The Cisco 7300 Series High Availability NSE Redundancy feature adds support for a second dual-wide NSE installed in a Cisco 7300 series router. Previously only one dual-wide NSE could be installed in slots 0 and 1. NSE redundancy enables an NSE to be installed in slots 2 and 3. This NSE can be the only NSE installed in the system, or it can be a second NSE. The NSE installed in slots 0 and 1 is the preferred active NSE. Upon bootup, the NSE in slots 0 and 1 assumes the role of the active NSE. The standby NSE in slots 2 and 3 waits for 45 seconds for the NSE in slots 0 and 1 to assume the role of active NSE. If there is no NSE installed in slots 0 and 1, the NSE in slots 2 and 3 bypasses the 45-second wait and automatically assumes the role of active NSE.
Upon booting, the system recognizes the NSE installed in slot 0 and slot 1 as the active NSE unless there is some error condition existing on this NSE. If the active NSE does not respond upon bootup, or you enter the redundancy force-switchover command, the standby NSE becomes the active NSE.
You do not need to configure anything on the router to activate the Cisco 7300 Series High Availability NSE Redundancy feature. Installing a second NSE in the chassis automatically creates NSE redundancy in the system. Make sure that you have Cisco IOS images that support High Availability installed on both the active and the standby NSEs. We strongly recommend that you install the same Cisco IOS release image on both the active and standby NSEs. You should also make sure that the configuration register is properly configured.
Fast Software Upgrade
This feature also introduces Fast Software Upgrade (FSU) for the Cisco 7300 series routers. Using FSU, you can reduce planned downtime. With FSU, you can configure the system to switch over to a standby NSE that is preloaded with an upgraded Cisco IOS software image. FSU reduces outage time during a software upgrade by transferring functions to the standby NSE that has the upgraded Cisco IOS software pre-installed. The only downtime with Fast Software Upgrade is the time required for the standby NSE to take control during the switchover. You can also use FSU to downgrade a system to an older version of Cisco IOS or have a backup system loaded for downgrading to a previous image immediately after an upgrade.
Note You must also install a boot image that supports High Availability.
Online Insertion and Removal
The Cisco 7300 Series High Availability NSE Redundancy feature adds support for Online Insertion and Removal of NSEs.
If you perform an OIR removal of the standby NSE, the OIR removal is detected by the active NSE. The two GigabitEthernet ports on the standby NSE are usually addressable and usable on the active NSE. When you perform an OIR removal of the standby NSE, the two GigabitEthernet ports are not available to the active NSE. The file systems of the standby NSE that usually appear as remote file systems on the active NSE are likewise not available to the active NSE when an OIR removal is performed on the standby NSE.
If the standby NSE is OIR inserted, then the active NSE detects the OIR insertion and the two GigabitEthernet ports on the standby NSE become available for use on the active NSE even if the system is not booted.
Once the standby NSE boots up, it becomes the standby NSE and the startup configuration is synchronized from the active to the newly OIR inserted standby NSE. The file systems on the standby NSE also become visible and usable on the active NSE as remote file systems.
If you perform an OIR removal of the active NSE from a Cisco 7300 series router with redundant NSEs, the standby NSE (if it is booted up and ready as the standby) detects the OIR removal of the active NSE and switches over to become the new active NSE.
The new active NSE has only two GigabitEthernet interfaces and no remote file systems because the redundant NSE is not present. If the previously active NSE is OIR inserted, it comes up as the standby NSE.
Management Port
The FastEthernet port on the Cisco 7300 series routers is the default management port. When two NSEs are installed in your system, the FastEthernet management port is configured as FastEthernet 0, not FastEthernet 0/0. This facilitates configuration synchronization between the active and standby NSEs. If you already have configurations in your system for the management port configured as FastEthernet 0/0, the configuration is still recognized as valid. New configuration changes will not accept FastEthernet 0/0, only FastEthernet 0. All configurations displayed by the show running-config command are displayed as FastEthernet 0.
Compact Flash Disk Commands with Cisco 7300 Series High Availability NSE Redundancy
With the introduction of the Cisco 7300 Series High Availability NSE Redundancy feature, you can configure many Cisco IOS file system commands from the active NSE to display and configure information on the standby NSE by using the standby- prefix.
Table 1 lists some of the compact Flash Disk commands that can be issued on the active NSE and affect the standby NSE.
cd standby-[disk0: | bootdisk: | nvram:] directory-name
Changes current directory of the standby NSE. Allows you to move between directories on a compact Flash Disk, where directory-name is the directory to which you want to move.
Copies from one file to another. Allows you to make a copy of a file (source-filename) located on a source file system (disk0:, bootdisk: or nvram:) and place it with either the same filename or a different filename (destination-filename) on a destination file system.
delete standby-[disk0: | bootdisk:] filename
Deletes a file from the file system of the standby NSE. Allows you to delete any file you designate, where filename designates the name of the file.
dir standby-[disk0: | bootdisk: | nvram:]
Lists files on the standby NSE file system.
format standby-[disk0: | bootdisk:]
Formats the standby NSE file system. Allows you to format a new compact Flash Disk (disk0: or bootdisk:). This command also allows you to reformat a linear compact Flash memory card or compact Flash Disk that was formatted on another type of system.
Note This command destroys all data currently in Flash memory; therefore, we strongly recommend that you use the format command with caution to prevent irretrievable loss of data.
mkdir standby-[disk0: directory-name | bootdisk:]
Creates a new directory. Allows you to create directories on a compact Flash Disk for a standby NSE, where directory-name is the name you assign to this directory.
Renames a file. Allows you to rename a file that is located on one compact Flash Disk and assign to that file another (or the same) file system path and filename. The first group of arguments defines the source (current) file system path and filename, and the second set of arguments defines the destination file system path and filename.
rmdir standby-[disk0: | bootdisk:] directory-name
Removes an existing directory. Allows you to remove a directory that currently exists on a compact Flash Disk on the standby NSE, where directory-name is the name of the directory you want to remove.
show standby-[disk0: | bootdisk:]
Lists information about compact Flash Disk format and geometry on the standby NSE.
For more information about basic software commands you can use with the compact Flash Disk in a Cisco 7300 series router, see the " Removing and Installing the NSE" chapter of the Network Services Engine Installation and Configuration Guide.
Benefits
High Availability NSE Redundancy on the Cisco 7300 series routers provides the following benefits:
Unplanned downtime is reduced with a faster switchover to a standby NSE. (The standby NSE is partially booted with an IOS image.)
Fast Software Upgrade reduces outage time during a software upgrade by transferring functions to a standby NSE that has an upgraded Cisco IOS software image pre-installed.
The standby NSE boots and takes control of the line cards without user intervention, if a fatal error is detected on the active NSE.
Configuration synchronization of startup configuration is performed between the active and standby NSE.
Configuration synchronization of running configuration is performed after issuing the copy running-config startup-config command.
Online insertion and removal (OIR) is available on the active and standby NSEs.
Four Gigabit Ethernet ports are available on the active NSE.
Restrictions
Configuration synchronization between the active and standby NSEs is performed only for the startup configuration or after you enter the copy running-config startup-config command.
The entire system loses functionality for the duration of the switchover from the active to the standby NSE and all line cards are reset. The duration of the switchover is approximately one minute, depending upon the line cards installed in your system.
All traffic flowing through the router at the time of failure of the active NSE is lost.
Platform support for particular Cisco IOS software releases is dependent on the availability of the software images for those platforms. Software images for some platforms may be deferred, delayed, or changed without prior notice. For updated information about platform support and availability of software images for each Cisco IOS software release, refer to the online release notes or, if supported, Cisco Feature Navigator.
Supported Standards, MIBs, and RFCs
Standards
No new or modified standards are supported by this feature.
MIBs
No new or modified MIBs are supported by this feature.
To obtain lists of supported MIBs by platform and Cisco IOS release, and to download MIB modules, go to the Cisco MIB website on Cisco.com at the following URL:
No new or modified RFCs are supported by this feature.
Prerequisites
Both the boot image and the Cisco IOS image must support High Availability.
You must have two NSE-100s installed in a Cisco 7300 series router for NSE redundancy.
We strongly recommend loading the same IOS version and the same physical configuration on both the active and the standby NSEs.
Configuration Tasks
No configuration is necessary for the Cisco 7300 Series High Availability NSE Redundancy feature. NSE redundancy is automatic when a second NSE is installed in slot 2 and slot 3. See the following sections for optional configuration tasks for the Cisco 7300 Series High Availability NSE Redundancy feature.
Though it is not required, we recommend that you modify the software configuration register boot field so that the system boots the same image that is loaded on the standby NSE.
Command
Purpose
Step 1
Router# show version
Displays the current configuration register setting.
Step 2
Router# configure terminal
Enters configuration mode, selecting the terminal option.
Step 3
Router(config)# boot system flash disk0:[imagename]
Specifies the filename of an image stored in Flash memory.
Step 4
Router(config)# config-registervalue
Modifies the existing configuration register setting to reflect the way in which you want to load a system image.
value—Hexadecimal or decimal value that represents the 16-bit configuration register value that you want to use the next time the router is restarted. The value range is from 0x0 to 0xFFFF (0 to 65535 in decimal). The recommended value is 0x2102.
See Table 2 and Table 3 for more information about the configuration register settings.
Step 5
Router# Ctrl-Z
Exits configuration mode.
Step 6
Router# reload
Reboots the router to make your changes take effect.
Table 2 Software Configuration Register Bit Meanings
6479384 bytes copied in 255.254 secs (25511
bytes/sec)
Copies the boot image loaded on the active NSE in Step 2 onto the standby NSE.
Step 5
Router# configure terminal
Enters global configuration mode.
Step 6
Router(config)# boot system flash disk0:imagename
Specifies the system image that the router loads at startup.
imagename—High Availability Cisco IOS image loaded in Step 1.
Step 7
Router(config)# boot bootldr bootdisk:imagename
Specifies the boot image that the router loads at startup.
imagename—High Availability boot image loaded in Step 2.
Step 8
Router(config)# end
Exits global configuration mode.
Step 9
Router# copy running-config startup-config
(Optional) Saves the configuration changes to your startup configuration in NVRAM so the router boots with the configuration you have entered.
Step 10
Router# hw-module standby (reload | reset}
Resets and reloads the standby NSE with the Cisco IOS image copied onto the Flash card and executes the image.
reload—Reloads the standby NSE. Use this option to restart the NSE to upgrade an image. Use this option when the NSE is operating normally.
reset—Resets the standby NSE. Use this option for a hard reset of the NSE. Use this option if the NSE is experiencing problems and does not respond to the reload option.
Note If you do not specify a Cisco IOS image in Step 2, this command loads and executes the bundled default IOS standby image.
Step 11
Router# redundancy force-switchover
(Optional) Forces a switchover to the standby NSE.
Verifying Cisco 7300 Series High Availability NSE Redundancy
Step 1 Enter the show version command to verify that the new Cisco IOS image has been successfully installed on the active and standby NSEs and that the configuration register has been correctly configured.
IOS (tm) 7300 Software (C7300-JS-MZ), Version 12.1(20020306:160533)]
IOS (tm) 7300 Software (C7300-JS-M), Experimental Version 12.1(20020306:160533)]
Copyright (c) 1986-2002 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Tue 12-Mar-02 18:27 by abc
Troubleshooting Tips
Make sure that you have upgraded both the IOS image and the boot image to images that support High Availability.
If you attempt to boot an NSE in slot 2 that is loaded with either a system image or a boot image that does not support High Availability, the NSE pauses indefinitely and an error message appears stating that the NSE is not supported in slot 2:
%Error:NSE in unsupported slot; NSE must be inserted in slot0.
%Error:NSE in unsupported slot; NSE must be inserted in slot0.
%Error:NSE in unsupported slot; NSE must be inserted in slot0.
%Error:NSE in unsupported slot; NSE must be inserted in slot0.
%Error:NSE in unsupported slot; NSE must be inserted in slot0.
%Error:NSE in unsupported slot; NSE must be inserted in slot0.
%Error:NSE in unsupported slot; NSE must be inserted in slot0.
%Error:NSE in unsupported slot; NSE must be inserted in slot0.
To recover from this situation, reset the NSE in slot 2 from the active NSE as follows:
Router# hw-module standby reset
Proceed with reset of standby NSE? [confirm]y
Note The hw-module standby reload command does resolve this error because the standby NSE is
not up.
You should then boot the slot 2 NSE with a High Availability image. This can be done by inserting the NSE in slot 0 and copying system and boot High Availability images to the disk0: and bootdisk:. Another option is to insert a compact Flash Card with a High Availability image in the slot 2 NSE and boot that image. Both the boot and system images of both NSEs must be upgraded to run High Availability images for proper operation of the Cisco 7300 Series High Availability NSE Redundancy feature.
When you configure the hw-module standby {reset | reload} command to load and execute a new IOS image on the standby NSE, the following output should be displayed on the standby NSE console as the NSE boots:
System Bootstrap, Version 12.1(20011026:021245) [rommon_1_1 101], DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE
Copyright (c) 1994-1999 by cisco Systems, Inc.
C7300 platform with 131072 Kbytes of main memory
Currently running ROMMON from ROM 1
Self decompressing the image :########################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################## [OK]
Restricted Rights Legend
Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is
subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph
(c) of the Commercial Computer Software - Restricted
Rights clause at FAR sec. 52.227-19 and subparagraph
(c) (1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer
Software clause at DFARS sec. 252.227-7013.
cisco Systems, Inc.
170 West Tasman Drive
San Jose, California 95134-1706
Cisco Internetwork Operating System Software
IOS (tm) 7300 Software (C7300-JS-M), Experimental Version 12.1(20020306:160533) [abc-ch5 103]
Copyright (c) 1986-2002 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Tue 12-Mar-02 18:27 by abc
Image text-base:0x40008970, data-base:0x4192C000
Currently running ROMMON from ROM 1
Downloading default microcode:system:pxf/ucode1.
Successfully downloaded the production microcode.
NSE in standby mode ... <!--This output indicates that this NSE is the standby NSE.>
[OK][OK]
If you attempt to perform a manual switchover by entering the redundancy force-switchover command and the standby NSE is not up or is in an error condition, the switchover is aborted and output similar to the following is displayed:
Router# redundancy force-switchover
Proceed with switchover to standby NSE? [confirm] y
Unable to communicate with standby NSE, switchover aborted.
If you attempt to perform a reset of a standby NSE that is not up or is in an error condition such as being hung, the following message is displayed and the reset is not performed:
Router# hw-module standby reload
Proceed with reload of standby NSE? [confirm]y
%Error:Communication with standby non-operational
If you see this error message, reload the standby NSE by entering the hw-module standby reset command.
You cannot perform a boot from a network (TFTP) server of the standby NSE. You must boot the standby NSE from the compact Flash Disk. If you attempt to perform a boot from a network server of the standby NSE, error output similar to the following is displayed:
The following example shows how to load a Cisco IOS image onto the active and standby NSEs and how to reset the standby NSE to execute the newly loaded image:
copy tftp disk0:c7300-js-mz
copy tftp bootdisk:c7300-boot-mz
copy tftp standby-disk0:c7300-js-mz
copy tftp standby-bootdisk:c7300-boot-mz
hw-module standby reset
Proceed with reset of standby NSE? [confirm]y
copy running-config startup-config
Performing a Manual Switchover Example
The following example shows how to manually trigger a switchover between the active and standby NSEs:
redundancy force-switchover
Command Reference
This section documents new or modified commands. All other commands used with this feature are documented in the Cisco IOS Release 12.1 command reference publications and in the document Cisco 7304 Series Platform-Specific Commands.
To enable network services engine (NSE) redundancy debugging, use the debug redundancy command in privileged EXEC mode. To disable NSE redundancy debugging, use the no form of this command.
no debug redundancy {alarms | all | fsm | keepalive | peer-monitor | services | timesync}
Syntax Description
alarms
Enables redundancy alarms debugging.
all
Enables all redundancy debugging.
fsm
Enables redundancy finite state machine (FSM) debugging.
keepalive
Enables redundancy keepalive debugging.
peer-monitor
Enables redundancy peer monitor debugging.
services
Enables redundancy services debugging.
timesync
Enables redundancy time sync debugging.
Defaults
Redundancy debugging is not enabled by default.
Command Modes
Privileged EXEC
Command History
Release
Modification
12.1(10)EX2
This command was introduced.
12.2(18)S
This command was introduced on Cisco 7304 routers running Cisco IOS Release 12.2 S.
Usage Guidelines
You must enter a keyword when using the debug redundancy command.
Use the all keyword to turn on all debug commands relating to the redundant NSE feature.
Use the alarms keyword to display information about alarms that are generated in response to various redundancy-related events.
Use the fsm keyword to display debug information about the finite state machine that tracks the status of the peer NSE.
Use the keepalive keyword to display information about the exchange of keepalives between the primary and standby NSE. If a certain number of keepalive responses are missed, the system that notices the keepalive failure takes whatever action is appropriate for recovering a possibly hung or crashed peer NSE.
Use the peer-monitor keyword to display debug information about the process on the active NSE that monitors the status and health of the peer standby NSE.
Use the services keyword to display information about miscellaneous service-related actions that happen across the standby and active NSEs.
Use the timesync keyword to display debug information about the synchronization of the system clock between the active and standby NSEs.
Examples
The following example shows how to enable all redundancy debugging:
Router# debug redundancy all
The following example shows how to enable redundancy alarms debugging:
Router# debug redundancy alarms
Asserting alarm :STBDY_REMOVED
The following example shows how to enable redundancy FSM debugging:
Displays redundancy information for the active and standby NSEs.
hw-module standby
To reset the standby network services engine (NSE), use the hw-module standby command in privileged EXEC mode.
hw-module standby {reset | reload}
Syntax Description
reload
Reloads the redundant NSE.
reset
Resets the redundant NSE.
Defaults
No default behavior or values.
Command Modes
Privileged EXEC
Command History
Release
Modification
12.1(10)EX2
This command was introduced.
12.2(18)S
This command was introduced on Cisco 7304 routers running Cisco IOS Release 12.2 S.
Usage Guidelines
Use this command to reset or reload the standby NSE. Use the reload keyword to restart the NSE to upgrade an image. Use this option when the standby NSE is operating normally. Use the reset keyword for a hard reset of the standby NSE. Use this option if the standby NSE is experiencing problems and does not respond to the reload option.
Examples
The following example shows how to reset the standby NSE:
Router# hw-module standby reset
Proceed with reset of standby NSE? [confirm]y
The following example shows an attempt to reset a standby NSE, which is down or experiencing some other problem such as being hung.
Router# hw-module standby reload
Proceed with reload of standby NSE? [confirm]y
%Error:Communication with standby non-operational
If there is a failure to reset a standby NSE because it is in some fault condition, try performing a reload of the NSE.
The following example shows how to reload the standby NSE:
Displays redundancy information for the active and standby NSEs.
redundancy force-switchover (7300)
To force the standby network services engine (NSE) to assume the role of the active NSE, use the redundancy force-switchover (7300) command in privileged EXEC mode.
redundancy force-switchover
Syntax Description
This command has no arguments or keywords.
Defaults
No default behavior or values.
Command Modes
Privileged EXEC
Command History
Release
Modification
12.1(10)EX2
This command was introduced.
12.2(18)S
This command was introduced on Cisco 7304 routers running Cisco IOS Release 12.2 S.
Usage Guidelines
Use the redundancy force-switchover command to force a switchover between redundant NSEs, with the standby NSE becoming the new active NSE. Before switching over, the system first verifies that the standby NSE is ready to take over.
When you use the redundancy force-switchover command and the current running configuration is different from the startup configuration, the system prompts you to save the running configuration before the switchover is performed.
Examples
The following example shows how to perform a manual switchover from the active to the standby NSE when the running configuration is different from the startup configuration:
Router# redundancy force-switchover
System configuration has been modified. Save? [yes/no]:y
Proceed with switchover to standby NSE? [confirm]y
00:07:35:%SYS-5-SWITCHOVER:Switchover requested
The following example shows how to perform a manual switchover from the active to the standby NSE when the running configuration is the same as the startup configuration:
Displays redundancy information for the active and standby NSEs.
show c7300
To display network services engine (NSE) cards and line cards installed in a Cisco 7300 series router, use the show c7300 command in privileged EXEC mode.
show c7300
Syntax Description
This command has no arguments or keywords.
Defaults
No default behavior or values.
Command Modes
Privileged EXEC
Command History
Release
Modification
12.1(9)EX
This command was introduced.
12.1(10)EX
The output of this command was enhanced to include information about Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) images.
12.1(10)EX2
The output of this command was enhanced to include information about a standby NSE.
12.2(18)S
This command was introduced on Cisco 7304 routers running Cisco IOS Release 12.2 S.
Usage Guidelines
This command displays the types of cards (NSE and line cards) and information about incompatible FPGA images in a Cisco 7300 series router. This command also displays if your system is in compliance with line card configuration guidelines. Empty slots are not displayed in the show c7300 command. When the bundled and current FPGA images are compatible, they are not displayed.
If your system contains an unsupported line card or NSE with no matching bundled FPGA image in Cisco IOS, then this command displays "None" instead of the bundled FPGA version number.
Use this command to display information about the status of the active and standby NSEs.
Examples
The following example displays information about a Cisco 7300 series router that has current FPGA images:
Router# show c7300
Slot Card Type Status Insertion time
---- --------- ------ --------------
0,1 NSE-100 Active 00:13:16 ago
4 1OC48-POS Active 00:01:43 ago
System is compliant with hardware configuration guidelines.
All the FPGAs in the system are up-to-date
Network IO Interrupt Throttling:
throttle count=3, timer count=3
active=0, configured=1
netint usec=3999, netint mask usec=200
The following example displays information about a Cisco 7300 series router that has incompatible FPGA images that need to be updated. If your system contains an unsupported line card or NSE with no matching bundled FPGA image in Cisco IOS, "None" is displayed instead of a bundled FPGA version number.
Router# show c7300
Slot Card Type Status Insertion time
---- --------- ------ --------------
0,1 NSE-100 Active 00:02:26 ago
4 6T3 Active 00:02:23 ago
5 6T3 Active 00:02:23 ago
System is compliant with hardware configuration guidelines.
%WARNING:The following FPGAs in the system may need an update.
Slot Card Type Current FPGA Bundled FPGA
---- --------- ------------ ------------
0 NSE-100 (MB) 0.12 None
Network IO Interrupt Throttling:
throttle count=0, timer count=0
active=0, configured=1
netint usec=3999, netint mask usec=200
The following example displays sample output information about the redundancy status of the NSEs installed in the system. In the example below, the active NSE is the NSE-100 installed in slot 0 and slot 1. The standby is the NSE-100 installed in slot 2 and slot 3.
Router# show c7300
Slot Card Type Status Insertion time
---- --------- ------ --------------
0,1 NSE-100 Active 00:02:03 ago
2,3 NSE-100 Standby 00:02:03 ago
4 4OC3-POS Active 00:01:59 ago
5 6T3 Active 00:01:59 ago
System is compliant with hardware configuration guidelines.
Network IO Interrupt Throttling:
throttle count=0, timer count=0
active=0, configured=1
netint usec=3999, netint mask usec=200
Related Commands
Command
Description
show c7300 errorlog
Displays error information on a Cisco 7300 series router.
show diag
Displays hardware information for any slot or the chassis.
Displays redundancy information for the active and standby NSEs.
show version
Displays the configuration of the system hardware, the number of each interface type installed, the Cisco IOS software version, the names and sources of configuration files, and the boot images. Displays the configuration of the ROM monitor.
show redundancy (7300)
To display redundancy information for the active and standby network services engines (NSEs), use the show redundancy command in privileged EXEC mode.
show redundancy
Syntax Description
This command has no arguments or keywords.
Defaults
No default behavior or values.
Command Modes
Privileged EXEC
Command History
Release
Modification
12.1(10)EX2
This command was introduced.
12.2(18)S
This command was introduced on Cisco 7304 routers running Cisco IOS Release 12.2 S.
Usage Guidelines
Use this command to display information about the active and standby NSEs installed in a Cisco 7300 series router.
Examples
The following example shows sample output for the show redundancy command:
Router# show redundancy
2d00h: %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by console red
