Now that we have looked at some of the basics regarding the ASR platform, lets looks at how we can manage the file system of the router. The ASR introduces a new file structure that many users that have not been exposed to modular IOS will find a little different at first know as sub-packages. Don’t let that scare you off because it also contains another IOS image known as a consolidated package as well. In fact a consolidated package is actually a collection of sub-packages all bundled up into one file that most of us are accustomed to seeing, known as a .bin image. So for the sake of clarity each consolidated package contains a collection of software sub-packages, seven in all. Each software sub-package is an individual software file that controls a different element or elements of the ASR 1000. Each individual software sub-package can be upgraded individually, or all software sub-packages for a specific consolidated package can be upgraded as part of a complete consolidated package upgrade. More importantly, IOS (the RPIOS sub-package) is considered one of the seven individual sub-packages that makes up a complete consolidated package. This gives you the ability to say upgrade the the IOS package  (RPIOS) but never affect the RPCONTROL process.

Ok so before we get to far ahead of ourselves lets take a look at each of these file types. A consolidated package is the .bin image that all of us have come accustomed to using and on the ASR today that image file name is, asr1000rp1-adventerprisek9.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.bin on my ASR 1004 (this could have been a base image or advanced ip services as well). This consolidated .bin image is actually a collection of the following sub-packages:

• asr1000rp1-espbase.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg
• asr1000rp1-rpaccess.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg
• asr1000rp1-rpbase.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg
• asr1000rp1-rpcontrol.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg
• asr1000rp1-rpios-adventerprisek9.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg
• asr1000rp1-sipbase.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg
• asr1000rp1-sipspa.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg

Here’s the fun part, You can run the router (ie. boot the router) using either the consoidated package file or you can configure the ASR to run the sub-package files. There are actually two other files that will be loaded into bootflash on the router when you extract the consolidated file, these files are known as Provisioning files. Provisioning files manage the boot process when the ASR is configured to run using individual sub-packages. When individual sub-packages are being used to run the ASR, the router should be configured to boot the provisioning file. The provisioning file manages the bootup of each individual sub-package. Again these Provisioning files are extracted automatically when individual sub-package files are extracted from a consolidated package. Provisioning files are not necessary for running the router using the complete consolidated package; if you want to run the router using the complete consolidated package, simply boot the router using the consolidated .bin file.

You need to know that only consolidated packages can be downloaded from CCO; if want to run the router using individual sub-packages must first download the .bin image from CCO and extract the individual sub-packages from the image, which can be done by entering ‘request platform’ CLI commands (more on this in a bit). So let’s look at the two provisioning files on my router:

• asr1000rp1-packages-adventerprisek9.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.conf
• packages.conf

Of the two, one of the provisioning files is always named “packages.conf”, while the other provisioning file will have a name based on the consolidated package naming structure. In any consolidated package, both provisioning files perform the exact same function. You should note that these provisioning file filename can be renamed; however the individual sub-package filenames cannot be renamed.

So how do we extract the sub-packages from the consolidated file exactly? Do we just use WinZip or WinRAR? Well not exactly…The router can extract the files using the newly introduced  ’request platform software package’ command. The request platform software package command, which can be used to upgrade individual sub-packages and a complete consolidated package, is used to upgrade software on the Cisco ASR 1000 Series Routers. Notably, the request platform software package command is the recommended way of performing an individual sub-package upgrade and also provides the only method of non-downtime upgrades of individual sub-packages on the router when the router is running individual sub-packages.

So let’s first examine the contents of myflash file system, the ASR 1004’s file system is listed below, notice that I only have the consolidated file which is an Advanced Enterprise Services file.

rcdsp1004-238#dir bootflash:
Directory of bootflash:/

   11 drwx 16384     Nov 24 2004 22:30:46 +00:00 lost+found
   12 -rw- 208904396 Nov 24 2004 22:32:20 +00:00 asr1000rp1-adventerprisek9.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.bin
74721 drwx 4096      Nov 24 2004 22:31:38 +00:00 .installer
89665 drwx 4096      Nov 24 2004 22:48:52 +00:00 .prst_sync
29889 drwx 4096      Nov 24 2004 22:48:59 +00:00 .rollback_timer
44833 drwx 4096      Jun 3 2008 19:32:10 +00:00 .ssh

962572288 bytes total (753393664 bytes free)


At this point I could just boot the router using this file using the ‘boot system’ command. let’s for instance however that I would prefer to run my router using the sub-packages instead of the consolidated package. I will first need to tell the router to extract the files from the consolidated image to flash for me. This is done below using the request plaform command. (NOTE - Since the command is so long I carried it over onto a new line)

rcdsp1004-238#request platform software package expand file bootflash:
...continued below...
rcdsp1004-238#asr1000rp1-adventerprisek9.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.bin
Verifying parameters
Validating package type
Copying package files
SUCCESS: Finished expanding all-in-one software package.

rcdsp1004-238#dir bootflash:
Directory of bootflash:/

   11 drwx 16384     Nov 24 2004 22:30:46 +00:00 lost+found
   12 -rw- 208904396 Nov 24 2004 22:32:20 +00:00 asr1000rp1-adventerprisek9.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.bin
74721 drwx 4096      Nov 24 2004 22:31:38 +00:00 .installer
89665 drwx 4096      Nov 24 2004 22:48:52 +00:00 .prst_sync
29889 drwx 4096      Nov 24 2004 22:48:59 +00:00 .rollback_timer
44833 drwx 4096      Jun 3 2008 19:32:10 +00:00 .ssh
59780 -rw- 47071436  Jun 3 2008 20:09:36 +00:00 asr1000rp1-espbase.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg
59778 -rw- 5740      Jun 3 2008 20:09:35 +00:00 asr1000rp1-packages-adventerprisek9.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.conf
59781 -rw- 20334796  Jun 3 2008 20:09:36 +00:00 asr1000rp1-rpaccess.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg
59782 -rw- 22294732  Jun 3 2008 20:09:37 +00:00 asr1000rp1-rpbase.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg
59783 -rw- 21946572  Jun 3 2008 20:09:38 +00:00 asr1000rp1-rpcontrol.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg
59784 -rw- 48099532  Jun 3 2008 20:09:39 +00:00 asr1000rp1-rpios-adventerprisek9.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg
89666 -rw- 34324684  Jun 3 2008 20:09:40 +00:00 asr1000rp1-sipbase.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg
89667 -rw- 22124748  Jun 3 2008 20:09:40 +00:00 asr1000rp1-sipspa.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.pkg
59779 -rw- 6256      Jun 3 2008 20:09:41 +00:00 packages.conf

962572288 bytes total (536899584 bytes free)
rcdsp1004-238#

Notice that after I extract the file, each of the package files are now loaded into bootflash as well as the provisioning files. So what’s the advantage to one method over the other you may ask? The advantage of running your router using individual sub-packages is that when the router is booting using the individual sub-package method, software image content from the Router Processor (RP) is copied into memory on an as-needed basis only, which conserves memory for other router processes. The router boots fastest and allows for the highest peak traffic load when booted using the individual sub-package boot approach.

That’s sounded pretty nice, conserving a finite resource right like memory, but the consolidated method has some advantages too. A consolidated package, unlike individual sub-packages, can be used to run the router while being stored in bootflash:, on a USB Flash disk, or on a network server. A consolidated package can be booted and utilized using TFTP or another network transport method, while the individual sub-package method requires the individual sub-package files to be copied into the bootflash: file directory on the router.

So what about boot speed? Does the router boot faster if you boot the consolidated image instead of the sub-packages? Well I decided to test it and see for myself. I first booted the router using the consolidated .bin image.

rcdsp1004-238(config)#boot system bootflash:asr1000rp1-adventerprisek9.02.01.00.122-33.XNA.bin

After writing the configuration to memory, I rebooted the router and started the stopwatch. I tested from a running router (already booted) from the time I typed in ‘reload’ and hit enter until the router rebooted and released the command prompt to me. When using the consolidated image that time took 3 minutes and 3 seconds. Doing the same thing again for the sub-package, using this method the router booted in exactly 2 minutes and 45 seconds. So the method you pick is up to you. Enjoy.

If you would like to see the entire boot process for each of the methods, I have provided a link to each below:

Consolidated Boot
Sub-Package Boot