CAT9K network essential license question

[jwornstaff]

So I received my first CAT 93000 in prep for upcoming recap this year. It's a C9300-24T with Network Essentials and DNA Essentials. My issue is that both the Network Essentials and DNA Essentials license is showing to be running in "EVAL" mode.

I'm new to the whole smart licensing thing, but I have Smart License account and would have assumed the DNA required Smart License activation but not the network essentials. I would have though that the base license would be perpetual from the factory since this is the switch type we bought.

My question is this normal, that is do both license need to be activated/registered right out of the box? Or should the switch come with at least the base license activated??

Also, this is an air gap system, so no internet connection for call-home registration.  I have some make shift procedure for doing the manual registration via the smart license portal but my second issue is that Cisco never dumped any license into my smart account for out purchases, so nothing there to register against.

My Cisco reps are looking to the missing license but haven't explained the why network essentials is not registered from the factory.

This process is way too time consuming and confusing when you have 100s of devices to roll out.....

[Mark Malone]

Hi
my came activated from the factory with essentials enabled as we purchased those licenses for all our switches due to ISE and PI requirements and the add ons the essentials gives for these applications , one thing you can try see if you can activate it if its shwoing in the show license section

take a look at this doc try this command too
license right-to-use activate network-essentials all

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/lan/catalyst9300/software/release/16-5/configuration_guide/sys_mgmt/b_165_sys_mgmt_9300_cg/configuring_right_to_use_licenses.pdf

[jwornstaff]

Thanks for the info, I'm familiar with the right to use, but there lies another problem, there is no license right-to-use commands, only license smart. They switch came with 16.9.2 loaded, so I guess I'llgo glean through the release notes again and see if there is anything new. This crap is frustrating....

[Mark Malone]

I see this on the release notes of 16.9 below which then points 2 to the second doc for smart licensing , im on 16.3.7 so haven't had to do this yet but guess we will be facing it soon enough too , why they need to change it again i dont know , even some of the CCW tool is still not working right  since they changed to advantage/essentials licensing we were charged for srst licenses twice and now we have to get credit back for them .

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/lan/catalyst9300/software/release/16-9/release_notes/ol-16-9-9300.html

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/lan/catalyst9300/software/release/16-9/configuration_guide/sys_mgmt/b_169_sys_mgmt_9300_cg/configuring_smart_licensing.html

Smart Licensing

A cloud-based, software license management solution that allows you to manage and track the status of your license, hardware, and software usage trends.
Note
Starting from this release, Smart Licensing is the default and the only available method to manage licenses.
Important
Starting from Cisco IOS XE Fuji 16.9.1 the Right-To-Use (RTU) licensing mode is deprecated, and the associated license right-to-use command is no longer available on the CLI.

See the Smart Licensing section in this release note document and System Management → Configuring Smart Licensing in the configuration guide.

A license level is not applicable.

[jwornstaff]

Yep, I found that as well. The other issue is the config guides doesn't provide the procedure for an air gap system or offline registration other than the satellite method, which still doesn't work in my case. I think i figure out how to do, but then run into another issue where I'm trying to register/activate a C9300-24T and the license file that they dumped in my smart account is for a C9300-24P, and I keep getting no available licenses and the license dept just giving me the run around after the license was missing in action for a couple weeks they manually inputted but itsthe wrong product type...I got 14 new 4451x and 20 some switches arriving and about to loose my mind just dealing with one. 

[fpm2007cisco]

Greetings,

The Everest 16.6.x series IOS doesn't have the Smart Licensing feature.

take care