Cisco MDS 9000 Series Release Notes for Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(11e)
MDS 9000 Chassis and Module Support
Determining the Software Version
Determining Software Version Compatibility
Selecting the Software Image for a Cisco MDS 9222i Switch
Selecting the Software Image for a Cisco MDS 9250i Switch
Selecting the Software Image for a Cisco MDS 9500 Series Switch
Selecting the Software Image for an MDS 9700 Series Switch
Upgrading Your Cisco MDS NX-OS Software Image
FICON Supported Releases and Upgrade Paths
Downgrading Your Cisco MDS SAN-OS Software Image
General Downgrading Guidelines
ISSD Guidelines for Cisco MDS 9250i Switch
New Hardware Features in Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(11e)
New Software Features in Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(11e)
Cisco MDS 9250i Power Redundancy Enhancements
Licensed Cisco NX-OS Software Packages
On-Demand Port Activation License
Deprecated and Changed Features
ASCII File Can Be Copied to the Startup Configuration
Fibre Channel Security Protocol (FC-SP) Support
Install Module Command Changes
IOA Scaling Support on Supervisor-2 Module
Regulatory Compliance and Safety Information
Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request
First Published: November 22, 2016
This document describes the caveats and limitations for switches in the Cisco MDS 9000 Series. Use this document in conjunction with documents listed in the “Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request” section.
Release notes are sometimes updated with new information on restrictions and caveats. Refer to the following website for the most recent version of the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Release Notes : http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5989/prod_release_notes_list.html.
This document includes the following:
The Cisco MDS 9000 Series of Multilayer Directors and Fabric Switches provides industry-leading availability, scalability, security, and management, allowing you to deploy high-performance storage-area networks with lowest total cost of ownership. Layering a rich set of intelligent features onto a high-performance, protocol agnostic switch fabric, the Cisco MDS 9000 Series addresses the stringent requirements of large data center storage environments: uncompromising high availability, security, scalability, ease of management, and seamless integration of new technologies.
Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS software powers the award-winning Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Switches. It is designed to create a strategic SAN platform with superior reliability, performance, scalability, and features. Formerly known as Cisco SAN-OS, Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS software is fully interoperable with earlier Cisco SAN-OS versions and enhances hardware platform and module support.
Note The Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(11e) is an IBM-certified FICON release.
Table 1 lists the NX-OS software part numbers and hardware components supported by the Cisco MDS 9000 Series.
Table 2 lists the part numbers and optical components supported by the Cisco MDS 9000 Series.
Note For the latest information about supported transceivers (SFPs), see the Cisco MDS 9000 Family Pluggable Transceivers data sheet.
Table 3 lists the MDS hardware chassis supported by Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2
Yes1 |
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Table 4 lists the MDS hardware modules supported Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2.
Yes2 |
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Yes3 |
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4/44-port Host Optimized 8-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module |
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Use the software download procedure to upgrade to a later version, or downgrade to an earlier version, of an operating system. This section describes the software download process for the Cisco MDS NX-OS software and includes the following topics:
To determine the version of Cisco MDS NX-OS or SAN-OS software currently running on a Cisco MDS 9000 Series switch using the CLI, log in to the switch and enter the show version EXEC command.
To determine the version of Cisco MDS NX-OS or SAN-OS software currently running on a Cisco MDS 9000 Series switch using Cisco DCNM for SAN, view the Switches tab in the Information pane, locate the switch using the IP address, logical name, or WWN, and check its version in the Release column.
Table 5 lists the software versions that are compatible in a mixed SAN environment, the minimum software versions that are supported, and the versions that have been tested. We recommend that you use the latest software release supported by your vendor for all Cisco MDS 9000 Series products.
The Cisco MDS NX-OS software is designed for mission-critical high-availability environments. To realize the benefits of nondisruptive upgrades on the Cisco MDS 9700 Directors, Cisco MDS 9500 Directors, we highly recommend that you install dual supervisor modules.
To download the latest Cisco MDS NX-OS software, access the Software Center at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/cisco/software/navigator.html?a=a&i=rpm
See the following sections in this release notes for details on how you can nondisruptively upgrade your Cisco MDS 9000 switch. Using the install all command from the CLI, or using Cisco DCNM for SAN to perform the downgrade, enables the compatibility check. The check indicates if the upgrade can happen nondisruptively or disruptively depending on the current configuration of your switch and the reason.
The show incompatibility system bootflash:system image filename command determines which additional features need to be disabled.
Note If you would like to request a copy of the source code under the terms of either GPL or LGPL, please send an e-mail to mds-software-disclosure@cisco.com.
The system and kickstart image that you use for a Cisco MDS 9222i switch is shown in Table 6 .
The system and kickstart image that you use for a Cisco MDS 9250i switch is shown in Table 7 .
The system and kickstart image that you use for a Cisco MDS 9500 Series switch with a Supervisor-2 or Supervisor-2A module is shown in Table 8 . Cisco NX-OS Release 6.x, Release 5.x, and Release 4.x do not support the Supervisor-1 module.
Use the show module command to display the type of supervisor module in the switch. The following is sample output from the show module command on a Supervisor-2 module:
The system and kickstart image that you use for an MDS 9700 Series switch is shown in Table 9 .
No payload encryption (NPE) images are available with Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(11e) software. The NPE images are intended for countries who have import restrictions on products that encrypt payload data.
To differentiate an NPE image from the standard software image, the letters npe are included in the image name as follows:
When downloading software, ensure that you select the correct software images for you Cisco MDS 9000 Series switch. Nondisruptive software upgrades or downgrades between NPE images and non-NPE images are not supported.
This section lists the guidelines recommended for upgrading your Cisco MDS NX-OS software image and includes the following topics:
Note Before you begin the upgrade process, review the list of chassis and modules that Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(11e) supports. See the “MDS 9000 Chassis and Module Support” section.
For detailed instructions for performing a software upgrade using Cisco DCNM, see the Cisco DCNM Release Notes, Release 6.2, which is available from the following website:
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/cloud-systems-management/prime-data-center-network-manager/products-release-notes-list.html
Follow these general guidelines before performing a software upgrade:
– Fibre Channel Ports : Fibre Channel ports can be nondisruptively upgraded without affecting traffic on the ports. See Table 10 for the nondisruptive upgrade path for all NX-OS and SAN-OS releases.
– Gigabit Ethernet Ports : Traffic on GigabitEthernet/IPStorage ports is disrupted during an upgrade or downgrade. This includes the Gigabit Ethernet ports on the MSM-18/4 module, the MDS 9222i switch, the MDS 9000 16-Port Storage Services Node (SSN-16), and the IPStorage ports in MDS 9250i. Those nodes that are members of VSANs traversing an FCIP ISL are impacted, and a fabric reconfiguration occurs. iSCSI initiators connected to the Gigabit Ethernet ports lose connectivity to iSCSI targets while the downgrade is in progress.
– FICON : If you have FICON enabled, the upgrade path is different. See the “FICON Supported Releases and Upgrade Paths” section.
Note In addition to these guidelines, you may want to review the information in the “Limitations and Restrictions” section prior to a software upgrade to determine if a feature may possibly behave differently following the upgrade.
Note Upgrading from Cisco MDS NX-OS Releases 6.2(9b) or 6.2(9c) to Cisco MDS NX-OS Releases 6.2(11), 6.2(11b), 6.2(11c), 6.2 (11d), or 6.2(11e) is not supported due to the introduction of a new feature to support longer role names (a maximum of 64 characters) in the Cisco MDS NX-OS Releases 6.2(9b) and 6.2(9c).
Use Table 10 to determine your nondisruptive upgrade path to Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(11e). Find the image release number you are currently using in the “Current Release” column of the table and follow the steps in the order specified to perform the upgrade.
Note The software upgrade information in Table 10 applies only to Fibre Channel switching traffic. Upgrading system software disrupts IP traffic and intelligent services traffic.
The Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(11e) is an IBM-certified FICON release.
Table 11 lists the SAN-OS and NX-OS releases that are certified for FICON. Refer to the specific release notes for FICON upgrade path information.
Release 6.2(11d) for the Cisco MDS 9250i Switch only Release 6.2(11c) for all FICON supported platforms except the Cisco MDS 9250i Switch |
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Use Table 12 to determine the nondisruptive upgrade path for FICON-certified releases. Find the image release number you are currently using in the Current Release with FICON Enabled column of the table and follow the recommended path.
This section lists the guidelines recommended for downgrading your Cisco MDS SAN-OS software image and includes the following topics:
Follow these general guidelines before you perform a software downgrade:
– Fibre Channel Ports : Fibre Channel ports can be nondisruptively downgraded without affecting traffic on the ports. See Table 13 for the nondisruptive downgrade path for all SAN-OS releases.
– Gigabit Ethernet Ports : Traffic on GigabitEthernet/IPStorage ports is disrupted during a downgrade. This includes the Gigabit Ethernet ports on the MSM-18/4 module, the MDS 9222i switch, the MDS 9000 16-Port Storage Services Node (SSN-16), and the IPStorage ports in MDS 9250i. Those nodes that are members of VSANs traversing an FCIP ISL are impacted, and a fabric reconfiguration occurs. iSCSI initiators connected to the Gigabit Ethernet ports lose connectivity to iSCSI targets while the downgrade is in progress.
– FICON : If you have FICON enabled, the downgrade path is different. See the “FICON Downgrade Paths” section.
Use Table 13 to determine the nondisruptive downgrade path from Cisco NX-OS Release 6.2(11e). Find the NX-OS or SAN-OS image that you want to downgrade to in the To SAN-OS Release column of the table and follow the steps in the order specified to perform the downgrade.
Note The software downgrade information in Table 13 applies only to Fibre Channel switching traffic. Downgrading system software disrupts IP and intelligent services traffic.
Note Downgrading from Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(11e) to Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(5a), 6.2(5), 6.2(3), or 6.2(1) on a Cisco MDS 9700 Series Director with 48-port 10-Gigabit FCoE module or VSAN configurations require additional steps that must be performed before downgrading. For more information, see the Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide, Release 6.2(x).
Note Downgrading from Cisco MDS NX-OS Releases 6.2(11), 6.2(11b), 6.2(11c), 6.2(11d), or 6.2(11e) to Cisco MDS NX-OS Releases 6.2(9b) or 6.2(9c) is not supported due to the introduction of a new feature to support longer role names (a maximum of 64 characters) in Cisco MDS NX-OS Releases 6.2(9b) and
Table 14 lists the downgrade paths for FICON releases. Find the image release number that you want to downgrade to in the To Release with FICON Enabled column of the table and follow the recommended downgrade path.
There are no new hardware features introduced in Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(11e).
This section lists the new software features introduced in Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(11e).
Support for grid redundancy is available with two online PSUs on a Cisco MDS 9250i Multiservice Fabric Switch. For detailed information about this feature, see the Power Supplies section of the Cisco MDS 9250i Multiservice Fabric Switch Hardware Installation Guide.
Most Cisco MDS 9000 Series software features are included in the standard package. However, some features are logically grouped into add-on packages that must be licensed separately, such as the Cisco MDS 9000 Enterprise package, SAN Extension over IP package, Mainframe package, and Data Mobility Manager package. On-demand ports activation licenses are also available for the Cisco MDS 9250i Multiservice Fabric Switch, and the Cisco MDS 8-Gb Fabric Switch for HP c-Class Blade System.
Note A license is not required to use the Cisco MDS 9000 8-port 10-Gbps Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) module (DS-X9708-K9) and the Cisco MDS 48-Port 10- Gigabit Fibre Channel over Ethernet Module (DS-X9848-480K9).
Additional information about licensed Cisco NX-OS software packages is available at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/storage-networking/mds-9000-software-licensing/datasheet-listing.html
The standard software package that is bundled at no charge with the Cisco MDS 9000 Series switches includes the base set of features that Cisco believes are required by most customers for building a SAN. The Cisco MDS 9000 Series also has a set of advanced features that are recommended for all enterprise SANs. These features are bundled together in the Cisco MDS 9000 Enterprise package. Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Enterprise package fact sheet for more information.
The Cisco MDS 9000 SAN Extension over IP package allows the customer to use FCIP to extend SANs over wide distances on IP networks using the Cisco MDS 9000 Series IP storage services. Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 SAN Extension over IP package fact sheet for more information.
The Cisco MDS 9000 Mainframe package uses the FICON protocol and allows control unit port management for in-band management from IBM System z processors. FICON VSAN support is provided to help ensure true hardware-based separation of FICON and open systems. Switch cascading, fabric binding, and intermixing are also included in this package. Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Mainframe package fact sheet for more information.
The Cisco MDS 9000 Data Mobility Manager package enables data migration between heterogeneous disk arrays without introducing a virtualization layer or rewiring or reconfiguring SANs. Cisco DMM allows concurrent migration between multiple LUNs of unequal size. Rate-adjusted migration, data verification, dual Fibre Channel fabric support, and management using Cisco DCNM for SAN provide a complete solution that greatly simplifies and eliminates most downtime associated with data migration. Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Data Mobility Manager package fact sheet for more information. The Data Mobility Manager package is for use only with Cisco MDS 9000 Series switches.
On-demand ports allow customers to benefit from Cisco NX-OS Software features while initially purchasing only a small number of activated ports on the Cisco MDS 9250i Multiservice Fabric Switch, and the Cisco MDS 8-Gb Fabric Switch for HP c-Class Blade System. As needed, customers can expand switch connectivity by licensing additional ports.
The Cisco I/O Accelerator (IOA) package activates IOA on the Cisco MDS 9222i fabric switch, the Cisco MDS 9000 18/4 Multiservice Module (MSM-18/4), and on the SSN-16 module. The IOA package is licensed per service engine and is tied to the chassis. The number of licenses required is equal to the number of service engines on which the intelligent fabric application is used.The SSN-16 requires a separate license for each engine on which you want to run IOA. Each SSN-16 engine that you configure for IOA checks out a license from the pool managed at the chassis level. SSN-16 IOA licenses are available as single licenses.
The Cisco Extended Remote Copy (XRC) acceleration license activates FICON XRC acceleration on the Cisco MDS 9222i switch, the Cisco MDS 9250i switch, and the SSN-16 or MSM-18/4 in the Cisco MDS 9500 Series directors. One license per chassis is required. You must install the Mainframe Package and the SAN Extension over FCIP Package before you install the XRC acceleration license. The Mainframe Package enables the underlying FICON support, and the FCIP license or licenses enable the underlying FCIP support.
LUN zoning, read-only zones, and broadcast zones are no longer supported. These features affect the following hardware:
You cannot bring up these modules if these features are already configured. You should completely remove all configurations that include these features before you attempt to bring up these modules. In addition, you cannot configure these features after you bring up these modules.
In addition, the following software features are not supported or are changed in Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(9):
Note OHMS is supported on Cisco MDS 9500 Series directors and Cisco MDS 9250i Multiservice Fabric Switches.
Cisco NX-OS Release 6.2 does not support the following hardware:
This section lists the limitations and restrictions. The following limitations are described:
The copy bootflash:runnig-config.ascii startup-config command that was deprecated in an earlier Cisco NX-OS release is enabled from Cisco NX-OS Release 6.2(1).
From Cisco NX-OS Release 6.2(9) onwards, the FC-SP feature is supported on Cisco MDS 9700 Series.
The install module module-number bios command is not supported on the Cisco MDS 9710 switch in Cisco NX-OS Release 6.2(1) and later releases. Use the install all command to upgrade the BIOS during a software upgrade.
The install module module-number bios command continues to be supported in Cisco NX-OS Release 6.2(1) on Cisco MDS 9500 Series switches.
The documentation set for the Cisco MDS 9000 Series includes the documents listed in this section. To find a document online, access the following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5989/tsd_products_support_series_home.html
The documentation set for Cisco Prime Data Center Network Manager is available from the following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9369/tsd_products_support_series_home.html
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/storage-networking/mds-9000-nx-os-san-os-software/products-release-notes-list.html
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/mds9000/hw/regulatory/compliance/RCSI.html
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/storage-networking/mds-9000-nx-os-san-os-software/products-device-support-tables-list.html
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/storage-networking/mds-9000-nx-os-san-os-software/products-installation-guides-list.html
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/storage-networking/mds-9000-nx-os-san-os-software/products-installation-and-configuration-guides-list.html
For information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional information, see the monthly What’s New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and revised Cisco technical documentation, at:
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/general/whatsnew/whatsnew.html
Subscribe to the What’s New in Cisco Product Documentation as a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed and set content to be delivered directly to your desktop using a reader application. The RSS feeds are a free service and Cisco currently supports RSS version 2.0.