Cisco UCS C-Series Servers
Cisco UCS C-Series Servers deliver unified computing in an industry-standard form factor to reduce total cost of ownership and increase agility. Each product addresses varying workload challenges through a balance of processing, memory, I/O, and internal storage resources.
About the Release Notes
This document describes the new features, system requirements, open caveats and known behaviors for C-Series software release 3.1(2) including Cisco Integrated Management Controller software and any related BIOS, firmware, or drivers. Use this document in conjunction with the documents listed in the Related Documentation section.
Note |
We sometimes update the documentation after original publication. Therefore, you should also refer to the documentation on Cisco.com for any updates. |
Revision History
Revision |
Date |
Description |
---|---|---|
G0 |
August 29, 2018 |
Updated the Security Fixes section for Release 3.1(2i). |
F0 |
March 21, 2018 |
Following changes were made:
|
E0 |
February 21, 2018 |
Following changes were made:
|
D0 |
January 22, 2018 |
Added the Software Advisory for CSCvh31577 and CSCvg97982. |
C0 |
December 19, 2017 |
Following changes were made:
|
B0 |
November 29, 2017 |
Following changes were made:
|
A0 |
October 10, 2017 |
Created release notes for Release 3.1(2b). |
System Requirements
The management client must meet or exceed the following minimum system requirements:
-
Sun JRE 1.8.0_92 or later (Till 1.8.0_121)
-
HTML based interfaces are supported on:
-
Microsoft Internet Explorer 10.0 or 11
-
Mozilla Firefox 30 or higher
-
Google Chrome 38 or higher
-
Safari 7 or higher
Note
If the management client is launched using an unsupported browser, check the help information from the For best results use supported browsers option available in the login window for the supported browser versions.
-
-
For Classic View - all browsers must have Adobe Flash Player 11 plug-in or higher. Supported browsers are:
-
Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 or higher
-
Mozilla Firefox 54 or higher
-
Google Chrome 61 or higher
-
Safari 11 or higher
-
-
Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows 10, Apple Mac OS X v10.6, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0 or higher operating systems
-
Transport Layer Security (TLS) version 1.2.
Overview of the Server Models
Supported Platforms
The following servers are supported in this release:
-
UCS-C240 M5
-
UCS-C220 M5
-
UCS-C480 M5
For information about these servers, see Overview of Servers
Hardware and Software Interoperability
For detailed information about storage switch, operating system, adapter, adapter utility, and storage array interoperability, see the Hardware and Software Interoperability Matrix for your release located at:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10477/prod_technical_reference_list.html
For details about transceivers and cables that are supported on VIC cards, see the Transceiver Modules Compatibility Matrix
You can also see the VIC data sheets for more compatibility information: Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card Data Sheets
Cisco UCS C-Series and Cisco UCS Manager Release Compatibility Matrix for C-Series Rack-Mount Servers
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Servers are managed by built-in standalone software — Cisco Integrated Management Controller (Cisco IMC). However, when a C-Series Rack-Mount Server is integrated with Cisco UCS Manager, the Cisco IMC does not manage the server anymore.
The following table lists the C-Series software standalone and Cisco UCS Manager releases for C-Series Rack-Mount Servers:
C-Series Standalone Release |
Cisco UCS Manager Release |
C-Series Servers |
||
---|---|---|---|---|
3.1(2d) |
3.2(2d) |
C480 M5, C220 M5, C240 M5 |
||
3.1(2c) |
3.2(2c) |
C480 M5, C220 M5, C240 M5 |
||
3.1(2b) |
3.2(2b) |
C480 M5, C220 M5, C240 M5 |
||
3.1(1d) |
3.2(1d) |
C220 M5, C240 M5 |
||
3.0(3a) |
3.1(3a) |
C220 M4, C240 M4 only |
||
3.0(2b) |
No Support
|
C220 M4, C240 M4 only |
||
3.0(1d) |
No Support
|
All M3 and M4 servers except C420 M3 |
||
2.0(13e) |
3.1(2b) |
All M3 and M4 servers except C420 M3 |
||
2.0(10b) |
3.1(1g) |
C220 M4, C240 M4 only |
||
2.0(9c) |
3.1(1e) |
All other M3/M4 servers |
||
2.0(9f) |
2.2(7b) |
For all other M3/M4 |
||
2.0(10b) |
2.2(7b) |
C220 M4, C240 M4 only |
||
1.5(9d) |
2.2(7b) |
C420 M3, C260 M2, C460 M2 only |
||
1.5(9d) |
2.2(8f) |
C420M3, C260M2, C460M2 only |
||
2.0(9c) |
2.2(8f) |
For all other M3/M4 |
||
2.0(10b) |
2.2(8f) |
C220 M4, C240 M4 only |
||
2.0(12b) |
2.2(8f) |
C460 M4 only |
||
1.5(8a) |
2.2(6g) |
C420 M3, C260 M2, C460 M2 only |
||
2.0(8d) |
2.2(6c) |
For all other M3/M4 |
||
1.5(7f) |
2.2(5b) |
C420 M3, C260 M2, C460 M2 only |
||
2.0(6d) |
2.2(5a) |
For all other M3/M4 |
||
1.5(7a)2 |
2.2(4b) |
C420 M3, C260 M2, C460 M2 only |
||
2.0(4c) |
2.2(4b) |
For all other M3/M4 |
||
1.5(7c)1 |
2.2(3b) |
C420 M3, C260 M2, C460 M2 only |
||
2.0(3d)1 |
2.2(3a) |
For all other M3/M4 |
Upgrade Paths for Release 3.1(x)
The section provides information on the upgrade paths to release 3.1(x). Refer to the table for upgrade paths for various Cisco UCS C-series IMC versions.
Upgrade From Release |
Upgrade To Release |
Recommended Upgrade Path |
---|---|---|
For all M5 Servers |
3.1(x) |
Follow below upgrade path:
|
Firmware Upgrade Details
Firmware Files
The C-Series software release 3.1(2) includes the following software files:
CCO Software Type | File name(s) | Comment |
Unified Computing System (UCS) Server Firmware |
ucs-c240m5-huu-3.1.2.iso ucs-c220m5-huu-3.1.2.iso ucs-c480m5-huu-3.1.2.iso For release specific ISO versions, see Cisco UCS C-Series Integrated Management Controller Firmware Files, Release 3.1 |
Host Upgrade Utility |
Unified Computing System (UCS) Drivers | ucs-cxxx-drivers.3.1.2.iso | Drivers |
Unified Computing System (UCS) Utilities |
ucs-cxxx-utils-efi.3.1.2.iso ucs-cxxx-utils-linux.3.1.2.iso ucs-cxxx-utils-vmware.3.1.2.iso ucs-cxxx-utils-windows.3.1.2.iso |
Utilities |
Note |
Always upgrade the BIOS, the Cisco IMC and CMC from the HUU ISO. Do not upgrade individual components (only BIOS or only Cisco IMC), since this could lead to unexpected behavior. If you choose to upgrade BIOS, and the Cisco IMC individually and not from the HUU ISO, make sure to upgrade both Cisco IMC, and BIOS to the same container release. If the BIOS and the Cisco IMC versions are from different container releases, it could result in unexpected behavior. Cisco recommends that you use the Update All option from the Host Upgrade Utility to update the firmware versions of Cisco IMC, BIOS, and all other server components (VIC, RAID Controllers, PCI devices, and LOM) together. |
Host Upgrade Utility
The Cisco Host Upgrade Utility (HUU) is a tool that upgrades the Cisco UCS C-Series firmware.
The image file for the firmware is embedded in the ISO. The utility displays a menu that allows you to choose which firmware components to upgrade. For more information on this utility see:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10493/products_user_guide_list.html
For details of firmware files in Cisco Host Upgrade Utility for individual releases, see Cisco UCS C-Series Integrated Management Controller Firmware Files, Release 3.1
Updating the Firmware
Use the Host Upgrade Utility to upgrade the C-Series firmware. Host Upgrade Utility can upgrade the following software components:
-
BIOS
-
Cisco IMC
-
Cisco VIC Adapters
-
LSI Adapters
-
LAN on Motherboard
-
PCIe adapter firmware
-
HDD firmware
-
SAS Expander firmware
All firmware should be upgraded together to ensure proper operation of your server.
Note |
We recommend that you use the Update All option from the Host Upgrade Utility to update the firmware versions of Cisco IMC, BIOS and all other server components (VIC, RAID Controllers, PCI devices, and LOM) together. Click Exit once you deploy the firmware. |
For more information on how to upgrade the firmware using the utility, see:
Supported Features
Supported Features
The following new software features are supported in Release 3.1(2):
-
WWW(HTTP/HTTPS)—HTTP-based or HTTPS-based system mapping support was added to map a Flexutil virtual drive.
-
microSD card boot using NIHUU—when you use map type as microSD, the NIHUU maps the HUU virtual drive from Flexutil as the first boot device and boots to HUU partition if a valid HUU image is available in the partition.
New Hardware in Release 3.1(2)
Release 3.1(2c)
The following new hardware is supported in Release 3.1(2c):
NVIDIA Tesla M60 GPU support added.
Release 3.1(2b)
The following new hardware is supported in Release 3.1(2b):
M5 Server
Support for C480 M5 rack-mount servers
Peripherals
-
Support for the following new NVMe devices with relevant UCS M5 servers:
-
Cisco 2.5" U.2 800GB HGST SN200 NVMe High Perf. High Endurance (UCSC-NVMEHW-H800)
-
Cisco 2.5" U.2 1.6 TB HGST SN200 NVMe High Perf. High Endurance (UCSC-NVMEHW-H1600)
-
Cisco 2.5" U.2 3.2 TB HGST SN200 NVMe High Perf. High Endurance (UCSC-NVMEHW-H3200)
-
Cisco 2.5" U.2 6.4 TB HGST SN200 NVMe High Perf. High Endurance (UCSC-NVMEHW-H6400)
-
Cisco 2.5" U.2 7.7 TB HGST SN200 NVMe High Perf. High Endurance (UCSC-NVMEHW-H7680)
-
Cisco HHHL AIC 6.4TB HGST SN260 NVMe Extreme Perf High Endurance for UCS M5 servers (UCSC-NVME-H64003)
-
Cisco HHHL AIC 7.7TB HGST SN260 NVMe Extreme Perf High Endurance for UCS M5 servers (UCSC-NVME-H76801)
-
Cisco HHHL AIC 3.2TB SN260 Extreme Perf High Endurance for UCS M5 servers (UCSC-NVME-H32003)
-
Cisco HHHL AIC 1.6TB SN260 Extreme Perf High Endurance for UCS M5 servers (UCSC-F-H16003)
-
Cisco HHHL AIC 3.8TB SN260 Extreme Perf High Endurance for UCS M5 servers (UCSC-NVME-H38401)
-
-
Support for NVIDIA P4 GPUs with UCS C240 M5 servers
-
Support for the following Qlogic adapters with UCS M5 servers:
-
QLogic QL41212H 25GbE (UCSC-PCIE-QD25GF)
-
QLogic QL45412H 40GbE (UCSC-PCIE-QD40GF)
-
-
Support for the following Intel adapter with UCS M5 servers:
-
Intel X710-T4 (UCSC-PCIE-IQ10GC)
-
Software Utilities
The following standard utilities are available:
-
Host Update Utility (HUU)
-
BIOS and Cisco IMC Firmware Update utilities
-
Server Configuration Utility (SCU)
-
Server Diagnostic Utility (SDU)
The utilities features are as follows:
-
Availability of HUU, SCU on the USB as bootable images. The USB also contains driver ISO, and can be accessed from the host operating system.
SNMP
The supported MIB definition for this release and later releases can be found at the following link:
ftp://ftp.cisco.com/pub/mibs/supportlists/ucs/ucs-C-supportlist.html
Note |
The above link is incompatible with IE 9.0. |
Security Fixes
The following security issues are resolved:
Release |
Defect ID |
CVE |
Description |
---|---|---|---|
3.1(2i) |
CSCvm03347 |
|
Cisco UCS C-Series M5 servers are based on Intel® processors that are vulnerable to exploits that use CPU speculative processing and data cache timing to potentially identify privileged information. These exploits are collectively known as L1 Terminal Fault (L1TF).
This release includes BIOS revisions for Cisco UCS M5 generation servers. These BIOS revisions include the updated processor microcode that is a required part of the mitigation for CVE-2018-3620 (OS/SMM) and CVE-2018-3646 (VMM). Operating System and Hypervisor patches from the appropriate vendors may also be required to mitigate these vulnerabilities. For more information, please see the Cisco Security Advisory at: CPU Side-Channel Information Disclosure Vulnerabilities: August 2018 |
3.1(2i) |
CSCvh31577 |
|
Cisco C-Series M5 servers are based on Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors (Skylake) that are vulnerable to exploits that use CPU speculative processing and data cache timing to potentially identify privileged information. These exploits are collectively known as Spectre and Meltdown.
This release includes BIOS revisions for Cisco UCS C-Series M5 generation servers. These BIOS revisions include the updated microcode that is a required part of the mitigation for CVE-2017-5715 (Spectre/Variant 2). |
Software Advisory
Release |
Defect ID |
CVE |
Description |
---|---|---|---|
3.1(2e) |
CSCvg97982 CSCvh31577 |
|
This is a software advisory for the Side Channel Analysis vulnerability that impacts M5 servers. For more information please see the following software advisory: |
Resolved Caveats
The following section lists resolved caveats.
Resolved Caveats in Release 3.1(2)
Release 3.1(2c)
The following defects are resolved in release 3.1(2c):
Defect ID |
Symptom |
First Affected Release |
Resolved in Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCvg54928 |
Installation of the VMware ESXi 6.5 OS on the FlexFlash cards fails. |
3.1(1d) |
3.1(2c) |
CSCvg51565 |
Cisco IMC does not correctly decode XML API requests. This occurs when the information exchanged between the application and the Cisco IMC includes one or more of the following characters: '%', ' ' (space), '+', '&', or '=' |
3.0(3a) |
3.1(2c) |
Release 3.1(2b)
The following defects are resolved in release 3.1(2b):
Defect ID |
Symptom |
First Affected Release |
Resolved in Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCve78250 |
Delay firmware update using the UCSCFG fails to start. This happens when you try starting a firmware update from the UCSCFG and then set the one time boot order using the KVM or Cisco IMC Web UI. |
3.1(1d) |
3.1(2b) |
CSCvd85269 |
When Virtual Media is enabled on a HTML5 KVM client and if you attempt to activate it on a second HTML5 KVM client, the following two messages may repeatedly pop up even after selecting OK on each message: Virtual Media has terminated as a result of Unknown problem. Virtual Media redirection is already in use by another user. |
3.1(1d) |
3.1(2b) |
Defect ID |
Symptom |
First Affected Release |
Resolved in Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCve94411 |
Pressing CTRL+R utility in legacy boot, to clear the configuration or manage adapter, causes the firmware to become unresponsive. This happens when the virtual drives are in offline or degraded state and you use the CTRL+R option during a system boot. |
3.1(1d) |
3.1(2b) |
CSCve58649 |
In the LSA or Storcli, BBU status may always be reported as Optimal even when the BBU condition is degraded. |
3.1(1d) |
3.1(2b) |
CSCve66655 |
If the HDDs in a VD are removed when the host is powered off without deleting the VD. The subsequent reboot always shows configuration lost and moderate fault in the health status till a new VD is created. |
3.1(1d) |
3.1(2b) |
CSCve10079 |
While using LSA (Broadcom's new GUI management tool) with Software RAID managed volumes, the PD status appears as rebuild even after the drive has been successfully rebuilt. |
3.1(1d) |
3.1(2b) |
CSCve10079 |
The following invalid message appears while importing foreign configuration: "Invalid boot time password. Secure volumes are locked" |
3.1(1d) |
3.1(2b) |
Open Caveats
The following section lists open caveats.
Open Caveats in Release 3.1(2)
Release 3.1(2b)
The following defects are open in Release 3.1(2b):
Defect ID |
Symptom |
Workaround |
First Affected Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCvf51428 |
Cisco IMC BIOS configuration screen allows you to set COM1 on a C480 M5 server even though the server does not have a COM1 port. If you try to set the COM1 post, the settings are configured on the COM0 port that is available. |
None. |
3.1(2b) |
Defect ID |
Symptom |
Workaround |
First Affected Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCvd34396 |
Some components or adapters are not being discovered by HUU when booted in the UEFI secure boot enabled mode. |
Disable the UEFI Secure Boot Option using the Cisco IMC web UI and reboot the HUU. |
3.1(2b) |
Open Caveats in Release 3.1(1d)
The following defects are open in release 3.1(1d):
Defect ID |
Symptom |
Workaround |
First Affected Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCve78250 |
Delay firmware update using the UCSCFG fails to start. This happens when you try starting a firmware update from the UCSCFG and then set the one time boot order using the KVM or Cisco IMC Web UI. |
Do not set the one time boot order after triggering the delay firmware update using UCSCFG. |
3.1(1d) |
CSCvd85269 |
When Virtual Media is enabled on a HTML5 KVM client and if you attempt to activate it on a second HTML5 KVM client, the following two messages may repeatedly pop up even after selecting OK on each message: Virtual Media has terminated as a result of Unknown problem. Virtual Media redirection is already in use by another user. |
Restart the HTML5 KVM client and activate only one Virtual Media client at a time. |
3.1(1d) |
Defect ID |
Symptom |
Workaround |
First Affected Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCve46673 |
Precision boot order does not list the third party network adapters in legacy mode. |
Switch to UEFI mode. |
3.1(1d) |
CSCve35219 |
When you select power capping without enabling the allow throttling option, and select a capping value towards the lower end of the allowed capping range, power capping may not be successful achieved. |
Select allow throttling option, if you want to set a lower power capping value. |
3.1(1d) |
Defect ID |
Symptom |
Workaround |
First Affected Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCvf03966 |
Random Critical SEL about HDDX_STATUS drive faults are asserted during reboots. However, no failure of any specific drive slots detected on reboot. |
None. This does not have any functional impact and can be ignored. |
3.1(1d) |
Defect ID |
Symptom |
Workaround |
First Affected Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCvd34396 |
Some components or adapters are not visible on HUU when it boots in the UEFI secure boot mode. |
Disable the UEFI secure boot using the Cisco IMC web UI and reboot the HUU. |
3.1(1d) |
Known Behaviors
The following section lists known behaviors.
Known Behaviors in Release 3.1(2b)
The following are the known behaviors in Release 3.1(2b):
Defect ID |
Symptom |
Workaround |
First Affected Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCvf93319 |
After upgrading to version 3.1(2) from 3.1(1), Flexutil controller status displays the following message: "Invalid partition, reset required" |
Reset the card configuration. |
3.1(2b) |
Defect ID |
Symptom |
Workaround |
First Affected Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCvf64564 |
On the C220 M5 or C240 M5 servers, BIOS password authentication fails after upgrading the server firmware from version 3.1(1) to 3.1(2), and you cannot enter the BIOS Setup screen. |
Boot the system BIOS to Setup while system is at version 3.1(1), go to the Security page and clear the system password. Now upgrade the server to version 3.1(2) and enter the BIOS setup to set the password of your choice. |
3.1(2b) |
Defect ID |
Symptom |
Workaround |
First Affected Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCva82566 |
When you place a vNIC on the Intel X520 network adapter with user defined MAC, association succeeds but the Web UI and CLI does not display the vNIC path. |
None. |
3.1(2b) |
CSCvf47015 |
NVMe U.2 and
HHHL drives are supported only on the following specific slots in the single
CMOD configuration:
However, if you plug the NVMe devices in the other supported slots that work on the dual CMOD configuration, the NVMe devices are displayed under the Storage Management tab and can be managed. But these devices are not accessible in the BIOS as well as Inventory and cannot be used at the OS level. |
None. |
3.1(2b) |
CSCvf29989 |
The performance of sn200 is low on the HDDEXT1_SLOT2 and HDDEXT3_slot2 slots, the performance is as expected on the others slots. There is a 17-19% performance drop on the above two slots on random or sequential read. However, on the others slots there only a 2-3% drop which meets standards. |
None. |
3.1(2b) |
Known Behaviors in Release 3.1(1d)
The following are the known behaviors in Release 3.1(1d):
Defect ID |
Symptom |
Workaround |
First Affected Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCve82042 |
Flexflash Virtual Drives disconnects from the host when you perform multiple flexflash resets. This happens due to the controller not being able to detect the installed SD cards. |
Reset the controller again and reconnect the VD to the host. |
3.1(1d) |
CSCvd00773 |
When the platform or CPU domain power limit is set to an absolute minimum power value (characterized minimum value) and the correction time to 1 second, sometimes it may take more than 1 second (correction time) to limit power to the set value. |
No workaround. |
3.1(1d) |
CSCvf48086 |
When power cap limit for a platform domain is set close to a minimum power limit value, following critical SEL messages may appear during system boot: Node Manager: Thermal Status Sensor for CPU 1, PROCHOT asserted Node Manager: Thermal Status Sensor for CPU 2, PROCHOT asserted These messages get de-asserted during the boot process. These messages are seen as the system tries to retain the power consumption during system boot within the configured power cap value. |
Configure a higher power cap value. |
3.1(1d) |
Defect ID |
Symptom |
Workaround |
First Affected Release |
---|---|---|---|
CSCvd52950 |
The SEL "System Software event: Post sensor, Unrecoverable Video Controller Failure [0xFF09] was asserted." is logged and there is no display on the Offboard VGA console. This happens when you have an offboard VGA card that does not have UEFI oprom support and the server is in the UEFI boot mode (default mode). |
Clear the CMOS to reset the VGA priority to use onboard VGA as the primary video console. |
3.1(1d) |
Recommended Best Practices
Upgrading BIOS and Cisco IMC Firmware
Cisco provides the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility to assist you in upgrading the BIOS, Cisco IMC, CMC LOM, LSI storage controller, and Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Cards firmware to compatible levels. On the C220 M3, C240 M3, C22 M3, and C24 M3 servers, we recommend that you reboot Cisco IMC before performing the Cisco IMC and BIOS firmware update using NIHUU, HUU, web UI, CLI, or XML API.
Note |
When upgrading the Cisco IMC firmware for the UCS C-series M5 platforms, ensure that you update using the full image (for example upd-pkg-cXXX-mx-Cisco IMC.full.*.bin). |
The correct and compatible firmware levels for your server model are embedded in the utility ISO.
To use this utility, use the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility User Guide which includes the instructions for downloading and using the utility ISO. Select the guide from this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10493/products_user_guide_list.html
Related Documentation
Related Documentation
For configuration information for this release, refer to the following:
-
Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Integrated Management Controller CLI Configuration Guide
-
Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Integrated Management Controller GUI Configuration Guide
-
Cisco UCS Rack-Mount Servers Cisco IMC API Programmer's Guide
For information about installation of the C-Series servers, refer to the following:
The following related documentation is available for the Cisco Unified Computing System:
-
For information about supported firmware versions and supported UCS Manager versions for the rack servers that are integrated with the UCS Manager for management, refer to Release Bundle Contents for Cisco UCS Software.