Field Notice: FN - 70538 - Required Upgrade to a Later ACI Software Release to Protect Against Premature Wear Out of Solid State Drives - 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

Revision	Publish Date	Comments
1.5	08-Feb-22	Updated the Product Hierarchy Metatags
1.4	29-Apr-21	Updated the Products Affected, Problem Description, Background, Problem Symptom, and Workaround/Solution Sections
1.3	01-Apr-21	Updated the Products Affected, Defect Information, and Background Sections
1.2	08-May-20	Updated the Products Affected Section
1.1	01-May-20	Updated the Products Affected, Defect Information, Problem Description, Background, Problem Symptom, and Workaround/Solution Sections
1.0	24-Mar-20	Initial Release

Products Affected

Affected OS Type	Affected Software Product	Affected Release	Affected Release Number	Comments
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	14.2	14.2(1i), 14.2(1j), 14.2(1l), 14.2(2e), 14.2(2f), 14.2(2g), 14.2(3j), 14.2(3l), 14.2(3n), 14.2(3q), 14.2(4i), 14.2(4k), 14.2(4o), 14.2(4p), 14.2(5k), 14.2(5l), 14.2(5n)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	14.1	14.1(1i), 14.1(1j), 14.1(1k), 14.1(1l), 14.1(2g), 14.1(2m), 14.1(2o), 14.1(2s), 14.1(2u), 14.1(2w), 14.1(2x)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	14.0	14.0(1h), 14.0(2c), 14.0(3c), 14.0(3d)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	13.2	13.2(10e), 13.2(1l), 13.2(1m), 13.2(2l), 13.2(2o), 13.2(3i), 13.2(3n), 13.2(3o), 13.2(3r), 13.2(3s), 13.2(41d), 13.2(4d), 13.2(4e), 13.2(5d), 13.2(5e), 13.2(5f), 13.2(6i), 13.2(7f), 13.2(7k), 13.2(8d), 13.2(9b), 13.2(9f)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	13	13.2(9h)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	13.1	13.1(1i), 13.1(2m), 13.1(2o), 13.1(2p), 13.1(2q), 13.1(2s), 13.1(2t), 13.1(2u), 13.1(2v)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	13.0	13.0(1k), 13.0(2h), 13.0(2k), 13.0(2n)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	12.3	12.3(1e), 12.3(1f), 12.3(1i), 12.3(1l), 12.3(1o), 12.3(1p)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	12.2	12.2(1n), 12.2(1o), 12.2(2e), 12.2(2f), 12.2(2i), 12.2(2j), 12.2(2k), 12.2(2q), 12.2(3j), 12.2(3p), 12.2(3r), 12.2(3s), 12.2(3t), 12.2(4f), 12.2(4p), 12.2(4q), 12.2(4r)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	12.1	12.1(1h), 12.1(1i), 12.1(2e), 12.1(2g), 12.1(2k), 12.1(3g), 12.1(3h)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	12.0	12.0(1m), 12.0(1n), 12.0(1o), 12.0(1p), 12.0(1q), 12.0(1r), 12.0(2f), 12.0(2g), 12.0(2h), 12.0(2l), 12.0(2m), 12.0(2n), 12.0(2o)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	11.3	11.3(1g), 11.3(1h), 11.3(1i), 11.3(1j), 11.3(2f), 11.3(2h), 11.3(2i), 11.3(2j), 11.3(2k)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	11.2	11.2(1i), 11.2(1k), 11.2(1m), 11.2(2g), 11.2(2h), 11.2(2i), 11.2(2j), 11.2(3c), 11.2(3e), 11.2(3h), 11.2(3m)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	11.1	11.1(1j), 11.1(1o), 11.1(1r), 11.1(1s), 11.1(2h), 11.1(2i), 11.1(3f), 11.1(4e), 11.1(4f), 11.1(4g), 11.1(4i), 11.1(4l), 11.1(4m)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix
NON-IOS	NX-OS System Software-ACI	11.0	11.0(1b), 11.0(1c), 11.0(1d), 11.0(1e), 11.0(2j), 11.0(2m), 11.0(3f), 11.0(3i), 11.0(3k), 11.0(3n), 11.0(3o), 11.0(4g), 11.0(4h), 11.0(4o), 11.0(4q)	Recommend Release 14.2(6d) and later for this fix

Defect Information

Defect ID	Headline
CSCvo01105	Batch Adjacency Manager updates to improve SSD lifetime
CSCvs29384	Excessive SSD usage is observed
CSCvs88359	opflexODev managed object causes early SSD wearout on switch
CSCvs76848	Switch SSD Early Wearout due to l2EpScanInfo updates
CSCvt36458	Remove SQL persistent layer for switches

Problem Description

Cisco Nexus 9000 switches contain a Solid State Drive (SSD) that maintains all persisted storage data. If there is a condition that causes excessive writes to the SSD, the SSD lifetime might be shortened significantly.

Background

This problem only exists in Cisco Nexus 9000 switches that run Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) mode.

In Cisco NX-OS for ACI mode switch Software Releases earlier than 14.2(6d), there are known defects which cause excessive SSD writes and might cause the switch to fail prematurely.

This field notice references Cisco bug IDs CSCvo01105, CSCvs29384, CSCvs88359, CSCvs76848, CSCvt36458, and other SSD-impacting defects in the affected software releases, and suggests a workaround.

For more information about an SSD's lifetime, see the ACI Switch Node SSD Lifetime Explained document.

Cisco Nexus 9000 switches contain an SSD that maintains all persisted storage data. If there is a condition that causes excessive writes to the SSD, the SSD lifetime might be shortened significantly.

These SSD-impacting defects have been fixed in Software Releases 14.2(6d) and later.

Cisco bug ID	Title	Managed Objects (MOs) Affected	Workaround
CSCvs29384	Excessive High SSD usage observed	fvFailedEpPCont	Address any faults related to Endpoint Group (EPG) deployment
CSCvs88359	opflexODev MO causes early SSD wearout on switch	opflexODev	Impact proportional to size of deployment; upgrade required
CSCvs76848	Switch SSD Early Wearout due to l2EpScanInfo updates	l2EpScanInfo	Updates are proportional to the number of Bridge Domains (BDs) deployed; upgrade required
CSCvt36458	Remove SQL persistent layer for switches	All	No workaround
CSCvo01105	Batch Adjacency Manager updates to improve SSD lifetime	aibAdj	Fix or remove any static route with an unreachable next hop

Problem Symptom

Excessive SSD writes might cause the switch to fail prematurely.

Workaround/Solution

Software Releases 14.2(6d) and later address the referenced defects and increase efficiency of write and store operations on the SSD. Customers must upgrade to Software Release 14.2(6d) or later.

Because the fix to this issue can be resolved by an upgrade to Software Release 14.2(6d) or later, Cisco will not replace hardware impacted by this issue if the ACI fabric has not been upgraded to a recommended release.

The latest releases of ACI can be found on the ACI Software Download page. In order to make the upgrade as convenient and successful as possible, review the Cisco ACI Upgrade Checklist as a part of upgrade preparation.

If you have an active support contract and a software upgrade to one of the recommended releases is not feasible in the short term, contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC).

Cisco might replace impacted hardware that has been designated as end-of-sale with equivalent newer hardware to remedy the issue. This newer replacement hardware will be compatible with Release 14.2(6d) and Release 15.1 or later.

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 or telephone

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