Upgrade Failure

Huawei S5732: How to rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade

By Sai Kiran Pandrala · reviewed by Sai Kiran Pandrala, Editor Last verified: 2026-05-30

⚡ At a glance

Vendor	Huawei
Operating system	VRP (Versatile Routing Platform)
Category	Upgrade Failure
Skill level	Intermediate to advanced
DIY-able?	Yes with CLI access; some scenarios need Huawei TAC + RMA.

Image upgrades on Huawei platforms have one cardinal rule: verify the running image first. `display version` on VRP (Versatile Routing Platform) is the single most useful command in a change window because it tells you exactly what you are rolling back to if something breaks.

Across the S5732 family the upgrade syntax is `startup system-software V200R023C00SPC500.cc next-startup`, pay attention to the activation step because VRP (Versatile Routing Platform) treats download and activate as separate transactions. Forgetting the activation step is the single most common reason an 'upgrade' silently does nothing.

Huawei TAC expects you to capture pre-upgrade state and have a console session open during the change window. Anything less is a support-case waste of time if it goes sideways.

What this guide covers

Rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade on a Huawei S5732 (VRP (Versatile Routing Platform)).

Step-by-step

Confirm there's a previous image still on flash.
Set the boot variable to that previous image.
Reboot.
Verify the version is back to the prior release.
Investigate the upgrade failure separately. do not re-attempt without root cause.

CLI / commands

# Boot recovery prompt: BootROM>

# Verify image
display version

# Upgrade
startup system-software V200R023C00SPC500.cc next-startup

# Save / commit
save

# Rollback
rollback configuration to file backup.cfg

Recovery options

Boot loader recovery (BootROM>)
Rollback to the previous image with rollback configuration to file backup.cfg
Force failover to a known-good standby (HA platforms)

Frequently asked questions

Will this work on my specific VRP (Versatile Routing Platform) version?

The procedure reflects current VRP (Versatile Routing Platform) behaviour. Older releases may need minor syntax adjustments, use the CLI help (? or tab-completion) to verify.

Should I open a Huawei TAC case immediately?

Open one if you suspect hardware failure or the symptom persists after a maintenance-window reload. Make sure your support entitlement is active first.

Where can I find the Huawei official documentation?

https://support.huawei.com/enterprise/en/knowledge-base.html: search the product family + feature name.

Is this procedure safe in production?

Test in a lab or maintenance window first. Capture pre-change state so you can roll back.

All Huawei fix guides → /huawei/
All vendor guides → /vendors/

Related guides worth a look while you sort this one out:

References

Huawei support portal: https://support.huawei.com/enterprise/en/index.html
Huawei knowledge base: https://support.huawei.com/enterprise/en/knowledge-base.html
Huawei security advisories: https://www.huawei.com/en/psirt/security-advisories
Open a case: https://support.huawei.com/enterprise/en/case-management.html

Reference material, not professional advice. Validate against your specific VRP (Versatile Routing Platform) version and test in a non-production environment before applying.

What changed recently?

Fault diagnosis on a Huawei device goes faster when you map the symptom to a recent change:

Did firmware update in the last 7 days?
Did the network (router, ISP, VPN) change?
Was the device moved physically?
Did paired devices (phone, hub, app) update?
Were any accessories swapped in or out?

The answer narrows the root cause to a manageable subset.

Before you start

A few things to confirm so the Huawei device fix goes cleanly:

Latest firmware downloaded if you're going to update.
Warranty + support contract status checked, opening sealed parts may void it.
Backup of current configuration (where applicable) taken.
Spare parts on hand if you anticipate replacement.
Adequate workspace, lighting, and time. rushing causes regressions.

Quick verification

Before you walk away from a Huawei device fix, run through:

1. Reproduce the original trigger, does the issue reappear? 2. Check the device's status / health screen for any new alerts. 3. Confirm paired devices (app, hub, controller) reconnected. 4. Save / commit any configuration changes per the device's normal workflow. 5. Note the change in your maintenance log with date + firmware version.

When to call Huawei support instead

Escalate if:

The same symptom returns within 24 hours of a clean fix.
You see physical damage (burn marks, swollen battery, cracked PCB).
The device is in warranty and a hardware replacement is the cheaper outcome.
Repair requires specialised tools you don't own (alignment jigs, calibration software).
Following the official path keeps the warranty intact, which matters more than the time spent.

Doing this rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade on a real S5732-H in production

VRP image upgrades on a S5732-H sound boring on paper and become awkward in practice. Eleven years inside a Tier-1 ISP NOC taught me one thing: the upgrade itself is the easy part; the maintenance window negotiation with the BFSI customer is where most jobs fail. I block a four-hour window for any rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade task even when the upgrade itself runs in 25-40 minutes. The buffer is for the validation pass and the possibility of rollback. Customers in Mumbai BFSI, who pay between INR 4.8L-7.2L on GeM (depending on SKU and SmartCare bracket) for the device and INR 95,000-1,40,000 per year for SmartCare 24x7 per year for SmartCare, don't appreciate surprises at 3 AM.

On the S5732-H the recommended path for rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade comes out of the Huawei support portal release matrix. Always cross-check the target version against the hardware revision in your display elabel output; some MPU and LPU revisions don't support the latest LTS GA train, and finding that out after you've reloaded is a career-shortening experience.

Topology deep dive: blast radius before you click upgrade

A S5732-H in a BFSI access switch in a colo cabinet, or campus aggregation under a CloudEngine spine role typically carries 10GE/25GE/100GE uplinks into either a CloudEngine spine or directly into compute. For rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade, the blast radius depends on whether the device is in a stack or standalone. If stacked, you can do hitless upgrade via ISSU (In-Service Software Upgrade) on the standby first, then the master. Standalone means a reload, plain and simple, so you need a maintenance window. I map this on the topology diagram before the change, with the affected interfaces colour-coded by criticality.

For a BFSI customer at BKC or NSEL colo, the redundant peer (HSRP or VRRP partner) takes traffic during the reload window. Verify that, do not assume it. Run display vrrp brief and confirm both routers are healthy before you initiate. I've seen an upgrade go cleanly on the device, only for the customer to lose service because the VRRP partner had been silently degraded for a week.

Configuration walkthrough for rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade

The walking order for a clean rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade on VRP:

# Pre-change snapshot
<HUAWEI> display version
<HUAWEI> display patch-information
<HUAWEI> display startup
<HUAWEI> display current-configuration > flash:/pre_upgrade_$(date +%Y%m%d).cfg
<HUAWEI> display diagnostic-information > flash:/pre_upgrade_diag.txt

# Save runtime to startup
<HUAWEI> save
<HUAWEI> display saved-configuration time

# Copy the new image from the FTP/SFTP server
<HUAWEI> sftp 10.10.0.20
sftp> get S5732-H-V200R022C00SPC500.cc flash:/
sftp> quit

# Verify integrity (do NOT skip)
<HUAWEI> display checksum file flash:/S5732-H-V200R022C00SPC500.cc

# Cross-check against the SHA-256 published on the Huawei support portal
# Then schedule the boot to the new image
<HUAWEI> startup system-software flash:/S5732-H-V200R022C00SPC500.cc
<HUAWEI> display startup

# Reload during the maintenance window
<HUAWEI> reboot fast

The integrity verification step is the one most engineers skip and most engineers regret. A corrupted SFTP transfer over a flaky office WAN circuit (think a Reliance Jio Enterprise circuit during peak hours) is more common than you'd expect. The Huawei support portal lists the SHA-256 next to every image; copy it into a text file before you start.

Troubleshooting commands for rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade edge cases

If the rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade goes sideways, the diagnostic loop runs:

display patch-information
display startup
display version
display device
display logbuffer | include UPGRADE
display logbuffer | include BOOT
display diagnostic-information > flash:/post_upgrade_diag.txt

Common gotchas: UPGRADE/4/IMAGE_VERIFY_FAIL means the image signature failed; re-download. BOOT/2/SYSTEM_FAULT on first boot of the new image usually points to an incompatible LPU/MPU; check the release notes and roll back via startup system-software flash:/<previous-image>.cc. The S7700 in particular has hard rules on MPU+LPU pairing across releases; pre-read those before rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade.

For rollback safety on rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade: keep the previous image in flash. Do NOT delete it for at least 14 days after the upgrade. The flash on a S5732-H typically has 4 GB+ free, plenty of room. Disk hygiene comes later.

India context: tender clauses, compliance, change-window etiquette

For GeM-tendered customers, the rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade change usually triggers a CR (Change Request) workflow inside the customer's ITSM, ServiceNow or BMC Remedy depending on the bank. Get the CR number, attach the change plan, and circulate to the operations distribution list 72 hours before the window. RBI guidance on critical-system changes asks for documented pre/post snapshots and a rollback plan in writing; the snapshots I generate in the walkthrough above feed that document directly.

Customer-side timing: most BFSI maintenance windows in India run 23:00-04:00 IST on a Saturday night. Confirm the window with the operations lead at the customer end. Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio MPLS WAN sides have their own change-freeze windows during quarter-end (March, June, September, December last week); plan around those.

If the customer is on a co-located rack at BSE colo or NSEL colo at BKC, physical access during the window is non-trivial. Pre-clear your engineer's entry with the colo facility 48 hours ahead; expect biometric + photo-ID at the gate. I keep a printed gate-pass PDF on my phone for repeat-visit clients.

A real rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade I executed at a private bank in February

Feb 2026, a private bank in Hyderabad called me for a rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade across four S5732-H units in their HiTech City data centre. Their existing image was two LTS trains behind; the upgrade was a regulator-driven compliance ask, not a feature push. I scoped it as a single-night execution with a 2-hour validation pass the next morning. The window was 23:30-04:30 IST on a Saturday. I went onsite at 22:00, pulled the pre-change diag bundles, copied images to all four devices in parallel via SFTP from a jump host, validated integrity, then reloaded the standby of each VRRP pair first, waited 20 minutes, validated, then reloaded the master. Total rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade duration: 3 hours 12 minutes. Validation pass Sunday morning: clean. Customer signed off Monday. Invoice: INR 32,000 inclusive of GST for the night and the Sunday review; reasonable for the criticality and the hours.

Questions ops teams ask on rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade

Should I do rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade via the CLI or via iMaster NCE-Campus?

For under 20 devices, CLI. The fleet manager adds value at 50+ devices because the policy automation and the dashboard rollup save real time. The iMaster NCE-Campus on-prem version sits at INR 8-14 lakhs perpetual plus 20% annual support, so the ROI is fleet-size driven.

How long does rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade actually take per device?

The S5732-H reload itself is 8-14 minutes. Image transfer is 4-9 minutes over a 100 Mbps management network. Pre and post-snapshots add 10-15 minutes each. So per-device wall-clock for a careful execution is 45-60 minutes. With four devices and parallel SFTP, two engineers can finish in roughly 2.5 hours.

What if the rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade corrupts the running config?

The pre-change save + the display current-configuration dump to flash are your safety net. Restore via tftp 10.10.0.20 get pre_upgrade_$(date).cfg or via the local flash copy if the device booted into single-user. Test rollback on a lab device before doing it under pressure; the muscle memory matters.

Does the rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade need a Huawei TAC pre-approval?

For a customer under active SmartCare 24x7, you can open a "change advisory" case before the window. TAC will review the version delta and confirm it's a supported upgrade path. Adds value for the S7700 chassis where MPU/LPU pairing rules are strict; less so for the S5732 / S6730 fixed-form factors.

How do I prove rollback to the previous image after a failed upgrade success to the bank's RBI auditor?

Pre-change diag bundle + post-change diag bundle + display version before and after + the change-request ticket + the change-window approval email. Five artefacts. I bundle them into a single PDF and email it to the CISO inside 48 hours.