How to clear CIMC password on UCS-220M4 Server

[lumbrja1972]

I just received 2 new servers, when tried to configure the CIMC parameters it prompts for the current password and to change it, I tried the default "password" and also read something on internet about Cisco sent some servers with default set to "Cisco1234", none worked. I have been looking for the procedure to clear the CIMC password but no lock for the UCS220 M4 server, found it for other models, none work for this server. Please provide steps to clear password and be able to configure the CIMC, currently it has no IP assigned.

[Danny Mainprize]

See if this helps: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/c/hw/C220M4/install/C220M4/replace.html?bookSearch=true

There are some password recovery dip switches.

[Chuck Reid]

I also reset the dip switch, number 2, item 3 with a circle, for clear password and it didnt work, ucsc220m4 install doc  Figure 3-34 page 3-67

[Chuck Reid]

I have the issue with 6 servers cms1k.

[rmongeon]

I'm having the same issue with a C240-M4. I'm well versed in these servers. The only thing I need to do is reset the CIMC password! Here is what I found. If you don't know the current password then using either the WebGUI or physical access to the server (KVM) then have the things that people want you to do won't work. It seems you need to:

Download the BIOS update package .ISO file

Create a disk drive out of the ISO

Look for a bios.cap or recovery.cap file in the drive created.

Problem is that there is no *.cap file in the drive created. If I did have such a file then the procedure then:

Copy the recovery.cap or bios.cap file to the root of a USB drive

Insert the USB device into the server and boot.

Cisco UCS CIMC password reset 

Where is the *.cap file in these *.ISO images???

[Steven Tardy]

rmongeon,

Blasting the same question on multiple (5) posts (without providing time for community contributors reply) makes me not want to help, but here I am anyways.

Use the `getfw` command detailed in guide:

  https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/c/sw/bios/b_Upgrading_BIOS_Firmware.html

Walked through this in the lab just to 100% verify this works before posting.

0] Download ucs-c240m4-huu-4.1.2b.iso

1] Mount (or extract) the contents of the .iso on a Linux VM

[root@sttardy sttardy]# mount ucs-c240m4-huu-4.1.2b.iso ucs-c240m4-huu-4.1.2b
mount: /dev/loop0 is write-protected, mounting read-only

2] Run the `getfw` command to extract the files:

[root@sttardy sttardy]# ucs-c240m4-huu-4.1.2b/GETFW/getfw -s ucs-c240m4-huu-4.1.2b.iso -d extracted

FW/s available at 'extracted/ucs-c240m4-huu-4.1.2b'

3] There are your files:

[root@sttardy sttardy]# tree extracted/ucs-c240m4-huu-4.1.2b
extracted/ucs-c240m4-huu-4.1.2b
├── bios
│   └── bios.cap
└── cimc
    └── cimc.bin

2 directories, 2 files

The bios.cap IS the recovery.cap file(I think). Don't have physical access nor a corrupt BIOS to the lab to verify.

[rmongeon]

Thanks, I'll give this a try on the hardware. This server has been on my bench for like 4 days now and all I need to do is reset the CIMC password. Flashing new BIOS images to reset passwords for CIMC seems like the process was never really thought out. Having to dig around to generate the actual files is even more frustrating. Your answer does seem like it will work though. I think all I would have to do to get this server running is:

-copy the recovery.cap or bios.cap to a formatted USB drive

-flip the BIOS recovery DIP switch on the motherboard as described in the service manual

-insert the USB to a USB slot on the motherboard

-boot it up

-wait about 10 mins until a dialog tells me to toggle the DIP switch

-reboot

and then..... I should be able to get into the CIMC without a password. Should be interesting.

[rmongeon]

Thanks Steven, I was able to generate the BIOS and the CIMS .CAP files. However, this didn't work to resetmy CIMC password. The procedure was to:

- copy the CAP file to the root of a USB drive renaming it recovery.bat

- insert the drive on the server

- open the server case and toggle the BIOS update DIP switch to on

- turn the server on

- Wait until there is a console output saying it found the file and is restoring

- Wait for a console message saying to toggle the DIP switch

- Flip the switch and all should be OK.

Well, despite the time it took to figure out how to extract the files from the *.ISO, this procedure did not work and I tried renaming both BIOS.cap and CIMC.cap to recovery.cap and nothing took. Remember, we are doing all this just to reset the CIMC password as described in the original post. The server comes up and passes rack server diagnostics.

Resetting the CIMC password should not take a seasoned professional more than a few seconds if I have physical access to the server. Something is not right here.

[rmongeon]

I have finally found a procedure to reset the CIMC password. You will need to have physical access to the server in order to do this. What I've found is that you need to create an installation disk for the Host UCS Host Upgrade Utility. However, you don't need to actually update the firmware to do it. At first I created a USB thumb drive thinking that the server would wake up and run the install but it would always fail on the "copying files" step. This failure was due to the way I created the USB bootable. I used Rufus which looks like it works but it doesn't and the result of using a bootable drive created with Rufus gives a ambiguous error like "Could not copy files".

After going through other posts about how to create a bootable USB thumb drive using the Upgrade Utility software and Linux workarounds I finally just got an external DVD drive and burned the image to DVD. Then I connected this to my server and booted into it using the F6 boot BIOS option. After it boots and copies the firmware there's a splash screen to update the various components on the server. On that screen there is a button called, "Restore CIMC Defaults". Click this and you will reset the password. This process is described here: 
https://www.nagronia.co.uk/ramblings/cisco/dcn/cimc-v4-0-factory-reset.php

The other behavior I noticed on this C240-M4 system was that if a password is set and you try to get to the CIMC using F8 it will ask you for the current password using a dialog that doesn't allow you to specify a user ID. If you go to the CIMC's IP address and access it through the GUI then you can specify a username. My attempts at using the BIOS F8 feature failed for both the "Cisco1234" and "password" passwords. When I used a browser and got to the CIMC GUI I was asked for a username which I entered as "admin" and the password "password". This worked and I was asked immediately to change the password which I did. After that, if you hit F8 to go into CIMC during BIOS/POST that password will work.

Cheers,

Rob

[Paul Chapman]

Hi -

I've posted a novel solution to the Rufus issue for HUU on the following thread.

https://community.cisco.com/t5/unified-computing-system/cisco-standalone-c-series-host-update-utility-usb-image-utility/tac-p/4450170#M1196

After doing "Restore CIMC Defaults" I was able to use the F8 prompt to configure CIMC with the default password.

PSC

[02ayodeji]

Hi all,

thank you I will try with suggested solution by @rmongeon and revert.