Enable LOM cards on UCS c220M5 server integrated with UCS manager

[ilovbrotte]

Running UCS 6232 16UP fabric Interconnects with firmware 4.0.2d

Connecting a UCS C220 M5SX server with a VIC 1385 card in PCIe slot 1. Direct Attach.
Making a policy for the server and attach it.

Before attaching the server to FI, I had VMware ESXi 6.7 u2 installed on m.2 SSD disk, with a VM running local on a raid 5 diskgroup.
LOM card 1 and 2 was used as management and server ports on a virtual switch. LOM NIC`s was in use.

After attaching the policy the LOM cards did not show up in VMware ESXi. Local disk and VMware did show up, but not LOM cards, only VIC 1385 and configured Nic`s did show up.

I need help to attach LOM card again. 

How to change the boot policy to show the LOM card again? Someone know how to do this?

[Kirk J]

LOM ports are disable by design when integrated with UCSM.

Add in PCI-E nics (i.e. 4 port Intel or broadcom NON CNA) can be used when configured from the OS, and connected upstream of the FIs

The additional LOM NICs would cause discovery/mgmt issues, and are disabled.

You would have to reset the CIMC /put in stand alone mode, in order to re-enable those, which will remove it from UCSM integration.

Kirk...

[ilovbrotte]

Hi Kirk!

Thanks for the reply so quick! 

I was trying an old 4x Gibit PCI card from HP. It is probably out of VMwares HCL in ESXi 6.7. Did not check.

It did not show up in the UCS management so it may be to old. 

I will check the VMware HCL for ESXi 6.7 update 2 and find an Intel or Broadcom card to test.

I started with TAC on this issue also, but they started with drivers in ESXi. They should know the LOM card`s will be disabled...
I will test your suggestion with new PCI NIC`s and post the result here. 

Thanks again Kirk! Saving me a lot of time with TAC on this.

Regards 
Ivar

[Kirk J]

So your HP card, in addition to the supported add-in PCIE nics, will work, while in UCSM integrated mode, but you wont see them discovered/inventoried in ucsm.  You should see them from within your installed OS, where you would install driver, apply your IP address.  Obviously you would configure vlan related settings on the upstream switch the links are going to.

I see some customer's do this specific setup when they need to push span traffic down to guestVMs on UCSM managed hosts for processing from an upstream switch.  The nature of the UCSM/FIs doesn't allow unknown unicast traffic (which is what SPAN'd traffic is), so the non-UCSM managed NICs can help accommodate that kind of bypass setup.

Kirk...

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Please mark correctly answered posts as Solved and Helpful, so others searching for same issue can more easily find the solution.

[ilovbrotte]

Hello

Now I am testing with an Intel I350 card.

It is on the VMware HCL. The driver is installed, but the PCI unit is not showing up in VMware?

The driver is there "igbn version 1.4.7" 

https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/details?downloadGroup=DT-ESXI67-INTEL-IGBN-147&productId=742

But not in PCI HW in vmware either?

Gone throgh all PCIdevices on vmware.

I350 card is not to be found. 

[mnaile]

You may need to force a rescan when adding storage or network devices.

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1034782

[Kirk J · Accepted solution]

Try downloading and booting the standalone HUU firmware utility just for the Intel I350 NIC.

https://software.cisco.com/download/home/286318809/type/283850974/release/4.0(2d)

Just mount the ISO via vKVM/virtual media.

I am curious to see if the HUU firmware utility shows it, and if it indicates it needs an update.

If the utility has an updated version, I would let it run.

Then come back and see if the ports on the NIC get assigned a VMnic number in ESXi.

Also, assuming you have 2 Proc's installed?

Kirk...

[ilovbrotte · Accepted solution]

I forgot to answer this post! I am Sorry.

The solution was indeed the second processor. To enable PCIe slots controlled by the Processor in slot 2 I needed to order a new second processor and some additional memory to populate this.

After the upgrade I was able to set up and use the server as intrended.

Kirk, I set your solution as the right one.

Regards Ivar