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Affected Product Name | Description | Comments |
---|---|---|
C9K-MEM-16GB= | Cisco Catalyst 9600 Series 16GB DRAM, spare | This is only applicable for C9600-SUP-1 PID |
Defect ID | Headline |
CSCwb91512 | C9600-SUP-1 - Certain memory DRAM DIMMs failing at higher rate than expected |
A limited number of Cisco Catalyst 9600 Supervisor Engine 1 cards may fail to boot up and encounter a boot loop. This issue may be seen after a software upgrade or other action that results in a power cycle of the supervisor card. The issue is specific to the supervisor card with the product identifier (PID) C9600-SUP-1. Supervisor cards with the PID C9600X-SUP-2 are not affected.
The dual in-line memory module(s) (DIMM) used in the Catalyst 9600 Supervisor Engine 1 encountered an issue during manufacturing. This issue can result in a higher rate of failure.
In this case, a manufacturing deviation in specific modules impacts 16GB DIMMs. This deviation was contained to a specific date range, and the DIMMs that use these chips were manufactured during the middle to end of 2020.
Since the discovery of this deviation, additional limits have been imposed on the manufacturing process to help prevent future DIMMs from experiencing this process variation.
DIMMs in affected Catalyst 9600 Supervisor Engine 1 cards will exhibit persistent, correctable memory errors. If left untreated, affected Catalyst 9600 Supervisor Engine 1 cards will eventually encounter an uncorrectable memory event. This may result in an unexpected reboot of the switch or switches.
Various DIMM reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features or even operating system features can mask the extent of these correctable errors.
The following error messages may be seen:
Initializing Hardware...... Initializing Hardware...... ***BOOT FAIL***: Rommon invalid or timeout. ***BOOT FAIL***: Rommon invalid or timeout.
For reference, this is an example of a normal boot log message:
Initializing Hardware... Initializing Hardware...... System Bootstrap, Version 17.6.1r, RELEASE SOFTWARE (P) Compiled 18-03-2021 12:00:00.00 by rel Current ROMMON image : Primary Rommon Image Last reset cause:PowerOn C9600-SUP-1 platform with 16777216 Kbytes of main memory
Cisco recommends replacing the affected DIMM C9K-MEM-16GB= to mitigate the potential for unexpected switch failure. For information about validating the serial number of a supervisor card, see the How to Identify Affected Products section of this field notice.
All serial numbers are the supervisor card serial number, not the DIMM serial number.
Replacement Instructions: First, validate the serial number(s) of the affected units as described in the How to Identify Affected Products section of this field notice. Then, see the Upgrade Program Information section for replacement instructions.
Returns of Affected Devices: Once the affected devices have been replaced, they need to be returned to Cisco. Instructions for how to raise a case for returning the device are provided in the Additional Information section. Note that this process is separate from our standard return process, which is typically included within the Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA).
DIMM Replacement
Customers have the option to replace the DIMMs directly. For video instructions for replacing a DIMM, see Replace a DIMM Module on Cat9600 Supervisor Engine 1.
Cisco is offering field services free of charge for DIMM replacement through a qualified Cisco third-party field engineer. After the new DIMMs have arrived on site and you are ready to schedule the replacement, email ciscodimmswap@parkplacetech.com to engage the field services team.
Important notes for replacement orders:
Impacted supervisor cards can be identified based on their PIDs and serial numbers. To identify impacted products, use the Serial Number Validation Tool, as described in the Serial Number Validation section of this field notice.
Do not use the information in this section to submit replacement orders. For instructions on how to request a replacement, see the Upgrade Program Information section.
Return the Affected Device: Once the affected devices have been replaced, return them to Cisco. Use the following steps to return devices, either one-by-one or in bulk:
- Go to Support Case Manager (cisco.com) to raise a return-only RMA.
- To initiate an RMA, complete the following steps:
Cisco provides the Serial Number Validation Tool to verify whether a device is impacted by this issue. To check the device, enter the serial number in the Serial Number Validation Tool.
Important: For security reasons, you must click the Serial Number Validation Tool link that is provided in this section. Do not copy and paste the link into a browser. Use of the Serial Number Validation Tool URL external to this field notice will fail.
Support Case Manager (SCM) must be used for ordering replacement parts for this Field Notice. To open SCM in a new tab, click the following link:
https://mycase.cloudapps.cisco.com/fieldnotice?fn=FN74142
SCM will validate eligibility and ensure that a request for a particular serial number has not already been submitted. If there is already a request, SCM will indicate RMA already submitted and NOT eligible for replacement.
Provide the following information:
Order entry supports up to 50 serial numbers per request. For more than 50, submit additional requests.
Version | Description | Section | Date |
1.1 | Added information on device returns and replacements. | Workaround/Solution and Additional Information | 2024-JUN-17 |
1.0 | Initial Release | — | 2024-MAY-29 |
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