Solved: IOS upgrade - Catalyst 3560X

s k · ‎10-25-2017

I am trying to upgrade a C3560X-48T-L to the code - c3560e-universalk9-mz.150-2.SE10a.bin

from current code - c3560e-universalk9-mz.122-55.SE5.bin

What could be the possible issues that I can see during or after the upgrade. Just trying to be cautious, I would like to know the most common issues that can occur during the IOS software upgrades! Thanks everyone for helping

Leo Laohoo · ‎10-25-2017

@s k wrote:

What could be the possible issues that I can see during or after the upgrade.

Read the Release Notes carefully.
Upgrade using the "archive download-sw" automated script instead of copying the BIN file across.
After downloading the file, compare the MD5 hash value against the MD5 hash value found in the Cisco website.

View solution in original post

Rich Uline · ‎10-25-2017

SK,

The most common upgrade issue I've seen is an image being corrupted during the transfer. You can mitigate this by verifying the file checksum after it is uploaded to the device. When you mouse-over the file before downloading it from the Cisco site, it should show you the checksums (I usually use the MD5 one) which you can then copy for later comparison. Something like this would compute the checksum of the copied file:

Switch#verify /md5 flash:c3560e-universalk9-mz.150-2.SE10a.bin

If the checksums match, then you can be highly certain the file integrity was maintained and it will boot properly.

As a precaution, it's best to leave the previous file on the flash until you've verified the new one is working as expected. However, this is not always an option due to storage limitations. As a last resort, you can always boot from TFTP, so make sure to keep all your files on a TFTP server just in case.

View solution in original post

Leo Laohoo · ‎10-25-2017

@s k wrote:

What could be the possible issues that I can see during or after the upgrade.

Read the Release Notes carefully.
Upgrade using the "archive download-sw" automated script instead of copying the BIN file across.
After downloading the file, compare the MD5 hash value against the MD5 hash value found in the Cisco website.

s k · ‎10-25-2017

That is helpful Leo, thanks a lot, unfortunately I cant go with the archive download-sw process as per the standard of procedures, however, the MD5 hash value comparison will help me a lot!

Rich Uline · ‎10-25-2017

SK,

The most common upgrade issue I've seen is an image being corrupted during the transfer. You can mitigate this by verifying the file checksum after it is uploaded to the device. When you mouse-over the file before downloading it from the Cisco site, it should show you the checksums (I usually use the MD5 one) which you can then copy for later comparison. Something like this would compute the checksum of the copied file:

Switch#verify /md5 flash:c3560e-universalk9-mz.150-2.SE10a.bin

If the checksums match, then you can be highly certain the file integrity was maintained and it will boot properly.

As a precaution, it's best to leave the previous file on the flash until you've verified the new one is working as expected. However, this is not always an option due to storage limitations. As a last resort, you can always boot from TFTP, so make sure to keep all your files on a TFTP server just in case.

s k · ‎10-25-2017

Thank you, this is helpful... I do have a copy of current running .bin file saved to the TFTP server...

Leo Laohoo · ‎10-25-2017

Thanks for taking the time to rate our posts.
And don't forget to backup the config of the appliance(s) before doing the IOS upgrade.