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Cisco Meraki Documentation

Upgrade Steps for Cloud-Managed Catalyst Switches with Cloud Configuration

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Please note that after upgrading to any Cloud-native IOS XE release, downgrading to CS firmware is restricted. Factory reset may be required, and support assistance will be necessary. Learn more

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Overview

Cloud Management with IOS XE unlocks the powerful capabilities of IOS XE, enabling organizations to simplify operations, enhance efficiency, and improve network performance from access to core networking. This drastically simpler architecture unlocks many benefits for your cloud-managed Cisco Catalyst switches, including the 9300-M, 9300X-M, 9300L-M and MS390 families. 

  • Since the introduction of Cloud Management with IOS XE 17.15, users enjoy faster boot and initialization, a Cloud CLI Terminal for running troubleshooting commands directly from the dashboard, and a new generation of features powered by advanced IOS-XE capabilities! 

  • The new 17.18.1 release brings Cloud Management to more switch platforms, including the C9200, C9300, and C9500 high performance families. It also unlocks more powerful IOS XE features like advanced routing, high availability, and expanded cloud-powered value, so you can manage a seamless, secure, and scalable network from access to core, all within one intuitive dashboard. 

For details on the Cloud Management with IOS XE architecture and software capabilities of this new release, refer to the Cloud Operating Mode for Catalyst Cloud-Managed Switches Overview document, Release Versions and Highlights, or the FAQ document. 

This document walks you through a step-by-step guide on how to upgrade your existing cloud-managed Catalyst switches to the new cloud management with IOS XE architecture and unlock the enhancements and various capabilities it offers.

Pre-requisites 

Supported Models

Catalyst 9300-M

C9300-24T-M, C9300-24P-M, C9300-24U-M , C9300-24UX-M , C9300-48T-M , C9300-48P-M , C9300-48U-M , C9300-48UXM-M , C9300-48UN-M , C9300-24S-M, C9300-48S-M , C9300X-12Y-M, C9300X-24Y-M, C9300X-48HXN-M, C9300X-24HX-M, C9300X-48HX-M, C9300X-48TX-M, C9300L-24P-4X-M, C9300L-24T-4X-M, C9300L-24UXG-4X-M, C9300L-48P-4X-M, C9300L-48PF-4X-M, C9300L-48T-4X-M, C9300L-48UXG-4X-M and its corresponding migrated Catalyst models 

MS390

MS390-24-HW, MS390-24P-HW, MS390-24U-HW, MS390-24UX-HW, MS390-48-HW, MS390-48P-HW, MS390-48U-HW, MS390-48UX-HW, MS390-48UX2-HW
Cloud Managed C9200L with 17.15+  C9200L-24T-4X , C9200L-24P-4X, C9200L-48T-4X , C9200L-48P-4X , C9200L-48PL-4X , C9200L-24PXG-4X , C9200L-48PXG-4X , C9200L-24PXG-2Y , C9200L-48PXG-2Y , C9200L-24T-4G , C9200L-24P-4G , C9200L-48T-4G , C9200L-48P-4G , C9200L-48 PL-4G 

Minimum Firmware Requirement

Cloud-managed Catalyst switches should be running CS16 or CS17 firmware before initiating the upgrade to cloud-native IOS XE.

Steps to upgrade to the cloud-native IOS XE release 

1. Schedule a firmware upgrade from the Organization > Monitor > Firmware Upgrades page on the Meraki Dashboard. You should expect to see the IOS XE firmware version to upgrade to with IOS XE 17.15.1 being the first ever cloud-native version to be available on the dashboard. 

Firmware_upgrades_page.png

 

2. Below is a step-by-step flow of different upgrade stages your switch would go through. 

We expect the typical outage time (actual time the switch isn’t able to forward traffic) to be roughly 30-45 minutes, but our recommendation would be to plan to leave the switch online for an hour after the switch is back online to allow the install to be marked safe/complete without interrupting the upgrade process.

clipboard_eaaacc3561dacfc53320a2ec8c16286c5.png

 

Refer to the LED scheme documented in Cloud Operating Mode for Catalyst Cloud-Managed Switches Overview to interpret the LED behavior expected during the firmware upgrade process for the cloud-managed catalyst switches.