Set Up

Setting Up Single-Node Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance

Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance is distributed as a deployable virtual machine contained in an Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) file format, ZIP file format, or TAR file format.

Before You Begin: Ensure that you have installed Intersight Virtual Appliance software as per the instructions in Installing Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance and Intersight Assist on VMware vSphere.


Note

An appliance installer is required to restore the appliance from a backup. If a backup is taken from appliance release version N, it can only be restored using the latest installer that is less than or equal to version N. For example:

  • If you backup your appliance release version 1.1.0-0, you need the latest appliance installer version that is less than or equal to 1.1.0-0, which is 1.1.0-0.

  • If you backup your appliance release version 1.1.1-1, you need the latest appliance installer version that is less than or equal to 1.1.1-1, which is 1.1.1-0.

Hence, it is recommended that you retain the required downloaded appliance installer for the backup that you are creating. For more information, see Recovering Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance.

After the Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance software deployment is complete, and the VM is powered on, access your VM using the <<https://your fqdn.com>> URL. The Intersight Appliance Installer screen appears and allows you to complete the setup for either a new install, recover the appliance software from backup, or add a node to the appliance.

The wizard runs through a series of steps to download and install software packages. You can view the progress of the installation.

Use the following instructions to complete the Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance setup:

Procedure

Step 1

On the Intersight Appliance Installer screen, select Install Connected Virtual Appliance and click Start.

Step 2

Log in to the Intersight Virtual Appliance Connect page using your Cisco ID. If you do not have a Cisco ID, you can create one here.

  1. (Optional) Click Settings to enable HTTPS Proxy Settings.

    If an HTTP/S proxy is required to connect your Intersight Virtual Appliance to the internet, you must configure proxy settings before you complete the connection step.

    • Click Settings and enable the HTTPS Proxy option.

    • Add the Proxy Hostname or IP Address, and the Proxy Port.

      The proxy port must be in the range between 1 and 65535. You can edit the Proxy settings from the appliance UI, Settings > Networking > Cloud Connection.

  2. Use the Device ID and Claim Code that is displayed on the Connect page to complete connecting to Intersight.

  3. Ensure that the Connection status displays Claimed.

    Note

     

    A new browser tab appears to display the status of the target claim in Intersight. If you do not have an Intersight account, you can create one in the Account Creation window and claim a target. If the target connection is successful, a success message is displayed. Click Close to exit the tab and return to the Intersight Appliance Installer setup wizard. If the target claim is unsuccessful, you will be taken to the Intersight login screen to restart target claim workflow.

Step 3

In the Intersight Appliance Installer setup wizard, do the following:

  1. Connect—Click Continue to proceed to the Check Network Requirements step.

  2. Check Network Requirements—View the results and click Next to proceed to the Configure Internal Network step.

    Note that if any of the DNS test fails during the network requirements check, you cannot proceed with the configuration.

  3. Configure Internal Network—If necessary, change the default Internal Network IP address and click Next to proceed to the Select Software Version step.

    Note: This IP address range is used for internal communications within Intersight Virtual Appliance. This range must be within the 172.16.0.0/12 subnet, but can be a smaller range (up to a subnet prefix size of 20). In most cases, the default value can be used. One reason to change the default value would be if the Appliance needs to communicate directly with other devices in the same subnet, that is without traversing IP translation mechanisms such as NAT.

  4. Select Software Version—You have the option to download the latest version of the appliance software, or upload a supported version of the appliance software that is either the same as, or newer than, the installer version.

  1. To download the latest version of the appliance software, select the Download Latest Version button and click Finish to proceed to the Installation Result screen.

  2. To upload a version of the appliance software, select either Local Machine or Network Share, depending on where you saved the software packages.

    Note

     

    • For Local Machine, browse to where you saved the software image, and then click Finish to proceed to the Installation Result screen.

    • For the Network Share option, enter the protocol and enter details of the remote server from where you want to copy the file, and click Finish to proceed to the Installation Result screen.

      • Protocol—Communication protocol used for file transfer. Intersight Virtual Appliance currently supports CIFS (Common Internet File System), SCP (Secure Copy Protocol) and SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol).

      • Server IP/Hostname—The host server from where the file is copied

      • Port—TCP port to use

      • Location—Directory where the file to be copied is stored

      • Software Bundle File Name for Appliance—Name of the file to be copied from the network share

      • Username—Username for authenticating with the network share

      • Password—Password for authenticating with the network share

  3. Installation Results—You can view the progress of the installation on this screen.

Step 4

Specify Data Collection.

Specify your preference to allow Intersight to send additional system information to Cisco. This option is enabled by default. For more information about what data is collected by Intersight, see Data Collected from Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance.

Step 5

Click Register License.

Obtain a license registration token from Cisco Smart License Manager and apply the token to activate your license. The license registration process could take a few minutes to complete. For more information about registering your Intersight license, watch Cisco Intersight Licensing Tiers and Registration.

After you click Finish, the Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance dashboard displays.

What to do next

Once you have successfully completed the initial set up of the single-node Intersight Virtual Appliance:

Setting Up Single-Node Intersight Private Virtual Appliance

Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance is distributed as a deployable virtual machine contained in an Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) file format, ZIP file format, or TAR file format.

Before You Begin: Ensure that you have installed Intersight Virtual Appliance software as per the instructions in Installing Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance and Intersight Assist on VMware vSphere.


Note

An appliance installer is required to restore the appliance from a backup. If a backup is taken from appliance release version N, it can only be restored using the latest installer that is less than or equal to version N. For example:

  • If you backup your appliance release version 1.1.0-0, you need the latest appliance installer version that is less than or equal to 1.1.0-0, which is 1.1.0-0.

  • If you backup your appliance release version 1.1.1-1, you need the latest appliance installer version that is less than or equal to 1.1.1-1, which is 1.1.1-0.

Hence, it is recommended that you retain the required downloaded appliance installer for the backup that you are creating. For more information, see Recovering Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance.

After the Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance software deployment is complete, and the VM is powered on, access your VM using the <<https://your fqdn.com>> URL. The Intersight Appliance Installer screen appears and allows you to complete the setup for either a new install, recover the appliance software from backup, or add a node to the appliance.

The wizard runs through a series of steps to download and install software packages. You can view the progress of the installation.

Use the following instructions to complete the Intersight Private Virtual Appliance setup:

Procedure

Step 1

On the Intersight Appliance Installer screen, select Install Private Virtual Appliance and click Start to proceed with setting up a single-node Private Virtual Appliance.

The Upload Software page displays. Upload a supported version of the appliance software that is either the same as, or newer than, the installer version.

Step 2

In the Intersight Appliance Installer setup wizard, do the following:

  1. Check Network Requirements—View the results and click Next to proceed to the Configure Internal Network step.

    Note that during the network requirements check if any of the DNS test fails, you cannot proceed with the configuration.

  2. Configure Internal Network—If necessary, change the default Internal Network IP address and click Next to proceed to the Upload Software step.

    Note: This IP address range is used for internal communications within Intersight Virtual Appliance. This range must be within the 172.16.0.0/12 subnet, but can be a smaller range (up to a subnet prefix size of 20). In most cases, the default value can be used. One reason to change the default value would be if the Appliance needs to communicate directly with other devices in the same subnet, that is without traversing IP translation mechanisms such as NAT.

  3. Upload Software—Upload a supported version of the appliance software that is either the same as, or newer than, the installer version.

    Select either Local Machine or Network Share, depending on where you saved the software packages.

    Note

     

    • For Local Machine, browse to where you saved the software image, and then click Finish to proceed to the Installation Result screen.

    • For the Network Share option, enter the protocol and enter details of the remote server from where you want to copy the file, and click Finish to proceed to the Installation Result screen.

      • Protocol—Communication protocol used for file transfer. Intersight Virtual Appliance currently supports CIFS (Common Internet File System), SCP (Secure Copy Protocol) and SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol).

      • Server IP/Hostname—The host server from where the file is copied

      • Port—TCP port to use

      • Location—Directory where the file to be copied is stored

      • Software Bundle File Name for Appliance—Name of the file to be copied from the network share

      • Username—Username for authenticating with the network share

      • Password—Password for authenticating with the network share

  4. Installation Results—You can view the progress of the installation on this screen.

Step 3

Log in to the Intersight Virtual Appliance Connect page. Use admin as the username and enter the password that you set during the installation process.

Step 4

Complete the Register License process.

  1. Use the Reservation Request Code that you obtain on this page to generate Reservation Authorization Code in Cisco Smart Software Manager.

  2. Copy the Reservation Authorization Code that you generated in Cisco Smart Software Manager and paste it on the Reserve License screen.

  3. Click Install.

    The license reservation process can take a few minutes to complete. For information about Intersight licensing tiers and registration, watch Cisco Intersight Licensing Tiers and Registration.

After you click Close, the Cisco Intersight Private Virtual Appliance dashboard displays.

What to do next

Once you have successfully completed the initial set up of the single-node Intersight Virtual Appliance:

Setting Up Intersight Assist (Registering to Intersight SaaS)

Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance is distributed as a deployable virtual machine contained in an Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) file format, ZIP file format, or TAR file format.

Before You Begin: Ensure that you have installed Intersight Virtual Appliance software as per the instructions in Installing Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance and Intersight Assist on VMware vSphere.

After the Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance software deployment is complete, and the VM is powered on, access your VM using the <<https://your fqdn.com>> URL. The Intersight Appliance Installer screen appears and allows you to complete the setup for either a new install, recover the appliance software from backup, or add a node to the appliance.

The wizard runs through a series of steps to download and install software packages. You can view the progress of the installation.

Use the following instructions to register the Assist to Intersight SaaS:

Procedure

Step 1

On the Intersight Appliance Installer screen, select Install Assist and click Start.

You have the option of registering the Assist to Intersight SaaS or to Intersight Virtual Appliance.

Step 2

On the Connect screen, click Intersight SaaS.

Step 3

Log in to the Intersight Virtual Appliance Connect page using your Cisco ID. If you do not have a Cisco ID, you can create one here.

  1. (Optional) Click Settings to enable HTTPS Proxy Settings.

    If an HTTP/S proxy is required to connect your Cisco Intersight Assist to the internet, you must configure proxy settings before you can complete the connection step.

    • Click Settings and enable the HTTPS Proxy option.

    • Add the Proxy Hostname or IP Address, and the Proxy Port.

      The proxy port must be in the range between 1 and 65535. You can edit the Proxy settings from the appliance UI, Settings > Networking > Cloud Connection.

  2. Use the Device ID and Claim Code that is displayed on the Connect page to complete connecting to Intersight.

  3. Ensure that the Connection status displays Claimed.

    Note

     

    A new browser tab appears to display the status of the target claim in Intersight. If you do not have an Intersight account, you can create one in the Account Creation window and claim a target. If the target connection is successful, a successful message is displayed. Click Close to exit the tab and return to the Intersight Virtual Appliance setup wizard. If the target claim is unsuccessful, you will be taken to the Intersight login screen to restart the target claim workflow.

Step 4

In the Intersight Appliance Installer setup wizard, do the following:

  1. Connect—Click Next to proceed to the Check Network Requirements step.

  2. Check Network Requirements—View the results and click Next to proceed to the Configure Internal Network step.

    Note that during the network requirements check if the DNS test fails, you cannot proceed with the configuration.

  3. Configure Internal Network—If necessary, change the default Internal Network IP address and click Next to proceed to the Installations Results screen.

    Note: This IP address range is used for internal communications within Intersight Virtual Appliance. This range must be within the 172.16.0.0/12 subnet but can be a smaller range (up to a subnet prefix size of 20). In most cases, the default value can be used. One reason to change the default value would be if the Appliance needs to communicate directly with other devices in the same subnet, that is without traversing IP translation mechanisms such as NAT.

  4. Installation Results—You can view the progress of the installation on this screen.

Setting Up Intersight Assist (Registering to Intersight Virtual Appliance)

Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance is distributed as a deployable virtual machine contained in an Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) file format, ZIP file format, or a TAR file format.

Before You Begin: Ensure that you have installed Intersight Virtual Appliance software as per the instructions in Installing Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance and Intersight Assist on VMware vSphere.

After the Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance software deployment is complete, and the VM is powered on, access your VM using the <<https://your fqdn.com>> URL. The Intersight Appliance Installer screen appears and allows you to complete the setup for either a new install, recover the appliance software from backup, or add a node to the appliance.

The wizard runs through a series of steps to download and install software packages. You can view the progress of the installation.

Use the following instructions to register the Assist to Intersight Virtual Appliance:

Procedure

Step 1

On the Intersight Appliance Installer screen, select Install Assist and click Start.

You have the option of registering the Assist to Intersight SaaS or to Intersight Virtual Appliance.

Step 2

On the Connect screen, click Intersight Virtual Appliance.

Step 3

In the Intersight Appliance Installer setup wizard, do the following:

  1. Connect—Enter the following information for claiming the Assist and click Next to proceed to the Check Network Requirements step.

    • Hostname—The hostname must be a fully-qualified domain name. For example: <<https://your fqdn.com>>.

    • Username—Name of the user that has privileges to claim the target.

    • Password—Password associated with the username.

  2. Check Network Requirements—View the results and click Next to proceed to the Configure Internal Network step.

    Note that during the network requirements check if the DNS test fails, you cannot proceed with the configuration.

  3. Configure Internal Network—If necessary, change the default Internal Network IP address and click Next to proceed to the Installations Results screen.

    Note: This IP address range is used for internal communications within Intersight Virtual Appliance. This range must be within the 172.16.0.0/12 subnet, but can be a smaller range (up to a subnet prefix size of 20). In most cases, the default value can be used. One reason to change the default value would be if the Appliance needs to communicate directly with other devices in the same subnet, that is without traversing IP translation mechanisms such as NAT.

  4. Installation Results—You can view the progress of the installation on this screen.

Configuring a Multi-Node Cluster for High Availability in Intersight Virtual Appliance

A multi-node cluster for Intersight Virtual Appliance allows for high availability, increased stability, and better resilience.

Once you have completed the initial set up of the single-node appliance on VMware vSphere, you can add additional High Availability (HA) management nodes. After you successfully add two additional HA management nodes, you can create a multi-node cluster for high availability in Intersight Virtual Appliance.


Note

Multi-node cluster configuration is supported only on VMware vSphere installations.

Important

  • It is highly recommended that you take a backup of the single-node instance and VM snapshot before proceeding with the multi-node cluster configuration. If any issue arises during the multi-node cluster configuration, you can revert back to the single-node instance using the backup or snapshot. For information on backing up Intersight Virtual Appliance, see Backing Up Data. For information on restoring Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance, see Recovering Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance. For information on restoring Intersight Private Virtual Appliance, see Recovering Intersight Private Virtual Appliance.

  • Once you have set up a multi-node cluster for Intersight Virtual Appliance, you cannot revert back to the single-node instance.

Requirements:

  • You can set up a multi-node cluster for the appliance only after you have completed the initial set up of the single-node appliance. Ensure that you have set up single-node Intersight Virtual Appliance software as per the instructions in the following tasks:

  • You can set up a multi-node cluster at any time after you have completed the initial set up of your appliance.

  • The first node must be in Operational status to be able to add additional HA management nodes for creating a multi-node cluster for high availability in Intersight Virtual Appliance.

To set up a multi-node cluster for high availability for Connected Virtual Appliance and Private Virtual Appliance, do the following:

Procedure

Step 1

Access your VM using the <<https://myhost2.mydomain.com/ URL.

Step 2

On the Intersight Appliance Installer screen, click the Add Node to Appliance tab.

Step 3

On the Add Node to Appliance screen, select High Availability (HA) Management Node, enter the details for the following fields, and click Finish.

  • Appliance Hostname—The hostname of the existing stand-alone appliance to which the node will be added.

  • Appliance Admin Username—The admin username of the existing stand-alone appliance.

  • Admin User Password—The admin password for the existing stand-alone appliance.

After the second management node (node2) is successfully added, it is ready to join the cluster.

At this point, you can add a third management node (node3) so that you can create a cluster.

Step 4

Repeat the instructions in Steps 1, 2, and 3 to add node3.

Step 5

Once the node3 has been successfully added, click Go to Appliance Portal to proceed to the appliance.

Step 6

Log into <<https:// mymanagementhost1.mydomain.com>>.

Step 7

Choose System > Appliance Details.

Ensure that node2 and node3 are in the Ready to Join state.

Step 8

Click Create Cluster.

Important

 

The action of creating a cluster is irreversible.

Note that the Appliance will switch to a maintenance mode while the cluster creation workflow is being executed. Allow 5-10 minutes for the progress page to load, after which you can view the progress of cluster creation on the Multi-Node Cluster Creation Results screen. You can also view the progress of cluster creation on node2 and node3 which is available right away.

When the setup is complete, the login screen appears.

Step 9

Log into the Intersight Virtual Appliance Connect page.

Use admin as the username and enter the password that you set during the initial single-node appliance setup. At this point, you can log into node2 and node3 as well.

Multi-node cluster will be fully operational when one node goes down. The appliance automatically stabilizes when one node is down. During the transition stage, your appliance might not be accessible.

When two nodes go down, the multi-node cluster will move to maintenance mode. During this state, the system will not be operational.

When the nodes come up, the multi-node cluster becomes Operational automatically.

After you successfully complete configuring the multi-node cluster for your existing single-node deployment, use the information in the following links to perform additional configuration for the multi-node cluster.

After you successfully complete the HA management cluster set-up, you can add a metrics node for increased metrics scalability. For more information, see Configuring a Multi-Node Cluster for Increased Metrics Scalability in Intersight Virtual Appliance.

Configuring a Multi-Node Cluster for Increased Metrics Scalability in Intersight Virtual Appliance

You can deploy Intersight Virtual Appliance on VMware vSphere as a multi-node cluster which allows for advantage tier metrics data collection. This deployment option is either a two-node cluster that includes an appliance management node and a metrics node or a four-node cluster that includes a HA management cluster and a metrics node. Once you have completed the initial set up of the single-node appliance or a HA management cluster, you can add a metrics node.


Note

Multi-node cluster configuration is supported only on VMware vSphere installations.

Important

  • It is highly recommended that you take a backup of the single-node instance and VM snapshot before proceeding with the multi-node cluster configuration. If any issue arises during the multi-node cluster configuration, you can revert back to the single-node instance using the backup or snapshot. For information on backing up Intersight Virtual Appliance, see Backing Up Data. For information on restoring Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance, see Recovering Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance. For information on restoring Intersight Private Virtual Appliance, see Recovering Intersight Private Virtual Appliance.

  • If a Pending Upgrade is available, then complete the upgrade first. Once the upgrade is successful, configure the metrics node by following the instructions in this task. However, if you added the metrics node before the upgrade completes, ensure that the upgrade completes successfully before executing the Join Metrics Node workflow.

  • Once you have set up a multi-node cluster for Intersight Virtual Appliance, you cannot revert back to the single-node instance.

Requirements:

To set up a multi-node cluster for advantage tier metrics data collection for Connected Virtual Appliance and Private Virtual Appliance, do the following:

Procedure

Step 1

Access your VM using the <<https://mymetricshost.mydomain.com/>> URL.

Step 2

On the Intersight Appliance Installer screen, click the Add Node to Appliance tab.

Step 3

On the Add Node to Appliance screen, select Metrics Node, enter the details for the following fields, and click Finish.

  • Appliance Hostname—The hostname of the existing appliance to which the node will be added.

  • Appliance Admin Username—The admin username of the existing stand-alone appliance.

  • Admin User Password—The admin password for the existing stand-alone appliance.

After the metrics node is successfully added, it is ready to join the cluster.

Step 4

Once the metrics node has been successfully added, click Go to Appliance Portal to proceed to the appliance.

Step 5

Log into <<https:// mymanagementhost.mydomain.com>> or one of the HA management nodes in the case of HA management cluster.

Step 6

Choose System > Appliance Details.

Ensure that the metrics node is in the Ready to Join state.

Step 7

Click the ellipsis in the metrics node row and select Join Metrics Node.

Important

 

  • The action of creating the multi-node cluster is irreversible.

  • Metrics data collection will be interrupted while the metrics node workflow is being executed.

After you successfully complete configuring the multi-node cluster for advantage tier metrics data collection, use the information in the following links to perform additional configuration for the multi-node cluster.

Node Behavior in a Two-Node Cluster Setup: You can expect the following node behavior in a multi-node cluster that includes the appliance management node and a metrics node:

  • When the appliance management node is up and the metrics node is down, the appliance UI and APIs are available and all the appliance management features are fully operational. However, the metrics data collection and reporting are not available, and the metrics data roll-up and purge are not functional as well. The maintenance shell and Console UI will indicate that the metrics node is down. As soon as the metrics node becomes operational, the metrics data collection and reporting resumes.

  • When the appliance management node is down and the metrics node is up, the entire appliance is not operational. Metrics data collection and reporting are not available. However, the metrics data roll-up and purge continue. The maintenance shell and Console UI will indicate that the appliance management node is down. As soon as the appliance management node becomes operational, metrics data collection and reporting resumes.

  • When the appliance management node and the metrics node are both down, the entire appliance is not operational. Metrics data collection and reporting will resume only after both the appliance management node AND the metrics node become fully operational.

Node Behavior in a Four-Node Cluster Setup: You can expect the following node behavior in a multi-node cluster that includes the HA management cluster and a metrics node:

  • When all the three HA management nodes are up and the metrics node is down, the appliance UI and APIs are available and all the appliance management features are fully operational. However, the metrics data collection and reporting are not available, and the metrics data roll-up and purge are not functional as well. The maintenance shell and Console UI will indicate that the metrics node is down. As soon as the metrics node becomes operational, the metrics data collection and reporting resumes.

  • When all three HA management nodes are down and the metrics node is up, the four-node setup goes into Maintenance mode. Metrics data collection and reporting is not available. The maintenance shell and Console UI will indicate that the HA management nodes are down. As soon as all three HA management nodes become operational, metrics data collection and reporting resumes.

  • When two of the three HA management nodes are down and the metrics node is up, the four-node setup goes into Maintenance mode. Metrics data collection and reporting are not available. The maintenance shell and Console UI will indicate that the HA management nodes are down. As soon as the two HA management nodes become operational, metrics data collection and reporting resumes.

  • When one of the three HA management nodes is down and the metrics node is up, the appliance UI and APIs are available and all the appliance management features are fully operational. Metrics data collection and reporting is also available.

  • When all three HA management nodes and the metrics node are down, the entire appliance is not operational. Metrics data collection and reporting will resume only after all three HA management nodes AND the metrics node become fully operational.

Recovering Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance

Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance is distributed as a deployable virtual machine contained in an Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) file format, ZIP file format, or TAR file format.

To restore a Connected Virtual Appliance configuration, you can recover the data from a backup file during the initial setup.


Important

If a backup is taken from appliance release version N, it can only be restored using the latest installer that is less than or equal to version N. For example:

  • If you backup your appliance release version 1.1.0-0, you need the latest appliance installer version that is less than or equal to 1.1.0-0, which is 1.1.0-0.

  • If you backup your appliance release version 1.1.1-1, you need the latest appliance installer version that is less than or equal to 1.1.1-1, which is 1.1.1-0.

A limited number of appliance installer versions are available on Cisco Software Central. If the required version of the installer is not present, contact Cisco TAC.

Before You Begin: Ensure that you have installed Intersight Virtual Appliance software as per the instructions in Installing Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance and Intersight Assist on VMware vSphere.

After the Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance software deployment is complete, and the VM is powered on, access your VM using the <<https://your fqdn.com>> URL. The Installer Options screen appears and allows you to complete the setup for either a new install or to recover the appliance software from backup.

The wizard runs through a series of steps to download and install software packages. You can view the progress of the recovery.

Ensure the backup server remains accessible and the backup files are available in the directory specified during backup creation throughout the recovery process.

Use these instructions to recover the configuration from a backup file:

Procedure

Step 1

On the Installer Options screen, select the Recover from Backup tab and click Start.

Step 2

On the Select Backup page, select the protocol and enter details of the remote server from where you want to recover the backed-up data.

  • Protocol—Communication protocol option used in the backup process. Intersight Virtual Appliance currently supports CIFS (Common Internet File System), SCP (Secure Copy Protocol) and SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) for backup.

  • Server IP/Hostname—The host from which backed-up data is recovered

  • Port—TCP port on the backup server

  • Location—Directory where the backup files are saved

  • Filename—Name of the backup file to restore

  • Username—Username for authenticating the backup client to the backup server

  • Password—Password for authenticating the backup client to the backup server

Step 3

Click Next.

Important

 

The restore process cannot be modified once it has started.

Step 4

Click Continue on the warning pop-up.

Step 5

On the Select Software Version screen, you have the option to download the latest version of the appliance software, or you can upload any other supported version of the software that is the same as the installer version or greater than the installer version.

  1. To download the latest version of the appliance software, select the Download Latest Version button and click Finish.

  2. To upload a version of the appliance software, select either Local Machine or Network Share, depending on where you saved the software packages.

    Note

     

    In order to manually restore Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance, you will need to access the Appliance Account so that you can download the required software packages. For information, see Creating an Appliance Account for Downloading Software Packages and Downloading Software Packages for Intersight Virtual Appliance.

    • For Local Machine, browse to where you saved the software image, and then click Finish.

    • For the Network Share option, enter the protocol and enter details of the remote server from where you want to copy the file, and click Finish.

      • Protocol—Communication protocol used for file transfer. Intersight Virtual Appliance currently supports CIFS (Common Internet File System), SCP (Secure Copy Protocol), and SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) for backup.

      • Server IP/Hostname—The host server from where the file is copied

      • Port—TCP port to use

      • Location—Directory where the file to be copied is stored

        Note

         

        CIFS share names must contain alpha-numeric characters only and must conform to the regular expression such as ^(\w+)(/\w+)*/?$. It cannot contain spaces. In addition, when specifying folders under the CIFS share, forward slash (/) must be used as a separator. For example, backupshare/Intersight/Daily and backupshare/Monthly.

        Also, since the regular expression share names do not include a preceding forward slash, ensure that you enter the CIFs share name without an initial forward slash. For example, <share1/subdirectory1>.

      • Software Bundle File Name for Appliance—Name of the appliance software bundle file to be copied from the network share.

      • Patch Bundle File Name for Appliance—Name of the appliance patch bundle file to be copied from the network share.

        Note

         

        • This field is displayed in the UI only if the appliance backup was taken on a patch version.

        • If the appliance software bundle version is the same or newer than the appliance backup version, leave the patch bundle field blank. Otherwise, specify a patch bundle that either matches or is higher than the appliance backup version.

        • Ensure that the software bundle and the patch bundle are copied to the same folder as specified in the Location field.

      • Username—Username for authenticating with the network share

      • Password—Password for authenticating with the network share

    You can view the progress of the recovery on the Recovery Results page. After the recovery process is complete, the Cisco Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance dashboard is displayed.

What to do next

For Recovering Multi-Node for HA Cluster Deployments: If you are recovering from a backup for a multi-node cluster deployment, first recover node1 and then add two additional nodes to create a multi-node cluster by following the steps in Configuring a Multi-Node Cluster for High Availability in Intersight Virtual Appliance.

For Recovering Multi-Node for Metrics Data Collection Deployments: While reverting snapshots taken from the supported hypervisor of either the management node in a two-node cluster, the HA management nodes in a four-node cluster, or the metrics node, it is strongly recommended that you use the reconnect option from the appliance details screen. For information on how to reconnect the metrics node, see Reconnecting Metrics Node in the Multi-Node Cluster.

Also, note that the reverted metrics node snapshots must be the same version as the management node or lower. When you revert to an older snapshot, the metrics data collected between the snapshot time and the current time is lost. After reverting from a snapshot, check the Appliance Details screen for the operational status of the metrics node as well as the Critical and Warning alarms to ensure that none of the services are impacted.

Recovering Intersight Private Virtual Appliance

Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance is distributed as a deployable virtual machine contained in an Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) file format, ZIP file format, or TAR file format.

To restore a Private Virtual Appliance configuration, you can recover the data from a backup file during the initial setup.


Important

If a backup is taken from appliance release version N, it can only be restored using the latest installer that is less than or equal to version N. For example:

  • If you backup your appliance release version 1.1.0-0, you need the latest appliance installer version that is less than or equal to 1.1.0-0, which is 1.1.0-0.

  • If you backup your appliance release version 1.1.1-1, you need the latest appliance installer version that is less than or equal to 1.1.1-1, which is 1.1.1-0.

A limited number of appliance installer versions are available on Cisco Software Central. If the required version of the installer is not present, contact Cisco TAC.

Before You Begin: Ensure that you have installed Intersight Virtual Appliance software as per the instructions in Installing Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance and Intersight Assist on VMware vSphere.

After the Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance software deployment is complete, and the VM is powered on, access your VM using the <<https://your fqdn.com>> URL. The Installer Options screen appears and allows you to complete the setup for either a new install or to recover the appliance software from backup.

The wizard runs through a series of steps to download and install software packages. You can view the progress of the recovery.

Ensure the backup server remains accessible and the backup files are available in the directory specified during backup creation throughout the recovery process.

Use these instructions to recover the configuration from a backup file:

Procedure

Step 1

On the Installer Options screen, select the Recover from Backup tab and click Start.

Step 2

On the Select Backup page, select the protocol and enter details of the remote server from where you want to recover the backed-up data.

  • Protocol—Communication protocol option used in the backup process. Intersight Virtual Appliance currently supports CIFS (Common Internet File System), SCP (Secure Copy Protocol) and SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) for backup.

  • Server IP/Hostname—The host from which backed-up data is recovered

  • Port—TCP port on the backup server

  • Location—Directory where the backup files are saved

  • Filename—Name of the backup file to restore

  • Username—Username for authenticating the backup client to the backup server

  • Password—Password for authenticating the backup client to the backup server

Step 3

Click Next.

Important

 

The restore process cannot be modified once it has started.

Step 4

Click Continue on the warning pop-up.

Step 5

On the Select Software Version page, you can upload any other supported version of the software that is the same as the installer version or greater than the installer version.

Note

 

In order to manually restore Intersight Private Virtual Appliance, you will need to access the Appliance Account so that you can download the required software packages. For information, see Creating an Appliance Account for Downloading Software Packages and Downloading Software Packages for Intersight Virtual Appliance.

  • For Local Machine, browse to where you saved the software image, and then click Finish.

  • For the Network Share option, enter the protocol and enter details of the remote server from where you want to copy the file, and click Finish.

    • Protocol—Communication protocol used for file transfer. Intersight Virtual Appliance currently supports CIFS (Common Internet File System), SCP (Secure Copy Protocol) and SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) for backup.

    • Server IP/Hostname—The host server from where the file is copied

    • Port—TCP port to use

    • Location—Directory where the file to be copied is stored

      Note

       

      CIFS share names must contain alpha-numeric characters only and must conform to the regular expression such as ^(\w+)(/\w+)*/?$. It cannot contain spaces. In addition, when specifying folders under the CIFS share, forward slash (/) must be used as a separator. For example, backupshare/Intersight/Daily and backupshare/Monthly.

      Also, since the regular expression share names do not include a preceding forward slash, ensure that you enter the CIFs share name without an initial forward slash. For example, <share1/subdirectory1>.

    • Software Bundle File Name for Appliance —Name of the appliance software bundle file to be copied from the network share.

    • Patch Bundle File Name for Appliance —Name of the appliance patch bundle file to be copied from the network share.

      Note

       

      • This field is displayed in the UI only if the appliance backup was taken on a patch version.

      • If the appliance software bundle version is the same or newer than the appliance backup version, leave the patch bundle field blank. Otherwise, specify a patch bundle that either matches or is higher than the appliance backup version.

      • Ensure that the software bundle and the patch bundle are copied to the same folder as specified in the Location field.

    • Username—Username for authenticating with the network share

    • Password—Password for authenticating with the network share

Note

 

You can view the progress of the recovery on the Recovery Results page. After the recovery process is complete, the Cisco Intersight Private Virtual Appliance dashboard is displayed.

What to do next

For Recovering Multi-Node for HA Cluster Deployments: If you are recovering from a backup for a multi-node cluster deployment, first recover node1 and then add two additional nodes to create a multi-node cluster by following the steps in Configuring a Multi-Node Cluster for High Availability in Intersight Virtual Appliance.

For Recovering Multi-Node for Metrics Data Collection Deployments: While reverting snapshots taken from the supported hypervisor of either the management node in a two-node cluster, the HA management nodes in a four-node cluster, or the metrics node, it is strongly recommended that you use the reconnect option from the appliance details screen. For information on how to reconnect the metrics node, see Reconnecting Metrics Node in the Multi-Node Cluster.

Also, note that the reverted metrics node snapshots must be the same version as the management node or lower. When you revert to an older snapshot, the metrics data collected between the snapshot time and the current time is lost. After reverting from a snapshot, check the Appliance Details screen for the operational status of the metrics node as well as the Critical and Warning alarms to ensure that none of the services are impacted.

Reconnecting Metrics Node in the Multi-Node Cluster

You must reconnect the metrics node in a multi-node cluster after one of the following scenarios:

  • When you revert the metrics node VM snapshot.

  • When you recover the management node and want to preserve the metrics data.

To reconnect the metrics node, do the following:

  1. Log into <<https://mymanagementhost.mydomain.com>>.

  2. Power on <<https://mymetricshost.mydomain.com>>.

  3. Click the ellipsis in the metrics node row on the Appliance Details screen and choose Reconnect Node.

You can monitor the progress of the workflow. Once the workflow runs successfully, the reconnected metrics node becomes completely operational.

Replacing a Node in the Multi-Node Cluster for Intersight Virtual Appliance

You can replace a node in a multi-node cluster due to one of the following reasons:

  • A node in a multi-node cluster becomes defective.

  • When you want to change the IP address of a HA management node in an existing multi-node cluster for HA in Intersight Virtual Appliance.

  • IMPORTANT: To change the IP address of a metrics node, it is recommended that you use the maintenance shell as replacing the metrics node will result in loss of metrics data. For more information, see Maintenance Shell.

To replace a node in an existing cluster, do the following:

Procedure

Step 1

Power-off and delete the defective node or the node for which you want to change the IPv4 address, from the VMware vSphere installation.

Step 2

Log into another operational node in your multi-node cluster.

Step 3

Choose System > Appliance Details.

Step 4

In the table under Node, do the following:

  1. In the row of the node that either displays the Impaired or Unknown status, click the ellipsis.

  2. Click Replace Node.

The status for this node now displays as Out of Service.

Step 5

Deploy a fresh OVA using the same DNS Domain value as the node being replaced, either using the same IPv4 address or using a new IPv4 address.

Note

 

If you are changing the IPv4 address, update the DNS Domain value with the new IPv4 address.

For more information about installing and deploying the appliance, see the installation chapter.

Step 6

Access your VM using the <<https://fqdn-of-your-appliance.com>> URL.

Step 7

On the Installer Options screen, click the Add Node to Appliance tab.

Step 8

On the Add Node to Appliance page, select either HA Management Node or Metrics Node, enter the details for the following fields, and click Finish.

  • Appliance Hostname—The hostname of the existing appliance VM to which the node will be added.

  • Appliance Admin Username—The admin username of the existing appliance VM.

  • Admin User Password—The admin password for the existing appliance VM.

After the node is successfully added, it is ready to join the cluster.

Step 9

Log into one of the operational nodes.

Step 10

Click Go to Appliance Portal of the operational node and proceed to the appliance.

Step 11

Navigate to Settings > Appliance Details.

Step 12

In the row of the node that is ready to join the cluster, do the following:

  1. Click the ellipsis.

  2. Click Join Cluster.

  3. On the pop-up screen, click Join.

You can monitor the progress of the workflow. Once the workflow runs successfully, the replaced node becomes completely operational.

Changing IPv4 Address of HA Management Nodes in the Multi-Node Cluster

You can change the IPv4 address of HA management nodes in an existing multi-node cluster, sequentially one node at a time.

To change the IPv4 address of HA management node:

  1. Shut down the node for which you want to replace the IPv4 address.

  2. Replace the node by following the instructions in Replacing a Node in the Multi-Node Cluster for Intersight Virtual Appliance.

After the node is replaced, it will reflect the new IPv4 address. To change the IPv4 address of multiple nodes in the cluster, ensure that the process of replacing one node has been completed, before moving on to replacing another node.

Changing IPv4 Address of Metrics Node in the Multi-Node Cluster

You can change the IPv4 address of the metrics node in an existing multi-node cluster using the maintenance shell. Ensure that all the nodes are in Operational status before you change the IPv4 address of the metrics node. For more information, see Maintenance Shell for Intersight Virtual Appliance and Intersight Assist.


Note

Although it is possible to change the IPv4 address of the metrics node by replacing the node, this option will result in loss of metrics data.

Troubleshooting Add Node Issues During Multi-Node Cluster Configuration

The following table lists some of the error messages you may encounter while adding nodes to configure a multi-node cluster and the possible resolution for each of them.

Table 1. Appliance Multi-Node Cluster Configuration Errors and Possible Resolutions

Errors

Possible Resolutions

Primary node appliance version does not meet the <version> requirements.

Note

 

<version> is variable and serves as a placeholder text here.

The OVA version of the secondary node must be at least 1.1.1-0 and must be less than or equal to the appliance version of the primary node. For example, if you are using OVA version 1.1.1-0 for the secondary node, then the primary node must be running on an appliance release version 1.1.1-0 or higher.

Configuring a multi-node cluster is supported only for appliances deployed on <hypervisor list> hypervisors.

Note

 

<hypervisor list> is variable and serves as a placeholder here.

The primary node and all secondary nodes must be deployed on a supported hypervisor. Currently, only VMware ESXi is supported.

Primary node disk size is not adequate for adding a secondary node.

The primary node must meet the disk size requirements. For more information, see Managing Resources for Intersight Virtual Appliance Deployments.

Secondary node must be installed on appliance installer <version> or later.

Note

 

<version> is variable and serves as a placeholder text here.

The secondary node must be installed with OVA version 1.1.1-0 or higher in order to add it to the primary node.

High Availability and Disaster Recovery for Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance

Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance supports migration architectures for High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR).

The following requirements must be met to successfully migrate Intersight Virtual Appliance.

  • Intersight Virtual Appliance has a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). To migrate Intersight Virtual Appliance, the FQDN (hostname) of the appliance must remain the same. However, the IP address and DNS/NTP of the appliance can be changed during the recovery process.

  • You can migrate the appliance from one site to another as long as the FQDN is reachable from the claimed end-point. This allows the backup taken from one site to be restored on another site.

  • Network connectivity between Intersight Virtual Appliance and its managed endpoints must be maintained.

High Availability for Intersight Virtual Appliance

You can leverage any vendor-provided solution to provide High Availability (HA) capabilities in Intersight Virtual Appliance.

Intersight Virtual Appliance deployed on VMware vSphere — Intersight Virtual Appliance supports VMware High Availability to ensure non-disruptive operation of the appliance. For more information about VMware HA, refer to the relevant documentation on VMware’s website.

Intersight Virtual Appliance deployed on Microsoft Hyper-V Server — Intersight Virtual Appliance supports Microsoft Hyper-V High Availability to ensure non-disruptive operation of the appliance. Microsoft Hyper-V offers the Failed-Over Clustering High Availability solution to protect the workloads running on the host servers, thereby protecting the appliance. Failover Clustering feature allows users to experience minimum disruptions in service. For more information about Microsoft Hyper-V HA, refer to the relevant documentation on Microsoft’s website.

Intersight Virtual Appliance deployed on KVM Hypervisor — KVM is supported by multiple Operating Systems (OS) vendors. The most common OS vendors are Red-Hat Virtualization and Ubuntu. For specific solutions for High Availability, refer to the documentation provided by the OS vendor.

Intersight Virtual Appliance deployed on Nutanix AHV — Intersight Virtual Appliance supports Nutanix AHV High Availability to ensure non-disruptive operation of the appliance. For more information about Nutanix HA, refer to the relevant documentation on Nutanix’s website.

Disaster Recovery for Intersight Virtual Appliance

For disaster recovery, you can use the existing Backup and Restore functionality in Intersight Virtual Appliance or other third-party solutions.

Backup and Restore in Intersight Virtual Appliance

Cisco strongly recommends taking periodic backup of Intersight Virtual Appliance.

For information on backing up Intersight Virtual Appliance, see Backing Up Data.

For information on restoring Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance, see Recovering Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance.

For information on restoring Intersight Private Virtual Appliance, see Recovering Intersight Private Virtual Appliance.

Third-Party Disaster Recovery Solutions

For disaster recovery configuration of the virtual machine, you can use any vendor-provided solutions to augment the DR capabilities. Refer to the vendor-specific documentation for configuration details.

VMware DR Solutions

  • VMware Snapshots — In addition to the Intersight Virtual Appliance Backup and Restore functionality, VMware also provides VM snapshot for preserving the state and data of the virtual machine. Preserving the state includes the VM’s power state, and preserving data includes all the files including the disk, memory, and other devices' virtual network interface cards. It is highly recommended that you power-off the appliance (VM) before you take the VM snapshot.

    When snapshotting a multi-node cluster Appliance, all nodes must be snapshotted. The complete set of snapshots represent the state of the overall Intersight Virtual Appliance, even though it happens to be spread across multiple VMs. It is highly recommended that you power down all nodes and then snapshot them while powered off as this guarantees a consistent set of snapshots. When reverting the Intersight Virtual Appliance to an earlier set of VM snapshots, all snapshots must be restored simultaneously. You cannot restore only some of the snapshots.

    For more information about VM snapshot, refer to the relevant documentation on the VMware website.

  • Intersight Virtual Appliance deployed on VMware vSphere — VMware provides multiple solutions for DR:

    • VMware-SRM (VMware Site Recovery Manager)

    • VMware-VRS (VMware vSphere Replication)

Microsoft Hyper-V DR Solutions

Microsoft Hyper-V includes a set of built-in features that provides an efficient VM disaster recovery. Hyper-V virtual machine DR can be performed either by backing up or replicating VMs. Both options have certain aspects that should be considered when creating a DR plan. For more information, refer to the relevant documentation on the Microsoft website.

KVM Hypervisor DR Solutions

KVM is supported by multiple Operating Systems (OS) vendors. The most common OS vendors are Red Hat Virtualization and Ubuntu. For DR-specific solutions for Intersight Virtual Appliance deployed on KVM, refer to the documentation provided by the OS vendor.

For other approved Third-Party DR solutions, refer to the installation document of the Third-Party.

Logging In to Intersight Virtual Appliance

Logging In to Intersight Virtual Appliance

After installing Intersight Virtual Appliance, you can log into the appliance as a user in one of the methods detailed below. The LDAP/AD and SSO tabs appear after you configure LDAP settings or SSO for the account.

  • Local User—Use admin as the username and use the same password that you set at the time of registering the appliance. If the password you set at the time of registering is weak, Intersight prompts you to change your password to a stronger one. After a successful reset to a strong password, you are directly logged into the appliance. Intersight supports only one local user (admin).

  • LDAP/AD—Select the LDAP domain that you have configured, enter a Username or Email and the password that you have set up on the LDAP server. The username you use to log in must be the same as the sAMAccountName that you configure for the user in the LDAP server. For more information see LDAP Configuration, Add Users, and Add Groups.

  • SSO—Enter the email ID that you have used to set up SSO in the Identity Provider. Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication enables you to use a single set of credentials to log in to multiple applications. For more information about SSO, see Setting up SSO.

For Local User Only —If the local user login fails because of an incorrect username or password, details of the failed login information will be logged in Audit Logs. You will be able to view the details of the failed login, in Audit Logs, after you successfully log into the appliance.

Creating an Appliance Account for Downloading Software Packages

To complete an Intersight Private Virtual Appliance deployment, or manually update Intersight Connected Virtual Appliance, you will need to access the Appliance Account so that you can download the Intersight Virtual Appliance, Hyperflex, UCS Director, and HCI software packages.

Note

It is highly recommended that you check the Appliance Account regularly for updates and remain on the latest version of the Intersight Virtual Appliance software, which is continuously enhanced with new features and improvements.

It is also important to note that only the latest major release version ("N") and the three previous major versions ("N-1," "N-2," and "N-3") are supported. Additionally, patch release versions for each supported major release are also supported. For example, if the latest major release is version 1.1.3-0, then:

  • Supported major release versions include 1.1.3-0, 1.1.2-0, 1.1.1-0, and 1.1.0-0.

  • Supported patch release versions include 1.1.3-1, 1.1.2-1, 1.1.2-2, 1.1.2-3, and 1.1.1-1.

Use the steps in this task to create an Appliance Account:

Procedure

Step 1

Log in to https://www.intersight.com/pvapp using your Cisco ID. If you do not have a Cisco ID, you can create one here.

Note: You will need to log into https://www.intersight.com/pvapp only to create an Appliance Account. After you have created the Appliance Account, you can access it by logging into Intersight.

Step 2

Accept the General Terms and click Next.

Step 3

Enter a name for the Appliance Account in the Appliance Account Creation screen.

Step 4

Click Create.

After the Appliance Account is successfully created, you can log into Intersight to access the account and download the required Intersight Private Virtual Appliance, HyperFlex, or Cisco UCS Director software packages.

To download Cisco UCS Server Firmware and Cisco UCS Server Configuration Utility, go to Cisco Software Central.

Note

 

Account Administrators can enable users and groups to be able to access any of the Appliance Accounts that have been created. For more information on how to add users and groups, see Adding a User and Adding a Group.

Note

 

You can configure email notifications to stay current with software updates for Intersight Virtual Appliance. For more information, see Configuring Email Notifications for Software Updates in Intersight Virtual Appliance.

Downloading Software Packages for Intersight Virtual Appliance

Use the steps in this task to download Intersight Virtual Appliance, UCS Firmware, Hyperflex, UCS Director, and HCI software packages.


Note

To download Cisco UCS Server Firmware and Cisco UCS Server Configuration Utility, go to Cisco Software Central.

Before you begin

Ensure that you have created an Appliance Account. If you have not created an Appliance Account, see Creating an Appliance Account for Downloading Software Packages.

Procedure

Step 1

Log into Intersight using your Cisco ID. If you do not have a Cisco ID, you can create one here.

Step 2

Select the account that you created to access the Appliance Account.

The Software Download page is displayed.

Step 3

Click Software Catalog.

You can download the required software packages from the tabs displayed on this page. You can also create custom tabs by clicking on the + icon.

From the Appliance tab, you can download the following appliance packages:

  • Intersight Appliance Software Bundle—Appliance software bundles such as 1.1.0-0 and 1.1.1-0. Use software bundles for new installations as well as updating existing appliances to a newer software version.

  • Intersight Appliance Patch Bundle—Appliance patch bundles such as 1.1.0-1, 1.1.0-2, 1.1.1-1, and 1.1.1-2. Use patch bundles to update existing Intersight Virtual Appliance that meets the software version criteria.

  • Intersight Appliance Intelligence Bundle—Use intelligence bundles to update Intersight intelligence such as Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) and Advisories as soon as it becomes available, independent of the appliance software update schedule.

For more information about appliance patch releases, see Intersight Virtual Appliance Patch Releases.

The My Download tab displays information about all your downloads as well as the latest version of the software that is available for you to download. In addition, you can locate the logs of all the downloads in Audit Logs for your appliance.

You can proceed to upload the software onto the appliance. For more information, see Uploading Software Packages for Intersight Private Virtual Appliance.

After uploading the software packages, you can install them on the claimed targets. To upgrade connector packs on Cisco UCS Director targets, see Upgrading Connector Packs on UCS Director Instances.

Note

 

The ESXi software package is also downloaded as part of the Hyperflex software package. Hence, you do not have to download a separate ESXi software package.

Uploading Software Packages for Intersight Private Virtual Appliance

Intersight Private Virtual Appliance is intended for environments where you operate data centers in disconnected (air gap) mode. Hence, you must download software packages from either the Cisco Software Central site or by accessing the Appliance Account on Intersight, and then uploading them on to the appliance.

Use this procedure to upload software packages for your Private Virtual Appliance.

Before you begin

Ensure that you have downloaded the required software packages as follows:

Procedure

Step 1

From the left navigation panel, click Software Repository > Software.

Step 2

Click Upload Software.

The Upload Software screen is displayed.

  1. Select either Local Machine or Network Share, depending on where you saved the software packages, and then click Next.

  2. For the Network Share option, enter the protocol and enter details of the remote server from where you want to copy the file.

    • Protocol—Communication protocol used for file transfer. Intersight Virtual Appliance currently supports CIFS (Common Internet File System), SCP (Secure Copy Protocol), and SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol).

    • Server IP/Hostname—The network share server from where the file is copied

    • Port—TCP port to use

    • Location—Directory where the file to be copied is stored

    • Filename—Name of the file to be copied from the network share

    • Username—Username for authenticating with the network share

    • Password—Password for authenticating with the network share

You can track the upload progress by clicking on the Requests icon. When the upload process completes successfully, the software that you uploaded will appear on the Software Repository page.