Cisco APIC Installation and ACI Upgrade and Downgrade Guide

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Cisco APIC Installation and ACI Upgrade and Downgrade Guide

Download APIC and switch images on apics

Updated: July 12, 2026

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Configure firmware image downloads of APICs and ACI switches into APIC's firmware repository from an external file server or from your local machine.

This procedure is to download firmware images of APICs and ACI switches into APIC's firmware repository from an external file server or from your local machine.

If you are downgrading the software on the Cisco APICs, the process is identical to the process for upgrading the software, except that the target release that you choose will be earlier than the currently installed release. The text for dialogs, fields, buttons, and other controls in the Cisco APIC GUI specify "upgrade" even though you are downgrading the software.

Procedure

1.

On the menu bar, choose Admin > Firmware.

The Summary window appears, which provides the following information:

  • Nodes tile — Provides information on the firmware versions used by the physical nodes.

  • Virtual Nodes tile — Provides information on the firmware versions used by the virtual nodes.

  • Controller tile — Provides information on the firmware version used by this controller. Also provides information on the catalog version.

  • Controller Storage tile — Provides information on the storage capacity of each controller.
2.

Click the Images tab, then click the Actions icon and select Add Firmware to APIC from the scrolldown menu.

The Add Firmware to APIC popup window appears.
3.

Determine if you want to import the firmware image from a local or a remote location.

  • If you want to import the firmware image from a local location, click the Local radio button in the Firmware Image Location field. Click the Browse... button, then navigate to the folder on your local system with the firmware image that you want to import. Go to Step 4.

  • If you want to import the firmware image from a remote location, click the Remote radio button in the Firmware Image Location field, then perform the following actions:

  1. In the Download Name field, either select an existing download using the options provided in the scrolldown menu, or enter a name for the Cisco APIC image file to create a new download (for example, apic_image).

    Note

    You can also delete an existing download task by entering the existing download name in the Download Name field, then clicking on the trash icon next to the field.

    The following fields appear if you are creating a new download.

  2. In the Protocol field, click either the HTTP or the Secure copy radio button.

  3. In the URL field, enter the URL from where the image will be downloaded.

    • If you selected the HTTP radio button in the previous step, enter the http source that you want to use to download the software image.

    • If you selected the Secure copy radio button in the previous step, enter the Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) source that you want to use to download the software image.

    The format for both HTTP and SCP source is:

    <HTTP/SCP server IP or FQDN>:/<path>/<filename>

    An example URL is 10.1.2.3:/path/to/the/image/aci-apic-dk9.5.0.1a.iso.

    If you selected SCP as the protocol, the following fields appear.

  4. In the Username field, enter your username for secure copy.

  5. In the Authentication Type field, select the type of authentication for the download. The type can be:

    • Use Password

    • Use SSH Public/Private Key Files

    The default is Use Password.

  6. If you selected Use Password, in the Password field, enter your password for secure copy.

  7. If you selected SSH Key, enter the following information:

    • Private Key: Click Choose File to browse to and select the private key file from your local machine.

    • Passphrase: Enter the passphrase for the private key file.
4.

Click Submit.

Wait for the Cisco APIC firmware images to download.
5.

Click the Images tab again, if necessary, to view the download status of the images.

After the download reaches 100%, double-click on the row in the table for the firmware image that you downloaded to bring up the Firmware Details page for that particular firmware image.