Cisco APIC Installation and ACI Upgrade and Downgrade Guide

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Cisco APIC Installation and ACI Upgrade and Downgrade Guide

Enable auto firmware update on switch discovery

Updated: July 12, 2026

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Configure the automatic firmware update feature to ensure switches are updated during discovery scenarios.

This task enables automatic firmware updates for switches when they are discovered, replaced, initialized, or reloaded.

When you enable Auto Firmware Update on Switch Discovery, the Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) automatically updates the firmware of the new switch in the following scenarios:

  • A new switch discovery with a new node ID

  • A switch replacement with an existing node ID

  • An initialization and rediscovering of an existing node

  • A switch reload using the reload CLI command or due to a power cycle

Prior to Cisco APIC release 5.1(1), this feature was named Enforce Bootscript Version Validation and was located at Admin > Firmware > Infrastructure > Nodes. In release 5.1(1), the feature is renamed and moved to its current location.

Procedure

1.

On the menu bar, navigate to Fabric > Inventory > Fabric Membership > Auto Firmware Update.
2.

Check the Auto Firmware Update on Switch Discovery checkbox to enable the feature.
3.

Select the target firmware version for updating new switches in the Default Firmware Version drop-down list.

Note

If the node ID of the new switch is part of a firmware update group under Admin > Firmware, such as a replacement scenario, the new switch is updated to the target version specified by the update group. Otherwise, it's updated to the default firmware version specified in this procedure.

When the selected Default Firmware Version is "any," this feature will not update the firmware of a new switch that has an ID that is not part of a firmware update group. A new switch that has a node ID that is part of a firmware update group will be updated to the target version specified by the update group.
4.

Click Submit.

Auto firmware update on switch discovery limitations

The following limitation applies to auto firmware update on switch discovery:

  • Auto firmware update on switch discovery is not supported when the target switch release is 16.0(3) or later while the current release running on the switch is 15.2(7) or earlier or 16.0(1) or 16.0(2). If auto firmware update on switch discovery was attempted under this condition, the switch may get stuck indefinitely. To add the switch into the fabric from that state, you must perform a clean reboot after you disable auto firmware update on switch discovery on the Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC).