Cisco Nexus 1000V Software Installation Guide, Release 4.2(1) SV1(4)

Table Of Contents

Cisco Nexus 1000V Software Installation Guide, Release 4.2(1) SV1(4)

Audience

Information About the Software Installation

Prerequisites

VSM Prerequisites

Host Prerequisites

Upstream Switch Prerequisites

Guidelines and Limitations

Installing the Software from the ISO Image

Installing the Software from an OVA or OVF Image

Where to Go Next

Available Documents

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

Cisco Nexus 1000V Software Installation Guide, Release 4.2(1) SV1(4)

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Revised: July 9, 2013
OL-22815-01

This document describes how to install the Cisco Nexus 1000V software required to create a Virtual Supervisor Module (VSM) on a VMware ESX server or ESXi server.

This document includes the following topics:

•Audience

•Information About the Software Installation

•Prerequisites

•Guidelines and Limitations

•Installing the Software from the ISO Image

•Installing the Software from an OVA or OVF Image

•Where to Go Next

•Available Documents

•Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request, page 15

For an overview of the Cisco Nexus 1000V system and procedures for configuring the software after it is installed, see the Cisco Nexus 1000V Getting Started Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4).

Audience

This guide is for network administrators with the following experience and knowledge:

•An understanding of virtualization

•Using VMware tools to create a virtual machine and configure a vSwitch

Information About the Software Installation

The Cisco Nexus 1000V software installation installs the VSM software required to create the VSM VM. Figure 1 shows an example of redundant VSM VMs, where the software for the primary VSM is installed on ESX 1, and the software for the secondary VSM is installed on ESX 2.

Figure 1 Cisco Nexus 1000V Installation Diagram

Prerequisites

This section includes the following prerequisites for installing the Cisco Nexus 1000V:

•VSM Prerequisites

•Host Prerequisites

•Upstream Switch Prerequisites

VSM Prerequisites

The following prerequisites apply to the VSM:

•We recommend that you install redundant VSMs. For information about high availability and redundancy, see the Cisco Nexus 1000V High Availability and Redundancy Configuration Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4).

•If you are installing redundant VSMs, make sure that you first install and set up the software on the primary VSM before installing and setting up the software on the secondary VSM.

•To improve redundancy, install primary and secondary VSM virtual machines in separate hosts connected to different upstream switches. For other recommendations about your Cisco Nexus 1000V implementation, see the Cisco Nexus 1000V Getting Started Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4).

•You have already identified the HA role for this VSM from those listed below.

HA Role	Single Supervisor System	Dual Supervisor System
Standalone	X
Primary		X1
Secondary		X2

1 Install the first VSM of a dual supervisor pair as the primary VSM. 2 Install the second VSM of a dual supervisor pair as the secondary VSM.

•The VSM VM may run on ESX 3.5 or later.

•The Cisco Nexus 1000V software includes evaluation licenses for 16 CPU sockets for a period of 60 days. These licenses are used only if there are no permanent licenses installed on the VSM. The evaluation period of 60 days starts when you install the software. For more information about licenses, see the Cisco Nexus 1000V License Configuration Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4).

•You are familiar with the Cisco Nexus 1000V example installation that is shown in Figure 1.

Host Prerequisites

The following prerequisites apply to the ESX or ESXi hosts to be used for the Cisco Nexus 1000V:

•You have already installed and prepared the vCenter Server for host management using the instructions from VMware.

•You have the VMware documentation for installing software on the vSphere Client.

•You have already installed the VMware Enterprise Plus license on the hosts.

•There is at least one host for the Cisco Nexus 1000V. If you plan to use VMotion, you need two hosts.

•All VEM hosts must be running ESX or ESXi software version 4.0 Update 1 or later.

•A host requires a minimum of 2 GB of physical RAM. If it also hosts a Cisco Nexus 1000V VSM VM, it needs a minimum of 4 GB of physical RAM. If it also hosts the vCenter Server VM, additional memory may be needed.

•Each host has a minimum of the following physical NICs:

–One physical NIC for a Service Console or Management.

–One physical NIC for the traffic between VSM and VEM and for VM data traffic.

•All hosts must have Layer 2 connectivity to each other.

•If you are using a set of switches, make sure that the inter-switch trunk links carry all relevant VLANs, including control and packet VLANs. The uplink should be a trunk port carrying all VLANs configured on the host.

•The VSM can reside on a server running a virtual Ethernet module (VEM), or a VMware vSwitch or DVS. If the host is running a VEM, that VEM can be managed by the VSM on the same host or a VSM on another host.

•For instructions on installing the optional VMware Update Manager (VUM) to manage VEM software installation for ESX hosts, see the VMware documentation.

•The control and packet VLANs must already be configured on the host to be used for the VSM VM.

•Make sure that the VM to be used for the VSM meets the following minimum requirements.

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Caution The VSM VM may fail to boot if RAM and CPU are not properly allocated.
This document includes procedures for allocating RAM and setting the CPU speed.

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VSM VM Component	Minimum Requirement
Platform	64-bit
Type	Other 64-bit Linux (recommended)
Processor	1
RAM (configured and reserved)	2 GB 1
NIC	3
SCSI Hard Disk	3 GB with LSI Logic Parallel adapter2
CPU speed	1500 MHz 3

1 If you are installing the VSM using an OVF or OVA file, then the correct RAM setting is made automatically during the installation of this file. If using the CD ISO image, use the "Installing the Software from the ISO Image" procedure to reserve RAM and set the memory size. 2 Other types of adapters can be used and are dependant on the operating system. 3 If you are installing the VSM using an OVF or OVA file, then the correct CPU speed setting is made automatically during the installation of this file. If using the CD ISO image, use the "Installing the Software from the ISO Image" procedure to set CPU speed.

Upstream Switch Prerequisites

The following prerequisites apply to the switch upstream from the Cisco Nexus 1000V:

•If you are using a set of switches, make sure that the inter-switch trunk links carry all relevant VLANs, including control and packet VLANs. The uplink should be a trunk port carrying all VLANs configured on the host.

•The following spanning tree prerequisites apply to the switch upstream from the Cisco Nexus 1000V whose ports connect to the VEM.

For more information about spanning tree and its supporting commands, see the documentation for your upstream switch.

–On upstream switches the following configuration is mandatory:

cat6k IOS:
(config-if) portfast trunk
or
(config-if) portfast edge trunk

n5k:
(config-if) spanning-tree port type edge trunk

–On upstream switches it is highly recommended that the following are enabled globally:

Global BPDU Filtering

Global BPDU Guard

–On upstream switches where you cannot globally enable BPDU Filtering and BPDU Guard, it is highly recommended that the following are configured:

(config-if) spanning-tree bpdu filter

(config-if) spanning-tree bpdu guard

Guidelines and Limitations

Use the following guidelines and limitations when installing the Cisco Nexus 1000V software:

•Do not enable VMware Fault Tolerance (FT) for the VSM VM because it is not supported. Instead, NX-OS HA provides high availability for the VSM.

•The VSM VM supports VMware high availability (HA). We strongly recommend that you use redundant VSMs and the NX-OS high availability, which can be used with VMware HA. Use the VMware recommendations for VMware HA. The host isolation response must not be set to Leave powered on. For detailed information about this setting, see the VMware high availability documentation.

•Do not enable VM Monitoring for the VSM VM because it is not supported, even if you enable VMware HA on the underlying host. Cisco NX-OS redundancy is the preferred method.

•If either your primary or secondary VSM is installed on the same server as the vSwitch, then a traffic interruption between them can occur when you migrate interfaces to the DVS. In this configuration, both VSMs take the active role, sometimes referred to as split-brain. If this happens, the primary VSM is reloaded when connectivity between the VSMs is restored.

•A single host can be used for both the VEM and VSM that manages it. For information about the VSM configuration, see the Cisco Nexus 1000V Getting Started Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Installing the Software from the ISO Image

You can use this procedure to install the VSM software using the ISO image file from the CD.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before beginning this procedure you must know or do the following:

•You have already read the "Prerequisites" section.

•You have already manually provisioned the VM to be used for the VSM. For detailed information, see the following VMware document:

vSphere Virtual Machine Administration Guide

•The VSM VM requires the following and this procedure includes steps for updating these properties:

–Minimum of 2 GB of RAM reserved and allocated.

–Minimum CPU speed of 1500 MHz.

•Do not create more than one virtual CPU. The Cisco Nexus 1000V supports only one virtual CPU.

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Step 1 Using your VMware documentation, attach the VSM ISO image to the virtual CD-ROM and copy the software to a virtual machine (VM).

Step 2 Make sure that the VSM VM is powered off.

Step 3 In the vSphere client Virtual Machine Properties window Hardware tab, choose Memory.

The Memory Configuration settings display in the right-hand panel.

Step 4 In the Memory Size field, choose 2 GB.

Step 5 In the Resources tab, choose Memory.

The Resource Allocation settings display in the right-hand panel.

Step 6 In the Reservation field, choose 2048 MB.

Step 7 In the Resources tab, choose CPU.

The Resource Allocation settings display in the right-hand panel.

Step 8 In the Reservation field, choose 1500 MHz.

Step 9 Click OK.

The VSM VM memory and CPU speed settings are saved in vSphere client.

To continue configuring your Cisco Nexus 1000V, see the "Where to Go Next" section.

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Installing the Software from an OVA or OVF Image

You can use this procedure and your VMware documentation to install the Cisco Nexus 1000V software on a VMware server. This procedure uses the vSphere client Deploy OVF Template wizard to do the following:

•Creates a VM where the Cisco Nexus 1000V software is installed, reserves the required RAM, and sets the required CPU size.

•Maps VMware port groups to the VSM.

•If you are using the OVA installation file, it also applies an initial configuration to the VSM, including the VSM domainID, admin user password, and Management IP address, subnet mask, and IP gateway.

•Lets you choose the GUI or CLI setup dialog to set up the VSM configuration file.

For information about using the GUI or CLI to setup the VSM, see the Cisco Nexus 1000V Getting Started Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4).

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before beginning this procedure you must know or do the following:

•You have already read the "Prerequisites" section.

•You have a copy of the following Cisco Nexus 1000V software image files on your local drive, depending on the installation type you are using:

Installation Type	Filename	Used with ESX or ESXi Host Software Version
OVA	nexus-1000v-4.2.1.SV1.4.ova	4.0 or later
OVF	nexus-1000v-4.2.1.SV1.4.ovf nexus-1000v.4.2.1.SV1.4.disk1.vmdk	3.5

•For detailed information about using the Deploy OVF Template wizard, see the following VMware document:

vSphere Virtual Machine Administration Guide

•You have the following information available for creating a VM for the VSM and mapping the required port groups:

–A name for the new VSM that is unique within the inventory folder and up to 80 characters in length.

–The name of the host where the VSM will be installed in the inventory folder.

–The name of the datastore in which the VM files will be stored.

–The names of the network port groups used for the VM.

–The Cisco Nexus 1000V VSM IP address.

•If you are using the OVA file for installation, then you have the following information available for creating and saving an initial configuration file on the VSM:

–VSM domain ID

–Admin password

–Management IP address, subnet mask, and gateway

DETAILED STEPS

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Step 1 From the vSphere Client, choose File > Deploy OVF Template.

The Source window opens in the Deploy OVF Template wizard.

Step 2 Specify the source location and click Next.

Option	Action
Deploy from File	Browse your file system for the OVA or OVF template.
Deploy from URL	Specify a URL to an OVF template located on the internet. Example: http://vmware.com/VMTN/appliance.ovf

The OVF Template Details window opens displaying product information, including the size of the file and the size of the VM disk.

Step 3 Click Next.

The End User License Agreement opens.

Step 4 Read the Cisco Nexus 1000V License Agreement.

Step 5 Click Accept and then click Next.

The Name and Location window opens.

Step 6 Add the VSM name, select the folder location within the inventory where it will reside, and click Next. The name for the VSM must be unique within the inventory folder and less than 80 characters in length.

The Host or Cluster window opens.

Step 7 Choose the host or cluster on which to install the VSM and click Next.

The Datastore window opens.

Step 8 Choose the datastore in which to store the file if one is available and click Next.

On this page, you select from datastores already configured on the destination cluster or host. The virtual machine configuration file and virtual disk files are stored on the datastore. Select a datastore large enough to accommodate the virtual machine and all of its virtual disk files.

The Disk Format window opens.

Step 9 Select the Thick Provisioned disk format for storing virtual machine virtual disks, and click Next.

Format	Description
Thin Provisioned	The storage is allocated on demand as data is written to the virtual disks. Note This disk format is not supported for Cisco Nexus 1000V.
Thick Provisioned	All storage is immediately allocated.

Step 10 In the Network Mapping window, choose the networks (the control, management, and packet port groups) that are present in your inventory and click Next.

The Deployment Configuration window opens.

Step 11 Do one of the following:

•If you are installing from the OVA file, continue with the next step.

•If you are installing from the OVF file, go to Step 14.

Step 12 In the Configuration field, choose one of the following methods for configuring the VSM. This defines the method of configuration you will use after software installation is complete.

•Nexus 1000V Installer
(Configures the primary VSM using a GUI setup dialog.)

•Nexus 1000V Secondary
(Configures the secondary VSM in an HA pair using a GUI setup dialog.)

•Manually Configure Nexus 1000V
(Configures the VSM using a CLI setup dialog.)

The Properties window opens.

Step 13 Do one of the following:

•If you are installing software on a primary VSM, specify the following properties for your primary VSM, and then click Next:

–VSM domain ID

–Admin password

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Note All alphanumeric characters and symbols on a standard US keyboard are allowed except for these three: $ \ ?

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–Management IP address

–Management IP subnet mask

–Management IP gateway

•If you are installing software on a secondary VSM, specify only the following properties for your secondary VSM (all other properties are acquired on synchronization with the primary VSM), and then click Next:

–VSM domain ID (Use the same domain ID entered for the primary.)

–Admin password (Use the same password entered for the primary.)

Step 14 In the Ready to Complete window, if the configuration is correct, click Finish.

A status bar displays as the VM installation progresses.

A message notifies you when the installation completes.

Step 15 You have completed installing the Cisco Nexus 1000V software.

Before using it, you must configure your Cisco Nexus 1000V VSM. For more information, see the "Where to Go Next" section.

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Where to Go Next

After you have installed the Cisco Nexus 1000V software and powered on the VM, a setup dialog starts automatically. This setup dialog, available in either a CLI or GUI version, prompts you for the required information for your initial Cisco Nexus 1000V configuration. You must configure the VSM before its ready for use.

For detailed information about powering on the VM and continuing the setup of your Cisco Nexus 1000V, see the Cisco Nexus 1000V Getting Started Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4).

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Note If you are installing redundant VSMs, make sure that you configure the software on the primary VSM before installing the software on the secondary VSM.

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Available Documents

This section lists the documents used with the Cisco Nexus 1000 and available on Cisco.com at the following url:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9902/tsd_products_support_series_home.html

General Information

Cisco Nexus 1000V Documentation Roadmap, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V Release Notes, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V Compatibility Information, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1010 Management Software Release Notes, Release 4.2(1)SP1(2)

Install and Upgrade

Cisco Nexus 1000V Virtual Supervisor Module Software Installation Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V Software Upgrade Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V VEM Software Installation and Upgrade Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1010 Virtual Services Appliance Hardware Installation Guide

Cisco Nexus 1010 Software Installation and Upgrade Guide, Release 4.2(1)SP1(2)

Configuration Guides

Cisco Nexus 1000V License Configuration Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V Getting Started Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V High Availability and Redundancy Configuration Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V Interface Configuration Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V Layer 2 Switching Configuration Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V Port Profile Configuration Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V Quality of Service Configuration Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V Security Configuration Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V System Management Configuration Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1010 Software Configuration Guide, Release 4.2(1)SP1(2)

Programming Guide

Cisco Nexus 1000V XML API User Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Reference Guides

Cisco Nexus 1000V Command Reference, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V MIB Quick Reference

Cisco Nexus 1010 Command Reference, Release 4.2(1)SP1(2)

Troubleshooting and Alerts

Cisco Nexus 1000V Troubleshooting Guide, Release 4.2(1)SV1(4)

Cisco Nexus 1000V Password Recovery Guide

Cisco NX-OS System Messages Reference

Virtual Security Gateway Documentation

Cisco Virtual Security Gateway for Nexus 1000V Series Switch Release Notes, Release 4.2(1)VSG(1)

Cisco Virtual Security Gateway, Release 4.2(1)VSG1(1) and Cisco Virtual Network Management Center, Release 1.0.1 Installation Guide

Cisco Virtual Security Gateway for Nexus 1000V Series Switch License Configuration Guide, Release 4.2(1)VSG1(1)

Cisco Virtual Security Gateway for Nexus 1000V Series Switch Configuration Guide, Release 4.2(1)VSG1(1)

Cisco Virtual Security Gateway for Nexus 1000V Series Switch Command Reference, Release 4.2(1)VSG1(1)

Virtual Network Management Center

Release Notes for Cisco Virtual Network Management Center, Release 1.0.1

Cisco Virtual Security Gateway, Release 4.2(1)VSG1(1) and Cisco Virtual Network Management Center, Release 1.0.1 Installation Guide

Cisco Virtual Network Management Center CLI Configuration Guide, Release 1.0.1

Cisco Virtual Network Management Center GUI Configuration Guide, Release 1.0.1

Cisco Virtual Network Management Center XML API Reference Guide, Release 1.0.1

Network Analysis Module Documentation

Cisco Network Analysis Module Software Documentation Guide, 4.2

Cisco Nexus 1000V NAM Virtual Service Blade Installation and Configuration Guide

Network Analysis Module Command Reference Guide, 4.2

User Guide for the Cisco Network Analysis Module Virtual Service Blades, 4.2

Cisco Network Analysis Module Software Release Notes, 4.2

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

For information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional information, see the monthly What's New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and revised Cisco technical documentation, at:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/general/whatsnew/whatsnew.html

Subscribe to the What's New in Cisco Product Documentation as a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed and set content to be delivered directly to your desktop using a reader application. The RSS feeds are a free service and Cisco currently supports RSS Version 2.0.

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This document is to be used in conjunction with the documents listed in the "Available Documents" section.

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Internet Protocol (IP) addresses used in the examples, command display output, and figures within this document are for illustration only. If an actual IP address appears in this document, it is coincidental.

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