Configuring Network-Related Settings

This chapter includes the following sections:

CIMC NIC Configuration

CIMC NICs

Two NIC modes are available for connection to the CIMC.

NIC Mode

The CIMC network settings determine which ports can reach the CIMC. The following network mode options are available, depending on your platform:

  • Dedicated—A connection to the CIMC is available through the management Ethernet port or ports.

  • Shared LOM—A connection to the CIMC is available through the LAN On Motherboard (LOM) Ethernet host ports and through the router's PCIe and MGF interfaces.

    Note
    In shared LOM mode, all host ports must belong to the same subnet.

Note

Dedicated mode is not applicable to the EHWIC E-Series NCE.

NIC Redundancy

The CIMC network redundancy settings determine how NIC redundancy is handled:

  • None—Redundancy is not available.

  • Active-Standby—One port fails over to the other.

The available redundancy modes vary depending on the selected network mode and your platform.

Configuring CIMC NICs

Use this procedure to set the NIC mode and NIC redundancy.

Before You Begin

You must log in as a user with admin privileges to configure the NIC.

Procedure
     Command or ActionPurpose
    Step 1Server# scope cimc  

    Enters CIMC command mode.

     
    Step 2Server /cimc # scope network  

    Enters CIMC network command mode.

     
    Step 3Server /cimc/network # set mode {dedicated | shared_lom}  

    Sets the NIC mode to one of the following:

    • dedicated—The management Ethernet port is used to access the CIMC.
      Note   

      Dedicated mode is not applicable to the EHWIC E-Series NCE.

    • shared LOM mode—The LAN On Motherboard (LOM) Ethernet host ports are used to access the CIMC.
      Note   

      In shared LOM mode, all host ports must belong to the same subnet.

     
    Step 4Server /cimc/network # set redundancy {none | active-standby}  

    Sets the NIC redundancy mode, which can be one of the following:

    • none—The LOM Ethernet ports operate independently and do not fail over if there is a problem.

    • active-standby—If one LOM Ethernet port fails, traffic fails over to another LOM port.

     
    Step 5Server /cimc/network # set interface {console | ge1}  

    Sets the NIC interface to one of the following:

    • console—Internal interface, which is used to connect either the router’s PCIe interface to the E-Series Server or the router's EHWIC interface to the NCE.

    • ge1—Internal interface, which is used to access the CIMC over a high-speed backplane switch.

    • ge2—External interface, which can be used as a primary interface or as a backup interface.

    • ge3—External interface, which can be used as a primary interface or as a backup interface.

    • ge1-ge2—Failover between the GE1 and GE2 interfaces (active-standby only).

    • ge1-ge3—Failover between the GE1 and GE3 interfaces (active-standby only).

    • ge2-ge3—Failover between the GE2 and GE3 interfaces (active-standby only).

    • ge1-ge2-ge3—Failover between the GE1, GE2, and GE3 interfaces (active-standby only).

    Note   

    All interface options that involve the GE3 interface are applicable for double-wide E-Series Servers only.

    Note   

    If you are using the external GE2 interface on an EHWIC E-Series NCE or the NIM E-Series NCE to configure CIMC access, you might lose connectivity with CIMC during server reboot. This is expected behavior. If you must maintain connectivity with CIMC during a reboot, we recommend that you use one of the other network interfaces to configure CIMC access. See the "CIMC Access Configuration Options—EHWIC E-Series NCE" and the "CIMC Access Configuration Options—NIM E-Series NCE" sections in the Getting Started Guide for Cisco UCS E-Series Servers and the Cisco UCS E-Series Network Compute Engine.

     
    Step 6Server /cimc/network # commit  

    Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

    Note   

    The available NIC mode and NIC redundancy mode options may vary depending on your platform. If you select a mode not supported by your server, an error message displays when you save your changes.

     

    This example configures the CIMC network interface: 

    Server# scope cimc
Server /cimc # scope network
Server /cimc/network # set mode shared_lom
Server /cimc/network *# commit
Server /cimc/network #

    Configuring Common Properties

    Use common properties to describe your server.

    Before You Begin

    You must log in as a user with admin privileges to configure common properties.

    Procedure
       Command or ActionPurpose
      Step 1Server# scope cimc  

      Enters CIMC command mode.

       
      Step 2Server /cimc # scope network  

      Enters CIMC network command mode.

       
      Step 3Server /cimc/network # set hostname host-name  

      Specifies the name of the host.

       
      Step 4Server /cimc/network # commit  

      Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

       

      This example configures the common properties:

      Server# scope cimc
Server /cimc # scope network
Server /cimc/network # set hostname Server
Server /cimc/network *# commit
Server /cimc/network #

      Configuring IPv4

      Before You Begin

      You must log in as a user with admin privileges to configure IPv4 network settings.

      Procedure
         Command or ActionPurpose
        Step 1Server# scope cimc  

        Enters CIMC command mode.

         
        Step 2Server /cimc # scope network  

        Enters CIMC network command mode.

         
        Step 3Server /cimc/network # set dhcp-enabled {yes | no}  
        Selects whether the CIMC uses DHCP.
        Note   

        If DHCP is enabled, we recommend that the DHCP server be configured to reserve a single IP address for the CIMC. If the CIMC is reachable through multiple ports on the server, the single IP address must be reserved for the full range of MAC addresses of those ports.

         
        Step 4Server /cimc/network # set v4-addr ipv4-address  

        Specifies the IP address for the CIMC.

         
        Step 5Server /cimc/network # set v4-netmask ipv4-netmask  

        Specifies the subnet mask for the IP address.

         
        Step 6Server /cimc/network # set v4-gateway gateway-ipv4-address  

        Specifies the gateway for the IP address.

         
        Step 7Server /cimc/network # set dns-use-dhcp {yes | no}  

        Selects whether the CIMC retrieves the DNS server addresses from DHCP.

         
        Step 8Server /cimc/network # set preferred-dns-server dns1-ipv4-address  

        Specifies the IP address of the primary DNS server.

         
        Step 9Server /cimc/network # set alternate-dns-server dns2-ipv4-address  

        Specifies the IP address of the secondary DNS server.

         
        Step 10Server /cimc/network # commit  

        Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

         
        Step 11Server /cimc/network # show [detail]  

        (Optional) Displays the IPv4 network settings.

         

        This example configures and displays the IPv4 network settings:

        Server# scope cimc
Server /cimc # scope network
Server /cimc/network # set dhcp-enabled no
Server /cimc/network *# set v4-addr 10.20.30.11
Server /cimc/network *# set v4-netmask 255.255.248.0
Server /cimc/network *# set v4-gateway 10.20.30.1
Server /cimc/network *# set dns-use-dhcp-enabled no
Server /cimc/network *# set preferred-dns-server 192.168.30.31
Server /cimc/network *# set alternate-dns-server 192.168.30.32
Server /cimc/network *# commit
Server /cimc/network # show detail
Network Setting:
    IPv4 Address: 10.20.30.11
    IPv4 Netmask: 255.255.248.0
    IPv4 Gateway: 10.20.30.1
    DHCP Enabled: no
    Obtain DNS Server by DHCP: no
    Preferred DNS: 192.168.30.31
    Alternate DNS: 192.168.30.32
    VLAN Enabled: no
    VLAN ID: 1
    VLAN Priority: 0
    Hostname: Server
    MAC Address: 01:23:45:67:89:AB
    NIC Mode: dedicated
    NIC Redundancy: none 

Server /cimc/network #

        Configuring the Server VLAN

        Before You Begin

        You must be logged in as admin to configure the server VLAN.

        Procedure
           Command or ActionPurpose
          Step 1Server# scope cimc  

          Enters CIMC command mode.

           
          Step 2Server /cimc # scope network  

          Enters CIMC network command mode.

           
          Step 3Server /cimc/network # set vlan-enabled {yes | no}  

          Selects whether the CIMC is connected to a VLAN.

           
          Step 4Server /cimc/network # set vlan-id id  

          Specifies the VLAN number.

           
          Step 5Server /cimc/network # set vlan-priority priority  

          Specifies the priority of this system on the VLAN.

           
          Step 6Server /cimc/network # commit  

          Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

           
          Step 7Server /cimc/network # show [detail]  

          (Optional) Displays the network settings.

           

          This example configures the server VLAN:

          Server# scope cimc
Server /cimc # scope network
Server /cimc/network # set vlan-enabled yes
Server /cimc/network *# set vlan-id 10
Server /cimc/network *# set vlan-priority 32
Server /cimc/network *# commit
Server /cimc/network # show detail
Network Setting:
    IPv4 Address: 10.20.30.11
    IPv4 Netmask: 255.255.248.0
    IPv4 Gateway: 10.20.30.1
    DHCP Enabled: yes
    Obtain DNS Server by DHCP: no
    Preferred DNS: 192.168.30.31
    Alternate DNS: 192.168.30.32
    VLAN Enabled: yes
    VLAN ID: 10
    VLAN Priority: 32
    Hostname: Server
    MAC Address: 01:23:45:67:89:AB
    NIC Mode: dedicated
    NIC Redundancy: none      

Server /cimc/network #

          Network Security Configuration

          Network Security

          The CIMC uses IP blocking as network security. IP blocking prevents the connection between a server or website and certain IP addresses or ranges of addresses. IP blocking effectively bans undesired connections from those computers to a website, mail server, or other Internet servers.

          IP banning is commonly used to protect against denial of service (DoS) attacks. The CIMC bans IP addresses by setting up an IP blocking fail count.

          Configuring Network Security

          Configure network security if you want to set up an IP blocking fail count.

          Before You Begin

          You must log in as a user with admin privileges to configure network security.

          Procedure
             Command or ActionPurpose
            Step 1Server# scope cimc  

            Enters CIMC command mode.

             
            Step 2Server /cimc # scope network  

            Enters CIMC network command mode.

             
            Step 3Server /cimc/network # scope ipblocking  

            Enters IP blocking command mode.

             
            Step 4Server /cimc/network/ipblocking # set enabled {yes | no}  

            Enables or disables IP blocking.

             
            Step 5Server /cimc/network/ipblocking # set fail-count fail-count  

            Sets the number of times a user can attempt to log in unsuccessfully before the system locks that user out for a specified length of time.

            The number of unsuccessful login attempts must occur within the time frame specified in the IP Blocking Fail Window field.

            Enter an integer between 3 and 10.

             
            Step 6Server /cimc/network/ipblocking # set fail-window fail-seconds  

            Sets the length of time, in seconds, in which the unsuccessful login attempts must occur in order for the user to be locked out.

            Enter an integer between 60 and 120.

             
            Step 7Server /cimc/network/ipblocking # set penalty-time penalty-seconds  

            Sets the number of seconds the user remains locked out if they exceed the maximum number of login attempts within the specified time window.

            Enter an integer between 300 and 900.

             
            Step 8Server /cimc/network/ipblocking # commit  

            Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

             

            This example configures IP blocking:

            Server# scope cimc
Server /cimc # scope network
Server /cimc/network # scope ipblocking
Server /cimc/network/ipblocking # set enabled yes
Server /cimc/network/ipblocking *# set fail-count 5
Server /cimc/network/ipblocking *# set fail-window 90
Server /cimc/network/ipblocking *# set penalty-time 600
Server /cimc/network/ipblocking *# commit
Server /cimc/network/ipblocking #

            Configuring Network Analysis Module Capability

            Before You Begin

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

            Procedure
               Command or ActionPurpose
              Step 1Server# scope cimc  

              Enters CIMC command mode.

               
              Step 2Server /cimc # scope network  

              Enters CIMC network command mode.

               
              Step 3Server /cimc/network # scope nam  

              Enters Network Analysis Module (NAM) command mode.

               
              Step 4Server /cimc/network/nam # set enabled yes  

              Enables the NAM capability.

              To disable the NAM capability, use the set enabled no command.

               
              Step 5Server /cimc/network/nam # show detail  

              Verifies that the NAM capability is enabled or disabled.

               

              This example configures the common properties: 

              Server# scope cimc
Server /cimc # scope network  
Server /cimc/network # scope nam
Server /cimc/network/nam # set enabled yes
Server /cimc/network/nam # show detail 
Network Analysis Module:
    Enabled: yes

              NTP Settings Configuration

              NTP Settings

              By default, when CIMC is reset, it synchronizes the time with the host. With the introduction of the Network Time Protocol (NTP) service, you can configure CIMC to synchronize the time with an NTP server. The NTP server does not run in CIMC by default. You must enable and configure the NTP service by specifying the IP or DNS address of at least one server or a maximum of four servers that function as NTP servers or time source servers. When you enable the NTP service, CIMC synchronizes the time with the configured NTP server. The NTP service can be modified only through CIMC.


              Note

              To enable the NTP service, it is preferable to specify the IP address of a server rather than the DNS address.

              Configuring NTP Settings

              Before You Begin

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

              Procedure
                 Command or ActionPurpose
                Step 1Server# scope cimc  

                Enters CIMC command mode.

                 
                Step 2Server /cimc # scope network  

                Enters CIMC network command mode.

                 
                Step 3Server /cimc/network # scope ntp  

                Enters NTP command mode.

                 
                Step 4Server /cimc/network/ntp # set enabled yes  

                Enables the NTP service.

                To disable the NTP service, use the set enabled no command.

                 
                Step 5Server /cimc/network/ntp # set [server-1 | server-2 | server-3 | server-4] ip-address or domain-name  

                Configures the IP address or domain name for the specified server to act as an NTP server or the time source server.

                You can configure a maximum of four servers.

                 
                Step 6Server /cimc/network/ntp # show detail  

                Displays whether the NTP service is enabled and the IP address or domain name of the NTP servers.

                 

                This example configures NTP settings: 

                Server# scope cimc
Server /cimc # scope network  
Server /cimc/network # scope ntp
Server /cimc/network/ntp # set enabled yes 
Server /cimc/network/ntp # set server-1 10.50.171.9
Server /cimc/network/ntp # set server-2 time.cisco.com
Server /cimc/network/ntp # show detail 
NTP Service Settings:
    Enabled: yes
    Server 1: 10.50.171.9
    Server 2: time.cisco.com
    Server 3: 
    Server 4: