3Com 5102B-EE User Manual

ONline Ethernet Bridge Module

Installation and Operation

Guide

Document Number 17-00104-5

Printed March 1996

Model Number: 5102B-EE

Software Version: 2.12

3Com Co rporation 118 Turnpike Road

Southbo rough, MA 01772-1886

U.S.A.

(508) 46 0- 8900

FAX (508) 460-8950

Federal Communications Comm ission Notice

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment i s operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to rad io communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference , in which case you must correct the interference at your own expense.

Canadian Emissions Requirements

Cet appareil numérique respecte les limites de bruits radioélectriques applicables aux appareils numériques de Classe A prescrites dans la norme sur la matériel brouilleur: "Appareils Numériques", NMB-003 édictée par le Ministère des Communications.

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus as set out in the interference-causing equipment standard entitled "Digital Apparatus", ICES-003 of the Department of Communications.

VDE Class B Compl ianc e

Hiermit wird bescheinigt, dass der 5102B-EE in Üebereinstimmung mit den Bestimmungen der Vfg 243/1991 funkentstöert ist.

Der Deutschen Bundespost wurde das Inverkehrbringen dieses Geraetes angezeigt und die Berechtigung zur Üeberprüefung der Serie auf Einhaltung der Bestimmungen eingeräeumt.

Einhaltung mit betreffenden Bestimmugen kommt darauf an, dass geschirmte Ausfuehrungen gebraucht werden. Fuer die Beschaffung richtiger Ausfuehrungen ist der Betreiber verantwortlich.

This is to certify that the 5102B-EE is shielded ag ainst radio interference in accordance with the provisions of Vfg 243/1991.

The German Postal Services have been advised that this equipment is being placed on the market and that they have been given the right to inspect the series for compliance with regulations.

Compliance with applicable regulations depends on the use of shielded cables. The user is responsible for procuring the appropriate cables.

EN55022/CISPR22 Com p lian ce

This equipment conforms to the Class A emissions limits for a digital device as defin ed by EN55022 (CISPR22).

VCCI Class 1 Com pl ia n ce

This equipment is in the 1st Class category (information equipment to be used in commercial or industrial areas) and conforms to the standards set by the V oluntary Control Council for Inter fere nce by Information Technology Equipment aimed at preventing radio interference in commercial or industrial areas.

Consequently, when the equipment is used in a residential area or in an adjacent area, r adio interferenc e may be caused to radio and TV receivers, and so on.

Read the instructions for correct handling.

UK General Approval Statem en t

The ONcore Switching Hub, ONline System Concentrator, and ONsemble StackSyste m Hub are manufactur ed to the International Safety Standard EN 60950 and are approve d in the UK under the Genera l Approval Number NS/G/12345/J/100003 for indirect connection to the public telecommunication network.

Disclaimer

The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by 3Com Corporation. 3Com Corporation assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document.

1996, by 3Com Corporation. Printed in U.S.A. All rights r eserved. 3Com is a registered trademark of 3Com Corporation. ONcore is a registered trademark of 3Com Corporation. The information contained herein is the exclusive and confidential property of 3Com Corporation. No part of this manual may be disclosed or reproduced in whole or in part without permission from 3Com Corporation.

Trademarks

Because of the nature of this material, numerous hardware and software products are mentioned by name. In most, if not all cases, these product names are claimed as trademarks by the companies that man ufacture the products. It is not our intent to claim these names or trademarks as our own.

3Com, Artel, Boundary Routing, CardBoard, CardFacts, Galactica, EtherDisk, EtherLink, EtherLink II, EtherLink Plus, LANplex, LANsentry, LinkBuilder, NETBuilder, NETBuilder II, NetFacts, ONcore, ONsemble, ORnet, Parallel Tasking, SmartAgent, StarBridge, T okenLink, Tok enLink Plus, TriChannel, and View Builder are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation.

ii ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide

3Com Laser Library, 3Com OpenHub, 3TECH, FDDILink, FMS, G-Man, MultiProbe, NetProbe, OnDeck, ONdemand, ONline, PowerRing, StackJack, StackWay, Star-Tek, SwitchCentral, and Transcend are trademarks of 3Com Corporation.

3ComFacts and Ask3Com are service marks of 3Com Corporation. The 3Com Multichannel Architecture Communications System is

registered under U.S. Patent Number 5,301,303. DEC, DECnet, the Digital logo, DELNI, POLYCENTER, VAX, VT100,

and VT220 are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines.

NetView is a trademark of International Business Machines. 3ComFacts, Ask 3Com, CardFacts, NetFacts, and CardBoard are

service marks of 3Com Corporation. 3Com, LANplex, BoundaryRouting, LanScanner, LinkBuilder,

NETBuilder, NETBuilderII, ParallelTasking, ViewBuilder, EtherDisk, Etherl\Link, Ether Link Plus, EtherLink II, TokenLink, T okenLink Plus, and TokenDisk are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation.

3ComLaser Library, 3TECH, CacheCard, FDDILink, FMS, NetProbe, SmartAgent, Star-Tek, and Transcend are trademarks of 3Com Corporation.

CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe, Inc. 3Com registered trademarks are registered in the United States,

and may or may not be register ed i n other countrie s. Other brand and product names may be reg istered tradema rks or trademark s of their respective holders.

Restricte d Righ ts

Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013.

Printed on recycled paper.

ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide iii

iv ONline Ethern et Bridge Module Inst al lation and Operation Guide

How to Use This Guide

Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

Structure of This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvi

Document Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xviii

Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xix

3Com Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xx

Reference Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xx

Chapter 1 — Introduction

The Bridge Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Bridge Module Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Interoperabili ty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

ONline System Concentrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

Ethernet Transceivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

Ethernet Repeaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

Other Bridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Spanning Tree Loop Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Traffic Localization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Topology Switch ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Automatic Address Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

High-Performance Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Transparent Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

Downloadable Fir mware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

Network Managem ent C apabil ities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

Media Configur at ion Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

AUI and Backplane Connect ion s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10

Backplane Connectio ns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 -11

Diagnostics and Self-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 -12

Contents

ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide v

Chapter 2 — Installation

Precautionary Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Unpacking Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Summarized Bridg e Installation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Module Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Module Extract or . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Dip Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Channel-Select Switch Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

Related Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

LED and Channel Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Remote Network Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9

Installation Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9

Pre-Installation Te st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 -10

Connecting a Term inal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13

Connecting to the Bridge M od ule RS-232 Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 -14

Connecting the Transc eiver Cabl e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 -14

Setting Bridge and Channel Parameter s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 -15

Confirming Bridge Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18

Chapter 3 — Management Functions

Using Bridge Managem ent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Connecting to the Managem ent Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Entering and Editing Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Command Completion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Examining Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Modifying Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6

Saving Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

Bridge Managem ent Param eter Overv iew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9

Management Interface Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9

Configuring the Terminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9

Setting Bridge Mod ule Terminal Options (Opti onal) . . . . . . . . . 3 -11

Autom atic M odem Hangup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12

Configuring the Bridge Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12

Establishing Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12

Establishing the Administrator Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13

vi ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide

Establishing the User Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14

Configuring Other Bridge Module Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14

Bridge Module Name (Ali as) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 -15

Bridge Module Managem e n t Prompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 -15

Contact Name and Locat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 -16

Terminal Timeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16

Concentrator Reboot Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 -16

Setting SNMP Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17

IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17

Community Tab le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18

Subnetwork Ma sk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18

Alert Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18

Remote Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 -19

Bridge Module Operat ion and Performanc e (Con figuratio n ) . . . . . . 3-19

AGEING_TIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20

Spantree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20

Filtering Param eters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20

Static Address Filter Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21

Statistics Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 -22

SHOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22

MONITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22

CLEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23

Logging Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23

Chapter 4 — Management Commands

Conventio ns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

Command Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Chapter 5 — Troubleshooting

Applying Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

PowerUp Self-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Management Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Bridge Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5

Technical Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide vii

Chapter 6 — Firmware Download Instructions

Download Requ irements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1

Download Backgr ound Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Download Instru cti ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Install the ProComm Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Connect the RS-23 2 Cabl e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Download the New Brid ge Mod ule Soft ware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 -15

ProComm Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 -15

Bridge Module Problem s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 -17

Appendix A — Specifications

General Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1

Interconnect Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2

Electrical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Environmental Spec ific ation s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3

Mechanical Specificatio ns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3

Hardware Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3

Special Circuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3

Appendix B — Spanning Tre e Discussion

Spanning Tree Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1

Spanning Tree Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2

Spanning Tree Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4

Appendix C — Cable Pinouts

Transceiver Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-1

Transceiver Cable Differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-3

Shielding and Gro unding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-3

IEEE 802.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-3

V2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4

V1.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4

Wire Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-4

Cable Configuration Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-5

viii ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide

Cable Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6

Troubleshooting Transceiver Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6

Symptoms of Bad Transceiver Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-6

Causes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6

Recommendatio n s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-7

RS-232 Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-7

Appendix D — Power-Up Self-Test

Initiating Self-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-1

Front Panel LED Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D-1

Screen Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-3

When an Error Occurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-4

Appendix E — Technical Su pport

On-line Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-1

Email Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-2

World Wide Web Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-2

Support from Your Netw ork Supplier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-2

Support from 3Com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-3

Returning Products fo r Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-4

Accessing the 3Com MIB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-4

3Com Technical Public ation s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-5

Index

ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide ix

x ONline Ether net Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide

Figures

Figure 1-1. Bridge Module Hardware Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

Figure 1-2. Sample Bridge Module Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10

Figure 1-3. Backplane Channel Bridged t o Broadband Segment . . . 1 -11

Figure 1-4. Backplane Channels Bridged Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12

Figure 2- 1 . Bridge Mod ule Fr ont Pan e l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Figure 2- 2 . Bridge Mod ule and Dip Switc h Lo catio n . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Figure 2- 3 . Connecting Loopback Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10

Figure 2- 4 . Installing the Bridge Mod ule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11

Figure 2- 5. Connecting Transcei ver Cabl e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 -15

Figure 2- 6. Installed Bridge Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17

Figure 6-1. Initial Installation Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Figure 6- 2 . ProComm Installatio n Scr een . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6

Figure 6- 3. Post-ProComm In stallation Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Figure 6-4. Initial UDK Installation Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Figure 6- 5. ProComm Header Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10

Figure 6-6. ProComm Status Line Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11

Figure 6-7. ProComm Pop-Up Menu Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13

Figure 6- 8. ProComm Dow nl oad Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14

Figure 6-9. Exit ProComm Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 -15

Figure B-1. Spanning Tree Network Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-3

Figure B-2. Configuration With Multiple Bridge Modules . . . . . . . . . B-5

Figure C -1. Bridge Module Fem ale AU I Conn ector . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-2

Figure C-2. Management Interface RS-232 Connector and Cable

Pinouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C-8

ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide xi

xii ONlin e Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide

Tables

Table 1-1. Packet Distribution by Bridge Modu le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Table 2-1. Bridge Module LED s , Button, and Connectors . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Table 2-2. Channel Select Dip Switch Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

Table 2-3. Channel Check Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Table 2-4. Power-U p Prob lem Resolu tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Table 2-5. Bridge Module Default Termin al Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13

Table 2-6. RS-2 32 Cable Gu idelin es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14

Table 3-1. Co mm and Line Key Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Table 3-2. Procedur es for Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

Table 3-3. Bridge Module Terminal Parameter Options and Factory

Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 -10

Table 4-1. Bridge Module Co mman d Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Table 4-2. SHOW BRID G E Com mand A ttri butes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-88

Table 4-3. SHOW COUNTER BRIDGE Command

Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-92

Table 4-4. SHOW COUNTER PORTS Command Attributes. . . . . . . . 4-94

Table 4-5. SHOW COUNTER PROTOCOLS Command

Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-98

Table 4-6. SHOW C O UN TER SPAN TRE E Com mand Attri butes . . . . 4-1 00

Table 4-7. SHOW D EVICE Co mmand Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-102

Table 4-8. SHOW SPANTREE Command Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-110

Table 5-1. Applying Power Suggestions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Table 5-2. Power-U p Self-Test Suggestio ns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

Table 5-3. Managem ent Interf ace Sugge stions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Table 6-1. UDK Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-16

Table 6-2. Bridge Module Dow nload Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 6-17

Table C-1. AUI Cable Pin Chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2

Table C-2. Transceiver Cable Wire Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4

Table C-3. Maximum Cable Lengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6

Table C-4. RS-232 Cable Pin Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-8

Table 4-1. Diagno stic Code Refer ence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-2

ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide xiii

This guide describes the architecture, principal features, operating characteristics, and diagnostic procedures of the ONline™ Ethernet Bridge Module. It also describes the contr ols and indicators of the Bri dge Module and explains how to install and verify its operation. This guide is applicable for firmware Version 2.12 of the module.

Audience

This guide is intended for the following people at your site:

How to Use This Guide

❑ Network manager or administrat or ❑ Hardware installer

ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide xv

Structure of This Guide

This guide contains six chapters and four appendices: Chapter 1, Introducti on – Introduces the ONline Ethernet Bridge Module

from a functional point of view and explains the front panel LEDs, button, and connectors.

Chapter 2, Installation – Discusses important setup information and provides illustrated procedures for installing, configuring, and verifying the operation of the Bridge Modu l e.

Chapter 3, Management Functions – Describes the manag ement capabilities of the Bridge Module, such as setting a password or viewing network statistics.

Chapter 4, Manageme nt Commands – Provides a complete r eference of Bridge Management co mmands, parameters, and values.

Chapter 5, Troubleshooting – Provides help in isolating and correcting problems that can arise during installation and during normal o peration.

Chapter 6, Firmware Download Instructions – Describes the process you will need to follow to download new firmware to your Bridge Module when upgrades are issued from 3Com.

Appendix A, Specifications – Provides Bridge Module product specifications.

Appendix B, Spanning Tree Discussion – Explains the Spanning Tree Parameters that can be set within the Bridge Module and describes how a network configuration would appear using Spanning Tree.

Appendix C, Cable Pinouts – Shows the pinouts for the transceiver cable and RS-232 cable.

Appendix D, Power-Up Self-Test – Describes the Bridge Module power-up self-test routines and lists error codes and solutions.

xvi ONline Eth ernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide

Appendix E, - Technical Support – Lists the various methods for contacting the 3Com technical support organiz at ion and for accessing other product support services.

Index

ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide xvii

Document Conventions

The following document con ventions are used in this manual:

Convention Indicates Example

Courier text User input In the Agent Information Form,

System output After pressing the Apply

enter MIS in the New Contact field.

button, the system displays the message Transmi tt in g da ta .

Bold command string

Italic text in braces User-substituted

Capitalized text in plain brackets

Italics Text em phasis,

Path names Before you begin, read the

identifiers

Keyboard entry by the user

document titles

readme.txt file located in /usr/snm/agents.

Use the following command to show port details:

SHOW PORT {

Type your password and press [ENTER].

Ensure that you press the Apply button after you add the new search parameters.

slot

.all} VERBOSE

xviii ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide

Convention Indicates Example

Note: A Note. The

Caution: A Caution. A

Warning: A Warning. A

The Bridge Module

The Bridge Module is a high-performance bridge that transparently interconnects your facility-wide Ethernet and IEEE 802.3 networks to form a single extended LAN. The Bridge Module fits into your O Nline System Concentrator unit using only two slots and allo ws you to perform the following functions:

❑ Interconnect Ethernet and IEEE 802.3 subnetworks ❑ Isolate local traffic on subnetworks through dynamic and permanent

packet filtering

❑ Configure redundant LAN interconnection by using the IEEE 802.1(d)

Spanning Tree Protoc ol

Introduction 1 - 1

❑ Monitor your extended LAN using network management features

including: – Traffic counters – Diagnostic information – Address Table information

Bridge Modu le Featu res

The following section describes the major features of the Bridge Module. These features include:

❑ Interoperability ❑ Spannin g Tree Loop Control ❑ Traffic Localization ❑ Automatic Address Learning ❑ High Performance Design ❑ Transparent Operation ❑ Downloadable Firmware ❑ Network Management Capabilities ❑ Media Configuration Opt ions ❑ Diagnostics and Self-T est

Interoperability

The Bridge Module provides one external 15-pin transceiver cable connector for hookup to an Ethernet and/or IEEE 802.3 subnetwork. If you do not make this external connection, b oth the incoming and outgoing connections are made over the backplane.

1 - 2 ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide

Depending upon the type of bridg e connection you select (backplane or the AUI connection), an individual port can connect to any of the following devices:

– ONline System Concentrator – Ethernet transceivers – Ethernet repeaters – Other data-link bridges

ONline System Concentrator

Y ou can connect to another concentrator through the AUI port or through another modu l e that is on the same channel as the Bridge Module. For example, you can use an ONline Fiber Module on the same channel as the bridge backplane connection to interconnect 10BASE-FB Stars, ONline System Concentrators, LAN-TO-LAN Hubs, 10BASE-FB/PC Adapter Cards, or 10BASE-FB Transceiver s.

Ethernet Transceivers

You can use the Bridge Module to interconnect Ethermodem Broadband Ethernet LANs with the ONline System Concentrator. The Bridge Module front panel AUI port connects to a male AUI port on the Ethermodem transceiver. It can also be con nected to the following transceivers:

– A transceiver multiplexer such as DEC's DELNI™ – A transceiver on a standard Ethernet coaxial cable – A transceiver on a thin coaxial or twisted pair cable – An Ethermodem  broadband transceiver

Ethernet Repeaters

You can use the Bridg e Module to interconnec t Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 subnetworks that contain repe aters. The bridge acts as a node on each subnetwork to which it is attached, and therefore does not affect the maximum distance or repeater limitations.

Introduction 1 - 3

Other Bridges

The Bridge Module can operate on an expanded LAN that contains other bridges under the following two conditions:

1. The other bridges must forward packets transparently at the data link layer .

2. The total end-to-end delay in the extended network must not exceed the time-out requirements of higher level protocols. 3Com does not recommend configuring the Bridge Module on networks wi th more than seven (7) bridge hops between any two nodes .

Y ou can connect the Bridge Module to any of the above devices in various combination s and configurations. Refer to th e section in this c hapter, Media Configuration Options, for configuration examp l es and diagrams.

Note: The Bridge Module is not compatible with Ethernet Version

1 transceivers or cables.

Spanning Tree Loop Control

The Spanning T ree Algorithm and Protocol (ST AP) is used among bridges in a LAN to ensure only single paths exist between stations. The Spanning Tree protocol is needed when there are parallel bridges forming a loop between Ethernet LANs on the network. This type of network also provides redundancy throughout the network so tha t if the primary bridge fails, a backup bridge will take over within 1 0 to 20 seconds.

If there are multiple Bridge Modules or Midnight Bridges between LANs on the network, the Spanning Tree protocol ensures that only one bridge enters the data sending (or forwarding) state. This bridge is called the Designated bridge. Other bridges remain in the blocking state until needed. While in the blocking state the bridge does not forward packets, but it does continue to monitor and part icipate in the Spanning Tree protocol. If the designated bridge fails for any reason, the blocked bridge will learn of the failure through the Spanning Tree protocol and enter the forwarding state.

1 - 4 ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide

More information about the Spanning Tree protocol is inclu ded in Appendix B.

Traffic Localization

The Bridge Module is a packet store-and-forward device that receives all packets and, if necessary , forwards them from the subnetwork on one side of the bridge to the subnetwork on the other side. The Bridge Module also acts as a packet filter, filtering packets based upon local destination addresses.

Filtering can isolate high traffic subnetworks fro m the rest of the LAN. For example, if the systems and servers in a cluster or subnetwork usually communicate with each other and rarely communicate with systems on other LANs, the Bridge Mod ule does not forward that traffic to the extended LAN, except a s needed.

The Bridge Module allo ws you to set up to 100 dev ice addresses to be always forwarded to or never forwarded to. This can be used to keep sensitive subnetwor k traffic local at all tim es. Enhanced network performance is also gained through the use of this feature.

Topology Switching

T opology switching enables you to automatically change the extended LAN topology without having to recable or take the network down. Bridging functionality lets you switch between any two ONline channels or between any ONline channel and an external Ethernet network. T opology switching is performed using the Bridge Module's command interface. The Bridge Module automatically recalculates the Spanning T ree to reorient the bridge in the network.

Automatic Address Learning

When attached to a subnetwork, the Bridge Module dynamically learns the addresses of all nodes on the subnetwork - th us it is called a learning

Introduction 1 - 5

bridge. The Bridge looks at the source address of each packet generated on the subnetwork and creates a database containing these addresses.

Note: If a node does not generate any packets, its loc ation

cannot be dynamically learned by the Bridge Module.

When a packet is received by the Bridge Module, its destination address is compared with the addresses in the source subnetwork database. T able 1-1 describes what happens when a packet is received by the Bridge Module.

Table 1-1. Packet Distribution by Bridge Module

The Destination Address is.. The Packet is...

Found in the source subnetwork databa se

Not found i n the source subnetwork databa se

High-Performance Desig n

While address filtering can reduce traffic loads on y our network, it is important to overall network integrity for a learning bridge to run as fast as the network. The Bridge Module ensures high performance in the following ways:

1. It uses high-speed multi-port memory so the IEEE 802.3 controllers and the CPU all have separate access to the common packet memory . Once a packet is received into this memory, it does not have to be copied to be forwarded.

Considered to be local to th a t subnetwork (its source and destination are on the same subnetwork). The Bridge Module does not for ward the packet.

Considered to be on a different subnetwork and forwarded onto the other subnet work (or the destination node has not generated any traffic).

1 - 6 ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide

2. It uses dedicated hardware to accelerate th e address filtering operation to ensure the highest possible performance in an 802.3 to

802.3 bridge (Figure 1-1).

Figure 1-1. Bridge Module Hardware Design

Transparent Operation

The ONline Ethernet Bridge Module operates transparently to other stations on the LAN, therefore no special software is required on any other station. This means an extended LAN using Ethernet Bridge Modules can support any protoco l that runs over IEEE 802.3 LANs, such as Sun Microsystems NFS, Novell Inc. NetWare, 3Com 3+, and other products based on protocols such as XNS, TCP/IP, and ISO.

Introduction 1 - 7

Downloadable Firmware

As firmware upgrades become available from 3Com, you can download this new firm ware to your Bridge Module using an IBM-compatible PC connected to the module's RS-232 serial port. Downlo adable firmware ensures that you have access to new features as soon as possible - saving the cost, time, and inconvenience of installing new PROM chip s. This feature is explained in detail in Chapter 6, Firmware Download Instructions.

A 3Com Firmware Distribution Kit (Part number 5000-FDK) is necessary for downloading the firmware to your Bridge Module. This kit contains the appropriate RS-232 cable and software for performing future firmware upgrades. The kit is ordered as a single copy per site, supporting multiple Bridge Modules. The upgrades themselves are contained in another kit, the Ethernet Bridge Update Distribution Kit (Part number 5102B-UDK-x.x).

The Ethernet Bridge U pdate Distribution Kit is available in two versions limited and unlimited. The limited version (5102B-UDKL-x.x) allows you to upgrade only one Bridge Module. The unlimited version (5102B-UDKU-x.x) enables you to upgrade an unlimited number o f Bridge Modules.

Network Management Capab ilitie s

You access the Bridge Mod ule management function s through an out-of-band connection via the serial RS-232 port on the front panel. Y ou can also access the module through an inband connection from an existing Bridge Module, Midnight Bridge, or network management module. To manage all other Bridge Modules and manageable devices in the extended LAN via inband management, you must first log out of the current session and then log in to another device. Refer to the REMOTE_LOGIN command in Chapter 4 for details on accessing remote devices.

Connection through the RS-232 port means you can manage your Ethernet Bridge Modules locally, from remote locations using modems and dial-up telephone lines, and through LAN-based terminal servers.

1 - 8 ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide

This version of the Bridge Module software also provides SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), which allows the bridge to be managed from a SNMP-based network managem ent workstation.

The Bridge Module offers capabilities to help manage your extended LAN. The primary categories of management functions are:

1. Bridge and N etwork Status Reporting

2. Network Statistic Collection and Repo rting

3. Bridge Address Filter Settings

The reporting and other network management options are described in detail in Chapters 3 and 4.

Media Configura tion Options

The Bridge Module offers two connection alternatives:

❑ One AUI port connector (port 1) and one Backplane channel (port 2) ❑ Two Backplane ch annels (ports 1 and 2)

Message traffic flows between stations on LANs connected by the Bridge Modules as if they were on one extended LAN. Since CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection) collision information does not have to propagate between interconnected networks on an extended LAN, you can configure each LAN up to the norma l maximum len gth and number of stat ions.

A sample configuration is shown in Figure 1-2.

Introduction 1 - 9

Figure 1-2. Sample Bridge Module Configuration

Caution: If your extended LAN includes protocol-specific routers,

make sure the total number of routers in the extended LAN does not exceed the maximum allowed by the protocol for a single LAN.

AUI and Backplane Connections

When the bridging connections are made through the AUI port on the front of the Bridge Module and over the backplane, the distance between two end-node devices can be:

❑ 8000 meters for baseband (4000 meters from the backplane

connection and 400 meters from the AU I connection)

❑ 8000 meters for broadband (4000 meters on each side of the bridge)

An example of a th ick-cable configuration is shown in Figure 1-3.

1 - 10 ONline Ethernet Bridge Module Installation and Operation Guide

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