Blade Server Management
You can manage and monitor all blade servers in a Cisco UCS domain through Cisco UCS Manager. You can perform some blade server management tasks, such as changes to the power state, from the server and service profile.
The remaining management tasks can only be performed on the server.
The power supply units go into power save mode when a chassis has two blades or less. When a third blade is added to the chassis and is fully discovered, the power supply units return to regular mode.
If a blade server slot in a chassis is empty, Cisco UCS Manager provides information, errors, and faults for that slot. You can also re-acknowledge the slot to resolve server mismatch errors and to have Cisco UCS Manager rediscover the blade server in the slot.
Guidelines for Removing and Decommissioning Blade Servers
Consider the following guidelines when deciding whether to remove or decommission a blade server using Cisco UCS Manager:
Decommissioning a Blade Server
If you want to temporarily decommission a physically present and connected blade server, you can temporarily remove it from the configuration. A portion of the server's information is retained by Cisco UCS Manager for future use, in case the blade server is recommissioned.
Removing a Blade Server
Removing is performed when you physically remove a blade server from the Cisco UCS Manager by disconnecting it from the chassis. You cannot remove a blade server from Cisco UCS Manager if it is physically present and connected to a chassis. After the physical removal of the blade server is completed, the configuration for that blade server can be removed in Cisco UCS Manager.
During removal, active links to the blade server are disabled, all entries from databases are removed, and the server is automatically removed from any server pools that it was assigned to during discovery.
Note |
Only servers added to a server pool automatically during discovery are removed automatically. Servers that were manually added to a server pool must be removed manually. |
To add a removed blade server back to the configuration, it must be reconnected, then rediscovered. When a server is reintroduced to Cisco UCS Manager, it is treated as a new server and is subject to the deep discovery process. For this reason, it is possible for Cisco UCS Manager to assign the server a new ID that might be different from the ID that it held before.
Recommendations for Avoiding Unexpected Server Power Changes
If a server is not associated with a service profile, you can use any available means to change the server power state, including the physical Power or Reset buttons on the server.
If a server is associated with, or assigned to, a service profile, you should only use the following methods to change the server power state:
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In Cisco UCS Manager GUI, go to the General tab for the server or the service profile associated with the server and select Boot Server or Shutdown Server from the Actions area.
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In Cisco UCS Manager CLI, scope to the server or the service profile associated with the server and use the power up or power down commands.
Important |
Do not use any of the following options on an associated server that is currently powered off:
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If you reset, cycle, or use the physical power buttons on a server that is currently powered off, the server's actual power state might become out of sync with the desired power state setting in the service profile. If the communication between the server and Cisco UCS Manager is disrupted or if the service profile configuration changes, Cisco UCS Manager might apply the desired power state from the service profile to the server, causing an unexpected power change.
Power synchronization issues can lead to an unexpected server restart, as shown below:
Desired Power State in Service Profile |
Current Server Power State |
Server Power State After Communication Is Disrupted |
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Up |
Powered Off |
Powered On |
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Down |
Powered On |
Powered On
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