Recommended tools and resources for upgrading CIMC firmware on Cisco U

[caroljankins5]

I'm currently working on a Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) and I'm trying to upgrade the firmware on the Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC). However, I'm not quite sure where to start or what the best practices are for performing this upgrade.

Firstly, I'm not quite sure which version of the CIMC firmware I need to upgrade to. I've checked the release notes for my server and the CIMC, but I'm not quite sure which version is the best fit for my specific needs.

Secondly, I'm not sure if there are any compatibility issues that I need to be aware of when upgrading the CIMC firmware. I'm currently running UCS Manager version 4.0 and I'm not sure if this version is compatible with the latest version of the CIMC firmware.

Finally, I'm not quite sure how to perform the actual upgrade. I've seen some documentation that suggests using the UCS Manager interface to perform the upgrade, while other sources suggest using the CIMC Web interface.

As someone who is relatively new to working with Cisco UCS and CIMC, I would greatly appreciate any advice or guidance on how to perform this firmware upgrade. Are there any specific tools or resources that are recommended for this process, or any best practices that I should keep in mind? Thank you in advance for your help!

[Leo Laohoo]

Try this:  CIMC Upgrade – 8540/5520 WLC

[KyoCode]

Hi !

hey, sometimes documentations are overwhelming, but here's a walkthrough those docs regarding compatibility and upgrade guides:

+ There are several hardward and version compatibility but there are only two types of managed servers: Standalone and UCSM managed.

hence, for UCSM managed servers we can get Upgrade paths here: 

Release Notes for Cisco UCS Manager, Release 4.2

• Upgrade and Downgrade Guidelines
• Supported Platforms and Release Compatibility Matrix
• Cross-Version Firmware Support

Also Firmware management from UCSM perspective regarding UCSM itself and Fabirc Interconnects, here's the public document:

Cisco UCS Manager Firmware Management Guide, Release 4.2

Those are relevant to upgrade UCSM / FI to latest using upgrade path and how far can you go until you can loose administration of rack-mount / blade servers, chassis, IOM, etc.

Caveat: If UCSM / FI is below 4.0.4.x you need to find same referenced guide in order to get up to compatible 4.0.4 version.

In the other hand, for Standalone servers, you can find a a ton of information, but here are a few:

Cisco Host Upgrade Utility User Guide, Release 4.2

CIMC Release notes

in this last one you will find standalone CIMC versions compatibility per hardware version, i.e. 4.2.3 is only compatible with M6/M7 servers only.

Hope that helps,

AIV