First Published: March 17, 2021

Last Updated: October 13, 2023

Cisco UCS Director Release Notes

Cisco UCS Director

Cisco UCS Director delivers unified, highly secure management for supported compute, network, storage, and virtualization platforms and for the industry's leading converged infrastructure solutions, which are based on the Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS) and Cisco Nexus platforms. Cisco UCS Director extends the unification of computing and network layers through Cisco UCS to provide data center administrators with comprehensive visibility and management capabilities for compute, network, storage, and virtualization. For more information, see Cisco UCS Director on Cisco.com.

Revision History

Release

Date

Description

6.8

March 17, 2021

Created for Release 6.8.

6.8(1.0)

September 29, 2021

Updated to include information on Release 6.8(1.0). See the following sections:

6.8(2.0)

December 22, 2021

Updated to include information on Release 6.8(2.0). See the following sections:

6.8(3.0)

March 14, 2022

Updated to include information on Release 6.8(3.0). See the following sections:

6.8(4.0)

July 15, 2022

Updated to include information on Release 6.8(4.0). See the following sections:

6.8(5.0)

December 2, 2022

Updated to include information on Release 6.8(5.0). See the following sections:

6.8(6.0)

April 10, 2023

Updated to include information on Release 6.8(6.0). See the following sections:

6.8(7.0)

July 4, 2023

Updated to include information on Release 6.8(7.0). See the following sections:

6.8(8.0)

October 13, 2023

Updated to include information on Release 6.8(8.0). See the following sections:

System Requirements

The system requirements for this release are available in the Cisco UCS Director installation and upgrade guides for the following:

  • VMware vSphere

  • Microsoft Hyper-V

Supported Browser Versions

Cisco UCS Director supports the following browsers:

  • Internet Explorer 8 or higher

  • Firefox 12 or higher (PC and Apple MAC)

  • Safari 6 or higher

  • Google Chrome 18 or higher

  • Opera 12 or higher (PC and Apple MAC)

Minimum System Requirements for a Single-Node Setup

The following tables detail the minimum resource requirements for a single-node setup of . Cisco recommends a single-node setup for installations of up to 5000 VMs.

For optimal performance, the entire memory and CPU allocations specified in the table below should be reserved. Failure to follow these specifications could affect performance. For example, 4 vCPU cores with 3000 MHz and 16G of memory must be reserved for the VM.

The minimum memory required for the inframgr service is automatically set during deployment. To enable the inframgr service to use more than the minimum required memory, edit the inframgr.env file available in the following location:

/opt/infra/bin/

In this file, update the MEMORY_MAX parameter to the value you want. To activate the changes, restart the inframgr service.

The default memory settings are MEMORY_MIN=8192m and MEMORY_MAX=8192m.

For information about minimum system requirements for a multi-node setup, see the Cisco UCS Director Multi-Node Installation and Configuration Guide.

Table 1. Minimum system requirements for a single-node installation (up to 5,000 VMs)
Element Minimum Supported Requirement

vCPU

4

Allocated Memory

16 GB

Reserved Memory

16 GB

Disk Space

100 GB

Disk Write I/O Bandwidth

4 MBps

Disk Read I/O Bandwidth

4 MBps

Memory Allocated for inframgr

8 GB

Restart the database and all services after making these changes to the /etc/my.cnf.

Minimum System Requirements for a Multi-Node Setup

System Requirements for the Primary Node

Number of VMs

vCPU Allocation

Memory Allocation (GB)

Memory Reservation (GB)

Disk Size (GB)

Inframgr Memory Allocation (GB)

1 - 5000

4

16

16

100

8

5001 - 10000

4

22

22

100

12

10001 - 15000

4

28

28

100

12

15001 - 20000

4

34

34

100

16

20001 - 25000

8

40

40

100

16

25001 - 30000

8

46

46

100

24

30001 - 35000

8

52

52

100

24

35001 - 40000

8

58

58

100

28

40001 - 45000

8

64

64

100

28

45001 - 50000

8

64

64

100

32

You can configure the Inframgr memory allocation in the /opt/infra/bin/inframgr.env file.

System Requirements for the Database Node

Number of VMs

vCPU Allocation

Memory Allocation (GB)

Memory Reservation (GB)

Disk Read I/O Bandwidth (MBps)

Disk Write I/O Bandwidth (MBps)

Disk Size (GB)

Database InnoDB Buffer Pool (GB)

1 - 5000

4

12

12

4

4

100

8

5001 - 10000

4

16

16

6

6

100

12

10001 - 15000

4

28

28

8

8

100

24

15001 - 20000

4

40

40

10

10

200

36

20001 - 25000

8

52

52

12

12

200

48

25001 - 30000

8

64

64

14

14

200

60

30001 - 35000

8

76

76

16

16

300

72

35001 - 40000

16

90

90

18

18

600

84

40001 - 45000

16

90

90

20

20

600

84

45001 - 50000

16

90

90

22

22

600

84

You can configure the Database InnoDB Buffer Pool parameter in the /etc/my.cnf file.


Note

To determine the currently configured disk read I/O bandwidth and disk write I/O bandwidth, use the Collect Diagnostics option from the Cisco UCS Director Shell Admin menu.

Database Parameters

VMs

Thread Cache Size

Maximum Connections

innodb lock wait timeout

Query Cache Size (MB)

Maximum Connection Errors

Connection Timeout

innodb read I/O Threads

innodb write I/O Threads

1 - 5000

1000

1000

100

128

10000

20

64

64

5001 - 10000

1000

1000

100

128

10000

20

64

64

10001 - 15000

1000

1000

100

128

10000

20

64

64

15001 - 20000

1000

1000

100

128

10000

20

64

64

20001 - 25000

2000

2000

100

128

10000

20

64

64

25001 - 30000

2000

2000

100

128

10000

20

64

64

30001 - 35000

4000

2000

100

128

10000

20

64

64

35001 - 40000

4000

4000

100

128

10000

20

64

64

40001 - 45000

4000

4000

100

128

10000

20

64

64

45001 - 50000

4000

4000

100

128

10000

20

64

64

Configure these parameters in the /etc/my.cnf file.

Installation and Upgrade Notes

Cisco UCS Director uses a standard virtual machine that is delivered in OVA format for VMware, and in VHD format for Microsoft Hyper-V. It can be hosted on VMware vSphere or vCenter, or on Microsoft Hyper-V Manager. For installation instructions, see the appropriate Cisco UCS Director installation guide.

Installation and Upgrade Notes for Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8

Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8 uses a new version of CentOS operating system and My SQL version. The previous releases of Cisco UCS Director use CentOS version 6.x, which has now reached End of Life. To continue to receive support for security issues and patches, upgrade to Cisco UCS Director 6.8 and Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent 6.8.


Note

Cisco UCS Director OVA and VHD zip files are created using zip 3.x in Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8. For Linux systems, you can extract the zip files with unzip 6.x or higher or with the latest version of the 7-Zip archiving tool. For Windows systems, you can extract the zip files with the native Extract All in Windows Explorer for Windows 10 and Windows Server 2012 or with the latest versions of archiving tools such as 7-Zip or WinRAR.

Installation and Upgrade Notes for Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8(1.0)

Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8(1.0) uses a new version of CentOS operating system, MariaDB, and OpenJDK. To continue to receive support for security issues and patches, upgrade to Cisco UCS Director 6.8(1.0) and Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent 6.8(1.0).


Note

Cisco UCS Director OVA and VHD zip files are created using zip 3.x in Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(1.0). For Linux systems, you can extract the zip files with unzip 6.x or higher or with the latest version of the 7-Zip archiving tool. For Windows systems, you can extract the zip files with the native Extract All in Windows Explorer for Windows 10 and Windows Server 2012 or with the latest versions of archiving tools such as 7-Zip or WinRAR.

Installing Cisco UCS Director Powershell Agent

Installing a newer version of the PowerShell Agent requires that you uninstall the older version first. To remove the older version of PowerShell Agent, stop the Cisco PSA Service first and then uninstall the agent. For instructions on installing, see Cisco UCS Director PowerShell Agent Installation and Configuration Guide, Release 6.8.

Supported Migration Paths to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8

The following are the supported migration paths for Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8.

See the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide for detailed steps on how to migrate to Release 6.8 from your current release.


Important

You must upgrade to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.7(4.x) before migrating to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8. For more information about upgrading to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.7(4.x), see the Supported Upgrade Paths to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.7 section documented in the Cisco UCS Director Release Notes, Release 6.7.

The following are the supported migrated paths for the Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8:

  • From Release 6.7(4.0) to Release 6.8

  • From Release 6.7(4.1) to Release 6.8

  • From Release 6.7(4.2) to Release 6.8

  • From Release 6.7(4.3) to Release 6.8


Note

Before migrating from Release 6.7(4.x) to Release 6.8, in progress service requests (SRs) must be in completed state (no in progress service requests) because you cannot complete the service requests after migrating to Release 6.8.

Supported Migration Paths for Bare Metal Agent Release 6.8

The following are the supported migration paths for the Bare Metal Agent Release 6.8:


Important

You must upgrade to Bare Metal Agent Patch, Release 6.7(4.x) before migrating to Bare Metal Agent, Release 6.8. For more information, see the Supported Upgrade Paths for Bare Metal Agent Patch, Release 6.7(4.x) section documented in the Cisco UCS Director Release Notes, Release 6.7.

  • From Release 6.7(4.0) to Release 6.8

  • From Release 6.7(4.2) to Release 6.8

Supported Migration Paths to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(1.0)

The following are the supported migration paths for Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(1.0).

See the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide for detailed steps on how to migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from your current release.


Important

You must upgrade to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.7(4.x) before migrating to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(1.0). For more information about upgrading to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.7(4.x), see the Supported Upgrade Paths to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.7 section documented in the Cisco UCS Director Release Notes, Release 6.7.


Important

Cisco UCS Director Release 6.7, Release 6.7(1.0), Release 6.7(2.0), Release 6.7(3.0), and Release 6.7(4.0) are no longer available for download. We recommend that you upgrade immediately to Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8(1.0). For more information, contact the Cisco Support Team.

The following are the supported migrated paths for the Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8(1.0):

  • From Release 6.7(4.0) to Release 6.8(1.0)

  • From Release 6.7(4.1) to Release 6.8(1.0)

  • From Release 6.7(4.2) to Release 6.8(1.0)

  • From Release 6.7(4.3) to Release 6.8(1.0)


Note

Before migrating from Release 6.7(4.x) to Release 6.8(1.0), in progress service requests (SRs) must be in completed state (no in progress service requests) because you cannot complete the service requests after migrating to Release 6.8(1.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(1.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(1.0).

See the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide for detailed steps on how to migrate to Release 6.8 from your current release.

Upgrade Paths from Release 6.8

  • From Release 6.8 to Release 6.8(1.0)

Upgrading from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(1.0). You must first upgrade to Release 6.7(3.0) and Release 6.7(4.0) and then migrate to Release 6.8(1.0).

  • From Release 6.5(0.4) to Release 6.7(3.0) to Release 6.7(4.0)

  • From Release 6.6(2.0) to Release 6.7(3.0) to Release 6.7(4.0)

  • From Release 6.7(3.0) to Release 6.7(4.0)


Important

Cisco UCS Director Release 6.7, Release 6.7(1.0), Release 6.7(2.0), Release 6.7(3.0), and Release 6.7(4.0) are no longer available for download. We recommend that you upgrade immediately to Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8(1.0). For more information, contact the Cisco Support Team.

Supported Migration Paths for Bare Metal Agent Release 6.8(1.0)

The following are the supported migration paths for the Bare Metal Agent Release 6.8(1.0):

  • From Release 6.7(4.0) to Release 6.8(1.0)

  • From Release 6.7(4.2) to Release 6.8(1.0)

Supported Upgrade Paths for Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(1.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for the Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(1.0):

  • From Release 6.8 to Patch Release 6.8(1.0)

Supported Upgrade Paths to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(2.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(2.0).

See the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide for detailed steps on how to migrate to Release 6.8 from your current release.


Note

Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8(2.0) includes fixes for security vulnerabilities reported in releases 6.7(4.1), 6.7(4.2), 6.7(4.3), 6.8, and 6.8(1.0). For information on the security vulnerabilities reported in releases 6.7(4.1), 6.7(4.2), 6.7(4.3), 6.8, and 6.8(1.0), see the security advisories for CVE-2021-44228 and and CVE-2021-45046 available at this link:

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/publicationListing.x

Upgrade Paths from Release 6.8(x.x)

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(2.0)

  • From Release 6.8 to Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(2.0)

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(2.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x) and then upgrade to Release 6.8(2.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths for Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(2.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for the Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(2.0):

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Patch Release 6.8(2.0)

  • From Release 6.8 to Patch Release 6.8(1.0) to Patch Release 6.8(2.0)

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(2.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x) and then upgrade to Release 6.8(2.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(3.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(3.0).

See the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide for detailed steps on how to migrate to Release 6.8 from your current release.

Upgrade Paths from Release 6.8(x.x)

  • From Release 6.8(2.0) to Release 6.8(3.0)

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(3.0)

  • From Release 6.8 to Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(3.0)

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(3.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x) and then upgrade to Release 6.8(3.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths for Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(3.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for the Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(3.0):

  • From Release 6.8(2.0) to Release 6.8(3.0)

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Patch Release 6.8(3.0)

  • From Release 6.8 to Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(3.0)

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(3.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x) and then upgrade to Release 6.8(3.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(4.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(4.0).

See the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide for detailed steps on how to migrate to Release 6.8 from your current release.

Upgrade Paths from Release 6.8(x.x)

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(4.0)

  • From Release 6.8(2.0) to Release 6.8(4.0)

  • From Release 6.8(3.0) to Release 6.8(4.0)


Note
If you have installed version 6.8, upgrade to Release 6.8(1.0), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(4.0).

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(4.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(4.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths for Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(4.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for the Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(4.0):

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(4.0)

  • From Release 6.8(2.0) to Release 6.8(4.0)

  • From Release 6.8(3.0) to Release 6.8(4.0)


Note
If you have installed version 6.8, upgrade to Release 6.8(1.0), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(4.0).

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(4.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(4.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(5.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(5.0).

See the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide for detailed steps on how to migrate to Release 6.8 from your current release.

Upgrade Paths from Release 6.8(x.x)

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(5.0)

  • From Release 6.8(2.0) to Release 6.8(5.0)

  • From Release 6.8(3.0) to Release 6.8(5.0)

  • From Release 6.8(4.0) to Release 6.8(5.0)


Note
If you have installed version 6.8, upgrade to Release 6.8(1.0), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(5.0).

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(5.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(5.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths for Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(5.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for the Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(5.0):

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(5.0)

  • From Release 6.8(2.0) to Release 6.8(5.0)

  • From Release 6.8(3.0) to Release 6.8(5.0)

  • From Release 6.8(4.0) to Release 6.8(5.0)


Note
If you have installed version 6.8, upgrade to Release 6.8(1.0), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(5.0).

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(5.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(5.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(6.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(6.0).

See the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide for detailed steps on how to migrate to Release 6.8 from your current release.

Upgrade Paths from Release 6.8(x.x)

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(6.0)

  • From Release 6.8(2.0) to Release 6.8(6.0)

  • From Release 6.8(3.0) to Release 6.8(6.0)

  • From Release 6.8(4.0) to Release 6.8(6.0)

  • From Release 6.8(5.0) to Release 6.8(6.0)


Note
If you have installed version 6.8, upgrade to Release 6.8(1.0), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(6.0).

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(6.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(6.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths for Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(6.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for the Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(6.0):

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(6.0)

  • From Release 6.8(2.0) to Release 6.8(6.0)

  • From Release 6.8(3.0) to Release 6.8(6.0)

  • From Release 6.8(4.0) to Release 6.8(6.0)

  • From Release 6.8(5.0) to Release 6.8(6.0)


Note
If you have installed version 6.8, upgrade to Release 6.8(1.0), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(6.0).

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(6.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(6.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(7.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(7.0).

See the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide for detailed steps on how to migrate to Release 6.8 from your current release.

Upgrade Paths from Release 6.8(x.x)

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(7.0)

  • From Release 6.8(2.0) to Release 6.8(7.0)

  • From Release 6.8(3.0) to Release 6.8(7.0)

  • From Release 6.8(4.0) to Release 6.8(7.0)

  • From Release 6.8(5.0) to Release 6.8(7.0)

  • From Release 6.8(6.0) to Release 6.8(7.0)


Note
If you have installed version 6.8, upgrade to Release 6.8(1.0), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(7.0).

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(7.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(7.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths for Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(7.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for the Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(7.0):

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(7.0)

  • From Release 6.8(2.0) to Release 6.8(7.0)

  • From Release 6.8(3.0) to Release 6.8(7.0)

  • From Release 6.8(4.0) to Release 6.8(7.0)

  • From Release 6.8(5.0) to Release 6.8(7.0)

  • From Release 6.8(6.0) to Release 6.8(7.0)


Note
If you have installed version 6.8, upgrade to Release 6.8(1.0), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(7.0).

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(7.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(7.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths to Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(8.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8(8.0).

See the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide, Release 6.8 for detailed steps on how to migrate to Release 6.8 from your current release.

Upgrade Paths from Release 6.8(x.x)

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)

  • From Release 6.8(2.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)

  • From Release 6.8(3.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)

  • From Release 6.8(4.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)

  • From Release 6.8(5.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)

  • From Release 6.8(6.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)

  • From Release 6.8(7.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)


Note

If you have installed version 6.8, upgrade to Release 6.8(1.0), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(8.0).

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(8.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(8.0).

Supported Upgrade Paths for Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(8.0)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for the Bare Metal Agent Patch Release 6.8(8.0):

  • From Release 6.8(1.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)

  • From Release 6.8(2.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)

  • From Release 6.8(3.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)

  • From Release 6.8(4.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)

  • From Release 6.8(5.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)

  • From Release 6.8(6.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)

  • From Release 6.8(7.0) to Release 6.8(8.0)


Note

If you have installed version 6.8, upgrade to Release 6.8(1.0), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(8.0).

Migration from Versions Prior to Release to 6.8

If you have a version prior to Release 6.8 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Release 6.8(8.0). You must first migrate to Release 6.8(1.0) from Release 6.7(4.x), and then upgrade to Release 6.8(8.0).

New and Changed Features

This section provides an overview of the significant new and changed features in this release. This section does not provide an exhaustive list of all enhancements included in this release.


Note

For information about the physical and virtual devices and software supported by Cisco UCS Director in this release, see the Compatibility Matrix for this release.

New and Changed Features in Release 6.8

Data Migration

In this release, you must migrate the data from Cisco UCS Director Release 6.7.4.x to Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8.


Note

The dhcpd.conf file of Bare Metal Agent (version 6.7.4.X) appliance is copied into the migrated Bare Metal Agent (version 6.8.0.0) appliance in the /etc/dhcp path.

Before you add a Bare Metal Agent account, do the following:

  • Ensure to use the same Samba password of the legacy BMA (version 6.7.4.x) in the Samba Password and Confirm Samba Password fields in the migrated BMA (version 6.8.0.0), if the Samba Service for Windows PXE check box is enabled.

  • Log into Bare Metal Agent VM using SSH client and update WinPE.wim with eth1 IP address details of the migrated BMA (version 6.8.0.0), if the legacy BMA (version 6.7.4.x) and migrated BMA (version 6.8.0.0) are deployed with different PXE IP addresses.

  • Log into Cisco UCS Manager and update the service profile with PXE VLAN details of the migrated BMA (version 6.8.0.0), reset the server, and then resubmit the service request in Cisco UCS Director appliance, if the legacy BMA (version 6.7.4.x) and migrated BMA (version 6.8.X.X) are deployed with different PXEVLAN ID or a failed service request is available in the migrated Cisco UCS Director appliance (version 6.8.x.x).

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Multi-Node Installation and Configuration Guide, Release 6.8 and Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent Installation and Configuration Guide, Release 6.8.

Enhancement to Setting up Non-Secure Connection to the Cisco UCS Director User Interface

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, the user interface is enhanced to setup the non-secure mode. By default, user interface launches in the secure mode. To bypass the secure mode, login to the Shell Admin and enable the Enable/Disable HTTP shelladmin option.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Administration Guide, Release 6.8 and Cisco UCS Director Shell Guide, Release 6.8.

Intersight Driven Backup and Restore

Effective with Cisco UCS Director 6.8, MySQL is upgraded to a higher version. Therefore, older Intersight-driven backups belonging to UCS Director Release 6.7(4.x) cannot be restored in Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8. You must migrate the data to a 6.8 server. See the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide, Release 6.8 for detailed steps on how to migrate to Release 6.8.

Support for Creating Trigger Template

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, you can create trigger templates using user interface.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Orchestration Guide, Release 6.8.

Support for Locking/Unlocking the Service Requests

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, you can lock a service request to prevent archiving of the service request. You can use the Lock/Unlock option to lock or unlock one or more service requests.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Orchestration Guide, Release 6.8.

Enhancement to Bulk Archival of Service Requests

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, the Bulk Archive option has been enhanced to archive large number of service requests at a time. You can archive service requests based on the Status with Range or Date with Range.

To archive multiple service requests simultaneously, on the Service Request page, click the Bulk Archive option. On the Bulk Archive page, select the required option from the Bulk Archive drop-down list.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Administration Guide, Release 6.8.

Enhancements to the Enhanced SSH Command Task

Starting with this release, the Enhanced SSH Command task has been enhanced to support Key based authentication in addition to the existing Username/Password authentication. The Key based authentication includes the following information:

  • Enable Key Based Authentication

  • Authentication Key Generation Type

  • Passphrase

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Troubleshooting Guide.

Support for New Versions of Cisco IMC

This release introduces support for Cisco IMC version 4.1.2a and 4.1.3b. In addition to new features, these software versions include support for new BIOS tokens. All the newly introduced BIOS tokens are now displayed in the Cisco IMC Supervisor user interface while creating a BIOS policy. For information on the BIOS tokens introduced in the Cisco IMC releases, see the CLI and GUI confguration guides available at: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/servers-unified-computing/ucs-c-series-integrated-management-controller/products-installation-and-configuration-guides-list.html

Enhancements to Precision Boot Order Policy

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, Precision Boot Order policy is enhanced to support HTTP boot device type that provides better performance over TFTP-based PXE methods for installing the OS. HTTP boot device type can also be used to run EFI executable from remote HTTP server for diagnostics or configuration.

Enhancements to RAID Policy

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, RAID policy is enhanced to include an option to specify the virtual drive strip size. M2 RAID controller supports only 32K and 64K. Other RAID controllers support 64k, 128k, 256k, 612k, and 1024k.

Deprecated Privacy Type in SNMP Policy

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, SNMP policy with privacy type (encryption method) DES is deprecated. SNMP policy supports only AES. For the existing SNMP policies with privacy type as DES, you should configure the privacy type as AES.

Introduction of New REST APIs

Following are the APIs introduced in this release:

  • AssociatedHardwareProfilesbyServer

  • AssociatedServersByPolicyName

  • userAPILockServiceRequest

  • userAPIGetServiceRequestLockStatus

Task to Add Comments to Service Request

This release introduces a task to Add Comments to the Service Request.

Task takes two inputs:

  • Service Request Id

  • Comments

The input provided to comment will be assigned to the Service Request selected as other input.


Note

It is recommended not to comment a service request which is in progress.

User Outputs

This release introduces added information in the Service Request Page, Workflow Status Tab, where the user outputs of the workflows and the values are displayed.

LDAP Integration

The supported versions of ldap.ssl.socket.protocols for Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.8 are TLSv1.2 and TLSv1.3.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Administration Guide, Release 6.7 and Cisco UCS Director Compatibility Matrix, Release 6.8.

New and Changed Features in Release 6.8(1.0)

Data Migration

In this release, you must migrate the data from Cisco UCS Director Release 6.7.4.x to Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8(1.0).


Note

The dhcpd.conf file of Bare Metal Agent (version 6.7.4.X) appliance is copied into the migrated Bare Metal Agent (version 6.8.1.0) appliance in the /etc/dhcp path.

Before you add a Bare Metal Agent account, do the following:

  • Ensure to use the same Samba password of the legacy BMA (version 6.7.4.x) in the Samba Password and Confirm Samba Password fields in the migrated BMA (version 6.8.1.0), if the Samba Service for Windows PXE check box is enabled.

  • Log into Bare Metal Agent VM using SSH client and update WinPE.wim with eth1 IP address details of the migrated BMA (version 6.8.1.0), if the legacy BMA (version 6.7.4.x) and migrated BMA (version 6.8.1.0) are deployed with different PXE IP addresses.

  • Log into Cisco UCS Manager and update the service profile with PXE VLAN details of the migrated BMA (version 6.8.1.0), reset the server, and then resubmit the service request in Cisco UCS Director appliance, if the legacy BMA (version 6.7.4.x) and migrated BMA (version 6.8.X.X) are deployed with different PXEVLAN ID or a failed service request is available in the migrated Cisco UCS Director appliance (version 6.8.x.x).

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Multi-Node Installation and Configuration Guide, Release 6.8 and Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent Installation and Configuration Guide, Release 6.8.

Using MariaDB

Starting with Release 6.8(1.0), Cisco UCS Director uses MariaDB open source database.

Auto Export and Import of Global Variables

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, the export and import of the Global variables are supported in workflows. If the global variable is available in the importing appliance, the global variable will not be imported.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Orchestration Guide, Release 6.8.

Security Enhancement in Import/Export Workflows

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, the security of import and export workflows is enhanced.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Orchestration Guide, Release 6.8.

Enhancements to Working with Custom Tasks

Effective with Cisco UCS Director 6.8(1.0), you can download custom task code from files in a GitHub repository. Cisco UCS Director supports BitBucket (Git hosting service).

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Custom Task Getting Started Guide, Release 6.8.

Enhancements to Precision Boot Order Policy

Starting with this release, you can specify LUN and sub-type for a SD card boot in the Precision Boot Order policy. Also, you can specify the MAC address and IP Type for a PXE boot in the Precision Boot Order policy. The existing slot types are refreshed to accommodate the latest additions in Precision Boot Order policy.

Enhancement to Configure Rack Server Task

Starting with this release, the Configure Rack Server task is enhanced to support dynamic MAC address in the PXE Boot option of the Precision Boot Order policy.

New and Changed Features in Release 6.8(2.0)

Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8(2.0) includes fixes for security vulnerabilities reported in releases 6.7(4.1), 6.7(4.2), 6.7(4.3), 6.8, and 6.8(1.0). For information on the security vulnerabilities reported in releases 6.7(4.1), 6.7(4.2), 6.7(4.3), 6.8, and 6.8(1.0), see the security advisories for CVE-2021-44228 and CVE-2021-45046 available at this link:

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/publicationListing.x

New and Changed Features in Release 6.8(3.0)

Support for Managing System Tasks

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, you can modify the schedule for multiple VMware and UCSM accounts system tasks. Also, you can enable and disable system tasks for multiple VMware and UCSM accounts.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Administration Guide, Release 6.8.

Support for Searching Workflows

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, you can search the workflows by tasks, activities, inputs, outputs, and global variables.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Orchestration Guide, Release 6.8.

Enhancement to Export Service Request Log

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, you can download the service request log in your local system.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Orchestration Guide, Release 6.8 .

Enhancement to CSA Tool

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, the CSA tool automatically takes the database password from the Cisco UCS Director appliance.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide, Release 6.8.

New and Changed Features in Release 6.8(4.0)

Support for deleting unused user-created files

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, you can delete unused user-created files using the Clean Up User Created Files sytem task.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Administration Guide, Release 6.8.

Introduction of new tasks for reserving and releasing IP addresses in Static IP Pool Policy

This release introduces the following workflow tasks to enable reservation and release of virtual IP addresses for dynamic NICs.

  • VMware-Reserve IP Address In Static IP Pool Policy

    In Task Inputs, you can select the Static IP Pool and configure the IP addresses that you want to reserve.

  • VMware-Release IP Address In Static IP Pool Policy

    In Task Inputs, you can select the Static IP Pool and release the reserved IP addresses.

Support for adding Annotations to ACI 5.X workflows

In this release, you can use Annotations, instead of Tags in ACI 5.X workflows. Tags are deprecated for Cisco APIC Release 5.2(1) and above.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director APIC Management Guide, Release 6.8.

Support for configuring IP Name

Starting with this release, you can configure IP Name while adding a Subnet to APIC External Network.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director APIC Management Guide, Release 6.8.

New and Changed Features in Release 6.8(5.0)

Support for making password reset mandatory for new users

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, you can choose to make password reset mandatory for new users at first login.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Administration Guide, Release 6.8.

Introduced New library tasks to archive and purge Service requests in bulk

This release introduces the following library tasks to archive and purge Service requests in bulk.

  • Archive Service Requests

  • Delete Service Requests

VMware - Get Free IP Address from Static IP Pool Policy

This release introduces the library task which helps to get free IP from the static IP Pool.

New and Changed Features in Release 6.8(6.0)

Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8(6.0) includes fixes for security vulnerabilities reported in releases 6.8(5.0).

Enhancement to support overlap feature in reserve IP and release IP workflow tasks

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, the reserve IP and release IP workflow tasks have been enhanced to support overlap feature to enable IP reservations and release IP reservations across MSPs and organizations.

New and Changed Features in Release 6.8(7.0)

Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8(7.0) includes fixes for security vulnerabilities reported in releases 6.8(6.0).

Deprecated Support for Payment Gateway

In this release of Cisco UCS Director, due to the Apache Axis vulnerability the payment gateway configuration is deprecated. You will not be able to make a payment or update payment information using Cisco UCS Director.

Enhanced User Interface to Display Build Number for vCenter and Host Nodes

In this release for Cisco UCS Director, the user interface has been enhanced to display the build number of vCenter and Host Nodes along with the version number.

Support for new OS versions for Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent

In this release for Cisco UCS Director, support for new OS versions has been enabled for Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent. For more information, see Cisco UCS Director Compatibility Matrix, Release 6.8.

New and Changed Features in Release 6.8(8.0)

Cisco UCS Director Release 6.8(8.0) includes fixes for security vulnerabilities reported in releases 6.8(7.0)

Enhancement During Resubmit of a Service Request

In release 6.8(8.0) of Cisco UCS Director, we have provided a new option to reset the loop execution count during resubmit of a service request.

Cisco UCS Director and Bare Metal Agent Support UCSX-Series Servers with New OS Versions

In release 6.8(8.0), Cisco UCS Director and Bare Metal Agent support UCSX Series Servers. For more information, see Cisco UCS Director Compatibility Matrix, Release 6.8.

Open and Resolved Bugs

The open and resolved bugs for this release are accessible through the Cisco Bug Search Tool. This web-based tool provides you with access to the Cisco bug tracking system, which maintains information about bugs and vulnerabilities in this product and other Cisco hardware and software products.


Note

You must have a Cisco.com account to log in and access the Cisco Bug Search Tool. If you do not have one, you can register for an account.

For more information about the Cisco Bug Search Tool, see the Bug Search Tool Help & FAQ.

Open Bugs in Release 6.8

You can find detailed information about all open bugs in Release 6.8 through the open bug search for Release 6.8. This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.8(0.0).

Filter

Choose Open from the Status drop-down list.

Open Bugs in Release 6.8(1.0)

You can find detailed information about all open bugs in Release 6.8(1.0) through the open bug search for Release 6.8(1.0). This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.8(1.0).

Filter

Choose Open from the Status drop-down list.

Open Bugs in Release 6.8(2.0)

There are no open bugs in this release.

Open Bugs in Release 6.8(3.0)

There are no open bugs in this release.

Open Bugs in Release 6.8(4.0)

There are no open bugs in this release.

Open Bugs in Release 6.8(5.0)

There are no open bugs in this release.

Open Bugs in Release 6.8(6.0)

There are no open bugs in this release.

Open Bugs in Release 6.8(7.0)

You can find detailed information about all open bugs in Release 6.8(7.0) through the open bug search for Release 6.8(7.0). This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.8(7.0).

Filter

Choose Open from the Status drop-down list.

Open Bugs in Release 6.8(8.0)

You can find detailed information about all open bugs in Release 6.8(8.0) through the open bug search for Release 6.8(8.0). This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.8(8.0).

Filter

Choose Open from the Status drop-down list.

Resolved Bugs in Release 6.8

You can find detailed information about all resolved bugs in Release 6.8 through the resolved bug search query for Release 6.8. This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.8(0.0).

Filter

Choose Fixed from the Status drop-down list.

Resolved Bugs in Release 6.8(1.0)

You can find detailed information about all resolved bugs in Release 6.8 through the resolved bug search query for Release 6.8(1.0). This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.8(1.0).

Filter

Choose Fixed from the Status drop-down list.

Resolved Bugs in Release 6.8(2.0)

You can find detailed information about all resolved bugs in Release 6.8 through the resolved bug search query for Release 6.8(2.0). This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.8(2.0).

Filter

Choose Fixed from the Status drop-down list.

Resolved Bugs in Release 6.8(3.0)

You can find detailed information about all resolved bugs in Release 6.8 through the resolved bug search query for Release 6.8(3.0). This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.8(3.0).

Filter

Choose Fixed from the Status drop-down list.

Resolved Bugs in Release 6.8(4.0)

You can find detailed information about all resolved bugs in Release 6.8 through the resolved bug search query for Release 6.8(4.0). This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.8(4.0).

Filter

Choose Fixed from the Status drop-down list.

Resolved Bugs in Release 6.8(5.0)

You can find detailed information about all resolved bugs in Release 6.8 through the resolved bug search query for Release 6.8(5.0). This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.8(5.0).

Filter

Choose Fixed from the Status drop-down list.

Resolved Bugs in Release 6.8(6.0)

You can find detailed information about all resolved bugs in Release 6.8 through the resolved bug search query for Release 6.8(6.0). This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.8(6.0).

Filter

Choose Fixed from the Status drop-down list.

Resolved Bugs in Release 6.8(7.0)

You can find detailed information about all resolved bugs in Release 6.8 through the resolved bug search query for Release 6.8(7.0). This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.8(7.0).

Filter

Choose Fixed from the Status drop-down list.

Resolved Bugs in Release 6.8(8.0)

You can find detailed information about all resolved bugs in Release 6.8(8.0) through the resolved bug search query for Release 6.8(8.0). This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.8(8.0).

Filter

Choose Fixed from the Status drop-down list.

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Cisco Bug Search Tool

Cisco Bug Search Tool (BST) is a web-based tool that acts as a gateway to the Cisco bug tracking system that maintains a comprehensive list of defects and vulnerabilities in Cisco products and software. BST provides you with detailed defect information about your products and software.