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Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide, Release 9.3(x)

Troubleshooting


Problem

About the Software Image

Each device is shipped with the Cisco NX-OS software preinstalled. The Cisco NX-OS software consists of one NX-OS software image. The image filename begins with "nxos" (for example, nxos.9.3.1.bin). Only this image is required to load the Cisco NX-OS operating system.

The Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches and the Cisco Nexus 3132C-Z, 3132Q-V, 3164Q, 3232C, 3264C-E, 3264Q, 31108PC-V, 31108TC-V, 31128PQ, and 34180YC switches support disruptive software upgrades and downgrades by default.

 


Another type of binary file is the software maintenance upgrade (SMU) package file. SMUs contain fixes for specific defects. They are created to respond to immediate issues and do not include new features. SMU package files are available for download from Cisco.com and generally include the ID number of the resolved defect in the filename (for example, n9000-dk9.3.1.CSCab00001.gbin). For more information on SMUs, see the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide.


 


Cisco also provides electronic programmable logic device (EPLD) image upgrades to enhance hardware functionality or to resolve known hardware issues. The EPLD image upgrades are independent from the Cisco NX-OS software upgrades. For more information on EPLD images and the upgrade process, see the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series FPGA/EPLD Upgrade Release Notes.


About ISSU

An in-service software upgrade (ISSU) allows you to upgrade the device software while the switch continues to forward traffic. ISSU reduces or eliminates the downtime typically caused by software upgrades. You can perform an ISSU, also known as a nondisruptive upgrade, for some switches. (See the Cisco NX-OS Software Upgrade Guidelines for a complete list of supported platforms.)

The default upgrade process is disruptive. Therefore, ISSU needs to be enabled using the command-line interface (CLI), as described in the configuration section of this document. Using the nondisruptive option helps ensure a nondisruptive upgrade. The guest shell is disabled during the ISSU process and it is later reactivated after the upgrade.

Enhanced ISSUs are supported for some Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches and the Cisco Nexus 3164Q, 31128PQ, 3132Q-V, 31108PC-V, and 31108TC-V switches.

The following ISSU scenarios are supported:

  • Performing standard ISSU on Top-of-Rack (ToR) switches with a single supervisor

  • Performing standard ISSU on End-of-Row (EoR) switches with two supervisors

  • Performing enhanced ISSU on Top-of-Rack (ToR) switches with a single supervisor

Performing Standard ISSU on Top-of-Rack (ToR) Switches with a Single Supervisor

The ToR Cisco Nexus 9300 platform switches and Cisco Nexus 3100 Series switches are the NX-OS switches with single supervisors. Performing ISSU on the Cisco Nexus 9000 and 3100 Series switches causes the supervisor CPU to reset and to load the new software version. After the CPU loads the updated version of the Cisco NX-OS software, the system restores the control plane to the previous known configuration and the runtime state and it gets in-sync with the data plane, thereby completing the ISSU process.

The data plane traffic is not disrupted during the ISSU process. In other words, the data plane forwards the packets while the control plane is being upgraded, any servers that are connected to the Cisco Nexus 9000 and 3100 Series switches do not see any traffic disruption. The control plane downtime during the ISSU process is approximately less than 120 seconds.

Performing Standard ISSU on End-of-Row (EoR) Switches with Two Supervisors

Cisco Nexus 9500 Series switches are the modular EoR switches that require two supervisors for ISSU. The minimum configuration required is two system controllers and two fabric modules.

Cisco Nexus 9500 Series switches support parallel upgrade as the default method. The parallel method upgrades the modules in the batches (as outlined in the following illustration) instead of upgrading the modules one after the other.

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Document Information

Modified date:
03 October 2024

UID

ibm17144954