End of Sale Nexus 9k Licensing

[shankar083]

In the next couple of days I'm getting my hands on (5x) Nexus 9k (N9K-C93180YC-EX) switches that have been decommissioned by a defunct company. I see on they went EoSale last August but end of Support does hit until Aug 2027. I'm excited about the idea of my soon to be overpowered Home lab, but I dont know much about how licensing works with N9Ks. Obviously I cant get smartnet on them. but was wondering what my potential options are for them.

[M02@rt37]

Hello @shankar083,

Check if the switches come with any existing licenses that were acquired by the defunct company. Nexus 9k switches typically require licenses for advanced features such as Layer 3 routing protocols (e.g., OSPF, BGP) or additional software packages. If the switches have these licenses intact, you may be able to leverage those features.

Nexus 9k switches come with a base level of functionality that doesn't require additional licenses. This includes standard Layer 2 switching capabilities and basic Layer 3 routing features. You can still use the switches for typical networking tasks within these limitations.

Utilize the Nexus 9k switches for learning and testing purposes. They can be an excellent platform to gain hands-on experience with Cisco's data center technologies, network automation, or SDN concepts. Build and experiment with different network topologies, configurations, and scenarios.

[Gaybemiles]

Thanks for this!