Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide, Release 10.6(x)

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Convert from NX-OS to ACI boot mode and from ACI boot mode back to NX-OS

Updated: February 5, 2026

Overview

This chapter explains how to transition Nexus 9000 Series switches between NX-OS and ACI boot modes by following specific image installation and configuration procedures. It also details recovery methods using the loader prompt and hardware considerations, such as necessary RAM upgrades and dual-supervisor synchronization, to ensure a successful mode conversion.

This chapter describes how to convert a Nexus 9000 Series switch from NX-OS to Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) boot mode.

Note

If you need to convert the mode of operation from NX-OS to ACI and the NX-OS switch model has only 16G memory, then the switch requires an RAM memory upgrade to support the ACI mode. For more information about upgrading the RAM of such switches, refer to Adding an 8, 16, or 32 Gigabyte DIMM to a Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switch.

The sections of this chapter include: