Prerequisites for Initial BlueField DPU Deployment

• DPU BMC 1GbE interface connected to the management network via ToR

• Remote Management Controller (RMC) connected to DPU BMC 1GbE via ToR

  Note

  RMC is the platform for data center infrastructure managers to manage DPUs.

• DHCP server existing in the management network

• An NVQual certified server.

This section takes you through the basic steps of installing BlueField DPU and performing a sample administrative task on it.

1. Install your DPU into your host server according to the instructions under Hardware Installation.

   Warning

   Ensure your host OS is included in the supported operating systems list and that the BlueField's out-of-band (OOB) management interface is connected to the network. The OOB interface must be connected to a DHCP/DNS server. The MAC address of the OOB port is found on the sticker on the BlueField DPU.

2. Verify that the host server correctly identifies the BlueField DPU. The following commands rescan the PCIe bus and list the BlueField's name and PCIe address:

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   # sudo update-pciids
   # sudo lspci | grep BlueField
           

   The list of identified devices should include a network controller for every physical (Ethernet) port and a DMA controller for DPU management. Expected output example:

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   17:00.0 Ethernet controller: Mellanox Technologies MT43244 BlueField-3 integrated ConnectX-7 network controller (rev 01)
   17:00.1 Ethernet controller: Mellanox Technologies MT43244 BlueField-3 integrated ConnectX-7 network controller (rev 01)
   17:00.2 DMA controller: Mellanox Technologies MT43244 BlueField-3 SoC Management Interface (rev 01)
           

3. If an older DOCA software version is installed on your host, make sure to uninstall it before proceeding with the installation of the new version:

   • For Ubuntu/Debian:

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     $ for f in $( dpkg --list | grep doca | awk '{print $2}' ); do echo $f ; apt remove --purge $f -y ; done
     $ sudo apt-get autoremove
             

   • For CentOS/RHEL/Rocky:

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     host# for f in $(rpm -qa |grep -i doca ) ; do yum -y remove $f; done
     host# yum autoremove
     host# yum makecache
             

4. Download and install the latest "DOCA for Host" package compatible with your specific operating system and version listed here under the "BlueField Drivers" tab.

   Warning

   Make sure to accept cookies from the website when prompted.

5. Verify that the RShim tool, which loads BlueField DPU with updated images, is running on the host.

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   # sudo systemctl status rshim
           

   Expected output example:

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   rshim.service - rshim driver for BlueField SoC
      Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/rshim.service; enabled; vendor preset: disabled)
      Active: active (running) since Thu 2022-11-24 00:05:10 IST; 29 minutes ago
           

At this stage the host environment is all set and you can now perform administrative tasks on the DPU.

To connect to your DPU:

1. SSH to the DPU using the OOB IP or the RShim IP (192.168.100.2) using the default credentials (ubuntu/ubuntu).

2. When logging into the DPU for the first time after installing the BFB, you must change the default password.

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   WARNING: Your password has expired.
   You must change your password now and login again!
   Changing password for ubuntu.
   Current password: 
   New password:
           

3. To check the current running BFB:

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   dpu# sudo cat /etc/mlnx-release