This port will cover the following areas:
- Create and Implement Service Profiles
- Create and Implement Policies
- Create and Implement Server Resource Pools
- Implement Updating and Initial Templates
- Implement Boot From remote storage
- Implement Fabric Failover
There are two types of service profiles;ones that inherit server identity and ones that override server identity. The override type allows the service profile to be disassociated from a given server and re-associated to a different one. I believe that the override type is also called Stateless Computing.
Override type is done using pools and policies.
Here are the resources that can be used:
- MAC, WWxN addresses and UUIDs
- Ethernet and FC adapter profile polices
- Firmware package policies
- OS boot order policies
Service Profile Template
Pretty self explanatory. One note is the ability to clone a template. There are two type; initial and updating template. The updating template will automatically update any service profile that were created from the template.
Polices
Policies are used in many places in UCS and they determine how UCS components behave in certain circumstances. I don't think there is any point in documenting each of the polices because there are so many. I will make it a point to be sure that I've touched them all and that I have a good understanding.
Pools
Pools are collections of phyiscal or logical resources in the system. Each of the three main components in UCS (Servers, LAN and SAN) have pools:
Servers
- Server Pools
- UUID Suffix
- IP Pools
- MAC Pools
- IQN (ISCSI)
- WWNN
- WWPN
- WWxN
I'm assuming this only includes FC and ISCSI (no NFS because I don't see that on the blueprint). I think the boot from SAN (FC) is fairly straightforward (I really need to be able to do it without really thinking at all) but ISCSI is pretty involved. So...
ISCSI boot
These steps are taken from the UCS ISCSI Boot Example Doc - http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10281/products_configuration_example09186a0080bfcb0a.shtml
2. Create an ISCSI vNIC to act as a placeholder. Use the ISCSI vNIC that was used in step 1 as the Overlay vNIC. The VLAN should also be the VLAN used in step 1.
3. Go to the boot order and modify the policy. Use the name if the vNIC that you created for ISCSI. The set the ISCSI boot parameters.
Fabric Failover
Fabric failover essentially allows a server adapter to have a connection that can be quickly and automatically moved from one FI to another. Fabric failover is not supported for Ethernet Switch mode. Also some adapters do not support failover such as the 82598KR-CI adapter.
Failover for the adapter is set from the Server tab for the vNIC.
How fabric failover is used is set from the LAN tab using a Network Control Policy
• Link Down— Changes the operational state of a vNIC to down
when uplink connectivity is lost on the fabric interconnect, and
enables fabric failover for vNICs.
• Warning— Maintains server-to-server connectivity even when
no uplink port is available, and disables fabric failover
