Field Notice: FN74146 - Limited Number of Cisco Catalyst Routers Can Experience Memory Failures - Hardware Upgrade Available
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Notice
THIS FIELD NOTICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS AND DOES NOT IMPLY ANY KIND OF GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY, INCLUDING THE WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY. YOUR USE OF THE INFORMATION ON THE FIELD NOTICE OR MATERIALS LINKED FROM THE FIELD NOTICE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. CISCO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR UPDATE THIS FIELD NOTICE AT ANY TIME.
Products Affected
| Affected Product Name | Description | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| C8200-1N-4T | Cisco Catalyst C8200-1N-4T Router | |
| C8500L-8S4X | Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series 4x SFP+ and 8x SFP, 4x10GE, 8x1GE | |
| ENCS5406/K9 | Cisco ENCS 5406 (6-core Intel, 16G DRAM) | |
| ENCS5408/K9 | Cisco ENCS 5408 (8-core Intel, 16G DRAM) | |
| ENCS5412/K9 | Cisco ENCS 5412 (12-core Intel, 16G DRAM) | |
| ISR4461-PM20 | Cisco ISR4461 Promotional Bundle | |
| ISR4461/K9 | Cisco ISR 4461 (2x10GE+4x1GE,3NIM,3SM,8G FLASH,4G DRAM) | |
| MEM-4460-32G | 32G DRAM (1 DIMM) for Cisco ISR 4460 | |
| MEM-4460-8G | 8G DRAM (1 DIMM) for Cisco ISR 4460 | |
| VG450/K9 | Cisco VG450 VoIP Analog Gateway - Chassis Only |
Defect Information
| Defect ID | Headline |
| CSCwk59794 | Limited Number of Cisco Routers May Experience Memory Module Failures |
Problem Description
A limited number of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) components in Cisco Catalyst routers that are shipped from Cisco are impacted by a known issue in the memory supplier's manufacturing process. This issue can result in a higher rate of failure.
Background
In this case, a manufacturing deviation in specific DRAM components was contained to a specific date range. Since the discovery of this deviation, additional limits have been imposed on the manufacturing process to help prevent future components from experiencing this process variation.
Problem Symptom
Most memory components in the affected Cisco Catalyst routers with this manufacturing deviation will exhibit persistent, correctable memory errors. If left untreated, the affected units can eventually encounter an uncorrectable memory event. If encountered during runtime, uncorrectable errors may cause an unexpected router reset and may not boot up.
The following symptoms may be seen for non-ENCS (Cisco Enterprise Network Compute System) PIDs:
- Failure to boot after a crash, reload, or upgrade with the following error message on the front panel console port that is repeated every 5 minutes:
Initializing Hardware... Initializing Hardware... Initializing Hardware...
- Hardware error messages within Cisco IOS Software with the following header:
%IOSXE-0-PLATFORM: R0/0: kernel: mce: [Hardware Error]:
Note: Such messages do not necessarily indicate the problem described in this field notice.
For Cisco ENCS PIDs, the symptom is a loss of communication with the Cisco NFV Infrastructure Software (NFVIS) processor. Because this loss of communication could be caused by several factors, identify whether the affected router is in the Affected Product list of this field notice.
Workaround/Solution
Cisco recommends replacement of the affected DRAM in order to avoid potential device failure. For information about requesting a replacement, see the Upgrade Program Information section of this field notice after validating the serial number(s) of the affected units as described in the How to Identify Affected Products section of this field notice.
Important notes for replacement orders:
- The replacement orders are proactive replacements and do not adhere to normal service-level agreements or service contracts. Furthermore, some countries have strict importation regulations. For these reasons, extended lead time may occur for these replacements.
- The replacement devices will not ship with any accessories or modular parts such as cables, rack mounts, power supplies, network modules, or fans, just like any regular Return Material Authorization (RMA). All non-faulty components will need to be swapped from the old device to the replacement device.
How to Identify Affected Products
To determine if a serial number is affected, see the Serial Number Validation section of this field notice.
Additional Information
Use the following link to raise a return-only RMA: Support Case Manager (cisco.com)
To initiate a return RMA, use the following steps:
- Select Return of Defective Asset.
- Select Return Queries for the Request Type.
- Select New Services Return – RMA Needed for the Sub-Request Type.
- In the Additional Request Details field, enter the following information and submit the return-only RMA request:
TAC SR number: (not mandatory)
Customer CCO ID:
Contract Number: (not mandatory)
Part ID(s):
Serial Number:
Company Name:
Country:
Street Address:
State/Province:
Zip/Postal Code:
City:
On-site Contact Name:
On-site Contact Phone number:
On-site Contact E-mail:
Reason for RMA Creation: FN# FN74146
Bill to ID: (not mandatory)
Serial Number Validation
Cisco provides the Serial Number Validation Tool to verify whether a device is impacted by this issue. To check the device, enter the serial number in the Serial Number Validation Tool.
Important: For security reasons, you must click the Serial Number Validation Tool link that is provided in this section. Do not copy and paste the link into a browser. Use of the Serial Number Validation Tool URL external to this field notice will fail.
Upgrade Program Information
Support Case Manager (SCM) must be used for ordering replacement parts for this Field Notice. To open SCM in a new tab, click the following link:
https://mycase.cloudapps.cisco.com/fieldnotice?fn=FN74146
SCM will validate eligibility and ensure that a request for a particular serial number has not already been submitted. If there is already a request, SCM will indicate RMA already submitted and NOT eligible for replacement.
Provide the following information:
- Affected serial numbers. Note that a serial number entitlement check may be performed.
- One ship-to address per request.
- Service Request number (SR#). This is not required, but if one exists, enter it for better tracking purposes.
Order entry supports up to 50 serial numbers per request. For more than 50, submit additional requests.
Revision History
| Version | Description | Section | Date |
| 1.0 | Initial Release | — | 2024-OCT-02 |
For More Information
For further assistance or for more information about this field notice, contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) using one of the following methods:
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