Revision History

Revision

Date

Description

A0

January 16, 2026

Created release notes for 4.0.1.260003 for the following server:

  • Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server

Overview of the Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server

The Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server accelerates advanced AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) workloads in every data center with next-generation NVIDIA HGX B300 NVL8 GPUs.

Based on the NVIDIA HGX platform, the Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server is a high-density, air-cooled rack server designed to power the most demanding Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High-Performance Computing (HPC) workloads. It integrates the NVIDIA HGX platform with eight NVIDIA HGX B300 (SXM) GPUs and is powered by two Intel® Xeon® 6th Gen Processors, making it ideal for real-time Large Language Model (LLM) inference, next-level training performance, and large-volume data processing. The C880A M8 supports customers across the entire AI stack, from large-scale model training and fine-tuning to real-time inferencing and large-volume data processing. It integrates seamlessly into Cisco’s AI strategy, connecting and protecting the AI era by providing robust compute infrastructure. This server expands the Cisco UCS® dense AI server portfolio, offering a powerful solution for enterprises across various industries, including service providers, financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, life sciences, and automotive. With its advanced architecture, the C880A M8 ensures unparalleled performance, scalability, and enterprise manageability, making it ideal for compute-intensive AI use cases such as large-scale AI model training, fine tuning, and inferencing.

The Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server stands out by integrating the cutting-edge NVIDIA HGX platform with eight NVIDIA B300 (SXM) GPUs. This powerful GPU configuration is at the heart of its capability to deliver next-level performance for the most demanding AI workloads, including large-scale AI model training, fine tuning, and real-time inferencing. The B300 GPUs provide immense parallel processing capabilities and high-speed GPU interconnects, which are critical for accelerating complex deep learning models and large language models. This integration ensures that enterprises can achieve higher token throughput and improve the economics of their AI operations, enabling profitable scaling of LLM and agentic workloads.

Beyond raw power, the Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server is architected specifically to meet the unique demands of AI and HPC. Its design supports real-time large language model Inference, enabling rapid deployment and responsiveness for AI-driven applications. It also excels in next-level training performance, significantly reducing the time required to train complex AI models. Furthermore, its capacity for large-volume data processing makes it an ideal platform for data-science and big-data analytics, including GPU-accelerated ETL processes. This specialized design ensures that organizations can build, optimize, and utilize AI models efficiently, accelerating business growth with scalable and high-performance solutions.

The Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server is a dedicated rack server platform designed to host and accelerate AI and HPC workloads. It supports various operating systems and virtualization platforms typically used in data center environments for AI/HPC deployments. Specific software stack compatibility includes NVIDIA AI Enterprise and NVIDIA NIM (NVIDIA Inference Microservices) for AI application deployment and optimization. For more information, see Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server Data Sheet.

The Cisco UCS C-Series rack server supports operating systems such as Ubuntu, Red Hat Linux, and so on. For more information on supported operating systems, see the UCS Hardware and Software Compatibility. You can use Cisco Baseboard Management Controller 4.0 (Cisco BMC 4.0) to install an OS on the server using the KVM console and vMedia.

Overview of the Server Software

The Cisco Baseboard Management Controller 4.0 (Cisco BMC 4.0) is the management service for the Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server servers. Cisco BMC 4.0 runs within 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.

Supported Platforms

The following servers are supported in 4.0.1.260003 and later releases:

  • Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server

Operating System and Browser Requirements

Cisco recommends the following browsers:

Recommended Browser Version Tested Minimum Recommended Operating System

Mozilla Firefox

146.0.1 (aarch64)

macOS Tahoe 26.2

147.0 (64-bit)

146.0.1 (64-bit)

Windows 11 Enterprise

Apple Safari

Version 26.2 (21623.1.14.11.9)

macOS Tahoe 26.2

Google Chrome

Version 143.0.7499.193 (Official Build) (arm64)

macOS Sequoia 15.7.3 (24G419)

Version 143.0.7499.110 (Official Build) (arm64)

Version 139.0.7258.155

macOS Tahoe 26.2

Version 143.0.7499.193 (Official Build) (64-bit)

Version 143.0.7499.170 (Official Build) (64-bit)

Version 144.0.7559.60 (Official Build) (64-bit)

Windows 11 Enterprise

Microsoft Edge Version 143.0.3650.96 (Official build) (64-bit) Windows 11 Enterprise

Default Ports

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

Port Name Port Number

HTTPS

443

IPMI

623

KVM/vMedia

443

NTP

123

SSH

22

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.

Firmware Files in Release 4.0.1.260003

The 4.0.1.260003 software release includes the following software files:

Table 1. 4.0.1.260003 Cisco Firmware Bundle

CCO Software Type

File Name

Firmware for OOB (BMC, BIOS, and FPGA) and In Band (ConnectX7, Bluefield, and OCP) components.

ucs-c880a-m8-4.0.1.260003.tar.gz

Table 2. GPU Minimum Firmware Version

GPU

Minimum Firmware Version

NVIDIA B300 (SXM) GPU

97.10.52.00.17-G540.0216.00.03


Note


The GPU firmware listed is not included in the Cisco firmware bundle. Cisco recommends that you check directly with AMD and Nvidia for the latest firmware updates. The versions provided here are the minimum supported versions that are compatible with the server with the current release.


Bundle Information for Release 4.0.1.260003

The ucs-c880a-m8-4.0.1.260003.tar.gz bundle contains the following:

Table 3.

Category

Subcategory

File Name

Host connectx7
  • fw-ConnectX7-rel-28_47_1026-MCX755106AC-

    HEA_Ax-UEFI-14.40.10-FlexBoot-3.8.201.signed.bin

  • fw-ConnectX7-rel-28_47_1026-MCX755106AC-HEA_Ax-UEFI-

    14.40.10-FlexBoot-3.8.201.signed.cbor

  • fw-ConnectX7-rel-28_47_1026-MCX755106AC-HEA_Ax-UEFI-

    14.40.10-FlexBoot-3.8.201.signed-MT_0000001045.pldm

Readme.txt

x710-ocp

X710-OCP_9.55.zip

README.txt

m.2_raid_controller

ImageA1-1016.bin

Noe_Valley.zip

Readme.txt

nvme_Micron9550

Micron_9550_F3MU011_FIPS_release.ubi.enc

Micron_9550_F3MU011_release.ubi.enc

Readme.txt

OOB

bios

C880A-BIOS-4.0.1.17.bin

erot-bios

C880A-EROT-BIOS-4.0.1.260003-SVN3.fwpkg

bmc

C880A-BMC-4.0.1.260003-signed.fwpkg

erot-bmc

C880A-EROT-BMC-4.0.1.260003-SVN3.fwpkg

gpu

nvfw_HGX-B300x8_0006_251030.1.1_custom_prod-

signed_process.fwpkg

cpld

bp: 0.1.0.7_output_file_cfm0_auto.fwpkg

dcscm: C880A_scm_fpga_v0101_cfm0_auto.fwpkg

e1sbp: E1s_0107.fwpkg

mb: 0.1.2.8_MB_cfm0_auto.fwpkg

Open Caveats in Release 4.0.1.260003

The following defects are open in Release 4.0.1.260003:

Defect ID

Symptom

Workaround

First Affected Release

CSCws11095

During host power cycle on the Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server, multiple components assert and deassert lower non critical going low events, as recorded in the IPMI SEL logs. These events include temperature sensors on various MCUs, voltage sensors on the motherboard and power distribution board, power supply units, and fan speed sensors. This behavior is observed as part of the normal power cycle process and reflects transient state changes in component monitoring during power transitions.

There is no known workaround. These events have no functional impact.

4.0.1.260003

CSCws28323

Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server experiences boot time increases to over 40 minutes when the Option ROM dispatch policy is enabled for all network cards in the BIOS setup.

Disabled option ROM after finishing option configurations.

4.0.1.260003

CSCws32802

BIOS token values set to non-default in the BIOS setup do not persist after a BIOS firmware update on the Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server. This causes BIOS configurations to be lost after the update.

Use Redfish method to configure BIOS token post BIOS upgrade.

4.0.1.260003

CSCws30241

REST API interface for Cisco UCS C880A M8 Rack Server does not display port link speed or link status information.

Refer to Advance tab in BIOS to get Link speed.

4.0.1.260003

CSCws67923

The Cisco UCS C880A-M8 server Web UI does not enforce the Force upgrade option during BMC and BIOS firmware updates.

Select force option during BIOS and BMC update.

4.0.1.260003

CSCws39920

The CPLD firmware update for MB and DCSCM_0 fails when the force upgrade option is not enabled. This issue occurs when using Redfish API or web GUI interfaces for the upgrade.

Choose FORCE option while performing firmware update.

4.0.1.260003