Here's how to upgrade SONiC using a USB drive This guide is for a single switch. If you have a pair of switches in MCLAG search for our video on that topic, or follow the link in the description. You’ll need a drive formatted as FAT32, the SONiC image, and physical access to your switch. Download the image from your Dell My Account. For more information see KB Article 180674.
This is not a comprehensive guide. Before attempting an upgrade please read the 'SONiC Installation and Upgrade Guide' carefully. In particular, check the 'Configuration Migration Support' section to confirm upgrade compatibility. Before upgrading SONiC, first upgrade the ONIE Software, then the Networking Firmware.
These are available on dell.com/support. The switch will have to be restarted as part of the process. We recommend scheduling a maintenance window to do this. Insert a FAT32 drive with the SONiC image in the root directory in your switch Connect using a terminal emulator, here we're using PuTTY. Once connected run 'sonic-cli' to enter the Management Framework CLI.
To enable your USB drive, run 'configure terminal', 'usb enable' then 'exit'. Run 'dir usb' and confirm your SONiC image is available. Before proceeding, save and backup your switch configuration. Run 'write memory' to save the running configuration to the startup configuration. Then use the 'copy startup-configuration' command to backup the config to your USB drives.
Optionally, as an extra precaution, run 'show running-configuration | no-more', copy the output, and paste it into a text file on your workstation. Use the 'copy' command to transfer your image to the switch. Then 'image install' to begin the installation Run 'show image status' to check the progress.
It usually only takes a minute or two to complete. Once complete, run 'show image list' to check that 'next:' displays the correct image. Then, run 'reboot' to reboot the switch. When the reboot is complete, log back into the switch, and run 'sonic-cli'. Then 'show version' to confirm the OS version is correct. The OS upgrade is now complete. If you made any other changes, remember to save your configuration with 'write memory' before quitting. Thanks for watching.
