"Smart Licensing is a cloud-based, software license management solution that allows you to manage and track the status of your license and hardware and software usage trends. Smart Licensing also enables you to automate time-consuming, manual licensing tasks."
The important statement on the website is this statement:
"Licenses are managed as smart licenses from Cisco IOS XE Fuji 16.9.1 and later."
That means that as soon as you upgrade to 16.9.1 or later your Right to Use licensing will no longer work. So how do you set up Smart Licensing on the switch?
It's actually pretty easy but it does require Internet access. You can use a proxy but I am not going to cover that today. If you are building the switches at your office for a customer you can configure the management interface and use your internal network. That is what I am doing in this example. If your switch already has internet access you can skip the management interface configuration.
Set the correct license level
There will be a printed card in the box with the swiitch that lists the type and quantity of licenses that were purchased. Notice in the picture below that the quantity is 17. That is because there were 17 switches on the sales order.Near the bottom is a bar code label "Order #". This is what Cisco calls the Sales Order (SO) number. You will need this if you contact TAC or the licensing team.
My switches were purchased with network-advantage licensing so I entered the code listed below. If you don't do this, the call-home service will try to register DNA Advantage and Network Advantage licenses. It works, but you get an Alert on the CSSM portal and you will see this in the output of "show license all"
License Usage
==============
C9300 48P DNA Advantage (C9300-48 DNA Advantage):
Description: C9300 48P DNA Advantage
Count: 4
Version: 1.0
Status: OUT OF COMPLIANCE
Export status: NOT RESTRICTED
Enter the following to set the license level to network-advantage. Note that a reload is required.
test#Conf t
test(config)#license boot level network-advantage
test(config)#exit
test#write memory
test#show version (showing just the relevant output)
Technology Package License Information:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technology-package Technology-package
Current Type Next reboot
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
network-advantage Smart License network-advantage
dna-advantage Subscription Smart License None
AIR License Level: AIR DNA Advantage
Next reload AIR license Level: AIR DNA Advantage
reload
If you purchased additional add ons such as DNA your boot level command will look like this:
license boot level network-advantage addon dna-advantage
Configure the Management interface
I was connecting to a LAN with a DHCP server so I used DHCP. If you don't have access to a DHCP server use a valid static IP address.conf t
test(config)#interface GigabitEthernet0/0
test(config-if)#ip address dhcp
test(config-if)#no shut
exit
Configure routing and host resolution
Smart Licensing uses the "Call-Home" service and must be able to reach tools.cisco.com. I added a host entry since this customer doesn't allow name servers.Since I am using the management interface I had to use the Mgmt-vrf for the host. Once the switch is installed, the management interface will be down so I added a host outside the Mgmt-vrf
test(config)#ip host vrf Mgmt-vrf tools.cisco.com 72.163.4.38
test(config)#ip host tools.cisco.com 72.163.4.38
test(config)#ip route vrf Mgmt-vrf 72.163.4.38 255.255.255.255 10.253.4.1
test(config)#ip http client source-interface g0/0
The "ip http client" statement must be in the configuration while using the management interface. You must remove if you don't use the management interface after install.
Make sure you can ping tools.cisco.com:
ping vrf Mgmt-vrf tools.cisco.com
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 72.163.4.38, timeout is 2 seconds:
!!!!!
Configure the Smart Call-Home service
test(config)#service call-home
test(config)#license smart transport callhome
test(config)#call-home
test(cfg-call-home)#no http secure server-identity-check
test(cfg-call-home)#profile CiscoTAC-1
test(cfg-call-home-profile)#reporting all
test(cfg-call-home-profile)#destination transport-method http
test(cfg-call-home-profile)#no destination transport-method email
test(cfg-call-home-profile)active
test(cfg-call-home-profile)#end
test#wr mem
Use show commands to review:
sh run | sec call-home
service call-home
call-home
! If contact email address in call-home is configured as sch-smart-licensing@cisco.com
! the email address configured in Cisco Smart License Portal will be used as contact email address to send SCH notifications.
contact-email-addr sch-smart-licensing@cisco.com
no http secure server-identity-check
profile "CiscoTAC-1"
active
destination transport-method http
no destination transport-method email
sh run | i call
service call-home
call-home
! If contact email address in call-home is configured as sch-smart-licensing@cisco.com
license smart transport callhome
Create the Smart Account
Smart licensing requires a "Smart" account before you can activate the license on the switch. To create your account go to CSSM.When the page loads you will see 5 sections. Look for Administration:
Click on "Request a Smart Account" and follow the instructions.
Create Token
You will need a "token" that gets pasted into the switch. Once you have your account, log in and click on Smart Licensing in the "License" section:
When the page loads click on the Inventory tab.
Click the General tab, click "New Token..."
In the dialog that opens, enter a description and set the number of uses. Cisco recommends 30 and that is what I have been using.
Click "Create Token". You will return to the previous screen. Click on the blue diagonal arrow on the right of the token to copy it to the clipboard. Save the token for use on the switch.
Enter the Token on the switch
From enable mode, not configuration mode, enter:
license smart register idtoken <your token>
and press enter.
You will see "Registration process is in progress. Use the 'show license status' command to check the progress and result" in the CLI.
You can use "show license status" to check on the progress. If everything worked you will see:
Registration:
Status: REGISTERED
<Account name>
Virtual Account: DEFAULT
Export-Controlled Functionality: ALLOWED
Initial Registration: SUCCEEDED on Aug 27 13:58:49 2019 PDT
Last Renewal Attempt: None
Next Renewal Attempt: Feb 23 13:58:48 2020 PDT
Registration Expires: Aug 26 13:52:59 2020 PDT
What if it didn't work?
As you can see, there are a lot of things that must go right for this to work. One thing I have run into is the licenses have to be associated with the switch serial number. If they aren't you will see:License Authorization:
Status: OUT OF COMPLIANCE on Aug 27 13:58:53 2019 PDT
Last Communication Attempt: SUCCEEDED on Aug 27 13:58:53 2019 PDT
On the switch. Back on the portal, click on the "Alerts" tab and you will see:
You will need to contact TAC and get the liscense associated with the switch.
If you receive the message
"Operation not supported because the agent is running in Permanent License Reservation mode"
Run the following
(config)#no license smart reservation
test#sh call-home profile all
Profile Name: CiscoTAC-1
Profile status: ACTIVE
Profile mode: Full Reporting
Reporting Data: Smart Call Home, Smart Licensing
Preferred Message Format: xml
Message Size Limit: 3145728 Bytes
Transport Method: http
HTTP address(es): https://tools.cisco.com/its/service/oddce/services/DDCEService
Other address(es): default
Periodic configuration info message is scheduled every 1 day of the month at 09:15
Periodic inventory info message is scheduled every 1 day of the month at 09:00
Alert-group Severity
------------------------ ------------
crash debug
diagnostic minor
environment warning
inventory normal
Syslog-Pattern Severity
------------------------ ------------
APF-.-WLC_.* warning
.* major
Show full license status
You can use "show license all" to see the complete license status
test#sh license all
Smart Licensing Status
======================
Smart Licensing is ENABLED
Registration:
Status: REGISTERED
Smart Account: The perfect customer
Virtual Account: DEFAULT
Export-Controlled Functionality: ALLOWED
Initial Registration: SUCCEEDED on Aug 27 13:58:49 2019 PDT
Last Renewal Attempt: SUCCEEDED on Aug 28 09:01:22 2019 PDT
Next Renewal Attempt: Feb 24 09:01:21 2020 PDT
Registration Expires: Aug 27 08:55:36 2020 PDT
License Authorization:
Status: OUT OF COMPLIANCE on Aug 27 13:58:53 2019 PDT
Last Communication Attempt: SUCCEEDED on Aug 28 09:01:28 2019 PDT
Next Communication Attempt: Aug 28 21:01:28 2019 PDT
Communication Deadline: Nov 26 08:55:44 2019 PDT
Export Authorization Key:
Features Authorized:
<none>
Utility:
Status: DISABLED
Data Privacy:
Sending Hostname: yes
Callhome hostname privacy: DISABLED
Smart Licensing hostname privacy: DISABLED
Version privacy: DISABLED
Transport:
Type: Callhome
License Usage
==============
C9300 48P DNA Advantage (C9300-48 DNA Advantage):
Description: C9300 48P DNA Advantage
Count: 4
Version: 1.0
Status: OUT OF COMPLIANCE
Export status: NOT RESTRICTED
C9300 48P NW Advantage (C9300-48 Network Advantage):
Description: C9300 48P NW Advantage
Count: 4
Version: 1.0
Status: AUTHORIZED
Export status: NOT RESTRICTED
Product Information
===================
UDI: PID:C9300-48UXM,SN:FJC2324S042
HA UDI List:
Active:PID:C9300-48UXM,SN:XXXXXXXS042
Standby:PID:C9300-48UXM,SN:XXXXXXXE014
Member:PID:C9300-48UXM,SN:XXXXXXXE04M
Member:PID:C9300-48UXM,SN:XXXXXXXB02D
Agent Version
=============
Smart Agent for Licensing: 4.8.5.1_rel/8
Reservation Info
================
License reservation: DISABLED
