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Upgrade Guide for Cisco Catalyst 9000 Series Switches and Smart Switches

Describe the primary troubleshooting steps when an image copy fails.
Which actions are recommended if an upgrade remains stalled?
How do I respond when a stack member displays a mismatch error?

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Upgrade Guide for Cisco Catalyst 9000 Series Switches and Smart Switches

Describe the primary troubleshooting steps when an image copy fails.
Which actions are recommended if an upgrade remains stalled?
How do I respond when a stack member displays a mismatch error?

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About this content

Overview

Deployment scenarios
Upgrade modes
Upgrade summary

Pre-upgrade Readiness and Validation

Pre-upgrade workflow
Limitations and known issues for device upgrade and recovery
Pre-upgrade checklist
Perform pre-upgrade validation and remediation
Command reference to validate system readiness
Additional References

Upgrading Devices

Upgrade workflow
Device upgrade process
Upgrade the device in install mode
Upgrade the device in bundle mode
Upgrade the device in ISSU mode: one-step procedure
Upgrade the device in ISSU mode: three-step procedure
Upgrade the device using xFSU

Post-Upgrade Validation

Post-upgrade workflow
Recommendations for device health check
Command set for system and application health checks
Verify install state, ISSU state, and redundancy
Verify CPU, memory, and control-processor health
Verify hardware and traffic stability
Verify physical StackWise health
Verify StackWise Virtual system health
Verify network services and application recovery
Verify application-hosting health
Additional references

Troubleshooting Device Upgrades

Operational boundaries and diagnostic reference
Guidelines for troubleshooting
Common upgrade failure symptoms and resolution reference
First-response commands for troubleshooting upgrade issues
Determine the actual boot and install state
Troubleshoot image-copy and file-validation issues
Troubleshoot normal install-mode upgrade issues
Troubleshoot legacy bundle-mode issues
Troubleshoot ISSU issues
Troubleshoot xFSU issues
Troubleshoot SMU issues
Troubleshoot stack, supervisor, and synchronization issues
Troubleshoot a device that boots the previous release
Recover from ROMMON or bootloader failures
Troubleshoot post-upgrade system or service issues
Troubleshoot Catalyst Center SWIM upgrades
Technical support criteria
Collect diagnostics data
Additional references

Rolling Back Device Upgrades

Rollback conditions and recovery actions
Perform device rollback and recovery

Upgrade Guide for Cisco Catalyst 9000 Series Switches and Smart Switches

Additional references

Updated: August 1, 2026

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Compatibility and release planning

Upgrade and recovery guides

ISSU, xFSU, and SMU references

Operations and diagnostics data collection

Provides links to Cisco resources for Catalyst 9000 upgrade and recovery, bootloader and ROMMON procedures, mode conversion, compatibility and release planning, ISSU, xFSU, SMU, SWIM troubleshooting, reloads, and operational diagnostics data collection.

Use these guides and technical references to support upgrade troubleshooting, recovery, compatibility validation, software-maintenance upgrade handling, Catalyst Center SWIM troubleshooting, and diagnostics data collection.

Compatibility and release planning

Cisco IOS XE Software Forensic Data Collection Procedures
Catalyst 9000 Series Comp Matrix Tool
In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU)
Recommended Releases for Catalyst 9200/9300/9400/9500/9600 Platforms

Upgrade and recovery guides

Upgrade Guide for Catalyst 9000 Switches
Recover Catalyst 9000 Switches from Upgrade Failures
Troubleshoot Rommon on Catalyst 9000 Series Switches
Change Between Bundle/Install Mode on Catalyst 9000 Switches

ISSU, xFSU, and SMU references

Troubleshoot ISSU Upgrade Failures on Catalyst 9000 Series Switches
Cisco IOS XE 17 - High Availability
In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU)
System Management Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS XE 26.x.x (Catalyst 9300 Switches) - Performing Extended Fast Software Upgrade
Understand Extended Fast Software Upgrade on Catalyst 9300 Series Switches
System Management Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS XE 26.x.x (Catalyst 9300 Switches) - Software Maintenance Upgrade

Operations and diagnostics data collection

Troubleshoot Catalyst Center SWIM Feature
Troubleshoot Unexpected Reloads on Catalyst 9000 Switches
Troubleshoot Output from Catalyst 9000 Switches

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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.