Using Firmware Automatic Synchronization Server Policy

This chapter includes the following sections:

Firmware Automatic Synchronization

You can use the Firmware Auto Sync Server policy in Cisco UCS Manager to determine when and how firmware versions on recently discovered servers must be upgraded. With this policy, you can upgrade the firmware versions of recently discovered unassociated servers to match the firmware version defined in the default host firmware pack. In addition, you can determine if the firmware upgrade process should run immediately after the server is discovered or run at a later time.

Important:

The firmware automatic synchronization is dependent on the default host firmware pack. If you delete the default host firmware pack, a major fault is raised in Cisco UCS Manager. If you have configured a default host firmware pack, but not specified or configured a blade or rack server firmware in it, then a minor fault is raised. Irrespective of the severity of the fault raised, you must resolve these faults prior to setting the Firmware Auto Sync Server policy.

Following are the values for the Firmware Auto Sync Server policy:

  • User Acknowledge—Firmware on the server is not synchronized until the administrator acknowledges the upgrade in the Pending Activities dialog box.

  • No Action—No firmware upgrade is initiated on the server.

You can set this policy either from the Cisco UCS Manager GUI or Cisco UCS Manager CLI. The firmware for a server is automatically triggered when the following conditions occur:

  • The firmware version on a server or the endpoint on a server differs from the firmware version configured in the default host firmware pack.

  • The value for the Firmware Auto Sync Server policy has been modified. For example, if you had initially set it as No Action and you change it to User Acknowledge.

Important:

If Cisco UCS Manager is registered as a Cisco UCS domain with Cisco UCS Central, then this policy runs as a local policy. If the default host firmware pack is not defined in or is deleted from Cisco UCS Manager, then this policy will not run.

Setting the Firmware Auto-Sync Server Policy

Use this policy to determine when and how the firmware version of a recently discovered unassociated server must be updated to match with the firmware version of the default host firmware pack.

If the firmware version of a specific endpoint of a server differs from the version in the default host firmware pack, the FSM state in Cisco UCS Manager displays the update status for that specific endpoint only. The firmware version of the server is not updated.

Before You Begin

  • You should have created a default host firmware pack prior to setting this policy.

  • You should have logged in as an administrator to complete this task.

Procedure
     Command or ActionPurpose
    Step 1 UCS-A# scope org org name  

    Enters organization mode for the specified organization. To enter the root organization mode, type / as the org-name.

     
    Step 2 UCS-A /org # scope fw-autosync-policy  

    Enters the firmware auto synchronization policy mode.

     
    Step 3 UCS-A /org/fw-autosync-policy # set{user-ack| no-actions}  

    Set one of the following values to set the policy:

    • User Acknowledge--Firmware on the server is not synchronized until the administrator acknowledges the discovered server in the server command mode.

    • No Action—No firmware upgrade is initiated on the server.

     
    Step 4 UCS-A /org/fw-autosync-policy # commit-buffer  

    Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

     

    This example shows how to set the Firmware Auto Sync Server policy and commit the transaction to the system: 

    UCS-A # scope org sample
UCS-A /org # scope fw-autosync-policy
UCS-A /org/fw-autosync-policy # set user-ack
UCS-A /org/fw-autosync-policy* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /org/fw-autosync-policy #
    What to Do Next

    If you set the value to User Acknowledge, then you must acknowledge pending activity for the server for the firmware synchronization to occur.

    Acknowledging the Firmware Auto Synchronization for a Server

    If you have set the Firmware Auto-Sync Server policy to User Acknowledge, then you will have to acknowledge the pending activities for a server. If you do not acknowledge this pending activity for the server, then the firmware version of the server or the endpoints in the server are not updated to match with the firmware versions defined in the default host firmware pack.

    Before You Begin

    • You should have logged in as an administrator to complete this task.

    Procedure
      Step 1   UCS-A# scope chassis

      Enters the chassis command mode.

      Step 2   UCS-A /chassis # scope server server ID

      Enters the server command mode.

      Step 3   UCS-A /chassis/server # fw-sync {acknowledge discard}

      Acknowledges or discards the pending firmware synchronization for the server.

      Step 4   UCS-A /chassis/server # commit-buffer

      Commits the transaction to the server.

      This example shows how to acknowledge the pending firmware update for a server and commit the transaction: 

      UCS-A # scope chassis
UCS-A /chassis # scope server 1
UCS-A /chassis/server # fw-sync acknowledge
UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /chassis/server #