CAT 9500 Licensing

[Diana Karolina Rojas]

Hello Community,

We have 10 Catalyst 9500, all of them have smart account license scheme. That devices come with Advantage Evaluation licences by default (both, the one of the device and the one of DNA suscription) and have 20 days left before the license expires (I know I have to connect the device to Cisco.com or the satellite before the licence expire) but I have a doubt, suppose I can't connect the device to cisco.com and the licenses expires, what happen in this case about the device license? (I don't care about DNA license because I am not using DNAC features) I lose the Advantages features? the device is a c9500-40X-A. In the next output you can see that both licenses are in evaluation mode.

SW_8_ATENTO_9500#sh license summary

Smart Licensing is ENABLED

Registration:

  Status: UNREGISTERED

  Export-Controlled Functionality: Not Allowed

License Authorization:

  Status: EVAL MODE

  Evaluation Period Remaining: 41 days, 19 hours, 32 minutes, 3 seconds

License Usage:

  License                 Entitlement tag               Count Status

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                          (C9500-DNA-48Y4C-A)               1 EVAL MODE

                          (C9500-48Y4C-A)                   1 EVAL MODE

SW_8_ATENTO_9500#sh license usa    

SW_8_ATENTO_9500#sh license usage

License Authorization:

  Status: EVAL MODE

  Evaluation Period Remaining: 41 days, 19 hours, 31 minutes, 58 seconds

(C9500-DNA-48Y4C-A):

  Description:

  Count: 1

  Version: 1.0

  Status: EVAL MODE

(C9500-48Y4C-A):

  Description:

  Count: 1

  Version: 1.0

  Status: EVAL MODE

Thank you!

[Georg Pauwen]

Hello,

to my best knowledge, if the evaluation period expires, nothing happens unless you reboot the device, in which case the default license is restored (which in your case is the same license you currently use, Advantage):

Evaluation licenses—Pre-installed on the device and valid for a 90-day trial period. They cannot be ordered or tranferred to another device. Once activated, this type of license cannot be deactivated until it expires. Warning system messages about the evaluation license expiry are generated 10 and 5 days before the 90-day period and everyday after that. After your evaluation period expires, at the next reload, the device returns to its default license and network operations are not impacted.

[adarshane_ISE]

What is the repercussion of running a switch on the expired evlal license? If someone from the product team reply would be great. 

[matty-boy]

I'm also interested to find out what happens if the evaluation period ends.

Anybody know?

Cheers,
Matt.

[John.Mayer]

Hello
actually i already have the same situation, i order 2 Cisco 9500-40X-A but i dont want Cisco DNA License and also i dont have internet access for smart license, does your switch still work after evla or DNA license expire?

[adarshane_ISE]

John,

There are two types of licensing for "DNA". 

1) Network

                 a) Essentials b) Advantage

2) DNA 

                 a) Essentials b) Advantage 

Functions like basic routing with RIP, EIGRP Stub (not sure what it means) and OSFP 1000 routes, L2 and some DevOps integration Network Essentials is required. Below link slide no 5 gives some idea. 

https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/global/da_dk/assets/training/seminaria-materials/Licenses-Networking-for-everybody-with-DNA.pdf 

One thing, however, is not clear is what type of license does the switch defaults to post-expiration of an eval license and how it impacts to the already running features in production like VRF, VXLAN, LISP, SGT, MPLS. We still have 9 more days to go. 

The irony is no one from Cisco is ready to comment about it in this blog. 

[John.Mayer]

Hi

according to the link, as i correctly understand if my DNA Advantage primer expires after 3 years, my main features under mu advantage license will be work normally

our catalyst C9500-40X-A with 3 years C9500-DNA-P-3Y (C9500 DNA Premier,40X/24Q/48Y4C/32C/32QC ,3Year Term License) license.

thank you in advance

John

[roskuma2]

yes you are correct

[roskuma2]

• There is only one 90 day evaluation period for the device. Once it is expired it is never reset.
• When the evaluation period expires at the end of 90 days, the device goes in to EVAL EXPIRY mode, however there is no functional impact or disruption in functionality, even after reload. There is no enforcement in place currently.

Cheers :)

[kapydan88]

Have same problem on cat 9500. When i try to install id token get the following result 

operation not supported because the agent is runnig in License Reservation mode

[ph.rammer]

Hi,

quite old question, I just stumbled across and remembered I had the same problem on Cat9500. Seems it is running in wrong "mode" when printing this error message. We changed behaviour with

conf t
  no license smart reservation

br

Philipp

[kapydan88]

Hello.

Thanx for answer. I resolved this way

Switch#conf t

Switch(config)#no license smart reservation

Switch#wr