Cisco UCS Central Server Management Guide, Release 2.0

Server Policies

Server policies allow you to apply changes globally to your Cisco UCS servers.

Note

You must include policies in a service profile and associate them with a server before Cisco UCS Central can apply them.

BIOS Policy

The BIOS policy automates the configuration of BIOS settings for a server or group of servers. You can create global BIOS policies available to all servers in the root organization, or you can create BIOS policies in sub-organizations that are only available to that hierarchy.

To use a BIOS policy:

Create the BIOS policy in Cisco UCS Central.
Assign the BIOS policy to one or more service profiles.
Associate the service profile with a server.

During service profile association, Cisco UCS Central modifies the BIOS settings on the server to match the configuration in the BIOS policy. If you do not create and assign a BIOS policy to a service profile, the server uses the default BIOS settings for that server platform.

Creating or Editing a BIOS Policy

Procedure

Step 1	In the Actions bar, type Create BIOS Policy and press Enter.
Step 2	In the BIOS Policy dialog box, click Basic and choose the Organization in which you want to create the policy. Enter a Name and optional Description. The policy name is case sensitive. (Optional) Complete the other fields as necessary. For more information, see Basic BIOS Settings.
Step 3	In Processor, complete the fields as necessary. For more information, see Processor BIOS Settings.
Step 4	In I/O, complete the fields as necessary. For more information, see I/O BIOS Settings.
Step 5	In RAS Memory, complete the fields as necessary. For more information, see RAS Memory BIOS Settings.
Step 6	In USB, complete the fields as necessary. For more information, see USB BIOS Settings.
Step 7	In PCI, complete the fields as necessary. For more information, see .
Step 8	In Graphics Configuration, complete the fields as necessary. For more information, see Graphics Configuration BIOS Settings.
Step 9	In Boot Options, complete the fields as necessary. For more information, see Boot Options BIOS Settings.
Step 10	In Server Manager, complete the fields as necessary. For more information, see Server Manager BIOS Settings.
Step 11	In Console, complete the fields as necessary. For more information, see Console BIOS Settings.
Step 12	Click Create.

Default BIOS Settings

Cisco UCS Central includes a set of default BIOS settings for each type of server supported by Cisco UCS. The default BIOS settings are available only in the root organization and are global. Only one set of default BIOS settings can exist for each server platform supported by Cisco UCS. You can modify the default BIOS settings, but you cannot create an additional set of default BIOS settings.

Each set of default BIOS settings are designed for a particular type of supported server and are applied to all servers of that specific type which do not have a BIOS policy included in their service profiles.

Unless a Cisco UCS implementation has specific needs that are not met by the server-specific settings, we recommend that you use the default BIOS settings that are designed for each type of server in the Cisco UCS domain.

Cisco UCS Central applies these server platform-specific BIOS settings as follows:

The service profile associated with a server does not include a BIOS policy.
The BIOS policy is configured with the platform-default option for a specific setting.

You can modify the default BIOS settings provided by Cisco UCS Central. However, any changes to the default BIOS settings apply to all servers of that particular type or platform. If you want to modify the BIOS settings for only certain servers, we recommend that you use a BIOS policy.

Basic BIOS Settings

The following table lists the main server BIOS settings that you can configure through a BIOS policy or the default BIOS settings:


Name	Description
Organization	Select an organization.
Name	Enter a name between 1 and 16 alphanumeric characters.
Description	Enter up to 256 characters. you can use any characters or spaces except ' (accent mark), \ (backslash), ^ (carat), " (double quote), = (equal sign), > (greater than), < (less than), or ' (single quote).
Reboot on BIOS Settings Change	When the server is rebooted after you change one or more BIOS settings. —If you enable this setting, the server is rebooted according to the maintenance policy in the server's service profile. For example, if the maintenance policy requires user acknowledgment, the server is not rebooted and the BIOS changes are not applied until a user acknowledges the pending activity. —If you do not enable this setting, the BIOS changes are not applied until the next time the server is rebooted, whether as a result of another server configuration change or a manual reboot.
Serial Port A	Whether serial port A is enabled or disabled. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The serial port is disabled. —The serial port is enabled.
Quiet Boot	What the BIOS displays during Power On Self-Test (POST). This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The BIOS displays all messages and Option ROM information during boot. —The BIOS displays the logo screen, but does not display any messages or Option ROM information during boot.
Post Error Pause	What happens when the server encounters a critical error during POST. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The BIOS continues to attempt to boot the server. —The BIOS pauses the attempt to boot the server and opens the Error Manager when a critical error occurs during POST.
Front Panel Lockout	Whether the power and reset buttons on the front panel are ignored by the server. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The power and reset buttons on the front panel are active and can be used to affect the server. —The power and reset buttons are locked out. The server can only be reset or powered on or off from the CIMC GUI.
Consistent Device Naming (CDN)	Whether Consistent Device Naming (CDN) is enabled. CDN allows Ethernet interfaces to be named in a consistent manner, making Ethernet interface names more uniform, easy to identify, and persistent when adapter or other configuration changes are made. —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —CDN is disabled for this BIOS policy. —CDN is enabled for this BIOS policy.
Resume AC On Power Loss	How the server behaves when power is restored after an unexpected power loss. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The server is powered on and the system attempts to restore its last state. —The server is powered on and automatically reset. —The server remains off until manually powered on.
QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) Link Frequency	The Intel QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) link frequency, in megatransfers per second (MT/s). This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. 6400 7200 8000 9600 —The CPU determines the QPI link frequency.
QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) Snoop Mode	This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The snoop is always spawned by the home agent (centralized ring stop) for the memory controller. This mode has a higher local latency than early snoop, but it provides extra resources for a larger number of outstanding transactions. —This mode is available only for processors that have 10 or more cores. It is the best mode for highly NUMA optimized workloads. —The distributed cache ring stops can send a snoop probe or a request to another caching agent directly. This mode has lower latency and it is best for workloads that have shared data sets across threads and can benefit from a cache-to-cache transfer, or for workloads that are not NUMA optimized.
Trusted Platform Module (TPM)	Whether TPM is used to securely store artifacts that are used to authenticate the server. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —TPM is used for authentication. —TPM is not used for authentication.
Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TXT)	Whether TXT is used for data protection. TXT can be enabled only after TPM, Intel Virtualization technology (VT) and Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VTDio) are enabled. If you only enable TXT, it implicitly enables TPM, VT, and VTDio also. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —TXT is used for extra security. —TXT is not used for extra security.

Processor BIOS Settings

The following tables list the processor BIOS settings that you can configure through a BIOS policy or the default BIOS settings:

Table 1. Basic Tab

Name

Description

Execute Disabled Bit

Classifies memory areas on the server to specify where the application code can execute. As a result of this classification, the processor disables code execution if a malicious worm attempts to insert code in the buffer. This setting helps to prevent damage, worm propagation, and certain classes of malicious buffer overflow attacks. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor does not classify memory areas.
—The processor classifies memory areas.

We recommend that you contact your operating system vendor to make sure your operating system supports this feature.

Direct Cache Access

Allows processors to increase I/O performance by placing data from I/O devices directly into the processor cache. This setting helps to reduce cache misses. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—Data from I/O devices is not placed directly into the processor cache.
—Data from I/O devices is placed directly into the processor cache.

Local X2 Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC)

Allows you to set the type of Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) architecture. This can be one of the following:

xAPIC—Uses the standard xAPIC architecture.
x2APIC—Uses the enhanced x2APIC architecture to support 32 bit addressability of processors.
—Automatically uses the xAPIC architecture that is detected.
—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

Frequency Floor Override

Whether the CPU is allowed to drop below the maximum non-turbo frequency when idle. This can be one of the following:

—The CPU can drop below the maximum non-turbo frequency when idle. This option decreases power consumption but may reduce system performance.
— The CPU cannot drop below the maximum non-turbo frequency when idle. This option improves system performance but may increase power consumption.
—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

P-STATE Coordination

Allows you to define how BIOS communicates the P-state support model to the operating system. There are 3 models as defined by the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification.

HW_ALL—The processor hardware is responsible for coordinating the P-state among logical processors with dependencies (all logical processors in a package).
SW_ALL—The OS Power Manager (OSPM) is responsible for coordinating the P-state among logical processors with dependencies (all logical processors in a physical package), and must initiate the transition on all of the logical processors.
SW_ANY—The OS Power Manager (OSPM) is responsible for coordinating the P-state among logical processors with dependencies (all logical processors in a package), and may initiate the transition on any of the logical processors in the domain.
—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

Note

must be set to Custom or the server ignores the setting for this parameter.

DRAM Clock Throttling

Allows you to tune the system settings between the memory bandwidth and power consumption. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
Balanced— DRAM clock throttling is reduced, providing a balance between performance and power.
Performance—DRAM clock throttling is disabled, providing increased memory bandwidth at the cost of additional power.
—DRAM clock throttling is increased to improve energy efficiency.
—The CPU determines the level.

Channel Interleaving

Whether the CPU divides memory blocks and spreads contiguous portions of data across interleaved channels to enable simultaneous read operations. This can be one of the following:

—The CPU determines what interleaving is done.
1 Way—Some channel interleaving is used.
2 Way
3 Way
4 Way—The maximum amount of channel interleaving is used.
—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

Rank Interleaving

Whether the CPU interleaves physical ranks of memory so that one rank can be accessed while another is being refreshed. This can be one of the following:

—The CPU determines what interleaving is done.
1 Way—Some rank interleaving is used.
2 Way
4 Way
8 Way—The maximum amount of rank interleaving is used.
—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

Altitude

The approximate number of meters above sea level at which the physical server is installed. This can be one of the following:

—The CPU determines the physical elevation.
—The server is approximately 300 meters above sea level.
—The server is approximately 900 meters above sea level.
—The server is approximately 1500 meters above sea level.
—The server is approximately 3000 meters above sea level.
—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

CPU Hardware Power Management

Manages the CPU power functions.

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor does not classify memory areas.
—The processor classifies memory areas.

Energy Performance Tuning

This item selects whether the BIOS or Operating System can turn on the energy performance bias tuning. The options are BIOS and OS.

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor does not use energy performance management.
—The processor uses energy performance management.

Workload Configuration

The BIOS uses values that are default for the server type and vendor. Balanced is selected for workload optimization. This is the recommended setting.

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The workload configuration optimazations are disabled.
—The workload configuration optimazations are enabled.

Table 2. Prefetchers Tab

Name

Description

Hardware Prefetcher

Whether the processor allows the Intel hardware prefetcher to fetch streams of data and instruction from memory into the unified second-level cache when necessary. This can be one of the following:

Disabled—The hardware prefetcher is not used.
—The processor uses the hardware prefetcher when cache issues are detected.
—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

Note

must be set to Custom in order to specify this value. For any value other than Custom, this option is overridden by the setting in the selected CPU performance profile.

Adjacent Cache Line Prefetcher

Whether the processor fetches cache lines in even/odd pairs instead of fetching just the required line. This can be one of the following:

—The processor only fetches the required line.
—The processor fetches both the required line and its paired line.
—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

Note

must be set to Custom in order to specify this value. For any value other than Custom, this option is overridden by the setting in the selected CPU performance profile.

Data Cache Unit (DCU) Streamer Prefetcher

Whether the processor uses the DCU IP Prefetch mechanism to analyze historical cache access patterns and preload the most relevant lines in the L1 cache. This can be one of the following:

—The processor does not try to anticipate cache read requirements and only fetches explicitly requested lines.
—The DCU prefetcher analyzes the cache read pattern and prefetches the next line in the cache if it determines that it may be needed.
—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

Data Cache Unit (DCU) IP Prefetcher

Whether the processor uses the DCU IP Prefetch mechanism to analyze historical cache access patterns and preload the most relevant lines in the L1 cache. This can be one of the following:

—The processor does not preload any cache data.
—The DCU IP prefetcher preloads the L1 cache with the data it determines to be the most relevant.
—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

Table 3. Technology Tab

Name

Description

Turbo Boost

Whether the processor uses Intel Turbo Boost Technology, which allows the processor to automatically increase its frequency if it is running below power, temperature, or voltage specifications. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor does not increase its frequency automatically.
—The processor uses Turbo Boost Technology if required.

Enhanced Intel Speed Step

Whether the processor uses Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology, which allows the system to dynamically adjust processor voltage and core frequency. This technology can result in decreased average power consumption and decreased average heat production. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor never dynamically adjusts its voltage or frequency.
—The processor utilizes Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology and enables all supported processor sleep states to further conserve power.

We recommend that you contact your operating system vendor to make sure your operating system supports this feature.

Hyper Threading

Whether the processor uses Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, which allows multithreaded software applications to execute threads in parallel within each processor. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor does not permit hyperthreading.
—The processor allows for the parallel execution of multiple threads.

We recommend that you contact your operating system vendor to make sure the operating system supports this feature.

Core Multi-Processing

Sets the state of logical processor cores per CPU in a package. If you disable this setting, Intel Hyper Threading technology is also disabled. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
All—Enables multiprocessing on all logical processor cores.
1 through n—Specifies the number of logical processor cores per CPU that can run on the server. To disable multiprocessing and have only one logical processor core per CPU running on the server, choose 1.

We recommend that you contact your operating system vendor to make sure your operating system supports this feature.

Virtualization Technology (VT)

Whether the processor uses Intel Virtualization Technology, which allows a platform to run multiple operating systems and applications in independent partitions. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor does not permit virtualization.
—The processor allows multiple operating systems in independent partitions.

Note

If you change this option, you must power cycle the server before the setting takes effect.

Table 4. Power Tab

Name

Description

Power Management

Enables you to configure the CPU power management settings for the following options:

Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology
Intel Turbo Boost Technology
Processor Power State C6

Power Technology can be one of the following:

—The server does not perform any CPU power management and any settings for the BIOS parameters mentioned above are ignored.
—The server determines the best settings for the BIOS parameters mentioned above and ignores the individual settings for these parameters.
—The server automatically optimizes the performance for the BIOS parameters mentioned above.
—The server uses the individual settings for the BIOS parameters mentioned above. You must select this option if you want to change any of these BIOS parameters.
—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

Energy Performance

Allows you to determine whether system performance or energy efficiency is more important on this server. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

Note

must be set to Custom or the server ignores the setting for this parameter.

Processor C State

Whether the system can enter a power savings mode during idle periods. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The system remains in a high-performance state even when idle.
—The system can reduce power to system components such as the DIMMs and CPUs.

We recommend that you contact your operating system vendor to make sure your operating system supports this feature.

Processor C1E

Allows the processor to transition to its minimum frequency upon entering C1. This setting does not take effect until after you have rebooted the server. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The CPU continues to run at its maximum frequency in the C1 state.
—The CPU transitions to its minimum frequency. This option saves the maximum amount of power in the C1 state.

CPU Performance

Sets the CPU performance profile for the server. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—For M3 servers, all prefetchers and data reuse are enabled. For M1 and M2 servers, data reuse and the DCU IP prefetcher are enabled, and all other prefetchers are disabled.
—Data reuse and the DCU IP prefetcher are enabled, and all other prefetchers are disabled.
—All prefetchers are enabled and data reuse is disabled. This setting is also known as high-performance computing.
Custom

Package C State Limit

The amount of power available to the server components when they are idle. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The CPU determines the available power.
—The server provides all server components with full power at all times. This option maintains the highest level of performance and requires the greatest amount of power.
—When the CPU is idle, the system slightly reduces the power consumption. This option requires less power than C0 and allows the server to return quickly to high performance mode.
—When the CPU is idle, the system reduces the power consumption further than with the C1 option. This requires less power than C1 or C0, but it takes the server slightly longer to return to high performance mode.
—When the CPU is idle, the system reduces the power consumption further than with the C1 option. This requires less power than C1 or C0, but it takes the server slightly longer to return to high performance mode.
—When the CPU is idle, the system reduces the power consumption further than with the C3 option. This option saves more power than C0, C1, or C3, but there may be performance issues until the server returns to full power.
—When the CPU is idle, the server makes a minimal amount of power available to the components. This option saves the maximum amount of power but it also requires the longest time for the server to return to high performance mode.
—When the CPU is idle, the server makes a minimal amount of power available to the components. This option saves more power than C7, but it also requires the longest time for the server to return to high performance mode.
—The server may enter any available C state.

Table 5. Errors and Reporting Tab

Name

Description

Processor C3 Report

Whether the processor sends the C3 report to the operating system. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor does not send the C3 report.
—The processor sends the C3 report.
—The processor sends the C3 report using the advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) C2 format.
—The processor sends the C3 report using the ACPI C3 format.

On the Cisco UCS B440 Server, the BIOS Setup menu uses enabled and disabled for these options. If you specify acpi-c2 or acpi-c3, the server sets the BIOS value for that option to enabled.

Processor C6 Report

Whether the processor sends the C6 report to the operating system. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor does not send the C6 report.
—The processor sends the C6 report.

Processor C7 Report

Whether the processor sends the C7 report to the operating system. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor does not send the C7 report.
—The processor sends the C7 report.
—The processor sends the C7 report.
—The processor sends the C7s report.

Note

The selections vary depending on the server and operating system.

Processor CMCI

The BIOS uses values that are default for the server type and vendor.

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
— Corrected Machine Check Interrupt is not generated.
— Corrected Machine Check Interrupt is generated.

Max Variable MTRR Setting

Allows you to select the number of mean time to repair (MTRR) variables. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—BIOS uses the default value for the processor.
8—BIOS uses the number specified for the variable MTRR.

Demand Scrub

Whether the system corrects single bit memory errors encountered when the CPU or I/O makes a demand read. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
— Single bit memory errors are corrected in memory and the corrected data is set in response to the demand read.
— Single bit memory errors are not corrected.

Patrol Scrub

Whether the system actively searches for, and corrects, single bit memory errors even in unused portions of the memory on the server. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
Enabled—The system periodically reads and writes memory searching for ECC errors. If any errors are found, the system attempts to fix them. This option may correct single bit errors before they become multi-bit errors, but it may adversely affect performance when the patrol scrub is running.
—The system checks for memory ECC errors only when the CPU reads or writes a memory address.

CPU Hardware Power Management

Enables processor Hardware Power Management (HWPM). This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—HWPM is disabled.
—HWPM native mode is enabled.
—HWPM Out-Of-Box mode is enabled.

I/O BIOS Settings

The following table lists the I/O BIOS settings that you can configure through a BIOS policy or the default BIOS settings:

Name

Description

Virtualization Technology (VT) for Directed IO

Whether the processor uses Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d). You can select one of the following options:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor uses virtualization technology.
—The processor does not use virtualization technology.

Note

This option must be set to enabled if you want to change any of the other Intel Directed I/O BIOS settings.

Interrupt Re-map

Whether the processor supports Intel VT-d Interrupt Remapping. You can select one of the following options:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor uses VT-d Interrupt Remapping as required.
—The processor does not support remapping.

Coherency Support

Whether the processor supports Intel VT-d Coherency. You can select one of the following options:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor uses VT-d Coherency as required.
—The processor does not support coherency.

Address Translation Services (ATS) Support

Whether the processor supports Intel VT-d Address Translation Services (ATS). You can select one of the following options:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor uses VT-d ATS as required.
—The processor does not support ATS.

Pass Through DMA Support

Whether the processor supports Intel VT-d Pass-through DMA. You can select one of the following options:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The processor uses VT-d Pass-through DMA as required.
—The processor does not support pass-through DMA.

RAS Memory BIOS Settings

The following table lists the RAS memory BIOS settings that you can configure through a BIOS policy or the default BIOS settings:


Name	Description
NUMA	Whether the BIOS supports NUMA. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The BIOS includes the ACPI tables that are required for NUMA-aware operating systems. If you enable this option, the system must disable Inter-Socket Memory interleaving on some platforms. —The BIOS does not support NUMA.
LV DDR Mode	Whether the system prioritizes low voltage or high frequency memory operations. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The system prioritizes low voltage memory operations over high frequency memory operations. This mode may lower memory frequency in order to keep the voltage low. —The system prioritizes high frequency operations over low voltage operations. —The CPU determines the priority.
DRAM Refresh Rate	The refresh interval rate for internal memory. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. 1x 2x 3x 4x
Memory RAS Configuration Mode	How the memory reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) is configured for the server. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —System performance is optimized. —System reliability is optimized by using half the system memory as backup. —If the DIMM pairs in the server have an identical type, size, and organization and are populated across the SMI channels, you can enable lockstep mode to minimize memory access latency and provide better performance. Lockstep is enabled by default for B440 servers. —Enables sparing mode.
Sparing Mode	Sparing optimizes reliability by holding memory in reserve so that it can be used in case other DIMMs fail. This option provides some memory redundancy, but does not provide as much redundancy as mirroring. The available sparing modes depend on the current memory population. This option is only available if you choose the sparing option for the Memory RAS Config parameter. It can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —One DIMM is held in reserve. If a DIMM fails, the contents of a failing DIMM are transferred to the spare DIMM. —A spare rank of DIMMs is held in reserve. If a rank of DIMMs fails, the contents of the failing rank are transferred to the spare rank.
DDR3 Voltage Selection	The voltage to be used by the dual-voltage RAM. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

USB BIOS Settings

The following tables list the USB BIOS settings that you can configure through a BIOS policy or the default BIOS settings:

Basic Tab


Name	Description
Make Device Non Bootable	Whether the server can boot from a USB device. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The server can boot from a USB device. —The server cannot boot from a USB device.
USB Front Panel Access Lock	USB front panel lock is configured to enable or disable the front panel access to USB ports. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
Legacy USB Support	Whether the system supports legacy USB devices. This can be one of the following: —Disables legacy USB support if no USB devices are connected. —USB devices are only available to EFI applications. —Legacy USB support is always available. —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
USB Idle Power Optimizing Setting	Whether the USB System Idle Power Optimizing setting is used to reduce USB EHCI idle power consumption. Depending upon the value you choose, this setting can have an impact on performance. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The USB System Idle Power Optimizing setting is disabled, because optimal performance is preferred over power savings. Selecting this option can significantly improve performance. We recommend you select this option unless your site has server power restrictions. —The USB System Idle Power Optimizing setting is enabled, because power savings are preferred over optimal performance.
Port 60h/64h Emulation Support	Whether the system supports 60h/64h emulation for complete USB keyboard legacy support. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —60h/64 emulation is not supported. —60h/64 emulation is supported. You should select this option if you are using a non-USB aware operating system on the server.
xHCI Mode Support	How onboard USB 3.0 ports behave. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —Onboard USB 3.0 ports function as USB 2.0 ports. —Onboard USB 3.0 ports function as USB 3.0 ports.

Device Management Tab


Name	Description
Front Panel USB Ports	Whether the front panel USB devices are enabled or disabled. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —Disables the front panel USB ports. Devices connected to these ports are not detected by the BIOS and operating system. —Enables the front panel USB ports. Devices connected to these ports are detected by the BIOS and operating system.
Rear Panel USB Ports	Whether the rear panel USB devices are enabled or disabled. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —Disables the rear panel USB ports. Devices connected to these ports are not detected by the BIOS and operating system. —Enables the rear panel USB ports. Devices connected to these ports are detected by the BIOS and operating system.
Internal USB Ports	Whether the internal USB devices are enabled or disabled. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —Disables the internal USB ports. Devices connected to these ports are not detected by the BIOS and operating system. —Enables the internal USB ports. Devices connected to these ports are detected by the BIOS and operating system.
KVM I/O	Whether the KVM ports are enabled or disabled. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —Disables the KVM keyboard and/or mouse devices. Keyboard and/or mouse will not work in the KVM window. —Enables the KVM keyboard and/or mouse devices.
SD Card Drives	Whether the SD card drives are enabled or disabled. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —Disables the SD card drives. The SD card drives are not detected by the BIOS and operating system. —Enables the SD card drives.
vMedia Devices	Whether the virtual media devices are enabled or disabled. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —Disables the vMedia devices. —Enables the vMedia devices.
All USB Devices	Whether all physical and virtual USB devices are enabled or disabled. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —All USB devices are disabled. —All USB devices are enabled.

PCI BIOS Settings

The following tables list the PCI configuration BIOS settings that you can configure through a BIOS policy or the default BIOS settings:

Table 6. Basic Tab

Name

Description

Max Memory Below 4G

Whether the BIOS maximizes memory usage below 4GB for an operating system without PAE support, depending on the system configuration. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—Does not maximize memory usage. Choose this option for all operating systems with PAE support.
—Maximizes memory usage below 4GB for an operating system without PAE support.

Memory Mapped IO Above 4Gb Configuration

Whether to enable or disable memory mapped I/O of 64-bit PCI devices to 4GB or greater address space. Legacy option ROMs are not able to access addresses above 4GB. PCI devices that are 64-bit compliant but use a legacy option ROM may not function correctly with this setting enabled. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—Does not map I/O of 64-bit PCI devices to 4GB or greater address space.
—Maps I/O of 64-bit PCI devices to 4GB or greater address space.

VGA Priority

Allows you to set the priority for VGA graphics devices if multiple VGA devices are found in the system. This can be one of the following:

—Priority is given to the onboard VGA device. BIOS post screen and OS boot are driven through the onboard VGA port.
—Priority is given to the PCIE Graphics adapter. BIOS post screen and OS boot are driven through the external graphics adapter port.

—Priority is given to the PCIE Graphics adapter, and the onboard VGA device is disabled.

Note

The vKVM does not function when the onboard VGA is disabled.

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

Note

Only onboard VGA devices are supported with Cisco UCS B-Series servers.

PCIe OptionROMs

Whether Option ROM is available on all expansion ports. This can be one of the following:

—The expansion slots are not available.
—The expansion slots are available.
—The expansion slots are available for UEFI only.
—The expansion slots are available for legacy only.
—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.

PCIe Mezz OptionRom

Whether all mezzanine PCIe ports are enabled or disabled. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—All LOM ports are enabled.
—All LOM ports are disabled.

PCIe 10G LOM 2 Link

Whether Option ROM is available on the 10G LOM port. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The expansion slot is available.
—The expansion slot is not available.

ASPM Support

Allows you to set the level of ASPM (Active Power State Management) support in the BIOS. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The CPU determines the power state.
—ASPM support is disabled in the BIOS.
—Force all links to L0 standby (L0s) state.

Table 7. PCIe Slot Link Speed Tab
Name	Description
Slot `n` Link Speed	This option allows you to restrict the maximum speed of an adapter card installed in PCIe slot `n`. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —2.5GT/s (gigatransfers per second) is the maximum speed allowed. —5GT/s is the maximum speed allowed. —8GT/s is the maximum speed allowed. —The maximum speed is set automatically. —The maximum speed is not restricted.

Table 8. PCIe Slot OptionROM Tab
Name	Description
Slot `n` OptionROM	Whether Option ROM is available on the specified port. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. —The expansion slot is available for UEFI only. —The expansion slot is available for legacy only.
Slot SAS	Whether is available on the specified port. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. —The expansion slot is available for UEFI only. —The expansion slot is available for legacy only.
Slot HBA	Whether is available on the specified port. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. —The expansion slot is available for UEFI only. —The expansion slot is available for legacy only.
Slot MLOM	Whether Option ROM is available on the PCIe slot connected to the MLOM available on the specified port. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. —The expansion slot is available for UEFI only. —The expansion slot is available for legacy only.
Slot N1	Whether is available on the specified port. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. —The expansion slot is available for UEFI only. —The expansion slot is available for legacy only.
Slot N2	Whether is available on the specified port. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. —The expansion slot is available for UEFI only. —The expansion slot is available for legacy only.
PCI ROM CLPset pci-rom-clp-support pci-rom-clp-config	The following options are available for PCI ROM CLP. — The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. .
SIOC1 Option ROMset sloc1-option rom-config sloc1-optionrom	— The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. . Legacy-only—The expansion slot is available for legacy only. UEFI-only—The expansion slot is available for UEFI only.
SB Mezz1 Option ROMset sbmezz1 -optionrom-config sbmezz1-optionrom	— The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. . Legacy-only—The expansion slot is available for legacy only. UEFI-only—The expansion slot is available for UEFI only.
IOE Slot1 Option ROMset ioeslot1-option-config ioeslot1-optionrom	— The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. . Legacy-only—The expansion slot is available for legacy only. UEFI-only—The expansion slot is available for UEFI only.
IOE Mezz1 Option ROMset ioemezz1-optionrom-config ioemezz1-optionrom	— The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. . Legacy-only—The expansion slot is available for legacy only. UEFI-only—The expansion slot is available for UEFI only.
IOE Slot2 Option ROMset ioeslot2-optionrom-config ioeslot2-optionrom	— The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. Legacy-only—The expansion slot is available for legacy only. UEFI-only—The expansion slot is available for UEFI only.
IO ENVMe1 Option ROMset ioenvme1-optionrom-config ioenvme1 -optionrom	— The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. . Legacy-only—The expansion slot is available for legacy only. UEFI-only—The expansion slot is available for UEFI only.
IO ENVMe2 Option ROMset ioenvme2-optionrom-config ioenvme2 -optionrom	— The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. Legacy-only—The expansion slot is available for legacy only. UEFI-only—The expansion slot is available for UEFI only.
SBNVMe1 Option ROMset ioenvme1-optionrom-config ioenvme1 -optionrom	— The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The expansion slot is not available. —The expansion slot is available. Legacy-only—The expansion slot is available for legacy only. UEFI-only—The expansion slot is available for UEFI only.

Graphics Configuration BIOS Settings

The following tables list the graphics configuration BIOS settings that you can configure through a BIOS policy or the default BIOS settings:


Name	Description
Integrated Graphics	Enables integrated graphics. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —Integrated graphic is enabled. —Integrated graphics is disabled.
Integrated Graphics Aperture Size	Allows you to set the size of mapped memory for the integrated graphics controller. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
Onboard Graphics	Enables onboard graphics (KVM). This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —Onboard graphics is enabled. —Onboard graphics is disabled.

Boot Options BIOS Settings

The following table lists the boot options BIOS settings that you can configure through a BIOS policy or the default BIOS settings:


Name	Description
Boot Option Retry	Whether the BIOS retries NON-EFI based boot options without waiting for user input. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —Waits for user input before retrying NON-EFI based boot options. —Continually retries NON-EFI based boot options without waiting for user input.
Onboard SCU Storage Support	Whether the onboard software RAID controller is available to the server. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The software RAID controller is not available. —The software RAID controller is available.
Intel Entry SAS RAID	Whether the Intel SAS Entry RAID Module is enabled. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The Intel SAS Entry RAID Module is disabled. —The Intel SAS Entry RAID Module is enabled.
Intel Entry SAS RAID Module	How the Intel SAS Entry RAID Module is configured. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —Configures the RAID module to use Intel IT/IR RAID. —Configures the RAID module to use Intel Embedded Server RAID Technology II.

Server Manager BIOS Settings

The following tables list the server management BIOS settings that you can configure through a BIOS policy or the default BIOS settings:


Name	Description
Assert NMI on SERR	Whether the BIOS generates a non-maskable interrupt (NMI) and logs an error when a system error (SERR) occurs. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The BIOS does not generate an NMI or log an error when a SERR occurs. —The BIOS generates an NMI and logs an error when a SERR occurs. You must enable this setting if you want to enable Assert Nmi on Perr.
Assert NMI on PERR	Whether the BIOS generates a non-maskable interrupt (NMI) and logs an error when a processor bus parity error (PERR) occurs. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The BIOS does not generate an NMI or log an error when a PERR occurs. —The BIOS generates an NMI and logs an error when a PERR occurs. You must enable Assert Nmi on Serr to use this setting.
OS Boot Watchdog Timer	Whether the BIOS programs the watchdog timer with a predefined timeout value. If the operating system does not complete booting before the timer expires, the CIMC resets the system and an error is logged. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The watchdog timer is not used to track how long the server takes to boot. —The watchdog timer tracks how long the server takes to boot. If the server does not boot within the predefined length of time, the CIMC resets the system and logs an error. This feature requires either operating system support or Intel Management software.
FRB-2 Timer	Whether the FRB-2 timer is used to recover the system if it hangs during POST. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The FRB-2 timer is not used. —The FRB-2 timer is started during POST and used to recover the system if necessary.
Out of Band Management	This is used for the Windows Special Administration Control (SAC). —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The option to use the Windows Special Administration Control (SAC) is disabled. —The option to use the Windows Special Administration Control (SAC) is enabled.
OS Boot Watchdog Timer Timeout	What action the system takes if the watchdog timer expires. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The server is powered off if the watchdog timer expires during OS boot. —The server is powered off if the watchdog timer expires during OS boot. This option is only available if you enable the OS Boot Watchdog Timer.
OS Boot Watchdog Timer Timeout	What timeout value the BIOS uses to configure the watchdog timer. This can be one of the following: —The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The watchdog timer expires 5 minutes after the OS begins to boot. —The watchdog timer expires 10 minutes after the OS begins to boot. —The watchdog timer expires 15 minutes after the OS begins to boot. —The watchdog timer expires 20 minutes after the OS begins to boot. This option is only available if you enable the OS Boot Watchdog Timer.
Redirection After BIOS POST	—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor. —The option to redirect is disabled. —The option to redirect is disabled.

Console BIOS Settings

The following table lists the Console BIOS settings that you can configure through a BIOS policy or the default BIOS settings:

Name

Description

Legacy OS Redirect

Whether redirection from a legacy operating system, such as DOS, is enabled on the serial port. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—The serial port enabled for console redirection is hidden from the legacy operating system.
— The serial port enabled for console redirection is visible to the legacy operating system.

Console Redirection

Allows a serial port to be used for console redirection during POST and BIOS booting. After the BIOS has booted and the operating system is responsible for the server, console redirection is irrelevant and has no effect. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
—No console redirection occurs during POST.
—Enables serial port A for console redirection during POST. This option is valid for blade servers and rack-mount servers.
—Enables serial port B for console redirection and allows it to perform server management tasks. This option is only valid for rack-mount servers.
—Console redirection occurs during POST.
—Enables console redirection of BIOS POST messages to server COM port 0.

Note

If you enable this option, you also disable the display of the Quiet Boot logo screen during POST.

BAUD Rate

What BAUD rate is used for the serial port transmission speed. If you disable Console Redirection, this option is not available. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
9600—A 9600 BAUD rate is used.
19200—A 19200 BAUD rate is used.
38400—A 38400 BAUD rate is used.
57600—A 57600 BAUD rate is used.
115200—A 115200 BAUD rate is used.

Note

This setting must match the setting on the remote terminal application.

Terminal Type

What type of character formatting is used for console redirection. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
pc-ansi—The PC-ANSI terminal font is used.
vt100—A supported vt100 video terminal and its character set are used.
vt100-plus—A supported vt100-plus video terminal and its character set are used.
vt-utf8—A video terminal with the UTF-8 character set is used.

Note

This setting must match the setting on the remote terminal application.

Flow Control

Whether a handshake protocol is used for flow control. Request to Send / Clear to Send (RTS/CTS) helps to reduce frame collisions that can be introduced by a hidden terminal problem. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
None—No flow control is used.
—RTS/CTS is used for flow control.

Note

This setting must match the setting on the remote terminal application.

Putty KeyPad

Allows you to change the action of the PuTTY function keys and the top row of the numeric keypad. This can be one of the following:

—The BIOS uses the value for this attribute contained in the BIOS defaults for the server type and vendor.
ESCN—The default mode. The function keys match the general behavior of Digital terminals. The function keys generate sequences such as ESC [11~ and ESC [12~.
LINUX—Mimics the Linux virtual console. Function keys F6 to F12 behave like the default mode, but F1 to F5 generate ESC [[A through ESC [[E.
SCO—The function keys F1 to F12 generate ESC [M through ESC [X. The function and shift keys generate ESC [Y through ESC [j. The control and function keys generate ESC [k through ESC [v. The shift, control and function keys generate ESC [w through ESC [{.
vt100—The function keys generate ESC OP through ESC O[.
VT400—The function keys behave like the default mode. The top row of the numeric keypad generates ESC OP through ESC OS.
XTERMR6—Function keys F5 to F12 behave like the default mode. Function keys F1 to F4 generate ESC OP through ESC OS, which are the sequences produced by the top row of the keypad on Digital terminals.

IPMI Access Profile

The IPMI access profile policy allows you to determine whether you can send the IPMI commands directly to the server, using the IP address. For example, you can send commands to retrieve sensor data from the Cisco IMC. This policy defines the IPMI access, including a username and password, that can be authenticated locally on the server, and whether the access is read-only or read-write.

You must include this policy in a service profile and that service profile must be associated with a server for it to take effect.

Creating and Editing an IPMI Access Profile

IPMI access profiles require IPMI users. You can create IPMI users at the same time you create the IPMI access profile, or you can add them to an existing IPMI access profile.

To modify the parameters of an IPMI access profile policy, select the policy from the All policies page, and click the Edit icon.

Procedure

Step 1	In the Actions bar, type Create IPMI Access Profile Policy and press Enter.
Step 2	In the IPMI Access Profile Policy dialog box, click Basic and choose the Domain Group Location in which you want to create the domain group.
Step 3	In Basic, click Organization and select the location in which you want to create the policy.
Step 4	Enter a Name and optional Description. The policy name is case sensitive.
Step 5	Select whether to allow IPMI over LAN remote connectivity.
Step 6	(Optional) In IPMI Users, select an IPMI user name, enter a password, and confirm the password.
Step 7	Select whether to allow read only or admin Serial over LAN Access.
Step 8	Click Create.

What to do next

Include the IPMI profile in a service profile or a service profile template.

Serial over LAN Policy

The serial over LAN policy (SOL) configures a serial over LAN connection for all servers associated with service profiles that use the policy. By default, the serial over LAN connection is disabled.

If you implement a serial over LAN policy, we recommend that you also create an IPMI profile.

You must include this policy in a service profile and that service profile must be associated with a server for it to take effect.

Creating and Editing a Serial over LAN Policy

Procedure

Step 1	In the Actions bar, type Create Serial Over LAN (SOL) Policy and press Enter.
Step 2	In the Serial Over LAN (SOL) Policy dialog box, choose the Organization in which you want to create the policy.
Step 3	Enter the Name and optional Description for the policy.
Step 4	Select a value for a Baud Rate.
Step 5	Click Enabled to allow the serial over LAN connection.
Step 6	Click Create.

Hardware Change Discovery Policy

When Cisco UCS Manager detects a change in the server hardware components, such as adapter insertion, adapter replacement, storage controller replacement, etc., an automatic deep-discovery of hardware changes is triggered. In some cases, this deep-discovery could erroneously report on new hardware, suggest steps to clean up inventories information about a removed or replaced component, or apply service profile changes. To prevent triggering an automatic deep-discovery of hardware changes, the Hardware Change Discovery Policy in Cisco UCS Central raises a critical hardware mismatch fault on the server and the changed hardware component.

You must manually acknowledge the blade servers and clear faults to complete a hardware inventory. The deep-discovery and deep-association is initiated after you acknowledge the server.
You must decommission rack servers when there is a hardware replacement, and then recommission them to clear all the hardware mismatch faults to initiate deep-discovery.

Note

The Hardware Change Discovery Policy is supported on Cisco UCS Manager release 3.1(3) and later. Hardware Change Discovery Policy appears grayed out on Cisco UCS Manager when it is pushed down from Cisco UCS Central and the local Cisco UCS Manager user cannot edit the global policy. Cisco UCS Manager downgrade to prior releases is interrupted when any of the associated servers has a hardware inventory mismatch fault. However, you can upgrade to any release when there is a hardware mismatch fault. When the server has a hardware mismatch fault, service profile changes may not get applied correctly. You cannot change the Hardware Change Discovery Policy to Auto-acknowledged if the setup has servers with hardware inventory mismatch faults. You must acknowledge the server, or decommission/recommission rack servers, to clear all the hardware inventory mismatch faults before making any changes to the policy.

Create Hardware Change Discovery Policy

You can create a Hardware Change Discovery policy in a domain group in Cisco UCS Central.

Procedure

Step 1	In the Actions bar, type Hardware Change Discovery and press Enter.
Step 2	In the Hardware Change Discovery dialog box, choose the Domain Group Location in which you want to create the policy and enter a Name and optional Description.
Step 3	In Desired Action after a hardware component change, select one of the following options to trigger hardware deep-discovery. Auto Acknowledged: Select this option to continue to use the current behavior. In this case, automatic deep-discovery is triggered. User Acknowledged (default option): Select this option to trigger deep discovery after you acknowledge the server and clear the fault.
Step 4	Click Create.
Step 5	(Optional) You can favorite this policy and pin it to the Cisco UCS Central dashboard to navigate to it directly. After you create a Hardware Change Discovery policy, you can assign it to a domain group from the Domain Configuration Settings in Domains Main View.
Step 6	In the Domain Configuration Settings window, click Hardware Change Discovery Policy in the Policies tab, and select the policy you want to assign to the domain group, and click Save.
Step 7	Verify the assigned policy from the Domains view and check if there are any Critical faults associated with the server.
Step 8	Click Faults Summary to view details of the fault in the Fault Logs window. From the Server main view, select Re-Acknowledge to acknowledge the server to clear the fault.
Step 9	Verify that deep-discovery is triggered from the Configuration Status window.

Host Firmware Package Policy

The host firmware package policy enables you to specify a set of firmware versions that make up the host firmware package (also known as the host firmware pack). After you select the firmware bundle, you can choose to exclude different components. This allows you to prevent sensitive devices in your data center from being upgraded.

Note

Excluding components is only supported in Cisco UCS Manager release 2.2.7 and above.

When excluding components, you should be aware of the following:

The global-default host firmware package policy includes all components, but if you create a new custom host firmware package policy, the local disk component is automatically excluded.
Host firmware package policies created in Cisco UCS Central 1.3 or previous do not support excluding components. These policies are not changed when you upgrade to Cisco UCS Central release 1.4 or above.
If you create your own custom host firmware package policy with excluded components, including the local disk component that is excluded by default, you cannot include that host firmware package policy in a service profile associated with a server running a Cisco UCS Manager version prior to 2.2.7. If you do, you will see the following error during service profile association:
```
ucs domain does not have the matching server capabilities for this service-profile
```
You can either remove all excluded components in the host firmware package policy, or upgrade your version of Cisco UCS Manager to release 2.2.7 or above.

Cisco UCS Central release 2.0 introduces delivery of critical fixes and security updates through service packs. In addition to the Blade and Rack server bundles for firmware updates, you must also download the service pack bundles to complete the firmware upgrade. Service packs are specific and cumulative to a maintenance release and are supported for Cisco UCS Manager version 3.1(3) and above. You can choose the firmware to be updated by using a service pack. For more information about service packs, see About Service Packs.

About Service Packs

Service packs are patches that you can use to apply security updates to Cisco UCS Manager infrastructure and server components. Service packs are specific to a base release. A service pack is provided as a single bundle for infrastructure and server components.

The following guidelines apply to service pack versions:

A service pack can be applied only on its base bundle. You cannot install the service pack independently. For example, service pack 3.1(3)SP2 can be applied only on a 3.1(3) release. It is not compatible with a 3.1(4) or later release.
Service packs are cumulative. You can use the latest service pack version with any patch version within the same maintenance release. For example, 3.1(3)SP3 will contain all the fixes that went into 3.1(3)SP2 and 3.1(3)SP1. You can apply 3.1(3)SP3 on any 3.1(3) release.
Service pack version numbering in separate maintenance releases are unrelated. For example, service packs 3.1(3)SP2 and 3.1(4)SP2 are separate and unrelated.
The same fix can be made available for separate maintenance releases through separate service packs. For example, the same fix can be made available in 3.1(3)SP2 and 3.1(4)SP3.
You cannot downgrade service packs to versions below the default service pack version for a maintenance release. For example:
- Base Bundle Version: 3.1(3b)
- Default Service Pack Version: 3.1(3)SP2(Default)
- Running Service Pack Version: 3.1(3)SP3
- Service pack cannot be downgraded below 3.1(3)SP2
When an upgrade or downgrade of a service pack fails, the default service pack version for that maintenance release becomes the running service pack version.
You can roll back a service pack that was applied to a base release by removing the service pack selection.

The following table lists the Cisco UCS Manager release versions and the running version deployed in different situations when a service pack is applied:


Update Scenario	Bundle Version	Service Pack Version
Update to a service pack within the same maintenance release	No change is made to the bundle version	Service pack is updated to the specified version
Remove Service Pack	No change is made to the bundle version	Service pack is the default version that comes with the bundle
Update base bundle to another maintenance release	Base bundle changes to the version of the specified maintenance release	Current service pack is removed and is updated to the default version for the base bundle
Update to another maintenance release, and service pack	Base bundle changes to the version of the specified maintenance release	Service pack is updated to the specified version

For more information about selecting the compatible service packs for a firmware upgrade, see Host Firmware Package Policy, Scheduling Firmware Infrasturcture Update, and Chassis Firmware Package Policy.

Creating or Editing a Host Firmware Package Policy

Procedure

Step 1

In the Actions bar, type Create Host Firmware Package Policy and press Enter.

Step 2

In the Host Firmware Package Policy dialog box, click Basic and choose the Organization where you want to create the policy.

Step 3

Enter a Name and optional Description.

The policy name is case-sensitive.

Step 4

Select the Blade Version and Rack Version of the firmware, as required for your environment.

Step 5

Select the required Service Pack Version of the firmware.

A Service pack can be applied only to the base version of a release and it should be compatible with that version. If the service pack is incompatible with the base version, the following error message is displayed:

Package Version of all bundles in the pack must match.

For more information about applicable service packs, see About Service Packs. The service pack version rolls back to the default setting when you remove the selection from the drop-down. For more information on downloading images, see Downloading Firmware from Cisco.com in the Cisco UCS Central Administration Guide.

Step 6

In the Components tab, click Add to select any components that want to exclude from the firmware update.

The included and excluded components display.

Step 7

To exclude all components, click Excluded Components.

Step 8

To remove an excluded component, select it and click Delete.

Step 9

Click Create.

Note

To understand the impact of the policy, click Evaluate.

After you create a Host Firmware Package policy and associate it with a service profile template, the Service Pack images take precedence and when it is resolved, the firmware image is applied to the components accordingly.

iSCSI Adapter Policy

Creating or Editing an iSCSI Adapter Policy

Procedure

Step 1	In the Actions bar, type Create iSCSI Adapter Policy and press Enter.
Step 2	In the iSCSI Adapter Policy dialog box, choose the Organization in which you want to create the policy.
Step 3	Enter the Name and optional Description. The name is case sensitive.
Step 4	Enter values for the Connection Timeout, LUN Busy Retry Count, and DHCP Timeout.
Step 5	Choose whether to enable TCP Timestamp, HBA Mode, and Boot To Target.
Step 6	Click Create.

iSCSI Authentication Profile

When you configure an adapter or blade in Cisco UCS to iSCSI boot from a LUN target, you should create an iSCSI Adapter Policy and configure the authentication profiles to be used by the initiator and the target.

Creating or Editing an iSCSI Authentication Profile

Procedure

Step 1	In the Actions bar, type Create iSCSI Authentication Profile and press Enter.
Step 2	In the iSCSI Authentication Profile dialog box, choose the Organization in which you want to create the policy.
Step 3	Enter the Name and optional Description. The name is case sensitive.
Step 4	Enter the User ID.
Step 5	Type and confirm the password.
Step 6	Click Create.

Local Disk Policy

This policy configures any optional SAS local drives that have been installed on a server through the onboard RAID controller of the local drive. This policy enables you to set a local disk mode for all servers that are associated with a service profile that includes the local disk configuration policy.

The local disk modes include the following:

Any Configuration
No Local Storage
No RAID
RAID 1 Mirrored
RAID 10 Mirrored and Striped
RAID 0 Striped
RAID 6 Striped Dual Parity
RAID 60 Striped Dual Parity Striped
RAID 5 Striped Parity
RAID 50 Striped Parity Striped

Creating or Editing a Local Disk Policy

Procedure

Step 1	In the Actions bar, type Create Local Disk Policy and press Enter.
Step 2	In the Local Disk Policy dialog box, click Basic and choose the Organization in which you want to create the policy.
Step 3	Enter the Name and optional Description. The name is case sensitive.
Step 4	In Mode, select the configuration mode for the local disks.
Step 5	Choose whether to enable or disable Configuration Protection, FlexFlash, and FlexFlash RAID Reporting.
Step 6	Click Create.

Port Auto-Discovery Policy

The Port Auto-Discovery policy enables automatic discovery of the type of device connected to a switch port, and configures it as a server port. When you choose to enable automatic port-discovery as part of the Port Auto-Discovery policy, Cisco UCS can automatically detect the port type if it is connected to a VIC, fabric extender, or an IOM, and configure it as an Fabric Interconnect (FI) server port. You can create a Port Auto-Discovery policy on a domain group and assign it to a domain profile from Domain Configuration Settings in the Tools menu.

Note

The Port Auto-Discovery policy cannot be deployed onto Cisco UCS Manager if the domain is not part of a domain group.

Creating or Editing Port Auto-Discovery Policy

Procedure

Step 1	In the Actions bar, type Create Port Auto-Discovery Policy and press Enter.
Step 2	In the Create Port Auto-Discovery Policy dialog box, choose the Domain Group Location in which you want to create the policy and enter the Name and optional Description. The name is case sensitive.
Step 3	Select one of the options under Auto Configure Server Port to configure server port automatically: Enabled—Detects the FI ports and configures them as server ports if the ports are connected to a VIC, Fabric Extender, or chassis. Disabled—Prevents auto-discovery and configuration of the ports as server ports.
Step 4	Click Create. Click Evaluate to estimate the impact of the changes before saving the Create Port Auto-Discovery Policy.
Step 5	(Optional) You can favorite this policy and pin it to the Cisco UCS Central dashboard to navigate to it directly.
Step 6	(Optional) If a server port is already configured, you must first unconfigure it before you reapply the configuration through the server Port Auto-Discovery policy.

Graphics Card Policy

You can create a Graphics Card Policy to configure an NVIDIA GPU card and assign it to a service profile. This policy facilitates Cisco UCS Manager support to NVIDIA GPU cards for blade servers. The GPU cards are integrated with the ability to upgrade device firmware through service profiles. The Service Profile Details page displays Graphics Card Policy details with the present mode of the GPU in the inventory.

Note

The Graphics Card Policy is configured in the Any Configuration mode by default. If you configure the Graphics Card Policy in any mode except Any Configuration, associate it with a service profile, and the server does not have a GPU card, a configuration warning displays on the domain. If you configure the Graphics Card Policy in any mode except Any Configuration, associate it with a service profile, and the server has a GPU that does not support the mode-setting feature, a configuration error results.

However, if a server has a combination of graphics cards and one of them supports the mode-setting feature, then you must change the mode of the supported card.

Creating and Editing a Graphics Card Policy

Procedure

Step 1	In the Actions bar, type Graphics Card Policy and press Enter.
Step 2	In the Graphics Card Policy dialog box, select the Organization in which you want to create the policy.
Step 3	Enter a Name for the Graphics Card Policy, and add an optional Description. The name is case sensitive.
Step 4	In Graphics Card Mode, select one of these configuration modes for the graphics card: Compute Graphics Any Configuration (default)
Step 5	Click Create.
Step 6	To edit a Graphics Card policy, click Edit on the policy and change the Description and the graphics card mode. Click Evaluate to estimate the impact of the changes before saving the Graphics Card Policy.

Statistics Threshold Policy

Cisco UCS Central lets you create a Statistics Threshold Policy that provides statistics about aspects of the system and generates an event if a threshold is crossed. For example, you can configure the policy to raise an alarm if the CPU temperature exceeds a certain value. However, the threshold policies do not control the hardware or the device-level thresholds enforced by endpoints, such as the CIMC. The thresholds are built into the hardware components at manufacture. You can establish both minimum and maximum thresholds.

Creating a Statistics Threshold Policy

The Statistics Threshold Policy monitors statistics about aspects of the system and generates an event if a threshold is crossed. You can establish both minimum and maximum thresholds.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Actions bar, type Statistics Threshold Policy and press Enter.

Step 2

In the Statistics Threshold Policy dialog box (in Basic), choose the organization where you want to create the statistics threshold policy.

Step 3

In the Statistics Threshold Policy dialog box, complete the following fields:

Name—The name of the class. This name can be between 1 and 16 alphanumeric characters other than － (hyphen), _ (underscore), : (colon), and . (period), and you cannot change this name after the object is saved.
Description—A description of the class. Cisco recommends that you include information about where and when the policy can be used. Enter up to 256 characters.

Step 4

ClickCreate to create a Basic Threshold class, or to create extra classes, choose a different policy category (for example, Adaptor Classes).

Important

You cannot clone a Statistics Threshold Policy.

Step 5

(Optional) To create an Adaptor Class, click Adaptor Classes and click +.

Step 6

Click the corresponding check boxes (classes) you want to include in your policy and click Select.

Step 7

Click + in the Thresholds Definitions column and select the corresponding check boxes for the threshold definitions that you want to include in your class. In the Threshold Definitions column, do the following:

In the Normal Value field, enter the desired value for the property type (in packets).
In the Alarm Triggers (Above Normal Value) fields, check one or more of the following check boxes:
- Critical
- Major
- Minor
- Warning
- Condition
- Info
In the Alarm Triggers (Below Normal Value) fields, check one or more of the following check boxes:
- Condition
- Info
- Warning
- Minor
- Major
- Critical

Step 8

Click Select and Create.

Step 9

To create extra classes, repeat steps 5 to 9.

Scrub Policy

From Cisco UCS Central you can create scrub policy to determine what happens to local data and to the BIOS settings on a server during the discovery process, when the server is reacknowledged, or when the server is disassociated from a service profile.

Note

Local disk scrub policies only apply to hard drives that are managed by Cisco UCS Manager and do not apply to other devices such as USB drives.

Depending upon how you configure a scrub policy, the following can occur at those times:

Disk scrub

One of the following occurs to the data on any local drives on disassociation:

If enabled, destroys all data on any local drives.
If disabled, preserves all data on any local drives, including local storage configuration.

BIOS Settings Scrub

One of the following occurs to the BIOS settings when a service profile containing the scrub policy is disassociated from a server:

If enabled, erases all BIOS settings for the server and resets them to the BIOS defaults for that server type and vendor.
If disabled, preserves the existing BIOS settings on the server.

FlexFlash Scrub

FlexFlash Scrub enables you to pair new or degraded SD cards, resolve FlexFlash metadata configuration failures, and migrate older SD cards with 4 partitions to single partition SD cards. One of the following occurs to the SD card when a service profile containing the scrub policy is disassociated from a server, or when the server is reacknowledged:

If enabled, the HV partition on the SD card is formatted using the PNUOS formatting utility. If two SD cards are present, the cards are RAID-1 paired, and the HV partitions in both cards are marked as valid. The card in slot 1 is marked as primary, and the card in slot 2 is marked as secondary.
If disabled, preserves the existing SD card settings.

Note

Because the FlexFlash scrub erases the HV partition on the SD cards, we recommend that you take a full backup of the SD card(s) using your preferred host operating system utilities before performing the FlexFlash Scrub.
To resolve metadata config failures in a service profile, you need to disable FlexFlash in the local disk config policy before you run the FlexFlash scrub, then enable FlexFlash after the server is reacknowledged.
Disable the scrub policy as soon as the pairing is complete or the metadata failures are resolved.

Creating or Editing a Scrub Policy

Procedure

Step 1	In the Actions bar, type Create Scrub Policy and press Enter.
Step 2	In the Scrub Policy dialog box, click Basic and choose the Organization in which you want to create the policy.
Step 3	Enter the Name and optional Description. The name is case sensitive.
Step 4	Choose the scrub policies that you want to enable.
Step 5	Click Create.

vMedia Policy

A vMedia policy is used to configure the mapping information for remote vMedia devices. Two vMedia devices and mappings for CD and HDD are allowed in a vMedia policy. You can configure one ISO and one IMG at a time. ISO configurations map to a CD drive. IMG configurations map to a HDD device.

Note

If you want to map a device to a remote folder, you must create an IMG and map it as a HDD device.

From Cisco UCS Central you can provision vMedia devices ISO images for remote UCS servers. Using Scriptable vMedia, you can programmatically mount IMG and ISO images on a remote server. CIMC mounted vMedia provides communications between other mounted media inside your datacenter with no additional requirements for media connection. Scriptable vMedia allows you to control virtual media devices without using a browser to manually map each Cisco UCS server individually.

Scriptable vMedia supports multiple share types including NFS, CIFS, HTTP, and HTTPS shares. Scriptable vMedia is enabled through BIOS configuration and configured through a Web GUI and CLI interface. You can do the following in the registered Cisco UCS domains using scriptable vMedia:

Boot from a specific vMedia device
Copy files from a mounted share to local disk
Install and update OS drivers

Note

Support for Scriptable vMedia is applicable for CIMC mapped devices only. Existing-KVM based vMedia devices are not supported.

Creating or Editing a vMedia Policy

You can create a vMedia policy and associate the policy with a service profile.

Procedure

Step 1	In the Actions bar, type Create vMedia Policy and press Enter.
Step 2	In the vMedia Policy dialog box, click Basic and choose the Organization in which you want to create the policy. Enter a Name and optional Description. Policy name is case sensitive. (Optional) Select Enabled or Disabled for Retry on Mount Failure. If enabled, the vMedia will continue mounting when a mount failure occurs.
Step 3	(Optional) Click HDD, and do the following: Enter the Mount Name. Select the Protocol and fill in required protocol information. In Generate File name from Service Profile Name, click Enabled or Disabled. Enabled will automatically use the Service profile name as IMG name. The IMG file with the same name as the service profile must be available at the required path. If you select Disabled, fill in remote IMG file name that the policy must use.
Step 4	(Optional) Click CDD and do the following: Enter the Mount Name. Select the Protocol and fill in required protocol information. In Generate File name from Service Profile Name, click Enabled or Disabled. Enabled will automatically use the Service profile name as ISO name. The ISO file with the same name as the service profile must be available at the required path. If you select Disabled, fill in remote ISO file name that the policy must use.
Step 5	Click Create.

What to do next

Associate the vMedia policy with a service profile.

Bias-Free Language

Results

Chapter: Server Policies

Server Policies

Server Policies

BIOS Policy

Creating or Editing a BIOS Policy

Procedure

Default BIOS Settings

Basic BIOS Settings

Processor BIOS Settings

I/O BIOS Settings

RAS Memory BIOS Settings

USB BIOS Settings

Basic Tab

Device Management Tab

PCI BIOS Settings

Graphics Configuration BIOS Settings

Boot Options BIOS Settings

Server Manager BIOS Settings

Console BIOS Settings

IPMI Access Profile

Creating and Editing an IPMI Access Profile

Procedure

What to do next

Serial over LAN Policy

Creating and Editing a Serial over LAN Policy

Procedure

Hardware Change Discovery Policy

Create Hardware Change Discovery Policy

Procedure

Host Firmware Package Policy

About Service Packs

Creating or Editing a Host Firmware Package Policy

Procedure

iSCSI Adapter Policy

Creating or Editing an iSCSI Adapter Policy

Procedure

iSCSI Authentication Profile

Creating or Editing an iSCSI Authentication Profile

Procedure

Local Disk Policy

Creating or Editing a Local Disk Policy

Procedure

Port Auto-Discovery Policy

Creating or Editing Port Auto-Discovery Policy

Procedure

Graphics Card Policy

Creating and Editing a Graphics Card Policy

Procedure

Statistics Threshold Policy

Creating a Statistics Threshold Policy

Procedure

Scrub Policy

Disk scrub

BIOS Settings Scrub

FlexFlash Scrub

Creating or Editing a Scrub Policy

Procedure

vMedia Policy

Creating or Editing a vMedia Policy

Procedure

What to do next

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