Catalyst 6509 DRAM upgrade

[askodikara]

Hi All,

There is a request from one of our customers to convert CatOS to Cisco IOS System Software which runs on Catalyst 6500 Series Switch. In order to run the latest IOS it is required to upgrade DRAM (128MB to 256MB).  Switch hardware and software information as follows,

****************** show version ******************

WS-C6509 Software, Version NmpSW: 7.4(2)

Copyright (c) 1995-2002 by Cisco Systems

NMP S/W compiled on Oct  8 2002, 17:13:23

System Bootstrap Version: 7.1(1)

Hardware Version: 3.0  Model: WS-C6509  Serial #: TBP07020202

PS1  Module: WS-CAC-1300W    Serial #: SNI07022199

PS2  Module: WS-CAC-1300W    Serial #: SNI07022201

Mod Port Model               Serial #    Versions

--- ---- ------------------- ----------- --------------------------------------

1   2    WS-X6K-SUP2-2GE     SAL0652AP55 Hw : 4.1

                                         Fw : 7.1(1)

                                         Fw1: 6.1(3)

                                         Sw : 7.4(2)

                                         Sw1: 7.4(2)

         WS-F6K-PFC2         SAL0651ADF3 Hw : 3.3

3   8    WS-X6408A-GBIC      SAL06468L3S Hw : 2.1

                                         Fw : 5.4(2)

                                         Sw : 7.4(2)

4   48   WS-X6348-RJ-45      SAL0702BB0D Hw : 7.0

                                         Fw : 5.4(2)

                                         Sw : 7.4(2)

7   0    OSM-4GE-WAN-GBIC    SAD065101XZ Hw : 1.0

                                         Fw : 12.1(13)E3

                                         Sw : 12.1(13)E3

15  1    WS-F6K-MSFC2        SAL0652AXDS Hw : 2.5

                                         Fw : 12.1(13)E3

                                         Sw : 12.1(13)E3

       DRAM                    FLASH                   NVRAM

Module Total   Used    Free    Total   Used    Free    Total Used  Free

------ ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ----- ----- -----

1      131072K  59332K  71740K  32768K   7627K  25141K  512K  293K  219K

Uptime is 1473 days, 1 hour, 29 minutes

****************** show flash ******************

bootflash:

-#- ED --type-- --crc--- -seek-- nlen -length- -----date/time------ name

  1 .. ffffffff def8601e  6729b4   24  6236468 Jan 23 2003 17:50:44 cat6000-sup2k8.7-4-2.bin

25744972 bytes available (6236596 bytes used)

slot0:

-#- ED --type-- --crc--- -seek-- nlen -length- -----date/time------ name

  1 .. ffffffff def8601e  6129b4   24  6236468 Jul 29 2003 22:13:46 cat6000-sup2k8.7-4-2.bin

  2 .. ffffffff b597155e  7b0024   25  1693168 Jul 30 2003 17:06:49 c6msfc2-boot-mz.121-8a.EX

  3 .. ffffffff 463ae8d7 1427c80   28 13073372 Jul 30 2003 17:17:00 c6msfc2-psv-mz.121-13.E3.bin

3638144 bytes available (21003392 bytes used)

Kindly advice on following queries,

1.       Is it possible to upgrade the DRAM on Supervisor Engine II (WS-X6K-SUP2-2GE) ? 

2.       Is there any requirement to upgrade both SUP and MAFC memory?

Thanks

Asa

[Reza Sharifi · Accepted solution]

Hi ASA,

Read this document carefully, and go over the requirement before you upgrading from CatOs to IOS

DRAM and Boot ROM (ROM Monitor [ROMmon]) Requirements for      Supervisor Engine 1A, 2, 720, and 32

Refer to the       Catalyst       6500 Series Release Notes for your version of CatOS or Cisco IOS      Software for information on DRAM and Boot ROM (ROMmon) requirements. Issue the      show version command in order to verify the DRAM and      ROMmon (system bootstrap) version.

If you find that you need a physical DRAM or Boot ROM upgrade, refer to       the upgrade instructions for your hardware. Refer to the Module       Upgrade Notes section of       Catalyst       6500 Series Configuration Notes for the instructions.

Bootflash and PC Card (PCMCIA) Requirements for the Supervisor      Engine 1A and 2

• Use of Supervisor Engine bootflash versus PC card          (PCMCIA)

  The Supervisor Engine 1 and 1A ship with 16 MB of bootflash. The          Supervisor Engine 2 ships with 32 MB of bootflash. There is no option to          upgrade the Supervisor Engine bootflash for the Supervisor Engine 1, 1A, or          2.

  CatOS images (cat6000*) are often stored in the Supervisor Engine          bootflash. If you store more than one CatOS image, you might need to use a PC          card. This requirement depends on the Supervisor Engine and image size.

  Note: This document uses an asterisk (*) to denote any image name.

  Cisco IOS Software images (c6sup*) are often stored in the Supervisor          Engine bootflash. In Cisco IOS Software Release 12.1(11b)E and later, some of          these images have increased in size and do not fit in the Supervisor Engine 1A          16 MB bootflash. In the case of a large image size, the Supervisor Engine 2 can          only store one image in Supervisor Engine bootflash. The use of a PC card can          be necessary in order to store one or more c6sup* images. This requirement          depends on the image size.

  PCMCIA (Flash PC) cards can store either:

  • CatOS images (cat6000*)

  • Cisco IOS Software images (c6sup*)

  • Cisco IOS Software for the MSFC images            (c6msfc*)

  PC cards are available in 16, 24, and 64 MB sizes for the Supervisor           Engine 1, 1A, and 2.

Here is the link

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps708/products_tech_note09186a008015bfa6.shtml#dram

HTH

Reza