Overview

This release for the Catalyst 9600 Series includes software updates in the Dublin 17.12.x train, focusing on stability, scalability, and consistent campus core operation.


Supported Hardware

This release supports Catalyst 9600 Series chassis, supervisor engines, line cards, power supplies, and fan modules listed below.

Catalyst 9600 Series SKUs

Model Description
C9606R Six-slot chassis designed for high-density campus core deployments
C9606 Six-slot modular chassis for enterprise campus architectures
C9610R Ten-slot chassis for large-scale aggregation and core environments
C9600-SUP-1 Supervisor engine providing centralized control and system redundancy
C9600-SUP-2 Enhanced supervisor engine with increased throughput and scalability
C9600-LC-48YL Forty-eight port twenty-five gigabit Ethernet line card
C9600-LC-24C Twenty-four port one hundred gigabit Ethernet line card
C9600-PWR-3KW Three kilowatt AC power supply
C9600-PWR-5KW Five kilowatt AC power supply

Software Highlights

  • Continued improvements to overall system stability for campus core environments

  • Optimized resource utilization for large-scale routing and forwarding tables

  • Enhanced reliability of telemetry, monitoring, and operational visibility

  • More predictable behavior during software installation, upgrade, and rollback


Feature Enhancements

  • Ongoing refinements to campus segmentation and policy-based forwarding

  • Improved forwarding performance under sustained high-throughput conditions

  • Stability enhancements for dense uplink and aggregation designs

  • Expanded hardware health monitoring and fault detection mechanisms


Installation and Upgrade Notes

  • In-service software upgrade is supported when upgrading from compatible earlier releases

  • Configuration backup is strongly recommended prior to any upgrade activity

  • A full system reload may be required for specific hardware or supervisor changes


Open and Resolved Issues

Resolved Issues

  • Addressed control-plane synchronization inconsistencies observed in prior releases

  • Fixed packet forwarding anomalies during prolonged traffic bursts

  • Improved interface recovery behavior following rapid link state changes

Open Issues

  • Diagnostic command output may be delayed under extreme system load

  • Temporary interface counter discrepancies may be observed in rare scenarios


Limitations and Restrictions

  • Feature availability depends on hardware model and license level

  • Certain capabilities require consistent configuration across system components

  • Mixed supervisor deployments must adhere to defined compatibility guidelines


Compatibility

This release is designed to interoperate with standard authentication, monitoring, and management platforms when supported software versions are properly aligned.


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