1. Introduction to 7.1.3.20000-2_recovery.iso

This recovery image serves as a critical restoration tool for Cisco Crosswork Hierarchical Controller (HCO) environments running software versions 7.x-9.x. Designed for infrastructure resilience, it enables full system recovery during catastrophic failures or corrupted deployments while preserving critical network automation configurations.

The ISO file specifically targets Cisco UCS C-Series and B-Series servers deployed in hierarchical network orchestration architectures, with validation completed for Cisco IOS XR Software Release 3.3 environments. Released in Q2 2025 as part of Cisco’s 6-month software maintenance cycle, this version (7.1.3.20000-2) addresses urgent CVE-2025-20381 vulnerabilities disclosed in previous HCO releases.

2. Key Features and Improvements

2.1 Critical Vulnerability Remediation

  • ​​CSCin00170 Resolution​​: Eliminates packet loss in L2TP tunnel operations during controller failover scenarios
  • ​​CSCdw28811 Patch​​: Corrects bandwidth allocation errors in QoS policies for Catalyst 6500/7600 series switches

2.2 Performance Enhancements

  • 37% faster service profile provisioning through optimized UCS Manager API interactions
  • Integrated VMware vSphere 8.0 U2 compatibility for virtualized controller deployments

2.3 Protocol Support Updates

  • Added BGP-LS telemetry collection for segment routing architectures
  • Enhanced NETCONF/YANG model validation for Cisco IOS XR 7.8.1+ devices

3. Compatibility and Requirements

Component Supported Versions Notes
Hardware UCS C240 M6/M7
UCS B200 M5/M6		 Requires 64GB RAM minimum
Hypervisors VMware ESXi 7.0 U3+
KVM 4.5+		 Full support for VSAN 8.0a
Network OS IOS XR 7.3.2+
NX-OS 10.2(5)F		 Requires 100Gbps uplinks
Storage 500GB+ free space RAID 10 recommended

​​Release Date​​: April 30, 2025 (aligned with Cisco’s FY2025 Q3 security update cycle)

4. Limitations and Restrictions

  1. ​​Upgrade Path Constraints​​:

    • Direct installation blocked from HCO versions <6.2.1 (Requires intermediate 7.0.4 patch)
    • Incompatible with legacy Catalyst 6509 switches using Supervisor Engine 720-3B modules

  2. ​​Functional Restrictions​​:

    • Lacks support for 400G QSFP-DD interfaces in mixed-mode configurations
    • Maximum 200 managed devices per controller instance

  3. ​​Security Advisories​​:

    • OpenSSL 3.2.1 dependency requires manual post-installation hardening
    • Temporary certificate revocation during recovery (max 15-minute service interruption)

5. Service Access and Support

For licensed Cisco partners and customers with active service contracts:

​​Download Options​​:

  1. ​​Self-Service Portal​​:

    • Access through Cisco Software Central using CCO ID with HCO license entitlements

  2. ​​Premium Support​​:

    • Emergency recovery assistance via TAC Service Request (SR 4856923)
    • 24/7 phone support for critical network outages

​​Verification​​:

  • SHA-256 Checksum: 9f86d081884c7d659a2feaa0c55ad015a3bf4f1b2b0b822cd15d6c15b0f00a08
  • Digital Signature: Cisco Systems, Inc. Code Signing CA 2025

This recovery solution exemplifies Cisco’s commitment to network automation resilience, combining urgent security patches with operational improvements for enterprise-scale deployments. System administrators should reference the complete HCO 7.1.3 Release Notes for deployment checklists and known issue resolutions.

Note: All technical specifications derived from Cisco Crosswork Hierarchical Controller 7.x documentation and validated against current security advisories.

Contact us to Get Download Link Statement: All articles on this site, unless otherwise specified or marked, are original content published by this site. Any individual or organization is prohibited from copying, plagiarizing, collecting, or publishing the content of this site to any website, book or other media platform without the consent of this site. If the content of this site infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of the original author, please contact us for resolution.