Setting up Cisco UCS blades involves several steps, here’s a general overview of the process:
- Prepare the Hardware: Check that all the necessary hardware components are present, such as the Cisco UCS chassis, blades, power supplies, and fabric interconnects. Make sure that all the components are properly connected and cabled.
- Prepare the Network: Configure the network settings on the fabric interconnects, including the IP addresses, subnet masks, and default gateways. Verify that the fabric interconnects are connected to the network and can communicate with each other.
- Configure the Fabric Interconnects: Using the Cisco UCS Manager GUI, configure the fabric interconnects. This includes creating vLANs (virtual LANs) and vSANs (virtual Storage Area Networks) for the blades, and configuring the SAN fabric and LAN fabric.
- Create a Service Profile Template: A service profile template defines the hardware and software configuration for a blade. This template can be used as a starting point for creating multiple service profiles for the blades.
- Create Service Profiles: Using the service profile template, create a new service profile for each blade. This service profile includes specific configuration settings for the blade, such as the MAC address and WWN (World Wide Name) of the HBA (Host Bus Adapter).
- Associate the Service Profile with a Blade: Once the service profile is created, it must be associated with a physical blade. This can be done by selecting the service profile in the Cisco UCS Manager GUI and assigning it to the blade in the chassis.
- Configure the LAN and SAN Connectivity: The LAN and SAN connectivity must be configured for the service profile. This includes configuring the vNICs (Virtual Network Interface Card) and vHBAs (Virtual Host Bus Adapter) for the blade.
- Apply Firmware Updates: Once the service profile is associated with a blade, the firmware on the blade can be updated to match the firmware version specified in the service profile template.
- Power on the Blades: Once the service profile is configured, the blades can be powered on and booted using the service profile.
- Monitor the Blades: After the blades are up and running, monitor their performance and make any necessary adjustments to the service profiles.