Firmware Management for Cisco UCS S3260 Systems
Cisco UCS uses firmware obtained from and certified by Cisco to support the endpoints in a Cisco UCS domain. Each endpoint is a component in the Cisco UCS domain that requires firmware to function.
Cisco UCS Manager Firmware Management Guide, Release 3.2 provides detailed information about the complete firmware management process. Additionally, beginning with Cisco UCS Manager Release 3.1(2), you can upgrade the firmware of Cisco UCS S3260 chassis components by defining a chassis firmware policy and including it in the chassis profile associated with a Cisco UCS S3260 chassis.
You can upgrade a Cisco UCS domain with a S3260 chassis and servers through Cisco UCS Manager in the following ways:
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Upgrade infrastructure components through Auto Install—You can upgrade the infrastructure components, such as the Cisco UCS Manager software and the fabric interconnects, in a single step by using Auto Install. Cisco UCS Manager Firmware Management Guide, Release 3.2 provides detailed information about the Auto Install process.
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Upgrade chassis through one of the following:
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Upgrade chassis components through Auto Install—Beginning with Cisco UCS Manager Release 3.2(3), you can upgrade the firmware of Cisco UCS S3260 chassis components in a single step by using Auto Install.
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Upgrade chassis through chassis firmware packages in chassis profiles—This option enables you to upgrade all chassis endpoints in a single step. The chassis endpoints that you can upgrade through a chassis firmware package are:
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Chassis Adapter
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Chassis Management Controller
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Chassis Board Controller
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Local Disk
Note
You can upgrade local disks in the chassis through a chassis firmware package. Upgrade the local disks in a server through a host firmware package.
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SAS Expander
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Upgrade servers through firmware packages in service profiles—This option enables you to upgrade all server endpoints in a single step, reducing the amount of disruption caused by a server reboot. You can combine this option with the deferred deployment of service profile updates to ensure that server reboots occur during scheduled maintenance windows. The server endpoints that you can upgrade through a host firmware package are:
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CIMC
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BIOS
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Board Controller
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Storage Controller
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Local Disk
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NVMe in SIOC
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Third-party adapter in SIOC
Cisco UCS Manager Firmware Management Guide, Release 3.2 provides detailed information about upgrading server endpoints through host firmware packages.
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You can also directly upgrade the firmware at each infrastructure, chassis, and server endpoint. This option enables you to upgrade many infrastructure, chassis, and server endpoints directly, including the fabric interconnects, SAS expanders, CMCs, chassis adapters, storage controllers, and board controllers. However, direct upgrade is not available for all endpoints, including the storage controller, HBA firmware, HBA option ROM and local disk.
This chapter explains the following newly introduced firmware management capabilities for the Cisco UCS S3260 system:
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Upgrading firmware through chassis firmware packages in chassis profiles
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Directly upgrading firmware on Cisco UCS S3260 chassis and server endpoints