Overview

This chapter includes the following sections:

Cisco UCS E-Series Servers and the Cisco UCS E-Series Network Compute Engine Overview

The Cisco UCS E-Series M6 Servers are size-,weight-, and power-efficient blade servers that are housed within the Cisco Catalyst 8300 Series Edge platforms. These servers provide a general-purpose compute platform for branch-office applications deployed either as bare-metal on operating systems, such as Linux, or as virtual machines on hypervisors, such as VMware vSphere Hypervisor.

The UCS E-Series M6 Server is purpose-built with powerful Intel IceLake-D processors for general purpose compute. It comes in the double-wide form factor, that fits into two SM slots.


Note

Forinformation about the E-Series M6 Servers,and the maximum number of servers that can be installed per router, see the "Hardware Requirements" section in the Hardware Installation Guide for Cisco UCS E-Series M6 Servers.

Server Software

The UCS E-Series M6 Servers require three major software systems:

  • CIMC firmware

  • BIOS firmware

  • Operating system or hypervisor

CIMC Firmware

Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC) is a separate management module built into the motherboard ofthe E-Series M6 Servers. A dedicated processor, separate from the main server CPU, runs the CIMC firmware. The system ships with a running version of the CIMC firmware. You can update the CIMC firmware, but no initial installation is needed.

CIMC is the management service for the E-Series M6 Servers. You can use a web-based GUI or SSH-based CLI to access, configure, administer, and monitor the server.

BIOS Firmware

BIOS initializes the hardware in the system, discovers bootable devices, and boots them in the provided sequence. It boots the operating system and configures the hardware for the operating system to use. BIOS manageabilityfeatures allow you to interact with the hardware and use it. In addition, BIOS provides options to configure the system, and manage firmware.

The system ships with a running version of the BIOS firmware. You can update the BIOS firmware, but no initial installation is required.

Operating System or Hypervisor

Themain server CPU runs on an operating system, such as Linux; or on a hypervisor. You can purchase an E-Series M6 Servers with a preinstalled hypervisor.


Note

For information about the platforms that are available on the E-Series M6 Servers, see the "Software Requirements" section in the Release Notes for Cisco UCS E-Series M6 Servers.

Managing E-Series Servers and the NCE

The following table lists the management interfaces used by the E-Series Server and the NCE.

Table 1. E-Series Server and NCE Management Interfaces

Management Interface

Description

Cisco IOS CLI

CLI used to configure the host router and the E-Series Server or the NCE.

CIMC GUI

Web-based GUI used to access, configure, administer, and monitor the E-Series Server and NCE.

CIMC CLI

SSH-based CLI used to access, configure, administer, and monitor the E-Series Server and the NCE.

SNMP

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) traps that allow you to view server configuration and status, and send fault and alert information.

E-Series Server and NCE Options

The following figure shows the E-Series Server and NCE options.

Figure 1. E-Series Server or NCE Options


  • Option 1—E-Series Server or NCE without a preinstalled operating system or hypervisor

  • Option 2—E-Series Server or NCE with a preinstalled Microsoft Windows Server

    At the time of purchase, you can choose the appropriate RAID option that you want enabled on the E-Series Server.


    Note

    If you purchase this option, the Microsoft Windows Server license is preactivated.

  • Option 3—E-Series Server or NCE with a preinstalled VMware vSphere Hypervisor

    At the time of purchase, you can choose the appropriate RAID option that you want enabled on the E-Series Server.

    Note

    The default username for the preinstalled VMware vSphere Hypervisor is root, which cannot be changed, and the default password is password. After you log in, we recommend that you change the password.


Important

The RAID feature is applicable to E-Series Servers and the SM E-Series NCE. The RAID feature is not applicable to the EHWIC E-Series NCE and the NIM E-Series NCE.

Basic Workflow for Option 1—E-Series Server or NCE Without a Preinstalled Operating System or Hypervisor

The following figure shows the basic workflow for Option 1—E-Series Server or NCE without a preinstalled operating system or hypervisor.

Figure 2. Basic Workflow—Option 1



Note

The CIMC Configuration Utility is not applicable to the EHWIC E-Series NCE and the NIM E-Series NCE.


Note

The RAID feature is applicable to E-Series Servers and the SM E-Series NCE. The RAID feature is not applicable to the EHWIC E-Series NCE and the NIM E-Series NCE.

The following procedure provides the references for the tasks that you must perform when you purchase Option 1—hardware only (E-Series Server or NCE without a preinstalled operating system or hypervisor).

Procedure

  Command or Action Purpose

Step 1

Install the E-Series Server or NCE into the router.

See Installing the E-Series Server or NCE into the Router.

Step 2

Configure the CIMC IP address for CIMC access.

See Configuring Access to the Management Firmware.

Step 3

Access CIMC.

See Accessing the Management Firmware.

Step 4

Configure RAID and make the disk drive bootable.

See Managing Storage Using RAID.

Important

 

The RAID feature is applicable to E-Series Servers and the SM E-Series NCE. The RAID feature is not applicable to the EHWIC E-Series NCE and the NIM E-Series NCE.

Step 5

Install the operating system, and if needed, install the drivers.

See Installing the Operating System or Hypervisor.

Step 6

Configure an internal connection between the router and the E-Series Server or NCE.

Depending on whether you want the traffic to flow through the router or not, do one of the following:

  • If you do not want the traffic to your application or operating system to flow through the router, use the server’s host operating system to configure the E-Series Server’s or NCE's external interface.

  • If you want the traffic to your application or operating system to flow through the router, use the Cisco IOS CLI to configure an internal connection between the router and the E-Series Server or NCE. See Configuring a Connection Between the Router and the E-Series Server or NCE.

Basic Workflow for Option 2—E-Series Server or NCE With a Preinstalled Microsoft Windows Server

The following procedure provides the references for the tasks that you must perform when you purchase Option 2—E-Series Server or NCE with a preinstalled Microsoft Windows Server.

Procedure

  Command or Action Purpose

Step 1

Install the E-Series Server or NCE into the router.

See Installing the E-Series Server or NCE into the Router.

Step 2

Configure the CIMC IP address for CIMC access.

See Configuring Access to the Management Firmware.

Step 3

Configure an internal connection between the router and the E-Series Server or NCE.

Depending on whether you want the traffic to flow through the router or not, do one of the following:

  • If you do not want the traffic to your application or operating system to flow through the router, use the server’s host operating system to configure the E-Series Server’s or NCE's external interface.

  • If you want the traffic to your application or operating system to flow through the router, use the Cisco IOS CLI to configure an internal connection between the router and the E-Series Server or NCE. See Configuring a Connection Between the Router and the E-Series Server or NCE.

Step 4

Access CIMC, and then access the Microsoft Windows Server from CIMC.

See Accessing the Management Firmware.

Basic Workflow for Option 3—E-Series Server or NCE With a Preinstalled VMware vSphere Hypervisor

The following procedure provides the references for the tasks that you must perform when you purchase Option 3—E-Series Server or NCE with a preinstalled VMware vSphere Hypervisor.

Procedure

  Command or Action Purpose

Step 1

Install the E-Series Server or NCE into the router.

See Installing the E-Series Server or NCE into the Router.

Step 2

Configure the CIMC IP address for CIMC access.

See Configuring Access to the Management Firmware.

Step 3

Configure an internal connection between the router and the E-Series Server or NCE.

Depending on whether you want the traffic to flow through the router or not, do one of the following:

  • If you do not want the traffic to your application or operating system to flow through the router, use the server’s host operating system to configure the E-Series Server’s or NCE's external interface.

  • If you want the traffic to your application or operating system to flow through the router, use the Cisco IOS CLI to configure an internal connection between the router and the E-Series Server or NCE. See Configuring a Connection Between the Router and the E-Series Server or NCE.

Step 4

Access CIMC, and then access the VMware vSphere Hypervisor from CIMC.

See Accessing the Management Firmware.

Common Terms Used in This Guide

Table 2. Common Terms

Term

Description

BMC

Board Management Controller.

BMC is used in the Cisco IOS commands to configure CIMC.

CIMC

Cisco Integrated Management Controller.

CIMC is the management service for the E-Series Server. CIMC runs within the server. You can use CIMC to access, configure, administer, and monitor the server.

CLI

Command-line interface.

IMC

Integrated Management Controller.

IMC is used in the Cisco IOS commands to configure CIMC.

LOM

LAN on Motherboard.

Shared LOM interfaces are used to configure CIMC access.

RAID

Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks.

RAID is used to store E-Series Server data files.