Software Upgrade

With the Software Upgrade window, you can upgrade switch software. If you configured several switches in a cluster, you can upgrade all or selected switches simultaneously.

To upgrade a switch:

• Review the cluster upgrade rules (not required for single switch upgrades).
• Obtain the IP address of the TFTP server.
• Download the files from CCO.
• Upgrade the software.

Obtaining the TFTP Server IP Address

You need the IP address of the PC or UNIX station that is acting as the TFTP server.

• To obtain the IP address of a Windows NT system, enter ipconfig at the DOS command prompt.
• To obtain the IP address of a Windows 95 system, select Start > Run and enter winipcfg.
• To obtain the IP address of a UNIX station, enter ifconfig -a at the prompt or look in the /etc/hosts file.

Note: If your PC is running the Cisco TFTP server, check for the IP address on the title bar of the TFTP application.

Downloading the Files from CCO

To download a new version of switch software and the Cisco TFTP server application from CCO to your PC or UNIX station hard disk:

1. Log into CCO by following the instructions in the Release Notes for the Catalyst 2900 Series XL and the Catalyst 3500 Series XL, Cisco IOS Release 12.0(5)XU.
2. Download the TFTP server application by following the instructions in CCO.
   Note: To ensure full technical support, Cisco Systems recommends using the TFTP server application (Version 1.1). Earlier versions of this application will not properly copy the files during the upgrade process.
3. Follow the instructions in CCO to download the .tar file (combined IOS image and HTML software for Visual Switch Manager) for 2900 and 3500 XL switches or the .bin file for Catalyst 1900 and 2820 switches.
   Note: The tar file contains the same software as the corresponding .bin and HTML files.
   For information about the image filenames, see the release notes for your products.

Upgrade Rules for Switch Clusters

The following procedure shows you how to upgrade from Release 12.0(5)XU to a later version of software. When you upgrade switches from different product lines, follow these guidelines to ensure success and streamline the upgrade process:

• Do not upgrade switches from different product lines at the same time: upgrade 2900 and 3500 XL switch separately.
  Note: Catalyst 1900 and 2820 switches can be grouped together for an upgrade, but neither can be grouped with 2900 or 3500 XL switches while upgrading.
• Use the .tar version of the upgrade image for 2900 and 3500 XL switches; use the .bin image for Catalyst 1900 and 2820 switches. These file types (.tar and .bin) contain the software image and management code needed for the upgrade.
• Upgrade Catalyst 1900 and 2820 switches last. These switches must be rebooted soon after the upgrade. If you fail to select Reboot Cluster in 30 seconds after the upgrade, these switches reboot automatically (allow a five-minute delay).
• Do not upgrade 2900 XL switches with 4 MB of memory to Cisco IOS Release 12.0(5)XU (WS-C2908-XL, WS-C2916M-XL, WS-C2924C-XL, and WS-C2924-XL). Check Cisco Connection Online for the latest original edition software for these switches. (To check memory size on your switch, use the CLI command show version.)

Upgrading the Software

To upgrade the software on a cluster:

1. Review the upgrade rules if you are upgrading a switch cluster.
2. In the TFTP Server IP Address field, enter the IP address of your TFTP server.
   Note: To perform group upgrades, your TFTP server must be capable of handling multiple requests and sessions simultaneously. If you are using Cisco's TFTP server application, which is capable of handling multiple requests and sessions, you must disable the Show File Transfer Progress and the Enable Logging options to avoid TFTP server failures. To disable these options, select View > Options from the Cisco TFTP server menu bar and deselect these options.
3. In the New Image File Name field, enter the name of the file to download from CCO.
   For 2900 and 3500 switches, a .tar file contains the image. For Catalyst 1900 and 2820 switches, a .bin file contains the image. For information about image filenames, see the release notes for your products.
   Note: You can enter the path and filename in this field; you can precede the path with a single slash (/) or no slash. If you enter only the filename in this field, you must set up the path in the TFTP root directory of the TFTP server application.
4. Select the Retain Current Image File Names checkbox if you want the new image to retain the old image name.
   By default, this checkbox is deselected, so a new name is assigned to the new image.
   Note: This checkbox does not apply to Catalyst 1900 and 2820 switches.
5. In the Available Devices list box, select the cluster member to be upgraded, and click Add.
   Repeat this process until all members to be upgraded are displayed in the Selected Devices list box.
   Note:  See the upgrade rules for important selection information.
   To remove switches from the Selected Devices list box, select the switches and click Remove.
6. Click Upgrade Devices to start the upgrade.
   On Catalyst 2900 and 3500 XL switches, the new image is copied over the existing one if the switch has insufficient Flash memory for two images. If the switch has sufficient Flash memory, the new image is copied to the selected switches, but it does not replace the current running image. The old image is erased only after the new image is completely downloaded, so if you experience a failure during the copy process, you can reboot your switch using the old image.
   On Catalyst 1900 and 2820 switches, the new image always overwrites the existing one.
7. Review the Software Upgrade Status Messages area to see the history of the upgrade process.
   The status messages tell you which devices successfully upgraded and which ones failed.
8. If you have more switches to upgrade, repeat Steps 2 through 6. (Save Catalyst 1900 and 2820 upgrades for last.)
9. Click Reboot Cluster to reboot all switches in the cluster.
   All configuration changes are automatically saved to Flash memory. After a one minute delay, the new image is loaded and run after rebooting.
   Note: You lose connectivity to the switch when you reboot the cluster.