Configuring Cisco UCS Director Baremetal Agent

This chapter contains the following sections:

About the Network Configuration Options

You can choose between the following network configuration options for Cisco UCS Director Baremetal Agent:

  • Single network for management and Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)

  • Separate networks for management and PXE

Choose the network configuration option that best meets the requirements of your environment.

Single Network for Management and PXE

We recommend that you choose this network configuration option if your environment permits the following to be hosted on the same network interface and Layer 2 network (see the following figure):

  • Services provided by Baremetal Agent, such as DHCP, TFTP, and HTTP

  • Management traffic between Baremetal Agent and Cisco UCS Director or other devices and appliances

Figure 1. Sample Topology for a Single Network



Prerequisites and Assumptions for a Single Network Configuration

If you plan to configure Baremetal Agent with a single network configuration, ensure that your environment meets the following prerequisites:

  • Cisco UCS Director has been installed and the network interface configured, as described in the appropriate Cisco UCS Director installation guide.

  • Cisco UCS Director is reachable through a web browser and you can log in.

  • Baremetal Agent has been installed, as described in the Cisco UCS Director Baremetal Agent Installation and Configuration Guide, and no additional configuration has been performed.

  • The required single Management and PXE VLAN is provisioned and available as a virtual port group or port profile that virtual machines (VMs) can be attached to or leverage.

Separate Networks for Management and PXE

We recommend that you choose this network configuration option if your environment does not permit the following to be hosted on the same network interface and Layer 2 network (see the following figure):

  • On the PXE network, services provided by Baremetal Agent, such as DHCP, TFTP, and HTTP

  • On the Management network, traffic between Baremetal Agent and Cisco UCS Director or other devices and appliances

Figure 2. Sample Topology for Separate PXE and Management Networks



Prerequisites and Assumptions for a Separate Network Configuration

If you plan to configure Baremetal Agent with a separate network configuration, make sure that your environment meets the following prerequisites:

  • Cisco UCS Director has been installed and the network interface configured, as described in the appropriate Cisco UCS Director installation guide.

  • Cisco UCS Director Baremetal Agent is reachable through a web browser and you can log in.

  • Baremetal Agent has been installed, and no additional configuration has been performed.

  • The following networks are provisioned and available as a virtual port group or port profile that VMs can be attached to or leverage:

    • Management (MGMT) network—Used for traffic between Baremetal Agent and Cisco UCS Director

    • PXE network—Used for PXE services traffic, such as DHCP, HTTP, and TFTP

Configuring Cisco UCS Director Baremetal Agent

Before You Begin

Before you configure Cisco UCS Director Baremetal Agent, do the following:

  • Make sure that the Baremetal Agent is installed.

  • Make sure that the Baremetal Agent VM is completely booted up, and that the VM Console is closed. You must have the IP address of the Baremetal Agent VM.

  • Set up the environment required to support a single or separate PXE and Management network configuration, with the appropriate VLANs.

  • To provide required DHCP services, ensure that at least one DHCP server is located in the same PXE VLAN as Baremetal Agent and configure that DHCP server with an appropriate IP address range.

Procedure
    Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.
    Step 2   Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.
    Step 3   In the Add Baremetal Agent Appliance dialog box, complete the following fields:
    Name Description

    Account Name field

    The name you assign to this Baremetal Agent account.

    Management/PXE Address field

    The IP address assigned to the Management network for Baremetal Agent. If your configuration uses a single network for the Management and PXE networks, this IP address is automatically assigned as the PXE address.

    Note   

    This address must be reachable from Cisco UCS Director.

    Login ID field

    An account with administrative privileges that you can use to log in to Baremetal Agent.

    Password field

    The password for the account.

    Baremetal Agent uses Different Interfaces for Management and PXE Traffic check box

    Check this box if your configuration uses separate networks for the PXE server and the Management network that hosts the traffic manager.

    PXE Interface Address field

    The IP address for the Baremetal Agent PXE network, if your configuration uses separate networks.

    Note   

    This field appears only if the Baremetal Agent uses Different Interfaces for Management and PXE Traffic check box has been checked.

    Description field

    (Optional) A description of this Baremetal Agent.

    Location field

    (Optional) The location of this Baremetal Agent, such as a physical location.

    Database Address drop-down list

    Choose the IP address that is associated with the Cisco UCS Director database that this Baremetal Agent will use.

    Note   

    If you are configuring Baremetal Agent for multi-node deployment, choose the IP address of the Inventory Database node.

    Step 4   Click Submit.
    What to Do Next

    Configure the DHCP Server for Baremetal Agent.

    Configuring the DHCP Server for a Baremetal Agent Account


    Note

    For a multi-home DHCP configuration, use this procedure to configure the first subnet for the DHCP server. For the remaining subnets, you must manually edit the DHCP configuration file (/etc/dhcpd.conf).

    Before You Begin

    To provide required DHCP services, ensure that at least one DHCP server is located in the same PXE VLAN as Baremetal Agent. Configure the DHCP server with an appropriate IP address range. The DHCP server, together with the TFTP server, is used to communicate with a PXE server.

    Procedure
      Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.
      Step 2   Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.
      Step 3   Click the row for the Baremetal Agent account for which you want to configure the DHCP server.
      Step 4   Click Service Status to verify that services for the Baremetal Agent account are stopped.
      Step 5   Click Configure DHCP.
      Step 6   In the Configure DHCP dialog box, complete the following fields and click Submit.

      • DHCP Subnet

      • DHCP Netmask

      • DHCP Start IP

      • DHCP End IP

      • Router IP Address

      The DHCP IP address assignments are updated, and the DHCP service is restarted.

      Step 7   Click the row for the Baremetal Agent account and click Start Services.
      Step 8   After the services have started, do the following:

      • Verify that the status of the account in the Status column is Active.

      • Verify that the Enabled Services column shows that all services are running. If this status indicates that one or more services are stopped, verify the configuration of your DHCP server and try again.

      • Click Service Status to verify that the status of all expected services is up:

        • Network Services status in the Baremetal Agent appliance

        • Database connectivity status from the Baremetal Agent appliance

      What to Do Next

      Set up PXE boot requests.

      Viewing the DHCP Configuration for a Baremetal Agent Account

      Procedure
        Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.
        Step 2   Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.
        Step 3   Click the row for the Baremetal Agent account for which you want to view the DHCP configuration.
        Step 4   Click View DHCP Configuration.

        You might need to click the Down arrow at the end of the button bar to access the View DHCP Configuration option.

        The View DHCP Server Configuration window displays the contents of the DHCP server configuration file for the account.

        Starting and Stopping Baremetal Agent Services

        Procedure
          Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.
          Step 2   Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.
          Step 3   Click the row for the Baremetal Agent account whose services you want to start or stop.
          Step 4   Click one of the following:
          • Start Services
          • Stop Services
          Step 5   Click Service Status and check the status displayed in the Enabled Services column to ensure that services have started or stopped as desired.

          If services do not start, check the status displayed in the Enabled Services column. If this status indicates that services are not enabled, verify the configuration of your DHCP server and try again.

          Configuring the Interface for the PXE Network

          You can use this to change or add an IP address for the PXE network used by Baremetal Agent.

          Procedure
            Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.
            Step 2   Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.
            Step 3   Click the row for the Baremetal Agent account for which you want to configure the interface for the PXE network.
            Step 4   Click Configure Interface.
            Step 5   In the Configure PXE Interface dialog box, complete the following fields:
            1. From the Interface Name drop-down list, choose the interface that you want to use for the PXE network.
            2. Enter the IP address and subnet mask for the PXE network.
            3. Click Submit.

            Changing the Default Baremetal Agent Account

            The first Baremetal Agent account that you create is designated as the default account. This account is used by default in legacy workflows. To use a different account in the legacy workflows, you must designate that Baremetal Agent account as the default.

            Procedure
              Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.
              Step 2   Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.
              Step 3   Click the row for the Baremetal Agent account that you want designate as the default.
              Step 4   Click Set Default BMA.

              Changing the Default Samba User Password

              A fresh installation of Baremetal Agent comes with a default Samba user. To change the default Samba password, use the changePasswdSmb.sh shell script.

              Procedure
                Step 1   Log on to the Shell Admin using the root password.
                Step 2   Navigate to the /opt/infra/ directory.
                Step 3   Run the shell script, changePasswdSmb.sh.
                Step 4   Provide a new password at the Enter samba password for smbuser: prompt.

                Example: 
                [root@localhost infra]#
[root@localhost infra]#
[root@localhost infra]#
[root@localhost infra]# ./changePasswdSmb.sh

Enter samba password for smbuser:

                Viewing the Logs for a Baremetal Agent Account

                Procedure
                  Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.
                  Step 2   Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.
                  Step 3   Click the row for the Baremetal Agent account for which you want to view the logs.
                  Step 4   Click View Baremetal Agent Logs.

                  You might need to click the Down arrow at the end of the button bar to access the View Baremetal Agent Logs option.

                  The View Baremetal Agent Log window displays the logs for the account.

                  Viewing the DHCP Logs for a Baremetal Agent Account

                  Procedure
                    Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.
                    Step 2   Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.
                    Step 3   Click the row for the Baremetal Agent account for which you want to view the DHCP logs.
                    Step 4   Click View DHCP Logs.

                    You might need to click the Down arrow at the end of the button bar to access the View DHCP Logs option.

                    The View Baremetal Agent DHCP Log window displays the contents of the DHCP server logs for the account.