Upgrading the Controlling Bridge and Bridge Ports Extenders

Periodically, there will be software upgrades for the controlling bridge (CB) and bridge ports extenders (BPEs).

The CBs run ExtremeXOS software, while the BPEs run VPEX software that is either packaged with the ExtremeXOS software or provided as a separate modification file. The different image files are distinguishable by their file extension:

.xos—ExtremeXOS CB-only image file (example: SummitX-22.6.0.19.xos )
.xmod—ExtremeXOS modification file with VPEX software for the BPEs (example: SummitX-22.6.0.19-vpex-bpe-1.1.0.41.xmod)
.lst—Combined ExtremeXOS CB software and VPEX BPE file (example: summitX-22.6.0.19-vpex_controlling_bridge.lst)

For complete information about how to perform a software upgrade, see the Software Upgrade and Boot Options chapter.

There are two methods for upgrading BPEs:

Automatic—The advantage of automatically upgrading BPEs is that it is easier and does not require manual intervention. The disadvantage is that even with a redundant topology (redundant CBs, MLAGs), you can experience network outages of up to a couple minutes while allowing the upgrade process to run.
Manual—The advantage of this method is that you can upgrade devices individually at a time of your choosing. This allows you to avoid network outages if you have a redundant topology. The disadvantage is that you must initiate the upgrade manually on each CB and BPE..

Automatic Upgrading

Upgrading automatically uses .lst files, so that the CB and BPEs are upgraded together to ensure that all hardware is up-to-date.

When the upgrade is performed, the CB is upgraded (requires a reboot), and when the BPE boots up, it performs a version check. If the BPE image is up-to-date, the BPE progresses to the operational state. However, if the BPE image needs to be upgraded, the BPE retrieves the software image file from the CB, upgrades itself, and then reboots.

After an upgrade occurs, the log shows messages similar to the following indicating that the BPE has been upgraded:

08/04/2017 17:57:25.69 <Info:HAL.Card.Info> Slot-1: VPEX BPE slot 100 Active image VER 1.1.0.41
08/04/2017 17:53:44.52 <Info:HAL.Card.Info> Slot-1: Upgrading VPEX BPE slot 110 image from ver 1.1.0.40 to 1.1.0.41
08/04/2017 17:53:43.70 <Info:HAL.Card.Info> Slot-1: VPEX BPE slot 120 Active image VER 1.1.0.40

Manual Upgrading

For manual upgrading, you can perform in-service software upgrades (ISSU) by upgrading the CB and BPE images in a “rolling” fashion, such that network level redundancy (redundant CBs, MLAGs) provides uninterrupted network connectivity during the upgrade.

To perform ISSU, follow this manual process:

Upgrade ExtremeXOS on your first CB using .xos image file (install image, and then reboot); do not install xmod.
For redundant CB topologies, repeat 1 for each redundant CB.
Install the xmod on each CB, and then reboot each BPE one at a time, using reboot slot BPE slot on the master CB, allowing the upgrade and initialization to complete for each BPE before proceeding to the next.
Note
To determine which CB is the master, use the show vpex ports ports_list command. The switch with the M flag is the master CB.

Note
Rebooting a BPE tears down the connection to any additional BPEs that are cascaded from that BPE, so proper redundancy planning is required.

Published March 2020prev | next

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