Cisco ASA 5500 Series Configuration Guide using the CLI, 8.4 and 8.6

Supported Feature Licenses Per Model
Information About Feature Licenses
Guidelines and Limitations
Configuring Licenses
Monitoring Licenses
- Viewing Your Current License
- Monitoring the Shared License
Feature History for Licensing

Managing Feature Licenses

A license specifies the options that are enabled on a given ASA. This document describes how to obtain a license activation key and how to activate it. It also describes the available licenses for each model.

Note This chapter describes licensing for Version 8.4 and 8.6; for other versions, see the licensing documentation that applies to your version:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6120/products_licensing_information_listing.html

This chapter includes the following sections:

Supported Feature Licenses Per Model

This section describes the licenses available for each model as well as important notes about licenses. This section includes the following topics:

Licenses Per Model

This section lists the feature licenses available for each model:

Items that are in italics are separate, optional licenses with which that you can replace the Base or Security Plus license. You can mix and match licenses, for example, the 24 Unified Communications license plus the Strong Encryption license; or the 500 AnyConnect Premium license plus the GTP/GPRS license; or all four licenses together. (See Table 4-1.)

If you have a No Payload Encryption model, then some of the features below are not supported. See the “No Payload Encryption Models” section for a list of unsupported features.

For detailed information about licenses, see the “License Notes” section.

ASA 5505

Table 4-1 ASA 5505 License Features
Licenses	Description (Base License in Plain Text)						Description (Security Plus Lic. in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Opt. Time-based lic: Available				Disabled		Opt. Time-based lic: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	10,000						25,000
GTP/GPRS	No support						No support
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available				Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional license: 24					2	Optional license: 24
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional license: 24					2	Optional license: 24
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available				Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available				Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (25 sessions)				Disabled		Optional license: Available (25 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available				Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Permanent or Time-based licenses:			10	25	2	Optional Permanent or Time-based licenses:			10	25
Other VPN (sessions)	10						25
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	up to 25¹						up to 25
VPN Load Balancing	No support						No support
General Licenses
Encryption	Base (DES)		Opt. lic.: Strong (3DES/AES)				Base (DES)		Opt. lic.: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	No support						Active/Standby (no stateful failover)
Security Contexts	No support						No support
Inside Hosts, concurrent²	10³	Opt. licenses:		50	Unlimited		10³	Opt. licenses:		50	Unlimited
VLANs, maximum	Routed mode: 3 (2 regular and 1 restricted) Transparent mode: 2						Routed mode: 20 Transparent mode: 3 (2 regular and 1 failover)
VLAN Trunks, maximum	No support						8 trunks

^1.The total number of VPN sessions depends on your licenses. If you enable AnyConnect Essentials, then the total is the model maximum of 25. If you enable AnyConnect Premium, then the total is the AnyConnect Premium value plus the Other VPN value, not to exceed 25 sessions.

^2.In routed mode, hosts on the inside (Business and Home VLANs) count toward the limit when they communicate with the outside (Internet VLAN), including when the inside initiates a connection to the outside as well as when the outside initiates a connection to the inside. Note that even when the outside initiates a connection to the inside, outside hosts are not counted toward the limit; only the inside hosts count. Hosts that initiate traffic between Business and Home are also not counted toward the limit. The interface associated with the default route is considered to be the outside Internet interface. If there is no default route, hosts on all interfaces are counted toward the limit. In transparent mode, the interface with the lowest number of hosts is counted toward the host limit. Use the show local-host command to view host limits.

^3.For a 10-user license, the max. DHCP clients is 32. For 50 users, the max. is 128. For unlimited users, the max. is 250, which is the max. for other models.

ASA 5510

Table 4-2 ASA 5510 License Features
Licenses	Description (Base License in Plain Text)						Description (Security Plus Lic. in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available				Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	50,000						130,000
GTP/GPRS	No support						No support
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available				Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional licenses:					2	Optional licenses:
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	24	50	100			2	24	50	100
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available				Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available				Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (250 sessions)				Disabled		Optional license: Available (250 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available				Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Perm. or Time-based lic,:					2	Optional Perm. or Time-based lic:
	2	10	25	50	100	250	2	10	25	50	100	250
	Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:						Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:
	500-50,000 in increments of 500			50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000			500-50,000 in increments of 500			50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	250						250
Other VPN (sessions)	250						250
VPN Load Balancing	No support						Supported
General Licenses
Encryption	Base (DES)		Opt. lic.: Strong (3DES/AES)				Base (DES)		Opt. lic.: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	No support						Active/Standby or Active/Active
Interfaces of all types, Max.	364						564
Interface Speed	All: Fast Ethernet						Ethernet 0/0 and 0/1: Gigabit Ethernet⁴ Ethernet 0/2, 0/3, 0/4 (and others): Fast Eth.
Security Contexts	No support						2	Optional licenses:			5
VLANs, Maximum	50						100

^4.Although the Ethernet 0/0 and 0/1 ports are Gigabit Ethernet, they are still identified as “Ethernet” in the software.

ASA 5520

Table 4-3 ASA 5520 License Features
Licenses	Description (Base License in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	280,000
GTP/GPRS	Disabled		Optional license: Available
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional licenses:			24	50	100	250	500	750	1000
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (750 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Permanent or Time-based licenses:
	2	10	25	50	100	250	500	750
	Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:
	500-50,000 in increments of 500						50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	750
Other VPN (sessions)	750
VPN Load Balancing	Supported
General Licenses
Encryption	Base (DES)		Optional license: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	Active/Standby or Active/Active
Interfaces of all types, Max.	764
Security Contexts	2	Optional licenses:			5	10	20
VLANs, Maximum	150

ASA 5540

Table 4-4 ASA 5540 License Features
Licenses	Description (Base License in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	400,000
GTP/GPRS	Disabled		Optional license: Available
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional licenses:			24	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2000
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (2500 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Permanent or Time-based licenses:
	2	10	25	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2500
	Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:
	500-50,000 in increments of 500						50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	5000
Other VPN (sessions)	5000
VPN Load Balancing	Supported
General Licenses
Encryption	Base (DES)		Optional license: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	Active/Standby or Active/Active
Interfaces of all types, Max.	964
Security Contexts	2	Optional licenses:			5	10	20	50
VLANs, Maximum	200

ASA 5550

Table 4-5 ASA 5550 License Features
Licenses	Description (Base License in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	650,000
GTP/GPRS	Disabled		Optional license: Available
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional licenses:
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	24	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2000	3000
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (5000 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Permanent or Time-based licenses:
	2	10	25	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2500	5000
	Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:
	500-50,000 in increments of 500						50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	5000
Other VPN (sessions)	5000
VPN Load Balancing	Supported
General Licenses
Encryption	Base (DES)		Optional license: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	Active/Standby or Active/Active
Interfaces of all types, Max.	1764
Security Contexts	2	Optional licenses:			5	10	20	50	100
VLANs, Maximum	400

ASA 5580

Table 4-6 ASA 5580 License Features
Licenses	Description (Base License in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	5580-20: 2,000,000						5580-40: 4,000,000
GTP/GPRS	Disabled		Optional license: Available
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional licenses:
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	24	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2000	3000	5000	10,000⁵
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (10000 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Permanent or Time-based licenses:
	2	10	25	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2500	5000	10,000
	Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:
	500-50,000 in increments of 500						50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	10,000
Other VPN (sessions)	10,000
VPN Load Balancing	Supported
General Licenses
Encryption	Base (DES)		Optional license: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	Active/Standby or Active/Active
Interfaces of all types, Max.	4612
Security Contexts	2	Optional licenses:			5	10	20	50	100	250
VLANs, Maximum	1024

^5.With the 10,000-session UC license, the total combined sessions can be 10,000, but the maximum number of Phone Proxy sessions is 5000.

ASA 5512-X

Table 4-7 ASA 5512-X License Features
Licenses	Description (Base License in Plain Text)						Description (Security Plus Lic. in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available				Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	100,000						250,000
GTP/GPRS	No support						Disabled		Optional license: Available
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available				Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional licenses:					2	Optional licenses:
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	24	50	100	250	500	2	24	50	100	250	500
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available				Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available				Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (250 sessions)				Disabled		Optional license: Available (250 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available				Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Perm. or Time-based lic,:					2	Optional Perm. or Time-based lic:
	2	10	25	50	100	250	2	10	25	50	100	250
	Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:						Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:
	500-50,000 in increments of 500			50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000			500-50,000 in increments of 500			50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	250						250
Other VPN (sessions)	250						250
VPN Load Balancing	No support						Supported
General Licenses
Encryption	Base (DES)		Opt. lic.: Strong (3DES/AES)				Base (DES)		Opt. lic.: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	No support						Active/Standby or Active/Active
Interfaces of all types, Max.	716						916
Security Contexts	No support						2	Optional licenses:			5
IPS Module	Disabled		Optional license: Available				Disabled		Optional license: Available
VLANs, Maximum	50						100

ASA 5515-X

Table 4-8 ASA 5515-X License Features
Licenses	Description (Base License in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	250,000
GTP/GPRS	Disabled		Optional license: Available
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional licenses:			24	50	100	250	500
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (250 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Permanent or Time-based licenses:
	2	10	25	50	100	250
	Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:
	500-50,000 in increments of 500						50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	250
Other VPN (sessions)	250
VPN Load Balancing	Supported
General Licenses
Encryption	Base (DES)		Optional license: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	Active/Standby or Active/Active
Interfaces of all types, Max.	916
Security Contexts	2	Optional licenses:			5
IPS Module	Disabled		Optional license: Available
VLANs, Maximum	100

ASA 5525-X

Table 4-9 ASA 5525-X License Features
Licenses	Description (Base License in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	500,000
GTP/GPRS	Disabled		Optional license: Available
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional licenses:			24	50	100	250	500	750	1000
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (750 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Permanent or Time-based licenses:
	2	10	25	50	100	250	500	750
	Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:
	500-50,000 in increments of 500						50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	750
Other VPN (sessions)	750
VPN Load Balancing	Supported
General Licenses
Encryption	Base (DES)		Optional license: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	Active/Standby or Active/Active
Interfaces of all types, Max.	1316
Security Contexts	2	Optional licenses:			5	10	20
IPS Module	Disabled		Optional license: Available
VLANs, Maximum	200

ASA 5545-X

Table 4-10 ASA 5545-X License Features
Licenses	Description (Base License in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	750,000
GTP/GPRS	Disabled		Optional license: Available
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional licenses:			24	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2000
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (2500 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Permanent or Time-based licenses:
	2	10	25	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2500
	Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:
	500-50,000 in increments of 500						50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	2500
Other VPN (sessions)	2500
VPN Load Balancing	Supported
General Licenses
Encryption	Base (DES)		Optional license: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	Active/Standby or Active/Active
Interfaces of all types, Max.	1716
Security Contexts	2	Optional licenses:			5	10	20	50
IPS Module	Disabled		Optional license: Available
VLANs, Maximum	300

ASA 5555-X

Table 4-11 ASA 5555-X License Features
Licenses	Description (Base License in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	1,000,000
GTP/GPRS	Disabled		Optional license: Available
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional licenses:
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	24	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2000	3000
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (5000 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Permanent or Time-based licenses:
	2	10	25	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2500	5000
	Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:
	500-50,000 in increments of 500						50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	5000
Other VPN (sessions)	5000
VPN Load Balancing	Supported
General Licenses
Encryption	Base (DES)		Optional license: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	Active/Standby or Active/Active
Interfaces of all types, Max.	2516
Security Contexts	2	Optional licenses:			5	10	20	50	100
IPS Module	Disabled		Optional license: Available
VLANs, Maximum	500

ASA 5585-X with SSP-10

Table 4-12 ASA 5585-X with SSP-10 License Features
Licenses	Description (Base and Security Plus License in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	1,000,000
GTP/GPRS	Disabled		Optional license: Available
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional licenses:
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	24	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2000	3000
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (5000 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Permanent or Time-based licenses:
	2	10	25	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2500	5000
	Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:
	500-50,000 in increments of 500						50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	5000
Other VPN (sessions)	5000
VPN Load Balancing	Supported
General Licenses
10 GE I/O	Base License : Disabled; fiber ifcs run at 1 GE						Security Plus License : Enabled; fiber ifcs run at 10 GE
Encryption	Base (DES)		Optional license: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	Active/Standby or Active/Active
Interfaces of all types, Max.	4612
Security Contexts	2	Optional licenses:			5	10	20	50	100
VLANs, Maximum	1024

ASA 5585-X with SSP-20

Table 4-13 ASA 5585-X with SSP-20 License Features
Licenses	Description (Base and Security Plus License in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	2,000,000
GTP/GPRS	Disabled		Optional license: Available
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional licenses:
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	24	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2000	3000	5000	10,000⁶
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (10,000 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Permanent or Time-based licenses:
	2	10	25	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2500	5000	10,000
	Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:
	500-50,000 in increments of 500						50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	10,000
Other VPN (sessions)	10,000
VPN Load Balancing	Supported
General Licenses
10 GE I/O	Base License : Disabled; fiber ifcs run at 1 GE						Security Plus License : Enabled; fiber ifcs run at 10 GE
Encryption	Base (DES)		Optional license: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	Active/Standby or Active/Active
Interfaces of all types, Max.	4612
Security Contexts	2	Optional licenses:			5	10	20	50	100	250
VLANs, Maximum	1024

^6.With the 10,000-session UC license, the total combined sessions can be 10,000, but the maximum number of Phone Proxy sessions is 5000.

ASA 5585-X with SSP-40 and -60

(8.4(2) and later) For SSP-40 and SSP-60, you can use two SSPs of the same level in the same chassis. Mixed-level SSPs are not supported (for example, an SSP-40 with an SSP-60 is not supported). Each SSP acts as an independent device, with separate configurations and management. You can use the two SSPs as a failover pair if desired. When using two SSPs in the chassis, VPN is not supported; note, however, that VPN has not been disabled.

Table 4-14 ASA 5585-X with SSP-40 and -60 License Features
Licenses	Description (Base License in Plain Text)
Firewall Licenses
Botnet Traffic Filter	Disabled		Optional Time-based license: Available
Firewall Conns, Concurrent	5585-X with SSP-40 : 4,000,000						5585-X with SSP-60 : 10,000,000
GTP/GPRS	Disabled		Optional license: Available
Intercompany Media Eng.	Disabled		Optional license: Available
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	Optional licenses:
UC Phone Proxy Sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	2	24	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2000	3000	5000	10,000⁷
VPN Licenses
Adv. Endpoint Assessment	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Essentials	Disabled		Optional license: Available (10,000 sessions)
AnyConnect for Mobile	Disabled		Optional license: Available
AnyConnect Premium (sessions)	2	Optional Permanent or Time-based licenses:
	2	10	25	50	100	250	500	750	1000	2500	5000	10,000
	Optional Shared licenses: Participant or Server. For the Server:
	500-50,000 in increments of 500						50,000-545,000 in increments of 1000
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	10,000
Other VPN (sessions)	10,000
VPN Load Balancing	Supported
General Licenses
10 GE I/O	Enabled; fiber ifcs run at 10 GE
Encryption	Base (DES)		Optional license: Strong (3DES/AES)
Failover	Active/Standby or Active/Active
Interfaces of all types, Max.	4612
Security Contexts	2	Optional licenses:			5	10	20	50	100	250
VLANs, Maximum	1024

^7.With the 10,000-session UC license, the total combined sessions can be 10,000, but the maximum number of Phone Proxy sessions is 5000.

License Notes

Table 4-15 includes common footnotes shared by multiple tables in the “Licenses Per Model” section.

Table 4-15 License Notes
License	Notes
AnyConnect Essentials	AnyConnect Essentials sessions include the following VPN types: SSL VPN IPsec remote access VPN using IKEv2 This license does not support browser-based (clientless) SSL VPN access or Cisco Secure Desktop. For these features, activate an AnyConnect Premium license instead of the AnyConnect Essentials license. Note With the AnyConnect Essentials license, VPN users can use a web browser to log in, and download and start (WebLaunch) the AnyConnect client. The AnyConnect client software offers the same set of client features, whether it is enabled by this license or an AnyConnect Premium license. The AnyConnect Essentials license cannot be active at the same time as the following licenses on a given ASA: AnyConnect Premium license (all types) or the Advanced Endpoint Assessment license. You can, however, run AnyConnect Essentials and AnyConnect Premium licenses on different ASAs in the same network. By default, the ASA uses the AnyConnect Essentials license, but you can disable it to use other licenses by using the no anyconnect-essentials command or in ASDM, using the Configuration > Remote Access VPN > Network (Client) Access > Advanced > AnyConnect Essentials pane. See also the “VPN License and Feature Compatibility” section.
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	In conjunction with an AnyConnect Premium license, this license enables access from hardware IP phones that have built in AnyConnect compatibility.
AnyConnect for Mobile	This license provides access to the AnyConnect Client for touch-screen mobile devices running Windows Mobile 5.0, 6.0, and 6.1. We recommend using this license if you want to support mobile access to AnyConnect 2.3 and later versions. This license requires activation of one of the following licenses to specify the total number of SSL VPN sessions permitted: AnyConnect Essentials or AnyConnect Premium. Mobile Posture Support Enforcing remote access controls and gathering posture data from mobile devices requires an AnyConnect Mobile license and either an AnyConnect Essentials or AnyConnect Premium license to be installed on the ASA. Here is the functionality you receive based on the license you install. AnyConnect Premium License Functionality – Enforce DAP policies on supported mobile devices based on DAP attributes and any other existing endpoint attributes. This includes allowing or denying remote access from a mobile device. AnyConnect Essentials License Functionality – Enable or disable mobile device access on a per group basis and to configure that feature using ASDM. – Display information about connected mobile devices via CLI or ASDM without having the ability to enforce DAP policies or deny or allow remote access to those mobile devices.
AnyConnect Premium	AnyConnect Premium sessions include the following VPN types: SSL VPN Clientless SSL VPN IPsec remote access VPN using IKEv2
AnyConnect Premium Shared	A shared license lets the ASA act as a shared license server for multiple client ASAs. The shared license pool is large, but the maximum number of sessions used by each individual ASA cannot exceed the maximum number listed for permanent licenses.
Botnet Traffic Filter	Requires a Strong Encryption (3DES/AES) License to download the dynamic database.
Encryption	The DES license cannot be disabled. If you have the 3DES license installed, DES is still available. To prevent the use of DES when you want to only use strong encryption, be sure to configure any relevant commands to use only string encryption.
Failover, Active/Active	You cannot use Active/Active failover and VPN; if you want to use VPN, use Active/Standby failover.
Intercompany Media Engine	When you enable the Intercompany Media Engine (IME) license, you can use TLS proxy sessions up to the configured TLS proxy limit. If you also have a Unified Communications (UC) license installed that is higher than the default TLS proxy limit, then the ASA sets the limit to be the UC license limit plus an additional number of sessions depending on your model. You can manually configure the TLS proxy limit using the tls-proxy maximum-sessions command or in ASDM, using the Configuration > Firewall > Unified Communications > TLS Proxy pane. To view the limits of your model, enter the tls-proxy maximum-sessions ? command. If you also install the UC license, then the TLS proxy sessions available for UC are also available for IME sessions. For example, if the configured limit is 1000 TLS proxy sessions, and you purchase a 750-session UC license, then the first 250 IME sessions do not affect the sessions available for UC. If you need more than 250 sessions for IME, then the remaining 750 sessions of the platform limit are used on a first-come, first-served basis by UC and IME. For a license part number ending in “K8”, TLS proxy sessions are limited to 1000. For a license part number ending in “K9”, the TLS proxy limit depends on your configuration and the platform model. Note K8 and K9 refer to whether the license is restricted for export: K8 is unrestricted, and K9 is restricted. You might also use SRTP encryption sessions for your connections: For a K8 license, SRTP sessions are limited to 250. For a K9 license, there is no limit. Note Only calls that require encryption/decryption for media are counted toward the SRTP limit; if passthrough is set for the call, even if both legs are SRTP, they do not count toward the limit.
Interfaces of all types, Max.	The maximum number of combined interfaces; for example, VLANs, physical, redundant, bridge group, and EtherChannel interfaces. Every interface command defined in the configuration counts against this limit. For example, both of the following interfaces count even if the GigabitEthernet 0/0 interface is defined as part of port-channel 1: interface gigabitethernet 0/0 and interface port-channel 1
Other VPN	Other VPN sessions include the following VPN types: IPsec remote access VPN using IKEv1 IPsec site-to-site VPN using IKEv1 IPsec site-to-site VPN using IKEv2 This license is included in the Base license.
Total VPN (sessions), combined all types	Although the maximum VPN sessions add up to more than the maximum VPN AnyConnect and Other VPN sessions, the combined sessions should not exceed the VPN session limit. If you exceed the maximum VPN sessions, you can overload the ASA, so be sure to size your network appropriately. If you start a clientless SSL VPN session and then start an AnyConnect client session from the portal, 1 session is used in total. However, if you start the AnyConnect client first (from a standalone client, for example) and then log into the clientless SSL VPN portal, then 2 sessions are used.
UC Phone Proxy sessions, Total UC Proxy Sessions	The following applications use TLS proxy sessions for their connections. Each TLS proxy session used by these applications (and only these applications) is counted against the UC license limit: Phone Proxy Presence Federation Proxy Encrypted Voice Inspection Other applications that use TLS proxy sessions do not count toward the UC limit, for example, Mobility Advantage Proxy (which does not require a license) and IME (which requires a separate IME license). Some UC applications might use multiple sessions for a connection. For example, if you configure a phone with a primary and backup Cisco Unified Communications Manager, there are 2 TLS proxy connections, so 2 UC Proxy sessions are used. You independently set the TLS proxy limit using the tls-proxy maximum-sessions command or in ASDM, using the Configuration > Firewall > Unified Communications > TLS Proxy pane. To view the limits of your model, enter the tls-proxy maximum-sessions ? command. When you apply a UC license that is higher than the default TLS proxy limit, the ASA automatically sets the TLS proxy limit to match the UC limit. The TLS proxy limit takes precedence over the UC license limit; if you set the TLS proxy limit to be less than the UC license, then you cannot use all of the sessions in your UC license. Note For license part numbers ending in “K8” (for example, licenses under 250 users), TLS proxy sessions are limited to 1000. For license part numbers ending in “K9” (for example, licenses 250 users or larger), the TLS proxy limit depends on the configuration, up to the model limit. K8 and K9 refer to whether the license is restricted for export: K8 is unrestricted, and K9 is restricted. If you clear the configuration (using the clear configure all command, for example), then the TLS proxy limit is set to the default for your model; if this default is lower than the UC license limit, then you see an error message to use the tls-proxy maximum-sessions command to raise the limit again (in ASDM, use the TLS Proxy pane). If you use failover and enter the write standby command or in ASDM, use File > Save Running Configuration to Standby Unit on the primary unit to force a configuration synchronization, the clear configure all command is generated on the secondary unit automatically, so you may see the warning message on the secondary unit. Because the configuration synchronization restores the TLS proxy limit set on the primary unit, you can ignore the warning. You might also use SRTP encryption sessions for your connections: For K8 licenses, SRTP sessions are limited to 250. For K9 licenses, there is not limit. Note Only calls that require encryption/decryption for media are counted toward the SRTP limit; if passthrough is set for the call, even if both legs are SRTP, they do not count toward the limit.
VLANs, Maximum	For an interface to count against the VLAN limit, you must assign a VLAN to it. For example: interface gigabitethernet 0/0.100 vlan 100
VPN Load Balancing	VPN load balancing requires a Strong Encryption (3DES/AES) License.

VPN License and Feature Compatibility

Table 4-16 shows how the VPN licenses and features can combine.

For a detailed list of the features supported by the AnyConnect Essentials license and AnyConnect Premium license, see AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client Features, Licenses, and OSs :

Table 4-16 VPN License and Feature Compatibility
Supported with:	Enable one of the following licenses: ⁸
Supported with:	AnyConnect Essentials	AnyConnect Premium
AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone	No	Yes
AnyConnect for Mobile⁹	Yes	Yes
Advanced Endpoint Assessment	No	Yes
AnyConnect Premium Shared	No	Yes
Client-based SSL VPN	Yes	Yes
Browser-based (clientless) SSL VPN	No	Yes
IPsec VPN	Yes	Yes
VPN Load Balancing	Yes	Yes
Cisco Secure Desktop	No	Yes

^8.You can only have one license type active, either the AnyConnect Essentials license or the AnyConnect Premium license. By default, the ASA includes an AnyConnect Premium license for 2 sessions. If you install the AnyConnect Essentials license, then it is used by default. See the no anyconnect-essentials command to enable the Premium license instead.

^9.Mobile Posture support is different for the AnyConnect Essentials vs. the AnyConnect Premium license. See Table 4-15 for details.

Information About Feature Licenses

A license specifies the options that are enabled on a given ASA. It is represented by an activation key that is a 160-bit (5 32-bit words or 20 bytes) value. This value encodes the serial number (an 11 character string) and the enabled features.

This section includes the following topics:

Preinstalled License

By default, your ASA ships with a license already installed. This license might be the Base License, to which you want to add more licenses, or it might already have all of your licenses installed, depending on what you ordered and what your vendor installed for you. See the “Monitoring Licenses” section section to determine which licenses you have installed.

Permanent License

You can have one permanent activation key installed. The permanent activation key includes all licensed features in a single key. If you also install time-based licenses, the ASA combines the permanent and time-based licenses into a running license. See the “How Permanent and Time-Based Licenses Combine” section for more information about how the ASA combines the licenses.

Time-Based Licenses

In addition to permanent licenses, you can purchase time-based licenses or receive an evaluation license that has a time-limit. For example, you might buy a time-based AnyConnect Premium license to handle short-term surges in the number of concurrent SSL VPN users, or you might order a Botnet Traffic Filter time-based license that is valid for 1 year.

This section includes the following topics:

Time-Based License Activation Guidelines

You can install multiple time-based licenses, including multiple licenses for the same feature. However, only one time-based license per feature can be active at a time. The inactive license remains installed, and ready for use. For example, if you install a 1000-session AnyConnect Premium license, and a 2500-session AnyConnect Premium license, then only one of these licenses can be active.
If you activate an evaluation license that has multiple features in the key, then you cannot also activate another time-based license for one of the included features. For example, if an evaluation license includes the Botnet Traffic Filter and a 1000-session AnyConnect Premium license, you cannot also activate a standalone time-based 2500-session AnyConnect Premium license.

How the Time-Based License Timer Works

The timer for the time-based license starts counting down when you activate it on the ASA.
If you stop using the time-based license before it times out, then the timer halts. The timer only starts again when you reactivate the time-based license.
If the time-based license is active, and you shut down the ASA, then the timer continues to count down. If you intend to leave the ASA in a shut down state for an extended period of time, then you should deactivate the time-based license before you shut down.

Note We suggest you do not change the system clock after you install the time-based license. If you set the clock to be a later date, then if you reload, the ASA checks the system clock against the original installation time, and assumes that more time has passed than has actually been used. If you set the clock back, and the actual running time is greater than the time between the original installation time and the system clock, then the license immediately expires after a reload.

How Permanent and Time-Based Licenses Combine

When you activate a time-based license, then features from both permanent and time-based licenses combine to form the running license. How the permanent and time-based licenses combine depends on the type of license. Table 4-17 lists the combination rules for each feature license.

Note Even when the permanent license is used, if the time-based license is active, it continues to count down.

Table 4-17 Time-Based License Combination Rules
Time-Based Feature	Combined License Rule
AnyConnect Premium Sessions	The higher value is used, either time-based or permanent. For example, if the permanent license is 1000 sessions, and the time-based license is 2500 sessions, then 2500 sessions are enabled. Typically, you will not install a time-based license that has less capability than the permanent license, but if you do so, then the permanent license is used.
Unified Communications Proxy Sessions	The time-based license sessions are added to the permanent sessions, up to the platform limit. For example, if the permanent license is 2500 sessions, and the time-based license is 1000 sessions, then 3500 sessions are enabled for as long as the time-based license is active.
Security Contexts	The time-based license contexts are added to the permanent contexts, up to the platform limit. For example, if the permanent license is 10 contexts, and the time-based license is 20 contexts, then 30 contexts are enabled for as long as the time-based license is active.
Botnet Traffic Filter	There is no permanent Botnet Traffic Filter license available; the time-based license is used.
All Others	The higher value is used, either time-based or permanent. For licenses that have a status of enabled or disabled, then the license with the enabled status is used. For licenses with numerical tiers, the higher value is used. Typically, you will not install a time-based license that has less capability than the permanent license, but if you do so, then the permanent license is used.

To view the combined license, see the “Monitoring Licenses” section.

Stacking Time-Based Licenses

In many cases, you might need to renew your time-based license and have a seamless transition from the old license to the new one. For features that are only available with a time-based license, it is especially important that the license not expire before you can apply the new license. The ASA allows you to stack time-based licenses so you do not have to worry about the license expiring or about losing time on your licenses because you installed the new one early.

When you install an identical time-based license as one already installed, then the licenses are combined, and the duration equals the combined duration.

For example:

1. You install a 52-week Botnet Traffic Filter license, and use the license for 25 weeks (27 weeks remain).

2. You then purchase another 52-week Botnet Traffic Filter license. When you install the second license, the licenses combine to have a duration of 79 weeks (52 weeks plus 27 weeks).

Similarly:

1. You install an 8-week 1000-session AnyConnect Premium license, and use it for 2 weeks (6 weeks remain).

2. You then install another 8-week 1000-session license, and the licenses combine to be 1000-sessions for 14 weeks (8 weeks plus 6 weeks).

If the licenses are not identical (for example, a 1000-session AnyConnect Premium license vs. a 2500-session license), then the licenses are not combined. Because only one time-based license per feature can be active, only one of the licenses can be active. See the “Activating or Deactivating Keys” section for more information about activating licenses.

Although non-identical licenses do not combine, when the current license expires, the ASA automatically activates an installed license of the same feature if available. See the “Time-Based License Expiration” section for more information.

Time-Based License Expiration

When the current license for a feature expires, the ASA automatically activates an installed license of the same feature if available. If there are no other time-based licenses available for the feature, then the permanent license is used.

If you have more than one additional time-based license installed for a feature, then the ASA uses the first license it finds; which license is used is not user-configurable and depends on internal operations. If you prefer to use a different time-based license than the one the ASA activated, then you must manually activate the license you prefer. See the “Activating or Deactivating Keys” section.

For example, you have a time-based 2500-session AnyConnect Premium license (active), a time-based 1000-session AnyConnect Premium license (inactive), and a permanent 500-session AnyConnect Premium license. While the 2500-session license expires, the ASA activates the 1000-session license. After the 1000-session license expires, the ASA uses the 500-session permanent license.

Shared AnyConnect Premium Licenses

A shared license lets you purchase a large number of AnyConnect Premium sessions and share the sessions as needed among a group of ASAs by configuring one of the ASAs as a shared licensing server, and the rest as shared licensing participants. This section describes how a shared license works and includes the following topics:

Information About the Shared Licensing Server and Participants

The following steps describe how shared licenses operate:

1. Decide which ASA should be the shared licensing server, and purchase the shared licensing server license using that device serial number.

2. Decide which ASAs should be shared licensing participants, including the shared licensing backup server, and obtain a shared licensing participant license for each device, using each device serial number.

3. (Optional) Designate a second ASA as a shared licensing backup server. You can only specify one backup server.

Note The shared licensing backup server only needs a participant license.

4. Configure a shared secret on the shared licensing server; any participants with the shared secret can use the shared license.

5. When you configure the ASA as a participant, it registers with the shared licensing server by sending information about itself, including the local license and model information.

Note The participant needs to be able to communicate with the server over the IP network; it does not have to be on the same subnet.

6. The shared licensing server responds with information about how often the participant should poll the server.

7. When a participant uses up the sessions of the local license, it sends a request to the shared licensing server for additional sessions in 50-session increments.

8. The shared licensing server responds with a shared license. The total sessions used by a participant cannot exceed the maximum sessions for the platform model.

Note The shared licensing server can also participate in the shared license pool. It does not need a participant license as well as the server license to participate.

a. If there are not enough sessions left in the shared license pool for the participant, then the server responds with as many sessions as available.

b. The participant continues to send refresh messages requesting more sessions until the server can adequately fulfill the request.

9. When the load is reduced on a participant, it sends a message to the server to release the shared sessions.

Note The ASA uses SSL between the server and participant to encrypt all communications.

Communication Issues Between Participant and Server

See the following guidelines for communication issues between the participant and server:

If a participant fails to send a refresh after 3 times the refresh interval, then the server releases the sessions back into the shared license pool.
If the participant cannot reach the license server to send the refresh, then the participant can continue to use the shared license it received from the server for up to 24 hours.
If the participant is still not able to communicate with a license server after 24 hours, then the participant releases the shared license, even if it still needs the sessions. The participant leaves existing connections established, but cannot accept new connections beyond the license limit.
If a participant reconnects with the server before 24 hours expires, but after the server expired the participant sessions, then the participant needs to send a new request for the sessions; the server responds with as many sessions as can be reassigned to that participant.

Information About the Shared Licensing Backup Server

The shared licensing backup server must register successfully with the main shared licensing server before it can take on the backup role. When it registers, the main shared licensing server syncs server settings as well as the shared license information with the backup, including a list of registered participants and the current license usage. The main server and backup server sync the data at 10 second intervals. After the initial sync, the backup server can successfully perform backup duties, even after a reload.

When the main server goes down, the backup server takes over server operation. The backup server can operate for up to 30 continuous days, after which the backup server stops issuing sessions to participants, and existing sessions time out. Be sure to reinstate the main server within that 30-day period. Critical-level syslog messages are sent at 15 days, and again at 30 days.

When the main server comes back up, it syncs with the backup server, and then takes over server operation.

When the backup server is not active, it acts as a regular participant of the main shared licensing server.

Note When you first launch the main shared licensing server, the backup server can only operate independently for 5 days. The operational limit increases day-by-day, until 30 days is reached. Also, if the main server later goes down for any length of time, the backup server operational limit decrements day-by-day. When the main server comes back up, the backup server starts to increment again day-by-day. For example, if the main server is down for 20 days, with the backup server active during that time, then the backup server will only have a 10-day limit left over. The backup server “recharges” up to the maximum 30 days after 20 more days as an inactive backup. This recharging function is implemented to discourage misuse of the shared license.

Failover and Shared Licenses

This section describes how shared licenses interact with failover and includes the following topics:

Failover and Shared License Servers

This section describes how the main server and backup server interact with failover. Because the shared licensing server is also performing normal duties as the ASA, including performing functions such as being a VPN gateway and firewall, then you might need to configure failover for the main and backup shared licensing servers for increased reliability.

Note The backup server mechanism is separate from, but compatible with, failover.

Shared licenses are supported only in single context mode, so Active/Active failover is not supported.

For Active/Standby failover, the primary unit acts as the main shared licensing server, and the standby unit acts as the main shared licensing server after failover. The standby unit does not act as the backup shared licensing server. Instead, you can have a second pair of units acting as the backup server, if desired.

For example, you have a network with 2 failover pairs. Pair #1 includes the main licensing server. Pair #2 includes the backup server. When the primary unit from Pair #1 goes down, the standby unit immediately becomes the new main licensing server. The backup server from Pair #2 never gets used. Only if both units in Pair #1 go down does the backup server in Pair #2 come into use as the shared licensing server. If Pair #1 remains down, and the primary unit in Pair #2 goes down, then the standby unit in Pair #2 comes into use as the shared licensing server (see Figure 4-1).

Figure 4-1 Failover and Shared License Servers

The standby backup server shares the same operating limits as the primary backup server; if the standby unit becomes active, it continues counting down where the primary unit left off. See the “Information About the Shared Licensing Backup Server” section for more information.

Failover and Shared License Participants

For participant pairs, both units register with the shared licensing server using separate participant IDs. The active unit syncs its participant ID with the standby unit. The standby unit uses this ID to generate a transfer request when it switches to the active role. This transfer request is used to move the shared sessions from the previously active unit to the new active unit.

Maximum Number of Participants

The ASA does not limit the number of participants for the shared license; however, a very large shared network could potentially affect the performance on the licensing server. In this case, you can increase the delay between participant refreshes, or you can create two shared networks.

Failover Licenses (8.3(1) and Later)

With some exceptions, failover units do not require the same license on each unit. For earlier versions, see the licensing document for your version.

This section includes the following topics:

Failover License Requirements and Exceptions

Failover units do not require the same license on each unit.

Older versions of ASA software required that the licenses match on each unit. Starting with Version 8.3(1), you no longer need to install identical licenses. Typically, you buy a license only for the primary unit; for Active/Standby failover, the secondary unit inherits the primary license when it becomes active. If you have licenses on both units, they combine into a single running failover cluster license.

The exceptions to this rule include:

Security Plus license for the ASA 5505, 5510, and 5512-X—The Base license does not support failover, so you cannot enable failover on a standby unit that only has the Base license.
Encryption license—Both units must have the same encryption license.

Note A valid permanent key is required; in rare instances, your authentication key can be removed. If your key consists of all 0’s, then you need to reinstall a valid authentication key before failover can be enabled.

How Failover Licenses Combine

For failover pairs, the licenses on each unit are combined into a single running failover cluster license. For Active/Active failover, the license usage of the two units combined cannot exceed the failover cluster license.

If you buy separate licenses for the primary and secondary unit, then the combined license uses the following rules:

For licenses that have numerical tiers, such as the number of sessions, the values from both the primary and secondary licenses are combined up to the platform limit. If both licenses in use are time-based, then the licenses count down simultaneously.

For example:

– You have two ASAs with 10 AnyConnect Premium sessions installed on each; the licenses will be combined for a total of 20 AnyConnect Premium sessions.

– You have two ASA 5520s with 500 AnyConnect Premium sessions each; because the platform limit is 750, the combined license allows 750 AnyConnect Premium sessions.

Note In the above example, if the AnyConnect Premium licenses are time-based, you might want to disable one of the licenses so you do not “waste” a 500 session license from which you can only use 250 sessions because of the platform limit.

– You have two ASA 5540s, one with 20 contexts and the other with 10 contexts; the combined license allows 30 contexts. For Active/Active failover, one unit can use 18 contexts and the other unit can use 12 contexts, for example, for a total of 30; the combined usage cannot exceed the failover cluster license (in this case, 30).

For licenses that have a status of enabled or disabled, then the license with the enabled status is used.
For time-based licenses that are enabled or disabled (and do not have numerical tiers), the duration is the combined duration of both licenses. The primary unit counts down its license first, and when it expires, the secondary unit starts counting down its license. This rule also applies to Active/Active failover, even though both units are actively operating.

For example, if you have 48 weeks left on the Botnet Traffic Filter license on both units, then the combined duration is 96 weeks.

To view the combined license, see the “Monitoring Licenses” section.

Loss of Communication Between Failover Units

If the failover units lose communication for more than 30 days, then each unit reverts to the license installed locally. During the 30-day grace period, the combined running license continues to be used by both units.

If you restore communication during the 30-day grace period, then for time-based licenses, the time elapsed is subtracted from the primary license; if the primary license becomes expired, only then does the secondary license start to count down.

If you do not restore communication during the 30-day period, then for time-based licenses, time is subtracted from both primary and secondary licenses, if installed. They are treated as two separate licenses and do not benefit from the failover combined license. The time elapsed includes the 30-day grace period.

For example:

1. You have a 52-week Botnet Traffic Filter license installed on both units. The combined running license allows a total duration of 104 weeks.

2. The units operate as a failover unit for 10 weeks, leaving 94 weeks on the combined license (42 weeks on the primary, and 52 weeks on the secondary).

3. If the units lose communication (for example the primary unit fails over to the secondary unit), the secondary unit continues to use the combined license, and continues to count down from 94 weeks.

4. The time-based license behavior depends on when communication is restored:

Within 30 days—The time elapsed is subtracted from the primary unit license. In this case, communication is restored after 4 weeks. Therefore, 4 weeks are subtracted from the primary license leaving 90 weeks combined (38 weeks on the primary, and 52 weeks on the secondary).
After 30 days—The time elapsed is subtracted from both units. In this case, communication is restored after 6 weeks. Therefore, 6 weeks are subtracted from both the primary and secondary licenses, leaving 84 weeks combined (36 weeks on the primary, and 46 weeks on the secondary).

Upgrading Failover Pairs

Because failover pairs do not require the same license on both units, you can apply new licenses to each unit without any downtime. If you apply a permanent license that requires a reload (see Table 4-18), then you can fail over to the other unit while you reload. If both units require reloading, then you can reload them separately so you have no downtime.

No Payload Encryption Models

You can purchase some models with No Payload Encryption. For export to some countries, payload encryption cannot be enabled on the Cisco ASA 5500 series. The ASA software senses a No Payload Encryption model, and disables the following features:

Unified Communications
VPN

You can still install the Strong Encryption (3DES/AES) license for use with management connections. For example, you can use ASDM HTTPS/SSL, SSHv2, Telnet and SNMPv3. You can also download the dynamic database for the Botnet Traffic Filer (which uses SSL).

When you view the license (see the “Monitoring Licenses” section), VPN and Unified Communications licenses will not be listed.

Licenses FAQ

Q. Can I activate multiple time-based licenses, for example, AnyConnect Premium and Botnet Traffic Filter?

Yes. You can use one time-based license per feature at a time.

Q. Can I “stack” time-based licenses so that when the time limit runs out, it will automatically use the next license?

Yes. For identical licenses, the time limit is combined when you install multiple time-based licenses. For non-identical licenses (for example, a 1000-session AnyConnect Premium license and a 2500-session license), the ASA automatically activates the next time-based license it finds for the feature.

Q. Can I install a new permanent license while maintaining an active time-based license?

Yes. Activating a permanent license does not affect time-based licenses.

Q. For failover, can I use a shared licensing server as the primary unit, and the shared licensing backup server as the secondary unit?

No. The secondary unit has the same running license as the primary unit; in the case of the shared licensing server, they require a server license. The backup server requires a participant license. The backup server can be in a separate failover pair of two backup servers.

Q. Do I need to buy the same licenses for the secondary unit in a failover pair?

No. Starting with Version 8.3(1), you do not have to have matching licenses on both units. Typically, you buy a license only for the primary unit; the secondary unit inherits the primary license when it becomes active. In the case where you also have a separate license on the secondary unit (for example, if you purchased matching licenses for pre-8.3 software), the licenses are combined into a running failover cluster license, up to the model limits.

Q. Can I use a time-based or permanent AnyConnect Premium license in addition to a shared AnyConnect Premium license?

Yes. The shared license is used only after the sessions from the locally installed license (time-based or permanent) are used up. Note : On the shared licensing server, the permanent AnyConnect Premium license is not used; you can however use a time-based license at the same time as the shared licensing server license. In this case, the time-based license sessions are available for local AnyConnect Premium sessions only; they cannot be added to the shared licensing pool for use by participants.

Guidelines and Limitations

See the following guidelines for activation keys.

Context Mode Guidelines

In multiple context mode, apply the activation key in the system execution space.
Shared licenses are not supported in multiple context mode.

Firewall Mode Guidelines

All license types are available in both routed and transparent mode.

Failover Guidelines

Shared licenses are not supported in Active/Active mode. See the “Failover and Shared Licenses” section for more information.
Failover units do not require the same license on each unit.

Note Failover units do require the same RAM on both units.

For the ASA 5505 and 5510, both units require the Security Plus license; the Base license does not support failover, so you cannot enable failover on a standby unit that only has the Base license.

Upgrade and Downgrade Guidelines

Your activation key remains compatible if you upgrade to the latest version from any previous version. However, you might have issues if you want to maintain downgrade capability:

Downgrading to Version 8.1 or earlier—After you upgrade, if you activate additional feature licenses that were introduced before 8.2, then the activation key continues to be compatible with earlier versions if you downgrade. However if you activate feature licenses that were introduced in 8.2 or later, then the activation key is not backward compatible. If you have an incompatible license key, then see the following guidelines:

– If you previously entered an activation key in an earlier version, then the ASA uses that key (without any of the new licenses you activated in Version 8.2 or later).

– If you have a new system and do not have an earlier activation key, then you need to request a new activation key compatible with the earlier version.

Downgrading to Version 8.2 or earlier—Version 8.3 introduced more robust time-based key usage as well as failover license changes:

– If you have more than one time-based activation key active, when you downgrade, only the most recently activated time-based key can be active. Any other keys are made inactive. If the last time-based license is for a feature introduced in 8.3, then that license still remains the active license even though it cannot be used in earlier versions. Reenter the permanent key or a valid time-based key.

– If you have mismatched licenses on a failover pair, then downgrading will disable failover. Even if the keys are matching, the license used will no longer be a combined license.

– If you have one time-based license installed, but it is for a feature introduced in 8.3, then after you downgrade, that time-based license remains active. You need to reenter the permanent key to disable the time-based license.

Additional Guidelines and Limitations

The activation key is not stored in your configuration file; it is stored as a hidden file in flash memory.
The activation key is tied to the serial number of the device. Feature licenses cannot be transferred between devices (except in the case of a hardware failure). If you have to replace your device due to a hardware failure and it is covered by Cisco TAC, contact the Cisco Licensing Team to have your existing license transferred to the new serial number. The Cisco Licensing Team will ask for the Product Authorization Key reference number and existing serial number.
Once purchased, you cannot return a license for a refund or for an upgraded license.
Although you can activate all license types, some features are incompatible with each other; for example, multiple context mode and VPN. In the case of the AnyConnect Essentials license, the license is incompatible with the following licenses: AnyConnect Premium license, shared AnyConnect Premium license, and Advanced Endpoint Assessment license. By default, the AnyConnect Essentials license is used instead of the above licenses, but you can disable the AnyConnect Essentials license in the configuration to restore use of the other licenses using the no anyconnect-essentials command.

Configuring Licenses

This section includes the following topics:

Obtaining an Activation Key

To obtain an activation key, you need a Product Authorization Key, which you can purchase from your Cisco account representative. You need to purchase a separate Product Activation Key for each feature license. For example, if you have the Base License, you can purchase separate keys for Advanced Endpoint Assessment and for additional AnyConnect Premium sessions.

After obtaining the Product Authorization Keys, register them on Cisco.com by performing the following steps.

Detailed Steps

Step 1 Obtain the serial number for your ASA by entering the following command.

hostname# show activation-key

Step 2 If you are not already registered with Cisco.com, create an account.

Step 3 Go to the following licensing website:

http://www.cisco.com/go/license

Step 4 Enter the following information, when prompted:

Product Authorization Key (if you have multiple keys, enter one of the keys first. You have to enter each key as a separate process.)
The serial number of your ASA
Your e-mail address

An activation key is automatically generated and sent to the email address that you provide. This key includes all features you have registered so far for permanent licenses. For time-based licenses, each license has a separate activation key.

Step 5 If you have additional Product Authorization Keys, repeat Step 4 for each Product Authorization Key. After you enter all of the Product Authorization Keys, the final activation key provided includes all of the permanent features you registered.

Activating or Deactivating Keys

This section describes how to enter a new activation key, and how to activate and deactivate time-based keys.

Prerequisites

If you are already in multiple context mode, enter the activation key in the system execution space.
Some permanent licenses require you to reload the ASA after you activate them. Table 4-18 lists the licenses that require reloading.

Table 4-18 Permanent License Reloading Requirements
Model	License Action Requiring Reload
ASA 5505, ASA 5510	Changing between the Base and Security Plus license.
All models	Changing the Encryption license.
All models	Downgrading any permanent license (for example, going from 10 contexts to 2 contexts).

Limitations and Restrictions

Your activation key remains compatible if you upgrade to the latest version from any previous version. However, you might have issues if you want to maintain downgrade capability:

Downgrading to Version 8.1 or earlier—After you upgrade, if you activate additional feature licenses that were introduced before 8.2, then the activation key continues to be compatible with earlier versions if you downgrade. However if you activate feature licenses that were introduced in 8.2 or later, then the activation key is not backward compatible. If you have an incompatible license key, then see the following guidelines:

– If you previously entered an activation key in an earlier version, then the ASA uses that key (without any of the new licenses you activated in Version 8.2 or later).

– If you have a new system and do not have an earlier activation key, then you need to request a new activation key compatible with the earlier version.

Downgrading to Version 8.2 or earlier—Version 8.3 introduced more robust time-based key usage as well as failover license changes:

– If you have more than one time-based activation key active, when you downgrade, only the most recently activated time-based key can be active. Any other keys are made inactive.

– If you have mismatched licenses on a failover pair, then downgrading will disable failover. Even if the keys are matching, the license used will no longer be a combined license.

Detailed Steps

	Command	Purpose
Step 1	activation-key key [ activate \| deactivate ] hostname# activation-key 0xd11b3d48 0xa80a4c0a 0x48e0fd1c 0xb0443480 0x843fc490	Applies an activation key to the ASA. The key is a five-element hexadecimal string with one space between each element. The leading 0x specifier is optional; all values are assumed to be hexadecimal. You can install one permanent key, and multiple time-based keys. If you enter a new permanent key, it overwrites the already installed one. The activate and deactivate keywords are available for time-based keys only. If you do not enter any value, activate is the default. The last time-based key that you activate for a given feature is the active one. To deactivate any active time-based key, enter the deactivate keyword. If you enter a key for the first time, and specify deactivate, then the key is installed on the ASA in an inactive state. See the “Time-Based Licenses” section for more information.
Step 2	(Might be required.) reload hostname# reload	Reloads the ASA. Some permanent licenses require you to reload the ASA after entering the new activation key. See Table 4-18 for a list of licenses that need reloading. If you need to reload, you will see the following message: WARNING: The running activation key was not updated with the requested key. The flash activation key was updated with the requested key, and will become active after the next reload.

Command

Purpose

Step 1

activation-key key [ activate | deactivate ]

hostname# activation-key 0xd11b3d48 0xa80a4c0a 0x48e0fd1c 0xb0443480 0x843fc490

Applies an activation key to the ASA. The key is a five-element hexadecimal string with one space between each element. The leading 0x specifier is optional; all values are assumed to be hexadecimal.

You can install one permanent key, and multiple time-based keys. If you enter a new permanent key, it overwrites the already installed one.

The activate and deactivate keywords are available for time-based keys only. If you do not enter any value, activate is the default. The last time-based key that you activate for a given feature is the active one. To deactivate any active time-based key, enter the deactivate keyword. If you enter a key for the first time, and specify deactivate, then the key is installed on the ASA in an inactive state. See the “Time-Based Licenses” section for more information.

Step 2

(Might be required.)

reload

hostname# reload

Reloads the ASA. Some permanent licenses require you to reload the ASA after entering the new activation key. See Table 4-18 for a list of licenses that need reloading. If you need to reload, you will see the following message:

WARNING: The running activation key was not updated with the requested key. The flash activation key was updated with the requested key, and will become active after the next reload.

Configuring a Shared License

This section describes how to configure the shared licensing server and participants. For more information about shared licenses, see the “Shared AnyConnect Premium Licenses” section.

This section includes the following topics:

Configuring the Shared Licensing Server

This section describes how to configure the ASA to be a shared licensing server.

Prerequisites

The server must have a shared licensing server key.

Detailed Steps

	Command	Purpose
Step 1	license-server secret secret hostname(config)# license-server secret farscape	Sets the shared secret, a string between 4 and 128 ASCII characters. Any participant with this secret can use the licensing server.
Step 2	(Optional) license-server refresh-interval seconds hostname(config)# license-server refresh-interval 100	Sets the refresh interval between 10 and 300 seconds; this value is provided to participants to set how often they should communicate with the server. The default is 30 seconds.
Step 3	(Optional) license-server port port hostname(config)# license-server port 40000	Sets the port on which the server listens for SSL connections from participants, between 1 and 65535. The default is TCP port 50554.
Step 4	(Optional) license-server backup address backup-id serial_number [ ha-backup-id ha_serial_number ] hostname(config)# license-server backup 10.1.1.2 backup-id JMX0916L0Z4 ha-backup-id JMX1378N0W3	Identifies the backup server IP address and serial number. If the backup server is part of a failover pair, identify the standby unit serial number as well. You can only identify 1 backup server and its optional standby unit.
Step 5	license-server enable interface_name hostname(config)# license-server enable inside	Enables this unit to be the shared licensing server. Specify the interface on which participants contact the server. You can repeat this command for as many interfaces as desired.

Examples

The following example sets the shared secret, changes the refresh interval and port, configures a backup server, and enables this unit as the shared licensing server on the inside interface and dmz interface:

hostname(config)# license-server secret farscape

hostname(config)# license-server refresh-interval 100

hostname(config)# license-server port 40000

hostname(config)# license-server backup 10.1.1.2 backup-id JMX0916L0Z4 ha-backup-id JMX1378N0W3

hostname(config)# license-server enable inside

hostname(config)# license-server enable dmz

What to Do Next

See the “Configuring the Shared Licensing Backup Server (Optional)” section, or the “Configuring the Shared Licensing Participant” section.

Configuring the Shared Licensing Backup Server (Optional)

This section enables a shared license participant to act as the backup server if the main server goes down.

Prerequisites

The backup server must have a shared licensing participant key.

Detailed Steps

	Command	Purpose
Step 1	license-server address address secret secret [ port port ] hostname(config)# license-server address 10.1.1.1 secret farscape	Identifies the shared licensing server IP address and shared secret. If you changed the default port in the server configuration, set the port for the backup server to match.
Step 2	license-server backup enable interface_name hostname(config)# license-server backup enable inside	Enables this unit to be the shared licensing backup server. Specify the interface on which participants contact the server. You can repeat this command for as many interfaces as desired.

Command

Purpose

Step 1

license-server address address secret secret [ port port ]

hostname(config)# license-server address 10.1.1.1 secret farscape

Identifies the shared licensing server IP address and shared secret. If you changed the default port in the server configuration, set the port for the backup server to match.

Step 2

license-server backup enable interface_name

hostname(config)# license-server backup enable inside

Enables this unit to be the shared licensing backup server. Specify the interface on which participants contact the server. You can repeat this command for as many interfaces as desired.

Examples

The following example identifies the license server and shared secret, and enables this unit as the backup shared license server on the inside interface and dmz interface:

hostname(config)# license-server address 10.1.1.1 secret farscape

hostname(config)# license-server backup enable inside

hostname(config)# license-server backup enable dmz

What to Do Next

See the “Configuring the Shared Licensing Participant” section.

Configuring the Shared Licensing Participant

This section configures a shared licensing participant to communicate with the shared licensing server.

Prerequisites

The participant must have a shared licensing participant key.

Detailed Steps

	Command	Purpose
Step 1	license-server address address secret secret [ port port ] hostname(config)# license-server address 10.1.1.1 secret farscape	Identifies the shared licensing server IP address and shared secret. If you changed the default port in the server configuration, set the port for the participant to match.
Step 2	(Optional) license-server backup address address hostname(config)# license-server backup address 10.1.1.2	If you configured a backup server, enter the backup server address.

Command

Purpose

Step 1

license-server address address secret secret [ port port ]

hostname(config)# license-server address 10.1.1.1 secret farscape

Identifies the shared licensing server IP address and shared secret. If you changed the default port in the server configuration, set the port for the participant to match.

Step 2

(Optional)

license-server backup address address

hostname(config)# license-server backup address 10.1.1.2

If you configured a backup server, enter the backup server address.

Examples

The following example sets the license server IP address and shared secret, as well as the backup license server IP address:

hostname(config)# license-server address 10.1.1.1 secret farscape

hostname(config)# license-server backup address 10.1.1.2

Monitoring Licenses

This section includes the following topics:

Viewing Your Current License

This section describes how to view your current license, and for time-based activation keys, how much time the license has left.

Guidelines

If you have a No Payload Encryption model, then you view the license, VPN and Unified Communications licenses will not be listed. See the “No Payload Encryption Models” section for more information.

Detailed Steps

Command	Purpose
show activation-key [ detail ] hostname# show activation-key detail	This command shows the permanent license, active time-based licenses, and the running license, which is a combination of the permanent license and active time-based licenses. The detail keyword also shows inactive time-based licenses. For failover units, this command also shows the “Failover cluster” license, which is the combined keys of the primary and secondary units.

Command

Purpose

show activation-key [ detail ]

hostname# show activation-key detail

This command shows the permanent license, active time-based licenses, and the running license, which is a combination of the permanent license and active time-based licenses. The detail keyword also shows inactive time-based licenses.

For failover units, this command also shows the “Failover cluster” license, which is the combined keys of the primary and secondary units.

Examples

Example 4-1 Standalone Unit Output for the show activation-key command

The following is sample output from the show activation-key command for a standalone unit that shows the running license (the combined permanent license and time-based licenses), as well as each active time-based license:

hostname# show activation-key

Serial Number: JMX1232L11M

Running Permanent Activation Key: 0xce06dc6b 0x8a7b5ab7 0xa1e21dd4 0xd2c4b8b8 0xc4594f9c

Running Timebased Activation Key: 0xa821d549 0x35725fe4 0xc918b97b 0xce0b987b 0x47c7c285

Running Timebased Activation Key: 0xyadayad2 0xyadayad2 0xyadayad2 0xyadayad2 0xyadayad2

Licensed features for this platform:

Maximum Physical Interfaces : Unlimited perpetual

Maximum VLANs : 150 perpetual

Inside Hosts : Unlimited perpetual

Failover : Active/Active perpetual

VPN-DES : Enabled perpetual

VPN-3DES-AES : Enabled perpetual

Security Contexts : 10 perpetual

GTP/GPRS : Enabled perpetual

AnyConnect Premium Peers : 2 perpetual

AnyConnect Essentials : Disabled perpetual

Other VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Total VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Shared License : Enabled perpetual

Shared AnyConnect Premium Peers : 12000 perpetual

AnyConnect for Mobile : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone : Disabled perpetual

Advanced Endpoint Assessment : Disabled perpetual

UC Phone Proxy Sessions : 12 62 days

Total UC Proxy Sessions : 12 62 days

Botnet Traffic Filter : Enabled 646 days

Intercompany Media Engine : Disabled perpetual

This platform has a Base license.

The flash permanent activation key is the SAME as the running permanent key.

Active Timebased Activation Key:

0xa821d549 0x35725fe4 0xc918b97b 0xce0b987b 0x47c7c285

Botnet Traffic Filter : Enabled 646 days

0xyadayad2 0xyadayad2 0xyadayad2 0xyadayad2 0xyadayad2

Total UC Proxy Sessions : 10 62 days

Example 4-2 Standalone Unit Output for show activation-key detail

The following is sample output from the show activation-key detail command for a standalone unit that shows the running license (the combined permanent license and time-based licenses), as well as the permanent license and each installed time-based license (active and inactive):

hostname# show activation-key detail

Serial Number: 88810093382

Running Permanent Activation Key: 0xce06dc6b 0x8a7b5ab7 0xa1e21dd4 0xd2c4b8b8 0xc4594f9c

Running Timebased Activation Key: 0xa821d549 0x35725fe4 0xc918b97b 0xce0b987b 0x47c7c285

Licensed features for this platform:

Maximum Physical Interfaces : 8 perpetual

VLANs : 20 DMZ Unrestricted

Dual ISPs : Enabled perpetual

VLAN Trunk Ports : 8 perpetual

Inside Hosts : Unlimited perpetual

Failover : Active/Standby perpetual

VPN-DES : Enabled perpetual

VPN-3DES-AES : Enabled perpetual

AnyConnect Premium Peers : 2 perpetual

AnyConnect Essentials : Disabled perpetual

Other VPN Peers : 25 perpetual

Total VPN Peers : 25 perpetual

AnyConnect for Mobile : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone : Disabled perpetual

Advanced Endpoint Assessment : Disabled perpetual

UC Phone Proxy Sessions : 2 perpetual

Total UC Proxy Sessions : 2 perpetual

Botnet Traffic Filter : Enabled 39 days

Intercompany Media Engine : Disabled perpetual

This platform has an ASA 5505 Security Plus license.

Running Permanent Activation Key: 0xce06dc6b 0x8a7b5ab7 0xa1e21dd4 0xd2c4b8b8 0xc4594f9c

Licensed features for this platform:

Maximum Physical Interfaces : 8 perpetual

VLANs : 20 DMZ Unrestricted

Dual ISPs : Enabled perpetual

VLAN Trunk Ports : 8 perpetual

Inside Hosts : Unlimited perpetual

Failover : Active/Standby perpetual

VPN-DES : Enabled perpetual

VPN-3DES-AES : Enabled perpetual

AnyConnect Premium Peers : 2 perpetual

AnyConnect Essentials : Disabled perpetual

Other VPN Peers : 25 perpetual

Total VPN Peers : 25 perpetual

AnyConnect for Mobile : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone : Disabled perpetual

Advanced Endpoint Assessment : Disabled perpetual

UC Phone Proxy Sessions : 2 perpetual

Total UC Proxy Sessions : 2 perpetual

Botnet Traffic Filter : Enabled 39 days

Intercompany Media Engine : Disabled perpetual

The flash permanent activation key is the SAME as the running permanent key.

Active Timebased Activation Key:

0xa821d549 0x35725fe4 0xc918b97b 0xce0b987b 0x47c7c285

Botnet Traffic Filter : Enabled 39 days

Inactive Timebased Activation Key:

0xyadayada3 0xyadayada3 0xyadayada3 0xyadayada3 0xyadayada3

AnyConnect Premium Peers : 25 7 days

Example 4-3 Primary Unit Output in a Failover Pair for show activation-key detail

The following is sample output from the show activation-key detail command for the primary failover unit that shows:

The primary unit license (the combined permanent license and time-based licenses).
The “Failover Cluster” license, which is the combined licenses from the primary and secondary units. This is the license that is actually running on the ASA. The values in this license that reflect the combination of the primary and secondary licenses are in bold.
The primary unit permanent license.
The primary unit installed time-based licenses (active and inactive).

hostname# show activation-key detail

Serial Number: P3000000171

Running Permanent Activation Key: 0xce06dc6b 0x8a7b5ab7 0xa1e21dd4 0xd2c4b8b8 0xc4594f9c

Running Timebased Activation Key: 0xa821d549 0x35725fe4 0xc918b97b 0xce0b987b 0x47c7c285

Licensed features for this platform:

Maximum Physical Interfaces : Unlimited perpetual

Maximum VLANs : 150 perpetual

Inside Hosts : Unlimited perpetual

Failover : Active/Active perpetual

VPN-DES : Enabled perpetual

VPN-3DES-AES : Enabled perpetual

Security Contexts : 12 perpetual

GTP/GPRS : Enabled perpetual

AnyConnect Premium Peers : 2 perpetual

AnyConnect Essentials : Disabled perpetual

Other VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Total VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Shared License : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Mobile : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone : Disabled perpetual

Advanced Endpoint Assessment : Disabled perpetual

UC Phone Proxy Sessions : 2 perpetual

Total UC Proxy Sessions : 2 perpetual

Botnet Traffic Filter : Enabled 33 days

Intercompany Media Engine : Disabled perpetual

This platform has an ASA 5520 VPN Plus license.

Failover cluster licensed features for this platform:

Maximum Physical Interfaces : Unlimited perpetual

Maximum VLANs : 150 perpetual

Inside Hosts : Unlimited perpetual

Failover : Active/Active perpetual

VPN-DES : Enabled perpetual

VPN-3DES-AES : Enabled perpetual

Security Contexts : 12 perpetual

GTP/GPRS : Enabled perpetual

AnyConnect Premium Peers : 4 perpetual

AnyConnect Essentials : Disabled perpetual

Other VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Total VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Shared License : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Mobile : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone : Disabled perpetual

Advanced Endpoint Assessment : Disabled perpetual

UC Phone Proxy Sessions : 4 perpetual

Total UC Proxy Sessions : 4 perpetual

Botnet Traffic Filter : Enabled 33 days

Intercompany Media Engine : Disabled perpetual

This platform has an ASA 5520 VPN Plus license.

Running Permanent Activation Key: 0xce06dc6b 0x8a7b5ab7 0xa1e21dd4 0xd2c4b8b8 0xc4594f9c

Licensed features for this platform:

Maximum Physical Interfaces : Unlimited perpetual

Maximum VLANs : 150 perpetual

Inside Hosts : Unlimited perpetual

Failover : Active/Active perpetual

VPN-DES : Enabled perpetual

VPN-3DES-AES : Disabled perpetual

Security Contexts : 2 perpetual

GTP/GPRS : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect Premium Peers : 2 perpetual

AnyConnect Essentials : Disabled perpetual

Other VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Total VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Shared License : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Mobile : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone : Disabled perpetual

Advanced Endpoint Assessment : Disabled perpetual

UC Phone Proxy Sessions : 2 perpetual

Total UC Proxy Sessions : 2 perpetual

Botnet Traffic Filter : Disabled perpetual

Intercompany Media Engine : Disabled perpetual

The flash permanent activation key is the SAME as the running permanent key.

Active Timebased Activation Key:

0xa821d549 0x35725fe4 0xc918b97b 0xce0b987b 0x47c7c285

Botnet Traffic Filter : Enabled 33 days

Inactive Timebased Activation Key:

0xyadayad3 0xyadayad3 0xyadayad3 0xyadayad3 0xyadayad3

Security Contexts : 2 7 days

AnyConnect Premium Peers : 100 7 days

0xyadayad4 0xyadayad4 0xyadayad4 0xyadayad4 0xyadayad4

Total UC Proxy Sessions : 100 14 days

Example 4-4 Secondary Unit Output in a Failover Pair for show activation-key detail

The following is sample output from the show activation-key detail command for the secondary failover unit that shows:

The secondary unit license (the combined permanent license and time-based licenses).
The “Failover Cluster” license, which is the combined licenses from the primary and secondary units. This is the license that is actually running on the ASA. The values in this license that reflect the combination of the primary and secondary licenses are in bold.
The secondary unit permanent license.
The secondary installed time-based licenses (active and inactive). This unit does not have any time-based licenses, so none display in this sample output.

hostname# show activation-key detail

Serial Number: P3000000011

Running Activation Key: 0xyadayad1 0xyadayad1 0xyadayad1 0xyadayad1 0xyadayad1

Licensed features for this platform:

Maximum Physical Interfaces : Unlimited perpetual

Maximum VLANs : 150 perpetual

Inside Hosts : Unlimited perpetual

Failover : Active/Active perpetual

VPN-DES : Enabled perpetual

VPN-3DES-AES : Disabled perpetual

Security Contexts : 2 perpetual

GTP/GPRS : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect Premium Peers : 2 perpetual

AnyConnect Essentials : Disabled perpetual

Other VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Total VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Shared License : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Mobile : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone : Disabled perpetual

Advanced Endpoint Assessment : Disabled perpetual

UC Phone Proxy Sessions : 2 perpetual

Total UC Proxy Sessions : 2 perpetual

Botnet Traffic Filter : Disabled perpetual

Intercompany Media Engine : Disabled perpetual

This platform has an ASA 5520 VPN Plus license.

Failover cluster licensed features for this platform:

Maximum Physical Interfaces : Unlimited perpetual

Maximum VLANs : 150 perpetual

Inside Hosts : Unlimited perpetual

Failover : Active/Active perpetual

VPN-DES : Enabled perpetual

VPN-3DES-AES : Enabled perpetual

Security Contexts : 10 perpetual

GTP/GPRS : Enabled perpetual

AnyConnect Premium Peers : 4 perpetual

AnyConnect Essentials : Disabled perpetual

Other VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Total VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Shared License : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Mobile : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone : Disabled perpetual

Advanced Endpoint Assessment : Disabled perpetual

UC Phone Proxy Sessions : 4 perpetual

Total UC Proxy Sessions : 4 perpetual

Botnet Traffic Filter : Enabled 33 days

Intercompany Media Engine : Disabled perpetual

This platform has an ASA 5520 VPN Plus license.

Running Permanent Activation Key: 0xyadayad1 0xyadayad1 0xyadayad1 0xyadayad1 0xyadayad1

Licensed features for this platform:

Maximum Physical Interfaces : Unlimited perpetual

Maximum VLANs : 150 perpetual

Inside Hosts : Unlimited perpetual

Failover : Active/Active perpetual

VPN-DES : Enabled perpetual

VPN-3DES-AES : Disabled perpetual

Security Contexts : 2 perpetual

GTP/GPRS : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect Premium Peers : 2 perpetual

AnyConnect Essentials : Disabled perpetual

Other VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Total VPN Peers : 750 perpetual

Shared License : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Mobile : Disabled perpetual

AnyConnect for Cisco VPN Phone : Disabled perpetual

Advanced Endpoint Assessment : Disabled perpetual

UC Phone Proxy Sessions : 2 perpetual

Total UC Proxy Sessions : 2 perpetual

Botnet Traffic Filter : Disabled perpetual

Intercompany Media Engine : Disabled perpetual

The flash permanent activation key is the SAME as the running permanent key.

Monitoring the Shared License

To monitor the shared license, enter one of the following commands.

Command	Purpose
show shared license [ detail \| client [ hostname ] \| backup ]	Shows shared license statistics. Optional keywords ar available only for the licensing server: the detail keyword shows statistics per participant. To limit the display to one participant, use the client keyword. The backup keyword shows information about the backup server. To clear the shared license statistics, enter the clear shared license command.
show activation-key	Shows the licenses installed on the ASA. The show version command also shows license information.
show vpn-sessiondb	Shows license information about VPN sessions.

Command

Purpose

show shared license [ detail | client [ hostname ] | backup ]

Shows shared license statistics. Optional keywords ar available only for the licensing server: the detail keyword shows statistics per participant. To limit the display to one participant, use the client keyword. The backup keyword shows information about the backup server.

To clear the shared license statistics, enter the clear shared license command.

show activation-key

Shows the licenses installed on the ASA. The show version command also shows license information.

show vpn-sessiondb

Shows license information about VPN sessions.

Examples

The following is sample output from the show shared license command on the license participant:

hostname> show shared license

Primary License Server : 10.3.32.20

Version : 1

Status : Inactive

Shared license utilization:

SSLVPN:

Total for network : 5000

Available : 5000

Utilized : 0

This device:

Platform limit : 250

Current usage : 0

High usage : 0

Messages Tx/Rx/Error:

Registration : 0 / 0 / 0

Get : 0 / 0 / 0

Release : 0 / 0 / 0

Transfer : 0 / 0 / 0

The following is sample output from the show shared license detail command on the license server:

hostname> show shared license detail

Backup License Server Info:

Device ID : ABCD

Address : 10.1.1.2

Registered : NO

HA peer ID : EFGH

Registered : NO

Messages Tx/Rx/Error:

Hello : 0 / 0 / 0

Sync : 0 / 0 / 0

Update : 0 / 0 / 0

Shared license utilization:

SSLVPN:

Total for network : 500

Available : 500

Utilized : 0

This device:

Platform limit : 250

Current usage : 0

High usage : 0

Messages Tx/Rx/Error:

Registration : 0 / 0 / 0

Get : 0 / 0 / 0

Release : 0 / 0 / 0

Transfer : 0 / 0 / 0

Client Info:

Hostname : 5540-A

Device ID : XXXXXXXXXXX

SSLVPN:

Current usage : 0

High : 0

Messages Tx/Rx/Error:

Registration : 1 / 1 / 0

Get : 0 / 0 / 0

Release : 0 / 0 / 0

Transfer : 0 / 0 / 0

...

Feature History for Licensing

Table 4-19 lists each feature change and the platform release in which it was implemented.

Table 4-19 Feature History for Licensing
Feature Name	Platform Releases	Feature Information
Increased Connections and VLANs	7.0(5)	Increased the following limits: ASA5510 Base license connections from 32000 to 5000; VLANs from 0 to 10. ASA5510 Security Plus license connections from 64000 to 130000; VLANs from 10 to 25. ASA5520 connections from 130000 to 280000; VLANs from 25 to 100. ASA5540 connections from 280000 to 400000; VLANs from 100 to 200.
SSL VPN Licenses	7.1(1)	SSL VPN licenses were introduced.
Increased SSL VPN Licenses	7.2(1)	A 5000-user SSL VPN license was introduced for the ASA 5550 and above.
Increased interfaces for the Base license on the ASA 5510	7.2(2)	For the Base license on the ASA 5510, the maximum number of interfaces was increased from 3 plus a management interface to unlimited interfaces.
Increased VLANs	7.2(2)	The maximum number of VLANs for the Security Plus license on the ASA 5505 was increased from 5 (3 fully functional; 1 failover; one restricted to a backup interface) to 20 fully functional interfaces. In addition, the number of trunk ports was increased from 1 to 8. Now there are 20 fully functional interfaces, you do not need to use the backup interface command to cripple a backup ISP interface; you can use a fully-functional interface for it. The backup interface command is still useful for an Easy VPN configuration. VLAN limits were also increased for the ASA 5510 (from 10 to 50 for the Base license, and from 25 to 100 for the Security Plus license), the ASA 5520 (from 100 to 150), the ASA 5550 (from 200 to 250).
Gigabit Ethernet Support for the ASA 5510 Security Plus License	7.2(3)	The ASA 5510 now supports Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps) for the Ethernet 0/0 and 0/1 ports with the Security Plus license. In the Base license, they continue to be used as Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps) ports. Ethernet 0/2, 0/3, and 0/4 remain as Fast Ethernet ports for both licenses. Note The interface names remain Ethernet 0/0 and Ethernet 0/1. Use the speed command to change the speed on the interface and use the show interface command to see what speed is currently configured for each interface.
Advanced Endpoint Assessment License	8.0(2)	The Advanced Endpoint Assessment license was introduced. As a condition for the completion of a Cisco AnyConnect or clientless SSL VPN connections, the remote computer scans for a greatly expanded collection of antivirus and antispyware applications, firewalls, operating systems, and associated updates. It also scans for any registry entries, filenames, and process names that you specify. It sends the scan results to the ASA. The ASA uses both the user login credentials and the computer scan results to assign a Dynamic Access Policy (DAP). With an Advanced Endpoint Assessment License, you can enhance Host Scan by configuring an attempt to update noncompliant computers to meet version requirements. Cisco can provide timely updates to the list of applications and versions that Host Scan supports in a package that is separate from Cisco Secure Desktop.
VPN Load Balancing for the ASA 5510	8.0(2)	VPN load balancing is now supported on the ASA 5510 Security Plus license.
AnyConnect for Mobile License	8.0(3)	The AnyConnect for Mobile license was introduced. It lets Windows mobile devices connect to the ASA using the AnyConnect client.
Time-based Licenses	8.0(4)/8.1(2)	Support for time-based licenses was introduced.
Increased VLANs for the ASA 5580	8.1(2)	The number of VLANs supported on the ASA 5580 are increased from 100 to 250.
Unified Communications Proxy Sessions license	8.0(4)	The UC Proxy sessions license was introduced. Phone Proxy, Presence Federation Proxy, and Encrypted Voice Inspection applications use TLS proxy sessions for their connections. Each TLS proxy session is counted against the UC license limit. All of these applications are licensed under the UC Proxy umbrella, and can be mixed and matched. This feature is not available in Version 8.1.
Botnet Traffic Filter License	8.2(1)	The Botnet Traffic Filter license was introduced. The Botnet Traffic Filter protects against malware network activity by tracking connections to known bad domains and IP addresses.
AnyConnect Essentials License	8.2(1)	The AnyConnect Essentials License was introduced. This license enables AnyConnect VPN client access to the ASA. This license does not support browser-based SSL VPN access or Cisco Secure Desktop. For these features, activate an AnyConnect Premium license instead of the AnyConnect Essentials license. Note With the AnyConnect Essentials license, VPN users can use a Web browser to log in, and download and start (WebLaunch) the AnyConnect client. The AnyConnect client software offers the same set of client features, whether it is enabled by this license or an AnyConnect Premium license. The AnyConnect Essentials license cannot be active at the same time as the following licenses on a given ASA: AnyConnect Premium license (all types) or the Advanced Endpoint Assessment license. You can, however, run AnyConnect Essentials and AnyConnect Premium licenses on different ASAs in the same network. By default, the ASA uses the AnyConnect Essentials license, but you can disable it to use other licenses by using the no anyconnect-essentials command.
SSL VPN license changed to AnyConnect Premium SSL VPN Edition license	8.2(1)	The SSL VPN license name was changed to the AnyConnect Premium SSL VPN Edition license.
Shared Licenses for SSL VPN	8.2(1)	Shared licenses for SSL VPN were introduced. Multiple ASAs can share a pool of SSL VPN sessions on an as-needed basis.
Mobility Proxy application no longer requires Unified Communications Proxy license	8.2(2)	The Mobility Proxy no longer requires the UC Proxy license.
10 GE I/O license for the ASA 5585-X with SSP-20	8.2(3)	We introduced the 10 GE I/O license for the ASA 5585-X with SSP-20 to enable 10-Gigabit Ethernet speeds for the fiber ports. The SSP-60 supports 10-Gigabit Ethernet speeds by default. Note The ASA 5585-X is not supported in 8.3(x).
10 GE I/O license for the ASA 5585-X with SSP-10	8.2(4)	We introduced the 10 GE I/O license for the ASA 5585-X with SSP-10 to enable 10-Gigabit Ethernet speeds for the fiber ports. The SSP-40 supports 10-Gigabit Ethernet speeds by default. Note The ASA 5585-X is not supported in 8.3(x).
Non-identical failover licenses	8.3(1)	Failover licenses no longer need to be identical on each unit. The license used for both units is the combined license from the primary and secondary units. We modified the following commands: show activation-key and show version.
Stackable time-based licenses	8.3(1)	Time-based licenses are now stackable. In many cases, you might need to renew your time-based license and have a seamless transition from the old license to the new one. For features that are only available with a time-based license, it is especially important that the license not expire before you can apply the new license. The ASA allows you to stack time-based licenses so you do not have to worry about the license expiring or about losing time on your licenses because you installed the new one early.
Intercompany Media Engine License	8.3(1)	The IME license was introduced.
Multiple time-based licenses active at the same time	8.3(1)	You can now install multiple time-based licenses, and have one license per feature active at a time. The following commands were modified: show activation-key and show version.
Discrete activation and deactivation of time-based licenses.	8.3(1)	You can now activate or deactivate time-based licenses using a command. The following command was modified: activation-key [ activate \| deactivate ].
AnyConnect Premium SSL VPN Edition license changed to AnyConnect Premium SSL VPN license	8.3(1)	The AnyConnect Premium SSL VPN Edition license name was changed to the AnyConnect Premium SSL VPN license.
No Payload Encryption image for export	8.3(2)	If you install the No Payload Encryption software on the ASA 5505 through 5550, then you disable Unified Communications, strong encryption VPN, and strong encryption management protocols. Note This special image is only supported in 8.3(x); for No Payload Encryption support in 8.4(1) and later, you need to purchase a special hardware version of the ASA.
Increased contexts for the ASA 5550, 5580, and 5585-X	8.4(1)	For the ASA 5550 and ASA 5585-X with SSP-10, the maximum contexts was increased from 50 to 100. For the ASA 5580 and 5585-X with SSP-20 and higher, the maximum was increased from 50 to 250.
Increased VLANs for the ASA 5580 and 5585-X	8.4(1)	For the ASA 5580 and 5585-X, the maximum VLANs was increased from 250 to 1024.
Increased connections for the ASA 5580 and 5585-X	8.4(1)	We increased the firewall connection limits: ASA 5580-20—1,000,000 to 2,000,000. ASA 5580-40—2,000,000 to 4,000,000. ASA 5585-X with SSP-10: 750,000 to 1,000,000. ASA 5585-X with SSP-20: 1,000,000 to 2,000,000. ASA 5585-X with SSP-40: 2,000,000 to 4,000,000. ASA 5585-X with SSP-60: 2,000,000 to 10,000,000.
AnyConnect Premium SSL VPN license changed to AnyConnect Premium license	8.4(1)	The AnyConnect Premium SSL VPN license name was changed to the AnyConnect Premium license. The license information display was changed from “SSL VPN Peers” to “AnyConnect Premium Peers.”
Increased AnyConnect VPN sessions for the ASA 5580	8.4(1)	The AnyConnect VPN session limit was increased from 5,000 to 10,000.
Increased Other VPN sessions for the ASA 5580	8.4(1)	The other VPN session limit was increased from 5,000 to 10,000.
IPsec remote access VPN using IKEv2	8.4(1)	IPsec remote access VPN using IKEv2 was added to the AnyConnect Essentials and AnyConnect Premium licenses. IKEv2 site-to-site sessions were added to the Other VPN license (formerly IPsec VPN). The Other VPN license is included in the Base license.
No Payload Encryption hardware for export	8.4(1)	For models available with No Payload Encryption (for example, the ASA 5585-X), the ASA software disables Unified Communications and VPN features, making the ASA available for export to certain countries.
Dual SSPs for SSP-20 and SSP-40	8.4(2)	For SSP-40 and SSP-60, you can use two SSPs of the same level in the same chassis. Mixed-level SSPs are not supported (for example, an SSP-40 with an SSP-60 is not supported). Each SSP acts as an independent device, with separate configurations and management. You can use the two SSPs as a failover pair if desired. When using two SSPs in the chassis, VPN is not supported; note, however, that VPN has not been disabled.
IPS Module license for the ASA 5512-X through ASA 5555-X	8.6(1)	The IPS SSP software module on the ASA 5512-X, ASA 5515-X, ASA 5525-X, ASA 5545-X, and ASA 5555-X requires the IPS module license.

Bias-Free Language

Results

Chapter: Managing Feature Licenses

Managing Feature Licenses

Supported Feature Licenses Per Model

Licenses Per Model

License Notes

VPN License and Feature Compatibility

Information About Feature Licenses

Preinstalled License

Permanent License

Time-Based Licenses

Time-Based License Activation Guidelines

How the Time-Based License Timer Works

How Permanent and Time-Based Licenses Combine

Stacking Time-Based Licenses

Time-Based License Expiration

Shared AnyConnect Premium Licenses

Information About the Shared Licensing Server and Participants

Communication Issues Between Participant and Server

Information About the Shared Licensing Backup Server

Failover and Shared Licenses

Failover and Shared License Servers

Failover and Shared License Participants

Maximum Number of Participants

Failover Licenses (8.3(1) and Later)

Failover License Requirements and Exceptions

How Failover Licenses Combine

Loss of Communication Between Failover Units

Upgrading Failover Pairs

No Payload Encryption Models

Licenses FAQ

Guidelines and Limitations

Configuring Licenses

Obtaining an Activation Key

Detailed Steps

Activating or Deactivating Keys

Prerequisites

Limitations and Restrictions

Detailed Steps

Configuring a Shared License

Configuring the Shared Licensing Server

Prerequisites

Detailed Steps

Examples

What to Do Next

Configuring the Shared Licensing Backup Server (Optional)

Prerequisites

Detailed Steps

Examples

What to Do Next

Configuring the Shared Licensing Participant

Prerequisites

Detailed Steps

Examples

Monitoring Licenses

Viewing Your Current License

Guidelines

Detailed Steps

Examples

Monitoring the Shared License

Examples

Feature History for Licensing

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