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Cisco UCS Manager Infrastructure Management Using the CLI, Release 3.1

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Book Title

Cisco UCS Manager Infrastructure Management Using the CLI, Release 3.1

Chapter Title

Blade Server Hardware Management

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Updated:
April 27, 2017

Chapter: Blade Server Hardware Management

Blade Server Hardware Management

Blade Server Management

You can manage and monitor all blade servers in a Cisco UCS domain through Cisco UCS Manager. You can perform some blade server management tasks, such as changes to the power state, from the server and service profile.

The remaining management tasks can only be performed on the server.

The power supply units go into power save mode when a chassis has two blades or less. When a third blade is added to the chassis and is fully discovered, the power supply units return to regular mode.

If a blade server slot in a chassis is empty, Cisco UCS Manager provides information, errors, and faults for that slot. You can also re-acknowledge the slot to resolve server mismatch errors and to have Cisco UCS Manager rediscover the blade server in the slot.

Guidelines for Removing and Decommissioning Blade Servers

Consider the following guidelines when deciding whether to remove or decommission a blade server using Cisco UCS Manager:

Decommissioning a Blade Server

If you want to temporarily decommission a physically present and connected blade server, you can temporarily remove it from the configuration. A portion of the server's information is retained by Cisco UCS Manager for future use, in case the blade server is recommissioned.

Removing a Blade Server

Removing is performed when you physically remove a blade server from the Cisco UCS Manager by disconnecting it from the chassis. You cannot remove a blade server from Cisco UCS Manager if it is physically present and connected to a chassis. After the physical removal of the blade server is completed, the configuration for that blade server can be removed in Cisco UCS Manager.

During removal, active links to the blade server are disabled, all entries from databases are removed, and the server is automatically removed from any server pools that it was assigned to during discovery.


Note

Only servers added to a server pool automatically during discovery are removed automatically. Servers that were manually added to a server pool must be removed manually.

To add a removed blade server back to the configuration, it must be reconnected, then rediscovered. When a server is reintroduced to Cisco UCS Manager, it is treated as a new server and is subject to the deep discovery process. For this reason, it is possible for Cisco UCS Manager to assign the server a new ID that might be different from the ID that it held before.

Recommendations for Avoiding Unexpected Server Power Changes

If a server is not associated with a service profile, you can use any available means to change the server power state, including the physical Power or Reset buttons on the server.

If a server is associated with, or assigned to, a service profile, you should only use the following methods to change the server power state:

  • In Cisco UCS Manager GUI, go to the General tab for the server or the service profile associated with the server and select Boot Server or Shutdown Server from the Actions area.

  • In Cisco UCS Manager CLI, scope to the server or the service profile associated with the server and use the power up or power down commands.

Important:

Do not use any of the following options on an associated server that is currently powered off:

  • Reset in the GUI

  • cycle cycle-immediate or reset hard-reset-immediate in the CLI

  • The physical Power or Reset buttons on the server

If you reset, cycle, or use the physical power buttons on a server that is currently powered off, the server's actual power state might become out of sync with the desired power state setting in the service profile. If the communication between the server and Cisco UCS Manager is disrupted or if the service profile configuration changes, Cisco UCS Manager might apply the desired power state from the service profile to the server, causing an unexpected power change.

Power synchronization issues can lead to an unexpected server restart, as shown below:

Desired Power State in Service Profile

Current Server Power State

Server Power State After Communication Is Disrupted

Up

Powered Off

Powered On

Down

Powered On

Powered On

Note   

Running servers are not shut down regardless of the desired power state in the service profile.

Booting a Blade Server

Before You Begin

Associate a service profile with a blade server or server pool.

Procedure
     Command or ActionPurpose
    Step 1UCS-A# scope org org-name  

    Enters organization mode for the specified organization. To enter the root organization mode, type / as the org-name .

     
    Step 2UCS-A /org # scope service-profile profile-name  

    Enters organization service profile mode for the specified service profile.

     
    Step 3UCS-A /org/service-profile # power up  

    Boots the blade server associated with the service profile.

     
    Step 4UCS-A /org/service-profile # commit-buffer  

    Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

     

    The following example boots the blade server associated with the service profile named ServProf34 and commits the transaction: 

    UCS-A# scope org /
UCS-A /org* # scope service-profile ServProf34
UCS-A /org/service-profile* # power up
UCS-A /org/service-profile* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /org/service-profile #

    Shutting Down a Blade Server

    When you use this procedure to shut down a server with an installed operating system, Cisco UCS Manager triggers the OS into a graceful shutdown sequence.


    Note

    When a blade server that is associated with a service profile is shut down, the VIF down alerts F0283 and F0479 are automatically suppressed.

    Before You Begin

    Associate a service profile with a blade server or server pool.

    Procedure
       Command or ActionPurpose
      Step 1UCS-A# scope org org-name  

      Enters organization mode for the specified organization. To enter the root organization mode, type / as the org-name.

       
      Step 2UCS-A /org # scope service-profile profile-name  

      Enters organization service profile mode for the specified service profile.

       
      Step 3UCS-A /org/service-profile # power down  

      Shuts down the blade server associated with the service profile.

       
      Step 4UCS-A /org/service-profile # commit-buffer  

      Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

       

      The following example shuts down the blade server associated with the service profile named ServProf34 and commits the transaction: 

      UCS-A# scope org /
UCS-A /org # scope service-profile ServProf34
UCS-A /org/service-profile # power down
UCS-A /org/service-profile* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /org/service-profile #

      Resetting a Blade Server to Factory Default Settings

      You can now reset a blade server to its factory settings. By default, the factory reset operation does not affect storage drives and flexflash drives. This is to prevent any loss of data. However, you can choose to reset these devices to a known state as well.

      Important:

      Resetting storage devices will result in loss of data.

      Perform the following procedure to reset the server to factory default settings.

      Procedure
         Command or ActionPurpose
        Step 1 UCS-A# scope server [chassis-num/server-num | dynamic-uuid]  

        Enters server mode for the specified server.

         
        Step 2UCS-A /chassis/server # reset factory-default [delete-flexflash-storage | delete-storage [create-initial-storage-volumes] ]  

        Resets server settings to factory default using the following command options:

        • factory-default—Resets the server to factory defaults without deleting storage

        • delete-flexflash-storage—Resets the server to factory defaults and deletes flexflash storage

        • delete-storage—Resets the server to factory defaults and deletes all storage

        • create-initial-storage-volumes—Resets the server to factory defaults, deletes all storage, sets all disks to their initial state

          Important:

          Do not use the create-initial-storage-volumes command option if you want to use storage profiles. Creating initial volumes when you are using storage profiles may result in configuration errors.

         
        Step 3 UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer  

        Commits any pending transactions.

         

        The following example resets the server settings to factory default without deleting storage, and commits the transaction: 

        UCS-A# scope server 2/4
UCS-A /chassis/server # reset factory-default
UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer

        The following example resets the server settings to factory default, deletes flexflash storage, and commits the transaction: 

        UCS-A# scope server 2/4
UCS-A /chassis/server # reset factory-default delete-flexflash-storage

UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer

        The following example resets the server settings to factory default, deletes all storage, and commits the transaction: 

        UCS-A# scope server 2/4
UCS-A /chassis/server # reset factory-default delete-storage
UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer

        The following example resets the server settings to factory default, deletes all storage, sets all disks to their initial state, and commits the transaction: 

        UCS-A# scope server 2/4
UCS-A /chassis/server # reset factory-default delete-storage create-initial-storage-volumes
UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer

        Power Cycling a Blade Server

        Procedure
           Command or ActionPurpose
          Step 1UCS-A# scope server chassis-num / server-num  

          Enters chassis server mode for the specified blade server.

           
          Step 2UCS-A /chassis/server # cycle {cycle-immediate | cycle-wait}  

          Power cycles the blade server.

          Use the cycle-immediate keyword to immediately begin power cycling the blade server; use the cycle-wait keyword to schedule the power cycle to begin after all pending management operations have completed.

           
          Step 3UCS-A# commit-buffer  

          Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

           

          The following example immediately power cycles blade server 4 in chassis 2 and commits the transaction: 

          UCS-A#  scope server 2/4
UCS-A /chassis/server # cycle cycle-immediate
UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /chassis/server #

          Performing a Hard Reset on a Blade Server

          When you reset a server, Cisco UCS Manager sends a pulse on the reset line. You can choose to gracefully shut down the operating system. If the operating system does not support a graceful shutdown, the server is power cycled. The option to have Cisco UCS Manager complete all management operations before it resets the server does not guarantee the completion of these operations before the server is reset.


          Note

          If you are trying to boot a server from a power-down state, you should not use Reset.

          If you continue the power-up with this process, the desired power state of the servers become out of sync with the actual power state and the servers might unexpectedly shut down at a later time. To safely reboot the selected servers from a power-down state, click Cancel, then select the Boot Server action.

          Procedure
             Command or ActionPurpose
            Step 1UCS-A# scope server chassis-num / server-num  

            Enters chassis server mode for the specified server.

             
            Step 2UCS-A /chassis/server # reset {hard-reset-immediate | hard-reset-wait}  

            Performs a hard reset of the blade server.

            Use the hard-reset-immediate keyword to immediately begin hard resetting the server; use the hard-reset-wait keyword to schedule the hard reset to begin after all pending management operations have completed.

             
            Step 3UCS-A /server # commit-buffer  

            Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

             

            The following example performs an immediate hard reset of blade server 4 in chassis 2 and commits the transaction: 

            UCS-A#  scope server 2/4
UCS-A /chassis/server # reset hard-reset-immediate
UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /chassis/server #

            Acknowledging a Blade Server

            Perform the following procedure to rediscover the server and all endpoints in the server. For example, you can use this procedure if a server is stuck in an unexpected state, such as the discovery state.

            Procedure
               Command or ActionPurpose
              Step 1UCS-A# acknowledge server chassis-num / server-num  

              Acknowledges the specified blade server.

               
              Step 2UCS-A# commit-buffer  

              Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

               

              The following example acknowledges server 4 in chassis 2 and commits the transaction: 

              UCS-A#  acknowledge server 2/4
UCS-A* # commit-buffer
UCS-A #

              Removing a Blade Server from a Chassis

              Before You Begin
              Procedure
                 Command or ActionPurpose
                Step 1UCS-A# remove server chassis-num / server-num  

                Removes the specified blade server.

                 
                Step 2UCS-A# commit-buffer  

                Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

                 
                Step 3Go to the physical location of the chassis and remove the server hardware from the slot.  

                For instructions on how to remove the server hardware, see the Cisco UCS Hardware Installation Guide for your chassis.

                 

                The following example removes blade server 4 in chassis 2 and commits the transaction: 

                UCS-A#  remove server 2/4
UCS-A* # commit-buffer
UCS-A #
                What to Do Next

                If you physically re-install the blade server, you must re-acknowledge the slot for the Cisco UCS Manager to rediscover the server.

                For more information, see Acknowledging a Blade Server.

                Decommissioning a Blade Server

                Procedure
                   Command or ActionPurpose
                  Step 1UCS-A# decommission server chassis-num / server-num  

                  Decommissions the specified blade server.

                   
                  Step 2UCS-A# commit-buffer  

                  Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

                   

                  The following example decommissions blade server 4 in chassis 2 and commits the transaction: 

                  UCS-A# decommission server 2/4
UCS-A* # commit-buffer
UCS-A #

                  Turning On the Locator LED for a Blade Server

                  Procedure
                     Command or ActionPurpose
                    Step 1UCS-A# scope server chassis-num / server-num  

                    Enters chassis server mode for the specified chassis.

                     
                    Step 2UCS-A /chassis/server # enable locator-led [multi-master | multi-slave]  

                    Turns on the blade server locator LED. For the Cisco UCS B460 M4 blade server, you can add the following keywords:

                    • multi-master—Turns on the LED for the master node only.

                    • multi-slave—Turns on the LED for the slave node only.

                     
                    Step 3UCS-A /chassis/server # commit-buffer  

                    Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

                     

                    The following example turns on the locator LED on blade server 4 in chassis 2 and commits the transaction: 

                    UCS-A# scope server 2/4
UCS-A /chassis/server # enable  locator-led
UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /chassis/server #

                    The following example turns on the locator LED for the master node only on blade server 7 in chassis 2 and commits the transaction: 

                    UCS-A# scope chassis 2/7
UCS-A /chassis/server # enable locator-led multi-master
UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /chassis/server #

                    Turning Off the Locator LED for a Blade Server

                    Procedure
                       Command or ActionPurpose
                      Step 1UCS-A# scope server chassis-num / server-num  

                      Enters chassis mode for the specified chassis.

                       
                      Step 2UCS-A /chassis/server # disable locator-led [multi-master | multi-slave]  

                      Turns off the blade server locator LED. For the Cisco UCS B460 M4 blade server, you can add the following keywords:

                      • multi-master—Turns off the LED for the master node only.

                      • multi-slave—Turns off the LED for the slave node only.

                       
                      Step 3UCS-A /chassis/server # commit-buffer  

                      Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

                       

                      The following example turns off the locator LED on blade server 4 in chassis 2 and commits the transaction: 

                      UCS-A# scope chassis 2/4
UCS-A /chassis/server # disable locator-led
UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /chassis/server #

                      The following example turns off the locator LED for the master node on blade server 7 in chassis 2 and commits the transaction: 

                      UCS-A# scope chassis 2/7
UCS-A /chassis/server # disable locator-led multi-master
UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /chassis/server #

                      Resetting the CMOS for a Blade Server

                      Sometimes, troubleshooting a server might require you to reset the CMOS. Resetting the CMOS is not part of the normal maintenance of a server.

                      Procedure
                         Command or ActionPurpose
                        Step 1UCS-A# scope server chassis-num / server-num  

                        Enters chassis server mode for the specified chassis.

                         
                        Step 2UCS-A /chassis/server # reset-cmos  

                        Resets the CMOS for the blade server.

                         
                        Step 3UCS-A /chassis/server # commit-buffer  

                        Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

                         

                        The following example resets the CMOS for blade server 4 in chassis 2 and commits the transaction: 

                        UCS-A# scope server 2/4
UCS-A /chassis/server # reset-cmos
UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /chassis/server #

                        Resetting the CIMC for a Blade Server

                        Sometimes, with the firmware, troubleshooting a server might require you to reset the CIMC. Resetting the CIMC is not part of the normal maintenance of a server. After you reset the CIMC, the server boots with the running version of the firmware for that server.

                        If the CIMC is reset, the power monitoring functions of Cisco UCS become briefly unavailable until the CIMC reboots. Typically, the reset only takes 20 seconds; however, it is possible that the peak power cap can exceed during that time. To avoid exceeding the configured power cap in a low power-capped environment, consider staggering the rebooting or activation of CIMCs.

                        Procedure
                           Command or ActionPurpose
                          Step 1UCS-A# scope server chassis-num / server-num  

                          Enters chassis server mode for the specified chassis.

                           
                          Step 2UCS-A /chassis/server # scope CIMC  

                          Enters chassis server CIMC mode

                           
                          Step 3UCS-A /chassis/server/CIMC # reset  

                          Resets the CIMC for the blade server.

                           
                          Step 4UCS-A /chassis/server/CIMC # commit-buffer  

                          Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

                           

                          The following example resets the CIMC for blade server 4 in chassis 2 and commits the transaction: 

                          UCS-A# scope server 2/4
UCS-A /chassis/server # scope CIMC
UCS-A /chassis/server/cimc # reset
UCS-A /chassis/server/cimc* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /chassis/server/cimc #

                          Clearing TPM for a Blade Server

                          You can clear TPM only on Cisco UCS M4 blade and rack-mount servers that include support for TPM.


                          Caution

                          Clearing TPM is a potentially hazardous operation. The OS may stop booting. You may also see loss of data.

                          Before You Begin

                          TPM must be enabled.

                          Procedure
                             Command or ActionPurpose
                            Step 1 UCS-A# scope server [chassis-num/server-num | dynamic-uuid]  

                            Enters server mode for the specified server.

                             
                            Step 2UCS-A# /chassis/server # scope tpm tpm-ID  

                            Enters org TPM mode for the specified TPM.

                             
                            Step 3 UCS-A# /chassis/server/tpm # set adminaction clear-config  

                            Specifies that the TPM is to be cleared.

                             
                            Step 4UCS-A# /chassis/server/tpm # commit-buffer  

                            Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

                             

                            The following example shows how to clear TPM for a blade server: 

                            UCS-A# scope server 1/3
UCS-A# /chassis/server # scope tpm 1
UCS-A# /chassis/server/tpm # set adminaction clear-config
UCS-A#/chassis/server/tpm* # commit-buffer

                            Issuing an NMI from a Blade Server

                            Perform the following procedure if the system remains unresponsive and you need Cisco UCS Manager to issue a Non-Maskable Interrupt (NMI) to the BIOS or operating system from the CIMC. This action creates a core dump or stack trace, depending on the operating system installed on the server.

                            Procedure
                               Command or ActionPurpose
                              Step 1 UCS-A# scope server [chassis-num/server-num | dynamic-uuid]  

                              Enters server mode for the specified server.

                               
                              Step 2UCS-A /chassis/server # diagnostic-interrupt    
                              Step 3 UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer  

                              Commits any pending transactions.

                               

                              The following example sends an NMI from server 4 in chassis 2 and commits the transaction: 

                              UCS-A# scope server 2/4
UCS-A /chassis/server # diagnostic-interrupt
UCS-A /chassis/server* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /chassis/server #

                              Health LED Alarms

                              The blade health LED is located on the front of each Cisco UCS B-Series blade server. Cisco UCS Manager allows you to view the sensor faults that cause the blade health LED to change color from green to amber or blinking amber.

                              The health LED alarms display the following information:

                              Name Description

                              Severity column

                              The severity of the alarm. This can be one of the following:

                              • Critical—The blade health LED is blinking amber.

                              • Minor—The blade health LED is amber.

                              Description column

                              A brief description of the alarm.

                              Sensor ID column

                              The ID of the sensor the triggered the alarm.

                              Sensor Name column

                              The name of the sensor that triggered the alarm.

                              Viewing Health LED Status

                              Procedure
                                 Command or ActionPurpose
                                Step 1 UCS-A# scope server chassis-id / server-id  

                                Enters chassis server mode for the specified server.

                                 
                                Step 2 UCS-A /chassis/server # show health-led expand  

                                Displays the health LED and sensor alarms for the selected server.

                                 

                                The following example shows how to display the health LED status and sensor alarms for chassis 1 server 3: 

                                UCS-A# scope server 1/3
UCS-A /chassis/server # show health-led expand
Health LED:
    Severity: Normal
    Reason:
    Color: Green
    Oper State: On

UCS-A /chassis/server #

                                Smart SSD

                                Beginning with release 3.1(3), Cisco UCS Manager supports monitoring SSD health. This feature is called Smart SSD. It provides statistical information about the properties like wear status in days, percentage life remaining, and so on. For every property, a minimum, a maximum and an average value is recorded and displayed. The feature also allows you to provide threshold limit for the properties.


                                Note

                                The Smart SSD feature is supported only for a selected range of SSDs. It is not supported for any HDDs.

                                The SATA range of supported SSDs are:

                                • Intel

                                • Samsung

                                • Micron

                                The SAS range of supported SSDs are:

                                • Toshiba

                                • Sandisk

                                • Samsung

                                • Micron


                                Note

                                • Power-On Hours and Power Cycle Count are not available on SAS SSDs.

                                • Smart SSD feature is supported only on M4 servers and later.

                                Viewing SSD Health Statistics

                                Perform this procedure to view the SSD Health statistics.

                                Procedure
                                   Command or ActionPurpose
                                  Step 1UCS-A# scope server chassis-id / server-id  

                                  Enters chassis server mode for the specified server.

                                   
                                  Step 2UCS-A /chassis/server # show stats  

                                  Displays the SSD health statistics for the specified server.

                                   

                                  The following example displays the SSD health statistics for blade 3 in chassis 1: 

                                  UCS-A# scope server 1/3
UCS-A /chassis/server # show stats

Ssd Health Stats:
    Time Collected: 2016-12-07T19:35:15.920
    Monitored Object: sys/chassis-1/blade-3/board/storage-SAS-1/ssd-health-stats-1
    Suspect: No
    Id: 1
    Power Cycle Count: 1022
    Power On Hours: 4793
    Percentage Life Left: 92
    Wear Status In Days: 1679
    Thresholded: 0

    Time Collected: 2016-12-07T19:35:38.912
    Monitored Object: sys/chassis-1/blade-3/board/storage-SAS-1/ssd-health-stats-2
    Suspect: No
    Id: 2
    Power Cycle Count: 1017
    Power On Hours: 4270
    Percentage Life Left: 87
    Wear Status In Days: 1587
    Thresholded: 0

    Time Collected: 2016-12-07T19:35:15.920
    Monitored Object: sys/chassis-1/blade-3/board/storage-SAS-4/ssd-health-stats-1
    Suspect: No
    Id: 1
    Power Cycle Count: 1506
    Power On Hours: 5029
    Percentage Life Left: 98
    Wear Status In Days: 1788
    Thresholded: 0
        
    Time Collected: 2016-12-07T19:35:15.920
    Monitored Object: sys/chassis-1/blade-3/board/storage-SAS-4/ssd-health-stats-2
    Suspect: No
    Id: 2
    Power Cycle Count: 58
    Power On Hours: 4731
    Percentage Life Left: 100
    Wear Status In Days: 1825
    Thresholded: 0
UCS-A /chassis/server #

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