A

accounts (Intersight), creating, 13

ACI provider, 268

actions

HX clusters, 106

server, 64

bulk server actions, 65–66

Hard Reset action, 67

Install Operating System action, 67–68

Power Cycle action, 67

single server actions, 64–65

vKVM versus Tunneled vKVM, 68–69

Workload Optimizer, 174–175

advisories, 42–43

licensing, 46

navigating, 43–46

types of, 43

affinity policies in Workload Optimizer, 177–178

aggregation with Intersight API, 241–242

alarms, 33

mapping to UCS and HyperFlex, 34

states of, 35

types of, 34–35

viewing and reacting to, 35–38

alerting policies, 159

anti-affinity policies in Workload Optimizer, 177–178

API keys, 210–213

API Reference section (Intersight API), 207, 214–218

APIs. See Intersight API

AppDynamics, 171–172

appliance-based consumption models, 7–9

application stack orchestration, 200

$apply query option, 241–242

architecture

of HyperFlex, 92–97

data distribution, 94

data optimization, 95

high availability and reliability, 95

independent scaling, 95

LAZs (logical availability zones), 96

replication, 96

software encryption, 96–97

stretched clusters, 96

of Intersight, 1

operational intelligence, 4–6

scalability, 1–2

service architecture, 2–4

Assist Service, 11–13, 117

Attached Clusters, 145

audit logs, 28–29, 246–248

authentication

in Intersight API, 210–213

in Python SDK, 231–233

authorization in Intersight API, 210–213

automation, defined, 187–188

automation policies in Workload Optimizer, 178

AWS CloudFormation, 261

AWS targets

claim process, 120–121

contextual operations, 130–132

contextual visibility, 121–129

Azure Resource Manager, 261

B

backing up HX clusters, 108

best practices for Workload Optimizer, 179

bulk server actions, 65–66

burn rate, 159

C

certifications for security, 30

chassis profiles, 79

Cisco ACI provider, 268

Cisco Intersight provider, 269–272

Cisco MSO provider, 268

claim process for targets, 14–17

AWS targets, 120–121

Kubernetes, 17

on-premises targets, 17

public cloud SaaS model, 17

SaaS model, 15–16

security, 24–26

traditional storage, 113–116

UCS Director instances, 57

vCenter targets, 118–119

Virtual Appliance model, 16–17

cleared alarms, 35

client SDKs (software development kits)

Intersight API support, 209

Python

client configuration, 231–233

use case code build, 233–237

virtual environment creation, 231

client-side processing reduction (Intersight API), 240–242

cloning workflow executions, 198–199

Cloud Witness, 98–99

clusters

HyperFlex. See HyperFlex

IWE (Intersight Workload Engine)

creating, 162–164

monitoring deployment, 164

Kubernetes

Attached Clusters, 145

creating, 139–141

lifecycle management, 142

node pools, 144

undeploying, 144–145

upgrading, 142–143

communication with Intersight, 4–6

compliance, 158

configuration drift, 71

configuring

infrastructure support for, 50

requests, 51–52

software repository, 50–51

tagging, 52–53

Intersight Service for HashiCorp Terraform, 265–267

NTP settings, 269–272

OS tools for HCL, 42

proactive support, 252–255

Python client, 231–233

Connected Virtual Appliance (CVA) model, 7–9

connectivity of targets, 10

adding targets, 13

Assist Service, 11–13

Device Connector, 10–11

security, 23–24

target claim process, 14–17

target registration process, 14–15

consumption models, 6

feature comparison, 10

on-premises appliance-based options, 7–9

SaaS (Software as a Service), 6

contextual operations in IVS, 130–132

contextual visibility in IVS, 121–129

contract and warranty status, 48

$count query option, 239–240

critical alarms, 35, 245–246

CSV files, applying tags from, 248–250

CVA (Connected Virtual Appliance) model, 7–9

D

data distribution in HyperFlex, 94

data optimization in HyperFlex, 95

data security, 29–30

data types (orchestration), 191–192

databases, scalability limitations, 1–2

declarative model of IaC, 259

deployment of HX clusters, 101–105

deployment of IKS clusters, 139–141, 165

deployment of servers, 69

ID pools, 70

policies, 69–70

server profiles, 70–71

FI-attached servers, 72

standalone servers, 72

states, 71

templates, 72–73

Device Connector, 10–11

with Assist Service, 117

data collection, 29

security, 23–26

target claim process

SaaS model, 15–16

Virtual Appliance model, 16–17

target registration process, 14–15

UCS Manager and, 73

Device Console, 78–79

devices. See targets

domain management, 73

firmware updates, 82–83

hybrid domain operations, 79–80

IMM (Intersight Managed Mode), 74–79

network policies, 85–87

network profiles, 87–89

traditional UCS domains, 73–74

downloading drivers, 41–42

drivers, finding and downloading, 41–42

E

Envoy, 146

error budget, 159

execution for workflows, 197

history and cloning, 198–199

rollback, 199

executors, 189–190

$expand query option, 243

exporting infrastructure inventory data, 54

F

FI (Fabric Interconnect)-attached servers

IMM (Intersight Managed Mode), 74–79

server profiles, 72

field notices, 43

$filter query option, 238–239, 244

finding drivers, 41–42

firmware updates, 80

standalone servers, 81–82

UCS domains, 82–83

UCS Manager, 82

full-stack upgrades for HX clusters, 111–113

G

Google Cloud Deployment Manager, 261

groups in Workload Optimizer, 176

H

Hard Reset action, 67

HashiCorp, 257. See also Terraform

HCI (hyperconverged infrastructure), 91. See also HyperFlex

HCL (hardware compatibility list), 31, 38

configuring OS tools, 42

finding and downloading drivers, 41–42

licensing, 42

validation process, 38–39

viewing status information, 39–40

health checks for HX clusters, 107–108

high availability and reliability in HyperFlex, 95

history of workflow executions, 198–199

HX. See HyperFlex

HX Edge (HyperFlex at the Edge), 97

hybrid domain operations, 79–80

hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), 91. See also HyperFlex

HyperFlex, 92

architecture of, 92–97

data distribution, 94

data optimization, 95

high availability and reliability, 95

independent scaling, 95

LAZs (logical availability zones), 96

replication, 96

software encryption, 96–97

stretched clusters, 96

deployment of clusters, 101–105

HyperFlex Connect, benefits of, 97–101

management of clusters, 105

actions, 106

backup and restore, 108

full-stack upgrades, 111–113

health checks, 107–108

launching HyperFlex Connect, 106–107

monitoring, 108–111

mapping alarms, 34

HyperFlex at the Edge (HX Edge), 97

HyperFlex Connect

benefits of, 97–101

launching, 106–107

I

IaC (infrastructure as code). See also Terraform

benefits of, 260–261

declarative model, 259

imperative model, 259

Intersight and, 263

mutable versus immutable infrastructure, 259

purpose of, 257, 258

steps in, 258–259

tools for, 261

ID pools, 70

IKS (Intersight Kubernetes Service)

benefits of, 138–139

clusters

Attached Clusters, 145

creating, 139–141

lifecycle management, 142

node pools, 144

undeploying, 144–145

upgrading, 142–143

IWE (Intersight Workload Engine)

benefits and features, 161–162

deploying IKS in, 165

installing, 162–164

monitoring cluster deployment, 164

purpose of, 136–138

SMM (Service Mesh Manager)

installing, 147–149

launching, 149–151

lifecycle management, 151–152

multi-cluster topologies, 160–161

observability capabilities, 152–160

purpose of, 147

IMM (Intersight Managed Mode), 74–79

immutable infrastructure, 259

imperative model of IaC, 259

independent scaling in HyperFlex, 95

informational alarms, 35

infrastructure as code. See IaC (infrastructure as code)

infrastructure operations

advantages of Intersight, 33

advisories, 42–43

licensing, 46

navigating, 43–46

types of, 43

alarms, 33

mapping to UCS and HyperFlex, 34

states of, 35

types of, 34–35

viewing and reacting to, 35–38

configuration support, 50

requests, 51–52

software repository, 50–51

tagging, 52–53

exporting inventory data, 54

HCL (hardware compatibility list), 38

configuring OS tools, 42

finding and downloading drivers, 41–42

licensing, 42

validation process, 38–39

viewing status information, 39–40

intelligence feeds, 38

ITSM integration, 54–56

TAC (Technical Assistance Center), 47

contract and warranty status, 48

log files, 47–48

opening support case, 47

proactive support, 48–50

UCS Director integration, 56–61

$inlinecount query option, 239

inputs (orchestration), 190–191

Install Operating System action, 67–68

installing

HX clusters, 102–105

IWE (Intersight Workload Engine), 162–164

Postman, 219

SMM (Service Mesh Manager), 147–149

intelligence capabilities of Intersight, 4–6

intelligence feeds, linking, 38

Intersight

accounts, creating, 13

architecture, 1

operational intelligence, 4–6

scalability, 1–2

service architecture, 2–4

consumption models, 6

feature comparison, 10

on-premises appliance-based options, 7–9

SaaS (Software as a Service), 6

IaC (infrastructure as code) and, 263

infrastructure operations. See infrastructure operations

licensing, 21

network operations, 85

domain policies, 85–87

domain profiles, 87–89

Nexus Dashboard, 89–90

partnership with Terraform, 263

security. See security

server operations. See server operations

storage operations. See storage operations

target connectivity, 10

adding targets, 13

Assist Service, 11–13

Device Connector, 10–11

target claim process, 14–17

Intersight API

API Reference section, 207, 214–218

authentication and authorization, 210–213

benefits of, 17–20, 205–206

client SDK support, 209

client-side processing reduction, 240–242

information model, 207–209

OpenAPI and, 206–207

payload size reduction, 238–240

Postman

installing, 219

terminology, 219–220

usage example, 220–230

Python

client configuration, 231–233

use case code build, 233–237

virtual environment creation, 231

rate limiting, 209

required API call reduction, 242–244

use cases, 213

audit log details retrieval, 246–248

critical alarm retrieval, 245–246

proactive support configuration, 252–255

steps in, 213

tags in CSV file, 248–250

toggling locator LED, 213–237, 251

version control, 207

Intersight Appliance, 11–13

Intersight Cloud Orchestrator. See orchestration

Intersight Kubernetes Services. See IKS (Intersight Kubernetes Service)

Intersight Managed Mode (IMM), 74–79

Intersight provider, 269–272

Intersight Service for HashiCorp Terraform, 263–267

Intersight Virtual Appliance model, 7–9

Invisible Cloud Witness, 98–99

Istio, 146

ITSM integration, 54–56

IVS (Intersight Virtualization Service), 117–118

contextual operations, 130–132

contextual visibility, 121–129

orchestration, 132–133

target claim process

AWS targets, 120–121

vCenter targets, 118–119

IWE (Intersight Workload Engine)

benefits and features, 161–162

deploying IKS in, 165

installing, 162–164

monitoring cluster deployment, 164

K

Kubernetes, 135–136. See also IKS (Intersight Kubernetes Service)

clusters

Attached Clusters, 145

creating, 139–141

lifecycle management, 142

node pools, 144

undeploying, 144–145

upgrading, 142–143

target claim process, 17

L

launching

HyperFlex Connect, 106–107

SMM (Service Mesh Manager), 149–151

LAZs (logical availability zones) in HyperFlex, 96

licensing

advisories, 46

for HCL information, 42

for Intersight, 21

lifecycle management

of IKS clusters, 142

for service mesh, 151–152

linking intelligence feeds, 38

log files, 47–48

M

managed objects, 207–209

mapping alarms to UCS and HyperFlex, 34

merge policies in Workload Optimizer, 178

microservices, 145

migration to public clouds, 184–185

MOIDs (managed object IDs), 208

monitoring

HX clusters, 108–111

IWE cluster deployment, 164

in SMM (Service Mesh Manager), 152–154

targets, 33

advisories, 42–46

linking intelligence feeds, 38

mapping alarms to UCS and HyperFlex, 34

states of alarms, 35

types of alarms, 34–35

viewing and reacting to alarms, 35–38

MSO provider, 268

mTLS (mutual TLS), 157

multi-cluster topologies, 160–161

mutable infrastructure, 259

N

network operations, 85

domain policies, 85–87

domain profiles, 87–89

Nexus Dashboard, 89–90

Nexus Dashboard, 89–90

node pools, 144

NTP (Network Time Protocol), configuring settings, 269–272

O

observability capabilities of SMM (Service Mesh Manager), 152–160

on-demand public cloud services, 182–184

on-premises appliance-based consumption models, 7–9

on-premises targets, claim process, 17

OpenAPI, 17–18, 206–207. See also Intersight API

opening TAC support case, 47

operating systems, installing on servers, 67–68

operational intelligence of Intersight, 4–6

operational tasks (orchestration), 190

orchestration

application stack, 200

data types, 191–192

defined, 188

executors, 189–190

inputs/outputs, 190–191

operational tasks, 190

storage operations, 200–203

tasks, 193

Terraform and, 272

use cases, 188, 200

virtualization, 132–133

workflows, 188–189, 194–196

execution, 197

history and cloning executions, 198–199

rollback execution, 199

version control, 196–197

$orderby query option, 242

organizations (in RBAC), 26

OS tools, configuring for HCL, 42

outlier detection, 159–160

outputs (orchestration), 190–191

P

payload size reduction (Intersight API), 238–240

placement policies in Workload Optimizer, 177–178

placement reservations in Workload Optimizer, 181–182

planning with Workload Optimizer, 180–181

policies

alerting policies, 159

domain policies, 85–87

HyperFlex, 99

server deployment, 69–70

in Workload Optimizer, 177–178

pools, 70

post-installation checklist for HX clusters, 105

Postman

installing, 219

terminology, 219–220

usage example, 220–230

Power Cycle action, 67

pre-installation checklist for HX clusters, 102

private clouds. See IVS (Intersight Virtualization Service)

Private Virtual Appliance (PVA) model, 9

privileges

API keys, 213

in RBAC, 26, 169–170

proactive support, 48–50, 252–255

profiles

domain, 87–89

HyperFlex cluster, 99

server, 70–71

FI-attached servers, 72

standalone servers, 72

states, 71

templates, 72–73

providers (Terraform), 267–268

Cisco ACI provider, 268

Cisco Intersight provider, 269–272

Cisco MSO provider, 268

public clouds. See also IVS (Intersight Virtualization Service)

migration to, 184–185

Workload Optimizer and, 182–185

PVA (Private Virtual Appliance) model, 9

Python

client configuration, 231–233

use case code build, 233–237

virtual environment creation, 231

R

rate limiting, 209

RBAC (role-based access control), 26–28, 169–170

reacting to alarms, 35–38

reducing

client-side processing, 240–242

payload size, 238–240

required API calls, 242–244

registration process for targets, 14–15

replication in HyperFlex, 96

requests, 51–52

required API call reduction (Intersight API), 242–244

reserved instances (RI), 182–184

resource groups (in RBAC), 26

resource management

traditional method, 167–168

Workload Optimizer, 169

actions, 174–175

best practices, 179

groups, 176

placement reservations, 181–182

planning with, 180–181

policies, 177–178

public clouds and, 182–185

supply chain, 172–174

targets in, 170–172

users and roles, 169–170

resource objects, 207–208

restoring HX clusters, 108

roles (in RBAC), 26, 169–170

rollback execution, 199

S

SaaS (Software as a Service), 6

public cloud SaaS model, 17

target claim process, 15–16

scalability of Intersight, 1–2

schemas (OpenAPI), version control, 207

SCM (Support Case Manager), 47

SCVM (Storage Controller Virtual Machine), 93–94

SDKs (software development kits)

Intersight API support, 209

Python

client configuration, 231–233

use case code build, 233–237

virtual environment creation, 231

security

advantages of Intersight, 30–31

audit logs, 28–29

certifications, 30

data security, 29–30

Device Connector, 23–26

importance of, 23

RBAC, 26–28

security advisories, 43

$select query option, 238, 243

server operations

actions, 64

bulk server actions, 65–66

Hard Reset action, 67

Install Operating System action, 67–68

Power Cycle action, 67

single server actions, 64–65

vKVM versus Tunneled vKVM, 68–69

deployment, 69

ID pools, 70

policies, 69–70

server profiles, 70–73

domain management, 73

hybrid domain operations, 79–80

IMM (Intersight Managed Mode), 74–79

traditional UCS domains, 73–74

firmware updates, 80

standalone servers, 81–82

UCS domains, 82–83

UCS Manager, 82

supported systems, 63

server profiles, 70–71

FI-attached servers, 72

standalone servers, 72

states, 71

tagging, 270–271

templates, 72–73

service architecture of Intersight, 2–4

service mesh

purpose of, 145–146

SMM (Service Mesh Manager)

installing, 147–149

launching, 149–151

lifecycle management, 151–152

multi-cluster topologies, 160–161

observability capabilities, 152–160

purpose of, 147

ServiceNow plug-in, 54–56

sidecar proxies, 146

single server actions, 64–65

SLI (service-level indicator), 158

SLO (service-level objective), 158

SLO (service-level objective) alerting, 157–158

SMM (Service Mesh Manager)

installing, 147–149

launching, 149–151

lifecycle management, 151–152

multi-cluster topologies, 160–161

observability capabilities, 152–160

purpose of, 147

Software as a Service (SaaS), 6

public cloud SaaS model, 17

target claim process, 15–16

software encryption in HyperFlex, 96–97

software repository, 50–51

sorting with Intersight API, 242

standalone servers

firmware updates, 81–82

server profiles, 72

states of alarms, 35

states of server profiles, 71

Storage Controller Virtual Machine (SCVM), 93–94

storage operations

HCI (hyperconverged infrastructure), 91

HyperFlex, 92

architecture of, 92–97

deployment of clusters, 101–105

HyperFlex Connect benefits, 97–101

management of clusters, 105–113

orchestration, 200–203

traditional storage, 92, 113–116

stretched clusters in HyperFlex, 96

supply chain in Workload Optimizer, 172–174

support. See TAC (Technical Assistance Center)

Support Case Manager (SCM), 47

Swagger API, 206

T

TAC (Technical Assistance Center), 47

contract and warranty status, 48

log files, 47–48

opening support case, 47

proactive support, 48–50

tagging, 52–53

applying from CSV file, 248–250

managed objects, 208

server profiles, 270–271

targets

claim process, 14–17

AWS targets, 120–121

Kubernetes, 17

on-premises targets, 17

public cloud SaaS model, 17

SaaS model, 15–16

security, 24–26

traditional storage, 113–116

UCS Director instances, 57

vCenter targets, 118–119

Virtual Appliance model, 16–17

connectivity, 10

adding targets, 13

Assist Service, 11–13

Device Connector, 10–11

security, 23–24

HCL (hardware compatibility list), 38

configuring OS tools, 42

finding and downloading drivers, 41–42

licensing, 42

validation process, 38–39

viewing status information, 39–40

monitoring, 33

advisories, 42–46

linking intelligence feeds, 38

mapping alarms to UCS and HyperFlex, 34

states of alarms, 35

types of alarms, 34–35

viewing and reacting to alarms, 35–38

registration process, 14–15

server operations. See server operations

TAC (Technical Assistance Center), 47

contract and warranty status, 48

log files, 47–48

opening support case, 47

proactive support, 48–50

in Workload Optimizer, 170–172

tasks (orchestration), 193

Technical Assistance Center. See TAC (Technical Assistance Center)

templates for server profiles, 72–73

Terraform, 257, 261–262

Intersight Service for HashiCorp Terraform, 263–267

orchestration, 272

partnership with Intersight, 263

providers, 267–268

Cisco ACI provider, 268

Cisco Intersight provider, 269–272

Cisco MSO provider, 268

versions available, 262

Terraform Cloud, advantages of, 263

toggling locator LED, 213–237, 251

tracing in SMM (Service Mesh Manager), 154

traffic management in SMM (Service Mesh Manager), 154–156

Tunneled vKVM, 68–69

two-node HX Edge, 98–99

U

UCS (Unified Computing System)

domain management, 73

firmware updates, 82–83

hybrid domain operations, 79–80

IMM (Intersight Managed Mode), 74–79

network policies, 85–87

network profiles, 87–89

traditional UCS domains, 73–74

mapping alarms, 34

UCS Director integration, 56–61

UCS Manager, 73

firmware updates, 82

traditional UCS domains, 73–74

undeploying IKS clusters, 144–145

updating firmware, 80

standalone servers, 81–82

UCS domains, 82–83

UCS Manager, 82

upgrading

HX clusters, 111–113

IKS clusters, 142–143

use cases

Intersight API, 213

audit log details retrieval, 246–248

critical alarm retrieval, 245–246

proactive support configuration, 252–255

Python code build, 233–237

steps in, 213

tags in CSV file, 248–250

toggling locator LED, 213–237, 251

orchestration, 188, 200

V

validation process for HCL, 38–39

vCenter targets

claim process, 118–119

contextual operations, 130–132

contextual visibility, 121–129

version control

in Intersight API, 207

for workflows, 196–197

viewing

alarms, 35–38

HCL status information, 39–40

Virtual Appliance model, target claim process, 16–17

virtual environment, creating in Python, 231

virtualization. See IVS (Intersight Virtualization Service)

visibility

contextual in IVS, 121–129

of HyperFlex, 100–101

vKVM (virtual keyboard, video, mouse), 68–69

W

warning alarms, 35

workflows (orchestration), 188–189, 194–196

execution, 197

history and cloning, 198–199

rollback, 199

version control, 196–197

Workload Optimizer, 167, 169

actions, 174–175

best practices, 179

groups, 176

placement reservations, 181–182

planning with, 180–181

policies, 177–178

public clouds and, 182–185

supply chain, 172–174

targets in, 170–172

users and roles, 169–170