Multi-Service IronWare Software Upgrade Guide, 5.4.00c - Brocade

53-1002550-05 

26 March 2013 

® 

Multi-Service IronWare 

Software Upgrade Guide R05.4.00c 

Supporting Brocade MLX Series and NetIron Family devices

© 2013 Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 

Brocade, Brocade Assurance, the B-wing symbol, DCX, Fabric OS, MLX, SAN Health, VCS, and VDX are registered trademarks, and 

AnyIO, Brocade One, CloudPlex, Effortless Networking, ICX, NET Health, OpenScript, and The Effortless Network are trademarks of 

Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., in the United States and/or in other countries. Other brands, products, or service names 

mentioned may be trademarks of their respective owners. 

Notice: This document is for informational purposes only and does not set forth any warranty, expressed or implied, concerning 

any equipment, equipment feature, or service offered or to be offered by Brocade. Brocade reserves the right to make changes to 

this document at any time, without notice, and assumes no responsibility for its use. This informational document describes 

features that may not be currently available. Contact a Brocade sales office for information on feature and product availability. 

Export of technical data contained in this document may require an export license from the United States government. 

The authors and Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. shall have no liability or responsibility to any person or entity with 

respect to any loss, cost, liability, or damages arising from the information contained in this book or the computer programs that 

accompany it. 

The product described by this document may contain “open source” software covered by the GNU General Public License or other 

open source license agreements. To find out which open source software is included in Brocade products, view the licensing 

terms applicable to the open source software, and obtain a copy of the programming source code, please visit 

http://www.brocade.com/support/oscd.. 

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Document History 

Title Publication number Summary of changes Date 

Multi-Service IronWare Software 

Upgrade Guide 











53-1002550-01 Release 05.4.00 document 

updated with enhancements from 

Release 05.3.00a 

Updated to include feedback from 

customer test experience and 

internal SQA. 

53-1002550-02 Release 05.4.00a document 


Release 05.4.00 

53-1002550-03 Updated to include document 

corrections. 

53-1002550-04 Release 05.4.00b document 


Release 05.4.00a 

53-1002550-05 Release 05.4.00c document 


Release 05.4.00b 

16 July, 2012 (EFT drop) 

30 July, 2012 

25 September, 2012 

10 December, 2012 

19 December, 2012 

26 March, 2013 

Multi-Service IronWare Software Upgrade Guide 

53-1002550-05


53-1002550-05

About This Document 

Audience 

This document is designed for system administrators with a working knowledge of Layer 2 and 

Layer 3 switching and routing. 

How this document is organized 

This document is organized to help you find information about performing software upgrades for 

the following devices: 

• Brocade MLX Series devices (Brocade MLX and Brocade MLXe) 

• Brocade NetIron XMR devices 

• Brocade NetIron CER devices 

• Brocade NetIron CES devices 

The guide contains the following chapters: 

• Chapter 1, “Important Upgrade Information for all Supported Devices” Describes how to find 

the upgrade information relevant to your devices. 

• Chapter 2, “Software upgrades for Brocade MLX Series and Brocade NetIron XMR devices” 

Provides upgrade instructions for Brocade MLX Series and Brocade NetIron XMR routers. 

• Chapter 3, “Brocade MLX Series and NetIron XMR supplemental upgrade procedures” Provides 

additional upgrade instructions (not covered in the basic upgrade) for Brocade MLX Series and 

Brocade NetIron XMR routers. 

• Chapter 4, “Software Upgrades for Brocade NetIron CER and Brocade NetIron CES devices” 

Provides upgrade instructions for Brocade NetIron CER and Brocade NetIron CES devices. 

• Chapter 5, “Hitless OS Upgrade for all Supported Devices” Provides Hitless OS Upgrade 

instructions. 

• Chapter 6, “Simplified Upgrade and Auto Upgrade” Provides Simplified Upgrade instructions 

and instructions on enabling the Auto Upgrade feature. 

• Chapter 7, “Port and software-based licensing” Provides software-based licensing upgrade 

instructions for all devices. 

• Chapter 9, “Loading and saving configuration files” Provides instructions on how to load and 

save configuration files after an upgrade. 

• Appendix A, “Device module considerations” Provides specific interface module requirements. 

• Appendix B, “Troubleshooting” Provides troubleshooting information and additional 

information about upgrading and installing specific hardware, including management 

modules, interface modules, switch fabric modules, and fans. 


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v

Supported hardware 

Supported hardware 

In instances in which procedures or parts of procedures documented here apply to some devices 

but not to others, this guide identifies exactly which devices are supported and which are not. 

Although many different hardware configurations are tested and supported by Brocade 

Communications Systems, Inc., documenting all possible configurations and scenarios is beyond 

the scope of this document. 

The following hardware platforms are described in this document: 

• Brocade MLXe-4 router 




• Brocade MLX-4 router 




• Brocade NetIron XMR 4000 router 




• Brocade NetIron CES 2000 Series 

• Brocade NetIron CER 2000 Series 

Document conventions 

This section describes text formatting conventions and important notice formats used in this 

document. 

Text formatting 

The narrative-text formatting conventions that are used are as follows: 

bold text 

italic text 

code text 

Identifies command names 

Identifies the names of user-manipulated GUI elements 

Identifies keywords 

Identifies text to enter at the GUI or CLI 

Provides emphasis 

Identifies variables 

Identifies document titles 

Identifies CLI output 

vi 


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Document conventions 

. Command syntax conventions 

Command syntax in this manual follows these conventions: 

command and 

parameters 

Command examples 

Commands and parameters are printed in bold. 

[ ] Optional parameter. 

Variables are printed in italics enclosed in angled brackets < >. 

... Repeat the previous element, for example “member [;member...]” 

| Choose from one of the parameters. 

This document describes how to perform simple upgrade and configuration tasks using the 

command line interface (CLI), but does not describe the commands in detail. For complete 

descriptions of commands for Brocade MLX Series and Brocade NetIron XMR routers, see the 

Brocade MLX Series and Brocade NetIron Family Configuration Guide. 

Notes, cautions, and danger notices 

The following notices and danger statements are used in this manual. They are listed below in 

order of increasing severity of potential hazards. 

NOTE 

A note provides a tip, guidance, or advice, emphasizes important information, or provides a 

reference to related information. 

CAUTION 

A Caution statement alerts you to situations that can be potentially hazardous to you or cause 

damage to hardware, firmware, software, or data. 

DANGER 

A Danger statement indicates conditions or situations that can be potentially lethal or extremely 

hazardous to you. Safety labels are also attached directly to products to warn of these conditions 

or situations. 


53-1002550-05 

vii

Getting technical help or reporting errors 

Getting technical help or reporting errors 

To contact Technical Support, go to http://www.brocade.com/services-support/index.page for the 

latest e-mail and telephone contact information. 

Technical support 

Contact your supplier for hardware, firmware, and software support, including product repairs and 

part ordering. To expedite your call, have the following information immediately available: 

General information 

• Technical Support contract number, if applicable 

• Device model 

• Operating system version 

• Error numbers and messages received 

• Detailed description of the problem, including the 

• device or network behavior immediately following the problem, and specific questions 

• Description of any troubleshooting steps already performed and the results 

• Device serial number 

Brocade is committed to ensuring that your investment in our products remains cost-effective. If 

you need assistance or find errors in the manuals, contact Brocade using one of the following 

options. 

viii 


53-1002550-05

Contents 

Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v 

How this document is organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v 

Supported hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vi 

Document conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vi 

Command syntax conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii 

Command examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii 

Notes, cautions, and danger notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii 

Getting technical help or reporting errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii 

Technical support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii 

Chapter 1 

Chapter 2 

Important Upgrade Information 

for all Supported Devices 

General upgrade considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 

General downgrade considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 

Special upgrade information for Brocade MLXe devices . . . . . . . . . . 3 

FPGA image upgrade information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 

ifIndex allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 

Upgrade memory requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 

Software upgrades for Brocade MLX Series 

and Brocade NetIron XMR devices 

R05.4.00 images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 

Important memory information for an 

R05.4.00 upgrade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

Clearing code flash memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 


53-1002550-05 

i

Performing a basic upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

Basic upgrade Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

Step 1 - Determining current software image versions. . . . . . . . 8 

Step 2 - Upgrading the management module 

monitor image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 


boot image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 

Step 4 - Upgrading the combined application 

image on management modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

Step 5 - Upgrading boot and monitor images 

on interface modules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Step 6 - Upgrading interface modules using the 

combined FPGA image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Step 7 - Performing supplemental image upgrades (as needed)15 

Step 8 - Performing an image coherence check . . . . . . . . . . . .15 

Step 9 - Reloading the management module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 

Chapter 3 

Chapter 4 

Chapter 5 

Brocade MLX Series and NetIron XMR 

supplemental upgrade procedures 

Upgrading MBRIDGE or MBRIDGE32 images 

on management modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

Upgrading the SBRIDGE image on 

32-slot devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 

Upgrading the HSBRIDGE image on 

32-slot devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 

Upgrading individual FPGA images on 

interface modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 

Software Upgrades for Brocade NetIron CER 

and Brocade NetIron CES devices 

Performing a basic upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 

Step 1 - Determining current image versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 

Step 2 - Upgrading the application image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 

Step 3 - Upgrading the fpga-pbif . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 

Step 4 - Reboot the device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 

Upgrading monitor and boot images on Brocade 

NetIron CES and CER devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 

Hitless OS Upgrade for all Supported Devices 

Hitless OS Upgrade support limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 

Special considerations for Hitless OS Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 

The hitless upgrade process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 

Performing a hitless upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 


53-1002550-05

Chapter 6 

Chapter 7 

Appendix A 

Simplified Upgrade and Auto Upgrade 

Simplified Upgrade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 

Step 1: Download Manifest file and Validation. . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 

Step 2: Download File Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 

Summary Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 

Upgrading the software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 

Upgrading the software using a TFTP server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 

Upgrading the software using an auxiliary storage device . . . 38 

Auto upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 

Enabling Auto Upgrade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 

Disabling Auto Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 

Syslog messages for Simplified Upgrade and Auto Upgrade . . . . . 40 

MIB information for Simplified Upgrade and Auto Upgrade . . . . . . 41 

Port and software-based licensing 

Software license terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 

Software-based licensing overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 

How software-based licensing works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 

Seamless transition for legacy devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 

License types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 

Licensed features and part numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 

Licensing rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 

Configuration tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 

Obtaining a license . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 

Installing a license file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 

Verifying the license file installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 

Using a trial license . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 

Viewing information about software licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 

Viewing the License ID (LID). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 

Viewing the license database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 

Viewing active packages installed in the device. . . . . . . . . . . . 59 

Deleting a license. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 

Other licensing options available from the 

Brocade Software Portal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 

Viewing software license information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 

Transferring a license . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 

Special replacement instructions for legacy devices . . . . . . . . . . . 62 

Syslog messages and trap information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 

Device module considerations 

Interface module considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 

Upgrading high-speed switch fabric modules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 


53-1002550-05

Management module considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 

Upgrading to MR2 management modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 

Chapter 9 

Appendix B 

Loading and saving configuration files 

Brocade MLX Series and NetIron XMR devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 

Configuring file size for startup and 

running configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 

Replacing the startup configuration with 

the running configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 

Retaining the current startup configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 

Copying a configuration file to or from an SCP or 

TFTP server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 

Making local copies of the startup 

configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 

NetIron CES Series and NetIron CER devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 


running configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 


the running configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 

Retaining the current startup configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 


TFTP server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 


configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 

Troubleshooting 

Upgrading devices in MCT topologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 

Recovering from a failed upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 

Troubleshooting 1G modules stuck in down state . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 


53-1002550-05

Important Upgrade Information 

for all Supported Devices 

Chapter 

1 

This chapter contains important information you will need to perform your Multi-Service IronWare 

software upgrade. Read the following sections carefully before you begin your upgrade process: 

• “General upgrade considerations” on page 1 

• “General downgrade considerations” on page 2 

• “Special upgrade information for Brocade MLXe devices” on page 3 

For additional upgrade information on the following topics, refer to Appendix B, “Troubleshooting”: 

• “Upgrading devices in MCT topologies” on page 79 

• “Recovering from a failed upgrade” on page 79 

General upgrade considerations 

NOTE 

The upgrade process for R05.2.00 and later releases is different than releases prior to R05.2.00. 

The upgrade instructions documented here must be followed to upgrade a system from a pre- 

R05.2.00 release to R05.2.00 or higher. If you need assistance with the upgrade process, please 

contact Brocade Support. 

The following general considerations apply to upgrades of Multi-Service IronWare software. 

NOTE 

Before you begin your R05.4.00upgrade, you must clear enough code flash memory for the upgrade 

to be successful. Refer to “Important memory information for an R05.4.00 upgrade” on page 6. 

• Because of code flash memory considerations, R05.2.0.0 and later software operates using a 

single copy of each image instead of primary and secondary images. 

R05.2.0.0 and later only supports a single (primary) image on each module. 

• The combined interface module FPGA image can exceed 32 MB in size, which is greater than 

the file size limit in older versions of TFTP server applications. Before you use TFTP to transfer 

image files, be sure that you are using an updated TFTP server capable of handling larger file 

sizes. 

• In most cases boot images do not need to be upgraded, regardless of whether you are using 

the combined IronWare image, or are copying images to the management module and 

interface modules individually. Do not upgrade boot images unless you are explicitly instructed 

to do so in the upgrade instructions for the version you are using. 

• Hitless OS upgrades are only supported for upgrades within a major software release. Hitless 

OS upgrades are not supported for upgrades from one major release to another major release. 

For more information about hitless upgrades, refer to Chapter 5, “Hitless OS Upgrade for all 

Supported Devices”. 

Multi-Service IronWare Software Upgrade Guide 1 

53-1002550-05

1 

General downgrade considerations 

• Simplified Upgrades are only supported for upgrades from MultiService IronWare R05.3.00 to 

a higher release. For more information about Simplified Upgrades, refer to Chapter 6, 

“Simplified Upgrade and Auto Upgrade”. 

• The combined FPGA image is not supported in releases prior to MultiService IronWare 

R04.1.00. 

• For 32-slot devices, you must copy the SBRIDGE image to each switch fabric module. If you are 

already running SBRIDGE version 6, this upgrade step is not necessary. Verify your SBRIDGE 

image using the show version command. 

• If you are currently running MultiService IronWare R04.1.00 or 04.1.00a, DO NOT upgrade to 

SBRIDGE image 6. When loading the SBRIDGE image from a system running 4.1.00 or 

4.1.00a, the image on the switch fabric modules may become corrupted. The recommended 

procedure is to upgrade all images except the SBRIDGE image, reload the device, then 

upgrade the SBRIDGE image. 

• Beginning with MultiService IronWare R05.3.00, all types of POS modules are not supported. 

• Beginning with MultiService IronWare R05.3.00, SNTP is not supported. When upgrading to 

R05.3.00 or later, all SNTP configurations will be lost. SNTP functionality is replaced with NTP. 

For more information, refer to the Network Time Protocol chapter of the Brocade MLX Series 

and Brocade NetIron Family Configuration Guide. 

• The use of the “wait-for-all-cards” configuration in MultiService IronWare R05.3.00 may cause 

ports on any 1G module to stay down after boot-up, even if configured to be enabled. 

To avoid such an occurrence, it is recommended that the “wait-for-all-cards” configuration be 

removed from the startup-config prior to reloading the router with R05.3.00 code. For more 

information, refer to Appendix B, “Troubleshooting”. 

General downgrade considerations 

The following general considerations apply to downgrades of Multi-Service IronWare software. 

• Brocade MLXe routers must not be downgraded to software releases prior to R05.0.00c. 

• Brocade MLX and Brocade NetIron XMR 24x1G-X modules (BR-MLX-1GFx24-X-ML, 

BR-MLX-1GFx24-X, BR-MLX-1GCx24-X-ML, BR-MLX-1GCx24-X) must not be downgraded to 

versions prior to R05.1.00. 

• Brocade MLX and Brocade NetIron XMR 4x10G-X modules (BR-MLX-10Gx4-X, 

BR-MLX-10Gx4-X-ML) must not be downgraded to versions prior to R05.1.00. 

• Brocade MLX 8x10G modules (NI-MLX-10Gx8-M, NI-MLX-10Gx8-D) must not be downgraded to 

versions prior to R05.0.00b. 

• Brocade NetIron XMR 8x10G modules (BR-MLX-10Gx8-X) must not be downgraded to versions 

prior to R05.2.00. 

• Brocade MLX and Brocade NetIron XMR 100G modules (BR-MLX-100Gx2-X, 

BR-MLX-100Gx1-X) must not be downgraded to versions prior to R05.2.00. 

• MLX-32 devices must not be downgraded to versions prior to R03.6.00. 

• Brocade NetIron CER devices must not be downgraded versions prior to R04.1.00a software. 

2 Multi-Service IronWare Software Upgrade Guide 

53-1002550-05

Special upgrade information for Brocade MLXe devices 1 

Special upgrade information for Brocade MLXe devices 

The following general considerations apply to upgrade Brocade MLXe devices: 

• Brocade MLXe devices require a minimum software release of R05.0.00c. 

• In rare circumstances, you may receive management modules with MLXe devices that are 

running R04.0.00b or R04.0.00g. 

If your management module is running R04.0.00b, when you boot the device, you will see the 

following message: 

"Error: unknown chassis type value 000000f0, system can't come up!" 

If this occurs, contact Technical Support for guidance on how to upgrade the software. 

If your management module is running R04.0.00g, when you boot the device it is recognized 

as a Brocade NetIron XMR device. Contact Technical support for guidance on how to upgrade 

the software. 

• Although not recommended, if you want to use a management module that has a software 

image loaded in flash that is older than R05.0.00c in your MLXe chassis, you must first 

upgrade the module software to R05.0.00c or later. Contact Technical Support for guidance on 

how to upgrade the software on this module. 

FPGA image upgrade information 

NOTE 

You must use FPGA images that are specified for Brocade MLX Series or Brocade NetIron XMR 

devices. If you use FPGA images intended for other products your device will be inoperable. 

The following rules apply when upgrading FPGA images on interface modules: 

• FPGA images on interface modules must be compatible with the software version running on 

the router. 

• You can upgrade FPGA images individually, or upgrade all FPGA images using the combined 

FPGA image. 

• When you copy the combined FPGA image from to the management module, the management 

module selects the FPGA images to be downloaded based on the types of interface modules 

installed and checks for duplicates before downloading the images. 

• The FPGA upgrade utility compares the FPGA image version currently installed to new images 

being downloaded. If the versions are identical, the download is aborted and a warning 

message is displayed. You can use the force-overwrite option with the FPGA upgrade command 

to override this feature. 

• The bundled FPGA image is more than 32 MB in size. If you are using a TFTP server, be sure 

that it is capable of handling larger file sizes. 

ifIndex allocation 

The SNMP Management Information Base (MIB) uses the Interface Index (ifIndex) to assign a 

unique value to each port on a module or slot. The number of indexes that can be assigned per 

module is 20, 40, or 64, depending on the number of ports on the module. 

For modules with 1 to 20 ports, the ifindex can be set to 20 or 40. 


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1 

Special upgrade information for Brocade MLXe devices 

For modules with 24 or more ports, you must set the ifindex to 64 before you install the module. 

This applies to 48-T interface modules and 1Gx24 copper of fiber interface modules. 

To change the ifIndex number, enter the following command at the global config level of the CLI. 

snmp-server max-ifindex-per-module 64 

For hardware installation instructions, refer to the Brocade MLX Series and Brocade NetIron XMR 

Hardware Installation Guide. 

Upgrade memory requirements 

Before you begin your upgrade, verify that you have enough available bytes free in the flash 

memory. You should have a minimum of 18 MB available for 32-slot devices, and 16MB for 4, 8, 

and 16-slot devices to complete your upgrade. To clear enough memory you must first delete 

existing files. Refer to “Clearing code flash memory” on page 6. 


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Software upgrades for Brocade MLX Series 

and Brocade NetIron XMR devices 

Chapter 

2 

This chapter describes how to upgrade your Multi-Service IronWare software to R05.4.00. 

NOTE 

The software described in this chapter applies only to the Brocade MLX Series and Brocade NetIron 

XMR devices. You cannot use this software on other Brocade devices. 

Before you begin your upgrade, read Chapter 1, “Important Upgrade Information for all Supported 

Devices” to make sure your system does not have special upgrade requirements. 

R05.4.00 images 

NOTE 

When upgrading from Multi-Service Ironware R05.2.xx to R05.3.00 or R05.4.00, you do not need to 

upgrade the boot image for management or interface modules, however the monitor image must be 

upgraded. 

When downgrading from R05.3.00 or R05.4.00, to R5.2.xx, you only need to downgrade the monitor 

image for the management and interface modules. 

Table 1 lists the required images for a basic upgrade. 

TABLE 1 Required images for a basic R05.4.00 software upgrade 

Image description 

Combined application image for management modules 

Monitor image for management modules 

Monitor image for interface modules 

Boot image for management modules 

Boot image for interface modules 

Combined FPGA image for interface modules 

Image name 

xm05400.bin 

xmb05400.bin 

xmlb05400.bin 

xmprm05400.bin 

xmlprm05400.bin 

lpfpga05400.bin 

For a list of all images for Multi-Service IronWare R05.4.00, refer to the Multi-Service IronWare 

R05.4.00 Release Notes. 


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2 

Important memory information for an R05.4.00 upgrade 

Important memory information for an 

R05.4.00 upgrade 

Clearing code flash memory 

To provide enough code flash memory to perform the upgrade you must delete the secondary 

application image files from the active management module. The Multi-Service IronWare software 

will sync the changes needed to accommodate R05.4.00 to the standby management module 

during the course of the upgrade process. 

NOTE 

Because of code flash memory considerations, R05.2.00 and later software operates using a single 

copy of each image instead of primary and secondary images. 

R05.2.00 and later supports only a single (primary) image on each module. 

NOTE 

You should not need to remove any other files then the ones specified below from the code flash to 

complete the upgrade. 

NOTE 

It is recommended that you copy all files to a file server for later retrieval if necessary. 

For management modules 

R05.2.00 and later only support a single image on each module. To manually delete the secondary 

files from the active management module, perform the following steps: 

NOTE 

If your set up is not running a secondary image, and you perform these steps, you will receive the 

following error message: 

Remove file /flash/secondary failed - File not found 

1. Delete the secondary application image by entering the following command. 

delete secondary 

2. Delete the secondary lp application image by entering the following command. 

delete lp-secondary-0 

3. Delete any ___mbridge.old files from the active management module by entering the following 

command (three underscores are required in front of mbridge.old). 

delete ___mbridge.old 


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Important memory information for an R05.4.00 upgrade 2 

4. Enter the dir command to check available memory, as shown in this sample output. You should 

have approximately 18 MB available for 32-slot devices, and approximately 16 MB for 4, 8, and 

16-slot devices to complete your upgrade. 

Brocade# dir 

Directory of /flash/ 

01/11/201103:18:422 $$snmp_boots 

09/30/200903:47:505,201 $$sshdsspub.key 

06/15/201121:19:04660,145___mbridge 

12/07/201022:16:23139 boot parameter 

06/15/201121:20:00524,288 lp-monitor-0 

06/15/201121:07:444,950,939 lp-primary-0 

06/15/201121:19:28524,053 monitor 

06/15/201121:08:376,986,237 primary 

06/20/201117:11:42620,225 startup-config 

9 File(s)14,271,229 bytes 

0 Dir(s)16,515,072 bytes free 

5. Manually delete all unwanted backup configuration files to provide enough memory to 

accommodate the new images. 

For interface modules 

R05.2.00 and later support only a single image on each module. To remove secondary application 

image files from each interface module, perform the following steps: 

1. Enter the show module command and note the slots the interface modules are installed into 

for the device. 

2. Rconsole to each interface module and enter the delete secondary command as shown in this 

sample output. You should delete the secondary application image file on each interface 

module. 

telnet@Router1#rconsole 1 

Remote connection to LP slot 1 established 

Press CTRL-X or type 'exit' to disconnect it 

LP-1>enable 

LP-1#delete secondary 

LP-1# 

... 

3. Enter the dir command to check available memory, as shown in this sample output. You should 

have approximately 8.0 MB per interface module to complete your upgrade. 

LP-2# dir 

Directory of /flash/ 

File NameSizeChksum 

PBIF11281ed 

XPP 112 7ff7 

boot5242886c2b 

monitor524288fd4a 

primary4950939df45 

5 File(s) 5999739 bytes 

Available 58982400 bytes 


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2 

Performing a basic upgrade 


The overall procedure for a basic upgrade involves copying only the new application, boot, monitor, 

and combined FPGA image. If any of the other image versions do not match those listed in the 

NetIron R05.4.00 Release Notes, you will need to upgrade those images as well (for example, 

individual FPGAs or the MBRIDGE or SBRIDGE images). For instructions on how to upgrade 

additional images, refer to “Brocade MLX Series and NetIron XMR supplemental upgrade 

procedures” on page 19. 

Basic upgrade Steps 

Please read the full upgrade instructions, listed below, carefully. 

Once you have cleared enough code flash memory, you must perform the following steps to 

complete a basic software upgrade: 

• “Step 1 - Determining current software image versions” on page 8. 

• “Step 2 - Upgrading the management module monitor image” on page 11. 

• “Step 3 - Upgrading the management module boot image” on page 11. 

• “Step 4 - Upgrading the combined application image on management modules” on page 12. 

• “Step 5 - Upgrading boot and monitor images on interface modules” on page 13. 

• “Step 6 - Upgrading interface modules using the combined FPGA image” on page 13. 

• “Step 7 - Performing supplemental image upgrades (as needed)” on page 15. 

• “Step 8 - Performing an image coherence check” on page 15. 

• “Step 9 - Reloading the management module” on page 16. 

Step 1 - Determining current software image versions 

Before you upgrade your software, you must check the image versions currently installed to 

determine which ones need to be upgraded (in addition to the images needed for the basic 

upgrade). 

To display image version information, enter the show flash or show version command. Compare the 

image versions to the compatible image version numbers listed in NetIron R05.4.00 Release 

Notes. 

You can view the images stored in flash memory using the show flash command. 

NOTE 

Output examples have been shortened for brevity and do not necessarily reflect all components 

installed in a system. This example output may not exactly match output from your system. 

show flash command output example 

In the following examples, the image versions appear in bold. 

Brocade# show flash 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Active Management Module (Left Slot) 

Code Flash - Type MT28F128J3, Size 32 MB 

o IronWare Image (Primary) 

Version 5.1.0T163, Size 6986803 bytes, Check Sum 74d5 


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Performing a basic upgrade 2 

Compiled on Mar 16 2011 at 17:49:56 labeled as xmr05100 

o IronWare Image (Secondary) 

Version 5.1.0T163, Size 6984593 bytes, Check Sum d570 


o LP Kernel Image (Monitor for LP Image Type 0) 

Version 5.1.0T175, Size 493244 bytes, Check Sum fd4a 

Compiled on Mar 11 2011 at 14:07:42 labeled as xmlb05100 

o LP IronWare Image (Primary for LP Image Type 0) 


Compiled on Mar 16 2011 at 17:55:24 labeled as xmlp05100 

o LP IronWare Image (Secondary for LP Image Type 0) 

Version 5.1.0T177, Size 4947628 bytes, Check Sum 3f13 

Compiled on Aug 18 2011 at 17:39:16 labeled as xmlp05100 

o Monitor Image 

Version 5.1.0T165, Size 524053 bytes, Check Sum 70b1 

Compiled on Mar 11 2011 at 14:06:30 labeled as xmb05100 

o Startup Configuration 

Size 12652 bytes, Check Sum dd86 

Modified on 21:57:42 Pacific Thu Sep 16 2010 

Boot Flash - Type AM29LV040B, Size 512 KB 

o Boot Image 

Version 5.1.0T165, Size 524038 bytes, Check Sum 59a3 

Compiled on Mar 11 2011 at 14:06:58 labeled as xmprm05100 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Standby Management Module (Right Slot) 

Code Flash: Type MT28F128J3, Size 32 MB 


Version 5.1.0T163, Size 6986803 bytes, Check Sum 74d5 





o LP Kernel Image (Monitor for LP Image Type 0) 



o LP IronWare Image (Primary for LP Image Type 0) 



o LP IronWare Image (Secondary for LP Image Type 0) 




Version 5.1.0T165, Size 524053 bytes, Check Sum 70b1 

Compiled on Mar 11 2011 at 14:06:30 labeled as xmb05100 


Size 12652 bytes, Check Sum dd86 

Modified on 14:15:27 Pacific Fri Mar 17 2011 

Boot Flash: Type AM29LV040B, Size 512 KB 

o Boot Image Version 5.1.0T165, Size 524038 bytes, Check Sum 59a3 

Compiled on Mar 11 2011 at 14:06:58 labeled as xmprm05100 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Line Card Slot 4 

Code Flash: Type MT28F640J3, Size 16 MB 






Compiled on Mar 18 2011 at 17:39:16 labeled as xmlp05100b1 



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2 




Boot Flash: Type AM29LV040B, Size 512 KB 

o Boot Image 

Version 5.1.0T175, Size 492544 bytes, Check Sum 6c2b 

Compiled on Mar 11 2011 at 14:07:20 labeled as xmlprm05100 

FPGA Version (Stored In Flash): 

PBIF Version = 3.24, Build Time = 8/4/2010 14:57:00 

XPP Version = 6.03, Build Time = 2/18/2010 16:38:00 

STATS Version = 0.08, Build Time = 2/18/2010 16:30:00 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

All show flash done 

show version command output example 

Brocade# show version 

System Mode: MLX 

Chassis: Brocade 8-slot (Serial #: GOLD, Part #: 35549-000C) 

NI-X-SF Switch Fabric Module 1 (Serial #: PR23050271, Part #: 31523-100A) 

FE 1: Type fe200, Version 2 


NI-X-SF Switch Fabric Module 2 (Serial #: SA21091164, Part #: 35523-302A) 



NI-X-SF Switch Fabric Module 3 (Serial #: SA21091204, Part #: 35523-302A) 



========================================================================== 

SL M2: NI-MLX-MR Management Module Active (Serial #: SA21091472, Part #: 

35524-103C): 

Boot: Version 5.1.0T165 Copyright(c)1996-2011 Brocade Communications Systems,Inc. 

Compiled on Feb 11 2011 at 14:06:58 labeled as xmprm05100 

(524038 bytes) from boot flash 

Monitor: Version 5.1.0T165 Copyright(c)1996-2011 Brocade Communications Systems, 

Inc. 

Compiled on Feb 11 2011 at 14:06:30 labeled as xmb05100 

(524053 bytes) from code flash 

IronWare: Version 5.1.0T163 Copyright(c)1996-2011 Brocade Communications Systems, 

Inc. 

Compiled on Feb 16 2011 at 17:49:56 labeled as xmr05100 

(6986803 bytes) from Primary 

Board ID : 00 MBRIDGE Revision : 32 

916 MHz Power PC processor 7447A (version 8003/0101) 166 MHz bus 

512 KB Boot Flash (AM29LV040B), 32 MB Code Flash (MT28F128J3) 

1024 MB DRAM 

Active Management uptime is 1 minutes 28 seconds 

========================================================================== 

SL 4:NI-MLX-1Gx48-T 48-port 10/100/1000Base-T MRJ21 Module(Serial#: 

SA05091472,Part#: 35663-20EA) 

Boot: Version 5.1.0T175 Copyright(c) 1996-2011 Brocade Communications Systems, 

Inc. 

Compiled on Feb 11 2011 at 14:07:20 labeled as xmlprm05100 


Monitor: Version 5.1.0T175 Copyright(c)1996-2011 Brocade Communications Systems, 

Inc. 

Compiled on Feb 11 2011 at 14:07:42 labeled as xmlb05100 


IronWare: Version 5.1.0T177 Copyright(c)1996-2011 Brocade Communications Systems, 

Inc. 

Compiled on Feb 16 2011 at 17:55:24 labeled as xmlp05100 


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FPGA versions: 

Valid PBIF Version = 3.24, Build Time = 8/4/2010 14:57:00 

Valid XPP Version = 6.03, Build Time = 2/18/2010 16:38:00 

Valid STATS Version = 0.08, Build Time = 2/18/2010 16:30:00 

BCM56502GMAC 0 

BCM56502GMAC 1 

666 MHz MPC 8541 (version 8020/0020) 333 MHz bus 


1024 MB DRAM, 8 KB SRAM, 0 Bytes BRAM 

PPCR0: 768K entries CAM, 8192K PRAM, 2048K AGE RAM 

PPCR1: 768K entries CAM, 8192K PRAM, 2048K AGE RAM 

LP Slot 4 uptime is 58 seconds 

========================================================================== 

All show version done 


monitor image 

To upgrade the monitor image on a management module, perform the following steps: 

1. Place the new monitor image on an SCP or TFTP server, or on a flash card inserted in slot 1 or 

2 in the management module. 

2. Copy the new monitor image to the device by entering one of the following commands: 

• Using SCP on a remote client: 

C:> scp xmb.bin @:flash:monitor 

The variable is the Ip address of the device where image needs to be 

transferred. 

• Using TFTP at the Privileged EXEC level of the CLI: 

copy tftp flash xmb.bin monitor 

• Using the flash card: 

copy [slot 1 | slot 2] flash xmb.bin monitor 

3. Verify that the new monitor image has been successfully copied by entering the show flash 

command. 


boot image 

To upgrade the boot image on a management module, perform the following steps: 

1. Place the new boot image on an SCP or TFTP server, or on a flash card inserted in slot 1 or 2 in 

the management module. 

2. Copy the new boot image to the device by entering one of the following commands. 



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2 


C:> scp xmprm.bin @:flash:boot 


transferred. 


copy tftp flash xmprm.bin boot 


copy [slot 1 | slot 2] flash xmprm.bin boot 

3. Verify that the new boot image has been successfully copied by entering the show flash 

command. Check the image versions, and the date and time when the new images were built. 

Step 4 - Upgrading the combined application 

image on management modules 

NOTE 



R05.2.00 and later only supports a single (primary) image on each module. 

NOTE 

Do not use the copy tftp flash command when upgrading the Combined Application Image (for 

example: xm05400.bin) or the system will only upgrade the Management Module Application image 

and will not upgrade the Interface Module Application image. 

1. Place the new software images on an SCP or TFTP server, or on a flash card inserted in slot 1 

or 2 on the active management module. 

2. Copy the new combined image by entering one of the following commands. 


C:> scp xm.bin @:image: [primary | secondary] 


copy tftp image xm.bin [primary | secondary] [delete-first] 

• Using the flash card 

copy [slot 1 | slot 2] image xm.bin [primary | secondary] [delete-first] 

The primary option copies the files to the primary image on the management module. 

The secondary option copies the files to the secondary image on the management module. 

The delete-first option automatically deletes the existing primary or secondary flash images 

before installing the new images. 

3. Verify that the new image has been successfully copied by entering the show flash command 

at the Privileged Exec level of the CLI and checking the image name and the date and time that 

it was placed in the directory. 


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Step 5 - Upgrading boot and monitor images 

on interface modules 

It is recommended that you perform this upgrade from a PC or terminal that is directly connected to 

the Console port on the management module. You can also perform this procedure through a 

Telnet or SSHv2 session. 

NOTE 

If you use the all keyword, the LP monitor code is always saved to monitor code space on the 

management module. If you specify a slot number, the management module copy of the LP code is 

not changed. 

To upgrade monitor and boot images for all interface modules or a specified interface module 

perform the following steps. 

1. Place the new monitor and boot images on an SCP or TFTP server or on a flash card inserted in 

slot 1 or 2 of the management module. 

2. Copy the new monitor and boot images to all interface modules, or to a specified interface 

module by entering one of the following commands: 


C:> scp xmlb.bin @:lp:monitor:[all | ] 

C:> scp xmlprm.bin @:lp:boot:[all | ] 


transferred. 


copy tftp lp xmlb.bin monitor [all |] 

copy tftp lp xmlprm.bin boot [all | ] 


copy [slot 1 | slot 2] lp xmlb.bin monitor [all |] 

copy [slot 1 | slot 2] lp xmlprm.bin boot [all |] 

The all keyword copies the image to all interface modules. 

The variable copies the image to a specific interface module. 

3. Verify that the new images were successfully copied by entering the show flash command. 

Check the image versions, and the date and time when the new images were built. 

Step 6 - Upgrading interface modules using the 

combined FPGA image 

NOTE 

The combined interface module FPGA image can exceed 32 MB in size, which is greater than the file 

size limit in older versions of TFTP server applications. Before you use TFTP to transfer image files, 

be sure that you are using an updated TFTP server capable of handling larger file sizes. 

To upgrade FPGA images on interface modules using the combined FPGA image, perform the 

following steps: 


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2 


1. Place the combined FPGA image on an SCP or TFTP server, or on a flash card inserted in 

management module slot 1 or 2. 

2. Copy the combined FPGA image to all interface modules, or to a specific interface module by 

entering one of the following commands: 


C:> scp lpfpga.bin @:lp:fgpa-all:[all |] 

[:force-overwrite] 


transferred. 


copy tftp lp lpfpga.bin fpga-all [ | all] [force -overwrite] 


copy [slot 1 | slot 2] lp lpfpga.bin [| all] [force -overwrite] 

The variable is the address of the TFTP server. 

The variable specifies the slot number. 

The management module compares the copied FPGA versions to the images currently 

installed on all interface modules (the all option), or on a specified interface module 

(). If the FPGA images are identical, the download is aborted and a message 

appears: 

Copying 1st image (PBIF - Ethernet) to slot(s) 6, 8 skipped, same version 

exists. Use "force overwrite" if required. 

The download continues for interface modules that do not have matching FPGA images. 

The force-overwrite option allows you to copy the FPGA image identical to the image currently 

installed. A warning message is not sent. The force-overwrite option can also be used for a 

specific module type. 


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Step 7 - Performing supplemental image upgrades (as needed) 

This procedure is generally not required for a major software upgrade. To determine whether you 

need to upgrade these images, refer to the images and versions listed in the NetIron R05.4.00 

Release Notes. If your system image versions differ from those listed in the table, you will need to 

upgrade them using the following sections: 

• “Upgrading MBRIDGE or MBRIDGE32 images on management modules” on page 19 

• “Upgrading the SBRIDGE image on 32-slot devices” on page 20 

• “Upgrading the HSBRIDGE image on 32-slot devices” on page 21 

Step 8 - Performing an image coherence check 

When you enter the reload-check command, Multi-Service IronWare software performs a 

coherence check to ensure that compatible versions are installed on management and interface 

modules, and that all interface module FPGAs are compatible with the current software version. If 

the software discovers incompatible images, a warning message is sent. 

The image coherence check is performed in the following sequence: 

1. Check management module and interface module application images for compatibility. 

2. Checks the interface module monitor image on the management module and all interface 

modules. 

3. Checks the management module monitor image for compatibility with the management 

module application image. 

4. Checks the interface module monitor image for compatibility the management and interface 

module application images. 

5. Checks all interface module FPGAs for compatibility with the application image. FPGAs include 

CPP, PBIF, XGMAC, STATS. 

If step 1 does not succeed, verification is stopped and a warning is issued. If step 1 succeeds, the 

rest of the checks are conducted in parallel. 

Performing a coherence check without a reload 

Enter the reload-check command to perform a coherence check without performing a reload. 

Example output from this command that shows some inconsistencies is shown here. 

Brocade# reload-check 

Checking for coherence... 

Warning: The new LP PBIF-8X10 FPGA will not be compatible with the new LP 3 

application. 

Warning: The new LP XPP-8X10 FPGA will not be compatible with the new LP 3 

application. 

Done. 


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2 


Error messages generated by a coherence check 

The following error messages are generated if a coherence check fails: 

Warning: Image coherence check skipped due to insufficient info: Invalid active LP 

flash images in Primary/Secondary. 

Warning: Image coherence check skipped due to insufficient info: Invalid active MP 

flash images in Primary/Secondary. 

Warning: Image coherence check skipped due to insufficient inf: MP/LP not booting 

from flash. 

Warning: Image coherence check skipped due to failure to communicate with LP. 

If interface modules are in interactive mode, or the system is unable to communicate with the 

interface modules, the system sends the following warning message: 

Can’t check LP for coherence. 

Step 9 - Reloading the management module 

When you complete your upgrade process, you must reload the management module, which then 

reboots the interface modules. 

Before reloading the management module, use the write memory command to save the current 

configuration. 

To reload the management module, enter one of the following commands: 

reload (this command boots from the default boot source, which is the primary code flash) 

example: 

Brocade# reload 


Done. 

Are you sure? (enter 'y' or 'n'): y 

Halt and reboot 

boot system flash [primary | secondary] 

When the management module reboots, the following synchronization events occur: 

• The system compares the monitor, primary, and secondary images on a standby management 

module (if installed) to those on the active management module. If you have updated these 

images on the active module, the system automatically synchronizes the images on the 

standby module to match those on the active management module. 

If you copied the primary and secondary image to all interface modules using the copy 

command with the all keyword, the management module copied the image and stored it in 

flash memory under the names lp-primary-0 or lp-secondary-0. By default, the system 

compares the images on the interface modules to the images on the management module to 

confirm that they are identical. (These images are stored on the management module only and 

are not run by the management or interface modules.) If the images are not identical, the 

system gives you the following options. 


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To replace the images in interface module flash memory with the images in the management 

module flash memory, enter the lp cont-boot sync command at the Privileged 

EXEC prompt. 

To retain the images in the interface module flash memory, enter the 

lp cont-boot no-sync command at the Privileged EXEC prompt. 

After the management module finishes booting, perform the following steps. 

1. Enter the show module command, and verify that the status of all interface modules is 

CARD_STATE_UP. 

2. Enter the show version command, and verify that all management and interface modules are 

running the new software image version. 

NOTE 

If an interface module is in a waiting state or is running an older software image, you may have 

forgotten to enter the lp cont-boot sync command at the Privileged EXEC prompt. 

3. If your upgrade fails, for recovery information refer to Appendix B, “Troubleshooting,”, 

“Recovering from a failed upgrade” on page 79. 

4. Verify that the new images were successfully copied by entering the show flash command. 

Check the image versions, and the date and time when the new images were built. 


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2 



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Brocade MLX Series and NetIron XMR 

supplemental upgrade procedures 

Chapter 

3 

The following chapter describe additional upgrade procedures that may be required to upgrade 

individual images to match those required for this release, or upgrades where you are not using the 

combined FPGA image. 

For a list of all images for Multi-Service IronWare R05.4.00, refer to the Multi-Service IronWare 

R05.4.00 Release Notes. 

Upgrading MBRIDGE or MBRIDGE32 images 

on management modules 

NOTE 


need to upgrade these images, refer to the images and versions listed in the NetIron R05.4.00 

Release Notes. If your MBRIDGE or MBRIDGE32 image versions differ from those listed, you will 

need to upgrade them. 

To upgrade the MBRIDGE image on your management module, perform the following steps: 

NOTE 

If you are upgrading a 32-slot device, use the MBRIDGE32 image. 

1. Place the new MBRIDGE image on an SCP or TFTP server, or on a flash card inserted in slot 1 

or 2 in the management module. 

2. Copy the new MBRIDGE image by entering one of the following commands. 


C:> scp mbridge_.xsvf @:mbridge 


copy tftp mbridge mbridge_.xsvf 


copy [slot 1 | slot 2] mbridge mbridge_.xsvf 


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3 

Upgrading the SBRIDGE image on 32-slot devices 

Upgrading the SBRIDGE image on 

32-slot devices 

The SBRIDGE image applies to standard switch fabric modules on 32-slot devices. 

NOTE 


need to upgrade these images, refer to the images listed in the NetIron R05.4.00 Release Notes. If 

your SBRIDGE image versions differ from those listed in the table, you will need to upgrade them. 

To upgrade the SBRIDGE image on switch fabric modules installed in a 32-slot device, perform the 

following steps: 

1. Place the new SBRIDGE image on an SCP or TFTP server, or on a flash card in slot 1 or 2 of the 

management module. 

2. Copy the SBRIDGE image to all switch fabric modules or to a specified switch fabric module by 

entering one of the following commands: 


C:> scp sbridge_.mcs @:snm:sbridge:[all |] 


copy tftp snm sbridge_.mcs sbridge [all |] 


copy [slot 1 | slot 2] snm sbridge_.mcs sbridge [all |] 

The all keyword copies the image to all switch fabric modules. 

The variable copies the image to a specified switch fabric module. 

3. Verify that the SBRIDGE image has been successfully copied by entering the show version 

command. Check the image name and the date and time when the new image was built. 


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Upgrading the HSBRIDGE image on 32-slot devices 3 

Upgrading the HSBRIDGE image on 

32-slot devices 

The HSBRIDGE image applies to high-speed switch fabric modules installed in 32-slot devices. 

NOTE 


need to upgrade these images, refer to the images listed in the NetIron R05.4.00 Release Notes. If 

your system image versions differ from those listed in the table, you will need to upgrade them. 

To upgrade the HSBRIDGE image on high-speed switch fabric modules installed in a 32-slot device, 

perform the following steps. 

1. Place the new HSBRIDGE image on an SCP or TFTP server, or on a flash card in slot 1 or 2 of 

the management module. 

2. Copy the HSBRIDGE image to all high-speed switch fabric modules or to a specified high-speed 

switch fabric module by entering one of the following commands: 


C:> scp hsbridge_.mcs @:snm:sbridge:[all |] 


copy tftp snm hsbridge_.mcs sbridge [all |] 


copy [slot 1 | slot 2] snm hsbridge_.mcs sbridge [all |] 

The all keyword copies the image to all high-speed switch fabric modules. 

The variable copies the image to a specific high-speed switch fabric module. 

3. Verify that the HSBRIDGE image has been successfully copied by entering the show version 

command. Check the image name and the date and time the new image was built. 


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3 

Upgrading individual FPGA images on interface modules 

Upgrading individual FPGA images on 

interface modules 

You can upgrade FPGA images individually on interface modules. To see which individual FPGA 

images are available, refer to the images listed in the NetIron R05.4.00 Release Notes. 

NOTE 

Brocade recommends using the combined FPGA image to simplify the FPGA image upgrade 

procedure. 

To upgrade FPGA images individually, perform the following steps. 

1. Copy each FPGA image from the TFTP server or a flash card to all interface modules, or to a 

specified interface module by entering one of the following commands: 


C:> scp @:lp:[fpga-pbif | fpga-stats | 

fpga-xgmac | fpga-xpp]:[all | ] [:force-overwrite] 


copy tftp lp [all | [ 

[] [force-overwrite] 

• Using the PCMCIA flash card 

copy [slot 1 | slot 2] lp .bin> [all |] [force-overwrite] 

Specify the of the FPGA file you are copying, for example 

pbifsp2_05300.bin, xppsp2_05300.bin, etc. For a complete list of individual FPGA file names, 

refer to the images and versions listed in the NetIron R05.4.00 Release Notes. 

If you specify the the device copies the images for that module only. If you 

specify all without a module-type, the system copies the appropriate images to the 

corresponding modules. 

The system compares FPGA versions being copied to those currently on the interface modules. 

If the images are identical, the download is aborted, and the following warning message 

appears. 

Warning: same version of FPGA already exists on LP, no need to download FPGA 

again, use force-overwrite option to force download. 

If you use the all option, the system checks each interface module, and sends warning 

messages for Interface modules that have matching FPGA images. For interface modules that 

do not have matching FPGA images, the software proceeds with the download. 

If you use the force-overwrite option, an identical image is downloaded and no warning 

message is sent. 

2. The new FPGA images take effect when the management module is rebooted. You can also 

force the FPGA image to take effect on an interface module without rebooting the 

management module by “power cycling” the interface module using either of the following 

methods: 

• Turn the power off and on for the interface module using the power-off lp 

command followed by the power-on lp command. 

• Remove and reinsert the interface module. 


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Upgrading individual FPGA images on interface modules 3 

When the interface module boots, the FPGA Version Check utility confirms that compatible 

versions of the FPGA images have been installed. At restart or when you enter the show version 

command, the following information appears (the output on your system might vary from this 

example): 

Valid PBIF Version = 3.21, Build Time = 03/11/2011 14:44:00 

Valid XPP Version = 6.02, Build Time = 02/31/2011 10:52:00 

Valid STATS Version = 0.07, Build Time = 01/11/2011 13:33:00 

If there is a problem with your FPGA upgrade, one of the following warnings will be displayed: 

WARN: Invalid FPGA version = 1.2, Build Time = 2/13/2011 13:20:0 

This message indicates an FPGA version mismatch, or that one of the versions is not current: 

ERROR: failed to read FPGA versions from flash 

This message indicates that you have not completed a mandatory FPGA upgrade. 


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Upgrading individual FPGA images on interface modules 


53-1002550-05

Software Upgrades for Brocade NetIron CER 

and Brocade NetIron CES devices 

Chapter 

4 

This chapter describes how to upgrade software on Brocade NetIron CER and Brocade NetIron CES 

devices. The procedures described are identical for all models, except where indicated. 

NOTE 

The software described in this section applies only to the Brocade NetIron CER and Brocade NetIron 

CES devices. You cannot use this software on other Brocade devices. 


The following sections describe how to perform a basic software upgrade to R05.4.00. 

Before you begin your upgrade, read Chapter 1, “Important Upgrade Information for all Supported 

Devices” to make sure your system does not require special upgrade steps. 

Upgrading Multi-Service IronWare software for Brocade NetIron CES and CER devices usually 

requires that you upgrade the combined application image only. Boot and monitor images should 

only be upgraded if you are specifically instructed to do so. 

This upgrade requires the following steps: 

Step 1 - Determine the image versions currently running on your system. Refer to “Step 1 - 

Determining current image versions” on page 25. 

Step 2 - Upgrade the application image. Refer to “Step 2 - Upgrading the application image” on 

page 26. 

In most cases, these steps are all that is required. If you are directed to upgrade monitor or boot 

images, follow the procedures described in “Upgrading monitor and boot images on Brocade 

NetIron CES and CER devices” on page 27. 

Step 3 - Upgrade the fpga-pbif on the device. Refer to “Step 3 - Upgrading the fpga-pbif” on page 27 

Step 4 - Reboot the device. Refer to “Step 4 - Reboot the device” on page 27 

Step 1 - Determining current image versions 

Before you upgrade the images on a Brocade NetIron CER or Brocade NetIron CES device, you 

should check the image versions already installed to determine which ones need to be upgraded. 

You should also check the versions after you complete your upgrade to confirm that the upgrade 

was successful. Use the show flash and show version commands to display this information. 

Compare the image versions in the output of these commands to the versions listed in NetIron 

5.4.00b Release Notes. Upgrade any image versions that do not match those shown in the table. 

Examples of output from these commands is shown here. In the following examples, image 

versions appear in bold. 


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4 


NOTE 

These examples may differ slightly from the information displayed for your system. 

show flash command output 

Brocade# show flash 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Code Flash - Type MT28F256J3, Size 64 MB 


Version 5.2.0T183, Size 13669945 bytes, Check Sum a4b5 

Compiled on Jun 12 2011 at 09:16:48 labeled as ce05200 


Version 5.2.0T183, Size 13669945 bytes, Check Sum a4b5 



Version 5.1.0T185, Size 445715 bytes, Check Sum 36ab 

Compiled on Aug 11 2010 at 14:08:06 labeled as ceb05100 


Size 19267 bytes, Check Sum 663c 

Modified on 15:57:12 Pacific Mon Jun 20 2011 

Boot Flash - Type AM29LV040B, Size 512 KB 

o Boot Image 

Version 5.1.0T185, Size 445715 bytes, Check Sum 36ab 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

show version command output 

Brocade#show version 

System: NetIron CER (Serial #: K0SA17F03F, Part #: 40-1000347-04) 

License: ADV_SVCS_PREM (LID: mFucGMhFIh) 

Boot : Version 5.1.0T185 Copyright (c) 1996-2009 Brocade Communications 

Systems, Inc. 



Monitor : Version 5.1.0T185 Copyright (c) 1996-2009 Brocade Communications 

Systems, Inc. 



IronWare : Version 5.2.0T183 Copyright (c) 1996-2009 Brocade Communications 

Systems, Inc. 



CPLD Version: 0x00000010 

Micro-Controller Version: 0x0000000d 

PBIF: not ready 

800 MHz Power PC processor 8544 (version 8021/0022) 400 MHz bus 


2048 MB DRAM 

Daughter Board: Serial #: L8SA02F056, Part #: 40-1000377-02 

System uptime is 34 minutes 53 seconds 

Step 2 - Upgrading the application image 

To upgrade the combined application image (primary or secondary) for Brocade NetIron CER or 

Brocade NetIron CES devices, perform the following steps: 


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1. Place the application on an SCP or TFTP server. 

2. Copy the new combined image by entering one of the following commands. 


C:> scp ce.bin@:flash:[ primary | secondary ] 


copy tftp flash ce.bin [primary | secondary ] 

3. Verify that the new image has been successfully copied by entering the show flash command. 

Check the image version and the date and time the new image was added. 

Step 3 - Upgrading the fpga-pbif 

To upgrade the fpga-pbif on the Brocade NetIron CER or Brocade NetIron CES device, perform the 

following steps. 

1. Place the pbifmetro_.bin file on a tftp server. 

NOTE 

This command must be entered from the console and is recommended to upgrade from 

console. 

The workaround is to telnet or ssh to the device and issue the ‘rconsole’ command to get into 

the console prompt and upgrade. 

2. Copy the fpga-pbif by entering the following command. 

• Using TFTP at the Privileged EXEC Level of the CLI: 

copy tftp fpga-pbif pbifmetro_.bin 

NOTE 

System may take several minutes to finish this procedure, and return control of the console to 

the user. 

Step 4 - Reboot the device 

When you complete your upgrade process, you must reboot the device. 

1. To reboot the device, enter one of the following commands: 

reload (this command boots from the default boot source, which is the primary code flash) 

boot system flash [primary | secondary] 

2. After the device finishes booting, enter the show version command, and verify that the device 

is running the new software image version. 

Upgrading monitor and boot images on Brocade 

NetIron CES and CER devices 

In most cases, when upgrading from one major release to another, it is not necessary to upgrade 

the boot and monitor image for Brocade NetIron CES and CER devices, unless you are specifically 

instructed to do so. 


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4 


NOTE 

Brocade NetIron CER or Brocade NetIron CES devices use the same image for boot and monitor. 

To upgrade the monitor and boot image, perform the following steps: 

1. Place the new monitor and boot image on an SCP or TFTP server. 

2. Copy the new monitor and boot image to the switch using one of the following commands: 


C:> scp ceb.bin @:flash:[boot | monitor] 


copy tftp flash ceb.bin [boot | monitor] 

3. Verify that the new monitor and boot images have been successfully copied by entering the 

show flash command at the Privileged level of the CLI. 

If your upgrade fails, for recovery information refer to Appendix B, “Troubleshooting,”, “Recovering 

from a failed upgrade” on page 79. 


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Chapter 

5 

This chapter describes the Hitless OS Upgrade feature. 

You can upgrade Multi-Service IronWare software using the Hitless OS Upgrade feature with no loss 

of service or disruption in most functions and protocols. During the hitless upgrade process, all 

ports and links remain operational. 

Hitless OS Upgrade support limitations 

Depending on the software version, Hitless OS Upgrade has the following limitations: 

• Hitless OS Upgrade is not supported for upgrades from one major release to another, for 

example R05.2 to R05.3. 

• Hitless OS Upgrade is not supported for releases prior to R05.1.00d. This includes R05.1.00, 

R05.1.00b, R05.1.00c and R05.1.00d. 

NOTE 

You must refer to the relevant release note to check for hitless OS upgrade support. 

Special considerations for Hitless OS Upgrade 

Depending on the software version, Hitless OS Upgrade has the following limitations: 

• Both active and standby management modules must be installed to use this feature. 

• To avoid disruptions of Layer-3 traffic to OSPF or BGP routes, OSPF Non-stop routing or OSPF 

Graceful Restart and BGP Graceful Restart features must be configured on the router. In 

addition, OSPF neighbors of the router must have OSPF Graceful Restart Helper enabled if 

OSPF Graceful Restart is enabled. 

• To avoid disruptions of IPv4 Layer 3 multicast traffic, the unicast routing protocol for multicast 

RPF routes must be either Non-Stop routing- or Graceful Restart-capable and enabled. 

• The time required for the hitless upgrade process ranges from 1 to 10 minutes, depending on 

the size of the MAC table and the routing table, and the number of OSPF and BGP neighbors. 

Router configuration is unavailable during the entire hitless upgrade process. The message 

“---SW Upgrade In Progress - Please Wait---” is displayed at the console if configuration is 

attempted. Operational command of the router is allowed during the upgrade process. 

• Because the active management module becomes the standby management module during 

the hitless upgrade process, you will need a connection to the console interface on both 

management modules. 

• When they are reset, management and interface modules are unable to send and receive 

packets. Once the management and interface modules are again operational, modules can 

send and receive packets, even before the hitless upgrade process is complete. 

• Router configuration cannot be changed during the hitless upgrade process. 


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5 


• Changes to the system-max parameter (or other configuration changes that require a system 

reload, such as “cam-mode” and “cam-profile” changes) do not take effect after a hitless 

upgrade. 

• FPGA images cannot be upgraded using the hitless upgrade process. 

• Hitless upgrade cannot be used to downgrade an image to a version older than the version 

currently running on the device. 

• If there are protocol dependencies between neighboring nodes, it is recommended that you 

upgrade nodes one at a time. 

• After hitless upgrade, the running configuration on the router will be the same as it was before 

the upgrade. A configuration that is not saved before a hitless upgrade is not removed and the 

existing startup configuration does not take effect. This behavior is similar to the management 

module switchover feature. 

Table 2 lists supported and unsupported protocols and features for Hitless OS Upgrade. 

TABLE 2 Supported and unsupported protocols and features for Hitless OS Upgrade 

Supported for Hitless OS Upgrade 

Not supported for Hitless OS Upgrade 

Layer 2 switching 

Layer 2 protocols: 

MRP 

STP 

RSTP 

VSRP 

Layer 3 protocols 

IGMP 

PIM 

OSPF 

BGP 

IS-IS 

Static IP routes 

Layer-3 forwarding 

GRE tunnels 

ACLs (the following ACLS continue to function but ACL 

counters are reset) 

Layer 2 ACLs 

IPv4 ACLs 

IPv6 ACLs 

IP Receive ACLs 

IPv4 and Layer-2 ACL-based traffic policing Traffic 

policing 

UDLD 

LACP 

BFD 

802.1ag over VLANs 

IPv4 multicast routing 

IPv6 multicast routing 

802.1s 

All MPLS features 

IPv4 and IPv6 multicast snooping 

VLAN translation 

Policy-based routing 

FPGA upgrades 

VRRP and VRRP-E 

All VPN features 

MCT (Multi-chassis trunking) 

Network management to the device: 

SSH 

Telnet 

SNTP 

HTTP/HTTPS 

sFlow (interface modules only) 

Ping 

Traceroute 

Syslog messages are cleared 

SNMP and SNMP trap 

DNS 

DHCP 

AAA 

ERP (G.8032) 

Management VRF 

ToS-based QoS 

Features not supported for Hitless OS Upgrade may encounter disruptions when the management 

and interface modules are restarted, but will resume normal operation once the modules become 

operational. 


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Hitless OS Upgrade for all Supported Devices 5 

The hitless upgrade process 

A hitless upgrade of Multi-Service IronWare software is performed in the following sequence: 

1. Multi-Service IronWare software is installed in flash memory to the primary and secondary 

image on active and standby management modules and interface modules. 

2. Enter the hitless-reload command on the active management module. 

3. The hitless upgrade process starts on the active management module, which initiates the 

upgrade process on the standby management module. 

4. The standby management module is reset. 

5. The active management module is reset and the standby management module becomes the 

active module. 

6. Active console control is lost to the previously active management module as it becomes the 

standby management module. 

7. The active management module initiates the upgrade process on all interface modules. 

8. The router is now running the new Multi-Service IronWare software. The management module 

that was initially configured as the standby management module is now the active 

management module and the management module that was initially configured as the active 

management module is now the standby management module. If you want the original 

management module to be active, you must manually fail-over control to it. 

Performing a hitless upgrade 

NOTE 

Hitless upgrades are generally supported for upgrades within a major release (for example, 05.3.00 

to 05.3.00a) but are not supported for upgrades from one major release to another (for example 

05.2.xx to 05.3.xx). Please refer to “Hitless OS Upgrade support limitations” on page 29 for a list of 

releases that do not support Hitless Upgrade. 

Some features and protocols are not supported for hitless upgrade. Before you perform a hitless 

upgrade, refer to Table 2 for a list of supported and not-supported features and protocols. 

A Hitless OS Upgrade loads from the primary and secondary images on the management modules. 

To perform a Hitless OS Upgrade, use the following procedure: 

1. Copy the Multi-Service IronWare software images to the primary and secondary flash on the 

active and standby management modules and on interface modules. 

1. Set up a console connection to both the active and standby management modules. These 

connections can be serial console sessions or sessions established through Telnet or SSH. 

2. Enter the hitless-reload command at the console of the active management module. 

hitless-reload mp [primary | secondary] | lp [primary | secondary] 

The mp parameter specifies that the image will be copied to the management module. 

The lp parameter specifies that the image will be reloaded to the interface module. 


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5 



53-1002550-05

Simplified Upgrade and Auto Upgrade 

Chapter 

6 

This chapter describes how to upgrade your MultiService IronWare software from R05.4.00 using a 

single command, copy tftp system manifest. Before beginning your upgrade, refer to the 

appropriate chapters in this document for your device to make sure your system does not have 

special upgrade requirements. 

NOTE 

The Simplified Upgrade feature is available only when upgrading from R05.3.00 or later. 

If using the Simplified Upgrade feature to upgrade from R05.3.00 to R05.4.00, you must first 

upgrade to R05.3.00a or later. 

Simplified Upgrade 

Prior to R05.3.00, several commands were required to upgrade your system. That method is still 

supported as described in the appropriate chapter for your device, however using the copy tftp 

system with the new all images and manifest parameters introduced in R05.3.00, you can upgrade 

your system by issuing only one command. 

This simplified upgrade method greatly reduces the possibility of having incompatible interface 

modules due to incompatible image versions. 

The command can be issued to download images from either of the following: 

• TFTP server, as described in “Upgrading the software using a TFTP server” on page 37 

• auxiliary storage device, as described in “Upgrading the software using an auxiliary storage 

device” on page 38 

Use the all images parameter to upgrade the management and interface boot, monitor, and 

application images, as well as all interface and management FPGA images. Since many of these 

images are not required to be upgraded for each release and doing so can be time consuming, you 

can upgrade the management and interface monitor and application images, as well as the 

combined FPGA images only by omitting the all images parameter. 

The default behavior is that the all images parameter is not specified. 

NOTE 

Management and interface boot images and individual boot images are generally not required to be 

upgraded and customers are not recommended to upgrade them, unless it is explicitly stated 

otherwise in release notes. Copying management interface FPGA images may temporarily affect 

time-sensitive protocols. 

Multi-Service IronWare Upgrade Guide 33 

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6 


Step 1: Download Manifest file and Validation 

NOTE 

During the "MBRIDGE image upgrade” portion of the simplified upgrade process, new Telnet or SSH 

sessions may fail to establish. In this case, please retry establishing new Telnet or SSH sessions 

after the upgrade process has completed. 

NOTE 

While the simplified upgrade is in progress, CLI commands or SNMP set-requests that initiate a TFTP 

download are rejected. 

When you issue the copy tftp system command using the manifest parameter, the first step the 

system performs is to download the digital signature file associated with the manifest file, 

download the manifest file and perform a signature check. This ensures the manifest file download 

is indeed created by Brocade, and not modified by anybody. 

Step 2: Download File Images 

Next, the system upgrades the system file images. The file images upgraded depend on how you 

enter the command. If you use the manifest and all images parameters, the files are upgraded in 

the following sequence: 

• management module Boot image 

• interface module Boot image 

• management module Monitor image 

• interface module Monitor image 

• management module Application image 

• interface module Application image 

• Bundled FPGA image for all interface modules 

• MBRIDGE (or MBRIDGE32 for 32-slot chassis) 

• SBRIDGE or HSBRDGE image (for 32-slot chassis only) 

If you do not use the all images parameter, the files are upgraded in the following sequence: 

• management module Monitor image 

• interface module Monitor image 

• management module Application image 

• interface module Application image 

• Bundled FPGA image for all interface modules 

Depending on the type of management module (MR or MR2) in the system, the system follows 

different behavior in downloading and installing the images. 

Systems with MR management modules and NetIron CES devices and NetIron 

CER devices 

In systems with MR management modules, the following events are performed for each image: 

• download the signature of the image 

34 Multi-Service IronWare Upgrade Guide 

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Simplified Upgrade 6 

• download the image file 

• perform CRC check 

• install the image 

Even if it encounters a failure in one of the images, it will proceed to upgrade the other images. 

In systems running MR2 management modules 

In systems running MR2 management modules, all images and their signature files are first 

downloaded and saved to temporary files in the embedded Slot1 Compact Flash. Once all the 

images are successfully downloaded, the system proceeds to install them. 

NOTE 

If there is any failure during download operation for any file copy, the entire operation is terminated 

and a messages is posted to the syslog. For a list of Simplified Upgrade syslog messages, refer to 

Table 3 on page 40. 

The following events occur during the install operation: 

• perform a CRC check 

• install the image 

Summary Report 

During the simplified upgrade process, the system keeps track of the status of every image 

download, validation and installation and creates a summary report that is displayed at the end of 

the upgrade. If any image download or installation fails, the summary report indicates the 

operation failed and details of the failure. You can individually upgrade any failed images using 

existing upgrade commands for individual images. The summary report also identifies any potential 

incompatibility issues. 

The following example displays a summary report for the simplified upgrade on a Brocade MLXe 

with an MR management module. 

Example 

Brocade#copy tftp system 10.120.73.108 manifest XMR-MLX05300_Manifest.txt 

...TFTP: Download to flash done. 


File 2126 bytes 

hash: 20 bytes 

67 65 95 cb da 29 45 99 83 d7 

28 a6 72 fd f6 8c 50 3a 7d d6 

signature: 40 bytes 

64 44 93 e1 9d 2a e0 6e c1 0d 

39 e4 67 8d 0a ad 08 0e 0f d5 

4c 24 44 b8 ec 7b d9 ca 89 ad 

e6 98 ea 7c a3 3e db 1c 82 93 

Verified : TRUE 

...Done. 

Copy MANIFEST FILE to standby MP, please wait. 

...Done. 

Copy MANIFEST SIG FILE to standby MP, please wait. 

Done. 

SYSLOG: Dec 10 06:59:38 Brocade Single-command upgrade started. 


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6 


1) Download MP monitor image /Monitor/ManagementModule/xmb05300.bin from tftp 

10.120.75.21 

Removing monitor from flash. 


Copy MP MONITOR IMAGE to standby MP, please wait. 

Not Needed. 

2) Download LP monitor image /Monitor/InterfaceModule/xmlb05300.bin from tftp 

10.120.75.21 

Removing lp-monitor-0 from flash. 

...TFTP: Download to LP mon done. 

Save a copy to MP's flash, please wait...................................Done 

Copy LP MONITOR IMAGE to standby MP, please wait. 

Not Needed. 

Copy LP MONITOR SIG FILE to standby MP, please wait. 

Done. 

Copy file /Monitor/InterfaceModule/xmlb05300.bin from tftp on MP to file monitor 

on all LP slots 

...File Download: /Monitor/InterfaceModule/xmlb05300.bin from tftp (MP) -> 

monitor (LP 4) is done. 

File Download: /Monitor/InterfaceModule/xmlb05300.bin from tftp (MP) -> monitor 

(LP 2) is done. 

File download to interface module is done (2 successful) 

3) Download MP application image /Application/ManagementModule/xmr05300.bin 

from tftp 10.120.75.21 to primary: 

.******** ONE IMAGE removing primary ****** 


Copy MP PRIMARY IMAGE to standby MP, please wait. 

Start code flash synchronization to standby MP. 

Code flash synchronization to standby MP is done. 

4) Download LP application image /Application/InterfaceModule/xmlp05300.bin 

from tftp 10.120.75.21 to primary: 

Removing lp-primary-0 from flash. 

...TFTP: Download to LP primary flash done. 

Save a copy to MP's flash, please wait.......................................... 

...Done 

Copy LP PRIMARY IMAGE to standby MP, please wait. 

Not Needed. 

Copy LP PRIMARY SIG FILE to standby MP, please wait. 

...Done. 

Copy file /Application/InterfaceModule/xmlp05300.bin from tftp on MP to file 

primary on all LP slots 

...File Download: /Application/InterfaceModule/xmlp05300.bin from tftp (MP) -> 

primary (LP 2) is done. 

...File Download: /Application/InterfaceModule/xmlp05300.bin from tf 

tp (MP) -> primary (LP 4) is done. 

File download to interface module is done (2 successful) 

5) Download Bundle FPGA /Combined/FPGA/lpfpga05300.bin from tftp 10.120.75.21: 

Bundle FPGA download begins: 12 images in the bundle. 

................................................................................ 

...TFTP: Download to LP FPGA ALL done. 

Copying FPGA images to the applicable slot(s), this may take several minutes... 

Copying 1st image (PBIF - Ethernet) to slot(s) 4 skipped, same version exists. Use 

"force overwrite" if required. 

Copying 3rd image (PBIF - MRJ48) to slot(s) 2 skipped, same version exists. Use 



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Upgrading the software 6 

Copying 5th image (XPP - Ethernet) to slot(s) 4 skipped, same version exists. Use 


Copying 7th image (XPP - MRJ48) to slot(s) 2 skipped, same version exists. Use 


Copying 10th image (XGMAC - Ethernet) to slot(s) 4 skipped, same version exists. 

Use "force overwrite" if required. 

Copying 12th image (STATS - MRJ48) to slot(s) 2 skipped, same version exists. Use 


No FPGA image to be copied. 

Bundle FPGA copy to interface module(s) completed. 

SYSLOG: Dec 10 07:02:03 Brocade Single-command upgrade completed. 

System Upgrade Done. 

Upgrade Summary 

Source: tftp 10.120.75.21 Directory 

1) Installed /Monitor/ManagementModule/xmb05300.bin to MP Monitor 

2) Installed /Monitor/InterfaceModule/xmlb05300.bin to LP Monitor on all LP slots 

3) Installed /Application/ManagementModule/xmr05300.bin to MP Primary 

4) Installed /Application/InterfaceModule/xmlp05300.bin to LP Primary on all LP 

slots 

5) Installed /Combined/FPGA/lpfpga05300.bin to LP FPGA Bundled on all LP slots 


Done. 

Upgrading the software 

The command can be issued to specify the source of the images, whether it is from a TFTP server 

or auxiliary storage device. 

Upgrading the software using a TFTP server 

NOTE 



R05.2.00 and later support only a single (primary) image on each module. 

To upgrade the management and interface boot, monitor, and application images, as well as FPGA 

images, enter the following command using TFTP as the source of the images. 

The full syntax for the command when using a TFTP server is as follows: 

NetIron# copy tftp system [all-images] manifest [lp-sec | mp-sec | secondary ] 

The following parameters are available: 

• The optional parameter [all-images] specifies that the management and interface boot, 

monitor, and application images, as well as FPGA images should be upgraded. If the parameter 

is not entered, only the management and interface monitor and application images and 

bundled FPGA image for interface modules which don’t include MBRIDGE and SBRIDGE are 

upgraded. 

• The parameter specifies the TFTP server IP address in IPv4 or IPv6. 


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6 

Auto upgrade 

• The parameter specifies the manifest filename, including its relative path to the 

TFTP server root directory. 

• The optional parameter [lp-sec | mp-sec | secondary] specifies the destination code image. If 

not specified, it defaults to primary for both MP and LP. This is for the application image only. 

- lp-sec specifies that MP image goes to primary while LP goes to secondary. 

- mp-sec specifies that MP image goes to secondary while LP image goes to primary. 

- secondary means both MP and LP images goes to secondary. 

Upgrading the software using an auxiliary storage device 

NOTE 



R05.2.00 and later support only a single (primary) image on each module. 

The storage card must have the manifest file at the top-most of the base directory and all the 

images must be in the directory structure specified in the manifest file. 

The full syntax for the command when using an auxiliary storage device is as follows: 

# copy system [all-images] manifest 

[lp-sec | mp-sec | secondary] 

The following parameters are available: 

• The parameter identifies the source auxiliary storage device slot number. 

• The optional parameter [all-images] specifies that the management and interface boot, 

monitor, and application images, as well as FPGA images, including MBRIDGE and SBRIDGE, 

should be upgraded. If the parameter is not entered, only the management and interface 

monitor and application images and bundled FPGA image for interface modules which don’t 

include MBRIDGE and SBRIDGE are upgraded. 

• The parameter specifies the manifest filename, which should be located at the 

root directory of the storage device. 

• The optional parameter [lp-sec | mp-sec | secondary] specifies the destination code image. If 

not specified, it defaults to primary for both MP and LP. This is for the application image only. 

- lp-sec specifies that MP image goes to primary while LP goes to secondary. 

- mp-sec specifies that MP image goes to secondary while LP image goes to primary. 

- secondary means both MP and LP images goes to secondary. 

Auto upgrade 

NOTE 

This feature is available only on devices that have been upgraded to R05.3.00 or later using the 

Simplified Upgrade feature as it requires the manifest file installed in R05.3.00 and later. 


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Auto upgrade 6 

NOTE 

The auto upgrade feature is disabled by default and must be enabled to take effect. 

If you have used the simplified upgrade procedure to upgrade your system to R05.3.00 or later, you 

can take advantage of the auto upgrade feature. The auto upgrade feature allows the system to 

automatically upgrade the images of a newly inserted interface module if it detects a mismatch in 

monitor and application image files, as synched in releases prior to R05.3.00, as well as boot and 

FPGA image files, depending on the parameters used. 

NOTE 

If all of the images of an interface card are upgraded successfully during the auto-upgrade, the card 

is reset by the system for the upgraded image to take into effect. 

If one or more image fails during the auto-upgrade, the card is not reset by the system; once the auto 

upgrade is complete, you must correct the problem with the failed file and manually reset the 

upgraded interface card for the new image(s) to take into effect. 

In systems running MR management modules 

If the device is running an MR management module, it will take the following steps: 

1. Perform a signature check of the manifest file. 

2. Open the manifest file to lookup for the filename of the image and its relative path. 

3. For the TFTP source, download the image using the TFTP info specified in lp auto-upgrade tftp 

command. 

For the case of storage card source, it will copy the image from the specified auxiliary storage 

slot number. 

4. Install the image to the destination interface module. 

It will repeat the same steps for all images necessary for the upgrade. 

If an image cannot be located, an error is logged and it will proceed to boot with application and 

monitor images synced from the MP. 

In systems running MR2 management modules 

For devices running an MR2 management module, the images lp-boot and lp-fpga-all, kept in the 

flash memory, are used. If the image is not found in the flash memory, the system downloads it 

from the source specified in the command (TFTP or storage card). 

At the end of the auto-upgrade process, regardless if it was completed successfully or not, syslog 

messages and traps are posted. 

Enabling Auto Upgrade 

NOTE 

The auto upgrade feature is disabled by default and must be manually enabled to take effect. 

The full syntax for the command is as follows: 

(config)# lp auto-upgrade [all-images] 

[path ] 


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6 

Syslog messages for Simplified Upgrade and Auto Upgrade 

Parameter descriptions: 

• The optional parameter [all-images] specifies that the interface boot image and interface FPGA 

image are upgraded. If the parameter is not entered, only the interface FPGA image is 

upgraded. 

• The parameter tftp specifies the TFTP server IP address in IPv4 or IPv6. 

• The parameter specifies the source auxiliary storage device slot number. 

• The optional parameter path < directory pathname > specifies the base directory path of the 

TFTP server to get the images. If not specified, it defaults to the TFTP root. 

To enable the auto upgrade feature of interface modules in your device from a TFTP, enter the 

following: 

(config)# lp auto-upgrade tftp [path ] 

To enable the auto upgrade feature of interface modules in your device using a auxiliary storage 

device, enter the following: 

(config)# lp auto-upgrade [path ] 

At the end of the auto-upgrade process, regardless if it was completed successfully or not, syslog 

messages and trap are posted. 

Disabling Auto Upgrade 

NOTE 

The auto upgrade feature is disabled by default and must be manually enabled to take effect. 

Auto-upgrade of interface module can be disabled by applying 'no' to the command. When the auto 

upgrade feature is disabled, the newly inserted interface modules boot after syncing the 

application and monitor images from the management module without syncing the interface boot 

image and interface FPGAs. 

To disable the auto upgrade feature of interface modules in your device, enter the following: 

(config)# no lp auto-upgrade 

This will post a syslog after the completion of the process, whether successful or not. 

Syslog messages for Simplified Upgrade and Auto Upgrade 

Table 3 lists the syslog messages related to the simplified upgrade procedure and auto upgrade 

feature. 

: \ 

TABLE 3 

Event Description 

Simplified Upgrade and Auto Upgrade syslog messages 

Message 

Simplified upgrade has 

started 

Simplified upgrade is 

complete 

Single-command upgrade has started. 

Single-command upgrade completed. 

or 

Single-command upgraded with error(s). 


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MIB information for Simplified Upgrade and Auto Upgrade 6 

TABLE 3 Simplified Upgrade and Auto Upgrade syslog messages (Continued) 

Event Description 

Message 

Auto upgrade has started 

Auto upgrade is 

complete 

Auto-upgrade for slot has started. 

Auto-upgrade for slot completed. 

or 

Auto-upgrade for slot completed with errors. 

The following SNMP traps are generated: 

snTrapUpgradeSingleCmdStart ::= { snTraps 1216 } 

snTrapUpgradeSingleCmdDone ::= { snTraps 1217 } 

snTrapAutoUpgradeStart ::= { snTraps 1218 } 

snTrapAutoUpgradeDone ::= { snTraps 1219 } 

For more information on the SNMP traps, refer to the Unified MIB Reference. 

MIB information for Simplified Upgrade and Auto Upgrade 

For MIB information related to the simplified upgrade and auto upgrade features, refer to the 

Unified IP MIB Reference, supporting NetIron R05.4.00. 


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6 

MIB information for Simplified Upgrade and Auto Upgrade 


53-1002550-05

Port and software-based licensing 

Chapter 

7 

Table 4 lists the individual Brocade NetIron devices and the software licensing features they 

support. 

TABLE 4 

Features 

supported 

Supported software licensing features 

NetIron XMR 

Series 

NetIron MLX 

Series 

NetIron CES 

2000 Series 

BASE 

package 

NetIron CES 

2000 Series 

ME_PREM 

package 

NetIron CES 

2000 Series 

L3_PREM 

package 

CER 2000 

Series BASE 

package 

CER 2000 

Series 

Advanced 

Services 

package 

Software-based 

licensing 

Port 

based-licensing 

License 

generation 

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 

Yes Yes No No No No No 


License query Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 

Deleting a 

license 


Software license terminology 

This section defines the key terms used in this chapter. 

• Entitlement certificate – The proof-of-purchase certificate (paper-pack) issued by Brocade 

when a license is purchased. The certificate contains a unique transaction key that is used in 

conjunction with the License ID of the Brocade device to generate and download a software 

license from the Brocade software portal. 

• License file – The file produced by the Brocade software portal when the license is generated. 

The file is uploaded to the Brocade device and controls access to a licensed feature or feature 

set. 

• License ID (LID) – This is a number that uniquely identifies the Brocade device. The LID is used 

in conjunction with a transaction key to generate and download a software license from the 

Brocade software portal. The software license is tied to the LID of the Brocade device for which 

the license was ordered and generated. 

• Licensed feature – Any hardware or software feature or set of features that require a valid 

software license in order to operate on the device. 

• Transaction key – This unique key, along with the LID, is used to generate a software license 

from the Brocade software portal. The transaction key is issued by Brocade when a license is 

purchased. The transaction key is delivered according to the method specified when the order 

is placed: 


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7 

Software-based licensing overview 

• Paper-pack – The transaction key is recorded on an entitlement certificate, which is 

mailed to the customer. 

• Electronic – The transaction key is contained in an e-mail, which is instantly sent to the 

customer after the order is placed. The customer will receive the e-mail generally within a 

few minutes after the order is placed, though the timing will vary depending on the 

network, internet connection, etc. 

If a delivery method was not specified at the time of the order, the key will be delivered via 

paper-pack. 


Prior to the introduction of software-based licensing, Brocade supported hardware-based licensing, 

where an EEPROM was used to upgrade to a premium set of features. With the introduction of 

software-based licensing, one or more valid software licenses are required to run such licensed 

features on the device. 

Software-based licensing is designed to work together with hardware-based licensing. The first 

release of software-based licensing employs a combination of hardware-based and software-based 

licensing. A Brocade device can use hardware-based licensing, software-based licensing, or both. 

Future releases that support software-based licensing will use software-based licensing only, 

eliminating the need for a customer- or factory-installed EEPROM on the management module or 

switch backplane. 

Software-based licensing provides increased scalability and rapid deployment of hardware and 

software features on the supported Brocade family of switches. For example, for premium 

upgrades, it is no longer necessary to physically open the chassis and install an EEPROM to 

upgrade the system. Instead, the Web is used to generate, download, and install a software license 

that will enable premium features on the device. 

How software-based licensing works 

A permanent license can be ordered pre-installed in a Brocade device when first shipped from the 

factory, or later ordered and installed by the customer. In either case, additional licenses can be 

ordered as needed. 

When a license is ordered separately (not pre-installed), an entitlement certificate or e-mail, 

containing a transaction key, are issued to the customer by Brocade as proof of purchase. The 

transaction key and LID of the Brocade device are used to generate a license key from the Brocade 

software licensing portal. The license key is contained within a license file, which is downloaded to 

the customer’s PC, where the file can then be transferred to a TFTP or SCP server, then uploaded to 

the Brocade device. 

Once a license is installed on the Brocade device, it has the following effect: 

• The license unlocks the licensed feature and it becomes available immediately. There is no 

need to reload the software. 

• When a trial license expires, the commands and CLI related to the feature are disabled, but the 

feature itself can’t be disabled until the system reloads. 


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Software-based licensing overview 7 

Seamless transition for legacy devices 

In this chapter, the term legacy device refers to a Brocade device that was shipped prior to the 

introduction of software-based licensing, has an EEPROM installed, and is running pre-release 

05.0.00 software. 

The transition to software-based licensing is seamless for legacy devices. When upgraded to a 

release that supports software-based licensing, these devices will continue to operate as 

previously configured. 

Though not mandatory, Brocade recommends that once a legacy device is upgraded to a release 

that supports software-based licensing, it is also registered. This will enable Brocade to track the 

device in case service is needed. To register the device, refer to the instructions in “Special 

replacement instructions for legacy devices” on page 62. 

NOTE 

There are special considerations and instructions for legacy NetIron devices in need of replacement 

(via a Return Merchandise Agreement (RMA)). For details, refer to “Special replacement instructions 

for legacy devices” on page 62. 

License types 

The following license types are supported. 

NetIron CES Series license types: 

• NI-CES-2024-MEU – Enables Metro Edge Premium upgrade for NetIron CES 2000 Series 

24-port models. 

• NI-CES-2024-L3U - Enables Layer 3 Premium upgrade for NetIron CES 2000 Series 


• NI-CES-2048-MEU – Enables Metro Edge Premium upgrade for NetIron CES 2000 Series 


• NI-CES-2048-L3U – Enables Layer 3 Premium upgrade for NetIron CES 2000 Series 


NetIron CER Series license types: 

• NI-CER-2024-ADV –Enables Layer 3 Advanced Premium upgrade for NetIron CER 2000 

Series 24-port models. 

• NI-CER-2048-ADV – Enables Layer 3 Advanced Premium upgrade for NetIron CER 2000 

Series 48-port models. 

• NI-CER-2024F-RT - Enables additional memory to support larger routing tables. 

• NI-CER-2024C-RT - Enables additional memory to support larger routing tables. 

• NI-CER-2024FX-RT - Enables additional memory to support larger routing tables. 

• NI-CER-2024CX-RT - Enables additional memory to support larger routing tables. 

• NI-CER-2048F-RT - Enables additional memory to support larger routing tables. 

• NI-CER-2048C-RT - Enables additional memory to support larger routing tables. 

• NI-CER-2048FX--RT - Enables additional memory to support larger routing tables. 

• NI-CER-2048CX-RT - Enables additional memory to support larger routing tables. 


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7 


Brocade MLX Series and NetIron XMR license Types: 

• BR-MLX-10GX4-X - Enables License upgrade to NetIron MLX and Brocade MLXe 4-port 

10-GbE (X) module with IPv4/IPv6/MPLS hardware support - requires XFP optics. Supports 

1 million IPv4 routes in FIB. 

• BR-MLX-1GCx24-X - Enables 24-port 1Gbps copper module. Supports 1 million IPv4 routes 

in FIB. 

• BR-MLX-1GFx24-X - Enables 24-port 1Gbps fiber module. Supports 1 million IPv4 routes in 

FIB. 

• BR-MLX-100GX1-2PUPG - Enables 100 GbE second port license upgrade —requires CFP 

optics. 

• Trial license – Also called a temporary license, this enables a license-controlled feature to run 

on the device on a temporary basis. A trial license enables demonstration and evaluation of a 

licensed feature and can be valid for a period of 45 days. For more information about a trial 

license, see “Using a trial license” on page 56. 

• Normal license – Also called a permanent license, this enables a license-controlled feature to 

run on the device indefinitely. 


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Licensed features and part numbers 7 

Licensed features and part numbers 

Table 5 lists the supported licensed features, associated image filenames, and related part 

numbers. 

NOTE 

There are no changes to the part numbers for products with pre-installed (factory-installed) licenses. 

These part numbers are listed for reference in the last column of Table 5. 

TABLE 5 

Licensed features and part numbers for the NetIron CES and NetIron CER devices 

Product Licensed feature or feature set Image 

filename 

Part numbers for 

software license only 

Part numbers for hardware with 

pre-installed software license 

NetIron CES 

EPREM Metro Edge 

Premium (Metro Edge 

Premium License) 

• All Classic Layer 2 

capabilities 

• Base Layer 3 (RIP and 

static routes) 

• QoS and ACLs 

• Management via 

SNMP and CLI 

• IP over MPLS (IGP 

shortcuts) 

• GRE 

• Policy Based Routing 

(PBR) 

• Provider Bridges (IEEE 

802.1ad) 

• Provider Backbone 

Bridges (IEEE 

802.1ah) 

• In-band management 

for PB/PBB network 

• OSPF and ISIS 

• Connectivity Fault 

Management (IEEE 

802.1ag) and Service 

OAM 

• Ethernet Service 

Instance (ESI) 

framework 

• Multi-VRF 

• MPLS (VPLS, VLL) 

• 802.3ah Link OAM 

• Static IPv6 

• RIPng 

• OSPFv3 

• IS-ISv6 

cerxxxxx.bin • 24 ports: 

NI-CES-2024-MEU 

• 48 ports: 

NI-CES-2048-MEU 

NI-CES-2024F-MEPREM-AC 

NI-CES-2024F-MEPREM-DC 

NI-CES-2024C-MEPREM-AC 

NI-CES-2024C-MEPREM-DC 

NI-CES-2024FX-MEPREM-AC 

NI-CES-2024FX-MEPREM-DC 

NI-CES-2024CX-MEPREM-AC 

NI-CES-2024CX-MEPREM-DC 

NI-CES-2048F-MEPREM-AC 

NI-CES-2048F-MEPREM-DC 

NI-CES-2048C-MEPREM-AC 

NI-CES-2048C-MEPREM-DCNI 

-CES-2048FX-MEPREM-AC 

NI-CES-2048FX-MEPREM-DC 

NI-CES-2048CX-MEPREM-AC 

NI-CES-2048CX-MEPREM-DC 


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7 


TABLE 5 Licensed features and part numbers for the NetIron CES and NetIron CER devices (Continued) 


filename 





EPREM L3_PREM (Layer 3 

Premium License) 

• All Classic Layer 2 

capabilities 

• Base Layer 3 (RIP and 

static routes) 



SNMP and CLI 

• Full Layer 3 

capabilities, including 

OSPF, ISIS, and BGP 

• Multi-VRF 

• Static IPv6 

• RIPng 

• IS-ISv3 

• OSPFv3 

• BGP shortcuts 

(requires L3_PREM 

and ME_PREM) 

• GRE 

• Policy Based Routing 

(PBR) 


NI-CES-2024-L3U 

• 48 ports: 

NI-CES-2048-L3U 

NI-CES-2024F-L3PREM-AC 

NI-CES-2024F-L3PREM-DC 

NI-CES-2024C-L3PREM-AC 

NI-CES-2024C-L3PREM-DC 

NI-CES-2024FX-L3PREM-AC 

NI-CES-2024FX-L3PREM-DC 

NI-CES-2024CX-L3PREM-AC 

NI-CES-2024CX-L3PREM-DC 

NI-CES-2048F-L3PREM-AC 

NI-CES-2048F-L3PREM-DC 

NI-CES-2048C-L3PREM-AC 

NI-CES-2048C-L3PREM-DC 

NI-CES-2048FX-L3PREM-AC 

NI-CES-2048FX-L3PREM-DC 

NI-CES-2048CX-L3PREM-AC 

NI-CES-2048CX-L3PREM-DC 


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Licensed features and part numbers 7 

TABLE 5 Licensed features and part numbers for the NetIron CES and NetIron CER devices (Continued) 


filename 





NetIron CER 

Advanced Services 

Premium: 

• Full Layer 3, including 

RIP, OSPF, IS-IS, and 

BGP 

• Virtual routing in 

non-MPLS 

environments via 

Multi-VRF 

• All classic Layer 2 

capabilities 



SNMP/CLI 

• Multi-Protocol Label 

Switching (MPLS) 

• Layer 2 VPNs using 

VPLS and VLLs 

• Provider Bridges (IEEE 

802.1ad) 

• Provider Backbone 

Bridges (IEEE 

802.1ah) 

• Connectivity Fault 

Management (IEEE 

802.1ag) and Service 

OAM 

• Ethernet Service 

Instance (ESI) 

framework 

CER-RT: 

Adds additional memory to 

support larger routing 

tables. 

• IPv4: 1.5M 

• IPv6: 256K 

• IPv4+IPv6 

simultaneously: 

1.45M+256K 


NI-CER-2024-ADV 

• 48 ports: 

NI-CER-2048-ADV 

NI-CER-2024F-ADVPREM-AC 

NI-CER-2024F-ADVPREM-DC 

NI-CER-2024C-ADVPREM-AC 

NI-CER-2024C-ADVPREM-DC 

NI-CER-2024FX-ADVPREM-AC 

NI-CER-2024FX-ADVPREM-DC 

NI-CER-2024CX-ADVPREM-AC 

NI-CER-2024CX-ADVPREM-DC 

NI-CER-2048F-ADVPREM-AC 

NI-CER-2048F-ADVPREM-DC 

NI-CER-2048C-ADVPREM-AC 

NI-CER-2048C-ADVPREM-DC 

NI-CER-2048FX-ADVPREM-AC 

NI-CER-2048FX-ADVPREM-DC 

NI-CER-2048CX-ADVPREM-AC 

NI-CER-2048CX-ADVPREM-DC 

cerxxxxx.bin IP_ROUTE_SCALE NI-CER-2024F-RT-AC 

NI-CER-2024F-RT-DC 

NI-CER-2024C-RT-AC 

NI-CER-2024C-RT-DC 

NI-CER-2024FX-RT-AC 

NI-CER-2024FX-RT-DC 

NI-CER-2024CX-RT-AC 

NI-CER-2024CX-RT-DC 

NI-CER-2048F-RT-AC 

NI-CER-2048F-RT-DC 

NI-CER-2048C-RT-AC 

NI-CER-2048C-RT-DC 

NI-CER-2048FX-RT-AC 

NI-CER-2048FX--RT-DC 

NI-CER-2048CX--RT-AC 

NI-CER-2048CX-RT-DC 


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7 


TABLE 6 

MLX Series and NetIron routers 

Product 

Licensed feature or 

feature set 

Image filename 

Part numbers for software 

license only 


hardware with 

pre-installed software 

license 

NetIron MLX 

Series and 

NetIron XMR 

routers 

10x4G license 

upgrade (NetIron MLX 

and Brocade MLXe): 

• 4-port 10-GbE (X) 

module with 

IPv4/IPv6/MPLS 

hardware support 

- requires XFP 

optics. Supports 

1 million IPv4 

routes. 

100 GbE second port 

license upgrade: 

• Brocade MLX 

Series 100 GbE 

second port 

license upgrade 

—requires CFP 

optics. 

24x1G Copper license 

upgrade: 

• Enables 24-port 

1Gbps copper 

module for 

wire-speed 

performance 

24x1G Fiber license 

upgrade: 

• Enables 24-port 

1Gbps fiber 

module for 

wire-speed 

performance. 

xgmacsp2_05300.bin BR-MLX-10GX4-XUPG BR-MLX-10GX4-X 

xpp2x100_05300.bin BR-MLX-100GX1-2PUPG BR-MLX-100Gx2-X 

pbifmrj_05300.bin 

xppmrj_05300.bin 

statsmrj_05300.bin 

pbifmrj_05300.bin 

xppmrj_05300.bin 

statsmrj_05300.bin 

BR-MLX-1Gx4-UPG 

BR-MLX-1Gx4-UPG 

BR-MLX-1GCx24-X 

BR-MLX-1GFx24-X 

Licensing rules 

This section lists the software licensing rules and caveats related to the Brocade devices that 

support software-based licensing. 

General notes 

The following licensing rules apply to all NetIron devices that support software licensing: 

• A license is tied to the unique LID of the fixed configuration switch for which the license was 

ordered. Therefore, a license can be used on one particular device only. It cannot be used on 

any other device. 

• More than one license can be installed per device concurrently. 


53-1002550-05

Configuration tasks 7 

• More than one trial license can be in effect at the same time, as long as each trial license 

applies to a unique licensed feature. 

• A trial license cannot replace or supersede a normal license. 

Configuration tasks 

This section describes the configuration tasks for generating and obtaining a software license, 

then installing it on the Brocade device. Perform the tasks in the order listed in Table 7. 

TABLE 7 

Configuration task 

Configuration tasks for software licensing 

1 Order the desired license. For a list of available licenses and associated part 

numbers, see “Licensed features and part numbers” 

on page 47. 

See... 

2 When you receive the transaction key, retrieve 

the LID of the Brocade device. 

If you received the transaction key via 

paper-pack, record the LID on the entitlement 

certificate in the space provided. 

3 Log in to the Brocade software portal to 

generate and obtain the license file. 

“Viewing the License ID (LID)” on page 57 

“Obtaining a license” on page 51 

4 Upload the license file to the Brocade device. “Installing a license file” on page 55 

5 Verify that the license is installed. “Verifying the license file installation” on page 56 

Obtaining a license 

The procedures in this section show how to generate and obtain a software license. 

1. Order a license for the desired licensed feature. Refer to Table 5 for a list of valid part numbers 

and licensed features. 

NOTE 

To order and obtain a trial license, contact your Brocade representative. 

2. You can obtain the LID two ways: 

• You can also obtain the LID from the IUID label on the unit. 

• You receive the paper-pack or electronic transaction key, retrieve the LID of your Brocade 

device by entering the show version command on the device. Example command output is 

shown in “Viewing the License ID (LID)” on page 57.” 

If you received a paper-pack transaction key, write the LID in the space provided on the 

entitlement certificate. 

NOTE 

Do not discard the entitlement certificate or e-mail with electronic key. Keep it in a safe place in 

case it is needed for technical support or product replacement (RMAs). 


53-1002550-05

7 


3. Log in to the Brocade software portal at http://swportal.brocade.com and complete the 

software license request. If you do not have a login ID and password, request access by 

following the instructions on the screen. 

Figure 1 shows the Software Portal Login window. 

FIGURE 1 

Brocade Software Portal Login window 

Figure 2 shows the License Management Welcome window that appears after logging in to the 

software portal. From this window, mouse over the License Management banner, then Brocade 

IP/Ethernet, then click on License Generation with Transaction key. 


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FIGURE 2 

License Management Welcome window 

License Query 


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7 


Figure 3 shows the IP/Ethernet License Generation window for generating a license using a 

transaction key and LID. 

FIGURE 3 

IP Ethernet License Generation window 

Enter the required information in each text box shown in Figure 3. 

• For a description of the field, move the mouse pointer over the text box. 

• An asterisk next to a field indicates that the information is required. 

• You can generate more than one license at a time. For each license request, enter the Unit 

Information (Unit ID and transaction key) then click on the Add button. 

When you have finished entering the required information, read the Brocade End User License 

Agreement, then click on the check box to indicate that you have read and accept it. 


53-1002550-05


Press the Generate button to generate the license. Figure 4 shows the results window, which 

displays an order summary and the results of the license request. 

• If the license request was successful, the “Status” field will indicate Success and the 

“License File” field will contain a hyperlink to the generated license file. The license file will 

also be automatically emailed to the specified Customer email ID. 

• If the license request failed, the “Status” field will indicate the reason it failed and the 

action to be taken. 

FIGURE 4 

IP/Ethernet License Generation Results window 

partner501@company.com 

partner501@company.com 

Success 

License Key 

4. Download the license file to your PC by either clicking on the hyperlink or saving it from the 

e-mail attachment. 

5. Upload the license file to the Brocade device as instructed in the section “Installing a license 

file” on page 55. 

Installing a license file 

Once you obtain a license file, place it on a TFTP or SCP server to which the Brocade device has 

access, then use TFTP or SCP to copy the file to the license database of the Brocade device. 

Using TFTP to install a license file 

To copy a license file from a TFTP server to the license database of the Brocade device, enter a 

command such as the following at the Privileged EXEC level of the CLI: 

NetIron# copy tftp license 10.1.1.1 lic.xml 


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7 

Using a trial license 

Syntax: copy tftp license 

is the address of the IPv4 TFTP server. 

is the filename of the license file. 

Using Secure Copy (SCP) to install a license 

SSH and SCP must be enabled on the Brocade device before the procedures in this section can be 

performed. For details, see the chapter “Configuring SSH2 and SCP” on page 1423. 

To copy a license file from an SCP-enabled client to the license database of the Brocade device, 

enter a command such as the following on the SCP-enabled client. 

c:\scp c:\license\license101 terry@10.1.1.1:license 

Syntax: scp @:license 

Verifying the license file installation 

Use the show license command to verify that the license is installed on the device. Details about 

this command are in the section “Viewing the license database” on page 58. 

Using a trial license 

NOTE 

A trial license must be ordered and installed by Brocade representative. 

A trial license enables demonstration and evaluation of a licensed feature and can be valid for a 

period of up to 45 days. A licensed feature operating under a trial license has the same 

functionality (CLI and show commands) as does a licensed feature operating under a normal 

license. 

What happens when a trial license expires 

A trial license expires when it exceeds the specified expiration time or date. The countdown starts 

when the trial license is generated. When the license expires, the CLI commands related to the 

licensed feature will no longer be available from the CLI. The licensed feature will continue to run 

as configured until the system is reloaded, at which time the feature will be disabled and removed 

NOTE 

Trial licenses are not cumulative. The new license replaces the current license. To extend the license, 

you must contact your Brocade representative. 

Console, Syslog, and trap messages for trial license expiration 

Three days prior to the date that a trial license is set to expire, the following warning message will 

appear daily on the console. Syslog and trap messages will also be generated. 

SYSLOG: Jan 1 00:00:00 Brocade License: Package NI-CES-2024-L3U with LID 

egut-cdOJ expires in 3 days 


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Viewing information about software licenses 7 

On the day that the license will expire, a warning message will appear every two hours. 

SYSLOG: Jan 1 00:00:00 Brocade License: Package NI-CES-2024-L3U with LID 

egut-cdOJ expires in 4 hours 

When the license has expired, the following message will appear on the console. Syslog and trap 

messages will also be generated. 

SYSLOG: Jan 1 00:00:00 Brocade License: NI-CES-2024-L3U with LID egut-cdOJ 

has expired 

Renewing or extending a trial license 

A trial license can be extended once by another trial license of the same type, or by a normal license of 

the same type. To avoid any interruptions to the network, obtain and install the second trial license 

before the first license expires. When extended by another trial license, the duration is not cumulative. 

The countdown starts when the trial license is generated. 

To extend the license, you must contact your Brocade representative. 

NOTE 

The start and end date of each trial license is pre-defined, based on the date and time it is 

generated. 

Viewing information about software licenses 

This section describes the show commands associated with software licensing. These commands 

are issued on the Brocade device, at any level of the CLI. 

NOTE 

You can also view information about software licenses from the Brocade software portal. Refer to 

“Viewing software license information” on page 60. 

Viewing the License ID (LID) 

Brocade devices that ship during and after the release of software licensing will have the LID 

imprinted on the label affixed to the device. You also can use the CLI command show version to 

view the LID on these devices, and on devices that shipped before the release of software 

licensing. 


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7 

Viewing information about software licenses 

Use the show version command to display the serial number, license, and LID of the device. The 

following is example output from an CES unit with the license RT_scale and ADV_SVCS_PREM 

installed. 


System: NetIron CER (Serial #: K40533F00H, Part #: 40-1000372-04) 

License: RT_SCALE, ADV_SVCS_PREM (LID: mJFKIIhFFj) 


Systems, Inc. 

Compiled on Nov 16 2011 at 10:06:46 labeled as ceb05300 



Systems, Inc. 




Systems, Inc. 

Compiled on Jan 20 2012 at 18:56:08 labeled as ce05300 




Extended route scalability 

PBIF Version: 0x56 



2048 MB DRAM 

Viewing the license database 

To display general information about all software licenses in the license database, use the show 

license command. The following shows example output. 

NetIron# show license 

Index Package Name Lid License Type Status License Period 

1 NI-CES-2048-L3U ucGNFOGHGO normal active unlimited 

To display detailed information about a particular license, use the show license 

command. The following shows example output. 

NetIron# show license 1 

License information for license : 

+package name: NI-CES-2048-L3U 

+lid: 

ucGNFOGHGO 

+license type: normal 

+status: 

active 

+license period: unlimited 

Syntax: show license [] 

The following table describes the information displayed by the show license command. 

TABLE 8 

This field... 

Output from the show license command 

Displays... 

Index 

Package Name 

Lid 

The license hash number that uniquely identifies the license. 

The package name for the license. 

The license ID. This number is embedded in the Brocade device. 


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Viewing information about software licenses 7 

TABLE 8 

This field... 

Output from the show license command (Continued) 

Displays... 

License Type 

Status 

License Period 

Indicates whether the license is normal (permanent) or trial (temporary). 

Indicates the status of the license: 

• Valid – A license is valid when the LID matches the serial number of 

the device for which the license was purchased, and the package 

name is recognized by the system. 

• Active – The license is valid and in effect on the device. 

• Not used – The license is not in effect on the device. 

• Expired – For trial licenses only, this indicates that the trial license 

has expired. 

If the license type is trial (temporary), this field will display the number of 

days the license is valid. If the license type is normal (permanent), this 

field will display “unlimited”. 

Trial license information 

The following details display in the output of the show license command. 

+ days used The number of days the trial license has been in effect. 

+ hours used The number of hours the trial license has been in effect. 

+ days left The number of days left before the trial license expires. 

+ hours left The number of hours left before the trial license expires. 

Viewing active packages installed in the device 

Use the show version command to view the active packages that are currently installed in the 

device. 

NOTE 

The active package name is not the same as the license name. 


System: NetIron CER (Serial #: K40533F00H, Part #: 40-1000372-04) 

License: RT_SCALE, ADV_SVCS_PREM (LID: mJFKIIhFFj) 


Systems, Inc. 




Systems, Inc. 




Systems, Inc. 

Compiled on Jan 20 2012 at 18:56:08 labeled as ce05300 




Extended route scalability 

PBIF Version: 0x56 



2048 MB DRAM 


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7 

Deleting a license 

Table 9 lists the supported software packages. 

TABLE 9 Software packages 

Product Software package name License needed? 

NetIron CES NetIron CES 2000 Series BASE No 

NetIron CES 2000 Series ME_PREM 

Yes 

NetIron CES 2000 Series L3_PREM 

Yes 

NetIron CER CER 2000 Series BASE No 

CER 2000 Series ADV_SVCS_PREM 

Yes 

Deleting a license 

A license will remain in the license database until it is deleted. If you want to delete a license, 

Brocade recommends that you first disable the licensed feature before deleting the associated 

license. 

To delete a license, enter a command such as the following at the Privileged EXEC level of the CLI: 

NetIron# license delete 1 

This command immediately removes the license from the license database. The CLI commands 

related to the licensed feature will no longer be available from the CLI. The licensed feature will 

continue to run as configured until the software is reloaded, at which time the feature will be 

disabled and removed from the system. Syslog and trap messages are generated when the license 

is deleted. 

Syntax: license delete 

is a valid license index number. This information can be retrieved from the show 

license command output. For more information, refer to “” on page 63. 

Other licensing options available from the 

Brocade Software Portal 

This section describes other software licensing tasks supported from the Brocade software portal. 

Viewing software license information 

You can use the License Query option to view software license information for a particular unit, 

transaction key, or both. You can export the report to Excel for sharing or archiving purposes. 

Depending on the status of the license, for example whether or not the license was generated, the 

report will include the following Information: 

• Hardware part number, serial number, and description 

• Software part number, serial number, and description 

• Date the license was installed 


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Other licensing options available from the Brocade Software Portal 7 

• Transaction key 

• LID 

• Feature name 

• Product line 

To access the License Query option, select it from the License Management Welcome window 

shown in Figure 2. 

Figure 5 shows the License Query window. 

FIGURE 5 

License Query window 

• To view software license information for a particular unit, enter the LID in the Unit ID field then 

click on Search. 

• To view software license information for a particular transaction key, enter the unique number 

in the Transaction key field then click on Search. 

Figure 6 shows an example of the license query results. 

FIGURE 6 License Query results window 


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7 

Transferring a license 

In this example, the line items for Level 1 display hardware-related information and the line items 

for Level 2 display software-related information. If the query was performed before the transaction 

key was generated, the first row (Level 1) would not appear as part of the search results. Similarly, 

if the query was performed before the license was generated, some of the information in the 

second row would not be displayed. 

Transferring a license 

A license can be transferred between Brocade devices if the following conditions are true: 

• The device is under an active support contract, and 

• The license is being transferred between two like-models (e.g., from a 24-port model to another 

24-port model or from a 48-port model to another 48-port model). 

NOTE 

A license transfer is intended for retrieving licenses from defective units. The licenses are removed 

from the defective unit in our database and the unit is flagged as removed from service. 

NOTE 

Transferring a license is only available internally for TAC, and externally for designated partners with 

specific accounts in the Software Portal. Contact your Brocade representative for more information. 

Special replacement instructions for legacy devices 

A legacy device refers to a Brocade device that was shipped prior to the introduction of 

software-based licensing, has an EEPROM installed, and is running pre-release 05.0.00 software. 

For Brocade legacy devices in need of replacement (via a Return Merchandise Agreement (RMA)), 

the following actions must be taken: 

• If the replacement device will be upgraded to a software release that supports software-based 

licensing, registration of the replacement device is required after the software is upgraded. To 

register the device, follow the instructions in “Special replacement instructions for legacy 

devices” on page 62. 

• If the replacement device will be using a software release that does not support 

software-based licensing, follow these instructions: 

1. Prior to shipping the device in need of replacement back to the factory, remove the 

EEPROM from the device. To remove the EEPROM, follow the instructions in the 

appropriate hardware installation guide or in the instructions that shipped with the 

EEPROM. 

2. After removing the EEPROM, store it in a safe place. 

3. When the replacement device is received from the factory, install the same EEPROM in the 

device. To do so, follow the instructions that shipped with the EEPROM. 


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Syslog messages and trap information 7 

Syslog messages and trap information 

Table 10 lists the syslog messages and traps supported for software-based licensing. 

TABLE 10 Syslog messages 

Message level Message Explanation 

Informational 

Informational 

Warning 

Warning 

Notification 

License: Package with LID 

is added 


is removed 


expires in days 


expires in hours 


has expired 

Indicates that the license package has 

been added. 

Indicates that the license package has 

been deleted. 

The trial license is about to expire. This 

message will begin to display 3 days before 

the expiration date, and every day until the 

license will expire. 

The trial license is about to expire. This 

message will begin to display every 2 hours 

on the last day that the license will expire. 

The trial license has expired. 


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7 

Syslog messages and trap information 


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Device module considerations 

Appendix 

A 

This appendix contains information about specific device components that you may find useful 

when you perform your Multi-Service IronWare software upgrade. 

Interface module considerations 

The following sections contain upgrade and downgrade information for interface modules. When 

installing or upgrading interface modules, consider the following: 

• BR-MLX-10Gx24-DM interface modules can be installed only in Brocade MLXe devices running 

in MLX mode (NI-MLX-MR and BR-MLX-MR2-M or the equivalent 32 slot management 

modules). 

• BR-MLX-10Gx24-DM interface modules are supported only on devices running NetIron 

R05.4.00 or later. 

• Use show chassis command to determine if you need additional power supplies 

• For installation in an MLXe-32 chassis, configure the chassis differently based on whether it 

has a Gen-1 module or not. 

• The following conditions may prevent a BR-MLX-10Gx24-DM interface module from coming up 

properly: 

- BR-MLX-10Gx24-DM interface modules require the "snmp-server max-ifindex-per-module 

40|64" configured. Otherwise, the cards will not come up. 

NOTE 

For maximum performance you must operate your BR-MLX-10Gx24-DM interface module with high 

speed switch fabric modules in turbo mode. 

NOTE 

For chassis specific considerations, refer to the relevant Release Notes. 

NOTE 

Not all features available in NetIron R05.4.00 are supported on the BR-MLX-10Gx24-DM interface 

module. To verify if a particular feature is supported with the BR-MLX-10Gx24-DM interface module, 

refer to the latest version of the Brocade MLX Series and Brocade NetIron Family Configuration 

Guide. 

• 1Gx24 copper and fiber interface modules require software version 5.1.00 or later. 

• For interface modules with 8 or more ports, you must change the ifindex. Refer to “ifIndex 

allocation” on page 3. 

• Before you install your 100xGbE interface module into an existing working device, you must 

change the switch fabric data-mode to force-normal, and the system tm credit size to 1024b 

(which readies the device to forward 100 Gbps traffic. Change these settings by entering the 

following commands, writing to memory, and reloading the device. 


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A 

Interface module considerations 

Brocade(config)# system-init fabric-data-mode force-normal 

Brocade(config)# system-init tm-credit-size credit_1024b 

Brocade(config)# exit 

Brocade# write memory 


For more information about how to install 100xGbE modules, refer to the Brocade MLX Series 

and Brocade NetIron XMR Hardware Installation Guide. 

Upgrading high-speed switch fabric modules 

The following interface modules require high-speed switch fabric modules to operate: 

• NI-MLX-10Gx24 (requires R05.4.00 or later) 

• NI-MLX-10Gx8-M (requires R05.0.00c or later) 

• NI-MLX-10Gx8-D (requires R05.0.00c or later) 

• BR-MLX-10Gx8-X (requires R05.2.00 or later) 

If you are installing these modules in your device, you must also install high-speed switch fabric 

modules (if not already installed). For hardware installation instructions, refer to the Brocade MLX 

Series and Brocade NetIron XMR Hardware Installation Guide. 

When you install NI-MLX-10Gx8-M or NI-MLX-10Gx8-D, you must first upgrade the entire system to 

software R05.0.00c or later, and replace existing switch fabric modules with high-speed switch 

fabric modules. Be sure to remove all standard switch fabric modules BEFORE you install 

NI-MLX-10Gx8-M or NI-MLX-10Gx8-D modules. 

NOTE 

Do not attempt to downgrade NI-MLX-10Gx8-M or NI-MLX-10Gx8-D modules or high-speed switch 

fabric modules to software versions older than R05.0.00c. The modules will not operate with older 

software. 

When you install BR-MLX-10Gx8-X interface modules, you must first upgrade the entire system to 

software R05.2.00 or later, and replace existing switch fabric modules with high-speed switch 

fabric modules. Be sure to remove all standard switch fabric modules BEFORE you install 

NI-MLX-10Gx8-M or NI-MLX-10Gx8-D modules. 

NOTE 

Do not attempt to downgrade BR-MLX-10Gx8-X modules or high-speed switch fabric modules to 

software versions older than R05.2.00. The modules will not operate with older software. 

If you install NI-MLX-10Gx8-M or NI-MLX-10Gx8-D or BR-MLX-10Gx8-X interface modules without 

high-speed switch fabric modules, the interface modules will not work. For Brocade MLX and 

Brocade NetIron XMR 16-slot devices, you must also install high-speed fans. Refer to the Brocade 

MLX Series and Brocade NetIron XMR Hardware Installation Guide for installation instructions. 

To upgrade software and install high-speed switch fabric modules and NI-MLX-10Gx8-M or 

NI-MLX-10Gx8-D or BR-MLX-10Gx8-X modules at the same time, first upgrade your router to the 

appropriate software version for your interface modules, then perform the following steps: 

NOTE 

Traffic may be briefly interrupted during an inline upgrade procedure. 


53-1002550-05

Management module considerations 

A 

1. Upgrade all application, boot, and monitor files, and all management, interface, and switch 

fabric module FPGAs to R05.0.00c or later (for NI-MLX-10Gx8-M or NI-MLX-10Gx8-D modules). 

For BR-MLX-10Gx8-X interface modules, you must upgrade to R05.2.00 or later. 

2. Restart your device. 

3. Enter the show version command to confirm that the upgrade was successful. 

4. Remove a standard switch fabric module. 

5. Install a high-speed switch fabric module in the empty switch fabric slot. 

6. To confirm that the new module is operating properly, enter the show module command. 

Repeat steps 4 through 6 to replace the remaining switch fabric modules with high-speed 

switch fabric modules. 

7. Install an interface module into an empty interface module slot. 

8. To confirm that the module is operating properly, enter the show module command. 

Repeat steps 7 and 8 to install all remaining interface modules. 


Upgrading to MR2 management modules 

This section describes how to upgrade the management module in your router to an MR2 

management module. 

NOTE 

The following scenarios are not supported and may result in damage to the MR2 management 

module and other hardware: 

- Installing the MR2 as a standby management module in a device running code prior to NetIron 

Release 5.2.00b is not supported. 

- Installing the MR2 as a standby management module with an MR module in the same device is not 

supported. 

If the MR2 router no longer boots, please contact Brocade technical support. 

To upgrade to MR2 management modules, perform the following steps: 

1. Perform a basic upgrade of your devices to NetIron Release 5.2.00b as documented in the 

appropriate chapter in this document for your router. 

NOTE 

You must complete this step before continuing to the next step. 


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A 


2. Changes in onboard storage form factors between MR and MR2 management modules require 

that you back up the configuration while upgrading. Use a TFTP server or SSH client to store 

the configuration. 

To back up the running or startup configurations: 

• Using TFTP: 

To copy the startup configuration files from the device to a TFTP server, enter the following 

command: 

copy startup-config tftp 

To copy the running configuration files from the device to an TFTP server, enter the 

following command: 

copy running-config tftp 

• Using SCP: 

To copy the running configuration file on a device to a file on the SCP-enabled host: 

C:\> scp @:runConfig 

To copy the startup configuration file on the device to a file on the SCP-enabled client, 

enter the following command: 

C:> scp @:startConfig 

3. Remove the power supplies or power cords to power down the device, and remove the MR 

management modules. For device specific instructions on removing existing management 

modules, refer to the appropriate chapter in this document for the device you are using. 

NOTE 

You should label the network, serial, and power cords to ensure that they are reconnected 

correctly in step 4 and step 5. 

4. Install the MR2 management modules. For device specific instructions on installing 

management modules, refer to the appropriate chapter in the Brocade MLX Series and 

Brocade NetIron XMR Hardware Installation Guide for the device you are using. 

Once the MR2 management modules are correctly installed in the device, reconnect to the 

serial and network connections. 

5. Power the device back on by installing the power supplies or power cords to power on the 

device. 

6. Once the device has come up, connect to the serial port and enter the following commands to 

assign a temporary IP address to interface m 1, and enable the interface: 

enable 

configure terminal 

interface m 1 

ip addresss 10.10.10.2/24 

enable 

exit 

ip route 0.0.0.0/0 10.10.10.1 

exit 

You may also need to assign a static route. You should be able to ping the IP address of the 

TFTP server or SSH client. 


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A 

7. Copy the startup or running configuration stored from the SSH client or TFTP server back to the 

device: 

• Using TFTP from the privileged exec mode of the console: 

copy tftp startup-config 

NOTE 

SSH is disabled by default, you will need to configure and enable it before using SCP. 

• Using SCP: 

C:> scp @:config:start 


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A 


8. Issue one of the following commands from the Privileged exec mode of the console to reload 

the device: 

NOTE 

You may wish to check that all interface modules are in the up state, and resolve any 

incompatible versions found before reloading the device. 

• To load the primary code flash enter the reload command: 

reload 

The reload command boots from the default boot source, which is the primary code flash. 

After the device has reloaded, verify that everything is working order. 


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Loading and saving configuration files 

Chapter 

9 

This chapter contains information you will need to know when loading and saving configuration 

files on your Brocade device. 

Brocade MLX Series and NetIron XMR devices 

For easy configuration management, the router supports both the download and upload of 

configuration files between the router and a TFTP server on the network. 

You can upload either the startup configuration file or the running configuration to the TFTP server, 

code flash, or a flash card for backup and use in booting the system. 

Startup configuration file – This file (startup-config) contains the configuration information that is 

currently saved in the flash memory. To display this file, enter the show configuration command at 

any CLI prompt. 

Running configuration – This active configuration is in the system RAM but not yet saved to flash 

memory. These changes could represent a short-term requirement or general configuration 

change. To display this configuration, enter the show running-config or write terminal command at 


Each device can have one startup configuration file and one running configuration. The startup 

configuration file is shared by both flash modules. The running configuration resides in DRAM. 


running configuration 

The system allocates 8 MB of contiguous memory per session (console, TELNET, SSH) for 

processing different configuration commands, such as show run, config terminal, and copy tftp run. 

In a low memory state, memory is generally fragmented resulting in a failure to allocate contiguous 

memory to support the session. We now pre-allocate one configuration buffer so that at least one 

CLI session will remain operational even in low memory condition. 

NOTE 

Low memory is not a normal operating condition, and may indicate scaling the network beyond 

system max limits. However, this feature ensures that one CLI session remains operational so you 

can recover from the condition. 

To specify a configuration file size for both startup and running configuration, enter the following 

command: 

Brocade(config)# system-max 

Syntax: [no] system-max [config-file-size ] 

By default, no system-max parameter is configured. 

The config-file-size option specifies the configuration file size for processing various commands. 


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9 


The parameter specifies the range supported for configuring file size. The minimum 

configuration is 2 MB, and the maximum is 16 MB. If the file size is not configured, the default size 

of 8 MB is used. 

NOTE 

It is strongly recommended that you use the default size (8 MB) when configuring file size. 

When you enter the system-max command, with the config-file-size parameter included, the 

following additional information is displayed: 

Brocade(config)# system-max config-file-size 2097152 

Reload required. Please write memory and then reload or power cycle. 

Failure to reload could cause system instability on failover. 

Newly configured system-max will not take effect during hitless-reload. 

Replacing the Startup Configuration with the Running Configuration 

NOTE 

You must enter the write memory command and restart the system for this command to take effect. 


the running configuration 

After you make configuration changes to the active system, you can save the changes to flash 

memory, which replaces the existing startup configuration with the new running configuration. 

To replace the startup configuration with the new running configuration, enter the write memory 

command. 


Retaining the current startup configuration 

After making configuration changes to the active system, if you have not executed a write memory 

command and you decide you don’t want to save the changes, enter the reload command to return 

to the current startup configuration. 


If the system detects differences between the running and startup configurations, it prompts you 

as follows: 

Are you sure? (enter ‘y’ or ‘n’): 

Enter y, and press the Enter key. 


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Brocade MLX Series and NetIron XMR devices 9 


TFTP server 

To copy the startup-config or running-config file to or from an SCP or TFTP server, use the 

commands shown in this section. 

NOTE 

You can name the configuration file when you copy it to an SCP or TFTP server. However, when you 

copy a configuration file from the server to a device, the file is always copied as “startup-config” or 

“running-config”, depending on which type of file you saved to the server. 

Using TFTP 

To copy the startup-configuration files to a TFTP server, enter the following command: 


To upload the running-config from the device to a TFTP server, enter the following command: 


To upload a copy of the startup-config to the device from a TFTP server, enter the following 

command. 


To upload a running configuration to the device from a TFTP server, enter the following command: 

copy tftp running-config [overwrite] 

This command downloads the access-list to the running-configuration. The new access-list is then 

appended to the current running configuration of the router. 

Using SCP 

Running configuration backup or appending via scp 

To copy the running configuration file on a device to a file on the SCP-enabled host. 


To download a configuration file and append to running configuration, enter the following 

command. 

C:> scp @:config:run 

This command transfers to the device and appends to the running configuration. 

For backward compatibility, the following syntax is also supported for this command. 

C:> scp @:runConfig 


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9 


Replacing or backing up the startup configuration using SCP 

To copy the startup configuration file on the device to a file on the SCP-enabled client, enter the 



To download a configuration file and replace the startup configuration, enter the following 

command. 


This command transfers to the device and replaces the startup configuration in 

flash. 


C:> scp @:startConfig 


configuration file 

You can copy the startup-config file in flash memory to a TFTP server or to a PCMCIA flash card 

inserted in management module slot 1 or 2. 

For example, to make a backup copy of the startup-config file and save the backup file to a TFTP 

server, enter a command such as the following at the Privileged EXEC level in the CLI: 

Brocade# copy startup-config tftp 10.28.40.21 startup-config.bak 

Syntax: copy startup-config tftp 

The variable specifies the IP address of the TFTP server that you want to save the 

startup configuration to. 

The specifies the name of the file you copied to a new destination. 

For example, to make a backup copy of the startup-config file and save the backup file on a flash 

card in slot 2, enter a command such as the following at the Privileged EXEC level in the CLI: 

Brocade# copy startup-config slot2 /backups/startup-config.bak 

Syntax: copy startup-config [slot1 | slot2] [/]/ 

Specify the parameter to copy the source file to a file system that does not have 

current management focus. 

The parameter specifies the name of the file you copied to a new destination. 


53-1002550-05

NetIron CES Series and NetIron CER devices 9 

NetIron CES Series and NetIron CER devices 

For easy configuration management, the device supports both the download and upload of 

configuration files between the router and a TFTP server on the network. 

Startup configuration file – This file (startup-config) contains the configuration information that is 

currently saved in the Brocade NetIron CER and Brocade NetIron CES series flash memory. To 

display this file, enter the show configuration command at any CLI prompt. 

Running configuration – This active configuration is in the system RAM but not yet saved to flash 

memory. These changes could represent a short-term requirement or general configuration 

change. To display this configuration, enter the show running-config or write terminal command at 


Each device can have one startup configuration file and one running configuration. The startup 

configuration file is shared by both flash modules. The running configuration resides in DRAM. 


running configuration 

The system allocates 8 MB of contiguous memory per session (console, TELNET, SSH) for 

processing different configuration commands, such as show run, config terminal, and copy tftp run. 

In a low memory state, memory is generally fragmented resulting in a failure to allocate contiguous 

memory to support the session. We now pre-allocate one configuration buffer so that at least one 

CLI session will remain operational even in low memory condition. 

NOTE 

Low memory is not a normal operating condition, and may indicate scaling the network beyond 

system max limits. However, this feature ensures that one CLI session remains operational so you 

can recover from the condition. 

To specify a configuration file size for both startup and running configuration, enter the following 

command: 

Brocade(config)# system-max 

Syntax: [no] system-max [config-file-size ] 

By default, no system-max parameter is configured. 

The config-file-size option specifies the configuration file size for processing various commands. 

The parameter specifies the range supported for configuring file size. The minimum 

configuration is 2 MB, and the maximum is 16 MB. If the file size is not configured, the default size 

of 8 MB is used. 

NOTE 

Brocade strongly recommended that you use the default size (8 MB) when configuring file size. 


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9 


When you enter the system-max command, with the config-file-size parameter included, the 

following additional information is displayed: 

Brocade(config)# system-max config-file-size 2097152 

Reload required. Please write memory and then reload or power cycle. 

Failure to reload could cause system instability on failover. 

Newly configured system-max will not take effect during hitless-reload. 

Replacing the Startup Configuration with the Running Configuration 

NOTE 

You must enter the write memory command and restart the system for this command to take effect. 


the running configuration 

After you make configuration changes to the active system, you can save the changes to flash 

memory, which replaces the existing startup configuration with the new running configuration. 

To replace the startup configuration with the new running configuration, enter the write memory 

command. 


Retaining the current startup configuration 

After making configuration changes to the active system, if you have not executed a write memory 

command and you decide you don’t want to save the changes, enter the reload command to return 

to the current startup configuration. 


If the system detects differences between the running and startup configurations, it prompts you 

as follows: 

Are you sure? (enter ‘y’ or ‘n’): 

Enter y, and press the Enter key. 


TFTP server 

To copy the startup-config or running-config file to or from an SCP or TFTP server, use the 

commands shown in this section. 

NOTE 

You can name the configuration file when you copy it to an SCP or TFTP server. However, when you 

copy a configuration file from the server to a device, the file is always copied as “startup-config” or 

“running-config”, depending on which type of file you saved to the server. 


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NetIron CES Series and NetIron CER devices 9 

Using TFTP 

To copy startup-configuration files to or from a TFTP server, enter the following command: 


To upload the running-config from the device to a TFTP server, enter the following command: 


To copy a startup-config to the device from a TFTP server, enter the following command. 


To upload a running configuration to the device from a TFTP server, enter the following command: 

copy tftp running-config [overwrite] 

This command downloads the access-list to the running-configuration. The new access-list is then 

appended to the current running configuration of the router. 

Using SCP 

Running configuration backup or appending via scp 

To copy the running configuration file on a device to a file on the SCP-enabled host. 


To download a configuration file and append to running configuration, enter the following 

command. 

C:> scp @:config:run 

This command transfers to the device and appends to the running configuration. 


C:> scp @:runConfig 

Replacing or backing up the startup configuration using SCP 

To copy the startup configuration file on the device to a file on the SCP-enabled client, enter the 



To download a configuration file and replace the startup configuration, enter the following 

command. 


This command transfers to the device and replaces the startup configuration in 

flash. 


C:> scp @:startConfig 


configuration file 

Copy the startup-config file in flash memory to a TFTP server. 


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9 


For example, to make a backup copy of the startup-config file and save the backup file to a TFTP 

server, enter a command such as the following at the Privileged EXEC level in the CLI: 

Brocade# copy startup-config tftp 10.28.40.21 startup-config.bak 

Syntax: copy startup-config tftp 

The variable specifies the IP address of the TFTP server that you want to save the 

startup configuration to. 

The specifies the name of the file you copied to a new destination. 


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Troubleshooting 

Appendix 

B 

This appendix contains information about specific scenarios and troubleshooting issues that you 

may find useful when you perform your Multi-Service IronWare software upgrade. 

Upgrading devices in MCT topologies 

MCT (multi-chassis trunking) does not support hitless upgrades of devices within the MCT topology. 

However, it is possible to avoid interruptions of traffic flow when upgrading MCT devices. To do this, 

you must first issue the client-shutdown on the device that is being upgraded. This forces all traffic 

to the other MCT devices. Once the traffic is redirected, perform the upgrade using the standard 

upgrade procedure, and reload the MCT device while it is still in shutdown mode. When the 

upgrade is complete, remove the client-shutdown by entering the no client-shutdown command 

and resume forwarding traffic. The commands for this process are shown here. 

Brocade(config)# cluster abc 1 

Brocade(config-cluster-abc)# client-interfaces shutdown 

Perform the upgrade on this device at this point. When the upgrade is complete, enter the following 

command to resume traffic flow. 

Brocade(config-cluster-abc)# no client-interfaces shutdown 

NOTE 

This process must be done for separately for each device in the MCT topology. If you attempt an 

upgrade or reload without issuing the client-shutdown, traffic may be adversely affected for all 

devices. 

Recovering from a failed upgrade 

This section describes two scenarios in which you may have to recover from a failed upgrade. 

• Upgrade fails, no primary image exists. At reboot, system automatically stops in monitor mode. 

• An incorrect version of the software has been loaded on the device. At reboot, the system 

automatically stops in monitor mode 

For either instance, the recovery procedure is the same, and is explained here. 

If your upgrade fails, when you issue the reload command, you will see output similar to this 

example. 

BOOT INFO: load image from primary copy Bad image header 

BOOT INFO: load image from secondary copy File not found, 'secondary' 

MP-1Monitor> 


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B 

Troubleshooting 1G modules stuck in down state 

If you issue a dir command, you will see information similar to the following. 

MP-1 Monitor> dir 

524288 [0000] lp-monitor-0 

6505897 [0000] lp-primary-0 

523622 [0000] monitor 

13667494 [0000] primary 

1688 [ac60] startup-config 

21232924 bytes 15 File(s) 

7602176 bytes free 

MP-1 Monitor> 

You can recover by copying a new image from a TFTP server, as shown in the following steps. 

NOTE 

For R05.2.00 and later, recovery can only be achieved by using a TFTP server. 

1. Assign an IP address to in monitor mode. 

MP-1 Monitor> ip address 10.10.10.1/24 

IP address = 10.10.10.1 

MP-1 Monitor> ip default-gateway 10.10.10.254 

2. Copy the image from the TFTP server using the following command: 

MP-1 Monitor> copy tftp flash 10.10.10.2 xmr05200.bin primary 

3. Reload the device using the following command. After the reload, the device should be running 

R05.4.00 (there will be no secondary image). 

MP-1 Monitor> reset 

Are you sure? (enter 'y' or 'n'): y 

NetIron XMR/MLX Boot Code Version 5.2.00 

..MP. 

Enter 'a' to stop at memory test 

Enter 'b' to stop at boot monitor 

..BOOT INFO: load monitor from code flash, cksum = 79ca monitor 0x80000100 

DMAC0 Link is up 

BOOT INFO: verify flash files - max_code_flash_blocks[126]............... 

read_startup_config 

INFO: 4-slot backplane is detected. 

g_bp_board_class_val = 134, g_max_slave_slot = 4, g_max_snm_slot = 3, 

g_max_power = 3 


The use of the "wait-for-all-cards" configuration in NetIron Release 5.3.00 and later may cause 

ports on any 1G module to stay down after boot-up, even if configured to be enabled. 

To avoid such an occurrence, it is recommended that the "wait-for-all-cards" configuration be 

removed from the startup-config prior to reloading the router with R05.3.00 and later code. 


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B 

To bring the port back from a "down" state, disable and re-enable the port. 

NOTE 

The wait-for-all-cards feature is only supported when rebooting the entire chassis. 


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B 



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Multi-Service IronWare Software Upgrade Guide, 5.4.00c - Brocade

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