Operations

Resetting Cisco BMC and Server to Factory Settings

The Cisco BMC system includes a factory reset interface that restores the BMC to its original manufacturer settings. This interface is broadly defined, allowing for varied implementations across different Cisco BMC services. This flexibility enables you to reset individual services to their factory defaults as needed.

If the server is off, you may see the following message:

Do you want to reset both the BMC and server settings?

Before you begin

Prior to resetting the BMC, consider the following:

  • All manual settings are deleted.

  • Partition configurations and the platform keystore can be recovered if backups exist.

  • All BMC logs are removed.

  • Currently active sessions on all network interfaces are disconnected.

  • The BMC default account and password settings are restored.

Procedure

Step 1

From the Navigation Pane, select Operations > Factory reset.

Step 2

Click check box Continue without shutting down the system.

Step 3

Click Reset BMC and server settings.

If Host is in ON state, following warning message is displayed:

Reset BMC and server settings

Do you want to reset both the BMC and server settings?

All manual settings will be deleted.
Partition configurations and the platform keystore may be recovered if backups exist.
All BMC logs will be removed.
Currently active sessions on all network interfaces will be disconnected.
The BMC default account and password settings will be restored.

Resetting without shutting down the system might cause an unrecoverable error.
Continue without shutting down the system

Step 4

Click Yes to continue.

Launching KVM Console

Procedure

Step 1

From the Navigation Pane, select Operations > KVM.

Step 2

Click Launch KVM.

KVM window opens as a new tab or window depending on your browser settings.

Firmware Version

Viewing Firmware Version

Procedure

Step 1

From the Navigation Pane, select Operations > Firmware update.

Step 2

Under Firmware Update, you can view the Provision Status.

Step 3

From the Device drop-down list, select the device for which you wish to view the firmware version.

Note

 

The BMC firmware version is represented as X.Y.Z, where X is the major version, Y is the minor version, and Z represents the BMC Aux firmware version. For example, the BMC firmware version number 1.1.4.

Updating Firmware Version


Note

During the update process, the HTTPS service is temporarily unavailable. You cannot access the WebUI, Redfish, or other related services during this period. Wait until the service is fully restored before attempting to access any resources.

Before you begin

Ensure that the firmware file is available on the client before starting this procedure.

Procedure

Step 1

From the Navigation Pane, select Operations > Firmware update.

Step 2

From the Device drop-down list, select the device for which you wish to update the firmware version.

Step 3

Click Add File and browse to locate the firmware file.

Select the firmware file.

Step 4

Click Start Update to initiate the firmware update.

What to do next

After the firmware update completes, perform an AC power cycle to activate and complete the upgrade.

Updating OEM Firmware

Before you begin

Ensure that the firmware file is available on the client before starting this procedure.


Note

Depending on the type of firmware being upgraded, an OEM firmware upgrade may necessitate either an AC power cycle or a host power cycle.

  • BIOS Firmware: Requires a host power cycle for activation. Ensure this step can be performed after the upgrade.

  • FPGA Firmware: Requires a server AC power cycle for activation. Be prepared to complete this action following the upgrade.

Procedure

Step 1

From the Navigation Pane, select Operations > Firmware update.

Step 2

Select a specific device from the drop-down list to update.

Step 3

Click Add File and browse to locate the firmware file.

Select the firmware file.

Step 4

Click Start Update to begin the firmware update.

What to do next

After the firmware update completes, perform an AC power cycle to activate and complete the upgrade.

Viewing Serial over LAN (SOL) console

Serial over LAN (SOL), or BMC Serial Traffic Redirection, redirects serial controller traffic from the baseboard to an IPMI session. This protocol enables asynchronous communication within the operating system (OS) and during the pre-OS phase through a connection with the BMC. SOL is particularly useful for engaging with serial text-based interfaces, such as OS command-line interfaces, serial-redirected BIOS interfaces, and other serial text-based applications, all through an IPMI LAN session.

SOL integrates LAN-based access to IPMI platform management with serial text redirection in a unified interface, allowing a single remote console application to support both functionalities. Authorization and access control for SOL are managed through the same user configuration interfaces used for IPMI management. This integration streamlines the development of configuration software, remote management applications, and configuration utilities that work cohesively across various platforms.

Procedure

Step 1

From the Navigation Pane, select Operations > SOL console.

Step 2

Use the on-screen interface to monitor and manage the server serial port output as if directly connected.

Server Power Operations

Viewing Server Power Status

Procedure

Step 1

From the Navigation Pane, select Operations > Server power operations.

Step 2

Under Current status, you can view the following properties:

Name

Description

Server status

Indicates whether the server is currently powered on or off.

Last power operation

Records the date and time of the most recent power cycle or shutdown event for the server.

Rebooting the Server

Before you begin

The Reboot option is available only when the server is powered on. If the server is powered off, the Reboot option is not visible, and Power On appears instead.

Procedure

Step 1

From the Navigation Pane, select Operations > Server power operations.

Step 2

Under Reboot server, only one option is available and, by default, is selected:

  • Orderly — operating system shuts down, then server reboots

Step 3

Click Reboot to initiate the reboot process.

Shutting Down the Server

Before you begin

The Shut down option is available only when the server is powered on. If the server is powered off, the Shut down option is not visible, and Power On appears instead.

Procedure

Step 1

From the Navigation Pane, select Operations > Server power operations.

Step 2

From the shutdown options, choose one of the following:

  • Orderly — operating system shuts down, then server reboots

  • Immediate — Server shuts down without operating system shutting down; may cause data corruption

Step 3

Click Shut down to initiate the shutdown process.

Overriding Boot Source

Procedure

Step 1

From the Navigation Pane, select Operations > Server power operations.

Step 2

From the Boot Source Override drop-down list, choose the desired boot source.

Step 3

Select Enable one time boot to temporarily change the boot device for the next system startup without altering the default boot sequence.

Step 4

Click Save to apply the changes.

Performing AC Power Cycle on the Server

Before you begin

The Shut down option is available only when the server is powered on. If the server is powered off, the Shut down option is not visible, and Power On appears instead.

Procedure

Step 1

Identify the Server using the System Identify LED:

On the Overview page, under Inventory and LEDs, toggle the System Identify LED button.

Confirm the physical location of the server before proceeding.

Step 2

From the Navigation Pane, select Operations > Server power operations.

Step 3

From the shutdown options, choose the following:

  • Immediate — Server shuts down without operating system shutting down; may cause data corruption

Step 4

Click Shut down to initiate the shutdown process.

Step 5

Physically Disconnect the Power Source:

Disconnect the power cables from the back of the server.

If the server has redundant power supplies, ensure that all power cables are disconnected.

Wait for 1–2 minutes to allow any residual power within the server components to fully discharge.

Step 6

Reconnect the power cables securely to the server. If the server has redundant power supplies, reconnect all power cables.

Step 7

From the Navigation Pane, select Operations > Server power operations.

Step 8

Click Power On.

Adding Virtual Media Image

Virtual Media allows you to remotely mount ISO/IMG drive images through the BMC to the server host. The remote drive appears on the host as a USB storage device and operates in either read-only or read-write mode, considering container limitations and write protection switches. This feature is used to install an OS on a server.

Before you begin

Ensure that the image file is available on the client before starting this procedure.

Procedure

Step 1

From the Navigation Pane, select Operations > Virtual media.

Step 2

Click Add file and browse to the image, which you wish to add.

Select the image file.

Step 3

(Optional) Click Configure Connection to load an image from external server.

Update the following in Legacy mode configuration dialog box:

Name

Description

External server URI field

Enter the URI of the external server to establish a connection.

Path to Image field

Specify the file path or URI to the virtual media image for loading and access.

Mount Type radio button

Select the mount type for the virtual media image:

  • CIFS for network file sharing.

  • HTTPS for secure web-based access.

Save button

Click to save the configuration.

Step 4

Click Start.