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New Hyper Flex Box install

Hi,

 

We are receiving our hyper flex servers and FIs these days

I'm finding BOQ tell that UCS version is 3.2(1) and ESXi 6.0

And I can't find this specific UCS version in the compatibility matrix of hyer flex

 

I see hyper flex with version 3.5(2g) would be good also it is the recommended one by Cisco

 

 

So I'm going to first install Vcenter 6.7U3 then to upgrade my UCS infrastructure and servers to 4.0.4e using UCS manager

Then install HX data platform installer version 3.5(2g)

Then to upgrade the ESXi to 6.7U3 using the HX connect interface

 

Is this a good path or there is a better way for this

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

1 Accepted Solution

Accepted Solutions

RedNectar
VIP
VIP

Hi @Hythim Ali El Hadad ,

First of all, you'll want to check carefully that none of the features of your system require HXDP v4.0 - and even if they don't, I'd suggest that maybe you'd want to go with 4.0(1b) anyway. Lat time one of our installers had a problem with the 3.5 install, the first question asked of him by the TAC was "Why didn't you use 4.0?"

Now there are two ways to do the install.

Method #1 .ova installer

Download the .ova installer and set it up as a VM on your vCenter and go from there. All in all its a bit clunky, but works.  In 20 installs, I've never had one where the customer didn't forget to do something (check for overlapping IPs, have DNS set up, have NTP set up...) or for some other reason have to run the install a second time.  Or a third... Each time you do, you'll have to re-enter usernames and passwords.

Method #2 Instersight.

Set up your FIs and register them in Intersight, then fill in the details ONCE. Even if you have to run the thing a dozen times, it is a much friendlier environment than the .ova installer, and seems to be much more intelligent at remembering what has been completed previously if you need to restart. A much more pleasant experience in general.

Tip: If you are doing the install from Intersight, make sure you have Adminsitrator privileges so you can access UCSM from Intersight.

And I have a feeling that Intersight will force you to use 4.0 anyway - but I'm not sure about that. I did one last week, and we had a bit of trouble getting Intersight to version match.

As for the order in which you get your UCS and ESXi to the correct version, again there are two approaches - do it before the HX install or do it after.

Unless there is an overriding reason to upgrade BEFORE the install (such as the installed version doens't support some essential hardware - I had this when installing SED drives in older hardware once) then do the firmware upgrades AFTER the install. It's acually easier to upgrade UCSM from HX COnnect than it is from UCSM.

Here's my recommended plan

  1. Make sure you have completed and verified everything on the pre-install checklist
  2. Double check that you have completed and verified everything on the pre-install checklist
  3. Install vCenter 6.7U3
  4. Install HX data platform installer version 4.0(1b) or 3.5(2g) [Optional if installing from Intersight]
  5. Set up the Fabric Interconnect management IPs, uplinks and server ports*
  6. Claim the FI in Intersight
  7. Then do the HXDP install - either from the .ova or from Intersight.
  8. Upgrade the ESXi to 6.7U2 using the HX connect interface and the HX-ESXi-6.7U2-13473784-Cisco-Custom-6.7.2.2-upgrade-bundle.zip bundle that you will download from https://software.cisco.com/download/home/286305544/type/286305994/release/4.0(1b)
    • Note: ESXi 6.7U3 is not available for the HXDP yet.

*When configuring the server ports, make sure the servers are attached and powered on, and only enable the server ports for Server 1. When Server 1 appears in UCSM, enable the ports for Server 2 etc. This advice come from sad experience after enabling 9 server ports simultaneously, and finding Server 1 attached to port 3, Server 2 to port 1, and the rest just as random.

I hope this helps


Don't forget to mark answers as correct if it solves your problem. This helps others find the correct answer if they search for the same problem


 

 

RedNectar aka Chris Welsh.
Forum Tips: 1. Paste images inline - don't attach. 2. Always mark helpful and correct answers, it helps others find what they need.

View solution in original post

4 Replies 4

RedNectar
VIP
VIP

Hi @Hythim Ali El Hadad ,

First of all, you'll want to check carefully that none of the features of your system require HXDP v4.0 - and even if they don't, I'd suggest that maybe you'd want to go with 4.0(1b) anyway. Lat time one of our installers had a problem with the 3.5 install, the first question asked of him by the TAC was "Why didn't you use 4.0?"

Now there are two ways to do the install.

Method #1 .ova installer

Download the .ova installer and set it up as a VM on your vCenter and go from there. All in all its a bit clunky, but works.  In 20 installs, I've never had one where the customer didn't forget to do something (check for overlapping IPs, have DNS set up, have NTP set up...) or for some other reason have to run the install a second time.  Or a third... Each time you do, you'll have to re-enter usernames and passwords.

Method #2 Instersight.

Set up your FIs and register them in Intersight, then fill in the details ONCE. Even if you have to run the thing a dozen times, it is a much friendlier environment than the .ova installer, and seems to be much more intelligent at remembering what has been completed previously if you need to restart. A much more pleasant experience in general.

Tip: If you are doing the install from Intersight, make sure you have Adminsitrator privileges so you can access UCSM from Intersight.

And I have a feeling that Intersight will force you to use 4.0 anyway - but I'm not sure about that. I did one last week, and we had a bit of trouble getting Intersight to version match.

As for the order in which you get your UCS and ESXi to the correct version, again there are two approaches - do it before the HX install or do it after.

Unless there is an overriding reason to upgrade BEFORE the install (such as the installed version doens't support some essential hardware - I had this when installing SED drives in older hardware once) then do the firmware upgrades AFTER the install. It's acually easier to upgrade UCSM from HX COnnect than it is from UCSM.

Here's my recommended plan

  1. Make sure you have completed and verified everything on the pre-install checklist
  2. Double check that you have completed and verified everything on the pre-install checklist
  3. Install vCenter 6.7U3
  4. Install HX data platform installer version 4.0(1b) or 3.5(2g) [Optional if installing from Intersight]
  5. Set up the Fabric Interconnect management IPs, uplinks and server ports*
  6. Claim the FI in Intersight
  7. Then do the HXDP install - either from the .ova or from Intersight.
  8. Upgrade the ESXi to 6.7U2 using the HX connect interface and the HX-ESXi-6.7U2-13473784-Cisco-Custom-6.7.2.2-upgrade-bundle.zip bundle that you will download from https://software.cisco.com/download/home/286305544/type/286305994/release/4.0(1b)
    • Note: ESXi 6.7U3 is not available for the HXDP yet.

*When configuring the server ports, make sure the servers are attached and powered on, and only enable the server ports for Server 1. When Server 1 appears in UCSM, enable the ports for Server 2 etc. This advice come from sad experience after enabling 9 server ports simultaneously, and finding Server 1 attached to port 3, Server 2 to port 1, and the rest just as random.

I hope this helps


Don't forget to mark answers as correct if it solves your problem. This helps others find the correct answer if they search for the same problem


 

 

RedNectar aka Chris Welsh.
Forum Tips: 1. Paste images inline - don't attach. 2. Always mark helpful and correct answers, it helps others find what they need.

Hi RedNectar



Thank you very much for your kind and great words. You are very helpful

So I'll go with Version 4 as per your experience



I'll proceed with using iso as I don't have enough resources for intersight.



Thanks again and will keep you updated


Hi @Hythim Ali El Hadad ,

Either way you should be OK.

BTW - you don't need any resources to use Intersight - but your Fabric Interconnects Management IP has to be able to reach svc.intersight.com on TCP port 443. You'll need an account (free for Standard licence) but that's it.

However, if you go with the installer .ova, you might want to do a search for "hyperflex pre-install checklist (updated)" to find an alternative to Cisco's checklist with some helpful preparation hints.

And irrespective which option you choose, you should also search for Seven Things to Know to Make Hyperflex Go

 

 

RedNectar aka Chris Welsh.
Forum Tips: 1. Paste images inline - don't attach. 2. Always mark helpful and correct answers, it helps others find what they need.

Hi,

I'm finding below issue after finishing the implementation 

I added a new discussion but copied it here to reach you more quickly 

 

We have deployed Hyperflex 4.0.1b on vCenter VMware-VCSA-all-6.7.0-14070457

We finished the deployment successfully and cluster is online and healthy

 

The problem is that I can't find the Hyperflex plugin when navigating to vCenter Global inventory list as attached

I think it should appear under Distributed Switches

 

Is below link should solve this problem or I still need to install something

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/hyperconverged-infrastructure/hyperflex-hx-data-platform/213686-troubleshooting-hyperflex-plugin-issues.html

 

Thanks

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