Scope of this document

This document provides information on licensing for Cisco C9350 and C9610 Series Smart Switches.

Cisco C9350 Series Smart Switches support Cisco Networking Subscription licenses as well as Meraki Classic Licensing, while Cisco C9610 Series Smart Switches support only Cisco Networking Subscription licensing.

If you opted for Cisco Networking Subscription, refer to this document to learn how to manage your licenses.

If you chose Classic Meraki licensing, refer to Meraki Licensing.

Before you begin

Before you begin your Cisco C9000 Smart Switches license management, ensure:

Cisco Networking Subscription

Cisco C9000 Series Smart Switches support Cisco Networking Subscription. This unified, subscription-based licensing model simplifies the purchase, deployment, and management of Cisco networking software, hardware, and services.

This subscription-based licensing streamlines the management of Cisco software, hardware, services, and platforms. It also provides unified product support and RMA support.

Cisco Networking Subscription for Cisco C9000 Series Smart Switches consists of:

  • Cisco Switching OS license: This is a perpetual software license that grants you the right to use some platform-specific features in the OS indefinitely without an expiration date. This license is available in two tiers: Essentials and Advantage.
  • Cisco Networking Subscription license: This is a subscription-based license that includes two licensing tiers: Essentials and Advantage. Being subscription-based, this license has a minimum term period of 3 years.

Benefits

This licensing model allows you to:

  • Set up your network on-premises or in the cloud.
  • Add or upgrade licenses mid-term seamlessly.
  • Manage a single, per-device license with flexible management options such as on-premises management with Cisco Smart Software Manager (Cisco SSM), or cloud management using the Meraki dashboard.
  • Avail product support for both software and the associated hardware, along with RMA upgrade service for hardware replacement.

License tiers

Cisco C9000 Series Smart Switches support the two tiers listed here, which unlock different platform features and capabilities.

  • Switching Essentials: Provides fundamental features and functionalities to manage a network.
  • Switching Advantage: Enables management of a network with all essential features, plus advanced capabilities such as Cloud-delivered security and Cisco AI Network Analytics.
Supported license tiers for Cisco C9350 Series Smart Switches - OS licenses (seen only on device)

Cisco Switching OS license

License tag

Cisco C9350 Switching IOS-XE Essentials

C9350-OS-ESS

Cisco C9350 Switching IOS-XE Advantage

C9350-OS-ADV
Supported license tiers for Cisco C9610 Series Smart Switches - OS licenses (seen only on device)

Cisco Switching OS license

License tag

Cisco C9610 Switching Advantage

C9610-OS-ADV
Supported license tiers for Cisco C9350 Series Smart Switches - Networking Subscription licenses

License tier

License tag

Cisco Switching Essentials License Access Tier 1, Large (48 port)

LIC-CS-AC1-L-E

Cisco Switching Essentials License Access Tier 1, Medium (up to 24 port)

LIC-CS-AC1-M-E

Cisco Switching Advantage License Access Tier 1, Large (48 port)

LIC-CS-AC1-L-A

Cisco Switching Advantage License Access Tier 1, Medium (up to 24 port)

LIC-CS-AC1-M-A
Supported license tiers for Cisco C9610 Series Smart Switches - Cisco Networking Subscription licenses

License tier

License tag

Cisco Switching Advantage License Core Modular

LIC-CS-CO-MO-A

To view the feature matrix for the license tiers, see Cisco Switching Licensing Feature Matrix.

Cisco Switching OS licenses

Cisco Switching OS license is a perpetual license and is a part of Cisco Networking Subscription. In Cisco IOS XE 17.18.1 release, the switches are set to Cisco Switching OS Advantage boot level before shipping.

  • Cisco C9350 Series Smart Switches support both Switching Essentials and Switching Advantage tiers. If Cisco Switching OS Essentials license is ordered, the boot level license must be modified to Cisco Switching OS Essentials by using the license boot level essentials command in the config terminal mode. Remember to exit configuration mode, save the configuration, and reload the device to apply the Switching OS Essentials tier.
  • Cisco C9610 Series Smart Switches support Switching Advantage tier. You can directly boot the switch and proceed to the next step. Boot level modification is not required.
 Remember

If you modify the license boot level for your Cisco C9350 Series Smart Switch, it is recommended that you connect your device to Cisco SSM to report this change to Cisco SSM.

View Cisco Switching OS license details

To view the details of your Cisco Switching OS license, run the show commands described in this section in the configuration terminal mode.

 Important

This task does not apply to Meraki switches or subscription licenses.

Step 1

To view the license type, license tier, and total, run the show license summary command for your Cisco Switching OS license

Example:

Device# show license summary
Account Information:
  Smart Account: Test As of Sep 10 17:12:16 2025 UTC
  Virtual Account: Test Acc

License Usage:
  License                 Entitlement Tag                Count Status
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  essentials              (Switching OS Essentials)         3 IN USE

Step 2

To view the usage summary, run the show license usage command.

Example:

Device# show license usage
essentials (Switching OS Essentials):
  Description: Cisco C9350 Switching IOS-XE Essentials
  Count: 3
  Version: 1.0
  Status: IN USE
  Export status: NOT RESTRICTED
  Feature Name: essentials
  Feature Description: Cisco C9350 Switching IOS-XE Essentials
  Enforcement type: NOT ENFORCED
  License type: Perpetual

Note the Status, which shows that the license is IN USE.

Manage Cisco Switching OS licenses through Cisco SSM

Cisco SSM is a centralized cloud-based platform that enables you to manage all your Cisco Switching OS licenses from a single dashboard. You can organize and view your licenses in groups called Virtual Accounts and perform several license management tasks. Use Cisco SSM to manage the Cisco Switching OS licenses for your device.

Perform these steps to manage the Cisco Switching OS licenses through Cisco SSM.

Step 1

Go to software.cisco.com and log in with your Cisco.com credentials.

Step 2

On the Smart Software Licensing dashboard, click Manage Licenses to view your assets in a single dashboard.

Step 3

In this dashboard, choose Inventory > Licenses to view your Virtual Account and the assets in your account.

This Cisco SSM Licenses dashboard also allows you to:

  • View all your Cisco assets, including device information, license ownership, and license consumption data.
  • Monitor the usage of your licenses and reallocate them to different devices as needed.
  • Move licenses between Virtual Accounts.
  • Generate and view detailed reports on licenses, including license status, license subscriptions, and upcoming expiration dates.
  • Generate and view reports for all your connected Cisco devices and services.

Manage subscription licenses through cloud

The Meraki cloud solution is a centralized management service that allows you to manage your subscription licenses through a single and secure platform.

Perform the tasks outlined in this section to manage your Cisco Networking Subscription licenses by using the cloud dashboard.

Claim your license

Step 1

Log in to the Meraki dashboard.

The devices you have claimed are visible in the dashboard, and these devices can now be added to your network.

Step 2

Use your devices’ serial number to claim your device by performing one of these steps:

Choose from:

  • Scan the barcode: Open your Meraki app and scan the barcode to claim your device.
  • Use the Meraki dashboard: Claim your device by logging into the dashboard and navigating to Network-wide > Configure > Add Devices OR Organization > Configure > Inventory.

The devices you have claimed are visible in the dashboard, and these devices can now be added to your network.

Create a network and add devices

A network holds devices and information related to those devices. To create a network in the Meraki dashboard, you need to have administrator privileges.

Before Meraki devices can be monitored and configured, you must first add them to your network in the dashboard. Perform these steps to add devices to networks in the dashboard.

Step 1

From the Meraki dashboard, navigate to the Organization tab and then choose Create network.

Step 2

In the Name field, specify a name for the network.

Step 3

From the Network type drop-down list, choose an appropriate option:

Choose from:

  • Combined hardware: Can contain a combination of different device types. Useful for locations with each type of device.
  • Switch: Contains only switches.

Step 4

Select the appropriate configuration from the Configuration drop-down list.

Step 5

In the Devices section, select the check box against the devices that you want to add to this network.

Step 6

Click Create Network.

The devices operate in the management mode of the selected network and consume licenses from the subscription that the network is linked to.

Assign your licenses to an organization

An organization is a logical container for Meraki networks managed by one or more accounts. To manage your licenses, add your devices to your organization before you manage them.

Before you begin

Create an organization by performing the steps mentioned here.

Step 1

From the Meraki dashboard, navigate to Organization > Configure > License Info.

Step 2

Click Add licenses and add the licenses to your organization.

Once this setup is complete, you can view and manage your licenses on cloud, from the Meraki dashboard.

Meraki Classic Licensing

The Meraki Classic Licensing or Meraki co-termination is based on co-termination, which means that for any given organization, regardless of how many licenses were applied or when they were applied, the license expiration date for all licenses will be exactly the same.

The co-termination licenses are available in Essentials and Advantage tiers for Cisco C9350 Series Smart Switches and in the Advantage tier for Cisco C9610 Series Smart Switches. These licenses allow you to manage your licenses through the cloud, and they are intended to support current Meraki customers who use co-term licensing and cannot yet onboard to subscriptions.

For detailed workflows on how to onboard and manage these licenses, see Meraki Licensing.