Prepare the Appliance for Configuration

Preparation for Appliance Configuration Overview

Before you can successfully configure your Cisco DNA Center appliance, first complete the following tasks:

  1. Enable browser access to the appliance's Cisco IMC (see Enable Browser Access to Cisco Integrated Management Controller).

  2. Use Cisco IMC to check and adjust important hardware and switch settings (see Execute Preconfiguration Checks).

  3. Cisco DNA Center software is preinstalled on your appliance, but you may need to reinstall the software in certain situations (such as before you change the current cluster link configuration). If this is the case, you must also complete the tasks described in Reimage the Appliance.


    Note

    If you do not need to reimage your appliance, proceed to Appliance Configuration Overview.

Enable Browser Access to Cisco Integrated Management Controller

After installing the appliance, as described in Appliance Installation Workflow, use the Cisco IMC configuration utility to assign an IP address and gateway to the appliance's CIMC port. This gives you access to the Cisco IMC GUI, which you should use to configure the appliance.

After you complete the Cisco IMC setup, log in to Cisco IMC and run the tasks listed in Execute Preconfiguration Checks to ensure correct configuration.


Tip

To help ensure the security of your deployment, Cisco IMC prompts you to change the Cisco IMC user's default password when you boot the appliance for the first time. To change the Cisco IMC user password later, use the Cisco IMC GUI, as follows:

  1. From the top-left corner of the GUI, click the Toggle Navigation icon () and then choose Admin > User Management.

    The Local User Management tab should already be selected.

  2. Check the check box for user 1, and then click Modify User.

    The Modify User Details dialog box opens.

  3. Check the Change Password check box.

  4. Enter and confirm the new password, and then click Save.

Procedure

Step 1

Access the appliance console by attaching either of the following:

  • A KVM cable to the KVM connector on the appliance's front panel (component 12 on the front panel illustrated in Front and Rear Panels)
  • A keyboard and monitor to the USB and VGA ports on the appliance's rear panel (components 7 and 12, respectively, on the rear panel illustrated in Front and Rear Panels).
Step 2

Make sure that the appliance's power cord is plugged in and the power is on.
Step 3

Press the Power button on the front panel to boot the appliance.

The Cisco IMC configuration utility boot screen should be displayed, as shown below.
Step 4

As soon as the boot screen is displayed, press F8 to perform Cisco IMC configuration.

The CIMC configuration utility displays the CIMC User Details screen, as shown below.



Step 5

Enter the default CIMC user password (the default on a new appliance is password) in the Enter current CIMC Password field.

Step 6

Enter and confirm the new CIMC user password in the Enter new CIMC password and Re-Enter new CIMC password fields.

When you press Enter after entering the new password in the Re-Enter new CIMC password field, the Cisco IMC configuration utility displays the NIC Properties screen, as shown below.

Step 7

Perform the following actions:

  • NIC mode: Select Dedicated.

  • IP (Basic): Select IPV4.

  • CIMC IP: Enter the IP address of the CIMC port.

  • Prefix/Subnet: Enter the subnet mask for the CIMC port IP address.

  • Gateway: Enter the IP address of your preferred default gateway.

  • Pref DNS Server: Enter the IP address of your preferred DNS server.

  • NIC Redundancy: Select None.

Step 8

Press F1 to specify Additional settings.

The Cisco IMC configuration utility displays the Common Properties screen, as shown below.

Step 9

Perform the following actions:

  • Hostname: Enter a hostname for CIMC on this appliance.

  • Dynamic DNS: Uncheck the check box to disable this feature.

  • Factory Defaults: Uncheck the check box to disable this feature.

  • Default User (Basic): Leave these fields blank.

  • Port Properties: Enter new settings or accept the defaults shown in these fields.

  • Port Profiles: Uncheck the check box to disable this feature.

Step 10

Press F10 to save the settings.

Step 11

Press Escape to exit and reboot the appliance.

Step 12

After the settings are saved and the appliance finishes rebooting, open a compatible browser on a client machine with access to the subnet on which the appliance is installed, and enter the following URL:

https://CIMC_ip_address, where CIMC_ip_address is the Cisco IMC port IP address that you entered in Step 7.

Your browser displays a main Cisco IMC GUI login window similar to the one shown below.
Step 13

Log in using the Cisco IMC user ID and password you set in Step 5.

If the login is successful, your browser displays a Cisco Integrated Management Controller Chassis Summary window similar to the one shown below.

Execute Preconfiguration Checks

After installing the appliance (as described in Appliance Installation Workflow) and setting up access to the Cisco IMC GUI (as described in Enable Browser Access to Cisco Integrated Management Controller), use Cisco IMC to perform the following preconfiguration tasks, which help ensure correct configuration and deployment:

  1. Synchronize the appliance hardware with the Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers you use to manage your network. These must be the same NTP servers whose hostnames or IPs you gathered for use when planning your implementation, as explained in Required IP Addresses and Subnets. This is a critical task that ensures that your Cisco DNA Center data is synchronized properly across the network.

  2. Check that the appliance's 10-Gbps ports are enabled and properly configured for high throughput.

  3. Reconfigure the switches connected to the 10-Gbps appliance ports to support higher throughput settings.

  4. Reconfigure the switches connected to the 10-Gbps appliance ports to support oversize 802.1p frames.

Procedure

Step 1

Log in to the appliance's Cisco IMC using the Cisco IMC IP address, user ID, and password you set in Enable Browser Access to Cisco Integrated Management Controller.

If the login is successful, your browser displays the Cisco Integrated Management Controller Chassis Summary window, as shown below.
Step 2

Synchronize the appliance's hardware with the Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers you use to manage your network, as follows:

  1. From the top-left corner of the Cisco IMC GUI, click the Toggle Navigation icon ().

  2. From the Cisco IMC menu, select Admin > Networking, and then choose the NTP Setting tab.

  3. Make sure that the NTP Enabled check box is checked and enter up to four NTP server host names or addresses in the numbered Server fields, as shown in the example below.

  4. Click Save Changes. Cisco IMC validates your entries and then begins to synchronize the time on the appliance's hardware with the time on the NTP servers.

Step 3

Next, check that the appliance NICs are configured to support high throughput, as follows:

  1. If needed, click the icon to display the Cisco IMC menu.

  2. From the Cisco IMC menu, select Chassis > Inventory > Cisco VIC Adapters. Verify that the Product ID "UCSC-MLOM-CSC-02" is listed for the MLOM slot, as shown below:



  3. Select > Compute > BIOS > Configure BIOS > Advanced. Verify that the Reboot Host Immediately checkbox is unchecked and note the location of the LOM and PCIe Slots Configuration dropdown.



  4. Select LOM and PCIe Slots Configuration. Then, using the dropdown selectors, set PCIe Slot: MLOM OptionROM to Enabled and PCIe Slot: MLOM Link Speed to Auto.



  5. Click Save. You will be prompted to reboot the host. Click OK to continue instead of rebooting.

  6. Select > Networking > Adapter Card MLOM > General. Take note of the MAC addresses for Port-0 and Port-1 (shown in the External Ethernet Interfaces section at the bottom of the page). In the Adapter Card Properties section, use the dropdown selectors next to Port-0 and Port-1 to set the speed of both these ports to Auto, as shown below. Then click Save Changes.

  7. Click the vNICs tab and select eth0 from the vNICs dropdown. Use the selectors and fields to set these values for eth0:

    • VLAN Mode: Trunk

    • MTU: 1500

    • Default VLAN: 99 (Please note that "99" is only an example. You should enter the default VLAN value you want your appliances and their connected uplink switch to use.)

    Tip 
    1500 is the minimum maximum transmission unit (MTU) size. You can improve throughput on the 10Gbps ports by entering any higher value, up to a maximum of 9000.

  8. Click Save Changes. You will be prompted to reboot the host again. Click Cancel to continue instead of rebooting.

  9. Select eth1 from the vNICS dropdown and set the values that you want your appliances and their connected uplink switch to use.

  10. When you are finished, click Save Changes. You will be prompted to reboot the host. This time, click OK to reboot the appliance.

  11. When the appliance is finished rebooting, log in to the Cisco IMC GUI again. Select > Networking > Adapter Card MLOM > General > vNICs. Verify the accuracy of the vNIC MAC addresses and the MTU, VLAN and VLAN Mode parameters you set earlier.

  12. When you are finished: Click the Host Power menu at top right and select Power Cycle. Then click OK.



Step 4

Reconfigure your switches to match the high-throughput settings on the appliance, as follows:

  1. Using a Secure Shell (SSH) client, log in to the switch to be configured and enter EXEC mode at the switch prompt.

  2. Configure the switch port.

    On a Cisco Catalyst switch, enter the following commands. For example:

    MySwitch#Config terminal
MySwitch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 1/1/3 
MySwitch(config-if)#switchport 
MySwitch(config-if)#switchport mode trunk 
MySwitch(config-if)#switchport trunk allowed vlan 99 
MySwitch(config-if)#switchport voice vlan dot1p
MySwitch(config-if)#speed auto 
MySwitch(config-if)#duplex full 
MySwitch(config-if)#mtu 1500 
MySwitch(config-if)#no shut 
MySwitch(config-if)#end 
MySwitch(config)#do copy running-config startup-config

    On a Cisco Nexus switch, enter the following commands to disable Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) and priority flow control (PFC). For example: 

    N7K2# configure terminal
N7K2(config)# interface eth 3/4
N7K2(config-if)# no priority-flow-control mode auto
N7K2(config-if)# no lldp transmit
N7K2(config-if)# no lldp receive

    Note that these commands are examples only. When configuring your appliance's NICs, use the same VLAN ID and MTU values you entered in Step 3 of this procedure. The values displayed for the link speed, duplex, and MTU parameters are the defaults for your switch. Enter new values for these parameters only if you have changed the defaults. You may, as with the appliance NICs, also set the MTU up to a maximum of 9000 for better throughput.

  3. Run the show interface tengigabitethernet portID command and verify that the port is connected, running, and has the correct MTU, duplex, and link-type settings in the command output. For example: 

    MySwitch#show interface tengigabitethernet 1/1/3 
TenGigabitEthernet1/1/3 is up, line protocol is up (connected) 
  Hardware is Ten Gigabit Ethernet, address is XXXe.310.8000 (bia XXX.310.8000)
  MTU 1500 bytes, BW 10000000 Kbit/sec, DLY 10 usec, 
     reliability 255/255, txload 1/255, rxload 1/255 
  Encapsulation ARPA, loopback not set 
  Keepalive not set 
  Full-duplex, 10GB/s, link type is auto, media type is SFP-10Gbase-SR

  4. Run the show run interface tengigabitethernet portID command to configure the switch ports where the cables from the VIC 1227 ports are connected. For example: 

    MySwitch#show run interface tengigabitethernet 1/1/3 
Building configuration... 
Current configuration : 129 bytes 
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet1/1/3 
 switchport trunk allowed vlan 99 
 switchport mode trunk 
end 

MySwitch#

  5. Run the show run interface tengigabitethernet portID command and verify from the command output that the port has the correct voice vlan dot1p setting. For example: 

    MySwitch#show run interface tengigabitEthernet 1/1/3
Building configuration...
Current configuration : 129 bytes
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet1/1/3
 switchport trunk allowed vlan 99 
 switchport mode trunk
 switchport voice vlan dot1p
end 

MySwitch#

  6. Run the show mac address-table interface tengigabitethernet portID command and verify the MAC address from the command output. For example: 

    MySwitch#show mac address-table interface tengigabitethernet 1/1/3 
           Mac Address Table 
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-- 
Vlan     Mac Address       Type      Ports 
––--     ––––––––––-       –––-      –––-- 
99       XXXe.3161.1000    DYNAMIC   Te1/1/3 
Total Mac Addresses for this criterion: 1 

MySwitch#

What to do next

When this task is complete, do one of the following:

Reimage the Appliance

Situations may arise that require you to reimage your Cisco DNA Center appliance, such as recovering from a backup or changing your cluster link configuration. To do so, complete the following procedure.

Procedure

Step 1

Download the Cisco DNA Center ISO image and verify that it is a genuine Cisco image.

See Verify the Cisco DNA Center ISO Image.

Step 2

Create a bootable USB drive that contains the Cisco DNA Center ISO image.

See Create a Bootable USB Drive.

Step 3

Reinstall Cisco DNA Center onto your appliance.

See Install the Cisco DNA Center ISO Image.

Verify the Cisco DNA Center ISO Image

Prior to deploying Cisco DNA Center, we strongly recommend that you to verify that the ISO image you downloaded is a genuine Cisco image.

Before you begin

Obtain the location of the Cisco DNA Center ISO image (through email or by contacting the Cisco support team).

Procedure

Step 1

Download the Cisco DNA Center ISO image (.iso) from the location specified by Cisco.

Step 2

Download the Cisco public key (cisco_image_verification_key.pub) for signature verification from the location specified by Cisco.

Step 3

Download the secure hash algorithm (SHA512) checksum file for the ISO image from the location specified by Cisco.
Step 4

Obtain the ISO image's signature file (.sig) from Cisco support through email or by download from the secure Cisco website (if available).

Step 5

(Optional) Perform an SHA verification to determine whether the ISO image is corrupted due to a partial download.

Run one of the following commands (depending upon your operating system):

  • On a Linux system: sha512sum ISO-image-filename

  • On a Mac system: shasum -a 512 ISO-image-filename

Microsoft Windows does not include a built-in checksum utility, but you can install a utility from Microsoft at this link: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=11533.

Compare the output of the command you run (or Microsoft Windows utility) to the SHA512 checksum file downloaded in Step 3. If the command output fails to match, download the ISO image again and run the appropriate command a second time. If the output still fails to match, contact Cisco support.

Step 6

Verify that the ISO image is genuine and from Cisco by verifying its signature:

openssl dgst -sha512 -verify cisco_image_verification_key.pub -signature signature-filename ISO-image-filename

Note 

This command works in both MAC and Linux environments. For Windows, you need to download and install OpenSSL (available here) if you have not already done so.

If the ISO image is genuine, running this command should display a Verified OK message. If this message fails to appear, do not install the ISO image and contact Cisco support.

Step 7

After confirming that you have downloaded a Cisco ISO image, create a bootable USB drive that contains the Cisco DNA Center ISO image. See Create a Bootable USB Drive.

Create a Bootable USB Drive

Complete one of the following procedures to create a bootable USB drive from which you can install the Cisco DNA Center ISO image.

Before you begin:

  • Download and verify your copy of the Cisco DNA Center ISO image. See Verify the Cisco DNA Center ISO Image.

  • Confirm that the USB flash drive you are using has a capacity of at least 32 GB.

Using Etcher

Procedure
Step 1

Download and install Etcher (Version 1.3.1 or later), an open-source freeware utility that allows you to create a bootable USB drive on your laptop or desktop.

Linux, macOS, and Windows versions of Etcher are currently available. You can download a copy at https://www.balena.io/etcher/.

Note 

Use only the Windows version of Etcher on machines running Windows 10, as there are known compatibility issues with older versions of Windows.

Step 2

From the machine on which you installed Etcher, connect a USB drive and then start Etcher.
Step 3

In the top-right corner of the window, click and verify that the following Etcher settings are set:

  • Auto-unmount on success

  • Validate write on success
Step 4

Click Back to return to the main Etcher window.

Step 5

Click Select Image.

Step 6

Navigate to the Cisco DNA Center ISO image you downloaded previously, select it, and then click Open.

The name of the USB drive you connected should be listed under the drive icon (). If it is not:

  1. Click Select drive.

  2. Click the radio button for the correct USB drive, and then click Continue.

Step 7

Click Flash! to copy the ISO image to the USB drive.

Etcher configures the USB drive as a bootable drive with the Cisco DNA Center ISO image installed.

Using the Linux CLI

Procedure
Step 1

Verify that your USB flash drive is recognized by your machine:

  1. Insert a flash drive into your machine's USB port.

  2. Open a Linux shell and run the following command: lsblk

    The command lists the disk partitions that are currently configured on your machine, as illustrated in the following example:

    $ lsblk
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda 8:0 0 446.1G 0 disk
├─sda1 8:1 0 1M 0 part
├─sda2 8:2 0 28.6G 0 part /
├─sda3 8:3 0 28.6G 0 part /install2
├─sda4 8:4 0 9.5G 0 part /var
├─sda5 8:5 0 30.5G 0 part [SWAP]
└─sda6 8:6 0 348.8G 0 part /data
sdb 8:16 0 1.8T 0 disk
├─sdb1 8:17 0 426.1G 0 part /data/maglev/srv/fusion
└─sdb2 8:18 0 1.3T 0 part /data/maglev/srv/maglev-system
sdc 8:32 0 3.5T 0 disk
└─sdc1 8:33 0 3.5T 0 part /data/maglev/srv/ndp
sdd 8:48 1 28.7G 0 disk
└─sdd1 8:49 1 12G 0 part

  3. Confirm that an sdd partition (which indicates the presence of a USB flash drive) is listed.

Step 2

Burn the Cisco DNA Center ISO image you downloaded previously onto your USB flash drive: time sudo dd if=/data/tmp/ISO-image-filename of=/dev/flash-drive-partition bs=4M && sync

For example, to create a bootable USB drive using an ISO image named CDNAC-SW-1.330.iso, you would run the following command: time sudo dd if=/data/tmp/CDNAC-SW-1.330.iso of=/dev/sdd bs=4M && sync

Using the Mac CLI

Procedure
Step 1

Determine the disk partition associated with your USB flash drive:

  1. Open a Terminal window and run the following command: diskutil list

    The command lists the disk partitions that are currently configured on your machine.

  2. Insert a flash drive into your machine's USB port and run the diskutil list command a second time.

    The partition that was not listed the first time you ran this command corresponds to your flash drive. For example, let's assume that your flash drive's partition is /dev/disk2.

Step 2

Unmount the flash drive's partition: diskutil unmountDisk flash-drive-partition

Continuing our example, you would enter diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk2

Step 3

Using the Cisco DNA Center ISO image you downloaded previously, create a disk image: hdiutil convert -format UDRW -o Cisco-DNA-Center-version ISO-image-filename

Continuing our example, let's assume that you are working with a Cisco DNA Center ISO image named CDNAC-SW-1.330.iso. You would run the following command, which creates a macOS disk image named CDNAC-1.330.dmg: hdiutil convert -format UDRW -o CDNAC-1.330 CDNAC-SW-1.330.iso

Important 

Ensure that the ISO image does not reside on a Box partition.
Step 4

Create a bootable USB drive: sudo dd if=macOS-disk-image-filename of=flash-drive-partition bs=1m

Continuing our example, you would run the following command: sudo dd if=CDNAC-1.330.dmg of=/dev/disk2 bs=1m

The ISO image is about 18 GB in size, so this can take around an hour to complete.

Install the Cisco DNA Center ISO Image

Complete the following procedure to install the Cisco DNA Center ISO image onto your appliance.

Before you begin

Create the bootable USB drive from which you will install the Cisco DNA Center ISO image. See Create a Bootable USB Drive.

Procedure

Step 1

Connect the bootable USB drive with the Cisco DNA Center ISO image to the appliance.

Step 2

Log in to Cisco IMC and start a KVM session.
Step 3

Power on or power cycle the appliance:

  • Choose Power > Power On System if the appliance is not currently running.

  • Choose Power > Power Cycle System (cold boot) if the appliance is already running.

Step 4

In the resulting pop-up window, click Yes to acknowledge that you are about to execute a server control action.

Step 5

When the Cisco logo appears, either press the F6 key or choose Macros > User Defined Macros > F6 from the KVM menu.

The boot device selection menu appears.
Step 6

Select your USB drive and then press Enter.

Step 7

In the GNU GRUB bootloader window, select Manufacture Cisco DNA appliance with default settings and then press Enter.

Note 

The bootloader automatically boots the Maglev Installer instead if you do not make a selection within 30 seconds.

After installation of the Cisco DNA Center ISO image is completed, the installer reboots and opens the Maglev Configuration wizard's welcome screen. Depending on whether you are going to configure a primary or secondary cluster node, proceed to Step 4 in either Configure the Primary Node or Configure a Secondary Node.