Table Of Contents
Quick Install and Release Notes for Cisco Security MARS Appliance 4.2.2
Miscellaneous Changes and Enhancements
Downloading the Upgrade Package from CCO
Checklist for Initial Configuration
Resolved Caveats - Release 4.2.2
Resolved Caveats - Releases Prior to 4.2.2
Obtaining Documentation, Obtaining Support, and Security Guidelines
Quick Install and Release Notes for Cisco Security MARS Appliance 4.2.2
Revised: December 20, 2006, 78-17805-01
These release notes are for use with the Cisco Security Monitoring, Analysis, and Response System (MARS), Version 4.2.2 running on any Local Controller or on any Global Controller. They provide the following information:
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Obtaining Documentation, Obtaining Support, and Security Guidelines
Introduction
Version 4.2.2 is now available as a patch upgrade to 4.2.1 of your MARS Appliance software. Registered SMARTnet users under the can obtain version 4.2.2 from the Cisco support website at:
http://www.cisco.com/pcgi-bin/tablebuild.pl/cs-mars
Supported Hardware
Cisco Security MARS Version 4.2.2 supports the following Cisco Security MARS and Protego Networks MARS appliances:
Local Controller Appliances
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Cisco Security MARS 20 (CS-MARS-20-K9)
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Cisco Security MARS 20R (CS-MARS-20R-K9)
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Cisco Security MARS 50 (CS-MARS-50-K9)
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Cisco Security MARS 100 (CS-MARS-100-K9)
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Cisco Security MARS 100e (CS-MARS-100E-K9)
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Cisco Security MARS 200 (CS-MARS-200-K9)
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Protego Networks PN-MARS 20
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Protego Networks PN-MARS 50
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Protego Networks PN-MARS 100
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Protego Networks PN-MARS 100e
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Protego Networks PN-MARS 200
Global Controller Appliances
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Cisco Security MARS GC (CS-MARS-GC-K9)
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Cisco Security MARS GCm (CS-MARS-GCM-K9)
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Protego Networks PN-MARS GC
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Protego Networks PN-MARS GCm
New Features
In addition to resolved caveats, this release includes the following new features:
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Miscellaneous Changes and Enhancements
Miscellaneous Changes and Enhancements
The following changes and enhancements exist in 4.2.2:
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Support for Firewall Services Module 3.1. A new user-selectable option available when adding modules to IOS switch that has been defined as a managed reporting device or mitigation device.
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Performance Improvements for Windows and Cisco IPS Log Processing. Three dedicated processes run on the MARS Appliance, two of which replace earlier processes:
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csips. This backend process uses RDEP to pull alerts from IDS 4.0 devices and SDEE to pull alerts from IPS 5.0 devices. The alerts pulled are then processed and passed on to pnparser from where they enter the system as all other events do. This process, introduced in version 4.2.2, replaces the two former processes named pnids40_srv and pnids50_srv.
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csiosips . This backend process uses SDEE to pull alerts from IOS IPS devices using SDEE. The alerts pulled are then processed and passed on to pnparser from where they enter the system as all other events do. This process, introduced in version 4.2.2, replaces the former process named pniosips_srv.
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cswin. This backend process uses MS-RPC to pull alerts from Windows devices. The alerts pulled are then processed and passed on to pnparser from where they enter the system as all other events do.
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Enhanced Topology Synchronization between Global and Local Controllers. A new button on the Global Controller GUI permits the administrator to manually start and stop an improved topology sychronization process from the Zone Controller Information page (Admin > System Setup > Local Controller Management). New status messages display progress and facilitate trouble shooting. A new pnreset -s CLI option can restore a Local Controller to Standalone from Monitor mode when the Global Controller cannot completely uncouple from (that is, delete) a Local Controller because of an unreliable network connection.
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Enhanced Result Format Display for the Custom Column Query. A query with a Custom Columns result format can now display up to 100,000 results. Previously the maximum (rank returned) was 5,000. If the total results per row exceeds 100 items, MARS provides a link that launches a popup window in which all the results are displayed. Rows with fewer than 100 items can be expanded (and collapsed) for viewing within the same window.
New Vendor Signatures
The following table describes the most recent signatures supported for each product or technology:
Upgrade Instructions
The MARS upgrade packages are the primary vehicle for major, minor, and patch software releases. As administrator of the MARS Appliance, you should check the upgrade site weekly for patch upgrades. In addition to addressing high-priority caveats, patch upgrade packages update system inspection rules, event types, and provide the most recent signature support.
For detailed instructions on planning and performing an upgrade or install, refer to Checklist for Upgrading the Appliance Software in the Install and Setup Guide for Cisco Security Monitoring, Analysis, and Response System.
Important Upgrade Notes
To ensure that the upgrade from earlier versions is trouble free, this section contains the notes provided in previous releases according the release number. Please refer to the notes that pertain to the release you are upgrading from and any releases following that one.
Upgrade to 4.2.2
The following issues can occur during the standard upgrade process of a MARS Appliance:
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If you re-image your MARS Appliance from 3.4.3 to 4.2.2, your 3.x license key does not work on the new image. See CSCsg74922 for details.
The following issues can occur when upgrading your reporting devices:
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If you upgrade your Cisco FWSM modules to software version 3.1.2, you will be unable to parse the events identified in CSCsg31072.
Upgrade to 4.2.1
As identified in CSCse17864, CSCse22610 and CSCse22617, the changes in the case management feature requires that you close all cases before upgrading from MARS 4.1.x to 4.2.1. By closing the cases, you ensure that the device, report, and query information is copied to the case, assuming it still exists in the database.
Upgrade to 4.1.5
No important notes exist for the 4.1.4 upgrade.
Upgrade to 4.1.4
No important notes exist for the 4.1.4 upgrade.
Upgrade to 4.1.3
No important notes exist for the 4.1.3 upgrade.
Upgrade to 4.1.2(2042)
The following notes detail changes to the standard upgrade process:
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If you completed the 4.1.1 to 4.1.2 (2040) upgrade, verify whether the upgrade failed by entering `pnlog mailto <SMTP server> <sender> <recipient>' at the CLI. This commands mails the MARS Appliance logs to the recipient. Open the e-mailed file attachment, and then open the newest upgrade*.log found in /var/log/. Successful upgrades from 4.1.1 (2022) to 4.1.2 (2040) include the following line:
Opening file: /etc/data/secondarytables/reports/Report.0.Resource-Issues--IOS-IPS-DTM---All-Events.x mlIf you do not see this line, then a problem occurred during the upgrade regardless of whether the version command reports 4.1.2 (2040).
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To upgrade from 4.1.1 or a successful or unsuccessful 4.1.2 (2040) to 4.1.2 (2042), download the package, perform the upgrade as defined in Checklist for Upgrading the Appliance Software. If you are upgrading from 4.1.1, you must also execute the following command at the CLI of the upgraded MARS Appliance:
script -b patch_or_04_1_16.sh
The 4.1.2 (2042) image includes an additional command `script' that cleans the database of the data referenced in CSCsc31386. As a result of running the script, the total upgrade process from 4.1.1 to 4.1.2 (2042) may take much longer than previous releases; it depends on the amount of data stored on the MARS Appliance. For a MARS 200, it could double the normal upgrade time to two hours. To determine whether the script is still running, enter the following command and look for `patch_or_04_1_16.sh' anywhere in the output:
sysstatus -n 1 -b
Upgrade to 4.1.1
The following notes relate to changes in your system or configuration as a result of upgrading to MARS 4.1.1.
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Prior to the 4.1.1 release, CSA was identified by the device type name Cisco CSA 4.0. As part of an upgrade, any Cisco CSA 4.0 devices were renamed as Cisco CSA 4.x. This new name includes support for Cisco CSA 4.0 and 4.5.
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The new case management replaces the Escalate Incident functionality in MARS 3.4.4 and earlier. However, escalated incidents are not converted to cases during the upgrade process. Therefore, you must close all open escalations before upgrading to MARS 4.1.1 (CSCsb52057).
Required Upgrade Path
When upgrading from one software version to another, a prerequisite version is always required. This prerequisite version is the minimum level required to be running on the appliance before you can upgrade to the most recent version. Table 1 identifies the upgrade path that you must follow to reach the minimum level required to upgrade to current version.
Table 1 Upgrade Path Matrix
From Version Upgrade To1 Upgrade Packagereleases prior to 2.5.6
Contact Cisco Support
n/a
2.5.6
3.1.1
pn-3.1.1.pkg
3.1.1
3.2.1
pn-3.2.1.pkg
3.2.1
3.2.2
pn-3.2.2.pkg
3.2.2 or 3.3.2 Beta
3.3.3*
pn-3.3.3.pkg
3.3.3
3.3.4*
pn-3.3.4.pkg
3.3.4
3.3.5*
pn-3.3.5.pkg
3.3.5
3.4.1*
pn-3.4.1.pkg
3.4.1
3.4.2
pn-3.4.2.pkg
3.4.2
3.4.3
pn-3.4.3.pkg
3.4.3
3.4.4
pn-3.4.4.pkg
3.4.4
4.1.1
csmars-4.1.1.pkg
4.1.1
4.1.2 (2042) + script command
csmars-4.1.2.pkg2
4.1.2 (2040) without error
4.1.2 (2042)
csmars-4.1.2.pkg2
4.1.2 (2042)
4.1.3
csmars-4.1.3.pkg
4.1.3
4.1.4
csmars-4.1.4.pkg
4.1.4
4.1.5
csmars-4.1.5.pkg
4.1.5
4.2.1
csmars-4.2.1.pkg
4.2.1
4.2.2
csmars-42.2.pkg
1 An asterisk (*) next to a package name in this column identifies that this upgrade must be performed from the command line, as GUI support was lost with the closing of the upgrade.proteogonetwork.com website.
2 To upgrade from 4.1.1 or 4.1.2 (2040) to 4.1.2(2042), please review the special upgrade notes in the Quick Install and Release Notes for Cisco Security MARS Appliance 4.1.2 (2042).
Downloading the Upgrade Package from CCO
Upgrade images and supporting software are found on the CCO software download pages dedicated to MARS. You can access these pages at the following URLs, assuming you have a valid CCO account and that you have registered your SMARTnet contract number for your MARS Appliance
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Top-level page: http://www.cisco.com/pcgi-bin/tablebuild.pl?topic=279644034
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Upgrade files: http://www.cisco.com/pcgi-bin/tablebuild.pl/cs-mars
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Recovery image files: http://www.cisco.com/pcgi-bin/tablebuild.pl/cs-mars-recovery
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Supporting files: http://www.cisco.com/pcgi-bin/tablebuild.pl/cs-mars-misc
Note
If you are upgrading from a version earlier than those posted on CCO, please contact Cisco support for information on obtaining the required images. Do not attempt to skip versions along the upgrade path.
For information on obtaining a CCO account, see the following URL:
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http://www.cisco.com/en/US/applicat/cdcrgstr/applications_overview.html
Important Notes
The following notes apply to the MARS 4.1.x and 4.2.x releases:
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Do not to use DISTINCT or SAME in queries, and do not run multi-line queries in Release 4.2.2. If you run such a query, the system time outs after 20 minutes without returning any results. The message "Timeout Occurred" appears instead. You can use DISTINCT and SAME in a Query to create a rule with the Query interface.
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For Symantec AntiVirus, the Symantec agent hostname (AV client computer name) appears in the "Reported User" column of the event data. Therefore, you can define a query, report or rule related to this agent based on the "Reported User" value.
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The False Positive and Query pages (multi-column result format) have changed. You can now query on firing events that triggered false positives within a time interval. Such queries will render events that did not appear on the False Positive page. To ensure performance, the False Positive page only displays false positives from the most recent 10,000 firing events. To view additional false positives, you must perform a query.
The following notes describe new behavior based on the resolution of specific caveats. Be sure to check the upgrade notes for each release for important notes on data migration.
Quick Install Notes
It is recommended that users read the Install and Setup Guide for Cisco Security Monitoring, Analysis, and Response System. However, for those users who simply want to get the MARS Appliance up and running, the following two topics, taken from the Install and Setup Guide for Cisco Security Monitoring, Analysis, and Response System, summarize the hardware installation and initial software configuration:
1.
Installation Quick Reference
2.
Checklist for Initial Configuration
Installation Quick Reference
Table 2 provides an overview of the installation and initial configuration process. Following installation and initial configuration, see the following publications for information on how to use a browser and the HTML interface to fully configure your MARS Appliance to provide the security threat mitigation (STM) services you want from this installation:
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User Guide for CS-MARS Local Controller Version 4.2.x
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User Guide for CS-MARS Global Controller Version 4.2.x
Checklist for Initial Configuration
Initial configuration of the appliance accomplishes several goals:
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Introduces the two user interfaces to MARS: the command line interface (CLI) and the web interface.
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Licenses the appliance.
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Prepares the appliance to monitor and communicate on your network.
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Configures the system time so that event correlation works properly.
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Ensures the system administrative account is configured properly.
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Ensures appliance is running the most recent version of software.
The following checklist describes the tasks required to initially configure your MARS Appliance. Each task might contain several steps; the tasks and steps within should be performed in order. The checklist contains references to the specific procedures used to perform each task.
Task
1.
Establish a console connection to the appliance.
Initial configuration requires a console connection to access the CLI. You should establish this connection with the power turned off on the MARS Appliance. Three console connection options exist:
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A direct console connection to the appliance using a keyboard and monitor
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A standard serial console connection between a computer and the appliance using a terminal emulation package
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An Ethernet console connection between a computer and the appliance using a terminal emulation package
After you have chosen and configured your console connection, you must power up the appliance.
Result: The appliance is powered up and you can see the command line prompt through your console connection.
For more information, see:
2.
Command Line Configuration: Setting the system administrative account's default password and configuring the interfaces.
The command line configuration is separated into three tasks, each task being separated by a reboot of the appliance. The first task involves performing three to four procedures:
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Collect the information required to configure the appliance to operate optimally on your network.
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Log in to the appliance and change the password associated with the system administrative account (pnadmin).
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Configure the eth0 network interface, specifying the default gateway and IP address and network mask pair for that interface.
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(Optional) Configure the eth1 network interface, specifying the IP address and network mask pair for that interface.
Each MARS Appliance has two Ethernet interfaces: eth0 and eth1. The eth0 interface is the dedicated interface used for collecting event data and logs from your network. The eth1 interface is intended for use in an out-of-band management (OOBM) network or for a console connection. Therefore, your default gateway and IP address/mask values should focus on the network connections to be used to monitor the data streams of reporting devices, and these settings should be applied to eth0.
Note
The MARS Appliance does not allow you to configure both of its interfaces on the same network.
Result: The default password is no longer associated with the system administrative account and the appliance is more secure. Also, the eth0 is configured to communicate on your network. When you complete the IP address configuration changes for either, the appliance reboots.
For more information, see:
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Configuring Basic Network Settings at the Command Line
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Change the Default Password of the System Administrative Account
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Specify the IP address and Default Gateway for the Eth0 Interface
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(Optional) Specify the IP Address and Default Gateway for the Eth1 Interface
3.
Command Line Configuration.
The second task of the CLI configuration involves setting the hostname of the appliance. The hostname is used to uniquely identify which appliance collects a specific log and which appliance fires an inspection rule. This unique identity is especially important in an environment where Global Controller is running. To complete this task, you must:
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Log in to the appliance using the system administrative account and the new password.
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Set the hostname of the appliance.
Result: The hostname is configured for the appliance. The appliance reboots.
For more information, see:
4.
Command Line Configuration.
The third and final task of the initial CLI configuration involves specifying those settings that help ensure the integrity of the event correlation and complete your network connection, allowing access to the appliance from other hosts on the network. In other words, after you complete this phase, you can connect to and complete the appliance configuration using a non-console connection from any host on your network. To complete this task, you must:
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Log in to the appliance using the system administrative account and the new password.
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Set any additional static routes.
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Set the clock.
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Set the NTP server settings.
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Set the DNS domain name.
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Connect the appliance to the network (that is, plug in the Cat 5 cables.)
Result: Now you have network connectivity. You can access the CLI interface using an Secure Shell (SSH) client on any host that can reach the appliance, and you can log in to the web interface to complete the initial configuration.
For more information, see:
5.
Complete initial configuration using the web interface.
After you have completed the cable connections to the MARS Appliance, defined the required network connection settings, and specified any additional default routes, you can start the web interface configuration process. Verify the configuration settings of your browser before configuring the MARS Appliance (see Web Browser Client Requirements).
During this phase, you configure the following:
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Appliance license
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Zone identification (Global Controller only)
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E-mail server identification
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DNS addresses
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E-mail address for the system administrative account (pnadmin)
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TACACS/AAA login prompt settings
Result: You have configured your appliance to communicate on the network, properly correlate events, and issue system e-mails to a monitored e-mail address.
For more information, see:
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Completing the Configuration using MARS web interface
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Verifying and Updating Network Settings
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Configure E-mail Settings for the System Administrative Account
6.
Upgrade the appliance to the most recent software version.
The software version determines the currency of signatures, system inspection rules, features, and bug fixes. An important part of your security solution is ensuring that you maintain the most up-to-date software on the MARS Appliance. This process involves preparing an upgrade strategy and selecting a method, determining your current version, identifying the most recent version, and downloading and applying all intermediate versions of the software.
Result: The appliance is running the most recent version of software.
For more information, see:
Caveats
This section describes the open and resolved caveats with respect to this release.
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Resolved Caveats - Release 4.2.2
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Resolved Caveats - Releases Prior to 4.2.2
For your convenience in locating caveats in Cisco's Bug Toolkit, the caveat titles listed in this section are drawn directly from the Bug Toolkit database. These caveat titles are not intended to be read as complete sentences because the title field length is limited. In the caveat titles, some truncation of wording or punctuation may be necessary to provide the most complete and concise description. The only modifications made to these titles are as follows:
•
Commands are in boldface type.
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Product names and acronyms may be standardized.
•
Spelling errors and typos may be corrected.
Note
If you are a registered cisco.com user, view Bug Toolkit on cisco.com at the following website:
http://www.cisco.com/support/bugtools
To become a registered cisco.com user, go to the following website:
http://tools.cisco.com/RPF/register/register.do
Open Caveats - Release 4.2.2
The following caveats affect this release and are part of supported devices or compatible products:
The following caveats affect this release and are part of MARS.
Resolved Caveats - Release 4.2.2
The following customer found or previously release noted caveats have been resolved in this release.



