CUCM 9.0 - How to install licenses

Hello!

Today we'll talk about how licenses for CUCM 9.0 are installed. Since the process in the new version differs significantly from earlier predecessors, I will give the entire installation procedure with screenshots taken from our lab CUCM.

So, the first difference of the 9th versions of CUCM is that there are no more "free" units that worked in previous versions for an arbitrarily long time. Previously, up to version 9.x, 150 units for virtual CUCMs and 50 units for physical ones were provided, which was convenient for product testing or use in laboratories. Versions 9.x have a time limit for working without licenses - 60 days. You can generate demo licenses at cisco.com/go/license, but they are also limited to six months. When logging in to the CUCM administration interface, the following warning will be displayed:

The second difference in the new CUCMs is that licenses are no longer installed directly on the Publisher server. Now licenses are controlled by a separate software product - Enterprise License Manager (ELM). It is supplied on the CUCM installation disk and is automatically installed on the same server where the CUCM is installed. However, if desired, the ELM can also be installed on a separate server / virtual machine. CUCM communicates with the license manager via AXL, and when adding licenses, it synchronizes with ELM so that license information is up to date.

First of all, we activate the Cisco AXL Web Service on the CUCM so that ELM can interact with it:

After installation, the CUCM does NOT automatically sync with the ELM. This can be seen in the System -> Licensing tab. Please note that the content of this tab has changed - only the License Usage Report remains.

Now let's login to the ELM (http://CUCM IP address/elm-admin). In our example, the ELM is installed on the same server with the CUCM. In this case, the Application Administrator login and password (the same as for the CUCM administration interface) are used to log into ELM. After logging in, you can see that no product has been added to ELM yet, and no licenses are being used yet.

Adding our call manager to ELM. When specifying the login and password for access to CUCM, we use the Platform Administrator password (that is, the one that is used to enter the CLI or OS Administration)!!! After entering the parameters of the CUCM, we check the connection with the ELM, for which we press the Test Connection button.

With the correct parameters entered, the ELM establishes a connection with the CUCM, click OK to save the data and see that our CUCM has appeared in the ELM.

Next, we synchronize the call manager and ELM. Press the Synchronize now button and then check the synchronization status in the ELM and tje CUCM (System -> Licensing -> License Usage Report)

The preliminary stage has been completed. The ELM is synchronized with The CUCM. Now you need to generate a license file on cisco.com. In version 9.0, this process has a new look. First, you need to create a request in ELM based on the required number of licenses and their type. The request is an encrypted phrase, which is then requested and entered into the license generation tool (cisco.com/go/license).

In the ELM, select License Management -> License Planning. Click the Add Licenses button. Select the product (CUCM) and its version. Then we select the type of licenses and their number, save this information in ELM and click Finish.

Next, in the ELM, we generate a request and then visit cisco.com to get a license file (I will show it using the example of obtaining a demo license).

We paste the generated encrypted phrase (request) on the license generation page and get a file with a license:

Install the received license file in the ELM (the file must first be unzipped - the ELM requires the file with the .bin extension). We install it in License Management -> License -> Install License File. As usual, select the desired file through the Browse button.

Re-sync your ELM and CUCM. Signing in to CUCM no longer displays a warning that the countdown is 60 days. The installed license is visible in ELM, and 2 units used (1 7961 phone and 1 CIPC are configured on this call manager).

This is how licenses are installed in new releases of CUCM. Have a nice weekend! :)