Server Utilities

This chapter includes the following sections:

Exporting Technical Support Data

Exporting Technical Support Data to a Remote Server

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 menu.
    Step 2   In the Admin menu, click Utilities.
    Step 3   In the Actions area of the Utilities pane, click Export Technical Support Data to Remote Server.
    Step 4   In the Export Technical Support Data dialog box, complete the following fields:
    Name Description

    Select Component checkbox

    Check to select a component. This can be one of the following:

    • All

    • CMC

    • PEERCMC

    • BMC 1

    • BMC 2

    Depending on the component you choose, technical support data for that component is exported.
    Note   

    If you choose All, the technical data for all components is exported.

    Export Technical Support Data to drop-down list

    The remote server type. This can be one of the following:

    • TFTP Server

    • FTP Server

    • SFTP Server

    • SCP Server

    • HTTP Server

    Note   

    If you chose SCP or SFTP as the remote server type while performing this action, a pop-up window is displayed with the message Server (RSA) key fingerprint is <server_finger_print _ID> Do you wish to continue?. Click Yes or No depending on the authenticity of the server fingerprint.

    The fingerprint is based on the host's public key and helps you to identify or verify the host you are connecting to.

    Server IP/Hostname field

    The IP address or hostname of the server on which the support data file should be stored. Depending on the setting in the Export Technical Support Data to drop-down list, the name of the field may vary.

    Path and Filename field

    The path and filename Cisco IMC should use when exporting the file to the remote server.

    Note   

    If the server includes any of the supported network adapter cards, the data file also includes technical support data from the adapter card.

    Username

    The username the system should use to log in to the remote server. This field does not apply if the protocol is TFTP or HTTP.

    Password

    The password for the remote server username. This field does not apply if the protocol is TFTP or HTTP.

    Step 5   Click Export.
    What to Do Next

    Provide the generated report file to Cisco TAC.

    Downloading Technical Support Data to a Local File

    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 menu.
      Step 2   In the Admin menu, click Utilities.
      Step 3   In the Actions area of the Utilities pane, click Generate Technical Support Data for Local Download.
      Step 4   In the Download Technical Support Data to Local File dialog box, complete the following fields:
      Name Description

      Generate Technical Support Data radio button

      Cisco IMC displays this radio button when there is no technical support data file to download.

      Note    Select Component checkbox

      Check to select a component. This can be one of the following:

      • All

      • CMC

      • PEERCMC

      • BMC 1

      • BMC 2

      Depending on the component you choose, technical support data for that component is downloaded.
      Note   

      If you choose All, the technical data for all components is downloaded.

      Download to local file radio button

      Cisco IMC enables this radio button when a technical support data file is available to download.

      To download the existing file, select this option and click Download.

      Note   

      If the server includes any of the supported network adapter cards, the data file also includes technical support data from the adapter card.

      Step 5   Click Generate to create the data file. When data collection is complete, click Download Technical Support Data to Local File in the Actions area to download the file..
      What to Do Next

      Provide the generated report file to Cisco TAC.

      Resetting to Factory Default

      On rare occasions, such as an issue with the current running firmware, troubleshooting a server may require you to reset the chassis or BMC 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 chassis or BMC, you are logged off and must log in again. You may also lose connectivity and may need to reconfigure the network settings. Some of the inventory information may not be available during this transition.

      When you reset the BMC to factory settings, the serial number is displayed in the Cisco IMCXXXXXX format, where XXXXXX is the serial number of the server.

      Before You Begin

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

      Procedure
        Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin menu.
        Step 2   In the Admin menu, click Utilities.
        Step 3   In the Actions area of the Utilities pane, click Reset to Factory Default.
        Step 4   In the Reset to Factory Default dialog box, review the following information:

        Actions

        Description

        Reset to factory Default Setting of drop-down list

        Allows you to select the chassis or BMCs for which you want to reset the factory default setting. This can be one of the following:

        • Chassis

        • BMC1

        • BMC2

        Step 5   Click Reset to reset the selected component to the factory-default settings.

        A reboot of Cisco IMC while the host is performing BIOS POST (Power on Self Test) or is in EFI shell powers down the host for a short amount of time. Cisco IMC powers on when it is ready. Upon restart, the network configuration mode is set to Cisco Card mode by default.

        Exporting and Importing the Cisco IMC Configuration

        Exporting and Importing the Cisco IMC Configuration

        To perform a backup of the Cisco IMC configuration, you take a snapshot of the system configuration and export the resulting Cisco IMC configuration file to a location on your network. The export 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 an exported Cisco IMC configuration file to the same system or you can import it to another Cisco IMC 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 Cisco IMC configuration file is an XML text file whose structure and elements correspond to the Cisco IMC command modes.

        When performing an export or import operation, consider these guidelines:

        • You can perform an export or an import while the system is up and running. While an export 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 an export and an import simultaneously.

        You can perform an import or an export operation on the following features:

        • Cisco IMC version


          Note

          You can only export this information.

        • Network settings

        • Technical support

        • Logging control for local and remote logs

        • Power policies

        • BIOS - BIOS Parameters


          Note

          Precision boot is not supported.

        • Communication services

        • Remote presence

        • User management - LDAP

        • SNMP

        • Dynamic Storage Configuration

        • Chassis Description

        Exporting the Cisco IMC Configuration


        Note

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

        Before You Begin

        Obtain the backup remote server IP address.

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

          Select Component for export checkbox

          Check to select a component. This can be one of the following:

          • Chassis

          • BMC 1

          • BMC 2

          Depending on the component you choose, the configuration of that component is exported.

          Export to a local file radio button

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

          When you select this option, Cisco IMC GUI displays a File Download dialog box that lets you navigate to the location to which the configuration file should be saved.

          Export to Remote server radio button

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

          When you select this option, Cisco IMC GUI displays the remote server fields.

          Export to drop-down list

          The remote server type. This can be one of the following:

          • TFTP Server

          • FTP Server

          • SFTP Server

          • SCP Server

          • HTTP Server

          Note   

          If you chose SCP or SFTP as the remote server type while performing this action, a pop-up window is displayed with the message Server (RSA) key fingerprint is <server_finger_print _ID> Do you wish to continue?. Click Yes or No depending on the authenticity of the server fingerprint.

          The fingerprint is based on the host's public key and helps you to identify or verify the host you are connecting to.

          Server IP/Hostname field

          The IPv4 or IPv6 address, or hostname of the server to which the configuration file will be exported. Depending on the setting in the Export to drop-down list, the name of the field may vary.

          Path and Filename field

          The path and filename Cisco IMC should use when exporting the file to the remote server.

          Username

          The username the system should use to log in to the remote server. This field does not apply if the protocol is TFTP or HTTP.

          Password

          The password for the remote server username. This field does not apply if the protocol is TFTP or HTTP.

          Passphrase

          The passphrase that uses the AES256 algorithm to encrypt the LDAP and SNMP v3 user passwords in the exported configuration files. Enter a string of 6 to 127 characters. Do not enter the following characters: %, ^, <, ~, `

          This option is available only with CMC export.

          Step 5   Click Export.

          Importing the Cisco IMC Configuration

          Before You Begin

          If you want to restore the SNMP configuration information when you import the configuration file, make sure that SNMP is disabled on this server before you do the import. If SNMP is enabled when you perform the import, Cisco IMC does not overwrite the current values with those saved in the configuration file.

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

            Select Component for import checkbox

            Check to select a component. This can be one of the following:

            • Chassis

            • BMC 1

            • BMC 2

            Depending on the component you choose, the configuration of that component is imported.

            Import from a local file radio button

            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 Cisco IMC GUI.

            When you select this option, Cisco IMC GUI displays a Browse button that lets you navigate to the file you want to import.

            Import from Remote server radio button

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

            When you select this option, Cisco IMC GUI displays the remote server fields.

            Import from drop-down list

            The remote server type. This can be one of the following:

            • TFTP Server

            • FTP Server

            • SFTP Server

            • SCP Server

            • HTTP Server

            Note   

            If you chose SCP or SFTP as the remote server type while performing this action, a pop-up window is displayed with the message Server (RSA) key fingerprint is <server_finger_print _ID> Do you wish to continue?. Click Yes or No depending on the authenticity of the server fingerprint.

            The fingerprint is based on the host's public key and helps you to identify or verify the host you are connecting to.

            Server IP/Hostname field

            The IPv4 or IPv6 address, or hostname of the server on which the configuration file resides. Depending on the setting in the Import from drop-down list, the name of the field may vary.

            Path and Filename field

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

            Username

            The username the system should use to log in to the remote server. This field does not apply if the protocol is TFTP or HTTP.

            Password

            The password for the remote server username. This field does not apply if the protocol is TFTP or HTTP.

            Passphrase

            The passphrase that uses the AES256 algorithm to encrypt the LDAP and SNMP v3 user passwords in the imported configuration files. Enter a string of 6 to 127 characters. Do not enter the following characters: %, ^, <, ~, `

            This option is available only with CMC import.

            Note   

            If you edit the encrypted sections in the configuration file and try to import it, the edits will be ignored and the import operation displays a partially successful message.

            Step 5   Click Import.

            Generating Non Maskable Interrupts to the Host

            In some situations, the server might hang and not respond to traditional debug mechanisms. By generating a non maskable interrupt (NMI) to the host, you can create and send a crash dump file of the server and use it to debug the server.

            Depending on the type of operating system associated with the server, this task might restart the OS.

            Before You Begin

            • You must log in as a user with admin privileges.

            • The server must be powered on.

            Procedure
              Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin menu.
              Step 2   In the Admin menu, click Utilities.
              Step 3   In the Actions area of the Utilities pane, click Generate NMI to Host.
              Step 4   In the Generate NMI to Host dialog box, review the following information:

              Actions

              Description

              Generate NMI to drop-down list

              Allows you to select the server for which you want to generate the non maskable interrupt (NMI). This can be one of the following:

              • Server 1

              • Server 2

              Step 5   Click Send.

              This action sends an NMI signal to the host, which might restart the OS.

              Adding or Updating the Cisco IMC Banner

              You can add or update the Cisco IMC banner by entering important information such as copyright or customized messages. Complete the following steps:

              Before You Begin

              Procedure
                Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin menu.
                Step 2   In the Admin menu, click Utilities.
                Step 3   In the Actions area of the Utilities pane, click Add/Update Cisco IMC Banner.
                Step 4   In the Add/Update Cisco IMC Banner dialog box, complete the following fields:
                Name Description

                Banner (80 Chars per line. Max 2K Chars.) field

                Enter copyright information or messages that you want to display on the login screen, before logging on to the Web UI or the command line interface.

                Restart SSH checkbox

                When checked, the active SSH sessions are terminated after you click the Save Banner button.

                Step 5   Click Save Banner.
                What to Do Next

                Viewing Cisco IMC Last Reset Reason

                Procedure
                  Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin menu.
                  Step 2   In the Admin menu, click Utilities.
                  Step 3   In the Actions area of the Utilities pane, view the following information under the Last Reset Reason area.
                  Name Description

                  Component field

                  The component that was last reset.

                  Status field

                  The reason why the component was last reset. This can be one of the following:

                  • watchdog-reset—The watchdog-timer resets when the Cisco IMC memory reaches full capacity.

                  • ac-cycle— PSU power cables are removed (no power input).

                  • graceful-reboot— Cisco IMC reboot occurs.