Deploying Cisco UCS Central

This chapter includes the following sections:

Obtaining the Cisco UCS Central Software from Cisco

Procedure
    Step 1   In a web browser, navigate to Cisco.com.
    Step 2   Under Support, click All Downloads.
    Step 3   In the center pane, click Unified Computing and Servers.
    Step 4   If prompted, enter your Cisco.com username and password to log in.
    Step 5   In the right pane, click the link for the Cisco UCS Central software in the format that you want.

    You can download the Cisco UCS Central software in the following formats:

    • An OVA file with a name such as ucs-central.1.0.1a.ova
    • An ISO file with a name such as ucs-central.1.0.1a.iso

    You can also download the admin password reset ISO image from this location. The Cisco UCS Central Provider Bundle should be downloaded from Cisco UCS Central and used to upgrade an existing Cisco UCS Central deployment.
    Step 6   On the page from which you download the software, click the Release Notes link to download the latest version of the Release Notes.
    Step 7   Click the link for the release of the Cisco UCS Central software that you want to download.
    Step 8   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 9   Follow the prompts to complete your download of the software.
    Step 10   Read the Release Notes before deploying the Cisco UCS Central VM.
    What to Do Next

    Deploy the VM in a supported hypervisor.

    Using the Cisco UCS Central OVA File

    Deploying the Cisco UCS Central OVA file in VMware


    Note

    The Cisco UCS Central VM performs a one-time installation process the first time it starts up. Allow the installation to complete before you log in.
    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. Setup new configuration or restore full-state configuration from backup [setup/restore] prompt, enter setup and press Enter.
      2. 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).

      3. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Address : prompt, enter the netmask assigned to Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.
      4. At the Enter the Default Gateway : prompt, enter the default gateway used by Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.
      5. At the Enforce Strong Password (yes/no) prompt, enter yes and press Enter.

        We recommend that you choose to enforce a strong password. This setting affects the configuration of the admin and all locally authenticated user accounts for Cisco UCS Central. You can change this setting in Cisco UCS Central later, if desired.

      6. At the Enter the admin Password : prompt, enter the password you want to use for the admin account and press Enter.
      7. At the Confirm admin Password : prompt, re-enter the password you want to use for the admin account and press Enter.
      8. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Address : prompt, enter the hostname you want to use for the Cisco UCS Central VM and press Enter.
      9. 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.

      10. 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.

      11. 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 domains with Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.
      12. At the Confirm Shared Secret : prompt, re-enter the shared secret and press Enter.
      13. 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.

      Restoring the Cisco UCS Central VM from the OVA File

      Before You Begin

      You must have a backup file 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 the Cisco UCS Central configuration guides.

      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. Setup new configuration or restore full-state configuration from backup [setup/restore] prompt, enter restore and press Enter.
        2. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Address : prompt, enter the IP address assigned to Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.
        3. At the Enter the UCS Central VM eth0 IPv4 Netmask : prompt, enter the netmask assigned to Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.
        4. At the Enter the Default Gateway : prompt, enter the default gateway used by Cisco UCS Central and press Enter.
        5. 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.
        6. 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.
        7. 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.
        8. 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.
        9. Optional: At the Enter the Password to be used for backup file transfer : prompt, enter the password for the remote server username and press Enter.
        10. 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.

        Using the Cisco UCS Central ISO File

        Deploying the 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 4096 MB

          Network adapter

          Default

          Number of vCPU

          2

          Virtual drive

          No less than 25GB of available disk space

          You also need to create a second virtual disk in Step 3.
          Step 2   In the settings for the VM, do the following:
          1. Delete the default network adapter.
          2. Create a new legacy network adapter.
          3. Click Apply.
          Step 3   Under the same controller as the first virtual drive, create a second virtual drive for the VM with no less than 45GB of available disk space.
          Step 4   Mount the Cisco UCS Central ISO image to the CD/DVD drive.
          Step 5   Start the VM and connect to the console.
          Step 6   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, one with 20GB and one with 40GB). If the VM meets the requirements, the installer formats the disks, transfers the files, and installs Cisco UCS Central.
          Step 7   Unmount the Cisco UCS Central ISO image from the virtual CD/DVD drive.
          Step 8   Reboot the Cisco UCS Central VM.

          Deploying the 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

            Data store

            No less than 60GB available disk space

            Virtual machine type

            7 or later

            Guest operating system

            A supported operating system, such as Linux RHEL 5.0(32-bit)

            Number of vCPU

            1 or 2

            Memory

            No less than 4GB

            Virtual adapter

            1 virtual adapter with VM network

            SCSI controller

            LSI Logic parallel

            Virtual disk

            No less than 20GB of available disk space

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

            Advanced options

            Virtual device node SCSI
            Step 2   In Edit Settings, create a new hard disk for the VM with no less than 40GB of available disk space.
            Step 3   From the Options menu, check Force BIOS Setup to change the boot options.
            Step 4   Mount the Cisco UCS Central ISO image to the CD/DVD drive.
            Step 5   Start the VM and connect to the console.
            Step 6   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, one with 20GB and one with 40GB). If the VM meets the requirements, the installer formats the disks, transfers the files, and installs Cisco UCS Central.
            Step 7   Unmount the Cisco UCS Central ISO image from the virtual CD/DVD drive.
            Step 8   Reboot the Cisco UCS Central VM.

            Reinstalling Cisco UCS Central from the ISO file

            This procedure reinstalls the current running version of the RHEL kernel and all Cisco UCS Central components. It also retains all Cisco UCS Central data.

            Before You Begin

            We recommend that you backup your Cisco UCS Central data before you perform this procedure.

            Procedure
              Step 1   If necessary, reboot the VM and change the boot options to boot from CD ROM.
              Step 2   Mount the Cisco UCS Central ISO image with the virtual CD/DVD drive.
              Step 3   From the Cisco UCS Central Installation menu on the ISO image, choose Upgrade Existing Cisco UCS Central.
              Step 4   In the Cisco UCS Central installer, for the What Would You Like To Do? field, click the Skip Boot Loader Updating radio button and click Next.
              Step 5   After the reinstallation is complete, unmount the Cisco UCS Central ISO image from the virtual CD/DVD drive.
              Step 6   Reboot the Cisco UCS Central VM.

              Upgrading Cisco UCS Central from the ISO file

              This procedure upgrades the current running version of the RHEL kernel and all Cisco UCS Central components. It also retains all Cisco UCS Central data.

              Before You Begin

              We recommend that you backup your Cisco UCS Central data before you perform this procedure.

              Procedure
                Step 1   If necessary, reboot the VM and change the boot options to boot from CD ROM.
                Step 2   Mount the Cisco UCS Central ISO image with the virtual CD/DVD drive.
                Step 3   From the Cisco UCS Central Installation menu on the ISO image, choose Upgrade Existing Cisco UCS Central.
                Step 4   In the Cisco UCS Central installer, for the What Would You Like To Do? field, click the Create New Boot Loader Configuration radio button and click Next.
                Step 5   After the upgrade is complete, unmount the Cisco UCS Central ISO image from the virtual CD/DVD drive.
                Step 6   Reboot the Cisco UCS Central VM.

                Logging into and out of the Cisco UCS Central GUI

                Logging in to the Cisco UCS Central GUI through HTTP

                The default HTTP web link for the Cisco UCS Central GUI is http://UCSCentral_IP, where UCSCentral_IP represents the IP address assigned to Cisco UCS Central.

                Procedure
                  Step 1   In your web browser, type the Cisco UCS Central GUI web link or select the bookmark in your browser.
                  Step 2   On the launch page, do the following:
                  1. Enter your username and password.
                  2. Click Log In.

                  Logging in to the Cisco UCS Central GUI through HTTPS

                  The default HTTPS web link for the Cisco UCS Central GUI is https://UCSCentral_IP, where UCSCentral_IP represents the IP address assigned to Cisco UCS Central.

                  Procedure
                    Step 1   In your web browser, type the Cisco UCS Central GUI web link or select the bookmark in your browser.
                    Step 2   On the launch page, do the following:
                    1. Enter your username and password.
                    2. Click Log In.

                    Logging out of the Cisco UCS Central GUI

                    Procedure
                    In the Cisco UCS Central GUI, click Log Out in the upper right.

                    The Cisco UCS Central GUI logs you out immediately and returns your browser to the launch page.

                    Logging into and out of the Cisco UCS Central CLI

                    Logging into the Cisco UCS Central CLI

                    Procedure
                      Step 1   In an SSH or telnet client, connect to the IP address assigned to Cisco UCS Central.
                      Step 2   At the login as: prompt, enter your Cisco UCS Central username and press Enter.
                      Step 3   At the Password: prompt, enter your password and press Enter.

                      Logging out of the Cisco UCS Central CLI

                      The Cisco UCS Central CLI clears the buffer of all uncommitted transactions when you exit.

                      Procedure
                        Step 1   At the prompt, type exit and press Enter.
                        Step 2   Continue to type exit and press Enter at each prompt until the window closes.

                        Resetting the Admin Password for Cisco UCS Central

                        Procedure
                          Step 1   If you have not done so already, obtain the password reset ISO image for your release of Cisco UCS Central from Cisco.com.

                          The password reset ISO image has a name such as ucs-central-passreset.1.0.1a.iso.
                          Step 2   If necessary, reboot the VM and change the boot options to boot from CD ROM.
                          Step 3   Mount the Password Reset ISO image with the virtual CD/DVD drive.
                          Step 4   On the UCS Central Admin Password Reset page, do the following:
                          1. In the Admin Password field, enter the new admin password.
                          2. In the Confirm Admin Password field, re-enter the new admin password.
                          3. Click Next.
                          Step 5   After the password change is complete, unmount the Cisco UCS Central ISO image from the virtual CD/DVD drive.
                          Step 6   Reboot the Cisco UCS Central VM.

                          Resetting the Shared Secret

                          Procedure
                              Command or Action Purpose
                            Step 1 UCSC # connect local-mgmt 

                            Enters local management mode.

                             
                            Step 2 UCSC (local-mgmt) # set shared-secret 

                            Allows you to set a new shared secret.

                             
                            Step 3 At the prompt, enter the new shared secret.   

                            The following example shows how to reset the shared secret for Cisco UCS Central:

                            UCSC # connect local-mgmt
UCSC(local-mgmt) # set shared-secret
Enter Shared Secret: passW0rd2