Appendix A: Premium License

This section of the Technical Overview provides additional background information about the HP

ProCurve Switch 5400zl, 3500yl, and 6200yl series products.

Intelligent Edge and Premium License

Introduced with the HP ProCurve Switch 5400zl and 3500yl series is the option of implementing Intelligent Edge or Premium License. For the HP ProCurve Switch 6200yl, Premium License is standard due to its recommended deployment at the distribution level as an aggregator of traffic from the edge to the core.

In the case of the 5400zl and 3500yl switches, Premium License implies the switch can run aggregation layer features that include Q-in-Q, OSPF-ECMP, PIM-SM, PIM-DM, and VRRP. All the product features are included in the firmware image installed on the switch, but Premium License features require a license for those features to be enabled.

For HP ProCurve, moving to Premium License creates a distinction between the terms “Upgrade” and “Update.” Upgrade means licensing Premium License features which add significant new functionality to the switch for an additional fee. Update means installing the latest version of firmware such as bug fixes.

HP ProCurve has taken a flexible approach with Premium License. For example, in the 5400zl and 3500yl series, all switches can run the Intelligent Edge feature group initially. A switch can later be upgraded to run the Premium License feature group, if its advanced features are needed. Also, if network configurations change, a Premium License can be transferred to another switch, as long as the license stays in the same hardware family.

There are two ways you can manage Premium Licenses:

•Manually—You use the My ProCurve portal and the switch CLI. This is a good method to use if you are managing a small number of licenses and do not already use the HP ProCurve Manager network management software.

•PCM—You use HP ProCurve Manager to perform the most common licensing functions. If you are already using PCM, this is more convenient than the manual method. There is a free copy of HP ProCurve Manager on the CD-ROM that accompanies your premium license.

For the manual method, you will require manager privilege level access on the switches to perform several CLI commands related to licensing. For the PCM method, PCM requires configured access to the devices.

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