Installation and Initial Configuration

Overview

This guide provides the information on how to install the Cisco Prime Infrastructure 3.8 Physical Appliances Gen2, Gen 3, and Digital Network Architecture Center (DNAC1 & DNAC2).

System Configuration

Table 1. System Configuration
Specification Gen-2 Appliance Gen-3 Appliance DNAC Appliance DNAC 2 Appliance

CPU

1 X 10 core processor (20 threads)

20C/40T

44 C/ 88 T

44 C/ 88 T

RAM

64 GB

64GB

256GB

256 GB

HDD

4 X 900 GB in RAID 10 configuration and 2.5inch drive

4 x 1.2 TB

3.6 TB

2 x 480 GB in RAID 1

2 x 1.9 TB in RAID 1

6 x 1.9 TB in RAID 10

CIMC

Cisco UCS C-Series Integrated Management Controller

Cisco UCS C-Series Integrated Management Controller

Cisco UCS C-Series Integrated Management Controller

Cisco UCS C-Series Integrated Management Controller

NIC

Integrated dual-port Gigabit Ethernet

Integrated dual-port Gigabit Ethernet

Integrated dual-port Gigabit Ethernet

Integrated dual-port Gigabit Ethernet

For scaling information on this server see the Scaling Prime Infrastructure section in Cisco Prime Infrastructure Quick Start Guide.


Note

When there is a flap time in hard appliance, ensure that the hardware clock ( BIOS / CIMC) and the Network Time Protocol time are in sync.

Set the Appliance

This section describes how to set the Prime Infrastructure appliance.

Procedure

Step 1

Attach a keyboard and monitor to the USB ports on the rear panel of the appliance or by using a KVM cable and connector to access the appliance console.

Step 2

Power on the appliance.

Step 3

To set up CIMC press F8 to enter the CIMC configuration utility and continue with Step 3 to Step 11. Continue with Step 12 in case you do not wish to configure CIMC.

You might need to press the function keys (F8, F6 and F2) more than once until the system responds. If you do not press F8 quickly enough you may enter the EFI shell. Press Ctrl, Alt, Del to reboot the system and press F8 again.

Note 
The Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC) is the management service that you use to remotely access, configure, administer, and monitor the Prime Infrastructure server.
Step 4

In the Configuration Utility window, change the following fields as specified:

  • NIC mode—Select Dedicated.

  • IP (Basic)—Select IPV4.

  • DHCP—Disable DHCP if enabled.

  • CIMC IP—Enter the IP address of the CIMC.

  • Prefix/Subnet—Enter the subnet of the CIMC.

  • Gateway—Enter the Gateway address.

  • Pref DNS Server—Enter the preferred DNS server address.

  • NIC Redundancy—Null

Step 5

Press F1 to specify additional settings.

Step 6

Make the following changes on the Additional Settings window:

  • Enter a hostname for CIMC.

  • Turn off Dynamic DNS.

  • Enter the admin password. If you leave the password field blank, the default password is password.

Step 7

Press F10 to save the settings.

Step 8

Press escape to exit and reboot the server.

For remote management move to current step 7.

Step 9

After the settings are saved, open a browser and enter the following URL:

https://CIMC_ip_address where CIMC_IP_address is the IP address that you entered in Step 3 above.

Step 10

Log in to CIMC web interface using the following credentials:

  • Username—admin

  • Password—the password configured in Step 6

You will be prompted to reset the password if you did not change the default password in Step 6.

Improve Performance on Physical Appliances

For better performance on the Prime Infrastructure Physical Appliance Gen 2, Gen 3, and DNAC Appliance, make sure you configure the virtual drive Write Policy to Write Back Good BBU. To configure the virtual drive Write Policy, follow these steps:

Procedure

Step 1

Launch the CIMC web interface.

Step 2

Click the Storage tab, click on the SAS Modular Controller name, click the Virtual Drive Info tab, select the Virtual Drive and then click Edit Virtual Drive.

Step 3

Click OK on the dialog box that appears.

Step 4

In the Write Policy field, select Write Back Good BBU fro the drop-down, then click Save Changes.

Upgrade and Migrate from Previous Releases of Cisco Prime Infrastructure

See the sections Upgrading from Previous Releases of Cisco Prime Infrastructure and Migrating from Previous Releases of Cisco Prime Infrastructure in Cisco Prime Infrastructure Quick Start Guide.