Differences in software upgrade between NCS-5501-SE and NCS-57B1-5D24H

[from88]

Hello,

So far we've been using NCS-5501-SE and the upgrade process was quite simple:

It was like: 
install add source harddisk:/ ncs5500-mini-x-7.5.2.iso NCS5500-7.5.2-packages.tar
install prepare
install activate synchronous

Quite simple and self explanatory steps.

Recently we've bought NCS-57B1-5D24H-SE. And in software docs i see kinda strange concepts like GISo. And in software update process i dont see the commands i've typed above. Now i see something like:

install package replace /harddisk:/ncs5700-x64-7.7.2.iso
install apply

Also - I dont see separate package files for the things like rpm for OSFP. Is it included by default now ?

Could someone explain is it a new way for upgrading Cisco NCS routers ? Could i use the old way to install packages ? Also - what to do with OSPF rpm, which i see is not included.

And what to to with GISO concept ? Should i install it somehow separately ? Thank you for any input..

[Ramblin Tech · Accepted solution]

NCS-5501-SE runs "evolved" XR (eXR), a 64-bit flavor of XR implemented as a couple of linux containers (LXC) on a linux kernel (original, "classic" XR (cXR) found on CRS and early ASR9K was 32-bit and ran on top of a QNX kernel). Since eXR's introduction, XR has evolved even more to a version originally codenamed "Lindt" (like the chocolate). Lindt was renamed to LNT internally and then marketed externally as "XR7" (even though there are 7.x versions of eXR; yes, it's very confusing). LNT gets rid of the Admin LXC (codenamed "Calvados") and moves XR closer to being native processes running on the linux kernel, managed by linux toolchains. LNT is really a packaging thing; that is, LNT images package up the XR code differently than does eXR to run on the underlying h/w, but the non-admin parts of XR are still the same (same BGP code, for example). Part of this packaging is the ability to pare down your loaded image to just those components of XR that your use-case requires, which reduces the h/w footprint required (RAM, CPU, etc)

IIRC, NCS-57B1-5D24H-SE runs the LNT flavor of XR. Because the XR components are packaged differently with LNT, the installation process will be a little different than eXR. Also, it is my understanding that LNT was to move away from the SMU concept as found with cXR/eXR, with patches to be delivered in the form of RPMs, but someone out here may know the real answer on that. I am hoping that CML will soon get the Cisco 8000 vRouter (not the Cat8K which does not run XR), so I can get some time with a LNT instance.

The NCS 5501, being a Qumran-based system, will never get LNT packaging, nor any other "legacy" Jericho/Qumran/Jericho+ NPU products as the market has moved on to J2/Q2 products (NCS 540, with the exception of Tortin, are LNT). I believe that, going forward, all new Cisco products with a single Broadcom J2/Q2 NPU, as well as all SiliconOne products, will get LNT packaging, but Cisco is not going to spend the resources to back-port LNT packaging to older platforms such as the 5500 or 9K.

Finally, every XR customer should start thinking about moving to GISO (Golden ISO) for installations and upgrades of their eXR and LNT systems. GISO takes the concept of the "Golden Config" used by large customers for initial baseline config turn-up and extends it to create an ISO image for initial installation. Pre-GISO, customers would install an XR image that might have more components than are needed for their use-cases and then add SMUs to fix bugs after the initial installation.  Somewhere in the turn-up process, a Golden Config would be applied to establish the baseline for customizing the config for that particular installation.  The GISO tool allows customers to start with a base ISO image, add just the components needed, along with bug fixes, and then aadd the Golden Config.  All of this is packaged up by the tool into an ISO for installation in one step. Everybody should adopt this.

[from88]

thank you very much for such a deep answer.

As i understood and digged a little bit more - the current ISO images for LNT contains with lots of optional packages (such as OSPF). And there's no need to install them separately.  I should be safe with the base ISO for now.

And for the future i see the benefits of gISO concept - the main one is to have only required packages installed in the system, yes ?

[Ramblin Tech]

Yes, being able to create an installation/upgrade ISO with only the packages (and bug fixes) you need is the real advantage of GISO, and it works with both eXR and LNT. Cisco XR BU has gone all-in on the GISO concept.

[from88]

Thank you. Do i understand correctly - while the installing the default iso, i still can choose which packages from it not to install via command: install package remove

?

Thank you

[from88]

.

[Ramblin Tech]

@from88, If I am understanding your question correctly, then yes; after installing an ISO created by the GISO tool, you can still add or remove packages from the EXEC CLI. GISO provides a means to rapidly and consistently bring a large number of elements in the field to a baseline installation and config, but it does not prevent you from further customizing each installation individually.