Why is Cisco licensing so confusing ?

[desmond.cassidy]

Up to 80 hours have being spent on Cisco licensing on products such as Firepower FW, C9300, IPT call and unit manager

all to no benefit to me the technician.

Is there not a simpler method - Basic, essential, DNA, advantage, premier any one.

[balaji.bandi]

Simple way explained here :

[desmond.cassidy]

Hmm that is not simple. 

[Leo Laohoo]

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@desmond.cassidy wrote:

Is there not a simpler method

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Cisco Smart Licensing is not "smart".  

Talk to your Cisco AM/SE (about CSL) and let them know.  

[Philip D'Ath · Accepted solution]

This is one of the reasons why I switched to Cisco Meraki.  By default, you have a single termination date for all your licences.  If you buy new kit mid-term, it simply extends the renewal date for everything pro-rata.

And then when it comes to doing a renewal, you can click a button and it produces a BOM that you can send to get quoted.  When you execute the order you get a single licence key that renews all your licences.

I couldn't bear to go back to the old Cisco Enterprise method.  It was soul-destroying.

https://documentation.meraki.com/General_Administration/Licensing/Meraki_Co-Termination_Licensing_Overview 

[desmond.cassidy]

Soul destroying is exactly right, thank you for your response.