Upgrading IOS-XE on a Cisco ISR 4400

Just got in a new Cisco ISR 4431 and needed to upgrade IOS-XE out of the box. Cisco has been nice enough to include a 1Gb USB flash drive with their new ISRs, making the software upgrade process a cinch. Here are the steps involved to install a new version of IOS-XE via USB drive.

• Download your chosen version of IOS-XE from cisco.com. Keep in mind there are often may different trains and revisions of code available.
  • To help you decide which version of code is right for you, there’s the cisco IOS feature navigator found here.
  • To help differentiate the different designations of code, i.e., MD, ED, GD, take a look here.
  • Typically I opt for a gold star release, which are cisco recommended releases “based on software quality, stability and longevity.”

• Copy the downloaded image to your USB drive and insert it into the ISR

• Copy the IOS-XE image from the usb to the ISR’s bootflash
  • copy usb0: bootflash:

• Enter global configuration mode and set the ISR to boot from the new image
  • conf t
  • boot system flash bootflash:isr4400-universalk9.03.13.05.S.154-3.S5-ext.SPA.bin
• Verify the correct boot system parameters
  • show run | include boot
• Save your configuration
  • copy running-config startup-config
• Reload the ISR
  • reload

• When the device finishes reloading, verify that the device is running the correct version of IOS-XE
  • show version

This type of software installation is referred to as a consolidated package. Cisco also supports the installation of individual packages from an IOS-XE image. To see Cisco’s full documentation for software configuration on an ISR 4400 as well as instructions for consolidated and individual package installs please see here.