Overview

This chapter includes the following sections:

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

Following are the Cisco UCS C-Series rack-mount servers:


  • Cisco UCS C200 Rack-Mount Server

  • Cisco UCS C210 Rack-Mount Server

  • Cisco UCS C250 Rack-Mount Server

  • Cisco UCS C460 Rack-Mount Server


Note

To determine which Cisco UCS C-Series rack-mount servers are supported by this firmware release, see the Release Notes for Cisco Integrated Management Controller.

UCS C200 Rack-Mount Server

The Cisco UCS C200 server is a high-density, two-socket, 1 RU rack-mount server. This server is built for production-level network infrastructure, web services, and mainstream data centers, and branch and remote-office applications.

UCS C210 Rack-Mount Server

The Cisco UCS C210 server is a general-purpose, two-socket, 2 RU rack-mount server. It balances performance, density, and efficiency for storage-intensive workloads. This server is built for applications such as network file and appliances, storage, database, and content-delivery.

UCS C250 Rack-Mount Server

The Cisco UCS C250 server is a high-performance, memory-intensive, two-socket, 2 RU rack-mount server. It increases performance, and it has the capacity for demanding virtualization and large-data-set workloads. The C250 server can also reduce the cost of smaller memory footprints.

UCS C460 Rack-Mount Server

The UCS C460 server is a high-density, 4U rack-mount server. Supporting one to four multi-core processors, it is built for heavy workload applications like data warehousing, ERP, and large-scale virtualization.

Overview of the Server Software

The Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Server ships with two major software systems installed.

CIMC Firmware

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

Server OS

The main server CPU runs an OS such as Windows or Linux. The server ships with a pre-installed OS, but you can install a different OS using the DVD drive or over the network. You can use CIMC to install the new OS using the KVM console and vMedia.


Note

You can access the available OS installation documentation from the Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Documentation Roadmap at http://www.cisco.com/go/unifiedcomputing/c-series-doc.

Cisco Integrated Management Controller

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

Management Interfaces

You can use a web-based GUI or SSH-based CLI 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 CIMC GUI to invoke CIMC CLI

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

  • Generate CIMC CLI output from CIMC GUI

Tasks You Can Perform in CIMC

You can use CIMC to perform the following server management tasks:


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

  • Toggle the locator LED

  • 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, and IPMI Over LAN

  • Manage certificates

  • Configure platform event filters

  • Update CIMC firmware

  • Monitor faults, alarms, and server status

No Operating System or Application Provisioning or Management

CIMC 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-CIMC user accounts

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

Overview of the CIMC User Interface

The CIMC user interface is a web-based management interface for Cisco C-Series servers. You can launch the CIMC user interface and manage the server from any remote host that meets the following minimum requirements:


  • Java 1.6 or later

  • HTTP and HTTPS enabled

  • Adobe Flash Player 10 or later


Note

In case you lose or forget the password that you use to log in to CIMC, see the password recovery instructions in the Cisco UCS C-Series server installation and service guide for your server. This guide is available from the Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Documentation Roadmap at http://www.cisco.com/go/unifiedcomputing/c-series-doc.

CIMC Home Page

Figure 1 shows the CIMC home page.

Figure 1. CIMC Home Page

Navigation Pane

The Navigation pane displays on the left side in the CIMC user interface. Clicking links on the Server or Admin tabs in the Navigation pane displays the selected pages in the Work pane on the right side of the CIMC user interface.

The following table describes the elements in the Navigation pane:

Element Name

Description

Overall Server Status area

The Overall Server Status area is found above the Server and Admin tabs. Click this area to refresh the Server Summary page.

Server tab

The Server tab is found in the Navigation pane. It contains links to the following pages:


  • Summary

  • Inventory

  • Sensors

  • System Event Log

  • Remote Presence

  • BIOS

Admin tab

The Admin tab is found in the Navigation pane. It contains links to the following pages:


  • Users Management

  • Network

  • Communication Services

  • Certificate Management

  • CIMC Log

  • Event Management

  • Firmware Management

  • Utilities

Work Pane

The Work pane displays on the right side of the UI. Different pages appear in the Work pane, depending on what link you click on the Server or Admin tab.

The following table describes the elements and pages in the Work pane.

Page or Element Name

Description

Summary

On the page, you view server properties, server status, and CIMC information. You also perform actions like powering the server on and off.

Inventory

There are four tabs on the page:


  • CPUs—Use this tab to view information about the CPU.

  • Memory—Use this tab to view information about memory.

  • Power Supplies—Use this tab to view information about power supplies.

  • Storage—Use this tab to view information about storage.

Sensors

There are six tabs on the page:


  • Power Supply—Use this tab to view the power supply sensor.

  • Fan—Use this tab to view the fan sensor.

  • Temperature—Use this tab to view the temperature sensor.

  • Voltage—Use this tab to view the voltage sensor.

  • Current—Use this tab to view the current sensor.

  • LEDs—Use this tab to view the state and color of the LEDs.

System Event Log

On the page, you can view the system event log.

Remote Presence

There are three tabs on the page:


  • Virtual KVM—Use this tab to set vKVM properties.

  • Virtual Media—Use this tab to set virtual media properties.

  • Serial over LAN—Use this tab to set serial over LAN properties.

BIOS

There are three areas on this page:


  • Actions—Use this area to configure the server boot order, recover corrupted BIOS, and clear the BIOS CMOS.

  • BIOS Properties—Use this area to view the running version of the BIOS.

  • Boot Order—Use this area to view the configured and actual boot order.

User Management

There are three tabs on the page:


  • Local Users—Use this tab to create users.

  • Active Directory—Use this tab to set active directory properties.

  • Sessions—Use this tab to view current user sessions.

Network

There are two tabs on the page:


  • Network Settings—Use this tab to set network properties.

  • Network Security—Use this tab to set up network security.

Communications Services

There are three areas on this page:


  • HTTP Properties—Use this area to set HTTP properties.

  • SSH Properties—Use this area to set SSH properties.

  • IPMI over LAN Properties—Use this area to set IPMI over LAN properties.

Certificate Management

There are two areas on this page:


  • Actions—Use this area to generate and upload a certificate.

  • Current Certificate—Use this area to view the current certificate for the server.

CIMC Log

On this page, you view the CIMC Log.

Event Management

There are two tabs on the page:


  • Platform Event Filters—Use this tab to set up platform event filters.

  • Trap Settings—Use this tab to set up SNMP traps.

Firmware Management

There are four areas on this page:


  • Actions—Use this area to install CIMC firmware from a client browser or TFTP server, or to activate installed CIMC firmware.

  • CIMC Firmware—Use this area to view the status of the running, backup, and boot-loader versions of the firmware.

  • Last Firmware Install—Use this area to view information about the last firmware update.

Utilities

There are three areas on this page:


  • Actions—Use this area to export technical support data, export or import the CIMC configuration, reset the CIMC to factory default, and reboot the CIMC.

  • Last Technical Support Data Export—Use this area to view information about the last technical support data export.

  • CIMC Configuration Import/Export—Use this area to view the action type and its status.

Toolbar

The toolbar displays above the Work pane.

Element Name

Description

Refresh

Refreshes the current page.

Power On Server

Powers on the server.

Power Off Server

Powers off the server.

Launch KVM Console

Launches the KVM console.

Help

Launches help.

Info

Launches server information.

Cisco Integrated Management Controller Online Help Overview

The Cisco Integrated Management Controller is divided into two main sections, a Navigation pane on the left and a Work pane on the right.

This help system describes the fields on each GUI page and in each dialog box.

To access the page help, do the following:


  • In a particular tab in the GUI, click the Help icon in the toolbar above the Work pane.

  • In a dialog box, click the Help button in that dialog box.


Note

For a complete list of the available C-Series documentation, see the Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Documentation Roadmap at http://www.cisco.com/go/unifiedcomputing/c-series-doc.

Logging In to CIMC

Before You Begin

If not installed, install Adobe Flash Player 10 or later on your local machine.


Procedure
Step 1   In your web browser, type or select the web link for CIMC.
Step 2   If a security dialog box displays, do the following:
  1. Optional: Check the check box to accept all content from Cisco.
  2. Click Yes to accept the certificate and continue.
Step 3   In the log in window, enter your username and password.
Step 4   Click Log In.

Logging Out of CIMC

Procedure
Step 1   In the upper right of CIMC, click Log Out.

Logging out returns you to the CIMC log in page.

Step 2   (Optional)Log back in or close your web browser.