Setup and Upgrade

Bootz Workflow for Standby RP

Introduced in this release on: Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: Q100, Q200, P100])

This feature enables the Bootz workflow to achieve full-system onboarding for devices with both active and standby Route Processors (RPs). In earlier releases, the Bootz workflow only supported onboarding for devices with an active RP.

With this enhancement, the Bootz workflow can now detect faulty or tampered standby cards that are inserted dynamically during or after the active RP Bootz process. It does this by verifying the ownership voucher (OV) of the other cards during the initial Bootz process for the active RP. Faulty cards can be shut down to prevent security threats during remote provisioning, ensuring smooth network operation.

This feature allows Bootz workflow to validate the standby RP as part of the active RP Bootz process.

This feature introduces the ztp bootz-server command.

This feature modifies the Cisco-IOS-XR-ztp-cfg.yang.

(see GitHub, YANG Data Models Navigator)

Exclude the Default PSU Upgrade from the Automatic FPD Upgrade

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200, 8700); Centralized Systems (8600); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: Q100, Q200, P100])

To make the automatic FPD upgrade process more time efficient, we have decreased the default time needed for FPD automatic upgrades by excluding PSUs from the automatic upgrade process. This is because the PSU upgrades are carried out one after the other, and on a fully loaded router, the process could take more than an hour to complete. We have also added an option to include the PSU in the automatic FPD upgrade. Previously, the PSU upgrade was included by default in the automatic FPD upgrade.

The feature introduces the following change:

CLI:

• The include pm keyword is introduced in the fpd auto-upgrade command.

Programmability

TPM Enrollment and Attestation

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200, 8700); Centralized Systems (8600); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: Q100, Q200, P100])

You can now use the new gNSI service for enrollment and attestation, EnrollZ and AttestZ, to enhance security of networking devices. The EnrollZ has been added to meet open-source requirements, thereby providing advantages such as the verification of device identity and integrity during boot-up, and the provisioning of owner-specific certificates. This bypasses the need for router vendor certificate authorities, offering a user-friendly and secure system. Sensitive credentials are only available to devices that have completed the EnrollZ and AttestZ processes.

gNSI Acctz Logging

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems(8200, 8700); Centralized Systems (8600); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: Q100, Q200, P100])

You can now log and monitor AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting) accounting of gRPC operations and CLI accounting data through gNSI Acctz for effective management of network for better performance and resource utilization. You can also configure the number of gNSI accounting records that can be streamed.

Previously, you could monitor the AAA accounting data through syslog only.

The feature introduces these changes:

CLI: grpc aaa accounting queue-size

To view the specification of gNSI Accounting (Acctz) RPCs and messages, see the Github repository.

Routing

BFD over Pseudowire Headend

Introduced in this release on: Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: P100]) (select variants only*)

You can now rapidly detect failures in pseudowires, minimizing downtime and ensuring service reliability. This feature continuously monitors the pseudowire end-to-end, providing quick responses to maintain the integrity of Layer 2 VPNs and Ethernet services.

*This feature is supported on:

• 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E

LSP Fast-Flooding on IS-IS Networks

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200, 8700); Centralized Systems (8600); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: Q100, Q200, P100])

You can now accelerate the rate at which Link State Packets (LSPs) are distributed across an IS-IS network. Faster LSP distribution means faster network convergence. This faster convergence ensures that the most accurate topology information is quickly available across all routers on the network, reducing the chances of routing loops or misrouting.

The feature introduces these changes:

CLI:

• lsp-fast-flooding

• max-lsp-tx

• psnp-interval

• remote-psnp-delay

YANG Data Model:

• Cisco-IOS-XR-um-router-isis-cfg

(see GitHub, YANG Data Models Navigator)

Segment Routing

BGP Signaling for co-existence of IP routes

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8100, 8200); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: Q100, Q200])

SRv6 with BGP supports the coexistence of IP routes with or without SRv6 SID over an SRv6-enabled core network. This support enables integrating SRv6 capabilities into existing network infrastructures without replacing IP routing completely.

This feature enables flexibility and scalability, transition to new technologies, and enhanced network efficiency, making it easier to migrate from MPLS to SRV6.

The feature introduces these changes:

CLI:

• encapsulation-type srv6 relax-sid

H.Insert.Red Headend Behavior for SRv6 on Cisco Silicon One P100-based Routers

Introduced in this release on: Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: P100]) (select variants only*)

With H.Insert.Red head-end behavior, you can effectively steer traffic into an SR policy, allowing for fast rerouting, traffic optimization, and simplified path management without additional encapsulation.

The H.Insert.Red head-end behavior enables the router to insert a Segment Routing Header (SRH) directly into an existing IPv6 packet.

The feature introduces these changes:

CLI:

• hw-module profile npu-compatibility

* This feature is supported on:

• 88-LC1-36EH

• 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E

• 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM

SRv6 Services on EVPN E-Line

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems(8200, 8700); Centralized Systems (8600); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: Q200, P100])

Segment Routing over IPv6 (SRv6) services on Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) E-Line offers a modern approach to simplify and enhance network operations. SRv6 utilizes IPv6 addresses to encode segment routing information, seamlessly integrating with EVPN E-Line services to provide efficient, scalable, and flexible network solutions.

BGP

Flexible BGP Persistence

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200, 8700); Centralized Systems (8600); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: Q100, Q200, P100])

Now you can ensure continuous connectivity by allowing non-Long Lived Graceful Restart (LLGR) eBGP neighbors to use LLGR stale routes, allowing for LLGR capability to be enabled and advertised without having to explicitly configure a timeout value, and gain greater flexibility in route management by advertising stale routes to non-LLGR peers through the NO_EXPORT community. This is an enhancement to the existing BGP Persistence feature.

The feature introduces these changes:

CLI:

• The default , any , and advertise-internal-only keywords are added to the long-lived-graceful-restart command.

• The fields Long-lived Graceful Restart Stale Time Send Default, Default advertised long-lived stale time, and Long-lived Graceful Restart Stale Time Accept Any are added to the show output of the show bgp command.

YANG Data Model:

• Cisco-IOS-XR-ipv4-bgp-cfg

  (see GitHub, YANG Data Models Navigator)

Interface and Hardware Component

Media Link-down PreFEC Degrade Enablement

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems(8200, 8700); Centralized Systems (8600); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: Q100, Q200, P100]).

The Media Link-down PreFEC Degrade functionality can be used to protect the media side of the optical transceiver during transmission errors.

By using this feature, you can proactively switch the traffic to standby path when the BER counter crosses the threshold value. This feature helps to avoid further traffic impact when the optical network reaches more noise or error.

CLI:

Modified the controller optics command by adding the media link-down prefec-degrade keyword.

YANG Data Model:

• New XPaths for Cisco-IOS-XR-controller-optics-oper.yang

• New XPaths for Cisco-IOS-XR-um-cont-optics-fec-threshold-cfg.yang

Remote Link State Propagation

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200, 8700); Centralized Systems (8600); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: Q100, Q200, P100])

Remote Link State Propagation allows the status of a link to be communicated to remote devices, ensuring that all relevant parts of the network are aware of link state changes. Link Loss Forwarding (LLF) uses this feature to propagate link failures to remote endpoints.

By enabling remote state propagation and LLF on an interface, you can ensure that the link state changes are communicated to remote devices, allowing for quick failover and rerouting of traffic.

This feature introduces the propagate remote-status command.

L2VPN

Pseudowire Headend

Introduced in this release on: Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: P100]) (select variants only*)

Pseudowire Headend (PWHE) is a virtual interface that allows termination of access PWs into a Layer 3 (VRF or global) domain or into a Layer 2 domain.

PWHE enables integration of legacy Layer 2 services into packet-switched networks (PSNs) like IP or MPLS networks, so that users can integrate their older devices into newer networks without upgrading their hardware. This is possible because PWHE allows the termination or encapsulation of the frames from the attachment circuit into packets that can be transmitted over the PSN.

* This feature is supported only on:

• 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E

• 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM

Introduced New VLAN Tag Format Support for Load Balancing

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200); Centralized Systems (8600); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: Q100, Q200, P100])

Introduced support for the following VLAN tags on line cards and routers with Q100, Q200, and P100 based Silicon One ASIC:

• Single VLAN tag 0x88A8

• QinQ with outer 0x8100 and inner 0x8100

• QinQ with outer 0x9100 and inner 0x8100

Introduced support for BUM traffic in VPLS service load balancing.

Traffic Mirroring on PWHE

Introduced in this release on: Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: P100])(select variants only*)

This feature allows you to perform a detailed inspection and analysis of layer 2 network traffic passing through a set of ethernet interfaces without interrupting the flow of traffic. You can copy or mirror the network packets that pass through a specific source interface within a layer 2 VPN, allowing these packets to be redirected to a predetermined destination interface.

*This feature is enabled by default and supported on:

• 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM

• 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E

EVPN

Layer 2 Fast Reroute

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200, 8700); Centralized Systems (8600); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: Q100, Q200, P100])

Fast reroute minimizes traffic loss by quickly redirecting traffic to a backup path in the event of a link failure, ensuring fast convergence and maintaining the service continuity.

This feature introduces the convergence reroute  command.

Modular QoS

QoS on PWHE

Introduced in this release on: Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: P100])(select variants only*)

You can now prioritize critical services like voice, video, and real-time applications for network traffic entering a Pseudowire Headend (PWHE) interface, which then forwards the prioritized traffic into the pseudowire to be transported over a packet-switched network, such as an IP or MPLS network.

The feature introduces the show qos-ea default-queue command.

The feature modifies the Cisco-IOS-XR-qos-ma-oper.yang (see GitHub, YANG Data Models Navigator) data model.

*This feature is supported on:

• 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM

• 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E

Multicast Traffic Scheduling on Egress Queues

We have introduced multicast traffic scheduling on egress queues. Now you can have more granular control over multicast traffic by applying egress queuing policy map parameters such as traffic shaping, priority, and queuing, to each egress queue. This allows for specific management of multicast traffic for different receivers, ensuring efficient and prioritized handling of multicast data.

*This feature is enabled by default and supported on:

• 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E

• 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM

Egress Class-level Traffic Shaping for Subinterface

Introduced in this release on: Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: P100])(select variants only*)

You can now granularly control the traffic flow on each class in the egress queuing policy map ensuring optimal bandwidth allocation and improved network performance.

This is achieved by introducing support for enabling class-level rate limiting traffic shapers for each class in the egress subinterface-level (main and LAG) queuing policy maps.

*This feature is enabled by default and supported on:

• 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E

• 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM

Priority Propagation on Egress Queues

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200, 8700); Centralized Systems (8600); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: P100])

You can now ensure that high-priority traffic is consistently prioritized across multiple sub-interfaces on the same network port, enhancing the performance of critical applications.

This is achieved by enabling support for egress queuing policy maps that allow high-priority P1 traffic (on class TC7) to take precedence over non-P1 traffic across sub-interfaces. This feature ensures that critical traffic, such as voice or real-time video, is always given the highest priority, regardless of the sub-interface it is associated with, thereby maintaining optimal network performance and reducing latency for essential services.

NetFlow and sFlow

Monitor PWHE Interface Traffic

Introduced in this release on: Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: P100]) (select variants only*)

NetFlow is now supported on Pseudowire Headend (PWHE) interfaces, enhancing traffic congestion monitoring and network operation efficiency. This feature enables monitoring of IP traffic transmitted through PWHE interfaces, which facilitates the termination and encapsulation of legacy non-IP traffic into IP packets.

*This feature is supported on:

• 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM

• 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E

System Management

Concurrent Configuration Rebase during Commit

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200, 8700); Centralized Systems (8600); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: Q100, Q200, P100])

The router performs the commit and rebase operations simultaneously, ensuring that the commit operation remains unblocked during the rebase operation.

This removes the need to use the cfs check command to increase the commit count and the commit file diff size.

Performance Monitoring

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200); Centralized Systems (8600); and Modular Systems (8800[LC ASIC: Q100, Q200, P100])

You can now get statistical information with Performance Monitoring in PTP networks, such as clock accuracy, synchronization status, and network delays by defining Performance Monitoring Parameters and Port Specific Parameters.

This feature empowers operators with comprehensive performance monitoring and precise time-stamp analysis, offering enhanced granularity for time synchronization in telecommunication networks. By providing detailed insights, it enables operators to make well-informed decisions and take proactive actions to ensure optimal network performance.

The feature introduces these changes:

CLI:

• performance-monitoring

• show ptp platform performance-counters

• show ptp dataset performance

YANG Data Models:

• Cisco-IOS-XR-ptp-cfg.yang

• Cisco-IOS-XR-ptp-oper.yang

• Cisco-IOS-XR-um-ptp-cfg.yang

(see GitHub, YANG Data Models Navigator)

System Security

MACsec Encryption on 8212-48FH-M

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200) (select variants only*)

MACsec, the Layer 2 encryption protocol, secures data on physical media and provides data integrity and confidentiality.

*We now support MACsec encryption on all ports of 8212-48FH-M.

MACsec Encryption on 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM

Introduced in this release on: Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: P100]) (select variants only*)

MACsec, the Layer 2 encryption protocol, secures data on physical media and provides data integrity and confidentiality.

*We now support MACsec encryption on all ports of 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM.

Timing and Synchronization

Precision Time Protocol (PTP) Support on Cisco 8711-32FH-M Routers

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems(8700)(select variants only*)

Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is a protocol that defines a method to synchronize clocks in a network for networked measurement and control system.

*This feature is supported on 8711-32FH-M.

With this release, Cisco 8711-32FH-M routers support these PTP telecom profiles:

• G.8265.1 - Fulfills specific frequency distribution requirements in telecom networks.

• G.8273.2 - Allows distribution of time and phase synchronization for packet-based network.

• G.8275.1 - Enables network element interoperability for the delivery of accurate phase and time synchronization.

• G.8275.2 - This profile is used in telecom networks where phase or time-of-day synchronization is required.

Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE) Support on Cisco 8711-32FH-M Routers

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems(8700)(select variants only*)

SyncE provides synchronization signals transmitted over the Ethernet physical layer to downstream devices, while the Synchronization Status Message (SSM) indicates the quality level of the transmitting clock to the neighboring nodes, informing the nodes about the level of the network's reliability. Ethernet Synchronization Message Channel (ESMC) is the logical channel that uses an Ethernet PDU (protocol data unit) to exchange SSM information over the SyncE link.

*This feature is supported on 8711-32FH-M.

With this release, the Cisco 8711-32FH-M routers support these SyncE ITU-T profiles:

• G.8262 - Enables synchronous ethernet clock support.

• G.8262.1 - Defines the timing characteristics of a synchronous equipment slave clock.

Global Navigation Satellite System Support on Cisco 8711-32FH-M Routers

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems(8700)(select variants only*);

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is a satellite system used as a timing interface. GNSS receiver receives signals from GNSS satellites and decodes the information from multiple satellites to determine its distance from each satellite. Based on this data, the GNSS receiver identifies the location of each satellite.

*This feature is supported on 8711-32FH-M.

Introduced in this release on: Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: P100]) (select variants only*)

Based on the IEEE 1588-2008 standard, Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is a protocol that defines a method to synchronize clocks in a network for networked measurement and control systems.

*This feature is now supported on 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E and 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM line cards.

With this release, 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E and 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM line cards support these PTP telecom profiles:

• G.8273.2

• G.8275.1

Introduced in this release on: Centralized Systems (8600)

Based on the IEEE 1588-2008 standard, Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is a protocol that defines a method to synchronize clocks in a network for networked measurement and control systems.

With this release, support for PTP telecom profiles G.8265.1, G.8275.2 and BITs are extended to the following hardware modules:

• 86-MPA-14H2FH-M

• 86-MPA-24Z-M

• 86-MPA-4FH-M

• Cisco 8608 Router

Licensing

Support for Smart Licensing using Policy on the line cards 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E, 88-LC1-36EH and 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM

Introduced in this release on: Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: P100])

Cisco Smart Licensing Using Policy (SLP) is an enhancement to the existing Cisco Smart Licensing model. It streamlines the licensing process for Cisco IOS XR products by introducing a more flexible and automated approach. With SLP, you no longer need to register your device during installation, and there is no evaluation license state or period. This simplifies the licensing process and reduces complexity. To use SLP, your devices must establish trust and send the initial license usage report within 90 days.

Support for Smart Licensing using Policy is now extended to the hardware:

• 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E

• 88-LC1-36EH

• 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM

Support for Smart Licensing using Policy on the 8212-48FH-M and 8711-32FH-M

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200, 8700) (select variants only*)

Cisco Smart Licensing Using Policy (SLP) is an enhancement to the existing Cisco Smart Licensing model. It streamlines the licensing process for Cisco IOS XR products by introducing a more flexible and automated approach. With SLP, you no longer need to register your device during installation, and there is no evaluation license state or period. This simplifies the licensing process and reduces complexity. To use SLP, your devices must establish trust and send the initial license usage report within 90 days.

*Support for Smart Licensing using Policy is now extended to the hardware:

• 8212-48FH-M

• 8711-32FH-M

Support for Smart Licensing using Policy on the Cisco 8608 Router

Introduced in this release on: Centralized Systems (8600)

Cisco Smart Licensing Using Policy (SLP) is an enhancement to the existing Cisco Smart Licensing model. It streamlines the licensing process for Cisco IOS XR products by introducing a more flexible and automated approach. With SLP, you no longer need to register your device during installation, and there is no evaluation license state or period. This simplifies the licensing process and reduces complexity. To use SLP, your devices must establish trust and send the initial license usage report within 90 days.

Support for Smart Licensing using Policy is now extended to the Cisco 8608 router.

Support for Flexible Consumption Model (FCM) 2

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200, 8700)(select variants only*); Centralized Systems (8600); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: P100])

The Flexible Consumption Model (FCM) provides the capability and flexibility to purchase software capacity as needed.

This release introduces the FCM Model 2 that offers Essentials, Advantage, and Premier license suites. Premier license suite offers additional licenses that are required on top of Advantage licenses for high scale services.

FCM Model 1 offers Essentials and Advantage license suites.

*These Cisco 8000 router variants and line cards support FCM Model 2.

• Cisco 8608 router

• 8711-32FH-M router

• 8212-48FH-M router

• 88-LC1-36EH line card

• 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E line card

• 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM line card

Cisco 8711-32FH-M

The Cisco 8711-32FH-M router offers 12.8 Tbps of network bandwidth.

This P100 silicon chip-based fixed-port router fits into a 1 RU form factor and features 32 QSFP56-DD 400GbE ports.

The Cisco 8711-32FH-M router includes HBM/2.5D for advanced performance, and supports Cisco 400GbE Digital Coherent Optical Modules on all the ports.

PSU3KW-DCPI Power Supply Unit for the Cisco 8202-32FH-M and Cisco 8212-48FH-M Routers

We are now introducing a high wattage direct current (DC) power supply unit, PSU3KW-DCPI, that accepts DC power to operate the Cisco 8202-32FH-M and Cisco 8212-48FH-M routers in the port side intake configuration. The PSU3KW-DCPI power supply unit has a maximum power of 3000 watts.

The benefits of the PSU3KW-DCPI power supply unit are:

• Supports DC input power. It usually supports a wide range of input voltages, often from -40V to -72V DC, making it suitable for use in different regions and environments.

• Helps when transceivers are installed in the router which needs more power to operate

• Provides better efficiency for power distribution

Cisco 8212-48FH-M Router

The Cisco 8212-48FH-M Router offers 19.2 Tbps of network bandwidth, enhancing data throughput significantly.

This high-density, P100 silicon chip-based fixed-port router fits into a 2 RU form factor and features 24 QSFP56-DD ports and 24 QSFP-DD800 ports. It includes HBM/2.5D and MACsec for advanced security and performance.

88-LC1-52Y8H-EM Line Card based on P100 Silicon Chip

This release introduces the P100 silicon chip-based 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM line card with these highlights:

• Sixty-four ports provide an overall throughput of 3.7 Tbps -

  • Fifty-two ports of 10/25GbE using SFP+/SFP28 optics

  • Eight ports of 40/100GbE using QSFP+/QSFP28 optics

  • Four ports of 400GbE using QSFP+/QSFP28/QSFP56-DD optics; supports 400GbE, 4x100GbE, 2x100GbE, 100GbE, and 40GbE

• PTP Timing with Class C performance

• Supports MACsec on port speed at line rate

The 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM line card is supported on Cisco 8808 modular chassis with 8800-RP2 route processors and 8808-FC1 fabric cards.

For more information on this line card, see the Cisco 8000 Series Routers Data Sheet.

88-LC1-12TH24FH-E Line Card based on P100 Silicon Chip

This release introduces the P100 silicon chip-based 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E Line Card with these highlights:

• Thirty-six ports provide an overall throughput of 12 Tbps -

  • Twelve ports of 200GbE using QSFP+/QSFP28/QSFP28-DD/QSFP56-DD optics; supports 40GbE, 100GbE, 2x100GbE and 200GbE

  • Twenty-four ports of 400GbE using QSFP+/QSFP28/QSFP28-DD/QSFP56-DD optics; supports 40GbE, 100GbE, 2x100GbE, 200GbE, 4x100GbE and 400GbE

• PTP Timing with Class C performance

The 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E Line Card is supported on Cisco 8808 modular chassis with 8800-RP2 route processors and 8808-FC1 fabric cards.

For more information on this line card, see the Cisco 8000 Series Routers Data Sheet.

Optics

This release launches the following new optics on selective hardware within the product portfolio. For details refer to the Transceiver Module Group (TMG) Compatibility Matrix.

Cisco 400GBASE Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable Double Density (QSFP-DD)

• DP04QSDD-ER1

Cisco 100GBASE Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable Double Density (QSFP-DD)

• DP01QSDD-ZF1