Configuring a Cisco UCS from Start to Basic Setup.

Prepared by : Michael OConnell

Please feel free to send me questions [email protected]

Once you open the boxes of the UCS you will need to rack the Fabric Interconnects.
For this manual we will use the 6100 series Fabric Interconnects. Once racked you
need to cable the UCS and use the below model to cable the Cluster/ Management
network. Please note the L1 and L2 Ports need to be connected to each other.

You will need to then cable the rest of the UCS chassis below the Fabric
Interconnects. Please follow this picture for the cabling

Now that we have it all wired and racked we will now power on the fabric
interconnects. These are the two green fabrics we wired above with the cluster
configuration. L1 and L2 referenced. I recommend you also power up the chassis
and blades below for later now as the fabric interconnect will want to see these
when they come online. Here is how I would do it. Power up:
Chassis, Blades, Fabric A and Fabric B.
Connect your laptop to the Fabric A console connection and use a Putty/ Hyper
Terminal Session to bring up the command line interfaces.
Once in the startup command line interface you will see the follow:
Please enter these with your new environment settings :
Enter the configuration method. (console/gui) ? console
Enter the setup mode; setup newly or restore from backup. (setup/restore) ? setup
You have chosen to setup a new Fabric interconnect. Continue? (y/n): y
Enter the password for admin: password
Is this Fabric interconnect part of a cluster(select no for standalone)? (yes/no) [n]:
yes

Confirm the password for admin: password

Enter the switch fabric (A/B) []: A

Enter the system name: NameOfSystem (NOTE: -A will be appended to the end of
the name)
Physical Switch Mgmt0 IPv4 address : X.X.X.X
Physical Switch Mgmt0 IPv4 netmask : X.X.X.X
IPv4 address of the default gateway : X.X.X.X
Cluster IPv4 address : X.X.X.X (NOTE: This IP address will be used for Management)
Configure the DNS Server IPv4 address? (yes/no) [n]: y
DNS IPv4 address : X.X.X.X
Configure the default domain name? (yes/no) [n]: y
Default domain name: domain.com Apply and save the configuration (select no if
you want to re-enter)? (yes/no): yes
Now connect to the console port of the secondary FI and power it on.
Once again, you will be presented with the following menu items:
Enter the configuration method. (console/gui) ? console
Installer has detected the presence of a peer Fabric interconnect.
This Fabric interconnect will be added to the cluster. Continue (y/n) ? y
Enter the admin password of the peer Fabric interconnect: password
Physical Switch Mgmt0 IPv4 address : X.X.X.X
Apply and save the configuration (select no if you want to re-enter)? (yes/no): yes
Both Fabric Interconnects should now be configured with basic IP and Cluster IP
information.
If, for whatever reason you decide youd like to erase the Fabric Interconnect
configuration and start over from the initial configuration wizard, issue the following
commands: connect local-mgmt and then erase configuration

You are now done the CLI interface for base configuration. Open a web browser from
you box once its on the same network. Type the IP address of the cluster a web
browser . You should see :

Note It is my Personal Opinion that I would Update the Firmware First. At the time
this was written 2.3 was the current tested code for UCS.
To update firmware you will need to download the firmware from Cisco :

Updating Firmware

This process will take time. DO NOT DO THIS ON LIVE UCS AND YOU HAVE NOT
SPOKEN TO ME OR CHECKED WITH CISCO IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME.
There are two files required for B-Series firmware upgrades. An *.A.bin file and a
*.B.bin file. The *.B.bin file contains all of the firmware for the B-Series blades.
The *.A.bin file contains all the firmware for the Fabric Interconnects, I/O Modules
and UCS Manager.
After the files have been downloaded, launch UCS manager and go to the
Equipment tab. From there navigate to Firmware Management->Download
Firmware, and upload both .bin packages:

The newly downloaded packages should be visible under the Equipment tab
Firmware Management->Packages.
The next step is to update the adapters, CIMC and IOMs. Do this under the
Equipment tab Firmware Management->Installed Firmware->Update Firmware:

Next, activate the adapters, then UCS Manager and then the I/O Modules under the
Equipment tab Firmware Management->Installed Firmware->Activate Firmware.
Choose Ignore Compatibility Check anywhere applicable. Make sure to uncheck
Set startup version only, since this is an initial setup and we arent concerned with
rebooting running hosts:

Next, activate the subordinate Fabric Interconnect and then the primary Fabric
Interconnect:

Configuring Equipment Policy

Go to the Equipment tab and then Equipment->Policies:

The chassis discover policy Action: dropdown should be set to the amount of links
that are connected between an individual IOM and Fabric Interconnect pair. For
instance, in the drawing displayed earlier each IOM had four connections to its
associated Fabric Interconnect. Thus, a 4 link policy should be created. This policy
could be left at the default value of 1 link but my personal preference is to set it
to the actual amount of connections that should be connected between an IOM and
FI pair. This policy is essentially just specifying how many connections need to be
present for a chassis to be discovered.
For environments with redundant power sources/PDUs, Grid should be specified
for a power policy. If one source fails (which causes a loss of power to one or two
power supplies), the surviving power supplies on the other power circuit continue to
provide power to the chassis. Both grids in a power redundant system should have
the same number of power supplies. Slots 1 and 2 are assigned to grid 1 and slots 3
and 4 are assigned to grid 2.

Configuring Ports
Go to the Equipment tab and then Fabric Interconnects->Fabric Interconnect A/B
and expand any Fixed or Expansion modules as necessary. Configure the
appropriate unconfigured ports as Server (connections between IOM and Fabric
Interconnect) and Uplink (connection to network) as necessary:

For Storage ports, go to the Equipment tab and then Fabric Interconnects->Fabric
Interconnect A/B and in the right-hand pane, select Configure Unified Ports. Click
Yes in the proceeding dialog box to acknowledge that a reboot of the module will
be necessary to make these changes. On the Configure Fixed Module Ports screen,
drag the slider just past the ports you want to configure as storage ports and click
Finish. Select Yes on the following screen to confirm that you want to make
these changes

Next, create port channels as necessary on each Fabric Interconnect for Uplink
ports. Go to the LAN tab, then LAN->LAN Cloud->FabricA/B->Port Channels>Right-Click and Create Port Channel. Then give the port channel a name and
select the appropriate ports and click Finish:

Select the Port Channel and ensure that it is enabled and is set for the appropriate
speed

Next, configure port channels for your SAN interfaces as necessary. Go to the SAN
tab and then SAN Cloud->Fabric A/B->FC Port Channels->Right Click and Create
Port Channel. Then give the port channel a name and select the appropriate ports
and select finish:
Select

Creating a KVM IP Pool

Go to the LAN tab and then Pools->root->IP Pools->IP Pool ext-mgmt. Right-click
and select Create Block of IP addresses. Next, specify your starting IP address and
the total amount of IPs you require, as well as the default gateway and primary and
secondary DNS servers:

Creating a Sub-Organization
Creating a sub-organization is optional, for granularity and organizational purposes
and are meant to contain servers/pools/policies of different functions. To create a
sub-organization, right-click any root directory and select Create Organization.
Specify the name of the organization and any necessary descriptions and select
OK. The newly created sub-organization will be visible in most tabs now under
root->Sub-Organizations:

Create a Server Pool

To create a server pool, go to Servers tab and then Pools->Sub-Organization>Server Pools. Right-Click Server Pools and select Create Server Pool. From
there, give the Pool a name and select the servers that should be part of the pool:

Creating a UUID Suffix Pool

Go to the Servers tab and then Pools->Sub-Organizations->UUID Suffix Pool.

Right-Click and select Create UUID Suffix Pool. Give the pool a name and then
create a block of UUID Suffixes. I usually try to create some two letter/number code
that will align with my MAC/HBA templates that allow me to easily identify a server
(e.g. 11 for production ESXi):

Creating MAC Pools

For each group of servers (i.e. ESXi_Servers, Windows_Servers, etc.), create two
MAC pools. One that will go out of the A fabric another that will go out the B
fabric. Go to the LAN tab, then Pools->root->Sub-Organization, right-click MAC
Pools and select Create MAC Pool.

Creating WWNN Pools

To create a WWNN Pool, go to the SAN tab, then Pools->root->Sub-Organization.

Right-click on WWNN Pools and select Create WWNN Pool. From there, create a
pool name and select a WWNN pool range. Each server should have two HBAs and
therefore two WWNNs. So the amount of WWNNs should be the amount of servers in
the pool multiplied by 2:

Creating a Network Control Policy

Go to the LAN tab, then Policies->root->Sub-Organizations->Network Control

Policies, from there, right-click Network Control Policies and select Create
Network Control Policy. Give the policy a name and enable CDP:

Create vLANs

Go to the LAN tab and then LAN->LAN Cloud->VLANS. Right-click on VLANs

and select Create VLANs. From there, create a VLAN name and ID:

Create vSANs

Go to the SAN tab and then SAN->SAN Cloud->VSANs. Right-Click VSANs and
select Create VSAN. From there, specify a VSAN name, select Both Fabrics
Configured Differently and then specify the VSAN and FCoE ID for both fabrics:

Creating vNIC Templates

Each group of servers should have two templates. One going out the A side of the
fabric and one going out the B side. Go to the LAN tab, then Policies->root>Sub-Organization->vNIC Templates. Right-click on vNIC Templates and select
Create vNIC Template. Give the template a name, specify the Fabric ID and select
Updating Template. Also specify the appropriate VLANs, MAC Pool and Network
Control Policy:

Creating vHBA Templates

Each group of servers should have two templates. One going out the A side of the
fabric and one going out the B side. Go to the SAN tab, then Policies->root>Sub-Organization->vHBA Templates. Right-click on vHBA Templates and select
Create vHBA Template. Give the template a name, specify the Fabric ID and select
Updating Template. Also specify the appropriate WWPN Pool:

Creating a BIOS policy

For hypervisors, I always disable Speedstep and Turbo Boost. Go to the Servers
tab, then Policies->root->Sub-Organizations->BIOS Policies. From there, right-click
on BIOS Policies and select Create BIOS Policy. Give the policy a name and under
Processor, disable Turbo Boost and Enhanced Intel Speedstep

Creating a Host Firmware Policy

Go to the Servers tab, then Policies->root->Sub-Organizations->Host Firmware

Packages. Right-click Host Firmware Packages and select Create Host Firmware
Package. Give the policy a name and select the appropriate package:

Create Local Disk Configuration Policy

Go to the Servers tab, then Policies->root->Sub-Organizations->Local Disk

Config Policies. Right-click Local Disk Config Policies and select Create Local Disk
Configuration Policy. Give the policy a name and under Mode: select No Local
Storage (assuming you are booting from SAN):

Create a Boot Policy

Go to the Servers tab, then Policies->root->Sub-Organizations->Boot Policy.

Right-click Boot Policy and select Create Boot Policy. Give the policy a name and
add a CD-ROM as the first device in the boot order. Next, go to vHBAs and Add
SAN Boot. Name the HBAs the same as your vHBA templates. Each SAN Boot
vHBA will have two SAN Boot Targets that will need to be added. The WWNs you
enter should match the cabling configuration of your Fabric Interconnects. As an
example, the following cabling configuration:

Creating a Service Profile Template

Now that you have created all the appropriate policies, pools and interface
templates, you are ready to build your service profile. Go to the Servers tab and
then Servers->Service Profile Templates->root->Sub-Organizations. Right-click on
the appropriate sub-organization and select Create Service Profile Template. Give
the template a name, select Updating Template and specify the UUID pool created
earlier. An updating template will allow you to modify the template at a later time
and have those modifications propagate to any service profiles that were deployed
using that template:

In the Networking section, select the Expert radio button and Add 6 NICS for
ESXi hosts (2 for MGMT, 2 for VMs, 2 for vMotion). After clicking Add you will go to
the Create vNIC dialog box. Immediately select the Use vNIC Template
checkbox, select vNIC Template A/B and the VMware adapter policy. Alternate
between the A and B templates on each vNIC:

In the Storage section, specify the local storage policy created earlier and select
the Expert radio button. Next Add two vHBAs. After you click Add and are in
the Create vHBA dialog box, immediately select the Use vHBA Template
checkbox and give the vHBA a name. Select the appropriate vHBA Template (e.g.
vHBA_A->ESXi_HBA_A, etc) and adapter policy

Deploying a Service Profile

To deploy a service profile from a template, go to the Servers tab, then Servers>Service Profile Templates->root->Sub-Organizations. Right-click the appropriate
service profile template and select Create service profiles from template. Select a
naming prefix and the amount of service profiles youd like to create:

To associate a physical server with the newly created profile, right-click the service
profile and select Change service profile association. In the Associate Service
Profile dialog box, choose Select existing server from the Server Assignment
drop down menu. Select the appropriate blade and click OK:

Backing up the Configuration

Go to the Admin tab and then All. In the right-hand pane, select Backup
Configuration. From the Backup Configuration dialog box, choose Create Backup
Operation. Change Admin states to Enabled and do a Full State and then an All
Configuration backup. Make sure to check Preserve Identities: when doing an All
Configuration backup and save both backups to the local computer and then to an
easily accessible network location:

THERE IS MORE BUT THESE IS BASIC INFO I

PIECED TOGETHER AND SHOULD GET YOU 99
% RUNNING.