FAQs For Licensing

This section provides information about some of the issues that you may face while working with Licenses.

How to Clear License Mismatch when Moving Licenses Between Cards

A license mismatch may occur in the following cases:

  • When a GigaSMART card crashes: It is possible for all licenses stored in the GigaSMART card to be erased.
  • When moving licenses between cards.

In the above cases, the show license command output displays license-mismatch.

Re-install one of the licenses to clear the license-mismatch flag on the card. This allows you to continue using the card with the newly installed license.

Note:   It is always recommended to execute show license command before installing a new license. Ensure to re-install all licenses that are lost.

How to Activate Volume Based License when GigaVUE-FM does not have network access?

In this case, the Fabric Inventory file (JSON file) downloaded from GigaVUE-FM cannot be uploaded in the Licensing portal. You must generate the license key manually by performing the following steps (applicable for ):

On a system that can reach the License Portal:

  1. Open a notepad and paste the below.

    2. {

    "virtualMac": "00:50:56:94:68:c1",

    "fmSwVersion": "6.13.00",

    "timeOfReportCreation": "2022-08-22T17:48:39Z",

    "allocationMaps": [],

    "revokedTargets": [],

    "revokedFmLicences": []

    }

  2. Change the virtualMAC to the MAC address of GigaVUE-FM and change the timeOfReportCreation to reflect current Zulu time.
  3. Save and change the file extension to .json.
  4. Log in to the License Portal and select the required Volume-based License and click Activate.
  5. In the next step, select Yes to manage with GigaVUE-FM.
  6. Choose the JSON that file you created.
  7. Review the information and change quantity accordingly.
  8. Generate the .lic file that you can download. Move this file to the network where GigaVUE-FM resides.
  9. Log into GigaVUE-FM. Go to Settings > Licenses > Floating > Activated > Activated Licenses > With License Portal.
  10. In the dialogue box, select Import License (.Lic). Select the license file downloaded. Click Open > Continue

The required Volume-based License is successfully activated.

How to Activate Floating License when GigaVUE-FM does not have network access?

To activate a floating license when GigaVUE‑FM is in an air-gaped environment:

1.   Download the GigaVUE‑FM Inventory File: Export the inventory file (JSON format) from the GigaVUE‑FM .
2. Transfer the Inventory File to the License Portal: Move the exported JSON file to a system that has network access and upload it to the License Portal.
3. Generate the License File: In the License Portal, use the imported inventory file to generate the required license file.
4. Download the License File: Download the generated license file from the License Portal to your local system.
5. Transfer the License File to GigaVUE‑FM: Move the downloaded license file back to the GigaVUE‑FM system, where activation must occur.
6. Import the License File in GigaVUE‑FM: Use the GigaVUE‑FM interface to upload and apply the license file to complete activation.

What is a Fabric Inventory File?

Fabric Inventory File is a JSON file that must be downloaded while activating the licenses. This file contains the following details.

  • Details about GigaVUE-FM from which license is activated.
  • Inventory of all the physical nodes connected to GigaVUE-FM.
  • Inventory of GigaSMART cards within the nodes
  • License information of each of the GigaSMART cards.

The file must then be uploaded in the Licensing Portal. Refer to Activate floating licenses

Note:   The file is encrypted to prevent unauthorized use. However, you can obtain an unencrypted version of the inventory information (in JSON format) using the following API: https://<fm-IP>/api/v1.3/licensing/inventory.

For GigaVUE‑FM, it contains:

■   The Virtual MAC address of GigaVUE-FM (the primary GigaVUE-FMs MAC address in a HA group)
■   Software version of GigaVUE-FM
■   Time of report creation
■   List of cards from which all license keys have been revoked (possibly because of card RMA)
■   List of GigaVUE-FM license keys that have been revoked

For each of the devices connected to GigaVUE-FM, it contains:

  • Serial number of the chassis

  • IP address

  • Host name

  • The model of the chassis (GigaVUE-HC1 etc)

  • Name of the chassis cluster to which it belongs

  • The version of software running on the device

  • Whether the device is healthy

  • Information about all GigaSMART cards

For each GigaSMART Card

  • Serial Number of the card

  • Slot number in the chassis where the card is inserted

  • The type of card

  • Whether the card is healthy (operational etc.)

For each GigaSMART Card, the following information about all the license keys that are added on the card is collected:

■   License SKU
■   License start date
■   License end date
■   Encoded license key

What is a License SKU?

An SKU in the licensing portal is a unique identifier defined for the various products offered by Gigamon. Depending on the type of license, the SKU identifier varies. However, it has a consistent format.

The first three letters in the SKU indicate the product, as seen in the following table:

SKU Product/Module

GFM

GigaVUE-FM

GVS

GigaVUE-OS

BPS

By Pass Switch

PRT

Port Module

SMT

GigaSMART Module

VBL

Volume-based license

TAP

TAP module

CLS

Advanced Features

Where can I find the license SKUs for the various products?

You can find the license SKUs in the following product data sheets.

■   GigaVUE-FM Data Sheet
■   GigaSMART Data Sheet
■   GigaVUE HC Series Data Sheet
■   GigaVUE TA Series Data Sheet
■   GigaVUE Cloud Suite for VMware Data Sheet
■   GigaVUE Cloud Suite for AWS Data Sheet
■   GigaVUE Cloud Suite for Azure Data Sheet
■   GigaVUE Cloud Suite for OpenStack
■   GigaVUE Cloud Suite for Nutanix
■   GigaVUE Cloud Suite for Kubernetes

How do I know if a Gigamon appliance or module needs a GVOS license?

Use show chassis and show card CLI commands and check for HW type field. Any type that has an -HW suffix would require a license.

What if there is no -HW suffix on the chassis/card HW type? Would I need any license to make it work?

An appliance or module without -HW suffix can be used right after the installation without any restrictions.

Note:  You might require some other licenses to activate additional features (see GigaVUE TA Series licenses and GigaSMART licenses).

Can I have mix -HW hardware with non-HW? For example can I install an -HW card in a regular non-HW appliances?

Yes different types of hardware can be mixed. Each component is licensed separately so it allowed to have an -HW card on a non-HW chassis or vice versa.

What happens with an -HW chassis or card on a version below 5.12?

In GigaVUE-OS versions earlier than 5.12, the system does not identify any -HW components as hardware. Instead, it loads them as standard non‑HW components that do not require a license. Users also cannot install a GigaVUE-OS license on versions 5.11 or earlier. After upgrading to version 5.12 or later, the system correctly identifies the component as -HW, and the component then requires a license to operate.

Provide some examples of a bifurcated licensing model SKU:

■   GVS-HC3A1 - Standard GigaVUE-HC3 Node that doesn't require a GigaVUE-OS license to operate.
■   GVS-HC3A1-HW - Bifurcated SKU (GigaVUE-HC3 Node) and requires a GigaVUE-OS Node license to be purchased.
■   GVS-HC3A1-SW-TM - GigaVUE-OS Node license SKU for an -HW GigaVUE-HC3 appliance.
■   PRT-HC3-C08Q08 - Standard GigaVUE-HC3 expansion card, doesn't require a GigaVUE-OS license to operate.
■   PRT-HC3-C08Q08-HW - Bifurcated SKU (GigaVUE-HC3 expansion card) and requires a GigaVUE-OS card license to be purchased.
■   PRT-HC3-C08Q08-SW-TM - GigaVUE-OS card license SKU for an -HW GigaVUE-HC3 expansion card.