Configuring Cisco Smart License Software

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In this article, I would like to demonstrate how to configure Cisco Smart Licensing on the virtual Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASAv).

This post assumes that readers already have access to there own Smart Account and would like to know the process of applying licenses.

Step 1: Generate ID Token

Sign into your Cisco Software Portal: software.cisco.com and navigate to “Smart Software Licensing”

You will now need to create an ID token for your device, this is required for communication between the device and the licensing authority. Follow the steps below to create a new token.
Click Inventory >>> General >>> New Token and select your preferred options and enter a description for your token. Once you are happy with your token settings click Create Token.


You should now have a token created which can be copied over to the device you wish to license. All commands and output from this point will be related to the ASA so please seek out further advice if you wish to configure another device as configuration may be slightly different.

Step 2: Configure ASAv for Smart Licensing

In this section I will run through the configuration for the ASAv.

Proxy Configuration (Optional)

If your device is sat behind a proxy then follow these configuration steps;
ciscoasa(config)#call-home ciscoasa(cfg-call-home)#http-proxy 1.1.1.1 port 443(Enter your proxy IP address and port)

Smart License Entitlement

In this step we will configure the ASAv license entitlements based on the license purchased. Check your Smart License account to verify your surplus license availability if you are unsure. For the ASAv license I have, I will configure the following:
ciscoasa(config)# license smart ciscoasa(config-smart-lic)# feature tier standard ciscoasa(config-smart-lic)# throughput level 1G ciscoasa(config-smart-lic)# exit

 

Register ASAv with License Authority

Now that we have configured our smart license settings on the device, we need to register the previously requested ID token to the device. This will be used to call-home and apply the license as well as assigning the device to the correct virtual account. This should be a one-time configuration however if you are running demo licenses for labs or your network encounters instances where communication is lost, you may need to re-register the token.
ciscoasa(config)# license smart register idtoken{{ enter token here }} if you are re-registering the ASA, consider using the ‘force‘ command at the end of the token (example below) ciscoasa(config)# license smart register idtoken {{ enter token here }} force

 

Verify Smart License

You can verify that your device has been registered with the licensing authority by checking your smart account. You can also verify your device license by issuing the following commands:
ciscoasa(config)# show license status ciscoasa(config)# show version
 
Once you have successfully registered your token, a message should appear notifying you that the license state has changed (see below).
 
If you are having issuing registering your device, please verify device connectivity and ensure you have issued the current token.
#Cisco #ciscosmartlicense #asavsmartlicense #asa #smartlicensing #ciscoasasmartlicense #ciscoasa #asav
Kelvin Charles - Network and Cyber Security Professional.

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