Release Notes for NSO SMI Automation Function Pack, Release 2026.04.0
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NSO SMI Automation Function Pack, 2026.04.0
NSO SMI Automation Function Pack, 2026.04.0
The NSO SMI Automation Function Pack is a collection of multiple packages including the cisco-smi-deployer (previously referred to as the SMI Core Function Pack).
The key highlights of this release include:
· Centralized IP address management: Simplifies and standardizes IP address allocation across the cluster, ensuring consistent network configuration.
· Enhanced Mellanox Hardware Control: Simplifies the management of Mellanox network interfaces to ensure optimal performance and operational consistency.
· Automated energy efficiency: Reduces operational costs by enabling intelligent, automated power-saving configurations across the infrastructure.
· DLM (Data Layer Manager) Network Function support: This enhancement enables lifecycle and configuration management for DLM NFs within SMI AFP. It streamlines deployment using new parameters and existing automation to ensure operational consistency.
· NSO support for ULB (Unified Load Balancer) lifecycle and configuration management: This enhancement extends NSO support to include the lifecycle and configuration management of the ULB.
· Automated deployment verification: Increases system stability by automatically validating configuration changes before they are finalized, reducing the risk of manual errors.
For more information on SMI AFP, see the Related resources section.
Release lifecycle milestones
The following table provides EoL milestones for NSO SMI AFP software:
Table 1. EoL milestone information for NSO SMI AFP, 2026.04.0
| Milestone |
Date |
| First Customer Ship (FCS) |
5-Nov-2026 |
| End of Life (EoL) |
5-Nov-2026 |
| End of Software Maintenance (EoSM) |
5-May-2028 |
| End of Vulnerability and Security Support (EoVSS) |
5-May-2028 |
| Last Date of Support (LDoS) |
31-May-2029 |
These milestones and the intervals between them are defined in the Cisco Ultra Cloud Core (UCC) Software Release Lifecycle Product Bulletin available on cisco.com.
This section provides a brief description of the new software features introduced in this release.
Table 2. New software features for SMI AFP, 2026.04.0
| Product impact |
Feature |
Description |
| Software Reliability |
Support for Whereabouts CNI IPAM Plugin
|
Enables the configuration of the Whereabouts IPAM plugin within SMI AFP, providing centralized and consistent IP address management across the cluster. |
| Software Reliability |
Support for Mellanox NIC firmware parameters
|
Enables native configuration of Mellanox NIC firmware parameters using key-value pairs, allowing for precise, hardware-level control directly through the AFP. |
| Software Reliability |
Support for IPM power-saving
|
Enables Intelligent Power Management (IPM) and other power-saving parameters within the AFP by providing a direct mapping of configurations from the cluster manager. |
| Software Reliability |
Lifecycle and configuration management of DLM Network Function |
AFP supports lifecycle and configuration management for the DLM Network Function, introducing new function object parameters for deployment while utilizing existing mop-automation workflows for configuration. |
| Software Reliability |
Lifecycle and configuration management of the ULB |
AFP supports lifecycle and configuration management of the Unified Load Balancer (ULB), leveraging automated workflows to streamline deployment and ensure operational consistency. |
| Software Reliability |
Post-checks for N:1 automated configuration push
|
Enables automated verification of configuration pushes via customizable "show" commands and regex patterns, ensuring instance readiness and operational integrity before completing the deployment process. |
This section provides a brief description of the behavior changes introduced in this release.
Table 3. Behavior changes for SMI AFP, Release 2026.04.0
| Description |
Behavior changes |
| Removal of default password for Keepalived authentication
|
Previous Behavior: The keepalived-auth parameter within the smi deployment configuration included a pre-defined default password. If a user did not specify a password, the AFP would automatically push this default value to the Cluster Manager. New Behavior: The default value for the keepalived-auth parameter has been removed from the SMI AFP. The AFP no longer automatically provides or pushes a default password for this field during deployment or synchronization. Customer Impact: No functional impact on system operations is expected, as the underlying Cluster Manager currently maintains its own internal default for this value. However, the configuration data sent from the AFP to the Cluster Manager will no longer contain this specific default. If a custom authentication password is required, it must now be explicitly defined in the smi deployment settings. |
| Automated detection and abort of interrupted N:1 configuration pushes
|
Previous Behavior: During an N:1 automated configuration push, the AFP did not detect if an MSUP or EPCGW instance reloaded while the process was underway. The system would attempt to continue the configuration transfer regardless of the reboot, potentially resulting in an incomplete configuration state while still incorrectly marking the instance as ready for its assigned role. New Behavior: The AFP now monitors the status of the MSUP or EPCGW instance during the configuration push. If a reload is detected mid-process, the AFP immediately aborts the current push. This prevents the instance from being certified as "ready" when it may only possess a partial or inconsistent configuration. Customer Impact: This enhancement improves system reliability and prevents service errors by ensuring that no instance enters an active or standby state with an incomplete configuration. In the event of a reboot during a push, the process is safely halted so it can be restarted or investigated, ensuring only fully configured instances handle traffic. |
This table lists the resolved issues in this specific software release.
Note: This software release may contain bug fixes first introduced in other releases. To see additional information, click the bug ID to access the Cisco Bug Search Tool. To search for a documented Cisco product issue, type in the browser: <bug_number> site:cisco.com.
Table 4. Resolved issues for SMI AFP, Release 2026.04.0
| Bug ID |
Description |
| AFP 2026.03.0.i10 :mtu defined under the interface is not shown in internal configs, hence not pushed to Cluster Manager. |
|
| DLM deploy support on NSO AFP. |
This table lists the open issues in this specific software release.
Note: This software release may contain bug fixes first introduced in other releases. To see additional information, click the bug ID to access the Cisco Bug Search Tool. To search for a documented Cisco product issue, type in the browser: <bug_number> site:cisco.com.
Table 5. Open issues for SMI AFP, Release 2026.04.0
| Bug ID |
Description |
| SMI AFP does not allow configuring functions without static NETCONF and SSH ports. |
|
| SMI AFP needs simultaneous support for regular and nodeport based SSH/NETCONF ports. |
|
| Enhance smi-deployer log to capture more info. |
|
| Few CLIs not unconfigured on EPCGW/MSUP during rollback from NSO. |
This section lists compatibility information of the Cisco UCC software products that are verified to work with this version of the NSO SMI AFP software.
Table 6. Compatibility information for SMI AFP, 2026.04.0
| Product |
Supported release |
| CEE |
1.1.2026.04.1.i10 |
| SMF+cnSGWc |
2026.04.0 |
| UPF |
2026.04.0 |
The NSO SMI AFP software is compatible with the following operating systems:
Table 7. Compatible operating systems for NSO SMI AFP software
| OS |
Minimum server configuration |
Version |
| Ubuntu |
CPU: 8 Cores RAM: 64 GB Disk: 250 GB |
18.04 LTS |
| Red Hat |
CPU: 8 Cores RAM: 64 GB Disk: 250 GB |
7.3 (Maipo) |
| CentOS |
CPU: 8 Cores RAM: 64 GB Disk: 250 GB |
7.4 (Core) |
| MacOS |
CPU: 8 Cores RAM: 64 GB Disk: 250 GB |
10.12.6 |
Note the following product, platform, and runtime requirements for this release:
● NSO: 6.4.15
● SMI: 2026.04.1.10
● Python: 3.12.x
This section provides information about the release packages associated with NSO SMI AFP.
Table 8. Software packages for SMI AFP, 2026.04.0
| Software package |
Release |
| ncs-6.4.15-nso-smi-afp-2026.04.0.tar.SPA.tgz |
SMI AFP version: 2026.04.0 |
| cisco-amf-nc-1.1 |
1.1.2026.04.0.i88 |
| cisco-ccg-nc-1.1 |
1.1.2026.04.0.i118 |
| cisco-cee-nc-1.1 |
1.1.2026.04.1.i10 |
| cisco-etsi-nfvo |
4.7.8 |
| cisco-dlm-nc-1.1 |
1.1.2026.04.1.i10 |
| cisco-nrf-nc-1.1 |
1.1.2026.02.0.i54 |
| cisco-rcm-nc-1.1 |
1.1.2026.04.0.i61 |
| cisco-smi-deployer |
2026.04.0.i20 |
| cisco-smi-dvpc |
2026.04.0.i20 |
| cisco-smi-nc-1.1 |
1.1.2026.04.1.i10 |
| cisco-ulb-nc-1.1 |
1.1.2026.04.m0.i22 |
| cisco-staros-cli-5.55 |
5.55 |
| cisco-staros-cli-5.57 |
5.57.5 |
| cisco-staros-cli-5.59 |
5.59.7 |
| esc |
5.3.0.94 |
| etsi-sol003-gen-1.13 |
1.13.19 |
| mobility-common |
2026.04.0 |
| mobility-ha-subscriber |
2026.04.0 |
| mop-automation |
2026.04.0 |
| mop-common |
2026.04.0 |
| openstack-cos-gen-4.2 |
4.2.34 |
| resource-manager |
4.2.10 |
Cloud native product version numbering system
The show helm list command displays detailed information about the version of the cloud native product currently deployed.
Image checksum information is available through Cisco.com Software Download Details. To find the checksum, hover the mouse pointer over the software image you have downloaded.
To validate the information, calculate a SHA512 checksum using the information in the following table and verify that it matches the one provided on the software download page.
To calculate a SHA512 checksum on your local desktop, see this table.
Table 9. Checksum calculations per operating system
| Operating System |
SHA512 checksum calculation command examples |
| Microsoft Windows |
Open a command line window and type the following command: > certutil.exe -hashfile <filename.extension> SHA512 |
| Apple MAC |
Open a terminal window and type the following command: $ shasum -a 512 <filename.extension> |
| Linux |
Open a terminal window and type the following command: $ sha512sum <filename.extension> OR $ shasum -a 512 <filename.extension> |
| Note: <filename> is the name of the file. <extension> is the file type extension (for example, .zip or .tgz). |
|
If the SHA512 checksum does not match, we advise you not to attempt upgrading any systems with the corrupted software image. Download the software again and verify the SHA512 checksum again. If there is a constant mismatch, please open a case with the Cisco Technical Assistance Center.
NSO SMI AFP software images are signed via x509 certificates. Please view the .README file packaged with the software for information and instructions on how to validate the certificates.
This table provides key resources and links to the support information and essential documentation for SMI AFP.
Table 10. Related resources and additional information
| Resource |
Link |
| NSO SMI AFP documentation |
|
| Service request and additional information |
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