Lenovo ThinkAgile SXM4400 Administrator's Manual

Lenovo ThinkAgile

SX for Microsoft Azure Stack

Administrator’s Guide

Models: SXM4200, SXM6200, SXM4400, SXM6400

Second Edition (December 2017)

LIMITED AND RESTRICTED RIGHTS NOTICE: If data or software is delivered pursuant to a General Services

Administration “GSA” contract, use, reproduction, or disclosure is subject to restrictions set forth in Contract No. GS-

35F-05925.

Contents

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i

Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iii

Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Chapter 1. ThinkAgile SX for

Microsoft Azure Stack overview. . . . . 1

ThinkAgile SXM documentation and related

content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2. ThinkAgile SXM

Administration considerations. . . . . . 5

Chapter 3. Product management

and changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Standard management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 4. Managing IDs and

passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Chapter 5. License considerations . . 11

Chapter 6. Firmware maintenance

and Best Recipe . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Chapter 7. Component service and

replacement considerations . . . . . . 15

Replacing switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Replacing servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Replacing server parts . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Chapter 8. Troubleshooting

ThinkAgile SXM issues. . . . . . . . . 19

Troubleshooting considerations . . . . . . . . 19

Finding information and help . . . . . . . . . . 20

Isolating and resolving issues . . . . . . . . . 20

Troubleshooting scenarios and tips . . . . . 21

Isolating problems from XClarity . . . . . . 21

Isolating network problems . . . . . . . . 22

Isolating problems from switches . . . . . . 24

Chapter 9. Working with service and

support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Opening a support case . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Collecting data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Sending data to ThinkAgile Advantage Support . . 29

Appendix A. SXM4200/SXM6200

models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

SXM4200/SXM6200 hardware . . . . . . . . . 36

SXM4200/SXM6200 network and management

cabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Appendix B. SXM4400/SXM6400

models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

SXM4400/SXM6400 hardware . . . . . . . . . 49

SXM4400/SXM6400 network and management

cabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Appendix C. Software . . . . . . . . . 59

Appendix D. ThinkAgile SXM power

cabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

ii Lenovo ThinkAgile SX for Microsoft Azure Stack Administrator’s Guide

Figures

1. Front view of SXM4200 in 25U rack . . . . . 31

2. Rear view of SXM4200 in 25U rack . . . . . 32

3. Front view of SXM4200 in 42U rack . . . . . 33

4. Rear view of SXM4200 in 42U rack . . . . . 34

5. Front view of SXM6200 . . . . . . . . . 35

6. Rear view of SXM6200 . . . . . . . . . . 36

7. Views of System x3650 M5 server

nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

8. Views of System x3550 M5 HLH . . . . . . 37

9. View of RackSwitch G8272 TOR switch . . . 38

10. View of RackSwitch G8052 BMC

switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

11. SXM4200/SXM6200 network and

management cabling diagram . . . . . . . 39

12. Front view of SXM4400 in 25U rack . . . . . 47

13. Front view of SXM4400 in 42U rack . . . . . 48

14. Front view of SXM6400 . . . . . . . . . 49

15. Views of ThinkSystem SR650 server

nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

16. Views of ThinkSystem SR630 HLH . . . . . 50

17. View of ThinkSystem NE2572 TOR

switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

18. View of RackSwitch G8052 BMC

switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

19. SXM4400/SXM6400 network and

management cabling diagram . . . . . . . 52

iv Lenovo ThinkAgile SX for Microsoft Azure Stack Administrator’s Guide

Tables

1. ThinkAgile SXM Machine Type and

Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2. SXM4200/SXM6200 network cabling for

RackSwitch G8272 TOR Switch 2 . . . . . 40

3. SXM4200/SXM6200 network cabling for

RackSwitch G8272 TOR Switch 1 . . . . . 42

4. SXM4200/SXM6200 network cabling for

RackSwitch G8052 BMC Switch . . . . . . 43

5. SXM4400/SXM6400 network cabling for

ThinkSystem NE2572 TOR Switch 2 . . . . 53

6. SXM4400/SXM6400 network cabling for

ThinkSystem NE2572 TOR Switch 1 . . . . 55

7. SXM4400/SXM6400 network cabling for

RackSwitch G8052 BMC Switch . . . . . . 56

8. Power cabling for 25U rack . . . . . . . . 61

9. Power cabling for 42U rack . . . . . . . . 63

vi Lenovo ThinkAgile SX for Microsoft Azure Stack Administrator’s Guide

Chapter 1. ThinkAgile SX for Microsoft Azure Stack overview

The Lenovo

®

ThinkAgile

™

SX for Microsoft Azure Stack products are pre-integrated, rack scale solutions that

are specifically designed to enable deployment of hybrid clouds with Microsoft

™

Azure

™

Stack. The products

are based on Lenovo servers and switches. Management capabilities are provided by Lenovo XClarity

Administrator. The product is revalidated for all updates, providing a complete, lifecycle-managed solution.

Note: The ThinkAgile SX for Microsoft Azure Stack product group is commonly referred to as “ThinkAgile

SXM” in the documentation.

ThinkAgile SXM configurations

The following configurations are available:

• SXM4200

The ThinkAgile SX for Microsoft Azure Stack SXM4200 includes from four to eight server nodes, a

Hardware Lifecycle Host server, two top-of-rack switches, and one BMC switch. This can be ordered in

either a 25U or 42U rack.

• SXM6200

The ThinkAgile SX for Microsoft Azure Stack SXM4200 includes from four to twelve server nodes, a

Hardware Lifecycle Host server, two top-of-rack switches, and one BMC switch. This can be ordered in a

42U rack only.

Models and Machine Types

This documentation refers to the following products:

Table 1. ThinkAgile SXM Machine Type and Models

Product Machine Type Model

SXM4200 – 25U

9565

RCC

SXM4200 – 42U

9565

RCD

SXM6200 (42U only)

9565

RCE

SXM4400 – 25U

9565

RCH

SXM4400 – 42U

9565

RCJ

SXM6400 (42U only)

9565

RCK

ThinkAgile SXM documentation and related content

Information about the ThinkAgile SXM products is available online and in downloadable Portable Document

Format (PDF) files. In addition, documentation is available for each of the components in the product.

ThinkAgile SXM publications

The most recent ThinkAgile SXM documentation is on the Web, at the following site:

http://thinkagile.lenovofiles.com/help/topic/com.lenovo.thinkagile.sxm.doc/sxm_introduction.html

The following ThinkAgile SXM product publications are available in PDF format. The entire content of these

publications is contained in the Web-based documentation set.

• Planning and Setup Guide

Provides an overview of the ThinkAgile SXM configuration and deployment requirements and activities.

• Administrator’s Guide

Describes ThinkAgile SXM product management and troubleshooting. Also provides information about

getting support for the product.

If you need to download the Adobe Reader to view PDF files, you can download it at

http://get.adobe.com/

reader

.

ThinkAgile SXM product page

For information about the current ThinkAgile SXM models, refer to the

product page. See the following Web

site:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/systems/thinkagile/microsoft-azure-stack/

ThinkAgile SXM Support

For the latest information and links to helpful content, refer to the

Lenovo Data Center Support page. You can

search for support information for ThinkAgile SXM and other Lenovo Data Center products. See the following

Web site:

https://datacentersupport.lenovo.com

Related Lenovo software documentation

The following third-party publications are related to ThinkAgile SXM components. The content should be

available in either PDF format or HTML format.

Chapter 1. ThinkAgile SX for Microsoft Azure Stack overview 3

Product Web site

Lenovo XClarity Administrator Documentation:

http://sysmgt.lenovofiles.com/help/topic/

com.lenovo.lxca.doc/aug_product_page.html

Product guide:

https://lenovopress.com/tips1200-lenovo-xclarity-administrator

Microsoft Azure Stack documentation

See the following sites for relevant Azure and Azure Stack information, documentation, and other resources.

Product/description

Web site

Microsoft Azure

https://azure.microsoft.com/

Azure Stack product page

https://azure.microsoft.com/overview/azure-stack/

Azure Stack usage and billing

https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/azure-stack/azure-stack-billing-and-chargeback

Microsoft Azure documentation

and tools

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/

4 Lenovo ThinkAgile SX for Microsoft Azure Stack Administrator’s Guide

Chapter 2. ThinkAgile SXM Administration considerations

The following considerations and limitations apply to ThinkAgile SXM products.

Limitation on automated service requests (Call Home)

Because ThinkAgile SXM products are serviced and supported at the rack level, it is recommended that you

not activate Call Home functionality for the components. If you choose to activate Call Home, be aware that

your entitlement might not be recognized immediately.

Firmware and Best Recipe adherence

Lenovo publishes a ThinkAgile SXM firmware “Best Recipe”, which identifies the supported levels for the

various components. Any specific firmware that is above or below the level indicated in the Best Recipe is

not supported and might impact Lenovo’s ability to support any issues with the relevant component. See

Chapter 6 “Firmware maintenance and Best Recipe” on page 13 for more details.

ThinkAgile SXM entitlement

ThinkAgile SXM products are entitled at the rack level.

If you need support for the product or any of its components or included software, be sure to use your rack

serial number associated with Machine Type 9565. If you use the component or software serial number,

ThinkAgile Advantage Support might not immediately recognize the correct entitlement, which could delay

proper case handling. You can find the serial number on the rack label.

6 Lenovo ThinkAgile SX for Microsoft Azure Stack Administrator’s Guide

Chapter 3. Product management and changes

Because of the Lenovo complexity, extra caution and planning should be exercised before making certain

changes.

High impact changes

The following changes (or lack of adherence) can significantly impact the functionality of the product.

• Changing the point-to-point cabling from the initial configuration.

• Changing any firmware, software, or operating system (including CNOS and ENOS) to levels outside the

Best Recipe.

See Chapter 6 “Firmware maintenance and Best Recipe” on page 13 for more information.

• Changing the IPv4 network scheme, such as addresses and subnets.

• Changing the IPv4 addresses for servers or switches.

• Updating the management stack outside of the recommended levels.

• Resetting the XCC or UEFI to the initial manufacturing defaults.

• Resetting a Lenovo switch to its initial configuration.

Standard management

After the initial ThinkAgile SXM product setup and configuration by Lenovo Professional Services, you should

be able to manage the system routinely with the following software.

Lenovo XClarity Administrator management

Use

Lenovo XClarity Administrator to monitor and manage the hardware. Typical uses include the following:

• Firmware updates (per the ThinkAgile SXM Best Recipe)

• UEFI settings (per the ThinkAgile SXM Best Recipe)

• Microsoft Azure Stack Patch and Update process

• Hardware alerts and problem resolution

See “ThinkAgile SXM documentation and related content” on page 1 for relevant links.

Note: Lenovo XClarity Administrator does not currently support the Lenovo Cloud Network Operating

System, so management of the switches is not currently enabled.

Microsoft Azure Stack management

Microsoft Azure Stack enables management via the following portals:

• Administrator portal

An Administrator can do the following:

– Perform administrative tasks.

– View Resources and Resource Groups.

– Create VMs, Plans, and Offers.

– Monitor solution health.

• Tenant portal

A Tenant can do the following:

– Use available resources to do work.

– Consume VMs, Plans, and Offers that have been created by an administrator.

See “ThinkAgile SXM documentation and related content” on page 1 for relevant links.

8

Lenovo ThinkAgile SX for Microsoft Azure Stack Administrator’s Guide

Chapter 4. Managing IDs and passwords

Proper maintenance of IDs and passwords is essential for the security of the components and the overall

product. Lenovo’s Software Security Review Board stresses in the strongest possible terms that customers

should manage all product credentials according to the recommendations stated here.

Initial IDs passwords

Applicable IDs and passwords will be set or changed during the Lenovo Professional Services deployment

engagement.

Changing passwords

For the password change procedures, refer to the relevant component documentation. See “ThinkAgile SXM

documentation and related content” on page 1.

Important: Changing some IDs or passwords without proper planning (for example, the IMM on any of the

System x3650 M5 servers) will affect the overall configuration for the cluster.

Password criteria

The following password criteria are strongly recommended by Lenovo’s Software Security Review Board:

• No less than twenty (20) characters.

• Includes letters, specifically mixed case.

• Includes numbers.

• Includes punctuation.

• Does not include any repeated characters.

It is also recommended that a random password generator be used. One example is the Norton Identity Safe

Password Generator. See the following Web site:

https://identitysafe.norton.com/password-generator

10 Lenovo ThinkAgile SX for Microsoft Azure Stack Administrator’s Guide

Chapter 5. License considerations

Some software licenses are provided with ThinkAgile SXM products; they must be accepted by the

customer.

Note: Some license agreements might be accepted on the customer’s behalf by Lenovo Manufacturing

during the installation and provisioning processes. When required, license agreements will be shipped

hardcopy or softcopy with the product.

The following licenses are provided:

Application EULA License type License installation

Lenovo XClarity Pro

(for XClarity Administrator)

Customer Software is loaded in manufacturing. Customer must

log in to Lenovo XClarity Administrator and accept the

license.

Additional licenses might be available for purchase during the ThinkAgile SXM ordering process.

Microsoft Azure Stack subscription and billing

A Microsoft Azure Stack subscription should be obtained by the customer prior to the deployment

engagement. Lenovo Professional Services will review the requirements in the predeployment engagement.

For links to information about Microsoft Azure Stack subscriptions and services (such as billing), see

“ThinkAgile SXM documentation and related content” on page 1.

12 Lenovo ThinkAgile SX for Microsoft Azure Stack Administrator’s Guide

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