Overview of Smart Licensing Using Policy
Smart Licensing Using Policy is supported on Cisco Wireless Gateway for LoRaWAN Release 2.2 and later, for the subscription of Common Packet Forwarder (CPF).
Smart Licensing Using Policy is an enhanced version of Smart Licensing, with the overarching objective of providing a licensing solution that does not interrupt the operations of your network, rather, one that enables a compliance relationship to account for the hardware and software licenses you purchase and use. Smart Licensing Using Policy provides a seamless experience with the various aspects of licensing.
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Purchase licenses: Purchase licenses through the existing channels and use the Cisco Smart Software Manager (CSSM) portal to view product instances and licenses.
Note
To simplify your implementation of Smart Licensing Using Policy, provide your Smart Account and Virtual Account information when placing an order for new hardware or software. This allows Cisco to install applicable policies and authorization codes (terms explained in the Concepts section below), at the time of manufacturing.
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Use: All licenses on your devices are unenforced. This means that you do not have to complete any licensing-specific operations, such as registering or generating keys before you start using the software and the licenses that are tied to it. License usage is recorded on your device with timestamps and the required workflows can be completed at a later date.
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Report license usage to CSSM: Multiple options are available for license usage reporting. You can use the Cisco Smart Licensing Utility (CSLU), or report usage information directly to CSSM. For air-gapped networks, a provision for offline reporting where you download usage information and upload it to CSSM, is also available. The usage report is in plain text XML format.
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Reconcile: For situations where delta billing applies (purchased versus consumed).
The primary benefits of this enhanced licensing model are:
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Seamless day-0 operations
After a license is ordered, no preliminary steps, such as registration or generation of keys etc., are required unless you use an export-controlled or enforced license.
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Visibility and manageability
Tools, telemetry and product tagging, to know what is in-use.
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Flexible, time series reporting to remain compliant
Easy reporting options are available, whether you are directly or indirectly connected to Cisco Smart Software Manager (CSSM), or in an air-gapped network.
Smart Account
To use Smart Licensing, you must first set up a Cisco Smart Account at Cisco Software Central.
A Smart Account provides a single location for all Smart-enabled products and entitlements. It helps speed procurement, deployment, and maintenance of Cisco Software. When creating a Smart Account, you must have the authority to represent the requesting organization. After submitting, the request goes through a brief approval process.
Virtual Account
A Virtual Account exists as a sub-account withing the Smart Account. Virtual Accounts are a customer-defined structure based on organizational layout, business function, geography or any defined hierarchy. They are created and maintained by the Smart Account administrator.