How to Upgrade/Activate a License on a Cisco ASA (Adaptive Security Appliance)

NetworkChuck Technology Careers Career & Money

About this video

This is a short, hands-on tutorial on upgrading a Cisco ASA license. Chuck says he will enable a Security Plus license on his ASA specifically to enable dual ISPs. He starts at Cisco’s product license registration site, enters the license key received from his vendor or Cisco reseller, and notes Cisco ties the license to the serial number of the device, so the key must be used on that correct ASA, and the license file is then sent by email. On the ASA itself, he enters global configuration mode, uses the activation-key command to paste in the key from the email, agrees to update flash, and saves with copy running-config startup-config. Before reloading, show version shows failover disabled, confirming Security Plus is not yet active. After the reload, he runs show version again: failover is now enabled with active/standby, and he points out his VLAN count has gone from three to 20. He closes by inviting questions and video ideas in the comments.

Key takeaways

A Security Plus license on the Cisco ASA is presented here as the upgrade that enables failover and dual ISP connections
Cisco registers the license against the ASA’s serial number, so the activation key only belongs on that specific device
Install flow: register at Cisco, receive the key by email, then on the ASA use activation-key in global configuration mode
Save with copy running-config startup-config and reload the ASA for the new license to become active
Verify with show version: failover changes from disabled to enabled (active/standby) and VLANs rise from 3 to 20 in his example

Episode details: published December 1, 2014 · 4:44 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are NetworkChuck’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

← Previous: How to Create a Hunt Group - CUCM 8/9/10 · Next: Should I Use a Brain Dump on my CCNA/CCNP/MCSA Exam? →

All NetworkChuck videos · NetworkChuck profile · NetworkChuck on YouTube