Working with Cisco Boot Modes: INSTALL and BUNDLE

Cisco switches can be booted in two different modes: Install mode and Bundle mode. Each mode has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it's important to choose the right mode for your specific needs.

Install Mode

Install mode is the default mode for most modern Cisco switches. It uses a "package provisioning" file named packages.conf to boot the switch. Additionally, there are several .pkg files in the flash that are used. This mode is more memory efficient than Bundle mode, as the packages are not extracted from the bundle and copied to RAM.

Bundle Mode

Bundle mode is the traditional way in which Cisco IOS operates using a single monolithic .bin file. During bootup, this file is "unbundled" and moved into RAM from where it operates. This mode uses more RAM than Install mode, but it is also more flexible, as you can add or remove packages without having to rebuild the entire image.

Restrictions of Each Mode

• The Install and Bundle modes have some restrictions:Booting from a USB driver or TFTP is not supported because INSTALL mode relies on the packages.conf file, which references several .pkg files stored in the flash memory. Due to this dependency, booting from a USB stick is not possible in INSTALL mode.
• The memory consumption in Bundle mode is higher than in Install mode. In Bundle mode, the packages are extracted from the bundle and copied to RAM. As a result, the total size of the image increases with each new package, consuming more space in RAM.
• Auto-upgrade feature is disabled by default and is not available in Bundle mode.

How to Check the Current Mode

You can use the show version command to check the current boot mode of your Cisco switch. The output of this command will show you the mode of the current device.

Here are examples of the show version output for both modes:

For INSTALL Mode:

SWITCH# show version

< TRUNCATED > 

System image file is "flash:/packages.conf"

< TRUNCATED > 

Switch Ports Model              SW Version        SW Image              Mode

------ ----- -----              ----------        ----------            ----

*    1 32    WS-C3850-24T       Denali 16.1.1     CAT3K_CAA-UNIVERSALK9 INSTALL

< TRUNCATED > 

For BUNDLE Mode:

SWITCH# show version

< TRUNCATED > 

System image file is "flash:cat3k_caa-universalk9.BLD_V161_0_THROTTLE_LATEST_20151116_230450.SSA.bin"

< TRUNCATED >

Switch Ports Model              SW Version        SW Image              Mode

------ ----- -----              ----------        ----------            ----

*    1 32    WS-C3850-24T       Denali 16.1.1     CAT3K_CAA-UNIVERSALK9 BUNDLE

< TRUNCATED >

Converting from Install Mode to Bundle Mode

If you need to switch from INSTALL mode to BUNDLE mode, follow these steps:

Step 1: Verify the current mode of operation using the show version command.

Step 2: Check if the .bin file exists in the flash memory using the dir command. If the file is missing, copy the .bin file to the flash before proceeding to the next step.

Step 3: Verify the current boot statement using the show boot command.

Step 4: Remove the current boot statement from the device using the command no boot system in global configuration mode.

Step 5: Add the new boot statement pointing to the .bin file using the command boot system switch all flash:*.bin where *.bin is the image name.

Step 6: Save the configuration using the write mem command, and then reload the device using the reload command.

Step 7: After the reload, verify the new mode using the show version command.

Converting from Bundle Mode to Install Mode

To switch from BUNDLE mode to INSTALL mode, follow these steps:

Step 1: Verify the current mode of operation using the show version command.

Step 2: Check the current boot statement using the show boot command.

Step 3: Expand the Cisco software packages and the provisioning file from a specified bundle (*.bin) to the flash memory using the command request platform software package expand switch 1 file flash:*.bin to flash: retain-source-file auto-copy verbose where *.bin is the image name.

Step 4: Verify if the extracted files are in the flash memory using the dir command. You should see a packages.conf file and several .pkg files in the flash.

Step 5: Remove the current boot statement from the device using the no boot system command in global configuration mode.

Step 6: Add the new boot statement pointing to the packages.conf file using the command boot system switch all flash:packages.conf.

Step 7: Save the configuration using the write mem command, and then reload the device using the reload command.

Step 8: After the reload, verify the new mode using the show version command.

By following these steps, you can easily switch between INSTALL mode and BUNDLE mode on Cisco devices.