Cisco Standalone C-Series HUU Utilities

[Jeffrey Foster]

The Cisco C-Series Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC) software  delivers many new features and capabilities including enhancements to the Host Upgrade Utility (HUU). The Host Upgrade Utility enables users to update their CIMC, BIOS, LOM, RAID Controllers, PCI adapters and Cisco VIC cards from a single interface. In previous versions of HUU, an interactive menu-driven command line interface was the only option provided to update system BIOS, CIMC, adapter firmware, and LAN on Motherboard (LOM).

Enhancements to HUU include adding an interactive graphical user interface to HUU and adding non-interactive update capabilities for single-system and multiple-system updates for no touch upgrades of Cisco C-Series Server firmware. Updates can be applied using the bootable image in the HUU ISO which can be mounted via vMedia to boot host to HUU and triggered through the KVM using an interactive update interface. Other tools offering non-interactive updates include a Python update tool and a Microsoft Windows-based tool, both of which offering single-system and multi-system update capabilities.

The Host Update Utility (HUU) is a tool that helps users to update the various levels of firmware running on their system including:

• CIMC
• BIOS
• LAN on Motherboard (LOM)
• RAID Controllers
• PCI Adapters
• Cisco Virtual Interface Cards (VIC)

For more information on using the Interactive Utility or the Python Non-Interactive Utility, check out the Getting Started with HUU Guide available here.

Links to Getting Started Videos:

• HUU Single System (Interactive) Utility:

In this video we will use the native utility to update a single system using vKVM attached media and the new HUU Graphical User Interface to update a single system.

• Python HUU Utility (Single System)

In this video we will use the Python Tool to update a single system by passing configuration flags and options through the CLI to a remote target. This is the recommended update process for a one-time update to a single system.

• Python HUU Utility (Multi-System)

In this video we will use the Python Tool to update a group of systems using a configuration file. We will walk through the encryption setup process for the target CIMC as well as the remote share and how to reference these encrypted files in an update script. This is the recommended update process for updating multiple systems concurrently.

****NOTE: For IMC 3.x and above, Python >= 2.7.9 and OpenSSL >= 1.0.1 are required. For IMC 4.1(3) and above, Python 3 is required. 

Download the Utilities:

***New IMC 4.3(3.240022) utilities are posted! Scripts are updated on an "as needed basis" and do not necessarily match the latest release.

[Greg Wilkinson]

I would start by trying to map the image successfully without the scripts, using the IMC UI, or API.

[dbarstad]

Any chance you have a change log?  I have the 4.2.3b which looks identical to the 4.2.3h aside from the version number.

Also, is there an issue using the 4.3 to update code levels prior to 4.3?  Nothing real old...things in the 4.2 family.

D

[Greg Wilkinson]

We do not have a change log for these tools. We recommend using the tool version that is closest to the FW you are upgrading to.

[wokka]

I just patched a few servers this week, going from 4.2(3h) to 4.3(2.230270), and I tried to use both Python Tools 4.3(230207).zip
Python Tools 4.3(3.240022).zip and gave the following error: (ignore the crypto errors)

[Information] Needed packages "Crypto.PublicKey.RSA" not available. Cannot support password encryption feature.
[Information] Needed packages "Crypto.Random" not available. Cannot support password encryption feature.
Update component(s) started at : Wednesday, March 20, 2024 12:23:43
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/opt/scripts/nihuu/update_firmware-4.3.3.240022.py", line 4557, in <module>
    main()
  File "/opt/scripts/nihuu/update_firmware-4.3.3.240022.py", line 4309, in main
    firmwareUpdate.HuuUpdateProcessCommandLineArgs(logger)
  File "/opt/scripts/nihuu/update_firmware-4.3.3.240022.py", line 3291, in HuuUpdateProcessCommandLineArgs
    (self.bootMedium.lower() == "flexmmc" and self.shareType.lower() != "emmc")):
AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'lower'
brtuxccmtools1:Linux:c_goldsm: /opt/scripts/nihuu --> 

  I was able to use the previous Python Tools 4.2(3h).zip with no issues, I had used it for the previous patching round.  If you need to know more of my environment, let me know.

[megaport]

I'm seeing the same error with 4.3(3.240022) as @wokka reported. 4.2(3h) worked for me.

[wokka]

I have some new UCS m7 servers that none of the scripts work with, different error.  Since we are not getting any response here, I have opened a TAC case.  Last update I received was that they were sending it up to development.  Hopefully should have an answer back soon.

[Greg Wilkinson]

Hi @wokka - what servers are you specifically looking to upgrade and what errors have you most recently encountered? What FW are you looking to move to/from? 

[wokka]

@Greg Wilkinson howdy, UCS C-240-m7 are my new ones, TAC case is 698027282 if you have visibility into it.

This is what I'm seeing, and as I posted above, the newer scripts don't run past 4.2.3h related to flexmmc which is undocumented.

/usr/bin/python /opt/scripts/nihuu/update_firmware-4.2.3h.py -a seacimc02 -u admin -p 'passwordFi6' -m ucs-c240m5-huu-4.3.2.240053.iso -i hstuxccmtools1.phillips66.net -t www -d / -y all -f /opt/scripts/nihuu/c_goldsm.log


[Information] Needed packages "Crypto.PublicKey.RSA" not available. Cannot support password encryption feature.
[Information] Needed packages "Crypto.Random" not available. Cannot support password encryption feature.

Total of 1 servers firmware to be updated.

Updating firmware.....
 
*** Overall Status written to file : (ISO Mapping Error -- ISO Mapping Error)  for CIMC (seacimc02)
Firmware update failed on server with CIMC IP (seacimc02)


Update Summary:
---------------

Firmware update failed for CIMC - seacimc02, Error -  ISO Mapping Error -- ISO Mapping Error

If you want to hit me up on  webex IM, feel free.  Thanks!

[Greg Wilkinson]

@wokka - Please email me @ g-r-e-w-i-l-k-i @ cisco.com (no hyphens in email). I would like some more details. 

[wokka]

Thanks for the help Greg!

For those of you who like me, missed the updated commands in the later versions, there is a -B for bootmedium, you probably want to use vmedia as the option on it ( -B vmedia ) and there is a typo in -h that shows it's vMedia (it's not)

Greg also got me moving with the m7 servers.