[c-nsp] Router advice

[Derick Winkworth]

Its not like we can run Cisco IOS on any other vendor's equipment.  If I buy an ISR from Cisco, I have to pay them additional money to use the software that only Cisco can create.. for that box?  Its an arbitrary "blood-rock" scheme.  You pay twice to use the equipment you buy from them.

Its an argument against licensing in general in cases where you are dealing with *both* closed software and closed hardware from the same vendor.

Nevertheless, its reality now.  It would be interesting to see key-generators or IOS jailbreakers soon.




________________________________
From: Doug McIntyre <merlyn at Geeks.ORG>
To: cisco-nsp at puck.nether.net
Sent: Sun, November 22, 2009 1:21:27 AM
Subject: Re: [c-nsp] Router advice

On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 11:53:22AM -0800, Seth Mattinen wrote:
> Doug McIntyre wrote:
> > On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 01:28:53PM -0800, Seth Mattinen wrote:
> >> Ivan wrote:
> >>> You may also want to check out the new ISR models (ISR G2
> >>> http://www.cisco.com/go/isrg2).
> >>>
> >> I get the impression from reading about the new "universal" image that
> >> they phone home for license keys before it will activate features. Is
> >> this accurate?
> > 
> > No, you get base level features out of the box, and you can activate
> > the advanced features that are licensed on a trial basis for x days
> > until you can get your PACs from the Cisco license website and apply
> > it permamently to that box.
> > 
> 
> Are they backup-able? That is, can you get the device back to full
> functionality from local copies without access to the website? What
> happens if hardware gets stolen or somebody yanks the flash card and
> loses it? Can you still keep spares in storage?

The PACs are tied to the serial number of the box. You can backup the 
number you get back from the PAC tool, but if you swap hardware, then 
you need to go to TAC to get a new PAC. 

Sure, you can stock spares, then if you need to bring up a spare box,
you get 30 days of trial license, and you go to TAC and tell them you
need a new PAC because the old box is borked, and you work it out with
TAC. If any of your disaster items happen, you go back to TAC and
explain while running live on your 30 day trial license to get new PACs. 
Its a very simple solution that in practice works easily. 

You seem to want to pick on this thread for Cisco's license
enforcement. I don't work for them. But I can certainly see a need for
it from their point of view. I do already use Cisco licensing on other
hardware that has been doing this exact thing for sometime (ie. SanOS
and PIX), and haven't encountered any the sky-is-falling problems with
any of it. It seems fair to me, compared to what I'd guess are many
IOS boxes not being properly licensed for what they are running due to
Cisco's pretty open licensing policies of years past. 

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