All Cisco Meraki products require a valid license to operate. The company offers two licensing models, namely; Per-Device Licensing (PDL), the new model, and Co-Termination Licensing (co-term). All operations relating to licensing of Cisco Meraki products can be done from the Organizations > Configure >License Information page.
The Co-Termination licensing model works on a co-termination basis. The model has one expiration date of the licenses of different devices in your business network regardless of the time of application. This is achieved by averaging the active licenses and dividing it with the license limit count of the devices in your organization.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about co-termination licensing and determine whether it’s ideal for your business or not.
Removing and Undoing Co-Termination License Claim
Several co-termination licensing issues are caused by misapplication of a license key to the wrong organization, as an added device, or a renewal. Luckily, the mistake can be corrected using the undo license claim tool. You must first ensure that you are a full administrator on both organizations to undo or remove the license claim.
To use the undo license claim tool, you have to Navigate to the Organization > Configure > License Information page in the dashboard. Click the undo button found next to the license in question, review the popping confirmation window, and hit the yes button. The original license will be invalidated, a replacement key generated, and you can consequently re-apply or add it correctly.
Licensing Options
Meraki co-termination licensing model consists of four licensing options. Here’s is a look at each one of them.
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MR Licensing Option
MR access points have only one licensing type that is the general wireless AP license. The license applies to any Cisco Meraki access point as long as every AP in the account has a license. For instance, if your network contains two MR33s and one MR45, you will require licensing for three APs.
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MS Licensing Option
Meraki MS switches are licensed on a per-model basis; thus, you must secure licensing for every MS model in your network. It’s essential to note that MS licenses are not transferable between switch models. For instance, an MS220 license cannot be covered by an MS320-48 license; you will need to buy two licenses for the two switches.
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MX Licensing Option
Meraki MX security appliances are licensed on a per-model basis and are not transferable between models, just like the MS switches. If your business network uses more than one MX security appliances, you will have to buy a license for each model.
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SM Licensing Option
Cisco Meraki SM has one license type used for all the managed clients in the system manager, regardless of the type of the operating system. SM licenses must be available for the devices to be enrolled in your business network.
Calculating Co-Termination Date for Your New Network
Determining the termination date for your co-termination license is crucial in averting license compliance issues to your network. The following steps will help you to calculate the co-termination date for your new network correctly.
Step 1: Calculate the Remaining Time
Put, the remaining time is the number of days remaining for your existing license to expire or become obsolete. The remaining time is computed by subtracting your license’s expiration date, found in your network dashboard, from the current period.
Step 2: Calculate Incremental Network Time (INT)
After determining the remaining time, multiply one year by the term of the newly purchased license. Consequently, subtract the new purchased time from the remaining time calculated in step 1 to get the incremental network time.
Step 3: Convert INT to Incremental Dollars Days (IDD)
The incremental network time is then converted to incremental dollar days by adding together the incremental network time, the new license’s base price, and the number licenses, for each license type purchased.
Step 4: Calculate the Daily License Usage Rate
Calculating your daily license usage rate will help you to determine the number of additional days that the new purchase adds to your license term. To calculate the daily license usage rate, add together the product of the base price of each license type you purchase and the total number of all such products in your network.
Step 5: Convert IDD to Incremental Time Purchased
Converting the incremental dollar days, calculated in step 4, into incremental time purchased, enables you to determine the number of additional days to be added into your business’s licenses. Converting IDD to incremental time purchased involves dividing the incremental dollar days by daily license usage rate.
Step 6: Calculate the New Termination Date
The new co-termination date is then calculated by adding together the incremental time purchased and the remaining time.
Bottom Line
Meraki co-termination licensing model not only reduces the complexities of licensing but also creates one expiration date for all your business’s devices. But, the straightforward expiration date doesn’t work for customers with site billings and conflicting budgets. This guide will help you to decide as to whether the licensing model is ideal for your business or not.
