Installing the ACI Simulator Software

This chapter contains the following sections:

Joining Cisco ACI Simulator Split OVA Files in Microsoft Windows

The OVA file for the Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) simulator comes split into multiple files. You must join the files together before you can install the Cisco ACI simulator software.

Procedure

Step 1

From Cisco.com, download all parts of the acisim-version.ova file to a folder on your Windows machine.

Each part is a multi-gigabyte file, so make sure that you have enough space on the machine where you will combine the files.

Step 2

From a Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe), navigate to the folder where you downloaded the simulator split files.

Example:

In the following example, the files are on the Z: drive in the acisim folder: 

Z:\> cd acisim
Z:\acisim> dir
Directory of Z:\acisim

05/19/2020  02:06 PM    <DIR>          .
05/19/2020  09:04 AM    <DIR>          ..
05/19/2020  08:46 AM    10,568,524,750 acisim-5.0-1k_part1.ova
05/19/2020  08:46 AM    10,568,524,750 acisim-5.0-1k_part2.ova
05/19/2020  08:47 AM    10,568,524,750 acisim-5.0-1k_part3.ova
05/19/2020  08:47 AM    10,568,524,750 acisim-5.0-1k_part4.ova
05/19/2020  08:47 AM    10,568,524,488 acisim-5.0-1k_part5.ova
               5 File(s) 52,842,623,488 bytes
               2 Dir(s)  934,286,774,272 bytes free

Z:\acisim>

Step 3

Use the copy /b command to join the split files.

Example:

The following example commands show joining 5 acisim-5.0-1k_*.ova files into in a single file named acisim.ova: 

Z:\acisim> copy /b acisim-5.0-1k_part1.ova+acisim-5.0-1k_part2.ova+
acisim-5.0-1k_part3.ova+acisim-5.0-1k_part4.ova+acisim-5.0-1k_part5.ova acisim.ova
acisim-5.0-1k_part1.ova
acisim-5.0-1k_part2.ova
acisim-5.0-1k_part3.ova
acisim-5.0-1k_part4.ova
acisim-5.0-1k_part5.ova
        1 file(s) copied.

Z:\acisim>

This process takes several minutes and will result in a new joined file being created with the name you that you specified. The command will not delete the original split files.

What to do next

Deploy this newly-combined OVA file.

Joining Cisco ACI Simulator Split OVA Files in Linux

The OVA file for the Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) simulator comes split into multiple files. You must join the files together before you can install the Cisco ACI simulator software.

Procedure

Step 1

From Cisco.com, download all parts of the acisim-version.ova file to a directory on your Linux machine.

Each part is a multi-gigabyte file, so make sure that you have enough space on the machine where you will combine the files.

Step 2

Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the simulator split files.

Example:

In the following example, the files are in the acisim directory: 

$ cd acisim
$ ls

acisim-5.0-1k_part1.ova     acisim-5.0-1k_part2.ova     acisim-5.0-1k_part3.ova
acisim-5.0-1k_part4.ova     acisim-5.0-1k_part5.ova
$

Step 3

Use the cat command to join the split files.

Example:

The following example commands show joining 5 acisim-5.0-1k_*.ova files into in a single file named acisim.ova: 

$ cat acisim-5.0-1k_part1.ova acisim-5.0-1k_part2.ova \
acisim-5.0-1k_part3.ova acisim-5.0-1k_part4.ova \
acisim-5.0-1k_part5.ova > acisim.ova

Many modern Linux shells allow you to use the range option. The range syntax can vary depending on which type of Linux shell you are using. This example uses Bash. The following example uses a range to achieve the same result with fewer characters: 

$ cat acisim-5.0-1k_part[1-5].ova > acisim.ova

This process takes several minutes and will result in a new joined file being created with the name you that you specified. The command will not delete the original split files.

What to do next

Deploy this newly-combined OVA file.

Installing the ACI Simulator Software

You can use one of the following methods to install your ACI simulator software:

  • Using a PXE server

  • Using virtual media

Installing the Simulator using a PXE Server

Follow these steps to install the ACI simulator software using a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) server:


Note

The paths of configuration files may vary for your PXE server depending on your Linux distro and how the PXE server is installed.

Before you begin

  • You must be familiar with setting up a PXE server on a Linux distribution operating system.

Procedure

Step 1

Configure the PXE server with a simulator image as follows:

  1. Add an entry for the simulator image to your PXE menu.

    Edit the /tftpboot/boot_msg to add the entry for the simulator image.

    Example:

    [root@pxeserver ~]# cat /tftpboot/boot_msg | grep Simulator
50. Simulator - 1.0.1.247e - secure

  2. Mount the ISO simulator image.

    Example:

    # mkdir –p /var/www/html/option50
sudo mount –o loop –t iso9660 /local/aci-mnsim-dk9.1.0.1.247e.iso /var/www/html/option50

  3. Copy vmlinuz and intird from the mounted ISO simulator image to your tftpboot path.

    Example:

    # mkdir –p /tftpboot/ifcimages
# cp –f /var/www/html/option50/images/pxeboot/vmlinuz/tftpboot/ifcimages/
# cp –f /var/www/html/option50/images/pxeboot/initrd.img/tftpboot/ifcimages/

  4. Create a kickstart file that will be served by an HTTP server.

    Example:

    # mkdir –p /var/www/html/kickstart
[root@tftpserver ~]# cat /var/www/html/kickstart/ks-50
# IFC Kickstart script for UCS C200
install
url --url=http://<tftpserver-httpserver-ip>/option50
lang en_US.UTF-8
keyboard us
network --onboot yes --device eth0 --bootproto dhcp --noipv6
network --onboot no --device eth1 --bootproto dhcp --noipv6
network --onboot no --device eth2 --bootproto dhcp --noipv6
network --onboot no --device eth3 --bootproto dhcp --noipv6

  5. Add an entry to the /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default so that it points to the kickstart file for the ACI simulator image.

    Example:

    [root@pxeserver ~]# cat /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default 
label 50
kernel ifcimages/vmlinuz dd blacklist=isci blacklist=ahci nodmraid noprobe=ata1 noprobe=ata2 noprobe=ata3 noprobe=ata4
 append initrd=ifcimages/initrd.img ks=http://<pxe-http-server-ip>/kickstart/ks-50 ksdevice=eth0

  6. Restart the PXE and HTTP servers.

    Example:

    [root@pxeserver ~]# service xinetd restart
[root@pxeserver ~]# service httpd restart

Step 2

Reboot the simulator server, and enter F12 to start a network boot.

Step 3

Choose the options configured on the PXE server to boot the simulator image. Choose Enter.

The simulator setup screen appears in approximately 15 minutes.

Step 4

Follow the steps in Cisco ACI Simulator Installation Guide to setup each Cisco APIC.

Entering ALT+F1 connects to the apic1 console, ALT+F2 connects to the apic2 console, and ALT+F3 connects to the apic3 console.

Installing the Simulator Using Virtual Media

Procedure

Step 1

Mount the virtual media using the Cisco UCS virtual media instructions by performing the following tasks:

  1. Enter the IP address to access Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC) using a web browser.

    You can use a Google Chrome browser.

    Note

     

    See Recommended Cisco APIC and Cisco Nexus 9000 Series ACI-Mode Switches Releases for information regarding recommended CIMC Firmware Version.

    See Cisco Host Upgrade Utility User Guide for information regarding upgrading CIMC

  2. Enter the username and password.

  3. Launch the KVM console.

  4. Mount the ACI simulator ISO image using the virtual media.

Step 2

Reboot the simulator.

Step 3

Enter F6 to enter the boot selection menu.

Step 4

Choose a KVM virtual DVD from the available boot options.

Wait for the simulator installation to complete and the setup screen to appear. It could take from 20 to 60 mins to complete. If you have a dedicated CIMC NIC with 1Gbps speed, the setup screen could appear sooner.

Step 5

Press any key to reboot the simulator.

Step 6

Follow the steps in Cisco APIC Management, Installation, Upgrade, and Downgrade Guide to setup each Cisco APIC.

Entering ALT+F1 connects to the apic1 console, ALT+F2 connects to the apic2 console, and ALT+F3 connects to the apic3 console.