Frequently Asked Questions¶
What operating systems are supported?¶
Upgrade behavior differs per platform (reboot handling, install mode, image requirements) — see the Platform Support Matrix for more details.
What is the automation engine that is executing the work?¶
The automation engine in use is pyntc, with shim layers provided by Nornir plugins. These plugins are:
What file transfer protocols are supported?¶
Changed in version 5.0.0
File transfers use a pull-based mechanism where the network device downloads the software image from a remote URL. The supported protocols depend on what the device platform supports (e.g., HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SFTP). The download URL is configured on each Software Image File in Nautobot.
How are pre and post checks executed?¶
This app was built alongside the Nautobot Operational Compliance App. This app exposes extra jobs utilized by OS Upgrades to optionally turn on pre and post check validations. See Operational Compliance Integration for a detailed walkthrough.
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The OS upgrade application does not require the Operational Compliance app. The upgrade workflow will automatically change when it is installed and configured.
FTP file transfers are failing on Cisco IOS — what do I need?¶
Some versions of Cisco IOS require the ip ftp username and ip ftp password commands to be configured on the device before FTP-based transfers will work. See Cisco IOS FTP Configuration for details.
HTTP(S) file transfers are failing on Cisco IOS — how do I set the source interface?¶
Cisco IOS devices may need a source interface configured for the HTTP client before HTTP or HTTPS file transfers will work. Configure this on the device with:
This ensures the device uses the correct interface (and therefore the correct source IP) when initiating HTTP/HTTPS connections to download software images. Without this, the device may attempt to use an interface that lacks connectivity to the file server.
How do I provide credentials for downloading software images?¶
Configure an External Integration with a Secrets Group and assign it to the Software Image File. The file transfer job retrieves the credentials at runtime. See the external interactions page for setup instructions.
Can I run individual upgrade steps separately?¶
Yes. Each upgrade step (file transfer, save config, install OS, reboot, version check, assign software) is a separate Nautobot Job that can be run independently. This allows you to build custom workflows using an external orchestrator. See Individual Jobs for Custom Workflows for details.
Can I stop an upgrade job that is already running?¶
Yes, on Nautobot v3.2.0 or later. Nautobot's built-in Job Cancel feature can terminate a running job (or clean up a stuck job record) from its Job Result view. Note that cancelling kills the task immediately with no cleanup — the device may still be mid-transfer or mid-install, so verify device state before re-running. See Cancelling a Running Job.
Why were some devices skipped by the upgrade workflow?¶
The Execute OS Upgrade Workflow job checks each device's running OS version before starting. Devices already running the target version are reported and removed from the rest of the workflow. See Built-In Version Checks.
Can I rename a Cisco IOS-XR golden ISO?¶
No. IOS-XR validates the golden ISO against metadata embedded at build time, and a renamed file will fail to install. Keep the exact filename the build tool produced and use the build tool's --label option to distinguish builds. See Cisco IOS-XR in the Platform Support Matrix.
Can I upgrade Cisco IOS-XR from a base ISO plus separate feature RPMs?¶
No. The golden ISO is the only supported IOS-XR upgrade mode — installing a base (mini) ISO and activating feature RPMs as separate packages in the same operation is not supported. Bundle the base image and the matching feature RPMs into a single golden ISO with gisobuild instead. See Cisco IOS-XR for details.
Does the Cisco IOS-XR upgrade also update firmware (FPDs)?¶
No. The upgrade installs the operating system only — it does not run upgrade hw-module location all fpd all. If the new release requires updated FPD firmware, upgrade it manually after the OS install completes.
Does the Cisco IOS-XR upgrade handle redundant route processors (RP/RSP)?¶
No. The upgrade workflow does not validate RP/RSP redundancy state (show redundancy, show platform vm), does not reload redundant RP/RSPs individually, and does not perform a redundancy switchover. The whole system reloads as part of install activate, so plan for a full outage and verify redundancy state manually where it matters.