Installation

Installation Overview

Follow this workflow during installation:

Step

Description

Reference

1

Read the system requirements and complete the preinstall worksheet sections there.

2

Complete the installation prerequisites.

3

Deploy Cisco HyperFlex storage cluster.

Rack Cisco HyperFlex Nodes

For details on installation of Cisco HX220c M5 HyperFlex Nodes, see Cisco HX220c M5 HyperFlex Node Installation Guide.


Important
You can use a console dongle to connect the VGA monitor and keyboard for CIMC configuration. You can also directly connect to the VGA and USB ports on the rear of the server. Alternatively, you can perform a lights-out configuration of CIMC if a DHCP server is available in the network.

Cisco Integrated Management Controller Configuration

Choose one method for CIMC network configuration: static assignment or DHCP assignment.

Configuring CIMC: Static Assignment

To configure Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC), you must enable CIMC standalone mode, configure the CIMC password and settings, and configure a static IP address manually using a KVM. This requires physical access to each server with a monitor and keyboard. Each server must be configured one at a time.

Customers may opt to use the dedicated CIMC management port for out-of-band use. Users should account for this third 1GE port when planning their upstream switch configuration. Additionally, the user should set the CIMC to dedicated mode during CIMC configuration. Follow Cisco UCS C-series documentation to configure the CIMC in dedicated NIC mode. Under NIC properties, set the NIC mode to dedicated before saving the configuration.

Before you begin

  • Ensure that all Ethernet cables are connected as described in the Preinstallation Checklist section.

  • Attach the VGA dongle to the server and connect a monitor and USB keyboard.

Procedure

Step 1

Power on the server, and wait for the screen with the Cisco logo to display.

Step 2

When prompted for boot options, press F8 to enter the Cisco IMC Configuration utility.

Step 3

In CIMC User Details, enter password for the current CIMC password, enter your new CIMC password twice, and press Enter to save you new password.

Important 
Systems ship with a default password of password that must be changed during installation. You cannot continue installation unless you specify a new user supplied password.
Step 4

For IP (Basic), check IPV4, uncheck DHCP enabled, and enter values for CIMC IP, Prefix/Subnet mask, and Gateway.

Step 5

For VLAN (Advanced), check VLAN enabled, and:

  • If you are using trunk ports, set the appropriate VLAN ID.

  • If you are using access ports, leave this field blank.
Step 6

Leave the rest of the settings as default, press F10 to save your configuration, and press ESC to exit the utility.

Step 7

In a web browser, navigate directly to the CIMC page at https://CIMC IP address.

Step 8

Enter the username admin and your new CIMC password, and click Log In.

Step 9

Manually set the power policy to match the desired operation from Server > Power Policies.

Servers default to the Power Off power-restore policy set at the factory.

What to do next

You can use the virtual KVM console or continue to use the physical KVM. The SD cards have ESXi preinstalled from the factory and boot automatically during installation.

Configuring CIMC: DHCP Assignment

To configure Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC), you must enable CIMC standalone mode, configure the CIMC password and settings, and configure a dynamic IP address obtained through DHCP. This requires more network setup but eases configuration by enabling a lights-out setup of HyperFlex Edge nodes. All servers lease addresses automatically and in parallel, reducing deployment time.

Before you begin

  • Ensure that all Ethernet cables are connected as described in the Preinstallation Checklist section.

  • Ensure the DHCP server is properly configured and running with a valid scope.

  • Ensure the DHCP server is directly listening on the management VLAN or you have an IP helper configured on your switch(es).

  • Decide on inband versus out-of-band CIMC:

    • If using inband CIMC, configure the native VLAN for all HyperFlex Edge switch ports to match the correct DHCP VLAN. This is the only way to ensure that the CIMC can lease an address automatically.

    • If using out-of-band CIMC, configure the dedicated switch port for access mode on the DHCP VLAN.

Procedure

Step 1

Connect power cables.
Step 2

Access the DHCP logs or lease table to determine the CIMC addresses obtained
Step 3

Search the hostnames for C220-<S/N> to find your HyperFlex servers, and make note of the addresses for required inputs into the HX Data Platform Installer.

What to do next

When using DHCP, you must manually set a user defined CIMC password before beginning HyperFlex Data Platform installation. Use either the web UI or a CLI session to set a new password. The default password of password must be changed or installation fails.

Verifying Firmware Versions

You need to view current BIOS, CIMC, SAS HBA, and drive firmware versions, and verify that those versions match data in the Release Notes.

Procedure

Step 1

In your browser, log in to the CIMC web UI by navigating to https://<CIMC IP>.

Step 2

In the Navigation pane, click Server.

Step 3

On the Server page, click Summary.

Step 4

In the Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC) Information section of the Server Summary page, locate and make a note of the BIOS Version and CIMC Firmware Version.

Step 5

In CIMC, navigate to Inventory > PCIe Adapters, and locate and make a note of the SAS HBA Version.

Step 6

In CIMC, navigate to Inventory > Storage Adapters.

Step 7

Depending on which server type you are using, navigate to one of the following:

  1. For M4, UCSC-SAS12GHBA > Details > Physical Drive Info, and make a note of the drive type, manufacturer, and firmware version.

  2. For M5, UCSC-SAS-M5 > Details > Physical Drive Info, and make a note of the drive type, manufacturer, and firmware version.

Step 8

Compare the current BIOS, CIMC, SAS HBA, and drive firmware versions with the versions listed in the Release Notes.

Step 9

If the minimum versions are not met, use the Host Update Utility (HUU) Download Links in the compatibility matrix to upgrade the firmware versions running on the system, including Cisco Virtual Interface Cards (VIC), PCI Adapter, RAID controllers, and drive (HDD/SSD) firmware. You can find current and previous releases of the Cisco HUU User Guide at this location: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/servers-unified-computing/ucs-c-series-rack-servers/products-user-guide-list.html.

Deploying Cisco HX Data Platform Installer

HX Data Platform Installer can be deployed on an ESXi server, as well as a VMware Workstation, VMware Fusion, or Virtual Box. The HyperFlex software is distributed as a deployable virtual machine, contained in an Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) file format. Use the following procedure to deploy HX Data Platform Installer using a VMware vSphere (thick) Client.

Procedure

Step 1

Download the HX Data Platform Installer OVA from Cisco.com, and save the package locally.

Verify the downloaded version matches the recommended version for your deployment.
Step 2

Log in to vCenter using the vSphere Client.

Step 3

Select File > Deploy OVF Template.

Step 4

In the Deploy OVF Template wizard, on the Source page, specify the source location, and click Next.

Step 5

On the OVF Template Details page, view the information, and click Next.

Step 6

(Optional) On the Name and Location page, edit the name and location for the virtual appliance, and click Next.

Step 7

On the Host/Cluster page, select the host or cluster on which you want to deploy, and click Next.

Step 8

On the Resource Pool page, select the resource pool where you want to run the OVF template, and click Next.

Step 9

On the Storage page, select a datastore to store the deployed OVF template, and click Next.

Step 10

On the Disk Format page, select the disk format to store the virtual machine virtual disks, and click Next.

Step 11

On the Network Mapping page, for each network specified in the OVF template, right-click the Destination Network column to select a network in your infrastructure, and click Next.

Step 12

Provide the OVF properties for the installer VM, namely: hostname, default gateway, DNS server, IP address, and subnet mask.

Alternatively, leave all of the OVF properties blank for a DHCP assigned address.
Step 13

On the Ready to Complete page, select Power On After Deployment, and click Finish.

Configuring Your HyperFlex Cluster

Procedure

Step 1

In your web browser, enter the IP address of the installer VM, and click Accept or Continue to bypass any SSL certificate errors.

Step 2

Verify the HyperFlex installer Build ID in the lower right corner of the login screen.

Step 3

Log in to Cisco HX Data Platform Installer using username root and password Cisco123.

Important 
Systems ship with a default password of Cisco123 that must be changed during installation. The HyperFlex on-premise installer requires changing the root password as part of deployment. You cannot continue installation unless you specify a new password. Use the new password at this point in the configuration procedure.
Step 4

Read the End User Licensing Agreement, check I accept the terms and conditions, and click Login.

Step 5

On the Workflow page, click Cluster Creation with HyperFlex Edge.

Step 6

On the Credentials page, complete the following fields, and click Continue.

Name

Description

vCenter Credentials

vCenter Server

FQDN or IP address of the vCenter server. You must use an account with vCenter root-level admin permissions.

User Name

Administrator username.

Admin Password

Administrator password.

CIMC Credentials

CIMC User Name

CIMC username. By default, the user name is admin.

Password

CIMC password. By default, the password is password.

Hypervisor Credentials

Admin User Name

Administrator username. By default, the username is root.

Admin Password

Default password is Cisco123.

Important 
Systems ship with a default password of Cisco123 that must be changed during installation. You cannot continue installation unless you specify a new user supplied password.
Step 7

On the IP Addresses page, enter the assigned addresses for each server:

Name

Description

Cisco IMC

IP Address of Cisco IMC

Hypervisor

Management IP for Hypervisor

Storage Controller

Management IP for Storage Controller

Cluster IP Address

Cluster management IP address

Subnet mask

Subnet mask for cluster management

Gateway

Gateway IP address for cluster management IP
Step 8

On the Cluster Configuration page, complete the following fields, and click Continue.

Note 
Complete all the fields using your pre-install worksheet.

Name

Description

Cisco HX Cluster

Cluster Name

User-supplied name for the HyperFlex storage cluster.

Replication Factor

The replication factor is fixed at 2 for HyperFlex Edge deployments.

Important 
You must select Replication Factor 2 for HX Edge deployments. Replication factor 3 is not supported for HX Edge deployments.

Controller VM

Create Admin Password

Default password is Cisco123.

Important 
Systems ship with a default password of Cisco123 that must be changed during installation. You cannot continue installation unless you specify a new user supplied password.

Confirm Admin Password

Confirm the Administrator password.

vCenter Configuration

vCenter Datacenter Name

The name of the vCenter datacenter where the HyperFlex hosts were added.

vCenter Cluster Name

The name of the vCenter cluster where the HyperFlex hosts were added.

System Services

DNS Server(s)

A comma-separated list of IP addresses for each DNS Server.

NTP Server(s)

A comma-separated list of IP addresses for each NTP Server.

Important 
A highly reliable NTP server is required.

Time Zone

The local time zone for the controller VM.

Auto Support

Enable Auto Support (Recommended)

 Check to enable Auto Support.
Note 
We highly recommend enabling Auto Support to enable sending email alerts to Cisco TAC.
Send service tickets notifications to:Example: name@company.com Email address to receive service request notifications.
Step 9

On the Advanced Cluster Configuration page, complete the following fields, and click Start.

Name

Description

Advanced Networking

Uplink Switch Speed

 Check the radio button for 1GbE.

Management VLAN Tag

Data VLAN Tag

Enter the correct VLAN tags if you are using trunk ports. The VLAN tags must be different when using trunk mode.

Enter 0 for both VLAN tags if you are using access ports.

Note 
Do not enter 0 if you are using trunk ports.

Management vSwitch

Data vSwitch

Do not change the auto-populated vSwitch name.

Advanced Configuration

Enable Jumbo Frames on Data Network

Do not check to ensure HyperFlex Edge deployments use regularly-sized packets. You may optionally enable jumbo frames for 10/25GE deployments depending on your network configuration. For ease of deployment, it is recommended to uncheck this option.

Clean up disk partitions

Check to remove all existing data and partitions from every node in the HX storage cluster. For example, if this is not the first time installing the software on the cluster.

Optimize for VDi only deployment

Check to optimize VDI deployments.

vCenter Single-Sign-On Server

Fill in this field only if instructed by Cisco TAC.
Review the progress for any of the cluster configuration tasks on the Progress page. The deployment can take anywhere between 20-45 minutes to complete.
Step 10

After deployment finishes, the Summary Deployment page displays a summary of the deployment details.

What to do next

Confirm HX Data Platform Plug-in installation. See Verifying Cisco HX Data Platform Software Installation

Verifying Cisco HX Data Platform Software Installation

Procedure

Step 1

Launch vSphere Web Client, and log in to the vCenter Server as an administrator.

Step 2

Under vCenter Inventory Lists, verify that Cisco HX Data Platform displays.

If the entry for Cisco HX Data Platform does not appear, log out of vCenter, close the browser, and log back in. In most cases, the issue is resolved by this action.

If logging out of vCenter does not fix the issue, you may have to restart the vSphere Web Client. SSH to the VCSA and run service vsphere-client restart. For a Windows vCenter, restart VMware vSphere Web Client in the services page in mmc.

Step 3

Ensure that your new cluster is online and registered.

Cisco Intersight HX Installer for HyperFlex Edge

Intersight HX installer rapidly deploys HyperFlex Edge clusters. The installer constructs a pre-configuration definition of your cluster, called an HX Cluster Profile. This definition is a logical representation of the HX nodes in your HX Edge cluster. Each HX node provisioned in Cisco Intersight is specified in a HX Cluster profile.

Refer to the Cisco HyperFlex Installation Guide for Cisco Intersight for detailed deployment instructions.