Each device is shipped with the Cisco NX-OS software preinstalled. The Cisco NX-OS software consists of one NX-OS software image. The image filename begins with "nxos" (for example, nxos.9.2.2.bin). Only this image is required to load the Cisco NX-OS operating system.

Note

Another type of binary file is the software maintenance upgrade (SMU) package file. SMUs contain fixes for specific defects. They are created to respond to immediate issues and do not include new features. SMU package files are available for download from Cisco.com and generally include the ID number of the resolved defect in the filename (for example, n3400-dk9.2.2.CSCab00001.gbin). For more information on SMUs, see the Cisco Nexus 3400-S NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide.

Note

Cisco also provides electronic programmable logic device (EPLD) image upgrades to enhance hardware functionality or to resolve known hardware issues. The EPLD image upgrades are independent from the Cisco NX-OS software upgrades. For more information on EPLD images and the upgrade process, see the Cisco Nexus 3400-S Platform FPGA/EPLD Upgrade Release Notes.

Upgrading the Cisco NX-OS software has the following prerequisites:

• Ensure that everyone who has access to the device or the network is not configuring the device or the network during this time. You cannot configure a device during an upgrade. Use the show configuration session summary command to verify that you have no active configuration sessions.

• Save, commit, or discard any active configuration sessions before upgrading or downgrading the Cisco NX-OS software image on your device. On a device with dual supervisors, the active supervisor module cannot switch over to the standby supervisor module during the Cisco NX-OS software upgrade if you have an active configuration session.

• Ensure that the device has a route to the remote server. The device and the remote server must be in the same subnetwork if you do not have a router to route traffic between subnets. To verify connectivity to the remote server, use the ping command.

  switch# ping 172.18.217.1 vrf management
  PING 172.18.217.1 (172.18.217.1): 56 data bytes
  64 bytes from 172.18.217.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=239 time=106.647 ms
  64 bytes from 172.18.217.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=239 time=76.807 ms
  64 bytes from 172.18.217.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=239 time=76.593 ms
  64 bytes from 172.18.217.1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=239 time=81.679 ms
  64 bytes from 172.18.217.1: icmp_seq=4 ttl=239 time=76.5 ms
  
  --- 172.18.217.1 ping statistics ---
  5 packets transmitted, 5 packets received, 0.00% packet loss
  round-trip min/avg/max = 76.5/83.645/106.647 ms
  
  

For more information on configuration sessions, see the Cisco Nexus 3400-S NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide.

Note	The Cisco Nexus 3400-S NX-OS Release Notes contain specific upgrade guidelines for each release. See the Release Notes for the target upgrade release before starting the upgrade.

Before attempting to upgrade to any software image, follow these guidelines:

• Schedule the upgrade when your network is stable and steady.

• Avoid any power interruption, which could corrupt the software image, during the installation procedure.

• On devices with dual supervisor modules, both supervisor modules must have connections on the console ports to maintain connectivity when switchovers occur during a software upgrade. See the Hardware Installation Guide for your specific chassis.

• Perform the installation on the active supervisor module, not the standby supervisor module.

• The install all command is the recommended method for software upgrades because it performs configuration compatibility checks and BIOS upgrades automatically. In contrast, changing the boot variables and reloading the device bypasses these checks and the BIOS upgrade and therefore is not recommended.

• For secure POAP, ensure that DHCP snooping is enabled and set firewall rules to block unintended or malicious DHCP servers. For more information on POAP, see the Cisco Nexus 3400-S NX-OS Fundamentals Configuration Guide.

• By default, the software upgrade process is disruptive.