ ✔

N:1 Replication (target cluster)6

 ✔

Multi-Cloud

VMware ESXi,

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Microsoft Hyper-V

 ✔ ✔

Kubernetes Container Persistent Storage

 ✔ ✔

Cisco Container Platform Integration

Note

 
Requires separate license for Cisco Container Platform
✔ ✔

Basic Management

 Install, Upgrade ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Dashboard, Customization

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Monitoring

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Multi-hypervisor management

 ✔ ✔

VM operations

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Networking configuration

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

REST APIs

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Multi-cluster Visibility, List-n-Launch

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Multi-cluster Inventory, Monitoring, Dashboard

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Auto-support (Smart Call Home)

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Performance trends

 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
1 HXDP Edge Premier licensed features are available only with HX version 4.5
2 If a customer expands an Edge cluster beyond 4 nodes automatically the cluster becomes a DC-NO-FI and will consume Datacenter Advantage instead of Edge Advantage
3 Features require HXDP software version 4.5
4 Refer to How to download Digial Assets - Orders in MCE
5 Refer to the HyperFlex Admin Guide for instructions on how to install the package
6 Features require HXDP software version 5.0(2a) or above

Software Encryption Ordering and Fulfillment

Software encryption may be enabled as a day-2 activity on a newly deployed or upgraded HyperFlex cluster running HX 5.0(1b) or higher. Before enabling software encryption, the following Cisco software licensing requirements should be met for each node in the cluster:

  • Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Edge Premier or Datacenter Premier

  • Cisco Intersight Essentials or above

  • Cisco HyperFlex Software Package for Encryption


Note

The installation of the Cisco HyperFlex Software Package for Encryption enables AES-based data-at-rest encryption, which is an export-controlled capability.

To comply with global export trade controls, this package is licensed with its own PID (HXDP-SW-PKG-SE-K9=), which is $0. An order containing this PID is subject to export hold and must be cleared by the Cisco Global Export Trade team.

There are two ways to order this PID:

  • Adding the Encryption Software PID to an estimate in CCW

  • Initiate a version upgrade using My Cisco Entitlements (MCE)

After the export hold is cleared, the order is processed and fulfilled through eDelivery. The software package (stofs-se-core) is available for download from MCE. Multiple versions of the storfs-se-core package may be available; use the one with the version number matching the HX Data Platform software version of your cluster. Refer to the HyperFlex Admin Guide for instructions to install the encryption software package.

The following steps describes the ordering and fulfilment of the Cisco HyperFlex software package for encryption.

Adding the Encryption Software PID to an estimate in CCW

  • The encryption software PID may be added as a component of a HyperFlex M5 or M6 system. Specify a quantity for the PID that equals the number of nodes in the cluster.

  • The encryption software PID may be added as a standalone product to an estimate. Specify a quantity for the PID that equals the number of nodes in the cluster.

Ordering the Encryption Software PID via Version Upgrade in MCE

  • Under the Version Upgrade tab, apply the “HXDP Software” filter and choose an HXDP contract number for which to upgrade. Locate the encryption software PID (HXDP-SW-PKG-SE-K9=) and specify an order quality that equals to the number of nodes in the cluster. Click “Proceed to Order”.

  • Enter the eDelivery email and other details, review the order details and click “Place Order”. .

  • Review and electronically sign the license and usage agreement

  • The version upgrade order is created. You will also receive a confirmation email to the eDelivery email address you specified.

Order Fulfilment

  • When the order is fulfilled, a confirmation email will be sent to the eDelivery email address.

  • Login to MCE to download the software encryption package. Use the package version matching the HX Data Platform software version of the cluster.


Note

• If you do not find the storfs-se-core package version matching your cluster’s HX software version in MCE, you may be running a version of HX Data Platform that was posted after your order for the encryption software package was processed. Submitting a new order for the software package fixes the issue. It may take at least 24 hours for an order to be processed.

• If you need assistance with software licensing or MCE, open a new case under Software Licensing and choose the appropriate category using Cisco Support Case Manager.

Cisco HyperFlex - License Mapping between Older License Names

The following table describes HyperFlex license mapping between older license names.

Table 2. Cisco HyperFlex - License Mapping between Older License Names

New HXDP License Name

Previous HXDP License Name

HXDP Edge Advantage

HXDP Edge Edition

HXDP Datacenter Advantage

HXDP Standard Edition

HXDP Datacenter Premier

HXDP Enterprise Edition

Cisco HyperFlex Supported Features Matrix for DC-no-FI

The following table lists all features supported in HXDP. The features are functionally grouped by software (such as Data Protection) and hardware (such as Hardware Platform).

DC-no-FI is available starting from 4.5(2a).

Table 3. Cisco HyperFlex Supported Features Matrix for DC-no-FI

Category

Features

HXDP Datacenter Advantage

HXDP Datacenter Premier
Hardware Platform

220 M6 SFF

✔

✔

240 M6 SFF

✔

✔

240 M6 LFF

220 M5 SFF

✔

✔

240 M5 SFF

✔

✔
240 M5 LFF
220 M4 & M5 SFF
220 M4 & M5 SFF
240 M4 SFF Chassis
Performance

All NVMe7

✔

HyperFlex Hardware Acceleration Cards
Scale, Performance, HA, Resiliency

Compute node to converged node ratio - 1:1

 ✔

Compute node to converged node ratio - Between 1:1 and 2:1.

Note

 
Ratio more than 2:1 is not supported.
✔
All Flash ✔ ✔
Maximum cluster scale

12 (converged) + upto 12 (compute)

12 (converged) + upto 24 (compute)

Data Tiering

 ✔ ✔

Data path Redundancy

 ✔ ✔

NVMe Flash caching8

 ✔ ✔

Logical Availability Zones

 ✔ ✔

DC-no-FI-Scale

Scale (3 to 12 nodes)

✔

✔

Data Services and Security

Inline Compression, Performance Deduplication

 ✔ ✔

Read/ Write SSD caching

✔

✔

SED Self-Encrypted Drive

Client Authentication

 ✔ ✔

Cluster Lockdown

 ✔ ✔

Software Checksum

 ✔ ✔

iSCSI9

 ✔ ✔

Software Encryption10

Note

 

  • In order to use HX Data Platform Software Encryption, each server in the cluster will also require, at minimum, Intersight Essentials license

  • Before enabling Software Encryption on a cluster, a customer also needs to purchase a special software PID (HXDP-SW-PKG-SE-K9=)11
✔

Networking

10G/25G/40G interfaces connecting to ToR switches

 ✔ ✔

Virtual Distributed Switch

 ✔ ✔

Data Protection

NR/DR (One to One DR)

 ✔ ✔

Asynchronous Replication for Disaster Recovery

 ✔ ✔

vSphere Replication

 ✔ ✔

Advanced Data Protection

Stretched cluster (Metro Availability)

N:1 Replication (source cluster)9

 ✔ ✔

N:1 Replication (target cluster)9

 ✔

Multi-Cloud

VMware ESXi,

✔ ✔

Microsoft Hyper-V

IWE

Kubernetes Container Persistent Storage

Cisco Container Platform Integration

Note

 
Requires separate license for Cisco Container Platform
✔

Basic Management

 Install, Upgrade ✔ ✔

Dashboard, Customization

 ✔ ✔

Monitoring

 ✔ ✔

Multi-hypervisor management

VM operations

 ✔ ✔

Networking configuration

 ✔ ✔

REST APIs

 ✔ ✔

Multi-cluster Visibility, List-n-Launch

 ✔ ✔

Multi-cluster Inventory, Monitoring, Dashboard

 ✔ ✔

Auto-support (Smart Call Home)

 ✔ ✔

Performance trends

 ✔ ✔
7 Requires HXDP 5.0 (1b) or later
8 Requires HXDP 4.5 (2c) or later
9 Features require HXDP software version 5.0(2a) or above
10 Refer to How to download Digial Assets - Orders in MCE
11 Refer to the HyperFlex Admin Guide for instructions on how to install the package

Opening a Case in Cisco Commerce Workspace

Customer Service Central is the first line of support for Cisco Commerce system questions and issues. This self-service portal allows you to create, track, and manage support cases

Follow the steps below to open a case in Cisco Commerce Workspace (CCW).

Procedure

Step 1

Login into Cisco Commerce - Build & Price .

Step 2

Click Help at the bottom of the page.

Step 3

In the Customer Service Central page, click the Open a Case tab.

Step 4

In Step 1 Tell us what type of case, select the category for the case you wish to open such as Sales Support, Quotes, Orders, or Contracts and Licenses.

Step 5

In Step 2 Describe the issue, provide details in the form for your issue. Click Next.

Step 6

In Step 3 Provide additional case details, complete the required fields— Geography and Territory. Click Next

Step 7

In Step 4 Confirm contact details and submit, if applicable, select the optional checkboxes for This case has an alternative contact, and Send a copy of all email correspondence to another contact . Click Submit.

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