Recently we have been discussing a lot about Cisco Nexus Switches and its features & technologies but unlike Brocade, Arista & Juniper, Cisco wants to sell you a license for every feature you want to opt in. Lets have look at the types of licenses and why they are required. Cisco Nexus have two types of licenses -
1. Feature Based - Feature-based licenses make features available to
the entire physical device, so you only need one copy of the license for
a device. Each license only supports the listed features. Licenses may
be specific to a particular hardware platform.
2. Module Based - Module-based licenses make features available to
one module on the physical device, so you need one copy of the license
for each module that you want to enable the features on. Each license
only supports the listed features. Licenses may be specific to a
particular hardware platform or module.
Now lets have look at the long list of licenses available for various Nexus platforms -
Licensing Terminology
The following terms are used for Cisco Nexus Licensing:
- Licensed feature
- Permission to use a particular feature through a license file, a hardware object, or a legal contract. This permission is limited to the number of users, number of instances, time span, and the implemented device.
- Licensed application
- A software feature that requires a license to be used.
- License enforcement
- A mechanism that prevents a feature from being used without first obtaining a license.
- Node-locked license
- A license that can only be used on a particular device using the device’s unique host ID.
- Host IDs
- A unique chassis serial number that is specific to each device.
- Software license claim certificate
- A document entitling its rightful owner to use licensed features on one device as described in that document.
- Product Authorization Key (PAK)
- The PAK allows you to obtain a license key from one of the sites listed in the software license claim certificate document. After registering at the specified website, you will receive your license key file and installation instructions through e-mail.
- License key file
- A device-specific unique file that specifies the licensed features. Each file contains digital signatures to prevent tampering and modification. License keys are required to use a licensed feature. License keys are enforced within a specified time span.
- Missing license
- If the bootflash has been corrupted or a supervisor module replaced after you have installed a license, that license shows as missing. The feature still works. You should reinstall the license as soon as possible.
- Evaluation license
- A temporary license. Evaluation licenses are time bound (valid for a specified number of days) and are tied to a host ID (device serial number).
- Permanent license
- A license that is not time bound is called a permanent license.
- Grace period
- The amount of time the features in a license package can continue functioning without a license.
- Support
- If you purchased Cisco support through a Cisco reseller, contact the reseller directly. If you purchased support directly from Cisco, contact Cisco Technical Support at this URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/support/tsd_cisco_worldwide_contacts.html
- So, Guys did you had a look at the long long list of licenses for Nexus series. Anybody who is designing a solution for Nexus or ASR should be very careful with licensing (Had already burnt my fingers once).