[Switching Public Beta] Be the First to Experience the Cloud-native IOS XE on Meraki Dashboard!

Minyi
Meraki Employee
Meraki Employee

[Switching Public Beta] Be the First to Experience the Cloud-native IOS XE on Meraki Dashboard!

Introducing the cloud-native IOS XE on the Meraki dashboard! With this release, we are beginning an exciting transition from a container-based architecture to one based on native IOS XE with support for Meraki cloud management.  

 

This drastically simpler architecture unlocks many benefits for your cloud-managed Cisco Catalyst switches, including the C9300-M, C9300L-M, C9300X-M, and MS390 families. Some benefits include faster boot and initialization performance, especially for stacks and the start of a new generation of capabilities we will deliver with faster speed. It also introduces the ability to perform CLI show commands directly from Dashboard! 

 

Please refer to this announcement post for more details. 

 

2024-10-11_17-09-10 (1).gif

 

Share Your Feedback

We value your feedback on our latest release! Please take a moment to complete this brief 5-minute survey (https://forms.office.com/r/gHuK4bJRZ5) and share your experience with us. 

60 Replies 60
PhilipDAth
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

I am keen to try this out.

 

Is the new naming convention, IOS-XE, mean the end of the CS naming convention far into the future?

 

PhilipDAth_0-1728941756548.png

 

Minyi
Meraki Employee
Meraki Employee

Hi @PhilipDAth, how are you doing? That's correct, CS17 will be the last CS-branded firmware release, and we will be transitioning to cloud-native IOS XE moving forward. There will be a time for these two firmwares (CS and cloud-native IOS XE) to co-exist on the dashboard until the natural progression. 

PhilipDAth
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Are we expecting to lose any functionality in this change to native IOS-XE, for this release?  Or do we think all existing features will be operational?

Minyi
Meraki Employee
Meraki Employee

Great question - please review the temporary feature gaps on this overview page:  https://documentation.meraki.com/MS/Cloud-Native_IOS_XE/Cloud-Native_IOS_XE_Overview

cmr
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Kind of a big deal

When can we expect the DHCP server to work properly? i.e. with default router and domain name options possible.

WirelesslyWired
Meraki Employee
Meraki Employee

We should have the DHCP server configuration resolved soon. I will check with engineering and get back to you. 

CCIEw# 45253 / CWNE# 249 / Principal TME - Meraki Product
WirelesslyWired
Meraki Employee
Meraki Employee

Ok just checked and the fixes should be in production for the beta. If you have a chance to try it @cmr , please do and feel free to reach out to me alburger@cisco.com if you find issues. From testing we are seeing things working the way it should, but would be glad to have some field feedback. 

CCIEw# 45253 / CWNE# 249 / Principal TME - Meraki Product
cmr
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Kind of a big deal

Hi @WirelesslyWired thank you for the reply.  I have just tried setting the default gateway and domain name options in a DHCP server on a C9300L and I get the the below:

cmr_1-1730148162903.png

Hopefully it will make the next update?

PhilipDAth
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

My initial experience, I crashed and burned with this upgrade.

 

I have test trunk ports setup both with and without SGT.  It is the easiest way to restore access to a switch if you screw the SGT config up.  I normally use the SGT trunk ports.

After the switch had been offline for an hour following the upgrade, I switched across to using the trunk port without SGT.  It still required a power cycle, but then came online.  I then changed back to using the trunk ports that had SGT enabled, and everything continued to work.

 

My suggestion - don't attempt to do the upgrade if you have SGT enabled on your trunk towards the Internet.

 

 

Tools/Reboot Device no longer works.

 

The Dashboard Throughput tool does not work.

PhilipDAth_1-1728948167995.png

 

 

 

The terminal function doesn't work.  It reports an error no matter what command you try.  Even ? for help returns an "internal error".

 

 

PhilipDAth_0-1728948033646.png

 

Blink Leds does not work.

 

 

I couldn't retrieve the MAC forwarding table.

PhilipDAth_3-1728948325371.png

 

 

MRCUR
Kind of a big deal

The tools (including CLI) work for me on a migrated MS390. It seems like your migration might not be done yet or something else is going on. 

MRCUR | CMNO #12
PhilipDAth
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Kind of a big deal

I'm testing on a C9300.

cmr
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

On a C9300L with no Adaptive Policy I get different results to you:

 

Reboot switch - works

Dashboard Throughput - fail

Terminal - works, but only if everything is lower case, i.e. show and not Show

Blink LEDs - works

MAC forwarding table - works

PhilipDAth
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

Have you experienced issues with it randomly crashing (this is what prompted me to roll back)?

cmr
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Kind of a big deal

Not yet, though the longest uptime I've had was about 4hr30 as I tested the reboot switch command!  It's in my house hallway and my wife doesn't like "that awful noise", so I only have it on in the day when testing... 😬  Once I've completed more tasks I'll move it somewhere out of the way so I can leave it on for a few days. 😎

PhilipDAth
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Kind of a big deal

This is a bit confusing as well.  Does that mean the config on the switch is up to date, or it hasn't applied a change made 27 minutes ago?

 

PhilipDAth_0-1728948768309.png

 

MRCUR
Kind of a big deal

I think this should say "last fetched" once on IOS-XE. 

MRCUR | CMNO #12
cmr
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

On the new version of the switch page it now does!

cmr_0-1730147735657.png

 

PradeepK
Meraki Employee
Meraki Employee

This is such a cool feature!! Customers would love it

PhilipDAth
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Kind of a big deal

I managed to get 12 hours of run time out of the switch and then it crashed.  I have got support taking a look now.

cmr
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Kind of a big deal

So, better that a 390 then 😈

PhilipDAth
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Kind of a big deal

I'm giving up on this code train.  I only managed to keep it running 1 hour before crashing this time.

 

This code train is VERY unstable.

cmr
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Ouch!  Out of interest, what model(s) of 9300 did you try and were you using advanced features, or just the usual L2/L3 switching and routing?

PhilipDAth
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Kind of a big deal

My unit is a C9300-24UX.

 

I mostly had SGT enabled.

cmr
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

@PhilipDAth I'm guessing this is after your experience, but this was added to the release notes:

 

Known issues

  • Adaptive Policy and SGT configurations are not currently supported
PhilipDAth
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

Haha.  That is a good outcome.

 

I'm working with support at the moment to try and identify the issue further.

espenvp
Getting noticed

Had a similar experience with a c9300x-24 stack. Firmware upgrade went smooth for this stack along with 20'ish other c9300's however I had one stack "die" aprox one hour after IOS_XE boot for the first time. See timeline in the attached image. Is support/RMA the only solution to this? 🙂 

espenvp_0-1730106187526.png

 

 

-Espen
cmr
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

@espenvp what features were being used on that stack?  i.e. adaptive policy etc.

espenvp
Getting noticed

Nothing fancy...

  • named vlans / vlan groups
  • vlan profiles
    • mostly to counter the default "allowed vlan 1-1000 range"
  • multi chassis etherchannel using LACP/Aggr uplink ports

That's pretty much it, very default as its just a distribution switch. No AGP just make that clear 😉 

-Espen
cmr
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

Did your port names survive the upgrade?  I have a 9300L where the port configs remained, but the names were all lost...

espenvp
Getting noticed

No, all ports had their names overwritten with the default catalyst naming scheme "GigabitEthernet1/0/xyz, TwentyFiveGigE1/0/xyz" etc. My network is currently running C9300L-24P and C9300X-24Y models.

-Espen
cmr
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

That's exactly what I had, time to add it to the known issues list...

cmr
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

@espenvp are you using the old version of the switch page, try the new version, for me the port names that were there pre IOS-XE all return.  The power section also seems more correct (no phantom power stacking in my case) however the packet counters only seem to work with live data...

espenvp
Getting noticed

Yes, I'm using the "old" switch page and the names return using new switch page (thanks for tip), however i find the new page a bit lacking currently such as the stacking indicators don't work and the power tab is missing. The LLDP/CDP column in the ports page doesn't work either. So I'm going to stay in the "old switch page" for now 😉

-Espen
cmr
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

I agree that the new switch page needs some work, however you should find the power information under the device health tab 🙂

espenvp
Getting noticed

hahaha found it 🤣

-Espen
PhilipDAth
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

Did it work again after you power cycled it?

espenvp
Getting noticed

No, it seems bricked, stuck in rommon or thereabouts, to bad the CLI port is disabled. The local management page is available but not able to log on using "known" credentials (factory default and dashboard ones). Factory reset has been performed with no result. 

-Espen
cmr
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

How much do you get on the console port? 

 

With the C9300L I have, the console port is live for about 3 minutes at the start of the boot and does display bootloader version, 802.3bt support, stack unit number and all the MAC/serial number data. 

espenvp
Getting noticed

It seems to me that the console port stops working after the local management page becomes available.

-Espen
cmr
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

That would make good sense!

Brennan_Martin
Meraki Employee
Meraki Employee

Hey @espenvp - have you already opened a support case to have us take a look at this? If the local status page is available, the switch isn't bricked, and likely that a level 3 reset at worst will restore the device to factory settings, but please call in and let our team have a look. 

 

the local status page credentials were also recently changed, but support can help you with that as well.

Technical Leader - Meraki Product Management: Switching / ccie 50782
cmr
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

@Brennan_Martin "the local status page credentials were also recently changed".  Do you have a link to the documentation for this?

Brennan_Martin
Meraki Employee
Meraki Employee

You bet. 

MX devices running MX 19+ firmware, MS devices running MS 17+ firmware and MS390/Catalyst devices running CS 17+ firmware will use the username admin and the password will be the serial number of the device (upper case letters and dashes). 


https://documentation.meraki.com/General_Administration/Tools_and_Troubleshooting/Using_the_Cisco_Me...

 

Technical Leader - Meraki Product Management: Switching / ccie 50782
espenvp
Getting noticed

I was told by support that the local status page needs to be accessed using capital A in Admin as username and then the serial as password. Also case sensitive and normally is in all caps.
Meraki documentation says otherwise. 


-Espen
espenvp
Getting noticed

ss 2024-10-30 130743.png

-Espen
PhilipDAth
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

I couldn't get my admin page to work, and a level 3 reset did nothing in my case (on the console it reports it is doing a level 3 reset - but it doesn't actually do anything).  @espenvp I am interested in your case - as it sounds like the same thing has happened to your C9300 as happened to mine.

espenvp
Getting noticed

With a level 3 reset you mean "hold mode button for more than 21 sec" ?

 

Under "Factory Reset Button"


https://documentation.meraki.com/MS/MS_Installation_Guides/Catalyst_9300-M_Series_Installation_Guide

-Espen
PhilipDAth
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

For my bricked C9300, the Ethernet ports can not get a link light, and the stack ports no longer work.

 

Is yours the same - have the Ethernet ports completely stopped working?

espenvp
Getting noticed

Yes my switch is totally offline, there is no link seen from the upstream core switch.

-Espen
PhilipDAth
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

@espenvp that pretty much confirms it - both of our C9300s have exactly the same symptoms.

 

Meraki are working hard on this one so I am sure they are already all over it, but it you want you could mention my support case #12337148 in your support case, so they both get linked back to the same internal investigation.

PhilipDAth
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

Things got worse.  I downgraded from IOS XE 17.15.1.9 to CS17.1.3.1, and it left the C9300 dead.  None of the Ethernet ports work anymore.  No link lights.

 

Support is now arranging an RMA for me.

cmr
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

Sounds like MR31.1.5, but for switches 😬

Brennan_Martin
Meraki Employee
Meraki Employee

Hey Philip, thanks (as always) for the feedback - sorry you’re having a poor experience. Generally this beta is working pretty well, but it sounds like this switch is likely stuck in ROMMON. I’d like to make sure we’re properly investigating - would you mind sending me the case number via DM and I’ll have the team take another look?

 

Will we see you next month at CL MEL? Would love to sit down and share a bit about what we’re doing and get your thoughts.

Technical Leader - Meraki Product Management: Switching / ccie 50782
PhilipDAth
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

Done, and I plan to be at Cisco Live Melbourne.  🙂

MRCUR
Kind of a big deal

Thankfully I haven't had the issues like @PhilipDAth with a migrated MS390, but I do have a C9200L that seems to be happy never kicking off the migration. Definitely not enough info through CLI or Dashboard to tell what's going on or what's not going on. 

MRCUR | CMNO #12
WirelesslyWired
Meraki Employee
Meraki Employee

@MRCUR On the 9200L, you have claimed the switch into a network but it has not migrated correct? 

CCIEw# 45253 / CWNE# 249 / Principal TME - Meraki Product
MRCUR
Kind of a big deal

@WirelesslyWired Yes that's correct. 

MRCUR | CMNO #12
WirelesslyWired
Meraki Employee
Meraki Employee

Did you open a ticket by chance? If not, please do and forward me the ticket ID at alburger@cisco.com

 

CCIEw# 45253 / CWNE# 249 / Principal TME - Meraki Product
NetEngJH
Here to help

Nice to see a sense of humour still exists at Cisco! Worth upgrading just to press this button.

 

2024-10-15_21-36-34.png

GIdenJoe
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

Niiice 😉

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