Table of Contents

Introduction
Upgrading MGX 8240 Software to Version 2.X
Upgrading VCLI To Version 2.X
Upgrading the Switch Software to Version 2.X

Extracting Switch Software

Upgrading the Switch Software

Upgrading MGX 8240 Software to Version 2.X for Entire Chassis
Upgrading the MGX 8240 Software to Version 2.X One Card at a Time
Upgrading the MGX 8240 Software to Version 2.X Using Redundancy

Downgrading the MGX 8240 Software from Version 2.X

Downgrading the MGX 8240 Software from Version 2.X for an Entire Chassis
Downgrading the MGX 8240 Software from Version 2.X One Card at a Time
Downgrading the MGX 8240 Software from Version 2.X Using Redundancy

Upgrade Procedure for MGX 8240

Introduction

This appendix guides users through the upgrade of MGX 8240 software from Release 1.0.X through 1.1.X to version 2.X. Release 2.X software contains upgrades for both the VCLI and switch software.

Before the switch software can be upgraded, the user must upgrade the VCLI. If the VCLI upgrade has already been performed, proceed to Upgrading the Switch Software to Version 2.X.

Upgrading MGX 8240 Software to Version 2.X

The upgrade procedure for Release 2.X has two parts. Upgrading VCLI To Version 2.X describes the upgrade procedure for the VCLI. Upgrading the Switch Software to Version 2.X describes the upgrade procedure for the switch software.

This document uses placeholders in examples (refer to Table D-1). Users should substitute terms that match their configuration

.

Upgrading VCLI To Version 2.X

The VCLI upgrade file is found on the VCLI CDROM and is named RX.X.X.tar where X.X.X is the specific release number for version 2 listed on the distribution media (for example, R2.0.1.tar). Install the VCLI in the /opt/Sentient/vcli directory.

Note   To upgrade the VCLI, you must first login as root user.

Follow the steps below to install the VCLI:

Note   In this section, the release number is shown as 2.0.1. The user should replace the release number with version to be installed.

Step 1   Change the directory to the installation directory:

Step 2   Unarchive the upgrade file:

This command extracts three files:

The file vcli-install.txt contains instructions on how to install a new VCLI or upgrade an existing VCLI installation. Follow the instructions that correspond to your configuration.

Upgrading the Switch Software to Version 2.X

Use the VCLI to upgrade the switch software. The VCLI uses FTP to copy the switch software onto the cards. The FTP process does not disrupt user traffic.

Note   Once you have begun an upgrade, do not make any changes to the configurations of the switch or group of switches until the upgrade has been completed. Any configuration updates made during the upgrade process may be lost.

Extracting Switch Software

The procedure for extracting the switch software from Release 1.X to 2.X is described below. Cisco recommends that the upgrade be performed in a directory named "image," in the VCLI installation directory. When the contents of the archive file are extracted, a subdirectory will be created that reflects the version of the switch software (for example., /opt/Sentient/vcli/image/R2o0o1o1). The file containing the switch software upgrade package for this example, R2.0.1.1upg.tar, is on the MGX 8240 software CDROM or at ftp.sentientnet.com under the /pub/williams/switch directory.

Step 1   Change the directory to the installation directory:

Step 2   Check if a directory named "image" exists in the current directory. If it does not, create the directory:

Step 3   Verify the current directory by displaying the current working directory:

Step 4   Copy the switch upgrade file R2.0.1.1upg.tar to the current directory.

Step 5   Unarchive the switch upgrade file:

When unarchived, some directories and files are created in the release specific directory.

Upgrading the Switch Software

The switch upgrade can be performed in one of three ways:

1. On an entire chassis

2. On an individual card

3. One card at a time in a redundancy group

Use method number 1 for a chassis with all non-redundant cards (no backup cards). Use method number 2 for a chassis with redundancy cards in a maintenance window or for a subset of non-redundant cards in the chassis. Methods number 1 and number 2 require a switch reset that interrupts user traffic for approximately five minutes on each card. Use method number 3 for a functioning redundancy group. By taking advantage of the redundancy feature, this method creates minimal user traffic loss. However, method number 3 takes more time to perform the upgrade.

Upgrading MGX 8240 Software to Version 2.X for Entire Chassis

The steps for upgrading an entire chassis are listed below. The upgrade will cause user traffic to be interrupted for approximately five minutes while the switch reboots and reloads the upgraded software.

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Note   Run VCLI version 2.X.

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Step 1   Set the VCLI "image directory" environment to be the directory chosen earlier. For example, enter the following command:

Step 2   Set the FTP password for the switch using change system switch -ftppass command. If the password is not specified, the VCLI uses the default switch password (sysadmin). Enter the following command:

Step 3   The switch software upgrade is performed using the download command. The download command has a -verbose 1 option that reports the status of the upgrade as it proceeds. The download command also asks for confirmation when starting a download. To turn off confirmation, use the -noconfirm 1 options. Enter the following command:

The upgrade process may encounter errors during or after the download. The most likely error type is a Communication error during upgrade. If you receive such an error, the transfer of files to the switch encountered errors. Communication may have been lost with the switch. The CIM router should be reset and then the upgrade should be attempted again. (If necessary, call Cisco TAC for instructions.) After the CIM router resets, the cards in the chassis may be out of communication for up to ten seconds.

To complete the upgrade of the switch software, the new software must be activated. In addition to installing new files, the upgrade procedure also copies the current configuration to the upgraded switch software.

Step 4   To protect against unwanted switch-ins by a backup, the role of the backup must be changed to role none before changing to the new software just downloaded.

Warning Before changing the role of a backup to none, the backup should be in standby mode. If the backup is not in standby, user data traffic may be interrupted.

When the role of the backup is changed to none, the backup will reset. All cards that have role backup must have their role changed to none. To change the role, enter:

Step 5   Use the VCLI command change cescard image to set the new software directory. When the change image command is issued, the user will be prompted to confirm the change. To prevent a confirmation prompt, use the -noconfirm 1 options. After the change image command is issued, an upgrade checksum is performed, the existing configuration is copied to the upgraded software directory, the default software directory is set, the card resets and is unavailable while the card loads the software, performs diagnostics, and loads the switch configuration. Allow up to fifteen minutes for these operations to complete. Enter the following command:

The change image process may encounter errors during or after the download. The type of error is reported in the error message. The error types and recommended user action is described below.

• Download checksum error—Checksum error was detected after the files were transferred to the switch. The upgrade could not be completed. The upgrade of the switch software should be re-started from the download command.
  
  
• Configuration copy checksum error—Checksum error was detected while the configuration files were being copied to the upgrade software directory. The upgrade could not be completed. The upgrade of the switch software should be re-started from the download command.
  
  

Step 6   To verify a successful update of the switch software, issue the sh ces info command when the switches are back online.

Step 7   The software version displayed should match your new upgrade. Ensure that the Software Version: field indicates Release Number 2.X for each card in the chassis.

Upgrading the MGX 8240 Software to Version 2.X One Card at a Time

The steps for upgrading an individual card are listed below. The upgrade will cause user traffic to be interrupted for approximately five minutes for the switch. This is the time it takes for a switch to reboot and reload the upgraded software. This procedure is used when cards are upgraded one card at a time and user traffic can be interrupted during the switch reset.

Step 1   Run VCLI version 2.X.

Step 2   Set the VCLI image directory environment to be the directory chosen earlier:

Step 3   Set the FTP password for the switch using change system switch -ftppass command. If the password is not specified, the VCLI uses the default switch password (sysadmin).

Step 4   The switch software upgrade is performed using the download command. The download command has a -verbose 1 option that reports the status of the upgrade as it proceeds. The download command also asks for confirmation when starting a download. To turn off confirmation, use the -noconfirm 1 options:

Step 5   The upgrade process may encounter errors during or after the download. The error types and recommended user action is described below:

• Communication error during upgrade—The transfer of files to the switch encountered errors. Communication may have been lost with the switch. The CIM router should be reset and then the upgrade should be attempted again. (If necessary, called Cisco TAC for instructions.) After the CIM router reset, the cards in the chassis may be out of communication for up to ten seconds.
  
  

Step 6   To complete the upgrade of the switch software, the new software must be activated. In addition to installing new files, the upgrade procedure also copies the current configuration to the upgraded switch software.

Step 7   Use the VCLI command change cescard image to set the new software directory. When the change image command is issued, the user will be prompted to confirm the change. To prevent a confirmation prompt, use the -noconfirm 1 options. After the change image command is issued, an upgrade checksum is performed, the existing configuration is copied to the upgraded software directory, the default software directory is set, the card resets and is unavailable while the card loads the software, performs diagnostics, and loads the switch configuration. Allow up to fifteen minutes for these operations to complete.

Step 8   The change image process may encounter errors during or after the download. The error types and recommended user actions are described below:

• Download checksum error—Checksum error was detected after the files were transferred to the switch. The upgrade could not be completed. The upgrade of the switch software should be re-started from the download command.
  
  
• Configuration copy checksum error—Checksum error was detected while the configuration files were being copied to the upgrade software directory. The upgrade could not be completed. The upgrade of the switch software should be re-started from the download command.
  
  

Step 9   To verify a successful update of the switch software, issue the sh ces info command when the switch is back online. Verify the software version number displayed is that of the upgraded version.

Step 10   Enter the command:

Step 11   Ensure that the Software Version: field in the display of above command indicates release number 2.X for the card.

Upgrading the MGX 8240 Software to Version 2.X Using Redundancy

The steps for upgrading cards in a redundancy group using redundancy to minimize user traffic interruption are described below. The upgrade will cause minimal user traffic interruption (1-15 seconds) on each card upgraded. The upgrade will take approximately two hours for a four primary redundancy group. The user must allow sufficient time for the backup to copy the configurations from the primary whenever a the role change from none to backup occurs. Once a primary card is upgraded, it will not be part of the redundancy group until the backup is upgraded.

Caution   Do not allow configuration modifications to any of the cards in the redundancy group until the entire group has been upgraded. Any changes made to the configuration while the upgrade is in progress may be lost.

Caution   No cards should have been added to the redundancy group within the last fifteen minutes before the upgrade. The backup must be in the standby state and the primary cards in the protected state. If the cards are not in the correct state(s), the upgrade may result in a loss of configuration changes and/or a significant interruption of user traffic.

Step 1   Run VCLI version 2.2.X.

Step 2   Set the VCLI "image directory" environment to be the directory chosen earlier:

Step 3   Issue a command to see the redundancy status of the chassis. Verify that the state of the backup is listed as standby (SB) and that the primaries are listed as in-service (IS):

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Note   If the backup is not in standby or the primaries are not in service, do not proceed! The cards may not be in a proper state to download using redundancy.

Step 4   Ensure that there are no existing connections on the backup. Any circuits configured on the backup in standby may conflict with the configuration loaded while switching in for a primary. The connections can be checked using sh conn all sum -card BackupCard command. If any connections exist, they should be deleted using del conn -card BackupCard -epid all.

Caution   During the switch over, user traffic will be interrupted for one to fifteen seconds.

Step 5   Force the backup to take over service for the primary that will be upgraded next using the following command:

Step 6   The switch over status can be monitored using sh switch red command. Wait for the backup card to change to the switched-in (SI) state and the primary to the switched-out (SO) state.

Step 7   The switch software upgrade is performed using the download command. The download command has a -verbose 1 option that reports the status of the upgrade as it proceeds. The download command also asks for confirmation when starting a download. To turn off confirmation, use the -noconfirm 1 options.

Note   Because the backup is switch-in for the primary, most commands directed to the primary are re-directed to the backup. To guarantee that the software is downloaded to the correct card, use the option -physcard.

The upgrade process may encounter errors during or after the download. The error type and recommended user action is described below:

• Communication error during upgrade—The transfer of files to the switch encountered errors. Communication may have been lost with the switch. The CIM router should be reset and then the upgrade should be attempted again. (If necessary, call TAC for instructions.) After the CIM router resets, the cards in the chassis may be out of communication for up to ten seconds.
  
  

Step 8   To complete the upgrade of the switch software, the new software needs to be activated. In addition to installing new files, the upgrade procedure also copies the current configuration to the upgraded switch software.

Step 9   Use the VCLI command change cescard image to set the new software directory. When the change image command is issued, the user will be prompted to confirm the change. To prevent a confirmation prompt, use the -noconfirm 1 options. After this command is issued, an upgrade checksum is performed, the existing configuration is copied to the upgraded software directory, the default software directory is set, the card resets and is unavailable while the card loads the software, performs diagnostics, and loads the switch configuration.

Note   Allow up to fifteen minutes for these operations to complete.

Step 10   The change image process may encounter errors during or after the download. The type of error is reported in the error message. The error types and recommended user actions are described below:

• Download checksum error—Checksum error was detected after the files were transferred to the switch. The upgrade could not be completed. The upgrade of the switch software should be re-started from the download command.
  
  
• Configuration copy checksum error—Checksum error was detected while the configuration files were being copied to the upgrade software directory. The upgrade could not be completed. The upgrade of the switch software should be re-started from the download command.
  
  

Step 11   To verify a successful update of the switch software, issue the sh ces info command when the switch is back online. Make sure that the software version number displayed matches that of the upgrade software.

Step 12   Ensure that the Software Version: field in the display of above command indicates release number 2.X for the card.

Note   During the upgrade process, the role of the primary was changed to none. Leave the card configured in role none.

Step 13   Now that the primary card (whose role is now none) has loaded the new software, it can take over service for the backup. The primary card has loaded its configuration although it is not passing traffic. The backup's role will be forced to none. When the backup resets, user traffic will switch back to the primary card. Notice that the VCLI normally rejects requests to change the role of a switched-in backup. To disable this protection, use the following command:

Note   Do not modify configurations during the upgrade procedure. Modifications to the configuration may be lost, and user traffic may be significantly interrupted.

The backup will reset and user traffic will start passing through the primary card.

Step 14   When the BackupCard has reset, verify that its role is now none. The upgrade of the primary is now complete. From here, there are two options:

1. If there are more primaries to upgrade, the role of the BackupCard should be changed back to backup. The role of the primary card that has been upgraded will remain none until all cards in the redundancy group have been upgraded. Use the ch ces red -role command:

Caution   It will take five minutes for each number of primaries remaining in the redundancy group to completely transfer the configurations of the remaining primaries. Failure to wait the required period of time may result in a loss of user traffic when the backup is forced into service for a primary.

2. If all primaries have been upgraded, proceed to Step 16 to upgrade the software on the BackupCard.

Step 15   If more primary cards must be upgraded, repeat Steps 3 through 15.

Step 16   After all the primary cards have been upgraded, the backup can be upgraded. Because the BackupCard now has role none, the procedure in Upgrading the MGX 8240 Software to Version 2.X One Card at a Time can be used to upgrade the backup. Once the BackupCard has been upgraded, the redundancy group can be re-created by setting the role of the cards to their role before the upgrade was started. Once the redundancy group has been re-created, the redundancy status of the chassis can be displayed (refer to Table D-2).

Downgrading the MGX 8240 Software from Version 2.X

A user may wish to downgrade from Release 2.x to an earlier version of software. If the user has previously upgraded the switch, it is possible to downgrade it again. However, if the switch has come from the factory with Release 2 software installed on it, it is not possible to downgrade it. The instructions below guide the user through downgrading from a previously-upgraded switch.

The following procedure describes the steps needed to change back to the previous version of software loaded on the switch. Similar to upgrading the switch software, the switch downgrade can be performed in one of three ways:

1. On an entire chassis

2. On an individual card

3. One card at a time in a redundancy group

Use method number 1 for a chassis with all non-redundant cards (no backup cards). Use method number 2 for a chassis with redundancy cards in a maintenance window or for a subset of non-redundant cards in the chassis. Methods number 1 and 2 require a switch reset that interrupts user traffic for approximately five minutes on a card.

Use method number 3 for a functioning redundancy group. By taking advantage of the redundancy feature, this method creates minimal user traffic loss. However, method number 3 requires more time.

Downgrading the MGX 8240 Software from Version 2.X for an Entire Chassis

The steps for downgrading an entire chassis are listed below:

Note   The downgrade will interrupt user traffic for approximately five minutes while the switch reboots and reloads the downgraded software.

Step 1   Run VCLI version 2.X.

Warning Before changing the role of a backup to none, the backup should be in standby mode. If the backup is not in standby, user data traffic may be interrupted.

To protect against unwanted switch-ins by a backup, the role of the backup must be changed to role none before changing to the old software. When the role of the backup is changed to none, the backup will reset. All cards that have role backup must have their role changed to none. To change the role, enter

Wait five minutes for the card to return to normal service and assume role none.

Step 2   Change the active software to the previous version of software by using the ch cescard image command. When the change image command is issued, the user will be prompted to confirm the change. To prevent a confirmation prompt, use the -noconfirm 1 options. All the switches in the chassis will reset and load the previous version of software when this command completes.

Step 3   The cards in the chassis are unavailable for five minutes while the cards load the software, perform diagnostics, and load the switch configuration.

Step 4   To verify a successful downgrade of the switch software, issue the sh ces info command when the switch is back online:

Step 5   Ensure that the "Software Version:" displayed is the old version of switch software.

Downgrading the MGX 8240 Software from Version 2.X One Card at a Time

The steps for downgrading an individual card are listed below. The downgrade will interrupt user traffic for approximately five minutes on each switch while the switch reboots and reloads the downgraded software.

Step 1   Run VCLI version 2.X.

Step 2   Change the active software to the previous version of software by using the ch cescard image command. When the change image command is issued, the user will be prompted to confirm the change. To prevent a confirmation prompt, use the -noconfirm 1 options. The card specified will reset and load the previous version of software when this command completes.

Step 3   The card is unavailable for five minutes while the card loads the software, performs diagnostics, and loads the switch configuration.

Step 4   To verify a successful downgrade of the switch software, issue the sh ces info command when the switch is back online:

Step 5   Ensure that the "Software Version:" displayed is the old version of switch software.

Downgrading the MGX 8240 Software from Version 2.X Using Redundancy

The steps for downgrading cards in a redundancy group using redundancy to minimize user traffic interruption are described below. The downgrade will cause minimal user traffic interruption (1-15 seconds) on each card downgraded. The downgrade will take approximately two hours for a four primary redundancy group. The user must allow sufficient time for the backup to copy the configurations from the primary whenever the role change from none to backup occurs. Once a primary card is downgraded, it will not be part of the redundancy group until the backup is downgraded.

Caution   Do not allow configuration modifications to any of the cards in the redundancy group until the entire group has been downgraded. Any changes made to the configuration while the downgrade is in progress may be lost.

Caution   No cards should have been added to the redundancy group within the last fifteen minutes before the downgrade. The backup must be in the standby state and the primary cards in the protected state. If the cards are not in the correct state(s), the downgrade may result in a loss of configuration changes and/or a significant interruption of user traffic.

Step 1   Run VCLI version 2.X.

Step 2   Issue a command to see the redundancy status of the chassis. Verify that the state of the backup is listed as standby (SB) and that the primaries are listed as protected (PRO):

.

Note   If the backup is not in standby or if the primaries are not protected, do not proceed! The cards may not be in a proper state to downgrade using redundancy.

Step 3   Ensure that there are no existing connections on the backup. Any circuits configured on the backup in standby may conflict with the configuration loaded while switching in for a primary. The connections can be checked using sh conn all sum -card BackupCard command. Delete any existing connections, using del conn -card BackupCard -epid all.

Step 4   Force the backup to take over service for the primary that will be downgraded next using the ch ces red -force over command. During the switch over, user traffic will be interrupted for one to fifteen seconds:

Step 5   The switch over status can again be monitored using sh switch red command. Wait for the backup card to change to the switched-in (SI) state and the primary to the switched-out (SO) state.

Step 6   Finally, set the active software directory to the downgraded software directory and then reset the switch. The VCLI command change cescard image is used to set the new software directory to the previous version. When the change image command is issued, the user will be prompted to confirm the change. To prevent a confirmation prompt, use the -noconfirm 1 options. After this command is issued, the default software directory is set, the card resets and is unavailable for five minutes while the card loads the software, performs diagnostics, and loads the switch configuration.

Step 7   To verify a successful downgrade of the switch software, issue the sh ces info command when the switch is back online. The software version displayed should be the version of the downgrade:

Step 8   Ensure that the Software Version: field in the display of above command indicates downgrade release number. During the downgrade process, the role of the primary was changed to none. Leave the card configured in role none.

Step 9   Now that the primary card (whose role is now none) has loaded the previous software, it can take over service for the backup. The primary card has loaded its configuration although it is not passing traffic. The backup's role will be forced to none. When the backup resets, user traffic to switch back to the primary card. Notice that the VCLI normally rejects requests to change the role of a switched-in backup. To disable this protection, the option -override 1 must be used.

Note   Do not modify configurations during the downgrade procedure. Modification to the configuration may be lost and user traffic may be significantly interrupted.

Step 10   The backup will reset and user traffic will start passing through the primary card.

Step 11   When the BackupCard has reset, verify that its role is now none. If all primaries have been downgraded, proceed to the Step 12 to downgrade the software on the BackupCard. If there are more primaries to downgrade, the role of the BackupCard will be changed back to backup. Use the ch ces red -role command and repeat Steps 1 through 9.

Caution   It will take five minutes times the number of primaries remaining in the redundancy group to completely transfer the configurations of the remaining primaries. Failure to wait the required period of time may result in a loss of user traffic when the backup is forced into service for a primary.

Step 12   When the BackupCard has reset, verify that its role is now none. The downgrade of the primary is complete. From here, there are two options:

1. If there are more primaries to downgrade, the role of the BackupCard will be changed back to backup. The role of the primary card that was just downgraded will remain none until all cards in the redundancy group have been downgraded. Use the following command to change the role to backup:

Once the role has been changed, repeat Steps 1 through 9.

2. If all the primary cards have been downgraded, proceed to the Step 13 to downgrade the backup.

Step 13   Because the BackupCard now has role none, this procedure can be used to downgrade the backup. Once the BackupCard has been downgraded, the redundancy group can be re-created by setting the role of the cards to their role before the downgrade was started. Once the redundancy group has been re-created, the redundancy status of the chassis can be displayed using the following command:

.

Once all cards have been downgraded, configuration changes can be made once again.

Posted: Tue Oct 1 09:09:44 PDT 2002
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