Cisco IMC Integration Pack User Guide, Release 1.x For Microsoft System Center 2012, Configuration Manager
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- Updated:
- December 15, 2014
Chapter: Overview
Overview
About the Cisco IMC Integration Pack
The Cisco IMC Integration Pack installs as a plug-in to System Center 2012 Configuration Manager to simplify the server management task like hardware configuration, firmware update, OS installation and driver management process of Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) for Cisco UCS C-series and E-series servers. With the Cisco IMC Integration Pack installed, you can do the following:
- Import Cisco IMC servers based on Cisco IMC IPs into Configuration Manager.
- Download drivers and create driver packages for the Cisco IMC servers that are required for OS deployment from the Configuration Manager Console.
- See an overview of hardware inventory, including CPUs, memory, power supplies and storage.
- Configure RAID using the Array Builder wizard.
- BIOS configuration—Configures BIOS attributes and boot order settings of the server in both legacy and precision boot order mode.
- Cisco IMC Configuration—Ability to configure Cisco IMC Admin settings like Network, SNMP, local users, LDAP and communication settings.
- VIC Adapter Configuration—Ability to configure VIC adapter settings like vNICs, vHBAs, VMFEX.
Note
VIC Adapter Configuration is supported only on C-series servers.
- Configuration Pools—Ability to create, edit and delete configuration pools for MAC, IP, WWPN and WWNN addresses.
- Download and perform firmware updates using the Host Upgrade Utility (HUU).
- Automatic boot to Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) or network boot using ISO mapping.
- Launch KVM Console—The KVM Console of the server.
- Launch the Cisco IMC web user interface (UI).
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager is a systems management application for managing large groups of Windows-based computer systems. System Center 2012 Configuration Manager provides remote control, patch management, software distribution, operating system deployment, network access protection, and hardware and software inventory.
Components of the Cisco IMC Integration Pack
The Cisco IMC Integration Pack includes the following utilities:
- Launch the KVM console
- Launch the Cisco Integrated Management Controller web UI
- Import IMC Servers Wizard—Imports Cisco IMC Servers into Configuration Manager.
- Create Cisco UCS C-Series Server Driver Package Wizard—Imports the necessary driver packages that are required during the operating system deployment.
- Cisco IMC Configuration Profile Manager—Creates server configuration profiles such as RAID configuration, BIOS configuration, Cisco IMC admin configuration, VIC adapter configuration, and firmware update profiles.
- Cisco IMC Server Configuration Manager—Performs server configuration and management tasks such as Firmware Update, RAID Configuration, BIOS Configuration, VIC Adapter Configuration, Cisco IMC Admin Configuration, Operating System Deployment and Viewing Hardware Inventory on a single server or a group of servers.
- Cisco IMC Task Manager—Allows you to view the status of the tasks and perform actions on it.
End to End Scenario
A typical deployment scenario covers all the steps from importing a server, importing the driver packages, Updating Firmware, Configuring Hardware, and deploying an operating system on the server. This sample scenario includes the following tasks:
1. Installing the Cisco IMC Integration Pack. For more information, see Installing the Cisco IMC Integration Pack
2. Importing Cisco IMC servers into the Configuration Manager Console and assigning the servers to a collection. For more information, see Importing IMC Servers
3. Importing driver packages of the Cisco IMC servers into the Configuration Manager Console. For more information, see Importing Driver Packages.
4. Creating a custom task sequence or editing an existing task sequence to support the deployment of operating systems. For more information, see Creating and Editing Task Sequences.
5. Update Firmware, Configure Hardware and Install an Operating System on th server through Task Sequence. For more information, see Cisco IMC Configuration Profile Manager and Cisco IMC Configuration Manager.
Software Requirements
Before installing Cisco IMC Integration Pack, ensure the system meets or exceeds the following minimum software requirements:
Supported Operating Systems and Versions
The Cisco IMC Integration Pack supports the following operating systems:
- Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit)
- Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (64-bit)
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)
Note You must install the latest patch updates for the above operating systems.
Supported Hardware Platforms
The Cisco IMC Integration Pack is supported on the following hardware platforms:
Supported C-Series Servers
Supported E-Series Servers
Supported Cisco IMC Version
The Cisco IMC Integration Pack is compatible with Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) Version 1.5(2) or higher for C-Series servers and Version 2.3(x) and higher for E-Series servers.
Cisco IMC integration pack supports the following:
Note Configuring BIOS on Cisco UCS C-series servers requires Cisco IMC version of 1.5(4) or higher.
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