Nexus N7K Sup 1 replacement to SUP2E rollback plan and EPLD upgrad time.

Question

Dear Expert,
My customer has N7K SUP1 with HA as below and I need to replace 2  with SUP2E 6.1.2 from SUP1(6.1.1).
As per Cisco document, it is required EPLD upgrade from SUP1 to SUP2E with Fabric-2 module, but there is no guide time for EPLD.
Mod  Ports  Module-Type                         Model              Status
1    0      Supervisor module-1X                N7K-SUP1           active *
2    0      Supervisor module-1X                N7K-SUP1           ha-standby
3    48     1000 Mbps Optical Ethernet XL Modul N7K-M148GS-11L     ok
4    48     1/10 Gbps Ethernet Module           N7K-F248XP-25      ok
5    24     10 Gbps Ethernet Module             N7K-M224XP-23L     ok
Mod  Sw              Hw
1    6.1(1)          3.0     
2    6.1(1)          3.0     
3    6.1(1)          1.3     
4    6.1(1)          1.0     
5    6.1(1)          2.0 
1. Can I have no downtime to do this activity ?
As per Cisco HW installation guide, It seems I should replace 2 SUP at same time, but if I can replace separately, please let me know.
2. How many minute is required for upgrade EPLD with above HW inventory ?
I assummed this time about 1hr ~ 90 min(max), is it correct ?
3. If this upgrade is failed, then I need to rollback from SUP2E(S2-6.1.2) to original SUP1(S1-6.1.1).
Is below step is correct for rollback ?
- Turn off the power to the switch
- For each Supervisor 2E module installed in the switch, remove the module and replace it with a Supervisor 1 module.
- Power on and verify all module is fine, sh version to check to rollback to S1-6.1.1.
- Run ‘install all epld bootflash:n7000-s1-epld.6.1.1a.img parallel’ after rebooting with original SUP1.
- Verify configuration and status
4. when I downgrade to n7000-s1-epld-6.1.1a, only linecard will be downgrade > or All SUP and FAN or Power module EPLD also downgrade ?
If so, how many minute will re required with previous HW inventory ?
I assummed this time about 40 ~ 60 min(max), is it correct ?
5. From S1-6.1.1a to S2-6.1.2a upgrade, will N2K FEX Software be upgrade as well ?
I  need to update this downtime by tomorrow morning, so I seek your advice  urgently.
Please share your experinece with me, thanks in advance.
Jason.

Answer 1

Hey Jason,
Regarding your queries:-
1. Can I have no downtime to do this activity ? As per Cisco HW installation guide, It seems I should replace 2 SUP at same time, but if I can replace separately, please let me know. - Replacing supervisors will have downtime as you need to move hardware physically in and out of chassis.
2. How many minute is required for upgrade EPLD with above HW inventory ? I assummed this time about 1hr ~ 90 min(max), is it correct ? - Once the supervisor is upgraded, you may upgrade all the modules parallely so considering the boot time of all these modules you are in safe limit.
3. If this upgrade is failed, then I need to rollback from SUP2E(S2-6.1.2) to original SUP1(S1-6.1.1). Is below step is correct for rollback ? - Indeed its correct.
4. when I downgrade to n7000-s1-epld-6.1.1a, only linecard will be downgrade > or All SUP and FAN or Power module EPLD also downgrade ? If so, how many minute will re required with previous HW inventory ? I assummed this time about 40 ~ 60 min(max), is it correct ? - Check this:
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/sw/6_x/epld/epld_rn_6-1.html#wp93995. Also everything will b downgraded so again calculate the booting time + downgrade, i think with this inventory 60 minutes is managable.
5. From S1-6.1.1a to S2-6.1.2a upgrade, will N2K FEX Software be upgrade as well ? - Yes, it will be upgraded.
I also suggest the following links for smooth upgrade:
Replacing Supervisor 1 Modules with Supervisor 2 or Supervisor 2E Modules:http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/hw/nexus7000/installation/guide/n7k_hig_book/n7k_replacing.html#pgfId-1410535
Cisco Nexus 7000 Series FPGA/EPLD Upgrade Release Notes, Release 6.1: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/sw/6_x/epld/epld_rn_6-1.html
HTH.
Regards,
RS.