[j-nsp] MX304 - Edge Router

[Michael Hare]

Richard-

Sorry if this is off topic, but what's the use case for Base license on an MX?   Is it just to align the name of the licensing with EX and the ilk?  Are there significant customers using hardware as whitebox?  We've been Juniper customer since the m40 days and always routed with them.  Thoughts and feelings aside about price and licensing management aside, I always found it curious that someone would purchase an MX and not need even static routing.  Our ASNs ended up in the "Advanced" bucket, which was essentially equivalent for us to the old "base".

-Michael

> -----Original Message-----
> From: juniper-nsp <juniper-nsp-bounces at puck.nether.net> On Behalf Of
> Richard McGovern via juniper-nsp
> Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2023 7:51 AM
> To: Saku Ytti <saku at ytti.fi>; Aaron Gould <aaron1 at gvtc.com>
> Cc: Karl Gerhard <karl_gerh at gmx.at>; juniper-nsp at puck.nether.net
> Subject: Re: [j-nsp] MX304 - Edge Router
> 
> Aaron, what version of Junos are you using on your MX304? This should NOT
> happen and if it did/is, then I suggest you open a Case with JTAC. Minimally
> your account team should be able to get you a temp license to work-around
> this until resolved.
> 
> The introduction of newer (well now like 2 years old) Flex licensing all newly
> purchased MX (which would include ALL MX304s) support only L2 in the base
> (free) license. For any L3 (even static) you require some additional level of
> license. For MX those levels are Base/Advanced/Premium -
> https://www.juniper.net/documentation/us/en/software/license/flex/flex-
> license-for-mx-series-routers-and-mpc-service-cards.pdf. Your local Partner or
> Juniper Sales team should be able to help with any questions in this area.
> 
> Flex License can be purchased on a Subscription (yearly) basis or Perpetual
> (matches older style) – this is similar/same for almost all vendors in current
> times.
> 
> Most (but not ALL!) Juniper license are currently “honor” based. This means
> features that require a license will NOT be turned off if the license is not
> present. Instead warning/error messages will be shown, which will [obviously]
> fill up your logs quickly 😂 MACSec maybe one of those licenses which are
> NOT “honor” based; there are others as well. Of course, Perpetual licenses
> never expire 👍 Subscription licenses have a built-in ‘safety zone’ of
> approximately 30 days after the subscription date expires. This is to provide
> time for renewal of the subscription for those that “forget” 😩
> 
> If you have an older subscription license which is no longer valid under newer
> Flex license structure, at renewal the license will automatically be converted by
> Juniper internal renewals team to the new Flex license SKU, at same price as
> the older SKU, if there is a price [increase] difference.
> 
> One big advantage of the new Flex license structure is that these licenses are
> transferable. That is, these licenses are not permanently tied to a single device
> SN. This also includes Perpetual Flex Licenses. In the Juniper Agile License Portal
> (https://license.juniper.net/licensemanage/) where one turns a License SKU
> [Entitlement] into a Activation [code] which then is used to create the actual
> loadable license. Here one MUST associate the License with a SN, but that
> License can then be re-called (changed from Activation back to Entitlement)
> and then that Entitlement can be associated with a new SN. The license on the
> old SN is no longer valid.
> 
> As for current checks, Juniper is covered by EULA – End User License
> Agreement. In the future Juniper can (and is likely to) add additional
> enforcement checks into their SW – Just an FYI.
> 
> FYI only, Rich
> 
> 
> Richard McGovern
> Sr Sales Engineer, Juniper Networks
> 978-618-3342
> 
> I’d rather be lucky than good, as I know I am not good
> I don’t make the news, I just report it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Juniper Business Use Only
> 
> On 10/25/23, 2:01 AM, "Saku Ytti" <saku at ytti.fi> wrote:
> On Tue, 24 Oct 2023 at 22:21, Aaron Gould via juniper-nsp
> <juniper-nsp at puck.nether.net<mailto:juniper-nsp at puck.nether.net>>
> wrote:
> 
> > My MX304 trial license expired last night, after rebooting the MX304,
> > various protocols no longer work.  This seems more than just
> > honor-based... ospf, ldp, etc, no longer function.  This is new to me;
> > that Juniper is making protocols and technologies tied to license.  I
> > need to understand more about this, as I'm considering buying MX304's.
> 
> Juniper had assured me multiple times that they strategically have
> decided to NEVER do this. That it's an actual decision they've
> considered at the highest level, that they will not downgrade devices
> in operation. I guess 'reboot' is not in-operation?
> 
> Notion that operators are able to keep licenses up-to-date and valid
> is naive, we can't keep SSL certificates valid and we've had decades
> of time to learn, it won't happen. You will learn about the problem,
> when shit breaks.
> 
> The right solution would be a phone-home, and a vendor sales rep
> calling you 'hey you have expired licenses, let's solve this'. Not
> breaking the boxes. Or 'your phone home hasn't worked, you need to fix
> it before we can re-up your support contract'.
> --
>   ++ytti
> 
> 
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