Mobility Express Image Swap on Software upgrade

[Devinder Sharma]

Hello All,  I am looking for a clarification on the software update on the Mobility Express if we elect to not select the Auto Restart box. While, scheduling reboot and checking in the auto restart does boot the new APs and ME Controller with the new image, I find that if I did not choose Auto restart, then show boot lists new image as backup, with primary / default set as the existing image. Also show ap image all shows new image as backup.

I will always use config boot backup in the WLC world, just in case WLC reboot during pre image download by APs and thenn use image swap with reset system command.

Should I assume then that software upgrade process with ME automatically sets up the image as backup and if we need to use CLI to manually restart the controller and all associated APs, we should use something like:

reset system at 2020-04-19 04:00:00 image swap reset-aps save-config

Thanks

[Scott Fella]

Mobility Express is different. Once you transfer the image, the master will push it to all AP’s two at a time. No changing this. The guide also states this:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/wireless/controller/technotes/8-2/b_Mobility_Express_Deployment_guide/b_Mobility_Express_Deployment_guide_chapter_01000.html#task_4387C8D3ADCA4D9EA365763A1DA5B2E2

[Devinder Sharma]

Hi Scott,

Thanks. I had elected to do the upgrade but chose not to do Auto restart. So it is awaiting reboot of controller. And at this time, clearly all APs within ME cluster show that they have new image as backup, hence normal reboot will still boot them into old code. Also controller show boot shows that boot is set to Primary but Primary is old image. So my questions remains as I requested in my earlier post.

Thanks

[Scott Fella]

You shouldn’t worry about that, once the schedule happens, the ME does everything. Don’t you have spare AP’s you can test with? Always lab things up over and over to understand what works and the best way for you to do the upgrade or downgrade.

[Devinder Sharma]

Hi Scott, I guess I need to do some more research as working remotely these days does not afford me access to lab in lockdown situations and neither can I afford to take down the network. The software upgrade is being done in response to some issues. I will come back here with my results when I am able to successfully upgrade. I do have good experience with WLCs and ME does allow good amount of CLI. And given my experience with WLCs and finding what I found in the ME at this stage, it seems that when we use GUI to do software upgrade, it adds "config boot primary" and then uses "reset system image swap reset-aps save-config" so as to then boot with the new image.

Thanks

[Scott Fella]

One reason I don’t like ME... you need to try not to compare the two because of the limited functionality. Open a TAC case so that you are not worried about the upgrade. My question would be, if it worries you that the scheduled reset doesn’t work, why not just reload at once?

[Devinder Sharma]

Thanks Scott. That is exactly I am trying to do. I already did the firmware update but I did not check in the box that asks you if you want to restart the system after firmware is uploaded / pre downloaded to all APs. So I now need to reload all, but with current state, it is going to boot back into old firmware. I will open the case if needed, but my experience is that sometimes they also don't know better than you and me;) unless i really ask for escalation to higher level and these days, it takes too long to get hold of L2 / L3. With all my further study, it is clear that reset command that I included in my post will correctly boot all APs into new firmware. I will potentially schedule the reload for 4AM tomorrow.

[Scott Fella]

I hear you, but the issue is what happens when the upgrade doesn’t go right. Unless you have console access to each ap, it will be almost impossible to fix. You might just have to shut the ap ports down except for the master and make sure that ap is upgraded and then power up additional AP’s and make sure they are upgrading and coming back online.

[Devinder Sharma]

The upgrade is already successful with all APs showing correct new image but it is simply set up as backup. All I am trying to ensure is to make the backup image to boot.

I have couple of options:

1. Use the reset system command with required options that I included in my opening post.

2. Issue the command "config ap image swap all" and then "reset system". This thing I cannot schedule, unless I use something like Python to script these.

3. Issue the command "config boot backup" now and then use the "reset system at 2020-04-13 04:00:00 reset-aps save-config"

In principal, I need to ensure that Master AP reboots with correct new image. If any or all subordinate APs boot into old image, then during the join process to controller, they will find they did not boot with correct one and before downloading the image again, they are required to check into flash for the second image and then do a quick reboot again. I think I will be fine and I will post back the outcome.

Thanks

[Scott Fella]

The image is already on the ap so not a big issue. The reset-ap command is the process so that AP’s don’t download the image again but I have seen this also fail on the past. Also with the swap, the AP’s join with the old image and then reboots and switches to the latest one downloaded.