Server Utilities

This chapter includes the following sections:

Exporting Technical Support Data

Perform this task when requested by the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC). This utility creates a summary report containing configuration information, logs and diagnostic data that will help TAC in troubleshooting and resolving a technical issue.

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.
Step 2   On the Admin tab, click Utilities.
Step 3   In the Actions area of the Utilities pane, click Export Technical Support Data.
Step 4   In the Export Technical Support Data dialog box, complete the following fields:
Name Description

TFTP Server IP Address field

The IP address of the TFTP server on which the support data file should be stored.

Path and Filename field

The name of the file in which the support data should be stored on the server. When you enter this name, include the relative path for the file from the top of the TFTP tree to the desired location.
Step 5   Click Export.
What to Do Next

Provide the generated report file to Cisco TAC.

Rebooting CIMC

On rare occasions, such as an issue with the current running firmware, troubleshooting a server may require you to reboot the CIMC. This procedure is not part of the normal maintenance of a server. After you reboot the CIMC, you are logged off and the CIMC will be unavailable for a few minutes.


Note

If you reboot the CIMC while the server is performing power-on self test (POST) or is operating in the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) shell, the server will be powered down until the CIMC reboot is complete.

Before You Begin

You must log in as a user with admin privileges to reboot the CIMC.


Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.
Step 2   On the Admin tab, click Utilities.
Step 3   In the Actions area of the Utilities pane, click Reboot CIMC.
Step 4   Click OK.

Recovering from a Corrupted BIOS

Before You Begin

  • You must be logged in as admin to recover corrupt BIOS.

  • Have the BIOS recovery ISO image ready. You will find the BIOS recovery ISO image under the Recovery folder of the firmware distribution package.

  • Schedule some down time for the server because it will be powered cycled at the end of the recovery procedure.


Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the server tab, click BIOS.

The BIOS page appears.
Step 3   In the Actions area, click Recover Corrupt BIOS.

The Recover Corrupt BIOS wizard appears.

Step 4   Use the Recover Corrupt BIOS wizard to recover your corrupt BIOS.

Resetting CIMC to Factory Defaults

On rare occasions, such as an issue with the current running firmware, troubleshooting a server may require you to reset the CIMC to the factory default. When this happens, all user-configurable settings are reset.

This procedure is not part of the normal server maintenance. After you reset the CIMC, you are logged off and must log in again. You may also lose connectivity and may need to reconfigure the network settings.

Before You Begin

You must log in as a user with admin privileges to reset the CIMC to factory defaults.


Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.
Step 2   On the Admin tab, click Utilities.
Step 3   In the Actions area of the Utilities pane, click Reset CIMC to Factory Default Configuration.
Step 4   Click OK.

A reboot of CIMC while the host is performing BIOS POST (Power on Self Test) or is in EFI shell will turn off the host for a short amount of time. CIMC will power on when it is ready.

Backing Up and Importing the CIMC Configuration

Backing Up and Importing the CIMC Configuration

When you perform a backup of the CIMC configuration, you take a snapshot of the system configuration and export the resulting CIMC configuration file to a location on your network. The backup operation saves information from the management plane only; it does not back up data on the servers. Sensitive configuration information such as user accounts and the server certificate are not exported.

You can restore a backup CIMC configuration file to the same system or you can import it to another CIMC system, provided that the software version of the importing system is the same as or is configuration-compatible with the software version of the exporting system. When you import a configuration file to another system as a configuration template, you must modify system-specific settings such as IP addresses and host names. An import operation modifies information on the management plane only.

The CIMC configuration file is an XML text file whose structure and elements correspond to the CIMC command modes.

When performing a backup or import operation, consider these guidelines:


  • You can perform a backup or an import while the system is up and running. While a backup operation has no impact on the server or network traffic, some modifications caused by an import operation, such as IP address changes, can disrupt traffic or cause a server reboot.

  • You cannot execute a backup and an import simultaneously.

Backing Up the CIMC Configuration


Note

For security reasons, this operation does not export user accounts or the server certificate.
Before You Begin

Obtain the backup TFTP server IP address.


Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.
Step 2   On the Admin tab, click Utilities.
Step 3   In the Actions area of the Utilities pane, click Export CIMC Configuration.
Step 4   In the Export CIMC Configuration dialog box, complete the following fields:
Name Description

Export to a local file field

Select this option and click Export to save the XML configuration file to a drive that is local to the computer running the CIMC GUI.

Export to TFTP server field

Select this option to save the XML configuration file to a TFTP server.

TFTP Server IP Address field

The IP address of the TFTP server to which the configuration file will be exported.

Path and Filename field

The path and filename CIMC should use when exporting the file to the TFTP server.
Step 5   Click Export.

Importing a CIMC Configuration

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.
Step 2   On the Admin tab, click Utilities.
Step 3   In the Actions area of the Utilities pane, click Import CIMC Configuration.
Step 4   In the Import CIMC Configuration dialog box, complete the following fields:
Name Description

Import from a local file field

Select this option and click Import to navigate to the XML configuration file stored on a drive that is local to the computer running the CIMC GUI.

Import from TFTP server field

Select this option to import the XML configuration file from a TFTP server.

TFTP Server IP Address field

The IP address of the TFTP server on which the configuration file resides.

Path and Filename field

The path and filename of the configuration file on the TFTP server.
Step 5   Click Import.