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| Affected Product Name | Description | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| NC-55-32T16Q4H-A | NC55-32T16Q4H-A Line Card Flexible Consumption (Smart Lic) | |
| NC55-18H18F | ^NCS 5500 18X100G and 18X40G Base Line Card | |
| NC55-24H12F-SE | ^NCS 5500 24X100G and 12X40G Scale Line Card | |
| NC55-24X100G-SE | ^NCS 5500 24x100G Scale Line Card | |
| NC55-36X100G | ^^NCS 5500 36x100G Base Line Card | |
| NC55-36X100G-A-SE | NCS 5500 36x100G Scale Line Card | |
| NC55-36X100G-S | NCS 5500 36X100G MACsec Base Line Card | |
| NC55-5504-FC2 | NCS 5504 2nd generation Fabric Card | |
| NC55-5508-FC2 | NCS 5508 2nd Gen Fabric Card | |
| NC55-5516-FC2 | NCS 5516 2nd Gen Fabric Card | |
| NC55-6X200-DWDM-S | ^NCS 5500 6x200G DWDM MACsec Base Line Card | |
| NC55-MOD-A-S | NCS 5500 12X10, 2X40 & 2XMPA Line Card Base | |
| NC55-MOD-A-SE-S | NCS 5500 12X10, 2X40 & 2XMPA Line Card Scale | |
| NC55-RP | ^NCS 5500 Route Processor | |
| NC55-RP-E | ^NCS 5500 Route Processor with SyncE | |
| NC55-RP2-E | NCS 5500 Route Processor with SyncE, enhanced timing | |
| NC57-18DD-SE | NCS 5700 18x400GE or 30x200GE Scale Line Card | |
| NC57-24DD | NCS 5700 24X400GE Base Line Card | |
| NC57-36H-SE | NCS 5700 36x100G Scale Line Card | |
| NC57-36H6D-S | NCS 5700 36x100G Base Line Card | |
| NC57-MOD-S | NCS 5700 8x50GE, 2x400GE, 2xMPA Base Macsec Line Card |
| Defect ID | Headline |
| CSCwj45046 | RP/LC hot plug fails after successful third-party SMU installation |
| CSCwj81896 | Standalone add and activate of Third Party (TP) SMU fails |
| CSCwj81954 | Cosmetic error during System Upgrade: Node |
| CSCwm51679 | Workaround for systemd-journald crash |
| CSCwm71388 | Active XR TP rpms are removed as part of install remove |
| CSCwk67118 | Admin "show install inactive" cli is getting timed-out if TP SMUs are inactive. |
| CSCwj23480 | RP/LC goes into SW_INACTIVE when using GISO having third-party SMU |
Cisco Network Convergence System (NCS) 5500/5700 Modular Platform line cards and/or Route Processors (RPs) may enter a reboot loop during the re-image operation. This occurs when a third-party SMU is installed on the system. This issue affects all modular platforms that are running Cisco IOS XR Software Release 7.6.1 and later and have third-party SMUs installed, resulting in increased Return Material Authorization (RMAs) being observed in the field.
The reboot loop was encountered when the RP or line card tried to synchronize with Cisco IOS XR Software on the active RP. This only impacts systems that have a third-party SMU installed.
Note: The card, whether it is an RP, line card, or fabric card (FC), is not exposed to this issue if it boots Cisco IOS XR Software from the local disk, which occurs when the local installation is identical to the one on the active RP.
If either of the following conditions is observed in your Cisco NCS 5500/5700 Series routers, proceed to the Workaround/Solution section of this Field Notice.
Condition 1: A third-party SMU has been installed on your system.
To identify a third-party SMU, see the package name. SMUs with a package name that do not begin with the platform name are third-party SMUs. In the following example, third-party SMUs are highlighted in bold:
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:NCS-5504-A# admin show install active summary Active Packages: 11
ncs5500-sysadmin-7.8.2 version=7.8.2 [Boot image]
ncs5500-sysadmin-hostos-7.8.2.2-r782.CSCwf05176.admin
ncs5500-sysadmin-hostos-7.8.2.2-r782.CSCwf05176.host [Host]
ncs5500-sysadmin-system-7.8.2.2-r782.CSCwf77302
ncs5500-sysadmin-shared-7.8.2.2-r782.CSCwf88190
ncs5500-sysadmin-ncs5500-7.8.2.6-r782.CSCwf77302
ncs5500-sysadmin-install-7.8.2.1-r782.CSCwe89758
systemd-244.5.p1-r0.r782.CSCwf05176.admin
systemd-244.5.p1-r0.r782.CSCwf05176.host [Host]
libvirt-6.1.0.p1-r0.r782.CSCwf05176.admin
libvirt-6.1.0.p1-r0.r782.CSCwf05176.host [Host]
Condition 2: If a system is impacted by this issue, output is reported during the replacement and re-image process, as shown in the following example:
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:NCS-5504-A#show platform | e Slice
Mon Apr 7 08:13:01.192 UTC
Node Type State Config state
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0/0/1 NC55-MPA-1TH2H-S OK
0/0/2 NC55-MPA-4H-HD-S OK
0/0/CPU0 NC55-MOD-A-S SW_INACTIVE NSHUT
0/1/1 NC57-MPA-12L-S OK
0/1/CPU0 NC55-MOD-A-SE-S IOS XR RUN NSHUT
0/2/CPU0 NC55-36X100G-A-SE IOS XR RUN NSHUT
0/3/CPU0 NC55-36X100G-S IOS XR RUN NSHUT
0/RP0/CPU0 NC55-RP(Active) IOS XR RUN NSHUT
0/FC0 NC55-5504-FC OPERATIONAL NSHUT
0/FC1 NC55-5504-FC OPERATIONAL NSHUT
0/FC2 NC55-5504-FC OPERATIONAL NSHUT
0/FC3 NC55-5504-FC OPERATIONAL NSHUT
0/FC4 NC55-5504-FC OPERATIONAL NSHUT
0/FC5 NC55-5504-FC OPERATIONAL NSHUT
0/FT0 NC55-5504-FAN OPERATIONAL NSHUT
0/FT1 NC55-5504-FAN OPERATIONAL NSHUT
0/FT2 NC55-5504-FAN OPERATIONAL NSHUT
0/PM0 NC55-PWR-3KW-AC OPERATIONAL NSHUT
0/PM1 NC55-PWR-3KW-AC OPERATIONAL NSHUT
0/PM2 NC55-PWR-3KW-AC OPERATIONAL NSHUT
0/SC0 NC55-SC OPERATIONAL NSHUT
0/SC1 NC55-SC OPERATIONAL NSHUT
Solution:
Cisco IOS XR Software Releases 24.2.21, 24.4.2, 25.1.1, and later are considered to be fixed releases that do not require the installation of an SMU.
For releases earlier than Cisco IOS XR Software Release 24.4.21, Cisco recommends proactively installing SMUs. First, ensure that no third-party SMUs are installed on the device, and then deploy the appropriate SMU according the following instructions:
Step 1: Download the appropriate SMU as shown in the following table.
| Cisco IOS XR Release | Software Maintenance Updates (SMUs) for Cisco NCS5500 or 5700 Platforms |
|---|---|
| 7.7.21 | ncs5500-7.7.21.CSCwo49548 ncs5500-sysadmin-7.7.21.CSCwo49548 |
| 7.8.2 | ncs5500-7.8.2.CSCwo49548 ncs5500-sysadmin-7.8.2.CSCwo49548 |
| 7.9.2 | ncs5500-7.9.2.CSCwo49548 ncs5500-sysadmin-7.9.2.CSCwo49548 |
| 7.10.2 | ncs5500-7.10.2.CSCwr71245 ncs5500-sysadmin-7.10.2.CSCwr71245 |
| 7.11.2 |
ncs5500-7.11.2.CSCwr71245 ncs5500-sysadmin-7.11.2.CSCwr71245 |
| 7.11.21 |
ncs5500-7.11.21.CSCwr71245 ncs5500-sysadmin-7.11.21.CSCwr71245 |
Step 2: If the affected line card is stuck in a boot loop or is in the SW_INACTIVE state, shut down the line card using the sysadmin configuration hw-module shutdown location command. If an RP is affected, the affected RP must be physically removed from the chassis. This ensures proper handling before further troubleshooting or recovery steps are taken.
Step 3: First, remove any third-party SMU that is running on this device. Then, upgrade from an affected release of Cisco IOS XR Software to a fixed release as shown in the following table:
Note: The software selected at this stage must not contain any third-party SMUs.
To Upgrade from an Affected Cisco IOS XR Software Release to a Fixed Release:
| Scenario | Steps to Follow |
|---|---|
|
Step 3a: With a Golden ISO (GISO) |
|
| Step 3b: Without a GISO |
|
Step 4: Install the desired third-party SMU as shown in the following table. This step can be combined with a Cisco IOS XR Software upgrade:
| Scenario | Steps to Follow |
|---|---|
| Step 4a: With a GISO |
|
| Step 4b: Without a GISO |
|
Recommended Action: If no third-party SMUs are in use, the preferred solution is to combine Step 3b and Step 4a because this sequence would require the system to reload only once, minimizing downtime and operational impact.
| Version | Description | Section | Date |
| 1.0 | Initial Release | — | 2026-MAY-04 |
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