Cabletron Systems FN100, FN100-8FX, FN100-16, FN100-16FX, FN100-8 User Manual

...

FAST NETWORK 100

USER GUIDE

Status

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9101112

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NOTICE

Cabletron Systems reserves the right to make changes in speciﬁcations and other information contained in this document without prior notice. The reader should in all cases consult Cabletron Systems to determine whether any such changes have been made.

The hardware, ﬁrmware, or software described in this manual is subject to change without notice. IN NO EVENT SHALL CABLETRON SYSTEMS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL,

INDIRECT, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOST PROFITS) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS MANUAL OR THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT, EVEN IF CABLETRON SYSTEMS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF, KNOWN, OR SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.



Order Number: 9031866-01 May 1996

All product names mentioned in this manual may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Fast Network 100 User Guide i

Printed on Recycled Paper

Notice

FCC NOTICE

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

NOTE:

device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment uses, generates, and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed in accordance with the operator’s manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

WARNING:

party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital

Changes or modifications made to this device which are not expressly approved by the

DOC NOTICE

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de la class A prescrites dans le Règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le ministère des Communications du Canada.

VCCI NOTICE

This equipment is in the 1st Class Category (information equipment to be used in commercial and/or industrial areas) and conforms to the standards set by the Voluntary Control Council for Interference by Information Technology Equipment (VCCI) aimed at preventing radio interference in commercial and/or industrial areas.

Consequently , when used in a residential area or in an adjacent area thereto, radio interference may be caused to radios and TV receivers, etc.

Read the instructions for correct handling.

ii Fast Network 100 User Guide

Notice

CABLETRON SYSTEMS, INC. PROGRAM LICENSE AGREEMENT

IMPORTANT:

This document is an agreement between you, the end user, and Cabletron Systems, Inc. (“Cabletron”) that sets forth your rights and obligations with respect to the Cabletron software program (the “Program”) contained in this package. The Program may be contained in ﬁrmware, chips or other media. BY UTILIZING THE ENCLOSED PRODUCT, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BECOME BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, WHICH INCLUDES THE LICENSE AND THE LIMITATION OF WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT , PROMPTLY RETURN THE UNUSED PRODUCT TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE FOR A FULL REFUND.

Before utilizing this product, carefully read this License Agreement.

CABLETRON SOFTWARE PROGRAM LICENSE

1. LICENSE

package subject to the terms and conditions of this License Agreement. You may not copy, reproduce or transmit any part of the Program except as permitted by the

2. OTHER RESTRICTIONS. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the

Program.

3. APPLICABLE LA W. This License Agreement shall be interpreted and governed under the laws

and in the state and federal courts of New Hampshire. You accept the personal jurisdiction and venue of the New Hampshire courts.

. You have the right to use only the one (1) copy of the Program provided in this

EXCLUSION OF WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

1. EXCLUSION OF

writing, Cabletron makes no warranty, expressed or implied, concerning the Program (including its documentation and media).

CABLETRON DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OTHER THAN THOSE SUPPLIED TO YOU BY CABLETRON IN WRITING, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE PROGRAM, THE ACCOMPANYING WRITTEN MA TERIALS, AND ANY ACCOMPANYING HARDWARE.

2. NO LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL

CABLETRON OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS, PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR RELIANCE DAMAGES, OR OTHER LOSS) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS CABLETRON PRODUCT, EVEN IF CABLETRON HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, OR ON THE DURATION OR LIMITATION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, IN SOME INSTANCES THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

WARRANTY. Except as may be specifically provided by Cabletron in

Fast Network 100 User Guide iii

Notice

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS

The enclosed product (a) was developed solely at private expense; (b) contains “restricted computer software” submitted with restricted rights in accordance with Section 52227-19 (a) through (d) of the Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights Clause and its successors, and (c) in all respects is proprietary data belonging to Cabletron and/or its suppliers.

For Department of Defense units, the product is licensed with “Restricted Rights” as deﬁned in the DoD Supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulations, Section 52.227-7013 (c) (1) (ii) and its successors, and use, duplication, 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 252.227-

7013. Cabletron Systems, Inc., 35 Industrial Way, Rochester, New Hampshire 03867-0505.

iv Fast Network 100 User Guide

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Getting Help.................................................................................1-2

1.2 Document Conventions ...............................................................1-2

1.3 Related Documentation............................................................... 1-3

1.4 Overview......................................................................................1-4

1.4.1 OSI Compliance..............................................................1-7

1.5 FN100 Architecture......................................................................1-8

1.5.1 Store and Forward Switching..........................................1-8

1.5.2 Spanning Tree Algorithm................................................1-9

1.5.3 FN100 Bridge Address Table .........................................1-9

1.6 FN100 Applications ...................................................................1-11

1.6.1 Server Farms................................................................1-11

1.6.2 High-Performance Workgroups ....................................1-12

1.6.3 Backbones....................................................................1-13

1.7 FN100 Configurations................................................................1-13

1.7.1 Trunking Configurations................................................1-14

1.7.1.1 Trunking Configuration Examples................1-15

1.7.2 Virtual Switch Configurations........................................1-16

1.7.2.1 Virtual Switch Configuration Examples ........1-17

1.7.3 Workgroups ..................................................................1-18

1.7.3.1 Workgroup Configuration Example ..............1-18

CHAPTER 2 UNPACKING AND INSTALLING THE FN100

2.1 FN100 Panels..............................................................................2-1

2.2 Power Switch...............................................................................2-2

2.3 Installing the FN100.....................................................................2-2

2.3.1 Table-Mounting the FN100.............................................2-2

2.3.2 Rack-Mounting the FN100..............................................2-3

2.3.3 Checking the Power-up Diagnostics Sequence..............2-4

2.4 Connecting the Local Console Manager .....................................2-5

Fast Network 100 User Guide v

Contents

2.5 Local Console Manager Overview...............................................2-6

2.6 Command Syntax Conventions ...................................................2-6

2.6.1 Basic LCM Commands....................................................2-7

2.6.1.1 help.................................................................2-8

2.6.1.2 erase...............................................................2-8

2.6.1.3 exit..................................................................2-8

2.6.1.4 logout..............................................................2-8

2.7 Connecting the FN100 to the Network.........................................2-9

2.7.1 Punch-Down Block and Patch Panel Connections..........2-9

2.7.2 Direct Device Connections..............................................2-9

2.7.3 Wiring Considerations ...................................................2-10

CHAPTER 3 CONFIGURING THE FN100

3.1 Assigning IP Addresses...............................................................3-2

3.1.1 Displaying IP Addresses .................................................3-3

3.1.2 Deleting an IP Address....................................................3-3

3.1.3 Changing a Subnet Mask................................................3-4

3.2 Setting Port Speed.......................................................................3-4

3.3 Enabling Bridging.........................................................................3-5

3.4 Disabling Bridging........................................................................3-6

3.5 Displaying Bridging Functions......................................................3-6

3.6 Trunking.......................................................................................3-6

3.7 Disabling Trunking .......................................................................3-8

3.8 Displaying Trunking Status ..........................................................3-8

3.9 Defining and Deleting Virtual Switches......................................3-10

3.9.1 Displaying Virtual Switch Information............................3-11

3.9.2 Creating and Modifying Virtual Switches.......................3-11

3.10 Defining and Deleting Workgroups ............................................3-12

3.11 Local Address Filtering ..............................................................3-14

3.12 Assigning a Community Name...................................................3-15

3.13 Configuring Multicast Storm Protection......................................3-16

3.14 Modifying MIB Variables ............................................................3-17

3.14.1 System Contact.............................................................3-17

3.14.2 System Name................................................................3-18

3.14.3 System Location............................................................3-18

3.14.4 Authentication Password...............................................3-18

3.14.4.1 Set Password................................................3-18

3.14.4.2 Get Password ...............................................3-19

3.14.5 Aging Parameter ...........................................................3-19

vi Fast Network 100 User Guide

Contents

CHAPTER 4 MONITORING AND MANAGING THE FN100

4.1 FN100 Management Tools.......................................................... 4-1

4.2 FN100 Statistics ..........................................................................4-2

4.2.1 Gathering Statistics.........................................................4-2

4.2.2 System Statistics ............................................................4-3

4.2.3 Ethernet Port Statistics ...................................................4-3

4.2.4 SNMP Statistics..............................................................4-5

4.3 Using LCM to Check FN100 Status.............................................4-6

4.3.1 Displaying Status............................................................4-6

4.3.2 Displaying MAC Addresses ............................................4-8

4.3.3 Displaying Manufacturing Information ..........................4-11

4.4 Using LCM to Manage the FN100............................................. 4-12

4.4.1 Disabling a Port ............................................................4-12

4.4.2 Enabling a Port .............................................................4-13

4.4.2.1 NoRIP Option...............................................4-13

4.4.3 Changing a Subnet Mask .............................................4-14

4.4.4 Changing a Community Name......................................4-14

4.4.5 Setting the Baud Rate...................................................4-15

4.4.6 Setting a Reboot Time..................................................4-16

CHAPTER 5 FN100 DIAGNOSTICS AND TROUBLESHOOTING

5.1 Power-up Diagnostics..................................................................5-1

5.1.1 Power-Up LED Sequence...............................................5-1

5.1.2 Specific Power-Up Tests ................................................5-2

5.1.3 Software Checksum Comparison ...................................5-2

5.1.4 Power-Up Diagnostics Results .......................................5-3

5.2 Responses to Failures at Power Up............................................ 5-3

5.3 Status and Activity Indicators ......................................................5-3

5.4 Troubleshooting...........................................................................5-5

5.4.1 FN100 Does Not Power Up ............................................5-5

5.4.2 Power Supply Fuse.........................................................5-6

5.4.3 Connectivity Problems....................................................5-6

5.4.4 FN100 Has Rebooted.....................................................5-7

5.4.5 FN100 Does Not Respond to NMS.................................5-7

Fast Network 100 User Guide vii

Contents

APPENDIX A TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

A.1 FN100 Specifications.................................................................. A-1

A.2 Types/Connectors....................................................................... A-3

A.3 Cable Specifications ................................................................... A-3

A.3.1 10BASE-T Cable Specifications..................................... A-3

A.3.2 100BASE-TX Cable Specifications................................. A-4

A.3.3 100BASE-FX Cable Specifications................................. A-4

A.4 Management Cable Pin Assignments......................................... A-5

A.5 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX Pin Assignments.......................... A-5

A.5.1 Connectors .....................................................................A-6

A.6 Straight-Through Wiring.............................................................. A-7

A.7 Crossover Wiring ........................................................................ A-7

A.8 Limitations and Restrictions........................................................ A-7

APPENDIX B GLOSSARY

INDEX

viii Fast Network 100 User Guide

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

This manual is for system administrators responsible for installing, conﬁguring, monitoring, and maintaining the Cabletron Systems Fast Network 100 (FN100) switch. You should have a familiarity with networking concepts and principles. In addition, a basic understanding of Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is helpful.

This manual provides instructions for using the FN100’s internal Local Console Manager (LCM) to set basic conﬁguration parameters. When it is not possible to use LCM, general instructions and guidelines applicable to most Network Management Software (NMS) systems are provided.

The contents of each chapter are described below.

• Chapter 1, FN100, the features and functions of the FN100, and introduces Cabletron Systems’ Local Console Manager (LCM) for managing the FN100.

• Chapter 2, FN100 front panels, how to install the FN100, ho w to initiate an LCM session, and how to connect the FN100 to the network.

• Chapter 3, conﬁguring the FN100 using LCM. It also provides some common Management Information Base (MIB) variables that you may decide to change through your NMS.

• Chapter 4, monitor FN100 status and statistics. It also describes how to manage the FN100 ports using LCM.

• Chapter 5, FN100 diagnostics and provides information on troubleshooting common problems.

Introduction

Unpacking and Installing the FN100

Configuring the FN100

Monitoring and Managing the FN100

FN100 Diagnostics and Troubleshooting

, describes the available conﬁgurations of the

, describes the

, provides instructions for

, describes how to

, describes the

Fast Network 100 User Guide Page 1-1

Chapter 1:

Introduction

• Appendix A,

Technical Specifications

, provides the FN100 speciﬁcations and basic 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX cabling pin assignments.

• Appendix B,

Glossary

, provides a glossary of terms both speciﬁc to

the FN100 and common to the networking ﬁeld.

1.1 GETTING HELP

If you need additional support related to this device, or if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions concerning this manual, contact Cabletron Systems Technical Support:

By phone (603) 332-9400

A.M

Monday – Friday; 8 By CompuServe GO CTRON from any ! prompt By Internet mail support@ctron.com By FTP ctron.com (134.141.197.25)

anonymous

your email address

. – 8 P.M. Eastern T ime

1.2 DOCUMENT CONVENTIONS

The following conventions are used throughout this document: LCM commands, prompts, and information displayed by the computer

appear in Courier typeface, for example:

Current Number of Learned Addresses: 133

Information that you enter appears in Courier bold typeface, for example:

FN100 >

Information that you need to enter with a command is represented in capital letters and enclosed in angle brackets < >. For example, you must enter a port number and an IP address to execute the

FN100 >

Field value options appear in bold typeface. F or example, FN100 bridging options include

status

command:

ipaddr 6 192.138.217.40

off, on

, and

noBPDU

ipaddr <PORT#>

Page 1-2 Fast Network 100 User Guide

NOTE

TIP

Related Documentation

Note

symbol. Calls the reader’s attention to any item of

information that may be of special importance.

Tip

symbol. Conveys helpful hints concerning procedures or

actions.

CAUTION

Caution

damage to the equipment.

Warning

equipment damage, personal injury or death.

symbol. Contains information essential to avoid

symbol. Warns against an action that could result in

1.3 RELATED DOCUMENTATION

You may need to refer to the following documentation:

•

Fast Network 100 MIB Reference Guide

enterprise MIB.

If you need internetworking reference material, you may ﬁnd the following books helpful:

•

Interconnections, Bridges and Routers,

– contains the

Radia Perlman, Addison

•

Internetworking with TCP/IP: Principles, Protocols, and Architectur e

•

The Simple Book, An Introduction to Management of TCP/IP-based internets

, Marshall T. Rose, Prentice Hall © Second Edition, 1994.

1.4 OVERVIEW

The FN100 is an intelligent Fast Ethernet switch that supports 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps connectivity on up to 16 ports over Category 5 Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP), and 100 Mbps over 62.5/125 micron Multimode

Fast Network 100 User Guide Page 1-3

Chapter 1:

Introduction

(MM) ﬁber. The FN100 is available in the four conﬁgurations shown below.

Reset

Ready

Pwr

FN100-8

NMS Port

Status

Select

TX Act

100

Port

Status

Mode

Link

3X 4X 5X 6X

RX Col Usr

Link

2314567

Status

Figure 1-1 8 TX Ports and 1 Redundant FX (Fiber Optic) Port (FN100-8)

Status

TXTXRX

Link

9X 10X 11X 12X 13X 14X 15X

3X 4X 5X 6X

16X

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13 14 15 16

Select

100

Link Status

Reset

Ready

Pwr

FN100-16

NMS Port

Figure 1-2 16 TX Ports and 2 Redundant FX Ports (FN100-16)

Figure 1-3 8 FX Ports (FN100-8FX)

TXTXRX

9101112131415

TXTXRX

Figure 1-4 16 FX Ports (FN100-16FX)

TXTXRX

TX Act

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Select

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13 14 15 16

100

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FN100-8FX

Ready

Reset

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Reset

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FN100-16FX

Ready

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NMS Port

Link Status

Link

Status

Link

Status

Page 1-4 Fast Network 100 User Guide

Overview

The FN100 features the following:

• Supports 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, and 100BASE-FX standards.

• Supports IEEE 802.3u Auto-Negotiation for 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX connections.

• Provides full store and forward switching functionality.

• Supports trunking for combining up to 8 links for a total bandwidth of 800 Mbps.

• Lets you deﬁne virtual workgroups to optimize network trafﬁc.

• Allows you to conﬁgure the FN100 into four virtual switches.

• Supports 48-bit IEEE 802 MAC addressing.

• Maintains a learning database of up to 8192 MAC-address entries.

• Implements the Spanning Tree protocol (802.1d).

• Comes with factory-set defaults for plug-and-play capability.

In addition, the FN100 offers features that can help you manage and maintain your network, such as:

• Conﬁguration and management using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) with either an in-band or out-of-band connection.

• Cabletron Systems Local Console Manager (LCM).

• Protection against multicast storms.

The FN100 contains full store-and-forward functionality and is protocol transparent. This allows the FN100 to bridge different types of network trafﬁc, regardless of the netw ork protocol. The FN100 supports o ver 8000 MAC addresses, with constant learning and aging of the entries associated with each port.

The FN100 supports IEEE 802.1(d) Spanning T ree that allows the design of fully redundant Fast Ethernet topologies. In addition, the FN100 supports Cabletron Systems port trunking feature allowing a number of parallel links to provide a higher aggregate bandwidth.

Fast Network 100 User Guide Page 1-5

Chapter 1:

Introduction

To dynamically arbitrate between 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps on each port, the FN100 employs IEEE 802.3u Auto-Negotiation. Auto-Negotiation allows each 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX port on the FN100 to self-conﬁgure to 100 Mbps when the device on the other end of the wire is also capable of self-conﬁguration to 100 Mbps. This is performed automatically via information exchanged between devices sharing the same link without management intervention. The FN100 also pro vides the ability to disable Auto-Negotiation if desired, locally or through remote management.The FN100 is fully SNMP compliant for comprehensive monitoring and control by all popular network management systems. Finally, the FN100 has LEDs for each port indicating link, transmit activity, receive activity, collisions, and port speeds (10/100 Mbps).

1.4.1 OSI Compliance

The Open System Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model, developed by the International Standards Organization (ISO), identiﬁes the levels of functionality inherent in each of its seven layers. The FN100 operates at the Media Access Control (MAC) sub-layer of the Data Link layer. Figure 1-5 shows the OSI Reference Model.

Application Presentation

6 5

Session Transport

4 3

Network

Data Link

Physical

Figure 1-5 OSI Reference Model

FN100 operates at Layer 2

Because the FN100 does not process any Network Layer information, it provides a high level of performance in terms of packet throughput. In addition, the FN100 does not need to learn network topology, requiring less programming and conﬁguration time.

Page 1-6 Fast Network 100 User Guide

FN100 Architecture

1.5 FN100 ARCHITECTURE

The FN100 is based on an architecture that utilizes a high speed switch engine coupled with an AMD 29200 RISC processor for management functions. This architecture provides an efﬁcient mix of optimal performance and intelligence.

The non-blocking design of the FN100 provides wire-speed ﬁltering and forwarding rates for all Fast Ethernet ports, allo wing the device to keep up with incoming packets even when the packet rates on all LANs are at the maximum possible rate.

The high speed scalable switch fabric at the core of the FN100 allows packets to be forwarded through the FN100 at very high rates with minimal latency. The switch fabric in the FN100 supports data rates up to

2.56 Gbps - more than enough for sixteen 100 Mbps ports.

The Address Database Engine is used by the FN100 to make ﬁltering and forwarding decisions. Each time a packet is received, it is placed into packet memory, analyzed for errors, compared against the MAC address and ﬁltering entries in the database, and sent to the appropriate destination port.

1.5.1 Store and Forward Switching

The FN100 is an intelligent Fast Ethernet switch that uses full store and forward switching. Store and forward switching allows the FN100 to temporarily store packets until network resources, typically an unused link, are available for forwarding. This allows for complete error checking, and limits the amount of time between when a device requests access to the network and when it is granted permission to transmit. In addition, full store and forward switching ensures data integrity and prevents error conditions from being generated throughout the network.

Fast Network 100 User Guide Page 1-7

Chapter 1:

Introduction

1.5.2 Spanning Tree Algorithm

The FN100 supports the IEEE 802.1d Spanning Tree algorithm. The Spanning Tree algorithm converts multiple LANs into a “spanning tree” of networks that prevents bridging loops. This standard deﬁnes a logical (not physical) network conﬁguration consisting of one extended LAN without active duplicate paths between spanning tree bridges.

The FN100, along with other IEEE 802.1d Spanning Tree compliant bridges or switches in the network, dynamically conﬁgure the network topology into a single Spanning T ree by exchanging Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDUs). Typically, each LAN segment is sent one BPDU every two seconds.

When there are multiple FN100 switches connecting LANs in a loop, the Spanning Tree algorithm determines which FN100 should forward packets to the LAN. If there is a cable break or a port failure, the network topology is automatically reconﬁgured by the Spanning Tree protocol to create an alternate path to the LAN.

1.5.3 FN100 Bridge Address Table

The FN100 creates and maintains a dynamic database of addresses called the Bridge Address Table. The FN100 examines every packet to determine its source address and LAN segment origin. It then compares the source address and segment information to the entries in the Bridge Address Table.

If a packet’ s address is not already stored in the Bridge Address Table, the FN100 adds general information including learned address, associated segment number , trunk group information, and virtual switch information. Consequently, the FN100 knows the address and associated segment number the next time it sees that address. By using the information stored in the Bridge Address Table, the FN100 is able to quickly forward each packet to the correct LAN segment.

Page 1-8 Fast Network 100 User Guide

FN100 Architecture

The FN100 learns addresses from all packets, including data transmissions and “keep alive” packets (packets sent by an idle station to let other stations know it is present and functional). When devices are added to the network, removed from it, or relocated, you do not have to reconﬁgure the FN100. The FN100 automatically learns new device addresses, and recognizes when a previously used address is missing, or when a device has been moved to a new LAN segment.

An address stored in the Bridge Address Table is discarded if there is no subsequent activity from that address after a conﬁgured length of time (ﬁve minutes by default). This aging process ensures that the Bridge Address Table is continually updated.

Each dynamic entry includes:

• An Ethernet MAC address

• A single port number of the LAN on which the address resides

• Trunk group information

• Virtual switch information

The FN100 stores over 8,000 dynamic (learned) entries in its Bridge Address Table.

Fast Network 100 User Guide Page 1-9

Chapter 1:

Introduction

1.6 FN100 APPLICATIONS

The FN100 provides the network designer with complete ﬂexibility and has many applications including:

• Server farms

• High-performance workgroups

• Backbones

1.6.1 Server Farms

FN100

Fast Ethernet

Server Farm

Figure 1-6 Using the FN100 to Create Server Farms

As shown in Figure 1-6, the FN100 replaces conventional Ethernet 10BASE-T hubs and switches to provide each ﬁleserver a dedicated 100 Mbps pipe. The increased bandwidth of switched Fast Ethernet allo ws the FN100 to instantly multiply the available bandwidth, virtually eliminating all collisions and providing a means of dramatically increasing the bandwidth where needed most - at the ﬁleservers.

Page 1-10 Fast Network 100 User Guide

1.6.2 High-Performance W orkgroups

FN100 Applications

FN100

Figure 1-7 Creating High-Performance Workgroups

FN100

As workstation performance continues to grow, F ast Ethernet switching is the perfect choice for addressing the new bandwidth requirement. Providing the most cost-effective bandwidth compared to other high-speed technologies, the FN100 provides dedicated 100 Mbps to each workstation.

In addition, the FN100 provides the ﬂexibility of allowing workstations with 10BASE-T adapters to be combined in the same workgroup, as shown in Figure 1-7. This allows ﬂexible workgroup networks to be constructed with minimal impact to the design of the rest of the network.

Fast Network 100 User Guide Page 1-11

Chapter 1:

Introduction

1.6.3 Backbones

Studies indicate that backbone congestion is the number one issue facing most networks. The FN100 reduces congestion by increasing the overall aggregate bandwidth between existing routers, switches or hubs.

A Fast Ethernet backbone consisting of one or more FN100 switches that consolidate the trafﬁc needed to traverse to the backbone is shown in Figure 1-8. The FN100 provides the increased bandwidth required to “inter-switch” the existing Ethernet and Token Ring switches.

TXTXRX

Link

Status

9X 10X 11X 12X 13X 14X 15X

Link

Status

14X

13X

15X 16X

X2X3X4X 5X

AUI 1

17X 18X

6X 7X8X9X

3X 4X 5X 6X

20X 21X 22X 23X 24X

19X

10X

11X

1415161718

Link

231456 789101112AB

12X

1920 2122 23

Segment Status

Select

RX Act Col

Usr

9101112

13 1415 16

Link

Port Status Mode

TX Act

100

RX Col Usr

2314567

Status

FN100-16

Select

Ready

Reset

Pwr

NMS Port

Link Status

16X

ResetReady

Pwr

NMS Port

Figure 1-8 Using the FN100 in the Backbone

1.7 FN100 CONFIGURATIONS

This section describes the ways in which the FN100 can be conﬁgured in your network, including

• Trunking conﬁgurations

• Virtual switch conﬁgurations

• Workgroup conﬁgurations

Page 1-12 Fast Network 100 User Guide

FN100 Conﬁgurations

1.7.1 Trunking Conﬁgurations

If your network conﬁguration requires you to connect two or more FN100 switches together, but the applications you are running over the network require more than 100 Mbps of bandwidth per connection, you can use the built-in trunking feature to increase bandwidth up to 800 Mbps, without installing additional hardware on your network. The FN100 supports up to 8 trunk groups with 2 to 8 ports per trunk group.

Trunking is a Cabletron Systems proprietary extension to the 802.1D Spanning Tree algorithm. It enables you to use multiple 100BASE-TX or 100BASE-FX Ethernet segments to connect FN100 switches together, while maintaining ﬁrst-in, ﬁrst-out ordering of Ethernet packets. In addition, if any of the Ethernet segments conﬁgured for trunking become inoperable, those Ethernet segments are automatically bypassed.

Figure 1-9 shows two FN100 switches connected by four 100BASE-TX crossover cables. You can connect up to eight ports for sharing the traffic load. Any additional connected ports become standby ports. The connections must be point-to-point. That is, there cannot be any other devices on the Ethernet segments.

FN100

100 Mbps

100BASE-TX Crossover Cables (providing 400 Mbps of bandwidth)

100 Mbps

Figure 1-9 Trunk Connections

100 Mbps

FN100

100 Mbps

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Chapter 1: Introduction

In some wiring closets, it may be easier to connect two FN100

NOTE

switches via an Ethernet concentrator. However, you must make sure that there are no other devices connected to the Ethernet concentrator.

1.7.1.1 Trunking Conﬁguration Examples

The FN100 allows multiple trunk groups with up to eight ports each to be connected between the FN100 and other network devices. This capability provides a scalable dedicated bandwidth of up to 800 Mbps.

For example, local trafﬁc, such as the Manufacturing Department’s internal trafﬁc, can be easily handled by a single, 100 Mbps connection. However, when the Manufacturing Department needs access to the corporate database, the trafﬁc travels over a trunk line, thereby increasing the speed of transmission.

Figure 1-10 illustrates the trunking of multiple FN100 ports to increase the bandwidth.

LAN segments

FN100

LAN segments

Up to 400 Mbps Bandwidth

100 Mbps

100 Mbps 100 Mbps

100 Mbps

Trunk Lines

100 Mbps

Figure 1-10 FN100 Trunking Conﬁguration Example #1

Figure 1-11 illustrates how the FN100 can be used in a backbone network conﬁguration.

Page 1-14 Fast Network 100 User Guide

Servers

FN100 Conﬁgurations

100BASE-TX Cables

ATX

WAN Router

100BASE-TX

Cables

100 Mbps

FN100

Trunk Lines

FN100

Network Management Station

Workgroup

Hub

Figure 1-11 FN100 Trunking Conﬁguration Example #2

1.7.2 Virtual Switch Conﬁgurations

The FN100 can be conﬁgured as a collection of virtual switches. Virtual switches provide increased bandwidth, enhanced security, and other advantages gained by having multiple switches operating in your network. Speciﬁcally, virtual switches can be used to increase bandwidth between the FN100 and non-Cabletron Systems devices that do not support trunking. You can deﬁne up to four virtual switch groups, and assign any of the FN100 ports to one of these virtual switch groups.

The virtual switch capability breaks the address table into a separate table for each virtual switch that is deﬁned. Each switch group is assigned a switch ID as follows: sw1, sw2, sw3, sw4. The def ault conﬁguration is for all ports to be set to sw1.

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Chapter 1: Introduction

1.7.2.1 Virtual Switch Conﬁguration Examples

Figure 1-12 shows a 16-port FN100 conﬁgured as two virtual switches, each attached to a separate non-Cabletron Systems device.

Host Connection

Non-Cabletron Systems

Router

100 Mbps

Virtual

Switch 1

Non-Cabletron Systems

100 Mbps

Virtual

Switch 2

(No T rafﬁc)

Host Connection

Router

Figure 1-12 FN100 Virtual Switch Conﬁguration Example #1

FN100

Figure 1-13 shows the FN100 conﬁgured as four virtual switches and attached to a single non-Cabletron Systems device. Each virtual switch provides a separate 100 Mbps connection to the non-Cabletron Systems device.

Non-Cabletron Systems Device

100 Mbps

SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4

100 Mbps

Figure 1-13 FN100 Virtual Switch Conﬁguration Example #2

FN100

Page 1-16 Fast Network 100 User Guide

FN100 Conﬁgurations

1.7.3 Workgroups

The FN100 allows you to deﬁne ports for logical groups of associated hosts to create workgroups. Workgroups provide an efﬁcient ﬂow of trafﬁc across an Ethernet network by enabling you to limit broadcasts to logical domains within the network. The FN100 recognizes Workgroup destinations and routes broadcast packets directly to hosts within the workgroup, eliminating the need to perform a general broadcast across each segment of the network to ﬁnd host addresses.

1.7.3.1 Workgroup Conﬁguration Example

Workgroups are created by assigning workgroup IDs to speciﬁc FN100 ports. A port is assigned to one workgroup at a time. Figure 1-14 shows two Ethernet segments using the workgroup feature of the FN100 to increase the bandwidth dedicated to each A and B host.

Router

100 Mbps

Workgroup A

Figure 1-14 Using the FN100 to Create Workgroups

100 Mbps

Workgroup B

FN100

A host from workgroup A can limit a broadcast to all hosts within workgroup A or B and prevent the broadcast from going across the network and adding to the amount of contention for the limited 100 Mbps bandwidth.

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Chapter 1: Introduction

Page 1-18 Fast Network 100 User Guide

CHAPTER 2

UNPACKING AND INSTALLING THE FN100

Carefully unpack the FN100 from the shipping carton and inspect it for possible damage. If any damage is evident, contact Cabletron Systems. The shipping carton contains:

• The FN100 device

• Console cable kit

• One AC power cord

• Two rack-mounting brackets with fasteners (for rack-mount installation)

• Four stick-on feet (for desktop installation)

• Documentation – In addition to this manual, the Fast Network 100

Quick Setup Instructions, the Fast Network 100 Local Console Manager (LCM) Commands Reference Card, the Fast Network 100 MIB Reference Guide, and Release Notes are also included.

2.1 FN100 PANELS

The FN100 front panel is available in the following conﬁgurations:

• 8-100BASE-TX/10BASE-T (twisted pair) Ethernet ports with one redundant 100BASE-FX ﬁber port (FN100-8)

• 16-100BASE-TX/10BASE-T (twisted pair) Ethernet ports with two redundant 100BASE-FX ﬁber ports (FN100-16)

• 8-100BASE-FX (ﬁber) Ethernet ports (FN100-8FX)

• 16-100BASE-FX (ﬁber) Ethernet ports (FN100-16FX)

Each FN100 also includes an RS232C port for out-of-band management. Figure 2-1 shows the FN100 16-port twisted pair and ﬁber front panels.

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Chapter 2: Unpacking and Installing the FN100

Status

TXTXRX

Link

TXTXRX

9101112131415

9X 10X 11X 12X 13X 14X 15X

3X 4X 5X 6X

TXTXRX

9101112

13 14 15 16

Link

16X

TX Act

Port Status Mode

RX Col Usr

2314567

9101112

TX Act

Port Status Mode

RX Col Usr

2314567

Select

100

13 14 15 16

Select

100

Status

Link Status

Reset

FN100-16

Ready

Pwr

NMS Port

FN100-16FX

Ready

Pwr

NMS Port

Figure 2-1 FN100 16-Port Twisted Pair and Fiber Front Panels

2.2 POWER SWITCH

The power switch is located on the back panel of the FN100. The po wer is ON when the rocker switch is set to 1.

2.3 INSTALLING THE FN100

The FN100 can be either table-mounted or rack-mounted. Follow the applicable instructions in this section to mount your FN100.

2.3.1 Table-Mounting the FN100

If the FN100 is to be table-mounted, install the four stick-on feet on the bottom of the unit, as shown in Figure 2-2. In addition, make sure the unit is within reach of the network cables to which it will be connected.

100 Mbps

Figure 2-2 Installing the Stick-on Feet

100 Mbps

Page 2-2 Fast Network 100 User Guide

+ 74 hidden pages

Cabletron Systems FN100, FN100-8FX, FN100-16, FN100-16FX, FN100-8 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual