Tools used to create a bootable USB device from installation ISO file

Updated: September 18, 2026

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Outlines how to use third-party utilities like Rufus, Fedore Media Writer, or balenaEtcher to prepare bootable installation media. These tools allow you to convert a standard Cisco ISE ISO file into a functional USB drive for physical hardware deployment.

This table shows the tools to be used to create a bootable USB device from the installation ISO file in different Cisco ISE versions.

Table 1. Tools used to create bootable USB device
Cisco ISE release	Tool
Cisco ISE release 3.5	Rufus, Fedora Media Writer, and balenaEtcher
Cisco ISE release 3.4	Rufus for ise-3.4.0.608.SPA.x86_64.iso file Rufus, Fedora Media Writer, and balenaEtcher for ise-3.4.0.608a.SPA.x86_64.iso
Cisco ISE release 3.3	Rufus
Cisco ISE release 3.2	Rufus
Cisco ISE release 3.1	Fedora LiveUSB-creator for SNS 3500 and SNS 3600 series appliances. Rufus for SNS 3700 series appliances

Note

Cisco ISE release 3.1 patch 6 and later and Cisco ISE release 3.2 patch 2 and later versions support Cisco SNS 3700 series appliances.

You can download Rufus from this location:

https://rufus.ie/downloads/

You can download Fedora Media Writer from this location:

https://github.com/FedoraQt/MediaWriter/releases/tag/5.0.6

You can download balenaEtcher from this location:

https://github.com/balena-io/etcher/releases/tag/v1.19.21

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