Field Notice: FN74095 - Cisco Nexus N9K-C93108TC-FX3P and N9K-C93108TC-FX3H NX-OS Standalone Interface Down after Reload: EPLD - BIOS/Firmware Upgrade Recommended

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Updated:October 30, 2025

Document ID:FN74095

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Medium

Impact Rating:

Medium

First Published:

2024-Jan-29

Last Published:

2025-Oct-30

Revision:

1.1

Cisco Bug IDs:

CSCwh84282

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.

Products Affected

Affected Software Product	Affected Release	Affected Release Number	Comments
NX-OS System Software	10	10.1(1), 10.1(2), 10.1(2t), 10.1(3), 10.2(1), 10.2(1q), 10.2(3), 10.2(3t), 10.2(3u), 10.2(3v), 10.2(4), 10.2(5), 10.2(6), 10.3(1), 10.3(2), 10.3(3), 10.3(3o), 10.3(3p), 10.3(3w), 10.3(4), 10.3(4a), 10.4(1)F, 10.4(2)F	10.x(X): For ALL releases: Device is affected only if EPLD MI FPGA version is 0x10 and lower: Example of EPLD MI FPGA version verification: n9k# show version module 1 epld EPLD Device Version --------------------------------------- MI FPGA 0x10 IO FPGA 0x8
NX-OS System Software	9	9.3(1), 9.3(10), 9.3(11), 9.3(12), 9.3(1z), 9.3(2), 9.3(3), 9.3(4), 9.3(5), 9.3(5w), 9.3(6), 9.3(7), 9.3(7a), 9.3(7k), 9.3(8), 9.3(9)	9.3(X): For ALL releases: Device is affected only if EPLD MI FPGA version is 0x10 and lower: Example of EPLD MI FPGA version verification: n9k# show version module 1 epld EPLD Device Version --------------------------------------- MI FPGA 0x10 IO FPGA 0x8

Defect Information

Defect ID	Headline
CSCwh84282	After reload of 93108TC-FX3P some copper interfaces might not come up

Problem Description

After a switch reload, Cisco Nexus N9K-C93108TC-FX3P and N9K-C93108TC-FX3H Switches might fail to bring link up on some front panel ports.

This problem is related to RJ45 front-panel interfaces Ethernet 1/1-48 only. Optical ports Ethernet 1/49-54 and MGMT0 port are not affected.

Until a fix is implemented, the link on affected ports will stay down. Further reboots might increase the number of impacted ports or change which ports are impacted.

Background

In Cisco Nexus N9K-C93108TC-FX3P and N9K-C93108TC-FX3H Switches, front panel RJ45 ports are connected to six separate octal PHYs. An octal PHY is a component inside the switch that is used to connect front panel ports to the main forwarding ASIC. The PHYs are mapped to the front ports in this sequence: First PHY front port:1-8; second PHY front port: 9-16; and so on.

Due to CSCwh84282, a reboot of the switch causes communication between Cisco NX-OS Software and PHY to become impaired. As a result, Cisco NX-OS Software is unable to bring link up on some ports that are connected to the affected PHY.

During the issue state, impacted ports will be down.

Successive reboots can cause the issue to move to other ports in the same PHY.

Problem Symptom

After a reload, some RJ45 interfaces on Cisco Nexus N9K-C93108TC-FX3P and N9K-C93108TC-FX3H Switches might not come up, even when connected.

Note: This issue can be triggered by a switch reload that occurs for any reason, including a software upgrade, software reset, system crash, or the power being turned up or down.

The problem is related only to the front-panel interfaces Ethernet 1/1-48. Optical ports Ethernet 1/49-54 and MGMT0 port are not affected.

Workaround/Solution

There is no workaround available to recover the impacted ports. To prevent the issue, do not reload the switch.

Updating the electronic programmable logic devices (EPLDs) and Cisco NX-OS Software proactively will prevent the issue from occurring.

Solution

The solution is to upgrade Cisco NX-OS Software and EPLD to a fixed release.

Note: An additional reload after installation is required to recover all ports.

When installing Cisco NX-OS Software and the EPLD image with a single CLI command that installs both images with a single reload (install all nxos <nxos binary> epld <epld binary>), THIS ISSUE WILL NOT BE RESOLVED after the first reload. You MUST RELOAD THE DEVICE A SECOND TIME after installation is complete.

This is the procedure:

Use the install nxos <nxos-imagename> epld <epld-imagename> command.
The device will reload as part of the installation.
Manually reload the device. This will be the second reload after the installation. This step is necessary to recover all ports, even if the EPLD has been upgraded.

When installing Cisco NX-OS Software and the EPLD image with separate CLI commands (install all epld <epld image> module all, then install all nxos <nxos binary>), THIS ISSUE WILL NOT BE RESOLVED after installation is complete. You MUST RELOAD DEVICE A THIRD TIME after installation is complete.

This is the procedure:

Use the install epld <epld-imagename> module all command.
The device will reload as part of the EPLD installation.
Use the install nxos <nxos-imagename> command.
The device will reload as part of the NX-OS Software installation.
Manually reload the device. This will be the third reload after installation. This step is necessary to recover all ports (even if the EPLD version is 0x11).

Note: For a device that is running in FEX mode, the system does not automatically reload FEX when the parent is manually reloaded after the EPLD/NXOS installation on the parent device. Therefore, devices running in FEX mode must be manually reloaded one by one after the upgrade.

The EPLD image that includes the fix for this issue is included in the following Cisco NX-OS Software releases:

9.3(13) and later
10.3(5)M and later
10.4(3)F and later
All 10.5 releases
All 10.6 releases

Note: This issue will not be resolved by a Cisco NX-OS Software update. The EPLD must be upgraded, and the device must be reloaded.

To install the EPLD, use the standard EPLD upgrade procedure. The following example is from Cisco NX-OS Software Release 10.4(3)F:

Copy the EPLD image to bootflash.
Install epld bootflash:n9000-epld.10.4.3.F.img module 1

After the EPLD has been upgraded, affected interfaces will be recovered.

To verify whether the correct EPLD was installed, use the CLI command show version module 1 epld.

In the command output, MI FPGA versions must be 0x11 and higher.

The following example shows the output of a fixed MI FPGA version:

n9k# show version module 1 epld
EPLD Device                     Version
---------------------------------------
MI FPGA                          0x11
IO FPGA                          0x8

In the command output, MI FPGA versions must be 0x11 and higher.

How to Identify Affected Products

To identify whether ports are affected by this problem, log in to the Cisco Nexus N9K-C93108TC-FX3P switch and take the following steps:

i) Verify version of the MI FPGA. All MI FPGA versions 0x10 and lower are affected, as shown in the following example:

       n9k# show version module 1 epld
       EPLD Device                     Version
       ---------------------------------------
       MI FPGA                          0x10
       IO FPGA                          0x8

ii) Check Firmware Version and Device ID values of the port. When a port is affected, Device ID will have all values set to 0x00000000 and Firmware Version set to 0.00.0, as seen in the following example:

        n9k# attach module 1
        module-1# show hardware internal tah 10GBaseT fp-port<front panel port number>
        Firmware Version     1e.20 1e.c885: 0.00.0
        Device ID     01.0002 | 0003 : (0x00000000)
        Device ID     03.0002 | 0003 : (0x00000000)
        Device ID     07.0002 | 0003 : (0x00000000)
        Device ID     1E.0002 | 0003 : (0x00000000)
        Super Isolate bit 1.9.0      : (0x0000) Clear
        System link status    04.E812: (0x0000) Tx Ready: N Rx Status:Down
        Line link status      04.E800: (0x0000) line status:Down
        Line link speed 7.C800 : (0x0000)
         speed : 10BASE-T
         Duplex : Half
        Line link status 7.C810 : (0x0000) 
         Line Status:
         Tx PAUSE : Disabled
         Rx PAUSE : Disabled
         Dup Link Partner AutoNeg Ability : 
         MDI/MDX : MDI
         Conn State : Reserved/Invalid
        data >> 9 = 0x0000
        10G Auto Neg          07.0000: (0x0000) AN Off, Restart Off
        10G Advertisement     07.0020: (0x0000) Off
        1G Auto Neg           07.C400: (0x0000) 1G Advertisement Off 
        1G Auto Neg           07.10  : (0x0000) 100M Advertisement Off
                                                NxtPageAbility Off ExtNxtPageAbility Off
        Line Partner Ability  07.13  : (0x0000) 
        10G AutoNeg Status    07.21  : (0x0000) 
        Parallel detect       07.E410: (0x0)

A port is affected if both of the following conditions are met:

a. EPLD MI FPGA version must be 0x10 or lower.

b. Internal port status returns the following status:

All Device ID values are 0x00000000
Firmware Version is not populated and set to 0.00.0

Example of a port that is affected:

        n9k# show inter status | grep Eth1/20
        Eth1/20       --                 notconnec routed    auto    auto    10g

Verification of internal port state: When a port is affected, Device ID will have all values set to 0x00000000 and Firmware Version set to 0.00.0, as shown in the following example:

          
       n9k# attach module 1
       module-1# show hardware internal tah 10GBaseT fp-port 20
       Firmware Version     1e.20 1e.c885: 0.00.0
       Device ID     01.0002 | 0003 : (0x00000000)
       Device ID     03.0002 | 0003 : (0x00000000)
       Device ID     07.0002 | 0003 : (0x00000000)
       Device ID     1E.0002 | 0003 : (0x00000000)
       Super Isolate bit 1.9.0           : (0x0000) Clear
       System link status    04.E812: (0x0000) Tx Ready: N Rx Status:Down
       Line link status         04.E800: (0x0000) line status:Down
       Line link speed 7.C800 : (0x0000)
        speed : 10BASE-T
        Duplex : Half
       Line link status 7.C810 : (0x0000) 
        Line Status:
        Tx PAUSE : Disabled
        Rx PAUSE : Disabled
        Dup Link Partner AutoNeg Ability : 
        MDI/MDX : MDI
        Conn State : Reserved/Invalid
       data >> 9 = 0x0000
       10G Auto Neg           07.0000: (0x0000) AN Off, Restart Off
       10G Advertisement      07.0020: (0x0000) Off
       1G Auto Neg            07.C400: (0x0000) 1G Advertisement Off 
       1G Auto Neg            07.10  : (0x0000) 100M Advertisement Off
                                                NxtPageAbility Off ExtNxtPageAbility Off
       Line Partner Ability   07.13  : (0x0000) 
       10G AutoNeg Status     07.21  : (0x0000) 
       Parallel detect        07.E410: (0x0)

Example of port that is NOT affected:

        n9k# show inter status | grep Eth1/20
        Eth1/20       --                 notconnec routed    auto    auto    10g

Verification of internal port state: Device ID is populated and NOT 0x000000 and Firmware Version is populated and NOT 0.00.0. Therefore, the port is not affected, as shown in the following example:

        n9k# attach module 1
        module-1# show hardware internal tah 10GBaseT fp-port 20
        Firmware Version     1e.20 1e.c885: 5.0X.X
        Device ID     01.0002 | 0003 : (0x31c31cb2)
        Device ID     03.0002 | 0003 : (0x31c31cb2)
        Device ID     07.0002 | 0003 : (0x31c31cb2)
        Device ID     1E.0002 | 0003 : (0x31c331c3)
        Super Isolate bit 1.9.0      : (0x0000) Clear
        System link status    04.E812: (0x0048) Tx Ready: N Rx Status:Down
        Line link status      04.E800: (0x0000) line status:Down
        Line link speed 7.C800 : (0x0007)
         speed : 10GBASE-T
         Duplex : Full
        Line link status 7.C810 : (0x0414) 
         Line Status:
         Tx PAUSE : Disabled
         Rx PAUSE : Disabled
         Dup Link Partner AutoNeg Ability : Link Partner Capable of AuntoNeg
         MDI/MDX : MDI
         Conn State : AutoNeg
        data >> 9 = 0x0002
        10G Auto Neg          07.0000: (0x3000) AN On, Restart Off
        10G Advertisement     07.0020: (0x1181) On
        1G Auto Neg           07.C400: (0xcc40) 1G Advertisement On 
        1G Auto Neg           07.10  : (0x9181) 100M Advertisement On
                                                NxtPageAbility On ExtNxtPageAbility On
        Line Partner Ability  07.13  : (0x0000) 
        10G AutoNeg Status    07.21  : (0x0000) 
        Parallel detect       07.E410: (0x0)

Revision History

Version	Description	Section	Date
1.1	Added instructions for software installation and device reload.	Workaround/Solution	2025-OCT-30
1.0	Initial Release	—	2024-JAN-29

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