Upgrade to Catalyst Center 3.1.5

To complete any of the upgrade procedures described in this chapter, you need to know the latest version of the System package for the relevant Catalyst Center release. To determine the latest version:

  1. From the release notes landing page, open the release notes for the appropriate Catalyst Center release.

  2. Refer to the "Package Versions in Catalyst Center" table and note the System package version that is listed for the release.


Important

  • Before you complete any of the following upgrade procedures, see Cisco ISE is required with Cisco DNA Center 2.3.5.6 and later for a description of the Cisco ISE requirements that must be in place before you upgrade.

  • By default, restricted shell (which limits access to the underlying operating system and file system) is enabled in Catalyst Center. Restricted shell with Consent Token is enabled for security purposes. If you want to access the root shell temporarily, you must contact the Cisco TAC for assistance. For more information, see the “About Restricted Shell” section in the Cisco Catalyst Center Administrator Guide.

Set up NIC bonding

Catalyst Center 3.1.5 provides network interface controller (NIC) bonding support. To enable and use this functionality on your appliance:

  1. Confirm that you have one of these Catalyst Center appliances:

    Machine profile

    Machine profile alias

    		 Cisco part number Number of cores

    medium

    medium

    Second-generation:

    • DN2-HW-APL

    • DN2-HW-APL-U (promotional)

    44

    Third-generation:

    • DN3-HW-APL

    • DN3-HW-APL-U (promotional)

    32

    t2_large

    large

    Second-generation:

    • DN2-HW-APL-L

    • DN2-HW-APL-L-U (promotional)

    56

    Third-generation:

    • DN3-HW-APL-L

    • DN3-HW-APL-L-U (promotional)

    t2_2xlarge

    extra large

    Second-generation:

    • DN2-HW-APL-XL

    • DN2-HW-APL-XL-U (promotional)

    112

    Third-generation:

    • DN3-HW-APL-XL

    • DN3-HW-APL-XL-U (promotional)

    80

  2. On the switch that you will connect to your appliance, do these tasks:

    • Ensure that the switch supports dynamic interface aggregation.

    • Enable LACP on the switch then specify these settings:

      • LACP mode: active: The switch port connected to your appliance enters active negotiating state and initiates negotiations with remote ports by sending LACP packets.

      • LACP rate: fast: This changes the rate at which the LACP control packets are sent to an LACP-supported interface. Instead of the default every 30 seconds, control packets are sent once every second.

  3. Complete the procedure that matches your appliance model:

Enable NIC bonding on a medium or large appliance

If you are upgrading either a medium or large appliance to Catalyst Center 3.1.5, you have two options available when it comes to NIC bonding:

  • If you have decided to enable NIC bonding on your appliance, complete the steps described in Enable NIC bonding now. The advantage of this option is that it will result in less downtime.

  • If you are undecided about enabling NIC bonding, complete Step 1 in Enable NIC bonding later. If you decide to enable NIC bonding at some point in the future, complete the rest of this procedure starting with Step 2.

Enable NIC bonding now

Procedure

Step 1

Upgrade to the appropriate Cisco IMC firmware version for your Catalyst Center release. In the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide that's specific to your appliance, see the "Update the Cisco IMC firmware" topic.

Step 2

Enable the NIC that the secondary instance of your appliance's interfaces will reside on—the Intel X710-DA4 NIC for 2nd-generation appliances, and the Intel E810XXVDA4 for 3rd-generation appliances.

In the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide, see the "Enable NIC on an upgraded appliance" topic.

Step 3

Upgrade from your current Catalyst Center release to 3.1.5.

Step 4

Enable the interfaces that reside on your appliance's secondary NIC for configuration and use.

In the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide, see the "Reconfigure the appliance using the configuration wizard" topic.

Note the following points:

  • When completing the wizard, the only information you need to enter is the maglev user's Linux password in the User Account Settings screen. Choose Next to skip through the various wizard screens.

    The primary and secondary instances of your appliance's interfaces are properly bonded after you complete the wizard.

  • By default, your appliance's interfaces are set to Active-Backup mode after you enable NIC bonding. If desired, you can set LACP mode for the Enterprise and Intracluster interfaces instead. The Internet and Management interfaces do not support this mode.

    For a description of the Active-Backup and LACP modes, see the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide's "NIC bonding overview" topic.

Enable NIC bonding later

Procedure

Step 1

Upgrade from your current Catalyst Center release to 3.1.5.

Step 2

Upgrade to the appropriate Cisco IMC firmware version for your Catalyst Center release. In the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide that's specific to your appliance, see the "Update the Cisco IMC firmware" topic.

Step 3

Enable the NIC that the secondary instance of your appliance's interfaces will reside on—the Intel X710-DA4 NIC for 2nd-generation appliances, and the Intel E810XXVDA4 for 3rd-generation appliances.

In the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide, see the "Enable NIC on an upgraded appliance" topic.

Step 4

Complete the steps described in the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide's "Power-cycle the appliance" topic.

Step 5

Enable the interfaces that reside on your appliance's secondary NIC for configuration and use.

In the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide, see the "Reconfigure the appliance using the configuration wizard" topic.

Note the following points:

  • When completing the wizard, the only information you need to enter is the maglev user's Linux password in the User Account Settings screen. Choose Next to skip through the various wizard screens.

    The primary and secondary instances of your appliance's interfaces are properly bonded after you complete the wizard.

  • By default, your appliance's interfaces are set to Active-Backup mode after you enable NIC bonding. If desired, you can set LACP mode for the Enterprise and Intracluster interfaces instead. The Internet and Management interfaces do not support this mode.

    For a description of the Active-Backup and LACP modes, see the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide's "NIC bonding overview" topic.

Enable NIC bonding on an extra large appliance

Procedure

Step 1

Upgrade from your current Catalyst Center release to 3.1.5.

Step 2

Upgrade to the appropriate Cisco IMC firmware version for your Catalyst Center release. In the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide that's specific to your appliance, see the "Update the Cisco IMC firmware" topic.

Step 3

Enable the NIC that the secondary instance of your appliance's interfaces will reside on—the Intel X710-DA4 NIC for 2nd-generation appliances, and the Intel E810XXVDA4 for 3rd-generation appliances.

In the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide, see the "Enable NIC on an upgraded appliance" topic.

Step 4

Complete the steps described in the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide's "Power-cycle the appliance" topic.

Step 5

Enable the interfaces that reside on your appliance's secondary NIC for configuration and use.

In the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide, see the "Reconfigure the appliance using the configuration wizard" topic.

Note the following points:

  • When completing the wizard, the only information you need to enter is the maglev user's Linux password in the User Account Settings screen. Choose Next to skip through the various wizard screens.

    The primary and secondary instances of your appliance's interfaces are properly bonded after you complete the wizard.

  • By default, your appliance's interfaces are set to Active-Backup mode after you enable NIC bonding. If desired, you can set LACP mode for the Enterprise and Intracluster interfaces instead. The Internet and Management interfaces do not support this mode.

    For a description of the Active-Backup and LACP modes, see the Cisco Catalyst Center Appliance Installation Guide's "NIC bonding overview" topic.

Upgrade from 2.3.7.x to 3.1.5

Catalyst Center 3.1.5 is based on a new architecture. To upgrade to version 3.1.5 and use this new architecture, you need to complete the platform upgrade workflow. For detailed information about this workflow and how to complete it, refer to "Scenario 1: Upgrade a single or three-node Catalyst Center cluster" in the Cisco Catalyst Center 3.x Upgrade article.

You can upgrade from one of these Catalyst Center versions:

  • 2.3.7.7.70047

  • 2.3.7.7-70047-CSCwn89323.SMU

  • 2.3.7.9.70301

  • 2.3.7.9.70301.10

  • 2.3.7.10.70209

After you upgrade to 3.1.5, you cannot switch back to an earlier release.

Upgrade from 2.3.5.x to 3.1.5

You cannot upgrade directly from Catalyst Center 2.3.5.x to 3.1.5. You must first upgrade to 2.3.7.10, and then to 3.1.5.

After you upgrade to 3.1.5, you cannot switch back to an earlier release.

Procedure

Step 1

Complete the tasks described in the Upgrade from 2.3.5.x to 2.3.7.10 topic.

Step 2

Upgrade to 3.1.5. Refer to "Scenario 1: Upgrade a single or three-node Catalyst Center cluster" in the Cisco Catalyst Center 3.x Upgrade article.