First Published: August 24, 2025

Revision History

Revision

Date

Description

A0

August 24, 2025

Created release notes for 2.0.1.250096 for the following servers:

  • Cisco UCS C845A M8 Rack Server

Overview of the Cisco UCS C845A M8 Rack Server

The Cisco UCS C845A M8 Rack Server is a highly scalable, flexible, and customizable AI system based on the NVIDIA MGX reference design for accelerated computing. With support for two to eight NVIDIA PCIe GPUs and NVIDIA AI Enterprise software, it delivers high performance for a wide range of AI workloads – including Generative AI fine-tuning and inference.

Cisco UCS C845A M8 servers can be configured with two to eight GPUs. Depending on the configuration, customers can choose between the PCIe-based NVIDIA H100 NVL, H200 NVL, L40S, RTX6000 Pro, or AMD GPU MI210. Thanks to the sophistication of the MGX design, other next-generation NVIDIA GPUs are planned to be introduced on this same platform as these GPUs become available.

With a compute node powered by AMD’s new high-end Turin (5th Gen) CPUs, designed specifically for AI workloads, the Cisco UCS C845A M8 provides a no-compromise solution for CPU or GPU performance required to avoid bottlenecks within an AI server. Another benefit is the ability to configure the server with the NVIDIA ConnectX-7 NIC and/or NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPUs to handle data traffic in and out of the server.

Systems equipped with NVIDIA H100 NVL or H200 NVL GPU come with a five-year license for NVIDIA AI Enterprise, a cloud-native software platform that streamlines development and deployment of production-grade AI solutions, including AI agents, generative AI, computer vision, speech AI, and more. Easy-to-use microservices optimize model performance with enterprise-grade security, support, and stability, ensuring a smooth transition from prototype to production for enterprises that run their businesses on AI. For more information, see Cisco UCS C845A M8 Rack Server Data Sheet.

Cisco UCS C845A M8 servers ship with the Cisco Baseboard Management Controller 2.0 (Cisco BMC 2.0) firmware. Cisco BMC 2.0 is a separate management module built into the motherboard. A dedicated ARM-based processor, separate from the main server CPU, runs the Cisco BMC 2.0 firmware. The system ships with a running version of the Cisco BMC 2.0 firmware. You can update the Cisco BMC 2.0 firmware, but no initial installation is needed.

The Cisco UCS C-Series rack server supports operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Oracle and so on. For more information on supported operating systems, see the UCS Hardware and Software Compatibility. You can use Cisco BMC 2.0 to install an OS on the server using the KVM console and vMedia.

Overview of the Server Software

The Cisco Baseboard Management Controller 2.0 (Cisco BMC 2.0) is the management service for the Cisco UCS C845A M8 servers. Cisco BMC 2.0 runs within the server.


Note

The Cisco BMC 2.0 management service is used only when the server is operating in Standalone Mode. If your server is integrated into a UCS system, you must manage it using Cisco Intersight. You may see Cisco Intersight Help Center to get more information on how to manage the server.

You can use a web-based GUI, an SSH-based CLI, or a REST API to access, configure, administer, and monitor the server. Each interface offers different capabilities, and the tasks supported by each interface are described in their respective configuration guides. You cannot do the following:

  • Use Cisco BMC 2.0 GUI to invoke Cisco BMC 2.0 CLI.

  • View a command that has been invoked through Cisco BMC 2.0 CLI in Cisco BMC 2.0 GUI.

  • Generate Cisco BMC 2.0 CLI output from Cisco BMC 2.0 GUI.

Supported Platforms

The following servers are supported in 2.0.1.250096 and later releases:

  • Cisco UCS C845A M8 Rack Server

Browser Requirements

To access the Cisco BMC 2.0 GUI, Cisco recommends using the most recent version of one of the following supported browsers for Windows, Linux RHEL, and MacOS:

  • Microsoft Edge

  • Mozilla Firefox

  • Google Chrome

  • Apple Safari

For detailed information about supported Operating System, see the interactive UCS Hardware and Software Compatibility matrix.

Default Ports

Following is a list of server ports and their default port numbers:

Port Name Port Number

HTTPS

443

SSH

22

IPMI

623

Firmware Files


Note

Always upgrade all the components BIOS, BMC, and FPGA. Do not upgrade individual components (only BIOS or only BMC), since this could lead to unexpected behavior. If the BIOS and the BMC versions are from different container releases, it could result in unexpected behavior.

For release specific ISO versions, see Cisco Baseboard Management Controller 2.0 Firmware Files, Release 2.0

Firmware Files in Release 2.0.1.250096

The 2.0.1.250096 software release includes the following software files:

Table 1. 2.0.1.250096 Cisco Firmware Bundle

CCO Software Type

File Name

Unified Computing System (UCS) Server Firmware

ucsc-845a-m8-huu-2.0.1.250096.iso

Cisco UCS Server Diagnostics Utility

ucs-diag-2.0.1.250007.iso

Open Caveats

Open Caveats in Release 2.0.1.250096

The following caveats are open in release 2.0.1.250096:

Defect ID

Symptom

Workaround

First Affected Release

CSCwo53738

The Cisco UCS C845A M8 Rack Server shows an issue where multiple characters print for a single key press when typing at the Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 login prompt using the KVM console. The issue affects keystroke input on the host console during login.

Disable DF-CState.

For information on how to disable DF-CState, see Workaround for Defect - CSCwo53738

2.0.1.250096

CSCwp22429

The FirmwarePackageVersion property is empty for the FHHL network adapter on the Cisco UCS C845A M8 Rack Server. This causes the firmware version and the MAC address of the PCI device in the FHHL slot to be missing when queried using the Redfish API. This issue occurs during firmware version retrieval for the PCI device.

Reboot the host.

2.0.1.250096

CSCwp37991

The FHHL_10 DPU link status and speed do not display in the Redfish API output. The link state and current link speed fields return null despite the port being enabled and signal detected. This issue occurs with the PCI device connected to the FHHL 10 slot.

There is no known workaround.

2.0.1.250096

CSCwp27054

During a Graceful Shutdown initiated from the BMC and KVM, when the system boots to the HUU UI, the Power Off options do not function.

Use Power Down and Power On to manage system power.

2.0.1.250096

CSCwp91773

During ESXi installation on the Cisco UCS C845A M8 Rack Server, when accessed remotely from Mac operating systems, the F11 keystroke cannot be sent through KVM, blocking installation progress.

Enable function keys on the remote operating system as they are disabled by default. This allows the F11 keystroke to be sent through KVM during ESXi installation. Adjust the remote system settings to activate function keys for proper remote key mapping.

2.0.1.250096

CSCwq15755

The Cisco UCS C845A M8 Rack Server does not honor the configured one-time boot device after reboot. The server continues to boot using the default boot order, ignoring the selected boot option. This issue occurs when BIOS token and one-time boot device are configured together. The host reboots twice but fails to boot from the chosen device, requiring manual boot device selection to proceed.

Configure BIOS token and one time boot one at a time.

2.0.1.250096

CSCwq50085

When an Operator user launches a KVM session, the Session Management page incorrectly shows the privilege level as Administrator instead of Operator.

This issue has no functional impact.

2.0.1.250096

CSCwq55206

The ipmitool command on Ubuntu 24.04.1 with version 1.8.19 may encounter Device or resource busy errors when attempting to access sensor data.

You can perform one of the following:

  • Utilize the Remote IPMI Interface with the lanplus option for remote management.

  • Alternatively, use ipmitool version 1.8.18 on Ubuntu 24.04 or Ubuntu 22.04.

  • Or, operate on any other supported operating system that is compatible with ipmitool.

2.0.1.250096

CSCwp08112

The Cisco UCS C845A M8 Rack Server experiences a delay in displaying the host video output signal after system power cycle. Although the host is on, the KVM display remains blank for an extended time, causing confusion.

Relaunch KVM or wait for few minutes and let the KVM display the correct status.

2.0.1.250096

CSCwq91165

The Cisco UCS C845A M8 Rack Server experiences a firmware update issue where updates initiated with the "on-next boot" option remain pending and fail after the host OS reboots. The firmware update does not start when the host reboots from the OS environment, and the Redfish task reports an internal error. Additionally, events are missed following the host OS reboot.

You can reboot the host using the options available in the Web GUI, through KVM, or by using the ComputerSystem.Reset Redfish API.

2.0.1.250096

Workaround for Defect - CSCwo53738

From BIOS Setup

  1. Power on the system and enter the BIOS setup by pressing the ESC or DEL key.

  2. Click

    Advanced > AMD CBS > NBIO Common Options > SMU Common Options > DF CStates

  3. Set the DF CStates option to Disabled.

  4. Save the changes and exit the BIOS setup.

Using Redfish Interface

  1. Boot the host into the operating system.

  2. Run the following curl command to update the DF CStates setting via Redfish API:

    curl -ksu Username:Password https://10.10.10.10/redfish/v1/Systems/system/Bios/
Settings -H 'content-type:application/json' -H 'If-Match:' -X PATCH -d '
{"Attributes":{"CbsCmnGnbSmuDfCstates":"Disabled"}}' | jq

  3. Reboot the host.


    Note

    The server reboots twice during this process.

  4. After the automatic reboot, enter the BIOS setup menu and verify that the DF CStates value is set to Disabled.

  5. Exit the BIOS setup without making changes and allow the system to boot into the OS or UEFI shell.

  6. Confirm that the Redfish data reflects the updated DF CStates setting after boot.

Known Behaviors and Limitations

Known Behaviors and Limitations in Release 2.0.1.250096

The following caveats are known limitations in release 2.0.1.250096:

Defect ID

Symptom

Workaround

First Affected Release

CSCwq09352

In Cisco UCS C845A M8 Rack Server, after a BMC update or reboot, the Remote Management page takes several minutes to load. During this time, the KVM launch option remains disabled. This delay affects immediate access to remote management features but resolves once the page fully loads.

Wait for 4 to 5 minutes after the BMC update or reboot to allow the Remote Management page to fully load and enable the KVM launch option.

2.0.1.250096