New and Changed Information

This document provides instructions for booting from one of two images that are installed on certain Cisco switches. The following table provides an overview of the significant changes to this guide up to this current release.

Table 1. New and Changed Information In This Document
Feature	Description
Initial release of document	Initial release of document

About Booting Switches with Multi-Image

Beginning with Cisco APIC Release 4.1(2), support is now available for certain Cisco switches to be loaded at the factory with two images:

One current Cisco ACI or NX-OS image
One long-lived image of the other OS type

See Switches That Support Booting With Multi-Image for a list of switches that support this functionality.

For example, you could have the following two images loaded at the factory:

First image: Current Cisco ACI image
Second image: A long-lived NX-OS image

Or you could have these two images loaded at the factory:

First image: Current NX-OS image
Second image: A long-lived Cisco ACI image

When you order a switch listed in Switches That Support Booting With Multi-Image and you request a current Cisco ACI or NX-OS image to be loaded onto that switch, the latest long-lived release of the other OS type is also automatically loaded onto that switch in the factory at the same time. These procedures provide instructions on booting from one of these two images on your Cisco switch.

Note

Do not format the bootflash on your switch. Doing so erases both images that were installed at the factory as part of the multi-image setup.

Switches That Support Booting With Multi-Image

The following switches support the ability to boot with multi-image:

Cisco Nexus 93180YC-EX switch
Cisco Nexus 93108TC-EX switch
Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX switch
Cisco Nexus 93108TC-FX switch
Cisco Nexus 9364C fixed spine switch
Cisco Nexus 9348GC-FXP switch
Cisco Nexus 9336C-FX2 switch
Cisco Nexus 93240YC-FX2 switch

Saving the License File

If you want to boot the long-live ACI image, and the NX-OS platform has pre-installed licenses already, then you must copy the license file and save it first, in case you want to go back to the NX-OS environment again.

Procedure

Step 1	Locate the license file in your bootflash directory. `switch# dir bootflash:` Example: switch# dir bootflash: 4096 Jun 27 22:48:33 2019 .rpmstore/ 4096 Jun 27 22:43:56 2019 .swtam/ 1777998029 Jun 27 22:47:17 2019 aci-n9000-dk9.14.1.2g.bin 592 Jun 27 22:37:02 2019 bios_daemon.dbg 4096 Jun 27 22:26:25 2019 home/ 4096 Jun 27 22:28:38 2019 lost+found/ 168951015 Jun 27 22:26:22 2019 n9000-epld.9.2.3.img 1335985152 Jun 27 22:26:05 2019 nxos.9.2.3.bin 887850 Jun 27 22:48:04 2019 nxos.CSCvo71854-n9k_ALL-1.0.0-9.2.3.lib32_n9000.rpm 670 Jun 27 22:50:03 2019 license_FDO23180PXU_26.lic 0 Jun 27 22:44:21 2019 platform-sdk.cmd 4096 Jun 27 22:44:17 2019 scripts/ 4096 Jun 27 22:44:08 2019 virtual-instance/
Step 2	(Optional) Verify the information for the pre-installed license. `switch# show license usage detail` Example: switch# show license usage detail Feature Inst Used Expiry Grace Period Errors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACI-STRG No 0 not started ACI-AD-GF No 0 not started ACI-AD-XF No 0 not started ACI-ES-GF No 0 not started ACI-ES-XF No 0 not started ACI-SEC-GF No 0 not started ACI-SEC-XF No 0 not started ACI-SEC-XM No 0 not started N9K_LIC_1G No 0 not started VPN_FABRIC No 0 not started NXOS_OE_PKG No 0 not started FCOE_NPV_PKG No 0 not started SECURITY_PKG Yes 0 never not started N9K_UPG_EX_10G No 0 not started TP_SERVICES_PKG No 0 not started NXOS_ADVANTAGE_GF No 0 not started NXOS_ADVANTAGE_M4 No 0 not started NXOS_ADVANTAGE_XF Yes 0 never not started NXOS_ESSENTIALS_GF No 0 not started NXOS_ESSENTIALS_M4 No 0 not started NXOS_ESSENTIALS_XF No 0 not started SAN_ENTERPRISE_PKG Yes 0 never not started PORT_ACTIVATION_PKG No 0 not started NETWORK_SERVICES_PKG No 0 not started NEXUS_24PORT_LICENSE No 0 not started NXOS_ADVANTAGE_M8-16 No 0 not started NXOS_ESSENTIALS_M8-16 No 0 not started FC_PORT_ACTIVATION_PKG Yes(48) 0 never not started NEXUS_24PORTEX_UPGRADE No 0 not started NEXUS_24PORTFX_UPGRADE No 0 not started HW_STREAMING_TELEMETRY_PKG No 0 not started LAN_ENTERPRISE_SERVICES_PKG No 0 not started
Step 3	Upload a copy of the license file to a TFTP server. `switch# copy license-file tftp tftp-ip-addr` Example: `switch# copy bootflash:license_FDO23180PXU_26.lic tftp 10.1.1.3`
Step 4	Download and copy the license file back, if necessary. Copy the license file back: `switch# copy tftp:// tftp-ip-addr/license-filebootflash:` Example: `switch# copy tftp://10.1.1.3/license_FDO23180PXU_26.lic bootflash:` Install the license file. `switch# install license bootflash: license-file` Example: `switch# install license bootflash:license_FDO23180PXU_26.lic Installing license .....done` Verify that the license file was installed properly. `switch# show license usage detail` Example: switch# show license usage detail Feature Inst Used Expiry Grace Period Errors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACI-STRG No 0 not started ACI-AD-GF No 0 not started ACI-AD-XF No 0 not started ACI-ES-GF No 0 not started ACI-ES-XF No 0 not started ACI-SEC-GF No 0 not started ACI-SEC-XF No 0 not started ACI-SEC-XM No 0 not started N9K_LIC_1G No 0 not started VPN_FABRIC No 0 not started NXOS_OE_PKG No 0 not started FCOE_NPV_PKG No 0 not started SECURITY_PKG Yes 0 never not started N9K_UPG_EX_10G No 0 not started TP_SERVICES_PKG No 0 not started NXOS_ADVANTAGE_GF No 0 not started NXOS_ADVANTAGE_M4 No 0 not started NXOS_ADVANTAGE_XF Yes 0 never not started NXOS_ESSENTIALS_GF No 0 not started NXOS_ESSENTIALS_M4 No 0 not started NXOS_ESSENTIALS_XF No 0 not started SAN_ENTERPRISE_PKG Yes 0 never not started PORT_ACTIVATION_PKG No 0 not started NETWORK_SERVICES_PKG No 0 not started NEXUS_24PORT_LICENSE No 0 not started NXOS_ADVANTAGE_M8-16 No 0 not started NXOS_ESSENTIALS_M8-16 No 0 not started FC_PORT_ACTIVATION_PKG Yes(48) 0 never not started NEXUS_24PORTEX_UPGRADE No 0 not started NEXUS_24PORTFX_UPGRADE No 0 not started HW_STREAMING_TELEMETRY_PKG No 0 not started LAN_ENTERPRISE_SERVICES_PKG No 0 not started

Booting a Switch with Multi-Image

The following procedures describe how to boot a switch with either of the images that are factory-installed on your switch.

Procedure

Command or Action Purpose

Step 1

Establish a terminal session on the console port of the active supervisor module.

—

Note

If you are using a non-U.S. keymap, the key sequence that you press to generate the break sequence might not work. In this case, we recommend that you set your terminal to a U.S. keymap. You can enter Ctrl-C instead of Ctrl-] (right square bracket) due to keyboard mapping.

Step 2

If you use SSH or a terminal emulator to access the console port, go to Step 6.

—

Step 3

If you use Telnet to access the console port, press Ctrl-] (right square bracket) to verify that it does not conflict with the Telnet escape sequence.

Example:

switch login: Ctrl-]

—

Note

If the Cisco NX-OS login prompt remains and the Telnet prompt does not appear, go to Step 6.

Step 4

If the Telnet prompt appears, change the Telnet escape sequence to a character sequence other than Ctrl-] (right square bracket).

Example:

telnet> set escape ^\
Escape Character is 'CTRL+\'

The example shows how to set Ctrl-\ as the escape key sequence in Microsoft Telnet.

Note

If the Cisco NX-OS login prompt remains and the Telnet prompt does not appear, go to Step 6.

Step 5

Press Enter one or more times to return to the Cisco NX-OS login prompt.

Example:

telnet> <Enter>
switch login:

—

Step 6

Power cycle the device.

—

Step 7

Press Ctrl-C to access the loader> prompt.

Example:

Ctrl-C
loader>

—

Step 8

loader> cmdline recoverymode=1

Example:


loader> cmdline recoverymode=1

Enter recovery mode.

Step 9

loader> dir

Example:

loader> dir
bootflash::  
 
  lost+found
  nxos.7.0.3.I7.3.bin
  aci-n9000-dk9.14.1.2g.bin
  auto-k
  disk_log.txt
  mem_log.txt
  auto-s
  CpuUsage.Log
  lxc
  libmon.logs
  diag_bootup

Verify that the two images are present in bootflash.

In the example output shown, the following images are shown:

First image: Current Cisco ACI image (aci-n9000-dk9.14.1.2g.bin)
Second image: A long-lived NX-OS image (nxos.7.0.3.I7.3.bin)

As described in About Booting Switches with Multi-Image, you could also have a switch with the current NX-OS image as the first image and a long-lived Cisco ACI image as the second image.

Step 10

loader> boot image-file

Example:

loader> boot nxos.7.0.3.I7.3.bin 

Abort Power On Auto Provisioning [yes - continue with normal setup, skip - bypass password 
and basic configuration, no - continue with Power On Auto Provisioning] (yes/skip/no)[no]:

Boot using one of the two images in bootflash. This example shows a boot sequence using an NX-OS image, which brings you to the NX-OS startup configuration. From here, configure the NX-OS environment, if necessary.

Step 11

Example:

switch login:
switch#

—

Step 12

switch# show version

Example:

switch# show version | i NXOS
  NXOS: version 7.0(3)I7(3)
  NXOS image file is: bootflash:///nxos.7.0.3.I7.3.bin
  NXOS compile time:  2/12/2018 13:00:00 [02/12/2018 19:13:48]

Verify that you booted into the correct image in bootflash.

Step 13

switch# reload

Example:

switch# reload

If you want to boot into the other image, reboot the switch.

Step 14

loader> dir

Example:

loader> dir
bootflash::  
 
  lost+found
  nxos.7.0.3.I7.3.bin
  aci-n9000-dk9.14.1.2g.bin
  auto-k
  disk_log.txt
  mem_log.txt
  auto-s
  CpuUsage.Log
  lxc
  libmon.logs
  diag_bootup

Locate the other image that is present in bootflash.

Step 15

loader> boot image-file

Example:

loader> boot aci-n9000-dk9.14.1.2g.bin 

User Access Verification

(none) login:

Boot using the other image in bootflash. This example shows a boot sequence using an ACI image, which brings you to the ACI prompt.

Booting Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches with a Cisco ACI or NX-OS Image

Available Languages

Download Options

Bias-Free Language

New and Changed Information

About Booting Switches with Multi-Image

Switches That Support Booting With Multi-Image

Saving the License File

Procedure

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Booting a Switch with Multi-Image

Procedure

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Was this Document Helpful?

Contact Cisco

This Document Applies to These Products