Cisco APIC Getting Started Guide, Release 6.2(x)

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Commission a Cisco APIC in the cluster

Updated: January 12, 2026

Overview

Use this procedure to commission a Cisco APIC in an existing controller cluster running release 6.0(2) or later, whether for normal provisioning or as part of an RMA workflow. Follow the steps to ensure the APIC is operational and fully integrated into the cluster.

  • Commission a Cisco APIC in the controller cluster.

Use this procedure when you need to commission an APIC in an existing cluster running release 6.0(2) or later. This may be performed for normal provisioning or as part of an RMA (Return Material Authorization) workflow.

Follow these steps to commission a Cisco APIC in the cluster:

Before you begin

  • Verify that the APIC is connected to the network and powered on.

  • Obtain required admin credentials for the APIC cluster.

Procedure

1.

From the menu bar, choose System > Controllers .

2.

In the Navigation pane, expand Controllers > apic_controller_name > Cluster as Seen by Node .

3.

Select a decommissioned Cisco APIC from the Active Controllers table.

4.

In the Active Controllers table, click the Actions icon (three dots), which is displayed at the end of the row for each Cisco APIC . From the displayed options, click Commission .

The Commission dialog box is displayed.

5.

Enter the following details in the Commission screen:

Choose the Controller Type . Based on your choice, proceed to the relevant substep.

Put a check in the Enabled check box if you need to support IPv6 addresses.

  1. When the Controller Type is Physical :

    • CIMC details pane

      • IP Address: Enter the CIMC IP address.

      • Username: Enter the username to access CIMC.

      • Password: Enter the password to access CIMC.

      • Click Validate . Validation success is displayed on successful authentication.

      This pane appears only if you configured CIMC. If you did not configure CIMC, instead perform the physical APIC login step of the Bring up the APIC cluster using the GUI procedure (step 1b) on the new node to configure out-of-band management.

    • General pane

      • Name: The name of the controller. The name is entered automatically after the CIMC validation.

      • Admin Password: Enter the admin password for the controller.

      • Controller ID: This is auto-populated based on the Cisco APIC that was decommissioned. The ID of the decommissioned node is assigned.

      • Serial Number: This is auto-populated after CIMC validation.

      • Pod ID: Enter the ID number of the pod for the Cisco APIC .

    • Out of Band Network pane

      • IPv4 Address: Enter the IPv4 address of the out-of-band network.

      • IPv4 Gateway: Enter the IPv4 gateway address of the out-of-band network.

      Note

      If you have selected the Enabled check box for IPv6 earlier, enter the IPv6 address and gateway.

  2. When the Controller Type is Virtual :

    • Virtual Instance: Enter the management IP and click Validate .

      Note

      The management IP addresses are defined during the deployment of the VMs using ESXi/ AWS.

    • General pane

      • Name: A user-defined name for the controller.

      • Controller ID: This is auto-populated based on the Cisco APIC that was decommissioned. The ID of the decommissioned node is assigned.

      • Serial Number: The serial number of the VM is auto-populated.

    • Out of Band Network pane

      • IPv4 Address: The IP address is auto-populated.

      • IPv4 Gateway: The gateway IP address is auto-populated.

      Note

      If you have selected the Enabled check box for IPv6 earlier, enter the IPv6 address and gateway.

    • Infra Network pane

      • IPv4 Address: Enter the infra network address.

      • IPv4 Gateway: Enter the IP address of the gateway.

      • VLAN: (applicable only for remotely attached virtual APIC - ESXi) enter the interface VLAN ID to be used.

      Note

      The Infra L3 Network pane is not displayed when the virtual APIC is deployed using AWS.

6.

Click Apply .

7.

Verify that the commissioned Cisco APIC is in the operational state and the health state is Fully Fit .

The APIC is successfully commissioned and ready for role in the controller cluster.

What to do next

Review APIC status and connectivity. Update your records or monitoring tools as needed.