Managing Rack-Mount Servers

This chapter includes the following sections:

Rack-Mount Server Management

You can manage and monitor all rack-mount servers that have been integrated with a Cisco UCS domain through Cisco UCS Manager. All management and monitoring features are supported for rack-mount servers except power capping. Some rack-mount server management tasks, such as changes to the power state, can be performed from both the server and service profile. The remaining management tasks can only be performed on the server.

Cisco UCS Manager provides information, errors, and faults for each rack-mount server that it has discovered.


Tip

For information about how to integrate a supported Cisco UCS rack-mount server with Cisco UCS Manager, see the Cisco UCS C-series server integration guide for your Cisco UCS Manager release.

Guidelines for Removing and Decommissioning Rack-Mount Servers

Consider the following guidelines when deciding whether to remove or decommission a rack-mount server using Cisco UCS Manager:

Decommissioning a Rack-Mount server

Decommissioning is performed when a rack-mount server is physically present and connected but you want to temporarily remove it from the configuration. Because it is expected that a decommissioned rack-mount server will be eventually recommissioned, a portion of the server's information is retained by Cisco UCS Manager for future use.

Removing a Rack-Mount server

Removing is performed when you physically remove the server from the system by disconnecting the rack-mount server from the fabric extender. You cannot remove a rack-mount server from Cisco UCS Manager if it is physically present and connected to the fabric extender. Once the rack-mount server is disconnected, the configuration for that rack-mount server can be removed in Cisco UCS Manager.

During removal, management interfaces are disconnected, all entries from databases are removed, and the server is automatically removed from any server pools that it was assigned to during discovery.


Note

Only those servers added to a server pool automatically during discovery will be removed automatically. Servers that have been manually added to a server pool have to be removed manually.

If you need to add a removed rack-mount server back to the configuration, it must be reconnected and then rediscovered. When a server is reintroduced to Cisco UCS Manager it is treated like a new server and is subject to the deep discovery process. For this reason, it's possible that Cisco UCS Manager will assign the server a new ID that may be different from the ID that it held before.

Recommendations for Avoiding Unexpected Server Power Changes

If a server is not associated with a service profile, you can use any available means to change the server power state, including the physical Power or Reset buttons on the server.

If a server is associated with, or assigned to, a service profile, you should only use the following methods to change the server power state:

  • In Cisco UCS Manager GUI, go to the General tab for the server or the service profile associated with the server and select Boot Server or Shutdown Server from the Actions area.

  • In Cisco UCS Manager CLI, scope to the server or the service profile associated with the server and use the power up or power down commands.

Important:

Do not use any of the following options on an associated server that is currently powered off:

  • Reset in the GUI

  • cycle cycle-immediate or reset hard-reset-immediate in the CLI

  • The physical Power or Reset buttons on the server

If you reset, cycle, or use the physical power buttons on a server that is currently powered off, the server's actual power state may become out of sync with the desired power state setting in the service profile. If the communication between the server and Cisco UCS Manager is disrupted or if the service profile configuration changes, Cisco UCS Manager may apply the desired power state from the service profile to the server, causing an unexpected power change.

Power synchronization issues can lead to an unexpected server restart, as shown below:

Desired Power State in Service Profile

Current Server Power State

Server Power State After Communication Is Disrupted

Up

Powered Off

Powered On

Down

Powered On

Powered On

Note   

Running servers are not shut down regardless of the desired power state in the service profile.

Booting Rack-Mount Servers

Booting a Rack-Mount Server

If the Boot Server link is dimmed in the Actions area, you must shut down the server first.

Procedure
    Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
    Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
    Step 3   Choose the server that you want to boot.
    Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
    Step 5   In the Actions area, click Boot Server.
    Step 6   If the Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays a confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

    After the server has booted, the Overall Status field on the General tab displays an OK status.

    Booting a Server from the Service Profile

    Procedure
      Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Servers tab.
      Step 2   On the Servers tab, expand Servers > Service Profiles.
      Step 3   Expand the node for the organization where you want to create the service profile.

      If the system does not include multitenancy, expand the root node.

      Step 4   Choose the service profile that requires the associated server to be booted.
      Step 5   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
      Step 6   In the Actions area, click Boot Server.
      Step 7   If the Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays a confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
      Step 8   Click OK in the Boot Server dialog box.

      After the server has booted, the Overall Status field on the General tab displays an ok status or an up status.

      Determining the Boot Order of a Rack-Mount Server


      Tip

      You can also view the boot order tabs from the General tab of the service profile associated with a server.

      Procedure
        Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
        Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
        Step 3   Click the server for which you want to determine the boot order.
        Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
        Step 5   If the Boot Order Details area is not expanded, click the Expand icon to the right of the heading.
        Step 6   To view the boot order assigned to the server, click the Configured Boot Order tab.
        Step 7   To view what will boot from the various devices in the physical server configuration, click the Actual Boot Order tab.
        Note   

        The Actual Boot Order tab always shows "Internal EFI Shell" at the bottom of the boot order list.

        Shutting Down Rack-Mount Servers

        Shutting Down a Rack-Mount Server

        When you use this procedure to shut down a server with an installed operating system, Cisco UCS Manager triggers the OS into a graceful shutdown sequence.

        If the Shutdown server link is dimmed in the Actions area, the server is not running.

        Procedure
          Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
          Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
          Step 3   Choose the server that you want to shut down.
          Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
          Step 5   In the Actions area, click Shutdown Server.
          Step 6   If the Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays a confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

          After the server has been successfully shut down, the Overall Status field on the General tab displays a power-off status.

          Shutting Down a Server from the Service Profile

          When you use this procedure to shut down a server with an installed operating system, Cisco UCS Manager triggers the OS into a graceful shutdown sequence.

          If the Shutdown Server link is dimmed in the Actions area, the server is not running.

          Procedure
            Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Servers tab.
            Step 2   On the Servers tab, expand Servers > Service Profiles.
            Step 3   Expand the node for the organization where you want to create the service profile.

            If the system does not include multitenancy, expand the root node.

            Step 4   Choose the service profile that requires the associated server to be shut down.
            Step 5   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
            Step 6   In the Actions area, click Shutdown Server.
            Step 7   If the Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays a confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

            After the server has been successfully shut down, the Overall Status field on the General tab displays a down status or a power-off status.

            Resetting a Rack-Mount Server

            When you reset a server, Cisco UCS Manager sends a pulse on the reset line. You can choose to gracefully shut down the operating system. If the operating system does not support a graceful shut down, the server is power cycled. The option to have Cisco UCS Manager complete all management operations before it resets the server does not guarantee that these operations will be completed before the server is reset.


            Note

            If you are trying to boot a server from a power-down state, you should not use Reset.

            If you continue the power-up with this process, the desired power state of the servers will become out of sync with the actual power state and the servers may unexpectedly shut down at a later time. To safely reboot the selected servers from a power-down state, click Cancel then select the Boot Server action.

            Procedure
              Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
              Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
              Step 3   Choose the server that you want to reset.
              Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
              Step 5   In the Actions area, click Reset.
              Step 6   In the Reset Server dialog box, do the following:
              1. Click the Power Cycle option.
              2. Optional: Check the check box if you want Cisco UCS Manager to complete all management operations that are pending on this server.
              3. Click OK.

              The reset may take several minutes to complete. After the server has been reset, the Overall Status field on the General tab displays an ok status.

              Reacknowledging a Rack-Mount Server

              Perform the following procedure if you need to have Cisco UCS Manager rediscover the server and all endpoints in the server. For example, you can use this procedure if a server is stuck in an unexpected state, such as the discovery state.

              Procedure
                Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
                Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
                Step 3   Choose the server that you want to acknowledge.
                Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
                Step 5   In the Actions area, click Server Maintenance.
                Step 6   In the Maintenance dialog box, do the following:
                1. Click Re-acknowledge.
                2. Click OK.

                Cisco UCS Manager disconnects the server and then builds the connections between the server and the fabric interconnect or fabric interconnects in the system. The acknowledgment may take several minutes to complete. After the server has been acknowledged, the Overall Status field on the General tab displays an OK status.

                Decommissioning a Rack-Mount Server

                Procedure
                  Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
                  Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
                  Step 3   Choose the server that you want to decommission.
                  Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
                  Step 5   In the Actions area, click Server Maintenance.
                  Step 6   In the Maintenance dialog box, do the following:
                  1. Click Decommission.
                  2. Click OK.

                  The server is removed from the Cisco UCS configuration.

                  Recommissioning a Rack-Mount Server

                  Procedure
                    Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
                    Step 2   On the Equipment tab, click the Rack-Mounts node.
                    Step 3   In the Work pane, click the Decommissioned tab.
                    Step 4   On the row for each rack-mount server that you want to recommission, do the following:
                    1. In the Recommission column, check the check box.
                    2. Click Save Changes
                    Step 5   If the Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays a confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
                    Step 6   (Optional)Monitor the progress of the server recommission and discovery on the FSM tab for the server.

                    Renumbering a Rack-Mount Server

                    Before You Begin

                    If you are swapping IDs between servers, you must first decommission both servers and then wait for the server decommission FSM to complete before proceeding with the renumbering steps.

                    Procedure
                      Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
                      Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
                      Step 3   Expand the Servers node and verify that it does not include the following:

                      • The rack-mount server you want to renumber

                      • A rack-mount server with the number you want to use

                      If either of these servers are listed in the Servers node, decommission those servers. You must wait until the decommission FSM is complete and the servers are not listed in the node before continuing. This might take several minutes.

                      Step 4   Choose the rack-mount server that you want to renumber.
                      Step 5   On the Equipment tab, click the Rack-Mounts node.
                      Step 6   In the Work pane, click the Decommissioned tab.
                      Step 7   On the row for each rack-mount server that you want to renumber, do the following:
                      1. Double-click in the ID field, and enter the new number that you want to assign to the rack-mount server.
                      2. In the Recommission column, check the check box.
                      3. Click Save Changes
                      Step 8   If the Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays a confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
                      Step 9   (Optional)Monitor the progress of the server recommission and discovery on the FSM tab for the server.

                      Removing a Non-Existent Rack-Mount Server from the Configuration Database

                      Perform the following procedure if you physically removed the server hardware without first decommissioning the server. You cannot perform this procedure if the server is physically present.

                      Procedure
                        Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
                        Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
                        Step 3   Choose the server that you want to remove from the configuration database.
                        Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
                        Step 5   In the Actions area, click Server Maintenance.
                        Step 6   In the Maintenance dialog box, do the following:
                        1. Click Remove.
                        2. Click OK.

                        Cisco UCS Manager removes all data about the server from its configuration database. The server slot is now available for you to insert new server hardware.

                        Turning the Locator LED for a Rack-Mount Server On and Off

                        Procedure
                          Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
                          Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
                          Step 3   Choose the server for which you want to turn the locator LED on or off.
                          Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
                          Step 5   In the Actions area, click one of the following:
                          • Turn on Locator LED
                          • Turn off Locator LED

                          Resetting the CMOS for a Rack-Mount Server

                          On rare occasions, troubleshooting a server may require you to reset the CMOS. This procedure is not part of the normal maintenance of a server.

                          Procedure
                            Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
                            Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
                            Step 3   Choose the server for which you want to reset the CMOS.
                            Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
                            Step 5   In the Actions area, click Recover Server.
                            Step 6   In the Recover Server dialog box, do the following:
                            1. Click Reset CMOS.
                            2. Click OK.

                            Resetting the CIMC for a Rack-Mount Server

                            On rare occasions, such as an issue with the current running firmware, troubleshooting a server may require you to reset the CIMC. This procedure is not part of the normal maintenance of a server. After you reset the CIMC, the server boots with the running version of the firmware for that server.

                            Procedure
                              Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
                              Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
                              Step 3   Choose the server for which you want to reset the CIMC.
                              Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
                              Step 5   In the Actions area, click Recover Server.
                              Step 6   In the Recover Server dialog box, do the following:
                              1. Click Reset CIMC (Server Controller).
                              2. Click OK.

                              Recovering the Corrupt BIOS on a Rack-Mount Server

                              On rare occasions, an issue with a server may require you to recover the corrupted BIOS. This procedure is not part of the normal maintenance of a server. After you recover the BIOS, the server boots with the running version of the firmware for that server. This radio button may be dimmed if the BIOS does not require recovery or the option is not available for a particular server.

                              Before You Begin
                              Important:

                              Remove all attached or mapped USB storage from a server before you attempt to recover the corrupt BIOS on that server. If an external USB drive is attached or mapped from vMedia to the server, BIOS recovery fails.

                              Procedure
                                Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
                                Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
                                Step 3   Choose the server for which you want to recover the BIOS.
                                Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
                                Step 5   In the Actions area, click Recover Server.
                                Step 6   In the Recover Server dialog box, do the following:
                                1. Click Recover Corrupt BIOS.
                                2. Click OK.
                                Step 7   If the Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays a confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
                                Step 8   In the Recover Corrupt BIOS dialog box, do the following:
                                1. Complete the following fields:
                                  Name Description

                                  Version To Be Activated drop-down list

                                  Choose the firmware version that you want to activate from the drop-down list.

                                2. Click OK.

                                Viewing the POST Results for a Rack-Mount Server

                                You can view any errors collected during the Power On Self-Test process for a server and its adapters.

                                Procedure
                                  Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
                                  Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
                                  Step 3   Choose the server for which you want to view the POST results.
                                  Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
                                  Step 5   In the Actions area, click View POST Results.

                                  The POST Results dialog box lists the POST results for the server and its adapters.

                                  Step 6   (Optional)Click the link in the Affected Object column to view the properties of that adapter.
                                  Step 7   Click OK to close the POST Results dialog box.

                                  Issuing an NMI from a Rack-Mount Server

                                  Perform the following procedure if the system remains unresponsive and you need Cisco UCS Manager to issue a Non Maskable Interrupt (NMI) to the BIOS or operating system from the CIMC. This action creates a core dump or stack trace, depending on the operating system installed on the server.

                                  Procedure
                                    Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
                                    Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Rack Mounts > Servers.
                                    Step 3   Choose the server that you want to issue the NMI.
                                    Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
                                    Step 5   In the Actions area, click Server Maintenance.
                                    Step 6   In the Maintenance dialog box, do the following:
                                    1. Click Diagnostic Interrupt.
                                    2. Click OK.

                                    Cisco UCS Manager sends an NMI to the BIOS or operating system.