Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Upgrade Guide

Upgrading devices

Updated: July 1, 2026

Want to summarize with AI?

Information about upgrading devices using SD-WAN Manager or CLI commands.

Provides information about upgrading devices using SD-WAN Manager or CLI commands.

Use these procedures to upgrade device software:

Supported device upgrades

Describes supported upgrade paths for various platforms.

Cisco CSR1000V and Cisco ISRv routers


You can upgrade to...	from these releases
Cisco IOS XE Catalyst SD-WAN Release 17.4.1a	Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.3.1a or later Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.2.2 or later Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.12.4a or later Note To upgrade a Cisco CSR1000V or Cisco ISRv router to Cisco IOS XE Catalyst SD-WAN Release 17.4.1a from a release not listed here requires first upgrading to one of these releases. Upgrading a Cisco CSR1000V or Cisco ISRv router to Cisco IOS XE Catalyst SD-WAN Release 17.4.1a includes upgrading to the Cisco Catalyst 8000V.
Cisco IOS XE 17.3.x	Cisco IOS XE Catalyst SD-WAN Release 17.2.1r Cisco IOS XE Release 17.2.1v Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.12.x Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.11.x Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.10.x Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.9.x
Cisco IOS XE Catalyst SD-WAN Release 17.2.1r	Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.12.x Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.11.x Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.10.x Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.9.x

All routers supported by Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN except Cisco CSR1000V, Cisco ISRv, and Cisco Catalyst 8000V


You can upgrade to...	from these releases
Cisco IOS XE Catalyst SD-WAN Release 17.4.1a	Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.3.1a or later Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.2.1 or later Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.12.4a or later
Cisco IOS XE 17.3.x
Cisco IOS XE Catalyst SD-WAN Release 17.2.1r	Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.12.x Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.11.x Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.10.x Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.9.x

Upgrade using SD-WAN Manager

Using SD-WAN Manager to upgrade devices keeps devices and the SD-WAN Control Components synchronized.

Procedure

From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose Maintenance > Software Upgrade.

Upgrade using CLI commands

We recommend using Cisco SD-WAN Manager to upgrade. This keeps devices and SD-WAN Manager synchronized. If it is necessary to upgrade using the CLI, use the procedure here.

Before you begin

Back up configuration files. Without first backing up, the device loses its configuration during the upgrade. You can use these commands to back up the Cisco IOS XE Catalyst SD-WAN configuration and running configuration:

show sdwan running-config | redirect bootflash:/sdwan/sdwan.cli
show running-config | redirect bootflash:/sdwan/ios.cli

Procedure

Download the software image for your device from https://software.cisco.com .
Upload the image to the device.

Install the new software.

Example:

Device# request platform software sdwan software install bootflash:/isr4300-universalk9.17.2.1.SPA.bin

Activate the software. The device reloads when the activation is complete.
Example:
```
Device# request platform software sdwan software activate 17.2.01r.9.3 
```

Verify that the software is activated.

Example:

Device# show sdwan software

VERSION      ACTIVE DEFAULT PREVIOUS CONFIRMED TIMESTAMP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16.12.1d.0.48 false  true   true     auto     2020-03-04T10:43:45-00:00
17.2.01r.9.3   true  false  false    user     2020-03-04T11:15:20-00:00

Total Space:388M Used Space:100M Available Space:285M

Optionally, to ensure that the new version is preserved if a software reset is required, use the request platform software sdwan software set-default command.
Example:
```
Device# request platform software sdwan software set-default 17.2.01r.9.3
```
Verify the upgrade using request platform software sdwan software upgrade-confirm .
Example:
```
Device# request platform software sdwan software upgrade-confirm
```
Note

From the 17.6.1 release, you cannot perform another install, or activate or deactivate an operation for an image or a Software Maintenance Update (SMU), when the upgrade-confirm function is pending for an existing operation.

Need help?

Open a support case

(Requires a Cisco Service Contract)

The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product. Learn more about how Cisco is using Inclusive Language.