Field Notice: FN - 64303 - Firepower 9300 and Firepower 4100 Series Security Platforms - Security Platform Might Crash Due to Memory Driver - Software Upgrade Recommended

Notice

THIS FIELD NOTICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS AND DOES NOT IMPLY ANY KIND OF GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY, INCLUDING THE WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY. YOUR USE OF THE INFORMATION ON THE FIELD NOTICE OR MATERIALS LINKED FROM THE FIELD NOTICE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. CISCO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR UPDATE THIS FIELD NOTICE AT ANY TIME.

Revision History

Products Affected

Defect Information

Problem Description

Some Firepower 9300 (FPR9300) security modules and Firepower 4100 (FPR4100) Series security appliances might crash due to a memory driver issue.

Background

Some FPR9300 security modules and FPR4100 Series security appliances use memory components that require an additional timing margin in order to function reliably over all nominal operating conditions. Affected units might produce uncorrectable Error-correcting code (ECC) memory errors that lead to a system crash due to an insufficient timing margin programmed by the memory driver.

Problem Symptom

The uncorrectable ECC memory errors cause a system crash that might also result in a perpetual crash/recovery loop that prevents normal operation of the affected unit. Core dump files are created after each system crash with a filename that ends in "BCxx_MEZZxxxx_ecpumgr_log.xxx.tar.gz." The core dump files deplete the available disk space on the device and can be viewed with these commands:

fxos-A # connect local-mgmt
fxos-A(local-mgmt)# dir cores

Workaround/Solution

Cisco recommends that you upgrade the FXOS software in order to fix the memory driver timing margin for affected units. After the FXOS software upgrade, perform the "Adapter Bootloader Upgrade" in order to upgrade the memory driver firmware as described in the FXOS Release Notes.

Updated Cisco FXOS software that addresses this issue is available from Cisco Software Central for customers with a valid service contract. The recommended upgrade paths are shown in this table.

How To Identify Affected Products

In order to determine whether a unit is affected, obtain the serial number for the FPR9300 security module and FPR4100 Series security appliance through the CLI or visual inspection.

CLI

Enter these commands in order to obtain the serial number of the FPR9300 security module:

Firepower-chassis# scope chassis 1
Firepower-chassis /chassis # show server detail

Enter these commands in order to obtain the chassis serial number of the FPR4100 Series security platform:

Firepower-chassis# scope chassis 1
Firepower-chassis /chassis # show inventory detail

Visual Inspection of the Cisco FPR9300 Security Module and FPR4100 Series Security Platform

The serial number label is located on the pullout tab of the FPR9300 security module and the FPR4100 Series appliance. This information can also be referenced on the sales order documentation.

Access the Cisco Serial Number Validation Tool in order to validate your Cisco FPR9300 security module or FPR4100 Series security appliance serial number(s).

For More Information

If you require further assistance, or if you have any further questions regarding this field notice, please contact the Cisco Systems Technical Assistance Center (TAC) by one of the following methods:

• Open a service request on Cisco.com
• By email
• By telephone

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