Auto Firmware Update on Discovery

Auto Firmware Update on APIC Discovery

Beginning with the Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) 6.0(2) release, when you add a new Cisco APIC to the fabric either through product a return merchandise authorization (RMA), cluster expansion, or commission, the Cisco APIC is automatically upgraded to the same release as the existing cluster. As the new Cisco APIC goes through the upgrade process, the Cisco APIC may take additional time to be upgraded and join the cluster. If the auto upgrade fails, the Cisco APIC raises a fault and you will be alerted.

Prerequisites and conditions for the automatic Cisco APIC firmware update on discovery feature:

  • All the commissioned Cisco APICs in the cluster must be running the same release, which must be 6.0(2) or later.

  • The Cisco APIC image of the same release as the commissioned Cisco APICs in the cluster must be available in the firmware repository of the commissioned Cisco APICs in the cluster.

  • The CIMC IP address of the new Cisco APIC must be configured and reachable from the commissioned Cisco APICs in the cluster.

  • You must complete using the Initial Setup Utility using the Cisco APIC console that sets the fabric name, Cisco APIC ID and so on, on the new Cisco APIC if the new Cisco APIC is running a release earlier than 6.0(2). If the new Cisco APIC is also running release 6.0(2) or later, you do not no need to use the Initial Setup Utility.

  • Auto firmware update on APIC discovery is supported only on Cisco APIC release 4.2(1) and later.

    • When your APIC cluster is running 6.1(2) or a newer version and a new standby APIC that is running a version older than 6.0(2) is added to the APIC cluster, you must run the following command on the new standby APIC for the Auto Firmware Update on APIC Discovery to work.

      1. Log in to the CLI of the new APIC.


        Note

        If the new APIC is not node-1, log in as "rescue-user" without a password. This is because after Initial Setup Utility was completed on the new APIC, it doesn't have the admin password (or any other configuration) synchronized yet.

      2. Run acidiag vapicjoin -n <Active APIC OOB IP> -u admin -p <admin password>,

        where <Active APIC OOB IP> is the out-of-band IP address of one of the APICs that is already in the cluster.

      3. When the standby APIC is auto upgraded to the same version as the rest of the APICS on the APIC cluster, you must delete the active APICs, perform a factory reset, and add the active APIC back to the cluster.

    When you add a new Cisco APIC to the fabric through product a return merchandise authorization (RMA) repeat steps 1 and 2. See Replacing a Cisco APIC in a Cluster Using the CLI for more information.

Auto Firmware Update on Switch Discovery

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

Step 1

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

Step 2

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

Step 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.

Step 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).