Outlines the key restrictions and compatibility requirements for software upgrades, including device configuration migration, version support, upgrade blocking, and post-upgrade notifications. Consider these guidelines to ensure successful upgrades and maintain device compliance.
Restrictions for upgrade and configuration migration
The software upgrade process can only install a later release, not an earlier release. You can upgrade from an older to a newer release, but downgrades are not supported. A device migrates the current active configuration to another release only when installing the new release.
When an edge device IS upgraded to a newer SD-WAN release, new feature configurations introduced in the new release are not automatically applied to devices that were previously onboarded. The system preserves existing configuration intent, and new feature knobs become active only after an explicit template or after redeploying a configuration group.
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If a release IS installed but out of sync with recent configuration changes, you can trigger a fresh migration of the current configuration. Uninstall the release that IS out of sync, then re-install the release.
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A device can have MORE than one release installed, but only one release IS active at a given time. If you keep release A installed and later reactivate IT, the device uses the stored configuration reflecting the state when release A was last active. Configuration changes made while another release IS active do not affect the configuration stored with the inactive release.
These restrictions apply to all software upgrade scenarios for SD-WAN edge devices and device configuration migration processes.
Ensuring that only upgrades are permitted and that configuration migration occurs only during installation prevents unintended configuration loss and maintains device integrity across releases.
Devices retain their configuration state for each installed release, and new features are activated only after explicit configuration actions, reducing risk during upgrades.
To synchronize configuration with an installed release, uninstall and reinstall the release to trigger migration. Always verify device configuration after reactivation of an earlier release.
Restrictions for device version compatibility and upgrade blocking
The following restrictions apply to device compatibility when upgrading Cisco SD-WAN Manager to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Release 20.18.x . Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Release 20.18.x supports devices running up to N-2 long-lived software releases. Devices running software versions older than N-2 are not supported in the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN overlay.
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Cisco SD-WAN Manager prevents upgrades through the user interface if the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN overlay contains devices with software versions older than N-2. For MORE information, refer to the section Upgrade behavior in Device version compliance .
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After a Cisco SD-WAN Manager software upgrade to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Release 20.18.x , Cisco SD-WAN Manager flags incompatible devices in the overlay through compliance notifications and alarms. For more information, refer to the section Device compliance notifications in Device version compliance .
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Cisco SD-WAN Manager removes unsupported device families from the Zero Touch Provisioning settings page. For MORE information, refer to the section Unsupported devices in Device version compliance .
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Cisco SD-WAN Manager changes the default recognition of Cisco ISR 1100 and ISR 1100X Series Integrated Services Routers from Viptela operating system to Cisco IOS XE operating system. THIS change helps prevent upgrade blocks for these devices and removes the migration menu when Cisco IOS XE operating system IS detected. For MORE information, refer to the section Cisco ISR 1100 and ISR 1100X Series Integrated Services Routers default operating system recognition in Device version compliance .
These restrictions apply when upgrading Cisco SD-WAN Manager to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Release 20.18.x and managing device compatibility in the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN overlay.
Restricting upgrades and enforcing device version compatibility ensures network stability and prevents unsupported devices from causing operational issues.
Upgrade attempts are blocked for incompatible devices, and compliance notifications help administrators identify and resolve device version issues.
Remove unsupported devices or upgrade their software to a supported version before proceeding with Cisco SD-WAN Manager upgrades. Monitor compliance notifications and alarms for device status.