System Setup and Software Installation Guide for Cisco NCS 1004

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System Setup and Software Installation Guide for Cisco NCS 1004

Golden ISO for OpenROADM

Updated: July 17, 2026

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This topic explains how to boot NCS 1004 using a Golden ISO image for Open ROADM deployments, covering the composition of the GISO image, the build process, USB boot file creation, and post-boot verification.

From Release 7.3.1, NCS 1004 supports booting with a GISO image specifically prepared for Open ROADM deployments.

The GISO image is bundled with these files:

Mini ISO image,
Open ROADM RPM,
OTN-XP RPM, and
Startup configuration file.

Components of Golden ISO image for OpenROADM deployment

This topic explains the Golden ISO support for Open ROADM on NCS 1004, available from Release 7.3.1, and describes the components that the GISO image must contain for a successful Open ROADM deployment.

The Golden ISO (GISO) image includes these bundled files:

Mini ISO image,
Open ROADM RPM,
OTN-XP RPM, and
Startup configuration file.

In new Open ROADM deployments, you must include the startup configuration file to enable Open ROADM. This file contains:

DHCP client configuration for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses,
SSH server configuration,
XR Netconf configuration, and
Telnet configuration for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.

Build a GISO image for OpenROADM

Generate a bootable Golden ISO image that includes the necessary mini ISO, Open ROADM RPM files, and a startup configuration for Open ROADM deployments.

A Golden ISO image is required to install Open ROADM software in a single step. This procedure enables deployment consistency by packaging required files together. Place the mini ISO file, the RPM directory, and the startup configuration file in the same location before you start the build.

Procedure

Use the gisobuild.py script available at the /pkg/bin/gisobuild.py location to build the Golden ISO.

Syntax: gisobuild.py -i ./ncs1004-mini-x.iso -r ./rpm-directory -c ./xr-config -l label

Example:

gisobuild.py -i ./ncs1004-mini-xr-7.3.1.iso -r ./RPMS -c ./giso.startup.txt -1 V1

Where:

gisobuild.py: Python script to run the GISO image build. Download the script from the GitHub site.
rpm-directory: Directory containing Open ROADM RPM files and OTN-XP RPM files.

Example: ncs1004-tp-sw-1.0.0.0-r731.rpm and ncs1004-sysadmin-otn-xp-dp-7.3.1-r731.rpm.
xr-config: IOS XR startup configuration file, for example, giso.startup.txt, which includes Open ROADM-specific configurations.
label: Label for identifying the Golden ISO image.

Example:


gisobuild.py -i ./ncs1004-mini-xr-7.3.1.iso -r ./RPMS -c giso.startup.txt -l V1

System requirements check [PASS]
Golden ISO build process starting...

Platform: ncs1004 Version: 7.3.1

XR-Config file (/.../giso.startup.txt) will be encapsulated in Golden ISO.

...RPM compatibility check [PASS]

Building Golden ISO...
Summary .....

XR rpms:
ncs1004-k9sec-2.1.0.0-r731.x86_64.rpm

XR Config file:
giso.startup.txt

...Golden ISO creation SUCCESS.

Golden ISO Image Location: /.../ncs1004-goldenk9-x-7.3.1-v1.iso

Golden ISO image is created successfully, consolidating the mini ISO, RPMs, and startup config. The output location for the Golden ISO image is displayed on completion.

Create a USB file for OpenROADM

Create a bootable USB file so you can deploy NCS 1004 for Open ROADM.

Once the Golden ISO image is available, create a bootable compressed USB file. Use this USB file to boot NCS 1004.

Procedure

	1.	Generate the USB file using the GISO image. Example: `./create_usb_zip ncs1004 ncs1004-golden-x-7.3.1-V1.iso` The bootable compressed USB file is created.
	2.	Copy the generated boot file from the system to the USB drive, extract the contents of the USB file onto the drive, and reboot NCS 1004. For more information, see Boot NCS 1004 using a USB file for Open ROADM.

NCS 1004 is ready to boot for an Open ROADM deployment using the USB drive you prepared.

Boot NCS 1004 from a USB file for OpenROADM

Initialize or reimage the NCS 1004 system with the Open ROADM image using a USB boot drive.

Before you begin

Obtain a USB drive that has at least 8 GB of storage and a single partition.
Download the NCS 1004 software image from the Software Download page on the website.
Copy the compressed boot file (for example, ncs1004-usb-boot-7.1.3.zip) from the website to your local machine.
Plug the USB drive into the USB 0 port on NCS 1004.

The bootable USB drive is used to reimage NCS 1004 for system upgrade or to boot NCS 1004 in case of boot failure. A bootable USB drive is created by copying a compressed boot file to the drive. After you extract the contents of the compressed file, the USB drive becomes bootable.

You can complete this task using Windows, Linux, or macOS. The exact operation for each step depends on the operating system.

Procedure

	1.	Connect the USB drive to your local machine and format it with the FAT32 file system.
	2.	Copy the compressed boot file to the USB drive.
	3.	Verify that the copy is successful by comparing the file size and MD5 checksum at the source and destination.
	4.	Extract the content of the compressed boot file directly into the root folder of the USB drive. Note Extract the EFI and boot directories directly to the root of the USB drive. If the unzipping application places the extracted files in a new subfolder, move EFI and boot to the root of the USB drive.
	5.	Insert the USB drive into one of the USB ports of NCS 1004.
	6.	Reboot NCS 1004 using a power cycle or the console.
	7.	Press Esc to enter BIOS.
	8.	Select the Save & Exit tab in BIOS.
	9.	Choose IOS-XR Install. The system detects the USB drive and boots the GISO image. The Open ROADM startup configuration is applied automatically on first boot. TAM: Chip DB Verified CiscoSec: Image Signature Verified GNU GRUB version 2.00 Press F2 to goto grub Menu.. Booting from USB.. Loading Kernel.. Kernel Secure Boot Validation Result: PASSED Loading initrd…. Initrd Secure Boot Validation Result: PASSED Starting udev….. Running postinst /etc/rpm-postinsts/100-dnsmasq... Sun Mar 7 19:22:30 UTC 2021: pd_download_giso Write at Address 0x7bbe000098 (mmap addr 0x7fe08ec87000(0x98)) value 0x1 len 4 width 4 byte Write at Address 0x7bbe000098 (mmap addr 0x7f54fc88b000(0x98)) value 0x2 len 4 width 4 byte Watchdog timer reset done, next reset needed within 10 minutes Golden ISO type = 1.1 and PKG_VER = 1.0 Current Boot: IOSXR-Install Current Boot: USB… * First booting, filesystem will be relabeled... Finished Calvados patch for lxc Starting to prepare calvados logical volume--- Create sub partition on /dev/panini_vol_grp/calvados_lv0 Create data sub partition on /dev/panini_vol_grp/calvados_data_lv0 File system creation on /dev/panini_vol_grp/calvados_lv0 took 6 seconds Install sysadmin-vm image on /dev/panini_vol_grp/calvados_lv0 RP based installation Starting Calvados patch for lxc for sysadmin-vm Uninstalling rpm task-nxos-core Uninstalling rpm gdb Uninstalling rpm smartmontools NCS1004: Complete Patch Calvados Enable selinux to relabel filesystem from initramfs Checking SELinux security contexts: * First booting, filesystem will be relabeled... Finished Calvados patch for lxc Installing sysadmin-vm image size of 1.9G took 53 seconds ---Starting to prepare repository--- File system creation on /dev/cpu_disk2 took 3 seconds Check for unwanted iso and remove if required. Copying /iso/host.iso to repository /iso directory Copying /iso/ncs1004-sysadmin.iso to repository /iso directory Copy Sysadmin rpms to repository Copy XR rpms to repository Copy giso_info.txt to repository Copying /iso/ncs1004-xr.iso to repository /iso directory Copying all ISOs to repository took 12 seconds Install EFI on /dev/cpu_disk4 pd_notify_img_install_done Checking disk error for: sdb Chassis disk smartctl -a output Chassis disk smartctl output done Disk model: Micron_5100_MTFDDAV240TCB No failures found in dmesg Checking Chassis disk mount failures. No mount failures found in Chassis disk /dev/sdb2 No mount failures found in Chassis disk /dev/BHDisasterRecovery/golden_image Chassis disk partitions exist Install finished on cpu_disk
	10.	Remove the USB drive. NCS 1004 reboots automatically. Rebooting system after installation ... [201.715171] reboot: Restarting system ERROR: Class:0; Subclass:10000; Operation: 1004 NCS1004: Initializing Devices Version 2.19.1266. Copyright (C) 2020 American Megatrends, Inc. BIOS Date: 10/23/2020 09:03:42 Ver: 0ACHI470 Press <DEL> or <ESC> to enter setup TAM: Chip DB CiscoSec: Image Signature Verified GNU GRUB version 2.00 Press F2 to goto grub Menu.. Booting from Disk.. Loading Kernel.. Kernel Secure Boot Validation Result: PASSED Loading initrd.. Initrd Secure Boot Validation Result: PASSED [3.836637] i8042: No controller found Enable selinux to relabel filesystem from initramfs Load IMA appraise policy: OK Switching to new root and running init. Sourcing /etc/sysconfig/udev Starting udev: [ OK ] Starting udev Running postinst /etc/rpm-postinsts/100-dnsmasq... update-rc.d: /etc/init.d/run-postinsts exists during rc.d purge (continuing) Removing any system startup links for run-postinsts /etc/rcS.d/S99run-postinsts Configuring network interfaces... done. Starting system message bus: dbus. Starting OpenBSD Secure Shell server: sshd generating ssh RSA key... generating ssh ECDSA key... generating ssh DSA key... generating ssh ED25519 key... sshd start/running, process 3559 Starting rpcbind daemon...done. Starting kdump:[ OK ] Starting random number generator daemon. Starting system log daemon...0 Starting kernel log daemon...0 tftpd-hpa disabled in /etc/default/tftpd-hpa Starting internet superserver: xinetd. Starting S.M.A.R.T. daemon: smartd. Starting Lighttpd Web Server: lighttpd. Starting libvirtd daemon: [ OK ] Starting crond: OK Starting cgroup-init Network ieobc_br defined from /etc/init/ieobc_br_network.xml Network local_br defined from /etc/init/local_br_network.xml Network xr_local_br defined from /etc/init/xr_local_br_network.xml Network ieobc_br started Network local_br started Network xr_local_br started mcelog start/running, process 4647 diskmon start/running, process 4653 Creating default host password file Start serial incoming on , Clearing .. initctl: Unknown instance: /dev/ttyS0 Connecting to 'default-sdr--1' console bootlogd: ioctl(/dev/pts/2, TIOCCONS): Device or resource busy Running postinst /etc/rpm-postinsts/100-dnsmasq... update-rc.d: /etc/init.d/run-postinsts exists during rc.d purge (continuing) Removing any system startup links for run-postinsts ... /etc/rcS.d/S99run-postinsts Configuring network interfaces... done. Starting system message bus: dbus. Starting OpenBSD Secure Shell server: sshd generating ssh RSA key... generating ssh ECDSA key... generating ssh DSA key... generating ssh ED25519 key... sshd start/running, process 2197 Starting rpcbind daemon...done. Starting random number generator daemon. Starting system log daemon...0 Starting kernel log daemon...0 tftpd-hpa disabled in /etc/default/tftpd-hpa Starting internet superserver: xinetd. net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1 Libvirt not initialized for container instance Starting crond: OK SIOCADDRT: File exists Start serial incoming on , Clearing .. ios con0/RP0/CPU0 is now available Press RETURN to get started. This product contains cryptographic features and is subject to United States and local country laws governing import, export, transfer and use. Delivery of Cisco cryptographic products does not imply third-party authority to import, export, distribute or use encryption. Importers, exporters, distributors and users are responsible for compliance with U.S. and local country laws. By using this product you agree to comply with applicable laws and regulations. If you are unable to comply with U.S. and local laws, return this product immediately. A summary of U.S. laws governing Cisco cryptographic products may be found at: http://www.cisco.com/wwl/export/crypto/tool/stqrg.html If you require further assistance please contact us by sending email to export@cisco.com.

NCS 1004 boots from the USB drive and installs the Open ROADM image. Upon completion, the system reboots and applies the Open ROADM startup configuration, with confirmation messages indicating successful installation and startup.

Verify the boot operation for OpenROADM

Ensure NCS 1004 is running the correct Open ROADM GISO image and is ready for operation.

Procedure

Use the show version command to compare the displayed version with the intended Open ROADM boot image version.

The displayed version and label must match the GISO image intended for this device.

Example:

RP/0/RP0/CPU0:ios#show version
Sun Mar  7 19:31:38.139 UTC
Cisco IOS XR Software, Version 7.3.1
Copyright (c) 2013-2021 by Cisco Systems, Inc.

Build Information:
Built By     : ingunawa
Built On     : Thu Feb 25 19:10:10 PST 2021
Built Host   : iox-lnx-070
Workspace    : /auto/srcarchive17/prod/7.3.1/ncs1004/ws
Version      : 7.3.1
Location     : /opt/cisco/XR/packages/
Label        : 7.3.1-0

cisco NCS-1004 () processor
System uptime is 1 minute

NCS 1004 successfully runs the intended Open ROADM GISO version and label, confirming proper boot operation.

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