Manage Automatic Dependency

Flexible packaging supports automatic dependency management. While you update an RPM, the system automatically identifies all relevant dependent packages and updates them.

Figure 1. Flow for Installation (base software, RPMs and SMUs)


Until this release, you download the software image and required RPMs from CCO on a network server (the repository),and used the install add and the install activate commands to add and activate the downloaded files on the . Then, you manually identified relevant dependent RPMs, to add and activate them.

With automatic dependency management, you need not identify dependent RPMs to individually add and activate them. You can execute new install commands to identify and install dependent RPMs automatically.

The new commands are install update and install upgrade . The install update command identifies and updates dependent packages. The command does not update the base package. The install upgrade command upgrades the base package.


Note

  1. Cisco IOS XR Version 6.0.2 and later does not provide 3rd-party and host package SMUs as part of automatic dependency management (install update and install upgrade commands). The 3rd party and host package SMUs must be installed separately, and in isolation from other installation procedures (installation of SMUs and RPMs in IOS XR or admin containers).

  2. Cisco IOS XR Version 6.0.2 and later does not support asynchronous package upgrades.

  3. From Cisco IOS XR Version 6.1.1 onwards, it is possible to update the mini.iso file by using the install update command.

The rest of this chapter contains these sections:

Update RPMs and SMUs

An RPM may contain a fix for a specific defect, and you may need to update the system with that fix. To update RPMs and SMUs to a newer version, use the install update command. When the install update command is issued for a particular RPM, the router communicates with the repository, and downloads and activates that RPM. If the repository contains a dependent RPM, the router identifies that dependent RPM and installs that too.

The syntax of the install update command is:

install update source repository [rpm]

Four scenarios in which you can use the install update command are:

  • When a package name is not specified

    When no package is specified, the command updates the latest SMUs of all installed packages. 

    install update source    [repository]

    Note

    From Cisco IOS XR Version 6.1.1 onwards, if the mini.iso file is not specified, then it is not added as part of the update. Even if the repository contains the mini.iso file, it is not installed. 

    install update source    scp://<username>@<server>/my/path/of/packages noprompt

  • When a package name is specified

    If the package name is specified, the command installs that package, updates the latest SMUs of that package, along with its dependencies. If the package is already installed, only the SMUs of that package are installed.  (SMUs that are already installed are skipped.) 

    install update source   [repository] ncs5500-mpls.rpm

  • When a package name and version number are specified

    If a particular version of package needs to be installed, the complete package name must be specified; that package is installed along with the latest SMUs of that package present in the repository. 

    install update source   [repository] ncs5500-mpls-1.0.2.0-r611.x86_64.rpm

  • When an SMU is specified

    If an SMU is specified, that SMU is downloaded and installed, along with its dependent SMUs. 

    install update source   [repository] ncs5500-mpls-1.2.0.1-r611.CSCus12345.x86_64.rpm

  • When a list of packages (containing the mini.iso file) is specified

    From Cisco IOS XR Version 6.1.1 onwards, if a list of packages (containing the mini.iso file) is specified, all the packages in the list and the mini.iso file are automatically added as part of the update. 

    install update source   scp://<username>@<server>/my/path/of/packages [List of packages] noprompt

  • When the mini.iso file is specified

    From Cisco IOS XR Version 6.1.1 onwards, if the mini.iso file is specified during the update, then the file is installed with all RPMs and SMUs from the repository. 

    install update source   scp://<username>@<server>/my/path/of/packages [mini.iso] noprompt

Upgrade Base Software Version

You may choose to upgrade to a newer version of the base software when it becomes available. To upgrade to the latest base software version, use the install upgrade command. With the upgrade of the base version, RPMs that are currently available on the router are also upgraded.


Note

SMUs are not upgraded as part of this process.

The syntax of the install upgrade command is:

install upgrade source repository version version[rpm]


Note

VRF and TPA on dataport is not supported. If the server is reachable only through non-default VRF interface, the file must already be retrieved using ftp, sfp, scp, http or https protocols.

You can use the install upgrade command when:

  • The version number is specified

    The base software (.mini) is upgraded  to the specified version; all installed RPMs are upgraded to the same release version. 

    install upgrade source [repository] version <release-number>

  • The version number for an RPM is specified

    When performing a system upgrade, the user can choose to have an optional RPM to be of a different release (from that of the base software version); that RPM can be specified. 

    install upgrade source [repository] version <release-number> ncs5500-mpls-1.0.2.0-<release-number>.x86_64.rpm