Cisco Systems 4.1 Upgrade Recommendation for Cisco IOS Devices, Upgrade Recommendation for Catalyst Devices

12-84
User Guide for Resource Manager Essentials 4.1
OL-11714-01
Chapter 12 Managing Software Images Using Software Management
Software Distribution
Upgrade Recommendation for Cisco IOS Devices
To determine the recommended software images for Cisco IOS devices, Software Management:
1. Lists all images in the software repository that can run on the device. For example, C7000 images
run on 7000 and 7010 devices, IGS images run on 25xx devices, and so on.
2. Removes all listed images that require:
– More RAM or Flash memory than is available on the device.
– A newer boot ROM than the one on the device.
If RAM is UNKNOWN, it is not considered in any comparison operation (image filtering). However,
you are warned during the subsequent task.
3. Recommends an image whose feature subset matches the image running on the device.
– Any images that support all current features and include some additional ones, take precedence
over images that match exactly.
– If more than one image is either a superset or an exact match of the running image, the latest
version takes precedence over earlier versions.
4. Removes the images from recommendation if the images Min.Flash size requirement is not met by
the device.
If Min.Flash required is UNKNOWN, it is not considered in any comparison operation (image
filtering).
If Flash Size is UNKNOWN, the image cannot be used for upgrade.
See the IOS Software Release documentation on Cisco.com to know the Min.Flash size.
5. Depending on the image feature list, Software Management recommends an image whose image
version is lower than the current running image version.
6. Recommends to filter out the images that are larger in size than the flash available on the device.
7. Recommends Flash partitions on the device along with the storage details, if you are upgrading the
Boot Loader image.
This algorithm might recommend images that are older than the one running on the device.
To ensure that only newer images are recommended, select Admin > Software Mgmt > View/Edit
Preferences. In the View/Edit Preferences dialog box, select the Include images higher than running
image checkbox, then click Apply.
Upgrade Recommendation for Catalyst Devices
For Catalyst device upgrades, Software Management typically recommends the latest version images in
the software repository.
For default RAM requirements for Supervisor Engine I and Supervisor Engine III, however, Software
Management uses:
Module Type and Version Default RAM (MB)
Supervisor Engine III 32
Supervisor version 2.1 up to (but not including) 3.1 8