Frequently asked questions

Introducing Field Notice Impact Rating for Enhanced Clarity

Cisco publishes Field Notices to notify customers and partners about significant issues in Cisco products that typically require an upgrade, workaround, or other user action. As part of our ongoing efforts to improve customer experience with our field communications, we are excited to announce that beginning August 1, 2024, Field Notices will be categorized (rated according to expected impact).

The purpose of this categorization system is to give you clearer guidance on the level of urgency for your required actions. There will be four distinct types of Cisco Field Notices: Critical, High, Medium, and Low.

Our goal is to streamline Field Notice communications that may effect you. This added system of categorization enables you to quickly identify the significance of each Field Notice and prioritize potential follow-up actions accordingly.

The following is a brief overview of the four Field Notice categories that apply to all Cisco products, whether they are hardware, software, or "as-a-service" offerings.

*Impacted Entity - Cisco’s product, whether it is hardware, software, or “as-a-service” offering. The details provided here are intended for general guidance purposes only. It is important to note that the actual impact and effectiveness of the information may vary depending on the specific circumstances of your IT environment.

We believe that these categories will make it easier for you to assess and respond to the information that we share. While these categories will allow you to better understand the urgency and relevance of each Field Notice, they are not based on the level of impact to your network.

It is important to be aware that the Field Notice categorization does not adhere to the Security Impact Rating (SIR) system that is used for Security Advisories.

Note that the quality and depth of information that is provided in our Field Notices will remain unchanged. We are committed to maintaining the high standards of our communications so that you can continue to rely on the accuracy and thoroughness of the information that we provide.

Starting August 1, 2024, this change will be in effect for all new Field Notices and for any Revisions made to existing ones from that date onwards, giving you time to familiarize yourself with the new categories. Additional details and guidance will be provided as we approach the implementation date. We appreciate your continued partnership and trust.

Thank you for your attention to this important update. We look forward to serving you with even more clarity and efficiency in the future.

These categories will make it easier for you to assess and respond to the information that we share. It will also allow you to better understand the urgency and relevance of each Field Notice. These categories may not be based on the level of impact on your network.

It is important to note that the actual impact and effectiveness of the information may vary depending on the specific circumstances of your IT environment.

Effective August 1, 2024, an Impact Rating will be applied to all new Field Notices and to any revisions to existing Field Notices henceforth.

This added system of Impact Rating enables you to quickly identify the significance of each Field Notice and prioritize potential follow-up actions accordingly.

We are adding the Field Notice Impact Rating to enhance your field notice experience and enable you to take necessary action. The quality and depth of information provided in our Field Notices will remain unchanged.

Field Notices are officially published in English-only and provide information that includes, but is not limited to, products affected, defect identification numbers, problem symptoms, workarounds, and solutions. More specifically, the primary components of a Field Notice are:

• Title – A structured line that indicates the Field Notice number, a high level description of the issue and the recommended actions.
• Products Affected – List of Affected Product IDs that are impacted by this issue.
• Problem Description – A brief description of the issue.
• Defect Information – Bug ID that can be used to look up the bug via the www.cisco.com Bug Search Tool.
• Background – History of the issue and possible derivations.
• Problem Symptom – A description of what may occur with the system and any behaviors or indicators that you are experiencing the problem.
• Workaround/Solution – An expanded next step description to avoid the problem or to correct the situation.
• How to Identify Affected Products (optional) – If appropriate, a description of steps to take to identify if your hardware is exposed to the problem.

A Field Notice can also include several optional fields which help users understand additional information about the problem and how to find the technical information for the affected products.  

Field Notices are posted to the Product Support pages on www.cisco.com. Notifications are emailed to the users who have opted in to My Notifications, which allows users to customize the notifications they wish to receive.

When Cisco identifies a product issue, we analyze the issue, evaluate corrective actions if necessary, and if urgent action is needed from the users, we develop and publish a Field Notice to communicate the information.

Cisco uses the following process to publish Field Notices:

1. We classify newly identified product issues based on functional, operational, or product impact.
2. We assess the potential scope and impact to our customer install base and service inventory.
3. We ensure Cisco is ready to deploy and implement the required workaround or solution.
4. We use a consistent methodology to draft, approve, and publish a Field Notice.

Customers should follow the recommended actions in the “Workaround/Solution” section in the Field Notice. This will offer the best way to recover from an issue they are experiencing or mitigate risk of an issue. Often, the recommended actions may include solution approaches to avoid hardware replacement (RMA) or hardware upgrades. Recommended actions that involve these approaches include, but are not limited to:

• Configuration changes
• Software upgrades
• Firmware upgrades

Some Field Notice solutions guide customers to perform hardware replacements as the best way to resolve an issue. Recommended actions that involve these approaches include actions such as hardware replacements. Customers can request replacements through an upgrade form available at the end of the Field Notice when it applies.

When considering configuration changes, software and/or firmware upgrades, customers must make their own determinations regarding implementing any recommendations in Field Notices. In all cases, customers should ensure that the devices to be upgraded contain sufficient memory and confirm that current hardware and software configurations will continue to be supported properly by the new release or solution. If the information is not clear, customers are advised to contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) or their contracted maintenance providers.

Cisco uses several methods to deliver product and issue related information to our Customers and Partners, such as Security Advisories, Software Advisories, End of Life Notices, etc. Each form of communication serves a specific purpose, but may overlap from time-to-time. Field Notices are structured so that they can be used as a stand-alone document and/or in conjunction with other customer-facing documents.

• Security Advisories
• Software Advisories
• End-of-Life Notices

Field Notices provide information on known issues for Cisco products identified by a list or range of serial numbers. The SNV Tool provides the ability to determine whether the serial number(s) of your product is “Affected” or “Not Affected” by the Field Notice by inputting a serial number(s) into the tool. The results of the tool are returned in a tabular format, with an indication displaying “Affected” or “Not Affected” in front of each of the serial numbers.

The SNV Tool’s link can be found within the Field Notice document, in either of these sections: Workaround/Solution, How to Identify Affected Products, or Serial Number Validation.

If the Field Notice has a SNV Tool link included, complete these steps:

Once the user verifies their unit is affected by an issue described in a particular Field Notice, use the following steps to request a replacement:

1. Open the Field Notice and use the Products Affected table and/or Serial Number Validation Tool and additional conditions mentioned in the Field Notice to determine whether the unit is affected by the issue.
2. If the unit is affected, go to the Upgrade Program Information section of the Field Notice, and click the provided link to request an upgrade.