Why do some cisco switch have smart license?

[Iloveyou]

What is smart license and why so only some device have them?

[balaji.bandi]

because cisco can track the device and License and support.

Old device still work PAK License,

Any latest i guess 2020 most of the devices moved to smart License.

[Iloveyou]

what is PAK license?

My device is in a closed network. It uses smart license for ipbase.

How am I supposed to get the Cisco IOS to upgrade it?

[balaji.bandi]

PAK License Cisco old style offline License issue to install on device.

My device is in a closed network. It uses smart license for ipbase.  < for this one personally you do not need to connect smart License server, this should perpetuals.

How am I supposed to get the Cisco IOS to upgrade it  - Upgrade and License 2 different, License is to work some features to enable them depends on requirement.

software upgrade you need to have contact to download image and upgrade.

[M02@rt37]

Hello @Iloveyou,

Smart Licensing is a modern approach to software licensing used by Cisco and some other technology vendors. It's designed to simplify software licensing, provide more flexibility, and offer centralized management of licenses across an organization's devices.

As concerned your closed network you could use SLR or PLR smart Activation license.

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/licensing/common-licensing-issues/how-to/lic217543-how-to-reserve-licenses-slr.html

On the other hand, PAKs are traditional license keys that need manual activation and are tied to specific devices, making them less flexible and requiring a more manual approach to license management.

Cisco has been transitioning towards Smart Licensing to streamline license management and adapt to evolving software delivery models.