Cisco UCS Manager CLI Configuration Guide, Release 2.0
Recovering a Lost Password
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Recovering a Lost Password

This chapter includes the following sections:

Password Recovery for the Admin Account

The admin account is the system administrator or superuser account. If an administrator loses the password to this account, you can have a serious security issue. As a result, the procedure to recover the password for the admin account requires you to power cycle all fabric interconnects in a Cisco UCS domain.

When you recover the password for the admin account, you actually change the password for that account. You cannot retrieve the original password for that account.

You can reset the password for all other local accounts through Cisco UCS Manager. However, you must log in to Cisco UCS Manager with an account that includes aaa or admin privileges.


Caution

This procedure requires you to power down all fabric interconnects in a Cisco UCS domain. As a result, all data transmission in the Cisco UCS domain is stopped until you restart the fabric interconnects.

Determining the Leadership Role of a Fabric Interconnect

Procedure
     Command or ActionPurpose
    Step 1UCS-A# show cluster state  

    Displays the operational state and leadership role for both fabric interconnects in a cluster.

     

    The following example displays the leadership role for both fabric interconnects in a cluster, where fabric interconnect A has the primary role and fabric interconnect B has the subordinate role: 

    UCS-A# show cluster state
Cluster Id: 0x4432f72a371511de-0xb97c000de1b1ada4

A: UP, PRIMARY
B: UP, SUBORDINATE

HA READY

    Recovering the Admin Account Password in a Standalone Configuration

    This procedure will help you to recover the password that you set for the admin account when you performed an initial system setup on the fabric interconnect. The admin account is the system administrator or superuser account.

    Before You Begin
    1. Physically connect the console port on the fabric interconnect to a computer terminal or console server
    2. Determine the running versions of the following firmware:
      • The firmware kernel version on the fabric interconnect
      • The firmware system version

    Tip

    To find this information, you can log in with any user account on the Cisco UCS domain.

    Procedure
      Step 1   Connect to the console port.
      Step 2   Power cycle the fabric interconnect:
      1. Turn off the power to the fabric interconnect.
      2. Turn on the power to the fabric interconnect.
      Step 3   In the console, press one of the following key combinations as it boots to get the loader prompt:
      • Ctrl+l
      • Ctrl+Shift+r

      You may need to press the selected key combination multiple times before your screen displays the loader prompt.

      Step 4   Boot the kernel firmware version on the fabric interconnect. 
      loader > 
boot /installables/switch/
kernel_firmware_version


      Example: 
      loader > 
boot /installables/switch/ucs-6100-k9-kickstart.4.1.3.N2.1.0.11.gbin
      Step 5   Enter config terminal mode. 
      Fabric(boot)# 
config terminal
      Step 6   Reset the admin password. 
      Fabric(boot)(config)# 
admin-password
password

      Choose a strong password that includes at least one capital letter and one number. The password cannot be blank.

      The new password displays in clear text mode.

      Step 7   Exit config terminal mode and return to the boot prompt.
      Step 8   Boot the system firmware version on the fabric interconnect. 
      Fabric(boot)# 
load /installables/switch/
system_firmware_version


      Example: 
      Fabric(boot)# 
load /installables/switch/ucs-6100-k9-system.4.1.3.N2.1.0.211.bin
      Step 9   After the system image loads, log in to Cisco UCS Manager.

      Recovering the Admin Account Password in a Cluster Configuration

      This procedure will help you to recover the password that you set for the admin account when you performed an initial system setup on the fabric interconnects. The admin account is the system administrator or superuser account.

      Before You Begin
      1. Physically connect a console port on one of the fabric interconnects to a computer terminal or console server
      2. Obtain the following information:
        • The firmware kernel version on the fabric interconnect
        • The firmware system version
        • Which fabric interconnect has the primary leadership role and which is the subordinate

      Tip

      To find this information, you can log in with any user account on the Cisco UCS domain.

      Procedure
        Step 1   Connect to the console port.
        Step 2   For the subordinate fabric interconnect:
        1. Turn off the power to the fabric interconnect.
        2. Turn on the power to the fabric interconnect.
        3. In the console, press one of the following key combinations as it boots to get the loader prompt:
          • Ctrl+l
          • Ctrl+Shift+r

          You may need to press the selected key combination multiple times before your screen displays the loader prompt.

        Step 3   Power cycle the primary fabric interconnect:
        1. Turn off the power to the fabric interconnect.
        2. Turn on the power to the fabric interconnect.
        Step 4   In the console, press one of the following key combinations as it boots to get the loader prompt:
        • Ctrl+l
        • Ctrl+Shift+r

        You may need to press the selected key combination multiple times before your screen displays the loader prompt.

        Step 5   Boot the kernel firmware version on the primary fabric interconnect. 
        loader > boot /installables/switch/
kernel_firmware_version


        Example: 
        loader > boot /installables/switch/ucs-6100-k9-kickstart.4.1.3.N2.1.0.11.gbin
        Step 6   Enter config terminal mode. 
        Fabric(boot)# config terminal
        Step 7   Reset the admin password. 
        Fabric(boot)(config)# admin-password password

        Choose a strong password that includes at least one capital letter and one number. The password cannot be blank.

        The new password displays in clear text mode.

        Step 8   Exit config terminal mode and return to the boot prompt.
        Step 9   Boot the system firmware version on the primary fabric interconnect. 
        Fabric(boot)# load /installables/switch/
system_firmware_version


        Example: 
        Fabric(boot)# load /installables/switch/ucs-6100-k9-system.4.1.3.N2.1.0.211.bin
        Step 10   After the system image loads, log in to Cisco UCS Manager.
        Step 11   In the console for the subordinate fabric interconnect, do the following to bring it up:
        1. Boot the kernel firmware version on the subordinate fabric interconnect. 
          loader > boot /installables/switch/
kernel_firmware_version
        2. Boot the system firmware version on the subordinate fabric interconnect. 
          Fabric(boot)# load /installables/switch/
system_firmware_version