Lab gear - Convert to per device and extra AP

[Roy]

Hi guys,

As I have some time on my hands, I thought I'd have a poke around my CMNA lab kit as I've been lacking in Meraki experience professionally for the last 18 months.

What happens to my lab licensing if I Convert to per-device licensing? (I'm currently licensed until 2023)

I know I have no actual need to do this other than to say I've done it and to see how it looks, just curious how it worked with the lab license opposed to "normal" 

I've also fancied adding an AP for a while to have a play with the radio profiles, can I just buy a NFR license and add it ? 

Thanks,

Roy

[MerakiDave · Accepted solution]

Hi @Roy if you convert from co-term to PDL, then basically, upon converting, you will have one device per license and every individual per-device license will expire on that same day in 2023.  Then, as you add new licenses, your license expiration dates will start to diverge.  Suppose your current co-term date is 1/1/2023.  You convert to PDLm and at first, every piece of equipment in your inventory will now be licensed individually, and expire on 1/1/2023.  Then suppose next month you purchase and apply 1 AP and one LIC-ENT-1YR on July 1st, then that one single AP will have an expiration of 7/1/2021.  

All that said, I would not recommend converting to PDL simply to say that you've done it or to see how it works.  I would only recommend converting to PDL if there's a requirement or business reason to do so.  PDL has certain benefits such as partial renewals, a 90-day initial activation window, the ability to move devices and their licenses between organizations.  Note that once you convert to PDL, there is not a mechanism to revert back to co-term.  However there are 1-day license SKUs that allow you to purchase the proper combination of 1-day license keys for individual devices to be able to true-up and have a shared expiration date, to re-achieve a co-term situation.

Hope that helps!  Here's a couple good docs for more info:

https://documentation.meraki.com/zGeneral_Administration/Licensing/Meraki_Per-Device_Licensing_Overv...

and

https://documentation.meraki.com/zGeneral_Administration/Licensing/Meraki_Per-Device_Licensing_Overv...

and

https://documentation.meraki.com/zGeneral_Administration/Licensing/Meraki_Per-Device_Licensing_Overv...

[Nash]

Hard agree with @MerakiDave about not doing it just to do it.

Having done a conversion to PDL, I can tell you that it's very simple to do (and super unreversible). If you need to do PDL, Meraki's resources are great and you should find it pretty clear and easy.

[Roy]

Thanks @MerakiDave - I wasn't sure if there would be any other implications as it's the CMNA license.

You've reassured me, doing it for the sake of doing it, sounds like a bad idea 😀

[Roska]

don´t do it, you´ll be happier with co-term