Managing Rack Servers

This chapter contains the following topics:

Viewing Rack-Mount Server Details

Perform this procedure when you want to view the details for a rack mount server, such as memory, CPUs, and PSUs used in the server.


Note

You can also select Rack Groups and perform the procedure to view the rack-mount server details.

Before you begin

Ensure that the server is already added as a Rack Account under a Rack Group.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

Expand Rack Groups and select the rack group that contains the server.

Step 3

On the selected rack group page, click Rack Servers.

Step 4

Double-click the server in the list to view the details, or select the server in the list and click the down arrow on the far right, then choose View Details.

Note

 

You cannot see the down arrow on the far right until you select a server from the list.

The following details are available for a rack-mount server:

Tab

Description

Summary

An overview of the rack account.

CPUs

The details of the CPU used in the server.

Memory

The details of the memory used in the server.

PSUs

The details of the power supply unit used in the server.

Note

 
Not applicable for Cisco UCS S3260 dense storage rack server.

PCI Adapters

The details of the PCI adapters used in the server.

VIC Adapters

The details of the VIC adapters used in the server.

Select any of the VIC Adapters listed and click View Details to view information such as External Ethernet Interfaces and VM FEXs.

Network Adapters

The details of the network adapters used in the server.

Select any of the Network Adapters listed and click View Details to view information on External Ethernet Interfaces.

Storage Adapters

The details of the storage adapters used in the server.

Select any of the Storage Adapters listed and click View Details to view information such as Controller Info and Physical Drives, and Virtual Drives. See, Viewing Smart Information for SSD.

FlexFlash Adapters

The details of the FlexFlash adapters used in the server.

Select any of the FlexFlash Adapters listed and click View Details to view information such as Controller Info and Physical Drives.

If you are upgrading Cisco IMC Supervisor from a previous version, you must run the inventory by going to Systems > Physical Accounts > Rack Accounts > Inventory, or wait for the periodic inventory to run, for the FlexFlash details to appear in the report.

Note

 

Not applicable for Cisco UCS S3260 dense storage rack server.

Communication

The information on the protocol, such as HTTP, HTTPS, SSH, IPMI Over LAN, NTP, and SNMP.

Remote Presence

The details of vKVM, Serial Over LAN, and vMedia.

Faults

The details of the faults logged in the server.

Users

The details about users under Default Group. You can also view the strong password policy and password expiration details that you have set while creating a user policy and password expiration policy respectively. See, User Policy and Password Expiration Policy.

Note

 

Not applicable for Cisco UCS S3260 dense storage rack server.

Cisco IMC Log

The details of the Cisco IMC logs for the server.

Note

 

Not applicable for Cisco UCS S3260 dense storage rack server.

System Event Log

The details of the server logs.

Note

 

Not applicable for Cisco UCS S3260 dense storage rack server.

TPM

Information on the TPM inventory.

BIOS

Details about the BIOS settings and Boot Order for the server.

Select the server and click on View BIOS Settings, View Boot Settings, or View Boot Order.

Fault History

Historical information on the faults that occurred on the server.

Tech Support

Details about the tech-support log files, such as the file name, destination type, and status of the upload are displayed in the Tech Support table.

An option to export the tech-support log files to a remote server or on the local Cisco IMC Supervisor appliance is available. For more information about exporting, see Exporting Technical Support Data to a Remote Server.

Note

 
Not applicable for Cisco UCS S3260 dense storage rack server.

Host Images

Details of an image such as name, size, MD5 checksum, last modified time, and if the image is mapped are displayed. You can select an image and click Map Image, Unmap Image, and Delete Image to perform the various actions.

Note

 

Host image mapping is applicable only for E-Series servers.

Associated Hardware Profiles

Details of policies that are associated to a hardware profile.

Step 5

Click the Back button on the far right to return to the previous window.

Viewing Fault Details for a Rack Mount Server

Perform this procedure when you want to view the fault details of a rack mount server such as the reason for the issue and the recommended steps to resolve the issue.

Before you begin

The server is already added as a Rack Account under a Rack Group.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

On the Rack Groups page, click Faults.

Step 3

Double-click the server from the list to view the details. You can also click the server from the list, click the down arrow on the far right and choose View Details.

Note

 
You cannot see the down arrow on the far right till you select the server from the list.

The following details are available for a rack mount server:

Tab

Description

Explanation

Brief reason for the issue.

Recommendation

Steps to resolve the issue.

Step 4

Click Close.

Powering On and Off a Rack Mount Server

Perform this procedure when you want to power on or power off a rack mount server.

Before you begin

The server is already added as a Rack Account under a Rack Group.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

Select Rack Groups.

Note

 

You can also expand Rack Groups and select the rack group which contains the server.

Step 3

On the selected rack group page, click Rack Servers.

Note

 

You can also select any sub groups under Rack Groups.

Step 4

From the list of servers, select the server you want to power on/off.

Note

 
You can also select multiple rack servers.

Step 5

Click Power ON. From the More Actions drop-down list, choose Power OFF.

Note

 
You can also right-click and choose the options.

Step 6

In the confirmation dialog box, click OK.

Note

 
A message that the servers were powered on or powered off is displayed. The message will also indicate if any servers could not be powered on or off. Refresh the table after a while so that the current power states are reflected.

Tagging Assets for a Rack Mount Server

Asset tag is a user-defined tag for the server. You can use the Asset Tag option to add the Cisco IMC server property through Cisco IMC Supervisor

You can tag assets for both rack servers and for chassis. For tagging assets for chassis, see Tagging Assets for Cisco UCS S3260 Rack Server. Perform this procedure when you want to tag an asset.

Before you begin

The server is already added as a Rack Account under a Rack Group.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

On the Rack Groups page, click Rack Servers.

Note

 

You can also select any sub group under Rack Groups in the Inventory and Fault Status pane.

Step 3

Select the server you want to tag.

Step 4

From the More Actions drop-down list, choose Asset Tag.

Note

 
You can also right-click and choose the option.

Step 5

Click Submit.

Note

 

Asset Tag option is available only from Cisco IMC release 3.0.(1c) onwards. For lower version platforms, the Asset Tag column in the Rack Groups page displays a blank entry.

Shutting Down a Rack Mount Server

Perform this procedure when you want to shut down a rack mount server.


Note

You can also select multiple rack servers.

Before you begin

The server is already added as a Rack Account under a Rack Group.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

On the Inventory and Fault Status pane, select Rack Groups.

Note

 

You can also expand Rack Groups and select the rack group which contains the server.

Step 3

On the selected rack group page, click Rack Servers.

Note

 

You can also select any sub groups under Rack Groups.

Step 4

Select the server from the list.

Step 5

From the More Actions drop-down list, choose Shut Down.

Note

 
You can also right-click and choose the option.

Step 6

Click OK.

Performing a Hard Reset on Rack Mount Server

Perform this procedure to reset the server.


Note

You can also select multiple rack servers.

Before you begin

The server is already added as a Rack Account under a Rack Group.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

On the Inventory and Fault Status pane, select Rack Groups.

Note

 

You can also expand Rack Groups and select the rack group which contains the server.

Step 3

On the selected rack group page, click Rack Servers.

Note

 

You can also select any sub groups under Rack Groups.

Step 4

Select the server from the list.

Step 5

From the More Actions drop-down list, choose Hard Reset.

Note

 
You can also right-click and choose the option.

Step 6

Click OK.

Performing a Power Cycle on a Rack Mount Server

Perform this procedure when you want to power off and on a rack mount server in one cycle.


Note

You can also select multiple rack servers.

Before you begin

The server is already added as a Rack Account under a Rack Group.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

On the Inventory and Fault Status pane, select Rack Groups.

Note

 

You can also expand Rack Groups and select the rack group which contains the server.

Step 3

On the selected rack group page, click Rack Servers.

Note

 

You can also select any sub groups under Rack Groups.

Step 4

Select the server from the list.

Step 5

From the More Actions drop-down list, choose Power Cycle.

Note

 
You can also right-click and choose the option.

Step 6

Click OK.

Launching KVM Console for a Rack-Mount Server

You can launch the KVM console for C-Series M4 or C-Series M5 servers running on firmware versions 4.1(1c) or later using explicit authentication.


Note

The launch of KVM console for servers running firmware versions below 4.1(1c) is deprecated and will not work as expected.

Before you begin

  • Ensure that the server is already added as a Rack Account under a Rack Group.

  • Ensure that you have a valid Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed for the KVM feature to work.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

On the Inventory and Fault Status pane, select Rack Groups.

Note

 

You can also expand Rack Groups and select the rack group which contains the server.

Step 3

On the selected rack group page, click Rack Servers.

Note

 

You can also select any sub groups under Rack Groups.

Step 4

Select the server from the list.

Step 5

From the More Actions drop-down list, choose KVM Console.

Note

 

  • You can also right-click and choose the option.

  • You can select a maximum of 5 servers to launch KVM console.

Step 6

Click Submit.

For the Rack servers running on firmware 4.1(1c) or above, a new browser window with a link to launch KVM login page will be displayed after certificate verification. On clicking the link, the KVM login page of the corresponding Rack server is displayed.

Launching GUI for a Rack Mount Server

Perform this procedure to launch the Cisco IMC Supervisor GUI from a separate browser.

Before you begin

The server is already added as a Rack Account under a Rack Group.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

On the Inventory and Fault Status pane, select Rack Groups.

Note

 

You can also expand Rack Groups and select the rack group which contains the server.

Step 3

On the selected rack group page, click Rack Servers.

Note

 

You can also select any sub groups under Rack Groups.

Step 4

Select the server from the list.

Step 5

From the More Actions drop-down list, choose Launch GUI.

Note

 
You can also right-click and choose the option.

Step 6

Cllick Submit.

The launch GUI option will open the Login page of the corresponding Rack server in aseparate window. This is displayed only when the HTTP Enabled and Redirect HTTP to HTTPS Enabled checkboxes are enabled while configuring the communication services in the Rack server. For more information, see Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Integrated Management Controller CLI Configuration Guide.

Setting Locator LED for a Rack Mount Server

A server locator LED helps you to identify a specific server among many servers in a data center. Perform this procedure to set the LED to on or off.


Note

You can also select multiple rack servers.

Before you begin

The server is already added as a Rack Account under a Rack Group.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

On the Inventory and Fault Status pane, select Rack Groups.

Note

 

You can also expand Rack Groups and select the rack group which contains the server.

Step 3

On the selected rack group page, click Rack Servers.

Note

 

You can also select any sub groups under Rack Groups.

Step 4

Select the server from the list.

Step 5

From the More Actions drop-down list, choose Locator LED.

Note

 
You can also right-click and choose the option.

Step 6

From the Turn drop-down list, choose ON/OFF.

Step 7

Click Submit.

Setting Label for a Rack Mount Server

Setting label names to servers help you in classifying servers. This makes it easier to find, view, and compare the servers that you require. Perform this procedure to set the labels for a rack mount server.

Before you begin

The server is already added as a Rack Account under a Rack Group.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

On the Inventory and Fault Status pane, select Rack Groups.

Note

 

You can also expand Rack Groups and select the rack group which contains the server.

Step 3

On the selected rack group page, click Rack Servers.

Note

 

You can also select any sub groups under Rack Groups.

Step 4

Select the server from the list.

Step 5

From the More Actions drop-down list, choose Set Label.

Note

 
You can also right-click and choose the option.

Step 6

Enter a new label.

Step 7

Click Submit.

Managing Tags for a Rack-Mount Server

Tagging is used to assign a label to an object, such as a resource group or a rack server. Tags can be used to provide information such as rack locations, responsible support groups, purpose, or Operating System. Perform this procedure to add tags or modify tags.

Before you begin

The server is already added as a Rack Account under a Rack Group.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

In the Inventory and Fault Status pane, expand Rack Groups and select the Rack Group which contains the server.

Step 3

Click Rack Servers or Chassis.

Note

 

You can select any sub groups under Rack Groups.

Step 4

From the More Actions drop-down list, choose Manage Tags.

Note

 
You can also right-click and choose the option.

Step 5

Click + to add an entry to the Manage Tags table.

Step 6

In the Add Entry to Tag screen, complete the following:

Field

Description

Tag Name

Select the tag name from the drop-down list and click Submit or create a new tag.

  1. Click the + icon.

  2. In the Create Tag window, do the following:

    1. In the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the tag.

    2. In the Description field, enter a description of the tag.

    3. In the Type field, select String or Integer from the drop-down list.

    4. In the Possible Tag Values field, enter a possible value for the tag.

    5. Click Next.

    6. Click the + icon to add a new category.

  3. In the Add Entry to Entities window, from the Category drop-down list, choose the category. It can be one of the following:

    • Physical_Compute category creates tag entities for a Rack Server.

    • Administration category creates tag entities for users.

    Note

     

    You can also add tags for a chassis. For more information about adding tags for a chassis, see Adding Tags for Cisco UCS S3260 Rack Server.

  4. Check the Rack Servers or Chassis check box.

  5. Click Submit.

    Note

     
    The tags are displayed under the respective category according to the set taggable entities.

  6. In the confirmation dialog box, click OK.

Tag Value

Select the tag value from the drop-down list.

Step 7

Click Submit.

Step 8

Select a tag in the Manage Tags screen and click Edit to edit a tag.

Step 9

Choose the Tag Name and Tag Value to modify the tags.

Step 10

Click Submit

Adding Tags for a Rack-Mount Server

Tagging is used to assign a label to an object, such as a resource group or a rack server. Tags can be used to provide information such as rack locations, responsible support groups, purpose, or Operating System. Perform this procedure to add tags to a rack mount server.

Before you begin

The server is already added as a rack account under a rack group.


Note

You can also select multiple rack servers.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

On the Inventory and Fault Status pane, select Rack Groups.

Note

 

You can also expand Rack Groups and select the rack group which contains the server.

Step 3

On the selected rack group page, click Rack Servers.

Note

 

You can also select any sub groups under Rack Groups.

Step 4

From the More Actions drop-down list, choose Add Tags.

Note

 
You can also right-click and choose the option.

Step 5

Choose the Tag Name from the drop-down list.

Step 6

Choose the Tag Value from the drop-down list.

Step 7

Click on the plus icon to create a new tag. Refer Managing Tags for a Rack-Mount Server to create tags.

Note

 

You can also clone, edit, delete, and view tag details.

Exporting Technical Support Data to a Remote Server

Perform this procedure to upload the technical support files to a specified server.


Note

The exporting technical support option does not support Cisco UCS S3260 Dense Storage Rack Server.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

On the Inventory and Fault Status pane, select Rack Groups.

Note

 

You can also expand Rack Groups and select the rack group which contains the server.

Step 3

On the selected rack group page, click Rack Servers.

Note

 

You can also select any sub groups under Rack Groups.

Step 4

Double-click the rack-mount server in the list to view its details, or click the rack-mount server from the list and click the down arrow on the far right, then choose View Details.

Step 5

Click Tech Support.

Step 6

Click Create Tech Support.

Step 7

On the Create Tech Support screen, complete the following fields:

Name Description

Destination Type drop-down list

You can export the file to a remote server or to a local Cisco IMC Supervisor appliance. Choose either REMOTE or LOCAL.

Network Type drop-down list

The network type. This can be one of the following:

  • SCP

  • SFTP

  • FTP

  • TFTP

Server IP/Hostname field

The IP address or hostname of the server on which the support data file should be stored. Depending on the setting in the Network Type drop-down list, the name of this field will vary.

Path and Filename field

The path and filename that must be used when exporting the file to the remote server.

Username

The username the system should use to log in to the remote server. This field does not apply if the network type is TFTP.

Password

The password for the remote server username. This field does not apply if the network type is TFTP.

Step 8

Click Submit.

Note

 

  • You can only select and download the tech-support files you have created choosing LOCAL as the Destination Type.

  • You can select the existing technical support files and download only those files that are stored within the Cisco IMC Supervisor appliance. Select a specific file and click Download. This creates a <hostname>_<timestamp>. tar.gz file.

Clearing SEL

The System Event Log (SEL) records most server-related events that can be used for troubleshooting issues. Perform this procedure to clear the SEL logs.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Systems > Inventory and Fault Status.

Step 2

On the Inventory and Fault Status pane, select Rack Groups.

Note

 

You can also expand Rack Groups and select the rack group which contains the server.

Step 3

On the selected rack group page, click Rack Servers.

Note

 

You can also select any sub groups under Rack Groups.

Step 4

Double-click the rack-mount server from the list to view its details or click the rack-mount server from the list and click the down arrow on the far right and choose View Details.

Step 5

Click System Event Log.

Step 6

Click Clear IMC SEL Log.

Step 7

(Optional) On the Clear IMC SEL Logs screen, check the Delete historical logs from Cisco IMC Supervisor check box.

Selecting this option clears the system event logs from the Cisco IMC Supervisor GUI.

Step 8

Click Submit.

Managing System Tasks

The System Tasks tab displays all the system tasks that are currently available in Cisco IMC Supervisor. However, this list of system tasks is linked to the type of accounts that you have created in Cisco IMC Supervisor. For example, if you have logged in for the first time, then only a set of general system-related tasks are visible on this page. As and when you add accounts, such as rack accounts, or Cisco IMC Supervisor accounts, system tasks related to these accounts are populated on this page.

Expand the tasks on the left pane, select the individual tasks such as purging, rack server, and user and group tasks and manage them.

In circumstances when there are multiple processes or tasks running on the appliance, you can choose to disable a system task. If you do so, then until such time that you manually enable it, the system task will not run. This will affect the data that is populated in other reports. For example, if you disable an inventory collection system task, then reports that require this data may not display accurate data. In this case, you will have to manually run an inventory collection process, or enable the system task.


Note

It is not recommended to edit any of the system tasks.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Administration > System.

Step 2

Click System Tasks.

Step 3

Select a task from the list and click Manage Task.

Step 4

On the Manage Task screen, complete the following:

Field

Description

Task Execution drop-down list

(Optional) Choose enable or disable.

System Task Policy drop-down list

Choose one of the following options:

  • default-system-task-policy

  • local-run-policy

Schedule Type drop-down list

Specify the schedule type for the system task. It can be one of the following options:

  • Fixed Delay—Implies the time period between the completion of one task execution and the initiation of the next task execution.

  • Fixed Rate—Implies the time period between successive tasks executions. If there is a delay in the execution of one task or if one task takes longer to execute than its scheduled time, it results in delays in subsequent task executions. Systems tasks that are configured with this setting will not run concurrently. These tasks will not run concurrently.

Hours drop-down list

Choose the hourly frequency to run the task.

If you chose Fixed Delay as the schedule type, then this number indicates the time gap, in hours, between the completion of one task exection and the initiation of the next task execution.

If you chose Fixed Rate, then this number indicates time period, in hours, between successive task executions.

Minutes drop-down list

Choose the frequency, in minutes, to run the task.

Enable Custom Frequency check box

Check this check box to enable a custom frequency for the system task.

Recurrence Type drop-down list

Specify the recurrence schedule for the system task.It can be one of the following:

  • No End

  • Only Once

Start Time field

Specify the date and time for the recurrence schedule.

Frequency drop-down list

Choose a frequency for the system task. It can be one of the following:

  • Hourly

  • Daily

  • Weekly

  • Monthly

Note

 

This field is displayed only when you select No End in the Recurrence Type drop-down list.

Frequency Interval drop-down list

Choose a frequency interval from the drop-down list. The values in this list vary depending on the frequency you have specified.

Step 5

Click Submit.

Running a Task

Each task is schedule to run at a user-defined time interval. However, you can override this and run it manually. After running a task manually, the task is then scheduled to run again as defined in the frequency column. Perform this procedure when you want to run a system task manually.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Administration > System.

Step 2

Click System Tasks.

Step 3

Choose a system task from the table.

Step 4

Click Run Now.

Step 5

Click Submit.