Set Up Software Image Management
Manually upgrading your devices to the latest software version can be error prone and time consuming. Cisco Prime Infrastructure simplifies the version management and routine deployment of software updates to your devices by helping you plan, schedule, download, and monitor software image updates. You can also view software image details, view recommended software images, and delete software images. The software image management page provides a consolidated view of the various aspects of image management such as software image management lifecycle widget, software image summary, and job details.
Prime Infrastructure stores all of the software images for the devices in your network. The images are stored according to the image type and version.
Before you can upgrade software images, you must configure your devices with Telnet or SSH credentials. Also SNMP read-write community strings that match the community strings entered when the device was added to Prime Infrastructure must be configured.
SSH or Telnet must be configured for importing the images from a device.
- Make Sure Devices Are Configured Correctly
- Verify the FTP/TFTP/SFTP/SCP Settings on the Prime Infrastructure Server
- How to Control Images that are Saved to the Image Repository During Inventory Collection
- Adjust Criteria for Cisco.com Image Recommendations
- Adjust Image Transfer and Distribution Preferences
- Change Cisco.com Credentials for Software Image Operations
Make Sure Devices Are Configured Correctly
Prime Infrastructure can transfer files to and from devices only if the SNMP read-write community strings configured on your devices match the strings that were specified when the devices were added to Prime Infrastructure.
Note |
To improve security, Prime Infrastructure no longer uses some of the SSH CBC (Cipher Block Chaining) ciphers that older Cisco IOS-XE and IOS-XR versions use, as they have been deemed weak. For devices running Cisco IOS-XE, ensure that you upgrade to version 16.5.x or later. And for devices running Cisco IOS-XR, upgrade to version 6.1.2 or later. Otherwise, several Software Image Management operations will fail. |
Note |
SWIM operations are not supported in the NAT environment and Child Virtual Device Contexts (VDCs) of Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches. |
Verify the FTP/TFTP/SFTP/SCP Settings on the Prime Infrastructure Server
If you will be using FTP, TFTP, SFTP, or SCP make sure that it is enabled and properly configured.
How to Control Images that are Saved to the Image Repository During Inventory Collection
Because collecting software images can slow the data collection process, by default, Prime Infrastructure does not collect and store device software images in the image repository when it performs inventory collection. Users with Administration privileges can change that setting using the following procedure.
Procedure
Step 1 |
Choose , then choose . |
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Step 2 |
To retrieve and store device images in the image repository when Prime Infrastructure performs inventory collection, check the Collect images along with inventory collection check box. |
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Step 3 |
Click Save. |
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Step 4 |
To view retrieved images, Choose Link adjacent to Software Image Repository under Useful Links section. and click
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Software Image Management Processes and Supported Devices
Note |
Refer the Supported Device List for additional information on Platforms such as Protocols supported during Image Import, Image Distribution via Local File Server, Software Image Management Server and Support for TFTP FallBack, or ISSU and Activation without Distribution. |
Software Image Management Processes |
Description |
Unified WLCs |
3850 Cisco IOS XE 3.2.2 |
5760 Cisco IOS XE 3.2.2 |
Mobility Express Controller |
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Image import from device |
Ability to import software image from devices that are already managed by Prime Infrastructure. The software image can then be distributed to other devices. |
Not supported because the software image cannot be reassembled into a package. |
Supported
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Supported
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Not Supported |
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Image import from file |
Ability to import software image from known location on a file server to Prime Infrastructure. The software image can then be distributed to other devices. |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
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Image import from URL |
Ability to import software image from network accessible locations (URI/URL) to Prime Infrastructure . The software image can then be distributed to other devices. |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
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Import Image using Protocol |
Ability to import software image from an FTP location to Prime Infrastructure. The software image can then be distributed to other devices. |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
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Image upgrade/distribution |
Ability to upgrade software image on the managed devices from. This allows you to upgrade the soPrime Infrastructureftware image for multiple devices based on demand or at a later point in time as scheduled. The feedback and status are displayed during the upgrade and devices can be restarted, if required. In large deployments, you can stagger reboots so that the service at a site is not completely down during the upgrade window. |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supports Distribution and Activation
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Image recommendation |
Ability to recommend a compatible image for the devices that are managed from Prime Infrastructure and downloaded from Cisco.com. |
Not supported because the flash requirement is not available. |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
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Image upgrade analysis |
Ability to analyze the software images to determine the hardware upgrades required before you can perform the software upgrade. |
Not supported because there is no minimum requirement for RAM or ROM. The newly upgraded image replaces the existing image after an upgrade. |
Supported |
Supported |
Not Supported |
Note |
Prime Infrastructure does not support software image distribution on Cisco Catalyst 4500 devices configured with a redundant supervisor engine. Prime Infrastructure supports software image distribution on Cisco Catalyst 6000 and Cisco Catalyst 9400 devices with dual supervisors; Prime Infrastructure distributes the software image on both the active and the standby supervisor engine. |
Note |
Currently, Prime Infrastructure supports only the install to install mode of operation for the eWLC devices. You can manage devices in the bundle mode. However, you cannot perform the SWIM operation in this mode. |
Adjust Criteria for Cisco.com Image Recommendations
You can use Cisco.com to get information about recommended images based on criteria you provide. The following procedure shows how you can adjust those recommendations. The following table also lists the default settings.
Note |
To use these features, the device must support image recommendations. |
Procedure
Step 1 |
Choose Inventory > Software Image management. , then choose |
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Step 2 |
Adjust the recommendation settings as follows.
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Step 3 |
Click Save. |
Adjust Image Transfer and Distribution Preferences
Use this procedure to specify the default protocols Prime Infrastructure should use when transferring images from the software image management server to devices. You can also configure Prime Infrastructure to perform, by default, a variety of tasks associated with image transfers and distributions—for example, whether to back up the current image before an upgrade, reboot the device after the upgrade, continue to the next device if a serial upgrade fails, and so forth. Users with Administration privileges can change that setting using the following procedure.
This procedure only sets the defaults. You can override these defaults when you perform the actual distribute operation.
Procedure
Step 1 |
Choose , then choose . |
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Step 2 |
Specify the default protocol Prime Infrastructure should use when transferring images in the Image Transfer Protocol Order. Arrange the protocols in order of preference. If the first protocol listed fails, Prime Infrastructure will use the next protocol in the list.
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Step 3 |
Specify the default protocol Prime Infrastructure should use when configuring images on devices in the Image Config Protocol Order area. Arrange the protocols in order of preference. |
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Step 4 |
Specify the tasks that Prime Infrastructure should perform when distributing images:
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Step 5 |
Click Save. |
Add a Software Image Management Server to Manage Groups of Devices
To distribute images to a group of devices, add a software image management server and specify the protocol it should use for image distribution. You can add a maximum of three servers. Prime Infrastructure supports only Linux server as an external server.
Before you begin, you must create location groups in Sites Served field in .
. You can select this created location group inProcedure
Step 1 |
Add the server.
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Step 2 |
Configure the server protocol settings.
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Change Cisco.com Credentials for Software Image Operations
When Prime Infrastructure connects to Cisco.com to perform software image management operations (for example, to check image recommendations), it uses the credentials stored in the Account Settings page. You can change those settings using the following procedure.
Procedure
Step 1 |
Choose , then choose . |
Step 2 |
Click the Cisco.com Credentials tab. |
Step 3 |
Change the settings, then click Save. |