Is EPLD included in NX-OS Non-ACI for Nexus 9k

[j.a.m.e.s]

Could anyone advise whether the EPLD gets upgraded as part of the main nx-os/kickstart .bin file installation please?

I assume the EPLD upgrade needs to be applied separately beforehand, based on the EPLD release notes,  "The EPLD image upgrades are independent from the Cisco In Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) process", but it's not clear to me.

As a follow on question, if the NX-OS bin and EPLD img need to be applied separately, is the best practice to match version numbers, or can a more recent EPLD be applied?

Thank you in advance for any insight.

Regards

James.

[Georg Pauwen · Accepted solution]

Hello,

as I understand it, the upgrades are separate from each other. ISSU is (obviously) non-disruptive, while ELPD upgrades are disruptive.

The document below lists the ELPD images available with each release.

I don't want to be redundant as you probably already have read this yourself before, but:

Determining Whether to Upgrade EPLD Images

To determine which devices need upgraded EPLDs, use the show install impact epld bootflash: command for a device and indicate the latest EPLD image file (n9000-epld.7.0.3.I6.1.img). The output for this command indicates the current EPLD images, new EPLD images, and whether the upgrades would be disruptive to switch operations. If the currently installed EPLD version number is greater than the new EPLD image number, you can skip the upgrade.

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus9000/sw/7-x/epld_rn/guide/nxos_epldRN_703i61.html

[j.a.m.e.s · Accepted solution]

Thank you very much for clarifying Georg. I also should have read the EPLD release notes more thoroughly as they state:
- Never apply a higher EPLD .img than the nx-os .bin
- Install the nx-os .bin before the EPLD .img