Cisco IOS Software Modularity is available for the two newest Supervisor modules, the Sup720 and Sup32,  which go into the Cisco 6500 series platform.  Basically, by using the modular IOS, the switch runs more efficiently.  This is accomplished by splitting up major components inside the IOS into separate subsystems, which will run in different processes.  The modularity also allows the patching of portions of the IOS, without having to install an entirely new IOS.  Think about this: How many times have you installed a new IOS image to fix a specific bug, but the new software caused a problem in another area that was previously not broken?  Now, fixing issues by only patching the part of the software with a problem helps insure the rest of the device’s operation will continue to operate as it did in the past.

A new feature that comes along with the modular image is the inclusion of Cisco Embedded Event Manager (EEM).  This feature allows the EEM process to ‘catch’ a defined event and then spawn an action from that raised event.  For example, the device can generate and send an email when the CPU goes over a certain percentage for a period that is longer than a defined threshold.  The engine behind this functionality is controlled using the Python scripting language.  Using Python to write these embedded event handlers provides some powerful capabilities at your fingertips.

This article wasn’t really intended to help you decide on using the IOS modularity option, but to explain the upgrade/conversion process.  The first thing to do is obtain the proper image from CCO.  The modular version has the same feature sets and versions available just like the native IOS versions do.  Just pick the right modular image based on your hardware and services needed just like you would any other time.

Once you have downloaded the image, upload it to storage that is available on the (primary) supervisor.  Before the ‘installation’ of the modular IOS, the supervisor has to boot from it first, like it would any other image.  In fact, the switch can load the modular IOS .bin file and run just like it was the non-modular version.  However, this would defeat the purpose, since patching is not available until the installation has been performed and the system rebooted.

Put a boot statement in the configuration pointing it to the .bin file that was just uploaded to storage and reload the switch.  Once the switch is back up running on the new image here is where it starts to get fun…

Let’s look at the output of the show version command after the switch has booted the new IOS image:

6500switch#sh version
Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-ADVIPSERVICESK9_WAN-VM),
Version 12.2(33)SXH3a, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2008 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Wed 24-Sep-08 14:37 by prod_rel_team

ROM: System Bootstrap, Version 12.2(17r)SX5, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)

6500switch uptime is 14 hours, 53 minutes
Uptime for this control processor is 14 hours, 52 minutes
Time since 6500switch switched to active is 14 hours, 52 minutes
System returned to ROM by reload at 23:22:24 CDT Tue Oct 14 2008
 (SP by reload)
System image file is "disk0:s72033-advipservicesk9_wan-vz.122-33.SXH3a.bin"

cisco WS-C6506-E (R7000) processor (revision 1.1) with
516096K/8192K bytes of memory.
SR71000 CPU at 600Mhz, Implementation 1284, Rev 1.2, 512KB L2 Cache
Last reset from s/w reset
1 Virtual Ethernet interface
52 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces
1917K bytes of non-volatile configuration memory.

65536K bytes of Flash internal SIMM (Sector size 512K).
Configuration register is 0x2102

Patching is not available since the system is not running from an
installed image. To install please use the "install file" command

Take a look at the last couple of lines of the output. This output is telling you to run the ‘install file’ command in order to install the image. The installation procedure creates a directory structure on the file system specified in the install command. In this example, the image is running from flash installed in slot0:, which is known to the switch as disk0:. We are going to install onto the sup-bootdisk0: flash, which is an compact flash module installed internally with a compact flash adapter that replaces the SP bootflash on the supervisor. Cisco recommends the modular installation use internal storage, because it is too easy to eject the flash from the slots on the front of the supervisor – which would cause the switch to crash.

The command to start the process will be: install file disk0:s72033-advipservicesk9_wan-vz.122-33.SXH3a.bin sup-bootdisk0:/sys . The syntax is basically the source image to use then the destination. Notice the /sys at the end of the destination, which is a required argument and is called the search root. The search root is basically just a top level directory and valid entries are: sys|newsys|oldsys .  Below is a normal output during the installation:

6500switch#install file disk0:s72033-advipservicesk
9_wan-vz.122-33.SXH3a.bin sup-bootdisk:/sys
Source filename [s72033-advipservicesk9_wan-vz.122-33.SXH3a.bin]?
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Verifying checksums of extracted files

Verifying installation compatibility

Finalizing installation ...
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Computing and verifying file checksums
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Writing installation meta-data.  Please wait ...

NOTE: The newly added base image is not yet active.
      To activate the new base image, perform an 'install bind' in
      config mode followed by a 'reload'.

[DONE]

6500switch#

The last thing you see is a note on how to activate the new base image.  The correct command in this example is: 6509switch(config)#install bind sup-bootdisk:/sys .  Notice this command is done from configuration mode.  This command basically just adds a boot statement in the switch configuration pointing to the new modular image.  Here is the output from the install bind command:

6500switch(config)#install bind sup-bootdisk:/sys
WARNING: This system is running in a redundant mode.  However, the specified
search root on the Standby does not contain installed software, or is unavailable.
Unless the proper software is installed on the Standby,
it will not boot from this binding

The message we received above was due to the fact the example system was running dual supervisor modules.  If you have a single supervisor, this message will not display.  In order to get the installation onto the redundant supervisor, the process is a little simpler.  There is a copy command that will copy the existing installation on sup-bootflash0:/sys to the redundant supervisor’s file system.  The following is all that is required to insure the secondary supervisor can boot successfully:

6500switch#install copy sup-bootdisk:/sys slavesup-bootdisk:/sys
Copying installed software at sup-bootdisk:/sys to slavesup-bootdisk:/sys
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[DONE]

A look at the running configuration shows the following:

6500switch#show run

boot-start-marker
boot system flash disk0:s72033-advipservicesk9_wan-vz.122-33.SXH3a.bin
boot system flash sup-bootdisk:
boot system sup-bootdisk:/sys/s72033/base/s72033-advipservicesk9_wan-vm
boot-end-marker

As you can see, the install bind command will not remove any of the previous boot statements.  In all the upgrades I have performed so far, I have went ahead and removed all the old boot statements, just to make sure the supervisor boots correctly.

6500switch#conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
6500switch(config)#no boot system flash disk0:s72033-advipservicesk9_wan-vz.122-33.SXH3a.bin
6500switch(config)#no boot system flash sup-bootdisk:
6500switch(config)#end
6500switch#wr
Building configuration...
[OK]
6500switch#sh boot
BOOT variable = sup-bootdisk:/sys/s72033/base/s72033-advipservicesk9_wan-vm,12;
CONFIG_FILE variable =
BOOTLDR variable =
Configuration register is 0x2102

Standby is up
Standby has 524288K/8192K bytes of memory.

Standby BOOT variable = sup-bootdisk:/sys/s72033/base/s72033-advipservicesk9_wan-vm,12;
Standby CONFIG_FILE variable =
Standby BOOTLDR variable =
Standby Configuration register is 0x2102

The last thing to do is reload the switch:

6500switch#reload
Proceed with reload? [confirm]

Once the switch is back up, the output of show version now looks like:

6500switch# sh ver
Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-ADVIPSERVICESK9_WAN-VM),
 Version 12.2(33)SXH3a, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2008 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Wed 24-Sep-08 14:37 by prod_rel_team

ROM: System Bootstrap, Version 12.2(17r)SX5, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)

 6500switch uptime is 8 minutes
Uptime for this control processor is 7 minutes
Time since 6500switch switched to active is 7 minutes
System returned to ROM by reload at 15:07:48 CDT Wed Oct 15 2008 (SP by reload)
System image file is "sup-bootdisk:/sys/s72033/base/s72033-advipservicesk9_wan-vm"

cisco WS-C6506-E (R7000) processor (revision 1.1) with 516096K/8192K bytes of memory.
SR71000 CPU at 600Mhz, Implementation 1284, Rev 1.2, 512KB L2 Cache
Last reset from s/w reset
1 Virtual Ethernet interface
52 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces
1917K bytes of non-volatile configuration memory.

65536K bytes of Flash internal SIMM (Sector size 512K).
Configuration register is 0x2102

System is currently running from installed software
For further information use "show install running"

To look at the actual software versions along with any patch information, issue the show install running command:

6500switch#show install running

B/P C State     Filename
--- - --------  --------

Software running on card installed at location s72033_rp - Slot 6 :
 B    Active    slavesup-bootdisk:/sys/s72033_rp/base/DRACO2_MP

Software running on card installed at location s72033 - Slot 5 :
 B    Active    sup-bootdisk:/sys/s72033/base/s72033-advipservicesk9_wan-vm -
Version 12.2(33)SXH3a

Software running on card installed at location s72033_rp - Slot 5 :
 B    Active    sup-bootdisk:/sys/s72033_rp/base/DRACO2_MP

Software running on card installed at location c2_lc - Slot 1 :
 B    Active    sup-bootdisk:/sys/c2_lc/base/C2LC

Software running on card installed at location s72033 - Slot 6 :
 B    Active    slavesup-bootdisk:/sys/s72033/base/s72033-advipservicesk9_wan-vm -
Version 12.2(33)SXH3a

LEGEND:
-------:
B/P/MP - (B)ase image, (P)atch, or (M)aintenance (P)ack
'C' - (C)ommitted
Pruned - This file has been pruned from the system
Active - This file is active in the system
PendInst - This file is set to be made available to run on the
   system after next activation.
PendRoll - This file is set to be rolled back after next activation.
InstPRel - This file will run on the system after next reload
RollPRel - This file will be removed from the system after next reload
RPRPndIn - This file is both rolled back pending a reload, and pending
   installation.  On reload, this file will not run and will move to
   PendInst state.  If 'install activate' is done before reload, pending
   removal and install cancel each other and file simply remains active
IPRPndRo - This file is both installed pending a reload, and pending rollback.
   If the card reloads, it will be active on the system pending a rollback
   If 'install activate' is done before a reload, the pending install and
   removal with cancel each other and the file will simply be removed
Occluded - This file has been occluded from the system,
   a newer version of itself has superceded it.

6500switch#

All things considered, this is a pretty easy upgrade – just take your time and make sure each step is followed carefully. I would recommend allocating 1.5 hours for the first upgrade performed. Once you’re familiar with the process, it can be done in half that time and even quicker if the image is transferred to a filesystem on the switch prior to performing the upgrade.