Introduction

IBM FICON Qualification Status

Upgrade and Downgrade Paths

New Hardware Features

New and Enhanced Software Features

Unsupported Features

Cisco TrustSec FC Link Encryption

Resolved Issues

Open Issues

Related Documentation

Documentation Feedback

Legal Information

This document describes the features, issues, and deployment guidelines for the Cisco MDS NX-OS software for use on the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches.

Note:

●      The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product.

●      Release notes are updated on an as needed basis with latest information on restrictions and issues. See the following website for the most recent version of the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Release Notes.

Date

Description

August 29, 2025

Upgrading and Downgrading Cisco MDS NX-OS Software Image sections are moved to Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide, Release 9.x.

Added CSCwm79623, CSCwo41374 to the Open Issues section.

Added CSCwo99445, CSCwn39942 to the Resolved Issues section.

August 21, 2025

Added CSCwo00133 to the Open Issues section.

August 15, 2025

FICON qualification complete

May 30, 2025

Initial Release

Introduction

The Cisco MDS 9000 Series of Multilayer Directors and Fabric Switches provide best-in-class high availability, scalability, security, and management that enables to deploy high-performance storage area networks. Layering a rich set of intelligent features onto a high-performance switch fabric, the Cisco MDS 9000 Series has the flexibility to fit small deployments and to address the stringent requirements of large data center storage environments: high availability, security, scalability, sustainability, ease of management, and seamless integration of new technologies.

MDS NX-OS Release 9.4(3b) is a FICON-qualified release. Fibre Connection (FICON) interface capabilities enhance certain Cisco MDS 9000 Series switches by supporting both open systems and mainframe storage network environments.

About Software Images

The Cisco MDS NX-OS operating system is shipped with the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches. The Cisco MDS NX-OS software consists of two images: the kickstart image and the system image. These images can be upgraded or downgraded to different versions. The versions of both images must match for the system to boot.

Each model of the Cisco MDS switch has unique kickstart and system images. For more information on the image names for each Cisco MDS switch, see the Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide, Release 9.x.

To download the new Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches NX-OS software, go to the Storage Networking Software download website at https://software.cisco.com/download/find/MDS.

Upgrade and Downgrade Paths

Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.4(3b) supports non-disruptive upgrade and downgrade to other Cisco MDS NX-OS Releases. For upgrade and downgrade paths, and guidelines that are recommended for upgrading or downgrading Cisco MDS NX-OS software images, see Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide, Release 9.x.

Note:      If you have the SAN analytics feature enabled, ensure that you disable the SAN analytics feature using the no feature analytics command before upgrading. For detailed instructions, see Preventing SAN Analytics Corruption during ISSU section in the Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide, Release 9.x.

About Firmware Images

Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches contain a number of hardware components with updatable firmware. The Transceiver Firmware bundle contains updates for various port transceivers. The EPLD Firmware bundle contains updates for programmable logic devices in the system.

These updates can be disruptive and are not part of the Cisco NX-OS software image. They are released with every Cisco NX-OS release but do not frequently contain changes. Refer to the specific Release Notes for any recommended fixes.

For more information on Transceiver Firmware, see the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Transceiver Firmware Release Notes, Release 9.4(3b).

For more information on EPLD bundles, see the Cisco MDS 9000 Series EPLD Release Notes, Release 9.4(3b).

Choosing Between Cisco MDS NX-OS Open Systems Releases

Cisco uses release numbering to indicate the maturity of a Cisco MDS NX-OS release train. Cisco MDS NX-OS major versions are incremented when significant software features or hardware support are added. Because of the focus on new features and hardware, all bugs may not yet have been fixed. After an initial release, minor version numbers of the release train are incremented as bugs are resolved, and minor feature enhancements and security patches are integrated. This provides increased stability to the new features and updated security.

For Cisco recommended MDS NX-OS releases for each type of hardware, see Recommended Releases for Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches document.

Components Supported

For information on supported software and hardware components, see Cisco MDS 9000 Series Compatibility Matrix.

Cisco TrustSec FC Link Encryption

For more information about which set of interfaces on each module support FC-SP, see the Configuring Cisco TrustSec Fibre Channel Link Encryption chapter of the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Security Configuration Guide, Release 9.x.

IBM FICON Qualification Status

Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.4(3b) is IBM FICON qualified. Fibre Connection (FICON) interface capabilities enhance certain Cisco MDS 9000 Series switches by supporting both open systems and mainframe storage network environments.

FICON Supported Platforms with MDS NX-OS Release 9.4(3b)

●      Cisco MDS 9706 Director Switch

◦    Cisco MDS 9700 48-port 64-Gbps Switching Module (DS-X9748-3072K9)

◦    Cisco MDS 9700 48-Port 32-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module (DS-X9648-1536K9)

◦    Cisco MDS 24/10-Port SAN Extension Module (DS-X9334-K9)

◦    Cisco MDS 9706 Crossbar Fabric-1 Switching Module (DS-X9706-FAB1)

This module is not supported on IBM z17 System.

◦    Cisco MDS 9706 Crossbar Fabric-3 Switching Module (DS-X9706-FAB3)

◦    Cisco MDS 9700 Series Supervisor-1 Module (DS-X97-SF1-K9)

This module is not supported on IBM z17 System.

◦    Cisco MDS 9700 Series Supervisor-4 Module (DS-X97-SF4-K9)

●      Cisco MDS 9710 Director Switch

◦    Cisco MDS 9700 48-port 64-Gbps Switching Module (DS-X9748-3072K9)

◦    Cisco MDS 9700-48 Port 32-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module (DS-X9648-1536K9)

◦    Cisco MDS 24/10-Port SAN Extension Module (DS-X9334-K9)

◦    Cisco MDS 9710 Crossbar Fabric-1 Switching Module (DS-X9710-FAB1)

This module is not supported on IBM z17 System.

◦    Cisco MDS 9710 Crossbar Fabric-3 Switching Module (DS-X9710-FAB3)

◦    Cisco MDS 9700 Series Supervisor-1 Module (DS-X97-SF1-K9)

This module is not supported on IBM z17 System.

◦    Cisco MDS 9700 Series Supervisor-4 Module (DS-X97-SF4-K9)

●      Cisco MDS 9250i Multiservice Fabric Switches

This switch is not supported on IBM z17 System.

●      Cisco MDS 9220i Multiservice Fabric Switches

●      Cisco MDS 9148V Multilayer Fabric Switches

FICON on IBM OEM switches and modules

FICON is also supported on the following IBM OEM switches and modules:

●      IBM SAN192C-6

◦    IBM 48-Port 64-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module (03FR076)

◦    IBM 48-Port 32-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module (01FT644)

◦    IBM SAN Director Supervisor Module 4 (02JD753)

◦    IBM SAN Director Supervisor Module 1 (01FT600)

This module is not supported on IBM z17 System.

◦    IBM 24/10 Port SAN Extension Module (01FT645)

●      IBM SAN384C-6

◦    IBM 48-Port 64-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module (03FR076)

◦    IBM 48-Port 32-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module (01FT644)

◦    IBM SAN Director Supervisor Module 4 (02JD753)

◦    IBM SAN Director Supervisor Module 1 (01FT600)

This module is not supported on IBM z17 System.

◦    IBM 24/10 Port SAN Extension Module (01FT645)

●      IBM SAN50C-R

This module is not supported on IBM z17 System.

●      IBM SAN16C-R

●      IBM SAN48C-7

FICON Supported Releases

The following table lists Cisco MDS NX-OS releases that are qualified for FICON. Refer to the specific release notes for FICON upgrade path information.

Table 1.        FICON Supported Releases

FICON Supported Releases

MDS NX-OS

Release 9.4(3b)

Release 9.4(1a)

Release 8.4(2e)

Release 8.4(2c)

Release 8.4(2b)

Release 8.4(1a)

Release 8.1(1b)

Release 8.1(1a)

FICON Tape Acceleration

From Release 9.4(1a), FICON Tape Acceleration (FTA) is not supported on any MDS 9000 platform.

New Hardware Features

There are no new hardware features in Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.4(3b).

New and Enhanced Software Features

Product Impact

Feature

Description

Licensing

FICON

Support for FICON is available as part of the base feature set and does not require any license for FICON-supported platforms, including MDS 9706, MDS 9710, 9148V, MDS 9220i, and MDS 9250i switches.

For more information, see the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Fundamentals Configuration Guide, Release 9.x.

Security

TACACS+ Over TLS 1.3

Support for TACACS+ over Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.3).has been introduced.

Unsupported Features

MD5 Hash in FCSP

Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.4(2) and later releases do not support the MD5 hash algorithm in Fibre Channel Security Protocol (FC-SP) as it is no longer considered secure. The default hash algorithm has been changed to SHA1.

10G and 40G FCoE linecards

Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.4(2) and later releases do not support the following FCoE linecards:

●      DS-X9848-480K9 – 48-port 10-Gbps FCoE Switching Module

●      DS-X9824-960K9 – MDS 9700 24-port 40-Gbps FCoE Switching Module

For more information, see the Cisco MDS 9700 Series Multilayer Directors Hardware Installation Guide.

SDV feature

Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.3(2) and later releases do not support Cisco SAN device virtualization (SDV).

Traditional and Smart Licensing Version 1.0 Licenses

Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.2(2) and later releases do not support installation of Product Authorization Key (PAK) or Smart Licensing version 1.0 licenses. Licenses are now managed through Smart License using Policy (SLP).

For more information such as how to migrate licenses, see Smart Licensing Using Policy chapter in Cisco MDS 9000 Series Licensing Guide, Release 9.x.

Python 2

Support for Python 2 is deprecated from Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.2(2). Python 3 remains supported instead. Python 2 scripts should be checked for compatibility with Python 3 to ensure they continue to function as expected.

For more information, see the Python API chapter in the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Programmability Guide, Release 9.x.

Zoning Features

LUN zoning, read-only zones, and broadcast zones are no longer supported.

If these features are already configured, completely remove all the configurations that include these features before attempting to boot any module. In addition, you cannot configure these features after you bring up any module.

XRC Acceleration License

From Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.1(1a), the Cisco Extended Remote Copy (XRC) acceleration license is obsoleted on Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches due to improvements in the mainframe XRC feature.

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.3(1) and later releases do not support the VRRP feature on Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches.

Data Encryption Standard (DES) for SNMP

From Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.5(1), AES-128 is the default encryption mechanism for SNMPv3. DES encryption for SNMP is supported only for DES users who upgrade from previous releases to Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.5(1). Ensure that you delete all the SNMPv3 users configured with DES encryption before upgrading to Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.5(1) and later releases. Any downgrades from Cisco MDS NX- OS Release 8.5(1) will be restricted if any of the SNMPv3 users have DES encryption configured as the privacy protocol. All such users will either need to be deleted or reconfigured to use no privacy protocol or AES128 encryption before downgrading.

For more information, see Cisco MDS 9000 Series System Management Configuration Guide, Release 9.x.

Fabric Performance Impact Notifications (FPIN)

FPIN is not supported on switches that are operating in NPV mode.

FCWA, XRC, DMM, SME

Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.1(1) and later releases do not support FCWA, XRC, DMM and SME features.

SAN Extension Tuner

SAN Extension Tuner (SET) is not supported on Cisco MDS 9220i switches in Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.5(1) or later.

Fibre Channel Read Diagnostic Parameters

Fibre Channel RDP querying is not supported on NP, Port Channel, or FCoE links.

Slow Drain Detection and Congestion Isolation

ER_RDY is not supported on FC interfaces running at 10 Gbps.

FCIP Support

●      In Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.2(2) and later releases, simultaneous use of IVR and FCIP Write Acceleration features is not supported on FCIP tunnels configured on Cisco MDS 9700 Director switches.

●      On Cisco MDS 24/10 Port SAN Extension Module, configuring multiple FSPF equal cost paths (ECMP) via port channels or non-port channel interfaces with FCIP members in the same VSAN is not a valid configuration. If this is configured, then the traffic flows through only one of the port channels or non-port channel interfaces.

iSCSI Support

iSCSI is not supported on Cisco MDS 9700 Directors with Cisco MDS 24/10 port SAN Extension Modules and Cisco MDS 9220i multiservice fabric switch.

Resolved Issues

Severity 2 (Severe) Issues

Bug ID

Headline

Known Impoacted Releases

CSCwn39942

Cisco NX-OS Software Command Injection Vulnerability

9.4(3b)

CSCwo99445

When ficon CUP processes a C2 command from the host it loses about 700 bytes of memory

9.4(1a)

Severity 3 (Moderate) Issues

Bug ID

Headline

Known Impacted Releases

CSCwo09244

IOSlice temperature sensor shows as failed in MDS 9148T/9132T/9396T switch/MDS 9700 32 Gbps linecard

9.4(3)

Open Issues

Severity 2 (Severe) Issues

Bug ID

Headline

Known Impoacted Releases

CSCwm79623

'pixmc' service crash when multiple interfaces flap in a port-channel

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a)

CSCwo00133

"analytics" service crashes

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(1a), 9.3(2a)

8.4(2c)

CSCwo41374

Switch hangs after CPU stall, control plane and management interface not responding

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a)

Severity 3 (Moderate) Issues

Bug ID

Headline

Known Impacted Releases

CSCwm68404

ISL diagnostics fail to start when interface has 64 Gbps optics

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3)

CSCwp18394

fabric binding feature disabled when FICON feature is enabled

9.4(3b)

Severity 4 (Minor) Issues

Bug ID

Headline

Known Impacted Releases

CSCvf08416

'show tech details' triggers 'pam_ftp(ftp:auth): conversation failed - ftpd' syslogs

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a)

8.5(1)

8.4(1), 8.4(2), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e)

8.3(2), 8.3(1)

8.2(2), 8.2(1)

CSCvj93031

IPv6 source address not displayed in log in failure logs

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a)

8.5(1)

8.4(1), 8.4(2), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e)

8.3(2), 8.3(1)

CSCvs23106

SCSI target discovery service running even after removal of last DS-X9334-K9 module from switch

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a)

8.5(1)

8.4(1), 8.4(1a), 8.4(2), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e)

8.3(1), 8.3(2)

8.2(1), 8.2(2)

8.1(1), 8.1(1a), 8.1(1b)

CSCvt15761

Nondisruptive reload causes reinitialization of error disabled ports on other linecards

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a)

8.5(1)

8.4(2), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e)

CSCvv00538

Remove misleading ficon stat 'merge failed' message in non- FICON VSAN

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a)

8.5(1)

8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e)

CSCwc61263

Linecard fails to boot up with '%PORT-5- MODULE_BRINGUP_NOT_ALLOWED' error

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a)

8.4(2e), 8.4(2c)

8.1(1)

CSCwk33644

Power Supply status of "Powered-dn" causes Amber System Status LED

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a), 9.4(1)

Severity 6 (Enhancement) Issues

Bug ID

Headline

Known Impacted Releases

CSCvo22835

All flows are briefly suspended while moving an IOA flow between 2 clusters

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a)

8.5(1)

8.4(1), 8.4(2), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e)

8.3(2), 8.3(1)

8.2(2), 8.2(1)

8.1(1b), 8.1(1a), 8.1(1)

CSCvp70681

Streaming to telemetry receiver stops, receiver stays in "idle" state

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a)

8.5(1)

8.4(1), 8.4(2), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e)

CSCvw77444

Need to automatically sync bootflash:/scripts directory between active and standby sups

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a), 9.4(1)

8.1(1a)

CSCvx37657

Need to save nonvolatile logs about BIOS programming errors

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a)

8.5(1)

8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e)

8.3(2)

CSCwb13413

A fabric module with a faulty link to a linecard is not powered down

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a)

8.4(1)

CSCwe86920

Add option to 'show tech-support' to exclude and include subcommands

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a), 9.4(1)

8.1(1)

CSCwf48167

Span tx is not working in NPV mode on all platforms, rx is working

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a), 9.4(1)

CSCwf66251

Need a syslog warning when number of zone members exceeds maximum supported

9.4(3b), 9.4(3a), 9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a)

8.4(2d)

Related Documentation

The documentation set for the Cisco MDS 9000 Series includes the documents that are listed in this section. To find a document online, access the following URL:

https://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5989/tsd_products_support_series_home.html

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

https://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9369/tsd_products_support_series_home.html

Release Notes

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/storage-networking/mds-9000-nx-os-san-os-software/products-release-notes-list.html

Documentation Suite

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/storage/san_switches/mds9000/roadmaps/rel90.html

Statement of Volatility

https://trustportal.cisco.com/c/r/ctp/trust-portal.html?search_keyword=mds%209000&solutioncategory=Data%20Center#/1646059028492371

Documentation Feedback

To provide technical feedback on this document, or to report an error or omission, send your comments to mds-docfeedback@cisco.com. We appreciate your feedback.

Legal Information

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/legal/trademarks.html. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1721R)

Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.

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