If NCS presents an old, reused, or corrupted trans-id , Cisco’s servers reject the download with the NCSW10301 error.
Open a secure web browser and navigate directly to the Cisco Software Central portal.
Stale sessions often cause the automation platform to format invalid connection metadata.
(formerly DNA Center) and Cisco.com during Software Image Management (SWIM) operations If NCS presents an old, reused, or corrupted
If you suspect local container processes are caching a corrupted transaction state, or if your organization is impacted by Cisco Bug CSCwo76764 , a platform-level microservice refresh may clear out old, invalid metadata pointers: Connect via SSH to your cluster master node on port 2222.
This article provides a deep dive into the causes of this error and offers a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to resolving it.
https://download.cisco.com/.../cat9k.bin?trans-id=550e8400... (formerly DNA Center) and Cisco
The system throws the invalid metadata_trans_id fault string due to the following background triggers:
configure terminal boot system bootflash:image_name.bin end write memory reload Use code with caution.
Traffic filtration blocks part of the multi-host connection sequence required by the image repository. The system throws the invalid metadata_trans_id fault string
The Air-Gapped Manual Import (Highly Recommended Workaround)
ncs clear image-cache ncs refresh-software-repository
This specific bug causes the ISSU Compatibility Matrix ( comp_matrix.xml ) to fail with the NCSW10301 error even if the image itself downloads.
curl -v --proxy http://your-proxy-ip:port https://software.cisco.com Use code with caution.
When Cisco Catalyst Center attempts an automated download via the Image Repository, it does not just grab a raw binary file. It initiates an orchestration sequence that queries metadata, checks End User License Agreements (EULAs), validates hardware integrity verification fields, and downloads dependency mappings.