Do Catalyst Switches require DNAC or Prime?

[modular182]

Do Catalyst 9200 or 9300 switches require Cisco DNA or Prime to manage their licenses or can I license them from their CLI? Is it possible to just buy a pair of Cat 9200s and set them up in a network without buying anything else? Thank you in advance for your help.

[OrlandoGM · Accepted solution]

Hello @modular182!

Catalyst Switches require a DNA License when purchasing for the first time. Renewal is optional.

Cisco Prime and Cisco DNA Center are two different Network Management solutions where you can manage your devices (and licensing included). You can definitely have your switches operating normally on your network without Prime or DNAC, they are just additional solutions.

Hope it's helpful

Orlando González.

[grambo1980]

That is actually an insane requirement. Being forced to buy a license for something you are very likely not using. 

[Leo Laohoo]

Get a 5-year Cisco DNA Essentials license for the price of a 3-year

NOTE:  Please disregard the validity date of the offer as it is still on.

[Leo Laohoo]

For 9200/9200L/9200X, additional savings can be made by knowing (and understanding) that each 9200/9200L/9200X purchase also includes Cisco Enhanced Limited Lifetime Hardware Warranty:

Cisco enhanced limited lifetime hardware warranty

Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series switches come with a Cisco Enhanced Limited Lifetime Warranty (E-LLW) that includes Next-Business-Day (NBD) delivery of replacement hardware where available and 90 days of 8x5 Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) support.

Your formal warranty statement, including the warranty applicable to Cisco software, appears in the information packet that accompanies your Cisco product. We encourage you to review the warranty statement shipped with your specific product carefully before use.

Cisco reserves the right to refund the purchase price as its exclusive warranty remedy.

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Plus, Catalyst 9k firmware download is free (CCO account is all that is required):  Cisco Catalyst IOS Software Update Program for Cisco Catalyst 9200/X, 9300/X, 9400/X, 9500/X and 9600/X Series Switches