Cisco NFVIS Support For Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers

Table 1. Feature History

Feature Name

Release Information

Description

Cisco NFVIS Support For Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers

Cisco NFVIS Release 4.13.1

Starting from Cisco NFVIS Release 4.13.1, Cisco NFVIS software is supported on Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers as a term-based license. Order Cisco NFVIS software smart license along with the Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers product purchase.

Information About Cisco NFVIS Support

Cisco Smart Licensing is a flexible and unified licensing model that centralizes the management of all Cisco software licenses across organizations. Cisco Smart Licensing enables you to manage all product licenses from one central location. The Cisco NFVIS smart licenses are not node-locked to the device, so they can be used across all devices in your organization. The Smart Licenses can be easily transferred between devices, without hosting or issuing the license again, or going through the Return Material Authorization (RMA), or license re-issuance. For more information on Smart Licenses see, Cisco Software Licensing Guide. Starting from Cisco NFVIS Release 4.13.1, Cisco NFVIS software is supported on Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers as a term-based license.

Place an order for Cisco NFVIS Smart License along with Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Server from the CCW page. The purchase of this license is displayed as Licenses Available to Use in your Virtual Account on the Cisco Smart Software Manager (CSSM), Cisco's licensing server.

Order Cisco NFVIS Smart License

Order Cisco NFVIS software smart license along with the Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers Product purchase. The licensing model for Cisco NFVIS is not enforced. This ensures that you retain full functionality of your Cisco NFVIS, even after the license expires.

Cisco NFVIS Smart License is a term-based license. The Cisco NFVIS Smart License is available for the following durations of 3, 5, or 7 years.

Supported Devices For Cisco NFVIS Support For Cisco UCS M6 Rack Servers


Note


Cisco NFVIS Smart Licenses are sold in units that correspond to 32 physical CPU cores, without considering hyper-threaded cores.


  1. Cisco UCS C M6 Rack Server

  2. Cisco NFVIS software running Cisco NFVIS Release 4.13.1

The following PIDs of Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers are supported by Cisco NFVIS smart licensing:

  • UCSC-C220-M6S

  • UCSC-C240-M6SX

  • UCSC-C240-M6S

Prerequisites For Cisco NFVIS Support For Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers

  • You require an active Cisco Smart Account. For more information on Smart Account see, How to Request a Smart Account

  • You need to make a purchase of a Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Server with a Cisco NFVIS Smart licensing software.

Restrictions For Cisco NFVIS Support For Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers

Cisco NFVIS is not engineered to produce any notifications pertaining to the expiration of the Cisco NFVIS license subscription. Inherently, it is not the Cisco NFVIS's role to monitor compliance. The sole responsibility for determining and tracking the expiration of the license subscription lies with the Cisco Smart Software Manager (CSSM).

Configure Cisco NFVIS Support For Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers

The Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers with Cisco NFVIS operates on two different modes of operations:

  1. Smart Mode

  2. CSLU Mode

Smart Mode

In the smart mode operation, the Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Server has reachability to a Cisco Smart Server Manager (CSSM) server using Cisco NFVIS. The Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Server requires the following inputs to operate in the smart mode:

  1. A unique token for customer virtual account on CSSM.


    Note


    Generate a unique token using your Cisco Virtual Account on the Licensing Server (CSSM). For more information, see How can I create a token to register my device?


    Provide the geneated token as the input to the Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers. The CSSM token is your password for the user account on CSSM. This input is mandatory for the Smart Mode to function and has no default values.

  2. Trasnport Mode

    The Transport Mode specifies the type of connection existing between the device and CSSM (whether the device is directly connected/ Connected through CSLU). For the Smart Mode, the Transport Mode is called as Smart Transport. The default value for the transport mode is CSLU Mode.

  3. Transport URL

    The Transport URL specifies the URL to reach a CSSM/CSLU server from the device. The default transport URL for Smart Mode is https://smartreceiver.cisco.com/licservice/license. The default transport URL for CSLU mode is available on online search engines.

  4. Time interval between two licence usage announcements

    The Resource Usage Measurement (RUM) is sent periodically from the device to CSSM/CSLU which presents the License Usage pertaining to the NFVIS License Entitlement to the CSSM server. You can specify the periodic time interval as an input. The default value is 30 days.

Use the following methods to provide inputs to the Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers using Cisco NFVIS:

  • Using the Cisco NFVIS CLI

  • Using NETCONF/Rest APIs

When the device is provided with the above listed inputs for the smart mode of operation, the device initiates the Trust Handshake with the CSSM server. Once Trust Handshake is successful, the device starts reporting license usage according to the time interval specified.

Configure Smart Mode Using the CLI

configure terminal 
license smart transport smart   smart-url 
license smart transport smart   token 
license smart transport smart   usage 

Verify Smart Mode Using the CLI

Use the show license opdata command to verify the success of smart mode.

show license opdata 
license opdata operational-status OK
license opdata usage-reporting last-ack-received None
license opdata usage-reporting usage-interval 1
license opdata usage-reporting next-ack-deadline "Oct 01 20:32:19 2023 UTC"
license opdata usage-reporting last-report-push None
license opdata usage-reporting next-report-push None

CSLU Mode

In the CSLU mode operation, the Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Server has reachability to a Cisco Smart Licensing Utility (CSLU) application.

  • Ensure that you've logged into CSLU using your Cisco Smart Account on the CSSM.

  • The license reporting in the CSLU mode happens at an interval of 30 days by default.

  • The CSLU is the default Transport Mode and no token is required as an input.

  • The default Transport URL for CSLU mode is http://cslu-local:8182/cslu/v1/pi

  • If you require any change in the inputs other than the defaults, configure the inputs for CSLU mode.

  • The CSLU Mode doesn't require any inputs and the CSLU Mode is the default mode of operation for the Cisco NFVIS on Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers.


Note


  • There are no specific operations in terms of Cisco NFVIS Licensing with regards to the device reboot and upgrade. The Cisco NFVIS continues to operate with respect to the interactions established through the modes of operations.

  • The licensing configuration and Smart Licensing Database aren't cleared from the device in case of a Factory Default Reset.

    License usage reporting to CSSM/CSLU resumes when the device regains network connectivity through a reconfig operation after a Factory Default Reset.

  • To initiate an RMA for a device, manually release the licenses associated with the device from the CSSM, or use the Cisco NFVIS action command license smart release. The command free sup the license entitlements used by this device on CSSM. If the device continues to operate with Cisco NFVIS even after the license release, it will, after a set time interval, resend the usage report (RUM) to CSSM. This report indicates the correct number of license units consumed, which is reserved again on CSSM.

  • While performing a device data backup, Cisco NFVIS backups the config to a file and sends the forced License Usage report to CSSM .


Monitor Cisco NFVIS Support for Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Server

Here is a list of show commands used to monitor Cisco NFVIS Smart Licensing for Cisco UCS C-Series M6 Rack Servers along with some configuration examples:

  • Use the show running-config license command in the Cisco NFVIS CLI to view the license information:

    show running-config   license 
    license smart
     transport smart
     usage interval 1
     token "$8$mbXijvw3R0wmUJ/A2JwDctH8aLvvRF6ov+PScUXbpZJqINICFQCYrujpbJpYki8O3OWWpjtW\nqS8FU21jisfd49mVF0qSS+F92V8/uD3iUowuGqjrWQ4POcZb770ojeAw+bD
    NMLNM0pR/+IF\nhNRgo4762u2ob6DjSr2YGcez8s7TMKQfjswUURDXYxYn1AG8VgSjs9RfPpFVi4Ly4BUFJg=="
  • Use the show license accounts command in the Cisco NFVIS CLI to view the Cisco smart account information that the device is linked with:

    show   license accounts 
    license accounts VIRTUAL ACCOUNT:NFVIS-VA-1
                     SMART ACCOUNT:InternalTestDemoAccount8.cisco.com
    
    
  • Use the show license license-units-consumed to view the units of entitlement used by the device on the CSSM:

    show license   license-units-consumed 
    license license-units-consumed 2
  • Use the show license opdata command to view the licensing operational data:

    show license   opdata 
    license opdata operational-status OK
    license opdata usage-reporting last-ack-received None
    license opdata usage-reporting usage-interval 1
    license opdata usage-reporting next-ack-deadline "Oct 01 20:32:19 2023 UTC"
    license opdata usage-reporting last-report-push None
    license opdata usage-reporting next-report-push None
    
    
  • Use the show license status command to view the status of your license:

    show license   status 
    Current tenant: nfvis-single-tenant
                   
                   Smart Licensing is ENABLED
                   
                   Smart Licensing Policy:
                     Status: ENABLED
                   
                   Transport:
                     Type: SmartTransport
                     URL: https://smartreceiver-stage.cisco.com/licservice/license
                     Proxy: 
                      Not configured
                   
                   Trust Code Installed: Jul 05 06:20:56 2023 UTC
                     Last Attempt Date: Jul 05 06:19:31 2023 UTC
                     Last Attempt Status: JobStatus.success
                     Last Attempt Result: success
                     Attempt In Progress: False
                     Next Attempt Date: None
                   
                   
                     Usage Reporting:
                     Last ACK received: None
                     Next ACK deadline: Oct 01 20:32:19 2023 UTC
                     Reporting push interval: 1
                     Next ACK push check: None
                     Next report push: None
                     Last report push: None
                     Last report file write: None
                   
                   
                   Policy:
                     Policy in use: None
                     Policy name: Default Policy
                     Reporting ACK required: yes
                     Subscription:
                      First report requirement (days): 90
                      Ongoing reporting frequency (days): 90
                      On change reporting (days): 90
                     Perpetual:
                      First report requirement (days): 365
                      Ongoing reporting frequency (days): None
                      On change reporting (days): 90
                     Enforced:
                      First report requirement (days): None
                      Ongoing reporting frequency (days): None
                      On change reporting (days): None
                     Export:
                      First report requirement (days): None
                      Ongoing reporting frequency (days): None
                      On change reporting (days): None
    
  • Use the command show license summary to view the summary of your license

    show license   summary 
    license summary
                    #### Current tenant: nfvis-single-tenant
    
                    Smart Licensing is ENABLED
    
                    Smart Licensing Policy:
                      Status: ENABLED
    
                    Transport:
                      Type: SmartTransport
                      URL: https://smartreceiver-stage.cisco.com/licservice/license
                      Proxy:
                       Not configured
    
                    Trust Code Installed: Jul 05 06:20:56 2023 UTC
                      Last Attempt Date: Jul 05 06:19:31 2023 UTC
                      Last Attempt Status: JobStatus.success
                      Last Attempt Result: success
                      Attempt In Progress: False
                      Next Attempt Date: None
                    
                    
                      Usage Reporting:
                      Last ACK received: None
                      Next ACK deadline: Oct 01 20:32:19 2023 UTC
                      Reporting push interval: 1
                      Next ACK push check: None
                      Next report push: None
                      Last report push: None
                      Last report file write: None
                    Policy:
                      Policy in use: None
                      Policy name: Default Policy
                      Reporting ACK required: yes
                      Subscription:
                       First report requirement (days): 90
                       Ongoing reporting frequency (days): 90
                       On change reporting (days): 90
                      Perpetual:
                       First report requirement (days): 365
                       Ongoing reporting frequency (days): None
                       On change reporting (days): 90
                      Enforced:
                       First report requirement (days): None
                       Ongoing reporting frequency (days): None
                       On change reporting (days): None
                      Export:
                       First report requirement (days): None
                       Ongoing reporting frequency (days): None
                       On change reporting (days): None
    
    
                    License Usage
                    =============
                      Name: None
                      Short-name-tag: NFVIS_CORE_UCSC
                      Name-tag: regid.2023-04.com.cisco.NFVIS_CORE_UCSC,1.0_81ac6671-e3e7-489e-ae14-9610ae3ccdaf
                      Description: None
                      Count: 2
                      Version: None
                      Status: IN USE
                      Enforcement_type: NOT ENFORCED
                      Feature: None
                      Feature description: None
    
  • Use the show license usage command to view your license usage:

    show license   usage 
    license usage 
                  License Usage
                  =============
                    Name: None
                    Short-name-tag: NFVIS_CORE_UCSC
                    Name-tag: regid.2023-04.com.cisco.NFVIS_CORE_UCSC,1.0_81ac6671-e3e7-489e-ae14-9610ae3ccdaf
                    Description: None
                    Count: 2
                    Version: None
                    Status: IN USE
                    Enforcement_type: NOT ENFORCED
                    Feature: None
                    Feature description: None
    
    
  • The license tech support is a part of Cisco NFVIS tech support.

Action Commands

Use the following actions commands that can help you release, sync and trust Cisco NFVIS licences:

  • license smart release: Use this command to send a "License Usage 0" message to CSSM. This action prompts the CSSM to release the license entitlement associated with your Cisco UCS C M6 Rack servers. If the device continues to operate with Cisco NFVIS after the license release, a usage report, also known as RUM, is sent to CSSM after a predetermined time interval. This report will indicate the actual number of license units consumed, which will then be reserved again on CSSM. Following a license release, a notification and system logging warning is issued, urging you to cease using Cisco NFVIS as the license has been released. You receive this notification every 8 hours during the 24 hours after a license release. If you continue to use Cisco NFVIS beyond this 24-hour period, a RUM report will be generated reflecting the appropriate number of license units consumed by Cisco NFVIS. This report is sent to the Licensing server based on the set periodic interval, after which the licensing server will reserve the correct number of license units for the device again.

  • license smart sync: Report a license usage to CSSM using this action command.

  • license smart trust: Initiate the establishment of trust between the device and the CSSM. This action can prove beneficial in various scenarios, including but not limited to the following:

    1. If you delete the product instance from CSSM but wish to continue with Cisco NFVIS Licensing.

    2. If you transfer your licenses from one Virtual Account to another.

    3. If there is an asynchrony between the licensing state on CSSM and on the device.

    4. If the licensing certificates on the device reach their expiry date.