Upgrading Cumulus Linux
The default password for the cumulus user account is cumulus
. The first time you log into Cumulus Linux, you must change this default password. Be sure to update any automation scripts before you upgrade. You can use ONIE command line options to change the default password automatically during the Cumulus Linux image installation process. Refer to ONIE Installation Options.
This topic describes how to upgrade Cumulus Linux on your switch.
Consider deploying, provisioning, configuring, and upgrading switches using automation, even with small networks or test labs. During the upgrade process, you can upgrade dozens of devices in a repeatable manner. Using tools like Ansible, Chef, or Puppet for configuration management greatly increases the speed and accuracy of the next major upgrade; these tools also enable you to quickly swap failed switch hardware.
Before You Upgrade
Be sure to read the knowledge base article Upgrades: Network Device and Linux Host Worldview Comparison, which provides a detailed comparison between the network device and Linux host worldview of upgrade and installation.
Back up Configuration Files
Understanding the location of configuration data is important for successful upgrades, migrations, and backup. As with other Linux distributions, the /etc
directory is the primary location for all configuration data in Cumulus Linux. The following list contains the files you need to back up and migrate to a new release. Make sure you examine any changed files. Make the following files and directories part of a backup strategy.
File Name and Location | Description | Cumulus Linux Documentation | Debian Documentation |
---|---|---|---|
/etc/frr/ | Routing application (responsible for BGP and OSPF) | FRRouting | N/A |
/etc/hostname | Configuration file for the hostname of the switch | Quick Start Guide | https://wiki.debian.org/HowTo/ChangeHostname |
/etc/network/ | Network configuration files, most notably /etc/network/interfaces and /etc/network/interfaces.d/ | Switch Port Attributes | N/A |
/etc/resolv.conf | DNS resolution | Not unique to Cumulus Linux: wiki.debian.org/NetworkConfiguration | https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch05.en.html |
/etc/hosts | Configuration file for the hostname of the switch | Quick Start Guide | https://wiki.debian.org/HowTo/ChangeHostname |
/etc/cumulus/acl/* | Netfilter configuration | Netfilter - ACLs | N/A |
/etc/cumulus/control-plane/policers.conf | Configuration for control plane policers | Netfilter - ACLs | N/A |
/etc/cumulus/datapath/qos/qos_features.conf | QoS configuration Note: In Cumulus Linux 5.0 and later, default ECN configuration parameters start with default_ecn_red_conf instead of default_ecn_conf . | Quality of Service | N/A |
/etc/mlx/datapath/qos/qos_infra.conf | QoS configuration | Quality of Service | N/A |
/etc/mlx/datapath/tcam_profile.conf | Configuration for the forwarding table profiles | Supported Route Table Entries | N/A |
/etc/cumulus/datapath/traffic.conf | Configuration for the forwarding table profiles | Supported Route Table Entries | N/A |
/etc/cumulus/ports.conf | Breakout cable configuration file | Switch Port Attributes | N/A; read the guide on breakout cables |
/etc/cumulus/switchd.conf | switchd configuration | Configuring switchd | N/A; read the guide on switchd configuration |
/etc/cumulus/switchd.d/qos.conf | QoS configuration | Quality of Service | N/A |
File Name and Location | Description | Cumulus Linux Documentation | Debian Documentation |
---|---|---|---|
/etc/motd | Message of the day | Not unique to Cumulus Linux | wiki.debian.org/motd |
/etc/passwd | User account information | Not unique to Cumulus Linux | https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch04.en.html |
/etc/shadow | Secure user account information | Not unique to Cumulus Linux | https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch04.en.html |
/etc/group | Defines user groups on the switch | Not unique to Cumulus Linux | https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch04.en.html |
/etc/init/lldpd.conf | Link Layer Discover Protocol (LLDP) daemon configuration | Link Layer Discovery Protocol | https://packages.debian.org/buster/lldpd |
/etc/lldpd.d/ | Configuration directory for lldpd | Link Layer Discovery Protocol | https://packages.debian.org/buster/lldpd |
/etc/nsswitch.conf | Name Service Switch (NSS) configuration file | TACACS | N/A |
/etc/ssh/ | SSH configuration files | SSH for Remote Access | https://wiki.debian.org/SSH |
/etc/sudoers , /etc/sudoers.d | Best practice is to place changes in /etc/sudoers.d/ instead of /etc/sudoers ; changes in the /etc/sudoers.d/ directory are not lost during upgrade | Using sudo to Delegate Privileges |
- If you are using the root user account, consider including
/root/
. - If you have custom user accounts, consider including
/home/<username>/
. - Run the
net show configuration files | grep -B 1 "==="
command and back up the files listed in the command output.
File Name and Location | Description |
---|---|
/etc/mlx/ | Per-platform hardware configuration directory, created on first boot. Do not copy. |
/etc/default/clagd | Created and managed by ifupdown2 . Do not copy. |
/etc/default/grub | Grub init table. Do not modify manually. |
/etc/default/hwclock | Platform hardware-specific file. Created during first boot. Do not copy. |
/etc/init | Platform initialization files. Do not copy. |
/etc/init.d/ | Platform initialization files. Do not copy. |
/etc/fstab | Static information on filesystem. Do not copy. |
/etc/image-release | System version data. Do not copy. |
/etc/os-release | System version data. Do not copy. |
/etc/lsb-release | System version data. Do not copy. |
/etc/lvm/archive | Filesystem files. Do not copy. |
/etc/lvm/backup | Filesystem files. Do not copy. |
/etc/modules | Created during first boot. Do not copy. |
/etc/modules-load.d/ | Created during first boot. Do not copy. |
/etc/sensors.d | Platform-specific sensor data. Created during first boot. Do not copy. |
/root/.ansible | Ansible tmp files. Do not copy. |
/home/cumulus/.ansible | Ansible tmp files. Do not copy. |
The following commands verify which files have changed compared to the previous Cumulus Linux install. Be sure to back up any changed files.
- Run the
sudo dpkg --verify
command to show a list of changed files. - Run the
egrep -v '^$|^#|=""$' /etc/default/isc-dhcp-*
command to see if any of the generated/etc/default/isc-*
files have changed.
Back Up and Restore Configuration with NVUE
To back up and restore the configuration on the switch with NVUE, you can either:
- Back up and restore the NVUE configuration file (available when upgrading from 4.4 and later).
- Back up and restore the NVUE configuration commands (available when upgrading from 5.0 and later).
You can back up and restore the configuration with NVUE only if you used NVUE commands to configure the switch you want to upgrade.
To back up and restore the configuration file:
Save the configuration to the
/etc/nvue.d/startup.yaml
file with thenv config save
command:cumulus@switch:~$ nv config save saved
Copy the
/etc/nvue.d/startup.yaml
file off the switch to a different location.After upgrade is complete, restore the configuration. Copy the
/etc/nvue.d/startup.yaml
file to the switch, then run thenv config apply startup
command:cumulus@switch:~$ nv config apply startup applied
To back up and restore the configuration commands:
Run the
nv config show -o commands > backup.config
command to save the commands to thebackup.config
file:cumulus@switch:~$ nv config show -o commands > backup.config
Copy the
backup.config
file off the switch to a different location.After upgrade is complete, restore the configuration. Copy the
backup.config
file to the switch, then run thesource backup.config
command to run all the commands in the file.cumulus@switch:~$ source backup.config
If the backup configuration contains an obfuscated password, you need to reconfigure the password after you run the
source backup.config
command; otherwise authentication fails.Verify the configuration on the switch, then run the
nv config save
command to save the configuration to the/etc/nvue.d/startup.yaml
file.
For information about the NVUE object model and commands, see NVIDIA User Experience - NVUE.
As NVUE supports more features and introduces new syntax, snippets and flexible snippets become invalid.
Before you upgrade Cumulus Linux to a new release, make sure to:
- Review the What's New for new NVUE syntax.
- If NVUE introduces new syntax for the feature that a snippet configures, you must remove the snippet before upgrading.
Create a cl-support File
Before and after you upgrade the switch, run the cl-support
script to create a cl-support
archive file. The file is a compressed archive of useful information for troubleshooting. If you experience any issues during upgrade, you can send this archive file to the Cumulus Linux support team to investigate.
- Create the
cl-support
archive file with thecl-support
command:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo cl-support
Copy the
cl-support
file off the switch to a different location.After upgrade is complete, run the
cl-support
command again to create a new archive file:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo cl-support
Upgrade Cumulus Linux
ONIE is an open source project (equivalent to PXE on servers) that enables the installation of network operating systems (NOS) on a bare metal switch.
You can upgrade Cumulus Linux in one of two ways:
- Install a Cumulus Linux image of the new release, using ONIE.
- Upgrade only the changed packages using the
sudo -E apt-get update
andsudo -E apt-get upgrade
command.
Cumulus Linux also provides ISSU to upgrade an active switch with minimal disruption to the network. See ISSU.
- To upgrade to Cumulus Linux 5.5.0 from Cumulus Linux 4.x or 3.x, you must install a disk image of the new release using ONIE. You cannot upgrade packages with the
apt-get upgrade
command. - Upgrading an MLAG pair requires additional steps. If you are using MLAG to dual connect two Cumulus Linux switches in your environment, follow the steps in Upgrade Switches in an MLAG Pair below to ensure a smooth upgrade.
Install a Cumulus Linux Image or Upgrade Packages?
The decision to upgrade Cumulus Linux by either installing a Cumulus Linux image or upgrading packages depends on your environment and your preferences. Here are some recommendations for each upgrade method.
Install a Cumulus Linux image if you are performing a rolling upgrade in a production environment and if you are using up-to-date and comprehensive automation scripts. This upgrade method enables you to choose the exact release to which you want to upgrade and is the only method available to upgrade your switch to a new release train (for example, from 4.4.3 to 5.5.0).
Be aware of the following when installing the Cumulus Linux image:
- Installing a Cumulus Linux image is destructive; any configuration files on the switch are not saved; copy them to a different server before you start the Cumulus Linux image install.
- You must move configuration data to the new OS using ZTP or automation while the OS is first booted, or soon afterwards using out-of-band management.
- Moving a configuration file can cause issues.
- Identifying all the locations of configuration data is not always an easy task. See Before You Upgrade Cumulus Linux above.
- Merge conflicts with configuration file changes in the new release sometimes go undetected.
- If configuration files do not restore correctly, you cannot ssh to the switch from in-band management. Use out-of-band connectivity (eth0 or console).
- You must reinstall and reconfigure third-party applications after upgrade.
Run package upgrade if you are upgrading from Cumulus Linux 5.0.0 to a later 5.x release, or if you use third-party applications (package upgrade does not replace or remove third-party applications, unlike the Cumulus Linux image install).
Be aware of the following when upgrading packages:
- You cannot upgrade the switch to a new release train. For example, you cannot upgrade the switch from 4.x to 5.x.
- You can only use package upgrade to upgrade a switch with an image install to a maximum of two releases; for example, you can package upgrade a switch running the Cumulus Linux 5.3 image to 5.4 or 5.5 (5.3 plus two releases).
- The
sudo -E apt-get upgrade
command might restart or stop services as part of the upgrade process. - The
sudo -E apt-get upgrade
command might disrupt core services by changing core service dependency packages. - After you upgrade, account UIDs and GIDs created by packages might be different on different switches, depending on the configuration and package installation history.
- Cumulus Linux does not support the
sudo -E apt-get dist-upgrade
command. Be sure to usesudo -E apt-get upgrade
when upgrading packages. - The supported upgrade path is the base image plus two. For example, if the starting image is Cumulus Linux 5.2, the latest release that package upgrade supports is Cumulus Linux 5.4 (5.2 + 2 = 5.4).
- You can check the base image with the
grep RELEASE /etc/image-release
syntax. - Occasionally, a release contains a base OS upgrade and does not support package upgrade; release notes indicate when a release does not support package upgrade.
Cumulus Linux Image Install (ONIE)
ONIE is an open source project (equivalent to PXE on servers) that enables the installation of network operating systems (NOS) on a bare metal switch.
To upgrade the switch:
Back up the configurations off the switch.
Download the Cumulus Linux image.
Install the Cumulus Linux image with the
onie-install -a -i <image-location>
command, which boots the switch into ONIE. The following example command installs the image from a web server, then reboots the switch. There are additional ways to install the Cumulus Linux image, such as using FTP, a local file, or a USB drive. For more information, see Installing a New Cumulus Linux Image.cumulus@switch:~$ sudo onie-install -a -i http://10.0.1.251/cumulus-linux-4.1.0-mlx-amd64.bin && sudo reboot
Restore the configuration files to the new release (restoring files with automation is not recommended).
Verify correct operation with the old configurations on the new release.
Reinstall third party applications and associated configurations.
Package Upgrade
- NVUE deprecated the port split command options (2x10G, 2x25G, 2x40G, 2x50G, 2x100G, 2x200G, 4x10G, 4x25G, 4x50G, 4x100G, 8x50G) available in Cumulus Linux 5.3 and earlier. If you use NVUE to configure port breakout speeds in Cumulus 5.3 or earlier, NVUE automatically updates the configuration during upgrade to Cumulus Linux 5.5 and later to use the new format (2x, 4x, 8x).
- Cumulus Linux continues to support the old port split format in the
/etc/cumulus/ports.conf
file; however NVIDIA recommends that you use the new format.
Cumulus Linux completely embraces the Linux and Debian upgrade workflow, where you use an installer to install a base image, then perform any upgrades within that release train with sudo -E apt-get update
and sudo -E apt-get upgrade
commands. Any packages that have changed after the base install get upgraded in place from the repository. All switch configuration files remain untouched, or in rare cases merged (using the Debian merge function) during the package upgrade.
When you use package upgrade to upgrade your switch, configuration data stays in place during the upgrade. If the new release updates a previously changed configuration file, the upgrade process prompts you to either specify the version you want to use or evaluate the differences.
To upgrade the switch using package upgrade:
Back up the configurations from the switch.
Fetch the latest update metadata from the repository.
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo -E apt-get update
Review potential upgrade issues (in some cases, upgrading new packages might also upgrade additional existing packages due to dependencies).
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo -E apt-get upgrade --dry-run
Upgrade all the packages to the latest distribution.
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo -E apt-get upgrade
If you do not need to reboot the switch after the upgrade completes, the upgrade ends, restarts all upgraded services, and logs messages in the
/var/log/syslog
file similar to the ones shown below. In the examples below, the process only upgrades thefrr
package.Policy: Service frr.service action stop postponed Policy: Service frr.service action start postponed Policy: Restarting services: frr.service Policy: Finished restarting services Policy: Removed /usr/sbin/policy-rc.d Policy: Upgrade is finished
If the upgrade process encounters changed configuration files that have new versions in the release to which you are upgrading, you see a message similar to this:
Configuration file '/etc/frr/daemons' ==> Modified (by you or by a script) since installation. ==> Package distributor has shipped an updated version. What would you like to do about it ? Your options are: Y or I : install the package maintainer's version N or O : keep your currently-installed version D : show the differences between the versions Z : start a shell to examine the situation The default action is to keep your current version. *** daemons (Y/I/N/O/D/Z) [default=N] ?
- To see the differences between the currently installed version and the new version, type
D
. - To keep the currently installed version, type
N
. The new package version installs with the suffix.dpkg-dist
(for example,/etc/frr/daemons.dpkg-dist
). When the upgrade completes and before you reboot, merge your changes with the changes from the newly installed file. - To install the new version, type
I
. Your currently installed version has the suffix.dpkg-old
. - Cumulus Linux includes
/etc/apt/sources.list
in thecumulus-archive-keyring
package. During upgrade, you must select if you want the new version from the package or the existing file.
When the upgrade is complete, you can search for the files with the
sudo find / -mount -type f -name '*.dpkg-*'
command.If you see errors for expired GPG keys that prevent you from upgrading packages, follow the steps in Upgrading Expired GPG Keys.
- To see the differences between the currently installed version and the new version, type
Reboot the switch if the upgrade messages indicate that you need to perform a system restart.
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo -E apt-get upgrade ... upgrade messages here ... *** Caution: Service restart prior to reboot could cause unpredictable behavior *** System reboot required *** cumulus@switch:~$ sudo reboot
Verify correct operation with the old configurations on the new version.
The first time you run the NVUE nv config apply
command after upgrading to Cumulus Linux 5.5, NVUE might override certain existing configuration for features that are now configurable with NVUE. Immediately after you reboot the switch to complete the upgrade, NVIDIA recommends you either:
- Run NVUE commands to configure these features.
- Configure NVUE to ignore changes to the relevant configuration files for these features; refer to Configure NVUE to Ignore Linux Files.
Upgrade Notes
Package upgrade always updates to the latest available release in the Cumulus Linux repository. For example, if you are currently running Cumulus Linux 5.0.0 and run the sudo -E apt-get upgrade
command on that switch, the packages upgrade to the latest releases in the latest 5.x release.
Because Cumulus Linux is a collection of different Debian Linux packages, be aware of the following:
- The
/etc/os-release
and/etc/lsb-release
files update to the currently installed Cumulus Linux release when you upgrade the switch using either package upgrade or Cumulus Linux image install. For example, if you runsudo -E apt-get upgrade
and the latest Cumulus Linux release on the repository is 5.5.0, these two files display the release as 5.5.0 after the upgrade. - The
/etc/image-release
file updates only when you run a Cumulus Linux image install. Therefore, if you run a Cumulus Linux image install of Cumulus Linux 5.0.0, followed by a package upgrade to 5.5.0 usingsudo -E apt-get upgrade
, the/etc/image-release
file continues to display Cumulus Linux 5.0.0, which is the originally installed base image.
Upgrade Switches in an MLAG Pair
If you are using MLAG to dual connect two switches in your environment, follow the steps below to upgrade the switches.
You must upgrade both switches in the MLAG pair to the same release of Cumulus Linux.
Only during the upgrade process does Cumulus Linux supports different software versions between MLAG peer switches. After you upgrade the first MLAG switch in the pair, run the clagctl showtimers
command to monitor the init-delay
timer. When the timer expires, make the upgraded MLAG switch the primary, then upgrade the peer to the same version of Cumulus Linux.
NVIDIA has not tested running different versions of Cumulus Linux on MLAG peer switches outside of the upgrade time period; you might see unexpected results.
Verify the switch is in the secondary role:
cumulus@switch:~$ nv show mlag
Shut down the core uplink layer 3 interfaces. The following example shuts down swp1:
cumulus@switch:~$ nv set interface swp1 link state down cumulus@switch:~$ nv config apply
Shut down the peer link:
cumulus@switch:~$ nv set interface peerlink link state down cumulus@switch:~$ nv config apply
To boot the switch into ONIE, run the
onie-install -a -i <image-location>
command. The following example command installs the image from a web server. There are additional ways to install the Cumulus Linux image, such as using FTP, a local file, or a USB drive. For more information, see Installing a New Cumulus Linux Image.cumulus@switch:~$ sudo onie-install -a -i http://10.0.1.251/downloads/cumulus-linux-4.1.0-mlx-amd64.bin
To upgrade the switch with package upgrade instead of booting into ONIE, run the
sudo -E apt-get update
andsudo -E apt-get upgrade
commands; see Package Upgrade.Save the changes to the NVUE configuration from steps 2-3 and reboot the switch:
cumulus@switch:~$ nv config save cumulus@switch:~$ nv action reboot system
If you installed a new image on the switch, restore the configuration files to the new release. If you performed an upgrade with
apt
, bring the uplink and peer link interfaces you shut down in steps 2-3 up:cumulus@switch:~$ nv set interface swp1 link state up cumulus@switch:~$ nv set interface peerlink link state down cumulus@switch:~$ nv config apply cumulus@switch:~$ nv config save
Verify STP convergence across both switches with the Linux
mstpctl showall
command. NVUE does not provide an equivalent command.cumulus@switch:~$ mstpctl showall
Verify core uplinks and peer links are UP:
cumulus@switch:~$ nv show interface
Verify MLAG convergence:
cumulus@switch:~$ nv show mlag
Make this secondary switch the primary:
cumulus@switch:~$ nv set mlag priority 2084
Verify the other switch is now in the secondary role.
Repeat steps 2-9 on the new secondary switch.
Remove the priority 2048 and restore the priority back to 32768 on the current primary switch:
cumulus@switch:~$ nv set mlag priority 32768
Verify the switch is in the secondary role:
cumulus@switch:~$ clagctl status
Shut down the core uplink layer 3 interfaces:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo ip link set <switch-port> down
Shut down the peer link:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo ip link set peerlink down
To boot the switch into ONIE, run the
onie-install -a -i <image-location>
command. The following example command installs the image from a web server. There are additional ways to install the Cumulus Linux image, such as using FTP, a local file, or a USB drive. For more information, see Installing a New Cumulus Linux Image.cumulus@switch:~$ sudo onie-install -a -i http://10.0.1.251/downloads/cumulus-linux-4.1.0-mlx-amd64.bin
To upgrade the switch with package upgrade instead of booting into ONIE, run the
sudo -E apt-get update
andsudo -E apt-get upgrade
commands; see Package Upgrade.Reboot the switch:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo reboot
If you installed a new image on the switch, restore the configuration files to the new release.
Verify STP convergence across both switches:
cumulus@switch:~$ mstpctl showall
Verify that core uplinks and peer links are UP:
cumulus@switch:~$ ip addr show
Verify MLAG convergence:
cumulus@switch:~$ clagctl status
Make this secondary switch the primary:
cumulus@switch:~$ clagctl priority 2048
Verify the other switch is now in the secondary role.
Repeat steps 2-9 on the new secondary switch.
Remove the priority 2048 and restore the priority back to 32768 on the current primary switch:
cumulus@switch:~$ clagctl priority 32768
Roll Back a Cumulus Linux Installation
Even the most well planned and tested upgrades can result in unforeseen problems and sometimes the best solution is to roll back to the previous state. These main strategies require detailed planning and execution:
- Flatten and rebuild. If the OS becomes unusable, you can use orchestration tools to reinstall the previous OS release from scratch and then rebuild the configuration automatically.
- Restore to a previous state using a backup configuration captured before the upgrade.
The method you employ is specific to your deployment strategy. Providing detailed steps for each scenario is outside the scope of this document.
Third Party Packages
If you install any third party applications on a Cumulus Linux switch, configuration data is typically installed in the /etc
directory, but it is not guaranteed. It is your responsibility to understand the behavior and configuration file information of any third party packages installed on the switch.
After you upgrade using a full Cumulus Linux image install, you need to reinstall any third party packages or any Cumulus Linux add-on packages.