How to Configure Cisco UCS Management

Products

• CA Automation Suite for Clouds
• CA Automation Suite for Data Centers - Configuration Automation
• CA Server Automation

Issue/Introduction

1.0 Introduction

2.0 How to Configure the Cisco UCS Management Components
2.1 Review Requirements
  2.1.1 Cisco UCS Server
2.2 Interaction Between Cisco UCS Management Components
2.3 Add a Cisco UCS to the Manager
2.4 Server Connection to the Manager Failed
2.5 Register a UCS AIM Server
2.6 Troubleshoot the AIM Instance Connection
  2.6.1 The AIM Instance Status Icon Shows Discovery in Progress
  2.6.2 The AIM Instance Status Icon Shows No Polling
  2.6.3 The AIM Instance Status Icon Shows Error
  2.6.4 The AIM Instance Status Icon Shows Disabled
2.7 Verify the Cisco UCS in the Resources Tree

3.0 Copyright

1.0 Introduction

Product: CA Server Automation

Release: 12.7

OS: All supported Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2

This document describes how a system administrator configures Cisco UCS management components.

This Knowledge Base Article constitutes a portion of the official CA product documentation for this CA product. This Knowledge Base Article is subject to the following notices, terms and conditions.

2.0 How to Configure the Cisco UCS Management Components

The following diagram provides an overview of the required actions to configure the management components. The diagram includes corresponding troubleshooting strategies in case of connection problems.

<Please see attached file for image>

A Cisco UCS Manager running on the switch provides management functionality for networking, storage, and blades, and also supports virtualization.

CA Server Automation interacts with Cisco UCS to query UCS device information including hardware resource, and health and device statistics. CA Server Automation supports Cisco UCS using a UCS AIM and PMM.

Follow these steps:

1. Review Requirements and Requirements for Cisco UCS Server.
2. Review Interaction between Cisco UCS Management Components.
3. Add a Cisco UCS to the Manager.
4. Troubleshoot if Server Connection to the Manager Failed.
5. Add the UCS AIM Server.
6. Troubleshoot the AIM Instance Connection.
7. Verify the Cisco UCS in the Resources Tree.

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2.1 Review Requirements

Review the following requirements before you start configuring the management components of CA Server Automation:

• You are familiar with TCP/IP, SNMP, web services, and Windows Server operating systems.
• You are familiar with CA Server Automation, SystemEDGE, and your environment.
• You can access a CA Server Automation manager installation that includes:
  • Platform Management Module (PMM)
  • Application Insight Module (AIM)
  • Monitoring Agent (SystemEDGE)
• You can access the CA Server Automation user interface.
• You have valid credentials (user name and password) to access the servers in the environment that you want to manage.
• You know which protocol (HTTP or HTTPS) and port to use to access the server in your environment through web services. Default: HTTPS, Port: 443.
• You verified that the servers in your environment are running properly.
• If the PMM and AIM are installed on different systems, verify that the SNMP settings on the PMM and AIM systems are consistent. Read and write community strings and SNMP port number must be identical.
• You verified that the CA Server Automation manager discovered remote AIM Servers that you want to use.

More information:

Cisco UCS Server

2.1.1 Cisco UCS Server

Verify the following conditions for Cisco UCS management:

• Launch the Cisco Java user interface to verify that the Cisco UCS Manager is running. The link to launch the Cisco Java user interface is http://<UCS_Manager_name> or https://<UCS_Manager_name>.

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2.2 Interaction Between Cisco UCS Management Components

Cisco UCS integration requires the UCS AIM for SystemEDGE to provide SNMP get/set requests for retrieving UCS devices and statistic data and configuring devices. The UCS Platform Management Module (PMM) also queries UCS devices and statistic information and stores the data in the Management DB. Cisco provides an XML API for interaction with the Cisco UCS Manager.

The API allows CA Server Automation to gain access to the hardware, statistics, pools (UUID, MAC, WWPN, WWNN), and the UCS Manager service profiles information.

<Please see attached file for image>

The diagram shows the integration components for the Cisco UCS. The communication protocol between the UCS Adapter and Cisco UCS manger is HTTP or HTTPS.

The XML API also provides the ability to configure certain device properties and perform pools and service profile management. Pools and Service Profile Management are one of the use cases that CA Server Automation manages across multiple UCS Managers to detect pool range conflicts.

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2.3 Add a Cisco UCS to the Manager

You can add a Cisco UCS Manager server using the Administration page of the user interface.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the CA Server Automation user interface from the Start menu. Click Administration, Configuration.

   The Configuration page appears.

2. Select Cisco UCS from the Provisioning section in the left pane.
3. Click

   <Please see attached file for image>

   (Add) on the Cisco UCS pane toolbar.

   The Add Cisco UCS dialog appears.

4. Enter the required connection data (server name, user, password, port), specify the preferred AIM, enable Managed Status (checkbox).
5. Enter the required server identification information, and click OK.

   If the network connection is established successfully, the Server is added to the top right pane with a green status icon.

   Note:If the connection fails, the Validation Failed dialog appears. Click Yes, CA Server Automation adds the Server to the list with a red status icon. If you click No, nothing is added.

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2.4 Server Connection to the Manager Failed

Symptom:

After I have added a Server connection under Administration, Configuration, the validation of the connection to the Server failed.

Solution:

The following procedures address the most common issues which can cause a connection failure:

• Verify, if the used Server connection data is still valid. If necessary, update the connection data.
• Verify, if the Server system is running and accessible.
• Verify, if the Management Service on the Server system is running properly.

To update the Server connection data:

1. Click

   <Please see attached file for image>

   (Add) or

   <Please see attached file for image>

   (Edit) that is associated with the failed connection.
2. Add the connection details, enable Managed Status, and click OK.

   The connection data is updated.

3. Click

   <Please see attached file for image>

   (Validate) in the upper-right corner to validate the new settings.

   If the connection to the Server cannot be established, continue with the next procedure.

To verify if the Server system is running and accessible:

1. Open a command prompt on the CA Server Automation manager system and run the following commands:

   nslookup <Server Name>ping <IP Address of Server>

2. Verify the output of the commands to find out whether the Server has a valid DNS entry and IP address.

   If the Server is not in the DNS, add the Server to the Windows hosts file on the CA Server Automation manager system. Continue with Step 3.

   If the Server is in the DNS, continue with Step 4.

3. Open the hosts file in the %windir%\system32\drivers\etc directory with an ASCII editor and add the following line:

   ipaddress <Server Name>

   Enter the correct IP address and Server name. For example:

   192.168.50.50 myServer

4. Click

   <Please see attached file for image>

   (Validate) in the upper-right corner.

   If the Server credentials and connection data are correct and you can ping the Server, the connection can still fail. In this case, it is possible that the Server causes the problem. If the connection to the Server cannot be established, continue with the next procedure.

To verify, if the Management Service on the Server system is running properly:

1. Contact the Administrator to access the Server system.
2. Log in to the Server system and open Administrative Tools, Services from the Start menu.

   The Services window opens.

3. Select the service and start or restart the service.
4. Change to the CA Server Automation user interface, Server pane on the manager system and click

   <Please see attached file for image>

   (Validate) in the upper-right corner.

   CA Server Automation validates the Server connection.

   If the connection to the Server fails, verify the validity of the data you gathered according to the requirements for this scenario.

   Work with the administrator or support to fix the Server connection problem.

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2.5 Register a UCS AIM Server

After adding a Cisco UCS component to the CA Server Automation manager, add the AIM instance using the Administration page of the user interface to manage the Cisco UCS environment.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the CA Server Automation user interface from the Start menu. Click Administration, Configuration.

   The Configuration page appears.

2. Select Cisco UCS from the Provisioning section in the left pane.
3. Click

   <Please see attached file for image>

   (Add) on the Cisco UCSs AIM Instances pane toolbar.

   The Add Cisco UCS AIM Instance appears.

4. Select the UCS AIM Server from the drop-down list.

   The list of UCS AIM Servers appears.

5. Select the UCS Server from the drop-down list and enter SNMP access identification information.

   CA Server Automation populates the UCS Server drop-down list with the UCS AIM Servers listed in the Cisco UCS pane. You can only manage those UCS Servers for which your CA Server Automation manager has a valid connection established.

   Note: If the AIM resides on a remote system, CA Server Automation must discover the system first. After the Discovery, the AIM server appears in the drop-down list.

6. Click OK.

   A new AIM instance for the selected Server is registered.

   Note: If the instance is not in an error or in a stopped state, CA Server Automation starts to discover the associated environment. When the Discovery process is complete, you can start managing the Cisco UCS environment.

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2.6 Troubleshoot the AIM Instance Connection

If the AIM Connection is in not-ready status, one of the following status icons appears:

<Please see attached file for image>

Discovery in progress

<Please see attached file for image>

No polling

<Please see attached file for image>

Error

<Please see attached file for image>

Warning

<Please see attached file for image>

Disabled

<Please see attached file for image>

Unknown

See the tooltips for more information about the AIM Instance status. The following troubleshooting sections provide detailed information and procedures to solve the issue.

2.6.1 The AIM Instance Status Icon Shows Discovery in Progress

Symptom:

After I add an AIM instance for a Server under Administration, Configuration, the status icon shows

<Please see attached file for image>

(Discovery in progress).

Solution:

Wait until the Discovery process of the environment has completed. The discovery duration depends on the amount of managed objects that are related to virtual and physical resources in your environment. You can hover the cursor over the icon to display a tooltip that indicates the number of outstanding discovery requests. When the discovery job finishes, CA Server Automation adds a Server folder to the resources tree. Then you can start managing your environment.

2.6.2 The AIM Instance Status Icon Shows No Polling

Symptom:

After I add an AIM instance under Administration, Configuration, the status icon shows

<Please see attached file for image>

(No polling).

Solution:

No specific actions are required for the associated instance. This icon indicates that the CA Server Automation manager does not poll this AIM. The AIM is not the preferred one.

If more than one AIM is configured to manage a particular server, PMM selects one of the AIMs as the current AIM. If you like to use another AIM, you can set the preferred AIM under Administration, Configuration, Provisioning. Click Edit of the server entry and select the preferred AIM. The preferred AIM becomes the current AIM.

2.6.3 The AIM Instance Status Icon Shows Error

Symptom:

After I have added an AIM instance under Administration, Configuration, the status icon shows

<Please see attached file for image>

(Error). Unable to connect to the AIM.

Solution:

The following procedures address the most common issues which can cause a connection failure to the AIM:

• Verify if the AIM Server is accessible.
• Verify if SystemEDGE is running. Start or restart SystemEDGE if necessary.

To verify if the AIM server system is accessible:

1. Open a command prompt on the CA Server Automation manager system and run the following commands:

   ping servername

2. Verify the output of the commands to find out whether the AIM server has a valid DNS entry and IP address.

   If the AIM server is not in the DNS, add the AIM server to the Windows hosts file on the CA Server Automation manager system. Continue with Step 3.

   If the Server is in the DNS, continue with Step 4.

3. Open the hosts file in the %windir%\system32\drivers\etc directory with an ASCII editor and add the following line:

   ipaddress servername

   Enter the correct IP address and AIM server name. For example:

   192.168.50.51 myAIM

4. Click

   <Please see attached file for image>

   (Validate) in the upper-right corner of the AIM Server pane.

   If the error status remains unchanged, continue with the next procedure.

To verify if SystemEDGE is running:

1. Log in to the AIM server and run sysedge.cpl from the %windir%\Program Files\CA\SystemEdge\bin directory.

   The SystemEDGE Control Panel appears, showing the running state of SystemEDGE.

2. Start or restart SystemEDGE.

   Wait until the SystemEDGE Control Panel indicates that SystemEDGE is running.

3. Change to the CA Server Automation user interface, AIM Server pane on the manager system and click

   <Please see attached file for image>

   (Validate) in the upper-right corner.

   CA Server Automation validates the AIM Server connection.

   If the error status remains unchanged, verify the validity of the data you gathered according to the requirements for this scenario.

2.6.4 The AIM Instance Status Icon Shows Disabled

Symptom:

After CA Server Automation has discovered AIM instances in the network, the status icons of several instances show

<Please see attached file for image>

(Disabled). This AIM instance is not managed.

This status appears, if CA Server Automation discovers an AIM with the following relationships:

• The AIM is configured for a Server that has a valid connection to the CA Server Automation manager but is in unmanaged state.
• The AIM is connected to a Server that has not been configured.

Solution:

To change the status of the AIM instance to ready, do one of the following:

• Add the missing Server connection to the CA Server Automation manager.
• Edit the existing Server connection and change its managed status to enabled.

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2.7 Verify the Cisco UCS in the Resources Tree

After a successful configuration and discovery, the newly discovered resources are listed in the Resources, Explore pane under the corresponding group.

Follow these steps:

1. Click Resources, and open the Explore pane.
2. Expand Cisco UCS group.

   The managed Cisco UCS resources appear.

CA Server Automation is now ready to manage the configured Cisco UCS environment.

3.0 Copyright

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Environment

Release:
Component: DPMAIM