1 min read
Understanding the Differences: DNA Essentials vs DNA Advantage
Welcome back, everyone! This blog will quickly outline the differences between DNA Essentials and DNA Advantage to hopefully help you choose the best...
3 min read
Eric Sommers : 07.01.2024
Welcome back everyone! This blog is going to quickly outline the differences between Network Essentials and Network Advantage to hopefully help you choose the option that is best for you.
Network Essentials and Network Advantage are referred to as base licenses that come bundled or included with the switch and are Right to Use (RTU) perpetual licenses with different feature-sets.
DNA Essentials and DNA Advantage are considered add-on licenses even though they are required if purchasing through channel whether you have a DNA appliance or not. These are subscription licenses that require renewal.
Did you know when purchasing switches from Edgeium that purchasing a DNA subscription is not required?
For more information about Meraki managed C9300s, or how to convert existing -A or -E to -M, please read Want to Manage C9300s in the Meraki Dashboard?
Please note that -E and -A SKUs have the same List Price and will cost the same at the time of purchase (see screenshot below from CDW.com), but the DNA SKUs between Essentials and Advantage are priced differently. List price for a 3 year term for DNA Essentials is currently $1,324 where the DNA Advantage list price is $4,459.
If you purchase Network Essentials and want to upgrade to Network Advantage later on, you’re supposed to purchase an upgraded DNA Advantage license at a 3, 5, or 7 year term and this upgrades the base license to Network Advantage perpetually. So, the same DNA Advantage license for $4,459 is required. Again, even if you don’t intend to use the DNA appliance. After purchasing the DNA license, simply activate the Network Advantage RTU feature-set via the Command Line Interface (CLI).
Network Essentials (-E) and Network Advantage (-A) replace the previous nomenclature of IP Base (-S) and IP Services (-E) that was appended to the part ID of any layer 3 fixed-config Catalyst. Thanks Cisco for making -E mean two different things:-)
Moving forward, all Catalyst switches will now have either -E, -A, or -M appended to it. So, which is best for you?
Network Essentials | Network Advantage | |
---|---|---|
Layer 2 Routed Access - OSPF, PBR, PIM Stub Multicast, PVLAN, VRRP, PBR, Cisco Discovery Protocol, QoS, FHS, 802.1X, MACsec-128, CoPP, SXP, IP SLA responder, SSO | Yes | Yes |
L3 Routed access ~ L3 Routed access (RIP, EIGRP Stub, OSPF (1000 routes)). | Yes | Yes |
Programmability, NETCONF/RESTCONF/gRPC/YANG Model-driven programmability lets you automate configuration and control of your network devices with programmable interfaces. | Yes | Yes |
Zero Touch Provisioning ~ Automated provisioning of a new Cisco switch using the Zero Touch Provisioning functionality built into the switch. | Yes | Yes |
128-bit MACsec encryption ~ Configure 128-bit MACsec for authenticating and encrypting packets between MACsec-capable devices. | Yes | Yes |
Advanced telemetry SPAN, RSPAN ~ Manual/CLI or WebUI configuration of SPAN, RSPAN for providing near real-time access to operational statistics. No automation through Cisco Catalyst Center. | Yes | Yes |
Streaming telemetry and visibility ~ Model-driven telemetry lets you monitor your network by streaming data from network devices, continuously providing near-real-time access to operational statistics. | Yes | Yes |
Cisco Trustworthy Solutions ~ Help ensure hardware and software authenticity for supply chain trust and strong mitigation against man-in-the-middle attacks that compromise software and firmware. | Yes | Yes |
Software Image Management (SWIM) ~ Manually manage software upgrades and control the consistency of image versions through CLI or WebUI. Automation through Cisco Catalyst Center not supported. | Yes | Yes |
Full L3 routing functionality ~ BGP*, OSPF, IS-IS*. | - | Yes |
Flexible network segmentation ~ VRF*, VXLAN, LISP,* SGT, MPLS*, BGP-EVPN with VXLAN*. | - | Yes |
High availability ~ Support operational continuity and maintain availability during routine maintenance, and perform disaster recovery. NSF*, GIR*, HSRP, Stackwise Virtual*, ISSU*/eFSU*. | - | Yes |
Patch/SMU lifecycle management ~ Manual/CLI operations or through WebUI only. Automation through Cisco Catalyst Center not supported. (not applicable for C9200s) | - | Yes |
Optimize bandwidth utilization (Advanced Multicast) ~ Multicast is used between routers so they can track which multicast packets to forward to each other and to their directly connected LANs. RP Discovery*, PIM BI-DIR*. | - | Yes |
256-bit MACsec encryption ~ Configure 256-bit MACsec* for authenticating and encrypting packets between MACsec-capable devices. | - | Yes |
Precision Time Protocol ~ Timing and synchronization for time sensitive applications with PTPv2 as default profile (IEEE 1588v2/PTPv2, gPTP (IEEE 802.1AS), AES67 and G8275.1 profiles with less than 100 nano seconds precision. | - | Yes |
Audio Video Bridging ~ Cisco AVB simplifies digitization of audio and video and offers superior quality of experience with standards like IEEE1588v2 PTPv2, AES67 timing profile. | - | Yes |
* Not supported on all platforms.
We hope this comparison between Network Essentials and Network Advantage has clarified the options available and helped you determine which might be the best fit for your network needs.
As you consider your next steps, remember that choosing the right license can greatly influence your network's efficiency and capabilities. Whether you opt for the basic layer-3 routing of Network Essentials or the comprehensive protocol support of Network Advantage, Edgeium is here to support your journey toward a more dynamic network infrastructure.
For any further details or personalized advice, don't hesitate to contact us.
1 min read
Welcome back, everyone! This blog will quickly outline the differences between DNA Essentials and DNA Advantage to hopefully help you choose the best...
Cisco has been making significant changes to its Digital Network Architecture (DNA) offerings, particularly with the rebranding of DNA Center to...
Cisco has been making significant changes to its Digital Network Architecture (DNA) offerings, particularly with the rebranding of DNA Center to...