Install or upgrade the NX-OS software

04/28/2026 Contributors

PDFs

Follow this procedure to install or upgrade the NX-OS software on the Nexus 9336C-FX2 and 9336C-FX2-T cluster switches.

Before you begin, complete the procedure in Prepare to install NX-OS and RCF.

Review requirements

Before you begin

Make sure you do the following:

Run the show install all impact nxos bootflash:<image_name>.bin command on the switch to review the impact of installing or upgrading the new NX-OS software image. It verifies the image integrity, checks for necessary reboots, evaluates hardware compatibility, and confirms sufficient space.
Review the release notes for the target NX-OS software version to check for any specific requirements.
Verify that you have a current backup of the switch configuration.
Verify that you have a fully functioning cluster (no errors in the logs or similar issues).

Install the software

Use ONTAP commands in this procedure unless a Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switch command is specified.

Steps

Connect the cluster switch to the management network.
Use the ping command to verify connectivity to the server hosting the NX-OS software and the RCF.

ping <IP address> vrf management
Show example
This example verifies that the switch can reach the server at IP address 172.19.2.1:
cs2# ping 172.19.2.1 vrf management Pinging 172.19.2.1 with 0 bytes of data: Reply From 172.19.2.1: icmp_seq = 0. time= 5910 usec.

Display the cluster ports on each node that are connected to the cluster switches:

network device-discovery show

Show example

cluster1::*> network device-discovery show
Node/       Local  Discovered
Protocol    Port   Device (LLDP: ChassisID)  Interface         Platform
----------- ------ ------------------------- ----------------- --------------
cluster1-01/cdp
            e0a    cs1                       Ethernet1/7       N9K-C9336C-FX2
            e0b    cs2                       Ethernet1/7       N9K-C9336C-FX2
cluster1-02/cdp
            e0a    cs1                       Ethernet1/8       N9K-C9336C-FX2
            e0b    cs2                       Ethernet1/8       N9K-C9336C-FX2
cluster1-03/cdp
            e0a    cs1                       Ethernet1/1/1     N9K-C9336C-FX2
            e0b    cs2                       Ethernet1/1/1     N9K-C9336C-FX2
cluster1-04/cdp
            e0a    cs1                       Ethernet1/1/2     N9K-C9336C-FX2
            e0b    cs2                       Ethernet1/1/2     N9K-C9336C-FX2
cluster1::*>

Check the administrative and operational status of each cluster port.

Verify that all the cluster ports are up with a healthy status:

network port show -ipspace Cluster

Show example

cluster1::*> network port show -ipspace Cluster

Node: cluster1-01
                                                                        Ignore
                                                  Speed(Mbps)  Health   Health
Port      IPspace      Broadcast Domain Link MTU  Admin/Oper   Status   Status
--------- ------------ ---------------- ---- ---- ------------ -------- ------
e0a       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false
e0b       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false

Node: cluster1-02
                                                                        Ignore
                                                  Speed(Mbps)  Health   Health
Port      IPspace      Broadcast Domain Link MTU  Admin/Oper   Status   Status
--------- ------------ ---------------- ---- ---- ------------ -------- ------
e0a       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false
e0b       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false

Node: cluster1-03

                                                                        Ignore
                                                  Speed(Mbps)  Health   Health
Port      IPspace      Broadcast Domain Link MTU  Admin/Oper   Status   Status
--------- ------------ ---------------- ---- ---- ------------ -------- ------
e0a       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false
e0b       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false

Node: cluster1-04
                                                                        Ignore
                                                  Speed(Mbps)  Health   Health
Port      IPspace      Broadcast Domain Link MTU  Admin/Oper   Status   Status
--------- ------------ ---------------- ---- ---- ------------ -------- ------
e0a       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false
e0b       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false
cluster1::*>

Verify that all the cluster interfaces (LIFs) are on the home port:

network interface show -vserver Cluster

Show example

cluster1::*> network interface show -vserver Cluster
            Logical            Status     Network            Current             Current Is
Vserver     Interface          Admin/Oper Address/Mask       Node                Port    Home
----------- ------------------ ---------- ------------------ ------------------- ------- ----
Cluster
            cluster1-01_clus1  up/up      169.254.3.4/23     cluster1-01         e0b     true
            cluster1-01_clus2  up/up      169.254.3.5/23     cluster1-01         e0b     true
            cluster1-02_clus1  up/up      169.254.3.8/23     cluster1-02         e0b     true
            cluster1-02_clus2  up/up      169.254.3.9/23     cluster1-02         e0b     true
            cluster1-03_clus1  up/up      169.254.1.3/23     cluster1-03         e0b     true
            cluster1-03_clus2  up/up      169.254.1.1/23     cluster1-03         e0b     true
            cluster1-04_clus1  up/up      169.254.1.6/23     cluster1-04         e0b     true
            cluster1-04_clus2  up/up      169.254.1.7/23     cluster1-04         e0b     true
cluster1::*>

Verify that the cluster displays information for both cluster switches:

system cluster-switch show -is-monitoring-enabled-operational true

Show example

cluster1::*> system cluster-switch show -is-monitoring-enabled-operational true
Switch                      Type               Address          Model
--------------------------- ------------------ ---------------- --------------
cs1                         cluster-network    10.233.205.90    N9K-C9336C-FX2
     Serial Number: FOCXXXXXXGD
      Is Monitored: true
            Reason: None
  Software Version: Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) Software, Version
                    9.3(5)
    Version Source: CDP

cs2                         cluster-network    10.233.205.91    N9K-C9336C-FX2
     Serial Number: FOCXXXXXXGS
      Is Monitored: true
            Reason: None
  Software Version: Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) Software, Version
                    9.3(5)
    Version Source: CDP
cluster1::*>

Disable auto-revert on the cluster LIFs. The cluster LIFs fail over to the partner cluster switch and remain there as you perform the upgrade procedure on the targeted switch:

network interface modify -vserver Cluster -lif * -auto-revert false
Download and install the NX-OS software and EPLD image. The steps can vary based on your current NX-OS version and the target NX-OS version.

Choose the tab that applies to your situation:
- Upgrade to 10.4(5)(M)
- Upgrade from 10.4(5)(M) or earlier to 10.5(3)(F) or later
- Upgrade from 10.5(3)(F) to a later version

Upgrade to 10.4(5)(M)

Copy the NX-OS software and EPLD images to the Nexus 9336C-FX2 switch.

copy <protocol>: bootflash: vrf management

Example

cs2# copy sftp: bootflash: vrf management
Enter source filename: /code/nxos.10.4.5.M.bin
Enter hostname for the sftp server: 172.19.2.1
Enter username: user1

Outbound-ReKey for 172.19.2.1:22
Inbound-ReKey for 172.19.2.1:22
user1@172.19.2.1's password:
sftp> progress
Progress meter enabled
sftp> get /code/nxos.10.4.5.M.bin /bootflash/nxos.10.4.5.M.bin
/code/nxos.10.4.5.M.bin  100% 1261MB   9.3MB/s   02:15
sftp> exit
Copy complete, now saving to disk (please wait)...
Copy complete.


cs2# copy sftp: bootflash: vrf management
Enter source filename: /code/n9000-epld.10.4.5.M.img
Enter hostname for the sftp server: 172.19.2.1
Enter username: user1

Outbound-ReKey for 172.19.2.1:22
Inbound-ReKey for 172.19.2.1:22
user1@172.19.2.1's password:
sftp> progress
Progress meter enabled
sftp> get /code/n9000-epld.10.4.5.M.img /bootflash/n9000-epld.10.4.5.M.img
/code/n9000-epld.10.4.5.M.img  100%  161MB   9.5MB/s   00:16
sftp> exit
Copy complete, now saving to disk (please wait)...
Copy complete.

Verify the running version of the NX-OS software:

show version

Example

cs2# show version
Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) Software
TAC support: http://www.cisco.com/tac
Copyright (C) 2002-2020, Cisco and/or its affiliates.
All rights reserved.
The copyrights to certain works contained in this software are
owned by other third parties and used and distributed under their own
licenses, such as open source.  This software is provided "as is," and unless
otherwise stated, there is no warranty, express or implied, including but not
limited to warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
Certain components of this software are licensed under
the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.0 or
GNU General Public License (GPL) version 3.0  or the GNU
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.1 or
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.0.
A copy of each such license is available at
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.php and
http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html and
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/lgpl-2.1.php and
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/library.txt.

Software
  BIOS: version 08.38
  NXOS: version 10.3(5)
  BIOS compile time:  05/29/2020
  NXOS image file is: bootflash:///nxos.10.3.5.bin
  NXOS compile time:  4/28/2020 21:00:00 [04/29/2020 02:28:31]


Hardware
  cisco Nexus9000 C9336C-FX2 Chassis
  Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2403 v2 @ 1.80GHz with 8154432 kB of memory.
  Processor Board ID FOC20291J6K

  Device name: cs2
  bootflash:   53298520 kB
Kernel uptime is 0 day(s), 0 hour(s), 3 minute(s), 42 second(s)


Last reset at 157524 usecs after Mon Nov  2 18:32:06 2020
  Reason: Reset Requested by CLI command reload
  System version: 9.3(4)
  Service:

plugin
  Core Plugin, Ethernet Plugin

Active Package(s):


cs2#

Install the NX-OS image.

Installing the image file causes it to be loaded every time the switch is rebooted.

install all nxos bootflash:<bin_file_name>

Example

cs2# install all nxos bootflash:nxos.10.4.5.M.bin

Installer will perform compatibility check first. Please wait.
Installer is forced disruptive

Verifying image bootflash:/nxos.10.4.5.M.bin for boot variable "nxos".
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Verifying image type.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Preparing "nxos" version info using image bootflash:/nxos.10.4.5.M.bin.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Preparing "bios" version info using image bootflash:/nxos.10.4.5.M.bin.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Performing module support checks.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Notifying services about system upgrade.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS


Compatibility check is done:
Module  Bootable  Impact          Install-type  Reason
------  --------  --------------- ------------  ---------
  1     yes       Disruptive      Reset         Default upgrade is not hitless


Images will be upgraded according to following table:

Module   Image    Running-Version(pri:alt)                 New-Version         Upg-Required
------- --------- ---------------------------------------- ------------------- ------------
  1      nxos     10.3(5)                                   10.4.5(M)              yes
  1      bios     v08.37(01/28/2020):v08.23(09/23/2015)    v08.38(05/29/2020)      yes


Switch will be reloaded for disruptive upgrade.

Do you want to continue with the installation (y/n)? [n] y

Install is in progress, please wait.

Performing runtime checks.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Setting boot variables.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Performing configuration copy.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Module 1: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Finishing the upgrade, switch will reboot in 10 seconds.

Verify the new version of NX-OS software after the switch has rebooted:

show version

Example

cs2# show version

Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) Software
TAC support: http://www.cisco.com/tac
Copyright (C) 2002-2020, Cisco and/or its affiliates.
All rights reserved.
The copyrights to certain works contained in this software are
owned by other third parties and used and distributed under their own
licenses, such as open source.  This software is provided "as is," and unless
otherwise stated, there is no warranty, express or implied, including but not
limited to warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
Certain components of this software are licensed under
the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.0 or
GNU General Public License (GPL) version 3.0  or the GNU
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.1 or
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.0.
A copy of each such license is available at
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.php and
http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html and
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/lgpl-2.1.php and
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/library.txt.

Software
  BIOS: version 05.33
  NXOS: version 10.4.5(M)  BIOS compile time:  09/08/2018
  NXOS image file is: bootflash:///nxos.10.4.5.M.bin
  NXOS compile time:  11/4/2018 21:00:00 [11/05/2018 06:11:06]


Hardware
  cisco Nexus9000 C9336C-FX2 Chassis
  Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2403 v2 @ 1.80GHz with 8154432 kB of memory.
  Processor Board ID FOC20291J6K

  Device name: cs2
  bootflash:   53298520 kB
Kernel uptime is 0 day(s), 0 hour(s), 3 minute(s), 42 second(s)

Last reset at 277524 usecs after Mon Nov  2 22:45:12 2020
  Reason: Reset due to upgrade
  System version: 10.4.5(M)
  Service:

plugin
  Core Plugin, Ethernet Plugin

Active Package(s):

Upgrade the EPLD image and reboot the switch.

show version module 1 epld

install epld bootflash:<image_file_name> module all

Example

cs2# show version module 1 epld

EPLD Device                     Version
---------------------------------------
MI   FPGA                        0x7
IO   FPGA                        0x17
MI   FPGA2                       0x2
GEM  FPGA                        0x2
GEM  FPGA                        0x2
GEM  FPGA                        0x2
GEM  FPGA                        0x2

cs2# install epld bootflash:n9000-epld.10.4.5.M.img module all
Compatibility check:
Module  Type      Upgradable        Impact      Reason
------  --------- ----------------- ----------- -----------
     1  SUP       Yes               disruptive  Module Upgradable

Retrieving EPLD versions.... Please wait.
Images will be upgraded according to following table:
Module  Type   EPLD              Running-Version   New-Version  Upg-Required
------- ------ ----------------- ----------------- ------------ ------------
     1  SUP    MI FPGA           0x07              0x07         No
     1  SUP    IO FPGA           0x17              0x19         Yes
     1  SUP    MI FPGA2          0x02              0x02         No
The above modules require upgrade.
The switch will be reloaded at the end of the upgrade
Do you want to continue (y/n) ?  [n] y

Proceeding to upgrade Modules.

Starting Module 1 EPLD Upgrade

Module 1 : IO FPGA [Programming] : 100.00% (     64 of      64 sectors)
Module 1 EPLD upgrade is successful.
Module   Type  Upgrade-Result
-------- ----- --------------
     1   SUP   Success

EPLDs upgraded.

Module 1 EPLD upgrade is successful.

After the switch reboot, log in again and verify that the new version of EPLD loaded successfully.

show version module 1 epld

Example

cs2# show version module 1 epld

EPLD Device                     Version
---- -------------------------- -------
MI   FPGA                        0x7
IO   FPGA                        0x19
MI   FPGA2                       0x2
GEM  FPGA                        0x2
GEM  FPGA                        0x2
GEM  FPGA                        0x2
GEM  FPGA                        0x2

Upgrade from 10.4(5)(M) or earlier to 10.5(3)(F) or later

Copy the NX-OS software and EPLD image to the Nexus 9336C-FX2 switch.

copy <protocol>: bootflash: vrf management

Example

cs2# copy sftp: bootflash: vrf management
Enter source filename: /code/nxos.10.5.3.F.bin
Enter hostname for the sftp server: 172.19.2.1
Enter username: user1

Outbound-ReKey for 172.19.2.1:22
Inbound-ReKey for 172.19.2.1:22
user1@172.19.2.1's password:
sftp> progress
Progress meter enabled
sftp> get /code/nxos.10.5.3.F.bin /bootflash/nxos.10.5.3.F.bin
/code/nxos.10.5.3.F.bin  100% 1261MB   9.3MB/s   02:15
sftp> exit
Copy complete, now saving to disk (please wait)...
Copy complete.


cs2# copy sftp: bootflash: vrf management
Enter source filename: /code/n9000-epld.10.5.3.F.img
Enter hostname for the sftp server: 172.19.2.1
Enter username: user1

Outbound-ReKey for 172.19.2.1:22
Inbound-ReKey for 172.19.2.1:22
user1@172.19.2.1's password:
sftp> progress
Progress meter enabled
sftp> get /code/n9000-epld.10.5.3.F.img /bootflash/n9000-epld.10.5.3.F.img
/code/n9000-epld.10.5.3.F.img  100%  161MB   9.5MB/s   00:16
sftp> exit
Copy complete, now saving to disk (please wait)...
Copy complete.

Verify the running version of the NX-OS software:

show version

Example

cs2# show version
Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) Software
TAC support: http://www.cisco.com/tac
Copyright (C) 2002-2020, Cisco and/or its affiliates.
All rights reserved.
The copyrights to certain works contained in this software are
owned by other third parties and used and distributed under their own
licenses, such as open source.  This software is provided "as is," and unless
otherwise stated, there is no warranty, express or implied, including but not
limited to warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
Certain components of this software are licensed under
the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.0 or
GNU General Public License (GPL) version 3.0  or the GNU
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.1 or
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.0.
A copy of each such license is available at
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.php and
http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html and
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/lgpl-2.1.php and
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/library.txt.

Software
  BIOS: version 08.38
  NXOS: version 10.5.3(F)
  BIOS compile time:  05/29/2020
  NXOS image file is: bootflash:///nxos.10.5.3.F.bin
  NXOS compile time:  4/28/2020 21:00:00 [04/29/2020 02:28:31]


Hardware
  cisco Nexus9000 C9336C-FX2 Chassis
  Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2403 v2 @ 1.80GHz with 8154432 kB of memory.
  Processor Board ID FOC20291J6K

  Device name: cs2
  bootflash:   53298520 kB
Kernel uptime is 0 day(s), 0 hour(s), 3 minute(s), 42 second(s)


Last reset at 157524 usecs after Mon Nov  2 18:32:06 2020
  Reason: Reset Requested by CLI command reload
  System version: 9.3(4)
  Service:

plugin
  Core Plugin, Ethernet Plugin

Active Package(s):

cs2#

Install the NX-OS and EPLD images.

The EPLD image is not automatically updated when you upgrade to NX-OS 10.5(3)(F) and later. After your upgrade completes and the switch reboots, you must run the same upgrade install all command again.

The second upgrade pass verifies, but skips the NX-OS upgrade; only the EPLD image is updated.
When you have already upgraded to NX-OS 10.5(3)(F) and later, both images are updated at the same time.

Installing the image file causes it to be loaded every time the switch is rebooted.

The following step shows an upgrade from NX-OS 10.4(5)(M) to 10.5(3)(F). The first pass performs the NX-OS upgrade and the second pass performs the EPLD image upgrade.

install all nxos bootflash:<nxos_image.bin>

Example

cs2# install all nxos bootflash:nxos.10.5.3.F.bin   <---- 1st pass updates NX-OS only

Installer will perform compatibility check first. Please wait.
Installer is forced disruptive

Verifying image bootflash:/nxos.10.5.3.F.bin for boot variable "nxos".
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Verifying image type.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Preparing "nxos" version info using image bootflash:/nxos.10.5.3.F.bin.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Preparing "bios" version info using image bootflash:/nxos.10.5.3.F.bin.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Performing module support checks.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Notifying services about system upgrade.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS


Compatibility check is done:
Module  Bootable  Impact          Install-type  Reason
------  --------  --------------- ------------  ---------
1       yes       Disruptive      Reset         Default upgrade is not hitless


Images will be upgraded according to following table:

Module   Image    Running-Version(pri:alt)                 New-Version          Upg-Required
------- --------- ---------------------------------------- -------------------- ------------ 
1        nxos     10.4(5)(M)                                10.5(3)(F)            yes
1        bios     v05.47(04/28/2022):v05.47(04/28/2022)    v05.53(01/22/2025)     yes

Switch will be reloaded for disruptive upgrade.

Do you want to continue with the installation (y/n)? [n] y

Install is in progress, please wait.

Performing runtime checks.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Setting boot variables.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Performing configuration copy.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Module 1: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Finishing the upgrade, switch will reboot in 10 seconds.


cs2# install all nxos bootflash:nxos.10.5.3.F.bin   <---- 2nd pass updates EPLD image only
 
Installer will perform compatibility check first. Please wait. 
Installer is forced disruptive
 
Verifying image bootflash:/nxos.10.5.3.F.bin for boot variable "nxos".
[] 100% -- SUCCESS
 
Verifying EPLD/FPGA image //bootflash/nxos.10.5.3.F.bin.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS
 
Verifying image type.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS
 
Preparing "nxos" version info using image bootflash:/nxos.10.5.3.F.bin.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS
 
Preparing "bios" version info using image bootflash:/nxos.10.5.3.F.bin.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Performing module support checks.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS
 
Notifying services about system upgrade.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS
 

Compatibility check is done:
Module  bootable  Impact          Install-type  Reason
------  --------  --------------  ------------  ------
1       yes       disruptive      reset         default upgrade is not hitless
27      yes       disruptive      none          default upgrade is not hitless
 
 
Images will be upgraded according to following table:
Module    Image                  Running-Version(pri:alt)              New-Version         Upg-Required
--------  ---------------------  ------------------------------------- -----------------  ------------
27        nxos                   10.4(5)(M)                            10.5(3)(F)             no
27        bios                   v05.53(01/22/2025):v05.47(04/28/2022) v05.53(01/22/2025)    no
 
 
FPGA microcode will be upgraded according to following table:
Module  Type  EPLD               Running-Version  Flashed-Version*   New-Version  Upg-Required
------  ----  -----------------  ---------------  ----------------   -----------  ------------
27      SUP   MI FPGA            0x5              0x5                0x5          No
27      SUP   IO FPGA            0x17             0x17               0x18         Yes

If Running-Version and Flashed-Version are different it implies that the system has not yet been reloaded for the new version to take effect.
 
EPLD Upgrade may result in multiple modules going offline.
 
 
Switch will be reloaded for disruptive upgrade.
 
Do you want to continue with the installation (y/n)?  [n] y
 
Install is in progress, please wait.

Setting boot variables.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS
 
Performing configuration copy.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS
Performing configuration copy.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS
 
Module 1: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.

Module 1: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS
 
Module 27: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.

Module 27: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS
 
EPLD/FPGA upgrade can take up to 4 mins.

Performing EPLD/FPGA upgrade.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS
 
Install has been successful.

Verify the new version of NX-OS software after the switch has rebooted:

show version

Example

cs2# show version
Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) Software
TAC support: http://www.cisco.com/tac
Copyright (C) 2002-2020, Cisco and/or its affiliates.
All rights reserved.
The copyrights to certain works contained in this software are
owned by other third parties and used and distributed under their own
licenses, such as open source.  This software is provided "as is," and unless
otherwise stated, there is no warranty, express or implied, including but not
limited to warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
Certain components of this software are licensed under
the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.0 or
GNU General Public License (GPL) version 3.0  or the GNU
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.1 or
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.0.
A copy of each such license is available at
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.php and
http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html and
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/lgpl-2.1.php and
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/library.txt.

Software
  BIOS: version 05.33
  NXOS: version 10.5.3(f)
  BIOS compile time:  09/08/2018
  NXOS image file is: bootflash:///nxos.10.5.3.F.bin
  NXOS compile time:  11/4/2018 21:00:00 [11/05/2018 06:11:06]


Hardware
  cisco Nexus9000 C9336C-FX2 Chassis
  Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2403 v2 @ 1.80GHz with 8154432 kB of memory.
  Processor Board ID FOC20291J6K

  Device name: cs2
  bootflash:   53298520 kB
Kernel uptime is 0 day(s), 0 hour(s), 3 minute(s), 42 second(s)

Last reset at 277524 usecs after Mon Nov  2 22:45:12 2020
  Reason: Reset due to upgrade
  System version: 9.3(4)
  Service:

plugin
  Core Plugin, Ethernet Plugin

Active Package(s):

After the switch reboot, log in again and verify that the new version of EPLD loaded successfully.

show version module 1 epld

Example

cs2# show version module 1 epld

EPLD Device                     Version
---------------------------------------
MI   FPGA                        0x7
IO   FPGA                        0x19
MI   FPGA2                       0x2
GEM  FPGA                        0x2
GEM  FPGA                        0x2
GEM  FPGA                        0x2
GEM  FPGA                        0x2

Upgrade from 10.5(3)(F) to a later version

Copy the NX-OS and EPLD image to the first switch.

copy <protocol>: bootflash: vrf management

The example uses sftp.

Example

cs2# copy sftp: bootflash: vrf management
Enter source filename: nxos64-cs.10.5.4.M.bin
Enter hostname for the sftp server: 172.19.2.1
Enter username: user1

Outbound-ReKey for 172.19.2.1:22
Inbound-ReKey for 172.19.2.1:22
user1@172.19.2.1's password:
sftp> progress
Progress meter enabled
sftp> get /code/nxos64-cs.10.5.4.M.bin /bootflash/nxos64-cs.10.5.4.M.bin
/code/nxos64-cs.10.5.4.M.bin  100% 1261MB   9.3MB/s   02:15
sftp> exit
Copy complete, now saving to disk (please wait)...
Copy complete.

Verify the running version of NX-OS:

show version

Example

cs2# show version
Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) Software
TAC support: http://www.cisco.com/tac
Copyright (C) 2002-2025, Cisco and/or its affiliates.
All rights reserved.
The copyrights to certain works contained in this software are
owned by other third parties and used and distributed under their own
licenses, such as open source.  This software is provided "as is," and unless
otherwise stated, there is no warranty, express or implied, including but not
limited to warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
Certain components of this software are licensed under
the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.0 or
GNU General Public License (GPL) version 3.0  or the GNU
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.1 or
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.0.
A copy of each such license is available at
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.php and
http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html and
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/lgpl-2.1.php and
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/library.txt.


Software
  BIOS: version 01.14
  NXOS: version 10.5(3)(F) [Feature Release]
  Host NXOS: version 10.5(3)(F)
  BIOS compile time:  11/25/2024
  NXOS image file is: bootflash:///nxos.10.5.3.F.bin
  NXOS compile time:  02/27/2026 12:00:00 [03/14/2026 05:25:50]
  NXOS boot mode: LXC


Hardware
  cisco  Nexus9000 C9336C-FX2 Chassis
  Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU D-1633N @ 2.50GHz with 32802156 kB of memory.
  Processor Board ID FLMXXXXXXXX
  Device name: cs2
  bootflash:  115802886 kB


Kernel uptime is 5 day(s), 2 hour(s), 13 minute(s), 21 second(s)


Last reset at 3580 usecs after Thu Mar 5 15:55:08 2026
  Reason: Reset Requested by CLI command reload
  System version: 10.5.3(f)
  Service:


plugin
  Core Plugin, Ethernet Plugin


Active Package(s):

cs2#

Install the NX-OS and EPLD image.

Installing the image file causes it to be loaded every time the switch is rebooted.

install all nxos bootflash:<nxos_image.bin>

The example uses NX-OS version 10.5(4)(M).

Example

cs2# install all nxos bootflash:nxos64-cs.10.5.4.M.bin

Installer will perform compatibility check first. Please wait.
Installer is forced disruptive

Verifying image bootflash:/nxos64-cs.10.5.4.M.bin for boot variable "nxos".
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Verifying image type.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Preparing "nxos" version info using image bootflash:/nxos64-cs.10.5.4.M.bin.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Preparing "bios" version info using image bootflash:/nxos64-cs.10.5.4.M.bin.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Performing module support checks.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Notifying services about system upgrade.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS


Compatibility check is done:
Module  Bootable  Impact          Install-type  Reason
------  --------  --------------- ------------  ---------
  1     yes       Disruptive      Reset         Default upgrade is not hitless


Images will be upgraded according to following table:

Module   Image    Running-Version(pri:alt)            New-Version         Upg-Required
------- --------- ----------------------------------- ------------------- ------------
  1      nxos     10.5(3)(F)                          10.5(4)(M)          Yes
  1      bios     <current_version>                   <new_version>       No


Switch will be reloaded for disruptive upgrade.

Do you want to continue with the installation (y/n)? [n] y

Install is in progress, please wait.

Performing runtime checks.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Setting boot variables.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Performing configuration copy.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Module 1: Refreshing compact flash and upgrading bios/loader/bootrom.
Warning: please do not remove or power off the module at this time.
[] 100% -- SUCCESS

Finishing the upgrade, switch will reboot in 10 seconds.

Verify the new version of NX-OS after the switch has rebooted:

show version

Example

cs2# show version
Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) Software
TAC support: http://www.cisco.com/tac
Copyright (C) 2002-2025, Cisco and/or its affiliates.
All rights reserved.
The copyrights to certain works contained in this software are
owned by other third parties and used and distributed under their own
licenses, such as open source.  This software is provided "as is," and unless
otherwise stated, there is no warranty, express or implied, including but not
limited to warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
Certain components of this software are licensed under
the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.0 or
GNU General Public License (GPL) version 3.0  or the GNU
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.1 or
Lesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.0.
A copy of each such license is available at
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.php and
http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html and
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/lgpl-2.1.php and
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/library.txt.


Software
  BIOS: version 01.14
  NXOS: version 10.5(4)(M) [Feature Release]
  Host NXOS: version 10.5(4)(M)
  BIOS compile time:  11/25/2024
  NXOS image file is: bootflash:///nxos64-cs.10.5.4.M.bin
  NXOS compile time:  05/30/2026 12:00:00 [06/14/2026 05:25:50]
  NXOS boot mode: LXC


Hardware
  cisco Nexus9000 C9336C-FX2 Chassis
  Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU D-1633N @ 2.50GHz with 32802156 kB of memory.
  Processor Board ID FLMXXXXXXXX
  Device name: cs2
  bootflash:  115802886 kB


Kernel uptime is 5 day(s), 2 hour(s), 13 minute(s), 21 second(s)


Last reset at 3580 usecs after Thu Jun 5 15:55:08 2026
  Reason: Reset Requested by CLI command reload
  System version: 10.5(4)(M)
  Service:


plugin
  Core Plugin, Ethernet Plugin


Active Package(s):

Verify that the new version of EPLD loaded successfully:

show install epld status

The example uses EPLD version 10.5(4)(M).

Example

cs2# show install epld status

1) Module 2 upgraded on Mon May  4 09:17:08 2026 (631239  us)
EPLD Install Image: EPLD image file 10.5.4.M. built on Fri Apr 24 19:49:50 2026

Status: EPLD Upgrade was Successful

EPLD                             Curr Ver       Old Ver
-------------------------------------------------------
MI FPGA                         0x10014         0x1000b
IO FPGA                         0x10033         0x10006

2) Module 27 upgraded on Wed Apr  1 15:03:13 2026 (193093  us)
EPLD Install Image: EPLD image file 10.5.4.M. built on Mon Mar 16 03:28:47 2026

Status: EPLD Upgrade was Successful

EPLD                            Curr Ver        Old Ver
-------------------------------------------------------
IO FPGA                         0x1002d         0x10020

3) Module 28 upgraded on Wed Apr  1 14:59:53 2026 (843907  us)
EPLD Install Image: EPLD image file 10.5.4.M. built on Mon Mar 16 03:28:47 2026

Status: EPLD Upgrade was Successful

EPLD                            Curr Ver        Old Ver
-------------------------------------------------------
IO FPGA                         0x1002d         0x10020

4) Module 27 upgraded on Fri Mar 27 21:55:55 2026 (132290  us)
EPLD Install Image: EPLD image file 10.5.4.M. built on Fri Dec 12 11:15:18 2025

Status: EPLD Upgrade was Successful

EPLD                            Curr Ver        Old Ver
-------------------------------------------------------
FM-19 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-20 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-21 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-22 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-23 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-24 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-25 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-26 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000

5) Module 27 upgraded on Fri Mar 27 21:50:16 2026 (  4899  us)
EPLD Install Image: EPLD image file 10.5.4.M. built on Fri Dec 12 11:15:18 2025

Status: EPLD Upgrade was Successful

EPLD                            Curr Ver        Old Ver
-------------------------------------------------------
FM-19 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-20 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-21 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-22 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-23 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-24 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-25 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-26 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000

6) Module 27 upgraded on Fri Mar 27 21:44:36 2026 (775397  us)
EPLD Install Image: EPLD image file 10.5.4.M. built on Fri Dec 12 11:15:18 2025

Status: EPLD Upgrade was Successful

EPLD                            Curr Ver        Old Ver
-------------------------------------------------------
FM-19 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-20 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-21 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-22 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-23 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-24 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-25 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-26 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000

7) Module 27 upgraded on Fri Mar 27 21:38:58 2026 (330582  us)
EPLD Install Image: EPLD image file 10.5.4.M. built on Fri Dec 12 11:15:18 2025

Status: EPLD Upgrade was Successful

EPLD                            Curr Ver        Old Ver
-------------------------------------------------------
FM-19 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-20 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-21 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-22 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-23 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-24 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-25 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-26 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000

8) Module 27 upgraded on Fri Mar 27 21:33:19 2026 (112679  us)
EPLD Install Image: EPLD image file 10.5.4.M. built on Fri Dec 12 11:15:18 2025

Status: EPLD Upgrade was Successful

EPLD                            Curr Ver        Old Ver
-------------------------------------------------------
FM-19 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-20 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-21 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-22 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-23 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-24 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-25 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-26 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000

9) Module 27 upgraded on Fri Mar 27 21:27:41 2026 (957182  us)
EPLD Install Image: EPLD image file 10.5.4.M. built on Fri Dec 12 11:15:18 2025

Status: EPLD Upgrade was Successful

EPLD                            Curr Ver        Old Ver
-------------------------------------------------------
FM-19 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-20 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-21 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-22 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-23 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-24 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-25 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-26 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000

10) Module 27 upgraded on Fri Mar 27 21:22:03 2026 ( 90303  us)
EPLD Install Image: EPLD image file 10.5.4.M. built on Fri Dec 12 11:15:18 2025

Status: EPLD Upgrade was Successful

EPLD                            Curr Ver        Old Ver
-------------------------------------------------------
FM-19 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-20 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-21 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-22 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-23 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-24 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-25 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000
FM-26 FPGA                      0x10006         0x10000

11) Module 1 upgraded on Fri Mar 27 21:16:24 2026 (240369  us)
EPLD Install Image: EPLD image file 10.5.4.M. built on Fri Dec 12 11:15:18 2025

Status: EPLD Upgrade was Successful

EPLD                            Curr Ver        Old Ver
-------------------------------------------------------
MI FPGA                         0x10014         0x1000b
IO FPGA                         0x10033         0x10006

Verify the health of cluster ports on the cluster.

Verify that cluster ports are up and healthy across all nodes in the cluster:

network port show -ipspace Cluster

Show example

cluster1::*> network port show -ipspace Cluster

Node: cluster1-01
                                                                        Ignore
                                                  Speed(Mbps)  Health   Health
Port      IPspace      Broadcast Domain Link MTU  Admin/Oper   Status   Status
--------- ------------ ---------------- ---- ---- ------------ -------- ------
e0a       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false
e0b       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false

Node: cluster1-02
                                                                        Ignore
                                                  Speed(Mbps)  Health   Health
Port      IPspace      Broadcast Domain Link MTU  Admin/Oper   Status   Status
--------- ------------ ---------------- ---- ---- ------------ -------- ------
e0a       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false
e0b       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false

Node: cluster1-03
                                                                        Ignore
                                                  Speed(Mbps)  Health   Health
Port      IPspace      Broadcast Domain Link MTU  Admin/Oper   Status   Status
--------- ------------ ---------------- ---- ---- ------------ -------- ------
e0a       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false
e0b       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy  false

Node: cluster1-04
                                                                       Ignore
                                                  Speed(Mbps) Health   Health
Port      IPspace      Broadcast Domain Link MTU  Admin/Oper  Status   Status
--------- ------------ ---------------- ---- ---- ----------- -------- ------
e0a       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy false
e0b       Cluster      Cluster          up   9000  auto/100000 healthy false

Verify the switch health from the cluster.

network device-discovery show -protocol cdp

Show example

cluster1::*> network device-discovery show -protocol cdp
Node/       Local  Discovered
Protocol    Port   Device (LLDP: ChassisID)  Interface         Platform
----------- ------ ------------------------- ----------------- --------------
cluster1-01/cdp
            e0a    cs1                       Ethernet1/7       N9K-C9336C-FX2
            e0b    cs2                       Ethernet1/7       N9K-C9336C-FX2
cluster01-2/cdp
            e0a    cs1                       Ethernet1/8       N9K-C9336C-FX2
            e0b    cs2                       Ethernet1/8       N9K-C9336C-FX2
cluster01-3/cdp
            e0a    cs1                       Ethernet1/1/1     N9K-C9336C-FX2
            e0b    cs2                       Ethernet1/1/1     N9K-C9336C-FX2
cluster1-04/cdp
            e0a    cs1                       Ethernet1/1/2     N9K-C9336C-FX2
            e0b    cs2                       Ethernet1/1/2     N9K-C9336C-FX2

cluster1::*> system cluster-switch show -is-monitoring-enabled-operational true
Switch                      Type               Address          Model
--------------------------- ------------------ ---------------- --------------
cs1                         cluster-network    10.233.205.90    N9K-C9336C-FX2
     Serial Number: FOCXXXXXXGD
      Is Monitored: true
            Reason: None
  Software Version: Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) Software, Version
                    9.3(5)
    Version Source: CDP

cs2                         cluster-network    10.233.205.91    N9K-C9336C-FX2
     Serial Number: FOCXXXXXXGS
      Is Monitored: true
            Reason: None
  Software Version: Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) Software, Version
                    9.3(5)
    Version Source: CDP

2 entries were displayed.

You might observe the following output on the cs1 switch console depending on the RCF version previously loaded on the switch:

2020 Nov 17 16:07:18 cs1 %$ VDC-1 %$ %STP-2-UNBLOCK_CONSIST_PORT: Unblocking port port-channel1 on VLAN0092. Port consistency restored.
2020 Nov 17 16:07:23 cs1 %$ VDC-1 %$ %STP-2-BLOCK_PVID_PEER: Blocking port-channel1 on VLAN0001. Inconsistent peer vlan.
2020 Nov 17 16:07:23 cs1 %$ VDC-1 %$ %STP-2-BLOCK_PVID_LOCAL: Blocking port-channel1 on VLAN0092. Inconsistent local vlan.

Verify that the cluster is healthy:

cluster show

Show example

cluster1::*> cluster show
Node                 Health   Eligibility   Epsilon
-------------------- -------- ------------- -------
cluster1-01          true     true          false
cluster1-02          true     true          false
cluster1-03          true     true          true
cluster1-04          true     true          false
4 entries were displayed.
cluster1::*>

Repeat steps 6 to 8 to install the NX-OS software on switch cs1.
Verify the connectivity of the remote cluster interfaces before enabling auto-revert on the cluster LIFs:

ONTAP 9.9.1 and later

You can use the network interface check cluster-connectivity command to start an accessibility check for cluster connectivity and then display the details:

network interface check cluster-connectivity start and network interface check cluster-connectivity show

cluster1::*> network interface check cluster-connectivity start

NOTE: Wait for a number of seconds before running the show command to display the details.

cluster1::*> network interface check cluster-connectivity show
                                  Source               Destination         Packet
Node   Date                       LIF                  LIF                 Loss
------ -------------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -----------
cluster1-01
       3/5/2022 19:21:18 -06:00   cluster1-01_clus2    cluster1-02-clus1   none
       3/5/2022 19:21:20 -06:00   cluster1-01_clus2    cluster1-02_clus2   none
cluster1-02
       3/5/2022 19:21:18 -06:00   cluster1-02_clus2    cluster1-01_clus1   none
       3/5/2022 19:21:20 -06:00   cluster1-02_clus2    cluster1-01_clus2   none

All ONTAP releases

For all ONTAP releases, you can also use the cluster ping-cluster -node <name> command to check the connectivity:

cluster ping-cluster -node <name>

cluster1::*> cluster ping-cluster -node local
Host is cluster1-02
Getting addresses from network interface table...
Cluster cluster1-01_clus1 169.254.209.69 cluster1-01     e0a
Cluster cluster1-01_clus2 169.254.49.125 cluster1-01     e0b
Cluster cluster1-02_clus1 169.254.47.194 cluster1-02     e0a
Cluster cluster1-02_clus2 169.254.19.183 cluster1-02     e0b
Local = 169.254.47.194 169.254.19.183
Remote = 169.254.209.69 169.254.49.125
Cluster Vserver Id = 4294967293
Ping status:

Basic connectivity succeeds on 4 path(s)
Basic connectivity fails on 0 path(s)

Detected 9000 byte MTU on 4 path(s):
    Local 169.254.19.183 to Remote 169.254.209.69
    Local 169.254.19.183 to Remote 169.254.49.125
    Local 169.254.47.194 to Remote 169.254.209.69
    Local 169.254.47.194 to Remote 169.254.49.125
Larger than PMTU communication succeeds on 4 path(s)
RPC status:
2 paths up, 0 paths down (tcp check)
2 paths up, 0 paths down (udp check)

Enable auto-revert on the cluster LIFs.

network interface modify -vserver Cluster -lif * -auto-revert true

Verify that the cluster LIFs have reverted to their home port:

network interface show -vserver Cluster

Show example

cluster1::*> network interface show -vserver Cluster
            Logical            Status     Network            Current             Current Is
Vserver     Interface          Admin/Oper Address/Mask       Node                Port    Home
----------- ------------------ ---------- ------------------ ------------------- ------- ----
Cluster
            cluster1-01_clus1  up/up      169.254.3.4/23     cluster1-01         e0b     true
            cluster1-01_clus2  up/up      169.254.3.5/23     cluster1-01         e0b     true
            cluster1-02_clus1  up/up      169.254.3.8/23     cluster1-02         e0b     true
            cluster1-02_clus2  up/up      169.254.3.9/23     cluster1-02         e0b     true
            cluster1-03_clus1  up/up      169.254.1.3/23     cluster1-03         e0b     true
            cluster1-03_clus2  up/up      169.254.1.1/23     cluster1-03         e0b     true
            cluster1-04_clus1  up/up      169.254.1.6/23     cluster1-04         e0b     true
            cluster1-04_clus2  up/up      169.254.1.7/23     cluster1-04         e0b     true
cluster1::*>

If cluster LIFs have not returned to their home ports, manually revert them from the local node:

network interface revert -vserver Cluster -lif <lif_name>

What's next?

After you've installed or upgraded the NX-OS software, you can install or upgrade the Reference Configuration File (RCF).

Install or upgrade the NX-OS software

Creating your file...

Review requirements

Install the software