Release Notes For Cisco IoT Field Network Director, Release 5.1.x
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Cisco IoT Field Network Director, Release 5.1.x
Cisco IoT Field Network Director, Release 5.1.x
Cisco IoT FND 5.1.0 introduces enhanced firmware upgrade options for cellular modems and routers, advanced scheduling for image uploads and installs, and template versioning for improved configuration management. This release also features improved logging and expanded 5G standalone PIM support. Enhanced telemetry and deeper network insight provide greater visibility and control over your IoT infrastructure. These updates are designed to streamline operations and support efficient network management.
Table 1. Updates to Release notes
| Date |
Description |
| 10/23/2025 |
Cisco IoT FND Release 5.1.0 |
This section provides a brief description of the new software features introduced in this release.
Table 2. New software features for IoT Field Network Director, Release 5.1.0
|
Product Impact |
Feature |
Description |
| Upgrade |
Cisco IoT FND automatically removes unused firmware images from both bootflash: and bootflash:/managed/images directories during every firmware upload, install, and during registration post the reload, ensuring optimal use of storage space without any manual intervention. This proactive cleanup not only simplifies the upgrade process but also helps prevent storage-related issues, allowing upgrades to proceed smoothly. |
|
| Bundle Boot and Install Boot modes for Cisco Catalyst IR8100 |
You can select between Bundle Boot and Install Boot Modes in the router firmware upgrade process. |
|
| Schedule the uploading and installing firmware images to a router group. |
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| Upgrade firmware of the cellular modems based on cellular technologies like LTE and 5G for Cisco Catalyst IR1100, Cisco Catalyst IR8100, and Cisco Catalyst IR1800 using Cisco IoT FND. |
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| Cisco IoT FND displays the firmware upload progress for Cisco IoT routers running Cisco IOS-XE namely: · Cisco Catalyst IR1100 · Cisco Catalyst IR8100 · Cisco Catalyst IR1800
|
||
| Ease of use |
Abort the StackMode jobs using Cisco IoT FND. You can abort the operations you performed using Push StackMode, Push StackMode Time, and Cancel StackMode options. |
|
| Abort both the Schedule Install and Reload and Set as Backup operations. |
||
| Export the firmware group update information from the Firmware Update page and export the configuration group update information from the Device Configuration page. The export option is available only for routers and endpoints. |
||
| Cisco IoT FND retrieves open issues and prunes them based on a configurable retention period. By default, open issues are retained for 31 days, and older items are automatically removed. You can control this period using the Keep Open Issues data for field. |
||
| In Cisco IoT FND, errors, startup events, and heartbeat logs are recorded in dedicated logs instead of a single consolidated server log. A predefined list of feature-specific logs provides quick access, allowing you to efficiently monitor system activity. |
||
| You can collect endpoint metrics from both mesh nodes as well as routers independent of RPL tree settings. |
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| Reboot WPAN button is added to the Device info page in Cisco IoT FND for these routers running: • Cisco IOS XE: Cisco Catalyst IR8140, • Cisco IOS: Cisco CGR1000. |
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| Support for Enabling or BBUs in Cisco IoT FND with BBU Firmware Upgrade |
You can use the Enable BBU and Disable BBU options in Cisco IoT FND to enable or disable Battery Backup Units (BBUs) for these routers: • Cisco CGR 1000 Series router CGR1240. • Cisco Catalyst IR8140. Additionally, you can upgrade the BBU firmware images for these routers at the router group level by uploading and installing them in Cisco IoT FND. |
|
| You can use the Custom User Property option in Cisco IoT FND to easily add or delete user defined properties of connected devices, instead of editing the userPropertyTypes.xml file. |
||
| Cisco IoT FND captures the endpoint outage or restoration in the Events page. The Cisco IoT FND outage/restoration received time is included in outage/restoration event message. |
||
| You can delete the existing third-party generic endpoints device type from Cisco IoT FND. |
||
| You can install and retain custom certificates from an older Cisco IoT FND version to the latest Cisco IoT FND version. |
||
| Ease of setup |
Template versioning allows you to create new Cisco IoT FND templates with unique version numbers from both existing as well as newly created templates. You can create, edit, save or delete templates using template versioning in Cisco IoT FND. |
|
| Software reliability |
Use a script that automatically configures optimal Java heap and GC settings for large-scale Cisco IoT FND deployments, streamlining memory tuning and enhancing performance for environments with 25,000 or more routers. |
|
| Cisco IoT FND supports flexible telemetry data integration with Cisco DNA Center (CDNA), enabling seamless data transfer in both online and offline modes.
|
This section provides a brief description of the new hardware features introduced in this release.
Table 3. New hardware features for IoT Field Network Director, Release 5.1.0
| Product impact |
Feature |
Description |
| Hardware reliability |
You can boost your network flexibility and industrial integration using Cisco IRM-1100-4S8I expansion module featuring 4x SFP L2/L3 ports and 8x GPIO ports. |
|
| P-5GS6-GL PIM support for Cisco Catalyst IR1800 and Cisco Catalyst IR1100 routers |
Adds support for P-5GS6-GL 5G stand-alone PIM for the Cisco Catalyst IR1800 and Cisco Catalyst IR1100 routers. |
|
| P-5GS6-R16SA-GL and P-5GS6-GL PIMs support for Cisco Catalyst IR8100 routers |
Adds support for P-5GS6-GL and P-5GS6-R16SA-GL 5G stand-alone PIMs for Cisco Catalyst IR8100 router. |
Table 4. Changes in behavior, Release 5.1.0
| Bug ID |
Description |
| NA |
When Cisco IoT FND uploads an image to the router, it automatically removes unused firmware images from bootflash in the background, and the system disables the Remove unused firmware images from bootflash check box by default.
|
This table lists the resolved issues in this specific software release.
Note: This software release may contain bug fixes first introduced in other releases. To see additional information, click the bug ID to access the Cisco Bug Search Tool.
Table 5. Resolved issues for IoT Field Network Director, Release 5.1.0
| Bug ID |
Description |
| Radius user not authorized error when accessing Firmware Groups |
|
| FND - Security Scan Issue Apache CXF 3.6.x < 3.6.4 |
|
| FND cluster env | FND service startup slowness issue in nodes. |
|
| Image type not applicable to element. Will not upload Firmware images |
|
| Extended UI load times for Firmware Groups and Images |
|
| FND does not update the newly rotated device password in the net properties table |
|
| FND displays SD Card Removal Event for IR8140 with no SD Card |
|
| FND 4.9: Available database connections are running out |
|
| Events CSV export have net element ID instead of EID |
|
| FND 5.0: Unable to Install Custom Browser Certificates on FND with Different Keystore Password |
|
| Device export is not working in edge browser |
|
| Adding new license file causing existing devices to become unmanaged |
|
| Unable to push stack mode on panid with more than 1000 endpoints |
This table lists the open issues in this specific software release.
Note: This software release may contain open bugs first identified in other releases. To see additional information, click the bug ID to access the Cisco Bug Search Tool.
Table 6. Open issues for IoT Field Network Director, Release 5.1.0
| Bug ID |
Description |
| Incorrect Values Displayed in Receive Speed (bits/sec) column for IR8100 Device Endpoints |
This table lists the limitations for this release. Click the bug ID to access the Cisco Bug Search Tool and see additional information
Table 7. Known issues for IoT Field Network Director, Release 5.1.0
| Bug ID |
Description |
| In the server.log file, the RestNotificationJob task logs errors every 10 seconds due to a connection failure between backend services. Either an out-of-order sequence startup of a backend service or duplicate JAR files in the filesystem during an upgrade of Cisco IoT FND can trigger the errors. |
|
| NA |
When export of device details fails in the Field Devices page, you get logged out of Cisco IoT FND for a few times, intermittently. The issue gets resolved when you clear the browser cache and log in again. |
This section lists compatibility information
Validated browsers
Here is the list of validated browsers:
● Microsoft Edge
● Firefox 3.5 or greater
Supported deployment methods
Here is the list of supported deployment methods:
● Bare Metal with Oracle DB
● OVA with Oracle DB
● OVA with Postgres + Influx DB
● QCOW2 with Postgres+Influx DB
OpenSSH Version
Since Cisco IoT FND is supported on a variety of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5 update releases, the OpenSSH version that comes with a given release might be an older version with known security holes. Consequently, we recommend ensuring that OpenSSH on the RHEL Cisco IoT FND server is up-to-date. On initial installation, upgrade the OpenSSH package in the Cisco IoT FND server to RHEL version 8.8 and later versions.
Supported RHEL versions
Here are the supported RHEL versions on Cisco IoT FND running Cisco IoT FND Release 5.1:
● RHEL 8.8
● RHEL 9.6
Supported PostgresSQL versions
As part of the component upgrade, starting from Cisco IoT FND 5.1 release, the integrated PostgreSQL 16.7 will be supported in the following versions:
● Fresh Cisco IoT FND 5.1 installations running RHEL 9.6
● Upgraded VMs running RHEL 8.x and later versions
Note: There is no upgrade for PostgreSQL 12.12 if the base OS is RHEL 7.x.
System requirements
Table 8. Mesh deployment Using Bare Metal with Oracle
| Nodes (routers/endpoints) |
CPU (virtual cores) |
Memory (RAM GB) |
Disk Space (GB) |
| 500/50,000 |
4 |
16 |
250 |
| 1,000/1,000,000 |
8 |
16 |
250 |
| 2,000/2,000,000 |
8 |
16 |
500 |
| 6,000/6,000,000 |
8 |
16 |
500 |
| 8,000/8,000,000 |
8 |
32 |
500 |
Note:
● If there is a firewall in the path, set the TCP timeout on the firewall for the connection between the FND application server and the Oracle database to 4 hours or more.
● Four application servers are recommended for 8,000/ 8,000,000 routers/endpoints.
● We recommend you use the cluster method for application server if you are using over 2,000/20,000 routers/endpoints.
● Cisco IoT FND can process approximately 90 CSMP packets per second per node.
● Set the Java Heap memory to 12 GB to achieve a 25,000 scale and increase the heap memory to 18 GB for anything greater than a 25,000 scale. For more information see, Achieve Scale Beyond 25,000 Routers.
Table 9. Using Oracle database server
| Nodes (routers/endpoints) |
CPU (virtual cores) |
Memory (RAM GB) |
Disk Space (GB) |
| 500/50,000 |
8 |
32 |
500 |
| 1,000/1,000,000 |
12 |
48 |
1000 |
| 2,000/2,000,000 |
16 |
64 |
1000 |
| 6,000/6,000,000 |
20 |
96 |
1000 |
| 8,000/8,000,000 |
32 |
160 |
2000 |
Table 10. Mesh deployments using VMs with Oracle
| Nodes (routers/endpoints) |
CPU (virtual cores) |
Memory (RAM GB) |
Disk Space (GB) |
| 2,000/20,000,000 |
24 |
96 |
1500 |
Table 11. Router-only deployments using BareMetal with Oracle: Using Cisco IoT FND Application Server
| Nodes (routers/endpoints) |
CPU (virtual cores) |
Memory (RAM GB) |
Disk Space (GB) |
| 25,000 |
32 |
64 |
500 |
| 10,000 |
16 |
48 |
500 |
Table 12. Using Oracle database server
| Nodes (routers/endpoints) |
CPU (virtual cores) |
Memory (RAM GB) |
Disk Space (GB) |
| 25,000 |
32 |
96 |
1000 |
| 10,000 |
16 |
96 |
1000 |
Table 13. Router-only deployment using VMs with Postgres
| Nodes (routers/endpoints) |
CPU (virtual cores) |
Memory (RAM GB) |
Disk Space (GB) |
| 50,000 |
24 (cores per socket:4 and sockets:6) |
96 |
800 |
| 25,000 |
24 (cores per socket:4 and sockets:6) |
96 |
800 |
| 15,000 |
16 |
64 |
500 |
Table 14. Release upgrade matrix
| Current release |
Target release |
| 5.0.0-117, 4.12.0-69 (OVA), 4.12.0-69 (ISO) |
5.1.0-155 |
| 4.12.0-56 (OVA), 4.12.0-56 (ISO), 4.11.0-69 (OVA), and 4.11.0-69 (ISO) |
5.0.0-117 |
| 4.11.0-69 (OVA), 4.11.0-69 (ISO), 4.10.0-45 (OVA), and 4.10.0-46 (ISO) |
4.12.0-56 |
| 4.10.0-45 (OVA), 4.10.0-46 (ISO), 4.9.0-62 (ISO, OVA), 4.9.1-8 (Postgres OVA), and 4.9.2-4 (ISO) |
4.11.0-69 |
| 4.9.1-8, 4.9.0-62, 4.8.1-72, 4.8.0-130 (ISO), and 4.8.0-133(OVA) |
4.10.0-xxx |
| 4.9.0-62, 4.8.1-72, 4.8.0-130 (ISO), 4.8.0-133 (OVA), 4.7.2-8, 4.7.1-60, and 4.7.0-100 |
4.9.1-xxx Note: this release is only for Postgres OVA deployment. |
| 4.8.1-72, 4.8.0-130 (ISO), 4.8.0-133 (OVA), 4.7.2-8, 4.7.1-60, and 4.7.0-100 |
4.9.0-xxx |
| 4.8.0-xxx, 4.7.2-8, 4.7.1-60, and 4.7.0-100 |
4.8.1-xxx |
| 4.7.2-8, 4.7.1-60, 4.7.0-100, 4.6.2-16, and 4.6.1-61 |
4.8.0-xxx |
| 4.7.1-60, 4.7.0-100, and 4.6.1-61 |
4.7.2-8 |
| 4.7.0-100 and 4.6.1-61 |
4.7.1-60 |
| 4.6.1-61 and 4.5.1-11 |
4.7.0-100 |
Note:
● Sometimes, firmware images are not displayed in the Cisco IoT FND while upgrading the Cisco IoT FND from earlier versions to 4.8.x. To resolve this issue, we recommend that you clear the browser cache.
● The target release versions allow upgrades from the two prior major releases and its maintenance releases unless the maintenance release was released after the target version.
● If the current version is not within the two prior versions of the target release, then multiple upgrade hops are required to get to the target release. Use the table above to plan your upgrade. Upgrade each intermediate version(s) and initiate the Cisco IoT FND application. If you can login to Cisco IoT FND, it is the best indication that your upgrade is successful.
Table 15. Upgrade Hardware Security Module (HSM)
| Release |
HSM client |
HSM software |
| 5.1.0 |
10.2 with software patch |
7.4 |
| 5.0.0 |
10.2 with software patch |
7.4 |
| 4.7.x to 4.12.x |
10.2 |
7.4 |
| 4.6 |
10.2 |
7.4 |
| 4.5 |
7.3 with software patch |
7.4 |
| 4.4 |
7.3 with software patch |
7.0 |
Table 16. Supported device types and versions
| Device type |
Release |
|
| FARs |
||
|
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.18.1a
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.17.01
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.16.1
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.15.03
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.12.6
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.9.8
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.9.5b
|
||
|
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.18.1a
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.17.01
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.16.1
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.15.03
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.12.6
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.9.8
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.9.5b
|
||
|
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.18.1a
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.17.01
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.16.1
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.15.03
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.12.6
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.9.8
● Cisco IOS XE Release 17.9.5b
|
||
| Cisco CGR1000 Series Connected Grid Router (CGR1120 and CGR1240) |
● Cisco IOS Release 15.9.3M10(MD)
● Cisco IOS Release 15.9-3.M11(MD)
|
|
| Cisco 800 Series Industrial Integrated Services Router (IR800) |
● Cisco IOS Release 15.9-3M11(MD)
● Cisco IOS Release 15.9-3M10(MD)
|
|
| Cisco 800 Series Access Points (AP800) are integrated with IR829 platforms. |
● AP803: 15.3.3-JK10
● AP802: 15.3.3-JF15
|
|
| HERs |
||
|
● C8000V: Cisco IOS XE 17.15.03a, Cisco IOS XE 17.18.1a
● C8500L: Cisco IOS XE 17.15.03a , Cisco IOS XE 17.18.1a
|
||
| Cisco ASR 1001 or 1002 Aggregation Services Router (ASR) serving as a head-end router |
Cisco IOS XE Release 17.6.7 (MD) |
|
|
● Cisco IOS Release 15.4(3)M
● Cisco IOS Release 15.4(2)T
|
||
| Cisco IOS XE Release 17.3.4a(MD) |
||
| Compute Gateway |
||
|
● 1.5.1
● 1.4.2
|
||
| Mesh Endpoints |
● Wi-SUN firmware version 6.8.0
● Dual stack supported version 6.2.35 (MR)
● Non-Wi-SUN firmware version 5.6.42
|
|
| Cisco 500 Series Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) Industrial Routers (IR500) |
The firmware versions supported for the following router series are:
● Cisco IR510 (DA Gateway device) — 6.8.0 and 6.2.35 (MR)
● Cisco IR530 (Range Extender) — 6.8.0 and 6.2.35 (MR)
|
|
● Cisco IoT Field Network Director User Guide, Release 5.1.x
● Migrate Cisco IoT FND Postgres and Influx DB from RHEL 7.5 to RHEL 8.10
● Cisco IoT FND Deployment on an Open Virtual Appliance, VMware ESXi 5.5/6.0
● Cisco IoT Field Network Director Installation Guide-Oracle Deployment, Releases 4.3.x and Later
● Cisco IoT Field Network Director—Oracle DB Installation and Upgrade Guide
● North Bound API User Guide for Cisco IoT Field Network Director, Release 4.x
● Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco IoT Field Network Director
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