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PicOS PICOS can be installed on bare metal switches listed in the Pica8 Hardware Compatibility list. A software license is needed to activate PicOS PICOS on the specific switch it is installed on.

Note
  • On N3048EP-ON and N3132PX switches, run "save_config" command when install license. Otherwise, the license key will be lost after PicOS PICOS reboot. For detail, please refer to Configuration Saving Guide.
  • Starting with PicOS PICOS 2.4, only the first 4 ports of the switch can be used if no license is installed. The first four ports should enable any protocol whether license has or has not been installed. This is also the perfect way to test PicOS without buying a full license. Without a license installed installed, only the first 4 physical ports can be used, not logical ports.

Licenses for switches can be downloaded from the License Portal.

Terminology

The following terms are used throughout this section:

  • Base License: This license is required on any switch.
  • Bundle: This license includes all PicOS PICOS features. That is, it bundles all three licenses.
  • Evaluation License: There is no evaluation license because users can evaluate PicOS PICOS without a license. Please note that only the first four switch ports (and the management port) are active without a license. 
  • Hardware ID: Hardware ID is needed when users download a license. Users can view their own switch ID by executing the license show command license -s.
  • Mode: There are two license modes: switch license and site license.
  • Type: There are two speed types: 1G and 10G.

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PICOS License Types

Pica8 PicOS PICOS has a multi-tier licensing model, which enables users to install only the needed features or all the features provided by PicOSPICOS. Each license contains unique features.

The PicOS PICOS license types are:

Base License

The following features are available with the Base license:

  • Network Linux
  • Layer 2 (STP/RSTP/MSTP, LLDP, LACP, IGMP-Snooping, dot1x, sFlow, UDLD)
  • Multi-chassis Link Aggregation (MLAG)
  • Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
  • Security
  • Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP)
  • Static Routes

Layer 3 License

The following features are available with the Layer3 license:

  • Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
  • Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
  • Protocol-Independent Multicast (PIM)
  • Network Address Translation (NAT)
  • Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN)
  • VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol)

OpenFlow License

 The following features are available with the OpenFlow license:

  • Open vSwitch Database Management Protocol (OVSDB)
  • OpenFlow Releases 1.3 and 1.4
  • Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)
  • CrossFlow
  • Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN)

Base, Layer 3, and OpenFlow License

This license bundles all the PicOS PICOS features into one license.

Speed

There are two speeds available for each license.

  • 1GE: Platform with 48 x 1GE OR 48 x 1GE + 4 x 10GE ports
  • 10GE: Platform with 48 x 10GE + 4 x 40GE OR 48 x 10GE + 6 x 40GE OR 32 x 40GE ports

Mode

  • Switch: Use this to install a license on a single switch only.
  • Site: Use this to install the same license on all switches at a site.

Accessing Hardware ID

User must have the hardware ID available to download a license. A utility generates hardware ID using the license -s command in PicOS PICOS OVS mode.

 

Code Block
admin@PicOS-OVS$license -s
No license installed. Use below information to create a license.
Type: 1GE
Hardware ID: E385-FB53-4D57-05EB

 

Installing the License

Warning

If user updates the switch from a previous version of PicOS PICOS to PicOS PICOS 2.4 without a license installed, only the first 4 ports of the switch will be available after the upgrade. To upgrade the switch without production impact, user should install a license before the upgrade.

It is possible to install a license in PicOS PICOS 2.3 (starting with PicOS PICOS 2.3.3).

To upgrade a switch from a PicOS PICOS version earlier than 2.3, it may be necessary to upgrade to PicOS PICOS 2.3 first to install a license on the system. To avoid this step, user can run a script that can install the license on PicOS PICOS releases earlier than 2.3. Please contact Pica8 support or look at the section below for older PicOS PICOS releases.

The license file cannot name pica.lic, or license will install failed.

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Info

The switch cannot upgrade to a PicOS PICOS version whose build date is later than the license expiration date.

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To activate the new license, the switch must be restarted.

Troubleshooting License Installation

User may encounter various problems during license installation as detailed below.

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Code Block
admin@XorPlus$sudo license -i js.lic
Install failed: Invalid license.

Displaying License Information

User can display the license information using the license -s command at the Linux shell.

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Code Block
admin@XorPlus$license -s
No license installed. Use below information to create a license.
Type: 1GE
Hardware ID: 8A68-A7AC-D702-70D2
admin@PicOS-OVS$

Removing a License

User can use the license -r command at the Linux shell to remove a license as detailed below:

Code Block
admin@XorPlus$ll
total 32
drwxrwxr-x  2 root xorp 4096 Feb  4 22:00 ./
drwxrwxr-x 60 root xorp 4096 Feb  4 21:56 ../
-rw-rw-r--  1 root xorp   26 Feb  4 18:27 fs_status
-rw-rw-r--  1 root xorp  247 Sep  4  2014 license.conf
-rw-rw-r--  1 root xorp  183 Aug 10  2014 p2files.lst
-rw-r--r--  1 root root  382 Feb  4 22:00 pica.lic
-rw-rw-r--  1 root xorp  488 Feb  4 18:28 picos_start.conf
-rw-r--r--  1 root root  251 Feb  4 22:00 public.key
-rw-r--r--  1 root root  251 Feb  4 22:00 switch-public.key
admin@XorPlus$pwd
/etc/picos
admin@XorPlus$
admin@XorPlus$license -r
admin@XorPlus$ll
total 28
drwxrwxr-x  2 root xorp 4096 Feb  4 22:05 ./
drwxrwxr-x 60 root xorp 4096 Feb  4 21:56 ../
-rw-rw-r--  1 root xorp   26 Feb  4 18:27 fs_status
-rw-rw-r--  1 root xorp  247 Sep  4  2014 license.conf
-rw-rw-r--  1 root xorp  183 Aug 10  2014 p2files.lst
-rw-rw-r--  1 root xorp  488 Feb  4 18:28 picos_start.conf
-rw-r--r--  1 root root  251 Feb  4 22:00 public.key
-rw-r--r--  1 root root  251 Feb  4 22:00 switch-public.key
admin@XorPlus$

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Warning

If the license is modified or removed, the switch must be rebooted for the change to be effective.

License Update on Older Releases

To upgrade a switch to PicOS PICOS 2.4 from a version earlier than 2.3, it may be necessary to upgrade to PicOS PICOS 2.3 first and install a license on the system. To avoid this extra step, user can install a new script on PicOS PICOS releases prior to 2.3 and use the script to install a license.

This new script supports the PicOS PICOS releases 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3. User has to follow the following steps to install a license using the script:

  1. Download the file named license-powerpc.bin or license-powerpcspe.bin according to the switch model. For example, download the file license-powerpc.bin for the Pica8 P-3290 switch.  
  2. Run the command ./license-powerpc -s to display the hardware ID.
  3. Copy the upgrade.sh script from https://github.com/Pica8/Upgrade to the switch. 
  4. Copy the license tool from http://www.pica8.com/portal/standard/ to the switch. The tool can be used to install a license on PicOS PICOS 2.3 or earlier but the license will only become effective after upgrading to PicOS PICOS 2.4 or later.
Info

The Pica8 P-3290 and P-3295 use the license-powerpc file. All other PicOS PICOS switches use the license-powerpcspe file.

The following example describes how to upgrade a Pica8 P-3297 switch from PicOS PICOS 2.3. 

Step 1:  Check the version of PicOS PICOS using the version command at the Linux shell.

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Code Block
admin@PicOS-OVS$sudo ./license-powerpcspe -i 1GE-SITE-PICA8.lic
License successfully added, the switch need to be rebooted to activate the license.
admin@PicOS-OVS$

 

Add License Directly From License Command  

User can also add the license directly from the license command. The PicOS PICOS 2.6 image supports this command. 

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