Ultra Cloud Core User Plane Function

Introduction

This Release Notes identifies changes and issues related to this software release.

Release Lifecycle Milestones

Release Lifecycle Milestone

Milestone

Date

First Customer Ship

FCS

30-Apr-2025

End of Life

EoL

30-Apr-2025

End of Software Maintenance

EoSM

29-Oct-2026

End of Vulnerability and Security Support

EoVSS

29-Oct-2026

Last Date of Support

LDoS

31-Oct-2027

These milestones and the intervals between them are defined in the Cisco Ultra Cloud Core (UCC) Software Release Lifecycle Product Bulletin available on cisco.com.

Release Package Version Information

Software Packages

Version

companion-vpc-2025.02.0.zip.SPA.tar.gz

2025.02.0

(21.28.m35.97821)

qvpc-si-2025.02.0.bin.SPA.tar.gz

2025.02.0

(21.28.m35.97821)

qvpc-si-2025.02.0.qcow2.zip.SPA.tar.gz

2025.02.0

(21.28.m35.97821)

NED package

ncs-6.4.3-cisco-staros-5.56.1

NSO

6.4.3

Use this link to download the NED package associated with the software.

Descriptions for the various packages provided with this release are available in the Release Package Descriptions section.

Verified Compatibility

Products

Version

ADC Plugin

2.74.8.2658

RCM

2025.02.0.i46

Ultra Cloud Core SMI

2025.02.1.i17

Ultra Cloud Core SMF

2025.02.0

What's New in this Release

Features and Enhancements

This section covers a brief description of the features and enhancements introduced in this release. It also includes links to detailed documentation, where available.

Feature Description

DHCP-based IP Address Allocation

This feature allows the network operator to use an external DHCP server to receive IP addresses for subscriber UEs.

Allocating IP addresses using a DHCP server enables the enterprises with complex 5G networks to manage and control the IP address allocation centrally.

Important

 

While enabling the DHCP feature, it is always recommended to enable the DHCP service on the standby UPF first and then on the active UPF. After making the feature CLI changes, save the changed config at boot config to enable the feature.

If you enable this feature for an existing DNN, the ongoing calls will experience service interruptions. If you enable this feature for a new DNN, there will be no service disruptions, as the new call will always have IP allocation from the DHCP server.

Commands Introduced:

dhcp server enable-discover slot/port slot_port_number dhcp-node-id node_id : This CLI is configured under DHCP service configuration mode to allow UPF to discover the DHCP server.

Commands Enhanced:

dhcp ip skip-validation : This CLI is configured under the DHCP service configuration mode to skip the IPv4 address validation.

Default Settings: Disabled—Configuration Required to Enable

Behavior Changes

There are no behavior changes in this release.

Installation and Upgrade Notes

This Release Note does not contain general installation and upgrade instructions. Refer to the existing installation documentation for specific installation and upgrade considerations.

Software Integrity Verification

To verify the integrity of the software image you have from Cisco, you can validate the SHA512 checksum information against the checksum identified by Cisco for the software.

Image checksum information is available through Cisco.com Software Download Details. To find the checksum, hover the mouse pointer over the software image you have downloaded.

The following screenshot is an example of a UPF release posted in the Software Download page.

Figure 1.

At the bottom you find the SHA512 checksum, if you do not see the whole checksum you can expand it by pressing the "..." at the end.

To validate the information, calculate a SHA512 checksum using the information in Table 1 and verify that it matches either the one provided on the software download page.

To calculate a SHA512 checksum on your local desktop, refer to the following table.

Table 1. Checksum Calculations per Operating System

Operating System

SHA512 checksum calculation command examples

Microsoft Windows

Open a command line window and type the following command:

> certutil.exe -hashfile filename.extension SHA512 

Apple MAC

Open a terminal window and type the following command:

$ shasum -a 512 filename.extension 

Linux

Open a terminal window and type the following command:

$ sha512sum filename.extension 

OR

$ shasum -a 512 filename.extension 

NOTES:

filename is the name of the file.

extension is the file extension (for example, .zip or .tgz).

If the SHA512 checksum matches, you can be sure that no one has tampered with the software image or the image has not been corrupted during download.

If the SHA512 checksum does not match, we advise you to not attempt upgrading any systems with the corrupted software image. Download the software again and verify the SHA512 checksum again. If there is a constant mismatch, please open a case with the Cisco Technical Assistance Center.

Certificate Validation

UPF software images are signed via x509 certificates. Please view the .README file packaged with the software for information and instructions on how to validate the certificates.

Open Bugs for this Release

The following table lists the open bugs in this specific software release.


Note


This software release may contain open bugs first identified in other releases. Additional information for all resolved bugs for this release are available in the Cisco Bug Search Tool.


Bug ID

Headline

CSCwk27158

Continuous sxdemux error logs "MISMATCH: IMSI ENTRY [SMGR-ID:10 IMSI:123456789123456]"

CSCwm59995

sessmgr restart function sessmgr_uplane_gtpu_tx_setup_n4

CSCwn61589

CRR recovery failure recovery-invalid-crr-clp-uplane-record-info observed with ICSR UPF swo

CSCwo34203

UPF should allow to configure dhcpv6 service without server-profile under apn

CSCwo34950

vpnctrl restart observed at Function: vc_cdr_update_xdr_reset_ind()

CSCwo53463

UPF should send Decline if DHCP Server assigns same IP to a second UE

CSCwo65306

DHCP Partially allocated calls are not recovered on new ICSR Active after SW

CSCwo65746

UPF sends different chaddr after session recovery

CSCwo65802

Incorrect disconnect reasons and cause codes during DHCP failure scenarios

CSCwo68401

UPF showing incorrect disconnect reason when dhcp serive or vlan port shut down & new call attach

CSCwo75158

DHCPv6 solicit - sessmgr wrongly sending sw_if_index to VPP causing packet to be blackholed packets

CSCwo89553

sessmgr restart observed at libc.so.6/__memset_sse2_rep()

CSCwo89554

sessmgr restart observed at sessmgr_uplane_send_ddn_n_buff_dl_pkts_before_processing()

CSCwo89625

smp-fp-strm-chrg-oper-failure pegging in session disconnect-reasons on RCM UPFs

CSCwo90153

Sessmgr restart at sessmgr_Uplane_collect_pdr_info()

CSCwo92125

Sx instance checkpoint is arriving late in Sx demux is not included

CSCwo96983

GR Checkpoint ignored for callid<> and cmd 232 as clp audit is completed

Resolved Bugs for this Release

The following table lists the resolved bugs in this specific software release.


Note


This software release may contain open bugs first identified in other releases. Additional information for all open bugs for this release are available in the Cisco Bug Search Tool.


Bug ID

Headline

Behavior Change

CSCwe29094

Seen Uplane received invalid far id in PDU on task kill

No

CSCwe30498

Time quota is not reset post UPF 1:1 ICSR, in case new quota is not provisioned.

No

CSCwe60139

Idletimer is triggered post switchover, even if UE is not in idle state for defined duration.

No

CSCwf89394

Nat IP and Port chunk struck in scenario of ICMPv6 traffic involving config modification

No

CSCwi98822

Need cli enhancement to clear monsub session at npu and sessmgr.

No

CSCwm05166

UPF Crash - Assertion failure at sess/smgr/sessmgr_uplane.c:32102

No

CSCwn40724

EDRs w/non-zero byte count and w/o NAT IP in CUPS UP

Yes

CSCwn52078

Data stall issue is reported for CUPS

No

CSCwn96859

DIMM failure induced b2b switchover results in all session loss

No

CSCwn99718

TCP OOO observed in Converged core only for Pure S SGW-U session after exiting VPP

No

CSCwo00106

Continuous sessmgr restart with function dhcpv6app_server_fsm_handler()

No

CSCwo20496

'show rcm monitor' CLI may report 'SX monitors down' even though peers are up

No

CSCwo33410

sessmgr gives error at libc.so.6/__strncpy_sse2()

No

CSCwo36802

Seen sessmgr restarted at sessmgr_uplane_sx_update_far_apply_action()

No

CSCwo37027

HTTP GET packets not getting forwarded from CUPS

No

CSCwo58564

sessmgr restart @ sessmgr_uplane_start_self_protection_call_cleanup_timer

No

CSCwo81815

DNS Snoop rules changes causing high CPU in UPF

No

Operator Notes

StarOS Version Numbering System

The outputof the showversion command displays detailed information about the version of StarOS currently running on the ASR 5500 or Cisco Virtualized Packet Core platform.


Note


Starting 2024.01.0 release (January 2024), Cisco is transitioning to a new release versioning scheme. The release version is based on the current year and product. Refer to the figure for more details.

During the transition phase, some file names willreflect the new versioning whereas others will refer to the 21.28.x- based naming convention. With the next release, StarOS-related packages will be completely migrated to the new versioning scheme.

Figure 2. Version Numbering for FCS, Emergency, and Maintenance Releases

Note


For any clarification, contact your Cisco account representative.

Cloud Native Product Version Numbering System

The show helm list command displays detailed information about the version of the cloud native product currently deployed.

The appropriate version number field increments after a version has been released. The new version numbering format is a contiguous sequential number that represents incremental changes between releases. This format facilitates identifying the changes between releases when using Bug Search Tool to research software releases.

Release Package Descriptions

The following table provides descriptions for the packages that are available with this release.

Software Packages

Description

companion-vpc-<staros_version>.zip.SPA.tar.gz

Contains files pertaining to VPC, including SNMP MIBs, RADIUS dictionaries, ORBEM clients, etc. These files pertain to both trusted and non-trusted build variants. The VPC companion package also includes the release signature file, a verification script, the x.509 certificate, and a README file containing information on how to use the script to validate the certificate.

qvpc-si-<staros_version>.bin.SPA.tar.gz

The UPF release signature package. This package contains the VPC-SI deployment software for the UPF as well as the release signature, certificate, and verification information.

Files within this package are nested under a top-level folder pertaining to the corresponding StarOS build.

qvpc-si-<staros_version>.qcow2.zip.SPA.tar.gz

The UPF release signature package. This package contains the VPC-SI deployment software for the UPF as well as the release signature, certificate, and verification information.

Files within this package are nested under a top-level folder pertaining to the corresponding StarOS build.

ncs-<nso_version>-cisco-staros-<version>.signed.bin

The NETCONF NED package. This package includes all the files that are used for NF configuration.

Note that NSO is used for NED file creation.

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

For information on obtaining documentation, using the Cisco Bug Search Tool (BST), submitting a service request, and gathering additional information, refer to https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/index.html.