Additional Functions

Connect to the Console

You can physically connect to the console on the server using the VGA port or the serial port on the server.

The baud rate should be 9600 while connecting to the console using the serial port. See Set the Baud Rate.

You can also connect to the console remotely using the following options:

  • Serial over LAN

  • Using vKVM

Connect to the Console Using Serial Over LAN

You can use a terminal server to connect to the serial port of the appliance or use Serial over Lan (SOL) to connect to the serial console over the network.

To enable Serial over LAN (SOL):

Procedure

Step 1

Launch CIMC and log in using your username and password configured in Set the Appliance.

Step 2

Select Compute > Remote Management > Serial Over LAN.

Step 3

Check the check box Enabled.

Step 4

Connect to CIMC using SSH.

Step 5

Enter these commands in the following sequence:

  • scope sol

  • show

Serial over LAN must be enabled. If it is not enabled, use the user interface to enable it.

  • connect host

Step 6

Launch Cisco Integrated Management Controller server using SSH . 

# ssh admin@(server IP)
Enter the admin password
Step 7

Map the ISO image.


# scope vmedia
# map-www <VOLUME NAME> <http-location> <PI_ISO_FILE>
where - <http-location> is http location of iso image

Press Enter
# Server Username:<username>
# Server Password:<password>
# Confirm Password:<renter the password>
        # show mappings
        Volume           Map-Status       Drive-Type         Remote-Share                Remote-File           Mount-Type 
       ------------- ------------------   ----------    -------------------------  ------------------------  –--–---------     
        vol1                 OK              CD          http://nmtgre-sjc.cis...   PI-APL-3.7.0.0.159-SNA...     www      

# exit
Step 8

Reboot the server:



# scope chasis
# power off
 This operation will change the server's power state.    
 Do you want to continue?[y|N]y
#
#
# power on    
  This operation will change the server's power state.
  Do you want to continue?[y|N]y
# exit
Step 9

Connect to Serial Over Lan Console.


# scope sol
# show detail 
Serial Over LAN:
 Enabled: yes
 Baud Rate(bps): 9600
 Com Port: com0
# set enabled yes
# set baud-rate 9600
# commit

# connect host // to connect sol cosole
Step 10

The machine reboots and prompts to enter F6 for boot option. Press the function-key F6.

You may need to press F6 multiple times to see Enter boot selection menu... in the screen. You must wait for a few minutes to get the boot device option.

Step 11

Select the desired DVD mount option and in this case, you must select Cisco CIMC-Mapped vDVD1.22.

Step 12

From the available boot options, enter option 1.
Step 13

Enter setup at the login prompt when prompted to initiate the installation.
Step 14

Close Network Connection to Exit.

Connect to the vKVM Console

Procedure

Step 1

Launch CIMC and log in using your username and password configured in Set the Appliance.

Step 2

Choose Chassis > Summary.

Step 3

Click Launch KVM link and select Java based KVM or HTML based KVM to open KVM Console .

The Security Warning dialogue box opens.

Step 4

Click Continue.

The vKVM console is downloaded and the credentials are verified.

Step 5

Click Run to install the KVM console.

Set the Baud Rate

Procedure

Step 1

Launch CIMC.

Step 2

Select Compute > BIOS .

Step 3

Click Configure BIOS.

The Configure BIOS Parameter dialog box opens.

Step 4

Click Advanced Tab

Step 5

Expand Serial Configuration.

Step 6

Select 9600 from the Bits Second field drop-down list.

Step 7

Click Save.

DVD Mount Options

To re-image the appliance from an iso file the DVD mount options available are:

The following DVD mounting options are available:

  • Physical DVD Mount

    Burn the iso file to a DVD and mount it through a physical DVD drive connected to the USB port of the appliance. A physical DVD mount is used when CIMC remote management is not configured. This is the fastest option.

  • CIMC mapped vMedia

  • The iso file is on the HTTPS, CIFS or NFS server and the speed depends on the Prime Infrastructure Server and File-Server bandwidth. The client server must remain connected till the installation is completed. This is the preferred mode for mounting the iso file.

  • vKVM DVD mount

  • The iso file can also be mounted using a virtual console. The iso file is on client machine and the speed depends on server appliance bandwidth.

Mount vKVM DVD

The virtual KVM console (vKVM) is an interface accessible from CIMC that emulates a direct keyboard, video, and mouse connection to the server.

To mount an iso file from the desktop client using the vKVM DVD mount:

Procedure

Step 1

Connect to the vKVM console. See Connect to the vKVM Console for more details.

Step 2

Click Continue in the Warning-Security dialog box to launch the vKVM Console.

Step 3

Select Virtual Media > Activate Virtual Devices.

The Uncrypted Virtual Media Session dialogue box opens.

Step 4

Select the radio button Accept this session.

Step 5

Click Apply.

The Virtual Device is activated.

Step 6

Select Virtual Media > Map CD/DVD and browse to the Prime Infrastructure 3.7 ISO image on your computer.

After mounting the vKVM DVD continue with Installing the ISO on the Appliance

Step 7

Click Map Device to mount the ISO image.

Mount a CIMC vMedia DVD

To mount an iso file from CIFS, NFS, HTTP server as a virtual DVD drive on the appliance:

Procedure

Step 1

Launch CIMC and log in using your username and password configured in Set the Appliance.

Step 2

Select Compute > Remote Management.

Step 3

Click Virtual Media and expand Cisco IMC-Mapped vMedia.

Step 4

Click Add New Mapping under Current Mappings.

Step 5

Enter the following parameters:

  • Volume

  • Remote Share

  • Remote File

  • Mount Options

  • User Name

  • Password
Step 6

Click Save.

Password Recovery

You can recover (that is, reset) administrator passwords on Prime Infrastructure physical appliances. See How to Recover Administrator Passwords on Physical Appliances in the Cisco Prime Infrastructure Administrator Guide for more information.

How to Recover Administrator Passwords on Gen 3 Appliance

You can recover (reset) administrator passwords on Prime Infrastructure Gen 3 appliances.

Before You Begin

Ensure that you have an current version of ISO image

You can reset the password using,

  • Console: CIMC Console (Other console options are KVM Console, VGA Console and Serial Console/Serial Over Lan-SOL)
  • DVD mount option: KVM mapped DVD (Other mount options are CIMC mapped DVD and Physical External DVD)

To recover the password using Serial Console/Serial Over Lan-SOL, follow these steps:

Procedure

Step 1

Launch Cisco Integrated Management Controller server using SSH . 

# ssh admin@(server IP)
Enter the admin password
Step 2

Map the ISO image.


# scope vmedia
# map-www <VOLUME NAME> <http-location> <PI_ISO_FILE>
where - <http-location> is http location of iso image

Press Enter
# Server Username:<username>
# Server Password:<password>
# Confirm Password:<renter the password>
        # show mappings
        Volume           Map-Status       Drive-Type         Remote-Share                Remote-File           Mount-Type 
       ------------- ------------------   ----------    -------------------------  ------------------------  –--–---------     
        vol1                 OK              CD          http://nmtgre-sjc.cis...   PI-APL-3.7.0.0.159-SNA...     www      

# exit
Step 3

Reboot the server:



# scope chasis
# power off
 This operation will change the server's power state.    
 Do you want to continue?[y|N]y
#
#
# power on    
  This operation will change the server's power state.
  Do you want to continue?[y|N]y
# exit
Step 4

Connect to Serial Over Lan Console.


# scope sol
# show detail 
Serial Over LAN:
 Enabled: yes
 Baud Rate(bps): 9600
 Com Port: com0
# set enabled yes
# set baud-rate 9600
# commit

# connect host // to connect sol cosole
Step 5

The machine reboots and prompts to enter F6 for boot option. Press the function-key F6.

You may need to press F6 multiple times to see Enter boot selection menu... in the screen. You must wait for a few minutes to get the boot device option.

Step 6

Select the desired DVD mount option and in this case, you must select Cisco CIMC-Mapped vDVD1.22.

Step 7

The vSphere client displays a list of boot options. Enter 4 to select the Recover administrator password (Serial Console) boot option.

Note 

To recover administrator password for Gen 3 appliances, it is recommended to use Serial Over Lan (Serial console)

Step 8

The vSphere client displays a list of administrator user names. Enter the number shown next to the administrator user name for which you want to recover (reset) the password and press Enter.

Step 9

Enter the new password and verify it with a second entry.

Step 10

Enter Y to save your changes and reboot the system.

Step 11

Login to the admin CLI with the new administrator password.

Related Documentation