Cisco Pix Activation Key
Elliott Davis
Cisco Pix Activation Key
A Cisco Pix activation key is a code that enables different features on the Cisco Pix firewall, such as encryption, failover, and other capabilities. The activation key is specific to the serial number of the Pix device, and can be obtained from the Cisco website or by contacting Cisco support.
How to obtain an activation key
There are different ways to obtain an activation key for the Cisco Pix firewall, depending on the type of license and the software version. Here are some common methods:
- For a free 56-bit DES encryption license, you can request an activation key from the Pix 56-bit License Upgrade Key page.
- For a 3DES/AES encryption license, you can register your Pix device and request an activation key from the Pix Firewall 3DES/AES License Registration form.
- For other licenses, such as failover, VPN, or unrestricted licenses, you can purchase them from Cisco or an authorized reseller, and then register your Pix device and request an activation key from the Customer Registration form.
How to apply an activation key
Once you have obtained an activation key for your Cisco Pix firewall, you need to apply it to your device to enable the features. The procedure varies depending on the software version of your Pix device. Here are some common steps:
- For Pix software version 6.2 and later, you can use the
activation-keycommand in the configuration mode to change the activation key. For example:Pix(config)# activation-key 0x12345678 0x12345678 0x12345678 0x12345678
- For earlier software versions, you need to install a new Pix image with the boothelper or monitor mode, and then enter the activation key when prompted. For example:
Pix(boot)# copy tftp flash:image.bin Address or name of remote host [127.0.0.1]? 10.1.1.1 Source file name? image.bin Destination file name [image.bin]? Accessing tftp://10.1.1.1/image.bin... Erase flash device before writing? [confirm]y Erasing flash at 0x60000000 ... Writing file image.bin... ... Do you want to enter a new activation key? [y]y Enter a new activation key: 0x12345678 0x12345678 0x12345678 0x12345678 Do you want to accept this new activation key? [y]y Pix(boot)# reload System config has been modified. Save? [Y]es/[N]o:y Proceed with reload? [confirm]
How to verify an activation key
To verify that your Cisco Pix firewall has successfully applied the activation key and enabled the features, you can use the show version command in the privileged mode. For example: Pix# show version Cisco PIX Firewall Version 6.3(5) Cisco PIX Device Manager Version 3.0(4) Compiled on Thu 04-Aug-05 21:40 by morlee Pix up 9 days 22 hours Hardware: PIX-515E, 64 MB RAM, CPU Pentium II 433 MHz Flash E28F128J3 @ 0xfff00000, 16MB BIOS Flash AM29F400B @ 0xfffd8000, 32KB ... Licensed Features: Failover: Enabled VPN-DES: Enabled VPN-3DES-AES: Enabled Maximum Physical Interfaces: 6 Maximum VLANs: 25 Inside Hosts: Unlimited Throughput: Unlimited IKE peers: Unlimited This PIX has a Failover Only (FO) license. Serial Number: XXXXXXXXXXXX (0xXXXXXXXX) Running Activation Key: XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX Configuration last modified by enable_15 at 12:34:56 UTC Tue Sep 02 2023
The output of the show version command displays the current features enabled on the Pix firewall, as well as the current activation key and serial number.