|
|
The Software Management application helps you save time and effort when upgrading the devices in your network inventory. This chapter describes a common software management workflow scenario.
The software management tasks include:
You can use the software management tasks to
The following sections are presented in this chapter:
The following sections describe a typical software management workflow. In this scenario, the network administrator performs the necessary steps to set up, identify, plan, and execute a software upgrade for a group of devices, then perform the necessary maintenance tasks. Figure 9-1 shows the software management workflow.
Setting up your environment is crucial to successfully updating your software. Setting up your environment includes:
For a complete description of the tasks involved in setting up your environment, refer to the online help.
The Network Baseline function lets you import images from all Software Management-supported devices in your network into the software image library. This function shows the images that are running on the network and the devices that are running each image. You can then select some or all of these images to import into the software image library.
Use this function and the Synchronize Report function to ensure that the images running on your network always exist in the software image library.
Scenario: You want to add images running on devices on your network to your software image library.
Step 1 Select Admin > Software Management > Network Baseline.
Step 2 Choose a Device Type from the Select Device Type dialog box, then click Next.
A summary of the valid software images and devices on which they are running appears.
Step 3 Select the images you want to import into the image library, then click Next.
A summary of the selected software images appears.
Step 4 Click Next to confirm the selections.
The Job Control Information dialog box appears.
Step 5 Enter the job description and time to download, then click Finish.
The Distribute Image Summary appears.
Step 6 Make a note of the job identification number. You will use this number to track the progress of the job.
The Schedule Synchronization task allows you to specify the time and frequency at which the software synchronization job will occur. This job finds the devices supported by Software Management that are running software images that are not in the software image library.
Scenario: To synchronize the current running images and the software image library, you schedule a synchronization audit. This audit generates a report of the devices that are running images not in the library. You can then decide if you want to add these images to the library.
Before you can synchronize your network, you need to create a baseline of the images on your network.
Before you can view a Synchronization report, you must schedule the report.
To schedule the Synchronization report:
Step 1 Select Admin > Software Management > Schedule Synchronization. The Schedule Periodic Job for Synchronization dialog box appears.
Step 2 Enter:
Step 3 Click Finish.
A confirmation message appears to indicate that the report has been scheduled.
After the Synchronization report has been generated, you can view it. To view the Synchronization report:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Software Management > Synchronization Report.
The Synchronization Report Options dialog box appears.
Step 2 Select one of the following check boxes:
Step 3 Click Next.
The requested synchronization report appears.
You can perform the following operations within this report:
Step 4 To close the report, click Close.
When you use the Maker-Checker function, different people can be assigned to perform different steps of the software upgrade process, for example:
Scenario: You decide to use the Create Approver Lists task to create a list of people who are authorized to approve image upgrades.
Step 1 Select Admin > Software Management > Create Approver Lists.
The Create Approver Lists dialog box appears.
Step 2 Use this dialog to perform the following operations:
Step 3 When you have finished adding names to the Selected Approver list, click Create List and enter a name for this list.
The Schedule Defects task allows you to specify the times and frequency at which the defects job is to occur. This job checks for known catastrophic or severe bugs in the software running on the devices supported by Software Management and if any devices are running deferred software images.
Scenario: You want to know if there are any catastrophic or severe bugs in the software running on the devices supported by Software Management and if any devices are running deferred software images. To find this information, you decide to run the defects job.
Step 1 Select Admin > Software Management > Schedule Defects.
The Schedule Periodic Job for Defects dialog box appears.
Step 2 Enter:
Step 3 Click Finish.
A confirmation message appears to indicate that the report has been scheduled.
Identification means evaluating the change to be made and determining which software images need to be changed, and how this will affect your network.
To identify the required change, you must determine which new features or fixes are available. The following resources are available to you:
Consider the ramifications of the changes you are planning to implement. Some of the factors you should consider are presented in the following sections.
Depending on when and how you schedule your upgrade, you might disrupt network operation. Schedule the reboot to accommodate minimum downtime for your users. Make the appropriate preparations and notify users of possible disruption.
Scenario: Before you perform an upgrade, you need to make sure the RAM and Flash memory sizes of the devices are sufficient.
To determine memory sizes, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Inventory > Hardware Report.
The Hardware Summary Report dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-2.)
Step 2 Select the devices you want to upgrade, then click Finish.
The Hardware Summary Report window appears, displaying information for the selected devices.
Step 3 Click RAM Size (MB) to sort by RAM size or Flash Size (MB) to sort by Flash memory size, then print the report.
Step 4 Select Tools > CCO Tools, then select either Browse CCO IOS Software or Browse CCO Switch Software depending on the device type. Browse CCO to determine the memory requirements for the images you want to upgrade.
If your device does not have sufficient RAM or Flash memory, you will need to upgrade the memory before you upgrade the software image.
You have identified the devices you want to upgrade and which upgrades will cause memory or compatibility conflicts. You must resolve all conflicts before you prepare your final upgrade list.
Now you are ready to plan the software management workflow.
During the planning phase, you determine the impact and prerequisites of the upgrade, determine which software images to add to your software library, prepare for the upgrade, and download the appropriate images into your software library.
You can run the CCO Upgrade Analysis and Image Upgrade Analysis options to determine the impact and prerequisites of deploying new software. These options allow you to compare your current network images to the images available on CCO and show you the Boot ROM, Flash, RAM, and Telnet upgrades necessary for the devices you select.
Scenario: You are going to upgrade the software images on your network devices and you want to compare the images available on CCO to your current network images and thereby determine the scope of the upgrade. To do this, you use the CCO Upgrade Analysis option.
Step 5 Select Tasks > Software Management > CCO Upgrade Analysis.
The Select Filtering Criteria dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-3.)
Step 6 Select any or all of the following CCO filtering criteria, then click Next:
The Select Devices dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-4.)
Step 7 Select the Views and Devices you want to display, then click Next.
The Image Selection dialog box appears, displaying the images that are running on the selected devices. (See Figure 9-5.)
(ch8_4.gif)
Step 8 Select images, then click Finish.
The Upgrade Analysis Report appears displaying upgrade recommendations. You can switch between List Format and Table Format by clicking the appropriate button at the top of the report.
Scenario: Before you continue with the upgrade, you want to make sure you have satisfied all prerequisites for the devices whose software you want to upgrade. To do this, you run the Image Upgrade Analysis option to show you the Boot ROM, Flash, RAM, and Telnet upgrades necessary for your selected devices.
To view the boot ROM, Flash, RAM, and Telnet upgrades necessary for your selected devices, run the Image Upgrade Analysis option. Perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Software Management > Image Upgrade Analysis.
The Select Devices dialog box appears.
Step 2 Select the Views and Devices you want to display, then click Next.
The Device Grouping dialog box appears.
Step 3 Select the images you want to analyze from the drop-down list boxes, then click Finish.
The Upgrade Planner Report appears. You can switch between List Format and Table Format by clicking the appropriate button at the top of the report.
Schedule your upgrades and reboots so you do not compromise your device path. For example, you have three devices on a path. Device A depends on Device B and Device B depends on Device C. Make sure you reboot from the bottom of the path up so that Device C is the first to reboot, then Device B, and then Device A. (See Figure 9-6.)
Schedule your upgrades so you do not have too many devices out of service at one time. The additional load could affect your network performance adversely. The recommended maximum number of devices you should schedule per job is 12.
If you want the rollback option to be available, you must check out a backup copy of the current software image for each device you want to back up into the software library. See "Retrieving Software Images" for more information.
If you decide later to use the previous software image, you can perform or schedule an upgrade for the device, specifying the old revision. See "Setting Up an Upgrade" for more information.
You need to know the following before you schedule your upgrades:
Use the Essentials inventory features to determine the specifics.
Scenario: After you determine which devices on your network require an upgrade, you can retrieve the appropriate software images from CCO and add them to your library.
To add software images to your library, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Software Management > Add Image to Library.
The Select Image Source dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-7.)
Step 2 Select CCO, then click Next.
The Select Devices dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-8.)
Step 3 Enter the names of the devices you want to upgrade in the Device Names field, then click Next.
As an alternative, you can select a view from the Views column that contains devices you want to upgrade, and select the appropriate devices from the Devices column, and then click Next.
Selecting one or more devices from the Devices column identifies a subset of device software images and helps you narrow your options in subsequent dialog boxes.
The Login for CCO dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-9.)
Step 4 Enter your CCO login name and password, then click Next.
Step 5 Select the device/platform, software image, subset image, software subset image, and image to add to the library, then click Next.
Step 6 Verify that the version and subset image are correct, then click Next.
The Select Images to Download dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-10.)
This dialog box verifies whether the device has enough memory for the selected image. If the device does not have enough memory, the word "Fail" appears in the Pass/Fail column. If the device does have enough memory to run the selected software image, the word "Pass" appears in the Pass/Fail column and you can proceed with the download. You can still download a failed image if you deselect the Download check box first.
Step 7 Make sure the Download check box is selected, then click Next.
The Verify Add Images to Library dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-11.)
Step 8 Verify that the filename, subset image, and target device/platform are correct, then click Schedule Download or Download Now.
Step 9 Verify that the filename, subset image, platform/device, and status are correct.
The download is complete.
The procedures in this section describe the tasks required to perform a software image upgrade.
Scenario: You have downloaded the required software images to your software library and you are prepared to set up your upgrade.
To set up an upgrade, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Software Management > Distribute Images.
The Select Device Type dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-14.)
Step 2 Select IOS, then click Next.
The Select IOS Devices dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-15.)
Step 3 Use the dialog box to select the devices to upgrade, then click Next.
The Recommended Image Upgrade dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-16.)
Step 4 Verify that the device information and options are correct, then click Next.
The Verify Image Upgrade dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-17.)
Step 5 Check the verification status, make any necessary changes by going back to the Image Upgrade dialog box, then click Next.
The Distribution Sequence dialog box appears if more than one upgrade is being scheduled. (See Figure 9-18.)
If only one upgrade is being scheduled, the Job Control Information dialog box appears (See Figure 9-19). Proceed to Step 7.
Step 6 Move the selected upgrades up or down the distribution sequence list as desired, then click Next.
The Job Control Information dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-19.)
Step 7 Enter the job scheduling information, then click Finish.
The Work Order Report appears.
Step 8 Click Finish.
The Schedule Time Verification Dialog Box appears. (See Figure 9-20.)
Step 9 Click Finish.
If the job was scheduled successfully, the Distribute Image Summary dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-21.)
Step 10 Click View Job Status to see the Job Details and Change Schedule Options.
The Job Details report appears. (See Figure 9-22.)
Step 11 You can optionally change the schedule, then close the report.
Scenario: One of your company's key product teams is at a critical stage of an important project. You are informed that they will be working into the night and that this would not be a good time to interrupt network operation. You have scheduled your upgrades for tonight, but you need to reschedule them.
To reschedule upgrades, you must change job control options:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Software Management > Browse Job Status.
Step 2 A new browser window opens, displaying a list of all upgrade jobs.
Use the report to make changes to any scheduled software upgrade jobs and to review the results of completed jobs.
Step 3 To view detailed information and make changes, click on the job number link.
A new browser window opens, displaying the scheduled time for the job. Leave the date as it is, change the time of the upgrade, then click Change.
The job details, image information, and job results file appears.
Step 4 When you have finished reviewing the detailed information for a job, click Back to change another job or Close to close the report.
Change Audit Services lets you filter messages from Essentials applications. You can use Change Audit Services to filter messages from Software Management and thereby confirm that a scheduled upgrade occurred as planned.
Scenario: At 4:00PM, you scheduled a Software Management task to update the Cisco IOS image on routers R1 through Rn to occur at 2:00AM the following morning.
To confirm the update occurred as planned, monitor the appropriate Software Management messages.
Step 1 Select Tasks > Change Audit > Change Summary.
The Change Audit Services --- Filter Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-23.)
Step 2 Select Application Name, then click Next.
The filter criteria list appears in the Change Audit Services --- Filter Options dialog box. (See Figure 9-24.)
Step 3 Select Configuration Manager, then click Finish.
The Change Audit Services --- Simple Filter Report appears.
When you complete this procedure, the following actions occur:
1. [ Function_Id:Job_Id ] of this job is registered with Change Audit Services by the scheduler.
2. The Software Management job is run by the scheduler at 2:00AM.
3. Software Management updates the Change Audit Services log. Router R1 through Rn are locked. If Software Management knows the finish times of the job for each device, it communicates them to the Change Audit Services log. Software Management logs information to the Change Audit Services log. It also sends out a root direct event.
4. Software Management begins image update on router R1, logs to the Change Audit Services log, and sends out a direct event.
5. Software Management completes the update of the image on router R1. Software Management logs the job details to the Change Audit Services log and the Software Management Details table. It also sends a direct event to Configuration Management to update the configuration of router R1.
6. Configuration Management gets the direct event from Software Management, updates the configuration on router R1, and logs the job details to the Change Audit Services log and the Configuration Management Details table. It also sends a direct event announcing this configuration update.
7. Steps 4 through 6 repeat for all routers on the list, one at a time.
8. When all routers are updated, Software Management updates the Change Audit Services log and sends an event announcing "Job Complete."
At the end of this operation, the Change Audit Services log will have received the following notifications:
After you upgrade device software images, you should check the status of your upgrades to verify that the process has been completed successfully.
The verification features are
Scenario: After your upgrade, you need to know the status of the upgrade to make sure that it was performed properly.
To verify upgrades, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Software Management > Search History by Device.
The Select Devices dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-25.)
Step 2 In the Device Names field, enter the names of the devices for which you scheduled an upgrade, then click Next.
As an alternative, select the view and the devices in the view for which you set up an upgrade, then click Next.
The Select Search Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 9-26.)
Step 3 Select the date range and time, then click Next.
The Software Modification History report appears for the selected devices. (See Figure 9-27.)
Step 4 Verify that the scheduled upgrades were performed and take corrective action, if necessary.
After completing the upgrade, you must clean up and prepare for future upgrades.
The images in the software library and the history records take up space on your drives. Depending upon the capacity at your site, you need to determine the following:
Scenario: You have viewed the status of your most recent upgrade and you want to clear some space on your hard drive by deleting old software images.
To delete old software images from your library, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Software Management > Browse Library.
The Image Summary Report opens. You can use this report in the following ways:
 | Caution If you delete software images from the Essentials server, you cannot restore them. You must recheck them out of CCO. |
Step 2 When you finish viewing the report, click Close.
Scenario: After you delete old software images, you decide to clear some additional space by deleting old history records.
To delete history records, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Admin > Software Management > Delete History.
The Delete History dialog box appears.
Step 2 Specify the criteria for the history records you want to delete, then click Finish.
Over time, the Job Control report can become filled with data about old completed jobs. You should remove some of these jobs.
You should maintain history reports for at least a year. Keep at least one previous software image version for each upgrade so you can roll back to the previous version if necessary. You can optionally delete images that are two or more versions back.
Posted: Thu Sep 30 10:24:26 PDT 1999
Copyright 1989-1999©Cisco Systems Inc.