Managing the Server

This chapter includes the following sections:

Server Boot Order

Using Cisco IMC, you can configure the order in which the server attempts to boot from available boot device types. In the legacy boot order configuration, Cisco IMC allows you to reorder the device types but not the devices within the device types. With the precision boot order configuration, you can have a linear ordering of the devices. In the web UI or CLI you can change the boot order and boot mode, add multiple devices under each device types, rearrange the boot order, set parameters for each device type.

When you change the boot order configuration, Cisco IMC sends the configured boot order to BIOS the next time that server is rebooted. To implement the new boot order, reboot the server after you make the configuration change. The new boot order takes effect on any subsequent reboot. The configured boot order remains until the configuration is changed again in Cisco IMC or in the BIOS setup.


Note

The actual boot order differs from the configured boot order if either of the following conditions occur:

  • BIOS encounters issues while trying to boot using the configured boot order.

  • A user changes the boot order directly through BIOS.

  • BIOS appends devices that are seen by the host but are not configured from the user.


Note

When you create a new policy using the configure boot order feature, BIOS tries to map this new policy to the devices in the system. It displays the actual device name and the policy name to which it is mapped in the Actual Boot Order area. If BIOS cannot map any device to a particular policy in Cisco IMC, the actual device name is stated as NonPolicyTarget in the Actual Boot Order area.


Note

When you upgrade Cisco IMC to the latest version 2.0(x) for the first time, the legacy boot order is migrated to the precision boot order. During this process, previous boot order configuration is erased and all device types configured before updating to 2.0 version are converted to corresponding precision boot device types and some dummy devices are created for the same device types. you can view these devices in the Configured Boot Order area in the web UI. To view these devices in the CLI, enter show boot-device command. During this the server's actual boot order is retained and it can be viewed under actual boot order option in web UI and CLI.

When you downgrade Cisco IMC prior to 2.0(x) verison the server's last legacy boot order is retained, and the same can be viewed under Actual Boot Order area. For example:

  • If you configured the server in a legacy boot order in 2.0(x) version, upon downgrade a legacy boot order configuration is retained.

  • If you configured the server in a precision boot order in 2.0(x), upon downgrade the last configured legacy boot order is retained.


Important

  • Boot order configuration prior to 2.0(x) is referred as legacy boot order. If your running version is 2.0(x), then you cannot configure legacy boot order through web UI, but you can configure through CLI and XML API. In the CLI, you can configure it by using set boot-order HDD,PXE command. Even though, you can configure legacy boot order through CLI or XML API, in the web UI this configured boot order is not displayed.

  • Legacy and precision boot order features are mutually exclusive. You can configure either legacy or precision boot order. If you configure legacy boot order, it disables all the precision boot devices configured. If you configure precision boot order, then it erases legacy boot order configuration.

Configuring the Precision Boot Order

Before you begin

You must log in as a user with admin privileges to configure server the boot order.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the BIOS tab, click the Configure Boot Order tab.

Step 3

In the BIOS Properties area, click Configure Boot Order.

A dialog box with boot order instructions appears.

Step 4

In the Configure Boot Order dialog box, update the following properties:

Name Description

Add Boot Device table

The server boot options. You can add one or more of the following boot device and set parameters of the selected device:

Note 

The following list shows all possible boot devices. The actual devices displayed depend on the type of C-Series server that you are using.

  • Add Local HDD

  • Add PXE Boot

  • Add SAN Boot

  • Add iSCSI Boot

  • Add SD Card

    Note 

    This option is available only on some UCS C-Series servers.

  • Add USB

  • Add Virtual Media

  • Add PCH Storage

  • Add UEFI SHELL

  • Add NVME

  • Add Local CDD

Enable/Disable button

The visibility of a device by BIOS. The state can be one of the following:

  • Enabled— The device is visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

  • Disabled— The device is not visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

Modify button

Modifies the attributes of the selected devices.

Delete button

Deletes the selected bootable device from the Boot Order table.

Clone button

Copies an existing device setting to a new device.

Re-Apply button

Reapplies the boot order configuration to BIOS when the last configured boot order source displays as BIOS.

Move Up button

Moves the selected device type to a higher priority in the Boot Order table.

Move Down button

Moves the selected device type to a lower priority in the Boot Order table.

Boot Order table

Displays the device types from which this server can boot, in the order in which the boot is attempted.

Save Changes button

Saves the changes to the configured boot order or reapplies a previously configured boot order.

Cisco IMC sends the configured boot order to BIOS the next time that server is rebooted.

Reset Values button

Resets the values of the configured boot order.

Close button

Closes the dialog box without saving any changes or reapplying the existing configuration.

If you choose this option, the actual boot order does not change the next time that server is rebooted.

Step 5

Click Save Changes.

Additional device types might be appended to the actual boot order, depending on what devices you have connected to your server.

What to do next

Reboot the server to boot with your new boot order.

Managing a Boot Device

Before you begin

You must log in as a user with admin privileges to add device type to the server boot order.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the BIOS tab, click the Configure Boot Order tab.

Step 3

In the BIOS Properties area, click Configure Boot Order.

A dialog box with boot order instructions appears.

Step 4

In the Configure Boot Order dialog box, from the Add Boot Device table, choose the device that you want add to the boot order.

To add the local HDD device, click Add Local HDD, and update the following parameters:

Name Description

Name field

The name of the device.

Note 

Once created, you cannot rename the device.

State drop-down list

The visibility of the device by BIOS. This can be one of the following:

  • Enabled—The device is visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

  • Disabled—The device is not visible to BIOS in a boot configuration.

Order field

The order of the device in the available list of devices.

Enter between 1 and n, where n is the number of devices.

Slot field

The slot in which the device is installed. Enter a value within the range 1 - 255, or M.

The slot in which the device is installed. The range depends on the C-Series servers:

  • For C220 M4 and C240 M4 servers, enter HBA.

  • For C460 M4 servers, enter a value within the range 1 - 255, or SAS.

  • For the other C-Series servers, enter a value within the range 1 - 255, or M.

Add Device button

Adds the device to the Boot Order table.

Cancel button

Closes the dialog box without saving any changes made while the dialog box was open.

To add the PXE device, click Add PXE, and update the following parameters:

Name Description

Name field

The name of the device.

This name cannot be changed after the device has been created.

State drop-down list

The visibility of the device by BIOS. The state can be one of the following:

  • Enabled—The device is visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

  • Disabled—The device is not visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

Order field

The order of the device in the available list of devices.

Enter between 1 and n, where n is the number of devices.

Slot field

The slot in which the device is installed. Enter a value within the range 1 - 255.

  • For C220 M4 and C240 M4 servers, enter a number between 1 and 255, or L, or MLOM.

  • For C3160 servers, enter a value between 1 and 255.

  • For C460M4 servers, enter a value between 1 and 255, or L1, or L2.

  • For the other C-Series servers, enter a value between 0 and 255, or L.

MAC Address MAC address of the server.
Note 

This option is available only on some C-Series servers.

Port field

The port of the slot in which the device is present.

Enter a number between 0 and 255.

To add the SAN boot device, click Add SAN Boot, and update the following parameters:

Name Description

Name field

The name of the device.

This name cannot be changed after the device has been created.

State drop-down list

The visibility of the device by BIOS. The state can be one of the following:

  • Enabled—The device is visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

  • Disabled—The device is not visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

Order field

The order of the device in the available list of devices.

Enter between 1 and n, where n is the number of devices.

Slot field

The slot in which the device is installed. Enter a value between 1 and 255.

The slot in which the device is installed. The range depends on the C-Series servers:

  • For C220 M4 and C240 M4 servers, enter a number between 1 and 255, or MLOM.

  • For C460M4 servers, enter a value between 1 and 255, or L1, or L2.

  • For the other C-Series servers, enter a value between 1 and 255.

LUN field

Logical unit in a slot where the device is present.

Enter a number between 0 and 255.

Save Changes button

Adds the device to the Boot Order table, and saves the changes.

Cancel button

Closes the dialog box without saving any changes made while the dialog box was open.

To add the iSCSI boot device, click Add iSCSI Boot, and update the following parameters:

Name Description

Name field

The name of the device.

This name cannot be changed after the device has been created.

State drop-down list

The visibility of the device by BIOS. The state can be one of the following:

  • Enabled—The device is visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

  • Disabled—The device is not visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

Order field

The order of the device in the available list of devices.

Enter between 1 and n, where n is the number of devices.

Slot field

The slot in which the device is installed. Enter a value between 1 and 255, or L.

The slot in which the device is installed. The range depends on the C-Series servers:

  • For C220 M4 and C240 M4 servers, enter a number between 1 and 255, or L, or MLOM.

  • For C3160 servers, enter a value between 1 and 255.

  • For C460M4 servers, enter a value between 1 and 255, or L1, or L2.

  • For the other C-Series servers, enter a value between 1 and 255, or L.

Port field

The port of the slot in which the device is present.

Enter a number between 0 and 255.

Note 

In case of a VIC card, use a vNIC instance instead of the port number.

Save Changes button

Adds the device to the Boot Order table, and saves the changes.

Cancel button

Closes the dialog box without saving any changes made while the dialog box was open.

To add the SD card, click Add SD Card, and update the following parameters:

Note 

This option is available only on some UCS C-Series servers.

Name Description

Name field

The name of the device.

This name cannot be changed after the device has been created.

State drop-down list

The visibility of the device by BIOS. This can be one of the following:

  • Enabled—The device is visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

  • Disabled—The device is not visible to BIOS in a boot configuration.

Order field

The order of the device in the available list of devices.

Enter between 1 and n, where n is the number of devices.

Save Changes button

Adds the device to the Boot Order table.

Cancel button

Closes the dialog box without saving any changes made while the dialog box was open.

To add the USB device, click Add USB, and update the following parameters:

Name Description

Name field

The name of the device.

This name cannot be changed after the device has been created.

Sub Type drop-down list

The subdevice type under a certain device type. This can be one of the following:

  • CD

  • FDD

  • HDD

State drop-down list

The visibility of the device by BIOS. This can be one of the following:

  • Enabled—The device is visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

  • Disabled—The device is not visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

Order field

The order of the device in the available list of devices.

Enter between 1 and n, where n is the number of devices.

Save Changes button

Adds the device to the Boot Order table.

Cancel button

Closes the dialog box without saving any changes made while the dialog box was open.

To add the virtual media, click Virtual Media, and update the following parameters:

Name Description

Name field

The name of the device.

This name cannot be changed after the device has been created.

Sub Type drop-down list

The subdevice type under a certain device type. This could be any one of the following:

  • KVM Mapped DVD

  • Cisco IMC Mapped DVD

  • KVM Mapped HDD

  • Cisco IMC Mapped HDD

  • KVM Mapped FDD

State drop-down list

The visibility of the device by BIOS. The state can be one of the following:

  • Enabled—The device is visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

  • Disabled—The device is not visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

Order field

The order of the device in the available list of devices.

Enter between 1 and n, where n is the number of devices.

Save Changes button

Adds the device to the Boot Order table.

Cancel button

Closes the dialog box without saving any changes made while the dialog box was open.

To add the PCH storage device, click PCH Storage, and update the following parameters:

Name Description

Name field

The name of the device.

This name cannot be changed after the device has been created.

State drop-down list

The visibility of the device by BIOS. This can be one of the following:

  • Enabled—The device is visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

  • Disabled—The device is not visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

Order field

The order of the device in the available list of devices.

Enter between 1 and n, where n is the number of devices.

LUN field

Logical unit in a slot where the device is present.

  • Enter a number between 0 and 255

  • SATA in AHCI mode—Enter a value between 1 and 10

  • SATA in SWRAID mode—Enter 0 for SATA , and enter 1 for SATA

Note 

SATA mode is available only on some UCS C-Series servers.

Save Changes button

Adds the device to the Boot Order table.

Cancel button

Closes the dialog box without saving any changes made while the dialog box was open.

To add the UEFI shell device, click Add UEFI Shell, and update the following parameters:

Name Description

Name field

The name of the device.

This name cannot be changed after the device has been created.

State drop-down list

The visibility of the device by BIOS. The state can be one of the following:

  • Enabled—The device is visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

  • Disabled—The device is not visible to BIOS in a boot order configuration.

Order field

The order of the device in the available list of devices.

Enter between 1 and n, where n is the number of devices.

Add Device button

Adds the device to the Boot Order table.

Cancel button

Closes the dialog box without saving any changes made while the dialog box was open.

Overview to UEFI Secure Boot

You can use Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) secure boot to ensure that all the EFI drivers, EFI applications, option ROM or operating systems prior to loading and execution are signed and verified for authenticity and integrity, before you load and execute the operating system. You can enable this option using either web UI or CLI. When you enable UEFI secure boot mode, the boot mode is set to UEFI mode and you cannot modify the configured boot mode until the UEFI boot mode is disabled.


Note

If you enable UEFI secure boot on a nonsupported OS, on the next reboot, you cannot boot from that particular OS. If you try to boot from the previous OS, an error is reported and recorded the under system software event in the web UI. You must disable the UEFI secure boot option using Cisco IMC to boot from your previous OS.


Important

Also, if you use an unsupported adapter, an error log event in Cisco IMC SEL is recorded. The error messages is displayed that says:

System Software event: Post sensor, System Firmware error. EFI Load Image Security Violation. [0x5302] was asserted .

UEFI secure boot is supported on the following components:
Components Types

Supported OS

  • Windows Server 2012

  • Windows Server 2012 R2

Broadcom PCI adapters

  • 5709 dual and quad port adapters

  • 57712 10GBASE-T adapter

  • 57810 CNA

  • 57712 SFP port

Intel PCI adapters

  • i350 quad port adapter

  • X520 adapter

  • X540 adapter

  • LOM

QLogic PCI adapters

  • 8362 dual port adapter

  • 2672 dual port adapter

Fusion-io

LSI

  • LSI MegaRAID SAS 9240-8i

  • LSI MegaRAID SAS 9220-8i

  • LSI MegaRAID SAS 9265CV-8i

  • LSI MegaRAID SAS 9285CV-8e

  • LSI MegaRAID SAS 9285CV-8e

  • LSI MegaRAID SAS 9266-8i

  • LSI SAS2008-8i mezz

  • LSI Nytro card

  • RAID controller for UCS Storage (SLOT-MEZZ)

  • Host Bus Adapter (HBA)

Enabling UEFI Secure Boot

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the work pane, click the BIOS tab.

Step 3

In the BIOS Properties area of the Configure Boot Order tab, check UEFI Secure Boot checkbox.

Note 

If checked, the boot mode is set to UEFI secure boot. You cannot modify the Configure Boot Mode until UEFI secure boot option is disabled.

If you enable UEFI secure boot on a nonsupported OS, on the next reboot, you cannot boot from that particular OS. If you try to boot from the previous OS, an error is reported and recorded under the system software event in the web UI. You must disable the UEFI secure boot option by using Cisco IMC to boot from your previous OS.

Step 4

Click Save Changes.

What to do next

Reboot the server to have your configuration boot mode settings take place.

Disabling UEFI Secure Boot

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the work pane, click the BIOS tab.

Step 3

In the BIOS Properties area, uncheck the UEFI Secure Boot check box.

Step 4

Click Save Changes.

What to do next

Reboot the server to have your configuration boot mode settings take place.

Viewing the Actual Server Boot Order

The actual server boot order is the boot order actually used by BIOS when the server last booted. The actual boot order can differ from the boot order configured in Cisco IMC.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the BIOS tab, click the Configure Boot Order tab.

Step 3

In the BIOS Properties area, click Configure Boot Order.

This area displays the boot order devices configured through Cisco IMC as well as the actual boot order used by the server BIOS.

The Configured Boot Devices section displays the boot order (Basic or Advanced) configured through Cisco IMC. If this configuration changes, Cisco IMC sends this boot order to BIOS the next time that server boots. The Basic configuration allows you to specify only the device type. The Advanced configuration allows you to configure the device with specific parameters such as slot, port and LUN.

To change the configured boot order, or to restore the previously configured boot order, administrators can click the Configure Boot Order button. To have these changes take effect immediately, reboot the server. You can verify the new boot order by refreshing the BIOS tab.

Note 
This information is only sent to BIOS the next time the server boots. Cisco IMC does not send the boot order information to BIOS again until the configuration changes.

The Actual Boot Devices section displays the boot order actually used by BIOS when the server last booted. The actual boot order will differ from the configured boot order if either of the following conditions occur:

  • The BIOS encounters issues while trying to boot using the configured boot order.

  • A user changes the boot order directly through the BIOS. To override any manual changes, you can change the configured boot order through Cisco IMC and reboot the server.

Note 
When you create a new policy using the configured boot order, BIOS tries to map this new policy to the device or devices present in the system. It displays the actual device name and the policy name to which it is mapped under the Actual Boot Order area. If BIOS cannot map any device found to a particular policy in Cisco IMC, then the actual device name is stated as NonPolicyTarget under the Actual Boot Order area.

Configuring a Server to Boot With a One-Time Boot Device

You can configure a server to boot from a particular device only for the next server boot, without disrupting the currently configured boot order. Once the server boots from the one time boot device, all its future reboots occur from the previously configured boot order.

Before you begin

You must log in as a user with admin privileges to configure server the boot order.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the BIOS tab, click the Configure Boot Order tab.

Step 3

In the BIOS Properties area, select an option from the Configured One Time Boot Device drop-down.

Note 

The host boots to the one time boot device even when configured with a disabled advanced boot device.

Creating a Server Asset Tag

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Chassis menu.

Step 2

In the Chassis menu, click Summary.

Step 3

In the Server Properties area, update the Asset Tag field.

Step 4

Click Save Changes.

Configuring Power Policies

Power Capping


Important

This section is valid only for some UCS C-Series servers.

Power capping determines how server power consumption is actively managed. When you enable power capping option, the system monitors power consumption and maintains the power below the allocated power limit. If the server cannot maintain the power limit or cannot bring the platform power back to the specified power limit within the correction time, power capping performs actions that you specify in the Action field under the Power Profile area.

Once power capping is enabled, you can configure multiple power profiles to either have standard or advanced power profiles with defined attributes. If you choose a standard power profile, you can set the power limit, correction time, corrective-action, suspend period, hard capping, and policy state (if enabled). If you choose an advanced power profile, in addition to the attributes of the standard power profile, you can also set the domain specific power limits, safe throttle level, and ambient temperature based power capping attributes.


Note

The following changes are applicable for Cisco UCS C-Series release 2.0(13) and later:

  • After upgrading to the 2.0(13) release, power characterization automatically runs during the first host power on. Subsequent characterization runs only if initiated as described in section Run Power Characterization section.

  • Also, when a server is power cycled and there is a change to the CPU or DIMM configurations, power characterization automatically runs on first host boot. For any other hardware change like PCIe adapters, GPU or HDDs, power characterization does not run. The characterized power range is modified depending on the components present after the host power cycle.

The Run Power Characterization option in the Power Cap Configuration Tab of the Web UI power cycles the host and starts power characterization.

Enabling Power Characterization

You can enable power characterization only on some Cisco UCS C-Series servers.

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Chassis menu.

Step 2

In the Chassis menu, click Power Management.

Step 3

In the Power Cap Configuration tab, click the Run Power Characterization link.

A confirmation box appears that says the host is going to be either powered on or rebooted depending on the current power state. Review the message and click OK to close the dialog box.

You can verify the progress of the power characterization in the Status field. The status can be one of the following:

  • Not Run—When power characterization has not been run at all since the factory reset.

  • Running—When a power characterization process is in progress.

  • Completed Successfully—When a power characterization has run successfully.

  • Using Defaults—After running the power characterization, if the system fails to obtain the valid values, it uses default value as the recommended maximum and minimum power for power capping.

    After power characterization action is performed, the platform power limit range is populated under the Recommended Power Cap area as a minimum and maximum power in watts.

    Three values for power capping limits are displayed: Minimum (Allow Throttling), Minimum (Efficient) and Maximum:

    • Minimum (Allow Throttling) - This is the lower power limit for the chassis, when the CPU throttling is enabled.

      Note 

      You can use this minimum power limit value only when the Allow Throttle checkbox is enabled.

    • Minimum (Efficient) - This is the lower power limit for the chassis, when the CPU throttling is disabled.

    • Maximum - This is the upper power limit for the chassis.

Enabling Power Capping

This option is available only on some Cisco UCS C-Series servers.

Before you begin

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

  • Run power characterization.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Chassis menu.

Step 2

In the Chassis menu, click Power Management.

Step 3

Check the Power Capping check box.

Note 

This is the global option to enable or disable power capping. You must enable this option if you want to configure power profile settings.

Step 4

Click Save Changes.

Power Profiles

You can configure multiple profiles and set the attributes. These profiles are configured by using either the web UI or CLI. In the web UI, the profiles are listed under the Power Capping area. In the CLI, the profiles are configured when you enter the power-cap-config command. You can configure the following power profiles for power capping feature:

  • Standard—Enables you to set a power limit for the platform domain.

  • Advanced—Enables you to set various attributes such as the power limiting policy, fail-safe power limiting policy, and the ambient temperature-based power limiting policy.

Configuring Standard Power Profiles Settings

This option is available only on some Cisco UCS C-Series servers.

Before you begin

  • You must enable power capping.

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Chassis menu.

Step 2

In the Chassis menu, click Power Management.

Step 3

In the Power Profiles area, complete the following fields:

Name Description

Enable Profile check box

Enables the power profile for editing.

Allow Throttle check box

If checked, it forces the processor to use more aggressive power management mechanisms such as, CPU the throttling states (T-states) and memory bandwidth throttling to maintain the power limit, in addition to the regular internal mechanisms.

Correction Time field

The time in seconds in which the platform power should be brought back to the specified power limit before taking the action specified in the Action field.

The range is from 1 and 600.

This range varies depending on the server PSU value.

Note 

The supported minimum correction time for all PSU models is 1 second, except for DPST-1400AB and DPST-1200DB PSU models for which the supported minimum correction time is 3 seconds.

Action drop-down list

The action to be performed if the specified power limit is not maintained within the correction time.

  • Alert—Logs the event to the Cisco IMC SEL.

  • Alert and Shutdown—Logs the event to the Cisco IMC SEL, and gracefully shuts down the host.

Power Limit check box

The power limit for the server.

Enter power in watts within the range specified.

Set Hard Cap check box

If checked, ensure that no platform consumption occurs beyond the set power capping value. The platform power consumption is maintained at a safe offset margin below the configured power cap value.

Step 4

Click Save Changes.

Configuring Advanced Power Profile Settings

This option is available only on some Cisco UCS C-Series servers

Before you begin

  • You must enable power capping.

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Chassis menu.

Step 2

In the Chassis menu, click Power Management.

Step 3

From the Power Profiles table in the Power Cap Configuration tab, choose the Advanced profile.

In addition to the standard profile settings, the Domain Specific Power Limit, Safe Throttle Level, and Ambient Temperature Based Power Capping areas are displayed.
Step 4

In the Domain Specific Power Limit area, complete the following fields:

Name Description

CPU field

The power limit for the CPU.

Enter power in watts within the range specified.

Memory field

The power limit for the memory.

Enter power in watts within the range specified.

Platform field

The power limit for the platform.

Enter power in watts within the range specified.

Step 5

In the Suspend Period area, click Configure to configure a suspend period for a specific time period and day.

Step 6

In the Safe Throttle Level area, complete the following fields:

Name Description

Failsafe Timeout field

The safe throttle policy that is applied when power capping is impacted due to internal faults such as missing power readings for platforms or CPUs.

Enter value in seconds

CPU field

The throttling level for the CPU.

The range is from 0 to 100 percentage.

Memory field

The throttling level for the memory.

The range is from 0 to 100 percentage.

Platform field

The throttling level for the platform.

The range is from 0 to 100 percentage.

Step 7

In the Ambient Temperature Based Power Capping area, complete the following fields:

Name Description

Platform Temp Trigger field

The inlet (front panel) temperature sensor value in Celsius.

Note 

When the inlet temperature on the platform exceeds the specified limit, the system uses the thermal power value as the power capping limit.

Thermal Power Limit field

The power limit to be maintained in watts.

Step 8

Click Save Changes.

Resetting Power Profiles to Default

This option is available only on some Cisco UCS C-Series servers.

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Chassis menu.

Step 2

In the Chassis menu, click Power Management.

Step 3

In the Power Profiles area, click the Reset Profiles to Default button.

Note 
This action resets all the power profile settings to factory default values and disables power capping.
Step 4

Click Save Changes.

Power Monitoring

Power monitoring is initiated from the time the host is either powered on or booted. This feature collects the power consumption statistics for a platform, CPU, and memory domains and provides a minimum, maximum, and averaged reading for the duration that is being collected. These readings can be used to calculate the power consumption trends of the domains. Cisco IMC collects and stores these power consumption statistic values to plot graphs for various time periods (such as an hour, a day, and a week).


Note

You cannot create additional statistics collection policies or delete the existing monitoring policies. You can only modify the default policies.

Viewing Power Monitoring Summary

This option is available only on some Cisco UCS C-Series servers.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Chassis menu.

Step 2

In the Chassis menu, click Power Management.

Step 3

On the Work pane, click the Power Monitoring tab.

Step 4

In the Power Monitoring Summary area, review the following information:

The following tables display the power consumed by the system and its components since the last time it was rebooted.

Name Description

Monitoring Period

The time of monitoring the power consumed by the system since the last time it was rebooted.

The monitoring period is displayed in Day HH:MM:SS format.

Step 5

In the Platform area, review the following information:

Name Description

Current

The power currently being used by the server, CPU, and memory in watts.

Minimum

The minimum number of watts consumed by the server, CPU, and memory since the last time it was rebooted.

Maximum

The maximum number of watts consumed by the server, CPU, and memory since the last time it was rebooted.

Average

The average amount of power consumed by the server, CPU, and memory in watts over the defined period of time.

Step 6

In the CPU area, review the following information:

Name Description

Current

The power currently being used by the CPU in watts.

Minimum

The minimum number of watts consumed by the CPU since the last time it was rebooted.

Maximum

The maximum number of watts consumed by the CPU since the last time it was rebooted.

Average

The average amount of power consumed by the server, CPU, and memory in watts over the defined period of time.

Step 7

In the Memory area, review the following information:

Name Description

Current

The power currently being used by the memory, in watts.

Minimum

The minimum number of watts consumed by the memory since the last time it was rebooted.

Maximum

The maximum number of watts consumed by the memory since the last time it was rebooted.

Average

The average amount of power consumed by the memory in watts over the defined period of time.

Step 8

In the Chart Properties area, review and update the chart, component, and view the power consumption details.

Name Description

Chart Settings

Enables you to configure the chart properties and the way data is displayed in the chart.

Download Power Statistics and Server Utilization Data

Enables you to download the power statistics and host server utilization information. The files are downloaded to your local download folder.
Note 

If the file size of the already downloaded statistics file is less than 256 KB, then when you download, another set of files is downloaded, one for the power statistics and the other for host server utilization. If the size of the existing files exceeds 256 KB, then the next set of files overwrites the existing ones.

Name Description

Chart drop-down list

Allows you to collect the trends of power consumption from every server for the selected duration. This can be one of the following:

  • Last One Hour— Plots the chart for every five minutes

  • Last One Day—Plots the chart for every hour from the current time.

  • Last One Week—Plots the chart for each day.

Component drop-down list

The component for which you want to view the power consumption over the selected duration. This can be one of the following:

  • Platform

  • CPU

  • Memory

  • All

Plot button

Displays the power consumed by the selected component for the specified duration.

Chart/Table View (Appears on mouse-over)

Select to view power monitoring summary in either Chart or Table view.

Chart Type (Appears on mouse-over)

Select the type of chart you wish to view. This could be one of the following:

  • Line Chart— Power monitoring data appears in lines.

  • Column Chart— Power monitoring data appears as a column.

Current check box

If checked, the chart displays the current power consumed by the selected component for the selected duration.

Average check box

If checked, the plot displays the average amount of power consumed by the selected component for the selected duration.

Maximum check box

If checked, the plot displays the maximum number of watts consumed by the selected component for the selected duration.

Minimum check box

If checked, the plot displays the minimum number of watts consumed by the selected component for the selected duration.

Viewing the Power Statistics in a Chart

This option is available only on some Cisco UCS C-Series servers.

Before you begin

  • You must enabled power capping.

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Chassis menu.

Step 2

In the Chassis menu, click Power Management.

Step 3

In the work pane, click the Power Monitoring tab.

Step 4

On the Power Monitoring tab, review and update the chart, component, to view the power consumption details.

Name Description

Chart drop-down list

Allows you to collect the trends of power consumption from every server for the selected duration. This can be one of the following:

  • Last One Hour— Plots the chart for every five minutes

  • Last One Day—Plots the chart for every hour from the current time.

  • Last One Week—Plots the chart for each day.

Component drop-down list

The component for which you want to view the power consumption over the selected duration. This can be one of the following:

  • Platform

  • CPU

  • Memory

  • All

Maximum check box

If checked, the plot displays the maximum number of watts consumed by the selected component for the selected duration.

Minimum check box

If checked, the plot displays the minimum number of watts consumed by the selected component for the selected duration.

Average check box

If checked, the plot displays the average amount of power consumed by the selected component for the selected duration.

Current check box

If checked, the chart displays the current power consumed by the selected component for the selected duration.

Plot button

Displays the power consumed by the selected component for the specified duration.

The power reading chart plots power consumption values of different components for the selected duration. These power consumption values are captured from the time that the host is powered on. When a power profile is enabled, the power limit is plotted in the chart as a red line. This plot can be used to determine the power consumption trend of the system. To view the configured power limit values of a particular domain, move the mouse over these trend lines.

If choose the Standard profile, the trend line represent the power limit. If you choose the Advance profile, it represents the power limit for CPU, memory, and platform depending on your power profile configuration.

Note 

These trend lines are not displayed if the profile is disabled on the Power Cap Configuration tab.

Step 5

Click Save Changes.

Downloading Power Statistics and Server Utilization Data

This option is available only on some Cisco UCS C-Series servers.

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Chassis menu.

Step 2

In the Chassis menu, click Power Management.

Step 3

In the Work pane, click the Power Monitoring tab.

Step 4

In the Power Monitoring tab, click Download Power Statistics and Server Utilization Data

The files are downloaded to your local download folder.

Note 

If the file size of the already downloaded statistics file is less than 256 KB, then when you download, another set of files is downloaded, one for the power statistics and the other for host server utilization. If the size of the existing files exceeds 256 KB, then the next set of files overwrites the existing ones.

Configuring the Power Restore Policy

The power restore policy determines how power is restored to the server after a chassis power loss.

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the work pane, click the Power Policies tab.

Step 3

In the Power Restore Policy area, update the following fields:

Name Description

Power Restore Policy drop-down list

The action to be taken when chassis power is restored after an unexpected power loss. This can be one of the following:

  • Power Off—The server remains off until it is manually restarted.

  • Power On—The server is allowed to boot up normally when power is restored. The server can restart immediately or, optionally, after a fixed or random delay.

  • Restore Last State—The server restarts and the system attempts to restore any processes that were running before power was lost.

Step 4

Click Save Changes.

Configuring the Fan Policy

You can determine the right fan policy based on the server configuration and server components.

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the work pane, click the Power Policies tab.

Step 3

In the Configured Fan Policy area, select a fan policy from the drop-down list. It can be one of the following:

Name

Description

Fan Policy drop-down list

This can be one of the following:

  • Balanced—This setting can cool almost any server configuration, but may not be suitable for servers with PCIe cards as these cards overheat easily.

  • Performance—This setting can be used for server configurations where maximum fan speed is required for high performance. With this setting, the fan speeds run at the same speed or higher speed than that of the fan speed set with the Balanced fan policy.

    Note 

    This option is available only on some C-Series servers.

  • Low Power—This is the default policy. This setting is ideal for minimal configuration servers that do not contain any PCIe cards.

  • High Power—This setting can be used for server configurations that require fan speeds ranging from 60% to 85%. This policy is ideal for servers that contain PCIe cards that overheat easily and have high temperatures.

  • Maximum Power—This setting can be used for server configurations that required extremely high fan speeds ranging from 70% to 100%. This policy is ideal for servers that contain PCIe cards that overheat easily and have very high temperatures.

  • Acoustic—This setting can be used for configuring the fan noise level, thereby enabling noise reduction in the servers. Application of this policy might result in performance throttling impacting system performance. If excessive thermal or performance events are recorded in the event logs, select a standard fan ontrol policy like Low Power, which is a non-disruptive change.

    Note 

    This option is available only on UCS C240 M5 servers.

Applied Fan Policy field

The actual speed of the fan that runs on the server.

When the configured fan policy is not in effect, it displays N/A. The configured fan policy takes effect when the server is powered on and the POST is complete.

Configuration Status field

The configuration status of the fan policy. This can be one of the following:

  • SUCCESS —The fan speed set by you matches the actual fan speed that runs on the server.

  • PENDING —The configured fan policy is not in effect yet. This can be due to one of the following:

    • The server is powered off

    • The BIOS POST is not complete

  • FAN POLICY OVERRIDE—Overrides the specified fan speed with the actual speed determined by the configuration requirements of the server.

Step 4

Click Save Changes.

Configuring DIMM Blacklisting

DIMM Black Listing

In Cisco IMC, the state of the Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM) is based on SEL event records. A DIMM is marked bad if the BIOS encounters a non-correctable memory error or correctable memory error with 16000 error counts during memory test execution during BIOS post. If a DIMM is marked bad, it is considered a non-functional device.

If you enable DIMM blacklisting, Cisco IMC monitors the memory test execution messages and blacklists any DIMM that encounters memory errors at any given point of time in the DIMM SPD data. This allows the host to map out those DIMMs.

DIMMs are mapped out or blacklisted only when Uncorrectable errors occur. When a DIMM gets blacklisted, other DIMMs in the same channel are ignored or disabled, which means that the DIMM is no longer considered bad.


Note

DIMMs do not get mapped out or blacklisted for 16000 Correctable errors.

Enabling DIMM Black Listing

Before you begin

  • You must be logged in as an administrator.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Chassis menu.

Step 2

In the Chassis menu, click Inventory.

Step 3

In the Inventory pane, click the Memory tab.

Step 4

In the Memory pane's DIMM Black Listing area, click the Enable DIMM Black List check box.

Configuring BIOS Settings

Configuring Main BIOS Settings

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the work pane, click the BIOS tab.

Step 3

In the Configure BIOS tab, click the Main tab.

Step 4

Specify whether the server should be rebooted after you save your changes.

If you want your changes applied automatically after you click Save Changes, check the Reboot Host Immediately check box. Cisco IMC immediately reboots the server and applies your changes.

If you want to apply your changes at a later time, clear the Reboot Host Immediately check box. Cisco IMC stores the changes and applies them the next time the server reboots.

Note 

If there are existing BIOS parameter changes pending, Cisco IMC automatically overwrites the stored values with the current settings when you click Save Changes.

Step 5

In the Main tab, update the BIOS settings fields.

The BIOS parameters available depend on the model of the server that you are using. For descriptions and information about the options for each BIOS setting, see:

Step 6

You can reset the parameters or restore the default values using the buttons at the bottom of the Main tab. The available options are:

Name Description

Save button

Saves the settings for the BIOS parameters and closes the dialog box.

If the Reboot Host Immediately check box is checked, the server is rebooted immediately and the new BIOS settings go into effect. Otherwise the changes are saved until the server is manually rebooted.

Reset button

Resets the values for the BIOS parameters on all three tabs to the settings that were in effect when this dialog box was first opened.

Restore Defaults button

Sets the BIOS parameters on all three tabs to their default settings.

Configuring Advanced BIOS Settings


Note

Depending on your installed hardware, some configuration options described in this topic may not appear.

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the work pane, click the BIOS tab.

Step 3

In the Configure BIOS tab, click the Advanced tab.

Step 4

Specify whether the server should be rebooted after you save your changes.

If you want your changes applied automatically after you click Save Changes, check the Reboot Host Immediately check box. Cisco IMC immediately reboots the server and applies your changes.

If you want to apply your changes at a later time, clear the Reboot Host Immediately check box. Cisco IMC stores the changes and applies them the next time the server reboots.

Note 

If there are existing BIOS parameter changes pending, Cisco IMC automatically overwrites the stored values with the current settings when you click Save Changes.

Step 5

In the Advanced tab, update the relevant fields:

The BIOS parameters available depend on the model of the server that you are using. For descriptions and information about the options for each BIOS setting, see:

Step 6

After you updated the fields, perform the following actions:

Name Description

Save button

Saves the settings for the BIOS parameters on all three tabs and closes the dialog box.

Reset button

Restores the values for the BIOS parameters on all three tabs to the settings that were in effect when this dialog box was first opened.

Restore Defaults button

Sets the BIOS parameters on all three tabs to their default settings.

Configuring Server Management BIOS Settings

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the work pane, click the BIOS tab.

Step 3

In the Configure BIOS tab, click Server Management.

Step 4

Specify whether the server should be rebooted after you save your changes.

If you want your changes applied automatically after you click Save Changes, check the Reboot Host Immediately check box. Cisco IMC immediately reboots the server and applies your changes.

If you want to apply your changes at a later time, clear the Reboot Host Immediately check box. Cisco IMC stores the changes and applies them the next time the server reboots.

Note 

If there are existing BIOS parameter changes pending, Cisco IMC automatically overwrites the stored values with the current settings when you click Save Changes.

Step 5

In the Server Management tab, update the relevant fields:

The BIOS parameters available depend on the model of the server that you are using. For descriptions and information about the options for each BIOS setting, see:

Step 6

Complete your action with the following options:

Name Description

Save button

Saves the settings for the BIOS parameters on all three tabs and closes the dialog box.

Reset button

Restores the values for the BIOS parameters on all three tabs to the settings that were in effect when this dialog box was first opened.

Restore Defaults button

Sets the BIOS parameters on all three tabs to their default settings.

Entering BIOS Setup

Before you begin

  • The server must be powered on.

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the work pane, click the BIOS tab.

Step 3

In the Actions area, click Enter BIOS Setup.

Step 4

Click OK at the prompt.

Enables enter BIOS setup. On restart, the server enters the BIOS setup.

Clearing the BIOS CMOS

Before you begin

  • The server must be powered on.

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the work pane, click the BIOS tab.

Step 3

In the Actions area, click Clear BIOS CMOS.

Step 4

Click OK to confirm.

Clears the BIOS CMOS.

Restoring BIOS Manufacturing Custom Settings

Before you begin

  • The server must be powered on.

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the Compute menu, select a server.

Step 3

In the work pane, click the BIOS tab.

Step 4

In the Actions area, click Restore Manufacturing Custom Settings.

Step 5

Click OK to confirm.

BIOS Profiles

On the Cisco UCS server, default token files are available for every server platform, and you can configure the value of these tokens using the Graphic User Interface (GUI), CLI interface, and the XML API interface. To optimize server performance, these token values must be configured in a specific combination.

Configuring a BIOS profile helps you to utilize pre-configured token files with the right combination of the token values. Some of the pre-configured profiles that are available are virtualization, high-performance, low power, and so on. You can download the various options of these pre-configured token files from the Cisco website and apply it on the servers through the BMC.

You can edit the downloaded profile to change the value of the tokens or add new tokens. This allows you to customize the profile to your requirements without having to wait for turnaround time.

Uploading a BIOS Profile

You can upload a BIOS profile either from a remote server location or through a browser client.

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the work pane, click the BIOS tab.

Step 3

Click the Configure BIOS Profile tab.

Step 4

To upload the BIOS profile using a remote server location, in the BIOS Profile area, click the Upload button.

Step 5

In the Upload BIOS Profile dialog box, update the following fields:

Name

Description

Upload BIOS Profile from drop-down list

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

  • TFTP

  • FTP

  • SFTP

  • SCP

  • HTTP

Server IP/Hostname field

The IP address or hostname of the server on which the BIOS profile information is available. Depending on the setting in the Upload BIOS Profile from drop-down list, the name of the field may vary.

Path and Filename field

The path and filename of the BIOS profile on the remote server.

Username field

Username of the remote server.

Password field

Password of the remote server.

Upload button

Uploads the selected BIOS profile.

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.

Cancel button

Closes the wizard without making any changes to the firmware versions stored on the server.

Step 6

To upload the BIOS profile using a browser client, in the BIOS Profile area, click the Upload button.

Step 7

In the Upload BIOS Profile dialog box, update the following fields:

Name Description

File field

The BIOS profile that you want to upload.

Browse button

Opens a dialog box that allows you to navigate to the appropriate file.

What to do next

Activate a BIOS profile.

Activating a BIOS Profile

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the work pane, click the BIOS tab.

Step 3

Click the Configure BIOS Profile tab.

Step 4

Select a BIOS profile from the BIOS Profile area and click Activate.

Step 5

At the prompt, click Yes to activate the BIOS profile.

Deleting a BIOS Profile

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the Compute menu, select a server.

Step 3

In the work pane, click the BIOS tab.

Step 4

Select a BIOS profile from the BIOS Profile area and click Delete.

Step 5

At the prompt, click OK to delete the BIOS profile.

Backing up a BIOS Profile

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the Compute menu, select a server.

Step 3

In the work pane, click the BIOS tab.

Step 4

Select a BIOS profile from the BIOS Profile area and click Take Backup.

Step 5

At the prompt, click OK to take a backup of the BIOS profile.

What to do next

Activate a BIOS profile.

Viewing BIOS Profile Details

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Compute menu.

Step 2

In the Compute menu, select a server.

Step 3

In the work pane, click the BIOS tab.

Step 4

Select a BIOS profile from the BIOS Profile area and click Details.

Step 5

Review the following information in the BIOS Profile Details window:

Name Description

Token Name column

Displays the token name of the BIOS profile.

Display Name column

Displays the user name of the BIOS profile.

Profile Value column

Displays the value that was provided in the uploaded file.

Actual Value column

Displays the value of the active BIOS configuration.