Symptoms
For ISE 3.x software images on SNS servers 36xx or 37xx, which are more than 10GB in size, below re-image options seem to fail.
- Re-image using KVM console (mapping vDVD), fails
- Re-image using CIMC (mapping vDVD), fails
- Using bootable USB flash created using LiveCDCreator tool, fails. (Use Balena Etcher)
- Re-image using HTTP by mapping the vmedia fails.
- Re-image using CIFS by mapping the vmedia fails.
Diagnosis
Reason for this failure is currently not known. However, below BIOS and BMC/CIMC versions seems to help a bit.
BIOS version "SNS-36xx-BIOS-4-0-4q-0_ISE.cap"
BMC/CIMC version "upd-pkg-SNS-36xx-cimc.full.4.0.4m.bin".
use of any new version while re-image might give you "Pane is dead" error message.
Note: Upgrade SNS 37xx BIOS image as per recommended version and method.
Solution
Quick solution is to re-image using NFS share method by mapping the vmedia works. Takes approx. 2 hours to re-image. Below are the detailed steps,
Configure NFS server on windows 10 machine.
Download WinNFSd.exe from the link below,
https://github.com/winnfsd/winnfsd/releases/download/2.4.0/WinNFSd.exe
WinNFSd is a Network File System V3 (NFS) server for Windows. it is much faster than shared folders.
- Copy the file into a folder, C:\NFS\WinNFSd.exe
- Create new folder (NFS share folder) with any name. (eg ISE)
- Copy the ISE .iso image in the share folder.
- Connect the laptop NIC card directly to CIMC port and assign IP address to laptop NIC in the same subnet as the server CIMC.
- Open PowerShell
- You need to bind the WinNFSd to specific windows machine ip address, PS C:\NFS> .\WinNFSd.exe -addr <server-ip-addr> C:\nfs\ise\ /ise
- If prompted, allow the NFS server port and IP through the windows firewall.
- Server will start and listen on configured ip address.
Login to CIMC
Click on Navigation icon -> Compute -> Remote Management -> Virtual Media
Under Current Mappings, Click on Add New Mapping. Fill in the details as below,
Volume: image (any name)
Mount Type: NFS
Remote Share: (server-ip:/share-name)
Remote File: <ise iso image.iso>
Mount Option: nolock (default, don’t change)
Click Save.
Click Save.
Launch KVM
Power Cycle (warm reboot server)
Press F6 for boot options.
Select Cisco CIMC-Mapped vDVD1.24
Installation starts.
Optionally, ssh into the server CIMC ip address.
Login
Scope sol
Connect host
This will give you detailed installation steps.
