Cabletron Systems STS16-20R User Manual

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SmartStack

STS16-20D/STS16-20R

Token Ring Switches

Installation

and

User Guide

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.

Cabletron Systems, Inc. 35 Industrial Way Rochester, NH 03867

Order Number: 9032956-01 (OC-7054 v. 1.1, 710001812)

SmartStack

CompuServe

i960 microprocessor

Ethernet

Notice

is a trademark of Cabletron Systems, Inc.

is a registered trademark of CompuServe, Inc.

is a registered trademark of Intel Corp.

is a trademark of Xerox Corporation.

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:

digital 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:

approved by the 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

Changes or modifications made to this device which are not expressly

VCCI Notice

This is a Class A product based on the standard of the Voluntary Control Council for Interference by Information Technology Equipment (VCCI). If this equipment is used in a domestic environment, radio disturbance may arise. When such trouble occurs, the user may be required to take corrective actions.

Industry Canada 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.

Notice

Declaration of Conformity

Addendum

iii

Application of Council Directive(s):

Manufacturer’s Name:

Manufacturer’s Address:

European Representative Name:

European Representative Address:

Conformance to Directive(s)/Product Standards:

Equipment Type/Environment:

We the undersigned, hereby declare, under our sole responsibility, that the equipment packaged with this notice conforms to the above directives.

Manufacturer Legal Representative in Europe

89/336/EEC 73/23/EEC Cabletron Systems, Inc. 35 Industrial Way PO Box 5005 Rochester, NH 03867 Mr. J. Solari Cabletron Systems Limited Nexus House, Newbury Business Park London Road, Newbury Berkshire RG13 2PZ, England EC Directive 89/336/EEC EC Directive 73/23/EEC EN 55022 EN 50082-1 EN 60950 Networking Equipment, for use in a Commercial or Light Industrial Environment.

Mr. Ronald Fotino Full Name Full Name

Principal Compliance Engineer Title Title

Rochester, NH, USA Location Location

Notice

Mr. J. Solari

Managing Director - E.M.E.A.

Newbury, Berkshire, England

1. Introduction 1

Switching Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Switch of Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Switch of Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Switch of Hubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Switch of Desktops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Switch of Floors and Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Switch of Routers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Front Panel Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The MANAGEMENT Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Token Ring Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Reset Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

System Request Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Status and Activity LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Back Panel Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Features and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2. Switch Overview 17

Multiple Simultaneous Conversations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Low Latency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Address Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Multiple Bridging Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Source Route Switching (SRS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Source Route Bridging (SRB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Source Route Transparent (SRT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

SRT/SRB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Congestion Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Three Switching Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Cut-Through . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Store and Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Auto (Adaptive Cut-Through) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Token Ring Port Operation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

RI/RO-Like Connection on SmartStack STS16-20R . . . . . . 27

Transmission Priority Queues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

ClearSession Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

CrossLink Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Notice

Spanning Tree Protocol Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

VLAN Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Dynamic Source Route Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

SNMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

SmartStack Manager for Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Telnet Management and VT100 Management (Console) . . 36

IBM LAN Network Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

RMON Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Built-in Port Counters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Stackable Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Back-to-Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Internal Stacker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

External Stacker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Optional Redundant Power Supply on

SmartStack STS16-20R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

3. Preparing for Installation 41

Safety Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Safety with Electricity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Preventing Electrostatic Discharge Damage . . . . . . . . 42

Site Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Chassis Accessibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Cooling and Airflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Configuration Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Frame Length Limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Ring Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Sample Uses of the SmartStack STS16-20RM Family Switches 48

Deployment Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

4. Installation 55

Installation Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Package Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Materials needed for Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Mounting the Chassis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Rack or Cabinet Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Table-Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Cabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Connecting Devices to the Token Ring Ports . . . . . . . . 60

Connecting Devices to the Token Ring Ports

Notice

Using Building Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Checking the Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Applying Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Stacker Link Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

SmartStack STS-LM Connectors and LEDs . . . . . . . . 66

Connecting the Stacker Link Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Working with a Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Inter-box Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Checking the Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

5. Accessing Switch Management 69

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Connecting the Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Communication Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Diagnostic Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

6. Switch Configuration 75

General Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Navigating within the Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Configuration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Switch Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Stack Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Module Information Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

VLAN Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

VLAN Configuration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

VLAN Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

VLAN Parameter Configuration for CRF Screen . . . . . . 89

VLAN Parameter Configuration for BRF Screen . . . . . . 91

VLAN Port Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

IP Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

BootP Requests and Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

SNMP Configuration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Spanning Tree Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) . . . . . . . . 98

Spanning Tree for BRF Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Spanning Tree for CRF Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Port Spanning Tree Parameters Screen . . . . . . . . . . 104

Current Spanning Tree Information Screen . . . . . . . . . 105

Port Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Switched Port Analyzer Menu from the Configuration Menu . . 110

CrossLink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Notice

vii

CrossLink Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

CrossLink Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Setting up a CrossLink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Current CrossLink Information Screen . . . . . . . . . . 115

Address Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Filters and Port Security Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Configure Filters Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Configure Port Security Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . 120

View Port Filters Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Protocol Filters Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Protocol Class Assignment Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Port Filtering Attributes Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Address Aging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Address Aging Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Port Address Table Aging Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Master Address Table Aging Screen . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Password Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Console/Telnet Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Console Configuration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Serial Link Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Creating a Console Session Using a Modem . . . . . . . 134

Stopping the Console Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Telnet Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Telnet Sessions Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Starting the Telnet Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Stopping the Telnet Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Involuntary Termination of the Telnet Session . . . . . . 137

Syslog Daemon Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

DSRR Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

DSRR Group Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

DSRR Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Download/Upload Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Serial Link Download Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

TFTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

TFTP Download/Upload Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Reset Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

7. Monitoring the Network from the Console Statistics Menu 155

Statistics Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Switch Statistics Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Power Supply Information Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Port Status Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Notice

viii

Port Statistics Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

General Statistics Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

802.5 Statistics Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

802.5 State Information Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

802.5 DTR MAC Information Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

TXI Information Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Station-CPort Information Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Address Tables Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Master Address Table Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Master Route Descriptor Table Screen . . . . . . . . . . . 180

VLAN Address Table Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

VLAN Route Descriptor Table Screen . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Locate MAC Address Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Current Spanning Tree Information Screen . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Current Spanning Tree Information for a CRF Screen . . . 188

VLAN Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

VLAN Statistics Screen for CRF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

VLAN Statistics for BRF Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

DSRR Status Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

DSRR Status Tables Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

DSRR Neighbor Table Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

DSRR Acting as Backup Table Screen . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Diagnostic Test Results Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Message Log Information Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

Display Summary Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

8. Monitoring the Network with SNMP 201

SNMP Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

IP Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

SNMP Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

SNMP Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Community Strings Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Trap Receivers Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

List of Supported Traps from a STS16-20D/STS16-20R . . 206

9. Monitoring Port Traffic 211

Switched Port Analyzer Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

10. Troubleshooting 215

Obtaining Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Troubleshooting in a Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Start of Troubleshooting Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Choosing a Troubleshooting Procedure . . . . . . . . . . 216

Notice

11. Getting in Touch with Technical Support 221

Problem Report Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Appendix A. Abbreviations 225 Appendix B. Cable and Pin Information 229

Connecting to the Out-of-Band Management Port . . . . 229

Out-of-Band Management Port and Cable Pin-Outs . . . 229

Twisted-Pair Cable Pin Outs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Cabling Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Cable Length and Lobe Wiring Rules

for Dedicated-Media LAN Segments . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Cable Length and Lobe Wiring Rules

for Shared-Media LAN Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Notice

List of Figures

Figure 1. SmartStack STS16-20D Token Ring Switch . . . . . . . . . 1

Figure 2. Location of LEDs, Switches and Connectors . . . . . . . . . 5

Figure 3. The back panel of the SmartStack STS16-20D . . . . . . . 9

Figure 4. The back panel of the SmartStack STS16-20R . . . . . . . 9

Figure 5. Multiple Conversations Through a SmartStack

STS16-20RM Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Figure 6. Typical Configuration with SmartStack STS16-20R

Switches Using Multiple Bridging Modes . . . . . . . . . . 21

Figure 7. A SmartStack STS16-20R Switch Configured

with Two VLANs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Figure 8. Example of Dynamic Source Route Recovery, Base

Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Figure 9. Example of Dynamic Source Route Recovery,

Normal State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Figure 10. Example of Dynamic Source Route Recovery,

Switch 1 Failed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Figure 11. Typical Network without the SmartStack

STS16-20D/STS16-20R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Figure 12. Relieving the Overstressed Backbone . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Figure 13. Replacing SRBs with a SmartStack STS16-20RM or

SmartStack STS16-20R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Figure 14. Delivering Dedicated Bandwidth to Individual Workstations 50

Figure 15. Scenario using a Stacker Link and a Matrix Switch . . . . 52

Figure 16. Setting Up CrossLinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Figure 17. Exposing the Rack Mounting Bracket . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Figure 18. Mounting the Switch in a Rack or Cabinet . . . . . . . . . 59

Figure 19. Connecting Devices to Token Ring Ports . . . . . . . . . 61

Figure 20. Connecting using Building Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Figure 21. The back panel of the STS16-20D . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Figure 22. The back panel of the STS16-20R . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Figure 23. SmartStack STS-LM Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Figure 24. View of Console Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Figure 25. SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R with four VLANs . . . 86

Figure 26. Setting Up CrossLinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Figure 27. Primary and Traced DSRR Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Figure 28. TIA/EIA-232 Null-Modem Cable for 25-pin Connector . . . 231

Figure 29. EIA 232 Null-Modem Cable for 9-pin Connector . . . . . . 231

Figure 30. Straight-Through Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Figure 31. Data Connector-to-RJ-45 Straight-Through Cable . . . . . 232

Notice

List of Tables

Table 1. Status LEDs and their Meanings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Table 2. Stack-link LEDs and Their Meanings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Table 3. Port LEDs and Their Meanings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Table 4. Back Panel Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Table 5. Capacity Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Table 6. Performance Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Table 7. Specifications of Physical Characteristics . . . . . . . . . 16

Table 8. Supported MIBs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Table 9. Supported RMON Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Table 10. SmartStack STS-LM Network Connector . . . . . . . . . . 66

Table 11. SmartStack STS-LM LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Table 12. Inter-box Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Table 13. Console Configuration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Table 14. Modem Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Table 15. Symptom, LED State and Recommended Procedure . . 216

Table 16. Connecting to the Management Port . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Table 17. Pin-out of the Management Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Table 18. Copper Cable Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Table 19. Lobe Length for 150 Ohm Shielded Media . . . . . . . . 234

Table 20. Lobe Lengths for 100 Ohm Shielded or Unshielded Cable 234 Table 21. Lobe Lengths for 100 or 120 Ohm Shielded

or Unshielded Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Notice

xii

Notice1Introduction SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

1. Introduction

This chapter discusses switching technology and how the SmartStack STS16-20D and/or SmartStack STS16-20R Token Ring Switch can be used to improve network performance. This chapter also includes a list of features and specifications for the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R.

The topics of this chapter are presented under the following titles:

“Switching Technology”, starting on page 2.

•

“Front Panel Details”, starting on page 5 and “Back Panel Details” starting on

•

page 9.

“Features and Specifications”, starting on page 10.

•

The front panels of the SmartStack STS16-20D Token Ring Switch and the SmartStack STS16-20R Token Ring Switch are exactly the same, only the product label differs. The following figure illustrates the front panel of a SmartStack STS16-20D Token Ring Switch.

Figure 1. SmartStack STS16-20D Token Ring Switch

Switching Technology

Demand for network bandwidth continues to grow, driven by the increasing number of systems used in network-intensive applications. LAN segmentation has been the prevalent method for addressing these demands and has been further popularized by trends toward server centralization. However, the implementation costs of LAN segmentation, as well as the real performance characteristics of conventional network components, have served to limit growth of some Token Ring networks. Alternative technologies for addressing bandwidth demands present yet other inhibitors, usually relating to costs. Token Ring switching provides users with an easy, cost-effective technique for addressing these demands.

Token Ring switches, such as the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R, increase throughput between Token Ring segments by supporting simultaneous, parallel conversations. Switched connections between Token Ring segments last only for the duration of the packet—new connections can be made between different segments for the next packet.

Token Ring switches solve congestion problems caused by high-bandwidth devices and powerful applications as well as the number of users. Therefore, each of these devices—servers, for example—can be assigned its own 16 Mbps segment.

In Token Ring networks, the major bottleneck is typically the throughput to highbandwidth devices such as servers, and between routers, bridges, and switches. An effective solution is full-duplex communication, an option for each segment connected to an SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R port. Normally, Token Ring operates in half-duplex communication mode, which means stations can either receive or transmit. With full-duplex technology, two communicating stations can transmit and receive at the same time. When packets can flow in both directions simultaneously, effective Token Ring bandwidth doubles from 16 Mbps to 32 Mbps.

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R can forward Token Ring frames among multiple, shared or dedicated Token Ring LAN segments. Using a frame forwarding technique similar to that of a multiport Token Ring transparent bridge, the switch uses Token Ring MAC addresses to forward Token Ring frames from any of its ports to any other.

Switch of Switches

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R can be deployed in a variety of network configurations, all of which provide a significant increase in network performance. The family of Cabletron Systems Token Ring products allows users to build network systems that can transport data efficiently and scale upwards as throughput requirements increase. The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R delivers highreliability and media flexibility. These features combine to allow the SmartStack

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Introduction

STS16-20D/STS16-20R to be used as a switch of switches which provides media flexibility in an Token Ring configuration.

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R can easily connect with other SmartStack products to deliver a broad range of network carrying capacity. Bandwidth is easily scaled to meet all performance requirements.

Switch of Servers

With client/server applications, many client workstations may attempt to access a single server at the same time. This traffic pattern may create bottlenecks at the server. To further enhance performance, the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R can deliver dedicated bandwidth to high-speed file servers. All servers perform better with dedicated 16 Mbps bandwidth.

Even better performance can be achieved by installing multiple adapters in the server. By connecting these adapters to the switch, multiple 16 Mbps paths to the server are created, a solution that is only possible when using a switch.

The switch ties together all Token Ring devices lined to a local wiring center. In networks, where a significant portion of the traffic moves locally between client and server, the switch can be very effective.

Switch of Hubs

When network traffic increases beyond the capability of hubs, contention results. Applications suffer and may even fail. The net effect of such a network configuration is that all devices share a single 16 Mbps data path, thus reducing overall network efficiency. The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R can be very effective when used as a switch of hubs.

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R can alleviate contention through microsegmentation, or reducing the number of devices in each shared segment. To provide microsegmentation, the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R divides a single 16 Mbps segment into multiple 16 Mbps segments. As an example, a workgroup has 16 Mbps of capacity. The 20 ports on the SmartStack STS16-20D/ STS16-20R support 10 simultaneous conversations with 20 hubs, thus providing the workgroup with 160 Mbps bandwidth throughput, which results in a significant gain in bandwidth. Note that on the SmartStack STS16-20D, hubs can only be connected to the network ports 17–20.

Switch of Desktops

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R is a cost-effective means of providing dedicated bandwidth to individual desktop workstations. In this application, the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R replaces a hub, providing excellent, hub-like

Introduction SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

network management statistics. Total network capacity and throughput increase dramatically for attached desktop workstations.

Switch of Floors and Buildings

For network managers, multistorey buildings and campuses can represent a unique networking challenge. How can a network manager provide an efficient LAN interconnect for users that are located on several floors of a building or in different buildings?

Token Ring switching and the SmartStack product family can provide the best solution. The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R provides enhanced throughput to local wiring closets that can be connected to a switch located in the data center.

Many networks consist of users located in different buildings of a campus environment. The switches can be used as a collapsed backbone interconnecting multiple buildings of a campus. They can provide the connectivity solution and enhanced throughput that such campus environments require.

Switch of Routers

Router technology has had a significant impact on the design of today’s internetworks. Routers have become the cornerstone of most production networks. Although well equipped to provide firewall, WAN connectivity, security, and connection between dissimilar LANs, routers are unable to provide high throughput between desktop devices and servers. Because of these limitations, routers and switches perform complimentary functions in the network.

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R can be used as a front-end to routers to increase performance in each subnet. Communication between local clients and servers is enhanced at the workgroup level below the router.

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R can also be used to back-end routers. In networks were many routers are interconnected over Token Ring and backbone performance is not acceptable, the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R provides nonblocking communication between the routers for enhanced network performance. This provides protocol transparency with enhanced throughput in each subnet between local servers and desktops, thus allowing network managers to build logical networks as large as network layer protocol and broadcast traffic allow.

The Switched Port Analyzer also gives a collapsed backbone network superior network management and the ability to perform protocol analysis from a single location. The Switch Port Analyzer provides the latest technology for monitoring switch-based networks and helps to reduce the cost of managing these networks.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Introduction

Front Panel Details

The front panel details of the switches are illustrated in Figure 2. This section lists all the connectors, controls, and LEDs of the front panel.

Figure 2. Location of LEDs, Switches and Connectors

The MANAGEMENT Port

The 9-pin, male, Out-of-Band Management (OBM) port labeled MANAGEMENT functions as a DTE port.

This port enables attachment of a terminal, either local or remote, through a modem connection. The terminal can be used to configure and monitor the switch.

The Out-of-Band Management port automatically detects the baud rate of the terminal to which it is attached.

Token Ring Ports

Twenty shielded RJ-45 connectors for Token Ring connection.

•

— Support for the IBM Cabling System via 150 ohm, shielded twisted-pair

(150 ohm STP); or 100 or 120 ohm unshielded twisted-pair via Category 3, 4, or 5 cables.

— These ports allow half-duplex (HDX) or full-duplex (FDX) connections to

other switches, hubs, or end nodes.

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R will automatically sense what type

•

of Token Ring connection is being employed on each of its ports, whether it is:

Introduction SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

— a connection to a shared-media segment via a Token Ring concentrator,

Station mode (on SmartStack STS16-20D only via the network ports 17– 20)

— a connection to another Token Ring switch (on SmartStack STS16-20D

only via network ports 17–20)

— operating at 4 Mbps or at 16 Mbps

— a connection to a dedicated-media segment, directly to a Token Ring LAN

station operating in half-duplex or full-duplex mode (Port mode).

— Ports 19 and 20 on SmartStack STS16-20R can attach to a MAU/CAU RI/

RO port

The switch will automatically configure (requiring no operator action) each port to operate at the highest possible level of capability. No special crossover cables are required for Token Ring stations on dedicated-media segments or for switch-toswitch connections; the same straight-through cabling is used regardless of the type of connection. This auto-sense/auto-configure capability of the switch can be overridden by explicit console management.

Switched Port Analyzer

Any of the Token Ring ports can be configured as an analyzer port. An analyzer port is used to monitor any of the other ports in the same physical switch. The activity can then be traced by a Token-Ring network analyzer attached to the analyzer port.

Reset Button

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R has a recessed reset button labeled RST that is located on the front panel. Pressing the reset button resets the hardware and software and clears all tables and memory, including the address tables. Pressing the reset button does not clear the values stored in nonvolatile random access memory (NVRAM).

System Request Button

This unlabeled recessed button is located on the front panel above the Reset button. Pressing the button causes the device attached to the MANAGEMENT port. Pressing the button for more than five seconds will initiate a modem download of the main image.

➽ Note:

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Introduction

The system request button should be used only at the direction of service

personnel. The button is recessed to prevent accidental activation.

System Request

Menu to appear on the console

Labels

The two labels in the right side of the front panel are:

The MAC Address Label: The unique globally assigned base Base MAC-

•

Address of the switch.

The Switch Number Label: Blank label for an individual user identification of

•

the switch.

Status and Activity LEDs

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R features three status LEDs at the left on the front panel that show the current status of the switch. There are also three

LEDs at the left that indicate the activity of the optional stacker link

activity

module. Moreover, each Token Ring port has two LEDs.

Refer to Figure 2 on page 5 for the locations of all the LEDs.

Table 1 lists the status LEDs and their meanings.

LED State Meaning

PWR Off The switch is not connected to a power outlet, or

the power supply is faulty.

On The switch is receiving power.

DIAG On The DIAG diagnostics LED is on during the

power-on self-test. During download of a new software image, the DIAG LED blinks to indicate the clearing (slow blink) and loading (faster blink) of FLASH memory.

ERR On The ERR LED is off during normal operation. If

the LED turns on, an error has occurred. Power the switch down and up again. The ERR LED should not turn on again. If it does, the switch is faulty. Note that on SmartStack STS16-20R, the ERR LED might turn on if the switch is powered only by an external power supply.

Table 1. Status LEDs and their Meanings

The stack-link LEDs and port LEDs are described in the tables on the next page.

Introduction SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Table 2 lists the stack-link LEDs and their meanings:

LED State Meaning

TX On or

Data is being transmitted to the stack link.

blinking

RX On or

Data is being received from the stack link.

blinking

ATTACH On A connection has been established to the stack.

Table 2. Stack-link LEDs and Their Meanings

Table 3 lists the port LEDs and their meanings:

LED State Meaning

INS

On The Token Ring port is inserted into the ring. (left LED of port)

Off The Token Ring port is not inserted into the ring

Blinking The Token Ring port is disabled.

ACT (right LED of

On or

blinking

Data is being transmitted to or received from the port.

port)

Table 3. Port LEDs and Their Meanings

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Introduction

Back Panel Details

The back panel of the switches are illustrated in

Figure 3. The back panel of the SmartStack STS16-20D

Figure 4. The back panel of the SmartStack STS16-20R

Table 4 lists the back panel connectors on the switch.

Name Description

AC connection Standard AC power connection.

Redundant power

Connector for the optional redundant power supply unit. supply (SmartStack STS16-20R only)

Table 4. Back Panel Connectors

Introduction SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Features and Specifications

This section lists important switch features as well as technical specifications.

Features

Performance and Advanced Features

Three switching modes:

•

— Low latency cut through

— Store and corward

— Auto (Adaptive cut-through)

Enhanced bridging modes:

•

— Transparent bridging

— Source route switching

— Source route bridging (SRB)

— Source route transparent bridging (SRT)

Support for duplicate MAC address schemes

•

Automatic port sensing of operating mode and media speed

•

Multiple Token Ring port operation modes:

•

— Half-duplex concentrator and station

— Full-duplex concentrator and station (Dedicated Token Ring)

— RI/RO-like connection (SmartStack STS16-20R only)

Spanning tree protocol support on SmartStack STS16-20D for the designated

•

network ports 17–20 and on SmartStack STS16-20R for all the ports 1–20:

— IEEE 802.1D

— IBM Spanning Tree Protocol

On SmartStack STS16-20D the workstation ports 1–16 will always be in forwarding state. They are not affected by the spanning tree protocol.

CrossLink high-speed inter-switch connection

•

— On SmartStack STS16-20D up to 128 Mbps using the network ports 17–

20. On SmartStack STS16-20D the workstation ports 1–16 do not support CrossLinks.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Introduction

— On SmartStack STS16-20R up to 256 Mbps for all the ports 1–20, when

using 8 ports.

Advanced filtering (MAC address / Protocol)

•

VLAN (Virtual LAN) support

•

Support for transmission priorities

•

Congestion control

•

SRB Redundancy

•

Support for ClearSession high availability features

•

Management

Extensive and sophisticated network management:

•

— SNMP management

— Out-of-band management via Telnet and VT100 consoles

— Graphical management application for Windows 95 and Windows NT (for

information on additional management applications for Unix, please contact your local Cabletron Systems sales representative)

Support for RMON and standard MIBs

•

Network statistics

•

LAN probe port mirroring

•

Fault isolation and detection

•

Download via TFTP or X-modem of new switch microcode

•

Up- and download of switch configuration via TFTP

•

Scalability and High Availability

SmartStack STS16-20D:

•

One active LAN station can be attached to each of the workstation port 1–16. Up to 5,500 active LAN stations for the four network ports 17–20 combined with a maximum of 10,000 active LAN stations per SmartStack STS16-20D.. SmartStack STS16-20R: Up to 5,500 active LAN stations per group of four ports with a maximum of 10,000 active LAN stations per SmartStack STS16-20R

Stackable architecture

•

Introduction SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

SmartStack STS16-20R: Optional Redundant Power Supply

•

Six switches can receive backup power from one SmartStack STS-RPC Redundant Power Center equipped with six SmartStack STS-PSU Redundant Power Supply Units.

Installation

No special crossover cable required

•

Rack or surface mounting

•

Plug and Play for transparent forwarding:

•

— Automatic learning of network configuration

— Transparent to high-level protocol

— Automatic sensing and configuration of ports

A factory-assigned MAC address (the switch can also be configured with a

•

locally administered MAC address)

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Introduction

Specifications

The tables on the following pages list the product specifications for the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R.

Capacity

Specification Value

Number of Token Ring ports

Number of Token Ring switches in stack

Global lookup table size (stations and bridges)

Local lookup table size, total for four network ports SmartStack STS16-20D

17 to 20)

(stations and bridges)

(on

ports

Maximum number of logical rings

Maximum number of VLANs

Table 5. Capacity Specifications

SmartStack STS16-20D: 16 workstation ports (1 to 16) 4 network/workstation ports (17 to 20) SmartStack STS16-20R: 20 network/workstation ports

8 using the SmartStack STS-8SU Stacker Unit 5 using the SmartStack STS-5SU Stacker Unit 2 using the SmartStack STS-LM Link Module

10,000

5,500

Introduction SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Performance

Specification Value

Maximum frame rate per port

57,000 pps in each direction (measured with a frame size of 19 bytes)

Maximum aggregate frame rate per 4 ports

Throughput per port

Aggregate switching rate

200,000 pps in each direction. Full media speed for frame sizes above 28 bytes

16 Mbps in each direction for all frame sizes

1,500,000 pps for smallest frame sizes

(unicast or broadcast) for entire switch

Within switch latency (cut-

35 µs

through)

Table 6. Performance Specifications

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Introduction

Physical Characteristics

Specification Value

Rack mount

Dimensions

Wei ght

Power

Frequency

AC current rating

Thermal dissipation

MTBF

Operating Temperature: Non-operating Temperature:

Humidity: Operating Non-operating

Electromagnetic compability immunity

19" rack mount (hardware included) 1.5 U

Width: 19" (48.3 cm) Depth: 15.74" (40.0 cm) Height 2.59" (6.6 cm)

15.9 lbs. (7.2 Kg)

100 to 240 VAC autosensing

50/60 Hz

1.5 A @ 100 V; 0.75 A @ 220 V

75 W, 256 BTU/h

SmartStack STS16-20D: 72,100 hours SmartStack STS16-20R: 70,200 hours Calculated using Bellcore TR-332, issue 6

10 to 40°C (50 to 104°F) –10 to 70°C (13 to 158°F)

8 to 80% (non-condensing) 90% @ 45°C (113°F)

EN 50082-1 EN 61000-3-2 EN 61000-3-3

Electromagnetic emissions certification

FCC Part 15, subpart b, Class A EN 55022 Class A CISPR 22 Class A

Safety

IEC 950 UL1950 CSA C22.2 No. 950 EN 60950

MANAGEMENT port

Software updates

Introduction SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

TIA/EIA-232-F, DB9 male connector

Flash PROM, TFTP, X-modem

Specification Value

Protocol compatibility

Spanning Tree Protocol support (On SmartStack STS16-20D only for ports 17 to 20)

MIBs supported

Network management

Transparent to higher layer protocols

IEEE 802.1D compliant IBM Spanning Tree

SNMP MIB II (RFC1213) SR Bridge MIB (RFC1525) Bridge MIB (RFC1493) Evolution of the Interfaces Group of MIB-II (RFC1573) RMON MIB/TR extensions - selected groups only (RFC1757/1513) IEEE 802.5 MIB (RFC1749/1748) IEEE 802.5r DTR MIB IEEE 802.5r DTR MAC MIB STS16-20RM MIB VTP MIB

SNMP Management Platform Console Telnet sessions SmartStack Manager for Windows 95 and NT Additional management applications available on Unix platforms:

—HP OpenView NNM for HP-UX —Tivoli TME 10 NetView for AIX

Table 7. Specifications of Physical Characteristics

❏

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Introduction

2. Switch Overview

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R is an IEEE 802.5-compliant device designed to boost throughput on Token Ring networks. It operates as a Media Access Control (MAC)-layer device that is protocol independent.

This chapter describes how the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R operates as a single stand-alone unit. The switch contains the following main elements, as listed below:

Switching Bus—the architecture of the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R

•

centers around the AXIS bus, a 520 Mbps switching fabric through which all switched ports communicate. The AXIS bus is a partially asynchronous time division multiplexed bus used for switching packets between heterogeneous LAN modules.

Token Ring Ports—each port can attach to a classical Token Ring segment or

•

to a dedicated station (on SmartStack STS16-20D, ports 1–16 are workstation ports). Now users running basic applications are able to share bandwidth, and users running bandwidth-intensive applications can receive their own dedicated 16 Mbps port. Each dedicated port can also be set up in full-duplex communication mode, so that each 16 Mbps port doubles to 32 Mbps.

Stack Link Module—the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R switch family

•

includes a stack link module that can be used to connect two SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R family switches in a back-to-back configuration. Alternatively, up to five switches can be connected together using and internal stacker module, and up to eight switches can be connected together using the stack link module and an additional switch stack unit. By connecting switches together through the stack link module, the switches virtually combine to form a single unit, providing scalability, simplified management, and enhanced performance.

Switch Overview SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Multiple Simultaneous Conversations

A limitation of Token Ring is that it supports only one packet at a time. The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R improves data throughput by supporting multiple, simultaneous, full-duplex conversations. By using High-Speed bus switching technology, the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R creates multiple data paths. These switched connections between Token Ring segments last only for the duration of a byte transmission. New connections are made “on-the-fly” between different ports on the switch for the next byte.

Figure 5. Multiple Conversations Through a SmartStack

STS16-20RM Switch

For example, as shown in Figure 5, while host A is transmitting a byte to host B, the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R connects only the lines from A to B since there is no need to send packets to all other ports. At the same time, a second switching circuit can connect host C to host D. The result: Two packets are sent simultaneously.

➽ Note:

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R transmits broadcast and multicast

packets on several SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R ports simultaneously.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Overview

The increase in throughput is directly proportional to the number of physical tokenrings that are interconnected through the switch. A SmartStack STS16-20D/ STS16-20R with 20 ports interconnected provides up to ten concurrent paths. With ten simultaneous conversations, the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R creates 160 Mbps throughput in half-duplex mode, or 320 Mbps throughput in full-duplex mode.

A single segment can be dedicated to a single host or shared by several. To optimize throughput, high-speed servers can be given dedicated SmartStack STS16-20D/ STS16-20R ports.

By transporting multiple Token Ring packets simultaneously, it boosts overall network throughput.

Low Latency

When operating in cut-through mode, the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R minimizes latency—the time it takes to forward a packet from one Token Ring segment to another—by beginning switching immediately after looking at the first six bytes of the destination address in the packet. If the packet needs to be switched to another LAN segment, its data begins flowing through the destination port before the entire packet has been received. The result: packets can appear at the output port 35 microseconds after entering the input port. Network devices that use store-andforward technology introduce much longer delays because they wait to receive the entire packet before forwarding it.

By minimizing delay, the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R can move more packets freely throughout the LAN without degrading performance.

Switch Overview SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Address Management

At power up, the system address tables do not contain any information. Whenever a SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R receives a packet with an unknown source or destination address, it learns the new source address and stores its location in coming port in the address table. If the destination address is unknown it sends the packet to all ports that can receive data from the incoming port. When the response packet comes back, the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R will learn the responder’s location and adds it to the address table. Once the address table entries are created, the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R uses these learned address to switch all subsequent packets to the port where the destination address is located.

SmartStack STS16-20D Token Ring Switch

The system address table maintains up to 10,000 entries known across the networks and stations attached to the switch.

On SmartStack STS16-20D, the local port address table for the designated network ports 17 to 20 maintains up to 5,500 active Token Ring addresses. If more than this maximum number of addresses appear as a source MAC address, these additional addresses will not be learned, resulting in frames from these additional addresses being sent to all switch ports.

The workstation ports 1 to 16 maintain one active Token Ring address per port. If more than one address appears as a source MAC address, these additional addresses will not be learned, and frames from these additional addresses will be not be forwarded.

Addresses on both workstation and network ports are monitored for activity. If an address has not been active for a configurable aging time, the address is removed from the address tables. This ensures that the port’s address table is populated only by the most recently used addresses.

This capability allows users to transparently connect to high-volume backbone networks.

SmartStack STS16-20R Token Ring Switch

The system address table maintains up to 10,000 entries. On SmartStack STS1620R each port address table maintains 5,500 active Token Ring addresses (each port address table is shared by four ports, using the following: 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-, etc.). If an address has not been active for a configurable aging time, it is removed from the tables. This ensures that the port’s address table is populated only by the most recently used address.

Just as on SmartStack STS16-20D, this capability allows users to transparently connect to high-volume backbone networks.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Overview

Multiple Bridging Modes

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R supports four different switching modes to provide maximum flexibility in all installation environments. The switching modes are

route transparent

source route switching

(SRT) and SRT/SRB. The switch operates on two levels (BRF

and CRF) as outlined in the following:

CRF 2CRF 1 CRF 3 CRF 4

(SRS),

BRF 1

source route bridging

(SRB),

source

Switch

Figure 6. Typical Configuration with SmartStack STS16-20R

Switches Using Multiple Bridging Modes

The switch bridging modes are founded on the concept of

logical segments

DTR (IEEE 802.5r) standard’s

in Ethernet. The logical ring is represented on the switch by the

concentrator relay function

logical rings

(CRF). A logical ring

(LR) or

may consist of interconnected CRFs on different switches.

Each port on the switch belongs to a CRF, which is a logical grouping of ports within the switch. A CRF can consist of any number of ports within a switch or a switch stack. The ports within a CRF do not have to be adjacent.

The logical rings and subsequently, the CRFs, are assigned a unique ring number each when the switch performs source routing functions. The bridging is performed through the logical entity of the

Switch Overview SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

bridge relay function

(BRF).

The CRF communicates via a logical, virtual port with the bridge relay function, which functions as a multiport (virtual) bridge between the logical rings. The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R can support up to 63 logical rings.

There are two levels of relay functions supported by the SmartStack STS16-20D/ STS16-20R. The first level is the CRF to which the ports are assigned. The second level is the BRF. This is the parent relay function to which CRFs are assigned. The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R maintains certain configuration information and management statistics on a per BRF/CRF basis. Therefore, when you access VLAN-specific SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R configuration or management screens (such as the Current Spanning Tree Information screen), you will be prompted to specify the desired BRF or CRF.

Source Route Switching (SRS)

This mode is used between ports comprising a logical ring.

SRS switching combines the normal transparent bridge function with the ability to forward frames based on source route information to locally attached source-route bridges. The switch does not otherwise act as a source route bridge. For non sourcerouted packets, the switch decision is based upon destination MAC Addresses. For source-routed packets, it is based on the source-route information combined with the destination MAC address.

The switch learns MAC addresses and source-routing route descriptors of source route bridges attached to local switch ports.

Parallel paths are eliminated via the IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol. Note that on SmartStack STS16-20D the spanning tree protocol is only available on the network ports 17 to 20.

➽ Note:

On SmartStack STS16-20D only the designated network ports 17 to 20 will allow multiple MAC addresses to be learned. On SmartStack STS16-20R all ports allow multiple MAC addresses.

Source Route Bridging (SRB)

The BRF acts as a multiport source route bridge between CRFs with the following characteristics:

Each logical ring has a different ring number

•

Source route frames are forwarded between the logical rings by the bridge

•

relay function based on the route information field

Non-source-routed frames are not forwarded between logical rings

•

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Overview

The bridge relay function has a single bridge number and multiple ring

•

numbers (one per logical ring)

SRS is used between the ports of each logical ring. The bridge relay function runs the IBM Spanning Tree Protocol to eliminate parallel paths with other source-route bridges. The IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol is still used with each logical ring. Duplicate MAC addresses are allowed rings.

if they are on different logical

only

Source Route Transparent (SRT)

The BRF can combine transparent switching with source route bridging. Nonsource-routed packets are switched across logical rings by transparent bridging. Source-routed frames are switched across logical rings by source route bridging and within each logical ring by source route switching.

The bridge relay function runs the IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol. Duplicate MAC addresses are

allowed.

not

SRT/SRB

This is a special mode combining SRT and the SRB switching modes. Each logical ring will operate either in SRT mode or in SRB mode. Transparent bridging will only take place between logical rings in SRT mode. Source route bridging will take place between all logical rings.

The purpose of the SRT/SRB mode is to allow duplicate MAC addresses to be used when in SRT mode. The ports on which the duplicate MAC addresses reside can be reached only by source routing.

The bridge relay function runs the IBM Spanning Tree Protocol on the SRB logical rings to eliminate parallel paths with all source route bridges. It runs the IEEE

802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol on the SRT logical rings to eliminate parallel paths with other SRT bridges. The two resulting spanning trees are joined together.

The IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol is still used to eliminate parallel paths within each logical ring whether it is SRB or SRT.

The benefit of the SRT/SRB mode is that it allows part of the network to be run in SRT mode to accommodate applications that do not support source routing, while still supporting duplicate MAC addresses on a number of SRB ports (for example, for SNA gateway applications).

Switch Overview SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Filtering

Filtering is important for a LAN switch. Filters can be used to reduce broadcast traffic, block certain protocols and provide security functions.

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R provides filters for:

Destination or source MAC addresses

•

Destination service access point (DSAP)

•

Subnetwork Access Protocol (SNAP) type

•

Each protocol filter can be applied on a per-port basis for both input and output traffic. This feature allows certain protocols to be blocked from certain ports. For example, filters can be established to allow only Systems Network Architecture (SNA) traffic to flow to ports with SNA gateways.

Source and destination MAC address filtering can be applied to all incoming frames. The MAC address filters act in one of three ways:

Block destination address at a specific port—this prevents the specified port

•

from sending frames to a specified destination.

Allow destination address at specific ports—this indicates that the specified

•

port must send frames to the specified destinations

only

Force destination address to a specific port—this allows forwarding to a

•

unicast address that has not been learned. It can also be used to limit the forwarding of Multicast addresses to a subset of ports. This last filter applies to non-source-routing frames

only

Congestion Control

At regular intervals, the switch CPU inspects the queues on all output ports. If a queue size is above a certain threshold, the port is instructed to:

Set the transmit priority for low priority frames to a specified high level

•

Delete old frames from the queue until it reaches a specified size

•

When the queue size again comes below a normal threshold size the port is instructed to set the transmit priority back to the normal level.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Overview

Three Switching Modes

This section describes the three switching modes available on the switch.

Cut-Through

In this mode the switch starts forwarding the packet to the output port as soon as the destination address or the source route of the incoming packet has been resolved. This technique ensures very low latency, typically in the range of 30-100 µs. However, if errors occur on the input port during the reception of a packet, the error will still be forwarded to the output port. Note that cut-through can only be used in transmissions between ports which operate at 16 Mbps.

Store and Forward

In this mode, the switch receives the total packet from the input port, checks it for any errors and then starts forwarding the packet to the destination port. This technique will ensure that no faulty packets are transmitted by output port. The negative impact however, is higher latency, typically in the range of 40–2,000 µs depending on the packet size. Though slower than cut-through mode, this is still much faster that conventional bridges.

Auto (Adaptive Cut-Through)

This is a technique whereby the switch will automatically swap between store-andforward and cut-through modes based on an error threshold. If the number of received faulty packets is low, then cut-through mode is used; if the number of faulty packets is high, the store and forward mode is used. This provides optimized performance but introduces variable latency.

Switch Overview SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Token Ring Port Operation Modes

Each Token Ring port may operate in one of the following modes:

Half-duplex concentrator port

•

The port behaves like an active MAU port for classical Token Ring. Connects to a single station in half-duplex mode. This is also known as Token Passing (TKP) port mode. Compatible with older adapters.

Half-duplex station emulation

•

The port is connected to a port on a MAU. Connects to a classical Token Ring segment with multiple stations. This is also known as Token Passing (TKP) station mode.

Full-duplex concentrator port

•

Connects to a single station or to another switch in full-duplex mode. This is also known as Transmit Immediate (TXI) port mode.

Full-duplex station emulation

•

Connects to another Token Ring switch. This is also known as Transmit Immediate (TXI) station mode.

RI/RO-like connection

•

Allows connection of the RI/RO port from a MAU or CAU directly to the switch (only on SmartStack STS16-20R, ports 19 and 20).

The mode of operation can be configured manually or sensed automatically. Note that for SmartStack STS16-20R this is with the exception of RI/RO, when equipment is connected to the port. The media speed (4 or 16 Mbps) can also be manually configured or automatically sensed in all port modes.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Overview

RI/RO-Like Connection on SmartStack STS16-20R

A UTP RI/RO connection is available on ports 19 and 20 on the SmartStack STS16-20R Switch.

This feature allows the SmartStack STS16-20R to connect to CAU/LAM systems using the RI/RO connections thus providing a RI/RO-like functionality. This enables the switch to be easily installed in existing Token Ring networks.

A loop-back function has been implemented on these ports so that if the port is disabled or the switch is powered off there will not be a break in the attached main ring. This means that attaching a cable from the RI port of a MAU port to one of the two switch ports in effect joins the primary and the backup ring in a MAU/CAU main ring system. Connecting the other end of the RI/RO connection to the other switch port, the same segment.

enabled

creates redundant paths

Therefore, the IEEE Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) must be

, which will place one port in forward and the other in blocked mode. If there is a break in the main ring, the STP will place both ports in forward mode, and all MACs on both segments will be relearned.

If a SmartStack STS16-20R port has been configured to RI/RO mode, it will automatically sense whether the port has been connected to RI or RO of the MAU.

It is not possible to automatically verify whether a UTP/STP port has been

Note:

connected according to the configuration. Any errors, such as attaching port 19 or 20 to a normal MAU port when the SmartStack STS16-20R port has been configured for RI/RO, will cause a complete disruption of the ring to which the port is attached. Therefore, be careful when using the RI/RO feature.

because the two switch ports are connected to

Switch Overview SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Transmission Priority Queues

To address the needs of delay-sensitive data, such as multimedia, the Token Ring ports of the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R have two transmit queues, a highpriority queue and a low-priority queue.

The queue for a frame is determined by the value of the priority field in the frame control (FC) byte. If FC priority is above a configurable level (default 3), the frame is put into the high-priority queue. If an output port becomes congested, you can dynamically configure the port to transmit all frames at high priority regardless of the FC byte contents.

ClearSession Support

The SmartStack STS16-20RM switch family support the ClearSession high availability and network redundancy features.

ClearSession is a framework for mission critical networks. It prevents session loss by providing a network failure recovery time of, typically, less than three seconds. ClearSession consists of a several product features. Some of these, ClearServer, CrossLinks and Dynamic Source Route Recovery, are supported by the CSmartStack STS16-20RM switch family. These features provide the following functionality:

ClearServer

treated as one virtual adapter in the server, thus allowing multiple connections between a server and the backbone switch or switches. During normal operation the traffic is distributed on the links. The SmartStack STS16-20RM switch familysupport ClearServer for LAN to be used on servers connected to the switch.

CrossLinks.

SmartStack STS16-20RM family switches may be expanded to a CrossLink. A CrossLink is an aggregation of two to eight identical parallel links, working as one link of the aggregate capacity, providing protection from physical link failure. Should one of the links fail, the traffic is redistributed among the remaining operational links.

Dynamic Source Route Recovery

SmartStack STS16-20RM family switches performing source route bridging between a shared-media access ring and a common backbone ring to function as backup for each other. Should one of the switches fail or lose connectivity to one of the access rings, the other switch immediately takes over and bridges sourcerouted traffic marked with the failed path. DSRR protects source-routed traffic to and from shared access segments, such as user rings, with redundant connections to two Token-Ring switches. Traffic to and from such rings that is non-sourcerouted relies on the spanning tree.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Overview

. Token-Ring ClearServer for LAN, allow multiple adapters to be

Any Token-Ring link or dedicated Token-Ring link between

. DSRR is a feature that enables two or more

CrossLink Connections

Two or more Token-Ring ports can be configured to comprise a CrossLink.

A CrossLink is a collection of identical parallel links between two switches or between a switch and an end node, aggregated to appear as one single link of the aggregate capacity. The traffic distribution mechanism attempts to balance the load on the individual links. If one of the links in a CrossLink fails, the traffic is automatically moved from this link and distributed among the other links, thus providing active resilience.

The CrossLink ports on a STS16-20x switch can be used to connect to another STS16-20x switch, or a server with multiple RapidFire adapters using ClearServer for Token-Ring. (Please note that ClearServer for Token-Ring is supported on selected models of RapidFire adapters only. For details, refer to the ClearServer for LAN product information.)

The CrossLinks provide load distribution as well as resilience. In normal operation, the traffic is distributed on the physical ports of the CrossLink according to the frame MAC addresses. This ensures the sequence of a flow. Should a link fail or otherwise become inoperative, the switch dynamically redistributes the traffic to the remaining links. The CrossLink remains in operation as long as there is at least one link in operation. If a failed link is restored, traffic is once more redistributed to make use of the restored link.

A CrossLink is in many ways operating as one single link. For example, the spanning tree protocol will only have one port entity covering all ports in the CrossLink. The ports will all have the same operating state. As for VLAN and CRF configuration, the CrossLink is also seen as one link. Configuration changes apply to all links in the CrossLink.

On the STS16-20/RM/STS16-20FRM switch, CrossLinks can also be configured on the High-Speed Token-Ring ports of the SSIM-R2-02/SSIM-R8-02 High Speed Token Ring SmartStack modules or on the Fast Ethernet ports of the SSIM-H2-02 Fast Ethernet -Translational Switch SmartStack module. CrossLinks on Fast Ethernet ports can only consist of two ports available on the same SSIM-H2-02 Fast Ethernet -Translational Switch SmartStack module.

The CrossLink concept is designed to be compatible with the coming Link Aggregation standard, IEEE 802.3ad.

On SmartStack STS16-20D only the network ports 17–20 will allow CrossLinks. On this switch you can achieve up to 128 Mbps using four ports. On the SmartStack STS16-20R up to 256 Mbps can be achieved, using eight ports.

The STS16-20/RM/STS16-20FRM switch allows up to eight CrossLinks, each consisting of up to eight Token-Ring links.

Switch Overview SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

For details about CrossLink configuration, please refer to the section “CrossLink” on page 110 in Chapter 6, “Switch Configuration”.

Spanning Tree Protocol Support

IBM initially supported only source route bridging (SRB) in its bridges, so most networks were built to use it. The main consideration for SRB implementations in switches is the spanning tree algorithm for spanning tree explorers (STEs). IBM originally implemented a form of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) spanning tree algorithm. This algorithm, commonly referred to as the IBM spanning tree, limits the STE frames to one copy per destination ring. Some SRB implementations have also implemented the IEEE Spanning Tree Protocol to be compatible with source route transparent bridges. The IEEE Spanning Tree Protocol is not compatible with the IBM Spanning Tree Protocol.

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R supports both the IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol and IBM Spanning Tree Protocols.

➽ Note:

On SmartStack STS16-20D only the network ports 17–20 support the

spanning tree protocol at the port level.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Overview

VLAN Support

The virtual LAN (VLAN) concept creates a virtual switch within a physical switch or stack of switches. A VLAN consists of CRFs and has its own bridge relay function attached. Frames are not forwarded across VLANs and ring numbers must be unique within a VLAN.

A VLAN consists of a number of ports of a switch or stack of switches

•

No frames are forwarded between ports belonging to different VLANs

•

Port groups on different VLANs may be assigned the same ring number, but

•

ring numbers must be unique within the same VLAN

For each VLAN, the stack can be assigned a separate IP address

•

The spanning tree protocol is executed independently within each VLAN.

•

However, since all BRFs use the same Bridge ID for the spanning tree algorithm, the spanning tree protocol will not function if ports from different BRFs within one switch are connected.

A sample VLAN with SmartStack STS16-20R is shown below.

VLAN 1 VLAN 2

BRF 1 BRF 2

CRF 2CRF 1

CRF 3

CRF 4

Switch

Figure 7. A SmartStack STS16-20R Switch Configured

with Two VLANs

Switch Overview SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Dynamic Source Route Recovery

Dynamic Source Route Recovery (DSRR) is a proprietary protocol that enables a group of switches to handle a link or switch failure without session loss.

A basic redundant setup must have a minimum of two switches performing source route bridging between a legacy Token-Ring and an emulated Token-Ring (or another legacy ring) as illustrated in Figure 8.

BRF

Bridge No. B1

CRF

BRF

Bridge No. B2

CRF

Figure 8. Example of Dynamic Source Route Recovery, Base Configuration

This configuration already has redundant paths between the two rings, but since moving traffic from one path to the other involves changing source route, this would involve session loss.

When DSRR is enabled, an extra path is automatically created between the two rings for each switch, as shown in Figure 9. During normal operation, these extra paths do not forward any traffic.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Overview

BRF

Bridge No. B1

Backup BRF

Inactive

BRF

Bridge No. B2

Backup BRF

Inactive

Figure 9. Example of Dynamic Source Route Recovery, Normal State

If one of the switches (Figure 9) or its link to any of the Token-Rings fail, (one of) the remaining active switch(es) will after a short interval activate its backup path to take over the traffic of the failed switch (see Figure 10) When the failing switch has been repaired/replaced, the traffic will automatically revert to it.

Switch Overview SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

BRF

Bridge No. B1

Backup BRF

Inactive

BRF

Bridge No. B2

Backup BRF

Bridge No. B1

Active

Figure 10. Example of Dynamic Source Route Recovery, Switch 1 Failed

Note that since a separate link is required for forwarding traffic with a given Route Descriptor, one switch can only carry backup traffic for one failed switch at a time. This means that a total of 2×n switches is required to handle simultaneous failure of n switches.

While the above example shows redundancy for a BRF with two CRFs, it is also possible to provide (partial) redundancy for a BRF with more than two CRFs. This must, however, be accomplished by creating separate DSRR instances for selected CRF pairs. Note that since at least one of the CRFs must be connected to a legacy Token-Ring, it is not possible to provide full redundancy for a BRF with more than one ATM CRF.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Overview

Management

This section describes the management options for the switch.

SNMP

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R can be managed via a SNMP manager. The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R supports ten Management Information Bases (MIBs). Six of the MIBs are standard MIBs, which are defined by RFCs and are included with most SNMP management applications. Four of the MIBs are proprietary and are provided on the disk that accompanies the SmartStack STS1620D/STS16-20R. SNMP management is supported via IP and MAC.

The following MIBs are supported:

Specification MIB

RFC1213 MIB II

RFC1493 Bridge MIB

RFC1525 SR Bridge MIB

RFC1573 Evolution of the Interfaces Group of MIB-II

RFC1757/1513 RMON MIB/TR extensions - Only partial support

RFC1749/1748 IEEE 802.5 MIB

DTR MIB IEEE 802.5r MIB

DTR MAC MIB IEEE 802.5r MIB

STS16 MIB 1.3.6.1.4.1.52.285

STS16 MIB 1.3.6.1.4.1.9 (crosslinks)

Table 8. Supported MIBs

Most user configurable variables will be supported in either the standard MIBs or the proprietary MIB. Configuration settings, such as port attributes, and operational information, such as address tables, are fully accessible through SNMP. Certain other settings, such as passwords and console settings, cannot be viewed or modified via SNMP for security reasons.

Switch Overview SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

SmartStack Manager for Windows

The SmartSwitch Manager is an application that runs under Windows. It provides an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) that displays a view of the switch front panel and supports configuration, performance monitoring, and troubleshooting.

This application is included with the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R.

Telnet Management and VT100 Management (Console)

The Console Management function may be accessed out-of-band via the TIA/EIA232-F (that is, RS-232) port labeled MANAGEMENT or in-band via Telnet.

IBM LAN Network Manager

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R does IBM LAN Network Manager, but it will allow LAN Network Manager LLC frames to flow through the switch so that communication to existing LNM manageable hubs and source route bridges will be maintained. The switch also implements a mini Ring Parameter Server to supply attached NICs (such as CAUs) with the configured ring number.

Some error reporting functions and ring map functions might be lost for the rings attached to through the switch, because a Token Ring Switch will not (and should not) forward MAC frames, but only LLC frames between ports.

support management by the

not

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Overview

RMON Support

RMON is an industry-standard method for providing network statistics monitoring using SNMP. It also collects fault, performance, and configuration statistics. It can monitor continuously, even when communication with the management station is not possible or efficient. RMON can then notify the management station when an exceptional condition occurs.

In typical SNMP management, the SNMP client has to continuously poll the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R for fault, performance, and configuration information, waiting for the value to change. This causes increased traffic through the network. With RMON, you can have the switch monitor a particular statistic internally, and when the statistics reaches a threshold, the SmartStack STS16-20D/ STS16-20R will send a trap to the client. This monitoring method reduces traffic between the SNMP client and the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R.

The switch implements a mini RMON probe for the physical ports by supporting some of the RMON groups RFC 1757 and RFC 1513.

For full RMON an external probe must be used.

For information on supported groups, see the following table:

Name Support Info

Statistics

Supported:

— The Token-Ring MAC-Layer Statistics Group.

The Token-Ring Promiscuous Statistics Group.

2. History Supported

— The Token-Ring MAC-Layer History Group. — The Token-Ring Promiscuous History Group.

3. Alarm

—

Supported

—

Not supported

for all RMON variables.

for other MIB variables.

4. Hosts Not supported.

5. HostTopN Not supported.

6. Matrix Not supported.

7. Filter Not supported.

8. Capture Not supported

Table 9. Supported RMON Groups

Switch Overview SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Name Support Info

9. Event Supported.

10. Token-Ring Supported:

— The Token-Ring Ring Station Group.

Only

supported as read

created as default can be read. The ring station table is not supported.

— The Token-Ring Ring Station Order Group. — The Ring Station Config Table.

Not supported

— The Token-Ring Ring Station Config Group. — The Token-Ring Source Routing Group.

Table 9. Supported RMON Groups

. That is, only the entries

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Overview

Built-in Port Counters

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R supports a wide range of port counters, which enables you to obtain a detailed overview of the port traffic. The counters give a comprehensive overview in the areas of:

MAC Layer Counters

•

MAC Layer Error Counters

•

Frame Forwarding Counters

•

Stackable Architecture

All SmartStack STS16-20x switches are stackable.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R switches can be stacked using the included SmartStack STS-LM Link Module, the optional SmartStack STS-5SU Stacker Unit or the optional SmartStack STS-8SU Stacker Unit for connecting up to eight switches in a stack.

The STS-LM Stacker Link Module is a built-in feature of the SmartStack STS1620D and SmartStack STS16-20R Switches, the other two stacker units are optional. The following sections describe how to stack the STS16-20x switches.

Back-to-Back

Two STS16-20x units can be connected together by fitting each switch with the SmartStack STS-LM Link Module and connecting the switches together using and appropriate stacker link cable. This simple connection doubles the number of ports available.

Internal Stacker

The STS-5SU Internal Stacker Unit can be inserted into the stacker port of a switch. It allows up to five switches from the SmartStack STS16-20RM switch family to be stacked together. One of the switches in the stack must contain the STS-5SU Internal Stacker Unit. The other switches in the stack must be equipped with a STSLM Stacker Link Module and an appropriate stacker link cable. This can result in a stack of as many as five STS16-20x switches. The STS-5SU Internal Stacker Unit works as a common backplane switching fabric, which provides 1.4 Gbps of aggregate bandwidth.

External Stacker

The SmartStack STS-8SU External Stacker Unit is an external stack unit that allows up to eight STS16-20x switches to be stacked together. Each switch in the

Switch Overview SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

stack must be equipped with a STS-LM Stacker Link Module and an appropriate stacker link cable. The SmartStack STS-8SU External Stacker Unit works as a common backplane switching fabric, which provides 2.2 Gbps of aggregate bandwidth.

➽ Note:

The SmartStack STS16-20D and the SmartStack STS16-20R can be stacked together with other switches from the STS16-20x family in any desired combination. All switches in a stack must, however, run the same software version.

Optional Redundant Power Supply on SmartStack STS16-20R

The SmartStack STS16-20R Token Ring Switch has an input for a backup power supply (see Figure 22. in Chapter 4, “Installation”). It is compatible with the SmartStack STS-RPC Redundant Power Center, which can supply back-up power for up to six switches, when up to six SmartStack STS-PSU Redundant Power Supply Unit are installed in the chassis. This gives a high degree of resilience to power supply failures. The SmartStack STS16-20R will switch to the external power supply if the internal supply fails. The switch monitors the power source and informs the network management system which supply is in use.

The SmartStack STS-8SU Stacker Unit also accommodates an optional switch matrix STS-SM, which includes a redundant power supply, ensuring the highest degree of resilience in the stack of switches.

➽ Caution

hot-swappable. Both the SmartStack STS-PSU unit and the switch before connecting or disconnecting the DC power cable.

: The redundant power supply unit SmartStack STS-PSU is

not

must be off

❏

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Overview

3. Preparing for Installation

Before installing the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R, read this chapter carefully.

Safety Recommendations

Follow these guidelines to ensure general safety during and after the installation:

Keep the chassis area clear and dust-free during and after installation.

•

Keep tools away from walk areas where you and others could trip over them.

•

Do not perform any action that creates a potential hazard to people or makes

•

the equipment unsafe.

Safety with Electricity

Follow these guidelines when working on equipment powered by electricity.

➽ Danger: ➽ Danger:

wired and earthed receptacle. Any equipment to which the switch will be attached must also be connected to properly wired and earthed receptacles.

➽ War ning:

jewelry (including rings, necklaces, bracelets and watches). Metal objects will heat up when connected to power and ground and can cause serious burns or weld the metal object to the terminals.

➽ War ning:

periods of lightning activity. Read the installation instructions before you connect the system to its power source.

To turn switch. ON/OFF switch. Note that if the switch is connected to an external Redundant Power Supply Unit (RPSU), the power cord must be removed from both units.

•

Do not open the switch. Dangerous voltage inside.

To avoid shock hazard, the power cord must be connected to a properly

Before working on equipment that is connected to power lines, remove

Do not work on the system or connect or disconnect cables during

the switch, you must disconnect the power cord; there is no on/off

off

Locate the emergency power-off switch for the room in which you are working. Then, if an electrical accident occurs, you can act quickly to turn off the power.

Preparing for Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Before working on the system, unplug the power cord. To avoid the possibility

•

of electrical shock, unplug the power cord from the outlet before detaching the power cord from the switch.

Disconnect all power before doing the following:

•

— Installing or removing a chassis

— Working near power supplies

— Performing a hardware upgrade

Do not work alone if potentially hazardous conditions exist.

•

Never assume that power is disconnected from a circuit. Always check.

•

Look carefully for possible hazards in your work area, such as moist floors,

•

ungrounded power extension cables, and missing safety grounds.

If an electrical accident occurs, proceed as follows:

•

— Use caution; do not become a victim yourself.

— Unplug the power cord(s).

— If possible, send another person to get medical aid. Otherwise, assess the

condition of the victim and then call for help.

— Determine if the person needs rescue breathing or external cardiac

compressions; then take appropriate action.

Preventing Electrostatic Discharge Damage

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage equipment and impair electrical circuitry. It occurs when electronic components are improperly handled and can result in complete or intermittent failures. Always follow ESD-prevention procedures when removing and replacing components. Ensure that the chassis is electrically connected to earth ground using an ESD mat or a ground wire. Wear an ESD-preventive wrist strap, ensuring that it makes good skin contact. To safely channel unwanted ESD voltages to ground, connect the clip to an unpainted surface of the chassis frame. To properly guard against ESD damage and shocks, the wrist strap and cord must operate effectively. If no wrist strap is available, ground yourself by touching the metal part of the chassis.

➽ Caution:

which should be between 1 and 10 MΩ.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Preparing for Installation

For safety, periodically check the resistance value of the antistatic strap,

Site Requirements

Following are the site requirements for installation.

Environment

Choose a clean, dust-free, preferably air-conditioned location. Avoid direct sunlight, heat sources, or areas with high levels of EMI (Electromagnetic Interference).

Chassis Accessibility

Make sure the front and back panel of the equipment is accessible so that you can monitor the LED indicators and access the control switches. Leaving enough clearance at the front and back will also allow easier cabling and service.

Cooling and Airflow

Two fans, which are located at the left side of the switch, cool the interior by drawing air through vents on the left side and forcing heated air out through holes in the right side. If the internal temperature exceeds 50°C (112°F), a temperature error is reported to the console.

➽ Caution:

that exceeds the maximum recommended ambient temperature of 40°C (104°F). To prevent airflow restriction, you must allow at least 7.6 cm (3") of clearance around chassis openings for proper airflow.

To protect the equipment from overheating, do not operate it in an area

Power

The source electrical outlet should be installed near the switch, be easily accessible, and be properly grounded.

Also, observe the following power cable considerations before you start the installation of the SmartStack STS16-20D Token Ring Switch and/or the SmartStack STS16-20R Token Ring Switch.

11. The socket outlet shall be installed near the equipment and shall be easily accessible.

12. To prevent electrical shock, the power cord set used must comply with national regulations.

a. The female receptacle of the cord must meet CEE-22 requirements.

Preparing for Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

b. The cord must be UL listed, CSA labelled, and consist of three conductors

with a maximum of 15 feet in length. Type SVT or SJT cord sets shall be used for units which stand on a desk or table. Type SJT cord sets shall be used for units which stand on floor.

c. The male plug for units operating at 115 VAC shall consist of a parallel

blade, grounding type attachment plug rated 15 A, 125 VAC. The male plug for units operating at 230 VAC shall consist of a tandem blade, grounding type attachment plug rated 15 A, 250 VAC. The male plug for units operating at 230 VAC (outside of the United States and Canada) shall consist of a grounding type attachment plug rated 15 A, 250 VAC and have the appropriate safety approvals for the country in which the equipment will be installed.

➽ Caution:

Support the SmartStack STS16-20D Token Ring Switch and/or the SmartStack STS16-20R Token Ring Switch while you are installing the unit to avoid dropping it on the floor or any equipment beneath it in the rack. The SmartStack STS16-20D Token Ring Switch and the SmartStack STS16-20R Token Ring Switch unit each weighs approximately 7.2 kg (15.9 lbs).

➽ Caution:

To separate the switch from the power, pull the power cord completely out from the socket. The power socket must be easily accessible and located near the unit.

➽ Warning:

All RJ-45 connectors must only be connected to safety extra low voltage

(SELV) circuits like local area networking (LAN).

➽ Warn ing:

This product relies on the building’s installation for short-circuit (overcurrent) protection. Ensure that a fuse or circuit breaker no larger than 120 VAC, 15A U.S. (240 VAC, 10A international) is used on the phase conductors (all current-carrying conductors).

➽ Warn ing:

A voltage mismatch can cause equipment damage and may pose a fire hazard. If the voltage indicated on the label is different from the power outlet voltage,

➽ Caution

do not connect the chassis to that receptacle

: If you are using the redundant power supply unit SmartStack STS-PSU (only available for SmartStack STS16-20R), note that this unit is swappable. You must

the SmartStack STS-PSU Unit and the switch before

turn off

not

connecting or disconnecting the DC power cable.

hot-

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Preparing for Installation

Configuration Guidelines

This section will help you understand the physical configuration restrictions for the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R. Read the guidelines in the following sections before you start installing the switch. In brief, remember the following rules when planning to install the switch:

18,192 byte maximum physical frame length.

•

For shared-media LAN segments, acceptable distances are defined by the hub

•

or concentrator attached to the switch port.

Straight-through cables for all ports.

•

If you create parallel paths directly between switches, be sure that you have

•

enabled the spanning tree (see “Spanning Tree for BRF Screen” on page 99). The default setting for the spanning tree protocol is disabled.

The spanning tree protocol will not function between different BRFs within

•

one switch.

The following sections contain more detailed information.

Frame Length Limit

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R supports a maximum physical frame length of 18,192 bytes (from the Frame Control, FC, to the Frame Check Sequence, FCS, characters). This corresponds to a Maximum Transfer Unit (MTU) of 17,800 bytes.

The

default

corresponds to an MTU of 4,472 bytes. The configured in the

The switch truncates frames larger than the configured maximum physical frame length and adds an abort sequence at the end. Characteristically, if frames are sent longer than the frame length limit, the abort sequences will be reported as frame errors by other ring stations.

In a stack of switches, all stacker link modules in the stack must support 18 KB frames for any switch in the stack to support frames sizes longer than 4,546 bytes. Additionally, if you are using ATM uplinks in any SmartStack STS16-20RM/ STS16-20FRM, all ATM uplinks in the stack must support 18 KB frames for any switch in the stack to support MTU sizes greater than 4,472 bytes.

To verify that your hardware supports 18 KB frames, view the

Information

that do not support 18 KB frames will have the text after the hardware revision level.

Preparing for Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

maximum physical frame length of the switch is 4,546 bytes which

MTU size of a VLAN is

actual

VLAN Parameter Configuration for BRF

screen, described on page 84. Stacker link modules and ATM uplinks

(4K)

screen, see page 91.

Module

displayed immediately

You can also use the dialog can display all the hardware modules. Note that the SSIM-H2-02 Fast Ethernet - Translational Switch SmartStack Interface Module might display 1,500 bytes, but this does not prevent the stack from running 18 KB.

For information on how to upgrade your stacker link modules or ATM uplinks that currently do not support 18 KB frames, please contact your dealer or your local representative.

It is most important that you consider the impact of the frame length limit,

Note:

and make sure that the workstations and servers in the network have been configured to use a maximum frame length of equal or less than the switch. If this is not done you may experience problems after the switch has been installed in the network.

NET 18K

dialog box in the HP OpenView application. This

IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree

When the IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol is active, a port within that spanning tree domain will require several seconds to make the transition from the blocking state to the forwarding state, from the time the port is initially activated (for example, joins an existing ring or activates a dedicated link).

Some client or server applications may attempt to establish session activity during this time, resulting in error messages indicating a connection failure. These applications should be configured to wait at least thirty seconds after the LAN link has become active, before attempting to establish session activity. Modifying the

802.1D spanning tree default parameters can reduce this delay. If STP is enabled on a dedicated port (FDX) and a station is attached, it takes at least 30 seconds for the port to do the transition DWN stations may give up before the transition is done. This means that the first many connection attempts are lost. STP should not be enabled on ports that are intended for dedicated stations. This problem does not occur on shared media, because the port will stay attached to the hub even though all stations have closed.

→→→→

LSN

→→→→

LRN

FWD. IPX clients and server

→→→→

Another reason for not enabling STP for dedicated stations is, that the whole network will go into This will cause the whole network to use short aging timers, which means that all address tables will be cleared. This can lead to many unknown station broadcasts before the tables converge again. Note that a port or CRF that is manually forced to either FWD or BLK state, is not participating in the spanning tree protocol. If a port or CRF is changed from administrator’s responsibility that no loops are created from this port(s) to other parts of the network.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Preparing for Installation

Topology Change

(the default) to

Auto

state each time a station opens or closes.

FWD/BLK

, it is the network

Ring Numbers

Forwarding frames between CRFs in SRB mode is only possible if the CRFs know their ring numbers. If you are running the switch in an environment without other bridges/switches, auto-configuration of ring numbers is not possible. In this case, you have to configure the ring numbers manually.

Preparing for Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Sample Uses of the SmartStack STS 16- 20RM Family Switches

The Cabletron Systems SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R switches allow you to increase the performance of the network by providing dedicated bandwidth to individual workstations. You will typically deploy SmartStack STS16-20D/ STS16-20R as a second step of migration from a hierarchical Token Ring network consisting of a backbone segment and workgroup segments towards a fully switched network:

Step 1 of the migration involves redesign of the backbone by replacing a shared

•

16 Mbps Token-ring backbone with a switched backbone utilizing SmartStack STS16-20RM or SmartStack STS16-20R. The backbone usually serves as interconnection of the workgroup segments and the server farm segment.

Step 2 of the migration increases the performance of the network by providing

•

dedicated full-duplex 16 Mbps bandwidth to individual workstations utilizing SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R switches

Figures 11, 12, 13 and 14 illustrate the migration steps. Figure 11 shows a typical 3-layer network design built with source-routing bridges. Figure 12 shows how the backbone is optimized using SmartStack STS16-20RM or SmartStack STS16-20R. Figure 13 shows the deployment of SmartStack STS16-20RM or SmartStack STS16-20R as segment switches while Figure 14 shows the next step where a dedicated bandwidth is delivered to individual workstations. For such network design SmartStack STS16-20RM provides all the flexibility needed to use fiber to extend distances, or increase the number of ports, while SmartStack STS16-20D/ STS16-20R provides the low-cost needed for dedicated bandwidth to individual workstations.

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R switch is intended to increase the network bandwidth. Replacing a shared Token Ring segment with a SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R delivers N times 16 Mbps bandwidth. For example, replacing a shared ring with 10 users with a SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R delivers 10 times 16 Mbps—a 10-fold bandwidth increase.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Preparing for Installation

Server

SRB SRB

Server

4 6

SRB

Figure 11. Typical Network without the SmartStack

STS16-20D/STS16-20R

SRB

Server

SRB

Figure 12. Relieving the Overstressed Backbone

Preparing for Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Switch

BRF

CRF 1

1 2

CRF 2

CRF 3

CRF 7

CRF 8

CRF 9

Server

Server Server Server

CRF 5

32 Mbps

Figure 13. Replacing SRBs with a SmartStack STS16-20RM or SmartStack

STS16-20R

Figure 14. Delivering Dedicated Bandwidth to Individual Workstations

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Preparing for Installation

Deployment Scenarios

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R includes a built-in stacker link. To create a stack of SmartStack STS16-20x switches you can use any switch in this series as an interface point for the stack. To do this, you use either a SmartStack STS-8SU Stacker Unit or a SmartStack STS-5SU Stacker Unit. Using the stacker link and an appropriate stacker unit it is possible to build a large switch stack combining several ports on one switch with ports on one or more other several SmartStack STS16-20x switches. You can use the expansion module slots of the SmartStack STS16-20RM/STS16-20FRM to get ATM, High-Speed Token-Ring as well as Fast Ethernet Translational Switching connectivity for the whole stack including the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R.

You can use all the ports in the stack as one switched ring (a single CRF), or should your network design call for it, allocate ports on to different rings. The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R provides all the flexibility of the SmartStack STS1620RM/STS16-20FRM with respect to defining switched rings (CRFs) and bridges (BRFs).

Figure 15 shows a scenario using a stacker links and a switch stacker unit.

Several ports on SmartStack STS16-20RM are combined with ports on the

•

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R to create a switched ring.

Ports on SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R are intended for users who need

•

the dedicated bandwidth and for file servers while SmartStack STS16-20RM/ STS16-20FRM supports shared media Token Rings in a transition period and extends the backbone Token Ring using fiber.

An alternative way of migrating shared rings to switched rings is to use existing cables as connections between SmartStack STS16-20RM and SmartStack STS1620D/STS16-20R. In this way, the distance limitations of the stack solution are bypassed and the ring is geographically extended to cover more than one wiring closet. A network port (ports 1 to 20 on SmartStack STS16-20R and ports 17 to 20 on SmartStack STS16-20D) can be used to connect two switches from the SmartStack STS16-20RM family together using existing cables. In order to increase the resilience of the network you can connect the SmartStack STS16-20D/ STS16-20R to two different switches from the SmartStack STS16-20x family that use multiple network ports.

Preparing for Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Figure 15. Scenario using a Stacker Link and a Matrix Switch

Figure 16 on the next page shows a network design where SmartStack STS16-20D/ STS16-20R uses network ports to connect to a remote SmartStack STS16-20RM switch. In many Token Ring networks, the cabling layout requires such remote extension of rings. When more than one network port at each end is used to connect the same two switches they can be configured as a CrossLink which allows for a data pipe with up to 32 Mbps times the number of ports in the pipe in bandwidth. For a description of CrossLinks, see the section “CrossLink” on page 110.

As a general rule of thumb, you should combine SmartStack STS16-20D/STS1620R with SmartStack STS16-20RM because SmartStack STS16-20RM gives the ultimate flexibility via its expansion module capability. Another good network design rule of thumb is to reduce the number of rings in a switched network switched rings do not have the cabling limitations and the limitations on the number of ring stations as the shared media Token Rings. The reduction of the number of rings - ultimately leading to one single logical switched ring - may prove advantageous if you want to reduce the number of hops across source routing bridges, and limit the use of source routing bridging.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Preparing for Installation

Figure 16. Setting Up CrossLinks

❏

Preparing for Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Preparing for Installation

4. Installation

This chapter contains step-by-step instructions for installing, connecting and verifying that the SmartStack STS16-20D Token Ring Switch and/or the SmartStack STS16-20R Token Ring Switch is operating properly.

Installation Summary

The installation sequence is listed in the following steps.

1. Plan for installation. Read Chapter 3, “Preparing for Installation”.

2. Unpack the switch.

3. Gather the materials.

4. Mount the switch.

5. Connect the switch to the network.

6. Verify the operation of the switch.

➽ Note:

Complete the following step only if you will be customizing the

configuration of the switch or monitoring its activity.

7. Configure the switch.

For information on front panel and back panel connectors, buttons, slots, and LEDs, please see “Front Panel Details” on page 5 and “Back Panel Details” on page 9 in Chapter 1.

Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Package Contents

Immediately after receiving the equipment, examine all shipping containers and contents for damage. If any damage has occurred, notify the shipping carrier. Unpack the unit by removing the packing material and lifting it from its protective enclosures. Visually examine the equipment and check the container for related parts and accessories. You should have the following items:

One SmartStack STS16-20D Token Ring Switch

•

One SmartStack STS16-20R Token Ring Switch

One CD-ROM containing the Token-Ring switch software and the SmartStack

•

Manager for Windows, as well as user documentation in PDF format

One printed

•

One printed

•

Installation and User guide

One serial cable for the management port

•

One plastic bag containing four adhesive rubber feet and rack mounting

•

screws, an Allen key, nuts and washers

Report any missing parts and any damage, not related, to shipping to your customer service representative.

➽ Note:

Keep the packing materials for future use.

warranty should be shipped in their original packing materials.

If you have received your equipment before your site is fully prepared, after inspection, you should keep all of the components in the original shipping containers and store them in a physically and environmentally safe place.

SmartStack Manager for Windows Installation and User Guide

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token-Ring Switches

All components returned under

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Installation

Materials needed for Installation

To install the switch, you need the following items:

If the unit will be installed in a rack, you need:

•

— A rack inventory chart and a cabling chart from your network

administrator.

— The supplied set of screws, nuts and washers along with the Allen key tool.

— A properly earthed power cord.

If the unit will be installed on a surface (such as a tabletop), you will need:

•

— A cabling chart from your network administrator.

— The four supplied adhesive rubber feet.

— A properly earthed power cord.

Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Mounting the Chassis

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R can be mounted in a standard 19-inch rack or cabinet, or can be mounted on any flat surface such as a tabletop. The installation area should be near a power source and should have enough room around the front and back panels for cabling and access to controls. Use the following procedures for the installation of the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R.

➽ Warn ing:

replace this equipment.

Only trained and qualified personnel should be allowed to install or

Rack or Cabinet Mounting

If you install the equipment in a closed or multi-unit rack, observe the environmental guidelines from the previous chapter, Chapter 3, “Preparing for Installation”.

➽ Caution:

that the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R and any other equipment are mechanically stable.

The following steps describe how to mount the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R in a rack or cabinet:

1. Remove the bracket covers on each side of the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-

The following rack mounting instructions need to be observed to ensure

20R to expose the rack mounting brackets. Access to the retaining screws is obtained by opening the cap on the front of each bracket cover. Use the Allen key supplied with the switch to remove the two 6 mm Allen screws. When you have removed the screws, push the bracket cover towards the back of the switch and lift the cover off. Keep the screws for later use.

Figure 17. Exposing the Rack Mounting Bracket

Before going on to the next step, be sure you have the proper hardware for mounting the chassis with the exposed brackets to your cabinet or rack.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Installation

2. Position the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R, with the exposed mounting

brackets, in the rack or cabinet and slide it up or down until the bracket holes line up with the rack holes. Attach the chassis brackets to the rack using the Allen screws you removed in the previous step and the nuts supplied with the switch. Close the cap again to conceal the screws.

➽ Note:

Only fixed brackets are supplied with these units. If you want to install a sliding pullout mount, you will need to provide the extra mounting hardware.

Figure 18. Mounting the Switch in a Rack or Cabinet

Table-Mounting

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R operates at a low noise level, which makes it suitable for a large enough flat surface such as a table.

Four self-adhesive pads are supplied with the switch. The pads must be mounted in the four recesses on the bottom of the switch. When the pads are mounted, simply place the switch on a clear, level location. Leave enough room around the switch for ventilation and access to the controls and cable connectors.

➽ Caution:

equivalent weight of other equipment) directly on top of another chassis. More than three units on top of another unit may cause damage to the lower unit.

Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Due to weight constraints, place no more than three units (or the

Cabling

➽ Note:

For information on connectors, buttons, slots, and LEDs, please see “Front

Panel Details” on page 5 and “Back Panel Details” on page 9 in Chapter 1.

This section provides instructions for connecting devices (such as hubs, servers, personal computers, and workstations) to the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R. Remember these tips when connecting cables:

Avoid stretching or bending the cables excessively.

•

Avoid routing the cables near potential sources of electromagnetic

•

interference, such as motorized devices and fluorescent lights.

Avoid trip hazards by routing the cables away from aisles and other areas

•

where people walk. If such routes cannot be avoided, use floor cable covers or similar material to secure and protect the cables.

Be sure that the cables connected to the switch are supported so that the cable

•

connectors are not excessively strained.

Use a Category 3 or better UTP cable or a 150 ohm, STP or STP-A cable with

•

an impedance-matching balun at each end.

See Appendix B, “Cable and Pin Information” for specific information on supported cable types, cable lengths and connector pinouts.

Connecting Devices to the Token Ring Ports

If you will not be using building wiring (in-the-wall cables) to connect the device to the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R, perform the following steps. If you will be using building wiring, follow the steps beginning with step 1 on page 61.

Follow these steps to connect one or more devices to the Token Ring ports on the switch:

1. Using the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Cabling Chart provided by your network administrator as a guide, connect the cables between the switch and other devices as illustrated in Figure 19. Note that the figure illustrates an RJ45 connector on each end. Depending on the cable type you use, the device end of the cable may also have a 9-pin D-shell or 150 ohm Data Connector.

2. If the switch is rack-mounted, dress the switch end of the cables through a cable management bracket, if one is present on your rack.

3. Label each end of the cables so that it will be easy to find the device if you have to troubleshoot a network problem.

Suggested information to place on the label includes the room location of the

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Installation

device at the other end, a unique cable identification number, the MAC address of the connected device, and the number of the port to which the cable is attached.

4. To continue installing the switch, go to “Applying Power” on page 63.

Figure 19. Connecting Devices to Token Ring Ports

Connecting Devices to the Token Ring Ports Using Building Wiring

If you will use building wiring (in-the-wall cables) to connect the device to the switch, perform the following steps:

1. Using the Switch Cabling Chart provided by your administrator as a guide, connect the cables between the devices and the faceplates as illustrated in Figure 20.

2. Label the faceplate, so that it will be easier to find the device if you have to troubleshoot a network problem.

3. In the wiring closet, connect a cable to the Token Ring connector on the patch panel or other equipment where the building wiring terminates.

Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

➽ Note:

Do not connect these cables to the Ring-In or Ring-Out port on a media

access unit (MAU), unless you use ports 19 and 20 on STS16-20R.

4. Connect the other end of the cable to a Token Ring port on the switch.

5. Label this cable.

6. If the switch is rack-mounted, dress the switch end of the cables through a cable management bracket, if one is present on your rack.

7. To continue installing the switch, continue with “Applying Power”.

Figure 20. Connecting using Building Wiring

Checking the Installation

Before you apply power to the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R, inspect the installation thoroughly. Verify that all cables are installed correctly. Check cable routing, so a cable will not be damaged or create a safety hazard. Be sure all equipment is mounted properly and securely.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Installation

Applying Power

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R chassis does not have an on/off switch.

Power is on when the unit is plugged into a power source

There are no user serviceable parts inside an SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R. Any internal upgrades or service should be performed by qualified personnel

only

➽ Caution

20R, note that this unit is

: If you are using the STS-PSU Redundant Power Supply Unit on STS16-

hot-swappable. You must

not

turn off

the STS-PSU Redundant Power Supply Unit and the switch before connecting or disconnecting the DC power cable.

➽ War ning:

Unplug the power cord before you work on a system that does not have

an on/off switch.

➽ War ning:

When installing the unit, the ground connection must always be made

first and disconnected last.

➽ War ning:

This equipment is intended to be grounded. Ensure that the host is

connected to earth ground during normal use.

Use the following steps to power on your equipment.

1. Ensure that you are using the correct power source.

2. Using a power cable that complies with national regulations, plug the female

end of the cable into the AC power connector on the back panel of the switch (see Figure 21 or Figure 22).

3. Plug the male end of the power cord(s) into a properly grounded electrical

outlet.

Figure 21. The back panel of the STS16-20D

Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Figure 22. The back panel of the STS16-20R

4. Verify that the power LED is on. If not, make sure the outlet is working properly. If the outlet is working, but the power LED and the fans are not on, see Chapter 10, “Troubleshooting”.

5. When the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R powers on, observe the self-test diagnostic that the unit runs for approximately 1-2 minutes. The DIAG LED is on for the duration of the test, turning off when the self-test is complete.

6. At the completion of the diagnostics, the front panel LEDs should be illuminated according to the status of the unit’s configuration. See the following sections for a description of the controls and LEDs for the SmartStack STS1620D/STS16-20R.

➽ Note:

If the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R fails to power up correctly or if it encounters any unrecoverable error, the ERR LED will be on or flashing on. If the ERR LED is on or flashes, see Chapter 10, “Troubleshooting”.

➽ Caution

on STS16-20R, note that this unit is

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Installation

: If you are using the SmartStack STS-PSU Redundant Power Supply Unit

hot-swappable.

not

Stacker Link Module

The SmartStack STS-LM Internal Stacker Unit which is factory installed in the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R switch is a single port interface module that is installed into the back slot of the Switch. When SmartStack STS16-20RM family Switches are connected through SmartStack STS-LM Modules, the switches can be combined to form one logical switch. The SmartStack STS-LM front panel is shown in Figure 23.

Figure 23. SmartStack STS-LM Front Panel

Installation

Use the following steps if you need to reinstall the SmartStack STS-LM module in the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switch.

➽ Note:

Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Stacker Link modules are is off before installing or removing a module. If the power is on, damage to the equipment may result. Once the module is installed in the SmartStack STS16-20D/ STS16-20R, external cables may be connected or removed without having to remove power from the switch.

1. Disconnect power to the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R switch.

2. If a blank cover is over the stacker slot on the back panel, remove it by

unscrewing the two attachment screws.

3. To prevent possible static damage to the module, hold it by its edges only. Be

careful not to touch the top or bottom.

4. Slide the module into the slot evenly, taking care to line up the edges with the guides.

5. Seat the module by pressing the front of the module with your thumbs.

6. Secure the module to the chassis by tightening the thumb (panel) screws at the

left and right edges of the module’s front panel. Do not overtighten the screws.

7. Return power to the switch.

hot-swappable. Always be sure that the power

not

SmartStack STS-LM Connectors and LEDs

The following tables describe the connectors and LEDs on the STS-LM front panel.

Connector Description

Stacker Port 50-pin SCSI-2 connector for proprietary

Stacker Link cable.

Table 10. SmartStack STS-LM Network Connector

LED State Description

TX On Data is being transmitted from the

attached switch.

RX On Data is being received by the

attached switch.

ATTACH Off No connection has been established.

On A connection has been established.

Table 11. SmartStack STS-LM LEDs

Connecting the Stacker Link Cable

When connecting two or more stacker link modules together to form a stack, you must use the proprietary 50-pin cable supplied with the module.

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R switch can be configured in three different ways to form a stack of switches:

Two of the SmartStack STS16-20RM family switches back-to-back via two

•

SmartStack STS-LM modules

Up to five SmartStack STS16-20RM family Switches via one SmartStack

•

STS-5SU Stack Link Module and up to four SmartStack STS-LM Modules.

Up to eight SmartStack STS16-20RM family Switches via one SmartStack

•

STS-8SU Stacker Unit and up to eight SmartStack STS-LM Modules.

When inserting the cable connector, keep the connector straight to minimize the risk of bent or damaged pins.

➽ Note:

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Installation

Stacked SmartStack STS16-20RM family switches must all have the same

software version.

Working with a Stack

When the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R switch powers up, it runs through a series of diagnostics. Immediately after the diagnostics are complete, the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R enters the stack discovery mode. The discovery mode is used to sense if the unit is cabled to other SmartStack STS1620D/STS16-20R units. If the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R is connected to other units during the discovery mode, the switches automatically combine to form a stack.

Each unit is assigned a box number, and the box with the lowest number becomes the stackmaster. When accessing switch-specific settings from a management console, you will be prompted for the box number. In a back-to-back configuration, the box number is determined by software. In configurations using the SmartStack STS-8SU or STS-5SU units, the box number is determined by the port number.

The switches in the stack combine certain configuration parameters so that the stack as a unit uses one set of parameters. These parameters are discussed below in “Inter-box Parameters”.

The stack can now be managed as a single entity from a management console or management application.

Inter-box Parameters

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R switches participating in the stack must combine configuration information so that the stack as a whole uses common parameters. One of the participating switches becomes the provider of inter-box parameters.

If the switches have the same configuration information, the switch that becomes Box 1 becomes the provider. If the configuration information is different, a splitstack will be formed and a warning message will be displayed on the console screen. You will be requested to briefly press the SysReq button on the switch that is to be the provider of inter-box parameters. When you have selected the provider, the other switch will replace its stack related configuration parameters with those of the provider.

Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Menu Parameter

IP Configuration IP Address, IP Gateway, IP Subnet, IP State

Spanning Tree Protocol

Vir tual LA N Name Configuration

Password System password

Console Configuration

Teln et Configuration

TFTP Download TFTP Server Address, Download Domain, Download

Switch/Stack Information

SNMP Configuration

Table 12. Inter-box Parameters

STP Enabling/Disabling, STP Switch Priority, STP Maximum Aging, STP Hello Time, STP Forward Delay

Changing VLAN names

Console Time-out

Number of Allowed Telnet Sessions, Disallow New Telnet Sessions

Filename

Stack Timeout, System Name, System Contact, System Location

Send Authentication Traps, changing the Trap table in any way, changing the Community Name table in any way

Checking the Installation

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R performs a diagnostic self-test during the power on cycle. From a management console, check that the switch lists the SmartStack STS-LM port along with the switch ports and that there are no error messages. The SmartStack STS-LM port will be listed as port 29.

If, after installation, there is poor system performance or the SmartStack STS-LM module does not work at all, remove the module and check for any damaged or bent connector pins. You may need a bright light to see inside the stacker slot to check for bent pins. Also, verify that the module is set firmly in place.

❏

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Installation

5. Accessing Switch Management

The switches can be configured in two ways:

Using the switch console

You can access the switch console interface

— directly, by connecting a VT100 terminal emulator to the RS-232 port

labelled MANAGEMENT.

— remotely, via Telnet.

Using SNMP based graphical management applications

— The SmartStack Manager for Windows

— Other Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) based applications

Overview

This chapter only describes how to access the switch console via the MANAGEMENT port. Refer to the section “Console/Telnet Sessions” on page 132 for information on configuring serial console and/or telnet console sessions.

Network management applications (in-band management) are beyond the scope of this guide. However, note that to be able to manage the switch by the network management application via SNMP, you will have to configure a few settings first in the switch console. These are typically the IP Address, SNMP Community, and Trap Receiver.

Accessing Switch Management SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Connecting the Console

The two following subsections explain how to connect to the switch console. You can connect directly or via a modem. For detailed information on cabling and pins, see Chapter B, “Cable and Pin Information”.

Connecting a Terminal Directly to the MANAGEMENT Port

1. Connect one end of a crossover TIA/EIA-232 cable (commonly known as a RS232 cable) to the MANAGEMENT port. This is a male DB-9 connector configured as a DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) device.

2. Connect the other end of the cable to a PC or another DTE device.

1. Attach a null-modem adapter to the MANAGEMENT port.

2. Attach a straight-through modem cable to the null-modem adapter.

Connecting to the MANAGEMENT Port Using a Modem

1. Connect one end of a straight-through TIA/EIA-232 modem cable to the MANAGEMENT port. This is a male DB-9 connector configured as a DTE device.

2. Connect the other end of the cable to a modem.

See Figure 24 to view the location of the cable connection on the front panel of the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R.

Figure 24. View of Console Connection

The next step and table describe the settings to use for configuring a console in order to communicate with the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Accessing Switch Management

3. Use the values listed in the following table to set the configuration parameters on your console for interfacing to the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R.

Specification Value

Baud Rate 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600

Parity None

Data bits 8

Stop bits 1

Handshaking None

Terminal emulation VT100

Duplex Full

Software flow control

Off (input and output)

(XON/XOFF)

Hardware flow

Off

control (RTS/CTS)

Autobaud upon break On

Line wrap On

Screen scroll On

CR translation CR

Backspace (BS)

Destructive

translation

Break length

350

(milliseconds)

Enquiry (ENQ) Off

EGA/VGA true

Off

underline

Termi n a l w id th 80

ANSI 7 or 8 bit

commands

Table 13. Console Configuration Settings

Accessing Switch Management SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Specification Value

Microsoft Windows terminal emulation

Disable the “Use Function, Arrow, and Ctrl Keys for Windows” option located in the Terminal Preference menu

Table 13. Console Configuration Settings

4. At power on (cold boot), the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R performs a series of self-test diagnostics verifying that hardware components are functioning. An example of the self-test diagnostic screen is shown later in this chapter.

Communication Problems

If the diagnostic list does not appear, or is garbled, try adjusting the baud rates between the console and the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R by using the Autobaud routine within the switch. To do this, press the reset button on the front of the switch and wait for the internal diagnostics to finish (the DIAG LED turns off). The reason for the reset is that in case the switch’s Autobaud routine is disabled, resetting it will set it to its default mode

Autobaud enabled

Depending on the type of the console, there are several console command keys that will potentially initiate the Autobaud routine in the SmartStack STS16-20D/ STS16-20R. Four of these keys are

BREAK

key, and

ESC

RETURN

, the combination keys

After the DIAG LED turns off, try one of the command keys at the console, and press it repeatedly. If there is no response, wait several seconds and again, press it repeatedly. If necessary, perform the same routine using the other command keys.

ALT-B

, the

If this does not work, and there is garbled output on the screen, try pushing the unlabeled system request button on the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R. As soon as garbled characters appear, press the console’s

ENTER (or RETURN)

key

twice in rapid succession. (Again, try the other command keys as necessary).

If the problem remains, try the following steps:

1. Check all of the cable connections.

2. Check the baud rate at the console’s set up screen; if it is not set to 9600, try this setting.

3. Try setting the console baud rate to different values up or down, and pressing

RETURN

for each selection.

4. If you are using a terminal emulation program, try exiting the program and restarting.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Accessing Switch Management

5. If you still can not get the connection to work, contact a support person.

Diagnostic Screen

The diagnostic self-test displays two different screens, depending on whether you perform a cold boot (power-o n cycle with full diagnostics), or a warm boot (a reset without full diagnostics). The warm boot contains portions of the complete cold boot list.

The following is an

example

of a diagnostic screen during a boot process. The actual screen may vary depending on, for example, hardware, options, and software version levels:

- Initiating bootstrapping sequence.

- Boot image integrity check...Passed.

- Control transferred to boot process.

Boot Firmware (Phase II) v2.3

- Program memory test........Passed.

- Relocating main image to

DRAM.......................................Done.

- Main image integrity check...succeeded.

- Control transferred to main process.

- Starting Power On Self Test Diagnostics.

- Network memory test 32-bits........Passed.

- Network memory test 16-bits........Passed.

- Network memory test 8-bits........Passed.

- Port register and memory test.....................Passed.

- Single port loopback test.....................Passed.

- All ports linked loopback test.....................Passed.

- Port MAC test.....Passed.

- Completed Power On Self Test Diagnostics.

- Initialization started

- File system initialized

- System temperature is within safe operating levels

- Checking file system integrity

- Warmboot initialization started

- LAN ports detected:

- RJ-45 Token Ring: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

- StkPort : 29

- Initializing Ports: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Accessing Switch Management SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

20 29

- Initializing system address table

- System entering stand-alone mode

- Enabling port: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 22 22 23 24 Press RETURN key to activate console...

Depending upon which tests have run, verify that all diagnostics have passed and that the ERR LED is off. If the ERR LED is on, read the screen to determine which test failed. Also see Chapter 10, “Troubleshooting”, to help find the cause.

At the end of the boot messages, you should be prompted to press

RETURN (ENTER)

The following greeting screen of the switch console manager should appear:

At the top level screen, press

ENTER (RETURN)

to enter the main menu. The contents of the main menu, the submenus and screens, are described in subsequent chapters. The information in these chapters includes configuring, monitoring, and viewing statistics on the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R.

➽ Note:

If you have forgotten the password, you can delete it by pressing the unlabeled system request button on the front panel of the switch for one second. Then release it and select the

Read-Only

and the

Read/Write

Point 4. Clear the system password

password.

. This will clear both

❏

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Accessing Switch Management

6. Switch Configuration

This chapter explains how to set up the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R and to modify the configuration using a VT100 console attached to the switch directly or via a modem connection. The switch configuration can also be modified from a remote VT100 console via a telnet session.

For information on how to connect the console, see Chapter 5, “Accessing Switch Management”.

Subjects covered in this chapter:

General guidelines (page 76)

•

Main menu screen (page 78)

•

Configuration menu (page 79)

•

Switch and stack configuration (page 80)

•

Module information (page 84)

•

Virtual LANs (page 86)

•

IP configuration (page 94)

•

Spanning tree protocol (STP) (page 97)

•

Port configuration (page 106)

•

CrossLink channels (page 110)

•

Address filtering (page 116)

•

Address aging (page 126)

•

Console password (page 130)

•

Console/Telnet sessions (page 132)

•

Syslog facility (page 139)

•

DSRR configuration page 141()

•

Download/Upload menu (page 147)

•

Reset menu (page 152)

•

Switch Configuration SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

General Guideline s

To work within the console menus and screens, follow these guidelines:

To select an item on a screen or a menu, highlight it by using the arrow keys

•

and then press item—for example, selecting appears on the screen.

. If you need to specify additional information for that

ENTER

or No or supplying a

Ye s

value

—a prompt

In most cases, new values are saved when you select

•

The

•

screen. Selecting information.

Port

•

Index

•

To return to the main menu from any screen, press

•

changes made to the screen you were in will not be saved when you do this. To return to the greeting screen, press

To refresh the console screen, press

•

If you are administering switches in a stack, many of the console screens will

•

prompt for a box number. Enter the number of the box you want to administer.

The “VLAN” term in connection with CRF is discussed on page 31.

•

The terms “Virtual LAN” and “domain” are interchangeable.

•

The console automatically returns to the greeting screen after five minutes of

•

inactivity. Five minutes is the default value. The time can be changed at the

Console Configuration

To open the

Configuration

item means there is more information than what is displayed on that

and pressing

refers to the number of a specific port on an switch.

refers to the numerical order of a list.

CTRL-B

CTRL-L

menu as explained later in this chapter.

Console Configuration

→→→→

Console Configuration

displays the next screen of

ENTER

menu from the main menu, select

Return

CTRL-P

. Note that any

For protection against inadvertent or unauthorized access to configuration

•

screens, you may establish a password that users must enter at the greeting screen. In release 4.0 (and later) two types of users can be defined:

Read-only

These users cannot modify any of the configuration parameters. They can read everything (except the SNMP communities).

Read-write

These users have full access to all configuration parameters.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Configuration

users:

If no password is configured, just press To establish a password, see the section "Password Menu" on page 130 later in this chapter. To open the

For more explanation on the greeting screen, see Chapter 5, “Accessing Switch Management”.

Password

menu, select

and the main menu is presented.

ENTER

Configuration

→→→→

Password

Navigating within the Menus

Use the arrow keys (cursor keys) to highlight an item on the screen or menu.

Items that end with three dots, opens another screen or menu. Pressing the

•

key on such an item will display the new screen or menu.

ENTER

If the item on the screen is a command, such as

•

will execute the command.

Unless specified differently, all the screens and menus are accessed in the same way.

The following section describes the items on the main menu.

Reset

, pressing the

ENTER

key

Switch Configuration SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Main Menu

The main menu contains the following items, that give access to console screens and submenus:

Configuration...

Displays the

Configuration

menu, which enables you to view and set the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R configuration parameters. A detailed explanation of the configuration submenus is given on page 79.

Statistics...

Displays the

Statistics

Explanations of screens in the

menu for the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R.

Statistics

menu are in Chapter 7, “Monitoring the

Network from the Console Statistics Menu”on page 155.

Download/Upload...

Displays the

Download/Upload

menu that is explained in this chapter starting from

page 147.

Reset...

Displays the

menu that is explained starting from page 152.

Reset

Exit Console

Highlighting this command and pressing

will return the console to the

ENTER

greeting screen (on a Telnet session, this will cause the session to close).

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Configuration

Configuration Menu

Open this menu by selecting

Configuration

menu you can view and set the switch configuration parameters.

This chapter describes all submenus and screens.

Configuration

in the main menu. From the

Switch Configuration SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Switch Configuration Screen

To open this screen from the main menu, select

Configuration

....

Configuration

→

→ →

Switch

Use the change the system name, location, contact, and time of day. To add or change the system name, location, contact or time of day, use the arrow keys to highlight the field and press the entering text for that field. Pressing

The following explains the fields in the

Switch Configuration

ENTER

screen to view system information and to view or

key. A prompt appears near the bottom of the screen for

again enters that text.

ENTER

Switch Configuration

screen.

System Description

Name and model of the switch, or, in the case of a stack, the generic stack name. In addition to this, the firmware release is displayed. Information in this field cannot be changed.

Build Description

Describes when the firmware running in the switch was built. Information in this field cannot be changed.

DRAM Installed

Amount (in MB) of dynamic memory installed. Information in this field cannot be changed.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Configuration

Flash Memory Installed

Amount (in KB) of flash memory installed. Information in this field cannot be changed.

Burned-in MAC Address

The factory-assigned base MAC address of the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS1620R. Information in this field cannot be changed.

Configured MAC Address

The MAC address that is currently in use, or, if a new MAC address has been configured, the MAC address that will be used after the next boot. If a locally administered address is assigned to the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R, this field displays that address. Otherwise, the field displays “000000:000000”. To assign a locally administered address, select this field, and enter the new address. Note that the switch occupies this address, the base MAC address, and possibly the next 96 addresses.

TO configure a LAA address, use the or an SNMP based management tool. Note that a restart is necessary when changing the base MAC address.

The greeting screen on the console will always show the current active Switch base Address.

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R reserves 31 addresses for ports.

The Token Ring ports on a SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R switch will be assigned MAC addresses using the following scheme:

BASE Module port 1–20 Will be assigned Switch Base Address + port

•

Or:

A Token Ring port will be assigned a MAC address, which is Switch Base Address + the port number displayed on the port configuration screen (or interface table for SNMP).

This MAC address is used for the Token Ring MAC protocol, and for the spanning tree protocol.

The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R reserves 63 addresses for BRF (VLAN).

Each VLAN has an attached bridge relay function (BRF) and a Management entity (IP-protocol stack), and consequently it needs a MAC Address. In the SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R, these two logical units use the same address, however this address must be unique in the network. This is ensured by assigning MAC address to BRF’s from the Switch Base Address + 32 (0x20) and upwards. The SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R is designed in such a way, that it operates with 63 active

Configuration

number

screen from a console session

Switch Configuration SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

or preferred VLAN’s, implying that 63 MAC addresses need to be reserved for BRF.

Summarizing each SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R reserve: Switch Base Address + 31 Addresses for Token Ring ports + 63 MAC Addresses for BRFs = 95, which is rounded up to 96 or hexadecimal 0x60.

The MAC address of the default BRF (trnet-default) will always be the switch base address + 32. If the switch operates in a stack, only one of the switches will operate the bridge relay function. Hence the MAC address of the default BRF will be based on the address of the stackmaster. The stackmaster is determined by software, when the stack consists of two switches back to back and by the port numbers in STS8SU/STS-5SU stack configurations.

There is no simple rule to find the default MAC address of other BRF, but it is always in the range described in the following:

Stack Master Base Address + 32 < BRF MAC Address < Stack Master Base Address + 95. And a BRF (VLAN) MAC address is assigned, when the VLAN becomes preferred (that is, it has an assigned port in the actual switch or stack of switches) by selecting the lowest available MAC address above Stack Master Base Address + 32.

If management (SNMP or TELNET) contact with the switch is lost (because, for example, ports are moved from one BRF to another) it is suggested, that a terminal is connected to the OBM port of the switch stack, and the IP Configuration menu is entered. From here, it is possible to read the MAC address of the management entity (BRF).

In version 3.10.0 (and later) it is possible to assign an individual, locally administrated MAC address to each VLAN.

➽ Note

! A reboot of the switch is necessary after assigning the VLAN LAA. See

"VLAN Configuration" on page 86.

Address Format

Display format used for MAC addresses (canonical or non-canonical). Canonical format is typically used in Ethernet networks and is also known as least significant bit first. Non-canonical is typically used in Token Ring networks and is also known as most significant bit first.

System Name

Any name you choose to assign to the switch (on a TCP/IP network, it could be the IP hostname).

System Location

Any text string of max. 64 characters that you have assigned for the switch.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Configuration

System Contact

Any text string of max. 64 characters that you have assigned for the switch.

Time of Day

An internal clock is used to calculate total time of operation and time of day. To adjust the time, select this item, press minute.

RETURN

, then enter the month, day, hour, or

➽ Note:

If you cannot set the Time of Day, the lithium battery may need replacing. If

this is the case, contact your local reseller.

Stack Configuration Screen

To open this screen from the main menu, select

→

Configuration

→

Stack Configuration

→ →

Configuration

→

→ →

Switch

The following information is displayed on this screen:

Number o f Boxes

Number of switches currently participating in the stack. Display only.

Local Box Number

Number assigned to the currently selected switch. The local box is also the source of the information displayed on this screen. Display only.

Switch Configuration SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

Remote Box Number(s)

Number of switches (in addition to this one) in the stack. Display only.

Stack Time-out

If a switch goes off line, the length of time (in seconds) during which the stack tries to reestablish communication with the switch. The default is 16 seconds.

Stack State

Whether the SmartStack Switch Stacker is operational (SmartStack STS-LM or SmartStack STS-5SU). Information in this field cannot be changed.

Stack Connection

Whether the SmartStack STS-8SU Stacker Unit is connected. Information in this field cannot be changed.

Module Information Screen

To open this screen from the main menu, select

Information

If expansion modules have been installed in the switch, this menu provides information on them. The switch is listed as the first module.

....

Configuration

→

→ →

Module

The following information is displayed on this screen:

Module

Module number. The switch is listed as module 1. The factory installed stacker link

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Configuration

is listed as module 2.

Status

Whether the module is up, down, failed, or the slot is empty.

Model

Type of module. The switch is listed for the base switch. For this module as well as for others, this field displays the product number.

Board ID

Decimal identifier of the module.

HW Rev

Hardware revision level. If

is displayed after the number, this module will

(4K)

prevent the switch (or stack of switches) from operating with an MTU size above 4,472 bytes. If

HW Rev

is set to NA, the module does not support reading of the

hardware revision.

FW Rev

Firmware revision level.

Ports

Number of ports on the module.

Up Time

Amount of time that the module has been up (since the last reset).

You cannot change the information that appears on this screen.

Switch Configuration SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide

VLAN Configuration

The Virtual LAN feature can be used to partition a SmartStack STS16-20D/STS1620R or a stack of switches into several Virtual LANs, each containing its own set of ports (the terms forwarded only between ports belonging to the same VLAN. The benefit of Virtual LAN is to restrict access from one segment to another, either for security purposes or to reduce intersegment (such as broadcast) traffic. Figure 25 illustrates a switch with four VLANs.

Figure 25. SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R with four VLANs

To set up domains using the VLAN Configuration menu, specify the ports belonging to the domains, then set up the IP configurations, trap configuration (trap receivers are associated with a set of VLANs and a receiver IP address) and STP configurations specific to the appropriate VLANs. If you have already supplied configuration information using the main configuration menus, that information applies to VLAN “default”. Virtual LANs affects other SmartStack STS16-20D/ STS16-20R features in the following ways:

Virtual LAN

and

domain

are interchangeable). Packets are

Spanning tree protocol (STP).

•

must supply STP information for that domain. The STP software treats ports on other domains as nonexistent. Domains do not affect port priorities and port costs. You set these parameters using the STP Configuration menu that you select from the main switch use the same STP bridge identifier. This means that BRFs from the same switch or stack of switches cannot participate in the same spanning tree. In other words, the spanning tree protocol will not work properly if VLANs are connected.

SNMP trap tables.

•

as a physically different Token Ring switch unit. Certain MIB II objects and proprietary objects are domain-sensitive, while others are not. For a list of domain-sensitive objects, see Chapter 7, “Monitoring the Network from the Console Statistics Menu”.

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide Switch Configuration

Configuration

Each domain appears to the network management system

If you are using STP in a certain domain, you

menu. Note that all BRFs defined in a

Cabletron Systems STS16-20R User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Switching Technology

Switch of Switches

Switch of Servers

Switch of Hubs

Switch of Desktops

Switch of Floors and Buildings

Switch of Routers

Front Panel Details

The MANAGEMENT Port

Token Ring Ports

Switched Port Analyzer

Reset Button

System Request Button

Labels

Status and Activity LEDs

Back Panel Details

Features and Specifications

Features

Performance and Advanced Features

Management

Scalability and High Availability

Installation

Specifications

Capacity

Performance

Physical Characteristics

2. Switch Overview

Multiple Simultaneous Conversations

Low Latency

Address Management

SmartStack STS16-20D Token Ring Switch

SmartStack STS16-20R Token Ring Switch

Multiple Bridging Modes

Source Route Switching (SRS)

Source Route Bridging (SRB)

Source Route Transparent (SRT)

SRT/SRB

Filtering

Congestion Control

Three Switching Modes

Cut-Through

Store and Forward

Auto (Adaptive Cut-Through)

Token Ring Port Operation Modes

RI/RO-Like Connection on SmartStack STS16-20R

Transmission Priority Queues

ClearSession Support

CrossLink Connections

Spanning Tree Protocol Support

VLAN Support

Dynamic Source Route Recovery

Management

SNMP

SmartStack Manager for Windows

Telnet Management and VT100 Management (Console)

IBM LAN Network Manager

RMON Support

Built-in Port Counters

Stackable Architecture

Back-to-Back

Internal Stacker

External Stacker

Optional Redundant Power Supply on SmartStack STS16-20R

3. Preparing for Installation

Safety Recommendations

Safety with Electricity

Preventing Electrostatic Discharge Damage

Site Requirements

Environment

Chassis Accessibility

Cooling and Airflow

Power

Configuration Guidelines

Frame Length Limit