Change license without core count reboot warning in smartupdate (centrally managed open platform)

[Adam276]

Open platform and centrally managed licenses using smartupdate.

This is to change a license to the same type of license and core count (8) on a 2 member HA cluster... one member at a time.

In the past I have used smartupdate to detach the old license from the firewall and then add the new one. In my experience, you get warnings that the licensed core count changes and you need a reboot.  This happens because when you remove the license, the additional cores are no longer licensed.

I am trying to find out if I can just attach the second license to the firewall and then detach the old one afterwards. Will smartupdate allow that for centrally managed licenses or will it see that there is already a license attached and not allow it?  If this is possible, my thoughts are that the gateway wouldn't see a core count change because there will always be a license with the same core count attached (2 licenses at one point). I am just not sure if this is possible or if you can't attach more than 1 license to a gateway  using smartupdate to manage the licenses.

[the_rock]

It is possible and I had done it in the lab before. Yes, I did get warning that reboot was needed, but I simply ignored it and it showed right amount of cores 10 mins later.

[PhoneBoy]

I suspect this message is a function of the fact you cannot change the allocation of SND/Worker without a reboot (something a license change involving core count requires) prior to the introduction of Dynamic Split (R80.40 and above).
Even so, it might still be required since the initial allocation is set at boot time.

[the_rock]

Thats 100% true, but every time I saw it in my lab, I would just ignore it and then 10-15 mins later, would show correct number of cores.

[G_W_Albrecht · Accepted solution]

Yes you can do that. Sadly, you can install a lot of licenses, or better, keep old ones there, but you will only get license issues, never a warning that a license already is installed on the GW 😉 Afaik, licenses are checked on reboot.

[the_rock]

You got that right mate 🙂

[Adam276]

Thanks for the info.  So it sounds like I can attach multiple licenses to a single gateway using smartupdate and I assume as long as I detach the old one before reboot (don't plan to reboot it), there will not be any 'license issues'.  Do you know if I will still get a core count warning when I get to the point of detaching the license in smartupdate or will whatever is checking that see that there is still a valid core count license (the new one) and suppress that warning?

[the_rock]

Personally, I never got that warning about core count when detaching a license, ONLY when attaching brand new one.

[G_W_Albrecht]

I do not think you will get a warning but it does not matter anyhow ! Usually licenses are checked during reboot. cpconfig settings may trigger that too.