CiscoWorks Resource Manager Essentials

Note: The information in this document is based on CiscoWorks Resource Manager Essentials (RME) 3.1

Software Image Management (SWIM) is an application in RME that helps network administrators manage and upgrade software images on Cisco devices. This document contains most frequently asked questions (FAQ) that network administrators or network engineers have with use of SWIM. All the FAQs are for SWIM on RME 3.1.

A. Cisco.com connection is not mandatory for basic SWIM functionality. Image distribution, library management, the track of software upgrade changes, and other functions can run without Cisco.com connectivity.

Cisco.com connectivity provides additional benefits. You can obtain images and image attributes from Cisco.com. Also, you can view the status of outstanding bugs against the software images that run on the devices in the network. These features of SWIM require Cisco.com connectivity:

• Addition of an image to the library from Cisco.com—SWIM can import images for Cisco IOS® Software, Cisco Catalyst, and Cisco 700 series devices. For Cisco IOS Software devices, SWIM imports only system software. SWIM does not support the import of bootloader images.
• Distribution of images directly from Cisco.com to devices—This process also has the name Recommend Images from Cisco.com. Without a Cisco.com connection, the Image list on the Recommend Images screen does not show any images from Cisco.com at the creation of the Distribute Images job.
• Cisco.com upgrade analysis
• The process of Cisco IOS image deferrals
• The Browsing Bugs, Browsing Bugs by Device, and Locating Devices by Bugs options

A. The Flash card can be partitioned into two equal banks. You call each bank a Flash partition. A Flash card without partition is Single Flash Bank (SFB). The device is an SFB device. A device that has a division of the Flash card into two partitions is a DFB device.

When there is a partition of Flash into two separate banks, the banks have the names flash1 and flash2. You must store software image files completely in a single partition. So, the total size of any Flash partition limits the maximum size of a software image. On a DFB run-from-Flash (RFF) device, SWIM supports the upgrade of the flash partition that does not contain the running image. In other words, SWIM cannot upgrade the RFF partition on DFB devices. SWIM cannot perform the upgrade because the other partition, which you can upgrade directly, is the partition that is best for storage of the new software image.

The Cisco AS5200 device has two Flash cards, bootflash and flash. The flash is an RFF system, and bootflash is a run-from-RAM (RFR) system. The bootflash is for the storage of bootldr images on the AS5200, and flash is for the storage of Cisco IOS System Software.

A. SWIM updates the software on the master RSP. SWIM copies the software image file to the master RSP Flash card (bootflash: slot0: slot1:) and updates the configuration file on the master RSP. SWIM cannot completely upgrade the software on the slave RSP processor. SWIM can only copy the software image file to the slave RSP; SWIM cannot update the configuration file on that processor. To upgrade software on the slave RSP, you need to choose Don't touch config file, then choose the no reboot option. You have to run a separate Distribute Images job to copy the software image file to the slave RSP.

A. SWIM upgrades the Supervisor Engine module on the device before other modules. SWIM upgrades the remainder of the modules in slot-number order. For example, SWIM upgrades the module on slot #3 before slot #5.

A. After the deployment of new Supervisor Engine software, SWIM does not verify whether the software supports all modules that are available on the chassis. Usually, at the upgrade of Supervisor Engine software to a newer release, the software provides backward compatibility for all the modules that exist on the chassis. Check the release notes of the Supervisor Engine software or module software to make sure that the software versions are compatible.

A. Cisco Catalyst devices have a redundant architecture. When a Catalyst device reboots after a software upgrade, the redundant Supervisor Engine automatically synchronizes all the data from the primary Supervisor Engine. There is no need for special process.

A. SWIM updates the configuration file on Catalyst 5500/5000 devices only when the device has a Supervisor Engine III card. SWIM updates the boot system commands and the configuration register value, if necessary. For Supervisor Engine I and II and other module upgrades, SWIM does not update the configuration file on the device. Instead, SWIM uses CISCO-STACK-MIB and TFTP to download the configuration file. Before SWIM changes the configuration file on the device, SWIM backs up the file to the Job Schedule directory.

This example illustrates the SWIM update of the configuration file. Assume that a Supervisor Engine III card runs 3.1(1) software, and the software image file is on slot0 as cat5000-sup3.3-1-1.bin.

The configuration file boot system command before the upgrade is:

set boot system flash slot0:cat5000-sup3.3-1-1.bin

SWIM upgrades the software to 4.1(2) and stores the new software image on the same Flash card, ascat5000-sup3-4-1-2.bin. SWIM then performs these configuration updates:

clear all boot system all

!--- This command removes all boot system commands on the device.

set boot system flash slot0:cat5000-sup3.4-1-2.bin
set boot system flash slot0:cat5000-sup3.3-1-1.bin

This update modifies the BOOT environment variable on the Supervisor Engine III card.

Note: Environment values display on the device if you issue the show boot command from the Supervisor Engine command-line interface (CLI).

The config register update occurs only if the least significant four bits of the config register are not all set to 1s. For example, SWIM requires no change to the config register with the value 0x10F; the least significant four bits are all 1s. If, for example, the current config register value is 0x111 or 0x11A, SWIM modifies the config register to 0x11F. SWIM generates this command:

set boot config-register 0x11F

A. Each job upgrades devices sequentially. The duration of the upgrade varies, which depends on the network bandwidth and the type of devices for upgrade. Upgrade a maximum of 12 devices per job.

A. If you select Cisco.com image recommendation, try to limit the images with a filter. To filter, choose Resource Manager Essentials > Administration > Software Management > Edit Preferences.