End of Support

Smart System Upgrade

Smart System Upgrade (SSU) dramatically speeds up system upgrades and minimizes network disruptions with:

Faster Reloads: SSU streamlines and optimizes the upgrade process, significantly reducing the reload time.
Uninterrupted Connections: Even while the system reboots, SSU keeps your network connections active by sending LACP PDUs. These PDUs are essential signals that maintain port channels, ensuring your devices stay connected.
Minimal Traffic Loss: SSU uses protocols that support "graceful restart," allowing network services to restart without dropping connections, preventing interruptions to your data flow.

Features capable of hitless restart under SSU include:

QinQ
802.3ad Link Aggregation/LACP
802.3x Flow Control
BGP (you must enable BGP graceful restart; refer to Configuring BGP.)
MP-BGP (you must enableBGP graceful restart; refer to Configuring BGP.)
128-way Equal Cost Multipath Routing (ECMP)
VRF
Route Maps
L2 MTU
QoS

Note: SSU and VRRP are not compatible. Use a different upgrade method if you have VRRP configured on the switch.

Upgrading the EOS image with Smart System Upgrade

Using SSU to upgrade the active EOS image is a five-step process:

Prepare the switch for upgrade (Prepare the Switch for SSU).
Transfer the image file to the switch (Transfer the Image File for SSU). (This is not required if the desired file is already on the switch.)
Modify the boot-config file to point to the desired image file (Modify boot-config).
Start the SSU process (Start the SSU Process).
Verify that the upgrade was successful (Verify Success of the Upgrade).

Prepare the Switch for SSU

To prepare the switch for SSU, take the following steps:

Note: Configuring BGP graceful restart resets BGP sessions. If configuring BGP graceful restart as part of the SSU process, ensure that BGP sessions are stable and all BGP routing information has been learned and advertised before proceeding with SSU.

Backing Up Critical Software

Before upgrading the EOS image, ensure copies of the currently running EOS version and the running-config file are available in case of corruption during the upgrade process. To copy the running-config file, use the copy running-config command. In this example, the system copies the running-config contents to a file on the switch's flash drive.

switch# copy running-config flash:/cfg_06162014
Copy completed successfully.
switch#

Making Room on the Flash Drive

Determine the size of the new EOS image. Verify that there is enough space on the flash drive for two copies of this image, plus a recommended 240MB (if available) for diagnostic information in case of a fatal error. Use the dir command to check the bytes free figure.

switch# dir flash:
Directory of flash:/
-rwx   293168526      Nov 4    22:17   EOS4.11.0.swi
-rwx          36      Nov 8    10:24   boot-config
-rwx       37339      Jun 16   14:18   cfg_06162014

606638080 bytes total (602841088 bytes free)

Verifying Connectivity

Ensure the switch has a management interface configured with an IP address and default gateway. See Assigning a Virtual IP Address to Access the Active Ethernet Management Port and Configuring a Default Route to the Gateway. Confirm network connectivity to the switch using the show interfaces status command and pinging the default gateway.

switch# show interfaces status
Port    Name     Status     Vlan       Duplex   Speed      Type
Et3/1            notconnect   1         auto    auto     1000BASE-T

<-------OUTPUT OMITTED FROM EXAMPLE-------->
Ma1/1            connected   routed     unconf   unconf    Unknown 

switch#ping 1.1.1.10
PING 172.22.26.1 (172.22.26.1) 72(100) bytes of data.
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.180 ms
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.076 ms
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=0.084 ms
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=4 ttl=64 time=0.073 ms
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=5 ttl=64 time=0.071 ms

Verifying Configuration

Verify the switch configuration is valid for SSU using the show reload fast-boot command. If parts of the configuration are blocking SSU execution, an error message will be displayed explaining what they are. For SSU to proceed, correct the configuration conflicts before issuing the reload fast-boot command.

switch# show reload fast-boot
switch#'reload fast-boot' cannot proceed due to the following:
  Spanning-tree portfast is not enabled for one or more ports
  Spanning-tree BPDU guard is not enabled for one or more ports
switch#

Note: You can still use the show reload hitless and reload hitless commands, but they have the same effect as the commands shown earlier.

Configuring BGP

For hitless restart of BGP and MP-BGP, BGP graceful restart must first be enabled using the graceful-restart command. The default restart time value (300 seconds) is appropriate for most configurations.

The BGP configuration mode issuing the graceful-restart command determines which BGP connections will restart gracefully.

Note: configuring BGP graceful restart resets BGP sessions. If configuring BGP graceful restart as part of the SSU process, ensure that BGP sessions are stable and all BGP routing information has been learned and advertised before proceeding with SSU.

For all BGP connections, use the graceful-restart command in BGP configuration mode:

switch# config
switch(config)# router bgp 64496
switch(config-router-bgp)# graceful-restart
switch(config-router-bgp)#

For all BGP connections in a specific VRF, use the graceful-restart command in BGP VRF configuration mode:

switch# config
switch(config)# router bgp 64496
switch(config-router-bgp)# vrf purple
switch(config-router-bgp-vrf-purple)# graceful-restart
switch(config-router-bgp-vrf-purple)# exit
switch(config-router-bgp)#

For all BGP connections in a specific BGP address family, use the graceful-restart command in BGP address-family configuration mode:

switch# config
switch(config)# router bgp 64496
switch(config-router-bgp)# address-family ipv6
switch(config-router-bgp-af)# graceful-restart
switch(config-router-bgp-af)# exit
switch(config-router-bgp)#

Transfer the Image File for SSU

The target image must be copied to the file system on the switch, typically onto the flash drive:

Verify that the flash drive has enough space for two copies of the image plus an optional 240MB for diagnostic information.
Use the copy command to copy the image to the flash drive.
Confirm that the system transferred the new image file correctly.

The following command examples illustrate transferring an image file from various locations to the flash drive.

USB Memory

Command

copy usb1:/sourcefile flash:/destfile

Example

switch# copy usb1:/EOS-4.14.4.swi flash:/EOS-4.14.4.swi

FTP Server

Command

copy ftp:/ftp-source/sourcefile flash:/destfile

Example

switch# copy ftp:/user:password@10.0.0.3/EOS-4.14.4.swi flash:/EOS-4.14.4.swi

SCP

Command

copy scp://scp-source/sourcefile flash:/destfile

Example

switch# copy scp://user@10.1.1.8/user/EOS-4.13.2.swi flash:/EOS-4.13.2.swi

HTTP

Command

copy http://http-source/sourcefile flash:/destfile

Example

switch# copy http://10.0.0.10/EOS-4.14.4.swi flash:/EOS-4.14.4.swi

After transferring the file, verify that it is present in the directory, then confirm the MD5 checksum using the verify command. The MD5 checksum is available from the EOS download page of the Arista website.

switch# dir flash:
Directory of flash:/
-rwx     293168526   Nov 4     22:17     EOS4.14.2.swi
-rwx            36   Nov 8     10:24     boot-config
-rwx         37339   Jun 16    14:18     cfg_06162014
-rwx     394559902   May 30    02:57     EOS4.13.1.swi

606638080 bytes total (208281186 bytes free)
switch# verify /md5 flash:EOS-4.14.4.swi 
verify /md5 (flash:EOS-4.14.4.swi) =c277a965d0ed48534de6647b12a86991
switch#

Modify boot-config

After transferring and confirming the desired image file, use the boot system command to update the boot-config file to point to the new EOS image.

This command changes the boot-config file to point to the image file located in flash memory at EOS-4.14.4.swi.

switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# boot system flash:/EOS-4.14.4.swi

Use the show boot-config command to verify that the boot-config file is correct:

switch(config)# show boot-config
Software image: flash:/EOS-4.14.4.swi
Console speed: (not set)
Aboot password (encrypted): $1$ap1QMbmz$DTqsFYeauuMSa7/Qxbi2l1

Save the configuration to the startup-config file with the write command.

switch# write

Start the SSU Process

After updating the boot-config file, verify that your configuration supports SSU (if you have not already done so) using the show reload fast-boot command. If parts of the configuration are blocking SSU execution, an error message will be displayed explaining what they are.

switch# show reload fast-boot
switch#'reload fast-boot' cannot proceed due to the following:
  Spanning-tree portfast is not enabled for one or more ports
  Spanning-tree BPDU guard is not enabled for one or more ports
switch#

Start the SSU process using the reload fast-boot command to reload the switch and activate the new image. The CLI will identify any changes that must be made to the configuration before starting SSU, prompt the saving of any modifications to the system configuration, and request confirmation before reloading.

switch# reload fast-boot
System configuration has been modified. Save? [yes/no/cancel/diff]:y
Copy completed successfully.
Proceed with reload? [confirm]y

Note: You can still use the show reload hitless and reload hitless commands, but they have the same effect as the commands shown earlier.

Verify Success of the Upgrade

Before making any configuration changes to the switch after reloading, verify that the SSU process is complete using the command show boot stages log. If it is, the last message should be Hitless boot stages complete.

switch# show boot stages log
Timestamp           Delta Begin Msg
2022-10-03 12:42:06 000.000000 Asu Hitless boot stages started
2022-10-03 12:42:06 000.001592 stage CriticalAgent started
2022-10-03 12:42:06 000.001834   event CriticalAgent:PhyEthtool completed

[ . . . ]

2022-10-03 12:43:02 056.316874 stage BootSanityCheck is complete
2022-10-03 12:43:02 056.317491 Asu Hitless boot stages complete
switch#

You can also verify the completion of the SSU process by checking the syslog for the following message:

LAUNCHER-6-BOOT_STATUS: 'reload fast-boot' reconciliation complete

To verify whether the SSU upgrade was successful, use the show reload cause command. Suppose a fatal error occurred during the upgrade process. In that case, the switch will have completely rebooted, and the fatal error details will be displayed along with the directory containing the diagnostic information.

If the SSU upgrade has succeeded, it will read Hitless reload requested by the user.

Fatal Error Display

switch# show reload cause
Reload Cause 1:
-------------------
Fatal error occurred during Asu Hitless boot. (stageMgr - LinkStatusUpdate timed out)

Reload Time:
------------
Reload occurred at Sun Oct 02 12:06:37 2022 PDT.

Recommended Action:
-------------------
The system rebooted due to a fatal error.
If the problem persists, contact your customer support representative.

Debugging Information:
-------------------------------
/mnt/flash/persist/fatalError-2022-10-02_120637
switch#

Successful Upgrade Display

switch# show reload cause
Reload Cause 1:
-------------------
Hitless reload requested by the user.

Reload Time:
------------
Reload occurred at Mon Oct 03 13:29:31 2022 PDT.

Recommended Action:
-------------------
No action necessary.

Debugging Information:
-------------------------------
None available.
switch#

The show version command confirms whether the correct image is loaded. The Software image version: line displays the version of the active image file.

switch# show version
Arista DCS-7050QX-32-F
Hardware version: 02.00
Serial number: JPE14071098
System MAC address: 001c.7355.556f
Software image version: 4.14.5F-2353054.EOS4145F
Architecture: i386
Internal build version: 4.14.5F-2353054.EOS4145F
Internal build ID: e8748ea7-916d-4217-878f-4bfe2adc7122
Uptime: 4 minutes
Total memory: 3981328 kB
Free memory: 1342408 kB
switch#

Note: If a fatal error occurs during the SSU process, the new EOS image will still be loaded and booted.

Standard Upgrades and Downgrades

Standard software upgrades and downgrades on Arista switches are accomplished by installing a different EOS image and reloading the switch. On switches with redundant supervisors, you must install the EOS image on both supervisors. Using the following procedures will minimize packet loss during a standard upgrade or downgrade.

These sections describe standard switch upgrade and downgrade procedures:

Upgrading or Downgrading the EOS on a Single-Supervisor Switch
Upgrading or Downgrading the EOS on a Dual-Supervisor Switch

Upgrading or Downgrading the EOS on a Single-Supervisor Switch

Modifying the active EOS image is a five-step process:

Prepare the switch for upgrade (Prepare the Switch for SSU).
Transfer the image file to the switch (Transfer the Image File). (This is not required if the desired file is on the switch).
Modify the boot-config file to point to the desired image file (Modify boot-config for Single-Supervisor switch).
Reload the switch (Reload).
Verify the switch is running the new image (Verify the New Image for Single-Supervisor Switch).

Prepare the Switch for SSU

To prepare the switch for SSU, take the following steps:

Backing Up Critical Software
Making Room on the Flash Drive
Verifying Connectivity
Verifying Configuration
Configuring BGP

Backing Up Critical Software

switch# copy running-config flash:/cfg_06162014
Copy completed successfully.
switch#

Making Room on the Flash Drive

switch# dir flash:
Directory of flash:/
-rwx   293168526      Nov 4    22:17   EOS4.11.0.swi
-rwx          36      Nov 8    10:24   boot-config
-rwx       37339      Jun 16   14:18   cfg_06162014

606638080 bytes total (602841088 bytes free)

Verifying Connectivity

switch# show interfaces status
Port    Name     Status     Vlan       Duplex   Speed      Type
Et3/1            notconnect   1         auto    auto     1000BASE-T

<-------OUTPUT OMITTED FROM EXAMPLE-------->
Ma1/1            connected   routed     unconf   unconf    Unknown 

switch#ping 1.1.1.10
PING 172.22.26.1 (172.22.26.1) 72(100) bytes of data.
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.180 ms
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.076 ms
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=0.084 ms
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=4 ttl=64 time=0.073 ms
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=5 ttl=64 time=0.071 ms

Verifying Configuration

switch# show reload fast-boot
switch#'reload fast-boot' cannot proceed due to the following:
  Spanning-tree portfast is not enabled for one or more ports
  Spanning-tree BPDU guard is not enabled for one or more ports
switch#

Note: You can still use the show reload hitless and reload hitless commands, but they have the same effect as the commands shown earlier.

Configuring BGP

The BGP configuration mode issuing the graceful-restart command determines which BGP connections will restart gracefully.

For all BGP connections, use the graceful-restart command in BGP configuration mode:

switch# config
switch(config)# router bgp 64496
switch(config-router-bgp)# graceful-restart
switch(config-router-bgp)#

For all BGP connections in a specific VRF, use the graceful-restart command in BGP VRF configuration mode:

switch# config
switch(config)# router bgp 64496
switch(config-router-bgp)# vrf purple
switch(config-router-bgp-vrf-purple)# graceful-restart
switch(config-router-bgp-vrf-purple)# exit
switch(config-router-bgp)#

For all BGP connections in a specific BGP address family, use the graceful-restart command in BGP address-family configuration mode:

switch# config
switch(config)# router bgp 64496
switch(config-router-bgp)# address-family ipv6
switch(config-router-bgp-af)# graceful-restart
switch(config-router-bgp-af)# exit
switch(config-router-bgp)#

Transfer the Image File

The target image must be copied to the file system on the switch, typically onto the flash drive. After verifying that there is space for the image, use the CLI copy command to copy the image to the flash drive, then confirm that the system transferred the new image file correctly.

The following command examples illustrate transferring an image file from various locations to the flash drive.

USB Memory

Command

copy usb1:/sourcefile flash:/destfile

Example

switch# copy usb1:/EOS-4.13.2.swi flash:/EOS-4.13.2.swi

FTP Server

Command

copy ftp:/ftp-source/sourcefile flash:/destfile

Example

switch# copy ftp:/user:password@10.0.0.3/EOS-4.13.2.swi flash:/EOS-4.13.2.swi

SCP

Command

copy scp://scp-source/sourcefile flash:/destfile

Example

switch# copy scp://user@10.1.1.8/user/EOS-4.13.2.swi flash:/EOS-4.13.2.swi

HTTP

Command

copy http://http-source/sourcefile flash:/destfile

Example

switch# copy http://10.0.0.10/EOS-4.13.2.swi flash:/EOS-4.13.2.swi

switch# dir flash:
Directory of flash:/
-rwx     293168526   Nov 4     22:17     EOS4.11.0.swi
-rwx            36   Nov 8     10:24     boot-config
-rwx         37339   Jun 16    14:18     cfg_06162014
-rwx     394559902   May 30    02:57     EOS-4.12.2.swi

606638080 bytes total (208281186 bytes free)
switch#53# verify /md5 flash:EOS-4.13.2.swi 
verify /md5 (flash:EOS-4.13.2.swi) =c277a965d0ed48534de6647b12a86991

Modify boot-config for Single-Supervisor switch

After transferring and confirming the desired image file, use the boot system command to update the boot-config file to point to the new EOS image.

This command changes the boot-config file to point to the image file located in flash memory at EOS-4.12.2.swi.

switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# boot system flash:/EOS-4.13.2.swi

Use the show boot-config command to verify that the boot-config file is correct:

switch(config)# show boot-config
Software image: flash:/EOS-4.13.2.swi
Console speed: (not set)
Aboot password (encrypted): $1$ap1QMbmz$DTqsFYeauuMSa7/Qxbi2l1

Save the configuration to the startup-config file with the write command.

switch# write

Reload

After updating the boot-config file, reset the switch to activate the new image. The reload command resets the switch, resulting in temporary downtime and packet loss on single supervisor switches.

All rebooting messages are displayed on the terminal when reloading from the console port. From any port except the console, the CLI displays this text:

switch# reload
The system is going down for reboot NOW!

Note: The EOS boot process makes a copy of the .swi image file in the internal flash while booting, so sufficient space for two copies must be present when loading the new EOS image. If the switch is reloaded without adequate space on the flash drive, it will boot to the Aboot prompt from which you can delete files from /mnt/flash to free up additional space. Exiting Aboot will begin the boot process again.

Verify the New Image for Single-Supervisor Switch

After the switch finishes reloading, log into the switch and use the show version command to confirm the correct image is loaded. The Software image version line displays the version of the active image file.

switch# show version
Arista DCS-7150S-64-CL-F
Hardware version:    01.01
Serial number:       JPE13120819
System MAC address:  001c.7326.fd0c

Software image version: 4.13.2F
Architecture:           i386
Internal build version: 4.13.2F-1649184.4132F.2
Internal build ID:      eeb3c212-b4bd-4c19-ba34-1b0aa36e43f1

Uptime:                 14 hours and 48 minutes
Total memory:           4017088 kB
Free memory:            1569760 kB

switch>

Upgrading or Downgrading the EOS on a Dual-Supervisor Switch

Modifying the active EOS image is a four-step process:

Prepare the switch for upgrade (Prepare the Switch for Dual-Supervisor Switch).
Transfer the image file to the primary supervisor (Transfer the Image File to the Primary Supervisor). (This is not required if the desired file is on the switch).
Use the install command to install the new EOS image and update boot-config ( Install the New EOS Image).
Verify the switch is running the new image ( Verify the New Image).
Note: Due to a change in the supervisor heartbeat timeout, booting one supervisor with a post-SSO image (version 4.10.0-SSO, 4.11.X and later) while the other supervisor is running a pre-SSO image will cause the supervisor running the pre-SSO image to reload. This causes a disruption as both supervisors are inactive for a short time. To minimize downtime, upgrade the images on both supervisors and reload the entire chassis using the install command.

Prepare the Switch for Dual-Supervisor Switch

To prepare the switch for an EOS upgrade, take the following steps:

Back up all essential files.
Address and ensure the following:
- You are logged in to the primary supervisor.
- Confirm that the primary supervisor is reachable and that the management interfaces are configured.
- There is enough room on both supervisors for the new image file.
- Any extensions running on the active supervisor are also available on the standby.

Before upgrading the EOS image, ensure that backup copies of the currently running EOS version and the running-config file are available in case of corruption during the upgrade process. To copy the running-config file, use the copy running-config command. In the following example, the running-config file is copied to a file called backup2 on the flash drive.

switch# copy running-config backup2
Copy completed successfully.
switch#

Ensure that you are logged in to the primary supervisor, not the standby. Use the show redundancy status command, and verify that my status reads ACTIVE and not STANDBY.

switch# show redundancy status
my status = Active
peer state = STANDBY HOT
Unit = Secondary
Unit ID = 1
Redundancy Protocol (Operational) = Stateful Switchover
Redundancy Protocol (Configured) = Stateful Switchover
Communications = Up
Ready for switchover
Last switchover time = 25 days, 19:51:34 ago
Last switchover reason = Other supervisor stopped sending heartbeats

Ensure the switch has a management interface configured with an IP address and default gateway. Refer to the sections Assigning a Virtual IP Address to Access the Active Ethernet Management Port and Configuring a Default Route to the Gateway, and confirm that both management interfaces are in the up state and can ping the default gateway by using the show interfaces status command and ping command.

Note: If the management VRF interface is used, use the virtual management interface (management 0) instead of the IP address on the physical management interface.

switch# show interfaces status
Port    Name     Status     Vlan       Duplex   Speed      Type
Et3/1            notconnect   1         auto    auto     1000BASE-T

<-------OUTPUT OMITTED FROM EXAMPLE-------->
Ma1/1            connected   routed     unconf   unconf    Unknown 

switch# ping 1.1.1.10
PING 172.22.26.1 (172.22.26.1) 72(100) bytes of data.
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.180 ms
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.076 ms
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=0.084 ms
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=4 ttl=64 time=0.073 ms
80 bytes from 1.1.1.10: icmp_seq=5 ttl=64 time=0.071 ms

Determine the size of the new EOS image. Then verify that there is enough space available on the flash drive for two copies of this image (use the dir command to check the bytes free figure).

switch# dir flash:
Directory of flash:/
-rwx   293168526      Nov 4    22:17   EOS4.11.0.swi
-rwx          36      Nov 8    10:24   boot-config
-rwx       37339      Jun 16   14:18   cfg_06162014

<-------OUTPUT OMITTED FROM EXAMPLE-------->
606638080 bytes total (602841088 bytes free)
Standby supervisor:
switch# dir supervisor-peer:mnt/flash/
Directory of flash:/
-rwx 293168526 Nov 4 22:17 EOS4.11.0.swi
-rwx 36 Nov 8 10:24 boot-config
-rwx 37339 Jun 16 14:18 cfg_06162014
<-------OUTPUT OMITTED FROM EXAMPLE-------->
606638080 bytes total (602841088 bytes free)

Finally, ensure that any extensions running on the primary supervisor are also available on the secondary supervisor.

Transfer the Image File to the Primary Supervisor

Load the desired image to the file system on the primary supervisor, typically into the flash. Use the CLI copy command to load files to the flash on the primary supervisor, then confirm that the system transferred the new image file correctly.

The following command examples illustrate transferring an image file from various locations to the flash drive.

USB Memory

Command

copy usb1:/sourcefile flash:/destfile

Example

switch# copy usb1:/EOS-4.13.2.swi flash:/EOS-4.13.2.swi

FTP Server

Command

copy ftp:/ftp-source/sourcefile flash:/destfile

Example

switch# copy ftp:/user:password@10.0.0.3/EOS-4.13.2.swi flash:/EOS-4.13.2.swi

SCP

Command

copy scp://scp-source/sourcefile flash:/destfile

Example

switch# copy scp://user@10.1.1.8/user/EOS-4.13.2.swi flash:/EOS-4.13.2.swi

HTTP

Command

copy http://http-source/sourcefile flash:/destfile

Example

switch# copy http://10.0.0.10/EOS-4.13.2.swi flash:/EOS-4.13.2.swi

After transferring the file, verify that it is present in the directory, then confirm the MD5 checksum using the verify command. The MD5 checksum for each available image can be found on the EOS download page of the Arista website.

switch# dir flash:
Directory of flash:/
-rwx      293168526     Nov 4    22:17     EOS4.11.0.swi
-rwx             36     Nov 8    10:24     boot-config
-rwx          37339     Jun 16   14:18     cfg_06162014
-rwx      394559902     May 30   02:57     EOS-4.12.2.swi

<-------OUTPUT OMITTED FROM EXAMPLE-------->

606638080 bytes total (208281186 bytes free)
switch#53# verify /md5 flash:EOS-4.13.2.swi 
verify /md5 (flash:EOS-4.13.2.swi) =c277a965d0ed48534de6647b12a86991

Install the New EOS Image

After the EOS image has been copied to the primary supervisor's flash drive, use the install command to update the boot-config, copy the new image to the secondary supervisor, and reload both supervisors. Both supervisors will briefly be unavailable when upgrading to a new image; using the install command minimizes packet loss during reload.

switch(config)# install source EOS-4.13.2.swi reload
Preparing new boot-config... done.
Copying new software image to standby supervisor... done.
Copying new boot-config to standby supervisor... done.
Committing changes on standby supervisor... done.
Reloading standby supervisor... done.
Committing changes on this supervisor... done.
Reloading this supervisor...

Verify the New Image

After the switch finishes reloading, log in to the switch and use the show version command to confirm the correct image is loaded. The Software image version line displays the version of the active image file.

switch# show version
Arista DCS-7504
Hardware version:    01.01
Serial number:       JPE13120819
System MAC address:  001c.7326.fd0c

Software image version: 4.13.2F
Architecture:           i386
Internal build version: 4.13.2F-1649184.4132F.2
Internal build ID:      eeb3c212-b4bd-4c19-ba34-1b0aa36e43f1

Uptime:                 1 hour and 36 minutes
Total memory:           4017088 kB
Free memory:            1473280 kB

switch#

Upgrade/Downgrade Commands

install
reload fast-boot
reload hitless

install

The install command copies the specified EOS image onto the switch (if the source is external), configures the boot-config file to point to the specified EOS image, copies the image to the standby supervisor (on dual-supervisor switches), and optionally reloads the switch to run the new EOS.

Command Mode

Privileged EXEC

Command Syntax

install source source_path [destination destination_path][now][reload]

Parameters

source_path file path and name of EOS image. If no file path is specified, the switch will look for the image on the flash drive of the primary supervisor.
destination destination_path destination file path and name of the EOS image. If no destination or name is specified, the EOS image will be stored on the flash drive with its original file name.
now command is executed immediately without further prompts.
reload supervisor is reloaded after the image and updated boot-config file are installed. On dual-supervisor switches, reloads both supervisors, after which control is returned to the primary supervisor.

Example

This command updates the boot-config file to point to the EOS.swi file on the primary supervisors flash drive, copies the image and boot-config file to the secondary supervisor, and reboots both.

switch(config)# install source EOS.swi reload
Preparing new boot-config... done.
Copying new software image to standby supervisor... done.
Copying new boot-config to standby supervisor... done.
Committing changes on standby supervisor... done.
Reloading standby supervisor... done.
Committing changes on this supervisor... done.
Reloading this supervisor...

reload fast-boot

Smart System Upgrade (SSU) allows critical switches to be upgraded with minimal downtime and packet loss by optimizing the reload procedure and leveraging protocols capable of graceful restart. The reload fast-boot command starts the SSU process using the EOS image specified by the boot-config file (configured by the boot system command).

When the reload fast-boot command is entered, the switch sends a message prompting the user to save the configuration if it contains unsaved modifications, then asks the user to confirm the reload request.

Command Mode

Privileged EXEC

Command Syntax

reload fast-boot

Guidelines

SSU is supported only for upgrades (not downgrades).
SSU is not supported if the EOS upgrade requires an FPGA upgrade.
Enough free space must be available on the flash drive to store two copies of the target EOS image. It is also recommended that an additional 240MB be available to store diagnostic information.

Examples

This command starts the Smart Software Upgrade process.

switch# reload fast-boot
Proceed with reload? [confirm]

If there are issues with the current switch configuration that prevents SSU from being performed, the switch lists the changes that must be made before SSU can begin.

switch# reload fast-boot
switch#'reload fast-boot' cannot proceed due to the following:
Spanning-tree portfast is not enabled for one or more ports
Spanning-tree BPDU guard is not enabled for one or more ports
switch#

When the reload fast-boot command is entered, the switch sends a message prompting the user to save the configuration if it contains unsaved modifications, then asks the user to confirm the reload request.
```
switch# reload fast-boot
System configuration has been modified. Save? [yes/no/cancel/diff]:y
Copy completed successfully.
Proceed with reload? [confirm]y
```

reload hitless

The reload hitless command is a legacy command now identical to the reload fast-boot command.It starts the Smart System Upgrade (SSU) process using the EOS image specified by the boot-config file (configured by the boot system command).

Command Mode

Privileged EXEC

Command Syntax

reload hitless

Guidelines

SSU is supported only for upgrades (not downgrades).
SSU is not supported if the EOS upgrade requires an FPGA upgrade.
Enough free space must be available on the flash drive to store two copies of the target EOS image. It is also recommended that an additional 240MB be available to store diagnostic information.

Examples

This command starts the SSU process.

switch# reload hitless
Proceed with reload? [confirm]

If there are issues with the current switch configuration that prevents SSU from being performed, the switch lists the changes that must be made before SSU can begin.

switch# reload hitless
switch#'reload hitless' cannot proceed due to the following:
Spanning-tree portfast is not enabled for one or more ports
Spanning-tree BPDU guard is not enabled for one or more ports
switch#

When the reload hitless command is entered, the switch sends a message prompting the user to save the configuration if it contains unsaved modifications, then asks the user to confirm the reload request.
```
switch# reload hitless
System configuration has been modified. Save? [yes/no/cancel/diff]:y
Copy completed successfully.
Proceed with reload? [confirm]y
```

Configuring the Source IP

To set the source IP address for all PTP packets, use the ptp source command.

Example

This command configures the source IP address of 10.0.2.1 for all PTP packets.

switch(config)# ptp source ip 10.0.2.1
switch(config)#

This command configures the source IP address of 2001:db8:ac10:fe01:: for all PTP packets.

switch(config)# ptp source ip 2001:db8:ac10:fe01::
switch(config)#

Configuring the TTL for PTP Packets

To set the Time To Live (TTL) of PTP packets, use the ptp ttl command. TTL is the maximum number of hops that a PTP packet may make.

Example

This command configures a TTL of 64 hops for PTP packets.

switch(config)# ptp ttl 64
switch(config)#

Configuring PTP Monitoring

PTP Monitoring records PTP information, including the offset from the master, mean path delay, and skew values, which you view using a show command. PTP Syslog messages generate the metrics with threshold values configured on the switch when enabled. EOS enables PTP Monitoring by default.

Enabling and Disabling PTP Monitoring

Use the ptp monitor command to enable PTP monitoring on the device. The no form of the command disables PTP monitoring and clears all of the recorded PTP data.

Example

This command disables PTP monitoring and clears all recorded PTP data from the switch.

switch(config)# no ptp monitor

Configuring the Offset-from-master Threshold

The offset is the difference in nanoseconds between master and slave time. Use the ptp monitor threshold offset-from-master command to specify the offset-from-master threshold in nanoseconds. EOS generates a Syslog message if the most recently calculated time offset from the PTP master occurs outside the configured range. The maximum offset threshold is one second. The no form of the command clears the threshold value and prevents further Syslog messages from generating for this parameter.

Example

This command sets an offset-from-master threshold value of 500 nanoseconds.

switch(config)# ptp monitor threshold offset-from-master 500

Configuring the Mean-path-delay Threshold

Mean path delay is the mean time in nanoseconds PTP packets take to travel between master and slave. Use the ptp monitor threshold mean-path-delay command to specify the mean-path-delay threshold in nanoseconds. EOS generates a Syslog message if the value of the most recently calculated mean path delay becomes greater than or equal to this threshold. The maximum mean-path-delay threshold is one second. The no form of the command clears the threshold value and prevents further Syslog messages from generating for this parameter.

Note: Mean path delay is always non-negative.

Example

This command sets a mean-path-delay threshold value of 2000 nanoseconds.

switch(config)# ptp monitor threshold mean-path-delay 2000

Configuring the Skew Threshold

PTP skew is the clock frequency difference between master and slave. Use the ptp monitor threshold skew command to configure the value of the skew-threshold percentage. A Syslog message generates if the value of the most recently calculated skew does not fall within the range (1/(1+<threshold>), 1*(1+<threshold>)). Skew threshold percentage represents a double precision (16 digit) real number ranging from 0 (0%) to 10 (1000%). The no form of the command clears the threshold value and prevents further Syslog messages from generating for this parameter.

Example

This command sets a skew threshold value of 5 (500%).

switch(config)# ptp monitor threshold skew 5

Setting the PTP Announce Interval

To set the interval at which an interface sends PTP announce messages, use the ptp announce interval command. The interval is measured in log seconds. This value also affects the timeout interval.

This command configures the interval between PTP announcement messages on interface ethernet 5 to 4 seconds.

switch(config)# interface ethernet 5
switch(config-if-Et5)# ptp announce interval 2
switch(config-if-Et5)#

Setting the PTP Timeout Interval

To set the timeout multiplier for an interface, use the ptp announce timeout command. The timeout multiplier is the number of announcement intervals that the interface will wait without receiving a PTP announcement before a timeout occurs; values range from 2 to 255. The default multiplier is 3, which results in a 6-second timeout interval when the announcement interval is set to the default of 2 seconds.

This command sets timeout multiplier for the interface to 5; since the announcement interval has just been set to 2 (4 seconds), this means the interface will time out if it doesn’t receive a PTP announcement for 20 seconds.

switch(config-if-Et5)# ptp announce timeout 5
switch(config-if-Et5)#

Configuring the PTP Delay Mechanism

To set the delay mechanism used in boundary-mode, use the ptp delay-mechanism command.

Example

This command sets the delay mechanism in boundary clock mode for the interface to peer-to-peer.

switch(config-if-Et5)# ptp delay-mechanism p2p
switch(config-if-Et5)#

Setting the Delay Request Interval

To set the time for the slave devices to send delay request messages, use the ptp delay-req interval command.

Example

This command sets the time the slave devices to send delay request messages to the master state to 3 for the interface.

switch(config-if-Et5)# ptp delay-request interval 3
switch(config-if-Et5)#

Page 11 of 15

End of Support

Smart System Upgrade

Upgrading the EOS image with Smart System Upgrade

Prepare the Switch for SSU

Backing Up Critical Software

Making Room on the Flash Drive

Verifying Connectivity

Verifying Configuration

Configuring BGP

Transfer the Image File for SSU

USB Memory

FTP Server

SCP

HTTP

Modify boot-config

Start the SSU Process

Verify Success of the Upgrade

Fatal Error Display

Successful Upgrade Display

Standard Upgrades and Downgrades

Upgrading or Downgrading the EOS on a Single-Supervisor Switch

Prepare the Switch for SSU

Backing Up Critical Software

Making Room on the Flash Drive

Verifying Connectivity

Verifying Configuration

Configuring BGP

Transfer the Image File

USB Memory

FTP Server

SCP

HTTP

Modify boot-config for Single-Supervisor switch

Reload

Verify the New Image for Single-Supervisor Switch

Upgrading or Downgrading the EOS on a Dual-Supervisor Switch

Prepare the Switch for Dual-Supervisor Switch

Transfer the Image File to the Primary Supervisor

USB Memory

FTP Server

SCP

HTTP

Install the New EOS Image

Verify the New Image

Upgrade/Downgrade Commands

install

reload fast-boot

reload hitless

Configuring the Source IP

Configuring the TTL for PTP Packets

Configuring PTP Monitoring

Enabling and Disabling PTP Monitoring

Configuring the Offset-from-master Threshold

Configuring the Mean-path-delay Threshold

Configuring the Skew Threshold

Setting the PTP Announce Interval

Setting the PTP Timeout Interval

Configuring the PTP Delay Mechanism

Setting the Delay Request Interval