So, if you haven’t heard, I’m in a different role at Cisco. I’m now working on our Nexus 9K and ACI initiatives. It’s an exciting time to be here and feels similar to the launch we did with UCS 5 years ago (which was more fun that one human should have been allowed).
Anyway, I’ve been working with a 9508 in the lab this week and needed to upgrade the BIOS and NX-OS software on it. I thought I’d record the process because someone else might want to do the same. One thing to keep in mind is that if you are running NX-OS release 6.1.(2)I1.(1) and are upgrading to a release that includes BIOS updates, the update process will be noticeably slow during the BIOS section. This problem is fixed for any future updates once you are running 6.1.(2).I2(1) or higher.
This process is very similar to other Nexus platforms, but not identical. The 9K platform has some key advantages when it comes to upgrades. For starters, there is a single image file used for everything. No more kickstart + system image files that have to match and be maintained. Further, if you download the single image file for the 9508, you now have the image file any Nexus 9000 switch we make (including the 9300 ToR series). Pretty cool stuff.
This video speaks for itself – a pretty simple process to follow, but I thought some written instructions would help – but rather than me making up my own, I’m going to point you to the official Cisco release notes for the version I used. Be sure and always check the release notes for any version you download prior to install. We sometimes introduce better and/or different ways to perform the upgrade and you don’t want to miss something. The release notes can be found here: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus9000/sw/6-x/release/notes/61_nxos_rn.html
Thanks for stopping by
-Jeff