Prepare UCS Servers

This chapter describes how to configure and prepare UCS servers for iNode Manager software installation.

Install and Configure iNode Manager Cluster

To install and configure the Cisco iNode Manager cluster, do the following:

  1. UCS Server Installation

  2. Update Firmware

  3. Configure Boot Drives

  4. Configure Data Drives

  5. Install the VMware ESXi Hypervisor

  6. Reboot ESXi Host and Set Boot Device

UCS Server Installation

Procedure

Step 1

Rack mount the servers.

For more details, refer the Cisco UCS C220 M5 Server Installation and Service Guide.

Step 2

Ensure that both power supplies are connected on each server and power on the servers.

Step 3

Connect the network cables.

  • For CIMC, use the 1-Gb Ethernet dedicated management port.

  • For ESXi Host Management, use the Ethernet Port 1 of the Dual 1Gb/10Gb Intel X550T onboard NIC.

  • For iNode Manager data, connect port 1 of the Intel XL710 40G NIC in PCIe Slot 1 to the SP Router/Leaf Switch using Cisco QSFP-40G-SR4.

Step 4

Connect the UCS KVM console adapter or connect a keyboard and a monitor directly to the server.

Step 5

Configure the Cisco IMC through the KVM console and update the Network Settings

Update Firmware

Download the latest Hardware Update Utility for the UCS C220 M5 server from the Cisco Software Download site. The Utility helps you to update the CIMC, BIOS, and device firmware for storage controllers, network adapters, SSDs, and other components.

Configure Boot Drives

Procedure

Step 1

Enable the Cisco MSTOR Boot Optimized M.2 RAID Controller.

Step 2

Create RAID 1 virtual drive from 2 x M.2 SSD drives.

Step 3

Set Stripe Size to 64 KB.

Configure Data Drives

Procedure

Step 1

Enable Cisco 12G SAS Modular RAID Controller.

Step 2

Create RAID 5 enabled virtual drive using 4 x SSDs.

Step 3

Set Stripe Size to 64 KB.

Step 4

Set the Write Cache Policy to Write Back with Good BBU.

Install the VMware ESXi Hypervisor

Procedure

Step 1

Install VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 on the M.2 RAID 1 Virtual Drive (Boot Drive).

Use the Cisco Custom ISO: VMware-ESXi-7.0.3d-19482537-Custom-Cisco-4.2.2-a.iso

Step 2

Set a password for the root user per the installation process.

Step 3

Reboot the VMware ESXi host according to the installation process.

Reboot ESXi Host and Set Boot Device

Procedure

Step 1

Interrupt the boot process with F2 after the host resets and boot into the BIOS.

Step 2

Under the Boot Options tab set the Boot Option #1 to the UEFI target: VMWARE ESXi

Step 3

Disable all other boot options.

Step 4

Save changes and exit.

Step 5

Confirm whether the host boots directly into VMware ESXi.

Add ESXi Hosts to vSphere Virtual Infrastructure

Procedure

Step 1

Configure ESXi host management networking.

  1. Log in to the ESXi host through the DCUI with the root account.

  2. Configure the Management Network: Update IP configuration, DNS configuration, custom DNS suffixes, and VLAN ID (if necessary).

Step 2

Add ESXi hosts to the VMware vCenter server.

  1. In VMware vCenter, create a new, dedicated cluster for iNode Manager.

    Do not enable DRS or any HA features.

  2. Add each new iNode Manager ESXi host to the new iNode Manager cluster.

Step 3

Configure and enable required ESXi host features.

  1. Configure time on the host: Enable NTP.

  2. Apply ESXi host licenses.

  3. Create a new data store on the data drive storage device.

Step 4

Configure VM networking.

  1. Ensure VMware vSwitch connectivity to the physical switch.

  2. Create a PortGroup and vSwitch for the K8s cluster node VM management network.

Note

 

For Multinode deployment, ensure that the network name setup is similar across UCS hosts for ease of use and configuration.