Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches Release Notes: Cisco IOS XE Cupertino 17.8.x

Product Overview

The Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches are stackable access platforms designed for enterprise environments, supporting security, IoT, mobility, and cloud trends. Built on the UADP 2.0 ASIC architecture, these switches run the open Cisco IOS XE operating system, which supports model-driven programmability, container hosting, and third-party application execution.

New Features in 17.8.1

This release introduces several software enhancements, including:

• Support for AAA common criteria policy in enable password commands.
• G8275.1 telecom profile for IEEE 1588 PTP time synchronization.
• Multicast traffic support for IPsec Static Virtual Tunnel Interfaces (SVTIs) on Catalyst 9300X models.
• Optimized Layer 2 multicast in BGP EVPN VXLAN fabrics.
• New YANG data models for improved programmability.
• Enhanced system power consumption monitoring commands.

Software Installation and Upgrades

Upgrading or downgrading the switch software is performed using the install mode. Key steps include cleaning up inactive files, copying the new image to flash memory, setting the boot variable to the packages.conf file, and using the install add file activate commit command. Note that the Web UI cannot be used for software installation or upgrades. ROMMON upgrades may occur automatically during the software update process to ensure compatibility.

Important Notes and Limitations

Users should be aware of several operational constraints:

• Hidden Commands: Access to hidden commands has changed for security; use them only under TAC supervision.
• Stacking: Only homogeneous stacking is supported (e.g., C9300 with C9300). Specific models like the C9300-24UB, C9300-24UXB, and C9300-48UB have unique stacking restrictions.
• QoS and NetFlow: Various limitations exist regarding queuing buffer sizes, logical interface support, and NetFlow export configurations.
• Security: SSH Version 1 is not supported; use SSH Version 2.

Licensing

The switches utilize base licenses (Network Essentials or Network Advantage) and optional add-on licenses (DNA Essentials or DNA Advantage). Licensing models have evolved from RTU to Smart Licensing and, more recently, Smart Licensing Using Policy.