Installation of Cisco UCS Central

Overview of Cisco UCS Central Installation

Cisco UCS Central provides you the option to install in a standalone mode. You must obtain the software from Cisco.com and save it in your local drive before installation.

You can install Cisco UCS Central using either one of the following:

  • OVA file

  • ISO Image


Note

Cisco UCS Central images are delivered in digitally signed OVA file.

Obtaining the Cisco UCS Central Software from Cisco.com

Before you begin

Make sure that you have your Cisco.com username and password ready to be able to successfully download the Cisco UCS Central software.

Procedure

Step 1

In a web browser, navigate to Cisco.com.

Step 2

Under Support, click Products and Downloads.

Step 3

In the center pane, click All Downloads.

Step 4

Click Browse All or enter your product in the search bar.

Note

 
If prompted, enter your Cisco.com username and password to log in.

Step 5

Select Servers - Unified Computing > UCS Central SoftwareUCS Central x.x.

Choose the version that you want to download. For example, UCS Central 2.x.

Step 6

In the right pane, click the link for the Cisco UCS Central software in the format that you want:

  • An OVA file with a name such as ucs-central.2.x.x.ova

  • An ISO file with a name such as ucs-central.2.x.x.iso

Step 7

On the page from which you download the software, click the Release Notes link to download the latest version of the Release Notes.

Step 8

Click the link for the release of the Cisco UCS Central software that you want to download.

Step 9

Click one of the following buttons and follow the instructions provided:

  • Download Now—Allows you to download the Cisco UCS Central software immediately.
  • Add to Cart—Adds the Cisco UCS Central software to your cart to be downloaded at a later time.

Step 10

Follow the prompts to complete your download of the software.

What to do next

Read the Release Notes before deploying the Cisco UCS Central VM.

Hardware Requirements

Hardware Requirements

The minimum memory required for client system is 32 GB. However if you have 40 or more registered Cisco UCS Domains, it is recommended to have at least 48 GB memory on the client system.

The minimum system requirements for Cisco UCS Central include a disk space of 200 GB, at least 32 GB of RAM, and a minimum of 10 vCPUs.

For virtual machine types 8.0 or later, it is recommended to select the Guest operating system as Alma Linux (64-bit). For earlier versions, select the guest OS as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 (64-bit).

Supporting Browsers

We recommend using the most recent version of one of the following supported browsers for Windows, LinuxRHEL, and MacOS:

  • Microsoft Edge

  • Mozilla Firefox

  • Google Chrome

  • Apple Safari


Note

Cisco UCS Central does not support browser full screen mode.

We recommend the below screen resolutions to launch the Cisco UCS Central GUI:

  • 1920 x 1080

  • 1600 x 900

  • 1440 x 900

  • 1360 x 768

  • 1280 x 768

  • 1280 x 720

  • 1280 x 600

Supported Operating Systems

The released ISO is supported by the following:

  • VMware ESXi 7.x, ESXi 8.0 and later

    See the VMware Product Lifecycle website at https://lifecycle.vmware.com/#/

  • Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2022, Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2025, and later

  • KVM Hypervisor on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.7 and later

The released OVA is supported by VMware ESXi 7.x, ESXi 8.0 and later.

Installing Cisco UCS Central ISO File

Installing Cisco UCS Central ISO File in VMware

Procedure

Step 1

Create a VM with the following settings:

Setting Recommended Value

Configuration

Custom configuration

Name

A descriptive name that includes information about the Cisco UCS Central deployment

Virtual machine type

7 or later

For virtual machine types 8.0 or later, it is recommended to select the Guest operating system as Alma Linux (64-bit). For earlier versions, select the guest OS as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 (64-bit).

For ESXi 8, Secure boot option must be disabled.

Guest operating system

A supported operating system, such as RHEL 9.4.

Number of vCPU

10

Memory

No less than 32GB

Virtual adapter

1 virtual adapter with VM network

SCSI controller

LSI Logic parallel

Virtual disk

No less than 200GB (100GB +100GB) of available disk space

You also need to create a second 100 GB virtual disk in Step 2.

Advanced options

Virtual device node SCSI

Step 2

In Edit Settings, add a new hard disk for the VM with no less than 100GB of available disk space and an additional 100GB for remote disk Cluster Installations.

Step 3

Mount the Cisco UCS Central ISO image to the CD/DVD drive.

Step 4

Start the VM and connect to the console.

Step 5

From the Cisco UCS Central Installation menu on the ISO image, choose Install Cisco UCS Central.

The Cisco UCS Central installer checks that the VM has the required RAM and disk space (two disks, both disks should be 100GB). If the VM meets the requirements, the installer formats the disks, transfers the files, and installs Cisco UCS Central.

Step 6

When the Cisco UCS Central VM has completed the initial part of the installation process, answer the following questions in the VM console window:

  1. Cisco Smart Licensing is mandatory for UCS Central 2.1 and later..

    At the following prompt, choose Yes if Smart Licensing is available; otherwise, select No.

    Please confirm that you have UCS Central licenses in the Cisco Smart Licensing system to proceed [yes/no].

    If no, Cisco Smart Licensing is mandatory for UCS Central 2.1 installation to proceed. Installation is terminating. Press any key to shut down.

  2. Setup new configuration or restore full-state configuration from backup [setup/restore] prompt, enter setup and press Enter.

    To restore, you must enter the password encryption key.

  3. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Address : prompt, enter the IP address assigned to Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    You must enter a static IP address that is reserved for this Cisco UCS Central VM. Cisco UCS Central does not support Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

  4. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Netmask : prompt, enter the netmask assigned to Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

  5. At the Enter the Default Gateway : prompt, enter the default gateway used by Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

  6. At the Enter the UCS Central VM host name : prompt, enter the host name you want to use for the Cisco UCS Central VM and press Enter.

  7. (Optional) At the Enter the DNS Server IPv4 Address : prompt, enter the IP address for the DNS server you want to use for Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    If you do not plan to use a DNS server for Cisco UCS Central, leave this blank and press Enter.

  8. (Optional) At the Enter the Default Domain Name : prompt, enter the domain in which you want to include Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    If you do not plan to include Cisco UCS Central in a domain, leave this blank and press Enter. Cisco UCS Central will use the default domain named localdomain.

  9. At the Enforce Strong Password(Yes/No) prompt, if you want to set up strong password alert, select yes and press Enter.

  10. At the Enter the admin Password : prompt, enter the password you want to use for the admin account and press Enter.

  11. At the Confirm admin Password : prompt, re-enter the password you want to use for the admin account and press Enter.

  12. At the Enter the Shared Secret : prompt, enter the shared secret (or password) that you want to use to register one or more Cisco UCS Central with Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    The shared secret can contain only alphanumeric characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9) and the following special characters:

    • Period (.)

    • Hyphen (-)

    • Underscore (_)

    • Colon (:)

    Using only these allowed characters helps avoid the need to re-enter unsupported characters in the shared secret.

  13. At the Confirm Shared Secret : prompt, re-enter the shared secret and press Enter.

  14. At the Proceed with this configuration. Please confirm[yes/no] prompt, enter yes and press Enter.

    If you think you made an error when completing any of these steps, enter no and press Enter. You will then be prompted to answer the questions again.

Installing Cisco UCS Central ISO File in Microsoft Hyper-V

Procedure

Step 1

Create a VM with the following settings:

Setting Recommended Value

Name

A descriptive name that includes information about the Cisco UCS Central deployment

RAM

No less than 32GB

Network adapter

Default

Number of vCPU

10

Virtual disk

No less than 200GB (100GB +100GB) of available disk space

You also need to create a second 100 GB virtual disk in Step 2.

Note

 

  • Choose Generation 2 in the Select Generation pane.

  • Choose the template Microsoft UFFI Certificate Authority.

Step 2

Under the same IDE controller as the first virtual drive, create a second virtual drive for the VM with no less than 100GB of available disk space.

Step 3

Mount the Cisco UCS Central ISO image to the CD/DVD drive.

Step 4

Start the VM and connect to the console.

Step 5

From the Cisco UCS Central Installation menu on the ISO image, choose Install Cisco UCS Central.

The Cisco UCS Central installer checks that the VM has the required RAM and disk space (two disks, both with 100GBs). If the VM meets the requirements, the installer formats the disks, transfers the files, and installs Cisco UCS Central.

Step 6

When the Cisco UCS Central VM has completed the initial part of the installation process, answer the following questions in the VM console window:

  1. Cisco Smart Licensing is mandatory for UCS Central 2.1 and later..

    At the following prompt, choose Yes if Smart Licensing is available; otherwise, select No.

    Please confirm that you have UCS Central licenses in the Cisco Smart Licensing system to proceed [yes/no].

    If no, Cisco Smart Licensing is mandatory for UCS Central 2.1 installation to proceed. Installation is terminating. Press any key to shut down.

  2. Setup new configuration or restore full-state configuration from backup [setup/restore] prompt, enter setup and press Enter.

    You must provide a password encryption key to restore the configuraiton.

  3. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Address : prompt, enter the IP address assigned to Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    You must enter a static IP address that is reserved for this Cisco UCS Central VM. Cisco UCS Central does not support Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

  4. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Netmask : prompt, enter the netmask assigned to Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

  5. At the Enter the Default Gateway : prompt, enter the default gateway used by Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

  6. At the Enter the UCS Central VM host name : prompt, enter the host name you want to use for the Cisco UCS Central VM and press Enter.

  7. (Optional) At the Enter the DNS Server IPv4 Address : prompt, enter the IP address for the DNS server you want to use for Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    If you do not plan to use a DNS server for Cisco UCS Central, leave this blank and press Enter.

  8. (Optional) At the Enter the Default Domain Name : prompt, enter the domain in which you want to include Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    If you do not plan to include Cisco UCS Central in a domain, leave this blank and press Enter. Cisco UCS Central will use the default domain named localdomain.

  9. At the Enforce Strong Password(Yes/No) prompt, if you want to set up strong password alert, select yes and press Enter.

  10. At the Enter the admin Password : prompt, enter the password you want to use for the admin account and press Enter.

  11. At the Confirm admin Password : prompt, re-enter the password you want to use for the admin account and press Enter.

  12. At the Enter the Shared Secret : prompt, enter the shared secret (or password) that you want to use to register one or more Cisco UCS Central with Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    The shared secret can contain only alphanumeric characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9) and the following special characters:

    • Period (.)

    • Hyphen (-)

    • Underscore (_)

    • Colon (:)

    Using only these allowed characters helps avoid the need to re-enter unsupported characters in the shared secret.

  13. At the Confirm Shared Secret : prompt, re-enter the shared secret and press Enter.

  14. At the Proceed with this configuration. Please confirm[yes/no] prompt, enter yes and press Enter.

    If you think you made an error when completing any of these steps, enter no and press Enter. You will then be prompted to answer the questions again.

Installing Cisco UCS Central ISO File in KVM Hypervisor


Note

When you install Cisco UCS Central on KVM Hypervisor, the set up runs in graphics mode. Installing in text mode is not supported.

Procedure

Step 1

Create a VM with the following settings:

Setting Recommended Value

Name

A descriptive name that includes information about the Cisco UCS Central deployment

RAM

No less than 32GB

Network adapter

Default

Number of vCPU

10

Virtual disk

No less than 100GB of available disk space

You also need to create a second 100GB virtual disk under IDE Controller in Step 2.

Note

 

To enable UEFI boot, from the Overview section, choose UEFI X86_64... option from the Firmware drop-down box.

Step 2

Under the same IDE controller as the first virtual drive, create a second virtual drive for the VM with no less than 100GB of available disk space.

Step 3

Mount the Cisco UCS Central ISO image to the CD/DVD drive.

Step 4

Start the VM and connect to the console.

Step 5

From the Cisco UCS Central Installation menu on the ISO image, choose Install Cisco UCS Central.

The Cisco UCS Central installer checks that the VM has the required RAM and disk space (two disks, both with 100GBs). If the VM meets the requirements, the installer formats the disks, transfers the files, and installs Cisco UCS Central.

Step 6

When the Cisco UCS Central VM has completed the initial part of the installation process, answer the following questions in the VM console window:

  1. Cisco Smart Licensing is mandatory for UCS Central 2.1 and later..

    At the following prompt, choose Yes if Smart Licensing is available; otherwise, select No.

    Please confirm that you have UCS Central licenses in the Cisco Smart Licensing system to proceed [yes/no].

    If no, Cisco Smart Licensing is mandatory for UCS Central 2.1 installation to proceed. Installation is terminating. Press any key to shut down.

  2. Setup new configuration or restore full-state configuration from backup [setup/restore] prompt, enter setup and press Enter.

    You must provide a password encryption key to restore the configuration.

  3. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Address : prompt, enter the IP address assigned to Cisco UCS Central and press Enter

    You must enter a static IP address that is reserved for this Cisco UCS Central VM. Cisco UCS Central does not support Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

  4. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Netmask : prompt, enter the netmask assigned to Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

  5. At the Enter the Default Gateway : prompt, enter the default gateway used by Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

  6. At the Enter the UCS Central VM host name : prompt, enter the host name you want to use for the Cisco UCS Central VM and press Enter.

  7. (Optional) At the Enter the DNS Server IPv4 Address : prompt, enter the IP address for the DNS server you want to use for Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    If you do not plan to use a DNS server for Cisco UCS Central, leave this blank and press Enter.

  8. (Optional) At the Enter the Default Domain Name : prompt, enter the domain in which you want to include Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    If you do not plan to include Cisco UCS Central in a domain, leave this blank and press Enter. Cisco UCS Central will use the default domain named localdomain.

  9. At the Enforce Strong Password(Yes/No) prompt, if you want to set up strong password alert, select yes and press Enter.

  10. At the Enter the admin Password : prompt, enter the password you want to use for the admin account and press Enter.

  11. At the Confirm admin Password : prompt, re-enter the password you want to use for the admin account and press Enter.

  12. At the Enter the Shared Secret : prompt, enter the shared secret (or password) that you want to use to register one or more Cisco UCS Central with Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    The shared secret can contain only alphanumeric characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9) and the following special characters:

    • Period (.)

    • Hyphen (-)

    • Underscore (_)

    • Colon (:)

    Using only these allowed characters helps avoid the need to re-enter unsupported characters in the shared secret.

  13. At the Confirm Shared Secret : prompt, re-enter the shared secret and press Enter.

  14. At the Proceed with this configuration. Please confirm[yes/no] prompt, enter yes and press Enter.

    If you think you made an error when completing any of these steps, enter no and press Enter. You will then be prompted to answer the questions again.

Installing Cisco UCS Central OVA File

OVA Installation in VCenter

Procedure

Step 1

On the Cisco.com download site for Cisco UCS Central Software, download the Cisco UCS Central OVA.

The files are stored in your local download folder.

Step 2

Log in to the vCenter server, right-click on any inventory object and select Deploy OVF Template.

The Deploy OVF Template wizard is displayed.

Step 3

Specify the location of the OVA on the Select an OVF template page, and click Next.

Step 4

Enter a unique name for the virtual machine, and select a deployment location on the next page. Click Next.

Step 5

Select a resource to run the deployed OVA. Click Next.

Step 6

Verify the OVA details, and click Next.

Step 7

Select a storage location. Click Next.

(Optional) Select virtual disk format as Thin provision.

Step 8

Select a source network, and map it to a destination network. Click Next.

Note

 

Proceed with the default settings.

Step 9

Review the information on the Ready to complete page, and click Finish.

Step 10

Deploy the OVA file by choosing the ESX host on which you want to host the Cisco UCS Central VM.

Follow the steps to boot VM and wait until the process is 100% complete to proceed to the next step.

Step 11

If have not powered up the VM as part of importing the OVA file , power up the Cisco UCS Central VM.

Step 12

Open up a console window for the Cisco UCS Central VM.

Step 13

When the Cisco UCS Central VM has completed the initial part of the installation process, answer the following questions in the VM console window:

  1. Cisco Smart Licensing is mandatory for UCS Central 2.1 and later..

    At the following prompt, choose Yes if Smart Licensing is available; otherwise, select No.

    Please confirm that you have UCS Central licenses in the Cisco Smart Licensing system to proceed [yes/no].

    If no, Cisco Smart Licensing is mandatory for UCS Central 2.1 installation to proceed. Installation is terminating. Press any key to shut down.

  2. Setup new configuration or restore full-state configuration from backup [setup/restore] prompt, enter setup and press Enter.

  3. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Address : prompt, enter the IP address assigned to Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    You must enter a static IP address that is reserved for this Cisco UCS Central VM. Cisco UCS Central does not support Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

  4. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Netmask : prompt, enter the netmask assigned to Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

  5. At the Enter the Default Gateway : prompt, enter the default gateway used by Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

  6. At the Enter the UCS Central VM host name : prompt, enter the host name you want to use for the Cisco UCS Central VM and press Enter.

  7. (Optional) At the Enter the DNS Server IPv4 Address : prompt, enter the IP address for the DNS server you want to use for Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    If you do not plan to use a DNS server for Cisco UCS Central, leave this blank and press Enter.

  8. (Optional) At the Enter the Default Domain Name : prompt, enter the domain in which you want to include Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    If you do not plan to include Cisco UCS Central in a domain, leave this blank and press Enter. Cisco UCS Central will use the default domain named localdomain.

  9. At the Enforce Strong Password(Yes/No) prompt, if you want to set up strong password alert, select yes and press Enter.

  10. At the Enter the admin Password : prompt, enter the password you want to use for the admin account and press Enter.

  11. At the Confirm admin Password : prompt, re-enter the password you want to use for the admin account and press Enter.

  12. At the Enter the Shared Secret : prompt, enter the shared secret (or password) that you want to use to register one or more Cisco UCS Central with Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

    The shared secret can contain only alphanumeric characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9) and the following special characters:

    • Period (.)

    • Hyphen (-)

    • Underscore (_)

    • Colon (:)

    Using only these allowed characters helps avoid the need to re-enter unsupported characters in the shared secret.

  13. At the Confirm Shared Secret : prompt, re-enter the shared secret and press Enter.

  14. At the Proceed with this configuration. Please confirm[yes/no] prompt, enter yes and press Enter.

    If you think you made an error when completing any of these steps, enter no and press Enter. You will then be prompted to answer the questions again.

After you confirm that you want to proceed with the configuration, the network interface reinitializes with your settings and Cisco UCS Central becomes accessible via the IP address.

Importing the IdenTrust Certificate Chain

The Cisco UCS Central OVA file is signed with an IdenTrust CA certificate, which is not included in VMware's default truststore. As a result, the Review details page in the Deploy OVF Template wizard indicates that you are using an invalid certificate while completing the wizard.

You can prevent this by importing the IdenTrust certificate chain to the host or cluster on which you want to deploy the OVA file.

Procedure

Step 1

On the VMware ESXi host or cluster where your virtual appliance will reside, download the Issuing CA Cert (PEM) (trustidevcodesigning4.pem) and Root CA Cert (identrustcommercialrootca1.pem) for TrustID EV Code Signing CA 4 from https://www.cisco.com/security/pki/codesign.

Step 2

Log in to the vSphere Web Client.

Step 3

Select Administration > Certificates > Certificate Management.

Step 4

In the Trusted Root Certificates field, click Add.

Step 5

Check the Start Root certificate push to vCenter Hosts check box. Click Add.

Step 6

In the Add Trusted Root dialog box, click Browse.

Step 7

Navigate and select the certificate chain you downloaded in Step 1 (trustidevcodesigning4.pem and identrustcommercialrootca1.pem). Click Open.

The files gets displayed in the Add Trusted Root Certificate page.

Step 8

Click Add.

A message indicates that the certificate chain was imported.

When you complete the Deploy OVF Template wizard, the Publisher field in the Review details page indicates that you are using a trusted certificate.

What to do next

OVA Installation in VCenter

Resetting the Admin Password

If you misplaced the admin password that you created for your account when you first installed the Cisco UCS Central software, you must reset your password before you can perform any admin-specific tasks.

Mount the ISO from ESXi:

  • Click Edit Settings and do the following:

  • In the CD/DVD Media settings, select the Browse option and choose the most recent UCS Central ISO file.

  • Under the Boot Options, enable Force BIOS Setup.

  • Click Save.

  • Reboot the VM instance.

  • From the GRUB boot options, choose Reset UCS Central Admin Password option.

    For additional assistance, please reach out to TAC for further guidance.

    Ensure that the ISO image is unmounted after completing the password reset process.

Mount the ISO from Hyper-V:

  • Select the VM settings.

  • Modify the boot sequence in the Firmware settings.

  • Mount the ISO inage.

  • Restart the VM instance.

  • Choose the Reset UCS Central password option from the GRUB menu.

    For additional assistance, please reach out to TAC for further guidance.

  • Before rebooting, update the boot order to prioritize the disk containing Cisco UCS Central.

Mount the ISO from RHEL KVM:

  • Choose the Details option under the View section.

  • Mount the ISO under SATA CD-ROM drive.

  • Update the boot order and ensure both the SATA CD-ROM and the disk containing Cisco UCS Central are selected under Boot options.

  • Apply the settings

  • Restart the VM instance.

  • Choose the Reset UCS Central password option from the GRUB menu.

    For further assistance, please contact TAC for additional support.

  • Unmount the ISO file before rebooting.

Upgrading from Cisco UCS Central

Upgrading from Cisco UCS Central 2.1 Release

Memory Allocation and Requirement Validation

The minimum memory requirement is validated during the upgrade of Cisco UCS Central. If the system does not meet this requirement, warning messages are displayed.

  • Configurations for Systems with Less Than 32 GB Memory

    Detected memory: XXXXX MB

The minimum required Memory is 32 GB. For environments with a larger number of domains (approximately 500), 64 GB of Memory is recommended.

Warning : The System Memory is less than required. Do you want to proceed anyway? (Y/N)

  • Configurations for Systems greater or equal to 32 GB Memory

    Detected memory: XXXXX MB
For environments with a larger number of domains (approximately 500), 64 GB of Memory is recommended.
Mounting the ISO ...

  • Configurations for Systems greater or equal to 64 GB Memory

    Detected memory: XXXXX MB
System meets the memory requirement for larger number of domains (approximately 500), continuing ...
Mounting the ISO ...

The minimum memory needed is 32 GB. If you have 40 or more registered Cisco UCS Domains, it is recommended to have at least 48 GB of memory. For very large environments with around 500 domains, 64 GB of memory is recommended.

You can upgrade Cisco UCS Central 2.1 to any other later release:

Base Version

Upgradable Version

Upgrade Mode

2.1(1a)

2.1(1b) and above

CLI

2.1(1b)

2.1(1c) and above

CLI

2.1(1c)

2.1(2a) and above

CLI

2.1(2a)

—

CLI

Before you begin


Note

This is applicable for ESXi only.

  • Snapshot the existing Cisco UCS Central VM.

  • Download the upgrade (.iso) from software.cisco.com.

  • Upload the .iso to the vCenter Datastore accessible to the Cisco UCS Central VM.

Procedure

Step 1

Mount the ISO from ESXi.

Step 2

Click Edit Settings and do the following:

  • In the CD/DVD drive 1 settings, select Connected option to ensure the drive is active and accessible.

  • In the CD/DVD Media settings, select the Browse option and choose the most recent UCS Central ISO file.

  • In Status, select the Connect at Power On checkbox.

  • Click Save.

Step 3

Login to the Cisco UCS Central CLI.

Step 4

Enter the connect local-mgmt command.

Step 5

Enter the Upgrade command.

Click Yes to continue.

Step 6

After upgrade, do the following:

  • Enter the show version command to confirm if all the services are upgraded.

  • Enter the show pmon state command to confirm if all the services are running.

Upgrading from Cisco UCS Central 2.0 or an Earlier Release

  • There is no direct upgrade path supported to Cisco UCS Central release 2.1 from an earlier release.

  • Backup restoration to Cisco UCS Central Release 2.1 is supported from Cisco UCS Central Release 2.0(1s) and later.

For more information, see Installation of Cisco UCS Central.

Restoring the Cisco UCS Central VM

  • This procedure describes the process to restore using an OVA and ISO file.

  • Backup restoration to Cisco UCS Central Release 2.1(1a) is compatible with Cisco UCS Central version 2.0(1s) and later.

  • As a general recommendation, wait approximately 20 to 30 minutes after the restore operation before attempting GUI login. This ensures that system initialization is complete and CPU utilization has normalized, which can be verified through the CLI. Execute the following commands: 

    ucsCentral#connect local-mgmt
ucsCentral(local-managament)#show processes

Before you begin

You must have a backup file with extension .tgz from a Cisco UCS Central system that you want to use to restore the configuration of the Cisco UCS Central VM. For information on how to back up a Cisco UCS Central system, see Managing Back up and Restore in Cisco UCS Central User Manual and CLI Reference Manual.

Procedure

Step 1

Save the Cisco UCS Central OVA file to a folder that you can access from the hypervisor.

Step 2

Open or import the Cisco UCS Central OVA file into a supported hypervisor, as required by the hypervisor.

Do not continue with the next step until the VM has finished booting.

Step 3

If you have not already done so as part of importing the OVA file, power up the Cisco UCS Central VM.

Step 4

Open up a console window to the Cisco UCS Central VM.

Step 5

When the Cisco UCS Central VM has completed the initial part of the installation process, answer the following questions in the VM console window:

  1. Cisco Smart Licensing is mandatory for UCS Central 2.1 and later..

    At the following prompt, choose Yes if Smart Licensing is available; otherwise, select No.

    Please confirm that you have UCS Central licenses in the Cisco Smart Licensing system to proceed [yes/no].

    If no, Cisco Smart Licensing is mandatory for UCS Central 2.1 installation to proceed. Installation is terminating. Press any key to shut down.

  2. Setup new configuration or restore full-state configuration from backup [setup/restore] prompt, enter restore and press Enter.

  3. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Address : prompt, enter the IP address assigned to Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

  4. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Netmask : prompt, enter the netmask assigned to Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

  5. At the Enter the Default Gateway : prompt, enter the default gateway used by Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.

  6. At the Enter the File copy protocol[tftp/scp/ftp/sftp] : prompt, enter the supported protocol that you want to use to copy the backup file to the Cisco UCS Central VM and press Enter.

  7. At the Enter the Backup server IPv4 Address : prompt, enter the IP address assigned to the server where the backup file is stored and press Enter.

  8. At the Enter the Backup file path and name : prompt, enter the full file path and name of the backup file on the server and press Enter.

  9. At the Enter the Username to be used for backup file transfer : prompt, enter the username the system should use to log in to the remote server and press Enter.

  10. At the Enter the Password to be used for backup file transfer : prompt, enter the password for the remote server username and press Enter.

  11. At the Enter the key for decrypting the backup file (if backup taken from 201u or before, press enter to proceed : prompt, enter the password encryption key to restore the configuration and press Enter.

  12. At the Proceed with this configuration. Please confirm[yes/no] prompt, enter yes and press Enter.

    If you think you made an error when completing any of these steps, enter no and press Enter. You will then be prompted to answer the questions again.

After you confirm that you want to proceed with the configuration, the network interface reinitializes with your settings and Cisco UCS Central becomes accessible via the IP address.

What to do next

After Cisco UCS Central is restored, login to Cisco UCS Central and download the firmware images into Image library. If any firmware images are referenced in the service profiles, then you must make sure that the images are downloaded and available in the image library before you re-acknowledge a Cisco UCS domain from the suspended state.