- Preface
- New and Changed Information
- Overview of Cisco Unified Computing System
- Overview of Cisco UCS Manager
- Overview of Cisco UCS Manager GUI
- Configuring the Fabric Interconnects
- Configuring Ports and Port Channels
- Configuring Communication Services
- Configuring Authentication
- Configuring Organizations
- Configuring Role-Based Access Control
- Configuring DNS Servers
- Configuring System-Related Policies
- Managing Licenses
- Managing Virtual Interfaces
- Registering Cisco UCS Domains with Cisco UCS Central
- LAN Uplinks Manager
- VLANs
- Configuring LAN Pin Groups
- Configuring MAC Pools
- Configuring Quality of Service
- Configuring Network-Related Policies
- Configuring Upstream Disjoint Layer-2 Networks
- Configuring Named VSANs
- Configuring SAN Pin Groups
- Configuring WWN Pools
- Configuring Storage-Related Policies
- Configuring Fibre Channel Zoning
- Configuring Server-Related Pools
- Setting the Management IP Address
- Configuring Server-Related Policies
- Configuring Server Boot
- Deferring Deployment of Service Profile Updates
- Service Profiles
- Configuring Storage Profiles
- Managing Power in Cisco UCS
- Managing Time Zones
- Managing the Chassis
- Managing Blade Servers
- Managing Rack-Mount Servers
- Starting the KVM Console
- CIMC Session Management
- Managing the I/O Modules
- Backing Up and Restoring the Configuration
- Recovering a Lost Password
- Blade Server Management
- Guidelines for Removing and Decommissioning Blade Servers
- Recommendations for Avoiding Unexpected Server Power Changes
- Booting Blade Servers
- Shutting Down Blade Servers
- Resetting a Blade Server
- Resetting a Blade Server to Factory Default Settings
- Reacknowledging a Blade Server
- Removing a Server from a Chassis
- Deleting the Inband Configuration from a Blade Server
- Decommissioning a Blade Server
- Removing a Non-Existent Blade Server Entry
- Recommissioning a Blade Server
- Reacknowledging a Server Slot in a Chassis
- Removing a Non-Existent Blade Server from the Configuration Database
- Turning the Locator LED for a Blade Server On and Off
- Resetting the CMOS for a Blade Server
- Resetting the CIMC for a Blade Server
- Clearing TPM for a Blade Server
- Recovering the Corrupt BIOS on a Blade Server
- Viewing the POST Results for a Blade Server
- Issuing an NMI from a Blade Server
- Health LED Alarms
- Viewing Health LED Alarms
Managing Blade Servers
This chapter includes the following sections:
- Blade Server Management
- Guidelines for Removing and Decommissioning Blade Servers
- Recommendations for Avoiding Unexpected Server Power Changes
- Booting Blade Servers
- Shutting Down Blade Servers
- Resetting a Blade Server
- Resetting a Blade Server to Factory Default Settings
- Reacknowledging a Blade Server
- Removing a Server from a Chassis
- Deleting the Inband Configuration from a Blade Server
- Decommissioning a Blade Server
- Removing a Non-Existent Blade Server Entry
- Recommissioning a Blade Server
- Reacknowledging a Server Slot in a Chassis
- Removing a Non-Existent Blade Server from the Configuration Database
- Turning the Locator LED for a Blade Server On and Off
- Resetting the CMOS for a Blade Server
- Resetting the CIMC for a Blade Server
- Clearing TPM for a Blade Server
- Recovering the Corrupt BIOS on a Blade Server
- Viewing the POST Results for a Blade Server
- Issuing an NMI from a Blade Server
- Health LED Alarms
- Viewing Health LED Alarms
Blade Server Management
You can manage and monitor all blade servers in a Cisco UCS domain through Cisco UCS Manager. You can perform some blade server management tasks, such as changes to the power state, from the server and service profile.
The remaining management tasks can only be performed on the server.
The power supply units go into power save mode when a chassis has two blades or less. When a third blade is added to the chassis and is fully discovered, the power supply units return to regular mode.
If a blade server slot in a chassis is empty, Cisco UCS Manager provides information, errors, and faults for that slot. You can also re-acknowledge the slot to resolve server mismatch errors and to have Cisco UCS Manager rediscover the blade server in the slot.
Cisco UCS B460 M4 Blade Server Management
The Cisco UCS B460 M4 blade server consists of two full-width Cisco UCS B260 blade servers that are connected by a Cisco UCS scalability connector. Each individual blade server is called a node and can be either the master or slave node.
Because each Cisco UCS B460 M4 blade server has two different nodes, you should note the following:
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The master node is always the node in the highest numbered slots.
-
Whenever the Cisco UCS B460 blade server is referred to in Cisco UCS Manager, the reference is to the master slot number.
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If you remove the Cisco UCS scalability connector from the Cisco UCS B460 M4 blade server, the Physical Display area in the Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays Needs Resolution on both master node slots and both slave node slots.
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The health LED displays both the individual health of the master and slave node, and the combined health of both nodes together. The combined health LED always displays the status of the node with the worst health. Any health LED alarms are shown individually.
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In the Cisco UCS Manager GUI, you can turn on and off the locator LEDs for either the master or the slave node. In the Cisco UCS Manager CLI, you can turn on and off the locator LEDs individually, or both locator LEDs at the same time.
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Power capping on the Cisco UCS B460 M4 blade server is applied at the server level. Each node is capped at one half of the total value.
-
Updating firmware updates both the master and slave node at the same time. You cannot update the firmware on an individual node.
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Local disk configuration is supported only on the master node.
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The Cisco UCS B460 blade server does not distinguish between the SEL logs that are generated by either the master or the slave node. The logs are displayed on the same page and are differentiated by the slot number.
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On the Cisco UCS Manager GUI Storage tab, the Local Disk Configuration Policy and Actual Disk Configurations areas display only the data for the Cisco UCS B460 blade server master node. No fields are displayed for the slave node.
Upgrading to a Cisco UCS B460 M4 Blade Server
If you have a Cisco UCS B260 M4 blade server, you can purchase an upgrade kit to convert to a Cisco UCS B460 M4 blade server. For more information, see the appropriate Cisco UCS Hardware Installation Guide.
You must have two Cisco UCS B260 M4 blade servers and a Cisco UCS scalability connector.
Guidelines for Removing and Decommissioning Blade Servers
Consider the following guidelines when deciding whether to remove or decommission a blade server using Cisco UCS Manager:
Decommissioning a Blade Server
If you want to temporarily decommission a physically present and connected blade server, you can temporarily remove it from the configuration. A portion of the server's information is retained by Cisco UCS Manager for future use, in case the blade server is recommissioned.
Removing a Blade Server
Removing is performed when you physically remove a blade server from the Cisco UCS Manager by disconnecting it from the chassis. You cannot remove a blade server from Cisco UCS Manager if it is physically present and connected to a chassis. After the physical removal of the blade server is completed, the configuration for that blade server can be removed in Cisco UCS Manager.
During removal, active links to the blade server are disabled, 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 servers added to a server pool automatically during discovery are removed automatically. Servers that were manually added to a server pool must be removed manually. |
To add a removed blade server back to the configuration, it must be reconnected, then rediscovered. When a server is reintroduced to Cisco UCS Manager, it is treated as a new server and is subject to the deep discovery process. For this reason, it is possible for Cisco UCS Manager to assign the server a new ID that might 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:
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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.
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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.
Do not use any of the following options on an associated server that is currently powered off:
If you reset, cycle, or use the physical power buttons on a server that is currently powered off, the server's actual power state might 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 might 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
|
Booting Blade Servers
Booting a Blade Server
If the Boot Server link is dimmed in the Actions area, you must shut down the server first.
After the server boots, the Overall Status field on the General tab displays an OK status.
Booting a Server from the Service Profile
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Servers. |
Step 2 | Expand . |
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 boot. |
Step 5 | In the Work pane, click the General tab. |
Step 6 | In the Actions area, click Boot Server. |
Step 7 | If a confirmation dialog box displays, click Yes. |
Step 8 | Click
OK in the
Boot
Server dialog box.
After the server boots, the Overall Status field on the General tab displays an ok status or an up status. |
Determining the Boot Order of a Blade Server
![]() Tip | You can also view the boot order tabs from the General tab of the service profile associated with a server. |
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. | ||
Step 2 | Expand . | ||
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.
|
Shutting Down Blade Servers
Shutting Down a Blade 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.
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.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Servers. |
Step 2 | Expand . |
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 shut down. |
Step 5 | In the Work pane, click the General tab. |
Step 6 | In the Actions area, click Shutdown Server. |
Step 7 | If a confirmation dialog box displays, click Yes. |
After the server successfully shuts down, the Overall Status field on the General tab displays a down status or a power-off status.
Resetting a Blade 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 shutdown, the server is power cycled. The option to have Cisco UCS Manager complete all management operations before it resets the server does not guarantee the completion of these operations 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 become out of sync with the actual power state and the servers might 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. |
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.
Resetting a Blade Server to Factory Default Settings
You can now reset a blade server to its factory settings. By default, the factory reset operation does not affect storage drives and flexflash drives. This is to prevent any loss of data. However, you can choose to reset these devices to a known state as well.
Resetting storage devices will result in loss of data.
Perform the following procedure to reset the server to factory default settings.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. |
Step 2 | Expand . |
Step 3 | Choose the server that you want to reset to its factory default settings. |
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: |
Step 7 | From the
Maintenance Server dialog box that appears, select
the appropriate options:
Cisco UCS Manager resets the server to its factory default settings. |
Reacknowledging a Blade Server
Perform the following procedure to 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.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. |
Step 2 | Expand . |
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, click
Re-acknowledge, then 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. |
Removing a Server from a Chassis
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. |
Step 2 | Expand . |
Step 3 | Choose the server that you want to remove from the chassis. |
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, click
Decommission, then click
OK.
The server is removed from the Cisco UCS configuration. |
Step 7 | Go to the
physical location of the chassis and remove the server hardware from the slot.
For instructions on how to remove the server hardware, see the Cisco UCS Hardware Installation Guide for your chassis. |
What to Do Next
If you physically re-install the blade server, you must re-acknowledge the slot for the Cisco UCS Manager to rediscover the server.
For more information, see Reacknowledging a Server Slot in a Chassis.
Deleting the Inband Configuration from a Blade Server
This procedure removes the inband management IP address configuration from a blade server. If this action is greyed out, no inband configuration was completed.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Servers tab. | ||
Step 2 | On the Equipment tab, expand . | ||
Step 3 | In the Work area, click the Inventory tab. | ||
Step 4 | Click the CIMC subtab. | ||
Step 5 | In the Actions area, click Delete Inband Configuration. | ||
Step 6 | Click Yes in the Delete confirmation dialog box. The inband configuration for the server is deleted.
|
Decommissioning a Blade Server
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. |
Step 2 | Expand . |
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:
The server is removed from the Cisco UCS configuration. |
What to Do Next
If you physically re-install the blade server, you must re-acknowledge the slot for the Cisco UCS Manager to rediscover the server.
For more information, see Reacknowledging a Server Slot in a Chassis.
Removing a Non-Existent Blade Server Entry
Perform the following procedure after decommissioning the server and physically removing the server hardware. This procedure removes the non existing stale entry of a blade server from the Decommissioned tab.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. |
Step 2 | In the Work pane, click the Decommissioned tab. |
Step 3 | On the row for each blade server that you want to remove from the list, check the check box in the Recommission column, then click Save Changes. |
Step 4 | If a confirmation dialog box displays, click Yes. |
Recommissioning a Blade Server
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. |
Step 2 | On the Equipment tab, click the Chassis node. |
Step 3 | In the Work pane, click the Decommissioned tab. |
Step 4 | On the row for each blade server that you want to recommission, check the check box in the Recommission column, then click Save Changes. |
Step 5 | If a confirmation dialog box displays, click Yes. |
Step 6 | (Optional) Monitor the progress of the server recommission and discovery on the FSM tab for the server. |
What to Do Next
Reacknowledging a Server Slot in a Chassis
Perform the following procedure if you decommissioned a blade server without removing the physical hardware from the chassis, and you want Cisco UCS Manager to rediscover and recommission the server.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. | ||||||
Step 2 | Expand . | ||||||
Step 3 | Choose the server whose slot you want to reacknowledge. | ||||||
Step 4 | If
Cisco UCS Manager displays a
Resolve Slot Issue dialog box, do one of the
following:
|
Removing a Non-Existent Blade 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.
If you want to physically remove a server, see Removing a Server from a Chassis.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. |
Step 2 | Expand . |
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, click
Remove, then 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 Blade Server On and Off
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. |
Step 2 | Expand . |
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:
|
Resetting the CMOS for a Blade Server
Sometimes, troubleshooting a server might require you to reset the CMOS. Resetting the CMOS is not part of the normal maintenance of a server.
Resetting the CIMC for a Blade Server
Sometimes, with the firmware, troubleshooting a server might require you to reset the CIMC. Resetting the CIMC is not part of the normal maintenance of a server. After you reset the CIMC, the CIMC reboots with the running version of the firmware for that server.
If the CIMC is reset, the power monitoring functions of Cisco UCS become briefly unavailable until the CIMC reboots. Typically, the reset only takes 20 seconds; however, it is possible that the peak power cap can exceed during that time. To avoid exceeding the configured power cap in a low power-capped environment, consider staggering the rebooting or activation of CIMCs.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. |
Step 2 | Expand . |
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, click Reset CIMC (Server Controller), then click OK. |
Clearing TPM for a Blade Server
You can clear TPM only on Cisco UCS M4 blade and rack-mount servers that include support for TPM.
![]() Caution | Clearing TPM is a potentially hazardous operation. The OS may stop booting. You may also see loss of data. |
TPM must be enabled.
Recovering the Corrupt BIOS on a Blade Server
Sometimes, an issue with a server might 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 might dim if the BIOS does not require recovery or the option is not available for a particular server.
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.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. |
Step 2 | Expand . |
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:
|
Step 7 | If a confirmation dialog box displays, click Yes. |
Step 8 | In the Recover Corrupt BIOS dialog box, do the following: |
Viewing the POST Results for a Blade Server
You can view any errors collected during the Power On Self-Test process for a server and its adapters.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. |
Step 2 | Expand . |
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 Blade 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.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. |
Step 2 | Expand . |
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:
Cisco UCS Manager sends an NMI to the BIOS or operating system. |
Health LED Alarms
The blade health LED is located on the front of each Cisco UCS B-Series blade server. Cisco UCS Manager allows you to view the sensor faults that cause the blade health LED to change color from green to amber or blinking amber.
The health LED alarms display the following information:
Name | Description |
---|---|
The severity of the alarm. This can be one of the following: |
|
Sensor ID column |
The ID of the sensor the triggered the alarm. |
Sensor Name column |
The name of the sensor that triggered the alarm. |
Viewing Health LED Alarms
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click Equipment. |
Step 2 | Expand . |
Step 3 | Click the server for which you want to view health LED alarms. |
Step 4 | In the Work pane, click the General tab. |
Step 5 | In the Actions area, click View Health LED Alarms. The View Health LED Alarms dialog box lists the health LED alarms for the selected server. |
Step 6 | Click OK to close the View Health LED Alarms dialog box. |