Cisco APIC Installation Guide – ACI Upgrade Procedure

Pre-Check’s Before The Upgrade

1. Create a backup of your ACI Fabric prior to upgrading. 
2. Always make sure that all of APICs are in a Fully Fit state prior to any upgrades. Never kick-off an upgrade of your fabric unless all APICs are in a Fully Fit state!
   Resolve faults prior to your upgrade. This is often overlooked, but can lead to serious issues. It is always recommended to have as many faults resolved prior to upgrading the fabric.
   Review the Cisco CCO APIC Upgrade/Downgrade Guide. This guide is comprehensive and covers which versions you can upgrade/downgrade to and from, guidelines, and suggested maintenance group configuration.
   Determine which version of code if best for you and your ACI Fabric. If you have questions on what version of code you should target, check out post on ACI / APIC Software Guidance for a quick reference cheat guide.
   Check out Recommended APIC Code page on CCO; great place to find out the long-lived ACI releases and supported CIMC images.
   Check Release Notes for your intended version. It’s always good to check the release notes for any bugs, limitations, or version specific notes BEFORE you pull the upgrade trigger.
   APIC 2.2(4) Release Notes
   APIC 3.2(3) Release Notes
   APIC 4.0(1) Release Notes
   APIC 4.1(1) Release Notes
   Download the code from CCO. You’ll need two files; the ISO file for your APIC Cluster, and the BIN file for your switches (one BIN file will work for both Spines and Leafs).
   Check your CIMC code and ensure you are running supported code on your CIMC. If you need help with upgrading your CIMCs, check out the Upgrading your CIMC for your APIC article here.