Installing the Cisco APIC-EM Series Appliance in a Rack

This appendix describes how to install the Cisco APIC-EM appliance in a rack.


Note

Before you install, operate, or service a Cisco APIC-EM series appliance, review the Regulatory Compliance and Safety Information for Cisco UCS C-Series Servers for important safety information.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS


Warning

This warning symbol means danger. You are in a situation that could cause bodily injury. Before you work on any equipment, be aware of the hazards involved with electrical circuitry and be familiar with standard practices for preventing accidents. Use the statement number provided at the end of each warning to locate its translation in the translated safety warnings that accompanied this device.

Statement 1071

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

Unpacking and Inspecting the Appliance


Caution

When handling internal appliance components, wear an ESD strap and handle modules by the carrier edges only.


Tip

Keep the shipping container in case the appliance requires shipping in the future.


Note

The chassis is thoroughly inspected before shipment. If any damage occurred during transportation or any items are missing, contact your customer service representative immediately.

    Step 1   Remove the appliance from its cardboard container and save all packaging material.
    Step 2   Compare the shipment to the equipment list provided by your customer service representative. Verify that you have all items.
    Step 3   Check for damage and report any discrepancies or damage to your customer service representative. Have the following information ready:

    • Invoice number of shipper (see the packing slip)

    • Model and serial number of the damaged unit

    • Description of damage

    • Effect of damage on the installation

    What to Do Next

    Prepare for the appliance installation.

    Preparing for Appliance Installation

    This section provides information about preparing for the Cisco APIC-EM series appliance installation.

    Installation Guidelines


    Warning

    To prevent the system from overheating, do not operate it in an area that exceeds the maximum recommended ambient temperature of: 40° C (104° F). Statement 1047


    Warning

    The plug-socket combination must be accessible at all times, because it serves as the main disconnecting device. Statement 1019


    Warning

    This product relies on the building’s installation for short-circuit (overcurrent) protection. Ensure that the protective device is rated not greater than: 250 V, 15 A. Statement 1005


    Warning

    Installation of the equipment must comply with local and national electrical codes. Statement 1074


    Caution

    To ensure proper airflow it is necessary to rack the appliances using rail kits. Physically placing the units on top of one another or “stacking” without the use of the rail kits blocks the air vents on top of the appliances, which could result in overheating, higher fan speeds, and higher power consumption. We recommend that you mount your appliances on rail kits when you are installing them into the rack because these rails provide the minimal spacing required between the appliances. No additional spacing between the appliances is required when you mount the units using rail kits.


    Caution

    Avoid UPS types that use ferroresonant technology. These UPS types can become unstable with systems such as the Cisco UCS, which can have substantial current draw fluctuations from fluctuating data traffic patterns.

    When you are installing an appliance, use the following guidelines:

    • Plan your site configuration and prepare the site before installing the appliance. For reference, see the Cisco UCS Site Preparation Guide for the recommended site planning tasks.

    • Ensure that there is adequate space around the appliance to allow for servicing the appliance and for adequate airflow. The airflow in this appliance is from front to back.

    • Ensure that the air-conditioning meets the thermal requirements listed in the Appliance Specifications.

    • Ensure that the cabinet or rack meets the requirements listed in the following "Rack Requirements" section.

    • Ensure that the site power meets the power requirements listed in the Appliance Specifications. If available, you can use an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to protect against power failures.

    Rack Requirements

    This section provides the requirements for the standard open racks.

    The rack must be of the following type:

    • A standard 19-in. (48.3-cm) wide, four-post EIA rack, with mounting posts that conform to English universal hole spacing, per section 1 of ANSI/EIA-310-D-1992.

    • The rack post holes can be square 0.38-inch (9.6 mm), round 0.28-inch (7.1 mm), #12-24 UNC, or #10-32 UNC when you use the supplied slide rails.

    • The minimum vertical rack space per server must be one RU, equal to 1.75 in. (44.45 mm).

    Equipment Requirements

    The slide rails sold by Cisco Systems for this appliance do not require tools for installation.

    Supported Slide Rail Kits

    This appliance supports two rail kit options:

    • Cisco part UCSC-RAILB-M4= (ball-bearing rail kit).

    • Cisco part UCSC-RAILF-M4= (friction rail kit).

    Do not attempt to use a rail kit that was for the Cisco UCS C220 M3 server; the rail kits for the Cisco APIC-EM appliance have been designed specifically for it.

    Slide Rail Adjustment Range and Cable Management Arm Dimensions

    The slide rails for this server have an adjustment range of 24 to 36 inches (610 to 914 mm).

    The optional cable management arm (CMA) adds additional length requirements:

    • The additional distance from the rear of the server to the rear of the CMA is 5.4 inches (137.4 mm).

    • The total length of the server including the CMA is 35.2 inches (894 mm).

    Installing the Appliance In a Rack

    Installing the Slide Rails

    This section describes how to install the appliance in a rack using the rack kits that are sold by Cisco.


    Warning

    To prevent bodily injury when mounting or servicing this unit in a rack, you must take special precautions to ensure that the system remains stable. The following guidelines are provided to ensure your safety: This unit should be mounted at the bottom of the rack if it is the only unit in the rack. When mounting this unit in a partially filled rack, load the rack from the bottom to the top with the heaviest component at the bottom of the rack. If the rack is provided with stabilizing devices, install the stabilizers before mounting or servicing the unit in the rack.

    Statement 1006

      Step 1   Attach the inner rails to the sides of the server:
      1. Align an inner rail with one side of the server so that the three keyed slots in the rail align with the three pegs on the side of the server (see below figure).
      2. Set the keyed slots over the pegs, and then slide the rail toward the front to lock it in place on the pegs. The front slot has a metal clip that locks over the front peg.
      3. Install the second inner rail to the opposite side of the server.

      Figure 1. Attaching Inner Rail to Side of Server

      1

      Front of server

      2

      Locking clip on inner rail

      Step 2   Open the front securing plate on both slide-rail assemblies.

      The front end of the slide-rail assembly has a spring-loaded securing plate that must be open before you can insert the mounting pegs into the rack-post holes. On the outside of the assembly, push the green arrow button toward the rear to open the securing plate.

      Figure 2. Front Securing Mechanism, Inside of Front End

      1

      Front mounting pegs

      2

      Rack post

      3

      Securing plate shown pulled back to open position

      Step 3   Install the outer slide rails into the rack:
      1. Align one slide-rail assembly front end with the front rack-post holes that you want to use.

        The slide rail front-end wraps around the outside of the rack post and the mounting pegs enter the rack-post holes from the outside-front

        Note    The rack post must be between the mounting pegs and the open securing plate.
      2. Push the mounting pegs into the rack-post holes from the outside-front.
      3. Press the securing plate release button, marked PUSH. The spring-loaded securing plate closes to lock the pegs in place.
      4. Adjust the slide-rail length, and then push the rear mounting pegs into the corresponding rear rack-post holes. The slide rail must be level front-to-rear.

        The rear mounting pegs enter the rear rack-post holes from the inside of the rack post.

      5. Attach the second slide-rail assembly to the opposite side of the rack. Ensure that the two slide-rail assemblies are at the same height with each other and are level front-to-back.
      6. Pull the inner slide rails on each assembly out toward the rack front until they hit the internal stops and lock in place.
      Step 4   Insert the server into the slide rails:
      Caution   

      This server can weigh up to 67 pounds (59 kilograms) when fully loaded with components. We recommend that you use a minimum of two people or a mechanical lift when lifting the server. Attempting this procedure alone could result in personal injury or equipment damage.

      1. Align the rear of the inner rails that are attached to the server sides with the front ends of the empty slide rails on the rack
      2. Push the inner rails into the slide rails on the rack until they stop at the internal stops.
      3. Slide the release clip toward the rear on both inner rails, and then continue pushing the server into the rack until its front slam latches engage with the rack posts.

      Figure 3. Inner Rail Release Clip

      1

      Inner rail release clip

      2

      Inner rail attached to server and inserted into outer rail

      3

      Outer rail attached to rack post

      Step 5   (Optional) Secure the server in the rack more permanently by using the two screws that are provided with the slide rails. Perform this step if you plan to move the rack with servers installed.

      With the server fully pushed into the slide rails, open a hinged slam latch lever on the front of the server and insert the screw through the hole that is under the lever. The screw threads into the static part of the rail on the rack post and prevents the server from being pulled out. Repeat for the opposite slam latch.

      What to Do Next

      If necessary for your installation, install the cable management arm.

      Installing the Cable Management Arm (Optional)

      The following procedure describes how to install the cable management arm.

      Before You Begin

      The CMA is reversible left to right. To reverse the CMA, see Reversing the Cable Management Arm (Optional) section, before installation.

        Step 1   With the server pushed fully into the rack, slide the CMA tab of the CMA arm that is farthest from the server onto the end of the stationary slide rail that is attached to the rack post (see the figure below). Slide the tab over the end of the rail until it clicks and locks.
        Step 2   Slide the CMA tab that is closest to the server over the end of the inner rail that is attached to the server (see the figure below). Slide the tab over the end of the rail until it clicks and locks.
        Step 3   Pull out the width-adjustment slider that is at the opposite end of the CMA assembly until it matches the width of your rack (see the figure below).
        Step 4   Slide the CMA tab that is at the end of the width-adjustment slider onto the end of the stationary slide rail that is attached to the rack post (see figure below). Slide the tab over the end of the rail until it clicks and locks.
        Step 5   Open the hinged flap at the top of each plastic cable guide and route your cables through the cable guides as desired.

        Figure 4. Installing the Cable Management Arm

        The following table describes the components of the CMA.

        1

        CMA tab on arm farthest from server and end of stationary outer slide rail

        2

        CMA tab on arm closest to the server and end of inner slide rail attached to server

        3

        CMA tab on width-adjustment slider and end of stationary outer slide rail

        4

        Rear of server

        Reversing the Cable Management Arm (Optional)

        The following procedure describes how to reverse the cable management arm.

          Step 1   Rotate the entire CMA assembly 180 degrees. The plastic cable guides must remain pointing upward.
          Step 2   Flip the tabs at the end of each CMA arm so that they point toward the rear of the server.
          Step 3   Pivot the tab that is at the end of the width-adjustment slider. Depress and hold the metal button on the outside of the tab and pivot the tab 180 degrees so that it points toward the rear of the server.

          Figure 5. Reversing the Cable Management Arm

          Refer to the following figure when reversing the cable management arm.

          1

          CMA tab on end of width-adjustment slider

          2

          Metal button for rotating

          Connecting and Powering On the Appliance

          This section describes how to power on the appliance and assign an IP address to connect to it.

            Step 1   Attach a supplied power cord to each power supply in the appliance and then attach the power cord to a grounded AC power outlet. See the Power Specifications, for power specifications.

            Wait for approximately two minutes to let the appliance boot in standby power during the first bootup.

            You can verify the power status by looking at the Power Status LED:

            • Off—There is no AC power present in the appliance.

            • Amber—The appliance is in standby power mode. Power is supplied only to the CIMC and some motherboard functions.

            • Green—The appliance is in main power mode. Power is supplied to all appliance components.

            Note   

            During bootup, the appliance beeps once for each USB device that is attached to the appliance. Even if there are no external USB devices attached, there is a short beep for each virtual USB device such as a virtual floppy drive, CD/DVD drive, keyboard, or mouse. A beep is also emitted if a USB device is hot-plugged or hot-unplugged during BIOS power-on self-test (POST), or while you are accessing the BIOS Setup utility or the EFI shell.

            Step 2   Connect a USB keyboard and VGA monitor by using the supplied KVM cable connected to the KVM connector on the front panel.
            Note   

            Alternatively, you can use the VGA and USB ports on the rear panel. However, you cannot use the front panel VGA and the rear panel VGA at the same time. If you are connected to one VGA connector and you then connect a video device to the other connector, the first VGA connector is disabled.

            Step 3   Refer to the following sections for configuring and using CIMC to assign an IP address to the appliance:

            Checking the LEDs

            When the Cisco APIC-EM series appliances have been started up and are running, observe the state of the front-panel and rear-panel LEDs. The following topics describe the LED color, its power status, activity, and other important status indicators that are displayed for the Cisco-APIC-EM series appliance.

            Front Panel LEDs and Buttons

            The following table describes the appliance front panel LEDs and buttons on the appliance.


            Note

            The minimum network interface speed for the appliance should be 1 GB a second.

            Table 1 Front Panel LEDs and Buttons

            LED Name

            State

            Front Panel LEDs and Buttons

            Off—There is no AC power to the appliance.

            Amber—The appliance is in standby power mode. Power is supplied only to the CIMC and some motherboard functions.

            Green—The appliance is in main power mode. Power is supplied to all server components.

            Identification

            Off—The Identification LED is not in use.

            Blue—The Identification LED is activated.

            System status

            Green—The appliance is running in a normal operating condition.

            Green, blinking—The appliance is performing system initialization and memory checks.

            Amber, steady—The appliance is in a degraded operational state, which may be due to one of the following:

            – Power supply redundancy is lost.

            – CPUs are mismatched.

            – At least one CPU is faulty.

            – At least one DIMM is faulty.

            – At least one drive in a RAID configuration failed.

            Amber, blinking—The appliance is in a critical fault state, which may be due to one of the following:

            – Boot failed.

            – Fatal CPU and/or bus error is detected.

            – Server is in an over-temperature condition.

            Fan status

            Green—All fan modules are operating properly.

            Amber, steady—One fan module has failed.

            Amber, blinking—Critical fault, two or more fan modules have failed.

            Temperature status

            Green—The appliance is operating at normal temperature.

            Amber, steady—One or more temperature sensors have exceeded a warning threshold.

            Amber, blinking—One or more temperature sensors have exceeded a critical threshold

            Power supply status

            Green—All power supplies are operating normally.

            Amber, steady—One or more power supplies are in a degraded operational state.

            Amber, blinking—One or more power supplies are in a critical fault state.

            Network link activity

            Off—The Ethernet link is idle.

            Green—One or more Ethernet LOM ports are link-active, but there is no activity.

            Green, blinking—One or more Ethernet LOM ports are link-active, with activity.

            Hard drive fault

            Off—The hard drive is operating properly.

            Amber—The hard drive has failed.

            Amber, blinking—The device is rebuilding.

            Hard drive activity

            Off—There is no hard drive in the hard drive sled (no access, no fault).

            Green—The hard drive is ready.

            Green, blinking—The hard drive is reading or writing data.

            Rear Panel LEDs and Buttons

            The following table describes the appliance rear panel LEDs and buttons on the appliance.


            Note

            The minimum network interface speed for the appliance should be 1 GB a second.

            Table 2 Rear Panel LEDs and Buttons

            LED Name

            State

            Power supply fault

            Off—The power supply is operating normally.

            Amber, blinking—An event warning threshold has been reached, but the power supply continues to operate.

            Amber, solid—A critical fault threshold has been reached, causing the power supply to shut down (for example, a fan failure or an over-temperature condition).

            Power supply AC OK

            Off—There is no AC power to the power supply.

            Green, blinking—AC power OK, DC output not enabled.

            Green, solid—AC power OK, DC outputs OK.

            1 Gb Ethernet dedicated management link speed

            Off—link speed is 10 Mbps.

            Amber—link speed is 100 Mbps.

            Green—link speed is 1 Gbps.

            1 Gb Ethernet dedicated management link status

            Off—No link is present.

            Green—Link is active.

            • Green, blinking—Traffic is present on the active link.

            1 Gb Ethernet link speed

            Off—link speed is 10 Mbps.

            Amber—link speed is 100 Mbps.

            Green—link speed is 1 Gbps.

            1 Gb Ethernet link status

            Off—No link is present.

            Green—Link is active.

            Green, blinking—Traffic is present on the active link.

            Identification

            Off—The Identification LED is not in use.

            Blue—The Identification LED is activated.

            Installing or Replacing Appliance Components

            Refer to the Cisco UCS C220 Server Installation and Service Guide for information on how to install or replace the Cisco APIC-EM appliance components.