Vswitch Soft Fault solving experience

Two days ago, our company's network was upgraded, and the core device adopted the Intel550 series L3 route switch. Vswitch 500 series is a network switching and routing device launched by Intel. It can complete network segmentation, route 550T or 550FX) and high-performance L2 network switching of 510 TB and 520 TB ). I have two 550FX two module slots + 8x100 M FX ports) and one 550T two module slots + 8x10/100 M TX port) stacked, two single-port stacking modules and one six-port stacking matrix module are used. I read the instruction manual before installation. There are no six-port matrix stacked modules in the list of compatible modules included in the 550FX instruction documents, while the compatible modules included in the 550T instruction documents are listed in the List, insert the Six-port matrix stack module into the 550T, and the two single-port stack modules into the 550FX module.

Who knows, after the Device is started, only one 550 TB can be seen from the management software Device View, and the other two 550FX are completely absent. I used the serial port configuration line to configure the IP addresses of both 550FX servers, and then pinged from 550T! In my heart, the device is broken? As usual, this stack mode should be connected without configuration. This type of fault specification has not been mentioned.

After being calmed down, I summarized and analyzed the following possibilities:

1. The six-port matrix stack module fails, resulting in connection failure.
2.550T slot is faulty, and the six-port matrix Stacking Module cannot work normally.
3. Damaged stacked cables, resulting in connection failure.
4. It is unlikely that either of the two single-port stack modules will fail ).
5. It is unlikely that either of the two 550FX servers will fail ).
6. Other unmeasurable factors.

I have arranged several tests for these possible failure factors.

First, I found another 550 TB instance and inserted both TB instances into the single-port Stacking Module to connect to a stack cable. After the instance is started, the network connection is displayed and the stack is successful. It is proved that the 550T and two single-port stack modules work normally. Replace the other stacked cable connection to prove that both cables are fault-free. So far, it is certain that 2, 3, and 4 may not be true. So I inserted a 550FX module into the single-port stack module and connected it to the 550T stack of the single-port stack module. Then I switched it to another 550FX! It can be seen that the two 550FX servers work normally. It seems that the 5th types may not be true. Then, I changed a 550T to a six-port matrix stack module, and stacked another 550 TB. The failure of the six-port matrix stack module does not seem to be true.

Finally, I stacked a 550T and a 550FX together to a 550T with a matrix module. As a result, the two 550T are connected, but the 550FX cannot be found. It seems that the problem lies in 550FX, which seems somewhat incompatible with the use of matrix module stack, but all devices are normal. In addition, Intel clearly stated that 550FX and 550 T and T can be stacked to Layer 7 through the matrix module, and my practice is clear. Why can't I connect?

After thinking about it, I think the simplest way is to contact Intel's network engineers to solve the problem. After the phone is connected, we will briefly introduce the situation and inform you that all hardware devices are normal after the test, but the matrix module cannot stack 550FX. After hearing this, the other party may think about it. Since all devices are normal and stacking is unsuccessful, consider upgrading the firmware program of the device. Some old firmware programs may not support new modules.

After hearing this, I quickly went online and found an authoritative explanation of this issue on the Intel homepage.

As new network standards are constantly being developed and modified internationally, Intel has developed a variety of extended functional modules for the 500 series switches. To support these new standards and modules, it is necessary to upgrade the Firmware of the vswitch in a timely manner ). The Six-port matrix stack module and Gigabit Ethernet module are supported in firmware programs starting from VER2.42. The latest firmware version is VER 2.66.

I can see that the two 550T firmware versions are VER 2.42, and the two 550FX firmware versions are VER2.02. Everything is clear: 550FX cannot identify the Connected Six-port matrix stack module.

500 vswitches can be upgraded using either the Intel Device management program Device View on the GUI. The method is as follows: first select a switch to be upgraded, and then select DEVICE => FIRMWARE => UPGRADE => NEXT => select an appropriate file to automatically start the UPGRADE. This method is intuitive, simple, fast, and the device configuration after upgrade will not be lost, which is also recommended by Intel. Note that the new Firmware usually adds some new features. The earlier version of Device View does not support this feature. It is recommended that you upgrade the Device View to the latest version before upgrading Firmware.

During the upgrade process, if the upgrade fails due to factors such as power failure and network interruption, the old operating system stored in Flash Memory will be damaged. If the new operating system is not written, the switch cannot run normally and the Device View cannot be managed. In this case, you need to recover the fault:

1. Set a TFTP trusted FTP Server) the Device View 2.1.4 is built into this function), copy the Firmware upgrade file to the release directory.
2. configure a dedicated serial line to connect the switch to a Windows 95 workstation and start the "Super Terminal ".
3. Press and hold the RESET key on the tip of the pen to hold the trap under the POWER light for 8-10 seconds. The "Super Terminal" is displayed in the system maintenance mode.
4. You can use the tftp Command to download the upgrade file from the server. The command format is as follows:
Tftp ownip tftpip [gatewayip]
Filename indicates the name of the upgrade file, and ownip indicates the IP address of the device to be upgraded.
The tftpip TFTP Server IP address gatewayip reaches the gateway address of the TFTP server.
For example, the upgrade file is ES550_2.61, And the IP address of the TFTP server is 10.10.10.11.
Specify the IP address of the device to be upgraded as 10.10. 10.15. You do not need to set a gateway in the same network segment)
The command is as follows: tftp es550_2.61 10.10.10.15 10.10.10.10
Later, the system displays the firmware upgrade file downloaded and the upgrade starts.
After the upgrade, the system restores to the factory settings, but the IP address is changed to the specified value during the upgrade ).
In addition, you can use maintenance mode to remove existing settings for devices that forget passwords. The method is as follows:
Enter maintenance mode first
Run defparm
The password setting is cleared.

So I went Down to the firmware of VER 2.66, refreshed all the switches, and stacked them again.

After this training, I deeply felt that, as network technology is developing rapidly today, there are too many problems that need to be handled in an organized way. When difficulties arise, we should first look for all possible causes and determine and eliminate them one by one. Even if the problem cannot be solved, we will at least have a deeper understanding of the situation, provide some judgment basis for others. We should consult engineers from network vendors. They have rich experience and a thorough understanding of the products, which can help us avoid many detours. This is our right. The Internet is a valuable source of information. We can obtain the fastest and most authoritative solution.