DNA Center or Cat9K Switch? Where to activate and register Subscription Licenses?

[aliamiri53]

Hi there

For 1st experience, I set to participate in a SD-Access project to implement Cisco DNA Center and Cat9K Switches. I'm also responsible for licensing works! In recent days I've studied bunch of Cisco documents, but I'm in confusion now!

My question: Where to activate and register DNA Subscription Licenses? In DNA Center Appliance License Manager, or inside Cat9K Switches? or maybe both?

The project consist of a DNA Center appliance cluster and tens of Cat9300 and Cat9500 switches. Licenses are DNA Advantage Subscription.

There is also one more concern for me:

Is it possible and supported to use CSSM Satellite along with DNA Center to make indirect access to Cisco Account?

Your helps will be truly appreciated.

-Ali

[AndiBuchmann157 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

you can register the subscription licenses either manual or via DNAC - it is your choiice. do it just as you wish and how your time (and mood) allows.

Either you do it manually per device (license smart register <ID TOKEN> on the CLI) or you tell DNAC to register every device in its inventory. the second way requires the dnac to be connected to the corresponding smart / virtual account.

in my lab / customers we are doing the lic. manually via satellite and not direct access. i am currently reimaging my dnac to 1.2.10 - i will have look on any options between dnac / sl satellite after its back up again.

hth,

andreas

[Mike.Cifelli]

Adding some information based on my experiences:

If you decide to use DNAC as the middle man to act as a proxy and enable license reservation, etc. ensure that DNAC can reach *.cisco.com:443.
I still have a TAC ticket open to resolve DNAC/SDA licensing issues. The manual way typically works. However, it is not ideal especially if you have hundreds of underlay devices inside your fabric.

Here are valuable tshooting steps in regard to licensing if you see the following in DNAC:
Registration status= reservation in progress

Start with the exec command: license smart reservation cancel all
* Once you do this, it should move back to "Disabled".
* After this, use the following commands:
* Config mode: license smart reservation
* Exec mode: license smart reservation request all
* Log in to software.cisco.com and manually create a PLR for the switch using the code provided from the exec mode command
* Generate the authorization code and upload it to the device
* Exec mode: license smart reservation install file <location>
* After this, is *should* be enabled. If not, this points to a possible issue for the device.

If you need to reboot the license services in DNAC you can via this way from CLI:
magctl service restart licensemanager -d
magctl service restart license-service -d

HTH!

[aliamiri53]

Mike,
Hi and thank you.
Your comment is helpful for my task.
So for few devices, manual registration in switches will be more reliable. But if there are tens of gears, doing it will be hassle. right?

Regards,
-Ali

[aliamiri53]

Hi Andreas

Your answer is helpful, thanks.
Meanwhile, it'll be kind if you post the result of your test with new DNAC and Satellite.

Regards,
-Ali