Best Practice For Upgrading IOS?

[ksbolton1]

Hello all. I have been looking at switches in a client's network and I've found that these Catalyst 2960 (WS-C2960S-48FPS-L) are running IOS version 12.2(55)SE3 and 12.2(55)SE5. These are the universalk9 IOS images. I'd like to upgrade these to current day versions but I don't have much experience procuring the IOS images to be installed. I usually carry out the upgrade process itself.

My question is this, how do I find out which IOS image is the "successor" the versions I've mentioned above? So far I've gone to Cisco's website, gone to their downloads page, entered the switch model information in the search field and been presented with the c2960s-universalk9-mz.150-2.SE10a.bin image. 

Am I on the right track?

[Leo Laohoo · Accepted solution]

Am I on the right track?

Yes and no.  If you want to stick with 15.0(2)SE train, then SE10a is probably the final version.  Look at how far back the release date is.  

I gave a presentation about how to upgrade the IOS of a Cisco switch and it also includes some Best Practices.  The presentation can be found HERE.

Any more question(s), I'm happy to help.  Just post them here.  

[ksbolton1]

Leo, thank you, your post and your presentation really cleared up some misconceptions I had re: upgrading IOS. I usually stuck to the "copy tftp:// flash:" procedure using the .bin file. I saw the archive commands but I hadn't spent the time to understand how they work. I'll make sure to use the .tar image and archive download-sw command from now on.

I'll test it out on an old out of production 2960 I have lying around. I've downloaded that presentation for future use. Thanks again.

[Marc Abaya]

I have the same issue. About 20+ Catalyst 2960S switches are still using the default version 12.2(55)SE3. I look up at Cisco and they recommend the 15.0.2-SE10a which is an MD.

Just curious if all went well after your upgrade?

[ksbolton1]

Hello Marc. I can report that so far, the switches have worked without issue. 

[mattjones03 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

When tackling this myself on the Cisco 2960s range, I would use the latest stable release recommended by Cisco.

As the C2960s has entered into EOL status, it may be that Cisco are only placing software fixes into the 15. release train, for this particular range.

It would seem that the last release was 12.2.58-SE2 back in July 2011.

When completing the upgrade you sometimes need to prepare for extra downtime, as in some instances there is a micro code upgrade that can take some time to complete.

[ksbolton1]

Thank you for your reply, Matt! It seems the image I mentioned above is the latest MD version so I may just forge ahead with that one. Its release date reads Nov 10, 2016 so it's very recent. 

I'll be mindful of guaranteeing enough time for any unforeseen circumstances during the upgrade and testing process.

[silvio.lui]

Hello,

 You could use those steps to get the best IOS upgrade have you ever seen about:

1. Verify the RMOON version:

Show rom-monitor r0

1. if the RMOON version is older than 16.2(1r), should manual upgrading (if newest it'll auto upgraded):

ip tftp blocksize 8129
copy ftp://<IP>/<image> flash:
verify /md5 flash:<image>

1. *  Make sure the file is being referenced in bootflash: and NOT flash:upgrade rom-monitor filename bootflash:<image>
   Reload
   show rom-monitor R0

1. Verify the IOS image installed and installed the new one:show version | inc Sof|bootf
   ip tftp blocksize 8129
   copy ftp://<IP>/<image> flash:
   verify /md5 flash:<image>
   show runn | inc boot system
   !
   no boot system flash <current image file name>
   boot system flash <new image file name>
   boot system flash <current image file name>
   config-register 0x2102Show boot var
   wr
   reload

show version | inc isr4

request platform software package clean

[Aijaz Rehman]

I will advise you to follow the below link for a step-by-step procedure on how to upgrade the iOS image for a Cisco SWITCH or ROUTER. Before proceeding with any configuration, make sure you have a copy of backup and  enough space on your switch/router to copy an image.

https://networklessons.com/cisco/ccna-routing-switching-icnd1-100-105/upgrade-cisco-ios-image