Firmware Upgrade for devices attached to a config Template.

[ShubhamPatki]

Hello all,

I have to upgrade Firmware on the Switches in the network. The thing is all the networks are attached to a template. We plan to do a staged approach as upgrading 100+ switches at the same time won't be possible.

I believe that unbinding a network, then upgrading and then binding it back should work.

Is there a document that can confirm this? Or any other way we can do a distributed approach as I can not select the devices individually to schedule the upgrades.

TIA.

[KarstenI · Accepted solution]

Your unbind, upgrade, bind approach will not work. The target-firmware is bound to the network/template and not to the device. The moment you bind the network back to the template it will revert back to the firmware version configured for the template.

The only solution I see is splitting your setup into multiple templates or accept that the upgrade will be done for all networks at the same time (well, same time local to the network).

[ShubhamPatki]

Hello Karstenl,

Thanks for the info. I got in touch with the support and they are saying that the only workaround to achieve this without disturbing the template is to use their backdoor help. They have the ability to mark individual networks/switches to the desired version apart from the template. We will be going by that route I guess. As splitting the template for individual network kind of creates extra unnecessary confusion and complexion I think.

Thanks for your thought though. It was very helpful.

[PhilipDAth]

I haven't tried it with templates, but are you able to use the stage firmware tool for MS?

https://documentation.meraki.com/MS/Other_Topics/Staged_Firmware_Upgrades_for_Meraki_MS_Switches