When was cisco ios release

Rebuilds M8 through M10, which are the last three rebuilds for the release, integrate fixes only for security vulnerabilities and issues. To help administrators determine the release type of a specific software release, the release-naming conventions for Cisco IOS Software include uppercase letters that indicate whether a release is an extended M or standard T maintenance release.

The conventions also include components that indicate other relevant characteristics of the release. Figure 4. The release names start with a main release number, followed by major and minor feature release numbers, a release train identifier, and a maintenance rebuild number. Figure 5 shows how these components comprise a release name, using the first maintenance rebuild of Cisco IOS Software Release Figure 5.

To reflect this architecture and help administrators manage the software in their network environments, the names of Cisco IOS XE Software releases adhere to a cohesive set of naming conventions that apply to the overall collection of components in a release. The naming conventions also define identifiers that indicate the version and type of a release and the scope of the changes to the software. The March and November releases are short-lived and ultimately integrated into the July release.

Within that time-based framework, each Cisco IOS XE Software release is classified as a standard maintenance SM release , also referred to as a standard-support release , or an extended maintenance EM release , also referred to as an extended-support release.

A standard maintenance release has a sustaining support lifetime of one year from the first customer shipment FCS date, with two scheduled rebuilds that are typically released at an eight-week interval and a week interval after the FCS date for the release. An extended maintenance release provides a sustaining support lifetime of two years from the FCS date, with four scheduled rebuilds during that lifetime.

The first two rebuilds are released at an eight-week interval and a week interval after the FCS date for the release. The second two rebuilds are released at week intervals thereafter. Consequently, Release The rebuilds are sequentially released at varying intervals after the FCS date for the extended maintenance release, as follows: first rebuild, three months; second rebuild, four months; third rebuild, four months; fourth rebuild, seven months; fifth rebuild, six months; sixth rebuild, six months; and seventh rebuild, six months.

The release interval for standard maintenance releases continues to be every 12 months, with two scheduled rebuilds that are typically released at six-month intervals. The release-naming conventions for the current, primary Cisco IOS XE Software release trains include components that map to and identify the version and type of each software release.

They include a train identifier, a major release number, and release version and rebuild numbers. However, they also include an identifier that indicates which version of the IOSd is included in the release. This modular architecture increases network resiliency by distributing operating responsibility among separate processes.

Figure 7. The release notes and other documentation for some products also provide a mapping table that indicates which version of the IOSd is included in specific releases of Cisco IOS XE Software:. A package contains the components that support a specific set of features or functions, such as routing, security, or modular services card MSC support. Every supported device includes a basic set of required packages, which are contained in a Cisco IOS XR Software Core Bundle for the device, and additional, optional packages that can be added to and activated on the device to enable additional specific features.

Unlike Cisco IOS Software, where feature sets are defined at image build time and remain static while the system is in operation, Cisco IOS XR Software can dynamically load and unload software packages that deliver one or more features. In addition, Cisco IOS XR Software packages are created in versions and can be upgraded or patched as necessary to add features or resolve problems, which allows system enhancement and maintenance to take place without requiring a system restart or disrupting traffic that is traversing the system.

To upgrade a package, administrators activate a newer version of the package. To patch a package, administrators activate the patch. Note that SMUs have slightly different naming conventions because they are designed to be release-specific, platform-specific patches.

The key differences are the file format and an additional value that indicates which bug an SMU addresses. SMUs are released as software maintenance upgrade. This ID is inserted between the release and architecture values in the filename. Cisco NX-OS Software is a data-center-class operating system that provides high availability with a modular design. To integrate fixes for high-severity issues that should be addressed on an accelerated schedule, Cisco may also release a rebuild of a Cisco NX-OS Software release.

This type of release, sometimes referred to as a support patch , reduces the possible impact on customers who have already certified and deployed a release. The name of each release contains a major release number, a minor release number, a maintenance release number, and, if appropriate, a rebuild identifier.

There are two sets of release-naming conventions for the software:. Figure The following table Table 6 shows valid values for the platform designator in this naming convention. All applicable features, functions, and fixes in the platform-independent code are present in each platform-dependent release. Cisco IOS Software uses software packaging models and architectures that are designed to meet the requirements of specific service and market categories and to simplify the selection process for software images.

The Cisco IOS Software packaging model is designed to simplify the image selection process and the deployment of critical functionality. It does so by consolidating packages to reduce the total number of packages and by using consistent package names across all hardware products.

The packages provide similar functionality and logical feature parity across platforms, while also meeting the unique requirements of each platform. This feature is an orchestrated collection of processes and components that enables administrators to activate specific Cisco IOS Software feature sets by obtaining and validating Cisco software licenses for those feature sets.

With the Cisco Software Activation feature, administrators can enable licensed features and register licenses by using the Cisco Product License Registration portal, issuing EXEC commands directly on a device, or using Cisco License Manager to register, obtain, and install licenses in a bulk fashion for network-wide deployments.

Consequently, these switches and routers ship with a single, universal Cisco IOS Software image that contains all available features. Administrators can then obtain specific licenses to enable the corresponding feature sets.

There are two types of universal software images:. Within each universal software image, features are grouped into feature sets. Administrators activate specific feature sets by using technology package licenses via Cisco Software Activation licensing keys. The feature sets are:. Cisco IOS Software for other models of Cisco switches and routers can use any of seven different software packages, depending on the model, to meet the requirements of different market categories.

The software packages are:. The name of a software image indicates which software package the image contains and whether the image includes strong cryptography features. If an image name contains the k9 designation, the image includes strong cryptography features. For example, if an image name contains adventerprisek9 , the image contains an Advanced Enterprise Services package that includes strong cryptographic features.

A consolidated package is a single software image that contains a collection of software subpackages. A subpackage is an individual software file that provides a specific set of functionality or controls a different element or elements of a router or switch.

The diagram also shows how each subpackage provides a different set of functionality that complements or supports the functionality provided by one or more other subpackages in the same consolidated package. The consolidated package architecture enables administrators to install and upgrade the software by using a holistic or modular approach. Administrators can install and run all the subpackages in a consolidated package or only specific subpackages in a consolidated package.

In addition, administrators can upgrade the software by performing a single, complete upgrade process that upgrades all the subpackages in a consolidated package or they can upgrade each software subpackage independently. For more information about the advantages and disadvantages of running individual subpackages or complete consolidated packages, and the process of extracting individual subpackages from a consolidated package, see the Cisco ASR Series Aggregation Services Routers Software Configuration Guide.

For information about which consolidated packages are available for a specific release of Cisco IOS XE Software, see the release notes for the release. Each package contains components that support a specific set of features or functions, such as routing, security, or modular services card MSC support.

Administrators can then add and activate additional optional packages and software maintenance updates SMUs on the device as necessary to provide additional specific features and to address issues. Only choose an ED release if your hardware and software features leave you no other choice. Before installing a new Cisco IOS Software image on your router, check if your router meets the memory requirements for that image. To do this, issue the show version command on your router, and look for the following lines:.

The memory requirements take this into account, so you have to add both numbers to find the amount of DRAM available on your router from a memory requirement point of view. The Cisco , , , and routers have separate DRAM and Packet memory, so you only need to look at the first number. The bottom line tells you how much Flash memory is available. Some of it might already be in use. To find out the amount of free Flash memory, issue a show flash command:.

In this example, approximately 8. You need to satisfy both the DRAM and the Flash requirements to be able to use the software you choose. You may also consider a reduced feature set or an older release, since they have fewer features, and therefore fewer requirements. Software images are named according to a scheme that identifies what features and platform it runs on.

The names have three parts, separated by dashes: for example, xxxx-yyyy-ww. In this table, the first column represents the Cisco IOS naming convention and the second column displays the router plaform indicated by the name. The second part of the image name identifies the special capabilities of the image. As Cisco IOS continues to evolve, customers will be able to mix and match specific features to meet the requirements of their unique environments.

Cisco IOS 9. No more features or bug fixes were to be applied to the Cisco IOS 9. Cisco IOS Software. Contents Introduction.