Field Notice: FN74357 - Upgrades of Cisco IOS XR on 8711-32FH-M Routers May Result in an Error - Software Upgrade Recommended

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Updated:December 19, 2025
Document ID:FN74357

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High
Impact Rating:
High
First Published:
2025-Dec-19
Last Published:
2025-Dec-19
Revision:
1.0
Cisco Bug IDs:

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 Product Name Description Comments
8711-32FH-M Cisco 8711 1RU 12.8T P100 System  




Defect Information


Defect IDHeadline
CSCwp31930Cisco IOS XR PID 8711-32FH-M marked as prototype and can cause upgrade to fail due to disk encryption key loss

Problem Description


Cisco IOS XR Software may encounter errors on Cisco 8711-32FH-M routers when upgrading to Release 25.4.1 or later from any of the following releases:

  • 25.2.1
  • 25.2.2
  • 25.3.1

Cisco recommends following the upgrade procedures described in the Workaround/Solution section of this field notice to ensure a successful upgrade.


Background


This issue is due to an enhancement in the disk encryption functionality that is introduced in the new software release. This update strengthens the security and robustness of the system by encrypting data at the disk level, ensuring sensitive information is protected more effectively. Customers should be aware that this enhancement requires adherence to specific upgrade steps to avoid errors during the upgrade process.


Problem Symptom


In the event the upgrade is not performed correctly, it can lead to a mismatch of the encryption key used for disk encryption. This mismatch causes the router to enter a disaster recovery mode and default to a recovery state. In this state, the router may lose access to the data stored on its hard disk, potentially leading to data loss.

The device will be stuck in a continuous boot loop trying to complete the upgrade process. 

Cisco recommends customers follow the upgrade procedure in the Workaround/Solution section of this field notice to prevent this condition during the upgrade.


Workaround/Solution


To perform a successful upgrade, follow the Upgrade Recommendation for the release of Cisco IOS XR that is currently installed on your system: 

Current Cisco IOS XR Release  Upgrade Recommendation
24.3.1
24.3.2
24.4.1
24.4.2
25.1.1
25.1.2		 Follow the direct upgrade instructions to upgrade to Cisco IOS XR Release 25.4.1 or later.

Note: Do not upgrade to any of the following Cisco IOS XR releases:
  • 25.2.1
  • 25.2.2
  • 25.3.1

If you have attempted to perform a direct upgrade and see the issue described in the Problem Symptom section of this field notice, refer to CSCwp31930. 
25.2.11
25.2.21
25.3.11		 First, downgrade to Cisco IOS XR Release 25.1.2. Then upgrade to Cisco IOS XR Release 25.4.1 or later.

1. Cisco recommends against deploying these Cisco IOS XR releases on 8711-32FH-M.


Revision History


VersionDescriptionSectionDate
1.0Initial Release—2025-DEC-19

For More Information

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