Upgrading ROMMON on RSP modules

This section shows the details of upgrading ROMMON on RSP modules .

Upgrading the ROMMON on the RSP2 Module

The RSP2 router has two ROMMON regions (ROM0 and ROM1). We recommend you to perform upgrade on both ROMMON regions. The ROMMON upgrade procedures are applicable to Cisco ASR 903, NCS 4206-16, and Cisco ASR 907 routers.


Caution

To avoid actions that might make your system unable to boot, read this entire section before starting the upgrade.

Use the following methods to upgrade ROMMON:

  1. Upgrade ROMMON Using Commands

  2. Auto Upgrade

Upgrade ROMMON Using Commands

Procedure

Step 1

Check the RSP bootup ROMMON region (ROM0 or ROM1). The example, shows the RSP boots up from ROM0 region.

Example:


System Bootstrap, Version 15.2(1r)S1, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2011 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Wed 07-Dec-11 07:33 by tinhuang
Current image running: Boot ROM0
Step 2

Copy the ROMMON image to the bootflash on the Cisco router.

Example:


copy bootflash:asr900_15_6_48r_s_rommon.pkg
Step 3

Use the upgrade rom-monitor filename asr900_15_6_48r_s_rommon.pkgall command to upgrade the ROMMON on both active and standby RSPs.

Note 
Step 3 upgrades the ROMMON region of the RSP that is not used (ROM 1 region).
Step 4

Reload the router. Ensure that the device is booted from the upgraded region ROM1.

Example:


System Bootstrap, Version 15.6(12r)S, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2016 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Sun 29-May-16 08:45 by sabind
Starting Initialization of FMAN0
Loading ucode for FMAN0, size: 31424, ver: 106.04.14
fixup address:7ffff278 contentsoffixup:7ffff000
DCFG_CCSR_PORSR1(cfg_0_9 pins):22FB7F7F
RC Vendor ID[0x8241957]
PEX up stream Vendor ID[0x860910b5]
PEX down stream vendor ID [0x860910b5]
FPGA vendor ID[0x5f1137]
PCI Configuration done..
IOFPGA version[16040627]

Current image running: Boot ROM0
Last reset cause: RSP-Board
Rommon upgrade requested
Flash upgrade reset 1 in progress
......BootPage Setting Done - Next DDR-init

System Bootstrap, Version 15.6(48r)S, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2017 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Sat 07-Jan-17 10:23 by sabind
Starting Initialization of FMAN0
Loading ucode for FMAN0, size: 31424, ver: 106.04.14
fixup address:7ffff278 contentsoffixup:7ffff000
DCFG_CCSR_PORSR1(cfg_0_9 pins):22FB7F7F
RC Vendor ID[0x8241957]
PEX up stream Vendor ID[0x860910b5]
PEX down stream vendor ID [0x860910b5]
FPGA vendor ID[0x5f1137]
PCI Configuration done..
IOFPGA version[16040627]

Current image running: *Upgrade in progress* Boot ROM1
Last reset cause: BootRomUpgrade
Configuring zarlink...
We're coming up from a flash upgrade reset cookie
C-Inlet temp 32C
ARAD-0 temp 44C
UEA platform with 3670016 Kbytes of main memory

We're coming up from a flash upgrade reset cookie
Step 5

After successful boot up of the IOS XE image, repeat Step 3 to Step 4 to update the other region on the Cisco router (ROM0) region in this procedure.

Note 
We recommend that both region ROM0 and ROM1 are upgraded.
Note 

Starting with Cisco IOS XE Amsterdam 17.3.1, secondary partition upgrade should be performed only after loading version 17.3.1.

Example: Verifying ROMMON Upgrade on the RSP2 Module

Use the show platform command to verify the ROMMON upgrade.
Router# show platform 
Chassis type:  NCS4206-SA             

Slot      Type                State                 Insert time (ago) 
--------- ------------------- --------------------- ----------------- 
 0/0      A900-IMA2Z          ok                    00:00:47      
 0/1      A900-IMA8T1Z        booting               00:00:47      
 0/2      A900-IMA8T1Z        booting               00:00:47      
 0/3      A900-IMA1X          ok                    00:00:47      
 0/4      A900-IMA8T          ok                    00:00:47      
R0        NCS420X-RSP-128     ok, active            00:00:47      
R1        NCS420X-RSP-128     ok, standby           00:00:47      
F0                            init, active          00:03:11      
F1                            init, standby         00:03:11      
P0        A900-PWR550-A       ok                    00:02:29      
P1        Unknown             N/A                   never         
P2        A903-FAN            ok                    00:02:26      

Slot      CPLD Version        Firmware Version                        
--------- ------------------- --------------------------------------- 
R0        16032304            15.6(48r)S                          
R1        16032304            15.6(48r)S                         
F0        16032304            15.6(48r)S                          
F1        16032304            15.6(48r)S

Auto Upgrade on the RSP2 Module

Table 1. Feature History

Secondary ROMMON Version Auto Upgrade

 Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru 17.5.1

After primary ROMMON version is auto upgraded, secondary ROMMON version auto upgrade process takes place. The secondary ROMMON upgrade is only completed during the next planned manual reload of the router.

The router running ROMMON version that is lower than the version bundled in Cisco IOS XE is auto upgraded to the bundled version during a router restart. However, if a Cisco IOS XE release with ROMMON image is bundled with a version lower than the running ROMMON version, the ROMMON is not auto downgraded.


Caution

To avoid actions that might make your system unable to boot, read this entire section before starting the upgrade.

  • The ROMMON auto upgrade process starts when the router is booted with Cisco IOS XE version that supports ROMMON auto upgrade. Routers are automatically reloaded during the ROMMON auto upgrade process.

  • The auto upgrade process does not occur once the upgrade of ROMMON is complete.

  • The running ROMMON version is not auto downgraded if ROMMON image in Cisco IOS XE is bundled with a version lower than that of the running ROMMON version.

  • A minimum diskspace of 2 MB is required in the boot flash memory file system for a successful ROMMON auto upgrade process. For a diskspace lesser than 2 MB, ROMMON auto upgrade fails and the router reboots.

  • For Cisco IOS XE Amsterdam Release 17.3.x, Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru Release 17.4.x, and earlier, the secondary ROMMON partition is not auto upgraded. You must manually upgrade it using the upgrade rom-mon filename command.

  • Any future secure ROMMON upgrade or downgrade is only possible from Cisco IOS XE Amsterdam Release 17.3.1 onwards.

  • Starting with ROMMON release version 15.6(43r)S, ROMMON version is secure. Once the ROMMON version is upgraded, it cannot be downgraded to a non-secure ROMMON version.

  • Starting with Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru release, 17.5.1, after primary ROMMON version is auto upgraded, secondary ROMMON version auto upgrade process takes place. The secondary ROMMON upgrade is only completed during the next planned manual reload of the router.

  • Any non-secure FPGA bundled releases moving to Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru Release 17.3.x or future releases can result in an FPGA upgrade and a ROMMON upgrade. If FPGA upgrade happens parallely with the ROMMON upgrade, you can only expect a single reload. If FPGA upgrade gets delayed and happens post ROMMON upgrade, two reloads are expected to complete both the upgrade processes. This is followed by a successful bootup of the target release image.

Upgrading the ROMMON on the RSP3 Module

The RSP3 router has two ROMMON regions (ROM0 and ROM1). We recommend you to perform upgrade on both ROMMON regions. The ROMMON upgrade procedures are applicable to Cisco NCS 4206 and Cisco NCS 4216.routers.

Caution

To avoid actions that might make your system unable to boot, read this entire section before starting the upgrade.


Note

Starting with Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru Release 17.6.1, the 15.6(49r)S ROMMON version filters the restricted ROMMON variables during the bootup. This helps to restrict the privileged mode of operations that can impact the router.

Use the following methods to upgrade ROMMON:

  1. Upgrade ROMMON Using Commands

  2. Auto Upgrade

Upgrading ROMMON Using Commands

Cisco IOS-XE supports the usual ROMMON upgrade procedure where both the RPs can be upgraded at the same time or can be done on each RP separately. Use the following command to upgrade the ROMMON:

  • upgrade rom-monitor file bootflash:<file> all/R0/R1


Note

You must reload the router manually to complete the upgrade process.
To upgrade ROMMON using commands:

  1. Check the RSP bootup ROMMON region (ROM0 or ROM1). The example, shows the RSP boots up from ROM0 region.

    Example: 

    System Bootstrap, Version 15.2(1r)S1, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2011 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Wed 07-Dec-11 07:33 by tinhuang
Current image running: Boot ROM0

  2. Copy the ROMMON image to the bootflash on the active and standby RSP.

    Example: 

    copy bootflash:rsp3_15_6_33r_s_rommon.pkg

  3. Use the upgrade rom-monitor filename rsp3_15_6_33r_s_rommon.pkg R0 command to upgrade the version.


    Note

    R0 represents RSP in slot 0 of the router. Step 3 upgrades the ROMMON region of the RSP that is not used (ROM1 region) as ROM 0 region is used in Step 1 to boot up the RSP.

  4. Upgrade the ROMMON on the Standby RSP (for high availability) using the upgrade rom-monitor filename bootflash:rsp3_15_6_33r_s_rommon.pkg R1 command.


    Note

    R1 represents the RSP in slot 1 of the router. Step 4 upgrades the ROMMON region of the RSP that is not used (ROM 1 region).

  5. Reload the router. Ensure that the device is booted from the upgraded region ROM1.

    Example: 

    System Bootstrap, Version 15.6(12r)S, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2016 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Sun 29-May-16 08:45 by sabind
Starting Initialization of FMAN0
Loading ucode for FMAN0, size: 31424, ver: 106.04.14
fixup address:7ffff278 contentsoffixup:7ffff000
DCFG_CCSR_PORSR1(cfg_0_9 pins):22FB7F7F
RC Vendor ID[0x8241957]
PEX up stream Vendor ID[0x860910b5]
PEX down stream vendor ID [0x860910b5]
FPGA vendor ID[0x5f1137]
PCI Configuration done..
IOFPGA version[16040627]
Current image running: Boot ROM0
Last reset cause: RSP-Board
Rommon upgrade requested
Flash upgrade reset 1 in progress
......BootPage Setting Done - Next DDR-init

System Bootstrap, Version 15.6(33r)S, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 2017 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Sat 07-Jan-17 10:23 by sabind
Starting Initialization of FMAN0
Loading ucode for FMAN0, size: 31424, ver: 106.04.14
fixup address:7ffff278 contentsoffixup:7ffff000
DCFG_CCSR_PORSR1(cfg_0_9 pins):22FB7F7F
RC Vendor ID[0x8241957]
PEX up stream Vendor ID[0x860910b5]
PEX down stream vendor ID [0x860910b5]
FPGA vendor ID[0x5f1137]
PCI Configuration done..
IOFPGA version[16040627]
Current image running: *Upgrade in progress* Boot ROM1
Last reset cause: BootRomUpgrade
Configuring zarlink...
We're coming up from a flash upgrade reset cookie
C-Inlet temp 32C
ARAD-0 temp 44C
UEA platform with 3670016 Kbytes of main memory

We're coming up from a flash upgrade reset cookie

  6. After successful boot up of the IOS XE image, repeat from step 3 to step 5 to update the other region on the RSP (ROM 0) region in this procedure.

Example: Verifying ROMMON Upgrade on the RSP3 Module

Use the show platform command to verify the ROMMON upgrade.

Router# show platform 
Chassis type: NCS4206-SA             

Slot      Type                State                 Insert time (ago) 
--------- ------------------- --------------------- ----------------- 
 0/0      A900-IMA1X          ok                    18:23:52      
 0/1      A900-IMA8S          ok                    18:23:52      
 0/2      A900-IMA8S1Z        ok                    18:22:19      
 0/3      A900-IMA2Z          ok                    18:21:43      
 0/4      A900-IMA8Z          ok                    18:23:52      
 0/5      A900-IMA8T          ok                    18:23:52      
R0        NCS420X-RSP         ok, active            18:25:38      
R1                            unknown               18:25:38      
F0                            ok, active            18:25:38      
F1                            unknown               18:25:38      
P0        A900-PWR550-A       ok                    18:24:54      
P1        A900-PWR550-D       ps, fail              18:24:52      
P2        A903-FAN            ok                    18:24:50      

Slot      CPLD Version        Firmware Version                        
--------- ------------------- --------------------------------------- 
R0        16040627            15.6(33r)S                          
R1        16040627            15.6(33r)S                              
F0        16040627            15.6(33r)S                          
F1        16040627            15.6(33r)S

Note

We recommend you to upgrade both the regions, ROM0 and ROM1.

Auto Upgrade on the RSP3 Module

Table 2. Feature History

Feature Name

Release Information

Description

Secondary ROMMON Partition Auto Upgrade

 Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru 17.4.1

This feature supports secondary ROMMON partition auto upgrade after a successful primary ROMMON partition is complete.

Router running ROMMON version that is lower than version bundled in Cisco IOS XE is auto upgraded to the bundled version during a router restart. However, if a Cisco IOS XE release with ROMMON image is bundled with a version lower than the running ROMMON version, the ROMMON is not auto downgraded.

Table 3. Supported Bundled ROMMON Versions on Cisco IOS XE Release Versions

Cisco IOS XE Version

Bundled ROMMON Version

Cisco IOS XE Fuji Release 16.9.5, Cisco IOS XE Gibraltar Release 16.12.3, Cisco IOS XE Amsterdam Release 17.2.1, and higher

15.6(33r)S

Cisco IOS XE Amsterdam Release 17.3.1, Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru Release 17.4.1, Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru Release 17.5.1, and higher

15.6(42r)S

  • The ROMMON auto upgrade process starts when the router is booted with Cisco IOS XE version that supports ROMMON auto upgrade. Routers are automatically reloaded during the ROMMON auto upgrade process.

  • The auto upgrade process does not occur once the upgrade of ROMMON is complete.

  • The running ROMMON version is not auto downgraded if ROMMON image in Cisco IOS XE is bundled with a version lower than that of the running ROMMON version.

  • A minimum diskspace of 2 MB is required in the boot flash memory file system for a successful ROMMON auto upgrade process. For a diskspace lesser than 2 MB, ROMMON auto upgrade fails and the router reboots.

  • Starting with Cisco IOS XE Amsterdam Release 17.3.2 and Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru Release 17.4.1, secondary ROMMON partition is also auto upgraded after a successful primary ROMMON partition upgrade is complete. You can reload the router at the next planned reload to complete the secondary ROMMON upgrade.

  • For Cisco IOS XE Amsterdam Release 17.3.1 and earlier, the secondary ROMMON partition is not auto upgraded. You must manually upgrade it using the upgrade rom-mon filename command.

  • Starting with ROMMON release version 15.6(42r)S, ROMMON is secure. Once the ROMMON version is upgraded, it cannot be downgraded to a non-secure ROMMON version.