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When your business is deploying Cisco 9800 Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs), it also needs to acquire the required Cisco wireless controller licenses from the Cisco license portal. Since most professionals working on Cisco WLCs have lots of confusion about their licensing, we are going to share the most frequently asked questions and their answers to help you understand things about the licensing model of Cisco WLCs better.
Should I license the Cisco 9800 WLC itself?
No. There is no need to license the Cisco 9800 WLC itself when there are no access points activated on its Cisco license portal. If you are going to join the access points to 9800 controllers, then you will need licenses for the access points only, and licenses for each AP are mandatory. However, you need to know that it is the 9800 controller that communicates with Smart Licensing and verifies the licensing of all attached access points.
Which licenses do I need for APs joined to Cisco WLC?
Every access point joined to the 9800 controller needs two licenses, namely, the AIR Network license and the AIR DNA license. When you purchase them, you can find them in your smart account, and both of these licenses can be configured to be either Essential or Advantage level.
Can we use different licensing levels for all access points joined to the same 9800 WLC?
No. Since the license level is configured at the controller level, all access points must have the same license level. Once you change the license level, it is also essential to reboot so that everything works the same way.
What is the Cisco 9800 WLC Evaluation License?
The Cisco 9800 WLC Evaluation License allows you to use all of the functionalities of the 9800 controller for 90 days. If you don’t renew it before expiration, you will get Syslog messages and notifications to properly license your controller. However, these messages and notifications don’t affect the functionality of your controller. Even with improper licensing, your wireless LAN controllers will be fully functional cisco license portal. When the evaluation license expires, you cannot reset it.
Where can I download the license file for the 9800 WLC?
There is no licensing file for the 9800 WLCs because these controllers rely on SMART LICENSING, which doesn’t need license files.
How can I get the 9800 WLC licensed?
You can get your 9800 controllers licensed in three different ways. You can use Cisco Smart Software Manager, CSSM (where a controller requires an internet connection), Specific License Reservation, -SLR (also called offline licensing), and an on-premises satellite server cisco license portal.
How do I deploy Smart License for the 9800 WLCs?
CSSM makes it easier to purchase, deploy, track, and renew Cisco software. This allows you and Cisco to view your hardware, software entitlements, and services in the CSSM interface.
Smart Software Licensing helps create a pool of software licenses or entitlements for use across your company. This setup allows for automated, flexible license management. Pooling is also useful because it removes the need to re-host licenses and allows you to manage deployment independently.
Deploying CSSM Licensing for the 9800 WLC
To license the 9800 WLC using CSSM, you need:
- A functional DNS server
- Access to tools.cisco.com
Once you complete the controller configuration, it connects to the smart licensing servers and sends license consumption reports every 8 hours.
The 9800 WLC can operate behind a NAT and doesn’t require a public IP address. You can also specify a physical interface for communication with the licensing servers. Additionally, the system supports using HTTP(S) proxies.
The licensing process is similar to setting up a single controller.
Activating Cisco 9800 WLC Smart License
Follow these steps to register, activate, and enable smart licensing:
- Create and Register a Token:
- Log in to your Cisco smart account and go to New Token under the Product Instance Registration Token Table.
- Enter the necessary details and check the box for export-controlled functionality.
- Click Copy to copy the new token.
- Activate smart licensing on the WLC:
- Go to Management > Software Activation > License Type.
- Choose the Smart-Licensing type and enter your DNS server’s IP address. This IP will resolve the Smart License and call-home URLs.
- Click Apply to save changes.
- Register the device:
- Navigate to Management > Smart-License > Device Registration.
- Paste the token ID you copied earlier to register the WLC.
- Check Registration and Authorization:
- Go to Management > Smart-License > Status to monitor registration and authorization.
- The device will appear under Product Instances in the CSSM portal.
- Manage Entitlements:
- When access points (APs) connect to the WLC, they request entitlements every 24 hours.
- You can track the entitlement status under Management > Smart-License > Status.
- Token Management:
- Once the product is registered, the token becomes unnecessary. You can revoke and remove it from the token table.
- Tokens are valid for 1 to 365 days.
Author: TechBlonHub
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