Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Upgrade Workflow

Feature history for the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components upgrade workflow

Table 1. Feature history

Feature Name

Release Information

Description

Cisco SD-WAN Control Components Upgrade Workflow

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Release 20.18.1

With the guided workflow you can upgrade the software image of all the Cisco SD-WAN Control Components.

It also allows you to apply patch release upgrades to Cisco SD-WAN Control Components, for bug fixes and minor improvements.

From Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Release 20.18.1, you can schedule full OS and patch upgrades for Cisco SD-WAN control plane components (SD-WAN Manager, SD-WAN Validator, SD-WAN Controller) for a specific future date and time.

Information About Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Upgrade Workflow

Minimum Supported Version: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Release 20.18.1

A Cisco SD-WAN Control Components upgrade workflow is a process that:

  • integrates the software image upgrade of the Cisco SD-WAN Control Components—Cisco SD-WAN Manager, Cisco SD-WAN Controller, and Cisco SD-WAN Validator, and

  • reduces the complexity of upgrading each Cisco SD-WAN Control Component separately.

The workflow upgrades the Cisco SD-WAN Control Components in the following sequence:

  1. Cisco SD-WAN Manager

  2. Cisco SD-WAN Validator

  3. Cisco SD-WAN Controller

In the workflow, you can download software images from the Cisco Software Download repository and upload software images from a local drive.

During the upgrade process, you can monitor the progress for each control component separately.

Information About Patch Release Upgrade For Control Components

A patch release upgrade is a targeted update that addresses specific bugs and introduces minor improvements to the software. It is designed to complement the existing software.

You can apply a patch release upgrade only to its compatible software release version. For example, if your software version is 20.18.1, you can apply patches designed only for 20.18.1. A patch release image is named as a 6-tuple, with the last digit indicating the patch number (e.g., 20.18.1.0.0.1). It is applied on a compatible base 5-tuple release version (e.g., 20.18.1.0.0)

Benefits of Using Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Upgrade Workflow

Minimum Supported Version: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Release 20.18.1

  • Streamlined upgrade process: All Cisco SD-WAN Control Components are upgraded in the correct sequence, reducing the risk of errors.

  • Progress monitoring: With better visibility into the progress of each control component's upgrade, you can track and manage the upgrade process more efficiently.

  • Pre-check and post-check tasks: The workflow includes a list of validation tasks that run before and after the upgrade. This flexibility ensures that the upgrade completes successfully.

  • Flexibility in software image selection: You can either use the recommended image versions or choose a compatible custom image. For software compatibility information, see Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Compatibility Matrix and Recommended Computing Resources

  • Operational efficiency: Implementing patch release upgrades simplifies the process of fixing minor issues, thereby minimizing operational overhead in addressing minor problems.

Prerequisite for Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Upgrade Workflow

Minimum Supported Version: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Release 20.18.1

You must ensure that the Cisco SD-WAN Control Components are running on the compatible software versions before using the Control Components Upgrade workflow.

Restrictions for Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Upgrade Workflow

Minimum Supported Version: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Release 20.18.1

  • You cannot select or deselect specific Cisco SD-WAN Control Components for upgrade.

  • The workflow does not support older versions of Cisco SD-WAN Control Components.

Restrictions for Patch Release Upgrade

You cannot uninstall a patch release upgrade, after you apply it to the Cisco SD-WAN Control Components. We recommend taking a VM snapshot before upgrading.

Upgrade Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Using a Workflow

Before you begin

Minimum Supported Version: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Release 20.18.1

If you are planning to upload software images from your local drive, ensure all the appropriate software image files for Cisco SD-WAN Control Components are available for upload. To ensure that the current device versions support the new software image verision, see Cisco SD-WAN Compatibility Matrix

Procedure

Step 1

In the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, click Workflows > Workflow Library.

  1. Start a Control Components Upgrade workflow.

Step 2

Choose the type of upgrade:

  • Upgrade: To install and activate all Cisco SD-WAN Control Components.

    .

  • Patch: To install and activate patch image to Cisco SD-WAN Control Components.

Step 3

Select Image Version.

  • Recommended Image shows an image that is recommended based on compatibility, if logged into cisco.com.

  • Custom allows you to select from a dropdown of images that include images already uploaded in the Software Repository. Or, if you are logged into cisco.com you can select images from software.cisco.com that aren't necessarily the recommend version, but are options to upgrade to.

  • + Add New Image allows you to select an image from software.cisco.com (either from the Recommended Image option or from the Custom dropdown). The image automatically downloads from CCO.

Step 4

Follow the on-screen instructions to continue with the Cisco SD-WAN Control Components upgrade.

Note

 

  • Click Exit to exit from an in-progress upgrade workflow. You can resume the in-progress workflow at your convenience.

  • You cannot cancel the Cisco SD-WAN Control Components upgrade process after initializing it.

Note

 

Click View upgrade status to monitor the progress of software upgrade for each control component during the upgrade process.

Alternatively, you can navigate to Maintenance > Software Upgrade > Control Components and click View upgrade status to monitor the progress of software upgrade.

What to do next

Verify the success or failure of the Cisco SD-WAN Control Components upgrade or patch upgrade by reviewing the task logs. For more information about viewing task logs, see View Log of Software Upgrade Activities.

Scheduling Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Upgrade Using Workflow

Use the following steps to schedule a Cisco SD-WAN Control Components upgrade workflow.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, click Workflows > Workflow Library

Step 2

Start a new software upgrade workflow: Workflow Library > Software Upgrade.

Step 3

In the Scheduler section, select Later.

Note

 

Use the Now option to perform the software upgrade for the selected devices immediately.

Step 4

Select the Start Date, Start Time, and Select Timezone.

Step 5

Click Next.

Note

 

If an upgrade fails, Cisco SD-WAN Manager initates a rollback.

Reschedule a Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Upgrade

Use the following steps to reschedule a previously scheduled Cisco SD-WAN Control Components upgrade workflow that has not started yet.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, click Workflows > Workflow Library.

Step 2

Go to your scheduled software upgrade workflow: Workflow Library > Software Upgrade.

Step 3

Click on the Control Components tab and click Reschedule upgrade.

Step 4

Select the Start Date, Start Time, and Select Timezone.

Cancel a Scheduled Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components Upgrade

Use the following steps to cancel a scheduled Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components upgrade that has not started yet:

Procedure

Step 1

In the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, click Maintenance > Software Upgrade.

Step 2

Choose the device that is scheduled for a software upgrade from the list of devices.

Step 3

Click Cancel Software Upgrade.