IOS - Right To Use (RTU) License

The Right to Use (RTU) licensing model is a trust-based model where you purchase the license for a particular feature from Cisco for use with your IOS or IOS-XE device, but the enforcement of the license usage is not stringent. Essentially, it operates on an honor system.

Once an RTU license is activated, the device allows you to use the features immediately. The license is not node-locked to the device, which provides flexibility in using it on different devices as per your needs. While the enforcement of compliance is not strict, Cisco expects customers to be compliant with the terms of the license. Periodic audits can be conducted to ensure compliance.

RTU licenses have various types:
- Permanent Licenses: These are purchased for an indefinite period and remain active even after a reboot. - Evaluation Licenses: Temporary licenses used for testing new features before purchasing a permanent license. These usually have a time limit, like 60 or 90 days. - Subscription Licenses: These are time-based licenses valid for a specific period, after which they need to be renewed.

Notice the output of the following show license command:

show license 
Index 1 Feature: adventerprise                  
        Period left: Life time
        License Type: RightToUse
        License State: Active, In Use
        License Count: Non-Counted
        License Priority: Low

You can see that it shows Period left: Life time. This means that the license is permanent. It won’t expire and you can use the features associated with this license indefinitely on your device.

In this particular case, the adventerprise feature is under the RTU license, which means you can use the advanced enterprise features for the lifetime of the device.

Just remember, while the license is active and in use, it is not counted against any usage count, hence you see License Count: Non-Counted under License Count:.

Links:

https://forum.networklessons.com/t/ios-licensing/1333/34?u=lagapides

https://forum.networklessons.com/t/ios-licensing/1333/36?u=lagapides

https://networklessons.com/cisco/ccna-routing-switching-icnd1-100-105/ios-licensing

https://www.cisco.com/c/en_my/products/software/smart-accounts/software-licensing.html