Pre-Upgrade Steps for Cisco ACI Fabric Upgrade
Short answer
A Enable AES encryption and Export configuration for backup are the recommended pre-upgrade actions to ensure security and data integrity when moving to a new ACI release.
Question
Key Takeaways
The question tests knowledge of pre-upgrade safety checks, where enabling encryption and exporting config are mandatory, while deprecated features like App Center are distractors.
Learn the recommended pre-upgrade actions for Cisco ACI, specifically enabling AES encryption and exporting configuration backups to ensure a safe transition to a new software release.
Common mistake: Candidates might choose options involving 'Import configuration' or 'App Center', confusing backup procedures with restoration or relying on outdated features no longer supported in recent ACI versions.
Expert Analysis
The correct procedure for upgrading a Cisco ACI fabric requires ensuring configuration integrity and security before applying new software. The official upgrade guide mandates enabling AES encryption on the APIC to secure the management plane and then exporting the current configuration as a backup snapshot. This export provides a restore point in case the upgrade fails or introduces issues.
Option A is correct because it aligns with Cisco's recommended pre-upgrade steps: enabling AES encryption enhances security, and exporting the configuration ensures a backup exists. Option B and C are incorrect because App Center has been deprecated in modern ACI releases, making enabling or disabling it irrelevant or erroneous. Additionally, importing configuration is not a pre-upgrade backup step; it is used for restoration or migration. Option D is incorrect because disabling AES encryption reduces security posture, which contradicts best practices for maintaining a hardened fabric during critical operations like upgrades.
Official Reference
This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.
Exam Strategy
When answering questions about ACI upgrades, always look for 'Export Configuration' as a primary backup step. Be wary of options mentioning 'App Center' as it is deprecated. Focus on security hardening (like AES) and data preservation (export) as standard pre-flight checks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is App Center mentioned in wrong answers?
What is the difference between export and import in ACI upgrades?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 1 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 1
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ostych 👍 1 Answered AA. Enable AES encryption. Export configuration for backup. -> Correct, step in a guide B. Disable All App center on APIC. Import configuration for backup. -> App center has been deprecated and import configuration is wrong. C. Enable All App center on APIC. Import configuration for backup. -> Wrong D. Disable AES encryption. Export configuration for backup. -> Wrong https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/dcn/aci/apic/all/apic-installation-aci-upgrade-downgrade/Cisco-APIC-Installation-ACI-Upgrade-Downgrade-Guide.pdf
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