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Cisco Nexus 7000 Sequential and Parallel EPLD Upgrade. Who wins?
Whether it is a fresh new install or a software upgrade, these would be the time for you to also consider an EPLD upgrade. Unlike software upgrade where you can potentially avoid an extended downtime using In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU), EPLD upgrade requires the hardware to be taken offline and, in some cases, even chassis reload. Since the EPLD version has to stay in sync with the NXOS version, depending on what version you are upgrading to, you might need to upgrade all the pieces of hardware, and these include all supervisors, linecards, fans, and fabrics, which can result in a significant downtime.
Prior to 5.2, the only option available was a sequential upgrade where I/O modules are upgraded one at a time. What this means is the more linecard you have, the longer this process will take, especially if your chassis is fully populated. As of version 5.2, it is possible to perform parallel EPLD upgrade for I/O modules, which can significantly shaves off downtime. In this article, we will provide timing results from running tests between sequential and parallel EPLD upgrade. This is to give you some guideline and help you determine appropriate actions for your environment.
Note: You must first upgrade the NXOS to the desired version before performing an EPLD upgrade, since the upgrade can only be done to match the running software version on the chassis.
Lab Hardware
Our test was conducted on a Nexus 7010 with dual SUP2, five FAB2 and multiple M1 linecards
Test #1: Non-I/O Module Upgrade
To prove that the parallel upgrade has no impact on non-I/O modules, we ran our first test by upgrading all Supervisors, fans and FAB modules (except linecard) from 5.2 to 6.1.4.
Result: Both sequential and parallel took approximately the same amount of time of 40 minutes. Below are the outputs.
switch# install all epld bootflash:n7000-s2-epld.6.1.4.img parallel Copy complete, now saving to disk (please wait)... EPLD image signature verification passed Compatibility check: Retrieving EPLD versions... Please wait. Images will be upgraded according to following table: There will be a switchover after the upgrade process Proceeding to upgrade Modules. Starting Module 6 EPLD Upgrade Module 6 Upgrade Done. Waiting for Module 6 to come online. Module 6 Upgrade Done. Waiting for Module 6 to come online. Starting Xbar Module 1 EPLD Upgrade Xbar Module 1 EPLD upgrade is successful. Starting Xbar Module 2 EPLD Upgrade Xbar Module 2 EPLD upgrade is successful. Starting Xbar Module 3 EPLD Upgrade Xbar Module 3 EPLD upgrade is successful. Starting Xbar Module 4 EPLD Upgrade Xbar Module 4 EPLD upgrade is successful. Starting Xbar Module 5 EPLD Upgrade Xbar Module 5 EPLD upgrade is successful. Starting Module 5 EPLD Upgrade Module 5 : Power Manager SPI [Programming ] : 100.00% (1464788 of 1464788 total bytes) Module 5 : IO SPI [Programming ] : 100.00% (2695312 of 2695312 total bytes) Reconfiguring Active Supervisor EPLDs. Module 6 will become Active Supervisor. >>> GNU GRUB version 0.97 Autobooting bootflash:/n7000-s2-kickstart.6.1.4.bin bootflash:/n7000-s2-dk9.6.1 INIT: version 2 ..done Sat Aug 31 03:05:11 UTC 2012 2012 Aug 31 03:05:38 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %USBHSD-2-DISK_MOUNT_FAIL: disk mount unsuccessful on slot0: User Access Verification |
Note: Fan did not require upgrade otherwise it would jave taken longer.
Test #2: I/O Module Upgrade
In our second test, we first sequentially downgraded the linecards to 4.2.6, and then upgraded them to 6.1.4 in parallel.
Note: Downgrading EPLD follows the same procedure as upgrading.
Result: Sequential downgrade took approximately 28 minutes to complete the total of four linecards (ie. 7 min/linecard), while parallel upgrade only took approximately 7 minutes total (ie. faster by a factor of 4, which is the number of linecard). Below are the outputs.
************************ Sequential EPLD Downgrade ************************ Compatibility check: Retrieving EPLD versions... Please wait. Images will be upgraded according to following table: Do you want to continue (y/n) ? [n] y
Starting Module 1 EPLD Upgrade 2012 Sep 25 09:30:43.821 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 1 detected (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 09:30:43.877 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 1 powered up (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) Power Manager : IO :
Waiting for Module to come online. 2012 Sep 25 09:34:45.621 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 1 detected (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 09:34:45.667 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 1 powered up (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) Module 1 EPLD upgrade is successful. Starting Module 4 EPLD Upgrade 2012 Sep 25 09:38:30.031 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 4 detected (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 09:38:30.087 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 4 powered up (Serial number JAF140GGH5T)
Power Manager : IO :
Waiting for Module to come online. 2012 Sep 25 09:42:31.641 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 4 detected (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 09:42:31.687 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 4 powered up (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) Module 4 EPLD upgrade is successful. Starting Module 7 EPLD Upgrade 2012 Sep 25 09:46:18.381 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 7 detected (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 09:46:18.427 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 7 powered up (Serial number JAF144HHVBA)
Power Manager : IO :
Waiting for Module to come online. 2012 Sep 25 09:50:20.681 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 7 detected (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 09:50:20.737 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 7 powered up (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) Module 7 EPLD upgrade is successful. Starting Module 10 EPLD Upgrade 2012 Sep 25 09:54:07.381 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 10 detected (Serial number JAF124567HB) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 09:54:07.427 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 10 powered up (Serial number JAF124567HB)
Power Manager : IO :
Waiting for Module to come online. 2012 Sep 25 09:58:09.171 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 10 detected (Serial number JAF124567HB) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 09:58:09.227 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 10 powered up (Serial number JAF124567HB) Module 10 EPLD upgrade is successful. ! End of linecard upgrade Starting Xbar Module 1 EPLD Upgrade
Power Manager :
Waiting for Module to come online. Xbar Module 1 EPLD upgrade is successful. Starting Xbar Module 2 EPLD Upgrade 2012 Sep 25 10:02:55.538 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-XBAR_DETECT: Xbar 2 detected (Serial number JAF144E3WSE)
Power Manager :
Waiting for Module to come online. Xbar Module 2 EPLD upgrade is successful. Starting Xbar Module 3 EPLD Upgrade 2012 Sep 25 10:04:12.388 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-XBAR_DETECT: Xbar 3 detected (Serial number JAF144FGYI2)
Power Manager :
Waiting for Module to come online. Xbar Module 3 EPLD upgrade is successful. EPLD Upgrade Completed. 2012 Sep 25 10:05:19.201 USIRV2LABswitch %$ VDC-1 %$ ER-2-SYSTEM_MSG: <<%EPLD_UPGRADE-2-ACTIVE_SUP_UPGRADE>> install all epld does not upgrade Active Supervisor module 5. Please do a switchover and upgrade the EPLDs on module 5. - epld_upgrade ! Total Time 36 Min (28 Min for linecard only) ************************ Parallel EPLD Upgrade ************************ Copy complete, now saving to disk (please wait)... EPLD image signature verification passed Compatibility check: Retrieving EPLD versions... Please wait. Images will be upgraded according to following table: Do you want to continue (y/n) ? [n] y 2012 Sep 25 22:56:58 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 10 powered down (Serial number JAF124567HB) 2012 Sep 25 22:56:58 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 10 powered down (Serial number JAF124567HB) 2012 Sep 25 22:56:58 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 10 powered down (Serial number JAF124567HB) 2012 Sep 25 22:56:59 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 1 powered down (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) 2012 Sep 25 22:56:59 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 1 powered down (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:00 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 4 powered down (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) 2012 Sep 25 22:56:59 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 1 powered down (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:00 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 4 powered down (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:00 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 4 powered down (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:01 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 7 powered down (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:01 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 7 powered down (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:01 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 7 powered down (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:08 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 10 detected (Serial number JAF124567HB) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 22:57:08 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 10 powered up (Serial number JAF124567HB) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:08 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 10 detected (Serial number JAF124567HB) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 22:57:08 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 10 powered up (Serial number JAF124567HB) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:08 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 10 detected (Serial number JAF124567HB) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 22:57:08 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 10 powered up (Serial number JAF124567HB) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:14 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 1 detected (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 22:57:14 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 1 detected (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 22:57:14 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 1 detected (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 22:57:14 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 1 powered up (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:14 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 1 powered up (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:14 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 1 powered up (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:20 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 4 detected (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 22:57:20 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 4 powered up (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:20 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 4 detected (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 22:57:20 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 4 powered up (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:20 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 4 detected (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 22:57:20 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 4 powered up (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:26 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 7 detected (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 22:57:26 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 7 powered up (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:26 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 7 detected (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 22:57:26 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 7 detected (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 22:57:26 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 7 powered up (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) 2012 Sep 25 22:57:26 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 7 powered up (Serial number JAF144HHVBA)
Starting Module 10 EPLD Upgrade Starting Module 1 EPLD Upgrade Starting Module 4 EPLD Upgrade Starting Module 7 EPLD Upgrade Module 10 Upgrade Done.
Waiting for Module 10 to come online. Module 1 Upgrade Done.
Waiting for Module 1 to come online. Module 4 Upgrade Done.
Waiting for Module 4 to come online. Module 7 Upgrade Done.
Waiting for Module 7 to come online. 2012 Sep 25 23:02:31 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 10 powered down (Serial number JAF124567HB) 2012 Sep 25 23:02:31 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 10 powered down (Serial number JAF124567HB) 2012 Sep 25 23:02:39 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 10 detected (Serial number JAF124567HB) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 23:02:39 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 10 powered up (Serial number JAF124567HB) 2012 Sep 25 23:02:39 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 10 detected (Serial number JAF124567HB) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 23:02:39 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 10 powered up (Serial number JAF124567HB) 2012 Sep 25 23:02:39 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 10 detected (Serial number JAF124567HB) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 23:02:39 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 10 powered up (Serial number JAF124567HB) 2012 Sep 25 23:02:53 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 1 powered down (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) 2012 Sep 25 23:02:53 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 1 powered down (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) 2012 Sep 25 23:02:53 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 1 powered down (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:01 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 1 detected (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 23:03:02 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 1 powered up (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:02 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 4 powered down (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:01 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 1 detected (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 23:03:02 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 1 powered up (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:02 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 4 powered down (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:01 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 1 detected (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 23:03:02 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 1 powered up (Serial number JAF144GT5TY) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:02 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 4 powered down (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:08 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 7 powered down (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:08 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 7 powered down (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:08 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRDN: Module 7 powered down (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:10 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 4 detected (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 23:03:10 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 4 powered up (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:10 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 4 detected (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 23:03:10 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 4 powered up (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:10 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 4 detected (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 23:03:10 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 4 powered up (Serial number JAF140GGH5T) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:16 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 7 detected (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 23:03:16 switch-Test-switch %$ VDC-2 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 7 powered up (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:16 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 7 detected (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 23:03:16 switch-test2 %$ VDC-3 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 7 powered up (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) 2012 Sep 25 23:03:16 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_DETECT: Module 7 detected (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) Module-Type 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Module Model N7K-M148GT-11 2012 Sep 25 23:03:16 switch %$ VDC-1 %$ %PLATFORM-2-MOD_PWRUP: Module 7 powered up (Serial number JAF144HHVBA) Module 10 EPLD upgrade is successful. Module 1 EPLD upgrade is successful. Module 4 EPLD upgrade is successful. Module 7 EPLD upgrade is successful. EPLD Upgrade Completed. ! Total Time 7 Min |
As you can see, if you can afford taking all the linecards in a chassis offline, which is usually the case when you have dual chassis, performing parallel EPLD upgrade can save you a lot of time. However, if you only have one chassis and would like to maintain connectivity for dual-homed hosts between linecards during upgrade, the traditional sequential method would be mandatory.
For our final comment, these timings are only approximate. Our intention is to show you that there is relative reduction in the time required to upgrade/downgrade EPLD on I/O modules. You should not anticipate the exact result in your environment as your hardware type and quantity will most likely be different. For additional information on EPLD upgrade, please consult Cisco Nexus documentation and release notes.