Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Integrated Management Controller GUI Configuration Guide, Release 1.5
CIMC Firmware Management

CIMC Firmware Management

This chapter includes the following sections:

Overview of Firmware

C-Series servers use Cisco-certified firmware specific to the C-Series server model that you are using. You can download new releases of the firmware for all supported server models from Cisco.com.


Caution


When you install new BIOS firmware, it must be from the same software release as the CIMC firmware running on the server. Do not install new BIOS firmware until after you have activated the matching CIMC firmware or the server will not boot.

To avoid potential problems, we strongly recommend that you use the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility (HUU), which upgrades the BIOS, CIMC, and other firmware to compatible levels. For detailed information about this utility, see the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility Guide for the version of the HUU that goes with the CIMC software release that you want to install. The HUU guides are available at the following URL: http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​en/​US/​products/​ps10493/​products_​user_​guide_​list.html.


If you elect to update the firmware manually, you must update the CIMC firmware first. The CIMC firmware update process is divided into the following stages to minimize the amount of time the server will be offline:

  • Installation. During this stage, CIMC installs the selected CIMC firmware in the non-active, or backup, slot on the server.
  • Activation. During this stage, CIMC sets the non-active firmware version as active and reboots the server, causing a disruption in service. When the server reboots, the firmware in the new active slot becomes the running version.

After you activate the CIMC firmware, you can update the BIOS firmware. The server must be powered off during the entire BIOS update process, so the process is not divided into stages. Instead, you only need to issue a single command and CIMC installs and updates the BIOS firmware as quickly as possible. Once the CIMC finishes rebooting, the server can be powered on and returned to service.


Note


You can either upgrade an older firmware version to a newer one, or downgrade a newer firmware version to an older one.


Obtaining Firmware from Cisco

Procedure
    Step 1   Navigate to http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​.
    Step 2   If you are not already logged in, click Log In at the top right-hand edge of the page and log in using your Cisco.com credentials.
    Step 3   In the menu bar at the top, click Support.
    Step 4   Click All Downloads in the roll down menu.
    Step 5   If your server model is listed in the Recently Used Products list, click the server name. Otherwise, do the following:
    1. In the left-hand box, click Products.
    2. In the center box, click Unified Computing and Servers.
    3. In the right-hand box, click Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Standalone Server Software.
    4. In the right-hand box, click the server model whose software you want to download.
    Step 6   Click the Unified Computing System (UCS) Server Firmware link.
    Step 7   (Optional)Select a prior release from the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page.
    Step 8   Click the Download button associated with the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility ISO for the selected release.
    Step 9   Click Accept License Agreement.
    Step 10   Save the ISO file to a local drive.

    We recommend you upgrade the CIMC and BIOS firmware on your server using this ISO file, which contains the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility. For detailed information about this utility, see the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility Guide for the version of the HUU that goes with the CIMC software release that you want to install. The HUU guides are available at the following URL: http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​en/​US/​products/​ps10493/​products_​user_​guide_​list.html.

    Step 11   (Optional) If you plan to upgrade the CIMC and BIOS firmware manually, do the following:
    1. From the ISO file, open the ZIP file containing the firmware installation files.

      The ZIP file is on the top-level of the ISO file, and its name follows the format ServerModel_ReleaseNumber.ZIP.

      For example, C240M3_1.4.4A.ZIP.

      You do not need to extract all of the files contained in this ZIP file. Instead, you only need to open it so that you can access the BIOS firmware installation CAP file and the ZIP file containing the CIMC firmware installation BIN file.

    2. From the ServerModel_ReleaseNumber.ZIP file, extract the BIOS firmware installation CAP file and save it to your local drive.

      The CAP file is in the ReleaseNumber/bios/cimc folder, and its name follows the format Server-BIOS-Release-Number.CAP.

      For example, 1.4.4a/bios/cimc/C240-BIOS-1-4-4c-0.CAP.

    3. From the ServerModel_ReleaseNumber.ZIP file, open the ZIP file containing the CIMC firmware installation files.

      The ZIP file is in the ReleaseNumber/cimc folder and its name follows the format server-model-cimc-release.zip.

      For example, 1.4.4a/cimc/c240-m3-cimc.1.4.4a.zip.

      You do not need to extract all of the files contained in this zip file. Instead, you only need to open it so that you can access the CIMC firmware installation BIN file.

    4. From the server-model-cimc-release.zip file, extract the full CIMC firmware installation BIN file and save it to your local drive.

      The BIN file is in the server-model-cimc-release folder and its name follows the format upd-pkg-server-model-cimc.full.release.bin.

      For example, c240-m3-cimc.1.4.4a/upd-pkg-c240-m3-cimc.full.1.4.4a.bin.

    Step 12   (Optional)If you plan to install the firmware from a remote server, copy the BIOS installation CAP file and the CIMC installation BIN file to the remote server you want to use.
    The remote server can be one of the following:
    • TFTP
    • FTP
    • SFTP
    • SCP
    • HTTP

    The server must have read permission for the destination folder on the remote server.


    What to Do Next

    Use the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility to upgrade all firmware on the server or manually install the CIMC firmware on the server.

    Installing CIMC Firmware from a Remote Server

    Before You Begin
    • Log in to the CIMC GUI as a user with admin privileges.
    • Obtain the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility ISO file from Cisco.com and extract the firmware installation files as described in Obtaining Firmware from Cisco.
    Procedure
      Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.
      Step 2   On the Admin tab, click Firmware Management.
      Step 3   In the Actions area, click Install CIMC Firmware from Remote Server.
      Step 4   In the Install CIMC Firmware dialog box, complete the following fields:
      Name Description

      Install CIMC Firmware from drop-down list

      The remote server type. This can be one of the following:

      • TFTP Server
      • FTP Server
      • SFTP Server
      • SCP Server
      • HTTP Server

      Server IP/Hostname field

      The IP address or hostname of the server on which the CIMC firmware installation file resides. Depending on the setting in the Install CIMC Firmware from drop-down list, the name of the field may vary.

      Image Path and Filename field

      The path and filename of the CIMC firmware installation file on the remote server.

      Username

      The username the system should use to log in to the remote server. This field does not apply if the protocol is TFTP or HTTP.

      Password

      The password for the remote server username. This field does not apply if the protocol is TFTP or HTTP.

      Step 5   Click Install Firmware.

      What to Do Next

      Activate the CIMC firmware.

      Installing CIMC Firmware Through the Browser

      Before You Begin
      • Log in to the CIMC GUI as a user with admin privileges.
      • Obtain the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility ISO file from Cisco.com and extract the firmware installation files as described in Obtaining Firmware from Cisco.
      Procedure
        Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.
        Step 2   On the Admin tab, click Firmware Management.
        Step 3   In the Actions area, click Install CIMC Firmware through Browser Client.
        Step 4   In the Install Firmware dialog box, click Browse and use the Choose File dialog box to select the .bin file you want to install.
        Step 5   Click Install Firmware.

        What to Do Next

        Activate the CIMC firmware.

        Activating Installed CIMC Firmware

        Before You Begin

        Install the CIMC firmware on the server.

        Important:

        While the activation is in progress, do not:

        • Reset, power off, or shut down the server.
        • Reboot or reset CIMC.
        • Activate any other firmware.
        • Export technical support or configuration data.
        Procedure
          Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.
          Step 2   On the Admin tab, click Firmware Management.
          Step 3   In the Actions area, click Activate CIMC Firmware.

          The Activate Firmware dialog box appears.

          Step 4   In the Activate Firmware dialog box, choose the firmware image to activate.
          Step 5   Click Activate Firmware.

          Installing BIOS Firmware from a Remote Server


          Note


          This procedure is not available on some servers. For other BIOS installation methods, see the Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Server BIOS Upgrade Guide available at the following URL: http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​en/​US/​docs/​unified_computing/​ucs/​c/​sw/​bios/​b_​Upgrading_​BIOS_​Firmware.html.


          Before You Begin
          • Log in to the CIMC GUI as a user with admin privileges.
          • Activate the CIMC firmware that goes with the BIOS version you want to install, as described in Activating Installed CIMC Firmware.
          • Power off the server.

          Caution


          When you install new BIOS firmware, it must be from the same software release as the CIMC firmware running on the server. Do not install new BIOS firmware until after you have activated the matching CIMC firmware or the server will not boot.

          To avoid potential problems, we strongly recommend that you use the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility (HUU), which upgrades the BIOS, CIMC, and other firmware to compatible levels. For detailed information about this utility, see the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility Guide for the version of the HUU that goes with the CIMC software release that you want to install. The HUU guides are available at the following URL: http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​en/​US/​products/​ps10493/​products_​user_​guide_​list.html.


          Procedure
            Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
            Step 2   On the Server tab, click Summary.
            Step 3   In the Server Status area, verify that the Power State field says "Off". If it says "On", click Power Off Server in the Actions area and wait for the server to power off before continuing.
            Step 4   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.
            Step 5   On the Admin tab, click Firmware Management.
            Step 6   In the CIMC Firmware area, make sure the firmware version shown in the Running Version field matches the BIOS firmware version you are installing.
            Important:

            If the CIMC firmware version does not match, activate the CIMC firmware before continuing with this procedure or the server will not boot. For details, see Activating Installed CIMC Firmware.

            Step 7   In the Actions area, click Install BIOS Firmware from Remote Server.
            Step 8   In the Install BIOS Firmware dialog box, complete the following fields:
            Name Description

            Install BIOS Firmware from drop-down list

            The remote server type. This can be one of the following:

            • TFTP Server
            • FTP Server
            • SFTP Server
            • SCP Server
            • HTTP Server

            Server IP/Hostname field

            The IP address or hostname of the server on which the BIOS firmware installation file resides. Depending on the setting in the Install BIOS Firmware from drop-down list, the name of the field may vary.

            Image Path and Filename field

            The path and filename of the BIOS firmware installation file on the remote server.

            Username

            The username the system should use to log in to the remote server. This field does not apply if the protocol is TFTP or HTTP.

            Password

            The password for the remote server username. This field does not apply if the protocol is TFTP or HTTP.

            Step 9   Click Install Firmware.
            Step 10   Watch the messages in the Status field in the Last BIOS Firmware Install area until the status changes to "Completed Successfully".
            Step 11   Power on the server to complete the BIOS upgrade.

            Installing BIOS Firmware Through the Browser


            Note


            This procedure is not available on some servers. For other BIOS installation methods, see the Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Server BIOS Upgrade Guide available at the following URL: http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​en/​US/​docs/​unified_computing/​ucs/​c/​sw/​bios/​b_​Upgrading_​BIOS_​Firmware.html.


            Before You Begin
            • Log in to the CIMC GUI as a user with admin privileges.
            • Activate the CIMC firmware that goes with the BIOS version you want to install, as described in Activating Installed CIMC Firmware.
            • Power off the server.

            Caution


            When you install new BIOS firmware, it must be from the same software release as the CIMC firmware running on the server. Do not install new BIOS firmware until after you have activated the matching CIMC firmware or the server will not boot.

            To avoid potential problems, we strongly recommend that you use the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility (HUU), which upgrades the BIOS, CIMC, and other firmware to compatible levels. For detailed information about this utility, see the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility Guide for the version of the HUU that goes with the CIMC software release that you want to install. The HUU guides are available at the following URL: http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​en/​US/​products/​ps10493/​products_​user_​guide_​list.html.


            Procedure
              Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
              Step 2   On the Server tab, click Summary.
              Step 3   In the Server Status area, verify that the Power State field says "Off". If it says "On", click Power Off Server in the Actions area and wait for the server to power off before continuing.
              Step 4   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.
              Step 5   On the Admin tab, click Firmware Management.
              Step 6   In the CIMC Firmware area, make sure the firmware version shown in the Running Version field matches the BIOS firmware version you are installing.
              Important:

              If the CIMC firmware version does not match, activate the CIMC firmware before continuing with this procedure or the server will not boot. For details, see Activating Installed CIMC Firmware.

              Step 7   In the Actions area, click Install BIOS Firmware through Browser Client.
              Step 8   In the Install BIOS Firmware dialog box, click Browse and use the Choose File dialog box to select the CAP file you want to install.
              Step 9   Click Install Firmware.
              Step 10   Watch the messages in the Status field in the Last BIOS Firmware Install area until the status changes to "Completed Successfully".
              Step 11   Power on the server to complete the BIOS upgrade.