This product bulletin describes content and delivery information about Cisco® IOS® Software Release 12.3(8)XW. It should be used in conjunction with the product bulletin Cisco IOS Software Release 12.3(7)XJ. This Cisco IOS Software release is a short-lived, early-deployment (ED) release parented to Cisco IOS Software Release 12.3(8)T and supporting the Cisco 7301 Router. This release contains all the new features delivered in releases 12.3 through 12.3(8)T.
The platform and features delivered with this ED release will be immediately incorporated into Cisco IOS Software Release 12.4(1st)T and subsequent Cisco IOS 12.4(1st)T releases. It is important to note that there are no planned maintenance releases for this ED release. In addition, customers should note the migration path to the latest T release, and they should prepare to upgrade using this migration path (refer to Figure 1).
Figure 1
Cisco IOS Release 12.3(8)XW Release Train and Migration Guide
NEW FEATURES IN CISCO IOS RELEASE 12.3(8)XW
Table 1 lists the features that will be delivered in the initial release of Cisco IOS Software Release 12.3(8)XW.
Table 1. New Features for Cisco IOS Release 12.3(8)XW
New Feature
Cisco 7301
On-demand address pools (ODAP) server high availability
X
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server high availability
X
Documents that address details about these new features are listed at the end of this document. Any ED release of software should be used first in a test network before being deployed in a production network.
ODAP Server High Availability
The Cisco ODAP feature supports the capability of a large IP address pool to be shared among a cluster of Cisco 7200 Series and Cisco 7301 routers. Each separate Cisco 7200 Series and Cisco 7301 router requests a subnet of IP addresses from the large IP address pool. Local pools per member do not need to be configured at all; one main pool is configured on a centralized Cisco 7301 server. The benefits include more efficient use of IP addresses, centralized management benefits, and simplified operational procedures.
DHCP Server High Availability
A DHCP server is used by workstations (hosts) to get initial configuration information, such as an IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway upon bootup. Because each host needs an IP address to communicate in an IP network, DHCP eases the administrative burden of manually configuring each host with an IP address. Furthermore, if a host moves to a different IP subnet, it has to use a different IP address than the one it was previously using. DHCP takes care of this automatically by allowing the host to choose an IP address in the correct IP subnet.
Because a centralized Cisco 7301 ODAP or DHCP server is a critical single point of failure, both ODAP and DHCP server features have been enhanced to support 1:1 router redundancy. This high-availability feature provides stateful-failover recovery between an active and backup ODAP or DHCP server.
For more detailed information about the platforms and features delivered in Cisco IOS Software Release 12.3(8)XW, reference the following documents:
