Cisco APIC Installation and ACI Upgrade and Downgrade Guide

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Cisco APIC Installation and ACI Upgrade and Downgrade Guide

Install a switch software maintenance upgrade patch using the GUI

Updated: July 12, 2026

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Configure a software maintenance upgrade (SMU) patch installation on a Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI)-mode switch using the Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) GUI.

In the Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 5.2(1) release or later, you can use the following procedure to install a software maintenance upgrade (SMU) patch on a Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI)-mode switch.

SMU patch installation or uninstallation uses the same update group as a regular firmware upgrade. Because one node can belong to only one update group, when you apply a SMU patch to a specific node, remove that node from the existing group and create a new group that is dedicated for the node so that other nodes are not impacted. In the future when you must perform a regular firmware upgrade for the entire fabric, you can delete the dedicated update group that is used for the SMU patch installation and add the node back to one of the original groups. If all the nodes in the existing group need the SMU patch, you can simply reuse the same update group without creating a new update group.

Procedure

1.

Add the firmware image that corresponds to the SMU patch to the Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC). The Cisco APIC lists the patch along with any other firmware images (SMU patches and otherwise).

In the Cisco APIC release 6.0(2) and later, download both the 32-bit and 64-bit SMU images to the Cisco APIC. Downloading only one of the images may result in errors during the upgrade process.

For the procedure, see Upgrade or Downgrade with APIC Release 5.1 or Later Using the GUI.
2.

Set up a node firmware update. On the Version Selection screen, for the Update Type, choose Software Maintenance Upgrade (Install), then choose the SMU patch in the Select Firmware section.

For the procedure, see Upgrade or Downgrade with APIC Release 5.1 or Later Using the GUI.

After you click Begin Download in the Confirmation screen, the patch gets downloaded to the selected switches. The Firmware Updates tab in the Work pane displays.
3.

In the Work pane, click the upgrade group that you created.

The Node Firmware Update dialog displays with information for the upgrade group.
4.

When the status for the switches is Ready to Install , click Actions.

Before the 6.0(2) release, or if the Switch Restart Type property is set to Reload in the 6.0(2) release and later, choose one of the following actions:

  • Install and Reload: The switches reboot after the SMU patch gets installed. Choose this action if you want to install only one SMU patch, or if you are installing the final patch of multiple patches.

  • Install and Skip Reload: The switches do not reboot after the SMU patch gets installed. Choose this action if you want to install multiple SMU patches and this patch is not the final patch. In this case, repeat this entire procedure for each additional patch and continue to choose Install and Skip Reload until you install the final patch. For the final patch, choose Install and Reload. Optionally, you can choose Install and Skip Reload and manually reboot the switch after the patch gets installed.

In the 6.0(2) release and later and if the Switch Restart Type property is set to Restart, choose Install. For SMUs that you can apply to a switch without rebooting the switch, after choosing Install, the SMU will be installed while the switch remains operational. Whether or not the SMU installation impacts the traffic going through the switch depends on the fixes that the SMU applies.