Overview

This chapter includes the following sections:

Overview of the Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Servers

The Cisco UCS C-Series rack-mount servers include the following models:

  • Cisco UCS C220 M5 Rack-Mount Server

  • Cisco UCS C240 M5 Rack-Mount Server

  • Cisco UCS C480 M5 Rack-Mount Server


Note

To determine which Cisco UCS C-Series rack-mount servers are supported by this firmware release, see the associated Release Notes. The C-Series release notes are available at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10739/prod_release_notes_list.html


Overview of the Server Software

The Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Server ships with the Cisco IMC firmware.

Cisco IMC Firmware

Cisco IMC is a separate management module built into the motherboard. A dedicated ARM-based processor, separate from the main server CPU, runs the Cisco IMC firmware. The system ships with a running version of the Cisco IMC firmware. You can update the Cisco IMC firmware, but no initial installation is needed.

Server OS

The Cisco UCS C-Series rack servers support operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Oracle and so on. For more information on supported operating systems, see the Hardware and Software Interoperability for Standalone C-series servers at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10477/prod_technical_reference_list.html. You can use Cisco IMC to install an OS on the server using the KVM console and vMedia.

Cisco Integrated Management Controller

The Cisco IMC is the management service for the C-Series servers. Cisco IMC runs within the server.


Note

The Cisco IMC management service is used only when the server is operating in Standalone Mode. If your C-Series server is integrated into a UCS system, you must manage it using UCS Manager. For information about using UCS Manager, see the configuration guides listed in the Cisco UCS B-Series Servers Documentation Roadmap at http://www.cisco.com/go/unifiedcomputing/b-series-doc.


Management Interfaces

You can use a web-based GUI or SSH-based CLI or an XML-based API to access, configure, administer, and monitor the server. Almost all tasks can be performed in either interface, and the results of tasks performed in one interface are displayed in another. However, you cannot do the following:

  • Use Cisco IMC GUI to invoke Cisco IMC CLI

  • View a command that has been invoked through Cisco IMC CLI in Cisco IMC GUI

  • Generate Cisco IMC CLI output from Cisco IMC GUI

Tasks You Can Perform in Cisco IMC

You can use Cisco IMC to perform the following server management tasks:

  • Power on, power off, power cycle, reset and shut down the server

  • Toggle the locator LED

  • Configuring BIOS settings

  • Configure the server boot order

  • View server properties and sensors

  • Manage remote presence

  • Create and manage local user accounts, and enable remote user authentication through Active Directory

  • Configure network-related settings, including NIC properties, IPv4, VLANs, and network security

  • Configure communication services, including HTTP, SSH, IPMI Over LAN, and SNMP.

  • Manage certificates

  • Configure platform event filters

  • Update Cisco IMC firmware

  • Monitor faults, alarms, and server status

  • Set time zone and view local time

  • Install and activate Cisco IMC firmware

  • Install and activate BIOS firmware

No Operating System or Application Provisioning or Management

Cisco IMC provisions servers, and as a result, exists below the operating system on a server. Therefore, you cannot use it to provision or manage operating systems or applications on servers. For example, you cannot do the following:

  • Deploy an OS, such as Windows or Linux

  • Deploy patches for software, such as an OS or an application

  • Install base software components, such as anti-virus software, monitoring agents, or backup clients

  • Install software applications, such as databases, application server software, or web servers

  • Perform operator actions, including restarting an Oracle database, restarting printer queues, or handling non-Cisco IMC user accounts

  • Configure or manage external storage on the SAN or NAS storage

Cisco IMC CLI

The Cisco IMC CLI is a command-line management interface for Cisco UCS C-Series servers. You can launch the Cisco IMC CLI and manage the server over the network by SSH or Telnet. By default, Telnet access is disabled.

A user of the CLI will be one of three roles: admin, user (can control, cannot configure), and read-only.


Note

To recover from a lost admin password, see the Cisco UCS C-Series server installation and service guide for your platform.


Command Modes

The CLI is organized into a hierarchy of command modes, with the EXEC mode being the highest-level mode of the hierarchy. Higher-level modes branch into lower-level modes. You use the scope command to move from higher-level modes to modes in the next lower level , and the exit command to move up one level in the mode hierarchy. The top command returns to the EXEC mode.


Note

Most command modes are associated with managed objects. The scope command does not create managed objects and can only access modes for which managed objects already exist.


Each mode contains a set of commands that can be entered in that mode. Most of the commands available in each mode pertain to the associated managed object. Depending on your assigned role, you may have access to only a subset of the commands available in a mode; commands to which you do not have access are hidden.

The CLI prompt for each mode shows the full path down the mode hierarchy to the current mode. This helps you to determine where you are in the command mode hierarchy and can be an invaluable tool when you need to navigate through the hierarchy.

Command Mode Table

The following table lists the first four levels of command modes, the commands used to access each mode, and the CLI prompt associated with each mode.

Mode Name Command to Access Mode Prompt
EXEC

top command from any mode

#

  bios

scope bios command from EXEC mode

/bios #

    advanced

scope advanced command from bios mode

/bios/advanced #

    main

scope main command from bios mode

/bios/main #

    server-management

scope server-management command from bios mode

/bios/server-management #

    boot-device

scope boot-device command from bios mode

/bios/boot-device #

  certificate

scope certificate command from EXEC mode

/certificate #

  chassis

scope chassis command from EXEC mode

/chassis #

    adapter

scope adapter index command from chassis mode

/chassis/adapter #

      host-eth-if

scope host-eth-if command from adapter mode

/chassis/adapter/host-eth-if #

      host-fc-if

scope host-fc-if command from adapter mode

/chassis/adapter/host-fc-if #

      port-profiles

scope port-profiles command from adapter mode

/chassis/adapter/port-profiles #

    dimm-summary

scope dimm-summary index command from chassis mode

/chassis/dimm-summary #

    flexflash

scope flexflash index command from chassis mode

/chassis/flexflash #

      operational-profiles

scope operational-profile command from flexflash mode

/chassis/flexflash/operational-profile #

    storageadapter

scope storageadapter slot command from chassis mode

/chassis/storageadapter #

      physical-drive

scope physical-drive command from storageadapter mode

/chassis/storageadapter/physical-drive #

      virtual-drive

scope virtual-drive command from storageadapter mode

/chassis/storageadapter/virtual-drive #

  cimc

scope cimc command from EXEC mode

/cimc #

    firmware

scope firmware command from cimc mode

/cimc/firmware #

    import-export

scope import-export command from cimc mode

/cimc/import-export #

    log

scope log command from cimc mode

/cimc/log #

      server

scope server index command from log mode

/cimc/log/server #

    network

scope network command from cimc mode

/cimc/network #

      ipblocking

scope ipblocking command from network mode

/cimc/network/ipblocking #

    tech-support

scope tech-support command from cimc mode

/cimc/tech-support #

  fault

scope fault command from EXEC mode

/fault #

    pef

scope pef command from fault mode

/fault/pef #

  http

scope http command from EXEC mode

/http #

  ipmi

scope ipmi command from EXEC mode

/ipmi #

  kvm

scope kvm command from EXEC mode

/kvm #

  ldap

scope ldap command from EXEC mode

/ldap #

    role-group

scope role-group command from ldap mode

/ldap/role-group #

  power-cap

scope power-cap command from EXEC mode

/power-cap #

  sel

scope sel command from EXEC mode

/sel #

  sensor

scope sensor command from EXEC mode

/sensor #

  snmp

scope snmp command from EXEC mode

/snmp #

    trap-destinations

scope trap-destinations command from snmp mode

/snmp/trap-destinations #

    v3users

scope v3users command from snmp mode

/snmp/v3users #

  sol

scope sol command from EXEC mode

/sol #

  ssh

scope ssh command from EXEC mode

/ssh #

  user

scope user user-number command from EXEC mode

/user #

  user-session

scope user-session session-number command from EXEC mode

/user-session #

  vmedia

scope vmedia command from EXEC mode

/vmedia #

  xmlapi

scope xmlapi command from EXEC mode

/xmlapi #

  dimm-blacklisting

scope dimm-blacklisting command from EXEC mode

/dimm-blacklisting #

  reset-ecc 

scope reset-ecc command from EXEC mode

/ reset-ecc #

Complete a Command

You can use the Tab key in any mode to complete a command. Partially typing a command name and pressing Tab causes the command to be displayed in full or to the point where another keyword must be chosen or an argument value must be entered.

Command History

The CLI stores all commands used in the current session. You can step through the previously used commands by using the Up Arrow or Down Arrow keys. The Up Arrow key steps to the previous command in the history, and the Down Arrow key steps to the next command in the history. If you get to the end of the history, pressing the Down Arrow key does nothing.

All commands in the history can be entered again by simply stepping through the history to recall the desired command and pressing Enter. The command is entered as if you had manually typed it. You can also recall a command and change it before you press Enter.

Committing, Discarding, and Viewing Pending Commands

When you enter a configuration command in the CLI, the command is not applied until you enter the commit command. Until committed, a configuration command is pending and can be discarded by entering a discard command. When any command is pending, an asterisk (*) appears before the command prompt. The asterisk disappears when you enter the commit command, as shown in this example:

Server# scope chassis
Server /chassis # set locator-led off
Server /chassis *# commit
Server /chassis #

You can accumulate pending changes in multiple command modes and apply them together with a single commit command. You can view the pending commands by entering the show configuration pending command in any command mode.


Note

Committing multiple commands together is not an atomic operation. If any command fails, the successful commands are applied despite the failure. Failed commands are reported in an error message.


Command Output Formats

Most CLI show commands accept an optional detail keyword that causes the output information to be displayed as a list rather than a table. You can configure either of two presentation formats for displaying the output information when the detail keyword is used. The format choices are as follows:
  • Default—For easy viewing, the command output is presented in a compact list.

    This example shows command output in the default format:

    Server /chassis # set cli output default
    Server /chassis # show hdd detail
    Name HDD_01_STATUS:
        Status : present
    Name HDD_02_STATUS:
        Status : present
    Name HDD_03_STATUS:
        Status : present
    Name HDD_04_STATUS:
        Status : present
    
    Server /chassis # 
    
    
  • YAML—For easy parsing by scripts, the command output is presented in the YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) data serialization language, delimited by defined character strings.

    This example shows command output in the YAML format:

    Server /chassis # set cli output yaml
    Server /chassis # show hdd detail
    ---
        name: HDD_01_STATUS
        hdd-status: present
    
    ---
        name: HDD_02_STATUS
        hdd-status: present
    
    ---
        name: HDD_03_STATUS
        hdd-status: present
    
    ---
        name: HDD_04_STATUS
        hdd-status: present
    
    ...
    
    Server /chassis # 
    
    

    For detailed information about YAML, see http://www.yaml.org/about.html.

In most CLI command modes, you can enter set cli output default to configure the default format, or set cli output yaml to configure the YAML format.

Smart Access: Serial

The Smart Access: Serial allows offline configuration of C-series servers using the command line interface (CLI) through serial connection. With this setup, you are not required to connect the Cisco IMC to the network in order to access the command line interface.

The serial connection can be accessed using either the KVM dongle (DB9), or the serial port (RJ-45) at the rear of the chassis.

Once you have completed the setup and the BIOS and OS messages are visible on the console, you can view the Cisco IMC CLI by pressing Esc+9. You are required to authenticate the connection with Cisco IMC user credentials. The default user name is admin and default password is password. You can press Esc+8 to switch back to the BIOS or OS on the same console.

When the session is created, the session is visible on the Web UI sessions tab as a serial connection.


Note

Note the following limitations while using the CLI through a serial connection:
  • You cannot use the arrow keys to revert to previously executed commands.

  • The CLI is not visible when the terminal type is set to either VT100+ or VTUFT8.

  • The smart access feature does not work as expected after an OS boot unless the "console" property in the grub configuration file of the OS is set to ttyS0. You must set the "console" property in the grub configuration file of the OS to ttyS0 for it to work as expected.


Online Help for the CLI

At any time, you can type the ? character to display the options available at the current state of the command syntax.

If you have not typed anything at the prompt, typing ? lists all available commands for the mode you are in. If you have partially typed a command, typing ? lists all available keywords and arguments available at your current position in the command syntax.

Logging In to Cisco IMC

Procedure


Step 1

Connect to the console port.

Step 2

When logging in to an unconfigured system for the first time, use admin as the username and password as the password.

The following situations occur when you login to the CLI for the first time:

  • You cannot perform any operation until you change default admin credentials on the Cisco IMC web UI or CLI.

Note 

After an upgrade from Cisco IMC version 1.5(x) or 2.0(1) to the latest version, or when you do a factory reset, during first login Cisco IMC prompts for a password change. You cannot choose the word 'password' as your new password. If this creates problems for any scripts you may be running, you could change it to password by logging back into the user management options, but this is ENTIRELY at your own risk. It is not recommended by Cisco.


Example

The following example shows how to login in to Cisco IMC first time:

Login as # admin	
admin10.101.255.255's password # password

***********************WARNING*******************
Default credentials were used for login.
Administration passwords needs to be changed for security purpose.
********************************************************************

Enter current password # abcxyz
Re-enter new password # abcxyz
Updating password...
Password updated successfully.
Server #