Cisco IOS-XE In-Service Software Upgrade Process

Cisco cBR-8 Routers support the In-Service Software Upgrades (ISSU) for redundant platforms. The ISSU process allows software to be updated or otherwise modified while packet forwarding continues with the benefit of LCHA. ISSU supports two different software upgrade modes:

  • Consolidated package mode

  • Subpackages mode

For the Cisco cBR Series Routers, ISSU-compatibility depends on the software subpackage being upgraded and the hardware configuration. Consolidated packages are ISSU-compatible in dual SUP configurations only and have other limitations described later in this document.

The specific procedures in this document represent supported and tested installation sequences. The Cisco IOS-XE system software allows other installation sequences for special purposes under the guidance of Cisco customer support representatives, but the steps in this document should be followed otherwise. These steps should be followed completely, as the Cisco cBR Series Routers are designed to run one version of Cisco IOS-XE for all consolidated packages and subpackages on an SUP, and running subpackages from different versions of Cisco IOS-XE can cause unexpected router behavior.

Finding Feature Information

Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest feature information and caveats, see the release notes for your platform and software release. To find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the Feature Information Table at the end of this document.

Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to http:/​/​tools.cisco.com/​ITDIT/​CFN/​. An account on http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​ is not required.

Contents

Hardware Compatibility Matrix for Cisco cBR Series Routers


Note


The hardware components introduced in a given Cisco IOS-XE Release are supported in all subsequent releases unless otherwise specified.


Table 1 Hardware Compatibility Matrix for the Cisco cBR Series Routers

Cisco CMTS Platform

Processor Engine

Interface Cards

Cisco cBR-8 Converged Broadband Router

Cisco IOS-XE Release 3.15.0S and Later Releases

Cisco cBR-8 Supervisor:

  • PID—CBR-CCAP-SUP-160G

  • PID—CBR-CCAP-SUP-60G1

  • PID—CBR-SUP-8X10G-PIC

Cisco IOS-XE Release 3.15.0S and Later Releases

Cisco cBR-8 CCAP Line Cards:

  • PID—CBR-LC-8D30-16U30

  • PID—CBR-LC-8D31-16U30

  • PID—CBR-RF-PIC

  • PID—CBR-RF-PROT-PIC

Cisco cBR-8 Downstream PHY Modules:

  • PID—CBR-D30-DS-MOD

  • PID—CBR-D31-DS-MOD

Cisco cBR-8 Upstream PHY Modules:

  • PID—CBR-D30-US-MOD

1 Effective with Cisco IOS-XE Release 3.17.0S, CBR-CCAP-SUP-60G supports 8 cable line cards. The total traffic rate is limited to 60Gbps, the total number of downstream service flow is limited to 72268, and downstream unicast low-latency flow does not count against the limits.

How to Configure In-Service Software Upgrade

This section describes the configuration of the ISSU feature:

Using In-Service Software Upgrade to Perform Consolidated Package Upgrade

Consolidated packages can only be upgraded using ISSU in dual SUP configurations. ISSU is not supported for consolidated package upgrades in single SUP configurations.

In service one-shot software upgrade procedure enables you to upgrade or downgrade software using a single command. One-shot ISSU needs minimal user intervention or monitoring. Once the upgrade is initiated, the upgrade process cannot be cancelled.

The one-shot upgrade procedure is divided into stages. When a failure occurs, the command execution is stalled and users have to perform the rollback tasks manually. Necessary switchovers are automatically taken care of in one of the upgrade stages. During a switchover, the console and its output are lost. Additional commands are used to connect back to the console.


Note


One-shot upgrade does not support multiple upgrades at the same time.


Before You Begin

Be sure to complete the following prerequisites before running the ISSU process:

  • The router has two SUPs setup.
  • Standby SUP must be in hot standby mode.
  • Auto-boot is enabled.
  • Both SUPs are in the consolidated package mode, running the same image from the same path.
  • At lease 700MB free space on bootflash of both SUPs.
Procedure
     Command or ActionPurpose
    Step 1enable


    Example:
    Router> enable
     

    Enables privileged EXEC mode.

    • Enter your password if prompted.
     
    Step 2request platform software package install node bootflash:


    Example:
    Router# request platform software package install node bootflash:subpkg_3_16/cbrsup-universalk9.03.16.00.S.155-3.S-std.SPA.bin
     

    Upgrades the cBR-8 router using one-shot ISSU procedure.

     

    Using In-Service Software Upgrade to Perform Subpackages Upgrade

    Subpackage upgrade allows a subset of the running software to be upgraded. It is intended for patching small and targeted fix instead of full image upgrade. Subpackage upgrade supports both single and dual SUP setup.

    Single SUP Subpackages Upgrade

    Before You Begin

    Be sure to complete the following prerequisites before running the ISSU process:

    • Config register autoboot enabled.
    • Target patch copied to active SUP in the same directory of the packages.conf file system is booted up with.
    • If needed copy patch info file to SUP.
    • Enough bootflash disk space on SUP.
    Procedure
       Command or ActionPurpose
      Step 1enable


      Example:
      Router> enable
       

      Enables privileged EXEC mode.

      • Enter your password if prompted.
       
      Step 2request platform software package install rp rp-slot file bootflash:


      Example:
      Router# request platform software package install rp 1 file bootflash:subpkg_3_16/packages.conf
       

      Upgrades the cBR-8 router with one SUP using subpackages ISSU procedure.

       

      Dual SUPs Subpackages Upgrade

      Before You Begin

      Be sure to complete the following prerequisites before running the ISSU process:

      • Standby SUP must be in hot standby.
      • Config register autoboot enabled.
      • Both SUP in sub-package mode, running same base image and patches from same path.
      • Target patch copied to active SUP in the same directory of the packages.conf file system is booted up with.
      • If needed copy patch info file to both SUPs.
      • Enough bootflash disk space on both SUPs.
      Procedure
         Command or ActionPurpose
        Step 1enable


        Example:
        Router> enable
         

        Enables privileged EXEC mode.

        • Enter your password if prompted.
         
        Step 2request platform software package install node file bootflash:


        Example:
        Router# request platform software package install node file bootflash:subpkg_3_16/packages.conf
         

        Upgrades the cBR-8 router with dual SUPs using subpackages ISSU procedure.

         

        Linecard Only In-Service Software Upgrade

        Use request platform software package install node linecard-only command to upgrade only the linecard to the same version as the one in the current active SUP, the customer can choose to upgrade one linecard or all the linecards in the chassis.

        This command can be used together with request platform software package install node file file-path noreload linecard command to upgrade SUP first, and then upgrade linecard.

        Procedure
           Command or ActionPurpose
          Step 1enable


          Example:
          Router> enable
           

          Enables privileged EXEC mode.

          • Enter your password if prompted.
           
          Step 2request platform software package install node linecard-only


          Example:
          Router# request platform software package install node linecard-only all
          
           

          Upgrade all the linecards to the same version as the one in the current active SUP.

           

          In-Service Software Upgrade Abort

          Use request platform software package install node abort command to abort the ISSU procedure.

          When user abort the ISSU, the linecards will be in the different version with the SUP.

          If the customer believes the new version is not stable, and wants to stop the upgrade, he can use this command to abort the current upgrade process. After this command is entered, the customer needs to check both SUP and LC's states to decide what to do in the next step, eg: rollback.

          Procedure
             Command or ActionPurpose
            Step 1enable


            Example:
            Router> enable
             

            Enables privileged EXEC mode.

            • Enter your password if prompted.
             
            Step 2request platform software package install node abort


            Example:
            Router# request platform software package install node abort
            
             

            Abort the ISSU procedure.

             

            In-Service Software Upgrade Rollback

            If the customer is not satisfied with the new package after the upgrade, the system can go back to previous working state using rollback operation. The linecards that do not in the redundancy group will be reloaded.


            Note


            Rollback operation can only go back one step in the history. If the customer wants to go back to an earlier image, downgrade operation should be used.


            Cisco IOS-XE Release 3.16.0S

            In Cisco IOS-XE Release 3.16.0S, the following steps can be used to perform the rollback.

            Procedure
               Command or ActionPurpose
              Step 1enable


              Example:
              Router> enable
               

              Enables privileged EXEC mode.

              • Enter your password if prompted.
               
              Step 2request platform software package install rp rp-slot rollback


              Example:
              Router# request platform software package install rp 0 rollback
              
               

              Go back to previous working state.

               
              Step 3reload


              Example:
              Router# reload
               

              Reboot the router.

               

              Cisco IOS-XE Release 3.17.0S and later version

              Starting from Cisco IOS-XE Release 3.17.0S, the following steps can also be used to perform the rollback.

              Procedure
                 Command or ActionPurpose
                Step 1enable


                Example:
                Router> enable
                 

                Enables privileged EXEC mode.

                • Enter your password if prompted.
                 
                Step 2request platform software package install node rollback


                Example:
                Router# request platform software package install node rollback
                
                 

                Go back to previous working state.

                 

                Additional References

                The following sections provide references related to the ISSU feature.

                Technical Assistance

                Description

                Link

                The Cisco Support and Documentation website provides online resources to download documentation, software, and tools. Use these resources to install and configure the software and to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. Access to most tools on the Cisco Support and Documentation website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password.

                http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​cisco/​web/​support/​index.html

                Feature Information for In-Service Software Upgrade

                Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and software image support. Cisco Feature Navigator enables you to determine which software images support a specific software release, feature set, or platform. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to http:/​/​tools.cisco.com/​ITDIT/​CFN/​. An account on http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​ is not required.


                Note


                The below table lists only the software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.


                Table 2 Feature Information for ISSU

                Feature Name

                Releases

                Feature Information

                ISSU

                Cisco IOS-XE Release 3.16.0S

                This feature was introduced on the Cisco cBR Series Converged Broadband Routers.

                ISSU with LCHA

                Cisco IOS-XE Release 3.17.0S

                This feature was introduced on the Cisco cBR Series Converged Broadband Routers. ISSU abort and linecard only ISSU were supported.