Cisco Systems MDS 9000 Obtaining and Installing Licenses

CHAPTER
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9-1
Cisco MDS 9000 Family Fabric Manager Configuration Guide
OL-6965-03, Cisco MDS SAN-OS Release 2.x
9
Obtaining and Installing Licenses
Licensing functionality is available in all switches in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family. This functionality
allows you to access specified premium features on the switch after you install the appropriate license
for that feature. Licenses are sold, supported, and enforced in Cisco MDS 9000 Family Cisco MDS
SAN-OS Release 1.3(1) and later.
This chapter contains information related to licensing types, options, procedures, installation, and
management for the Cisco MDS SAN-OS software.
This chapter includes the following sections:
•Licensing Terminology, page 9-1
•Licensing Model, page 9-2
•Options to Install a License, page 9-6
•Installing Licenses Using Fabric Manager License Wizard, page 9-8
•Installing or Updating Licenses Using Device Manager, page 9-10
•Uninstalling Licenses, page 9-11
•Updating Licenses, page 9-12
•License Expiry Alerts, page 9-13
•Moving Licenses Between Switches, page 9-13
•Fabric Manager Server Licensing, page 9-13
Licensing Terminology
The following terms are used in this chapter:
•Licensed feature—Permission to use a particular feature through a license file, a hardware object,
or a legal contract. This permission is limited to the number of users, number of instances, time span,
and the implemented switch.
•License expiry—The time span during which a licensed feature is valid. The software tracks all
licenses and sends periodic alerts before shutting down the licensed feature.
•Counted license—The number of usage instances for a licensed feature.
•Licensed application—A software feature that requires a license to be used.
•License enforcement—A mechanism that prevents a feature from being used without first obtaining
a license.