Upgrades

What is the impact on my devices during the upgrade?

For the SMA, it will be unavailable during the final step of the upgrade which is a reboot. This is the same for the ESA; however, all CES instances are provided with multiple ESAs and they are only rebooted one at a time during this process, so any traffic should simply bypass the unavailable ESA and re-route through an available device. There should be no impact on mail traffic.

How are the upgrades completed?

Upgrades are completed in two phases. For compatibility purposes, the SMA is upgraded first at a notified date/time. ESA(s) are upgraded second during the same maintenance window.

For reference, the ESA/SMA compatibility matrix can be found: here.

When will my CES devices be upgraded?

Upgrades phases (SMA and ESA) will usually run over the course of 3-6 weeks and you should be notified 4-6 weeks prior so that you’re aware of the timeline. Weekly reminders are sent during the upgrade phases. Due to the additional testing and qualifications necessary for CES, the automatic upgrades will typically occur approximately 2 months after a new version of AsyncOS has been released but can take longer if additional issues are identified.

What are the upgrade maintenance windows?

Maintenance Windows: Sunday-Friday
Europe Window: 6 PM to 2 AM (BST, London)
Canada Window: 6 PM to 2 AM (PDT, Kamloops)
Americas Window: 6 PM to 2 AM (PDT, San Francisco)
APJ Window: 6 PM to 2 AM (JST, Tokyo)

Where can I subscribe to notifications about the CES Service?

You can subscribe and manage your subscription here: https://status.ces.cisco.com/

I see that a new version of AsyncOS has been released. Can I make an ad-hoc request to have my CES devices upgraded now?

Yes, you can certainly open a Cisco TAC case and make this request; however, the availability of the AsyncOS version(s) will vary depending on the compatibility with CES. We would be able to provide confirmation once a case has been opened.

Where can I review the newest settings or features in a version of AsyncOS?

Cisco recommends that you review the release notes to become aware of any new or updated functionality when your CES devices are upgraded. The release notes for the Email Security Appliance can be found: here and for the Security Management Appliance: here.