b UpgradingCiscoUCSFrom1.4To2.0

Upgrading Cisco UCS from Release 1.4 to Release 2.0First Published: October 20, 2011

Last Modified: February 13, 2012

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Text Part Number: OL-25715-05

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C O N T E N T S

Preface vii

Audience vii

Organization vii

Conventions viii

Related Documentation ix

Documentation Feedback ix

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request ix

Firmware Upgrades 1

Overview of Upgrading to Release 2.0 3

Overview of Firmware 3

Firmware Image Management 4

Firmware Versions 5

Firmware Upgrade to Cisco UCS, Release 2.0 6

Cautions, Guidelines, and Best Practices for Upgrading Cisco UCS 6

Configuration Changes and Settings that Can Impact Upgrades 7

Hardware-Related Guidelines and Best Practices for Firmware Upgrades 8

Firmware- and Software-Related Best Practices for Upgrades 9

Outage Impacts of Direct Firmware Upgrades 10

Summary of Steps for Upgrading from Release 1.4 12

Required Order of Steps for Integrating a Cisco UCS Rack-Mount Server 13

Completing the Prerequisites for Upgrading the Firmware 15

Prerequisites for Upgrading and Downgrading Firmware 15

Creating an All Configuration Backup File 16

Verifying the Overall Status of the Fabric Interconnects 17

Verifying the High Availability Status and Roles of a Cluster Configuration 18

Verifying the Status of I/O Modules 18

Verifying the Status of Servers 19

Verifying the Status of Adapters on Servers in a Chassis 20

Upgrading Cisco UCS from Release 1.4 to Release 2.0 OL-25715-05 iii

Downloading the Release 2.0 Firmware 21

Obtaining Software Bundles from Cisco 21

Downloading Firmware Images to the Fabric Interconnect from a Remote Location 22

Downloading Firmware Images to the Fabric Interconnect from the Local File System 24

Determining the Contents of a Firmware Package 25

Canceling an Image Download 25

Verifying Local Storage Space on a Fabric Interconnect 26

Checking the Available Space on a Fabric Interconnect 26

Deleting Firmware Packages from a Fabric Interconnect 26

Deleting Firmware Images from a Fabric Interconnect 26

Upgrading the Firmware to Release 2.0 29

Summary of Steps for Upgrading from Release 1.4 29

Disabling Call Home 30

Updating the Firmware on the Adapters, CIMCs, and IOMs 31

Activating the Firmware on the Adapters and CIMCs 32

Activating the Board Controller Firmware on a Server 34

Activating the Cisco UCS Manager Software to Release 2.0 34

Activating the Firmware on the IOMs 35

Activating the Fabric Interconnect Firmware for a Cluster Configuration 36

Activating the Firmware on a Subordinate Fabric Interconnect 36

Forcing a Fabric Interconnect Failover 37

Verifying that the Data Path is Ready 38

Verifying that Dynamic vNICs Are Up and Running 38

Verifying the Ethernet Data Path 39

Verifying the Data Path for Fibre Channel End-Host Mode 39

Verifying the Data Path for Fibre Channel Switch Mode 40

Activating the Firmware on a Primary Fabric Interconnect 41

Activating the Firmware on a Standalone Fabric Interconnect 42

Updating Host and Management Firmware Packages 42

Effect of Updates to Host Firmware Packages and Management Firmware

Packages 42

Updating a Management Firmware Package 44

Updating a Host Firmware Package 45

Enabling Call Home 46

Hardware Upgrades 49

Upgrading Cisco UCS from Release 1.4 to Release 2.0iv OL-25715-05

Contents

Upgrading Cisco UCS Hardware 51

Upgrading Fabric Interconnects 51

Fabric Interconnect Upgrade Considerations 51

Port Mapping for Upgrades 52

Fabric Interconnect Port Connection Record 56

Upgrading a Fabric Interconnect Cluster 58

Upgrading I/O Modules 60

I/O Module Upgrade Considerations 60

I/O Module Port Connection Record 61

Upgrading an I/O Module 62

Upgrading Cisco UCS from Release 1.4 to Release 2.0 OL-25715-05 v

Contents

Upgrading Cisco UCS from Release 1.4 to Release 2.0vi OL-25715-05

Contents

Preface

This preface includes the following sections:

• Audience, page vii

• Organization, page vii

• Conventions, page viii

• Related Documentation, page ix

• Documentation Feedback, page ix

• Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request, page ix

AudienceThis guide is intended primarily for those who need to upgrade an existing Cisco Unified Computing System(Cisco UCS) instance.

OrganizationThis document includes the following chapters:

DescriptionTitleChapter

Contains the information, prerequisites, required order of steps,and procedures that you must follow to successfully upgrade aCisco UCS instance to the specified release with Cisco UCSManager.

Firmware UpgradesPart 1

Contains the information, prerequisites, and procedures that youmust follow to successfully upgrade hardware in a Cisco UCSinstance.

Hardware UpgradesPart 2

Upgrading Cisco UCS from Release 1.4 to Release 2.0 OL-25715-05 vii

ConventionsThis document uses the following conventions:

IndicationConvention

Commands, keywords, GUI elements, and user-entered textappear in bold font.

bold font

Document titles, new or emphasized terms, and arguments forwhich you supply values are in italic font.

italic font

Terminal sessions and information that the system displaysappear in courier font.

courierfont

Elements in square brackets are optional.[ ]

Required alternative keywords are grouped in braces andseparated by vertical bars.

{x | y | z}

Optional alternative keywords are grouped in brackets andseparated by vertical bars.

[x | y | z]

A nonquoted set of characters. Do not use quotation marksaround the string or the string will include the quotation marks.

string

Nonprinting characters such as passwords are in angle brackets.< >

Default responses to system prompts are in square brackets.[ ]

An exclamation point (!) or a pound sign (#) at the beginning ofa line of code indicates a comment line.

!, #

Means reader take note.Note

Means the following information will help you solve a problem.Tip

Means reader be careful. In this situation, you might perform an action that could result in equipmentdamage or loss of data.

Caution

Upgrading Cisco UCS from Release 1.4 to Release 2.0viii OL-25715-05

PrefaceConventions

Means the described action saves time. You can save time by performing the action described in theparagraph.

Timesaver

Means reader be warned. In this situation, you might perform an action that could result in bodily injury.Warning

Related DocumentationA roadmap that lists all documentation for Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS) B-Series hardwareand software is available at the following URL:

http://www.cisco.com/go/unifiedcomputing/b-series-doc

Documentation FeedbackTo provide technical feedback on this document, or to report an error or omission, please send your commentsto [email protected]. We appreciate your feedback.

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service RequestFor information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional information,see the monthly What's New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and revised Ciscotechnical documentation.

Subscribe to theWhat's New in Cisco Product Documentation as a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feedand set content to be delivered directly to your desktop using a reader application. The RSS feeds are a freeservice and Cisco currently supports RSS version 2.0.

Follow Cisco UCS Docs on Twitter to receive document update notifications.

Upgrading Cisco UCS from Release 1.4 to Release 2.0 OL-25715-05 ix

PrefaceRelated Documentation

http://www.cisco.com/go/unifiedcomputing/b-series-doc

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/general/whatsnew/whatsnew.html

http://twitter.com/ciscoucsdocs

Upgrading Cisco UCS from Release 1.4 to Release 2.0x OL-25715-05

PrefaceObtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

P A R T IFirmware Upgrades• Overview of Upgrading to Release 2.0, page 3

• Completing the Prerequisites for Upgrading the Firmware, page 15

• Downloading the Release 2.0 Firmware , page 21

• Upgrading the Firmware to Release 2.0, page 29

C H A P T E R 1Overview of Upgrading to Release 2.0

This chapter includes the following sections:

• Overview of Firmware, page 3

• Firmware Image Management, page 4

• Firmware Versions, page 5

• Firmware Upgrade to Cisco UCS, Release 2.0, page 6

Overview of FirmwareCisco UCS uses firmware obtained from and certified by Cisco to support the endpoints in a Cisco UCSinstance. Each endpoint is a component in the instance that requires firmware to function. The upgrade orderfor the endpoints in a Cisco UCS instance depends upon the upgrade path, but includes the following:

• Cisco UCS Manager

• I/O modules

• Fabric interconnects

• Endpoints physically located on adapters, including NIC and HBA firmware, and Option ROM (whereapplicable) that can be upgraded through firmware packages included in a service profile

• Endpoints physically located on servers, such as the BIOS, storage controller (RAID controller), andCisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC) that can be upgraded through firmware packagesincluded in a service profile

See the required order of steps for your upgrade path to determine the appropriate order in which to upgradethe endpoints in your Cisco UCS instance.

Beginning with Cisco UCS, Release 1.4(1), Cisco is releasing firmware upgrades in multiple bundles,rather than one large firmware package. For more information see Firmware ImageManagement, on page4.

Note

Upgrading Cisco UCS from Release 1.4 to Release 2.0 OL-25715-05 3

Cisco maintains a set of best practices for managing firmware images and updates in this document and inthe following technical note: Unified Computing System Firmware Management Best Practices.

This document uses the following definitions for managing firmware:

Upgrade

Changes the firmware running on an endpoint to another image, such as a release or patch. Upgrade includesboth update and activation.

Update

Copies the firmware image to the backup partition on an endpoint.

Activate

Sets the firmware in the backup partition as the active firmware version on the endpoint. Activation canrequire or cause the reboot of an endpoint.

For Management Extensions and Capability Catalog upgrades, update and activate occur simultaneously. Youonly need to update or activate those upgrades. You do not need to perform both steps.

Firmware Image ManagementCisco delivers all firmware updates to Cisco UCS components in bundles of images. Cisco UCS firmwareupdates are available to be downloaded in the following bundles:

Cisco UCS Infrastructure Software Bundle

This bundle includes the following firmware images that are required to update the following components:

• Cisco UCS Manager software

• Kernel and system firmware for the fabric interconnects

• I/O module firmware

Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Server Software Bundle

This bundle includes the following firmware images that are required to update the firmware for the bladeservers in a Cisco UCS instance. In addition to the bundles created for a release, these bundles can also bereleased between infrastructure bundles to enable Cisco UCS Manager to support a blade server that is notincluded in the most recent infrastructure bundle.

• CIMC firmware

• BIOS firmware

• Adapter firmware

• Board controller firmware

• Third-party firmware images required by the new server

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Server Software Bundle

Upgrading Cisco UCS from Release 1.4 to Release 2.04 OL-25715-05

Firmware Image Management

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10281/products_configuration_example09186a0080aee43e.shtml

This bundle includes the following firmware images that are required to update components on rack-mountservers that have been integrated with and are managed by Cisco UCS Manager:

• CIMC firmware

• BIOS firmware

• Adapter firmware

• Storage controller firmware

You cannot use this bundle for standalone C-series servers. The firmwaremanagement system in those servers cannot interpret the header required byCisco UCS Manager. For information on how to upgrade standalone C-seriesservers, see the C-series configuration guides.

Note

Cisco also provides release notes, which you can obtain on the same website from which you obtained thebundles.

Firmware VersionsThe firmware versions on an endpoint depend upon the type of endpoint. The endpoints physically locatedon a fabric interconnect have different versions than those physically located on a server or I/O module.

Firmware Versions in CIMC, I/O Modules, and Adapters

Each CIMC, I/Omodule, and adapter has two slots for firmware in flash. Each slot holds a version of firmware.One slot is active and the other is the backup slot. A component boots from whichever slot is designated asactive.

The following firmware version terminology is used in Cisco UCS Manager:

Running Version

The running version is the firmware that is active and in use by the endpoint.

Startup Version

The startup version is the firmware that will be used when the endpoint next boots up. Cisco UCS Manageruses the activate operation to change the startup version.

Backup Version

The backup version is the firmware in the other slot and is not in use by the endpoint. This version can befirmware that you have updated to the endpoint but have not yet activated, or it can be an older firmwareversion that was replaced by a recently activated version. Cisco UCS Manager uses the update operation toreplace the image in the backup slot.

If the endpoint cannot boot from the startup version, it boots from the backup version.


Firmware Versions

Firmware Versions in the Fabric Interconnect and Cisco UCS Manager

You can only activate the fabric interconnect firmware and Cisco UCS Manager on the fabric interconnect.The fabric interconnect and Cisco UCSManager firmware do not have backup versions, because all the imagesare stored on the fabric interconnect. As a result, the number of bootable fabric interconnect images is notlimited to two, like the server CIMC and adapters. Instead, the number of bootable fabric interconnect imagesis limited by the available space in the memory of the fabric interconnect and the number of images storedthere.

The fabric interconnect and Cisco UCS Manager firmware have running and startup versions of the kerneland system firmware. The kernel and system firmware must run the same versions of firmware.

Firmware Upgrade to Cisco UCS, Release 2.0The firmware upgrade to Cisco UCS, Release 2.0 needs to be planned with scheduled maintenance windowsfor standalone fabric interconnects. With this firmware upgrade, you should expect the following data trafficinterruptions:

• With a cluster configuration, no data traffic disruption if the correct sequence of steps is followed.Failover between the fabric interconnects prevents the longer disruption required for the fabricinterconnects and I/O modules to reboot.

• With a standalone fabric interconnect, data traffic disruption of up to one minute for the servers to rebootand approximately ten minutes for the fabric interconnect and I/O module to reboot.

This firmware upgrade requires a combination of the following methods:

• Direct upgrade at the endpoints. For a cluster configuration with two fabric interconnects, a direct upgradecan be minimally disruptive to data traffic. However, it requires that the Cisco UCS instance does notinclude firmware policies for those endpoints that you upgrade directly. You cannot avoid disruption totraffic in a Cisco UCS instance with only one fabric interconnection.

• Upgrades to server endpoints through service profiles that include a host firmware package, a managementfirmware package, or both. This method is disruptive to data traffic and should be performed during amaintenance window.

Direct upgrade is not available for all endpoints, including the server BIOS, storage controller, HBAfirmware, and HBA option ROM. You must upgrade those endpoints through the host firmware packageincluded in the service profile associated with the server.

Note

Cautions, Guidelines, and Best Practices for Upgrading Cisco UCSBefore you update the firmware for any endpoint in a Cisco UCS instance, consider the following cautions,guidelines, and best practices.


Firmware Upgrade to Cisco UCS, Release 2.0

Configuration Changes and Settings that Can Impact Upgrades

Depending upon the configuration of your Cisco UCS instance, the following changes may require you tomake configuration changes after you upgrade. To avoid faults and other issues, we recommend that youmake any required changes before you upgrade.

Overlapping FCoE VLAN IDs and Ethernet VLAN IDs Are No Longer Allowed with Cisco UCS Release 2.0

In Cisco UCS 1.4 and earlier releases, Ethernet VLANs and FCoEVLANs could have overlapping VLANIDs. However, starting with Cisco UCS release 2.0, overlapping VLAN IDs are not allowed. If Cisco UCSManager detects overlappingVLAN IDs during an upgrade, it raises a critical fault. If you do not reconfigureyour VLAN IDs, Cisco UCS Manager raises a critical fault and drops Ethernet traffic on the overlappedVLANs. Therefore, we recommend that you ensure there are no overlapping Ethernet and FCoE VLANIDs before you upgrade to Cisco UCS release 2.0.

If you did not explicitly configure the FCoE VLAN ID for a VSAN in Cisco UCS 1.4 and earlier releases,Cisco UCS Manager assigned VLAN 1 as the default FCoE VLAN for the default VSAN (with defaultVSAN ID 1). In those releases, VLAN 1was also used as the default VLAN for Ethernet traffic. Therefore,if you accepted the default VLAN ID for the FCoE VLAN and one or more Ethernet VLANs, you mustreconfigure the VLAN IDs for either the FCoE VLAN(s) on the VSAN(s) or the Ethernet VLAN(s).

Caution

For a new installation of Cisco UCS release 2.0, the default VLAN IDs are as follows:

• The default Ethernet VLAN ID is 1.

• The default FCoE VLAN ID is 4048.

After an upgrade from Cisco UCS release 1.4, where VLAN ID 4048 was used for FCoE storage port nativeVLAN, to release 2.0, the default VLAN IDs are as follows:

• The default Ethernet VLAN ID is 1.

• The current default FCoE VLAN ID is preserved. Cisco UCS Manager raises a critical fault on theconflicting Ethernet VLAN, if any. You must change one of the VLAN IDs to a VLAN ID that is notused or reserved.

If a Cisco UCS instance uses one of the default VLAN IDs, which results in overlapping VLANs, youcan change one or more of the default VLAN IDs to any VLAN ID that is not used or reserved.

Note

All Connectivity May Be Lost During Upgrades if vNIC Failover and NIC Teaming Are Both Enabled

All connectivity may be lost during firmware upgrades if you have configured both Enable Failover on oneor more vNICs and you have also configured NIC teaming/bonding at the host operating system level. Pleasedesign for availability by using one or the other method, but never both.

To determine whether you have enabled failover for one or more vNICs in a Cisco UCS Cisco UCS instance,verify the configuration of the vNICs within each service profile associated with a server. For more information,see the Cisco UCS Manager configuration guide for the release that you are running.



http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10281/products_installation_and_configuration_guides_list.html

Impact of Upgrade to Release 1.3(1i) or Higher

An upgrade from an earlier Cisco UCS firmware release to release 1.3(1i) or higher has the following impacton the Protect Configuration property of the local disk configuration policy the first time servers are associatedwith service profiles after the upgrade:

Unassociated Servers

After you upgrade the Cisco UCS instance, the initial server association proceeds without configurationerrors whether or not the local disk configuration policy matches the server hardware. Even if you enablethe Protect Configuration property, Cisco UCS does not protect the user data on the server if there areconfiguration mismatches between the local disk configuration policy on the previous service profile andthe policy in the new service profile.

If you enable the Protect Configuration property and the local disk configurationpolicy encounters mismatches between the previous service profile and thenew service profile, all subsequent service profile associations with the serverare blocked.

Note

Associated Servers

Any servers that are already associated with service profiles do not reboot after the upgrade. Cisco UCSManager does not report any configuration errors if there is a mismatch between the local disk configurationpolicy and the server hardware.

When a service profile is disassociated from a server and a new service profile associated, the setting forthe Protect Configuration property in the new service profile takes precedence and overwrites the setting inthe previous service profile.

Hardware-Related Guidelines and Best Practices for Firmware Upgrades

The hardware in a Cisco UCS instance can impact how you upgrade. Before you upgrade any endpoint,consider the following guidelines and best practices:

No Server or Chassis Maintenance

Do not remove the hardware that contains the endpoint or perform any maintenance on it until the updateprocess has completed. If the hardware is removed or otherwise unavailable due to maintenance, thefirmware update fails. This failure may corrupt the backup partition. You cannot update the firmware onan endpoint with a corrupted backup partition.

Caution

Avoid Replacing RAID-Configured Hard Disks Prior to Upgrade

Under the following circumstances, Cisco UCSManager may scrub all data on a hard disk as part of the RAIDsynchronization process during an upgrade of the server firmware:

• The hard disks in the server are configured for RAID.

• One or more of the RAID-configured hard disks in the server are removed.



• The hard disk or disks are replaced with hard disks that are configured with a pre-existing RAID andthe local disk configuration policy included in the service profile on the server is not used to configurethose hard disks.

• The server firmware is upgraded, causing the server to reboot and Cisco UCS Manager to begin theRAID synchronization process.

If the original hard disks contained vital data that needs to preserved, avoid inserting new hard disks that arealready configured for RAID.

Always Upgrade Cisco UCS Gen-2 Adapters through a Host Firmware Package

You cannot upgrade Cisco UCS Gen-2 adapters directly at the endpoints. You must upgrade the firmware onthose adapters through a host firmware package.

Cannot Upgrade Cisco UCS 82598KR-CI 10-Gigabit Ethernet Adapter

The firmware on the Cisco UCS 82598KR-CI 10-Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (N20-AI0002), Intel-based adaptercard, is burned into the hardware at manufacture. You cannot upgrade the firmware on this adapter.

Number of Fabric Interconnects

For a cluster configuration with two fabric interconnects, you can take advantage of the failover between thefabric interconnects and perform a direct firmware upgrade of the endpoints without disrupting data traffic.However, you cannot avoid disrupting data traffic for those endpoints which must be upgraded through a hostor management firmware package.

For a standalone configuration with a single fabric interconnect, you can minimize the disruption to data trafficwhen you perform a direct firmware upgrade of the endpoints. However, youmust reboot the fabric interconnectto complete the upgrade and, therefore, cannot avoid disrupting traffic.

Firmware- and Software-Related Best Practices for Upgrades

Before you upgrade any endpoint, consider the following guidelines and best practices:

No Partial Upgrades

We recommend that all endpoints in a Cisco UCS instance be upgraded to the same firmware release. Newfunctionality and changes within a firmware release for one endpoint may have dependencies upon the samefunctionality and changes within another endpoint. Therefore, a mix of firmware releases may causeperformance or other issues during ordinary usage or may cause the update to fail.

Determine Appropriate Type of Firmware Upgrade for Each Endpoint

Some endpoints, such as adapters and the server CIMC, can be upgraded through either a direct firmwareupgrade or a firmware package included in a service profile. The configuration of a Cisco UCS instancedetermines how you upgrade these endpoints. If the service profiles associated with the servers include a hostfirmware package, upgrade the adapters for those servers through the firmware package. In the same way, ifthe service profiles associated with the servers include a management firmware package, upgrade the CIMCfor those servers through the firmware package.

Upgrades of a CIMC through a management firmware package or an adapter through a firmware package inthe service profile associated with the server take precedence over direct firmware upgrades. You cannot



directly upgrade an endpoint if the service profile associated with the server includes a firmware package. Toperform a direct upgrade, you must remove the firmware package from the service profile.

Do Not Activate All Endpoints Simultaneously in Cisco UCS Manager GUI

If you use Cisco UCS Manager GUI to update the firmware, do not select ALL from the Filter drop-downlist in the Activate Firmware dialog box to activate all endpoints simultaneously. Many firmware releasesand patches have dependencies that require the endpoints to be activated in a specific order for the firmwareupdate to succeed. This order can change depending upon the contents of the release or patch. Activating allendpoints does not guarantee that the updates occur in the required order and can disrupt communicationsbetween the endpoints and the fabric interconnects and Cisco UCS Manager. For information about thedependencies in a specific release or patch, see the release notes provided with that release or patch.

Impact of Activation for Adapters and I/O Modules

During a direct upgrade, you should configure Set Startup Version Only for an adapter. With this setting,the activated firmware moves into the pending-next-boot state, and the server is not immediately rebooted.The activated firmware does not become the running version of firmware on the adapter until the server isrebooted. You cannot configure Set Startup Version Only for an adapter in the host firmware package.

If a server is not associated with a service profile, the activated firmware remains in the pending-next-bootstate. Cisco UCSManager does not reboot the endpoints or activate the firmware until the server is associatedwith a service profile. If necessary, you can manually reboot or reset an unassociated server to activate thefirmware.

When you configure Set Startup Version Only for an I/O module, the I/O module is rebooted when thefabric interconnect in its data path is rebooted. If you do not configure Set Startup Version Only for an I/Omodule, the I/O module reboots and disrupts traffic. In addition, if Cisco UCS Manager detects a protocoland firmware version mismatch between the fabric interconnect and the I/O module, Cisco UCS Managerautomatically updates the I/O module with the firmware version that matches the firmware in the fabricinterconnect and then activates the firmware and reboots the I/O module again.

Select Ignore Compatibility Check When Upgrading

During a direct upgrade to a newer release, we recommend that you choose Ignore Compatibility Check.Newer releases may have incompatible code with older releases. This option ensures that the upgrade canproceed and avoids compatibility issues.

Disable Call Home before Upgrading to Avoid Unnecessary Alerts (Optional)

When you upgrade a Cisco UCS instance, Cisco UCS Manager restarts the components to complete theupgrade process. This restart causes events that are identical to service disruptions and component failuresthat trigger Call Home alerts to be sent. If you do not disable Call Home before you begin the upgrade, youcan ignore the alerts generated by the upgrade-related component restarts.

Outage Impacts of Direct Firmware UpgradesWhen you perform a direct firmware upgrade on an endpoint, you can disrupt traffic or cause an outage inone or more of the endpoints in the Cisco UCS instance.

Outage Impact of a Fabric Interconnect Firmware Upgrade

When you upgrade the firmware for a fabric interconnect, you cause the following outage impacts anddisruptions:



• The fabric interconnect reboots.

• The corresponding I/O modules reboot.

Outage Impact of a Cisco UCS Manager Firmware Upgrade

A firmware upgrade to Cisco UCS Manager causes the following disruptions:

• Cisco UCS Manager GUI—All users logged in to Cisco UCS Manager GUI are logged out and theirsessions ended.

Any unsaved work in progress is lost.

• Cisco UCS Manager CLI—All users logged in through telnet are logged out and their sessions ended.Console sessions are not ended.

Outage Impact of an I/O Module Firmware Upgrade

When you upgrade the firmware for an I/O module, you cause the following outage impacts and disruptions:

• For a standalone configuration with a single fabric interconnect, data traffic is disrupted when the I/Omodule reboots. For a cluster configuration with two fabric interconnects, data traffic fails over to theother I/O module and the fabric interconnect in its data path.

• If you activate the new firmware as the startup version only, the I/O module reboots when thecorresponding fabric interconnect is rebooted.

• If you activate the new firmware as the running and startup version, the I/Omodule reboots immediately.

• An I/O module can take up to ten minutes to become available after a firmware upgrade.

Outage Impact of a CIMC Firmware Upgrade

When you upgrade the firmware for a CIMC in a server, you impact only the CIMC and internal processes.You do not interrupt server traffic. This firmware upgrade causes the following outage impacts and disruptionsto the CIMC:

• Any activities being performed on the server through the KVM console and vMedia are interrupted.

• Any monitoring or IPMI polling is interrupted.

Outage Impact of an Adapter Firmware Upgrade

If you activate the firmware for an adapter and do not configure the Set Startup Version Only option, youcause the following outage impacts and disruptions:

• The server reboots.

• Server traffic is disrupted.



Summary of Steps for Upgrading from Release 1.4

If you do not follow this order, the firmware upgrade may fail and the servers may experiencecommunication issues with Cisco UCS Manager.

Note

The order of steps in this document and the recommended options minimize the disruption to data traffic.Therefore, when you upgrade from any version of Release 1.4, upgrade the components in the following order.

1 Download the following firmware images:

• Cisco UCS Infrastructure Software Bundle—Required for all Cisco UCS instances.

• Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Server Software Bundle—Required for all Cisco UCS instances thatinclude blade servers.

• Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Server Software Bundle—Only required for Cisco UCS instancesthat include integrated rack-mount servers. This bundle contains firmware to enable Cisco UCSManager to manage those servers and is not applicable to standalone C-Series rack-mount servers.

2 (Optional) Disable Call Home—If the Cisco UCS instance includes Call Home or Smart Call Home,disable Call Home to ensure you do not receive unnecessary alerts when Cisco UCS Manager restartscomponents.

3 Update adapters, CIMC, and IOMs—If you prefer, you can upgrade the adapters in a host firmware packageas part of the last upgrade step.

4 Activate adapters—Choose Ignore Compatibility Check and Set StartupVersionOnlywhen performingthis step.

5 Activate CIMC—Choose Ignore Compatibility Check when performing this step.

6 Activate Cisco UCS Manager—Choose Ignore Compatibility Check when performing this step.

7 Activate I/O modules—Choose Ignore Compatibility Check and Set Startup Version Only whenperforming this step.

8 Activate subordinate fabric interconnect—Choose Ignore Compatibility Check when performing thisstep.

9 To avoid control plane disruption, manually failover the primary fabric interconnect to the fabric interconnectthat has already been upgraded.

10 Verify that the data path has been restored.

11 Activate primary fabric interconnect—Choose Ignore Compatibility Check when performing this step.

12 Update management firmware package(s) for servers—You do not need to perform this step if you updatedand activated the CIMC on the servers directly.

13 Update host firmware package(s) for servers—Must be the last firmware upgraded. We recommend thatyou upgrade the board controller firmware during this step to avoid an additional reboot of servers withthat firmware. You must upgrade the following firmware in a host firmware package:

• BIOS

• Storage controller



• Certain adapters

14 (Optional) Enable Call Home—If you disabled Call Home before the upgrading the firmware, enable CallHome.

Required Order of Steps for Integrating a Cisco UCS Rack-Mount ServerAfter you complete the upgrade of the existing Cisco UCS components, you can integrate a Cisco UCSrack-mount server. When you integrate a rack-mount server, you must perform the steps in the followingorder:

1 If you have not already done so, configure the rack server discovery policy in Cisco UCS Manager.

2 Follow the instructions in the server installation guide for installing and integrating a rack-mount serverin a system managed by Cisco UCS Manager.

3 Wait for Cisco UCS Manager to discover the new server. If server discovery does not begin within a fewminutes, acknowledge the server.



C H A P T E R 2Completing the Prerequisites for Upgrading theFirmware


• Prerequisites for Upgrading and Downgrading Firmware, page 15

• Creating an All Configuration Backup File, page 16

• Verifying the Overall Status of the Fabric Interconnects, page 17

• Verifying the High Availability Status and Roles of a Cluster Configuration, page 18

• Verifying the Status of I/O Modules, page 18

• Verifying the Status of Servers, page 19

• Verifying the Status of Adapters on Servers in a Chassis, page 20

Prerequisites for Upgrading and Downgrading FirmwareAll endpoints in a Cisco UCS instance must be fully functional and all processes must be complete beforeyou begin a firmware upgrade or downgrade on those endpoints. You cannot upgrade or downgrade an endpointthat is not in a functional state. For example, the firmware on a server that has not been discovered cannot beupgraded or downgraded. An incomplete process, such as an FSM that has failed after the maximum numberof retries, can cause the upgrade or downgrade on an endpoint to fail. If an FSM is in progress, Cisco UCSManager queues up the update and activation and runs them when the FSM has completed successfully.

Before you upgrade or downgrade firmware in a Cisco UCS instance, complete the following prerequisites:

• Back up the configuration into an All Configuration backup file.

• For a cluster configuration, verify that the high availability status of the fabric interconnects shows thatboth are up and running.

• For a standalone configuration, verify that the Overall Status of the fabric interconnect is Operable.

• Verify that all servers, I/O modules, and adapters are fully functional. An inoperable server cannot beupgraded.


• Verify that all servers have been discovered. They do not need to be powered on or associated with aservice profile.

Creating an All Configuration Backup FileThis procedure assumes that you do not have an existing backup operation for an All Configuration backupfile.

For more information on backing up a Cisco UCS instance, see the Cisco UCS Manager GUI ConfigurationGuide and the Cisco UCS Manager CLI Configuration Guide.

Before You Begin

Obtain the backup server IP address and authentication credentials.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.Step 2 Click the All node.Step 3 In theWork pane, click the General tab.Step 4 In the Actions area, click Backup.Step 5 In the Backup Configuration dialog box, click Create Backup Operation.Step 6 In the Create Backup Operation dialog box, do the following:

a) Complete the following fields:

• Admin State field—Click theEnabled radio button to run the backup operation as soon as you clickOK.

• Type field—Click the All Configuration radio button to create an XML backup file that includesall system and logical configuration information.

• Preserve Identities check box—If the Cisco UCS instance includes any identities derived frompools that you need to preserve, check this check box.

Identities such as MAC addresses, WWNNs, WWPNs, or UUIDS are assigned at runtime. If you donot want these identities to change after you import the backup file, you must check this check box.If you do not, these identities may be changed after the import and operations such as a PXE bootor a SAN boot may no longer function.

• Protocol field—Click the one of the following radio buttons to indicate the protocol you want touse to transfer the file to the backup server:

◦ FTP

◦ TFTP

◦ SCP

◦ SFTP

• Hostname field—Enter the IP address or hostname of the location where the backup file is to bestored. This can be a server, storage array, local drive, or any read/write media that the fabric


Creating an All Configuration Backup File

interconnect can access through the network. If you use a hostname, you must configure Cisco UCSManager to use a DNS server.

• Remote File field—Enter the full path to the backup configuration file. This field can contain thefilename as well as the path. If you omit the filename, the backup procedure assigns a name to thefile.

• User field—Enter the username that Cisco UCSManager should use to log in to the backup location.You do not need to complete this field if you selected TFTP for the protocol.

• Password field—Enter the password associated with the username. You do not need to completethis field if you selected TFTP for the protocol.

b) Click OK.

Step 7 If Cisco UCS Manager displays a confirmation dialog box, click OK.If you set the Admin State field to enabled, Cisco UCS Manager takes a snapshot of the configuration typethat you selected and exports the file to the network location. The backup operation displays in the BackupOperations table in the Backup Configuration dialog box.

Step 8 (Optional) To view the progress of the backup operation, do the following:a) If the operation does not display in the Properties area, click the operation in the Backup Operations

table.b) In the Properties area, click the down arrows on the FSM Details bar.The FSM Details area expands and displays the operation status.

Step 9 Click OK to close the Backup Configuration dialog box.The backup operation continues to run until it is completed. To view the progress, re-open the BackupConfiguration dialog box.

Verifying the Overall Status of the Fabric Interconnects

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Fabric Interconnects.Step 3 Click the node for the fabric interconnect that you want to verify.Step 4 In theWork pane, click the General tab.Step 5 In the Status area, verify that the Overall Status is operable.

If the status is not operable, create and download a Tech Support file, and contact Cisco Technical Support.Do not proceed with the firmware upgrade. For more information about Tech Support files, see the CiscoUCS Manager B-Series Troubleshooting Guide.


Verifying the Overall Status of the Fabric Interconnects

Verifying the High Availability Status and Roles of a Cluster ConfigurationThe high availability status is the same for both fabric interconnects in a cluster configuration.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Fabric Interconnects.Step 3 Click the node for one of the fabric interconnects in the cluster.Step 4 In theWork pane, click the General tab.Step 5 If the fields in the High Availability Details area are not displayed, click the Expand icon to the right of the

heading.Step 6 Verify that the following fields display the following values:

Required ValueField Name

YesReady field

UpState field

If the values are different, create and download a Tech Support file, and contact Cisco Technical Support. Donot proceed with the firmware upgrade. For more information about Tech Support files, see the Cisco UCSManager B-Series Troubleshooting Guide.

Step 7 Note the value in the Leadership field to determine whether the fabric interconnect is the primary orsubordinate.You need to know this information to upgrade the firmware on the fabric interconnects.

Verifying the Status of I/O Modules

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Chassis.Step 3 Click on the chassis for which you want to verify the status of the I/O modules.Step 4 In theWork pane, click the IO Modules tab.Step 5 For each I/O module, verify that the following columns display the following values:

Desired ValueField Name

okOverall Status column


Verifying the High Availability Status and Roles of a Cluster Configuration


operableOperability column

If the values are different, create and download a Tech Support file, and contact Cisco Technical Support. Donot proceed with the firmware upgrade. For more information about Tech Support files, see the Cisco UCSManager B-Series Troubleshooting Guide.

Step 6 Repeat Steps 3 through 5 to verify the status of the I/O modules in each chassis.

Verifying the Status of ServersIf a server is inoperable, you can proceed with the upgrade for other servers in the Cisco UCS instance.However, you cannot upgrade the inoperable server.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, click Equipment.Step 3 In theWork pane, click the Servers tab to display a list of all servers in all chassis.Step 4 For each server, verify that the following columns display the following values:


ok, unassociated, or any value that does not indicatea failure.

If the value indicates a failure, such asdiscovery-failed, the endpoints on that server cannotbe upgraded.

Overall Status column


Step 5 If you need to verify that a server has been discovered, do the following:a) Right-click the server for which you want to verify the discovery status and choose Show Navigator.b) In the Status Details area of the General tab, verify that the Discovery State field displays a value of

complete.If the fields in the Status Details area are not displayed, click the Expand icon to the right of the heading.


Verifying the Status of Servers

Verifying the Status of Adapters on Servers in a Chassis

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Chassis > Chassis Number > Servers.Step 3 Click the server for which you want to verify the status of the adapters.Step 4 In theWork pane, click the Inventory tab.Step 5 In the Inventory tab, click the Adapters subtab.Step 6 For each adapter, verify that the following columns display the following values:


okOverall Status column


If the fields show a different value and the adapter is inoperable, you can proceed with the upgrade for otheradapters on the servers in the Cisco UCS instance. However, you cannot upgrade the inoperable adapter.


Verifying the Status of Adapters on Servers in a Chassis

C H A P T E R 3Downloading the Release 2.0 Firmware


• Obtaining Software Bundles from Cisco, page 21

• Downloading Firmware Images to the Fabric Interconnect from a Remote Location, page 22

• Downloading Firmware Images to the Fabric Interconnect from the Local File System, page 24

• Determining the Contents of a Firmware Package, page 25

• Canceling an Image Download, page 25

• Verifying Local Storage Space on a Fabric Interconnect, page 26

Obtaining Software Bundles from Cisco

Before You Begin

Determine which of the following software bundles you need to update the Cisco UCS instance:


• Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Server Software Bundle—Required for all Cisco UCS instances that includeblade servers.

• Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Server Software Bundle—Only required for Cisco UCS instances thatinclude integrated rack-mount servers. This bundle contains firmware to enable Cisco UCS Manager tomanage those servers and is not applicable to standalone C-Series rack-mount servers.

Procedure

Step 1 In a web browser, navigate to Cisco.com.Step 2 Under Support, click All Downloads.Step 3 In the center pane, click Unified Computing and Servers.Step 4 If prompted, enter your Cisco.com username and password to log in.Step 5 In the right pane, click the link for the software bundles you require, as follows:


http://www.cisco.com

Navigation PathBundle

Click Cisco UCS Infrastructure and UCS Manager Software> Unified Computing System (UCS) Infrastructure SoftwareBundle.

Cisco UCS Infrastructure SoftwareBundle

Click Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Server Software > UnifiedComputing System (UCS) Server Software Bundle.

Cisco UCS B-Series Blade ServerSoftware Bundle

ClickCisco UCSC-Series Rack-Mount UCS-Managed ServerSoftware >Unified Computing System (UCS) Server SoftwareBundle.

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount ServerSoftware Bundle

The Unified Computing System (UCS) Documentation Roadmap Bundle, which is accessible throughthese paths, is a downloadable ISO image of all Cisco UCS documentation.

Tip

Step 6 On the first page from which you download a software bundle, click the Release Notes link to download thelatest version of the Release Notes.

Step 7 For each software bundle that you want to download, do the following:a) Click the link for the latest release 2.0 software bundle.

The release number is followed by a number and a letter in parentheses. The number identifies themaintenance release level, and the letter differentiates between patches of that maintenance release. Formore information about what is in eachmaintenance release and patch, see the latest version of the ReleaseNotes.

b) Click one of the following buttons and follow the instructions provided:

• Download Now—Allows you to download the software bundle immediately.

• Add to Cart—Adds the software bundle to your cart to be downloaded at a later time.

c) Follow the prompts to complete your download of the software bundle(s).

Step 8 Read the Release Notes before upgrading your Cisco UCS instance.

What to Do Next

Download the software bundles to the fabric interconnect.

Downloading Firmware Images to the Fabric Interconnect from a RemoteLocation

In a cluster setup, the image file for the firmware bundle is downloaded to both fabric interconnects,regardless of which fabric interconnect is used to initiate the download. Cisco UCS Manager maintainsall firmware packages and images in both fabric interconnects in sync. If one fabric interconnect is down,the download still finishes successfully. The images are synced to the other fabric interconnect when itcomes back online.

Note


Downloading Firmware Images to the Fabric Interconnect from a Remote Location

Before You Begin

Obtain the required firmware bundles from Cisco.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, click the Equipment node.Step 3 In theWork pane, click the Firmware Management tab.Step 4 Click the Installed Firmware tab.Step 5 Click Download Firmware.Step 6 In the Download Firmware dialog box, click the Remote File System radio button in the Location of the

Image File field.Step 7 Complete the following fields:

DescriptionName

The protocol to use when communicating with the remote server. Thiscan be one of the following:

• FTP

• TFTP

• SCP

• SFTP

TFTP has a file size limitation of 32 MB. Because firmwarebundles can be much larger than that, we recommend that youdo not choose TFTP for firmware downloads.

Note

Protocol field

If the file came from a remote server, this is the IP address or hostnameof the remote server on which the files resides. If the file came from alocal source, this field displays "local".

If you use a hostname rather than an IP address, you mustconfigure a DNS server in Cisco UCS Manager.

Note

Server field

The name of the firmware file.Filename field

The absolute path to the file on the remote server.

If you use SCP, the absolute path is always required. If you use anyother protocol, you may not need to specify a remote path if the fileresides in the default download folder. For details about how your fileserver is configured, contact your system administrator.

Path field

The username the system should use to log in to the remote server. Thisfield does not apply if the protocol is TFTP.

User field

The password for the remote server username. This field does not applyif the protocol is TFTP.

Password field


Downloading Firmware Images to the Fabric Interconnect from a Remote Location

Step 8 Click OK.Cisco UCS Manager GUI begins downloading the firmware bundle to the fabric interconnect.

Step 9 (Optional) Monitor the status of the download on the Download Tasks tab.If Cisco UCS Manager reports that the bootflash is out of space, delete obsolete bundles on thePackages tab to free up space. To view the available space in bootflash, navigate to the fabricinterconnect on theEquipment tab and expand theLocal Storage Information area on theGeneraltab.

Note

Step 10 Repeat this task until all the required firmware bundles have been downloaded to the fabric interconnect.

What to Do Next

After the image file for the firmware bundles have downloaded completely, update the firmware on theendpoints.

Downloading Firmware Images to the Fabric Interconnect from the Local FileSystem

In a cluster setup, the image file for the firmware bundle is downloaded to both fabric interconnects,regardless of which fabric interconnect is used to initiate the download. Cisco UCS Manager maintainsall firmware packages and images in both fabric interconnects in sync. If one fabric interconnect is down,the download still finishes successfully. The images are synced to the other fabric interconnect when itcomes back online.

Note

Before You Begin

Obtain the required firmware bundles from Cisco.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, click the Equipment node.Step 3 In theWork pane, click the Firmware Management tab.Step 4 Click the Installed Firmware tab.Step 5 Click Download Firmware.Step 6 In the Download Firmware dialog box, click the Local File System radio button in the Location of the

Image File field.Step 7 In the Filename field, type the full path and and name of the image file.

If you do not know the exact path to the folder where the firmware image file is located, click Browse andnavigate to the file.

Step 8 Click OK.


Downloading Firmware Images to the Fabric Interconnect from the Local File System

Cisco UCS Manager GUI begins downloading the firmware bundle to the fabric interconnect.

Step 9 (Optional) Monitor the status of the firmware bundle download on the Download Tasks tab.If Cisco UCS Manager reports that the bootflash is out of space, delete obsolete bundles on thePackages tab to free up space. To view the available space in bootflash, navigate to the fabricinterconnect on theEquipment tab and expand theLocal Storage Information area on theGeneraltab.

Note

Step 10 Repeat this task until all the required firmware bundles have been downloaded to the fabric interconnect.

What to Do Next

After the image file for the firmware bundles have downloaded completely, update the firmware on theendpoints.

Determining the Contents of a Firmware Package

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, click the Equipment node.Step 3 In theWork pane, click the Firmware Management tab.Step 4 On the Packages subtab, click the + icon next to a package to view its contents.Step 5 To take a snapshot of the package contents, do the following:

a) Highlight the rows that include the image name and its contents.b) Right-click and choose Copy.c) Paste the contents of your clipboard into a text file or other document.

Canceling an Image DownloadYou can cancel the download task for an image only while it is in progress. After the image has downloaded,deleting the download task does not delete the image that was downloaded. You cannot cancel the FSM relatedto the image download task.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 Expand the Equipment node.Step 3 In theWork pane, click the Firmware Management tab.Step 4 On the Download Tasks tab, right-click the task you want to cancel and select Delete.


Determining the Contents of a Firmware Package

Verifying Local Storage Space on a Fabric Interconnect

Checking the Available Space on a Fabric InterconnectIf an image download fails, check whether the bootflash on the fabric interconnect or fabric interconnects inthe Cisco UCS has sufficient available space.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Fabric Interconnects.Step 3 Click the fabric interconnect on which you want to check the available space.Step 4 In theWork pane, click the General tab.Step 5 Expand the Local Storage Information area.

When you download a firmware image bundle, a fabric interconnect needs at least twice as much availablespace as the size of the firmware image bundle. If the bootflash does not have sufficient space, delete theobsolete firmware, core files, and other unneeded objects from the fabric interconnect.

Deleting Firmware Packages from a Fabric InterconnectUse this procedure if you want to delete an entire firmware package or bundle. If you prefer you can alsodelete one or more of the individual images in a package.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, click the Equipment node.Step 3 In theWork pane, click the Firmware Management tab.Step 4 On the Firmware Management tab, click the Packages tab.Step 5 In the table, click the package that you want to delete.

You can use the Shift key or Ctrl key to select multiple entries.

Step 6 Right-click the highlighted package or packages and choose Delete.Step 7 If the Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays a confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

Cisco UCS Manager deletes the selected package or packages and all images contained within each package.

Deleting Firmware Images from a Fabric InterconnectUse this procedure if you want to delete only a single image from a package.



Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, click the Equipment node.Step 3 In theWork pane, click the Firmware Management tab.Step 4 On the Firmware Management tab, click the Images tab.Step 5 In the table, click the image that you want to delete.

You can use the Shift key or Ctrl key to select multiple entries.

Step 6 Right-click the highlighted image or images and choose Delete.Step 7 If the Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays a confirmation dialog box, click Yes.



C H A P T E R 4Upgrading the Firmware to Release 2.0


• Summary of Steps for Upgrading from Release 1.4, page 29

• Disabling Call Home, page 30

• Updating the Firmware on the Adapters, CIMCs, and IOMs, page 31

• Activating the Firmware on the Adapters and CIMCs, page 32

• Activating the Board Controller Firmware on a Server, page 34

• Activating the Cisco UCS Manager Software to Release 2.0, page 34

• Activating the Firmware on the IOMs, page 35

• Activating the Fabric Interconnect Firmware for a Cluster Configuration, page 36

• Activating the Firmware on a Standalone Fabric Interconnect, page 42

• Updating Host and Management Firmware Packages, page 42

• Enabling Call Home, page 46

Summary of Steps for Upgrading from Release 1.4

If you do not follow this order, the firmware upgrade may fail and the servers may experiencecommunication issues with Cisco UCS Manager.

Note

The order of steps in this document and the recommended options minimize the disruption to data traffic.Therefore, when you upgrade from any version of Release 1.4, upgrade the components in the following order.

1 Download the following firmware images:


• Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Server Software Bundle—Required for all Cisco UCS instances thatinclude blade servers.


• Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Server Software Bundle—Only required for Cisco UCS instancesthat include integrated rack-mount servers. This bundle contains firmware to enable Cisco UCSManager to manage those servers and is not applicable to standalone C-Series rack-mount servers.

2 (Optional) Disable Call Home—If the Cisco UCS instance includes Call Home or Smart Call Home,disable Call Home to ensure you do not receive unnecessary alerts when Cisco UCS Manager restartscomponents.

3 Update adapters, CIMC, and IOMs—If you prefer, you can upgrade the adapters in a host firmware packageas part of the last upgrade step.

4 Activate adapters—Choose Ignore Compatibility Check and Set StartupVersionOnlywhen performingthis step.

5 Activate CIMC—Choose Ignore Compatibility Check when performing this step.

6 Activate Cisco UCS Manager—Choose Ignore Compatibility Check when performing this step.

7 Activate I/O modules—Choose Ignore Compatibility Check and Set Startup Version Only whenperforming this step.

8 Activate subordinate fabric interconnect—Choose Ignore Compatibility Check when performing thisstep.

9 To avoid control plane disruption, manually failover the primary fabric interconnect to the fabric interconnectthat has already been upgraded.

10 Verify that the data path has been restored.

11 Activate primary fabric interconnect—Choose Ignore Compatibility Check when performing this step.

12 Update management firmware package(s) for servers—You do not need to perform this step if you updatedand activated the CIMC on the servers directly.

13 Update host firmware package(s) for servers—Must be the last firmware upgraded. We recommend thatyou upgrade the board controller firmware during this step to avoid an additional reboot of servers withthat firmware. You must upgrade the following firmware in a host firmware package:

• BIOS

• Storage controller

• Certain adapters

14 (Optional) Enable Call Home—If you disabled Call Home before the upgrading the firmware, enable CallHome.

Disabling Call HomeThis step is optional.

When you upgrade a Cisco UCS instance, Cisco UCS Manager restarts the components to complete theupgrade process. This restart causes events that are identical to service disruptions and component failuresthat trigger Call Home alerts to be sent. If you do not disable Call Home before you begin the upgrade, youcan ignore the alerts generated by the upgrade-related component restarts.


Disabling Call Home

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.Step 2 On the Admin tab, expand All > Communication Management > Call Home.Step 3 In theWork pane, click the General tab.Step 4 In the Admin area, click off in the State field.

If this field is set to off, Cisco UCS Manager hides the rest of the fields on thistab.

Note

Step 5 Click Save Changes.

Updating the Firmware on the Adapters, CIMCs, and IOMs

Do not remove the hardware that contains the endpoint or perform any maintenance on it until the updateprocess has completed. If the hardware is removed or otherwise unavailable due to maintenance, thefirmware update fails. This failure may corrupt the backup partition. You cannot update the firmware onan endpoint with a corrupted backup partition.

Caution

Before You Begin

Before you begin this procedure, answer the following questions to determine the appropriate type of upgradefor each of these endpoints:

• Are all endpoints configured with the same backup version? If yes, continue with the next question. Ifno, update all backup versions to the same firmware version before continuing.

• Does the service profile associated with one or more of the servers include a host or management firmwarepackage? If yes, update the firmware for that server through the firmware packages. You can update allother firmware and servers through this procedure. If no, continue with the next question.

If you want to update the firmware for a server directly, you must remove all host and managementfirmware packages from the associated service profiles. Removing the firmware from the host ormanagement firmware package does not enable you to update them directly.

• Does the server include a Cisco UCS gen-2 adapter? If yes, you must update the adapter firmware forthat server through the host firmware package. If no, you can use this procedure for that server.

Even if you answered yes to either of the last two questions for some servers, you can use this procedure toupdate any servers for which you answered no.


Updating the Firmware on the Adapters, CIMCs, and IOMs

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, click the Equipment node.Step 3 In theWork pane, click the Firmware Management tab.Step 4 On the Installed Firmware subtab, click Update Firmware.

Cisco UCS Manager GUI opens the Update Firmware dialog box and verifies the firmware versions for allendpoints in the Cisco UCS instance. This step may take a fewminutes, depending upon the number of chassisand servers.

Step 5 In the Update Firmware dialog box, do the following:a) From the Filter drop-down list on the menu bar, choose ALL.

If you would prefer to update one type of endpoint at a time, choose that endpoint from theFilter drop-downlist.

b) From the Set Version drop-down list on the menu bar, choose the version for the current 2.0 release.c) Click Apply to begin the updates and leave the dialog box open so you can monitor the progress of the

updates to each endpoint.If one or more endpoints cannot be directly updated, Cisco UCSManager displays a notification message.After you acknowledge the notification message, Cisco UCS Manager updates the firmware for all otherendpoints on servers that can be directly updated.

d) If the Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays a confirmation message, review the message and click OK.Cisco UCS Manager copies the selected firmware image to the backup memory partition and verifies that theimage is not corrupt. The image remains as the backup version until you explicitly activate it. Cisco UCSManager begins all updates at the same time. However, some updates may complete at different times.

The update is complete when theUpdate Firmware dialog box displays ready in theUpdate Status columnfor all updated endpoints.

Step 6 When the backup versions for the components on all servers that can be directly updated are at Release 2.0,click OK to close the dialog box.

What to Do Next

Activate the firmware.

Activating the Firmware on the Adapters and CIMCsThis procedure ensures that the firmware activation for these endpoints causes minimal disruption to datatraffic. If you do not activate the endpoints in the following order with the correct options configured, theendpoints may reboot and cause a temporary disruption in data traffic.


Activating the Firmware on the Adapters and CIMCs

Do not select ALL from the Filter drop-down list in the Activate Firmware dialog box to activate allendpoints simultaneously.Many firmware releases and patches have dependencies that require the endpointsto be activated in a specific order for the firmware update to succeed. This order can change dependingupon the contents of the release or patch. Activating all endpoints does not guarantee that the updatesoccur in the required order and can disrupt communications between the endpoints, the fabric interconnects,and Cisco UCS Manager. For information about the dependencies in a specific release or patch, see therelease notes provided with that release or patch.

Caution

This procedure continues directly from the previous one and assumes you are on the FirmwareManagementtab.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Installed Firmware tab, choose Activate Firmware.If one or more of the selected endpoints are not configured with the desired version as the backup version,Cisco UCS Manager GUI does not display that version in the Set Version drop-down list. You must selectthe version from the Startup Version column for each individual endpoint.

Step 2 If the adapter firmware is not updated through a host firmware package in a service profile, do the followingin the Activate Firmware dialog box to activate the adapter firmware:a) From the Filter drop-down list, choose Adapters.b) From the Set Version drop-down list, choose the version for the current 2.0 release.c) Check the Ignore Compatibility Check check box.

The firmware for this release is not compatible with previous releases. Therefore, you must check theIgnore Compatibility Check check box to ensure that the activation succeeds.

d) Check the Set Startup Version Only check box.During a direct upgrade, you should configure Set Startup Version Only for an adapter. Withthis setting, the activated firmware moves into the pending-next-boot state, and the server is notimmediately rebooted. The activated firmware does not become the running version of firmwareon the adapter until the server is rebooted. You cannot configure Set Startup Version Only foran adapter in the host firmware package.

Note

e) Click Apply.When the Activate Status column for all adapters displays pending-next-boot or ready, continue withStep 3.

If a server is not associated with a service profile, the activated firmware remains in the pending-next-bootstate. Cisco UCS Manager does not reboot the endpoints or activate the firmware until the server isassociated with a service profile. If necessary, you can manually reboot or reset an unassociated server toactivate the firmware.

Step 3 If the CIMC firmware is not updated through a management firmware package in a service profile, do thefollowing in the Activate Firmware dialog box to activate the CIMC firmware:a) From the Filter drop-down list, choose CIMC.b) From the Set Version drop-down list, choose the version for the current 2.0 release.

If one or more of the selected endpoints are not configured with the desired version as the backup version,Cisco UCSManager GUI does not display that version in the Set Version drop-down list. You must selectthe version from the Startup Version column for each individual endpoint.

c) Check the Ignore Compatibility Check check box.


Activating the Firmware on the Adapters and CIMCs

d) Click Apply.The activation of firmware for a CIMC does not disrupt data traffic. However, it will interrupt all KVMsessions and disconnect any vMedia attached to the server.

When the Activate Status column for all CIMC components displays ready continue with Step 4.

Step 4 Click OK.

Activating the Board Controller Firmware on a ServerOnly certain servers, such as the Cisco UCS B440 High Performance blade server and the Cisco UCS B230blade server, have board controller firmware. The board controller firmware controls many of the serverfunctions, including eUSBs, LEDs, and I/O connectors.

This procedure continues from the previous one and assumes that you are on the Installed Firmware tab.

This activation procedure causes the server to reboot. Depending upon whether or not the service profileassociated with the server includes a maintenance policy, the reboot can occur immediately. To reducethe number of times a server needs to be rebooted during the upgrade process, we recommend that youupgrade the board controller firmware through the host firmware package in the service profile.

Note

Procedure

Step 1 On the Installed Firmware subtab, click Activate Firmware.Cisco UCS Manager GUI opens the Update Firmware dialog box and verifies the firmware versions for allendpoints in the Cisco UCS instance. This step may take a fewminutes, depending upon the number of chassisand servers.

Step 2 From theFilter drop-down list on themenu bar of theActivate Firmware dialog box, selectBoardController.Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays all servers that have board controllers in the Activate Firmware dialogbox.

Step 3 From the Set Version drop-down list on the menu bar of the Activate Firmware dialog box, choose theversion for the current 2.0 release.

Step 4 Check the Ignore Compatibility Check check box.Step 5 Click OK.

Activating the Cisco UCS Manager Software to Release 2.0This procedure continues directly from the previous one and assumes you are on the FirmwareManagementtab.


Activating the Board Controller Firmware on a Server

Procedure


Step 2 From the Filter drop-down list, choose UCS Manager.Step 3 On the UCS Manager row of the Activate Firmware dialog box, do the following:

a) From the drop-down list in the Startup Version column, choose the version for the current 2.0 release.b) Check the Ignore Compatibility Check check box.

Step 4 Click OK.Cisco UCS Manager disconnects all active sessions, logs out all users, and activates the software. When theupgrade is complete, you are prompted to log back in.

Activating the Firmware on the IOMsThis procedure ensures that the firmware activation for these endpoints causes minimal disruption to datatraffic. If you do not activate the endpoints in the following order with the correct options configured, theendpoints may reboot and cause a temporary disruption in data traffic.

Do not select ALL from the Filter drop-down list in the Activate Firmware dialog box to activate allendpoints simultaneously.Many firmware releases and patches have dependencies that require the endpointsto be activated in a specific order for the firmware update to succeed. This order can change dependingupon the contents of the release or patch. Activating all endpoints does not guarantee that the updatesoccur in the required order and can disrupt communications between the endpoints, the fabric interconnects,and Cisco UCS Manager. For information about the dependencies in a specific release or patch, see therelease notes provided with that release or patch.

Caution

This procedure continues directly from the previous one and assumes you are on the FirmwareManagementtab.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Installed Firmware tab, choose Activate Firmware.If one or more of the selected endpoints are not configured with the desired version as the backup version,Cisco UCS Manager GUI does not display that version in the Set Version drop-down list. You must selectthe version from the Startup Version column for each individual endpoint.

Step 2 To activate the IOM firmware, do the following in the Activate Firmware dialog box:a) From the Filter drop-down list, choose IO Modules.b) From the Set Version drop-down list, choose the version for the current 2.0 release.c) Check the Ignore Compatibility Check check box.


Activating the Firmware on the IOMs

d) Check the Set Startup Version Only check box.When you configure Set Startup VersionOnly for an I/Omodule, the I/Omodule is rebootedwhen the fabric interconnect in its data path is rebooted. If you do not configure Set StartupVersion Only for an I/O module, the I/O module reboots and disrupts traffic. In addition, ifCisco UCS Manager detects a protocol and firmware version mismatch between the fabricinterconnect and the I/O module, Cisco UCSManager automatically updates the I/O modulewith the firmware version that matches the firmware in the fabric interconnect and thenactivates the firmware and reboots the I/O module again.

Important

e) Click Apply.When the Activate Status column for all IOMs displays pending-next-boot, continue with Step 3.

Step 3 Click OK.

Activating the Fabric Interconnect Firmware for a Cluster ConfigurationTo minimize the disruption to data traffic, always upgrade the subordinate fabric interconnect and ensure itis up and running before you upgrade the primary fabric interconnect.

Activating the Firmware on a Subordinate Fabric Interconnect

Before You Begin

Determine which fabric interconnect in the cluster is the subordinate fabric interconnect. For more information,see Verifying the High Availability Status and Roles of a Cluster Configuration, on page 18.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, click the Equipment node.Step 3 In theWork pane, click the Firmware Management tab.Step 4 On the Installed Firmware subtab, click Activate Firmware.


Step 5 From the Filter drop-down list on the menu bar, choose Fabric Interconnects.Step 6 On the menu bar, check the Ignore Compatibility Check check box.Step 7 On the row of the Activate Firmware dialog box for the subordinate fabric interconnect, do the following:

a) In the Kernel row, choose the version for the current 2.0 release from the drop-down list in the StartupVersion column.

b) In the System row, choose the version for the current 2.0 release from the drop-down list in the StartupVersion column.

Step 8 Click Apply.


Activating the Fabric Interconnect Firmware for a Cluster Configuration

Cisco UCS Manager updates and activates the firmware and reboots the fabric interconnect and any I/Omodule in the data path to that fabric interconnect, disrupting data traffic to and from that fabric interconnect.However, assuming the Cisco UCS instance is configured to permit traffic and port failover, data traffic failsover to the primary fabric interconnect and is not disrupted.

Step 9 Verify the high availability status of the subordinate fabric interconnect.If theHigh Availability Details area for the fabric interconnect does not show the following values,contact Cisco Technical Support immediately. Do not continue to update the primary fabricinterconnect.

Note


YesReady field

UpState field

What to Do Next

Log into the subordinate fabric interconnect and verify that the data path is ready and has returned to normaloperation. If the data path is not ready and the servers have not failed back over to the subordinate fabricinterconnect, data traffic may be disrupted when you activate the primary fabric interconnect.

If the high availability status of the subordinate fabric interconnect contains the required values and the datapath has returned to normal operation, update and activate the primary fabric interconnect.

Forcing a Fabric Interconnect FailoverThis operation can only be performed in the Cisco UCS Manager CLI.

You must force the failover from the primary fabric interconnect.

Procedure

PurposeCommand or Action

Displays the state of fabric interconnects in the cluster andwhether the cluser is HA ready.

UCS-A# show cluster stateStep 1

Enters local management mode for the cluster.UCS-A# connect local-mgmtStep 2

Changes the subordinate fabric interconnect to primaryusing one of the following commands:

UCS-A (local-mgmt) # cluster{force primary | lead {a | b}}

Step 3

force

Forces local fabric interconnect to become the primary.

lead

Makes the specified subordinate fabric interconnect theprimary.




The following example changes fabric interconnect b from subordinate to primary:UCS-A# show cluster stateCluster Id: 0xfc436fa8b88511e0-0xa370000573cb6c04

A: UP, PRIMARYB: UP, SUBORDINATE

HA READYUCS-A# connect local-mgmtCisco Nexus Operating System (NX-OS) SoftwareTAC support: http://www.cisco.com/tacCopyright (c) 2002-2011, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.The copyrights to certain works contained in this software areowned by other third parties and used and distributed underlicense. Certain components of this software are licensed underthe GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.0 or the GNULesser General Public License (LGPL) Version 2.1. A copy of eachsuch license is available athttp://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.php andhttp://www.opensource.org/licenses/lgpl-2.1.php

UCS-A(local-mgmt)# cluster lead bUCS-A(local-mgmt)#

Verifying that the Data Path is ReadyBefore you continue to the next step in the upgrade, you must verify that the data path for the new the primaryfabric interconnect has been restored and is ready to handle data traffic.

Verifying that Dynamic vNICs Are Up and Running

When you upgrade a Cisco UCS that includes dynamic vNICs and an integration with VMware vCenter, youmust verify that all dynamic VNICs are up and running on the new primary fabric interconnect before youactivate the new software on the former primary fabric interconnect to avoid data path disruption.

Perform this step in the Cisco UCS Manager GUI.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the VM tab.Step 2 On the VM tab, expand All > VMware > Virtual Machines.Step 3 Expand the virtual machine for which you want to verify the dynamic vNICs and choose a dynamic vNIC.Step 4 In theWork pane, click the VIF tab.Step 5 On the VIF tab, verify that the Status column for each VIF is Online.Step 6 Repeat Steps 3 through 5 until you have verified that the VIFs for all dynamic vNICs on all virtual machines

have a status of Online.



Verifying the Ethernet Data Path

Procedure


Enters NX-OS mode for the fabric interconnect.UCS-A /fabric-interconnect # connectnxos {a | b}

Step 1

Returns the number of active Ethernet interfaces.UCS-A(nxos)# show int br | grep -vdown | wc –1

Step 2

Verify that this number matches the number of Ethernetinterfaces that were up prior to the upgrade.

Returns the total number of MAC addresses.UCS-A(nxos)# showplatform fwm infohw-stm | grep '1.' | wc –1

Step 3

Verify that this number matches the number of MACaddresses prior to the upgrade.

The following example returns the number of active Ethernet interfaces and MAC addresses for subordinatefabric interconnect A so that you can verify that the Ethernet data path for that fabric interconnect is up andrunning:

UCS-A /fabric-interconnect # connect nxos aUCS-A(nxos)# show int br | grep -v down | wc -l86UCS-A(nxos)# show platform fwm info hw-stm | grep '1.' | wc -l80

Verifying the Data Path for Fibre Channel End-Host Mode

For best results when upgrading a Cisco UCS instance, we recommend that you perform this task before youbegin the upgrade and after you activate the subordinate fabric interconnect, and then compare the two results.

Procedure



Step 1

Displays a table of flogi sessions.UCS-A(nxos)# show npv flogi-tableStep 2

Returns the number of servers logged into the fabricinterconnect.

UCS-A(nxos)# show npv flogi-table |grep fc | wc -1

Step 3

The output should match the output you receivedwhen you performed this verification prior tobeginning the upgrade.



The following example displays the flogi-table and number of servers logged into subordinate fabric interconnectA so that you can verify that the Fibre Channel data path for that fabric interconnect in Fibre Channel End-Hostmode is up and running:

UCS-A /fabric-interconnect # connect nxos aUCS-A(nxos)# show npv flogi-table--------------------------------------------------------------------------------SERVER EXTERNALINTERFACE VSAN FCID PORT NAME NODE NAME INTERFACE--------------------------------------------------------------------------------vfc705 700 0x69000a 20:00:00:25:b5:27:03:01 20:00:00:25:b5:27:03:00 fc3/1vfc713 700 0x690009 20:00:00:25:b5:27:07:01 20:00:00:25:b5:27:07:00 fc3/1vfc717 700 0x690001 20:00:00:25:b5:27:08:01 20:00:00:25:b5:27:08:00 fc3/1

Total number of flogi = 3.

UCS-A(nxos)# show npv flogi-table | grep fc | wc -l3

Verifying the Data Path for Fibre Channel Switch Mode

For best results when upgrading a Cisco UCS instance, we recommend that you perform this task before youbegin the upgrade and after you activate the subordinate fabric interconnect, and then compare the two results.

Procedure



Step 1

Displays a table of flogi sessions.UCS-A(nxos)# show flogi databaseStep 2

Returns the number of servers logged into the fabricinterconnect.

UCS-A(nxos)# show flogi database |grep –I fc | wc –1

Step 3

The output should match the output you receivedwhen you performed this verification prior tobeginning the upgrade.

The following example displays the flogi-table and number of servers logged into subordinate fabric interconnectA so that you can verify that the Fibre Channel data path for that fabric interconnect in Fibre Channel End-Hostmode is up and running:

UCS-A /fabric-interconnect # connect nxos aUCS-A(nxos)# show flogi database--------------------------------------------------------------------------------INTERFACE VSAN FCID PORT NAME NODE NAME--------------------------------------------------------------------------------vfc726 800 0xef0003 20:00:00:25:b5:26:07:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:07:00vfc728 800 0xef0007 20:00:00:25:b5:26:07:04 20:00:00:25:b5:26:07:00vfc744 800 0xef0004 20:00:00:25:b5:26:03:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:03:00vfc748 800 0xef0005 20:00:00:25:b5:26:04:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:04:00vfc764 800 0xef0006 20:00:00:25:b5:26:05:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:05:00vfc768 800 0xef0002 20:00:00:25:b5:26:02:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:02:00vfc772 800 0xef0000 20:00:00:25:b5:26:06:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:06:00vfc778 800 0xef0001 20:00:00:25:b5:26:01:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:01:00



Total number of flogi = 8.UCS-A(nxos)# show flogi database | grep fc | wc -l8

Activating the Firmware on a Primary Fabric InterconnectThis procedure continues directly from the previous one and assumes you are on the FirmwareManagementtab.

Before You Begin

Activate the subordinate fabric interconnect.

Procedure


Step 2 From the Filter drop-down list on the menu bar, choose Fabric Interconnects.Step 3 On the menu bar, check the Ignore Compatibility Check check box.Step 4 On the row of the Activate Firmware dialog box for the primary fabric interconnect, do the following:



Step 5 Click Apply.Cisco UCS Manager updates and activates the firmware and reboots the fabric interconnect and any I/Omodule in the data path to that fabric interconnect, disrupting data traffic to and from that fabric interconnect.However, assuming the Cisco UCS instance is configured to permit traffic and port failover, data traffic failsover to the other fabric interconnect, which becomes the primary. When it comes back up, this fabricinterconnect is the subordinate fabric interconnect.

Step 6 Verify the high availability status of the fabric interconnect.If theHigh Availability Details area for the fabric interconnect does not show the following values,contact Cisco Technical Support immediately.

Note


YesReady field

UpState field



Activating the Firmware on a Standalone Fabric InterconnectFor a standalone configuration with a single fabric interconnect, you can minimize the disruption to data trafficwhen you perform a direct firmware upgrade of the endpoints. However, youmust reboot the fabric interconnectto complete the upgrade and, therefore, cannot avoid disrupting traffic.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.Step 2 On the Equipment tab, click the Equipment node.Step 3 In theWork pane, click the Firmware Management tab.Step 4 On the Installed Firmware subtab, click Activate Firmware.


Step 5 From the Filter drop-down list, choose Fabric Interconnects.Step 6 On the menu bar, check the Ignore Compatibility Check check box.Step 7 On the row of the Activate Firmware dialog box for the fabric interconnect, do the following:



Step 8 Click OK.

Cisco UCS Manager activates the firmware and reboots the fabric interconnect and any I/O module in thedata path to that fabric interconnect. For a standalone fabric interconnect, this disrupts all data traffic in theCisco UCS instance.

Updating Host and Management Firmware Packages

Effect of Updates to Host Firmware Packages and Management Firmware PackagesTo update firmware through a host firmware package or a management firmware package, you need to updatethe firmware in the package. What happens after you save the changes to a host or management firmwarepackage depends upon how the Cisco UCS instance is configured.

The following table describes the most common options for upgrading servers with a host or managementfirmware package.


Activating the Firmware on a Standalone Fabric Interconnect

Upgrade ActionsMaintenance PolicyService Profile

After you update the firmware package, do one ofthe following:

• To reboot and upgrade some or all serverssimultaneously, follow the procedure in theCisco UCSManager configuration guides forthe appropriate release to add the firmwarepackage to one or more service profiles thatare associated with servers or to an updatingservice profile template.

• To reboot and upgrade one server at a time,do the following for each server:

1 Create a new service profile and includethe firmware package in that serviceprofile.

2 Dissociate the server from its serviceprofile.

3 Associate the server with the new serviceprofile.

4 After the server has been rebooted and thefirmware upgraded, disassociate the serverfrom the new service profile and associateit with its original service profile.

If the original service profileincludes a scrub policy, thisprocedure may result in dataloss when the disk or the BIOSis scrubbed upon associationwith the new service profile.

Caution

No maintenancepolicy

Host or management firmwarepackage is not included in aservice profile or an updatingservice profile template.

OR

You want to upgrade thefirmware without making anychanges to the existing serviceprofile or updating serviceprofile template.

The following occurs when you update thefirmware package:

1 The changes to the firmware package take effectas soon as you save them.

2 CiscoUCSManager verifies themodel numbersand vendor against all servers associated withservice profiles that include this policy. If themodel numbers and vendor match a firmwareversion in the policy, Cisco UCS Managerreboots the servers and updates the firmware.

All servers associated with service profiles thatinclude the firmware package are rebooted at thesame time.

No maintenancepolicy

OR

A maintenance policyconfigured forimmediate updates.

Host or management firmwarepackage is included in one ormore service profiles, and theservice profiles are associatedwith one or more servers.

OR

Host or management firmwarepackage is included in anupdating service profiletemplate, and the serviceprofiles created from thattemplate are associated withone or more servers.




Upgrade ActionsMaintenance PolicyService Profile


1 Cisco UCS Manager asks you to confirm yourchange and advises that a user-acknowledgedreboot of the servers is required.

2 Click the flashing Pending Activities button toselect the servers you want to reboot and applythe new firmware.

3 CiscoUCSManager verifies themodel numbersand vendor against all servers associated withservice profiles that include this policy. If themodel numbers and vendor match a firmwareversion in the policy, Cisco UCS Managerreboots the server and updates the firmware.

Amanual reboot of the servers does not cause CiscoUCS Manager to apply the firmware package, nordoes it cancel the pending activities. You mustacknowledge or cancel the pending activity throughthe Pending Activities button.

Configured for useracknowledgment


OR



1 Cisco UCS Manager asks you to confirm yourchange and advises that a user-acknowledgedreboot of the servers is required.

2 Click the flashing Pending Activities button toselect the servers you want to reboot and applythe new firmware.

3 CiscoUCSManager verifies themodel numbersand vendor against all servers associated withservice profiles that include this policy. If themodel numbers and vendor match a firmwareversion in the policy, Cisco UCS Managerreboots the server and updates the firmware.

Amanual reboot of the servers does not cause CiscoUCS Manager to apply the firmware package, nordoes it cancel the scheduled maintenance activities.

Configured forchanges to take effectduring a specificmaintenance window.


OR


Updating a Management Firmware PackageIf the policy is included in one or more service profiles associated with a server and those service profiles donot include maintenance policies, Cisco UCS Manager updates and activates the management firmware in



the server with the new versions and reboots the server as soon as you save the management firmware packagepolicy

Before You Begin

Ensure that the appropriate firmware has been downloaded to the fabric interconnect.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Servers tab.Step 2 On the Servers tab, expand Servers > Policies.Step 3 Expand the node for the organization that includes the policy you want to update.

If the system does not include multitenancy, expand the root node.

Step 4 ExpandManagement Firmware Packages and choose the policy you want to update.Step 5 In theWork pane, click the General tab.Step 6 In the firmware table, do the following:

a) In the Select column, ensure that the check box for the appropriate lines are checked.b) In the Vendor,Model, and PID columns, verify that the information matches the servers you want to

update with this package.The model and model number (PID) must match the servers that are associated with this firmware package.If you select the wrong model or model number, Cisco UCS Manager cannot install the firmware update.

c) In the Version column, choose the firmware version to which you want to update the firmware.

Step 7 Click Save Changes.Cisco UCSManager verifies the model numbers and vendor against all servers associated with service profilesthat include this policy. If the model numbers and vendor match a firmware version in the policy, Cisco UCSManager updates the firmware according to the settings in the maintenance policies included in the serviceprofiles.

Updating a Host Firmware PackageYou must upgrade the BIOS and storage controller firmware through the host firmware package when youupgrade to Release 2.0. If you do not upgrade those packages, the servers may experience communicationissues with Cisco UCS Manager and the CIMC.

If the policy is included in one or more service profiles associated with a server and those service profilesdo not include maintenance policies, Cisco UCSManager updates and activates the firmware in the serverand adapter with the new versions and reboots the server as soon as you save the host firmware packagepolicy.

Caution

This procedure assumes that the host firmware package already exists and that you have upgraded Cisco UCSManager to the current 2.0 release. For information on how to create a host firmware package or on how toupdate an existing one in a previous release , see the appropriate Cisco UCS Manager GUI ConfigurationGuide for the release that Cisco UCS Manager is running.



Before You Begin

Before you update a host firmware package, do the following:

• Upgrade Cisco UCS Manager and the fabric interconnects.

• Determine an appropriate maintenance window to reduce the impact of the disruption of data trafficwhen the server reboots.

• Ensure you know the firmware version and model number (PID) for the servers or servers.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Servers tab.Step 2 On the Servers tab, expand Servers > Policies.Step 3 Expand the node for the organization that includes the policy you want to update.

If the system does not include multitenancy, expand the root node.

Step 4 Expand Host Firmware Packages and choose the policy you want to update.Step 5 On each subtab of the General tab, do the following for each type of firmware you want to include in the

package:a) In the Select column, ensure that the check box for the appropriate lines are checked.b) In the Vendor,Model, and PID columns, verify that the information matches the servers you want to

update with this package.The model and model number (PID) must match the servers that are associated with this firmware package.If you select the wrong model or model number, Cisco UCS Manager cannot install the firmware update.

The information in the Present column lets you know whether that firmware exists in the Cisco UCSinstance.

c) In the Version column, choose the version for the current 2.0 release.

Step 6 Click Save Changes.Cisco UCSManager verifies the model numbers and vendor against all servers associated with service profilesthat include this policy. If the model numbers and vendor match a firmware version in the policy, Cisco UCSManager updates the firmware according to the settings in the maintenance policies included in the serviceprofiles.

Enabling Call HomeThis step is optional. You only need to enable Call Home if you disabled it before you began the firmwareupgrades.


Enabling Call Home

Procedure

Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.Step 2 On the Admin tab, expand All > Communication Management > Call Home.Step 3 In theWork pane, click the General tab.Step 4 In the Admin area, click on in the State field.

If this field is set to On, Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays the rest of the fields on thistab.

Note

Step 5 Click Save Changes.


Enabling Call Home


Enabling Call Home

P A R T IIHardware Upgrades• Upgrading Cisco UCS Hardware, page 51

C H A P T E R 5Upgrading Cisco UCS Hardware


• Upgrading Fabric Interconnects, page 51

• Upgrading I/O Modules, page 60

Upgrading Fabric Interconnects

Fabric Interconnect Upgrade ConsiderationsBe sure the following prerequisites are met before beginning any procedures in this section:

All software and firmware on all components must be upgraded to the latest software release and buildavailable before attempting an upgrade. UCS software version 2.0 is the bare minimum version for theCisco UCS 6248 UP. The new Cisco UCS 6248 UP fabric interconnects must be loaded with the samebuild version that is on the Cisco UCS 6100 fabric interconnect it will replace.

Caution

If you intend to implement the fabric port channel feature available in UCS software version 2.0 afterperforming the hardware upgrade, you may need to rearrange the cabling between I/O module and FabricInterconnect before performing the feature configuration. Fabric port channel will require that all physicallinks from a given I/O module physically connect to a contiguous block of ports (1-8 or 9-16, and so on).See http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10281/products_installation_and_configuration_guides_list.html.

Caution

• Upgrading the fabric interconnect should be done before upgrading to a new IO Module or virtualinterface card.

• Do not attempt to implement new software features from the newUCS software version until all requiredhardware is installed.

• Changes to the topology like number of server or uplink connections should be performed after the fabricinterconnect upgrade is complete.




• Make a detailed record of the cabling between IO Modules and fabric interconnects using the providedtable. You will need to preserve the physical port mapping to maintain the server pinning alreadyconfigured and minimize down time. See Table 1: Fabric Interconnect Port Connection Record, on page56.

• For a cluster configuration, both fabric interconnects must have symmetrical connection topologiesbetween fabric interconnect and IO Modules.

• Standalone installations should expect down time. Upgrading a fabric interconnect is inherently trafficdisruptive.

• A best practice would be to perform a full configuration and software backup before preforming thishardware upgrade.

Port Mapping for Upgrades

The upgrade described here is primarily for upgrading a Cisco UCS 6120 fabric interconnect to a Cisco UCS6248. If you have a Cisco UCS 6140 fabric interconnect that has 48 or less physical ports connected, you willalso be able to utilize these steps, the same principles will apply though you will have to manually map anyports connected to slot 3 on a UCS 6140 as the UCS 6248 has no slot 3.

Fixed Ports

On the UCS 6120 fabric interconnect, the fixed ports on slot 1 are all ethernet ports, which might be furtherconfigured as Server ports or uplink Ethernet ports. On the UCS 6248 fabric interconnect, you can separatethe 32 physical ports in slot one into two contiguous pools, low numbered ports being Ethernet ports and highnumbered ports being Fibre Channel ports. When upgrading to a UCS 6248, the UCS 6120 port mappingscan be directly carried over on fixed ports with no reconfiguration required.

Since a UCS 6140 has 40 ports on slot 1 and a UCS 6248 has 32 slots, any ports currently configured onports 1/33 to 1/40 of the UCS 6140 will have to be moved during the upgrade process.

Note

If you ever need to change the pool sizes for slot 1 this will require a reboot of the fabric interconnectwhich can lead to a service disruption. If you ever need to change the pool sizes for slot 2 this will requirea reset of the expansion module in slot 2. To minimize disruption, plan to have at least a few Ethernetuplink and Fibre Channel uplink ports configured on Slot 1. Implement this fail safe after the upgrade iscomplete and the system re-stabilizes.

Caution

Figure 1: Cisco UCS 6248 Port Numbering



Slot 1, 16 expansion universal ports2Slot 1, 32 fixed universal ports1

Expansion Ports

On the UCS 6120 fabric interconnect, the expansion slot port types depend on which of four possible expansionmodules are installed. On the UCS 6248 fabric interconnect, you can separate the 16 physical ports into twopools, low numbered ports being Ethernet ports and high numbered ports being Fibre Channel, see the CiscoUCS Manager configuration guides. When upgrading to a UCS 6248, expansion module port mappings mayneed to be pre-provisioned before powering up the new interconnect.

Any expansion ports in slot 3 of a UCS 6140 fabric interconnect will need to have their configurationdeleted and their use re-mapped to ports on slots 1 or 2 of the new UCS 6248.

Note

• If you have an N10-E0080 or N10-E0060 Fibre channel expansion module in your UCS 6120, theexisting fibre channel configurations can simply carry over to the new UCS 6248, though this may notbe appropriate for all situations as it will mean that all ports in slot two are fibre channel. If you wantreconfigure the ports in 2/1 to 2/8 to use ports 2/9 to 1/16, do so after the upgrade is completed.

Figure 2: Cisco UCS 6120 Port Numbering when Configured with the N10-E0080 Expansion Module

Slot 2 Fibre Channel ports 1 through 8CSlot 1, ports 1 through 8:10-Gigabit or 1 Gigabit Ethernetcapable ports

A

Slot 1, ports 1 through 20:10-Gigabit Ethernet ports

B






Slot 2 Fibre Channel ports 1 through 6CSlot 1, ports 1 through 8:10-Gigabit or 1 Gigabit Ethernetcapable ports

A


B

• If you have an N10-E0600 Fibre channel expansion module in your UCS 6120, the existing Ethernetconfigurations can simply carry over to the UCS 6248, with ports 2/7 to 2/16 potentially configurablefor either Ethernet or FC.


Slot 2 10-Gigabit Ethernet ports 1 through 6CSlot 1, ports 1 through 8:10-Gigabit or 1 Gigabit Ethernetcapable unencrypted ports

A


B



• If you have an N10-E0440 expansion module in your UCS 6120, the simplest direct mapping would beto allow Ethernet ports 2/1 to 2/4 on the UCS 6248 to carry over, then remap the fibre channel ports tonew port numbers on either slot 1 or slot 2.


Slot 2 10-Gigabit Ethernet ports 1 through 4CSlot 1, ports 1 through 8:10-Gigabit or 1 Gigabit Ethernetcapable ports

A

Slot 2 Fibre Channel ports 1 through 4DSlot 1, ports 1 through 20:10-Gigabit Ethernet ports

B



Fabric Interconnect Port Connection Record

Table 1: Fabric Interconnect Port Connection Record

Connected toFabricInterconnectA/B

Connection NotesPortChannelGroup

LAN or SANPin Group

PortIOMChassisPortSlot

11

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19





LAN or SANPin Group


20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32





LAN or SANPin Group


12

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Upgrading a Fabric Interconnect Cluster

If your UCS 6120 fabric interconnect uses a N10-E0440 expansion module, or if you are migrating a UCS6140 with an expansion module in slot 3, pre-plan their deletion and re- mapping following the guidelinesin the previous section on port maps.

Caution



Unless otherwise noted, for more information about how to perform configuration procedures in Cisco UCSManager for a particular step, see the Cisco UCS Manager configuration guide for the appropriate release.

Procedure

Step 1 Mount the replacement fabric interconnects into either the same rack or an adjacent rack.Refer to the Cisco UCS 6200 Series Installation Guide for details.

Step 2 Using either the UCS manager CLI or GUI, verify the state (subordinate or active) of the fabric interconnects.See Verifying the High Availability Status and Roles of a Cluster Configuration, on page 18.

Step 3 Back up the software configuration information and the UCS Manager software.Step 4 Disable the server ports on the subordinate fabric interconnect.Step 5 Power down the subordinate fabric interconnect by unplugging it from the power source.

If you are monitoring the upgrade using a KVM session, you may need to reconnect the KVM session whenyou power down the fabric interconnect.

Step 6 Disconnect the cables from the chassis IO Modules or fabric extenders to the subordinate fabric interconnectports in slot 1 on the old fabric interconnect.

Step 7 Connect these cables into the corresponding ports on slot 1 of one of the new Cisco UCS 6248 UP fabricinterconnects, using the connection records to preserve the port mapping and the configured server pinning.See Fabric Interconnect Port Connection Record, on page 56.

See Fabric Interconnect Upgrade Considerations, on page 51.

Step 8 Disconnect the L1/L2, M1 management, and Console cables on the old fabric interconnect.The ports for these connections are on the opposite side of the interconnect, so if your cables are just barelylong enough to connect two rack-adjacent UCS 6120 interconnects you will probably need new cables.

Step 9 Connect the M1 management, and Console cables to the new Cisco UCS 6248 UP.Step 10 Connect the L1/L2 cables that were disconnected onto the new Cisco UCS 6248 UP.

L1 connects to L1, L2 connects to L2.

Step 11 Disconnect the Ethernet or FC cables from slot 2 of the old fabric interconnect.Step 12 Connect the Ethernet or FC cables to the corresponding ports in slot 2 of the new Cisco UCS 6248 UP.Step 13 Connect the power to the new Cisco UCS 6248 UP, it will automatically boot and run POST tests.

Directly connect the console cable to a terminal and observe the boot sequence. you should atsome point see the Basic System Configuration Dialog, where you will configure the switch asa subordinate interconnect. If you do not see this dialog, you either have different builds ofsoftware on your old primary and new subordinate, of the new subordinate has previously beenpart of a cluster and will need to have all configuration information wiped before it can be addedto a cluster as a subordinate. In either case, immediately disconnect the L1 and L2 connectionsand complete the bringup as a standalone fabric interconnect, then correct the issue beforeproceeding further.

Important

Step 14 (Optional) Remap UCS 6100 fabric interconnect FC ports 2/1 to 2/4 on a N10-E0440 expansion module orany slot 3 ports onto the new fabric interconnect expansion module.a) Use UCS Manager to delete the ports on the subordinate fabric interconnect that you will need to move

within the configuration.b) For each port you have just deleted, create new ports on either slot 1 or slot 2. These ports must use the

same port type definitions as the old ports, but will use different port numbers.




c) For recently moved Ethernet server ports, reconfigure the associated service profile to use the new portnumber for the appropriate LAN pin group.

d) For recently moved uplink Ethernet ports, reconfigure the port channel settings to use the new ports.e) For recently moved uplink FC ports, reconfigure the associated service profile SAN pin group to use the

new ports.

Step 15 Re-acknowledge chassis for blade servers and fabric extender for rack servers.Step 16 The new subordinate fabric interconnect will automatically synchronize the software version and configuration

from the primary fabric interconnect and the virtual switch.Software synchronization between primary and subordinate fabric interconnect can take several minutes.

The port configuration is copied from the virtual subordinate switch to the new hardware.

Step 17 Verify that the data path is ready.See Verifying that the Data Path is Ready, on page 38.

Make sure all faults are resolved before proceeding.

a) Verify and if necessary reconfigure the SAN pin group for FC ports in the associated service profile.b) Verify and if necessary reconfigure the LAN pin group for Ethernet ports in the associated service profile.c) Verify and if necessary reconfigure the port channel for uplink Ethernet ports.

Step 18 Enable the server ports that had been disabled in Step 4.a) If you have changed port mappings, you may need to reacknowledge the chassis or rack server connected

to the subordinate fabric interconnect.b) Verify and if necessary reconfigure Ethernet ports as server ports.

Step 19 Promote the subordinate fabric interconnect to active, and repeat the process on the second Cisco UCS 6248UP.Cable the second new fabric interconnect identically to the first, and allow the reconfiguration done to beapplied to the second new fabric interconnect as well.

See Forcing a Fabric Interconnect Failover, on page 37.

Upgrading I/O Modules

I/O Module Upgrade ConsiderationsBe sure the following prerequisites are met before beginning any procedures in this section:

All software and firmware on all components must be upgraded to the latest software release available beforeattempting an upgrade. UCS software version 2.0 is the bare minimum version for the UCS 2208XP I/OModule.

• Do not attempt to implement new software features from the newUCS software version until all requiredhardware is installed.

• Make a detailed record of the cabling between I/O Modules and fabric interconnects. You will need topreserve the physical port mapping to maintain the server pinning already configured and minimizedown time.



• For a cluster configuration, both fabric interconnects must have symmetrical connection topologiesbetween fabric interconnect and I/O module.

• Standalone installations should expect down time. Upgrading an I/O module will be inherently trafficdisruptive.

• When performing hardware upgrades to implement features new to UCS software version 2.0, upgradethe fabric interconnect, then the I/O module, then the adapter in the blade server.

• Cisco I/O modules only support one, two, four, and (UCS 2208 only) eight link topologies between I/Omodule and fabric interconnect. If there is a link failure on one of the links, UCS falls back to the nextlargest possible topology with regards to blade to fabric port mapping. If this ever happens,re-acknowledge the chassis, and manually re-map the fabric ports. It is recommended during thereplacement of a fabric interconnect that you have all ports connected to the fabric interconnect beforethe configuration sync.

• A best practice would be to perform a full configuration and software backup before performing thishardware upgrade.

• If you intend to implement the fabric port channel feature available in UCS software version 2.0, youmay need to rearrange the cabling between I/O module and fabric interconnect before performing thefeature configuration. Fabric port channel will require that all physical links from a given I/O modulephysically connect to a contiguous block of ports (1-8 or 9-16, and so on). See the Cisco UCS Managerconfiguration guides.

I/O Module Port Connection Record

Table 2: I/O Module Port Connection Record

Connected toI/O Module

Connection NotesPortSlotFabricInterconnectA or B

PortNumber

11

2

3

4

5

6

7

8





Connected toI/O Module

Connection NotesPortSlotFabricInterconnectA or B

PortNumber

12

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Upgrading an I/O Module

Procedure

Step 1 Connect to the cluster’s fabric interconnect console port, and verify the state (subordinate or active) of thefabric interconnects.

Step 2 Make a detailed record of the port mapping of the connections between the fabric interconnects and the I/Omodules.

Step 3 Disconnect the 10GbE cables connecting the chassis I/O module to the subordinate fabric interconnect on theI/O module side.

Step 4 Loosen the captive screws on the old I/O module’s levers.Step 5 Pull the levers outward to unseat the old I/O module.Step 6 Make sure that the two levers at the front of the new I/O module are pulled open.Step 7 Slide the new I/O module into the I/O module slot, ensuring that the new I/O module is fully seated.Step 8 Close the levers and tighten the captive screw on each lever.Step 9 Connect the 10GbE cables into the appropriate ports on the new Cisco UCS 2208UP I/O Module, using the

connection records to preserve the port mapping and the configured server pinning.Step 10 If you have changed port mappings, you may need to reacknowledge the I/O Module, fabric extender, or rack

server connected to the subordinate fabric interconnect.See the Cisco UCS Manager configuration guides.

Step 11 Promote the subordinate fabric interconnect to active, and repeat steps 2 to 9 on the second Cisco UCS 2208UP.




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