First Published: April 5, 2021

Last Updated: April 1, 2022

Introduction

The following release notes support the ESS9300. These release notes are updated to describe new features, limitations, troubleshooting, recommended configurations, caveats, and provide information on how to obtain support and documentation.

The ESS9300 is a Small Form Factor (SFF) Ruggedized GigE Embedded platform for tactical, outdoor and mobile environments. The compact design simplifies integration and offers the system integrator the ability to use the ESS9300 in a wide variety of applications. The Cisco ESS 9300 consists of one switch card. There are no cooling plates sold with it. It is up to the system integrator to design a thermal solution. The ESS-9300-10X-E board supports up to 10 ports of 10 GE fiber. Thermal power is 35 Watts.


Note

The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product.

New Features for Cisco Catalyst ESS9300 Embedded Series Switch in Cisco IOS XE 17.8.x

There are no new features with this release.

Important Notes

Accessing Hidden Commands

Hidden commands have always been present in Cisco IOS XE, but were not equipped with CLI help. This means that entering enter a question mark (?) at the system prompt did not display the list of available commands. Such hidden commands are only meant to assist Cisco TAC in advanced troubleshooting and are therefore not documented. For more information about CLI help, see the Using the Command-Line Interface → Understanding the Help System chapter of the Command Reference document.

This section provides information about hidden commands in Cisco IOS XE and the security measures in place, when they are accessed. Hidden commands are meant to assist Cisco TAC in advanced troubleshooting and are therefore not documented. For more information about CLI help, see the Using the Command-Line Interface → Understanding the Help System chapter of the Command Reference document.

Hidden commands are available under:

  • Category 1—Hidden commands in privileged or User EXEC mode. Begin by entering the service internal command to access these commands.

  • Category 2—Hidden commands in one of the configuration modes (global, interface and so on). These commands do not require the service internal command.

Further, the following applies to hidden commands under Category 1 and 2:

  • The commands have CLI help. Entering enter a question mark (?) at the system prompt displays the list of available commands.


    Note
    For Category 1, enter the service internal command before you enter the question mark; you do not have to do this for Category 2.
  • The system generates a %PARSER-5-HIDDEN syslog message when the command is used. For example: 
    *Feb 14 10:44:37.917: %PARSER-5-HIDDEN: Warning!!! 'show processes memory old-header ' is a hidden command. 
Use of this command is not recommended/supported and will be removed in future.

Apart from category 1 and 2, there remain internal commands displayed on the CLI, for which the system does NOT generate the %PARSER-5-HIDDEN syslog message.


Important
We recommend that you use any hidden command only under TAC supervision. If you find that you are using a hidden command, open a TAC case for help with finding another way of collecting the same information as the hidden command (for a hidden EXEC mode command), or to configure the same functionality (for a hidden configuration mode command) using non-hidden commands.

Optics Modules

Cisco Catalyst Series Switches support a wide range of optics and the list of supported optics is updated on a regular basis. Use the Transceiver Module Group (TMG) Compatibility Matrix tool, or consult the tables at this URL for the latest transceiver module compatibility information: https://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/modules/ps5455/products_device_support_tables_list.html

The Cisco Catalyst ESS9300 Embedded Series Switch datasheet contains the current list of supported SFP and optics.

WebUI System Requirements

The WebUI is a web browser-based switch management tool that runs on the switch. The following subsections list the hardware and software required to access the WebUI.

Minimum Hardware Requirements

Processor Speed

DRAM

Number of Colors

Resolution

Font Size

233 MHz minimum1

512 MB2

256

1280 x 800 or higher

Small
1 We recommend 1 GHz
2 We recommend 1 GB DRAM

Software Requirements

Operating Systems

  • Windows 10 or later

  • Mac OS X 10.9.5 or later

Browsers

  • Google Chrome: Version 59 or later (On Windows and Mac)

  • Microsoft Edge

  • Mozilla Firefox: Version 54 or later (On Windows and Mac)

  • Safari: Version 10 or later (On Mac)

Upgrading the Switch Software

This section covers the various aspects of upgrading or downgrading the device software.

Finding the Software Version

The package files for the Cisco IOS XE software can be found on the system board flash device flash (flash:) or external SDFlash (sdflash:).

You can use the show version privileged EXEC command to see the software version that is running on your switch.


Note
Although the show version output always shows the software image running on the switch, the model name shown at the end of this display is the factory configuration and does not change if you upgrade the software license.

You can also use the dir filesystem: privileged EXEC command to see the directory names of other software images that you might have stored in flash memory.

Automatic Boot Loader Upgrade

When you upgrade from the existing release on your switch to a later or newer release for the first time, the boot loader may be automatically upgraded, based on the hardware version of the switch. If the boot loader is automatically upgraded, it will take effect on the next reload.

For subsequent Cisco IOS XE releases, if there is a new bootloader in that release, it may be automatically upgraded based on the hardware version of the switch when you boot up your switch with the new image for the first time.


Caution
Do not power cycle your switch during the upgrade.

Licensing

The ESS9300 has only the Network Essentials license. Network Essentials license is the default license. It is permanent. A connection to the Smart Licensing server is not required if the switch will be deployed with a Network Essentials license. Entering the command license smart reservation after the initial configuration will prevent an erroneous message "Smart Licensing Status: UNREGISTERED/EVAL MODE" from appearing on your device.

Caveats

Caveats describe unexpected behavior in Cisco IOS XE releases. Caveats listed as open in a prior release are carried forward to the next release as either open or resolved.

Open Caveats in Cisco IOS XE Cupertino 17.8.1

There are no open caveats for this release.

Resolved Caveats in Cisco IOS XE Cupertino 17.8.1

There are no resolved caveats for this release.

Troubleshooting

For the most up-to-date, detailed troubleshooting information, see the Cisco TAC website at this URL:

https://www.cisco.com/en/US/support/index.html

Go to Product Support and select your product from the list or enter the name of your product. Look under Troubleshoot and Alerts, to find information for the problem that you are experiencing.

Related Documentation

Information about Cisco IOS XE at this URL: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/ios-nx-os-software/ios-xe/index.html

All support documentation for Cisco Embedded Service ESS9300 Series Switch is at this URL: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/switches/catalyst-ess-9300-10x-embedded-switch/model.html

Cisco Validated Designs documents at this URL: https://www.cisco.com/go/designzone

To locate and download MIBs for selected platforms, Cisco IOS releases, and feature sets, use Cisco MIB Locator found at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/go/mibs

Communications, Services, and Additional Information

Additional Configuration Guides

The following links provide access to other Cisco IOS-XE switching configuration guides.