Cisco Catalyst 3850 Licensing

[Danny Cheng Chee Wah]

Hi,

Just want to understand better/confirm on the licensing for Cisco Catalyst 3850. I read that it is running on a RTU license, which means I only need to specify the license requirement during order (I.e, IP Base) and I'll get a paper license. Then, all I need to do is to activate IP Base for the 3850 via CLI. Is that right?

I have a requirement to deploy 2 units of 3850 in stack mode, thus for the image-based license, I'll need to order 2 paper license (IP Base) for it and activate it via CLI. Then, just setup both units under stack mode, correct? How about the AP Count license? Let's say I need to control 20 APs, please confirm which option below is feasible.

1) Purchase 20 AP Count license for SwitchA and activate via CLI. Upon joining the stack with SwitchB, total AP Count will be 20.
2) Purchase 10 AP Count license for SwitchA and SwitchB and activate via CLI. Upon joining the stack with SwitchB, total AP Count will be 20.

If I were to go with option 1, can I just move/activate the 20 AP Count license to SwitchB when SwitchA is faulty/down?

Thank you.

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Regards,

Danny

[Reza Sharifi]

Hi,

Yes, you need to purchase license for each device, then deploy it via CLI.  Load the same image into both devices and then stack them.  As for the AP license and transferring it between your devices, talk to your sales rep or the company you purchase the switches from to make sure you have the correct licenses.

HTH

[jkilleda]

Hello Danny,

Cisco Catalyst 3850 Licensing
You can opt for option 2 i.e Purchase 10 AP Count license for SwitchA and SwitchB and activate via CLI. Upon joining the stack with SwitchB, total AP Count will be 20 , provided you have both the switches should be at the same image-based license level , If there is a mismatch, the active switch with the syslog message “ license mismatch error” indicates that the stacking was unsuccessful.The license level of the mismatch stack member switch can be changed with the license right-to-use activate <license> all acceptEULA CLI command (entire stack should have the same wired license level) and reloaded from the active switch console. This will enable the member switch to join the stack successfully. The customer has to purchase a license before moving to a specific license level.