Working with Cisco Intersight, Release 4.2.1

The following table provides an overview of the significant changes up to this current release. The table does not provide an exhaustive list of all changes or of the new features up to this release.

Cisco Intersight, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) infrastructure management platform, integrates with other intelligent systems to enhance its capabilities. It enables you to manage the Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS), Cisco Hyperconverged Infrastructure Solutions, Cisco APIC, and other platforms, including Nexus Dashboard, on a global scale.

Data center apps, such as Cisco Nexus Dashboard Insights, connect to the Cisco Intersight portal through a Device Connector that is embedded in the management controller of each system, in this case your Nexus Dashboard. Device Connector provides a secure way for the connected devices to send information and receive control instructions from the Cisco Intersight portal, using a secure internet connection.

When an Intersight-enabled device or application starts, the Device Connector starts at boot by default and attempts to connect to the cloud service. If the Auto Update option is enabled, the Device Connector is automatically updated to the latest version through a refresh by the Intersight service when you connect to Cisco Intersight. For more information on the Auto Update option, see Configure Device Connector settings.

For additional information on Cisco Intersight, see https://www.intersight.com/help/saas/getting_started/overview.

Configure Device Connector settings

Devices are connected to the Cisco Intersight portal through a Device Connector, which provides a secure way for the connected devices to send information and receive control instructions from the Cisco Intersight portal.

All device connectors must properly resolve svc.intersight.com and allow outbound initiated HTTPS connections on port 443. If a proxy is required for an HTTPS connection, you must configure the proxy settings in your Nexus Dashboard.

---

The Device Connector relies on Nexus Dashboard proxy settings to connect to Cisco Intersight. If these proxy settings change (for example, during a Nexus Dashboard configuration restore) the connection to Cisco Intersight may be interrupted.

---

Follow these steps to configure the basic Device Connector settings.

1. Navigate to the Intersight Device Connector page.

   Go to Admin > Intersight.

2. In the top right of the Intersight Device Connector page, click Settings.

3. Click the General tab to configure basic options.

   1. Use the Device Connector knob to enable or disable the Device Connector.

      This enables you to claim the device and leverage the capabilities of Intersight. If it is disabled, no communication is allowed to Cisco Intersight.

   2. In the Access Mode area, choose whether to allow Intersight the capability to make changes to this device.

      • Allow Control (default) — enables you to perform full read or write operations from the cloud based on the features available in Cisco Intersight.

      • Read-only — ensures that no changes are made to this device from Cisco Intersight.

        For example, actions such as upgrading firmware or a profile deployment will not be allowed in read-only mode. However, the actions depend on the features available for a particular system.

   3. Use the Auto Update knob to enable automatic Device Connector updates.

      We recommend that you enable automatic updates so that the system automatically updates the Device Connector software. When enabled, the Device Connector will automatically upgrade its image whenever there is any upgrade push from Intersight.

      If you disable the automatic updates, you will be asked to manually update the software when new releases become available. Note that if the Device Connector is out-of-date, it may be unable to connect to Cisco Intersight.

4. Click Save to save the changes.

5. Click the Certificate Manager tab if you want to import additional certificates.

   By default, the device connector trusts only the built-in certificate. If the device connector establishes a TLS connection and a server sends a certificate that does not match the built-in certificate, the device connector terminates TLS connections because it cannot determine if the server is a trusted device.

   You can choose to upload additional certificates by clicking the Import button in this screen. The imported certificates must be in the .pem (base64 encoded) format. After a certificate is successfully imported, it is listed in the list of Trusted Certificates and if the certificate is correct, it is shown in the In-Use column.

   You can click the View icon at the end of the certificate’s row to view its details such as name, issue and expiration dates.

THE SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION REGARDING THE PRODUCTS IN THIS MANUAL ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL STATEMENTS, INFORMATION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS MANUAL ARE BELIEVED TO BE ACCURATE BUT ARE PRESENTED WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. USERS MUST TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR APPLICATION OF ANY PRODUCTS.

THE SOFTWARE LICENSE AND LIMITED WARRANTY FOR THE ACCOMPANYING PRODUCT ARE SET FORTH IN THE INFORMATION PACKET THAT SHIPPED WITH THE PRODUCT AND ARE INCORPORATED HEREIN BY THIS REFERENCE. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE SOFTWARE LICENSE OR LIMITED WARRANTY, CONTACT YOUR CISCO REPRESENTATIVE FOR A COPY.

The Cisco implementation of TCP header compression is an adaptation of a program developed by the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) as part of UCB’s public domain version of the UNIX operating system. All rights reserved. Copyright © 1981, Regents of the University of California.

NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER WARRANTY HEREIN, ALL DOCUMENT FILES AND SOFTWARE OF THESE SUPPLIERS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS" WITH ALL FAULTS. CISCO AND THE ABOVE-NAMED SUPPLIERS DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OR ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL CISCO OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOST PROFITS OR LOSS OR DAMAGE TO DATA ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS MANUAL, EVEN IF CISCO OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.

The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product.

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: https://www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1110R)

© 2017-2026 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Americas Headquarters
Cisco Systems, Inc.
170 West Tasman Drive
San Jose, CA 95134-1706
USA
https://www.cisco.com
Tel: 408 526-4000
800 553-NETS (6387)
Fax: 408 527-0883