UCS KVM .jnlp Files Not Opening Properly After Java Upgrade on Mac

Was Java recently upgraded on your Mac and now the KVM .jnlp files lost their association with Java Web Start?  Don't worry, it happened to me too.  In order to resolve this issue, you will just need to reassociate the files with the Java Web Start.app file.  I used the one located in /System/Library/CoreServices.

Make sure to select the "Always Open With" checkbox

Repeated Characters When Typing in VM Console

Sometimes when typing in a VM's console, you may experience repeats of the same character.  This could make it near impossible to log into a VM through its console if there is an issue with it's networking.

The workaround is to configure the typematicMinDelay parameter to a value of 200000.
This is documented in the following KB article:
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=196

Another way to set this display is by right clicking on the VM and selecting Edit Settings.  From here you can select General in the Options tab, and then click on the Configuration Parameters button.  (Note: This must be performed when the VM is powered off).  In the new window that pops up, you can choose to add a new row with the typematicMinDelay parameter and its associated value:

Manual Install of 1000v VEM on ESXi 5.0

The command to manually install the VEM file on ESXi 5.0 is a bit different than on previous versions.
In order to manually install the VEM, you will need to copy the correct .vib file over to the host.  Currently the version number is: 4.2.1.1.4.1.0-3.0.4.  I have not figured out why yet, but the file needs to be installed from the /var/log/vmware directory!  When trying to install it from another directory, such as /tmp, I received an error message.

The command to perform the install is: esxcli software vib install -v cross_cisco-vem-v131-4.2.1.1.4.1.0-3.0.4.vib --no-sig-check

F11 on a Mac for ESX Installs

To save everyone time out there, I am pretty sure that Fn+Ctrl+option+F11 in Mac OS Snow Leopard would pass F11 through to the ESX installation menu.  This does not appear to be the case in Lion.  After hours of struggling to find the correct key sequence this evening, your best bet is to go into the System Preferences and do the following:

1. Go into the Mission Control settings and set 'Show Desktop' to be any other F- key besides F11.
2. Go into the keyboard settings and check the box that says 'Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys.

After this, you will be able to just press only the F11 key in order to pass it through to the ESX install.

If you are running VMware Fusion and have a Windows virtual machine on your Mac, there is also an option at the top, Virtual Machine -> Send Key -> F11, to send the appropriate function key to the installation menu.

UCS Placement Policies

Great post describing placement policies within the UCS environment:
http://jeremywaldrop.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/cisco-ucs-vnicvhba-placement-policies/

ESXi Caches Old MAC address from UCS Service Profile

Per CSCte08176:

VMware's ESXi hypervisor caches the MAC address of it's physical NIC after it put's it in promiscuous mode.  If the administrator subsequently changes the mac-address value defined in the associated service profile for that blade, the NIC will have a new MAC address, while the older MAC is not removed or updated from the ESXi hypervisor.  This potentially leads to a MAC address conflict if the initial MAC address is re-assigned to a different blade (via service profile association).

One way to confirm this problem is by collecting "esxcfg-nics -l" and "esxcfg-vmknic -l", and comparing the mac-address output in both. The first one should correctly display the mac-address assigned in the service-profile while the second will display the cached mac-address.

VMware KB article: http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1031111

As a workaround, administrators can do a "esxcfg-vmknic -d" to delete the virtual nic which is using the cached mac address. On recreation of that virtual nic it will have a VMW OUI MAC address.

C-Series Integration with UCSM - Dual Adapters

When integrating a C-series with UCSM, it is possible under some circumstances to see dual adapter cards, even though the rack mount server only has 1 adapter card installed in it.  A closer look at the adapter card will reveal that one of them has a bogus serial number.  You will also notice that a service profile will not associate to the rack mount server.  It will be stuck in the following state in the FSM of the server:

The defect that identifies this issue is: CSCtl41022.  This issue is resolved in 1.2(2i) and above. The C-series server will need to be decommissioned from UCSM in order to upgrade the firmware on it.

On a side note, the following guide outlines integrating a C-Series server with UCSM:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/docs/unified_computing/ucs/c/hw/C250M1/install/ucsm-integration.html

SFTP Files off of FI

At first glance, it seems that in 1.4(3m), SFTP file transfers don't ask for a password from the FI to a remote server, but it does... just not after it asks for your username.  SFTP transfers also now provide a sliding timeline so you can see the percentage of file transfer that has been completed.

UCS-B(local-mgmt)# copy workspace:/techsupport/20110828134224_UCS_UCSM.tar sftp:
Server name/IP: 14.0.25.91
Remote username: jen
Remote filepath: /ucsm.tar
jen@14.0.25.91's password:
Hello, I'm freeFTPd 1.0Connected to 14.0.25.91.
sftp> put  /workspace/techsupport/20110828134224_UCS_UCSM.tar  "/ucsm.tar"
Uploading /workspace/techsupport/20110828134224_UCS_UCSM.tar to /ucsm.tar
/workspace/techsupport/20110828134224_UCS 100%   14MB   1.4MB/s   00:10   
sftp> quit
UCS-B(local-mgmt)#