Cisco UCS - step by step configuration

As mentioned I don't go into too much details on my post since i think there are a lot of other great blogs and vendor documentation out there.  Here is my short bullet point task list.   If I am missing anything please let me know.

Set equipment policies:

• Equipment tab -> equipment - > policies tab
• Chassis/fex discovery policy
• Action = 4 ports
• Link grouping preference = port channel
• Power policy = grid

Configure server/uplink port:

• Equipment tab -> select FI-A/B -> expand -> fixed modules
• Configure the appropriate unconfigured ports as “Server” (connections between IOM and Fabric Interconnect) and “Uplink” (connection to network)

Configure FC storage ports

• Equipment tab
• All the way bottom, select FI A
• Right hand side select Configure unified ports
• Run slider to end of fiber storage ports you need
• This will reboot FIA, after reboot re-login.
• Select FI B
• Perform same steps

Create Port Channels:

• Setup ports as uplink ports
• LAN TAB
• Fabric - Port Channels
• Setup port channel ..set same PORT ID on both Fis
• SAN TAB ( will not be creating port channel due to connection to Brocade)
• San Cloud -> Fabric A -> Under general tab select "create Port Channel"

Create VSANs: (brocade):

• SAN > SAN Cloud > Fabric A > VSANs (both Fabric A & B)
• Create VSAN
• Select the specific Fabric A or B (not common)!
• Assign VSAN to FC uplinks
• Equipment tab -> Fabric interconnect A & B -> Fixed modules -> FC ports
• Select FC port
• Under general tab click drop down for VSAN.
• Select VSAN which is associated to FI.

Upgrade firmware

• . An “*.A.bin” file and a “*.B.bin” file. The “*.B.bin” file contains all of the firmware for the B-Series blades. The “*.A.bin” file contains all the firmware for the Fabric Interconnects, I/O Modules and UCS Manage
• Equipment tab -> Eqiupment -> Firmware management
• Download firmware
• Update firmware (view progress under Firmware auto install -> general tab, or press Apply to view status in same window))
• Adapters
• CIMC
• IOMs
• Activate firmware in the following order:  Choose “Ignore Compatibility Check” anywhere applicable.
• Adapters
• UCS manager
• I/O Modules
•  Choose “skip validation” anywhere applicable. Make sure to uncheck “Set startup version only”, since this is an initial setup and we aren’t concerned with rebooting running hosts
• Activate subordinate FI and then primary FI

Create sub-organization

This is optional to create specific organizational servers/pools/policies for instance ESXi, SQL, Windows etc

• Right click and root directory, select Create organization
• Specify name

Create KVM IP pool:

• Lab tab -> pools -> root -> IP Pools -> IP Pool ext-mgmt
• Create block of IPv4 Addresses
• Specify IP range

Create Server pool

• Servers tab -> Pools -> Sub-Organization -> <Custom> -> Server pools
• Create server pool

Create UUID suffix pool

• Servers tab -> Pools -> Sub-Organization -> <custom> -> UUID Suffix Pool
• Create UUID suffix pool
• Create Suffixes

Create MAC pool

• For each suborganization create 2 groups of MAC pools. 1 for FI-A and 1 for FI-B
• LAN TAB: -> Pools -> Root -> MAC Pools
• Create new pool for A
• Create block
• Create new pool for B

Create HBA pools:

• SAN TAB:
• Pools -> root -> sub-organization -> WWNN Pools
• Create WWNN pool
• Add double the amount since each server will have two HBA's
• For WWPN we will again create separate pools for FI-A and FI-B:
• Pools -> root -> sub-organization -> WWPN Pools
• Create WWNN pool for FI-A
• Create WWNN pool for FI-B
• 
  

Create VLANS:

• LAN TAB -> Lan -> Lan Cloud -> VLANs
• Create new VLANs
• Provide name and ID

Create vNICs templates:

• LAB TAB -> LAN -> Policies -> root -> Sub-organization -> vNIC templates
• Create vNIC template (this is again done for each FI-A and FI-B

Create VHBAs templates:

• SAN TAB -> Policies -> root -> sub-organizations -> vHBA templates
• Create vHBA Templates for both FI-A & FI-B

Create a Service Profile Templates:

Servers tab -> Servers -> Service Profiles -> root -> Sub-organizations

• Create service profile template

Under networking select expert.

Click Add

Select Use vNIC template

Storage, select Local storage SD card policy

Select WWNN assignment policy

Select Expert connectivity

Create vHBA

Next zoning, leave defaults since we using Brocades

Set PCI ORDER

Select vMedia to use, default

Server boot order, select boot policy create for SDCard

Select Maintenance policy create earlier

Select server assignment

Operational Policies

Set Bios policy

Deploy service profile from template

Servers tab -> Service profile template -> root -> sub-organizations

Right click server profile template and select "create service profiles from template"

Select naming prefix

Configure call home:

Admin tab -> Communication Management -> call home

Turn on and fill in the requirements

In profiles tab add "callhome@cisco.com" to Profile CiscoTAC-1

Under call home policies add the following to provide a good baseline

Configure NTP:

Admin tab -> Time zone management

Add NPT servers

Backup configuration:

Admin tab -> ALL -> Backup configuration on right hand side pane

Select "create backup operations

Admin state = enables

Select location = local file system

For setting policies i created another blog:

http://virtualrealization.blogspot.com/2015/05/cisco-ucs-set-policies.html