DCNM Server
The DCNM Server menu includes the following submenus:
Starting, Restarting, and Stopping Services
Procedure
Step 1 |
Choose Administration > DCNM Server > Server Status. The Status window appears that displays the server details. |
Step 2 |
In the Actions column, click the Start or Stop icons to start or stop services. |
Step 3 |
In the Actions column, click the Delete icon to clean up PM DB stale entries. |
Step 4 |
You can see the latest status in the Status column. |
What to do next
See the latest status in the Status column.
Using the Commands Table
The commands table contains links to commands that launch new dialog boxes to provide information about the server status and server administrative utility scripts. These commands can be directly executed on the server CLI as well.
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ifconfig: click this link to view information about interface parameters, IP address, and netmask used on the Cisco DCNM server.
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appmgr status all: click this link to view the DCNM server administrative utility script that checks the status of different services currently running.
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clock: click this link to view information about the server clock details such as time, zone information.
Note |
The commands section is applicable only for the OVA or ISO installations. |
Viewing Log Information
You can view the logs for performance manager, SAN management server, SME server, web reports, web server, and web services. These processes have no corresponding GUI that allows you to view information about these log files. If you see errors, preserve these files for viewing.
Note |
Logs cannot be viewed from a remote server in a federation. |
To view the logs from the Cisco DCNM Web UI, perform the following steps:
Procedure
Step 1 |
Choose Administration > DCNM Server > Logs. You see a tree-based list of logs in the left column. Under the tree, there is a node for every server in the federation. The log files are under the corresponding server node. |
Step 2 |
Click a log file under each node of the tree to view it on the right. |
Step 3 |
Double-click the tree node for each server to download a ZIP file containing log files from that server. |
Step 4 |
Click the Print icon on the upper right corner to print the logs. |
Server Properties
You can set the parameters that are populated as default values in the DCNM server.
To set the parameters of the DCNM server from the Cisco DCNM Web UI, perform the following steps:
Procedure
Step 1 |
Choose Administration > DCNM Server > Server Properties. |
Step 2 |
Click Apply Changes to save the server settings. |
Configuring SFTP/TFTP/SCP Credentials
A file server is required to collect device configuration and restoring configurations to the device.
To configure the SFTP/TFTP/SCP credentials for a file store from the Cisco DCNM Web UI, perform the following steps:
Procedure
Step 1 |
Choose Administration > DCNM Server > Archive FTP Credentials. The Archive FTP Credentials window is displayed.
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Step 2 |
In the Server Type field, use the radio button to select SFTP.
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Step 3 |
In the Server Type field, use the radio button to select TFTP. Cisco DCNM uses a local TFTP server for data transfer. Ensure that there is no external TFTP server running on the DCNM server.
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Step 4 |
In the Server Type field, use the radio button to select SCP.
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Step 5 |
Choose Configuration > Templates > Templates Library > Jobs to view individual device verification status. The configurations that are backed up are removed from the file server and are stored in the file system. |
SFTP Directory Path
Use Case 1:
If Cisco DCNM is installed on Linux platforms, like OVA, ISO, or Linux, and the test folder is located at /test/sftp/, you must provide the entire path of the SFTP directory. In the SFTP Directory field, enter /test/sftp.
Use Case 2:
If Cisco DCNM is installed on the Windows platform, and the test folder is located at C://Users/test/sftp/, you must provide the relative path of the SFTP directory. In the SFTP Directory field, enter /.
For Example:
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If the path in the external SFTP is C://Users/test/sftp/, then the Cisco DCNM SFTP Directory path must be /.
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If the path in the external SFTP is C://Users/test, then the Cisco DCNM SFTP Directory path must be /sftp/.
Examples for SCP Directory Path
Use Case 1:
If Cisco DCNM is installed on Linux platforms, like OVA, ISO, or Linux, and the test folder is located at /test/scp/, you must provide the entire path of the SCP directory. In the SCP Directory field, enter /test/scp.
Use Case 2:
If Cisco DCNM is installed on the Windows platform, and the test folder is located at C://Users/test/scp/, you must provide the relative path of the SCP directory. In the SCP Directory field, enter /.
For Example:
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If the path in the external SCP is C://Users/test/scp/, then the Cisco DCNM SCP directory path must be /.
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If the path in the external SCP is C://Users/test, then the Cisco DCNM SCP directory path must be /scp/.
Modular Device Support
To support any new hardware that does not require many major changes, a patch can be delivered instead of waiting for the next DCNM release. Modular Device Support helps to deliver and apply the DCNM patch releases. An authorized DCNM administrator can apply the patch to the production setup. Patch releases are applicable for the following scenarios:
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Support any new hardware, like chassis or line cards
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Support latest NX-OS versions
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Support critical fixes as patches
To view the patch details from Cisco DCNM Web UI, perform the following steps:
Procedure
Step 1 |
Choose Administration > DCNM Server > Modular Device Support. You see the DCNM Servers column on the left in the window and Modular Device support information window on the right. |
Step 2 |
Expand DCNM Servers to view all the DCNM servers. It includes the list of patches installed along with the version number, corresponding platforms supported, chassis supported, NX-OS version supported, PID supported, backup directory and the last patch deployment time in the Modular Device support information table. |
What to do next
Managing Switch Groups
From Cisco NX-OS Release 6x, you can configure switch groups by using Cisco DCNM Web UI. You can add, delete, rename, or move a switch to a group or move a group of switches to another group.
This section contains the following:
Adding Switch Groups
To add switch groups from the Cisco DCNM Web UI, perform the following steps:
Procedure
Step 1 |
Choose Administration > DCNM Server > Switch Groups. |
Step 2 |
Click the Add icon. The Add Group window is displayed, that allows you to enter the name for the switch group. |
Step 3 |
Enter the name of the switch group and click Add to complete adding the switch group. The switch group name validation, and the maximum tree depth is 10. If you do not choose a parent group before adding a new switch group, the new group is added on the top of the hierarchy |
Deleting a Group or a Member of a Group
You can delete a group or a member of the group from the Cisco DCNM Web UI. When you delete a group, the associated groups are deleted. The fabrics or ethernet switches of the deleted groups are moved to the default SAN or LAN.
To delete a group or a member of a group from the Cisco DCNM Web UI, perform the following steps:
Procedure
Step 1 |
Choose the switch group or members of a group that you want to remove. |
Step 2 |
Click the Remove icon or press the Delete key on your keyboard. A dialog box prompts you to confirm the deletion of the switch group or the member of the group. |
Step 3 |
Click Yes to delete or No to cancel the action. |
Moving a Switch Group to Another Group
Procedure
Step 1 |
Select a switch or switch group. |
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Step 2 |
Drag the highlighted switch or switch group to another group. To move multiple switches across different switch groups, use Ctrl key or Shift key. You can see the switch or switch group. Users are not allowed to move multiple switches in the group level under the new group now.
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Managing Licenses
You can view the existing Cisco DCNM licenses by choosing Administration > DCNM Server > License. You can view and assign licenses in the following tabs:
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License Assignments
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Server License Files
Note |
By default, the License Assignments tab appears. |
The following table displays the SAN and LAN license information.
Field |
Description |
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License |
Specifies SAN or LAN. |
Free/Total Server-based Licenses |
Specifies the number of free licenses that are purchased out of the total number of licenses. |
Unlicensed/Total (Switches/VDCs) |
Specifies the number of unlicensed switches or VDCs out of the total number of switches or VDCs. |
Need to Purchase |
Specifies the number of licenses to be purchased. |
This section includes the following topics:
License Assignments
The following table displays the license assignment details for every switch or VDC.
Field |
Description |
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Group |
Displays if the group is fabric or LAN. |
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Switch Name |
Displays the name of the switch. |
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WWN/Chassis ID |
Displays the world wide name or Chassis ID. |
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Model |
Displays the model of the device. For example, DS-C9124 or N5K-C5020P-BF. |
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License State |
Displays the license state of the switch that can be one of the following:
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License Type |
Displays if the license is a switch-based embedded license or a server-based license. |
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Eval Expiration |
Displays the expiry date of the license.
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Assign License |
Select a row and click this option on the toolbar to assign the license. |
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Unassign License |
Select a row and click this option on the toolbar to unassign the license. |
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Assign All |
Click this option on the toolbar to refresh the table and assign the licenses for all the items in the table. |
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Unassign All |
Click this option on the toolbar to refresh the table and unassign all the licenses. |
Note |
You must have network administrator privileges to assign or unassign licenses. |
When the fabric is first discovered and if the switch does not have a valid switch-based license, a license is automatically assigned to the fabric from the file license pool until no more licenses are left in the pool. If you have an existing fabric and a new switch is added to the fabric, the new switch is assigned a license if one is available in the file license pool and if it does not already have a switch-based license.
Server License Files
Server License Files
The following table displays the Cisco DCNM server license fields.
Field |
Description |
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Filename |
Specifies the license file name. |
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Feature |
Specifies the licensed feature. |
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PID |
Specifies the product ID. |
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LAN (Free/Total) |
Displays the number of free versus total licenses for LAN. |
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Eval Expiration |
Displays the expiry date of the license.
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Adding Cisco DCNM Licenses
To add Cisco DCNM licenses from Cisco DCNM, perform the following steps:
Before you begin
Procedure
Step 1 |
Choose Administration > DCNM Server > License to start the license wizard. |
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Step 2 |
Choose the Server License Files tab. The valid Cisco DCNM-LAN license files are displayed. Ensure that the security agent is disabled when you load licenses. |
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Step 3 |
Download the license pack file that you received from Cisco into a directory on the local system. |
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Step 4 |
Click Add License File and select the license pack file that you saved on the local machine. The file is uploaded to the server machine, which is saved into the server license directory, and then loaded on to the server.
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Native HA
Procedure
Step 1 |
By default, DCNM is bundled with an embedded database engine PostgreSQL. The native DCNM HA is achieved by two DCNMs running as Active / Warm Standby, with their embedded databases synchronized in real time. So once the active DCNM is down, the standby takes over with the same database data and resume the operation. The standby host database down scenario is documented after this procedure. |
Step 2 |
From the menu bar, choose Administration > DCNM Server > Native HA. You see the Native HA window. |
Step 3 |
You can allow manual failover of DCNM to the standby host by clicking the Failover button, and then click OK.
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Step 4 |
You can allow manual syncing database and disk files to standby host by clicking Force Sync, and then click OK. |
Step 5 |
You can test or validate the HA setup by clicking Test and then click OK. |
What to do next
Some HA troubleshooting scenarios are noted in this sub section.
The standby host database is down: Typically, the DCNM database (PostgreSQL) is up on the active and standby hosts. In DCNM 10.1 and earlier versions, the standby database can be down due to a database synchronization failure.
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Enter “ps -ef | grep post”. You should see multiple postgres processes running. If not, it indicates that the database is down.
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Restore database data from a backup file that is created at the beginning of database synchronization. Change directory to “/usr/local/cisco/dcm/db”
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Check existence of file replication/ pgsql-standby-backup.tgz. If the file exists, restore database data files:
rm -rf data/* tar -zxf replication/ pgsql-standby-backup.tgz data /etc/init.d/postgresql-9.4 start ps -ef | grep post
The active DCNM host will synchronize the two databases.
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Enter “grep bind /etc/xinetd.d/tftp” to check if the TFTP configuration file has the right bind address. If the displayed IP address is not the eth1 VIP address, then change the bind address to the VIP address. Repeat the procedure for the standby host. Update the bind address to the VIP address.
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Enter " " /etc/init.d/xinetd restart” on the active host to restart TFTP.
Note |
The TFTP server can be started or stopped with the “appmgr start/stop ha-apps” command. |
Multi Site Manager
Procedure
Step 1 |
Multi-Site-Manager (MsM) provides a single pane for users to search for switches that are managed by DCNM globally. MSM can do realtime search to find out which switch globally handles the traffic for a given virtual machine based on IP address, name or mac address, and supporting VXLAN basing on segment ID as well. It provides hyperlink to launch the switch only. This window also plays the role of remote site registration. The registration only allows the current DCNM server to access the remote DCNM server or site. For the remote site to access the current DCNM server, registration is required on the remote site as well. |
Step 2 |
Choose Administration > DCNM Server > Multi Site Manager. The MsM window displays the overall health or status of the remote site and the application health. |
Step 3 |
You can search by Switch, VM IP, VM Name, MAC, and Segment ID. |
Step 4 |
You can add a new DCNM server by clicking +Add DCNM Server. The Enter Remote DCNM Server Information window opens. Fill in the information that is required and click OK to save. |
Step 5 |
Click Refresh All Sites to display the updated information. |