"image" for Redundant Supervisor Card 1

[Microbyte]

By reading cisco papers I sometimes get confused.

Here's an example:

Active supervisor will update standby supervisor card automatically if they have different software versions or
NVRAM configurations.
...
When downloading a new image to the active supervisor engine, it is copied to the file system. The newly downloaded image is NOT copied to the standby supervisor engine automatically.

Can someone tell me what's this "image" cisco is refering to?
I assume this "image" is IOS image. If it is, it goes against the first paragraph.
Thanks.

Microbyte

 

[ADB100]

Image just means the software file the switch boots from and runs. If you run CatOS then its likely to be something like 'cat6000-sup2.6-1-4.bin' if you run Native IOS it will be like 'c6sup22-jk2sv-mz.121-13.E5.bin'.

With CatOS image sychronisation is done automatically (as long as the standby supervisor boots that it). If you IOS then you have to manually copy the image to the standby supervisor, the boot commands are synchronised by default when the configuration is saved but you have to manually copy the image file:

copy tftp: slavesup-bootflash:

copy sup-bootflash:c6sup22-jk2sv-mz.121-13.E5.bin slavesup-bootflash:c6sup22-jk2sv-mz.121-13.E5.bin

etc.

Andy

 

[Microbyte]

So, indeed the "image" is IOS image. Then why the first paragraph is saying different from what the second paragraph is saying if they are refering to the same IOS image?

Microbyte

 

[baddos]

You can have different images on different supervisor modules.... Remember that each SUP has it's own flash. There is the boot and slave flash. The boot is the active SUP's flash, and the slave is the failover SUP's flash.

 

[MTandSAV]

Active supervisor will update standby supervisor card automatically if they have different software versions or
NVRAM configurations.

this has got nothing to do with the IOS image..here they talk about the actual configuration of the device, so the IP addresses, port setting etc. The active sup sync's this config with the standby sup as soon as changes have been made. So in case the active sup becomes inactive and the standby becomes active, it has got the same config settings, which is crucial of course.

CCNA, CCNP..partly

 

[Microbyte]

Active supervisor will update standby supervisor card automatically if they have different software versions or
NVRAM configurations.

How about that "software versions" part? why Cisco mentioned software version? Isn't software version refers to IOS image?

Microbyte

 

[ADB100]

Microbyte - not with Native IOS it won't. With CatOS yes you are correct as long as the redundant Supervisor boots CatOS it will check the version running and update the image on the redundant Supervisor, synchronise the boot string and then reload it. With Native IOS you must copy the IOS image manually.

Andy