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Cisco NX-OS Licensing Guide

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Book Title

Cisco NX-OS Licensing Guide

Chapter Title

Smart Software Licensing for Cisco Nexus 3000 and 9000 Series Switches

Results

Updated:
March 26, 2020

Chapter: Smart Software Licensing for Cisco Nexus 3000 and 9000 Series Switches

Smart Software Licensing for Cisco Nexus 3000 and 9000 Series Switches

This chapter provides an overview of Smart Software Licensing and describes the tools and processes required to complete the registration and authorization for Cisco Nexus 3000 and 9000 Series Switches.

Smart Software Licensing Overview

Smart Software Licensing provides a single, standardized licensing solution for all of your Cisco products. It is a cloud-based licensing end-to-end platform that consists of tools and processes to authorize the usage and reporting of your Cisco products. It is designed to run on a product instance and communicate with the Cisco Cloud License Service through the Smart Call Home transport medium to complete product registration and authorization.

In the Smart Software Licensing model, you can activate licensed products with CLI commands and without the use of a special software key or upgrade license file. A software reboot may or may not be required depending on product capabilities and requirements. Similarly, downgrading or removing an advanced feature requires the removal of configurations or commands. After either of these actions is taken, the change in license state is noted by the Smart Software Manager during the next synchronization, and the appropriate action is taken.

Subscription-based licensing is available for Cisco Nexus 3000 and 9000 Series switches. This model enables you to purchase licenses for 1 year, 3 years, or 5 years based on your licensing requirements.

Smart Software Manager

The Cisco Smart Software Manager (CSSM) enables the management of software licenses and Smart accounts from a single portal. The interface allows you to activate your product and manage entitlements and prevent license violations, expiry of subscription-based licenses, and out-of-compliance licenses. An active Smart account is required to complete the registration process. To access the Smart Software Manager, go to http://www.cisco.com/web/ordering/smart-software-manager/index.html.

You must add the following information in the Smart Software Manager:

  • Trusted Unique Identifier—This is the device ID [Secure Unique Device Identifier (SUDI)].

  • Organizational Identifier—This is a numerical format to associate a product with a Smart account or Virtual account.

  • Licenses consumed—Allows the Smart Software Manager to understand the license type and the level of consumption.

Smart Software Manager On-Prem

Smart Software Manager On-Prem is a component of Smart Software Licensing and works in conjunction with the Smart Software Manager to manage software licenses. You can intelligently manage product licenses and get near real-time visibility and reports pertaining to the Cisco licenses you purchased and consumed.

If you do not want to manage your installed base using a direct Internet connection, Smart Software Manager On-Prem will be installed on your premises to provide a subset of the Smart Software Manager functionality. You can download the application, deploy it, and register it with the Smart Software Manager.

You can perform the following functions using the application on your premises:

  • Activate or register a license

  • Get visibility to your company's licenses

  • Transfer licenses between company entities

To learn more about Smart Software Manager On-Prem, go to https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/buy/smart-accounts/software-manager.html.

Smart Accounts and Virtual Accounts

A Smart account provides you with a single location for all smart-account enabled products and licenses. It assists you in speedy procurement, deployment, and maintenance of your Cisco software.

If you are requesting a Smart account on behalf of an organization, you must have the authority to represent the requesting organization when creating a Smart account. After submitting the request, the request goes through an approval process before you are provided with access to your Smart account.

Go to http://software.cisco.com to learn about, set up, and manage a Smart account.

A virtual account is a subaccount within a Smart account. You can define the virtual account's structure based on organizational layout, business function, geography, or any defined hierarchy. Virtual accounts can be created and maintained only by Smart account administrators.

Smart License Workflow and States

The following illustration shows the workflow for Smart licenses:

Figure 1. Smart Licensing Workflow

Smart Software Licensing supports the following license states:

Table 1. Smart License States

State

Description

Unregistered

The Smart license is enabled but not connected to the Cisco Smart Software Manager (CSSM).

Before you register the switch with the CSSM,Smart Software Licensing automatically enters the evaluation period. The switch remains in evaluation mode for 90 days.

Registered

The Smart license is enabled and connected to the CSSM.

Authorized

The switch has the required license.

The CSSM has verified that the reported number of licenses in use do not exceed the total number of licenses purchased for an entitlement.

The authorization is valid for 90 days. The switch sends the entitlement request again every 30 days to renew the authorization.

Out of Compliance (OOC)

The switch does not have the required license.

The license can be out of compliance for one of the following reasons:

  • The number of licenses in use exceeds the total number of licenses purchased for an entitlement.

  • The purchased licenses are subscription-based and have expired.

Authorization Expired

The switch cannot communicate with Cisco for an extended period of time, usually 90 days.

The authorization could expire for one of the following reasons:

  • A network issue prevents the renewal of authorization.

  • An issue occurs with license compliance.

Smart License Consumption

Cisco Nexus 3000, 3500, and 9000 Series switches might consume double licenses as follows:

  • Double consumption of licenses applies to all Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switch license families: GF/XF/XF2/Mod4/Mod8-16. For example:

    • Only ACI-AD-XF is available for consumption. When all features that consume the LAN_ENTERPRISE_SERVICES_PKG, NETWORK_SERVICES_PKG, and VPN_FABRIC packages are enabled, two counts of ACI-AD-XF is consumed instead of one.

    • Only ACI-PR-XF is available for consumption. When all features that consume the LAN_ENTERPRISE_SERVICES_PKG, NETWORK_SERVICES_PKG, and VPN_FABRIC packages are enabled, two counts of ACI-PR-XF are consumed instead of one.

    • Both NXOS-ES-M4 and NXOS-AD-M4 are available for consumption. When all features that consume the LAN_ENTERPRISE_SERVICES_PKG, NETWORK_SERVICES_PKG, and VPN_FABRIC packages are enabled, both NXOS-ES-M4 and NXOS-AD-M4 are consumed instead of the higher one in the hierarchy.

    • Both ACI-ES-XF and ACI-AD-XF are available for consumption. When all features that consume the LAN_ENTERPRISE_SERVICES_PKG, NETWORK_SERVICES_PKG, and VPN_FABRIC packages are enabled, both ACI-ES-XF and ACI-AD-XF are consumed instead of the higher one in the hierarchy.

  • Double consumption of licenses applies to all Cisco Nexus 3500 Series switch license families. For example:

    • Only N35-AD-XF is available for consumption. When all features that consume the LAN_ENTERPRISE_SERVICES_PKG and N3548-ALGK9 packages are enabled, two counts of N35-AD-XF are consumed instead of one.

  • Double consumption of licenses applies to all Cisco Nexus 3000 Series switch license families: XF/XF2/XM. For example:

    • Only N3K-AD-XF2 is available for consumption. When all features that consume the LAN_ENTERPRISE_SERVICES_PKG and VPN_FABRIC packages are enabled, two counts of N3K-AD-XF2 are consumed instead of one.

    • Only N3K-AD-XF is available for consumption. When all features that consume the LAN_ENTERPRISE_SERVICES_PKG and VPN_FABRIC packages are enabled, two counts of N3K-AD-XF are consumed instead of one.

Smart Call Home Overview

Use the Smart Call Home feature to communicate with the Smart Software Manager. On Cisco Nexus 3000 and 9000 Series switches, Smart Software Licensing and Smart Call Home are not enabled by default.

The Smart Call Home (SCH) server runs on Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem by default. You can access this service using the following URL:

https://CSSM-On-Prem-IP /Transportgateway/services/DeviceRequestHandler

Provide this URL as part of the Smart Call Home configuration so that the device registration works with CSSM On-Prem. For a sample configuration, see the Configuration Examples for Smart Software Licensing.

Smart Call Home creates a CiscoTAC-1 profile. The associated Smart Call Home messages are sent to the Smart Software Manager only after enabling Smart Call Home.


Note
You must configure the DNS client and virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) before using Smart Call Home. For more information, see Configuring DNS Client and Configuring VRFs to Send Messages.

Traditional Licensing Overview

Traditional licensing at Cisco is a legacy licensing model based on Product Activation Keys (PAKs) and Unique Device Identifiers (UDIs). On most Cisco NX-OS switches, bandwidth needs are assessed prior to obtaining and installing a .tar file on switches to retrieve the UDI. Customers place an order for a PAK, and the PAK is emailed to the user. The UDI and PAK are used to receive a license file that is installed in the boot directory of the switch to complete the installation of the Cisco NX-OS software.

The License Registration Portal (LRP) is available to help migrate traditional licenses to smart licenses. To access the LRP, obtain training, and manage licenses, go to http://tools.cisco.com/SWIFT/LicensingUI/Home.

Comparing Licensing Models

Two types of licensing models are used for the Cisco Nexus 3000 and 9000 Series Switches: traditional licensing and Smart Software Licensing.

Table 2. Comparison Between Traditional Licensing and Smart Software Licensing

Description

Traditional Licensing

Smart Software Licensing

License instance node locked to the product instance

Yes

No

Product registration upon configuration

No

Yes

Offers tools to report, monitor, own, and consume

No

Yes

Requires Smart Call Home

No

Yes

The licensing mode changes based on the configuration provided. If Smart Software Licensing is enabled, all license requests are passed to the CSSM. If Smart Software Licensing is disabled, all license requests are fulfilled based on the license files installed on the device.

Guidelines and Limitations for Smart Software Licensing

  • Beginning with Cisco NX-OS Release 9.3(3), all Cisco Nexus 3000 and 9000 Series switches (except the Cisco Nexus 3016 and 3064 platform switches) support Smart Software Licensing.

  • You cannot use both traditional licensing and Smart Software Licensing at the same time.

  • The FC_PORT_ACTIVATION_PKG license consumes the FC 48 ports entitlement tag regardless of the number of FC ports acquired.

Setting Up Smart Accounts

This section provides information on requesting a Smart account and adding users to the account.

Requesting a Smart Account

Requesting a Smart account is a one-time process. Subsequent management of users is a capability provided through the tool.

Before you begin

Ensure that you have a Cisco login.

Procedure

Step 1

Go to http://software.cisco.com, and log in to your account.

Step 2

Click the Request a Smart Account link in the Administration section.

Step 3

Perform one of the following tasks to select the Account Approver:

  • To select yourself as the approver, click Yes, I will be the Approver for the account option.
  • To select a different person as the approver, click No, the person specified below will be the Approver for the account option and specify the person's email ID.
Note 

The specified approver must have the authority to enter legal agreements. The approver serves as the primary owner and nominates account administrators.

Step 4

Depending on the approver type, perform one of the following procedures:

  • If you are the approver, perform the following tasks:

    1. Enter Account Name, Company/Organization Name, Country, and State/Province/Region information.

    2. (Optional) Click Edit.

    3. In the Edit Account Identifier window, enter a valid Proposed Domain Identifier and Contact Phone Number, and click OK.

      Note 

      The default domain identifier is the approver's email domain. If you edit the domain identifier, the change goes through a manual approval process.

    4. Click Continue to select the legal address to be linked to your Smart account.

  • If you are not the approver, perform the following procedure:

    1. Enter the Account Name and an optional Message to the approver.

    2. (Optional) Click Edit.

    3. In the Edit Account Identifier window, enter a valid Proposed Domain Identifier, and click OK.

      Note 

      The default domain identifier is the approver's email domain. If you edit the domain identifier, the change goes through a manual approval process.

    4. Click Continue.

    5. Follow the instructions in the email that is sent to you to complete the request.

Adding a User to a Smart Account

Smart account user management is available in the Administration section of Cisco Software Central.

Procedure

Step 1

Go to http://software.cisco.com, and log in to your account.

Step 2

Click the Manage Smart Account link in the Administration section.

Step 3

Click the Users tab.

Step 4

Click New User.

Step 5

Provide the required information in the New User section.

(Define roles to manage the entire Smart account or specific virtual accounts.)
Step 6

Click Continue.

Converting a Traditional License to a Smart License

Traditional licenses associated with Product Activation Keys (PAKs) can be converted to smart licenses using the License Registration Portal (LRP). Access traditional licenses by clicking the PAKs/Tokens tab. Then use the information in this section to convert PAKs to smart licenses.


Note

Alternatively, you can convert traditional licenses to smart licenses using one of the following methods:

  • Access the Smart Software Manager and follow the instructions in the "Convert to Smart Licensing" section.

  • Contact Cisco Global Licensing Operations (GLO) or TAC. You need to provide your PAK and device details as well as the smart account where you want the licenses to be deposited.

Procedure

Step 1

Go to http://software.cisco.com, and log in to your account.

Step 2

Click the Traditional Licensing link in the License section.

You are redirected to the LRP window.
Step 3

Click the PAKs/Tokens tab under Manage, if it is not already selected.

Step 4

Check the PAK/Token ID check box.

Step 5

Select Convert to Smart Entitlements from the Actions drop-down menu.

Step 6

Select a smart account from the Smart Account drop-down list.

Note 

You can view only the smart accounts that are assigned to you.

Step 7

Select a virtual account from the Virtual Account drop-down list.

Note 

You can view only the virtual accounts that are assigned to you.

Step 8

Click Assign.

The selected PAK is converted to a smart license.

Configuring Smart Call Home for Smart Software Licensing

Make sure that Smart Call Home is enabled on the switch before configuring Smart Software Licensing. For more information, see the "Configuring Smart Call Home" chapter of the System Management Configuration Guide, Release 9.3(x) for your specific Cisco Nexus 3000 or 9000 Series switch.

Configuring a DNS Client

Before you begin

Make sure that the name server is reachable before you configure a DNS client.

Procedure

  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1

switch# configure terminal

Enters global configuration mode.

Step 2

switch(config)# ip domain-lookup

Enables DNS-based address translation.

Step 3

switch(config)# ip domain-name name [use-vrf vrf-name]

Defines the default domain name that Cisco NX-OS uses to resolve unqualified host names. You can also define a virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) that Cisco NX-OS uses to resolve this domain name if it cannot be resolved in the VRF under which you configured this domain name.

Cisco NX-OS appends the default domain name to any hostname that does not contain a complete domain name before starting a domain-name lookup.

Step 4

switch(config)# ip name-server address1 [address2... address6] [use-vrf vrf-name]

Defines up to six name servers. The address can be either an IPv4 or IPv6 address.

You can optionally define a VRF that Cisco NX-OS uses to reach this name server if it cannot be reached in the VRF under which you configured this name server.

Step 5

switch(config)# vrf context vrf-name

Creates a VRF and enters VRF configuration mode.

Step 6

switch(config-vrf)# ip domain-name name [use-vrf vrf-name]

Defines the default domain name that Cisco NX-OS uses to complete unqualified host names. You can optionally define a VRF that Cisco NX-OS uses to resolve this domain name if it cannot be resolved in the VRF under which you configured this domain name.

Cisco NX-OS appends the default domain name to any hostname that does not contain a complete domain name before starting a domain-name lookup.

Step 7

switch(config-vrf)# ip name-server address1 [address2... address6] [use-vrf vrf-name]

Defines up to six name servers. The address can be either an IPv4 or IPv6 address.

You can also define a VRF that Cisco NX-OS uses to reach this name server if it cannot be reached in the VRF under which you configured this name server.

Configuring a VRF To Send a Message Using HTTP

Procedure

  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1

switch# configure terminal

Enters global configuration mode.

Step 2

switch(config)# callhome

Enters Call Home configuration mode.

Step 3

switch(config-callhome)# transport http use-vrf vrf-name

Configures the VRF used to send email and other Smart Call Home messages over HTTP.

Viewing a Smart Call Home Profile

Procedure

Command or Action Purpose

switch# show callhome smart-licensing

Displays the Smart Call Home profile.

Enabling Smart Call Home Data Privacy

Procedure

  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1

switch# configure terminal

Enters global configuration mode.

Step 2

switch(config)# callhome

Enters Call Home configuration mode.

Step 3

switch(config-callhome)# data-privacy hostname

Enables Call Home data privacy.

Configuring Smart Software Licensing

Follow the instructions in this section to enable Smart Software Licensing, register your device to use a Smart account, and renew device registration and authorization.

Enabling or Disabling Smart Software Licensing

Procedure

  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1

switch# configure terminal .

Enters global configuration mode.

Step 2

Use one of the following commands to enable Smart Software Licensing:

  • switch(config)# [no] license smart enable
  • switch(config)# [no] feature license smart

Enables Smart Software Licensing and disables traditional licensing. All license requests now go through the CSSM.

The [no] version of this command disables Smart Software Licensing.

Registering a Device

You can register your device to use a Smart account. You need to register each device only once.

Before you begin

  • Make sure that Smart Software Licensing is enabled.

  • Make sure that you have the token to register your device to the Smart account.

Procedure

Command or Action Purpose

switch# license smart register idtoken token [force]

Registers your device to the Smart account using the token. The CSSM automatically renews the registration information with Cisco every 30 days.

Note 

To unregister a device, use the license smart deregister command.

Renewing Device Registration and Authorization

Procedure

  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1

switch# license smart renew id

Renews the device registration.

Step 2

switch# license smart renew auth

Renews the device authorization.

Verifying Smart Software Licensing

Verify Smart Software Licensing using the following commands:

Commands

Purpose

show license all

Displays all smart licensing information.

show license status

Displays the smart licensing status.

show license summary

Displays a summary of the registration, authorization, and entitlement for smart licenses.

show license tech support

Displays smart licesning technical support information.

show license udi

Displays the device identifier used by the smart license.

show license usage

Displays authorization, entitlement, version, and status information for smart licenses.


Note

System messages for traditional licensing might appear when the device is using Smart Software Licensing. If your device is using Smart Software Licensing, you can ignore messages such as the following: "LIC_MISSING_WARNING: A feature that requires license-name license is not installed."

Verification Examples for Smart Software Licensing

These examples show how to verify Smart Software Licensing: 

switch# show license status

Smart Licensing is ENABLED

Registration:
  Status: REGISTERED
  Smart Account: Cisco Systems, Inc.
  Virtual Account: NexusSmartLicensing_Test
  Export-Controlled Functionality: Allowed
  Initial Registration: SUCCEEDED on Nov 12 10:43:33 2019 UTC
  Last Renewal Attempt: None
  Next Renewal Attempt: Jun 16 10:43:32 2019 UTC
  Registration Expires: Nov 12 08:07:20 2019 UTC

License Authorization: 
  Status: AUTHORIZED on Nov 12 10:43:48 2019 UTC

  Last Communication Attempt: SUCCEEDED on Nov 12 10:43:48 2019 UTC
  Next Communication Attempt: Jun 16 10:43:47 2019 UTC
  Communication Deadline: Nov 12 08:07:20 2019 UTC


switch# show callhome smart-licensing

Current smart-licensing transport settings:
 Smart-license messages: enabled
 Profile: CiscoTAC-1 (status: ACTIVE)


switch# show license summary

Smart Licensing is ENABLED

Registration:
  Status: REGISTERED
  Smart Account: Cisco Systems, Inc.
  Virtual Account: NexusSmartLicensing_Test
  Export-Controlled Functionality: Allowed

License Authorization: 
  Status: AUTHORIZED on Dec 14 10:43:48 2019 UTC

  Last Communication Attempt: SUCCEEDED
  Next Communication Attempt: Jun 16 10:43:47 2019 UTC
  Communication Deadline: Nov 12 08:07:20 2019 UTC


switch# show license all

Smart Licensing Status
======================
Smart Licensing is ENABLED

Registration:
  Status: REGISTERED
  Smart Account: Cisco Systems, Inc.
  Virtual Account: NexusSmartLicensing_Test
  Export-Controlled Functionality: Allowed
  Initial Registration: SUCCEEDED on Nov 12 10:43:33 2019 UTC
  Last Renewal Attempt: None
  Next Renewal Attempt: Jun 16 10:43:32 2019 UTC
  Registration Expires: Nov 12 08:07:20 2019 UTC

License Authorization: 
  Status: AUTHORIZED
  Last Communication Attempt: SUCCEEDED on Nov 12 10:43:48 2019 UTC
  Next Communication Attempt: Jun 16 10:43:48 2019 UTC
  Communication Deadline: Nov 12 08:07:21 2019 UTC

License Usage
=============

Product Information
===================
UDI: SN:AB123456789

Agent Version
=============
Smart Agent for Licensing: 1.6.6_rel/88


switch# show license tech support

Smart Licensing Status
======================
Smart Licensing is ENABLED

Registration:
  Status: REGISTERED
  Smart Account: Cisco Systems, Inc.
  Virtual Account: NexusSmartLicensing_Test
  Export-Controlled Functionality: Allowed
  Initial Registration: SUCCEEDED on Nov 12 10:43:33 2019 UTC
  Last Renewal Attempt: None
  Next Renewal Attempt: Jun 16 10:43:32 2019 UTC
  Registration Expires: Nov 12 08:07:20 2019 UTC

License Authorization: 
  Status: AUTHORIZED on Nov 12 10:43:48 2019 UTC

  Last Communication Attempt: SUCCEEDED on Nov 12 10:43:48 2019 UTC
  Next Communication Attempt: Jun 16 10:43:47 2019 UTC
  Communication Deadline: Nov 12 08:07:20 2019 UTC

Evaluation Period:
  Evaluation Mode: Not In Use
  Evaluation Period Remaining:  89 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 7 seconds

License Usage
=============

Product Information
===================
UDI: SN:AB123456789

Agent Version
=============
Smart Agent for Licensing: 1.6.6_rel/88

Upcoming Scheduled Jobs
=======================
Current time: Nov 12 08:44:44 2019 UTC
IdCert Expiration Warning: Oct 15 08:07:20 2019 UTC (303 days, 23 hours, 22 minu
tes, 36 seconds remaining)
Daily: Oct 15 10:26:50 2019 UTC (1 hours, 42 minutes, 6 seconds remaining)
Certificate Renewal: Jun 16 10:43:32 2019 UTC (179 days, 1 hours, 58 minutes, 48
 seconds remaining)
Reservation configuration mismatch between nodes in HA mode: Not Available
Certificate Expiration Check: Nov 12 08:07:20 2019 UTC (363 days, 23 hours, 22 m
inutes, 36 seconds remaining)
Authorization Renewal: Jun 16 10:43:47 2019 UTC (29 days, 1 hours, 59 minutes, 3
 seconds remaining)
Authorization Expiration Check: Nov 12 08:07:20 2019 UTC (363 days, 23 hours, 22
 minutes, 36 seconds remaining)
Init Flag Check: Not Available
Register Period Expiration Check: Not Available
Ack Expiration Check: Not Available

License Certificates
====================
Production Cert: True
PIID: 

Licensing Certificated:

    Id certificate Info:
        Start Date: Nov 12 08:07:22 2019 UTC
        Expiry Date: Nov 12 08:07:22 2019 UTC
        Version Number: 3
        Serial Number: 123456
        Common Name: 9c172927d1806d05694c1f434b40ec0fbef93abb::2

    Signing certificate Info:
        Start Date: Aug 11 19:05:34 2019 UTC
        Expiry Date: Nov 12 07:00:15 2069 UTC
        Version Number: 3
        Serial Number: 3
        Common Name: MMI Signer

    Sub CA Info:
        Start Date: Sep 11 19:06:30 2019 UTC
        Expiry Date: Dec 7 07:00:15 2069 UTC
        Version Number: 3
        Serial Number: 2
        Common Name: Smart Licensing CA

    Root Cert Info:
        Start Date: Jun 30 19:48:47 2019 UTC
        Expiry Date: Dec 7 07:00:15 2069 UTC
        Version Number: 3
        Serial Number: 1
        Common Name: Cisco Licensing Root CA

HA Info
==========
RP Role: Active
Chassis Role: Active
Behavior Role: Active
RMF: True
CF: True
CF State: Stateless

Other Info
==========
Software ID: regid.2015-09.com.cisco.Nexus_9000,1.0_6e2b6ed8-fe9b-48e0-a71f-74ea
f1bcc991
Agent State: authorized
TS enable: True
Transport: Callhome
Locale: C
Debug flags: 0x7
Privacy Send Hostname: True
Privacy Send IP: True
Build type:: Production
sizeof(char)  : 1
sizeof(int)   : 4
sizeof(long)  : 4
sizeof(char *): 4
sizeof(time_t): 4
sizeof(size_t): 4
Endian: Little
Write Erase Occurred: False
XOS version: 0.11.0.0
Reservation enable: False
Reservation in progress: False
Reservation type: None
Reservation request code: <empty>
Reservation authorization code: <empty>
Reservation return code: <empty>
Config Persist Received: True
Message Version: 1.1


switch# show license udi

UDI: SN:AB123456789


switch# show license usage

License Authorization: 
  Status: AUTHORIZED on Nov 12 08:45:50 2019 UTC

(LAN_ENTERPRISE_SERVICES_PKG):
  Description: LAN license for Nexus 9000 Platforms
  Count: 1
  Version: 1.0
  Status: AUTHORIZED


switch# show running-config callhome

!Time: Thu Nov 12 08:55:26 2019

version 9.3(3)
callhome
  email-contact sch-smart-licensing@cisco.com
  destination-profile CiscoTAC-1 transport-method http
  destination-profile CiscoTAC-1 http https://tools.cisco.com/its/service/oddce/
services/DDCEService
  transport http use-vrf management
  enable

Configuration Examples for Smart Software Licensing

This example shows how to register your device with the Cisco portal and enable Smart Software Licensing:


Note

To avoid any issues when registering your device, make sure that the name server is reachable before registering your device.

 
switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# ip domain-lookup
switch(config)# ip domain-name cisco.com
switch(config)# ip name-server 171.70.168.183 use-vrf management
switch(config)# vrf context management
switch(config-vrf)# ip domain-name cisco.com
switch(config-vrf)# ip name-server 171.70.168.183
switch(config-vrf)# exit
switch(config)# callhome
switch(config-callhome)# transport http use-vrf management
switch(config-callhome)# exit
switch(config)# feature license smart

This example shows how to disable Smart Software Licensing: 

switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# no feature license smart

This example shows how to register a device: 

switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# license smart register idtoken sampletokenID
register status: Registration process is in progress. Use the 'show license status' command to check the progress and result

This example shows how to unregister a device: 

switch# license smart deregister

This example shows how to provide the URL for CSSM On-Prem as part of the Smart Call Jome configuration:

callhome
  contract-id <contract-id>
  customer-id <customer-id>
  site-id <site-id>
  email-contact <email>
  phone-contact <phone>
  streetaddress <street address>
  destination-profile CiscoTAC-1 transport-method http
  destination-profile CiscoTAC-1 index 1 http https://<CSSM-On-Prem-IP>/Transportgateway/services/DeviceRequestHandler
  transport http use-vrf management
  enable

Use Cases for Smart Software Licensing

Scenario 1

  1. Configure and order a Cisco Nexus 3000 or 9000 Series switch with licenses and select the Cisco NX-OS release that will be preinstalled on the hardware prior to shipment.


    Note

    To convert the preinstalled licenses on the hardware to smart licenses, you must have a Smart Account set up and then convert the licenses by going to the License Registration Portal.

  2. Click the Devices tab under the Manage section. Click the corresponding Device ID, and choose Convert to Smart Entitlements from the Device ID drop-down list. Doing so converts all the licenses that are preinstalled on the switch to smart licenses. This task must be performed for each switch that you want to convert to smart licensing.

  3. The service validates if license Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) on the switch have been mapped to smart licenses before proceeding with the conversion.

  4. Enable smart mode on the switch and start using the smart licenses.

Scenario 2

  1. Configure and order a Cisco Nexus 3000 or 9000 Series switch with licenses and select the Cisco NX-OS release that will be preinstalled in the hardware prior to shipment.

  2. Upgrade the switch to Cisco NX-OS Release 9.3(3) or a later release.


    Note

    To convert the preinstalled licenses on the hardware to smart licenses, you must have a Smart account set up and then perform the conversion by going to the License Registration Portal.

  3. Click the Devices tab under the Manage section. Click the corresponding Device ID, and choose Convert to Smart Entitlements from the Device ID drop-down list. Doing so converts all the licenses that are preinstalled on the switch to smart licenses. This task must be performed for each switch that you want to convert to smart licensing.

  4. The service validates if license SKUs on the switch are mapped to smart licenses before proceeding with the conversion.

  5. Enable smart mode on the switch and start using the smart licenses.

Scenario 3

  1. Order a spare license SKU and do not associate a Smart account to the order in Cisco Commerce Workspace (CCW).


    Note

    You must have a Smart account set up before using Smart Software Licensing.

  2. Order a PAK and load it to your Smart account.

  3. The License Registration Portal service validates if the spare license SKU is mapped to a smart license.

  4. The Smart Software Manager (SSM) notifies you through email when your Smart Account has licenses that can be fulfilled as traditional licenses or smart licenses.

  5. Specify the PAKs as smart licenses in SSM.

  6. Ensure that Cisco NX-OS Release 9.3(3) or a later release is installed on the switch, enable smart mode, and start using the smart entitlements.

Scenario 4

  1. Order a spare license SKU and assign a Smart account to the order in CCW.

  2. The existing License Registration Portal service deposits the PAK to the LRP Smart account.

  3. The License Registration Portal service validates if the spare license SKU has been mapped to smart entitlements. If the spare license SKUs are mapped to smart entitlements, the service sends out a confirmation notification to CSSM.

  4. The Smart Software Manager notifies you through email when your Smart Account has licenses that can be fulfilled as traditional licenses or smart licenses.

  5. Specify the PAKs as Smart Software Licenses in SSM.

  6. Ensure that Cisco NX-OS Release 9.3(3) or a later release is installed on the switch, enable smart mode, and start using the smart licenses.

Additional References for Smart Software Licensing

Table 3. Technical Assistance

Description

Link

License Registration Portal (LRP) documentation

https://www.cisco.com/web/fw/tools/swift/xui/html/help.html

Smart accounts and smart licensing

https://forums.cisco.com/OperationsExchange/s/Training-Details?L1Category=Training&L2Category=CSE_End_Customer&L1CategoryPath=training

Training and resources

https://community.cisco.com/t5/smart-licensing-enterprise/software-on-demand-training-resources-for-customers/ta-p/3639797

Feature History for Smart Software Licensing

Feature Name

Release

Feature Information

Smart Software Licensing

 9.3(3) Introduced this feature for Cisco Nexus 3000 and 9000 Series switches.

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