Contents
- Upgrading the Cisco C-Series Server BIOS
- Overview
- Upgrading the BIOS Firmware
- Determining the Current BIOS Version
- Upgrading the Firmware by Using the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility
- Upgrading the BIOS Firmware by Using the EFI Interface
- Upgrading the BIOS Firmware From a Windows Operating System
- Upgrading the BIOS Firmware From a Linux Operating System
- Using the iFlash32 Utility
- iFlash32 Utility Support Matrix
- iFlash32 Utility Command Options
- Determining the iFlash32 Utility Version and Build
- Additional Information
- Related Cisco UCS Documentation
- Documentation Feedback
Upgrading the Cisco C-Series Server BIOS
Overview
This guide describes how to upgrade the BIOS firmware and other firmware for Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Servers.
Caution
When you install the new BIOS firmware, it must be from the same software release as the firmware that is running on the server. Do not install the new BIOS firmware until after you have activated the matching firmware or the server will not boot.
To avoid potential problems, we strongly recommend that you use the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility (HUU), which upgrades the BIOS, , and other firmware to compatible levels. For detailed information about this utility, see the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility Guide for the version of the HUU that goes with the software release that you want to install. The HUU guides are available at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10493/products_user_guide_list.html.
If the server is running Release 1.0 or 1.1, the BIOS and CIMC must be upgraded individually. When upgrading the components individually, perform the steps in the following order:
Upgrade CIMC using the GUI or CLI.
Upgrade the BIOS using one of the upgrade methods described in this document. Do not reboot the server yet.
NoteWe recommend using the iFlash32 Utility from the EFI shell.
Activate CIMC using the GUI or CLI.
After at least two minutes, reboot the server.
CautionWe strongly recommend that you do not attempt to upgrade by more than two release versions. For example, if your current version is Release 1.0, do not attempt to upgrade directly to Release 1.3. Instead, upgrade first to Release 1.2, then to Release 1.3.
For instructions on upgrading and activating CIMC, see either of the following documents for the release of CIMC currently installed on your server:
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Servers Configuration Guide
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Servers CLI Configuration Guide
These documents can be found at the following URL:
Upgrading the BIOS Firmware
This section includes the following topics:
Determining the Current BIOS Version
There are two ways you can view the current version and build number of the BIOS:
Press F2 during server bootup to open the BIOS setup utility and look at the listing on the Main page.
From within a running EFI shell, Windows OS, or Linux OS, use the iFlash32 command with the -i option. See the “iFlash32 Utility Command Options” section for more information on using the iFlash32 command.
Upgrading the Firmware by Using the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility
Note
We recommend that you use this upgrade method whenever possible instead of the other upgrade methods described in this guide.
Cisco provides the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility (HUU) to assist you in upgrading the BIOS, CIMC, LOM, LSI storage controller, Cisco UCS P81E Virtual Interface Card, and selected PCIe adapter firmware to compatible levels. You can also use the HUU to recover a corrupted BIOS.
The correct and compatible firmware levels for your server model are embedded in the ISO disk image file for the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility.
To use this utility, start with the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility, User Guide, which includes the instructions for downloading and using the utility ISO file. Select the correct guide for your desired firmware version from this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10493/products_user_guide_list.html
Note
Release 1.2(x) is required at this time if you want to control the server with UCS integration. In the installation and service guide for your server, see the "Installation for Cisco UCS Integration" section.
Upgrading the BIOS Firmware by Using the EFI Interface
ProcedureUse the following procedure to update the BIOS firmware by using the EFI interface. Instructions are included for using local media or a virtual device.
Step 1 Download the BIOS update package from Cisco.com and extract it to a temporary location. To find the downloads for your server, see the following URL, then click Unified Computing, log in, click Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Servers, and then select your server from the list.
http://www.cisco.com/cisco/software/navigator.html
Note Beginning with Release 1.4, the BIOS update package is no longer available for download as a standalone bundle. To obtain the BIOS update package, you must download the Host Upgrade Utility (HUU) ISO file and extract the BIOS bundle from the ISO file.
Beginning with Release 3.0, the BIOS firmware files are no longer embedded inside the HUU as a standalone .zip file. BIOS firmware must now be extracted using the getfw utility, which is available in the GETFW folder of the HUU. Perform the following steps to extract the BIOS firmware files:
Viewing the GETFW help menu: [root@RHEL65-***** tmp]# cd GETFW/ [root@RHEL65-***** GETFW]# ./getfw -h getfw {-b -c -h} [-s SRC] [-d DEST] -b : Get BIOS Firmware -c : Get CIMC Firmware -h : Display Help -s SRC : Source of HUU ISO image -d DEST : Destination to keep Firmware/s Note : Default both 'b' & 'c' flags are set Extracting the BIOS firmware: [root@RHEL65-***** GETFW]# ./getfw -s /root/Desktop/HUU/ucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c.iso -d /tmp/HUU FW/s available at '/tmp/HUUucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c' [root@RHEL65-***** GETFW]# cd /tmp/HUU/ [root@RHEL65-***** HUU]# cd ucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c/ [root@RHEL65-***** ucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c]# ls bios cimc [root@RHEL65-***** ucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c]# cd bios/ [root@RHEL65-***** bios]# ls bios.cap [root@RHEL65-***** bios]#Step 2 Prepare the BIOS update files on either local media for local upgrade, or as a virtual device for remote upgrade: For local upgrade—Perform these steps before you go to the next step.
For remote upgrade—Perform these steps before you go to the next step.
Step 3 Boot the server and press F6 when prompted to get to the Boot Option screen. Step 4 On the Boot Option screen, select EFI Shell. Step 5 Wait for the on-screen message that says that the update is complete and the prompt to reboot the server. The update typically takes about three minutes.
Step 6 Reboot the server to complete the update.
Upgrading the BIOS Firmware From a Windows Operating System
ProcedureUse the following procedure to update the BIOS firmware from a running Windows host OS.
Note
The required version of the iFlash32 utility that is used in this procedure is iFlash32 Version 1.1, Build 3 or later. This utility is included in the BIOS firmware update package. See Determining the iFlash32 Utility Version and Build.
Step 1 Boot the server using a hard drive that has the Windows host OS installed. Step 2 Download the BIOS update package for Windows_x86 or Windows_x64 and your server from Cisco.com and extract it to a temporary folder on the server’s host OS.
Note For some server models, a security catalog (.cat) file is included in the uefi folder to ensure against an incompatible BIOS version update.
To find the downloads for your server, see the following URL, then click Unified Computing, log in, click Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Servers, and then select your server from the list.
http://www.cisco.com/cisco/software/navigator.html
Note Alternatively, if you do not have a browser installed on the server, you can download the package to a separate computer and then transfer the files by using a USB thumb drive. If you use this method, copy the contents of the extracted Win32 or x64 folder to the root directory of the USB thumb drive, then insert the thumb drive into a USB port on your server. For some server models, a security catalog (.cat) file is included in each folder to ensure against an incompatible BIOS version update.
Note Beginning with Release 1.4, the BIOS update package is no longer available for download as a standalone bundle. To obtain the BIOS update package, you must download the Host Upgrade Utility (HUU) ISO file and extract the BIOS bundle from the ISO file.
Beginning with Release 3.0, the BIOS firmware files are no longer embedded inside the HUU as a standalone .zip file. BIOS firmware must now be extracted using the getfw utility, which is available in the GETFW folder of the HUU. Perform the following steps to extract the BIOS firmware files:
Viewing the GETFW help menu: [root@RHEL65-***** tmp]# cd GETFW/ [root@RHEL65-***** GETFW]# ./getfw -h getfw {-b -c -h} [-s SRC] [-d DEST] -b : Get BIOS Firmware -c : Get CIMC Firmware -h : Display Help -s SRC : Source of HUU ISO image -d DEST : Destination to keep Firmware/s Note : Default both 'b' & 'c' flags are set Extracting the BIOS firmware: [root@RHEL65-***** GETFW]# ./getfw -s /root/Desktop/HUU/ucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c.iso -d /tmp/HUU FW/s available at '/tmp/HUUucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c' [root@RHEL65-***** GETFW]# cd /tmp/HUU/ [root@RHEL65-***** HUU]# cd ucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c/ [root@RHEL65-***** ucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c]# ls bios cimc [root@RHEL65-***** ucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c]# cd bios/ [root@RHEL65-***** bios]# ls bios.cap [root@RHEL65-***** bios]#Step 3 Install the BIOS update driver (flashud.sys) to the OS environment:
Step 4 At a command prompt within your OS, use the iFlash32 utility to update the system BIOS in non-interactive mode by entering the following command and options: iflash32 /u [BIOS file name] /ni
See the “iFlash32 Utility Command Options” section for information about available options.
Step 5 Reboot the server to complete the update.
Upgrading the BIOS Firmware From a Linux Operating System
ProcedureUse the following procedure to update the BIOS firmware from a running Linux host OS.
Note
The required version of the iFlash32 utility that is used in this procedure is iFlash32 Version 1.1, Build 3 or later. This utility is included in the BIOS firmware update package. See Determining the iFlash32 Utility Version and Build
Step 1 Boot the server using a hard drive that has the Linux host OS installed. Step 2 Download the BIOS update package for Linux and your server from Cisco.com and extract it to a temporary folder on the server’s host OS.
Note For some server models, a security catalog (.cat) file is included in the uefi folder to ensure against an incompatible BIOS version update.
To find the downloads for your server, see the following URL, then click Unified Computing, log in, click Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Servers, and then select your server from the list.
http://www.cisco.com/cisco/software/navigator.html
Note Alternatively, if you do not have a browser installed on the server, you can download the package to a separate computer and then transfer the files by using a USB thumb drive. If you use this method, copy the contents of the extracted Linux folder to the root directory of the USB thumb drive, then insert the thumb drive into a USB port on your server. For some server models, a security catalog (.cat) file is included in the folder to ensure against an incompatible BIOS version update.
Note Beginning with Release 1.4, the BIOS update package is no longer available for download as a standalone bundle. To obtain the BIOS update package, you must download the Host Upgrade Utility (HUU) ISO file and extract the BIOS bundle from the ISO file.
Beginning with Release 3.0, the BIOS firmware files are no longer embedded inside the HUU as a standalone .zip file. BIOS firmware must now be extracted using the getfw utility, which is available in the GETFW folder of the HUU. Perform the following steps to extract the BIOS firmware files:
Viewing the GETFW help menu: [root@RHEL65-***** tmp]# cd GETFW/ [root@RHEL65-***** GETFW]# ./getfw -h getfw {-b -c -h} [-s SRC] [-d DEST] -b : Get BIOS Firmware -c : Get CIMC Firmware -h : Display Help -s SRC : Source of HUU ISO image -d DEST : Destination to keep Firmware/s Note : Default both 'b' & 'c' flags are set Extracting the BIOS firmware: [root@RHEL65-***** GETFW]# ./getfw -s /root/Desktop/HUU/ucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c.iso -d /tmp/HUU FW/s available at '/tmp/HUUucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c' [root@RHEL65-***** GETFW]# cd /tmp/HUU/ [root@RHEL65-***** HUU]# cd ucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c/ [root@RHEL65-***** ucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c]# ls bios cimc [root@RHEL65-***** ucs-c2xxx-huu-3.0.1c]# cd bios/ [root@RHEL65-***** bios]# ls bios.cap [root@RHEL65-***** bios]#Step 3 Change directory to the folder that contains the BIOS update package.
If you extracted to a location on the host OS, change directory to that folder, then continue to the next step.
If you are transferring the files with a USB thumb drive, perform the following substeps:
Step 4 Run the iFlash32 utility to update the system BIOS in non-interactive mode by entering the following command and options: iflash32 - ./iflash32 -u -ni [BIOS file name].cap
See the “iFlash32 Utility Command Options” section for information about available options.
Step 5 Reboot the server to complete the update.
Using the iFlash32 Utility
This section includes the following topics:
iFlash32 Utility Support Matrix
iFlash32 Utility Command Options
NoteThe command syntax shown below is for Linux and EFI. For Windows, use “/” in place of “-” for all options.
You can use the iFlash32 command with the following options:
To view the command-line help page:
iflash32 -h [BIOS file name]
To update the system BIOS:
iflash32 -u [BIOS file name]To update the system BIOS in non-interactive mode:
iflash32 -u [BIOS file name] -niTo display BIOS file information:
iflash32 -i [BIOS file name]To display the current system BIOS version:
iflash32 -iTo restore the BIOS settings to the factory defaults:
iflash32 -rdDetermining the iFlash32 Utility Version and Build
Procedure
Additional Information
Related Cisco UCS Documentation
Documentation Roadmaps
For a complete list of all B-Series documentation, see the Cisco UCS B-Series Servers Documentation Roadmap available at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/go/unifiedcomputing/b-series-doc.
For a complete list of all C-Series documentation, see the Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Documentation Roadmap available at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/go/unifiedcomputing/c-series-doc.
For information on supported firmware versions and supported UCS Manager versions for the rack servers that are integrated with the UCS Manager for management, refer to Release Bundle Contents for Cisco UCS Software.
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