Overview

This chapter explains how to manage software upgrades and downgrades for Nexus 9000 Series switches, including the use of standard and enhanced In-Service Software Upgrades (ISSU) to minimize network downtime.

Software image

This section provides details about the NX-OS software image, which consolidates all necessary system components and outlines the support for disruptive upgrades, SMU package files, and EPLD handling across various Nexus 9000 Series switches.

Prerequisites for NX-OS software upgrade

Use the information in this section to ensure that you verify the upgrade paths, there are no active configuration sessions or user configurations during the upgrade, confirm connectivity to the remote file server for image transfer, and validate spanning tree criteria for ISSU to enable a smooth NX-OS software upgrade.

Nexus health and configuration checks

This section recommends that the health and configuration check must be performed on the switch before performing an upgrade to avoid potential issues.

NX-OS software upgrade guidelines

This section lists comprehensive guidelines, requirements, and special considerations for performing NX-OS software upgrades on Nexus 9000 series switches, including instructions such as generic, release-specific, and feature-specific.

ISSU platform support

This section explains the support for standard and enhanced In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) across various Nexus platforms, detailing the software releases where support was introduced and listing any features that are not supported for non-disruptive upgrades.

Upgrade paths

This section provides information about the upgrade paths for Nexus 9000 Series devices and outlines the supported transitions between major and maintenance software releases.

Install upgrade patches

Learn how to upgrade Nexus 9500 series switches from NX-OS Release 7.0(3)I1(2), 7.0(3)I1(3), or 7.0(3)I1(3a) by installing mandatory software patches before running the install all command. This step-by-step process ensures a smooth upgrade and helps avoid the need for console recovery after the upgrade.

Upgrade the NX-OS software

Learn how to upgrade the Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS software by preparing the switch, verifying image checksums, ensuring adequate space, copying and installing the correct image file, and validating the software version post-upgrade.

In-Service Software Upgrade

This section provides details about in-service software upgrade (ISSU), a process that allows you to upgrade the device without disrupting the traffic, minimizing or eliminating downtime. It also covers supported ISSU scenarios and platforms, including standard and enhanced ISSU for Top-of-Rack switches, and explains configuration requirements, traffic impact, and limitations for Nexus 9000 Series switches.

NX-OS upgrade history

This section provides details about how Nexus 9000 switches track and display a comprehensive history of all upgrade activities. Viewing this upgrade history helps with troubleshooting and understanding the sequence and status of past upgrades performed on the switch.

Prerequisites for NX-OS software downgrade

This section provides an overview of the prerequisites for downgrading the NX-OS software, including verifying feature compatibility, addressing any incompatibilities, and managing active configuration sessions before initiating the downgrade process.

NX-OS software downgrade guidelines

This section lists the guidelines and limitations you must review before downgrading NX-OS software, including supported downgrade methods, feature-specific considerations, and platform restrictions to ensure a successful and supported downgrade process.

Downgrade to an earlier software release

Use this procedure to safely downgrade a Nexus 9000 switch to an earlier NX-OS release by verifying software and hardware compatibility, copying the correct image file, disabling unsupported features, saving configurations, and performing the downgrade using the install all command. Always review the release notes for any specific exceptions or prerequisites before starting the process.