Managing Network Adapters

This chapter includes the following sections:

Overview of the Cisco UCS C-Series Network Adapters


Note

The procedures in this chapter are available only when a Cisco UCS C-Series network adapter is installed in the chassis.

A Cisco UCS C-Series network adapter can be installed to provide options for I/O consolidation and virtualization support. Following are the available adapters:


  • Cisco UCS P81E Virtual Interface Card

Cisco UCS P81E Virtual Interface Card

The Cisco UCS P81E Virtual Interface Card is optimized for virtualized environments, for organizations that seek increased mobility in their physical environments, and for data centers that want reduced costs through NIC, HBA, cabling, and switch reduction and reduced management overhead. This Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) PCIe card offers the following benefits:


  • Allows up to 2 virtual Fibre Channel and 16 virtual Ethernet adapters to be provisioned in virtualized or nonvirtualized environments using just-in-time provisioning, providing tremendous system flexibility and allowing consolidation of multiple physical adapters.

  • Delivers uncompromising virtualization support, including hardware-based implementation of Cisco VN-Link technology and pass-through switching.

  • Improves system security and manageability by providing visibility and portability of network polices and security all the way to the virtual machine.

The virtual interface card makes Cisco VN-Link connections to the parent fabric interconnects, which allows virtual links to connect virtual NICs in virtual machines to virtual interfaces in the interconnect. In a Cisco Unified Computing System environment, virtual links then can be managed, network profiles applied, and interfaces dynamically reprovisioned as virtual machines move between servers in the system.

Viewing Adapter Properties

Before You Begin

  • The server must be powered on, or the properties will not display.

  • A Cisco UCS P81E Virtual Interface Card must be installed in the chassis and the server must be powered on.


Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, click an adapter in the table to display its properties.

The resources of the selected adapter appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the Adapter Cards area, review the following information for the installed adapters:
Name Description

PCI Slot column

The PCI slot in which the adapter is installed.

Product Name column

The product name for the adapter.

Serial Number column

The serial number for the adapter.

Product ID column

The product ID for the adapter.

Vendor column

The vendor for the adapter.

CIMC Management Enabled column

Whether the adapter is able to manage CIMC. This functionality depends on the type of adapter installed and how it is configured. For details, see the hardware installation guide for the type of server you are using.
Step 6   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the General tab.
Step 7   In the Adapter Card Properties area, review the following information for the adapter:
Name Description

PCI Slot field

The PCI slot in which the adapter is installed.

Vendor field

The vendor for the adapter.

Product Name field

The product name for the adapter.

Product ID field

The product ID for the adapter.

Serial Number field

The serial number for the adapter.

Version ID field

The version ID for the adapter.

Hardware Revision field

The hardware revision for the adapter.

CIMC Management Enabled field

If this field displays yes, then the adapter is functioning in Cisco Card Mode and passing CIMC management traffic through to the server CIMC.

Configuration Pending field

If this field displays yes, the adapter configuration has changed in CIMC but these changes have not been communicated to the host operating system.

To activate the changes, reboot the adapter.

Description field

The user-defined description for the adapter, if any.

FIP Mode field

Whether FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP) mode is enabled. FIP mode ensures that the adapter is compatible with current FCoE standards.

Step 8   In the Uplinks area, review the following information for the adapter:
Name Description

ID column

The uplink port ID.

MAC Address column

The MAC address of the uplink port.

Link State column

The current operational state of the uplink port. This can be one of the following:


  • Link Up

  • Link Down

  • Unsupported Transceiver
Step 9   In the Firmware area, review the following information for the adapter:
Name Description

Running Version field

The firmware version that is currently active.

Backup Version field

The alternate firmware version installed on the adapter, if any. The backup version is not currently running. To activate it, click Activate Firmware in the Actions area.

Note   

When you install new firmware on the adapter, any existing backup version is deleted and the new firmware becomes the backup version. You must manually activate the new firmware if you want the adapter to run the new version.

Startup Version field

The firmware version that will become active the next time the adapter is rebooted.

Status field

The status of the last firmware activation that was performed on this adapter.

Note   

The status is reset each time the adapter is rebooted.
What to Do Next

To view the properties of virtual NICs and virtual HBAs, see Viewing vNIC Properties and Viewing vHBA Properties.

Configuring Adapter Properties

Before You Begin

  • You must log in with admin privileges to perform this task.

  • A Cisco UCS P81E Virtual Interface Card must be installed in the chassis and the server must be powered on.


Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the General tab.
Step 6   In the Actions area of the General tab, click Set Adapter Properties.

The Modify Adapter Properties dialog box opens.
Step 7   In the Modify Adapter Properties dialog box, update the following fields:
Name Description

Description field

A user-defined description for the adapter.

You can enter between 1 and 63 characters.

Enable FIP Mode check box

If checked, then FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP) mode is enabled. FIP mode ensures that the adapter is compatible with current FCoE standards.

Note   

We recommend that you use this option only when explicitly directed to do so by a technical support representative.
Step 8   Click Save Changes.

Managing vHBAs

Guidelines for Managing vHBAs

When managing vHBAs, consider the following guidelines and restrictions:


  • The Cisco UCS P81E Virtual Interface Card provides two vHBAs (fc0 and fc1). You cannot create additional vHBAs on this adapter card.

  • When using the Cisco UCS P81E Virtual Interface Card in an FCoE application, you must associate the vHBA with the FCoE VLAN. Follow the instructions in Modifying vHBA Properties to assign the VLAN.

  • You must reset the adapter card after making configuration changes.

Viewing vHBA Properties

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the vHBAs tab.
Step 6   In the Virtual HBAs area, select a vHBA from the table.
Step 7   Click Properties to open the vHBA Properties dialog box.
Step 8   In the General area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

Name field

The system-assigned name of the virtual HBA.

World Wide Node Name field

The WWNN associated with the vHBA.

World Wide Port Name field

The WWPN associated with the vHBA.

FC SAN Boot check box

If checked, the vHBA can be used to perform a SAN boot.

Enable Persistent LUN Binding check box

If checked, any LUN ID associations are retained in memory until they are manually cleared.

Uplink field

The uplink port associated with the vHBA.

MAC Address field

The MAC address associated with the vHBA.

To let the system generate the MAC address, select AUTO. To specify an address, click the second radio button and enter the MAC address in the corresponding field.

Default VLAN field

If there is no default VLAN for this vHBA, click NONE. Otherwise, click the second radio button and enter a VLAN ID in the field. The ID can be an integer between 1 and 4094.

Class of Service drop-down list

Select an integer between 0 and 6, with 0 being lowest priority and 6 being the highest priority.

Rate Limit field

If you want this vHBA to have an unlimited data rate, select OFF. Otherwise, click the second radio button and enter a rate limit in the associated field. You can enter an integer between 1 and 10,000 Mbps.

PCIe Device Order field

The order in which this vHBA will be used.

To let the system set the order, select ANY. To specify an order, select the second radio button and enter an integer between 0 and 99.

EDTOV field

The error detect timeout value (EDTOV), which is the number of milliseconds to wait before the system assumes that an error has occurred.

Enter an integer between 1,000 and 100,000. The default is 2,000 milliseconds.

RATOV field

The resource allocation timeout value (RATOV), which is the number of milliseconds to wait before the system assumes that a resource cannot be properly allocated.

Enter an integer between 5,000 and 100,000. The default is 10,000 milliseconds.

Max Data Field Size field

The maximum size of the Fibre Channel frame payload bytes that the vHBA supports.

Enter an integer between 256 and 2112.
Step 9   In the Error Recovery area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

Enable FCP Error Recovery check box

If checked, the system uses FCP Sequence Level Error Recovery protocol (FC-TAPE).

Link Down Timeout field

The number of milliseconds the uplink port should be offline before it informs the system that the uplink port is down and fabric connectivity has been lost.

Enter an integer between 0 and 240,000.

Port Down I/O Retries field

The number of times an I/O request to a port is returned because the port is busy before the system decides the port is unavailable.

Enter an integer between 0 and 255.

Port Down Timeout field

The number of milliseconds a remote Fibre Channel port should be offline before informing the SCSI upper layer that the port is unavailable.

Enter an integer between 0 and 240,000.
Step 10   In the Fibre Channel Interrupt area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

Interrupt Mode drop-down list

The preferred driver interrupt mode. This can be one of the following:


  • MSI-X—Message Signaled Interrupts (MSI) with the optional extension. This is the recommended option.

  • MSI—MSI only.

  • INTx—PCI INTx interrupts.
Step 11   In the Fibre Channel Port area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

I/O Throttle Count field

The number of I/O operations that can be pending in the vHBA at one time.

Enter an integer between 1 and 1024.

LUNs per Target field

The maximum number of LUNs that the driver will export. This is usually an operating system platform limitation.

Enter an integer between 1 and 1024. The recommended value is 1024.
Step 12   In the Fibre Channel Port FLOGI area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

FLOGI Retries field

The number of times that the system tries to log in to the fabric after the first failure.

To specify an unlimited number of retries, select the INFINITE radio button. Otherwise select the second radio button and enter an integer into the corresponding field.

FLOGI Timeout field

The number of milliseconds that the system waits before it tries to log in again.

Enter an integer between 1,000 and 255,000.
Step 13   In the Fibre Channel Port PLOGI area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

PLOGI Retries field

The number of times that the system tries to log in to a port after the first failure.

Enter an integer between 0 and 255.

PLOGI Timeout field

The number of milliseconds that the system waits before it tries to log in again.

Enter an integer between 1,000 and 255,000.
Step 14   In the SCSI I/O area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

CDB Transmit Queue Count field

The number of SCSI I/O queue resources the system should allocate.

Enter an integer between 1 and 8.

CDB Work Queue Ring Size field

The number of descriptors in each SCSI I/O queue.

Enter an integer between 64 and 512.
Step 15   In the Receive/Transmit Queues area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

FC Work Queue Ring Size field

The number of descriptors in each transmit queue.

Enter an integer between 64 and 128.

FC Receive Queue Ring Size field

The number of descriptors in each receive queue.

Enter an integer between 64 and 128.

Modifying vHBA Properties

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the vHBAs tab.
Step 6   In the Virtual HBAs area, select a vHBA from the table.
Step 7   Click Properties to open the vHBA Properties dialog box.
Step 8   In the General area, update the following fields:
Name Description

Name field

The system-assigned name of the virtual HBA.

World Wide Node Name field

The WWNN associated with the vHBA.

World Wide Port Name field

The WWPN associated with the vHBA.

FC SAN Boot check box

If checked, the vHBA can be used to perform a SAN boot.

Enable Persistent LUN Binding check box

If checked, any LUN ID associations are retained in memory until they are manually cleared.

Uplink field

The uplink port associated with the vHBA.

MAC Address field

The MAC address associated with the vHBA.

To let the system generate the MAC address, select AUTO. To specify an address, click the second radio button and enter the MAC address in the corresponding field.

Default VLAN field

If there is no default VLAN for this vHBA, click NONE. Otherwise, click the second radio button and enter a VLAN ID in the field. The ID can be an integer between 1 and 4094.

Class of Service drop-down list

Select an integer between 0 and 6, with 0 being lowest priority and 6 being the highest priority.

Rate Limit field

If you want this vHBA to have an unlimited data rate, select OFF. Otherwise, click the second radio button and enter a rate limit in the associated field. You can enter an integer between 1 and 10,000 Mbps.

PCIe Device Order field

The order in which this vHBA will be used.

To let the system set the order, select ANY. To specify an order, select the second radio button and enter an integer between 0 and 99.

EDTOV field

The error detect timeout value (EDTOV), which is the number of milliseconds to wait before the system assumes that an error has occurred.

Enter an integer between 1,000 and 100,000. The default is 2,000 milliseconds.

RATOV field

The resource allocation timeout value (RATOV), which is the number of milliseconds to wait before the system assumes that a resource cannot be properly allocated.

Enter an integer between 5,000 and 100,000. The default is 10,000 milliseconds.

Max Data Field Size field

The maximum size of the Fibre Channel frame payload bytes that the vHBA supports.

Enter an integer between 256 and 2112.
Step 9   In the Error Recovery area, update the following fields:
Name Description

Enable FCP Error Recovery check box

If checked, the system uses FCP Sequence Level Error Recovery protocol (FC-TAPE).

Link Down Timeout field

The number of milliseconds the uplink port should be offline before it informs the system that the uplink port is down and fabric connectivity has been lost.

Enter an integer between 0 and 240,000.

Port Down I/O Retries field

The number of times an I/O request to a port is returned because the port is busy before the system decides the port is unavailable.

Enter an integer between 0 and 255.

Port Down Timeout field

The number of milliseconds a remote Fibre Channel port should be offline before informing the SCSI upper layer that the port is unavailable.

Enter an integer between 0 and 240,000.
Step 10   In the Fibre Channel Interrupt area, update the following fields:
Name Description

Interrupt Mode drop-down list

The preferred driver interrupt mode. This can be one of the following:


  • MSI-X—Message Signaled Interrupts (MSI) with the optional extension. This is the recommended option.

  • MSI—MSI only.

  • INTx—PCI INTx interrupts.
Step 11   In the Fibre Channel Port area, update the following fields:
Name Description

I/O Throttle Count field

The number of I/O operations that can be pending in the vHBA at one time.

Enter an integer between 1 and 1024.

LUNs per Target field

The maximum number of LUNs that the driver will export. This is usually an operating system platform limitation.

Enter an integer between 1 and 1024. The recommended value is 1024.
Step 12   In the Fibre Channel Port FLOGI area, update the following fields:
Name Description

FLOGI Retries field

The number of times that the system tries to log in to the fabric after the first failure.

To specify an unlimited number of retries, select the INFINITE radio button. Otherwise select the second radio button and enter an integer into the corresponding field.

FLOGI Timeout field

The number of milliseconds that the system waits before it tries to log in again.

Enter an integer between 1,000 and 255,000.
Step 13   In the Fibre Channel Port PLOGI area, update the following fields:
Name Description

PLOGI Retries field

The number of times that the system tries to log in to a port after the first failure.

Enter an integer between 0 and 255.

PLOGI Timeout field

The number of milliseconds that the system waits before it tries to log in again.

Enter an integer between 1,000 and 255,000.
Step 14   In the SCSI I/O area, update the following fields:
Name Description

CDB Transmit Queue Count field

The number of SCSI I/O queue resources the system should allocate.

Enter an integer between 1 and 8.

CDB Work Queue Ring Size field

The number of descriptors in each SCSI I/O queue.

Enter an integer between 64 and 512.
Step 15   In the Receive/Transmit Queues area, update the following fields:
Name Description

FC Work Queue Ring Size field

The number of descriptors in each transmit queue.

Enter an integer between 64 and 128.

FC Receive Queue Ring Size field

The number of descriptors in each receive queue.

Enter an integer between 64 and 128.
Step 16   Click Save Changes.

vHBA Boot Table

In the vHBA boot table, you can specify up to four LUNs from which the server can boot.

Creating a Boot Table Entry

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the vHBAs tab.
Step 6   In the Virtual HBAs area, select a vHBA from the table.
Step 7   Click Boot Table to open the Boot Table dialog box for the selected vHBA.
Step 8   In the Boot Table dialog box, click Add to open the Add Boot Entry dialog box.
Step 9   In the Add Boot Entry dialog box, update the following fields:
Name Description

Target WWPN field

The World Wide Port Name (WWPN) that corresponds to the location of the boot image.

Enter the WWPN in the format hh:hh:hh:hh:hh:hh:hh:hh.

LUN ID field

The LUN ID that corresponds to the location of the boot image.

Enter an ID between 0 and 255.

Add Boot Entry button

Adds the specified location to the boot table.

Reset Values button

Clears the values currently entered in the fields.

Cancel button

Closes the dialog box without saving any changes made while the dialog box was open.
Step 10   Click Add Boot Entry.

Deleting a Boot Table Entry

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the vHBAs tab.
Step 6   In the Virtual HBAs area, select a vHBA from the table.
Step 7   Click Boot Table to open the Boot Table dialog box for the selected vHBA.
Step 8   In the Boot Table dialog box, click the entry to be deleted.
Step 9   Click Delete and click OK to confirm.

vHBA Persistent Binding

Persistent binding ensures that the system-assigned mapping of Fibre Channel targets is maintained after a reboot.

Viewing Persistent Bindings

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the vHBAs tab.
Step 6   In the Virtual HBAs area, select a vHBA from the table.
Step 7   Click Persistent Bindings to open the Persistent Bindings dialog box for the selected vHBA.
Step 8   In the Persistent Bindings dialog box for the selected vHBA, review the following information:
Name Description

Index column

The unique identifier for the binding.

Target WWPN column

The target World Wide Port Name with which the binding is associated.

Target LUN column

The target LUN ID with which the binding is associated.

Host LUN column

The target LUN ID on the host system with which the binding is associated.

Clear Persistent Bindings button

Clears all current bindings.

Close button

Closes the dialog box and saves your changes.
Step 9   Click Close.

Clearing Persistent Bindings

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the vHBAs tab.
Step 6   In the Virtual HBAs area, select a vHBA from the table.
Step 7   Click Persistent Bindings to open the Persistent Bindings dialog box for the selected vHBA.
Step 8   In the Persistent Bindings dialog box for the selected vHBA, click Clear Persistent Bindings.
Step 9   Click Close.

Managing vNICs

Guidelines for Managing vNICs

When managing vNICs, consider the following guidelines and restrictions:


  • The Cisco UCS P81E Virtual Interface Card provides two default vNICs (eth0 and eth1). You can create up to 16 additional vNICs on this adapter card.

  • You must reset the adapter card after making configuration changes.

Viewing vNIC Properties

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the vNICs tab.
Step 6   In the Virtual Ethernet Interface Cards area, select a vNIC from the table.
Step 7   Click Properties to open the vNIC Properties dialog box.
Step 8   In the General area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

Name field

A user-defined name for the virtual NIC.

Once you create the vNIC, this name cannot be changed.

MTU field

The maximum transmission unit, or packet size, that this vNIC accepts.

Enter an integer between 1500 and 9000.

Uplink Port drop-down list

The uplink port associated with this vNIC. All traffic for this vNIC goes through this uplink port.

MAC Address field

The MAC address associated with the vNIC.

To let the adapter select an available MAC address from its internal pool, select Auto. To specify an address, click the second radio button and enter the MAC address in the corresponding field.

Class of Service drop-down list

The class of service to associate with traffic from this vNIC.

Select an integer between 0 and 6, with 0 being lowest priority and 6 being the highest priority.

Trust Host CoS check box

Check this box if you want the vNIC to use the class of service provided by the host operating system.

PCI Order field

The order in which this vNIC will be used.

To let the system set the order, select Any. To specify an order, select the second radio button and enter an integer between 0 and 99.

Default VLAN field

If there is no default VLAN for this vNIC, click NONE. Otherwise, click the second radio button and enter a VLAN ID in the field. The ID can be an integer between 1 and 4094.

VLAN Mode drop-down list

If you want to use VLAN trunking, select TRUNK. Otherwise, select ACCESS.

Rate Limit field

If you want this vNIC to have an unlimited data rate, select OFF. Otherwise, click the second radio button and enter a rate limit in the associated field. You can enter an integer between 1 and 10,000 Mbps.

Enable PXE Boot check box

Check this box if the vNIC can be used to perform a PXE boot.
Step 9   In the Ethernet Interrupt area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

Interrupt Count field

The number of interrupt resources to allocate. In general, this value should be equal to the number of completion queue resources.

Enter an integer between 1 and 514.

Coalescing Time field

The time to wait between interrupts or the idle period that must be encountered before an interrupt is sent.

Enter a value between 1 and 65535. To turn off interrupt coalescing, enter 0 (zero) in this field.

Coalescing Type drop-down list

This can be one of the following:


  • MIN—The system waits for the time specified in the Coalescing Time field before sending another interrupt event.

  • IDLE—The system does not send an interrupt until there is a period of no activity lasting as least as long as the time specified in the Coalescing Time field.

Interrupt Mode drop-down list

The preferred driver interrupt mode. This can be one of the following:


  • MSI-X—Message Signaled Interrupts (MSI) with the optional extension. This is the recommended option.

  • MSI—MSI only.

  • INTx—PCI INTx interrupts.
Step 10   In the Ethernet Receive Queue area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

Receive Queue Count field

The number of receive queue resources to allocate.

Enter an integer between 1 and 256.

Receive Queue Ring Size field

The number of descriptors in each receive queue.

Enter an integer between 64 and 4096.
Step 11   In the Ethernet Transmit Queue area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

Transmit Queue Count field

The number of transmit queue resources to allocate.

Enter an integer between 1 and 256.

Transmit Queue Ring Size field

The number of descriptors in each transmit queue.

Enter an integer between 64 and 4096.
Step 12   In the Completion Queue area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

Completion Queue Count field

The number of completion queue resources to allocate. In general, the number of completion queue resources you should allocate is equal to the number of transmit queue resources plus the number of receive queue resources.

Enter an integer between 1 and 512.

Completion Queue Ring Size field

The number of descriptors in each completion queue.

This value cannot be changed.

Step 13   In the TCP Offload area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

Enable TCP Segmentation Offload check box

If checked, the CPU sends large TCP packets to the hardware to be segmented. This option may reduce CPU overhead and increase throughput rate.

If cleared, the CPU segments large packets.

Note   

This option is also known as Large Send Offload (LSO).

Enable TCP Rx Offload Checksum Validation check box

If checked, the CPU sends all packet checksums to the hardware for validation. This option may reduce CPU overhead.

If cleared, the CPU validates all packet checksums.

Enable TCP Tx Offload Checksum Generation check box

If checked, the CPU sends all packets to the hardware so that the checksum can be calculated. This option may reduce CPU overhead.

If cleared, the CPU calculates all packet checksums.

Enable Large Receive check box

If checked, the hardware reassembles all segmented packets before sending them to the CPU. This option may reduce CPU utilization and increase inbound throughput.

If cleared, the CPU processes all large packets.
Step 14   In the Receive Side Scaling area, review the information in the following fields:
Name Description

Enable TCP Receive Side Scaling check box

RSS distributes network receive processing across multiple CPUs in multiprocessor systems.

If checked, network receive processing is shared across processors whenever possible.

If cleared, network receive processing is always handled by a single processor even if additional processors are available.

Enable IPv4 RSS check box

If checked, RSS is enabled on IPv4 networks.

Enable TCP-IPv4 RSS check box

If checked, RSS is enabled for TCP transmissions across IPv4 networks.

Enable IPv6 RSS check box

If checked, RSS is enabled on IPv6 networks.

Enable TCP-IPv6 RSS check box

If checked, RSS is enabled for TCP transmissions across IPv6 networks.

Enable IPv6 Extension RSS check box

If checked, RSS is enabled for IPv6 extensions.

Enable TCP-IPv6 Extension RSS check box

If checked, RSS is enabled for TCP transmissions across IPv6 networks.

Modifying vNIC Properties

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the vNICs tab.
Step 6   In the Virtual Ethernet Interface Cards area, select a vNIC from the table.
Step 7   Click Properties to open the vNIC Properties dialog box.
Step 8   In the General area, update the following fields:
Name Description

Name field

A user-defined name for the virtual NIC.

Once you create the vNIC, this name cannot be changed.

MTU field

The maximum transmission unit, or packet size, that this vNIC accepts.

Enter an integer between 1500 and 9000.

Uplink Port drop-down list

The uplink port associated with this vNIC. All traffic for this vNIC goes through this uplink port.

MAC Address field

The MAC address associated with the vNIC.

To let the adapter select an available MAC address from its internal pool, select Auto. To specify an address, click the second radio button and enter the MAC address in the corresponding field.

Class of Service drop-down list

The class of service to associate with traffic from this vNIC.

Select an integer between 0 and 6, with 0 being lowest priority and 6 being the highest priority.

Trust Host CoS check box

Check this box if you want the vNIC to use the class of service provided by the host operating system.

PCI Order field

The order in which this vNIC will be used.

To let the system set the order, select Any. To specify an order, select the second radio button and enter an integer between 0 and 99.

Default VLAN field

If there is no default VLAN for this vNIC, click NONE. Otherwise, click the second radio button and enter a VLAN ID in the field. The ID can be an integer between 1 and 4094.

VLAN Mode drop-down list

If you want to use VLAN trunking, select TRUNK. Otherwise, select ACCESS.

Rate Limit field

If you want this vNIC to have an unlimited data rate, select OFF. Otherwise, click the second radio button and enter a rate limit in the associated field. You can enter an integer between 1 and 10,000 Mbps.

Enable PXE Boot check box

Check this box if the vNIC can be used to perform a PXE boot.
Step 9   In the Ethernet Interrupt area, update the following fields:
Name Description

Interrupt Count field

The number of interrupt resources to allocate. In general, this value should be equal to the number of completion queue resources.

Enter an integer between 1 and 514.

Coalescing Time field

The time to wait between interrupts or the idle period that must be encountered before an interrupt is sent.

Enter a value between 1 and 65535. To turn off interrupt coalescing, enter 0 (zero) in this field.

Coalescing Type drop-down list

This can be one of the following:


  • MIN—The system waits for the time specified in the Coalescing Time field before sending another interrupt event.

  • IDLE—The system does not send an interrupt until there is a period of no activity lasting as least as long as the time specified in the Coalescing Time field.

Interrupt Mode drop-down list

The preferred driver interrupt mode. This can be one of the following:


  • MSI-X—Message Signaled Interrupts (MSI) with the optional extension. This is the recommended option.

  • MSI—MSI only.

  • INTx—PCI INTx interrupts.
Step 10   In the Ethernet Receive Queue area, update the following fields:
Name Description

Receive Queue Count field

The number of receive queue resources to allocate.

Enter an integer between 1 and 256.

Receive Queue Ring Size field

The number of descriptors in each receive queue.

Enter an integer between 64 and 4096.
Step 11   In the Ethernet Transmit Queue area, update the following fields:
Name Description

Transmit Queue Count field

The number of transmit queue resources to allocate.

Enter an integer between 1 and 256.

Transmit Queue Ring Size field

The number of descriptors in each transmit queue.

Enter an integer between 64 and 4096.
Step 12   In the Completion Queue area, update the following fields:
Name Description

Completion Queue Count field

The number of completion queue resources to allocate. In general, the number of completion queue resources you should allocate is equal to the number of transmit queue resources plus the number of receive queue resources.

Enter an integer between 1 and 512.

Completion Queue Ring Size field

The number of descriptors in each completion queue.

This value cannot be changed.

Step 13   In the TCP Offload area, update the following fields:
Name Description

Enable TCP Segmentation Offload check box

If checked, the CPU sends large TCP packets to the hardware to be segmented. This option may reduce CPU overhead and increase throughput rate.

If cleared, the CPU segments large packets.

Note   

This option is also known as Large Send Offload (LSO).

Enable TCP Rx Offload Checksum Validation check box

If checked, the CPU sends all packet checksums to the hardware for validation. This option may reduce CPU overhead.

If cleared, the CPU validates all packet checksums.

Enable TCP Tx Offload Checksum Generation check box

If checked, the CPU sends all packets to the hardware so that the checksum can be calculated. This option may reduce CPU overhead.

If cleared, the CPU calculates all packet checksums.

Enable Large Receive check box

If checked, the hardware reassembles all segmented packets before sending them to the CPU. This option may reduce CPU utilization and increase inbound throughput.

If cleared, the CPU processes all large packets.
Step 14   In the Receive Side Scaling area, update the following fields:
Name Description

Enable TCP Receive Side Scaling check box

RSS distributes network receive processing across multiple CPUs in multiprocessor systems.

If checked, network receive processing is shared across processors whenever possible.

If cleared, network receive processing is always handled by a single processor even if additional processors are available.

Enable IPv4 RSS check box

If checked, RSS is enabled on IPv4 networks.

Enable TCP-IPv4 RSS check box

If checked, RSS is enabled for TCP transmissions across IPv4 networks.

Enable IPv6 RSS check box

If checked, RSS is enabled on IPv6 networks.

Enable TCP-IPv6 RSS check box

If checked, RSS is enabled for TCP transmissions across IPv6 networks.

Enable IPv6 Extension RSS check box

If checked, RSS is enabled for IPv6 extensions.

Enable TCP-IPv6 Extension RSS check box

If checked, RSS is enabled for TCP transmissions across IPv6 networks.
Step 15   Click Save Changes.

Creating a vNIC

The adapter provides two permanent vNICs. You can create up to 16 additional vNICs.

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the vNICs tab.
Step 6   In the Virtual Ethernet Interface Cards area, choose one of these actions:
  • To create a vNIC using default configuration settings, click Add.
  • To create a vNIC using the same configuration settings as an existing vNIC, select that vNIC and click Clone.

The Add vNIC dialog box appears.
Step 7   In the Add vNIC dialog box, enter a name for the vNIC in the Name entry box.
Step 8   Click Add vNIC.
What to Do Next

If configuration changes are required, configure the new vNIC as described in Modifying vNIC Properties.

Deleting a vNIC

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the vNICs tab.
Step 6   In the Virtual Ethernet Interface Cards area, select a vNIC from the table.
Step 7   In the Virtual Ethernet Interface Cards area, select a vNIC from the table.
Note    You cannot delete either of the two default vNICs, eth0 or eth1.
Step 8   Click Delete and click OK to confirm.

Backing Up and Restoring the Adapter Configuration

Exporting the Adapter Configuration

The adapter configuration can be exported as an XML file to a TFTP server.

Before You Begin

Obtain the TFTP server IP address.


Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the General tab.
Step 6   In the Actions area of the General tab, click Export Configuration.

The Export Adapter Configuration dialog box opens.
Step 7   In the Export Adapter Configuration dialog box, update the following fields:
Name Description

TFTP Server IP Address field

The IP address of the TFTP server to which the adapter 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 8   Click Export Configuration.

Importing the Adapter Configuration

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the General tab.
Step 6   In the Actions area of the General tab, click Import Configuration.

The Import Adapter Configuration dialog box opens.
Step 7   In the Import Adapter Configuration dialog box, update the following fields:
Name Description

TFTP Server IP Address field

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

Path and Filename field

The path and filename of the configuration file on the TFTP server.
Step 8   Click Import Configuration. The adapter downloads the configuration file from the specified path on the TFTP server at the specified IP address. The configuration will be installed during the next server reboot.
What to Do Next

Reboot the server to apply the imported configuration.

Restoring Adapter Defaults

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the General tab.
Step 6   In the Actions area of the General tab, click Reset To Defaults and click OK to confirm.

Managing Adapter Firmware

Installing Adapter Firmware From a Local File

Before You Begin

Store the adapter firmware file in the file system of the managing computer.


Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the General tab.
Step 6   In the Actions area of the General tab, click Install Firmware to open the Install Adapter Firmware dialog box.
Step 7   In the Install Adapter Firmware dialog box, select Install from local file, then click Next.
Step 8   Click Browse... and locate the adapter firmware file.
Step 9   Click Install Firmware.
What to Do Next

To activate the new firmware, see Activating Adapter Firmware.

Installing Adapter Firmware From a TFTP Server

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the General tab.
Step 6   In the Actions area of the General tab, click Install Firmware to open the Install Adapter Firmware dialog box.
Step 7   In the Install Adapter Firmware dialog box, select Install from TFTP server, then click Next.
Step 8   In the Install Adapter Firmware dialog box, update the following fields:
Name Description

TFTP Server IP Address field

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

Path and Filename field

The path and filename of the configuration file on the TFTP server.

Back button

Click this button if you want to specify a local path for the firmware package.

Install Firmware button

Click this button to install the selected firmware package in the adapter's backup memory slot.

Cancel button

Click this button to cancel the firmware installation process. No changes are made to the firmware versions stored on the server.
Step 9   Click Install Firmware.
What to Do Next

To activate the new firmware, see Activating Adapter Firmware.

Activating Adapter Firmware

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
Step 2   On the Server tab, click Inventory.
Step 3   In the Inventory pane, click the Adapters tab.
Step 4   In the Adapter Cards area, select the adapter card.

If the server is powered on, the resources of the selected adapter card appear in the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area.
Step 5   In the tabbed menu below the Adapter Cards area, click the General tab.
Step 6   In the Actions area of the General tab, click Activate Firmware to open the Activate Adapter Firmware dialog box.
Step 7   In the Activate Adapter Firmware dialog box, select the image to run the next time the firmware starts up.
Step 8   Click Activate Adapter Firmware.