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Dell OS10 Switch Maintenance

Reference Azure

DOCUMENT CATEGORY: Reference SCOPE: Dell OS10 switch maintenance PURPOSE: Provide procedures for reinstalling OS10, flashing, troubleshooting, and managing Dell switches MASTER REFERENCE: Dell OS10 Documentation

Status: Active

This document provides maintenance procedures, reinstallation steps, flashing instructions, troubleshooting, and management guidance for Dell OS10 switches (e.g., S4112F-ON) used in Azure Local Cloud Demos Azure Local deployments.

Reinstalling OS10 Software​

Using USB Drive​

  1. Prepare a FAT32-formatted USB drive with the OS10 installation package.
  2. Boot the switch into ONIE:
  • Power on and interrupt boot with Ctrl+C.
  • Select "ONIE: Install OS" and press Ctrl+C to stop.
  1. Mount the USB drive:
mkdir /mnt/usb
cd /mnt
fdisk -l # Identify USB partition (e.g., /dev/sdb1)
mount -t vfat /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb
  1. Install OS10:
cd /mnt/usb
ls # Confirm .bin file
onie-nos-install <filename>.bin
  1. Reboot after installation completes.

Using Network (HTTP/TFTP)​

  1. Boot into ONIE as above.
  2. Install via network:
onie-nos-install http://example.com/path/to/os10.bin
# Or for TFTP:
onie-nos-install tftp://192.168.1.100/os10.bin

Installing OS10​

Automatic Installation via ONIE​

OS10 supports automatic installation through DHCP/TFTP or USB discovery:

  1. Prepare the installation media:
  • For DHCP/TFTP: Configure DHCP server with OS10 image URL
  • For USB: Format USB as FAT32 and copy OS10 .bin file
  1. Boot the switch into ONIE:
  • Power cycle the switch
  • Interrupt boot with Ctrl+C when GRUB menu appears
  • Select "ONIE: Install OS"
  1. The system automatically detects and installs OS10 from:
  • DHCP option 114 (OS10 image URL)
  • USB drive (if DHCP fails)
  • TFTP server (fallback)

Manual Installation via ONIE​

For manual installation when automatic discovery fails:

  1. Boot into ONIE rescue mode:
onie# ifconfig eth0 <ip-address> netmask <netmask>
onie# route add default gw <gateway-ip>
  1. Install OS10:
onie-nos-install http://<server-ip>/path/to/os10.bin
# Or for USB:
mkdir /mnt/usb
mount -t vfat /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb
cd /mnt/usb
onie-nos-install <filename>.bin
  1. Monitor installation and reboot when complete.

Upgrading OS10​

Zero Touch Deployment (ZTD) Upgrade​

ZTD enables automatic upgrades across multiple switches:

  1. Configure ZTD server with upgrade policy
  2. Enable ZTD on switches:
OS10# configure terminal
OS10(config)# ztd enable
OS10(config)# ztd server <server-ip>
  1. The system automatically downloads and installs updates based on policy.

CLI-Based Upgrade​

For manual upgrades:

  1. Download the image:
OS10# image download <protocol>://<server>/<path>/os10.bin
  1. Install the image:
OS10# image install <image-name>
  1. Set boot image and reboot:
OS10# boot system <image-name>
OS10# reload

VLT Domain Upgrade​

For Virtual Link Trunking setups:

  1. Upgrade secondary VLT peer first
  2. Verify VLT status:
OS10# show vlt brief
  1. Upgrade primary peer
  2. Confirm VLT reformation after reboot

Flashing Firmware​

PCIe Firmware Upgrade from DIAG OS​

For S5200-ON series switches:

  1. Boot into DIAG OS:
  • Reload switch and select "ONIE" from GRUB
  • Select "EDA-DIAG" from ONIE menu
  • Login as root
  1. Configure network and download firmware:
root@dellemc-diag-os# ifconfig eth0 <management-ip>
root@dellemc-diag-os# route add default gw <gateway-ip>
root@dellemc-diag-os# wget <url>/pcieg3fw.bin
  1. Enter BCM shell and upgrade:
root@dellemc-diag-os# nputool -d -i
BCM.0> pciephy fw load pcieg3fw.bin
BCM.0> exit
  1. Power cycle the switch to complete upgrade.

PCIe Firmware Upgrade from OS10 hshell​

For switches without console access:

  1. Copy firmware to switch:
OS10# system "sudo -i"
root@OS10# scp user@host:/path/pcieg3fw.bin /home/admin/
  1. Enter hshell and upgrade:
root@OS10# hshell
SAI.0> cd /home/admin
SAI.0> pciephy fw load pcieg3fw.bin
SAI.0> ::exit
  1. Power cycle the switch.

ONIE Firmware Updates​

Ensure ONIE firmware is updated to minimum required versions per platform. Refer to Dell documentation for specific ONIE Firmware Updater versions and procedures.

Flashing the Device​

Dell OS10 switches use ONIE for firmware updates. Follow the reinstallation steps above, as OS10 installation includes firmware flashing.

Troubleshooting​

  • Boot Issues: Ensure ONIE is enabled in BIOS.
  • USB Mount Errors: Run dosfsck -r /dev/sdb1 to repair FAT filesystem.
  • Network Issues: Verify IP configuration and connectivity.
  • Interface Problems: Use show interfaces status to check ports.

Management​

  • Default login: admin (no password).
  • Basic config:
enable
configure terminal
hostname sw00-iic
interface management 1/1/1
ip address 10.100.64.6/24
no shutdown
write memory

Data verified with Dell OS10 Installation Guide as of 2026-02-02.

For questions about these procedures, refer to the Dell documentation or contact the Azure Local Cloud documentation team.