Migrating From DCNM to NDFC

Prerequisites and guidelines for migrating from DCNM to NDFC


Note


If you are already running Nexus Dashboard with Fabric Controller service, skip this section and upgrade as described in Upgrading Existing ND Cluster to This Release instead.


Upgrading from DCNM 11.5(4) consists of the following workflow:

  1. Ensure you complete the prerequisites and guidelines described in this section.

  2. Back up your existing configuration using a migration tool specific to the target NDFC release.

  3. Deploy a brand new Nexus Dashboard cluster with Fabric Controller (NDFC) service.

    Note that unlike in previous releases where you had to install the service and enable it after the cluster was already deployed, in this release you enable the service during initial cluster deployment due to the introduction of the unified installation.

  4. Restore the configuration backup you created in step 1.


Note


Before you proceed with the upgrade:

  • Validate each fabric's credentials.

    • For LAN fabrics, navigate to the Web UI > Administration > Credentials Management > LAN Credentials page, select each fabric, and choose Validate to validate credentials.

    • For SAN fabrics, navigate to the Web UI > Administration > Credentials Management > SAN Credentials page, select each fabric, and choose Validate to validate credentials.

  • If you are running an app on your DCNM, such as the Thousand Eyes integration app, disable that app before proceeding with these migration procedures.


Persona Compatibility

By using the appropriate Upgrade Tool, you can restore data that is backed up from DCNM Release 11.5(4) on a newly deployed Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller for the personas as mentioned in the following table:

Backup from DCNM 11.5(4) Persona Enabled in NDFC After Upgrade
DCNM 11.5(4) LAN Fabric Deployment on OVA/ISO/SE Fabric Controller + Fabric Builder
DCNM 11.5(4) PMN Deployment on OVA/ISO/SE Fabric Controller + IP Fabric for Media (IPFM)
DCNM 11.5(4) SAN Deployment on OVA/ISO/SE SAN Controller
DCNM 11.5(4) SAN Deployment on Linux SAN Controller
DCNM 11.5(4) SAN Deployment on Windows SAN Controller

Feature Compatibility Post Upgrade

The following table lists caveats associated with features that are restored from DCNM 11.5(4) backup after upgrading.


Note


SAN Insights and VMM Visualizer features are not enabled after restore; you can choose to enable them in the Settings > Feature Management page of the Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller UI.


Feature in DCNM 11.5(4)

Upgrade Support

Nexus Dashboard Insights configured

Refer to Cisco Nexus Dashboard User Guide for more information.

Supported

Container Orchestrator (K8s) Visualizer

Supported

VMM Visibility with vCenter

Supported

Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator configured

Not Supported

Preview features configured

Not supported

LAN switches in SAN installations

Not supported

Switches discovered over IPv6

Not supported

DCNM Tracker

Not supported

Fabric Backups

Not supported

Report Definitions and Reports

Not supported

Switch images and Image Management policies

Not supported

SAN CLI templates

Not carried over from 11.5(4)

Switch images/Image Management data

Not carried over from 11.5(4)

Slow drain data

Not carried over from 11.5(4)

Infoblox configuration

Not carried over from 11.5(4)

Endpoint Locator configuration

You must reconfigure Endpoint Locator (EPL) post upgrade. However, historical data is retained up to a maximum size of 500 MB.

Alarm Policy configuration

Not carried over from 11.5(4)

Performance Management data

CPU/Memory/Interface statistics up to 90 days is restored post upgrade.

Temperature data

Temperature data is not saved in the backup and as a result is not restored after the migration. You must re-enable temperature data collection after the migration.

Migrate Existing DCNM Configuration to NDFC

This section describes how to back up your existing DCNM 11.5(4) configuration, deploy a new Nexus Dashboard cluster, and restore the configuration to finish the migration.

Procedure


Step 1

Download the upgrade tool.

  1. Navigate to the NDFC download page..

    https://software.cisco.com/download/home/281722751/type/282088134/

  2. In the Latest Releases list, choose the target release.

  3. Download the upgrade tool appropriate for your deployment type.

    DCNM 11.5(4) deployment type

    Upgrade Tool File Name

    ISO/OVA

    DCNM_To_NDFC_12_2_2_Upgrade_Tool_OVA_ISO.zip

    Linux or Windows

    DCNM_To_NDFC_12_2_2_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN.zip

  4. Copy the upgrade tool image to your existing DCNM 11.5(4) server using the sysadmin account.

Step 2

Extract the archive and validate the signature for Linux/Windows deployments.

Note

 

If you are using the ISO/OVA archive, skip to the next step.

  1. Ensure that you have Python 3 installed.

    $ python3 --version
    Python 3.9.6
    
  2. Extract the downloaded archive.

    # unzip DCNM_To_NDFC_12_2_2_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN.zip
    Archive: DCNM_To_NDFC_12_2_2_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN.zip
    extracting: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN.zip
    extracting: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN.zip.signature
    inflating: ACI_4070389ff0d61fc7fbb8cdfdec0f38f30482c22e.PEM
    inflating: cisco_x509_verify_release.py3
  3. Validate signature.

    Inside the ZIP archive, you will find the upgrade tool as well as the signature file. Use the following commands to validate the upgrade tool:

    # ls -l
    -rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 16788 Apr 20 2023 cisco_x509_verify_release.py3
    -rw-r--r--. 1 root root 1422 Aug 12 2023 ACI_4070389ff0d61fc7fbb8cdfdec0f38f30482c22e.PEM
    -rw-r--r--. 1 root root 9541673 Jul 25 03:09 DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN.zip
    -rw-r--r--. 1 root root 256 Jul 25 03:09 DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN.zip.signature
    -rw-r--r--. 1 root root 9548328 Jul 26 06:11 DCNM_To_NDFC_12_2_2_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN.zip
    
    
    # ./cisco_x509_verify_release.py3 -e ACI_4070389ff0d61fc7fbb8cdfdec0f38f30482c22e.PEM -i DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN.zip -s DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN.zip.signature -v dgst -sha512
    
    Retrieving CA certificate from https://www.cisco.com/security/pki/certs/crcam2.cer ...
    Successfully retrieved and verified crcam2.cer.
    Retrieving SubCA certificate from https://www.cisco.com/security/pki/certs/innerspace.cer ...
    Successfully retrieved and verified innerspace.cer.
    Successfully verified root, subca and end-entity certificate chain.
    Successfully fetched a public key from ACI_4070389ff0d61fc7fbb8cdfdec0f38f30482c22e.PEM.
    Successfully verified the signature of DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN.zip using ACI_4070389ff0d61fc7fbb8cdfdec0f38f30482c22e.PEM
  4. Once the validation script signature is verified, extract the script itself.

    # unzip DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN.zip
    Archive: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN.zip
    creating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/log4j2.properties
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/DCNMBackup.sh
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/DCNMBackup.bat
    creating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/jar/
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/jar/jarchivelib-0.7.1-jar-with-dependencies.jar
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/jar/bcprov-jdk15on-1.68.jar
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/jar/not-going-to-be-commons-ssl-0.3.20.jar
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/jar/jnm.jar
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/jar/slf4j-simple-1.7.21.jar
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/jar/log4j.properties
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/jar/dcnmbackup.jar
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/jar/sequences.info.oracle
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/jar/tables.info.postgres
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/jar/sequences.info.postgres
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN/jar/tables.info.oracle

Step 3

Extract the archive and validate the signature for ISO/OVA deployments.

Note

 

If you are using the Linux/Windows archive, skip to the next step.

  1. Extract the downloaded archive.

    # unzip DCNM_To_NDFC_12_2_2_Upgrade_Tool_OVA_ISO.zip
    Archive: DCNM_To_NDFC_12_2_2_Upgrade_Tool_OVA_ISO.zip
    inflating: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_OVA_ISO
    extracting: DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_OVA_ISO.signature
    inflating: cisco_x509_verify_release.py3
    inflating: ACI_4070389ff0d61fc7fbb8cdfdec0f38f30482c22e.PEM
  2. Validate signature.

    Inside the ZIP archive, you will find the upgrade tool as well as the signature file. Use the following commands to validate the upgrade tool:

    # ./cisco_x509_verify_release.py3 -e ACI_4070389ff0d61fc7fbb8cdfdec0f38f30482c22e.PEM -i DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_OVA_ISO -s DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_OVA_ISO.signature -v dgst -sha512
    Retrieving CA certificate from https://www.cisco.com/security/pki/certs/crcam2.cer ...
    Successfully retrieved and verified crcam2.cer.
    Retrieving SubCA certificate from https://www.cisco.com/security/pki/certs/innerspace.cer ...
    Successfully retrieved and verified innerspace.cer.
    Successfully verified root, subca and end-entity certificate chain.
    Successfully fetched a public key from ACI_4070389ff0d61fc7fbb8cdfdec0f38f30482c22e.PEM.
    Successfully verified the signature of DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_OVA_ISO using ACI_4070389ff0d61fc7fbb8cdfdec0f38f30482c22e.PEM

Step 4

Back up existing configuration.

The backup tool collects last 90 days Performance Management data.

  1. Log in to your DCNM Release 11.5(4) appliance console.

  2. Create a screen session.

    The following command creates a session which allows you to execute additional commands:

    dcnm# screen

    Note that the commands continue to run even when the window is not visible or if you get disconnected.

  3. Gain super user (root) access.

    dcnm# su
    Enter password: <root-password>
    [root@dcnm]#
  4. For OVA and ISO, enable execution permissions for the upgrade tool.

    [root@dcnm]# chmod +x ./DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_OVA_ISO
  5. Run the upgrade tool you downloaded in the previous step.

    • For Windows:

      C:\DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_LIN_WIN>DCNMBackup.bat
      Enter DCNM root directory [C:\Program Files\Cisco Systems\dcm]:
      Initializing, please wait...
      *******************************************************************************
      Welcome to DCNM-to-NexusDashboard Upgrade Tool for Linux/Windows.
      This tool will analyze this system and determine whether you can move to Nexus Dashboard 3.2.1 or not.
      If upgrade to Nexus Dashboard 3.2.1 is possible, this tool will create files to be used for performing the upgrade.
      Thank you!
      *******************************************************************************
      This tool will backup config data. Exporting Operational data like Performance(PM) might take some time.
      Do you want to export operational data also? [y/N]: y
      *******************************************************************************
      Sensitive information will be encrypted using an encryption key.
      This encryption key will have to be provided when restoring
      the backup file generated by this tool.
      Please enter the encryption key:
      Enter it again for verification:
      …..
      2024-07-25 22:35:34,944 [main] DEBUG org.apache.http.impl.conn.PoolingHttpClientConnectionManager - Connection [id: 0][route: {s}->https://127.0.0.1:9200] can be kept alive indefinitely
      2024-07-25 22:35:34,944 [main] DEBUG org.apache.http.impl.conn.DefaultManagedHttpClientConnection - http-outgoing-0: set socket timeout to 0
      2024-07-25 22:35:34,944 [main] DEBUG org.apache.http.impl.conn.PoolingHttpClientConnectionManager - Connection released: [id: 0][route: {s}->https://127.0.0.1:9200][total kept alive: 1; route allocated: 1 of 20; total allocated: 1 of 20]
      2024-07-25 22:35:34,969 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - Total number of Json data entries in backup/es/pmdb_sanportratedata_daily.data ==> 145
      2024-07-25 22:35:35,036 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - ###### Total time to export Daily data: 7 seconds.
      2024-07-25 22:35:35,036 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - ###### Total time to export PM data: 36 seconds.
      2024-07-25 22:35:35,169 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - Creating data file...
      2024-07-25 22:35:38,083 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - Creating metadata file...
      2024-07-25 22:35:38,085 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - Creating final backup archive...
      2024-07-25 22:35:38,267 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - Done
      
    • For Linux:

      # ./DCNMBackup.sh
      Enter DCNM root directory [/usr/local/cisco/dcm]:
      Initializing, please wait...
      *******************************************************************************
      Welcome to DCNM-to-NexusDashboard Upgrade Tool for Linux/Windows.
      This tool will analyze this system and determine whether you can move to Nexus Dashboard 3.2.1 or not.
      If upgrade to Nexus Dashboard 3.2.1 is possible, this tool will create files to be used for performing the upgrade.
      Thank you!
      
      *******************************************************************************
      
      This tool will backup config data. Exporting Operational data like Performance(PM) might take some time.
      Do you want to export operational data also? [y/N]: y
      *******************************************************************************
      Sensitive information will be encrypted using an encryption key.
      This encryption key will have to be provided when restoring
      the backup file generated by this tool.
      
      Please enter the encryption key:
      Enter it again for verification:
      ……
      2024-07-26 04:04:46,540 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - Total number of Json data entries in backup/es/pmdb_sanportratedata_daily.data ==> 92
      2024-07-26 04:04:46,543 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - ###### Total time to export Daily data: 3 seconds.
      2024-07-26 04:04:46,543 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - ###### Total time to export PM data: 11 seconds.
      2024-07-26 04:04:46,958 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - Creating data file...
      2024-07-26 04:04:47,456 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - Creating metadata file...
      2024-07-26 04:04:47,467 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - Creating final backup archive...
      2024-07-26 04:04:47,478 [main] INFO DCNMBackup - Done.
      
    • For OVA:

      # ./DCNM_To_NDFC_Upgrade_Tool_OVA_ISO
      *******************************************************************************
      Welcome to DCNM-to-NexusDashboard Upgrade Tool for OVA/ISO.
      This tool will analyze this system and determine whether you can move to
      Nexus Dashboard 3.2.1 or not.
      If upgrade to Nexus Dashboard 3.2.1 is possible, this tool will create files
      to be used for performing the upgrade.
      NOTE:
      Only backup files created by this tool can be used for upgrading,
      older backup files created with 'appmgr backup' CAN NOT be used
      for upgrading to Nexus Dashboard 3.2.1
      Thank you!
      
      *******************************************************************************
      Continue? [y/n]: y
      Collect operational data (e.g. PM, EPL)? [y/n]: y
      Does this DCNM 11.5(4) have DCNM Tracker feature enabled on any switch on any fabric? [y/n]: n
      
      Sensitive information will be encrypted using an encryption key.
      This encryption key will have to be provided when restoring
      the backup file generated by this tool.
      
      Please enter the encryption key:
      Enter it again for verification:
      ……
      Adding backup header
      Collecting DB table data
      Collecting DB sequence data
      Collecting stored credentials
      Collecting Custom Templates
      Collecting CC files
      Collecting L4-7-service data
      Collecting CVisualizer data
      Collecting EPL data
      Collecting PM data - WARNING: this will take a while!
      Collecting AFW app info
      Decrypting stored credentials
      Adjusting DB tables
      Creating dcnm backup file
      Creating final backup file
      Done.
      Backup file: backup11_sandcnm_20240726-113054.tar.gz
      

Step 5

Deploy a brand new Nexus Dashboard cluster as described in one of the earlier chapters in this document.

Ensure that you complete all guidelines and prerequisites for the Nexus Dashboard platform, the Fabric Controller service, and the specific form factor listed in the deployment chapters above.

Note

 
  • You must provide the required number of Persistent IP addresses in the Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller UI before proceeding with restoring your DCNM configuration..

  • If your existing configuration used smart licensing with direct connectivity to Cisco Smart Software Management (CSSM), you must ensure that your new Nexus Dashboard has the routes required to reach the CSSM website.

    Ensure that subnets for IP addresses on smartreceiver.cisco.com are added to the route table in the Nexus Dashboard's Admin > System Settings > Routes page for the Nexus Dashboard management network.

    You can ping smartreceiver.cisco.com to find the most recent subnet, for example:

    $ ping smartreceiver.cisco.com
    PING smartreceiver.cisco.com (146.112.59.81): 56 data bytes
    64 bytes from 146.112.59.81: icmp_seq=0 ttl=52 time=48.661 ms
    64 bytes from 146.112.59.81: icmp_seq=1 ttl=52 time=44.730 ms
    64 bytes from 146.112.59.81: icmp_seq=2 ttl=52 time=48.188 ms

    In addition, because NDFC is considered a new product instance, you must re-establish trust. If you took the backup with an expired Trust Token, you must manually run the Smart Licensing Configuration wizard and enter a valid token after the upgrade.

Step 6

Restore the configuration backup in the new cluster using the unified backup and restore functionality introduced in Nexus Dashboard release 3.2.1.

For more information, see Unified Backup and Restore for Nexus Dashboard and Services.

  1. On-board any NDFC fabrics prior to restoring from a backup.

    In these procedures, you will be restoring from a backup that you took previously. If NDFC services were part of the ND when that backup was taken, then you must on-board the NDFC fabrics before you begin this restore process.

  2. Navigate to the unified backup and restore page in the Admin Console GUI: Admin > Backup & Restore.

    Backups that are already configured are listed in the Backups page.

  3. Access the Restore slider page using either of the following methods:

    • Click the ellipsis ( …​ ) on any backup that you want to restore and choose Restore, or

    • Click Restore in the upper right corner of the main Backup and Restore page.

    The Restore slide page appears.

  4. In the Source field, determine where the backup is that you want to restore, if applicable.

    Note

     

    If you are restoring a backup by clicking the ellipsis ( …​ ) on a specific backup, then this field is not editable.

    • Upload Configuration Backup Table: The Backup File area appears, where you can either drag and drop a local backup file to restore or you can navigate to the local area on your system to select a backup file to restore.

    • Remote Location:

      1. In the Remote Location field, select an already-configured remote location from the list, if available, or click Create Remote Location.

        If you click Create Remote Location, follow the procedures provided in "Configuring Remote Locations" in Unified Backup and Restore for Nexus Dashboard and Services, then return here. Even though you should have configured a remote location as part of the remote backup process, you might also have to configure a remote location as part of the restore process if you’re in a different cluster from the one where you configured the remote backup. In this case, you would be configuring the remote location again at this point so that the system can find the remote backup that you configured in the other cluster.

      2. In the Remote Path field, enter the remote path where the remote backup resides.

  5. In the Encryption Key field, enter the encryption key that you used when you backed up the file.

  6. In the Validation area, on the row with your backup, click Validate and Upload.

  7. When the Progress bar shows 100% for the validation, the Next button becomes active. Click Next.

  8. (Optional) Check the Ignore External Service IP Configuration check box, if necessary.

    If the Ignore External Service IP Configuration check box is selected, then the external service IP configuration is ignored. This selection allows you to take a backup on a system and restore it on a different system, with different management and/or data subnets.

  9. Click Restore.

    A warning window appears to verify that you want to begin the restore process. Note that you will not be able to access any Nexus Dashboard functionality while the restore process runs, which could take several minutes.

  10. Click Restore in the warning window to proceed with the restore process.

    Another window appears, showing the progress of the restore process. Click the arrow next to the entry in the Type column to get more details of the restore process.

  11. If the restore process is successful, you will see 100% as the Progress, and the View History button becomes active.

    Click View History to navigate to the History area in the Backup and Restore window, with the restore process displayed and Success shown in the Status column.

Note

 

After you have restored a configuration that was backed up using the new ND unified backup and restore feature, the state of the NDFC fabrics shown at the ND level might be out of sync with the true state of the NDFC fabrics. To bring the NDFC fabrics status back in sync, in the Fabric Overview page, click Actions at the top of the page and select Recalculate and Deploy.

Step 7

Complete the post-upgrade tasks.

  1. If you are using the SAN Controller persona:

    After restoring the data from backup, all the server-smart licenses are OutofCompliance.

    You can migrate to Smart Licensing using Policy from the Operations > License Management > Smart page in the UI and establish trust with CCSM using SLP.

  2. If you are using the Fabric Controller persona:

    The following features are not carried over when you upgrade from DCNM 11.5(4):

    • Endpoint Locator must be reconfigured

    • IPAM Integration must be reconfigured

    • Alarm Policies must be reconfigured

    • Custom topologies must be recreated and saved

    • PM collection must be re-enabled on fabrics

    • Temperature data collection must be re-enabled to start collecting data

    • Switch images must be uploaded

    Deployment Type in Release 11.5(4)

    In 11.5(4), trap IP address is collected from

    LAN Device Management Connectivity

    Trap IP address after upgrade

    Result

    LAN Fabric

    Media Controller

    eth1 (or vip1 for HA systems)

    Management

    Belongs to Management subnet

    Honored

    There is no configuration difference. No further action required.

    LAN Fabric

    Media Controller

    eth0 (or vip0 for HA systems)

    Management

    Does not belong to Management subnet

    Ignored, another IP from the Management pool will be used as trap IP.

    Configuration difference is created. On the Web UI > LAN > Fabrics > Fabrics, double click on the Fabric to view Fabric Overview. From Fabrics Actions drop-down list, select Recalculate Config. Click Deploy Config.

    LAN Fabric

    Media Controller

    eth0 (or vip0 for HA systems)

    Data

    Belongs to Data subnet

    Honored

    There is no configuration difference. No further action required.

    LAN Fabric

    Media Controller

    eth0 (or vip0 for HA systems)

    Data

    Does not belong to Data subnet

    Ignored, another IP from the Data pool will be used as trap IP.

    Configuration difference is created. On the Web UI > LAN > Fabrics > Fabrics, double click on the Fabric to view Fabric Overview. From Fabrics Actions drop-down list, select Recalculate Config. Click Deploy Config.

    SAN Management

    OVA/ISO –

    • trap.registaddress (if set)

    • eth0 (if trap.registaddress is not set)

    Windows/Linux –

    • trap.registaddress (if set)

    • Interface based on event-manager algorithm (if trap.registaddress is not set

    Not applicable

    Belongs to Data subnet

    Honored

    There is no configuration difference. No further action required.

    Not applicable

    Does not belong to Data subnet

    Ignored, another IP from the Data pool will be used as trap IP.