Upgrade and Migration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager and the IM and Presence Service, Release 15 and SUs - Planning the Upgrade

Publisher

Cisco Systems

URL

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucm/upgrade/15/cucm_b_upgrade-and-migration-guide_15/cucm_m_planning-the-upgrade-15.html

Published

2026-08-14

Updated

unknown

Accessed

2026-09-24

HTTP status

200

License

Cisco copyright; all rights reserved; no-redistribution; short excerpts and locators only

Source notes citing this source

• An upgrade counts as complete only when every cluster node has installed the new version as inactive, switched version and rebooted, and database replication has completed. in context
• The fresh install with data import path to Release 15 uses the COP file ciscocm.DataExport_v1.0.cop.sgn on the source cluster. in context
• The Release 15 guide lists ciscocm.CSCwi52160_15-direct-migration_v1.0.k4.cop.sha512 as mandatory for migrations from 10.x through 14.x to Release 15. in context
• A direct standard upgrade to Release 15 is supported from Unified CM Release 12.5 and from Release 14 and its SUs. in context
• The IM and Presence Service needs no server license or software version license; users are enabled for it individually. in context
• If the Unified CM-before-IM and Presence switch sequence is not followed, some Software Upgrades menu pages will not display or work for the IM and Presence nodes. in context
• Before switching versions on IM and Presence Service nodes, the Unified CM nodes must be switched first: the publisher, then the subscribers. in context
• When IM and Presence is upgraded from 12.5.x or 14.x to 15 or later with PCD, the guide lists the COP file ciscocm.imp15_upgrade_v1.0.k4.cop.sha512. in context
• A cluster on 11.5 or earlier cannot use switch version to go back if a move to Release 15 fails, because its only paths to 15 are migrations or a fresh install, and version switching is not supported for migrations. inferred in context
• A direct upgrade to Release 15 is not supported from Unified CM 10.0 through 11.5. Those sources reach 15 by a PCD migration or by a fresh install with data import. in context
• There are no Direct Refresh Upgrade supported paths to Unified CM and IM and Presence Service Release 15 and later. in context
• Version switching is supported for direct standard upgrades but not for migrations such as the PCD Migration Task. in context
• For 12.5.x sources, the Release 15 guide points to the COP file ciscocm.enable-sha512sum-2021-signing-key-v1.0.cop.sgn for SHA-512 signing support. in context
• Cisco defines version switching as installing the new version as an inactive version, then switching to it and reverting to the old version whenever the administrator chooses. in context
• A direct upgrade to Release 15 fails on any single-80GB-vDisk deployment, even if the disk was manually resized to 110 GB. in context
• Before upgrading Unified CM to Release 15, Cisco Wireless IP Phone 8821 and 8821-EX handsets need firmware 11.0(5)SR3 or later. in context
• Phone models on Cisco's deprecated list stop working after an upgrade to the current Unified CM release, so they must be replaced beforehand. in context
• A FIPS-mode node cannot be upgraded while its IPsec policies use Diffie-Hellman groups 1, 2 or 5. Those policies must be reconfigured with groups 14 to 18 first, and groups 17 and 18 are unavailable from 15SU3. in context
• A version-switch rollback exists only while the previous release still sits intact on the inactive partition. After a migration, a fresh install with data import, or a Free Common Space COP install, the only documented way back is reinstalling the source release and restoring a same-version DRS backup. inferred in context
• Refresh upgrades from a source release earlier than 12.5.x to Release 15 or later are not supported. in context
• There are no Direct Refresh Upgrade paths to Unified CM and IM and Presence Service Release 15 or later. in context
• Any supported path that uses a PCD Upgrade Task or PCD Migration Task must use Prime Collaboration Deployment Release 15. in context
• Sources from 10.5 through 12.0 have no direct upgrade to Release 15. They move by a PCD Migration or a fresh install with data import, and each path needs specific COP files. in context
• Within the Unified CM cluster, the publisher node is upgraded and switched first and the subscriber nodes after it. in context
• Cisco strongly recommends running the Upgrade Readiness COP file before a Release 15 upgrade, though it is not mandatory. in context
• Switch versions on all Unified CM nodes before switching versions on any IM and Presence node. in context
• Cisco counts an upgrade as complete only when every node has installed the inactive version, every node has switched version and rebooted, and database replication has finished. in context
• Version switching installs the new release on the inactive partition so an administrator can switch to it and later revert. Cisco supports it with most direct upgrades but not with migrations. in context

Cite this source record

APA

WarmTransfer. (2026, August 14). Upgrade and Migration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager and the IM and Presence Service, Release 15 and SUs - Planning the Upgrade. WarmTransfer. https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/sources/cisco-cucm-upgrade-15-planning

BibTeX

@misc{warmtransfer-cisco-cucm-upgrade-15-planning,
  title  = {Upgrade and Migration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager and the IM and Presence Service, Release 15 and SUs - Planning the Upgrade},
  author = {{WarmTransfer}},
  year   = {2026},
  url    = {https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/sources/cisco-cucm-upgrade-15-planning},
  note   = {Cisco Systems, accessed 2026-09-24}
}