Cisco Nexus 3000 Series Switches license

Cisco Nexus 3000 license

The licensed Cisco Nexus 3000 is a series of switches designed for data center environments. They are highly scalable and offer high-performance capabilities for demanding workloads. However, to unlock the full potential of these switches, you need to obtain and activate the appropriate licenses. In this article, we will discuss the Cisco Nexus 3000 license in detail.

Cisco Nexus 3000 Licenses

The licensed Cisco Nexus 3000 switches have two types of licenses: Network Services License (NSL) and LAN Enterprise License (LANE). The NSL is a base license that comes with every Nexus 3000 switch, while the LANE is an advanced license that unlocks additional features.

Network Services License (NSL)

The Network Services License (NSL) is a base license that is included with every Cisco Nexus 3000 switch. It provides basic networking features such as Layer 2 switching, Layer 3 routing, Virtual Port Channel (vPC), and Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF). These features are sufficient for most basic data center environments and are available without any additional license requirements.

However, the NSL has limitations. It doesn’t support some advanced features that may be required for certain use cases. For example, if you need to configure Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing or implement Multicast routing, you will need to obtain the LAN Enterprise License (LANE).

LAN Enterprise License (LANE)

The LAN Enterprise License (LANE) is an advanced license that unlocks additional features in the licensed Cisco Nexus 3000 switch. It is required for implementing advanced data center architectures and network designs. Some of the features that are available with the LANE include BGP routing, Multicast routing, and Layer 3 over vPC.

The LANE also includes other features such as Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV), Locator/ID Separation Protocol (LISP), and Cisco TrustSec security. These features allow for more advanced network designs, such as data center interconnect (DCI) and software-defined networking (SDN).

The LANE is available in two different versions: the LAN Enterprise License and the LAN Enterprise License with the Advanced Features Package. The Advanced Features Package includes additional features such as Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) and Power-On Auto Provisioning (POAP).

Activating the License

To activate the Cisco Nexus 3000 license, you need to obtain a license key from Cisco. The license key is a string of alphanumeric characters that is used to unlock the additional features in the switch.

To activate the license, you need to log in to the switch using the command-line interface (CLI) or the web-based user interface (UI). Once you are logged in, you can enter the license key using the license install command.

After the license key is installed, you can verify the license status using the show license command. This command will display information about the licenses that are installed on the switch and their expiration dates.

Features of Cisco Nexus 3000

High-Performance Switching

The licensed Cisco Nexus 3000 switches offer high-performance switching capabilities that enable fast and reliable data transfer. These switches use custom ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits) that provide hardware-based forwarding, packet processing, and filtering. The ASICs also enable low-latency switching, which is essential for data center environments.

High-Density Ethernet Ports

The licensed Cisco Nexus 3000 switches have high-density Ethernet ports that support 1/10/25/40/50/100 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. This high-density connectivity enables high-bandwidth and high-throughput data transfer, which is essential for data center environments.

Virtual Port Channel (vPC)

Cisco Nexus 3000 switches support Virtual Port Channel (vPC) technology, which enables link aggregation between two switches. This technology enables active-active redundancy, load balancing, and increased bandwidth utilization.

Layer 2 Switching

The licensed Cisco Nexus 3000 switches support Layer 2 switching, which enables forwarding of Ethernet frames based on the destination MAC address. The Layer 2 switching feature is essential for connecting devices within the same broadcast domain.

Layer 3 Routing

The licensed Cisco Nexus 3000 switches support Layer 3 routing, which enables routing of IP packets between different subnets. The Layer 3 routing feature is essential for connecting devices across different broadcast domains.

Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV)

Cisco Nexus 3000 switches support Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV), which enables the extension of Layer 2 connectivity across different data centers. The OTV feature is essential for creating a single logical network across multiple data centers.

Cisco TrustSec

The licensed Cisco Nexus 3000 switches support Cisco TrustSec, which enables secure network access control through identity-based policy enforcement. The TrustSec feature is essential for ensuring secure access to network resources.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Cisco Nexus 3000 license is an essential component for unlocking the full potential of these switches. The Network Services License (NSL) provides basic networking features, while the LAN Enterprise License (LANE) unlocks advanced features such as BGP routing, Multicast routing, and OTV.

To activate the license, you need to obtain a license key from Cisco and install it on the switch using the CLI or UI. Once the license is installed, you can verify the license status using the show license command.

By obtaining and activating the appropriate license, you can ensure that your Cisco Nexus 3000 switch is fully optimized for your data center environment and can provide the necessary performance and scalability required for demanding workloads.