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Acquiring licenses for ports

You do not have to use Cisco switch licenses on a continuous range of ports; instead, you can acquire licenses for specific ports that are used and remove licenses from unused ports. You should verify the number of licensed ports in the switch configuration and, if necessary, move licenses from one port to another as needed.

  1. Issue the following command to show license usage for a switch fabric: show port-resources module 1

    Determine which ports require licenses. If some of those ports are unlicensed, determine if you have extra licensed ports and consider removing the licenses from them.
  2. Issue the following command to enter configuration mode: config t
  3. Remove the license from the selected port:
    1. Issue the following command to select the port to be unlicensed: interface interface-name
    2. Remove the license from the port using the following command: no port-license acquire
    3. Exit the port configuration interface: exit
  4. Acquire the license for the selected port:
    1. Issue the following command to select the port to be unlicensed: interface interface-name
    2. Make the port eligible to acquire a license using the "port license" command: port-license
    3. Acquire the license on the port using the following command: port-license acquire
    4. Exit the port configuration interface: exit
  5. Repeat for any additional ports.
  6. Issue the following command to exit configuration mode: exit

Removing and acquiring a license on a port​

This example shows a license being removed from port fc1/2, port fc1/1 being made eligible to acquire a license, and the license being acquired on port fc1/1:

Switch_A_1# conf t
    Switch_A_1(config)# interface fc1/2
    Switch_A_1(config)# shut
    Switch_A_1(config-if)# no port-license acquire
    Switch_A_1(config-if)# exit
    Switch_A_1(config)# interface fc1/1
    Switch_A_1(config-if)# port-license
    Switch_A_1(config-if)# port-license acquire
    Switch_A_1(config-if)# no shut
    Switch_A_1(config-if)# end
    Switch_A_1# copy running-config startup-config

Switch_B_1# conf t
    Switch_B_1(config)# interface fc1/2
    Switch_B_1(config)# shut
    Switch_B_1(config-if)# no port-license acquire
    Switch_B_1(config-if)# exit
    Switch_B_1(config)# interface fc1/1
    Switch_B_1(config-if)# port-license
    Switch_B_1(config-if)# port-license acquire
    Switch_B_1(config-if)# no shut
    Switch_B_1(config-if)# end
    Switch_B_1# copy running-config startup-config

The following example shows port license usage being verified:

Switch_A_1# show port-resources module 1
    Switch_B_1# show port-resources module 1