Identify packeages.conf in upgrading

[Leftz]

Hi When we want to convert to Install mode in C9800 wlc, we are going to use command "boot system bootflash:packages.conf".  Now we can see there is a file "packages.conf" in the below output via command dir. Question is how can we know the packages.conf is what we want for the converting? How to know its version? I mean any version can cause the packages.conf

392450   -rw- 5579 Nov 20 2022 16:00:28 +00:00 packages.conf
392451   -rw- 1332069396 Nov 20 2022 15:59:40 +00:00 C9800-L-mono-universalk9_wlc.17.09.02.SPA.pkg
12           -rw- 1369386316 Nov 20 2022 15:54:01 +00:00 C9800-L-universalk9_wlc.17.09.02.SPA.bin

[eglinsky2012 · Accepted solution]

Use this command: more packages.conf

This will show you the contents of the file. Scroll down to where it specifies the .pkg files and verify they're the version you're expecting. If the install process fails, the .pkg files might be extracted to bootflash, but then packages.conf won't be updated to point to the new .pkg files. I'm not sure about on 9800s, but on switches, I've resolved that by doing an "install remove inactive" command, then copy the .bin file back to bootflash and run the install command again.

Example:

...

boot rp 0 0 rp_boot C9800-rpboot.17.06.03.SPA.pkg

iso rp 0 0 rp_base C9800-mono-universalk9_wlc.17.06.03.SPA.pkg
iso rp 0 1 rp_base C9800-mono-universalk9_wlc.17.06.03.SPA.pkg

...

[Leftz]

Thanks @eglinsky2012 you are right. But packages.conf size is only 5579 as we can see above. Is this correct size? we just import file -.bin into flash. how can we see packages.conf and -.pkg? I guess there is a relation among them. 

[eglinsky2012]

It's just a text file that specifies which .pkg files to boot off of, not actual software. Those are the .pkg files that get extracted to bootflash during the install process. It's not supposed to be large. Mine is 5546 bytes on 17.6.3.

That's how install mode works, as opposed to bundle mode. With bundle mode, there was one .bin file on bootflash that gets loaded to memory in its entirety when booting. That bin file is specified in the boot variable (as seen in "show boot"). With install mode, my understanding is that it only loads the various .bin files if/when they are needed to save memory. With install mode, a "show boot" shows packages.conf, and packages.conf points to each indviidual .pkg file to boot off of.

If converting from bundle mode to install mode, you have to enter the commands:

conf t

no boot system

boot system bootflash:packages.conf

end

wr

Then run the install; the whole process is documented in the release notes.

Or do it through the GUI, and it should be automated, but I've never tried this myself.

[Leftz]

Very nice explanation! one more, are both files "packages.conf" and "-.pkg" are generated by "-.bin" automatically after "-.bin" is copied to flash? 

[eglinsky2012 · Accepted solution]

No, not after simply copying the bin file to flash. They are generated when running the install command, which again is documented in the software release notes.

[Leftz]

Thank you very much!

[Ethan Grinnell]

I like to rename the file to specify the version it will run. I name them the same as the binary file but with the .conf suffix, so "C9800-L-universalk9_wlc.17.10.01.SPA.conf" for example.