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SDWAN Best Practice

SDWAN best practice

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Sivaraman Alagappan
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55 views10 pages

SDWAN Best Practice

SDWAN best practice

Uploaded by

Sivaraman Alagappan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

OS Version Upgrade
- Best Practices -

Nam Nguyen
nam.itbase.tv
Copyright © 2024 by Nam Nguyen. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS

I. Pre-Upgrade Preparation .............................................................................................................................. 2


Check Software Compatibility: .......................................................................................................................... 2
Practices.......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Backup Configurations ....................................................................................................................................... 2
Practices.......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Validate System Resources ................................................................................................................................ 3
Practices.......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Lab Testing ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Prepare a Maintenance Window ....................................................................................................................... 3
II. Controller Upgrade (If Required) ................................................................................................................... 3
III. WAN Edge Device Upgrade Process ......................................................................................................... 3
Using vManager GUI (Recommended Method) ................................................................................................ 3
Obtain the Software Image ........................................................................................................................... 3
Distribute the Image to Devices .................................................................................................................... 6
Install the Upgrade......................................................................................................................................... 8
Monitor the Upgrade ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Post-Upgrade Verification ............................................................................................................................. 8
CLI Method (Manual) ......................................................................................................................................... 8
Copy the Software Image .............................................................................................................................. 8
Install the Image ............................................................................................................................................. 8
Reboot the Device .......................................................................................................................................... 8
Verify the Upgrade ......................................................................................................................................... 8
Test Connectivity............................................................................................................................................ 9
IV. Post-Upgrade Tasks .................................................................................................................................. 9
Monitor Device Logs: ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Check System Health: ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Monitor Network Performance: ........................................................................................................................ 9
Test Failover and Redundancy:.......................................................................................................................... 9
Document the Upgrade Process: ....................................................................................................................... 9
V. Rollback Plan ............................................................................................................................................. 9

1|P a g e Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN OS Upgrade store.itbase.tv


Copyright © 2024 by Nam Nguyen. All rights reserved.

I. PRE-UPGRADE PREPARATION
CHECK SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY:
o Review the release notes for the new Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN software version.
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/routers/sdwan/release/notes/compatibility-and-server-
recommendations.html

o Ensure that the new software is compatible with your current vManager, Controller, Validator, and
WAN Edge devices.

o Check for hardware and feature support for your Cisco Catalyst 8000 series, 9000 series, or ISR devices,
depending on your setup.

PRACTICES
o Check version of controllers (vManager, Controller, Validator)

vManager-SA# show software

VERSION ACTIVE DEFAULT PREVIOUS CONFIRMED TIMESTAMP

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

20.14.1 true true - - 2024-09-23T11:32:08-00:00

o Going to cisco.com to check compatibility of target upgrade WAN Edges with current controller
version. In this session, all of WAN Edges are C8000V and the target OS version is 17.9.5a, so the good
check result should be:

BACKUP CONFIGURATIONS
o Take backups of the WAN Edge device configurations, as well as the controllers (vManager,
Controller, and Validator).

o Save these backups in a secure and remote location.

2|P a g e Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN OS Upgrade store.itbase.tv


Copyright © 2024 by Nam Nguyen. All rights reserved.

PRACTICES

VALIDATE SYSTEM RESOURCES


o Ensure the devices have enough storage, memory, and CPU resources to handle the new OS.

o Verify there is sufficient storage for logs and software images on the WAN Edge device.

PRACTICES

LAB TESTING
o Test the upgrade process in a lab environment to identify potential issues.

o Simulate traffic flows and configurations similar to your production environment.

PREPARE A MAINTENANCE WINDOW


o Schedule a maintenance window during low traffic periods to perform the upgrade.

o Notify stakeholders about the planned downtime and possible impacts.

II. CONTROLLER UPGRADE (IF REQUIRED)


If you're upgrading controllers (vManager, Controller, Validator) alongside the WAN Edge devices:

• Upgrade vManager First:

o Begin by upgrading the vManager controller. Use the GUI or CLI to upload the new image.

o After the upgrade, ensure vManager is functioning properly before proceeding.

• Upgrade Controller and Validator:

o Once vManager is upgraded, proceed with the Controller and Validator upgrades.

o Ensure these controllers are communicating properly with WAN Edge devices after the
upgrade.

III. WAN EDGE DEVICE UPGRADE PROCESS


USING VMANAGER GUI (RECOMMENDED METHOD)

OBTAIN THE SOFTWARE IMAGE


o Download the Catalyst SD-WAN WAN Edge OS upgrade from Cisco’s Software Download
page.

o Upload the new software image to the vManager software repository.

PRACTICES

3|P a g e Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN OS Upgrade store.itbase.tv


Copyright © 2024 by Nam Nguyen. All rights reserved.

In multi-tenant mode, the upload Software Images to Manager is only available on Provider view.

Select Maintenance > Software Repository > Software Images > Add New Software > Manager

Note that the acceptable software WAN Edge image format is binary (*.bin).

4|P a g e Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN OS Upgrade store.itbase.tv


Copyright © 2024 by Nam Nguyen. All rights reserved.

5|P a g e Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN OS Upgrade store.itbase.tv


Copyright © 2024 by Nam Nguyen. All rights reserved.

DISTRIBUTE THE IMAGE TO DEVICES


o Select the devices you wish to upgrade and distribute the software image via vManager.

o The process can be done in batches or one-by-one to minimize risk.

Pay attention on the bandwidth of WAN link to avoid network congestion during downloading process.

PRACTICES

Monitor WAN Interfaces traffics load by select Monitor > Devices > Interface

6|P a g e Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN OS Upgrade store.itbase.tv


Copyright © 2024 by Nam Nguyen. All rights reserved.

CLI Logging

WER-1012#show log

*Oct 7 08:34:00.559: %IOSXE-5-PLATFORM: R0/0: VCONFD_NOTIFIER: Install


status: 584a9b9e-0cb9-41e9-a84d-c9c9b03ff1f1 download-start. Message
Downloading http://169.254.10.1:8080/software/package/c8000v-
universalk9.17.09.05a.SPA.bin?deviceId=169.254.10.33

*Oct 7 08:41:22.427: %IOSXE-5-PLATFORM: R0/0: VCONFD_NOTIFIER: Install


status: 584a9b9e-0cb9-41e9-a84d-c9c9b03ff1f1 download-complete. Message
Downloaded http://169.254.10.1:8080/software/package/c8000v-
universalk9.17.09.05a.SPA.bin?deviceId=169.254.10.33

---SNIP----

*Oct 7 08:49:09.801: %IOSXE-5-PLATFORM: R0/0: VCONFD_NOTIFIER: Install


status: 584a9b9e-0cb9-41e9-a84d-c9c9b03ff1f1 install-complete. Message
Installation of 17.09.05a.0.6476 complete

*Oct 7 08:49:09.801: %Cisco-SDWAN-WER-1012-action_notifier-6-INFO-1400002:


Notification: 10/7/2024 8:49:9 system-software-install-status severity-
level:minor host-name:WER-1012 system-ip:101.101.101.2 status:install-
complete install-id:584a9b9e-0cb9-41e9-a84d-c9c9b03ff1f1
message:Installation of 17.09.05a.0.6476 complete

---SNIP----

vManager GUI Logging

7|P a g e Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN OS Upgrade store.itbase.tv


Copyright © 2024 by Nam Nguyen. All rights reserved.

INSTALL THE UPGRADE


o Once the image is distributed, install the new OS from vManager:

▪ Navigate to Maintenance > Software Upgrade, choose the devices, and select Activate.

▪ You can choose to upgrade a single device or multiple devices at a time based on your design.

MONITOR THE UPGRADE


o vManager will display the upgrade status. Monitor the devices to ensure the process completes
successfully.

POST-UPGRADE VERIFICATION
o Verify the upgrade by checking the device software version using:

show version
show sdwan software

o Ensure the WAN Edge devices are operational and communicating with the controllers (vManager,
Controller, Validator).

o Validate that data traffic is properly routed through the WAN Edges.

CLI METHOD (MANUAL)

COPY THE SOFTWARE IMAGE


o If you are not using vManager, upload the image manually to each Catalyst SD-WAN WAN Edge
device using SCP, FTP, or TFTP.

Install the Image


o Run the following command to install the new image on each device:

request platform software package install node file bootflash:<image-name>

Reboot the Device

o After the image installation, reboot the device:

reload

Verify the Upgrade


o Check the new OS version with:

show sdwan software

8|P a g e Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN OS Upgrade store.itbase.tv


Copyright © 2024 by Nam Nguyen. All rights reserved.

TEST CONNECTIVITY
o Verify the WAN Edge device’s connectivity to the controllers (vManager, Controller,
Validator).

o Test data flows to ensure traffic is properly routed across the SD-WAN fabric.

IV. POST-UPGRADE TASKS


MONITOR DEVICE LOGS :
o Check logs for any errors or unusual activity after the upgrade. You can use the following
command to view logs:

show logging

CHECK SYSTEM HEALTH :


o Confirm that the CPU, memory, and disk usage are normal and not being overutilized.

MONITOR NETWORK PERFORMANCE :


o Use vManager to monitor application performance, site-to-site connectivity, and overall SD-
WAN traffic behavior after the upgrade.

TEST FAILOVER AND REDUNDANCY :


o Perform failover testing to ensure redundancy works as expected with the new software
version.

DOCUMENT THE UPGRADE PROCESS :


o Keep records of the steps followed during the upgrade, any issues encountered, and how
they were resolved.

V. ROLLBACK PLAN
o If something goes wrong during the upgrade, be prepared to roll back to the previous
software version. You can reinstall the old version by following the same process used for the
upgrade but using the previous image.

9|P a g e Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN OS Upgrade store.itbase.tv

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