Chapter 1. Overview

- Introduction

- Installation Workflow

Introduction

This guide provides instructions on how to install and configure Cisco HyperFlex Systems on Microsoft Hyper-V.

To install Cisco HyperFlex Systems on VMware ESXi, refer to the installation guides available at: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/hyperconverged-systems/hyperflex-hx-data-platform-software/products-installation-guides-list.html

To install Cisco HyperFlex Systems for Edge (Remote and branch offices), refer to the deployment guides available at: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/hyperconverged-systems/hyperflex-hx-data-platform-software/products-installation-and-configuration-guides-list.html

Installation Workflow

The following illustration and table summarize the installation workflow:

Task

Description

Reference

Preinstallation

Rack HyperFlex nodes, and set up Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects (FIs).

See: Rack Cisco HyperFlex Nodes

Complete Preinstallation checklist.

Preinstallation Tasks Summary

Installation

Deploy HX Data Platform Installer using Microsoft Hyper-V Manager

See: Deploying HX Data Platform Installer VHDX using Hyper-V Manager.

Configure Cisco UCS Manager using HX Data Platform Installer.

See: Step 2 - Cisco UCS Manager Configuration(using HX Data Platform Installer)

Step 3 - Microsoft OS Installation

Install Windows Server and Hyper V, Deploy HX Data Platform and create your initial cluster.

Create Domain Administrator (hxadmin) for Active Directory.

Enabling Constrained Delegation

Post Installation

Post HX Cluster Configuration tasks.

Configuring a File Share Witness

Chapter 2. Preinstallation Information

- Preinstallation Information

Preinstallation Information

To ease your installation, gather the following information that you would require during installation. Download the editable preinstallation sheet PDF from the following location:

Cisco HyperFlex Systems Preinstallation Information Sheet

Global Information

Cisco UCS Manager Version

DNS Server 1

NTP Server 1

DNS Server 2

NTP Server 2

Domain Name (AD)

Time Zone

SCVMM Host

SMTP

Fabric Interconnect Information

Component

IP Address

Hostname

Username

Password

Description

FI-VIP

admin

FI-A

admin

FI-B

admin

IP-Ext-Mgmt: (range)

Must be same subnet as FI mgmt at must at least have 1 ip pr. HX Node

Subnet

For EXT mgmt and FI mgmt

Default Gateway

For EXT mgmt and FI mgmt

HX Installer

HX Installer Subnet

HX Installer Gateway

HX Installer Information

MAC Pools Prefix (00:25:B5)

HX Nodes Hostnames

Hostname

Node Management IP

Management Subnet Mask

Management Default Gateway

Node Data IP

HX Controller Data IP

Data Subnet Mask

Data Default Gateway

(Optional) Live Migration IP

Live Migration:Subnet

Live Migration: Subnet

Live Migration Default Gateway

Node 1

Node 2

Node 3

Node 4

Node 5

Node 6

Node 7

Node 8

Microsoft Cluster Name

HX Connect UI

HX File Cluster Name

VLAN Information

Usage

Name

Default VLAN ID

Chosen VLAN ID

Mgmt

hx-inband-mgmt

3091

storage-data

hx-storage-data

3092

Live Migration

hx-livemigrate

3093

VM Network

vm-network

3094

Hyper-V Information

HX Cluster Name

Hyper-V Cluster Name

Constrained Delegation

distinguished Name

hxadmin password

Chapter 3. Preinstallation Checklist

- System Requirements

- Guidelines and Limitations

- Preinstallation Tasks Summary

System Requirements

Hardware Requirements

Requirement

Description

Cisco HX Data Platform Servers

Cisco HyperFlex M5 Converged nodes:

- All Flash—Cisco HyperFlex HXAF240c M5, HXAF220c M5

- Hybrid—Cisco HyperFlex HX240c M5, HX220c M5

Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects (FIs)

Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects (FIs) 6200 and 6300

- Network Services

- Port Requirements

Network Services

Network Service

Description

DNS

Microsoft Active Directory and Active Directory integrated DNS are required for the HX Platform.
Standalone DNS server is not supported. Non-Windows DNS servers are not supported.

NTP

Ensure that the time is synchronized between the controller VMs and the hosts. For that purpose, use the Active Directory Time Synchronization Engine.

Attention

Ensure that you use the Active Directory domain name as the NTP server when prompted by HX Data Platform Installer.

Note

Do not nest all of your Active Directory servers in your Hyperflex cluster. Active Directory should reside outside of the Hyperflex cluster so that if the cluster were to encounter issues, you could still authenticate.

Note

If you are using Active Directory as an NTP server, please make sure that the NTP server is setup according to Microsoft best practices. For more information, see Windows Time Service Tools and Settings. Please note that if the NTP server is not set correctly, time sync may not work, and you may need to fix the time sync on the client-side. For more information, see Synchronizing ESXi/ESX time with a Microsoft Domain Controller.

Port Requirements

If your network is behind a firewall, in addition to the standard port requirements, Microsoft recommends ports for the Hyper-V Manager and Hyper-V cluster. Verify that the following firewall ports are open.

Port Number

Protocol

Direction

Usage

80

HTTP/TCP

Inbound

HX Data Platform Installer

443

HTTPS /TCP

Inbound

HX Data Platform Installer

2068

virtual keyboard/Video/ Mouse (vKVM) / TCP

Inbound

hx-ext-mgmt IP pool (one IP per HX node)

22

SSH/TCP

Inbound/Outbound

HX Data Platform Installer

110 (secure POP port is TCP; 995)

POP3/TCP

Inbound/Outbound

143 (secure IMAP port is TCP; 993)

IMAP4/TCP

Inbound/Outbound

25

SMTP/TCP

Outbound

Mail Server

53 (external lookups)

DNS/TCP/UDP

Outbound

DNS

123

NTP/UDP

Outbound

NTP

161

SNMP Poll

Inbound

SNMP

162

SNMP Trap

Outbound

SNMP

8089

TCP

Inbound

HX Data Platform Installer

445

SMB 2

Inbound

HX Controller VM

Guidelines and Limitations

For best experience with Microsoft Hyper-V installation, you must follow the specific guidelines listed below.

- Adding HyperFlex nodes to Microsoft System Center 2016 Virtual Machine Manager (Windows VMM 2016) evaluation version will cause errors. Refer to Microsoft help article for a resolution for this issue.

- The following features are NOT supported in the current release:

- SED Drives

- Native Replication

- Cisco HyperFlex Edge

- Stretched Clusters

- Intersight-based deployment

- LAZ and scale beyond 8 nodes

- HX M4 Hardware

Preinstallation Tasks Summary

Ensure the following is installed and configured prior to installing and deploying HyperFlex.

Task

Description

Rack HyperFlex nodes including Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects set up

See: Rack Cisco HyperFlex Nodes,

Verify Cisco UCS Manager version

Verify VLANs

Configure the upstream switches to accommodate non-native VLANs. Cisco HX Data Platform Installer sets the VLANs as non-native by default.

Add DNS Records

You must add DNS A and PTR records for your installation. See: Adding DNS Records

Configure Domain Administrator for Active Directory

See: Enabling Constrained Delegation

- Adding DNS Records

- Enabling Constrained Delegation

Adding DNS Records

Prior to the installation you must add DNS A and PTR records to avoid installation failures.

Device

Description

Hyper-V host

For each host, add an A and PTR record.

Controller node

Controller VM IP address for the A record. This is eth0 on the management IP network.

Windows Failover Cluster

Windows Failover Cluster Object.

HX Connect UI

Cluster management IP address.

Refer to DNS Records section in this guide for the records shown as PowerShell commands to run directly on your environment.

Enabling Constrained Delegation

The steps in this topic must be completed to enable constrained delegation.

Constrained delegation is used to join computers to the Active Directory. You provide constrained delegation information through the HX Data Platform Installer. Constrained delegation uses a service account that is created manually. For example: hxadmin. This service account is then used to log in to Active Directory, join the computers, and perform authentication from the HyperFlex Storage Controller VM. The Active Directory computer accounts applied to every node in the HyperFlex cluster include:

- Hyper-V host

- HyperFlex Storage Controller VM

- Hyper-V host cluster namespace

- Server Message Block (SMB) Share namespace for the HyperFlex cluster

Procedure

Step 1

Create an hxadmin domain user account as HX service account.

Step 2

Create an Organization Unit (OU) in Active Directory (AD), for example, HyperFlex.

1. Use the Active Directory Users and Computers management tool to create the OU. Select View > Advanced Features to enable advance features. Select the OU that you created. For example, HyperFlex > Properties > Attribute Editor.

2. Find the distinguished name attribute in the OU, and record the information as this will be required in the Constrained Delegation wizard of the HX Data Platform Installer wizard. The values will look like this: OU=HyperFlex,DC=contoso,DC=com.

Use the Get-ADOrganizationalUnit cmdlet to get an organizational unit (OU) object or to perform a search to get multiple OUs.

Get-ADOrganizationalUnit
[-AuthType <ADAuthType>]
[-Credential <PSCredential>]
-Filter <String>
[-Properties <String[]>]
[-ResultPageSize <Int32>]
[-ResultSetSize <Int32>]
[-SearchBase <String>]
[-SearchScope <ADSearchScope>]
[-Server <String>]
[<CommonParameters>]

Step 3

Use Active Directory Users and Computers management tool to grant full permissions for the hxadmin user for the newly created OU. Ensure that Advanced features are enabled. If not, go back to Step 2.

1. Select the OU that you created. For example, HyperFlex > Properties > Security > Advance.

2. Click Change Owner and choose your hxadmin user.

3. Click Add in the Advanced view.

4. Select the principal and choose the hxadmin user. Then, choose Full Control, and click OK.

Chapter 4. Installation

- Installation Tasks Summary

Installation Tasks Summary

The following table summarizes the steps to complete Microsoft Hyper-V installation.

Task

Reference

Deploy HX Data Platform Installer

Step 1 - Deploying HX Data Platform Installer

Configure Cisco UCS Manager (using HX Data Platform Installer)

Step 2 - Cisco UCS Manager Configuration

Install Microsoft Windows Server

Step 3 - Microsoft OS Installation

Hypervisor configuration, HX Data Platform and Cluster deployment

Step 4 - Hypervisor Configuration, HX Data Platform and Cluster Deployment

- Step 1 - Deploying HX Data Platform Installer

- Step 2 - Cisco UCS Manager Configuration

- Step 3 - Microsoft OS Installation

- Step 4 - Hypervisor Configuration, HX Data Platform and Cluster Deployment

- Configuring a Static IP Address on HX Data Platform Installer

Step 1 - Deploying HX Data Platform Installer

Deploy HX Data Platform Installer using Microsoft Hyper-V Manager to create a HX Data Platform Installer virtual machine.

Procedure

Step 1

Locate and download the HX Data Platform Installer.vhdx zipped file ( for example, Cisco-HX-Data-Platform-Installer-v3.0.1a-build-hyperv.vhdx) from the Cisco Software Downloads site.

Step 2

Extract the zipped folder to your local computer and copy the .vhdx file to the Hyper-V host where you want to host the HX Data Platform Installer. For example, \\hyp-v-host01\....\HX-Installer\Cisco-HX-Data-Platform-Installer-v3.0.1a-29499-hyperv.vhdx

Step 3

In Hyper-V Manager, navigate to one of the Hyper-V servers.

Step 4

Select the Hyper-V server, and right click and select New > Create a virtual machine. The Hyper-V Manager New Virtual Machine Wizard displays.

Step 5

In the Before you Begin page, click Next.

Step 6

In the Specify Name and Location page, enter a name and location for the virtual machine where the virtual machine configuration files will be stored. Click Next.

Note

As a best practice, store the VM together with the .vhdx file.

Step 7

In the Specify Generation page, select Generation 1. Click Next.If you select Generation 2, the VM may not boot.

Step 8

In the Assign Memory page, set the start up memory value to 4096 MB. Click Next.

Step 9

In the Configure Networking page, select a network connection for the virtual machine to use from a list of existing virtual switches. Click Next.

Step 10

In the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page, select Use an existing virtual hard disk, and browse to the folder on your Hyper-V host that contains the .vhdx file. Click Next.

Step 11

In the Summary page, verify that the list of options displayed are correct. Click Finish.

Step 12

After the VM is created, power it ON, and launch the GUI.

1. Right-click on the VM and choose Connect.

2. Choose Action > Start (Ctrl+S).

3. When the VM is booted, make a note of the URL (IP address of the VM). You will need this information in the following steps in the installation.

Step 2 - Cisco UCS Manager Configuration

The following procedure describes configuring Cisco UCS Manager using HX Installer.

Procedure

Step 1

Log into the HX Data Platform Installer using the following steps:

1. In a browser, enter the URL for the VM where HX Data Platform Installer was installed. If you do not have the URL, go back to Step 13 in the earlier section on Deploying HX Data Platform Installer.

2. Use the credentials: username: root, password: Cisco123

Important

Systems ship with a default password of Cisco123 that must be changed during installation. You cannot continue installation unless you specify a new user supplied password.

3. Read the EULA. Click I accept the terms and conditions.

4. Verify the product version listed in the lower right corner is correct. This version must be 3.0(1a) or later. Click Login.

Step 2

From the HX Data Platform Installer Workflow page, select I know what I'm doing, let me customize my workflow.

Step 3

On the next screen, click Run UCS Manager Configuration and then Continue.

Caution

Do not choose any other workflow option at this point.

Step 4

Click Confirm in the pop-up that displays.

Step 5

UCS Manager Credentials

At this point the right side of the page is unused. Further in the setup process a configuration JSON is saved, so in subsequent installations the JSON file can be imported to add the data quickly.

Complete the following fields for UCS Manager.

Field

Description

UCS Manager Host Name

FQDN or the VIP address of the UCSM.

UCS Manager User Name and Password

Administrator user and password or an user with UCSM admin rights.

Click Continue to proceed. The installer will now try to connect to the UCSM and query for available servers. The configuration pane will be populated as the installer progresses. You can at any time save the JSON file so you can re-use it for subsequent installations. This feature works on all the different workflows in the installer. After the query finishes then you will get a screen with the available servers

Choose all the servers that you want to install in the cluster and click Continue.

Note

HyperFlex for Hyper-V does only support M5 Servers.

Step 6

VLAN Configuration

HyperFlex needs to have at least 4 VLANs to function, each needs to be on different IP subnets and extended from the fabric interconnects to the connecting uplink switches, to ensure that traffic can flow from the Primary Fabric Interconnect (Fabric A) to the Subordinate Fabric Interconnect (Fabric B).

Name

Usage

ID

hx-inband-mgmt

Hyper-V and Hyperflex VM mgmt..

10

hx-storage-data

HyperFlex storage traffic

20

hx-livemigrate

Hyper-V Live Migration network

30

vm-network

VM guest network

100,101

Use the following illustration as a reference for entering values in this screen.

Note

- Do not use VLAN 1 as it is not best practice and can cause issues with disjoint layer 2.

- vm-network can be multiple VLANs added as a comma separated list.

Caution

Renaming the 4 core networks is not supported.

Step 7

Enter the remaining network configuration.

Field

Description

Value

MAC pool prefix

MAC address pool for the HX cluster, to be configured in UCSM by the installer. Ensure that the mac address pool isn’t used anywhere else in your layer 2 environment.

00:25:b5:xx

IP blocks

The range of IP addresses that are used for Out-Of-Band management of the hyperflex nodes.

10.193.211.124-.127

Subnet Mask

The subnet mask for the Out-Of-Band network

255.255.0.0

Gateway

The gateway address for the Out-Of-Band network

10.193.0.1

Note

- The Out-Of-Band network needs to be on the same subnet as UCS Manager.

- You can add multiple blocks of addresses as a comma separated line.

iSCSI Storage and FC Storage are used for adding external storage to the HyperFlex cluster. This is currently not supported for the Hyper-V Edition.

Step 8

Advanced Section

Field

Description

Example Value

UCS Firmware Server Version

Choose the appropriate UCS Server Firmware version.

3.2(3a)

HyperFlex Cluster Name

This user defined name will be used as part of the service profile naming In UCSM for easier identification.

Org Name

The org. name is used for isolating the HX environment from the rest of the UCS platform to ensure consistency.

HX-Cluster1

HX-Cluster1

Note

- The UCS C and B bundles must exist on the Fabric interconnect otherwise the installation will fail. If the right version is not available in the drop-down list, then upload it to UCSM before proceeding with this procedure.

- Currently supported version for HyperFlex Hyper-V is 3.2(3a).

Step 9

When you click Start, the installer validates your input and then begins configuring the UCS Manager.

Step 10

When the HX Data Platform Installer is finished, then you are ready to proceed to next step, Step 3 - Microsoft OS Installation.

Step 3 - Microsoft OS Installation

For Microsoft OS installation, you will need to first configure a vMedia policy in Cisco UCS Manager to map the following two image files:

- Customer provided Windows 2016 Datacenter edition ISO, and

- Cisco provided Cisco HyperFlex Driver image.

These image files must be placed on a share that is reachable from Cisco UCS Manager and the Out-of-band subnet that was used in the previous installation step. If you do not have a location to serve the files from, then you can use the installer to host the files. Please see the section: How to upload the ISO and img file to the installer VM using WinSCP.

Note

Ensure network connectivity exists between the fileshare and all server management IP addresses.

Procedure

Step 1

Launch Cisco UCS Manager::

1. In your web browser, type the Cisco UCS Manager IP address.

2. Click Launch UCS Manager.

3. In the login screen, enter the with the username as admin and the password set in the beginning of the installation. Click Log in.

Step 2

Create a vMedia policy for the Windows OS and Cisco driver images:

1. In the Navigation pane, click Servers.

2. Expand Servers > Policies > root > Sub-Organizations > hx-cluster_name > vMedia Policies

3. Right-click vMedia Policies and select Create vMedia Policy HyperFlex.

4. In the Create vMedia Policy dialog box, complete the following fields:

Field Name

Description

Name

The name of the vMedia policy. For example, HX-vMedia.

This name can be between 1 and 16 alphanumeric characters. You cannot use spaces or any special characters other than - (hyphen), _ (underscore), : (colon), and . (period), and you cannot change this name after the object is saved.

Description

A description of the policy. We recommend including information about where and when the policy should be used. Maximum 115 characters.

Retry on Mount Failure

Designates if the vMedia will continue mounting when a mount failure occurs. This can be:

- Yes

- No

Note

The default setting is Yes. When Yes is selected the remote server will continue to try to mount the vMedia mount process until it is successful or you disable this option. If you select No, a warning message will appear indicating retry on mount failure will not work in case of mount failure.

Refer to the following screeshot as an example:

5. On the icon bar under the vMedia Mounts pane, click + Add. In the Create vMedia Mount dialog box, complete the following fields:

Field Name

Description

Example Value

Name

Name for the mount point.

Windows-ISO

Description

Can be used for more information.

Windows Server 2016 image

Device Type

Type of image that you want to mount. This can be:

- CDD—Scriptable vMedia CD.

- HDD—Scriptable vMedia HDD.

CDD

Protocol

The protocol used for accessing the share where the ISO files are located.

HTTP

Hostname/IP Address

IP address or FQDN of the server hosting the images.

10.101.1.92

Image Name Variable

This value is not used in HyperFlex installation.

None

Remote File

The filename of the ISO file that you want to mount.

Remote Path

The path on the remote server to where the file resides

Username

If you use CIFS or NFS a username might be necessary

Password

If you use CIFS or NFS a password might be necessary

Refer to the screenshot below as an example:

6. Click OK. When you click OK, you will now be returned to the vMedia Policies screen, and you should see the information that you just submitted.

7. Repeat Steps 2e and 2f, however, change the type to HDD and the remote file name to the Cisco HyperFlex driver image.

8. At the end of this step, the two vMedia mounts will be listed in the Create vMedia Policy screen as shown in the following screenshot:

Step 3

Associate the vMedia Policy to a Service Profile:

1. In the Navigation pane, select Servers > Service Profile Templates > root > Sub-Organizations > hx-cluster_name > Service Template hx-nodes_name (example:hx-nodes-m5)

2. Click the vMedia Policy tab. Then, click Modify vMedia Policy

3. Choose the vMedia Policy that you created earlier from the drop-down selection, and click OK twice.

4. Under the General tab, verify that the vMedia policy is added to the Service Profile.

Step 4

Modify Boot Policy and set the boot order to have CIMC CD/DVD to the list:

1. In the Navigation pane, click the Servers tab.

2. Expand Servers > Policies > root > > Boot Policies > Boot Policy HyperFlex-m5

3. In the Boot Order configuration pane, click CIMC Mounted CD/DVD . Then, click Add CIMC Mounted CD/DVD to add this to the boot order. Move it to the top of the boot order using the Move up button.

Important

As shown in the screenshot below, the CIMC Mounted CD/DVD option must be highest in the boot order preceding the other options, Embedded Local Disk and CD/DVD.

4. Click Save Changes, and click OK in the Success dialog box. The modified boot policy is saved.

Step 5

Verify successful vMedia mounting:

1. On the Equipment tab, select one of the servers.

2. Click Inventory > CIMC, scroll down and ensure for mount entry #1(OS image) and mount entry #2 (Cisco HyperFlex driver image) you see status as Mounted and there are no failures.

3. In the menu bar, click Servers and choose the first HyperFlex service profile.

4. Click the General tab and choose Actions > KVM Console>>.

Note

The KVM console will try to open in a new browser. Be aware of any pop-up blockers. Allow the pop-ups and re-open the KVM

5. Reboot the host, launch the KVM Console, and power on the server to monitor the progress of the Windows installation. You should see the Loading Files screen appear. Windows should install automatically without user intervention. You should see a blue screen and within a few moments you should see the Setup is starting message. If automated installation does not begin, double-check that both images are mounted to the server.

6. Once Windows installation completes, a command prompt will show up. Wait for the installation to complete. The host will then reboot a few times. The installation is complete when you get a clear command prompt at c:\users\administrator>

Note

Ignore the prompt with the The system cannot find the file specified message.

Important

Ensure that you have completed Steps e and f, on ALL servers that will be part of the HX cluster.

7. Login to each server, enter the command C>Users>Administrator>Get-ScheduledTask and verify that the HX Install Bootstrap Launcher task is running.

Step 6

Remove the vMedia policy from the service profile:

1. To un-map the vMedia policy from the service profile, go to Servers > Service Profile Templates > root > Sub-Organizations > hx-cluster_name > Service Template hx-nodes_name (example:hx-nodes-m5). Then, click on Modify vMedia Policy.

2. Under the vMedia Policy drop-down selection, deselect the vMedia policy (HX-vMedia) previously used to map the two images.

Step 7

Restore the boot order to the one before installation:

1. In the Navigation pane, click the Servers tab.

2. Expand Servers > Policies > root > > Boot Policies > Boot Policy HyperFlex-m5

3. In the Boot Order configuration pane, use the Move Down button to move CIMC Mounted CD/DVD option to the bottom of the list.

Step 4 - Hypervisor Configuration, HX Data Platform and Cluster Deployment

After the installation of the OS is completed, perform the following steps to configure the hypervisor, install the HX Data Platform Software and configure the cluster.

Procedure

Step 1

Hypervisor configuration

1. Re-open the HX Data Platform Installer and log in.

2. You might need to “start over” because the previous workflow was finished. Click on the gear icon in the top right corner and select Start Over.

3. In the main menu, select I know what I'm doing, let me customize my workflow. In the Warning dialog box, click Confirm and Proceed.

4. Complete information for the UCS Manager, Domain Information and Hypervisor Credentials.

Field

Description

Default Value

UCS Manager Host Name

FQDN or the VIP address of the UCSM

UCS Manager User Name

Admin user or an user with UCSM admin rights

Admin

Password

Password for the UCS Manager User Name

Domain Name

Active Directory domain name that the HyperFlex cluster is going to be a member off.

Local Administrator User Name

Local Administrative username on the Hyper-V Hosts

Administrator

Local Administrator Password

Password for the local administrative user on the Hyper-V hosts

Cisco 123

Note

If you haven’t changed the Administrator password for the Windows Hyper-V in the previous step the default value is as shown above.

The HX Data Platform Installer now connects to UCS Managaer and lists the relevant servers for the HX Cluster. The HX Data Platform Installer now validates UCS Firmware etc.

5. Validate the selected servers and click Continue.

6. Complete the network information as you have done in the chapter: Cisco UCS Manager Configuration using HX Data Platform Installer and ensure the data is the same. Click Continue to proceed to next screen.

7. Configure Hypervisor Settings. Input the values for the Hypervisor configuration as show below

Field

Description

Example Value

Configure common Hypervisor Settings

Subnet Mask

Subnet mask for the hypervisor hosts management network

255.255.255.0

Gateway

Default gateway for the hypervisor hosts management network

10.101.251.1

DNS Servers

Comma separated list for the DNS Servers in the AD that the hypervisor hosts are going to be member of.

10.99.2.200,10.992.201

Hypervisor Settings

Static IP address

Management IP address for each host

10.101.251.41

Hostname

Hostname for each host

HX-Hypv-01

Note

If you leave the checkbox Make IP Addresses and Hostnames Sequential as checked then the installer will automatically fill the rest of the servers sequential from the first.

Click Start to begin the Hypervisor Configuration.

The installation now continues and configures the Hypervisor hosts.

Important

Be aware that even if the steps are completed as shown above, the Hypervisor configuration is not completed. The servers are working in the background until the installer reports an overall completion.

Step 2

HX Data Platform Deployment

1. You may need to start over because the previous workflow was completed. In the top right corner of the install, select Start Over, confirm that you wish to start over.

2. In the HX Data Platform Installer Workflow page, select I know what I'm doing, let me customize my workflow.

3. Check the Deploy HX Software and Create HX Cluster and click Continue.

4. In the warning message, click Confirm and Proceed.

5. Domain information, Constrained Delegation, Hypervisor Credentials. Use the following table to complete the fields in this page.

Field

Description

Example Value

Domain Information

Domain Name

Active Directory Domain that the cluster will be a part of.

contoso.com

HX Service Account

The HX service account that was created in the preinstallation phase.

Important

Verify that the Active Directory policies allow HX service account to have effective permissions to “Write servicePrincipalName” on the computer object created for smb namespace.

hxadmin

Password

Password for the HX service account.

Constrained Delegation

HX Service Account and Password

Required for Constrained Delegation.

Use HX Service Account

Uses the HX service account for Constrained Delegation. The user must be a domain administrator.

Click checkbox if HX service account is provided.

Configure Constrained Delegation now (recommended) or Configure Constrained Delegation later

Select one of the checkboxes.

Constrained Delegation is required for VM Live Migration. To configure Contrained Delegation later, use the procedure described in Configuring a Static IP Address for Live Migration and VM Network.

Advanced Attributes (optional)

Domain Controller

FQDN for the Domain Controller that you want to use specifically for the installation.

dc.contoso.com

Organization Unit

The OU created during the preinstallation phase can be used here Then, the OU will be the home for the HX nodes in the Active Directory.

OU=HyperFlex, DC=contoso, DC=com

Hypervisor Credentials

Hypervisor Local Administrator User Name

Local administrator username on the Hyper-V hosts

Default username/password: administrator/Cisco123

Important

Systems ship with a default password of Cisco123 that must be changed during installation. You cannot continue installation unless you specify a new user supplied password.

Click Continue.

6. IP Addresses. Click Add Server to add the servers you need for the cluster.

Complete the hostnames for the Hyper-V hosts and the Storage Controllers running on the Hyper-V hosts. These hostnames must be added to forward and reverse look up prior to this step. Remember that only Windows AD Integrated DNS is supported.

Complete the data IP addresses for both the Hyper-V hosts and controller VMs.

Note

The management VLAN uses the addresses and Data VLAN does not.

Use the following table to complete the fields in this page.

Field

Description

Example Value

Management

Cluster Address

Hostname for the HX Connect UI

HX-EAP-01-MGMT

Subnet Mask

Subnet mask for the management VLAN

255.255.255.0

Gateway

Gateway address for the Management VLAN

10.101.251.1

Data

Cluster Address

IP address for the HX cluster on the Data VLAN

10.101.252.50

Subnet Mask

Subnet mask for the management VLAN

255.255.255.0

Gateway

Gateway address for the management VLAN.

10.101.252.1

Click Continue.

Step 3

Cluster Configuration

1. Cisco HX Cluster Configuration.

Use the table below to complete the fields in this page.

Field

Description

Example Value

Cisco HX Cluster

Cluster Name (SMB Access Point)

The cluster name to be used as the FQDN for the datastores.

HX-EAP-01

Replication Factor

Select the number of redundant data replicas across the HX storage cluster. Options are 2 or 3. This cannot be changed after the cluster is created. 3 is recommended for production workloads.

3 (Default Value)

Failover Cluster Name

The name used for the Windows Failover Cluster.

Controller VM

Create Admin Password

Confirm Administrator Password

System Services

DNS Servers

Comma separated lists of DNS Servers.

10.99.2.200, 10.99.2.201

NTP Servers

The controller VMs needs must be in sync with Windows Active Directory, therefore you must point to your AD domain controllers for time synchronization.

dc1.contoso.com, dc2.contoso.com

DNS Domain Name

The domain name for the Active Directory.

contoso.com

Timezone

The timezone that you want the HX controllers to report in.

Auto Support

Enable Connected Services

Auto Support to ship telemetry data of the HX cluster to Cisco Support.

Send Service ticket to

Email address or alias to receive a copy of the ticket sent to Cisco.

email_address

Advance Networking

Management VLAN tag

VLAN used for the Management Network. This must be the same as used earlier in the installation process for the management network.

Data VLAN tag

VLAN used for the Management network. This must be the same as used earlier in the installation process for the data network.

Advanced Configuration

Enable Jumbo Frames on Data network

Sets the MTU size for the storage data network on the host vSwitches and vNICs, and each storage controller VM. The default value is 9000. To set your MTU size to a value other than 9000, contact Cisco TAC.

Ensure that jumbo frames run on the links connected to the storage VMs.

Disk Partitions

Removes all existing data and partitions from all nodes added to the storage cluster. You must backup any data that should be retained. Select this option to delete existing data and partitions.

This is for manually prepared servers. Do not select this option for factory prepared systems. The disk partitions on factory prepared systems are properly configured.

VDI

Configures for VDI only environments. To change the VDI settings after the storage cluster is created, shutdown or move the resources, make changes, and restart the cluster.

Hypervisor Settings

Primary DNS suffix

Completed in earlier steps in the installation.

Additional DNS suffixes

Complete this field if you need more suffices appended on your Hyper-V hosts.

Refer to the illustration below as a sample entries for the various fields in this page.

2. Click Start to begin the deployment. The Progress page displays the progress of the configuration tasks: Start, Deploy Validation, Deploy, Create Validation, Cluster Creation.

Caution

Do not skip validation warnings.

See the Warnings section for more details.

3. When the following screen is displayed, the installation process is completed.

Configuring a Static IP Address on HX Data Platform Installer

During a default installation of the VM, the HX Installer will try and automatically obtain an IP address using DHCP. To ensure that you have the same IP address at every boot, you can assign a static IP address on the VM

Use the following commands to configure your network interface (/etc/network/interfaces) with a static IP address. Make sure you change the relevant settings to suit your network.

Procedure

Step 1

Run the following command: ifdown eth0.

Warning

This step ensures that the interface is down before performing the static IP configuration. Failure to do so could lead to issues during the installation process that may require TAC support.

Step 2

Using your favorite editor, edit the /etc/network/eth0.interface file to match your environment. For example, add the following lines in the file:

auto eth0 # eth0 interface
iface eth0 inet static # configures static IP for the eth0 interface
metric 100
address XX.XX.XX.XX # Static IP address fr the installer VM
netmask 255.255.0.0 # netmask for the Static IP addresss
gateway XX.XX.X.X # gateway for the Static IP addresss
dns-nameservers XX.XX.X.XXX #DNS name servers used by the HX installer
dns-search <DNS_Search_Name>.local # DNS search domain name used by the installer

Step 3

Save the file so that the changes take effect.

Step 4

Run the following command: ifup eth0

Step 5

Reboot the installer VM.

Chapter 5. Post Installation

- Post Installation Tasks Summary

Post Installation Tasks Summary

After successful cluster configuration, perform the following addition post installation tasks to ensure that the cluster is ready to serve VMs.

Task

Reference

Create the First Datastore

Create the First Datastore

Assign a static IP address for Live Migration and VM Network

Configuring a Static IP Address for Live Migration and VM Network

(Optional) Constrained Delegation

(Optional) Post Installation Constrained Delegation

Configure Local Default Paths

Configure Local Default Paths

Configure File Share Witness

Configuring a File Share Witness

Checking the Windows Version on the Hyper-V Host

Checking the Windows Version on the Hyper-V Host

Validate Failover Cluster Manager

Validate Failover Cluster Manager

Deploying VMs on a Hyper-V cluster

Deploying VMs on a Hyper-V cluster

Configuring HyperFlex Share to SCVMM

Configuring HyperFlex Share to SCVMM

Re-enabling Windows Defender

Re-enabling Windows Defender

- Create the First Datastore

- Configuring a Static IP Address for Live Migration and VM Network

- (Optional) Post Installation Constrained Delegation

- Configure Local Default Paths

- Configuring a File Share Witness

- Checking the Windows Version on the Hyper-V Host

- Validate Failover Cluster Manager

- Deploying VMs on a Hyper-V cluster

- Configuring HyperFlex Share to SCVMM

- Re-enabling Windows Defender

Create the First Datastore

Before you begin using the cluster, you must create a datastore. The datastore can be created in HX Connect UI.

Procedure

Step 1

Launch HX Connect UI from a browser of your choice from https://Cluster_IP/ or https://FQDN.

Step 2

Log in with the following credentials:

- Username—hxadmin

- Password—Use the password set during cluster installation.

Step 3

In the Navigation pane, select Datastores.

Step 4

In the Work pane, click Create Datastore.

Step 5

In the Create Datastore dialog box, complete the following fields:

Field

Description

Datastore Name

Enter a name for the datastore.

Cisco recommends that you use all lower case characters for the datastore name.

Size

Select the size for the datastore.

Block Size

Select the block size for the datastore.

Note

Cisco recommends 8K block size and as few datastores as possible to ensure the best performance.

Configuring a Static IP Address for Live Migration and VM Network

Log in to each Hyper-V node and execute the following commands in Power Shell to assign a static IP address for Live Migration and VM Network.

#

Command

Purpose

1

New-NetIPAddress -ifAlias "vSwitch-hx-livemigration" -IPAddress 192.168.73.21 -PrefixLength 24

Assigns a static IP address to the Live Migration network.

2

New-NetIPAddress -ifAlias "vswitch-hx-vm-network" -IPAddress 192.168.74.21 -PrefixLength 24

Assigns a static IP address to the VM network.

(Optional) Post Installation Constrained Delegation

Attention

This step must be performed only if Constrained Delegation was not configured during initial installation. It is recommended that you perform this procedure using the HX Installer and not as part of post-installation.

Constrained Delegation gives granular control over inpersonation. When the remote management requests are made to the Hyper-V hosts, it needs to make those requests to the storage on behalf of the caller. This is allowed if that host is trusted for delegation for the CIFS service principal of HX Storage.

Constrained Delegation requires that the option for the security setting User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for Administrators in Admin Approval Mode is set to Elevate without Prompting. This will prevent the global AD policy from overriding policy on HX OU.

Perform the following procedure on each Hyper-V host in the HX Cluster to configure using Windows Active Directory Users and Computers.

Procedure

Step 1

Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers.

Step 2

Expand domain, and then expand the Computers folder.

Step 3

In the right pane, right-click on the computer name (for example, HX-Properties), and then click Properties.

Step 4

Click on the Delegation tab.

Step 5

Select Trust this computer for delegation to specified services only.

Step 6

Ensure that Use any authentication protocol is selected.

Step 7

Click Add. In the Add Services dialog box, click Users or Computers, and then browse or type the name of the Service Type (such as CIFS). Click OK. The following illustration can be used as an example.

Step 8

Repeat these steps for all nodes.

Configure Local Default Paths

Configure the default local path for the VMs to ensure that they will be on the HX cluster datastore.

Run the following commands in PowerShell:

$Creds = Get-Credential -Message "User Credentials" -UserName <<current logon username>>
$hosts = ("hostname1","hostname2","hostname3","hostname4")
Invoke-Command -ComputerName $hosts -Credential $Creds -ScriptBlock {Set-VMHost -VirtualHardDiskPath
"\\HX-EAP-01.ciscolab.dk\DS1_8K" -VirtualMachinePath "\\HX-EAP-01.ciscolab.dk\DS1_8K"}

Note

Remember to change the variables to suit your environment.

Configuring a File Share Witness

As a Microsoft best practice, ensure that you configure a Quorum witness datastore. Use the following procedure to configure a File Share Witness using Failover Cluster Manager (FCM).

Procedure

Step 1

Launch FCM.

Step 2

In the navigation pane, select your cluster. Then, in the Actions pane, select More Actions > Configure Cluster Quorum Settings....

Step 3

The Configure Cluster Quorum wizard is launched. Click Next.

Step 4

In the Select Quorum Configuration Option screen, choose Select the quorum witness. Click Next.

Step 5

In the Select Quorum Witness screen, choose Configure a file share witness. Click Next.

Step 6

In the Configure File Share Witness screen, specify the path to the File Share. Click Next.

Step 7

In the Confirmation screen, click Next.

Step 8

In the Summary screen, click Finish to close the wizard.

Step 9

Alternatively, you can configure a file share witness using Windows PowerShell.

1. Open a Windows PowerShell console as an administrator.

2. Type Set-ClusterQuorum -FileShareWitness <File Share Witness Path>

3. You should now see the File Share Witness configured for your cluster. When you navigate to your File Share Witness share you will see a folder created for your cluster.

Checking the Windows Version on the Hyper-V Host

Follow the steps below to check the version of Windows installed.

Procedure

Step 1

Login to the Hyper-V server as an administrator or HX Service Administrator account.

Step 2

In Powershell, run the following command:

C:\Users\adminhyperflex> Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion'

Step 3

Verify the installed Windows version in the result of the command output.

Following is a sample output if you have installed Windows Server 2016.

ProductName : Windows Server 2016 Datacenter
ReleaseId : 1607
SoftwareType : System
UBR : 447

Step 4

In addition, verify the following:

- The UBR # should be greater than 1884. If not, upgrade the HyperV servers to the latest update. Refer to the Microsoft Knowledge Base article: KB4467691.

- If you are using a standalone HyperV manager outside HX nodes then, the Hyper-V management server should have a version UBR # greater than 1884. You must upgrade the Hyper-V management server if the version is 1884 or lower.

Validate Failover Cluster Manager

Procedure

Step 1

Open the Failover Cluster Manager Manager and click Validate Cluster and then click Next.

Step 2

Select Run all tests (recommended) and then click Next.

After clicking Next, the validation procedure starts running.

Step 3

Verify that there are no validation failures. If there are any validation failures, click View Report and address any results that show Failed.

Deploying VMs on a Hyper-V cluster

Deploying VMs on a Hyper-V cluster is a multi-step process as described below:

- Install Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) on the management station/host—You must install administrator tools such as Hyper-V Manager and Failover Cluster Manager as features Server Manager. For more information see, Install RSAT tools on the Management Station or Host.

- Manage VMs—Connecting to all the Hyper-V nodes in the HX cluster and creating new VMs can be accomplished using either Hyper-V Manager or Failover Cluster Manager. For more information see, Creating VMs using Hyper-V Manager, Creating VMs using Failover Cluster Manager, or Creating ReadyClone VMs.

- Install RSAT tools on the Management Station or Host

Install RSAT tools on the Management Station or Host

To install RSAT, complete the following steps:

Before you begin

RSAT tool installation requires the following:

- A server from which you can install, manage, monitor the VMs on the Hyper-V HX cluster.

- Administrator tools such as Hyper-V Manager, FCM, PowerShell, SCVMM.

Procedure

Step 1

In Server Manager, click Manage and then select Add Roles and Features. The Add Roles and Features wizard appears.

Step 2

In the Before you begin page, click Next.

Step 3

In the Select installation type page, select Role-based or feature-based installation. Click Next.

Step 4

In the Server Selection page, select your server from the list. This server belongs to the same domain as the HX cluster. Click Next.

Step 5

In the Select Roles page, click Next.

Step 6

In the Features page, select Remote Server Administration Tools > Feature Administration Tools > Failover Clustering Tools, and Role Administration Tools > Hyper-V Management Tools > Failover Clustering Tools. Click Next.

Step 7

In the Confirmation page, click Install. Leave the Restart the destination server if required checkbox unchecked.

Step 8

The Installation Progress page displays installation progress. When installation completes, click Close to exit the wizard.

Connecting to Hyper-V Nodes

Complete the following steps to connect to all the Hyper-V nodes in the Hyper-V HX Cluster.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the Server Manager dashboard and click Tools. Then, click Hyper-V Manager. The Hyper-V Manager console appears.

Step 2

In the left pane, select Hyper-V Manager and click Connect to Server....

Step 3

In the Select Computer dialog box, select Another computer and type in the name of the Hyper-V node (for example, HXHV1) that belongs to the Hyper-V cluster. Click OK.

Step 4

Repeat all of the above steps for each node in the Hyper-V HX cluster.

Note

For a fresh installation, the storage controller virtual machine (StCtlVM) in the only virtual machine that appears in Virtual Machines pane in the Hyper-V Manager console. Virtual machines appear in the list under this pane as they are added in each node. For more information on how to create VMs using Hyper-V Manager, see: Creating VMs using Hyper-V Manager

Creating VMs using Hyper-V Manager

Complete the following steps to create VMs using Hyper-V Manager.

Procedure

Step 1

Open Hyper-V Manager.

Step 2

Select the Hyper-V server, and right click and select New > Create a virtual machine. The Hyper-V Manager New Virtual Machine wizard displays.

Step 3

In the Before you Begin page, click Next.

Step 4

In the Specify Name and Location page, enter a name for the virtual machine configuration file. The location for the virtual machine click Next.

Step 5

In the Specify Generation page, choose either Generation 1 or Generation 2.

Step 6

In the Assign Memory page, set the start memory value 2048 MB. Click Next.

Step 7

In the Configure Networking page, select a network connection for the virtual machine to use from a list of existing virtual switches.

Step 8

In the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page, select Create a Virtual Hard Disk page, and enter the name, location and size for the virtual hard disk. Click Next.

Step 9

In the Installation Options, you can leave the default option Install an operating system later selected. Click Next.

Step 10

In the Summary page, verify that the list of options displayed are correct. Click Finish.

Step 11

In Hyper-V Manager, right-click the virtual machine and click Connect.

Step 12

In the Virtual Machine Connection window, select Action > Start.

Creating VMs using Failover Cluster Manager

Complete the following steps to connect to the Windows Failover cluster (installed along with the Hyper-V HX cluster) and create new VMs using Failover Cluster Manager.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Failover Cluster Manager console, under the Actions pane, click Connect to Server...

Step 2

In the Select Cluster dialog box, click Browse to navigate to the Hyper-V HX cluster. Click OK.

Step 3

In the left pane, click Roles > Virtual Machines... > New Virtual Machines....

Step 4

In the New Virtual Machine dialog box, search and select the Hyper-V node where you wish to create new VMs. Click OK. The New Virtual Machine wizard appears.

Step 5

In the Before You Begin page, click Next.

Step 6

In the Specify Name and Location page, choose a name for the VM, and specify the location or drive where the VM will be stored. Click Next.

Step 7

In the Specify Generation page, select the generation of virtual machine you want to use (Generation 1 or Generation 2) and click Next.

Step 8

In the Assign Memory page, enter the amount of memory that you want for the VM. Click Next.

Step 9

In the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page, enter the name, location and hard drive size. Click Next.

Step 10

In the Installation Options page, select the install location for the OS. Click Next.

Step 11

In the Summary page, review the options selected and click Finish.

Step 12

Right-click on the newly created VM, and click Connect.... In the Virtual Machine Connection window, click Start.

Note

By default, the Failover Cluster Manager will assign a default name for the 4 networks created. It is recommended to rename these network names.

What to do next

To enable redirection of datastore access requests from outside the HX cluster boundary through the management path, add the following entry to the hosts file on the (remote) machine running Hyper-V manager, Failover Cluster Manager, or SCVMM Console. For example, edit C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts and add:

cluster_mgmt_ip \\smb_namespace_name\datastore_name

10.10.10.100 \\hxcluster.company.com\ds1

Configuring HyperFlex Share to SCVMM

Before you begin

Edit the /etc/hosts file on the host running the VMM admin console to resolve the smb access point to the cluster management IP address of HyperFlex cluster. This IP address is typically used to launch Cisco HX Connect.

Procedure

Step 1

Add the cluster to System Center - Virtual Machine Manager (VMM).

Step 2

In the VMM console, go to Fabric > Servers > All Hosts.

Step 3

Right-click on the cluster and select Properties.

Step 4

In the Properties window, right-click File Share Storage > Add File Storage.

Step 5

When mapping completes, the share is added as shown in the screenshot below.

Step 6

Click OK and exit VMM. The HyperFlex Share is now mapped and VMs can be created on this share using SCVMM.

Re-enabling Windows Defender

Run the following commands to re-enable Windows Defender.
Install Defender from PowerShell

Install-WindowsFeature -Name Windows-Defender

(Optional) Install Defender GUI from PowerShell

Install-WindowsFeature -Name Windows-Defender-GUI

Chapter 6. Troubleshooting Information

- Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

This section contains troubleshooting information for issues seen during Hyper-V deployment.

Symptom or Scenario

Workaround or Recommendation

File Witness Share is not configured.

Create a File Witness Share and configure it as a Witness Share in Failover Cluster Manager (FCM). It is recommended not use the Witness Share created for anything else.

Waiting for Storage Controller VM (SCVM) times out.

- Set the VLAN ID manually and retry, or,

- Delete the controller VM and retry.

HX Installer fails to join computers to the domain due to incorrect Active Directory credentials to HX Installer.

Restart HX Installer in the "Deploying HX Data Platform Installer and Cluster Configuration" phase in installation, and provide correct credentials.

Unreliable per node statistics displayed for a node in the duration when any of controller VMs are down in the cluster.

Use Windows side counters in the time when any of the controller VMs are down.

The FQDN address for HX Connect may be inaccessible after successful cluster installation.

The default Internet Explorer security setting on Windows 2008 prevents HX Connect accessibility with the FQDN name. As a workaround, try one of the following:

- Modify the Internet Explorer setting.

- Use an IP address.

- Use other supported browsers such as Chrome or Firefox.

For compute-only nodes, performance charts are unavailable in the HX Connect Dashboard page.

This is a l nly nodes.

Windows installation failed with the following error:

Could not detect system partition.

In addition, setupact.log shows that the setup could not detect any available disk as a valid boot device.

1. Switch the boot policy to Embedded Disk (Any).

2. For the Service Profile or Service Profile Template use boot policy that mirrors hx-nodes-m5 than compute-nodes-m5.

Migration failed due to incompatible processors.

A cluster may not have a combination of different CPU types.

Chapter 7. Appendix

- Rack Cisco HyperFlex Nodes

- Setting Up the Fabric Interconnects

- How to upload the iso and img file to the installer VM using WinSCP

- DNS Records

- Updating HX Service Account Password

Rack Cisco HyperFlex Nodes

For details on the HyperFlex cluster and node limits, see Cisco HX Data Platform Storage Cluster Specifications in the latest version of the Release Notes for Cisco HX Data Platform.

For details on the installation of Cisco HyperFlex nodes, refer to respective links from the following table:

Type of Node To Be Installed

Reference

Converged Nodes

HyperFlex HX220c M5 Nodes

Cisco HyperFlex HX220c M5 Node Installation Guides

HyperFlex HX240c M5 Nodes

Cisco HyperFlex HX240c M5 Node Installation Guides

Important

Compute-only nodes are not supported with Hyper-V in 3.0(1a)

Setting Up the Fabric Interconnects

Configure a redundant pair of fabric interconnects for high availability. Connect the two fabric interconnects directly using Ethernet cables between the L1 and L2 high availability ports. Connect Port L1 on fabric interconnect A to port L1 on fabric interconnect B, and Port L2 on fabric interconnect A to port L2 on fabric interconnect B. This allows both the fabric interconnects to continuously monitor the status of each other.

Verify and obtain the following information before connecting the fabric interconnects.

Item

Description

Verify the physical connections of the fabric interconnects.

- Console port for the first fabric interconnect must be physically connected to a computer or console server.

- Management Ethernet port (mgmt0) must be connected to an external hub, switch, or router.

- L1 ports on both the fabric interconnects must be directly connected to each other.

- L2 ports on both the fabric interconnects must be directly connected to each other.

Verify console port parameters on the computer terminal.

- 9600 baud

- 8 data bits

- No parity

- 1 stop bit

Obtain information for initial setup.

Collect the following information for initial setup:

- System name

- Password for admin account

- Three static IP addresses

- Subnet mask for three static IP addresses

- Default gateway IP address

- DNS server IP address

- Domain name for the system

Both fabric interconnects must go through the same setup process. Set up the primary fabric interconnect and enable for cluster configuration. When you use the same process to set up the secondary fabric interconnect, it detects the first fabric interconnect as a peer.

- Configure the Primary Fabric Interconnect Using GUI

- Configure the Subordinate Fabric Interconnect Using GUI

Configure the Primary Fabric Interconnect Using GUI

You can either follow the procedure below for configuring the primary fabric interconnect or watch Cisco UCS Manager Initial Setup part 1.

Attention

IPv4 addressing is required for HyperFlex.

Procedure

Step 1

Power up the fabric interconnect.

You will see the power on self-test messages as the fabric interconnect boosts.

Step 2

If the system obtains a lease, go to step 6, otherwise, continue to the next step.

Step 3

Connect to the console port.

Step 4

At the installation method prompt, enter gui.

Step 5

If the system cannot access a DHCP server, you are prompted to enter the following information:

- IPv4 address for the management port on the fabric interconnect.

- IPv4 subnet mask for the management port on the fabric interconnect.

- IPv4 address for the default gateway assigned to the fabric interconnect.

Step 6

Copy the web link from the prompt into a web browser and go to the Cisco UCS Manager GUI launch page.

Step 7

On the Cisco UCS Manager GUI launch page, select Express Setup.

Step 8

On the Express Setup page, select Initial Setup and click Submit.

Step 9

In the Cluster and Fabric Setup area:

1. Click the Enable Clustering option.

2. For the Fabric Setup option, select Fabric A.

3. In the Cluster IP Address field, enter the IPv4 address that Cisco UCS Manager will use.

Step 10

In the System Setup area, complete the following fields:

Field

Description

System Name field

The name assigned to the Cisco UCS domain.

In a standalone configuration, the system adds "-A" to the system name. In a cluster configuration, the system adds "-A" to the fabric interconnect assigned to fabric A, and "-B" to the fabric interconnect assigned to fabric B.

Admin Password field

The password used for the Admin account on the fabric interconnect.

Choose a strong password that meets the guidelines for Cisco UCS Manager passwords. This password cannot be blank.

Confirm Admin Password field

The password used for the Admin account on the fabric interconnect.

Mgmt IP Address field

The static IPv4 address for the management port on the fabric interconnect.

Mgmt IP Netmask field or Mgmt IP Prefix field

The IPv4 subnet mask prefix for the management port on the fabric interconnect.

Note

The system prompts for a Mgmt IP Netmask or a Mgmt IP Prefix based on what address type you entered in the Mgmt IP Address field.

Default Gateway field

The IPv4 address for the default gateway assigned to the management port on the fabric interconnect.

Note

The system prompts for a Default Gateway address type based on what type you entered in the Mgmt IP Address field.

DNS Server IP field

The IPv4 address for the DNS Server assigned to the fabric interconnect.

Domain Name field

The name of the domain in which the fabric interconnect resides.

Step 11

Click Submit.

A page displays the results of your setup operation.

Configure the Subordinate Fabric Interconnect Using GUI

You can either follow the procedure below for configuring the subordinate fabric interconnect or watch Cisco UCS Manager Initial Setup part 2.

Procedure

Step 1

Power up the fabric interconnect.

You will see the power-up self-test message as the fabric interconnect boots.

Step 2

It the system obtains a lease, go to step 6, otherwise, continue to the next step.

Step 3

Connect to the console port.

Step 4

At the installation method prompt, enter gui.

Step 5

If the system cannot access a DHCP server, you are prompted to enter the following information:

- IPv4 address for the management port on the fabric interconnect

- IPv4 subnet mask for the management port on the fabric interconnect

- IPv4 address for the default gateway assigned to the fabric interconnect

Step 6

Copy the web link from the prompt into a web browser and go to the Cisco UCS Manager GUI launch page.

Step 7

On the Cisco UCS Manager GUI launch page, select Express Setup.

Step 8

On the Express Setup page, select Initial Setup and click Submit.

The fabric interconnect should detect the configuration information for the first fabric interconnect.

Step 9

In the Cluster and Fabric Setup Area:

1. Select the Enable Clustering option.

2. For the Fabric Setup option, make sure Fabric B is selected.

Step 10

In the System Setup Area, enter the password for the Admin account into the Admin Password of Master field.

The Manager Initial Setup Area is displayed.

Step 11

In the Manager Initial Setup Area, complete the following:

Field

Description

Peer FI is IPv4 Cluster enabled. Please Provide Local Fabric Interconnect Mgmt0 IPv4 Address field

Enter an IPv4 address for the Mgmt0 interface on the local fabric interconnect.

Step 12

Click Submit.

A page displays the results of your setup operation.

How to upload the iso and img file to the installer VM using WinSCP

You may choose to use the Installer VM as host for the ISO and IMG files to install Hyper-V. To accomplish that you need to upload the Windows ISO and the Cisco HyperFlex driver image to the installer.

For the pupose of this guide we will use WinSCP, you can use whatever SCP client you have available.

Procedure

Step 1

Download a SCP client for Windows. It could be WinSCP (https://winscp.net/eng/download.php) and install it on your workstation.

Step 2

Connect to your installer VM from WinSCP. Username root and password Cisco123

Important

Systems ship with a default password of Cisco123 that must be changed during installation. You cannot continue installation unless you specify a new user supplied password.

Step 3

Accept the key and add to the cache.

Step 4

Once connected browse to the folder /var/www/localhost/images/ on the installer. Browse to where to local files are located on your machine.

Step 5

Transfer the files. Filenames can be copied if you access the URL in a browser: http://<controller_IP>/images/

DNS Records

Refer to the list below for the DNS records that must be added to your environment.

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "-CNTL" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "-CNTL" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "-CNTL" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name "-CNTL" -ZoneName "Ciscolab.dk" -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address "" -TimeToLive 01:00:00 -CreatePtr -computername

Updating HX Service Account Password

A new password must be updated within an HX Cluster if the password expired or was changed voluntarily. Perform the following step to update the Cisco HX Service Account Password.

Note

The access to VMs and datastores will still continue to work without the new password. However, the cluster will experience some issues with the Alert, Systems Status, Support Bundle and Datastore Access reporting.

Before you begin

Ensure that the Cisco HX Service Account User Name is in the following format:

username@domain.com

Procedure

Run the resethypervcred -u command from one of the Storage Controller node within the cluster.

Example:

The following is an example of the command with sample output:

root@cvmhv1:~# resethypervcred -u
Enter service admin name:administrator@domain.com
Enter service admin passwd:
Enter local admin name:administrator
Enter local admin passwd:
Hyperv creds updated successfully

Login to each controller vm as the root user and run restart hxHyperVSvcMgr.

After you have completed the reset and service restarts, then login to HX Connect as the HX Service Account User to verify your login works and HX Connect is displaying the cluster information.