Specifications

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Interface Processor Installation and Configuration Guide
78-4211-02
Upgrading Interface Processor Microcode Images
At the console terminal, use the following procedure to enter the privileged level:
Step 1 At the user-level EXEC prompt, enter the enable command. The EXEC command interpreter prompts
you for a privileged-level password, as follows:
Router> enable
Password:
Step 2 Enter the password (the password is case sensitive). For security purposes, the password is not
displayed on your console.
Step 3 When you enter the correct password and press Return, the system displays the privileged-mode
system prompt (#) as follows:
Router#
This completes the procedure to enter the privileged level of the EXEC command interpreter.
Upgrading Interface Processor Microcode Images
Cisco 7000 series and Cisco 7500 series routers support downloadable microcode. Each interface
processor requires a specific microcode image to operate, and each router is shipped with Cisco IOS
software images and interface processor microcode images installed. Microcode images are bundled
with the Cisco IOS software image that shipped with your router. We strongly recommend that you use
these bundled microcode images.
You can download new microcode versions and store multiple versions in Flash memory, and you can
boot from them just as you can with the system software images. System software upgrades might also
contain upgraded microcode images, which will load automatically when the new software image is
loaded.
You can download microcode to Flash memory by copying the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP)
image of a microcode version to Flash memory. When the microcode image is stored in Flash memory,
you can use the microcode reload command to manually load the new microcode file, and the configure
command to instruct the system to load the new image automatically at each system boot.
Caution Before you copy a file to Flash memory, be sure that ample space is available in Flash memory.
Compare the size of the file you want to copy to the amount of available Flash memory shown. If the
space available is less than the space required by the file you want to copy, the copy process will
continue, but the entire file will not be copied into Flash memory.
To compare the size of the microcode image and the amount of Flash memory available, you must know
the size of the new microcode image. The image size is specified in the README file that is included
on the floppy disk with the new image. Note the size of the new image before proceeding, to ensure that
you have sufficient available Flash memory for the new image.
Note Some interface processors might have special considerations regarding microcode upgrades; refer to
the appropriate chapter for your interface processor and follow any microcode upgrade procedures
that might be included.