Server Utilities

This chapter includes the following sections:

Exporting Technical Support Data

Exporting Technical Support Data

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Admin menu.

Step 2

In the Admin menu, click Utilities.

Step 3

In the Actions area of the Utilities pane, click Export Technical Support Data.

Step 4

In the Export Technical Support Data dialog box, complete the following fields:

Name Description

Export Technical Support Data through drop-down list

Note 

Front Panel USB option is visible only if Smart Access USB is enabled and a USB storage device is connected to the server.

You can export the technical support data to a remote server or to a USB storage device connected to a server. You can choose one of the following:

  • Remote— This allows you to export the technical support data to a remote server using one of the following protocols:

    • TFTP

    • FTP

    • SFTP

    • SCP

    • HTTP

      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.

  • Front Panel USB—This allows you to export the technical support data to a USB storage device connected to the server.

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 disables this radio button when there is no technical support data file to download.

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.

Regenerate Technical Support Data radio button

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

To replace the existing support data file with a new one, select this option and click Regenerate. When data collection is complete, click Download Technical Support Data to Local File in the Actions area to download the file.

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.

Generate and Download button

Allows you to generate and download the technical support data file.

Generate button

Allows you to generate the technical support data file.

Download button

Allows you to download the technical support data file after it is generated.

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 or troubleshooting a server, you might require to reset the server components 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 server components, you are logged off and must log in again. You might also lose connectivity and might need to reconfigure the network settings. Some of the inventory information might 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.


Important

When you move VIC adapters from other generation C-Series servers (for example M4 servers) to the M5 generation C-Series servers or M5 servers to other generation servers, you must reset the adapters to factory defaults.

Before you begin

You must log in as a user with admin privileges to reset the server components 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:

Name Description

All checkbox

If checked, it resets all the components of the server to factory settings.

Expand to select the specific component that you want to reset to factory settings.

BMC checkbox

If checked, it resets the BMC to factory settings.
Note 

After 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. After factory defaults of BMC NIC Mode, Shared LOM Extended is configured by default.

Storage checkbox

If checked, it resets all the available storage adapters to factory settings. When you reset a storage adapter, the data on the disk is not modified but the virtual drive meta data will be erased which may result in data loss. Expand to select the specific storage adapters that you want to reset to factory settings.

Note 

The host must be powered on to reset storage adapters to factory defaults.

VIC checkbox

If checked, it resets all the available VICs to factory settings.

Expand to select the specific VICs that you want to reset to factory settings.

Note 

The host must be powered on to reset VIC adapters to factory defaults.

Reset button

Resets the selected components to the factory settings.

Step 5

Click Reset to reset the selected components 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

  • Event management

  • 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 drop-down list

The component type. This can be one of the following:

  • BMC

  • VIC Adapter(s)

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

Export To drop-down list

The location where you want to save the XML configuration file. This can be one of the following:

  • Local: 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.

  • Remote Server: 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.

  • Front Panel USB: Select this option to export the configuration file to a USB storage device connected to the server.

Note 

  • Front Panel USB option to export Cisco IMC configuration is available only if Smart Access USB is enabled and a USB storage device is connected to the server.

  • This option is available only when you choose BMC in the Select Component drop-down list.

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 remote server type selected 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: ! # $ & < > ? ; ' | ` ~ \ % ^ ( )"

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 drop-down list

The component type. This can be one of the following:

  • BMC

  • VIC Adapter(s)

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

Import From drop-down list

The location of the XML configuration file. This can be one of the following:

  • Local: Select this option to import the XML configuration file to a drive that is local to the computer running 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.

  • Remote Server: 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.

  • Front Panel USB: Select this option to import the configuration file from a USB storage device connected to the server.

Note 

  • Front Panel USB option to import Cisco IMC configuration is available only if Smart Access USB is enabled and a USB storage device is connected to the server.

  • This option is available only when you choose BMC in the Select Component drop-down list.

Import From drop-down list

Note 

These options are available only when you choose Remote.

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 remote server type selected in the Import From drop-down list, the name of the field might 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: ! # $ & < > ? ; ' | ` ~ \ % ^ ( )"

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.

Downloading Hardware Inventory to a Local 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 Generate Inventory Data.

Step 4

In the Generate Inventory Data dialog box, complete the following fields:

Name Description

Generate Inventory Data radio button

Cisco IMC displays this radio button when there is no hardware inventory data file to download.

Download to local file radio button

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

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

Step 5

Click Generate to create the data file. When data collection is complete, select the Download Inventory Data to Local File radio button and click Download to download the file locally.

Exporting Hardware Inventory Data to a Remote Server

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 Hardware Inventory Data to Remote.

Step 4

In the Export Hardware Inventory Data dialog box, complete the following fields:

Name Description

Export Hardware Inventory 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 data file should be stored. Depending on the setting in the Export Hardware Inventory 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.

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.

Uploading a PID Catalog

Before you begin

You must log in as a user with admin privileges to upload a PID catalog.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.

Step 2

On the Admin tab, click Utilities.

Step 3

In the Work pane, click the Upload PID Catalog link.

The Upload PID Catalog dialog box appears.

Depending on the location of the catalog file, choose one of the options.

Step 4

In the Upload PID Catalog from Local File dialog box, click Browse and use the Choose File to Upload dialog box to select the catalog file that you want to upload.

Name Description

File field

The PID catalog file that you want to upload.

Browse button

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

Step 5

In the Upload PID Catalog from Remote Server dialog box, complete the following fields:

Name

Description

Upload PID Catalog from Remote Server 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 PID catalog information is available. Depending on the setting in the Upload PID Catalog from drop-down list, the name of the field may vary.

Path and Filename field

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

Username field

Username of the remote server.

Password field

Password of the remote server.

Upload button

Uploads the selected PID catalog.

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.

Activating a PID Catalog


Caution

BMC reboots automatically once a PID catalog is activated.

You must reboot the server after activating a PID catalog.

Before you begin

You must log in as a user with admin privileges to activate a PID catalog.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.

Step 2

On the Admin tab, click Utilities.

Step 3

In the Work pane, click the Activate PID Catalog link.

The Activate PID Catalog dialog box appears. Complete the following fields:

Name Description

Activate button

Allows you to activate the PID catalog.

Note 

The Activate PID Catalog link is greyed out when you log on to the system for the first time. It gets activated once you upload a PID catalog to the server. After you upload a PID file, the link remains active and you can activate the PID multiple times.

Enabling Smart Access USB

When you enable the smart access USB feature, the front panel USB device disconnects from the host operating system and connects to Cisco IMC. After enabling the smart access USB feature, you can use the front panel USB device to export technical support data, import or export Cisco IMC configuration, or update Cisco IMC, BIOS, and VIC firmware.

The supported file systems for smart access USB are as follows:

  • EXT2

  • EXT3

  • EXT 4

  • FAT 32

  • FAT 16

  • DOS


Note

Huge file support is not supported in BMC. For EXT 4 file system, huge file support has to be turned off.

Before you begin

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

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.

Step 2

In the Admin menu, click Utilities.

Step 3

In the Actions area, click Enable Smart Access USB.

This is a toggle button. To disable smart access, click Disable Smart Access USB. This button is visible only after you enable smart access USB. When you disable the smart access USB feature, the front panel USB device disconnects from Cisco IMC and connects to the host operating system.

Enabling or Disabling Cisco Intersight Management

When you enable the Intersight management, it establishes a bi-directional communication between the Intersight Cloud application and the M5 server.


Note

Port numbers 8888-8889 are reserved for Intersight communication.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.

Step 2

In the Admin tab, click Device Connector.

Step 3

In the Intersight Management area, click On to enable the Intersight management.

The Connection area displays the connection status of the Intersight management. If the device connector has not been able to establish a connection to Intersight management, review the recommendations provided in the Details & Recommendations drop-down list to fix the connection issues.
Step 4

Select the Access Mode as Read-only or Allow Control.

When the Read-only access mode is selected, then you cannot configure the device through Intersight. Therefore, any configuration that comes to the device connector through cloud is rejected with an error code. If the Allow Control mode is selected, then you have full control to configure the device through Intersight.
Step 5

To disable the Intersight management, click Off.

When you disable the Intersight management, the Connection area displays the connection status as Administratively Disabled.

Configuring HTTPS Proxy Settings for Device Connector

You can manually configure the HTTPS proxy settings of the server.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.

Step 2

In the Admin tab, click Device Connector.

Step 3

In the Connections area, click HTTPS Proxy Settings and enter the proxy settings:

Action Name

Description

Off button

Disables the HTTPS proxy settings.

Manual button

Allows you to manually configure the HTTPS proxy settings.

Proxy Hostname/IP field

The IP address or the host name of the proxy server.

Proxy Port field

The port number of the proxy server.

Authentication toggle button

Enabling this option allows you to provide the credentials for the proxy server.

Username field

The credentials for the proxy server.

Password field

Step 4

In the HTTPS Proxy Settings dialog box, after adding the information, click Save.

Viewing Intersight Device Connector Properties

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.

Step 2

In the Admin tab, click Device Connector.

Step 3

In the Intersight Management area, review the following information:

Action Name

Description

Enabled radio button

Allows you to enable or disable the Intersight management. This can be one of the following:

  • On—Enables the Intersight management. You can claim this system and leverage the capabilities of Cisco Intersight.

  • Off—Disables the Intersight management. No communication will be allowed to Cisco Intersight.

Step 4

In the Connection area, review the following information:

Name

Description

Status field

Displays the status of the connection to Intersight. This can be one of the following:

  • Administratively Disabled—Indicates that the Intersight management has been disabled.

  • DNS Misconfigured— Indicates that the DNS details have not been configured in BMC.

  • UCS Connect Network Error—Indicates the invalid network configurations.

  • Certificate Error—Indicates invalid certificate.

  • Claimed—Indicates that the device is claimed in Intersight.

  • Not Claimed—Indicates that the device is registered, but not claimed in Intersight.

Retry Connection link

Allows you to retry the connection to Intersight. This option appears only when there are Intersight connection issues.

Details & Recommendations drop-down list

Lists the details and recommendations to fix the connection issues based on the status.

HTTPS Proxy Settings dialog box

Allows you to manually configure HTTPS proxy settings required for the Intersight connection.

Serial Number field

Displays the serial number of the BMC.

Security Token field

Appears when the connection status is Not Claimed. Use the security token to securely onboard the server in Intersight.

Step 5

In the Connections area, click HTTPS Proxy Settings and review the following information:

Action Name

Description

Off button

Disables the HTTPS proxy settings.

Manual button

Allows you to manually configure the HTTPS proxy settings.

Proxy Hostname/IP field

The IP address or the host name of the proxy server.

Proxy Port field

The port number of the proxy server.

Authentication toggle button

Enabling this option allows you to provide the credentials for the proxy server.

Username field

The credentials for the proxy server.

Password field

Viewing Intersight Device Connector Properties

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.

Step 2

In the Admin tab, click Device Connector.

Step 3

In the Intersight Management area, review the following information:

Action Name

Description

Enabled radio button

Allows you to enable or disable the Intersight management. This can be one of the following:

  • On—Enables the Intersight management. You can claim this system and leverage the capabilities of Cisco Intersight.

  • Off—Disables the Intersight management. No communication will be allowed to Cisco Intersight.