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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 perform the following:
The following sections are presented in this chapter:
For detailed information on Software Management, refer to the online help.
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 performs the necessary maintenance tasks. Figure 10-1 shows the Software Management workflow.
Setting up your environment is crucial to successfully update your software. Setting up your environment includes:
For a complete description of the required tasks, refer to the online help.
The Add Image to Library function lets you import images from all Software Management-supported devices in your network into the software image library. This function shows the images running on the network and the devices running each image. You can select any image to import into the software image library.
Use this function and the Synchronize Report option 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.
To create a baseline of your software library, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Software Management > Add Image to Library. (See Figure 10-2.)
Step 2 Select Network, then click Next.
The Select Device Type dialog box displays network options. (See Figure 10-3.)
Step 3 Select the device type, then click Next.
The Network Baseline Status Summary displays the valid software images and devices on which they are running. (See Figure 10-4.)
Step 4 Click Update to display summary status progress, until devices processed are completed. (See Figure 10-5.)
Step 5 Click Next.
The Network Baseline dialog box displays a summary of valid software images and the devices on which they are running.
Step 6 Click Next.
The Verify Network Baseline dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-6.)
Step 7 Click Next to continue.
The Job Control Information dialog box appears.
Step 8 Enter the job description, optional e-mail address, and download time, then click Finish.
The Import Image Summary appears. (See Figure 10-7.)
Step 9 Make a note of the job identification number. You will use this number to track the job progress.
Step 10 Click Browse Job Status to display the Job Status Report. (See Figure 10-8.)
Step 11 Click the job identification number for this job to display job details.
Use this report to move the images to the software image library.
Step 12 Click Close to close the report.
To schedule the synchronization job, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Admin > Software Management > Schedule Synchronization Job.
The Schedule Periodic Job for Synchronization Report dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-9.)
Step 2 Select from the drop-down list boxes:
Step 3 Click Finish.
A confirmation message appears.
To view the Synchronization report, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Software Management > Synchronization Report.
The Synchronization Report appears. (See Figure 10-10.)
Step 2 Initiate importing images by clicking Synchronize Cisco IOS Images or Synchronize Catalyst Images.
The Image Synchronization report appears in the original browser window. (See Figure 10-11.)
Step 3 Click Next.
The Verify Synchronization summary appears. (See Figure 10-12.)
Step 4 Click Next.
The Job Control Information dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-13.)
Step 5 Select from the drop-down list boxes:
Step 6 Click Finish.
The Image Import Summary appears. (See Figure 10-14.)
Step 7 Click Browse Job Status.
Step 8 Click the job identification number for this job to display job details.
Use this report to move the images to the software image library. See online help for more information.
You can assign different people to perform different steps of the software upgrade process. This is done using the Create Approver List option to create one or more Maker Checker approver lists.The Maker Checker feature allows you to require job upgrade approvals before running a scheduled job. It enforces the approval process by sending upgrade job requests via e-mail to the individuals who authorize network changes. For example:
Scenario: You decide to use the Create Approver List option to create a list of people who are authorized to approve image upgrades.
To create an approver list, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Admin > Software Management > Create Approver List.
The Create Approver List dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-15.)
Step 2 Assign a name to the list, then click Next.
Step 3 Use this dialog box to do the following:
Step 4 Click Finish.
Identification means:
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. 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 must ensure that RAM and Flash memory are sufficient.
To determine memory sizes, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Inventory > Hardware Report.
The Hardware Report dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-16.)
Step 2 Select device view from the Views column, click All to highlight the devices in the Devices column, then click Finish.
The Hardware Report displays information about the selected devices. (See Figure 10-17.)
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. You might have to scroll to the right to view these table heading options.
Step 4 Select Tools > CCO Tools, then select either Browse CCO IOS Software or Browse CCO Switch Software, depending on the device type. You need login privileges to CCO to gain access. 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 need to upgrade the memory before you upgrade the software image.
You have identified the devices you want to upgrade and the upgrades that 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, consider the following:
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 1 Select Tasks > Software Management > CCO Upgrade Analysis.
The Select Filtering Criteria dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-18.)
Step 2 Select any or all of the following filtering criteria, then click Next:
The Select Devices dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-19.)
Step 3 Select the views and devices to display, then click Next.
The Image Selection dialog box displays the images that are running on the selected devices. (See Figure 10-20.)
Step 4 Select images, then click Finish.
The Upgrade Analysis Report displays upgrade recommendations. (See Figure 10-21.)
You can switch between List Format and Table Format by clicking the appropriate button at the top of the report.
Step 5 Click Close to close the report.
Scenario: Before you continue with the upgrade, you want to ensure that you have satisfied all prerequisites for the devices whose software you want to upgrade. To do this, you run the Library Upgrade Analysis option to show you the boot ROM, Flash memory, RAM, and Telnet upgrades necessary for your selected devices.
To run the Library Upgrade Analysis option, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Software Management > Library Upgrade Analysis.
The Library Upgrade Analysis dialog box appears.(See Figure 10-22.)
Step 2 Select the image to analyze from the drop-down list box, then click Next.
The Select Devices dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-23.)
Step 3 Select the devices to upgrade, then click Next.
The Image Selection dialog box displays the images that are running on the selected devices. (See Figure 10-24.)
Step 4 Click Finish.
The Upgrade Analysis Report appears. (See Figure 10-25.)
You can switch between List Format and Table Format by clicking the appropriate button at the top of the report.
Step 5 Click Close to close 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. Ensure that you reboot from the bottom of the path up so Device C is the first to reboot, followed by Device B, and then Device A. (See Figure 10-26.)
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 a device upgrade, specifying the old revision. See "Setting Up a Software Image Upgrade" for more information.
You need to know the following before you schedule your upgrades:
Use the Essentials Inventory options 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 10-27.)
Step 2 Select CCO, then click Next.
The Select Devices dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-28.)
Step 3 Enter the names of the devices to add to your library, 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 devices from the Devices column, 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 10-29.)
Step 4 Enter your CCO login name and password, then click Next.
The main CCO web site appears.
Step 5 Select the device/platform, software image, subset image, software subset image, and image to add to the library, then click Next.
The Select Images to Add to Library dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-30.)
Step 6 Ensure that the Download check box is selected, then click Next.
The Verify Images to Add to Library dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-31.)
Step 7 Verify that the information is correct, then click Schedule Download or Download Now.
If you click Schedule Download, the Job Control Information dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-32.)
Step 8 Enter the job description and optional e-mail address, schedule the job, then click Finish.
A confirmation message appears.
If you click Download Now, a message notifies you that the job will take a while as the files are downloaded from CCO. The message also tells you how much disk space is required for the image. Click OK to continue.
Essentials downloads the software image and a confirmation message appears. (See Figure 10-33.)
Step 9 Verify that the information is 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. You do not need authorization to perform this function, so you do not have Maker Checker enabled.
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 10-34.)
Step 2 Select one of the following, then click Next. (This example is using the Cisco IOS option.)
The Select Cisco IOS Devices dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-35.)
Step 3 Select Device Family, Current Cisco IOS Versions, and Boot ROM Version from the View windows, click Query to add the items to the Devices list, then select the devices.
Step 4 Click Next.
If your CCO username and password have not been added to the database, the CCO login dialog box appears. Enter your CCO username and CCO password to update the user profile, then click Next. Click Skip if you do not want images from CCO included in the recommended images list.
The Recommended Image Upgrade dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-36.)
To view the running status of the selected devices (running image, Flash details, and so on), click Details. The Details report appears. Click Close to close the report.
Step 5 Select the devices to upgrade, then click Next.
For each device, select the desired image upgrade. Deselect check boxes for any devices you do not want to upgrade. If you selected images located on CCO, a message informs you that the images will be downloaded to the software image library at the scheduled time before the device is upgraded. Click OK to continue.
Step 6 Verify that the information is correct, then click Next.
The Verify Image Upgrade dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-37.)
Step 7 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 10-38.)
The Job Control Information dialog box appears if only one upgrade is being scheduled. (See Figure 10-39.)
Step 8 Move the upgrades up or down the distribution sequence list as desired, then click Next.
The Job Control Information dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-39.)
Step 9 Enter the job description and optional e-mail address, schedule the job, then click Next.
The Work Order Report appears.
Step 10 Click Finish.
The Schedule Time Verification box appears. (See Figure 10-40.)
Step 11 Click Finish.
If the job was scheduled successfully, the Distribute Image Summary dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-41.)
Step 12 Click Browse Job Status to see the job details and change schedule options (if required).
The Job Details report appears. (See Figure 10-42.)
This report has two parts:
Step 13 You can optionally change the schedule, then close the report.
Scenario: You want to upgrade your devices, but you need the approval of your network administrator. This scenario assumes you have selected the appropriate Maker Checker option(s) using Admin > Software Management > Edit Preferences.
To set up the upgrade, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Software Management > Distribute Images.
The Job Approval Information dialog box appears (See Figure 10-43.)
Step 2 Select the job approver from the drop-down list box and add any comments, then click Next.
The Distribute Image Summary appears. (Figure 10-44.)
Step 3 Click Browse Job Status.
The job status report appears. (See Figure 10-45.)
The approver is sent the request notification, which contains the http address used to launch the job request. The approver can open the request using any supported browser. The job request appears. (See Figure 10-46.)
After reviewing the request, the approver can scroll to the bottom of the page and click Approve or Reject. (See Figure 10-47.)
The approval or rejection notification is sent to the job request originator. (See Figure 10-48.)
Step 4 Click Close.
Scenario: One of your company's key product teams is at a critical stage of a 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, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Admin > Software Management > Browse Job Status.
A new browser window displays the Job Status report.
Step 2 Click on an underlined job number.
The Job Details report displays information about the job and access to any tasks that might apply.
Step 3 Click Browse Jobs to change another job, or Close to close the report.
Scenario: At 1600, you scheduled a Software Management task to update the Cisco IOS image on routers R1 through Rn to occur at 0200 the following day. You want to confirm that the update occurred as planned.
To track a scheduled upgrade, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Select Tasks > Change Audit > Search Change Audit.
The Change Audit --- Filter Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-49.)
Step 2 Select the views and devices, then click Next. A second Change Audit --- Filter Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 10-50.)
Step 3 Select All from the Application drop-down list box; then select Custom and enter the date and time the upgrade was to occur. For this example, select 0200 and yesterday's date, then click Finish.
The Change Audit --- Searching report displays. (See Figure 10-51.)
Step 4 Select highlighted Details text in the View Details column to view the details of a particular device.
Step 5 Select highlighted More Records text in the Grouped Records column to view records that stem from the same event.
Step 6 Click Close to close the report.
When you complete an upgrade task on Essentials, the following actions occur:
1. [Function_Id:Job_Id] of this job is registered with Change Audit by the scheduler.
2. The Software Management job is run by the scheduler at 0200.
3. Software Management updates the Change Audit 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 log. Software Management logs information to the Change Audit log. It also sends out a root direct event.
4. Software Management begins image update on router R1, logs to the Change Audit log, and sends out a direct event.
5. Software Management completes the image update on router R1. Software Management logs the job details to the Change Audit log and the Software Management Details table. It also sends a direct event to Device Configuration to update the router R1 configuration.
6. Device Configuration gets the direct event from Software Management, updates the configuration on router R1, and logs the job details to the Change Audit log and the Configuration Management Details table. It also sends a direct event announcing this configuration update.
7. Steps 4 through 6 are repeated for all routers on the list, one at a time.
8. When all routers are updated, Software Management updates the Change Audit log and sends an event announcing "Job Complete."
At the end of this operation, the Change Audit log will have received the following messages:
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 options are:
Scenario: After your upgrade, you need to know the upgrade status to ensure 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 10-52.)
Step 2 In the Devices field, enter the names of the devices for which you scheduled an upgrade, then click Next.
Alternatively, 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 10-53.)
Step 3 Select the date range and time, then click Finish.
The Software Modification History report appears for the selected devices. (See Figure 10-54.)
Step 4 Verify that 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 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 download them from CCO or the server where your images are stored. |
Step 2 Click Close to close the report.
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.
This completes the chapter on Software Management.
Posted: Wed Oct 6 12:11:25 PDT 1999
Copyright 1989-1999©Cisco Systems Inc.