Cisco SF500-24, SF500-24P, SF500-24MP, SF500-48, SF500-48P Service Manual

...

ADMINISTRATION

GUIDE

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

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Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 2

Contents

Chapter 1: Getting Started 10

Starting the Web-based Configuration Utility 10

Quick Start Device Configuration 14

Interface Naming Conventions 15

Differences Between 500 Devices<500> 15

Window Navigation 17

Chapter 2: Status and Statistics 22

System Summary 22

Ethernet Interfaces 22

Etherlike Statistics 24

GVRP Statistics 25

802.1X EAP Statistics 26

ACL Statistics 27

TCAM Utilization 28

Health 29

RMON 29

View Log 37

Chapter 3: Administration: System Log 38

Setting System Log Settings 38

Setting Remote Logging Settings 40

Viewing Memory Logs 42

Chapter 4: Administration: File Management 44

System Files 44

Upgrade/Backup Firmware/Language 47

Active Image 51

Download/Backup Configuration/Log 52

Configuration Files Properties 58

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 1

Contents

Copy/Save Configuration 59

Auto Configuration/Image Update via DHCP 60

Chapter 5: Administration: Stack Management 71

Overview 71

Types of Units in Stack 73

Stack Topology 74

Unit ID Assignment 76

Master Selection Process 78

Stack Changes 78

Unit Failure in Stack 80

Software Auto Synchronization in Stack 82

Stack Unit Mode 82

Stack Ports 86

Default Configuration 94

Interactions With Other Features 94

System Modes 94

Chapter 6: Administration 100

Device Models 101

System Settings 103

Console Settings (Autobaud Rate Support) 106

Management Interface 107

System Mode and Stack Management 107

User Accounts 107

Defining Idle Session Timeout 107

Time Settings 108

System Log 108

File Management 108

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 2

Contents

Rebooting the Device 108

Routing Resources 110

Health 114

Diagnostics 116

Discovery - Bonjour 116

Discovery - LLDP 117

Discovery - CDP 117

Ping 117

Traceroute 119

Chapter 7: Administration: Time Settings 122

System Time Options 123

SNTP Modes 124

Configuring System Time 125

Chapter 8: Administration: Diagnostics 136

Copper Ports Tests 136

Displaying Optical Module Status 138

Configuring Port and VLAN Mirroring 140

Viewing CPU Utilization and Secure Core Technology 141

Chapter 9: Administration: Discovery 144

Bonjour 144

LLDP and CDP 146

Configuring LLDP 147

Configuring CDP 168

CDP Statistics 176

Chapter 10: Port Management 178

Configuring Ports 178

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 3

Contents

Loopback Detection 184

Link Aggregation 186

UDLD 194

PoE 194

Configuring Green Ethernet 194

Chapter 11: Port Management: Unidirectional Link Detection 202

UDLD Overview 202

UDLD Operation 203

Usage Guidelines 205

Dependencies On Other Features 206

Default Settings and Configuration 206

Before You Start 207

Common UDLD Tasks 207

Configuring UDLD 208

Chapter 12: Smartport 212

Overview 213

What is a Smartport 214

Smartport Types 214

Smartport Macros 216

Macro Failure and the Reset Operation 218

How the Smartport Feature Works 218

Auto Smartport 219

Error Handling 223

Default Configuration 223

Relationships with Other Features and Backwards Compatibility 224

Common Smartport Tasks 224

Configuring Smartport Using The Web-based Interface 226

Built-in Smartport Macros 231

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 4

Contents

Chapter 13: Port Management: PoE 244

PoE on the Device 244

PoE Properties 247

PoE Settings 248

Chapter 14: VLAN Management 252

Overview 252

Regular VLANs 261

Private VLAN Settings 269

GVRP Settings 270

VLAN Groups 271

Voice VLAN 276

Access Port Multicast TV VLAN 289

Customer Port Multicast TV VLAN 292

Chapter 15: Spanning Tree 296

STP Flavors 296

STP Status and Global Settings 297

Spanning Tree Interface Settings 299

Rapid Spanning Tree Settings 301

Multiple Spanning Tree 304

MSTP Properties 304

VLANs to a MSTP Instance 305

MSTP Instance Settings 306

MSTP Interface Settings 307

Chapter 16: Managing MAC Address Tables 310

Static MAC Addresses 311

Dynamic MAC Addresses 312

Reserved MAC Addresses 313

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 5

Contents

Chapter 17: Multicast 314

Multicast Forwarding 314

Multicast Properties 320

MAC Group Address 320

IP Multicast Group Addresses 322

IPv4 Multicast Configuration 324

IPv6 Multicast Configuration 330

IGMP/MLD Snooping IP Multicast Group 336

Multicast Router Ports 337

Forward All 338

Unregistered Multicast 338

Chapter 18: IP Configuration 340

Overview 340

IPv4 Management and Interfaces 344

DHCP Server 366

IPv6 Management and Interfaces 375

Domain Name 398

Chapter 19: IP Configuration: RIPv2 403

Overview 403

How Rip Operates on the Device 404

Configuring RIP 409

Chapter 20: IP Configuration: VRRP 417

Overview 417

Configurable Elements of VRRP 421

Configuring VRRP 424

Chapter 21: Security 428

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 6

Contents

Defining Users 429

Configuring TACACS+ 432

Configuring RADIUS 437

Key Management 442

Management Access Method 445

Management Access Authentication 450

Secure Sensitive Data Management 452

SSL Server 452

SSH Server 454

SSH Client 455

Configuring TCP/UDP Services 455

Defining Storm Control 456

Configuring Port Security 457

802.1X 460

Denial of Service Prevention 460

DHCP Snooping 470

IP Source Guard 470

ARP Inspection 474

First Hop Security 480

Chapter 22: Security: 802.1X Authentication 481

Overview of 802.1X 481

Authenticator Overview 484

Common Tasks 494

802.1X Configuration Through the GUI 495

Defining Time Ranges 507

Authentication Method and Port Mode Support 508

Chapter 23: Security: IPv6 First Hop Security 511

IPv6 First Hop Security Overview 512

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Contents

Router Advertisement Guard 516

Neighbor Discovery Inspection 516

DHCPv6 Guard 517

Neighbor Binding Integrity 518

IPv6 Source Guard 521

Attack Protection 522

Policies, Global Parameters and System Defaults 523

Common Tasks 525

Default Settings and Configuration 527

Before You Start 527

Configuring IPv6 First Hop Security through Web GUI 528

Chapter 24: Security: SSH Client 546

Secure Copy (SCP) and SSH 546

Protection Methods 547

SSH Server Authentication 549

SSH Client Authentication 550

Before You Begin 551

Common Tasks 551

SSH Client Configuration Through the GUI 552

Chapter 25: Security: SSH Server 557

Overview 557

Common Tasks 558

SSH Server Configuration Pages 559

Chapter 26: Security: Secure Sensitive Data Management 562

Introduction 562

SSD Rules 563

SSD Properties 568

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Contents

Configuration Files 571

SSD Management Channels 576

Menu CLI and Password Recovery 576

Configuring SSD 577

Chapter 27: Access Control 580

Access Control Lists 580

MAC-based ACLs 584

IPv4-based ACLs 586

IPv6-Based ACLs 591

ACL Binding 594

Chapter 28: Quality of Service 598

QoS Features and Components 599

Configuring QoS - General 602

QoS Basic Mode 615

QoS Advanced Mode 617

Managing QoS Statistics 628

Chapter 29: SNMP 632

SNMP Versions and Workflow 632

Model OIDs 635

SNMP Engine ID 636

Configuring SNMP Views 638

Creating SNMP Groups 639

Managing SNMP Users 641

Defining SNMP Communities 643

Defining Trap Settings 645

Notification Recipients 646

SNMP Notification Filters 650

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 9

Getting Started

Date Updated By Comment

This section provides an introduction to the web-based configuration utility, and covers the following topics:

No changes for Nikola 1.4

• Starting the Web-based Configuration Utility

• Quick Start Device Configuration

• Interface Naming Conventions

• Differences Between 500 Devices<500>

• Window Navigation

Starting the Web-based Configuration Utility

This section describes how to navigate the web-based switch configuration utility.

If you are using a pop-up blocker, make sure it is disabled.

Browser Restrictions

If you are using IPv6 interfaces on your management station, use the IPv6 global address and not the IPv6 link local address to access the device from your browser.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 10

Getting Started

Starting the Web-based Configuration Utility

Launching the Configuration Utility

To open the web-based configuration utility:

STEP 1 Open a Web browser.

STEP 2 Enter the IP address of the device you are configuring in the address bar on the

browser, and then press Enter.

NOTE When the device is using the factory default IP address of 192.168.1.254, its power

LED flashes continuously. When the device is using a DHCP-assigned IP address or an administrator-configured static IP address, the power LED is on solid.

Logging In

The default username is cisco and the default password is cisco. The first time that you log in with the default username and password, you are required to enter a new password.

NOTE If you have not previously selected a language for the GUI, the language of the Login

page is determined by the language(s) requested by your browser and the languages configured on your device. If your browser requests Chinese, for example, and Chinese has been loaded into your device, the Login page is automatically displayed in Chinese. If Chinese has not been loaded into your device, the Login page appears in English.

The languages loaded into the device have a language and country code (en-US, en-GB and so on). For the Login page to be automatically displayed in a particular language, based on the browser request, both the language and country code of the browser request must match those of the language loaded on the device. If the browser request contains only the language code without a country code (for example: fr). The first embedded language with a matching language code is taken (without matching the country code, for example: fr_CA).

To log in to the device configuration utility:

STEP 1 Enter the username/password. The password can contain up to 64 ASCII

characters. Password-complexity rules are described in Setting Password

Complexity Rules.

STEP 2 If you are not using English, select the desired language from the Language drop-

down menu. To add a new language to the device or update a current one, see

Upgrade/Backup Firmware/Language.

11 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Getting Started

Starting the Web-based Configuration Utility

STEP 3 If this is the first time that you logged on with the default user ID (cisco) and the

default password (cisco) or your password has expired, the Change Password Page appears. See Password Expiration for additional information.

STEP 4 Choose whether to select Disable Password Complexity Enforcement or not.

For more information on password complexity, see the Setting Password

Complexity Rules section.

STEP 5 Enter the new password and click Apply.

When the login attempt is successful, the Getting Started page appears.

If you entered an incorrect username or password, an error message appears and the Login page remains displayed on the window. If you are having problems logging in, please see the Launching the Configuration Utility section in the Administration Guide for additional information.

Select Don't show this page on startup to prevent the Getting Started page from being displayed each time that you log on to the system. If you select this option, the System Summary page is opened instead of the Getting Started page.

HTTP/HTTPS

You can either open an HTTP session (not secured) by clicking Log In, or you can open an HTTPS (secured) session, by clicking Secure Browsing (HTTPS). You are asked to approve the logon with a default RSA key, and an HTTPS session is opened.

NOTE There is no need to input the username/password prior to clicking the Secure

Browsing (HTTPS) button.

For information on how to configure HTTPS, see SSL Server.

Password Expiration

The New Password page is displayed in the following cases:

• The first time that you access the device with the default username cisco

and password cisco. This page forces you to replace the factory default password.

• When the password expires, this page forces you to select a new

password.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 12

Getting Started

Starting the Web-based Configuration Utility

Logging Out

By default, the application logs out after ten minutes of inactivity. You can change this default value as described in the Defining Idle Session Timeout section.

CAUTION Unless the Running Configuration is copied to the Startup Configuration, rebooting

the device removes all changes made since the last time the file was saved. Save the Running Configuration to the Startup Configuration before logging off to preserve any changes you made during this session.

A flashing red X icon to the left of the Save application link indicates that Running Configuration changes have not yet been saved to the Startup Configuration file. The flashing can be disabled by clicking on the Disable Save Icon Blinking button on the Copy/Save Configuration page

When the device auto-discovers a device, such as an IP phone (see What is a

Smartport), and it configures the port appropriately for the device. These

configuration commands are written to the Running Configuration file. This causes the Save icon to begin blinking when the you log on, even though you did not make any configuration changes.

When you click Save, the Copy/Save Configuration page appears. Save the Running Configuration file by copying it to the Startup Configuration file. After this save, the red X icon and the Save application link are no longer displayed.

To l o g o u t , c li ck Logout in the top right corner of any page. The system logs out of the device.

When a timeout occurs or you intentionally log out of the system, a message is displayed and the Login page appears, with a message indicating the logged-out state. After you log in, the application returns to the initial page.

The initial page displayed depends on the “Do not show this page on startup” option in the Getting Started page. If you did not select this option, the initial page is the Getting Started page. If you did select this option, the initial page is the System Summary page.

13 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Getting Started

Quick Start Device Configuration

To simplify device configuration through quick navigation, the Getting Started page provides links to the most commonly used pages.

Category Link Name (on the Page) Linked Page

<300500>Initial Setup

Device Status System Summary System Summary page

Quick Access Change Device Password User Accounts page

Change System Mode and Stack Management

Change Management Applications and Services

Change Device IP Address IPv4 Interface page

Create VLAN Create VLAN page

Configure Port Settings Port Setting page

Port Statistics Interface page

RMON Statistics Statistics page

View Log RAM Memory page

Upgrade Device Software Upgrade/Backup Firmware/

System Mode and Stack Management page

TCP/UDP Services page

Language page

Backup Device Configuration Download/Backup

Configuration/Log page

<300-500>

There are two hot links on the Getting Started page that take you to Cisco web pages for more information. Clicking on the Support link takes you to the device product support page, and clicking on the Forums link takes you to the Support Community page.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 14

Create MAC Based ACL MAC Based ACL page

Create IP Based ACL IPv4 Based ACL page

Configure QoS QoS Properties page

Configure Port Mirroring Port and VLAN Mirroring page

Interface Naming Conventions

Within the GUI, interfaces are denoted by concatenating the following elements:

• Type of interface: The following types of interfaces are found on the various

types of devices:

- Fast Ethernet (10/100 bits)—These are displayed as FE.

- Gigabit Ethernet ports (10/100/1000 bits)—These are displayed as

GE.

- <500>Ten Gigabit Ethernet ports (10000 bits)—These are displayed

as XG.

- LAG (Port Channel)—These are displayed as LAG.

Getting Started

Interface Naming Conventions

- VLAN—These are displayed as VLAN.

- Tunnel —These are displayed as Tunnel.

• <500>Unit Number—Number of the unit in the stack. In standalone mode

this is always 1.

• <500>Slot Number—The slot number is either 1 or 2.

• Interface Number: Port, LAG, tunnel or VLAN ID

Differences Between 500 Devices<500>

This guide is relevant for both Sx500, SG500X,SG500XG and ESW2-550X devices. Notes are provided when a feature is relevant for one but not all of these devices.

The following summarizes the differences between these devices:

• The RIP and VRRP features are only supported on SG500X, SG500XG, and

ESW2-550X devices, running in standalone mode and in advanced hybrid stack of SG500X and Sx500 devices - see Administration: Stack

Management for more details).

• TCAM size, see TCAM Utilization

• Stack ports are different on these devices. See Default Stack and

Network Ports.

15 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Getting Started

Differences Between 500 Devices<500>

• Port speed availability per cable types are different on these devices. See

Cables Types.

• Enabling IPv4 routing is done differently in the devices, as follows:

- SG500XSG500XG/ESW2-550X—IPv4 routing must be enabled in the

- Sx500—When the device is switched from Layer 2 to Layer 3 system

IPv4 Interface page.

mode, IPv4 routing is automatically enabled.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 16

Window Navigation

This section describes the features of the web-based switch configuration utility.

Application Header

The Application Header appears on every page. It provides the following application links:

Getting Started

Window Navigation

Application Link Name

Username Displays the name of the user logged on to the device. The

Description

A flashing red X icon displayed to the left of the Save application link indicates that Running Configuration changes have been made that have not yet been saved to the Startup Configuration file. The flashing of the red X can be disabled on the Copy/Save Configuration page.

Click Save to display the Copy/Save Configuration page. Save the Running Configuration file by copying it to the Startup Configuration file type on the device. After this save, the red X icon and the Save application link are no longer displayed. When the device is rebooted, it copies the Startup Configuration file type to the Running Configuration and sets the device parameters according to the data in the Running Configuration.

default username is cisco. (The default password is cisco).

17 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Getting Started

Window Navigation

Application Link Name

Language Menu This menu provides the following options:

Description

• Select a language: Select one of the languages that

appear in the menu. This language will be the webbased configuration utility language.

• Download Language: Add a new language to the

device.

• Delete Language: Deletes the second language on

the device. The first language (English) cannot be deleted.

• Debug: Used for translation purposes. If you select

this option, all web-based configuration utility labels disappear and in their place are the IDs of the strings that correspond to the IDs in the language file.

NOTE To upgrade a language file, use the Upgrade/

Backup Firmware/Language page.

Logout Click to log out of the web-based switch configuration

utility.

About Click to display the device name and device version

number.

Help Click to display the online help.

The SYSLOG Alert Status icon appears when a SYSLOG message, above the critical severity level, is logged. Click the icon to open the RAM Memory page. After you access this page, the SYSLOG Alert Status icon is no longer displayed. To display the page when there is not an active SYSLOG message, Click Status and Statistics > View Log > RAM Memory.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 18

Getting Started

Window Navigation

Management Buttons

The following table describes the commonly-used buttons that appear on various pages in the system.

Button Name Description

Use the pull-down menu to configure the number of entries per page.

Indicates a mandatory field.

Add Click to display the related Add page and add an entry to a

table. Enter the information and click Apply to save it to the Running Configuration. Click Close to return to the main page. Click Save to display the Copy/Save Configuration page and save the Running Configuration to the Startup Configuration file type on the device.

Apply Click to apply changes to the Running Configuration on the

device. If the device is rebooted, the Running Configuration is lost, unless it is saved to the Startup Configuration file type or another file type. Click Save to display the Copy/Save Configuration page and save the Running Configuration to the Startup Configuration file type on the device.

Cancel Click to reset changes made on the page.

Clear All Interfaces Counters

Clear Interface Counters

Clear Logs Clears log files.

Clear Table Clears table entries.

Close Returns to main page. If any changes were not applied to

Click to clear the statistic counters for all interfaces.

Click to clear the statistic counters for the selected interface.

the Running Configuration, a message appears.

19 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Getting Started

Window Navigation

Button Name Description

Copy Settings A table typically contains one or more entries containing

configuration settings. Instead of modifying each entry individually, it is possible to modify one entry and then copy the selected entry to multiple entries, as described below:

1. Select the entry to be copied. Click Copy Settings to display the popup.

2. Enter the destination entry numbers in the to field.

3. Click Apply to save the changes and click Close to return to the main page.

Delete After selecting an entry in the table, click Delete to

remove.

Details Click to display the details associated with the entry

selected.

Edit Select the entry and click Edit. The Edit page appears,

and the entry can be modified.

1. C li ck Apply to save the changes to the Running Configuration.

2. Click Close to return to the main page.

Go Enter the query filtering criteria and click Go. The results

are displayed on the page.

Refresh Clich Refresh to refresh the counter values.

Te st Click Te s t to perform the related tests.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 20

Getting Started

Window Navigation

21 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Status and Statistics

This section describes how to view device statistics.

It covers the following topics:

• System Summary

• Ethernet Interfaces

• Etherlike Statistics

• GVRP Statistics

• 802.1X EAP Statistics

• ACL Statistics

• TCAM Utilization

• Health

• RMON

• View Log

System Summary

See System Settings.

Ethernet Interfaces

The Interface page displays traffic statistics per port. The refresh rate of the information can be selected.

This page is useful for analyzing the amount of traffic that is both sent and received and its dispersion (Unicast, Multicast, and Broadcast).

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 22

Status and Statistics

Ethernet Interfaces

To display Ethernet statistics and/or set the refresh rate:

STEP 1 Click Status and Statistics > Interface.

STEP 2 Enter the parameters.

• Interface—Select the type of interface and specific interface for which

Ethernet statistics are to be displayed.

• Refresh Rate—Select the time period that passes before the interface

Ethernet statistics are refreshed.

The Receive Statistics area displays information about incoming packets.

• Tot al B y te s (O ct ets )—Octets received, including bad packets and FCS

octets, but excluding framing bits.

• Unicast Packets—Good Unicast packets received.

• Multicast Packets—Good Multicast packets received.

• Broadcast Packets—Good Broadcast packets received.

• Packets with Errors—Packets with errors received.

The Transmit Statistics area displays information about outgoing packets.

• Tot al B y te s (O ct ets )—Octets transmitted, including bad packets and FCS

octets, but excluding framing bits.

• Unicast Packets—Good Unicast packets transmitted.

• Multicast Packets—Good Multicast packets transmitted.

• Broadcast Packets—Good Broadcast packets transmitted.

To clear or view statistics counters:

• Click Clear Interface Counters to clear counters for the interface displayed.

• Click View All Interfaces Statistics to see all ports on a single page.

23 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Status and Statistics

Etherlike Statistics

The Etherlike page displays statistics per port according to the Etherlike MIB standard definition. The refresh rate of the information can be selected. This page provides more detailed information regarding errors in the physical layer (Layer 1) that might disrupt traffic.

To view Etherlike Statistics and/or set the refresh rate:

STEP 1 Click Status and Statistics > Etherlike.

STEP 2 Enter the parameters.

• Interface—Select the type of interface and specific interface for which

Ethernet statistics are to be displayed.

• Refresh Rate—Select the amount of time that passes before the Etherlike

statistics are refreshed.

The fields are displayed for the selected interface.

• Frame Check Sequence (FCS) Errors—Received frames that failed the

CRC (cyclic redundancy checks).

• Single Collision Frames—Frames that were involved in a single collision,

but were successfully transmitted.

• Late Collisions—Collisions that have been detected after the first 512 bits

of data.

• Excessive Collisions—Transmissions rejected due to excessive collisions.

• Oversize Packets—Packets greater than 2000 octets received.

• Internal MAC Receive Errors—Frames rejected because of receiver errors.

• Pause Frames Received—Received flow control pause frames.

• Pause Frames Transmitted—Flow control pause frames transmitted from

the selected interface.

To clear statistics counters:

• Click Clear Interface Counters to clear the selected interfaces counters.

• Click View All Interfaces Statistics to see all ports on a single page.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 24

GVRP Statistics

The GVRP page displays information regarding GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP) frames that were sent or received from a port. GVRP is a standards-based Layer 2 network protocol, for automatic configuration of VLAN information on switches. It is defined in the 802.1ak amendment to 802.1Q-2005.

GVRP statistics for a port are only displayed if GVRP is enabled globally and on the port. See the GVRP page.

To view GVRP statistics and/or set the refresh rate:

STEP 1 Click Status and Statistics > GVRP.

STEP 2 Enter the parameters.

Status and Statistics

GVRP Statistics

• Interface—Select the specific interface for which GVRP statistics are to be

displayed.

• Refresh Rate—Select the time period that passes before the GVRP

statistics page is refreshed.

The Attribute Counter block displays the counters for various types of packets per interface.

• Join Empty—GVRP Join Empty packets received/transmitted.

• Empty—GVRP empty packets received/transmitted.

• Leave Empty—GVRP Leave Empty packets received/transmitted.

• Join In—GVRP Join In packets received/transmitted.

• Leave In—GVRP Leave In packets received/transmitted.

• Leave All—GVRP Leave All packets received/transmitted.

The GVRP Error Statistics section displays the GVRP error counters.

• Invalid Protocol ID—Invalid protocol ID errors.

• Invalid Attribute Type—Invalid attribute ID errors.

• Invalid Attribute Value—Invalid attribute value errors.

• Invalid Attribute Length—Invalid attribute length errors.

• Invalid Event—Invalid events.

25 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Status and Statistics

802.1X EAP Statistics

To clear statistics counters:

• Click Clear Interface Counters to clear the selected counters.

• Click View All Interfaces Statistics to see all ports on a single page.

802.1X EAP Statistics

The 802.1x EAP page displays detailed information regarding the EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) frames that were sent or received. To configure the

802.1X feature, see the 802.1X Properties page.

To view the EAP Statistics and/or set the refresh rate:

STEP 1 Click Status and Statistics > 802.1x EAP.

STEP 2 Select the Interface that is polled for statistics.

STEP 3 Select the Refresh Rate (time period) that passes before the EAP statistics are

refreshed.

The values are displayed for the selected interface.

• EAPOL Frames Received—Valid EAPOL frames received on the port.

• EAPOL Frames Transmitted—Valid EAPOL frames transmitted by the port.

• EAPOL Start Frames Received—EAPOL Start frames received on the port.

• EAPOL Logoff Frames Received—EAPOL Logoff frames received on the

port.

• EAP Response/ID Frames Received—EAP Resp/ID frames received on the

port.

• EAP Response Frames Received—EAP Response frames received by the

port (other than Resp/ID frames).

• EAP Request/ID Frames Transmitted—EAP Req/ID frames transmitted by

the port.

• EAP Request Frames Transmitted—EAP Request frames transmitted by

the port.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 26

Status and Statistics

ACL Statistics

• Invalid EAPOL Frames Received—Unrecognized EAPOL frames received

on this port.

• EAP Length Error Frames Received—EAPOL frames with an invalid Packet

Body Length received on this port.

• Last EAPOL Frame Version—Protocol version number attached to the most

recently received EAPOL frame.

• Last EAPOL Frame Source—Source MAC address attached to the most

recently received EAPOL frame.

To clear statistics counters:

• Click Clear Interface Counters to clear the selected interfaces counters.

• Click Refresh to refresh the selected interfaces counters.

• Click View All Interfaces Statistics to clear the counters of all interfaces.

ACL Statistics

STEP 1 Click Status and Statistics > ACL.

STEP 2 Select the Refresh Rate (time period in seconds) that passes before the page is

When the ACL logging feature is enabled, an informational SYSLOG message is generated for packets that match ACL rules.

To view the interfaces on which packets were forward or rejected based on ACLs:

refreshed. A new group of interfaces is created for each time period.

The interfaces on which packets were forwarded or rejected based on ACL rules are displayed.

To manage statistics counters:

• Click Refresh to reset the counters.

• Click Clear Counters to clear the counters of all interfaces.

27 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Status and Statistics

TCAM Utilization

The device architecture uses a Ternary Content Addressable Memory (TCAM) to support packet actions in wire speed.

TCAM holds the rules produced by applications, such as ACLs (Access Control Lists), Quality of Service (QoS), IP Routing and user-created rules.

Some applications allocate rules upon their initiation. Additionally, processes that initialize during system boot use some of their rules during the startup process.

To view TCAM utilization, click Status and Statistics > TCAM Utilization.

The following fields are displayed for SG500X/SG500XG devices and for Sx500 devices in Layer 3 system mode and when the device is part of a stack (per unit):

• Unit No—Unit in stack for which TCAM utilization appears. This is not

displayed when the device is in standalone mode.

• Maximum TCAM Entries for Routing and Multicast Routing—Maximum

TCAM entries available for routing and Multicast Routing.

• IPv4 Routing

- In Use—Number of TCAM entries used for IPv4 routing.

- Maximum—Number of available TCAM entries that can be used for IPv4

routing.

• IPv4 Multicast Routing

- In Use—Number of TCAM entries used for IPv4 Multicast routing.

- Maximum—Number of available TCAM entries that can be used for IPv4

Multicast routing.

• IPv6 Routing

- In Use—Number of TCAM entries used for IPv6 Multicast routing.

- Maximum—Number of available TCAM entries that can be used for IPv6

Multicast routing.

• IPv6 Multicast Routing—Number of TCAM entries used for IPv6 routing.

- In Use—Number of TCAM entries used for IPv6 routing.

- Maximum—Number of available TCAM entries that can be used for IPv6

routing.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 28

Health

Status and Statistics

Health

• Maximum TCAM Entries for Non-IP Rules—Maximum TCAM entries

available for non-IP rules.

• Non-IP Rules

- In Use—Number of TCAM entries used for non-IP rules.

- Maximum—Number of available TCAM entries that can be used for non-

IP rules.

To view how the allocation among various processes can be changed (for the 500 series), see the Router Resources section.

RMON

See Health.

RMON (Remote Networking Monitoring) enables an SNMP agent in the device to proactively monitor traffic statistics over a given period and send traps to an SNMP manager. The local SNMP agent compares actual, real-time counters against predefined thresholds and generates alarms, without the need for polling by a central SNMP management platform. This is an effective mechanism for proactive management, provided that you have set the correct thresholds relative to your network’s base line.

RMON decreases the traffic between the manager and the device since the SNMP manager does not have to poll the device frequently for information, and enables the manager to get timely status reports, since the device reports events as they occur.

With this feature, you can perform the following actions:

• View the current statistics (from the time that the counter values were

cleared). You can also collect the values of these counters over a period of time, and then view the table of collected data, where each collected set is a single line of the History tab.

• Define interesting changes in counter values, such as “reached a certain

number of late collisions” (defines the alarm), and then specify what action to perform when this event occurs (log, trap, or log and trap).

29 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Status and Statistics

RMON

RMON Statistics

The Statistics page displays detailed information regarding packet sizes and information regarding physical layer errors. The information is displayed according to the RMON standard. An oversized packet is defined as an Ethernet frame with the following criteria:

• Packet length is greater than MRU byte size.

• Collision event has not been detected.

• Late collision event has not been detected.

• Received (Rx) error event has not been detected.

• Packet has a valid CRC.

To view RMON statistics and/or set the refresh rate:

STEP 1 Click Status and Statistics > RMON > Statistics.

STEP 2 Select the Interface for which Ethernet statistics are to be displayed.

STEP 3 Select the Refresh Rate, which is the time period that passes before the interface

statistics are refreshed.

The following statistics are displayed for the selected interface.

• Bytes Received—Octets received, including bad packets and FCS octets,

but excluding framing bits.

• Drop Events—Packets dropped.

• Packets Received—Good packets received, including Multicast and

Broadcast packets.

• Broadcast Packets Received—Good Broadcast packets received. This

number does not include Multicast packets.

• Multicast Packets Received—Good Multicast packets received.

• CRC & Align Errors—CRC and Align errors that have occurred.

• Undersize Packets—Undersized packets (less than 64 octets) received.

• Oversize Packets—Oversized packets (over 2000 octets) received.

• Fragments—Fragments (packets with less than 64 octets, excluding

framing bits, but including FCS octets) received.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 30

Status and Statistics

RMON

• Jabbers—Received packets that were longer than 1632 octets. This

number excludes frame bits, but includes FCS octets that had either a bad FCS (Frame Check Sequence) with an integral number of octets (FCS Error) or a bad FCS with a non-integral octet (Alignment Error) number. A Jabber packet is defined as an Ethernet frame that satisfies the following criteria:

- Packet data length is greater than MRU.

- Packet has an invalid CRC.

- Received (Rx) Error Event has not been detected.

• Collisions—Collisions received. If Jumbo frames are enabled, the threshold

of Jabber frames is raised to the maximum size of Jumbo frames.

• Frames of 64 Bytes—Frames, containing 64 bytes that were received.

• Frames of 65 to 127 Bytes—Frames, containing 65-127 bytes that were

received.

• Frames of 128 to 255 Bytes—Frames, containing 128-255 bytes that were

received.

• Frames of 256 to 511 Bytes—Frames, containing 256-511 bytes that were

received.

• Frames of 512 to 1023 Bytes—Frames, containing 512-1023 bytes that

were received.

• Frames of 1024 Bytes or More—Frames, containing 1024-2000 bytes, and

Jumbo Frames, that were received.

To clear statistics counters:

• Click Clear Interface Counters to clear the selected interfaces counters.

• Click View All Interfaces Statistics to see all ports on a single page.

RMON History

The RMON feature enables monitoring statistics per interface.

The History Control Table page samples to store and the port from which to gather the data.

defines the sampling frequency, amount of

After the data is sampled and stored, it appears in the History Table page that can be viewed by clicking History Table.

31 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Status and Statistics

RMON

STEP 1 Click Status and Statistics > RMON > History. The fields displayed on this page

STEP 2 Click Add.

STEP 3 Enter the parameters.

To enter RMON control information:

are defined in the Add RMON History page, below. The only field is that is on this page and not defined in the Add page is:

• Current Number of Samples—RMON is allowed by the standard to not

grant all requested samples, but rather to limit the number of samples per request. Therefore, this field represents the sample number actually granted to the request that is equal or less than the requested value.

• New History Entry—Displays the number of the new History table entry.

• Source Interface—Select the type of interface from which the history

samples are to be taken.

• Max No. of Samples to Keep—Enter the number of samples to store.

• Sampling Interval—Enter the time in seconds that samples are collected

from the ports. The field range is 1-3600.

• Owner—Enter the RMON station or user that requested the RMON

information.

STEP 4 Click Apply. The entry is added to the History Control Table page

Configuration file is updated.

STEP 5 Click History Table (described below) to view the actual statistics.

RMON History Table

The History Table page displays interface-specific statistical network samplings. The samples were configured in the History Control table described above.

To view RMON history statistics:

STEP 1 Click Status and Statistics > RMON > History.

and the Running

STEP 2 Click History Table.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 32

Status and Statistics

RMON

STEP 3 From the History Entry No. drop down menu, optionally select the entry number

of the sample to display.

The fields are displayed for the selected sample.

• Owner—History table entry owner.

• Sample No.—Statistics were taken from this sample.

• Drop Events—Dropped packets due to lack of network resources during the

sampling interval. This may not represent the exact number of dropped packets, but rather the number of times dropped packets were detected.

• Bytes Received—Octets received including bad packets and FCS octets,

but excluding framing bits.

• Packets Received—Packets received, including bad packets, Multicast,

and Broadcast packets.

• Broadcast Packets—Good Broadcast packets excluding Multicast packets.

• Multicast Packets—Good Multicast packets received.

• CRC Align Errors—CRC and Align errors that have occurred.

• Undersize Packets—Undersized packets (less than 64 octets) received.

• Oversize Packets—Oversized packets (over 2000 octets) received.

• Fragments—Fragments (packets with less than 64 octets) received,

excluding framing bits, but including FCS octets.

• Jabbers—Total number of received packets that were longer than 2000

octets. This number excludes frame bits, but includes FCS octets that had either a bad FCS (Frame Check Sequence) with an integral number of octets (FCS Error) or a bad FCS with a non-integral octet (Alignment Error) number.

• Collisions—Collisions received.

• Utilization—Percentage of current interface traffic compared to maximum

traffic that the interface can handle.

33 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Status and Statistics

RMON

STEP 1 Click Status and Statistics > RMON > Events.

RMON Events Control

You can control the occurrences that trigger an alarm and the type of notification that occurs. This is performed as follows:

• Events Page—Configures what happens when an alarm is triggered. This

can be any combination of logs and traps.

• Alarms Page—Configures the occurrences that trigger an alarm.

To define RMON events:

This page displays previously defined events.

The fields on this page are defined by the Add RIMON Events dialog box except for the Time field.

• Time—Displays the time of the event. (This is a read-only table in the parent

window and cannot be defined).

STEP 2 Click Add.

STEP 3 Enter the parameters.

• Event Entry—Displays the event entry index number for the new entry.

• Community—Enter the SNMP community string to be included when traps

are sent (optional). Note that the community must be defined using the

Defining SNMPv1,2 Notification Recipients or Defining SNMPv3 Notification Recipients pages for the trap to reach the Network

Management Station.

• Description—Enter a name for the event. This name is used in the Add

RMON Alarm page to attach an alarm to an event.

• Notification Type—Select the type of action that results from this event.

Values are:

- None—No action occurs when the alarm goes off.

- Log (Event Log Table)—Add a log entry to the Event Log table when the

alarm is triggered.

- Trap (SNMP Manager and SYSLOG Server)—Send a trap to the remote

log server when the alarm goes off.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 34

Status and Statistics

RMON

- Log and Trap—Add a log entry to the Event Log table and send a trap to

the remote log server when the alarm goes off.

• Owner—Enter the device or user that defined the event.

STEP 4 Click Apply. The RMON event is saved to the Running Configuration file.

STEP 5 Click Event Log Table to display the log of alarms that have occurred and that have

been logged (see description below).

RMON Events Logs

The Event Log Table page displays the log of events (actions) that occurred. Two types of events can be logged: Log or Log and Trap. The action in the event is performed when the event is bound to an alarm (see the Alarms page) and the conditions of the alarm have occurred.

STEP 1 Click Status and Statistics > RMON > Events.

STEP 2 Click Event Log Table.

This page displays the following fields:

• Event Entry No.—Event’s log entry number.

• Log No.—Log number (within the event).

• Log Time—Time that the log entry was entered.

• Description—Description of event that triggered the alarm.

RMON Alarms

RMON alarms provide a mechanism for setting thresholds and sampling intervals to generate exception events on counters or any other SNMP object counter maintained by the agent. Both the rising and falling thresholds must be configured in the alarm. After a rising threshold is crossed, no rising events are generated until the companion falling threshold is crossed. After a falling alarm is issued, the next alarm is issued when a rising threshold is crossed.

One or more alarms are bound to an event, which indicates the action to be taken when the alarm occurs.

35 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Status and Statistics

RMON

STEP 1 Click Status and Statistics > RMON > Alarms. All previously-defined alarms are

STEP 2 Click Add.

STEP 3 Enter the parameters.

Alarm counters can be monitored by either absolute values or changes (delta) in the counter values.

To enter RMON alarms:

displayed. The fields are described in the Add RMON Alarm page below. In addition to those fields, the following field appears:

• Counter Value—Displays the value of the statistic during the last sampling

period.

• Alarm Entry No.—Displays the alarm entry number.

• Interface—Select the type of interface for which RMON statistics are

displayed.

• Counter Name—Select the MIB variable that indicates the type of

occurrence measured.

• Counter Value—Number of occurrences.

• Sample Type—Select the sampling method to generate an alarm. The

options are:

- Absolute—If the threshold is crossed, an alarm is generated.

- Delta—Subtracts the last sampled value from the current value. The

difference in the values is compared to the threshold. If the threshold was crossed, an alarm is generated.

• Rising Threshold—Enter the value that triggers the rising threshold alarm.

• Rising Event—Select an event to be performed when a rising event is

triggered. Events are created in the Events page.

• Falling Threshold—Enter the value that triggers the falling threshold alarm.

• Falling Event—Select an event to be performed when a falling event is

triggered.

• Startup Alarm—Select the first event from which to start generation of

alarms. Rising is defined by crossing the threshold from a low-value threshold to a higher-value threshold.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 36

View Log

Status and Statistics

View Log

- Rising Alarm—A rising value triggers the rising threshold alarm.

- Falling Alarm—A falling value triggers the falling threshold alarm.

- Rising and Falling—Both rising and falling values trigger the alarm.

• Interval—Enter the alarm interval time in seconds.

• Owner—Enter the name of the user or network management system that

receives the alarm.

STEP 4 Click Apply. The RMON alarm is saved to the Running Configuration file.

See Viewing Memory Logs.

37 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Administration: System Log

This section describes the system logging, which enables the device to generate multiple independent logs. Each log is a set of messages describing system events.

The device generates the following local logs:

• Log sent to the console interface.

• Log written into a cyclical list of logged events in the RAM and erased when

the device reboots.

• Log written to a cyclical log-file saved to the Flash memory and persists

across reboots.

In addition, you can send messages to remote SYSLOG servers in the form of SNMP traps and SYSLOG messages.

This section covers the following sections:

• Setting System Log Settings

• Setting Remote Logging Settings

• Viewing Memory Logs

Setting System Log Settings

You can select the events to be logged by severity level. Each log message has a severity level marked with the first letter of the severity level concatenated with a dash (-) on each side (except for Emergency that is indicated by the letter F). For example, the log message "%INIT-I-InitCompleted: … " has a severity level of I, meaning Informational.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 38

Administration: System Log

Setting System Log Settings

The event severity levels are listed from the highest severity to the lowest severity, as follows:

• Emergency—System is not usable.

• Alert—Action is needed.

• Critical—System is in a critical condition.

• Error—System is in error condition.

• Warning—System warning has occurred.

• Notice—System is functioning properly, but a system notice has occurred.

• Informational—Device information.

• Debug—Detailed information about an event.

You can select different severity levels for RAM and Flash logs. These logs are displayed in the RAM Memory page and Flash Memory page, respectively.

Selecting a severity level to be stored in a log causes all of the higher severity events to be automatically stored in the log. Lower severity events are not stored in the log.

For example, if Warning is selected, all severity levels that are Warning and higher are stored in the log (Emergency, Alert, Critical, Error, and Warning). No events with severity level below Warning are stored (Notice, Informational, and Debug).

To set global log parameters:

STEP 1 Click Administration > System Log > Log Settings.

STEP 2 Enter the parameters.

• Logging—Select to enable message logging.

• Syslog Aggregator—Select to enable the aggregation of SYSLOG

messages and traps. If enabled, identical and contiguous SYSLOG messages and traps are aggregated over the specified Max. Aggregation Time and sent in a single message. The aggregated messages are sent in the order of their arrival. Each message states the number of times it was aggregated.

• Max. Aggregation Time—Enter the interval of time that SYSLOG messages

are aggregated.

39 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Administration: System Log

Setting Remote Logging Settings

• Originator Identifier—Enables adding an origin identifier to SYSLOG

messages. The options are:

- None—Do not include the origin identifier in SYSLOG messages.

- Hostname—Include the system host name in SYSLOG messages.

- IPv4 Address—Include the IPv4 address of the sending interface in

SYSLOG messages.

- IPv6 Address—Include the IPv6 address of the sending interface in

SYSLOG messages.

- User Defined—Enter a description to be included in SYSLOG messages.

• RAM Memory Logging—Select the severity levels of the messages to be

logged to the RAM.

• Flash Memory Logging—Select the severity levels of the messages to be

logged to the Flash memory.

STEP 3 Click Apply. The Running Configuration file is updated.

Setting Remote Logging Settings

The Remote Log Servers page enables defining remote SYSLOG servers to which log messages are sent. For each server, you can configure the severity of the messages that it receives.

To d e f i n e S YS LO G s er v e r s :

STEP 1 Click Administration > System Log > Remote Log Servers.

STEP 2 Enter the following fields:

• IPv4 Source Interface—Select the source interface whose IPv4 address

will be used as the source IPv4 address of SYSLOG messages sent to SYSLOG servers.

• IPv6 Source Interface—Select the source interface whose IPv6 address

will be used as the source IPv6 address of SYSLOG messages sent to SYSLOG servers.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 40

Administration: System Log

Setting Remote Logging Settings

NOTE If the Auto option is selected, the system takes the source IP address

from the IP address defined on the outgoing interface.

Information is described for each previously-configured log server. The fields are described below in the Add page.

STEP 3 Click Add.

STEP 4 Enter the parameters.

• Server Definition—Select whether to identify the remote log server by IP

address or name.

• IP Version—Select the supported IP format.

• IPv6 Address Type—Select the IPv6 address type (if IPv6 is used). The

options are:

- Link Local—The IPv6 address uniquely identifies hosts on a single

network link. A link local address has a prefix of FE80, is not routable, and can be used for communication only on the local network. Only one link local address is supported. If a link local address exists on the interface, this entry replaces the address in the configuration.

- Global—The IPv6 address is a global Unicast IPV6 type that is visible and

reachable from other networks.

• Link Local Interface—Select the link local interface (if IPv6 Address Type

Link Local is selected) from the list.

• Log Server IP Address/Name—Enter the IP address or domain name of the

log server.

• UDP Port—Enter the UDP port to which the log messages are sent.

• Facility—Select a facility value from which system logs are sent to the

remote server. Only one facility value can be assigned to a server. If a second facility code is assigned, the first facility value is overridden.

• Description—Enter a server description.

• Minimum Severity—Select the minimum level of system log messages to

be sent to the server.

STEP 5 Click Apply. The Add Remote Log Server page

added, and the Running Configuration file is updated.

closes, the SYSLOG server is

41 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Administration: System Log

Viewing Memory Logs

The device can write to the following logs:

• Log in RAM (cleared during reboot).

• Log in Flash memory (cleared only upon user command).

You can configure the messages that are written to each log by severity, and a message can go to more than one log, including logs that reside on external SYSLOG servers.

RAM Memory

The RAM Memory page displays all messages that were saved in the RAM (cache) in chronological order. Entries are stored in the RAM log according to the configuration in the Log Settings page.

To view log entries, click Status and Statistics > View Log > RAM Memory.

The top of the page has a button that allows you to Disable Alert Icon Blinking. Click. This button toggles between disable and enable.

The Current Logging Threshold specifies the levels of logging that are generated. This can be changed by clicking Edit by the field’s name.

This page contains the following fields for every log file:

• Log Index—Log entry number.

• Log Time—Time when message was generated.

• Severity—Event severity.

• Description—Message text describing the event.

To clear the log messages, click Clear Logs. The messages are cleared.

Flash Memory

The Flash Memory page displays the messages that were stored in the Flash memory, in chronological order. The minimum severity for logging is configured in the Log Settings page. Flash logs remain when the device is rebooted. You can clear the logs manually.

To view the Flash logs, click Status and Statistics > View Log > Flash Memory.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 42

Administration: System Log

Viewing Memory Logs

The Current Logging Threshold specifies the levels of logging that are generated. This can be changed by clicking Edit by the field’s name.

This page contains the following fields for each log file:

• Log Index—Log entry number.

• Log Time—Time when message was generated.

• Severity—Event severity.

• Description—Message text describing the event.

To clear the messages, click Clear Logs. The messages are cleared.

43 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Administration: File Management

This section describes how system files are managed.

The following topics are covered:

• System Files

• Upgrade/Backup Firmware/Language

• Active Image

System Files

• Download/Backup Configuration/Log

• Configuration Files Properties

• Copy/Save Configuration

• Auto Configuration/Image Update via DHCP

System files are files that contain configuration information, firmware images or boot code.

Various actions can be performed with these files, such as: selecting the firmware file from which the device boots, copying various types of configuration files internally on the device, or copying files to or from an external device, such as an external server.

The possible methods of file transfer are:

• Internal copy

• HTTP/HTTPS that uses the facilities that the browser provides

• TFTF/SCP client, requiring a TFTP/SCP server

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 44

Administration: File Management

System Files

Configuration files on the device are defined by their type, and contain the settings and parameter values for the device.

When a configuration is referenced on the device, it is referenced by its configuration file type (such as Startup Configuration or Running Configuration), as opposed to a file name that can be modified by the user.

Content can be copied from one configuration file type to another, but the names of the file types cannot be changed by the user.

Other files on the device include firmware, boot code, and log files, and are referred to as operational files.

The configuration files are text files and can be edited in a text editor, such as Notepad after they are copied to an external device, such as a PC.

Files and File Types

The following types of configuration and operational files are found on the device:

• Running Configuration—Contains the parameters currently being used by

the device to operate. This is the only file type that is modified when you change parameter values on the device.

If the device is rebooted, the Running Configuration is lost. The Startup Configuration, stored in Flash, overwrites the Running Configuration, stored in RAM.

To preserve any changes you made to the device, you must save the Running Configuration to the Startup Configuration, or another file type.

• Startup Configuration—The parameter values that were saved by copying

another configuration (usually the Running Configuration) to the Startup Configuration.

The Startup Configuration is retained in Flash and is preserved when the device is rebooted. At this time, the Startup Configuration is copied to RAM and identified as the Running Configuration.

• Mirror Configuration—A copy of the Startup Configuration, created by the

device when the following conditions exist:

- The device has been operating continuously for 24 hours.

- No configuration changes have been made to the Running Configuration

in the previous 24 hours.

- The Startup Configuration is identical to the Running Configuration.

45 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Administration: File Management

System Files

Only the system can copy the Startup Configuration to the Mirror Configuration. However, you can copy from the Mirror Configuration to other file types or to another device.

The option of automatically copying the Running Configuration to the mirror configuration can be disabled in the Configuration Files Properties page.

• Backup Configuration—A manual copy of a configuration file used for

protection against system shutdown or for the maintenance of a specific operating state. You can copy the Mirror Configuration, Startup Configuration, or Running Configuration to a Backup Configuration file. The Backup Configuration exists in Flash and is preserved if the device is rebooted.

• Firmware—The program that controls the operations and functionality of

the device. More commonly referred to as the image.

• Boot Code—Controls the basic system startup and launches the firmware

image.

• Language File—The dictionary that enables the web-based configuration

utility windows to be displayed in the selected language.

• Flash Log—SYSLOG messages stored in Flash memory.

File Actions

The following actions can be performed to manage firmware and configuration files:

• Upgrade the firmware or boot code, or replace a second language, as

described in Upgrade/Backup Firmware/Language section.

• View the firmware image currently in use or select the image to be used in

the next reboot as described in the Active Image section.

• Save configuration files on the device to a location on another device as

described in the Download/Backup Configuration/Log section.

• Clear the Startup Configuration or Backup Configuration file types as

described in the Configuration Files Properties section.

• Copy one configuration file type to another configuration file type as

described in the Copy/Save Configuration section.

• Enable automatically uploading a configuration file from a DHCP server to

the device, as described in the section.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 46

This section covers the following topics:

• Upgrade/Backup Firmware/Language

• Active Image

• Download/Backup Configuration/Log

• Configuration Files Properties

• Copy/Save Configuration

• Auto Configuration/Image Update via DHCP

Upgrade/Backup Firmware/Language

Administration: File Management

Upgrade/Backup Firmware/Language

The Upgrade/Backup Firmware/Language process can be used to:

• Upgrade or backup the firmware image.

• Upgrade or backup the boot code.

• Import or upgrade a second language file.

The following methods for transferring files are supported:

• HTTP/HTTPS that uses the facilities provided by the browser

• TFTP that requires a TFTP server

• Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) that requires an SCP server

If a new language file was loaded onto the device, the new language can be selected from the drop-down menu. (It is not necessary to reboot the device). This language file is automatically copied to all devices in the stack.

All software images on the stack must be identical to ensure the proper operation of the stack. If a device is added to a stack and its software image is not identical to the master's software image, the master automatically loads the correct image to the new device.

The following ways can be used to update images across the stack:

• Image can be updated prior to connecting a unit to the stack. This is the

recommended method.

• Upgrade device or stack. If the stack is updated, the slave units are

automatically updated. This is done as follows:

47 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Administration: File Management

Upgrade/Backup Firmware/Language

- Copy image from TFTP/SCP server to master, using the Upgrade/

- Change the active image, using the Active Image page.

- Reboot, using the Reboot page.

There are two firmware images stored on the device. One of the images is identified as the active image and other image is identified as the inactive image.

When you upgrade the firmware, the new image always replaces the image identified as the inactive image.

Even after uploading new firmware on the device, the device continues to boot by using the active image (the old version) until you change the status of the new image to be the active image by using the procedure in the Active Image section. Then boot the device.

Backup Firmware/Language page.

NOTE If the device is running in stacking mode, the new firmware is pushed to all of the

stack units. If there is a new device joining the stack with a different firmware version, the master unit syncs the firmware version automatically with this newly joined unit. This occurs transparently, without any manual intervention.

Upgrade/Backing Firmware or Language File

To upgrade or backup a software image or language file:

STEP 1 Click Administration > File Management > Upgrade/Backup Firmware/

Language.

STEP 2 Click the Transfer Method. Proceed as follows:

• If you selected TFTP, go to STEP 3.

• If you selected via HTTP/HTTPS, go to STEP 4.

• If you selected via SCP, go to STEP 5.

STEP 3 If you selected via TFTP, enter the parameters as described in this step.

Otherwise, skip to STEP 4.

Select one of the following Save Action::

• Upgrade—Specifies that the file type on the device is to be replaced with a

new version of that file type located on a TFTP server.

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Administration: File Management

Upgrade/Backup Firmware/Language

• Backup—Specifies that a copy of the file type is to be saved to a file on

another device.

Enter the following fields:

• File Type—Select the destination file type. Only valid file types are shown.

(File types are described in the Files and File Types section).

• TFTP Server Definition—Select whether to specify the TFTP server By IP

address or By name.

• IP Version—Select whether an IPv4 or an IPv6 address is used.

• IPv6 Address Type—Select the IPv6 address type (if IPv6 is used). The

options are:

- Link Local—The IPv6 address uniquely identifies hosts on a single

- Global—The IPv6 address is a global Unicast IPV6 type that is visible and

reachable from other networks.

• Link Local Interface—Select the link local interface (if IPv6 is used) from the

list.

• TFTP Server IP Address/Name—Enter the IP address or the name of the

TFTP server.

• (For Upgrade) Source File Name—Enter the name of the source file.

• (For Backup) Destination File Name—Enter the name of the backup file.

STEP 4 If you selected via HTTP/HTTPS, you can only select the Save Action: Upgrade.

Enter the parameters as described in this step.

• File Type—Select one of the following file types:

- Firmware Image—Select this to upgrade the firmware image.

- Language File—Select this to upgrade the language file.

• File Name—Click Browse to select a file or enter the path and source file

name to be used in the transfer.

STEP 5 If you selected via SCP (Over SSH), see SSH Client Authentication for

instructions. Then, enter the following fields: (only unique fields are described, for non-unique fields, see the descriptions above)

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Administration: File Management

Upgrade/Backup Firmware/Language

• Remote SSH Server Authentication—To enable SSH server authentication

(which is disabled by default), click Edit. This takes you to the SSH Server

Authentication page to configure the SSH server, and return to this page.

Use the SSH Server Authentication page to select an SSH user authentication method (password or public/private key), set a username and password on the device (if the password method is selected), and generate an RSA or DSA key if required.

SSH Client Authentication—Client authentication can be done in one of the following ways:

• Use SSH Client System Credentials—Sets permanent SSH user

credentials. Click System Credentials to go to the SSH User Authentication page where the user/password can be set once for all future use.

• Use SSH Client One-Time Credentials—Enter the following:

- Username—Enter a username for this copy action.

- Password—Enter a password for this copy.

NOTE The username and password for one-time credential will not saved in

configuration file.

Select one of the following Save Action(s):

• Upgrade—Specifies that the file type on the device is to be replaced with a

new version of that file type located on a TFTP server.

• Backup—Specifies that a copy of the file type is to be saved to a file on

another device.

Enter the following fields:

• File Type—Select the destination file type. Only valid file types are shown.

(The file types are described in the Files and File Types section).

• SCP Server Definition—Select whether to specify the SCP server by IP

address or by domain name.

• IP Version—Select whether an IPv4 or an IPv6 address is used.

• IPv6 Address Type—Select the IPv6 address type (if used). The options

are:

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Active Image

- Link Local—The IPv6 address uniquely identifies hosts on a single

- Global—The IPv6 address is a global Unicast IPv6 type that is visible and

reachable from other networks.

• Link Local Interface—Select the link local interface from the list.

• SCP Server IP Address/Name—Enter the IP address or domain name of

the SCP server.

• (For Upgrade) Source File Name—Enter the name of the source file.

• (For Backup) Destination File Name—Enter the name of the backup file.

STEP 6 Click Apply. If the files, passwords and server addresses are correct, one of the

Active Image

following may happen:

• If SSH server authentication is enabled (in the SSH Server Authentication

page), and the SCP server is trusted, the operation succeeds. If the SCP server is not trusted, the operation fails and an error is displayed.

• If SSH server authentication is not enabled, the operation succeeds for any

SCP server.

There are two firmware images stored on the device. One of the images is identified as the active image and other image is identified as the inactive image. The device boots from the image you set as the active image. You can change the image identified as the inactive image to the active image. (You can reboot the device by using the process described in the Management Interface section).

To select the active image:

STEP 1 Click Administration > File Management > Active Image.

The page displays the following:

• Active Image—Displays the image file that is currently active on the device.

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• Active Image Version Number—Displays the firmware version of the active

image.

• Active Image After Reboot—Displays the image that is active after reboot.

• Active Image Version Number After Reboot—Displays the firmware

version of the active image as it be after reboot.

STEP 2 Select the image from the Active Image After Reboot menu to identify the

firmware image that is used as the active image after the device is rebooted. The Active Image Version Number After Reboot displays the firmware version of the active image that is used after the device is rebooted.

STEP 3 Click Apply. The active image selection is updated.

Download/Backup Configuration/Log

The Download/Backup Configuration/Log page enables:

• Backing up configuration files or logs from the device to an external device.

• Restoring configuration files from an external device to the device.

NOTE If the device is working in stacking mode, the configuration files are taken from the

master unit.

When restoring a configuration file to the Running Configuration, the imported file adds any configuration commands that did not exist in the old file and overwrites any parameter values in the existing configuration commands.

When restoring a configuration file to the Startup Configuration or a backup configuration file, the new file replaces the previous file.

When restoring to Startup Configuration, the device must be rebooted for the restored Startup Configuration to be used as the Running Configuration. You can reboot the device by using the process described in the Management Interface section.

Configuration File Backwards Compatibility

When restoring configuration files from an external device to the device, the following compatibility issues might arise:

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• Change Queues Mode from 4 to 8—Queue-related configurations must be

examined and adjusted to meet QoS objectives with the new Queues mode. See the CLI Reference Guide for a listing of these QoS commands.

• Change Queues Mode from 8 to 4—Queue-related configuration

commands that conflict with the new Queues mode are rejected, meaning that the download of the configuration file fails. Use the System Mode and Stack Management page to change the Queues mode.

• Change the System Mode—If the System mode is contained in a

configuration file that is downloaded to the device, and the file's System mode matches the current System mode, this information is ignored. Otherwise, if the System mode is changed, the following cases are possible:

- If the configuration file is downloaded onto the device (using the

Download/Backup Configuration/Log page), the operation is aborted, and a message is displayed indicating that the System mode must be changed in the System Mode and Stack Management page.

- If the configuration file is downloaded during an automatic configuration

process, the Startup Configuration file is deleted and the device reboots automatically in the new System mode. The device is configured with an empty configuration file.

See Configuration After Reboot for a description of what happens when the stacking modes are changed.

Downloading or Backing-up a Configuration or Log File

To backup or restore the system configuration file:

STEP 1 Click Administration > File Management > Download/Backup Configuration/

Log.

STEP 2 Select the Transfer Method.

STEP 3 If you selected via TFTP, enter the parameters. Otherwise, skip to STEP 4.

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Select either Download or Backup as the Save Action.

Download—Specifies that the file on another device replaces a file type on the

device. Enter the following fields:

a. TFTP Server Definition—Select whether to specify the TFTP server by IP

address or by domain name.

b. IP Version—Select whether an IPv4 or an IPv6 address is used.

NOTE If the server is selected by name in the Server Definition, there is no

need to select the IP Version related options.

c. IPv6 Address Type—Select the IPv6 address type (if used). The options are:

- Link Local—The IPv6 address uniquely identifies hosts on a single

- Global—The IPv6 address is a global Unicast IPV6 type that is visible and

reachable from other networks.

d. Link Local Interface—Select the link local interface from the list.

e. TFTP Server IP Address/Name—Enter the IP address or name of the TFTP

server.

f. Source File Name—Enter the source file name. File names cannot contain

slashes (\ or /), cannot start with a period (.), and must include between 1 and 160 characters. (Valid characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, “.”, “-”, “_”).

g. Destination File Type—Enter the destination configuration file type. Only valid

file types are displayed. (The file types are described in the Files and File

Types section).

Backup—Specifies that a file type is to be copied to a file on another device. Enter

the following fields:

a. TFTP Server Definition—Select whether to specify the TFTP server by IP

address or by domain name.

b. IP Version—Select whether an IPv4 or an IPv6 address is used.

c. IPv6 Address Type—Select the IPv6 address type (if used). The options are:

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• Link Local—The IPv6 address uniquely identifies hosts on a single network

link. A link local address has a prefix of FE80, is not routable, and can be used for communication only on the local network. Only one link local address is supported. If a link local address exists on the interface, this entry replaces the address in the configuration.

• Global—The IPv6 address is a global Unicast IPV6 type that is visible and

reachable from other networks.

d. Link Local Interface—Select the link local interface from the list.

e. TFTP Server IP Address/Name—Enter the IP address or name of the TFTP

server.

f. Source File Type—Enter the source configuration file type. Only valid file

types are displayed. (The file types are described in the Files and File Types section).

g. Sensitive Data—Select how sensitive data should be included in the backup

file. The following options are available:

- Exclude—Do not include sensitive data in the backup.

- Encrypted—Include sensitive data in the backup in its encrypted form.

- Plaintext—Include sensitive data in the backup in its plaintext form.

NOTE The available sensitive data options are determined by the current

user SSD rules. For details, refer to Secure Sensitive Data Management > SSD Rules page.

h. Destination File Name—Enter the destination file name. File names cannot

contain slashes (\ or /), the leading letter of the file name must not be a period (.), and the file name must be between 1 and 160 characters. (Valid characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, “.”, “-”, “_”).

i. Click Apply. The file is upgraded or backed up.

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STEP 4 If you selected via HTTP/HTTPS, enter the parameters as described in this step.

Select the Save Action.

If Save Action is Download (replacing the file on the device with a new version from another device), do the following. Otherwise, go to the next procedure in this step.

a. Source File Name—Click Browse to select a file or enter the path and source

file name to be used in the transfer.

b. Destination File Type—Select the configuration file type. Only valid file types

are displayed. (The file types are described in the Files and File Types section).

c. Click Apply. The file is transferred from the other device to the device.

If Save Action is Backup (copying a file to another device), do the following:

a. Source File Type—Select the configuration file type. Only valid file types are

displayed. (The file types are described in the Files and File Types section).

b. Sensitive Data—Select how sensitive data should be included in the backup

file. The following options are available:

- Exclude—Do not include sensitive data in the backup.

- Encrypted—Include sensitive data in the backup in its encrypted form.

- Plaintext—Include sensitive data in the backup in its plaintext form.

NOTE The available sensitive data options are determined by the current

user SSD rules. For details, refer to Secure Sensitive Data Management > SSD Rules page.

c. Click Apply. The file is upgraded or backed up.

STEP 5 If you selected via SCP (Over SSH), see SSH Client Configuration Through the

GUI for instructions. Then enter the following fields:

• Remote SSH Server Authentication—To enable SSH server authentication

(it is disabled by default), click Edit, which takes you to the SSH Server

Authentication page to configure this, and return to this page. Use the SSH Server Authentication page to select an SSH user authentication method

(password or public/private key), set a username and password on the device, if the password method is selected, and generate an RSA or DSA key if required.

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SSH Client Authentication—Client authentication can be done in one of the following ways:

• Use SSH Client System Credentials—Sets permanent SSH user

credentials. Click System Credentials to go to the SSH User Authentication page where the user/password can be set once for all future use.

• Use SSH Client One-Time Credentials—Enter the following:

- Username—Enter a username for this copy action.

- Password—Enter a password for this copy.

• Save Action—Select whether to backup or restore the system configuration

file.

• SCP Server Definition—Select whether to specify the SCP server by IP

address or by domain name.

• IP Version—Select whether an IPv4 or an IPv6 address is used.

• IPv6 Address Type—Select the IPv6 address type (if used). The options

are:

- Link Local—The IPv6 address uniquely identifies hosts on a single

- Global—The IPv6 address is a global Unicast IPV6 type that is visible and

reachable from other networks.

• Link Local Interface—Select the link local interface from the list.

• SCP Server IP Address/Name—Enter the IP address or name of the SCP

server.

If Save Action is Download (replacing the file on the device with a new version from another device), enter the following fields.

• Source File Name—Enter the name of the source file.

• Destination File Type—Select the configuration file type. Only valid file

types are displayed. (The file types are described in the Files and File

Types section).

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If Save Action is Backup (copying a file to another device), enter the following fields (in addition to those fields listed above):

• Source File Type—Select the configuration file type. Only valid file types

are displayed. (The file types are described in the Files and File Types section).

• Sensitive Data—Select how sensitive data should be included in the

backup file. The following options are available:

- Exclude—Do not include sensitive data in the backup.

- Encrypted—Include sensitive data in the backup in its encrypted form.

- Plaintext—Include sensitive data in the backup in its plaintext form.

NOTE The available sensitive data options are determined by the current

user SSD rules. For details, refer to Secure Sensitive Data Management > SSD Rules page.

• Destination File Name—Name of file being copied to.

STEP 6 Click Apply. The file is upgraded or backed up.

Configuration Files Properties

The Configuration Files Properties page displays when various system configuration files were created. It also enables deleting the Startup Configuration and Backup Configuration files. You cannot delete the other configuration file types.

NOTE If the device is working in stack mode, the configuration files are taken from the

master unit.

To set whether mirror configuration files will be created, clear configuration files and see when configuration files were created:

STEP 1 Click Administration > File Management > Configuration Files Properties.

This page displays the following fields:

• Configuration File Name—Type of system file.

• Creation Time—Date and time that file was modified.

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STEP 2 If required, disable Auto Mirror Configuration. This disables the automatic

creation of mirror configuration files. When disabling this feature, the mirror configuration file, if it exists, is deleted. See System Files for a description of mirror files and why you might not want to automatically create mirror configuration files.

STEP 3 If required, select either the Startup Configuration, Backup Configuration or both

and click Clear Files to delete these files.

Copy/Save Configuration

When you click Apply on any window, changes that you made to the device configuration settings are stored only in the Running Configuration. To preserve the parameters in the Running Configuration, the Running Configuration must be copied to another configuration type or saved on another device.

Administration: File Management

Copy/Save Configuration

CAUTION Unless the Running Configuration is copied to the Startup Configuration or another

configuration file, all changes made since the last time the file was copied are lost when the device is rebooted.

The following combinations of copying internal file types are allowed:

• From the Running Configuration to the Startup Configuration or Backup

Configuration.

• From the Startup Configuration to the Running Configuration, Startup

Configuration or Backup Configuration.

• From the Backup Configuration to the Running Configuration, Startup

Configuration or Backup Configuration.

• From the Mirror Configuration to the Running Configuration, Startup

Configuration or Backup Configuration.

To copy one type of configuration file to another type of configuration file:

STEP 1 Click Administration > File Management > Copy/Save Configuration.

STEP 2 Select the Source File Name to be copied. Only valid file types are displayed

(described in the Files and File Types section).

STEP 3 Select the Destination File Name to be overwritten by the source file.

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STEP 4 Select the Sensitive Data option if you are backing up a configuration file, select

one of the following formats for the backup file.

- Exclude—Sensitive data is not included in the backup file.

- Encrypted—Sensitive data is included in the backup file in encrypted

form.

- Plaintext—Sensitive data is included in the backup file in plain text.

NOTE The available sensitive data options are determined by the current

user SSD rules. For details, refer to Secure Sensitive Data Management > SSD Rules page.

STEP 5 The Save Icon Blinking field indicates whether an icon blinks when there is

unsaved data. To disable/enable this feature, click Disable/Enable Save Icon Blinking.

STEP 6 Click Apply. The file is copied.

Auto Configuration/Image Update via DHCP

The Auto Configuration/Image Update feature provides a convenient method to automatically configure Cisco 200, 300 and 500 switches in a network and upgrade their firmware. This process enables the administrator to remotely ensure that the configuration and firmware of these devices in the network are up-to-date.

This feature is comprised of the following parts:

• Auto Image Update—Automatic downloading a firmware image from a

remote TFTP/SCP server. At the end of the Auto Configuration/Image Update process, the device reboots itself to the firmware image.

• Auto Configuration—Automatic downloading a configuration file from a

remote TFTP/SCP server. At the end of the Auto Configuration/Image process, the device reboots itself to the configuration file.

NOTE If both Auto Image Update and Auto Configuration are requested, Auto Image

Update is performed first, then after reboot, Auto Configuration is performed and then a final reboot is performed.

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Auto Configuration/Image Update via DHCP

To use this feature, configure a DHCP server in the network with the locations and names of the configuration file and firmware image of your devices. The devices in the network are configured as DHCP clients by default. When the devices are assigned their IP addresses by the DHCP server, they also receive information about the configuration file and firmware image. If the configuration file and/or firmware image are different from the ones currently used on the device, the device reboots itself after downloading the file and/or image. This section describes these processes.

In addition to the ability to keep the devices in the network updated with the latest configuration files and firmware image, Auto-Update/Configuration enables quick installation of new devices on the network, since an out-of-the-box device is configured to retrieve its configuration file and software image from the network without any manual intervention by the system administrator. The first time that it applies for its IP address from the DHCP server, the device downloads and reboots itself with the configuration file and/or image specified by the DHCP server.

The Auto Configuration process supports downloading a configuration file that includes sensitive information, such as RADIUS server keys and SSH/SSL keys, by using the Secured Copy Protocol (SCP) and the Secure Sensitive Data (SSD) feature (See SSH Client Authentication and Security: Secure Sensitive Data

Management).

Download Protocols (TFTP or SCP)

Configuration files and firmware images can be downloaded from either a TFTP or an SCP server.

The user configures the protocol to be used, as follows:

• Auto By File Extension—(Default) If this option is selected, a user-defined

file extension indicates that files with this extension are downloaded using SCP (over SSH), while files with other extensions are downloaded using TFTP. For example, if the file extension specified is.xyz, files with the .xyz extension are downloaded using SCP, and files with the other extensions are downloaded using TFTP. The default extension is .scp.

• TFTP Only—The download is done through TFTP, regardless of the file

extension of the configuration file name.

• SCP Only—The download is done through SCP (over SSH), regardless of

the file extension of the configuration file name.

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SSH Client Authentication

SCP is SSH based. By default, remote SSH server authentication is disabled, so that the device accepts any remote SSH server out of the box. You can enable remote SSH server authentication so that only servers found in the trusted server list can be used.

SSH client authentication parameters are required to access the SSH server by the client (which is the device). The default SSH client authentication parameters are:

• SSH authentication method: by username/password

• SSH username: anonymous

• SSH password: anonymous

NOTE The SSH client authentication parameters can also be used when downloading a

file manually (meaning, a download that is not performed through the DHCP Auto Configuration/Image Update feature).

Auto Configuration/Image Update Process

DHCP Auto Configuration uses the configuration server name/address and configuration file name/path, if any, in the DHCP messages received. In addition, DHCP Image Update uses the indirect file name of the firmware, if any, in the messages. This information is specified as DHCP options in the Offer message coming from the DHCPv4 servers and in the Information Reply messages coming from DHCPv6 servers.

If this information is not found in the DHCP server messages, backup information that has been configured in the DHCP Auto Configuration/Image Update page is used.

When the Auto Configuration/Image Update process is triggered (see Auto

Configuration/Image Update Trigger), the sequence of events described below

occurs.

Auto Image Update Starts:

• The switch uses the indirect file name from option 125 (DHCPv4) and option

60 (DHCPv6) if any, from the DHCP message received.

• If the DHCP server did not send the indirect file name of the firmware image

file, the Backup Indirect Image File Name (from the DHCP Auto Configuration/Image Update page) is used.

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• The switch downloads the Indirect Image File and extracts from it the name

of the TFTP/SCP server's image file.

• The switch compares the version of the TFTP server's image file with the

version of the switch active image.

• If the two versions are different, the new version is loaded into the non-

active image, a reboot is performed and the non-active image becomes the active image.

• When using the SCP protocol, a SYSLOG message is generated informing

that reboot is about to start.

• When using the SCP protocol, a SYSLOG message is generated

acknowledging that the Auto Update process is completed.

• When using the TFTP protocol, SYSLOG messages are generated by the

copy process.

Auto Configuration Starts:

• The device uses the TFTP/SCP server name/address and configuration file

name/path (DHCPv4 options: 66,150, and 67, DHCPv6 options: 59 and 60), if any, from the DHCP message received.

• If the information is not sent by the DHCP server, the Backup Server IP

Address/Name and the Backup Configuration File Name (from the DHCP Auto Configuration/Image Update page) is used.

• The new configuration file is used if its name is different than the name of

the configuration file previously used on the device or if the device has never been configured.

• The device is rebooted with the new configuration file, at the end of the

Auto Configuration/Image Update Process.

• SYSLOG messages are generated by the copy process.

Missing Options

• If the DHCP server did not send the TFTP/SCP server address in a DHCP

option and the backup TFTP/SCP server address parameter has not been configured, then:

- SCP—The Auto Configuration process is halted.

- TFTP—The device sends TFTP Request messages to a limited

Broadcast address (for IPv4) or ALL NODES address (for IPv6) on its IP

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interfaces and continues the process of Auto Configuration/Image Update with the first answering TFTP server.

Download Protocol Selection

• The copy protocol (SCP/TFTP) is selected, as described in Download Protocols (TFTP or SCP).

SCP

• When downloading using SCP, the device accepts any specified SCP/SSH

server (without authentication) if either of the following is true:

- The SSH server authentication process is disabled. By default the SSH

server authentication is disabled in order to allow downloading configuration file for devices with factory default configuration (for example out-of-box devices).

- The SSH Server is configured in the SSH Trusted Servers list.

If the SSH server authentication process is enabled, and the SSH server is not found in the SSH Trusted Servers list, the Auto Configuration process is halted.

• If the information is available, the SCP server is accessed to download the

configuration file or image from it.

Auto Configuration/Image Update Trigger

Auto Configuration/Image Update via DHCPv4 is triggered when the following conditions are fulfilled:

• The IP address of the device is dynamically assigned/renewed at reboot, or

explicitly renewed by administrative action, or automatically renewed due to an expiring lease. Explicit renewal can be activated in the IPv4 Interface page.

• If Auto Image Update is enabled, the Auto Image Update process is

triggered when an indirect image file name is received from a DHCP server or a backup indirect image file name has been configured. Indirect means that this is not the image itself, but rather a file that holds the path name to the image.

• If Auto Configuration is enabled, the Auto Configuration process is triggered

when the configuration file name is received from a DHCP server or a backup configuration file name has been configured.

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Auto Configuration/Image Update via DHCP

Auto Configuration/Image Update via DHCPv6 is triggered when the following conditions are fulfilled:

• When a DHCPv6 server sends information to the device. This occurs in the

following cases:

- When an IPv6-enabled interface is defined as a DHCPv6 stateless

configuration client.

- When DHCPv6 messages are received from the server (for example,

when you press the Restart button on IPv6 Interfaces page,

- When DHCPv6 information is refreshed by the device.

- After rebooting the device when stateless DHCPv6 client is enabled.

• When the DHCPv6 server packets contain the configuration filename

option.

• The Auto Image Update process is triggered when an indirect image file

name is provided by the DHCP server or a backup indirect image file name has been configured. Indirect means that this is not the image itself, but rather a file that holds the path name to the image.

Auto Configuration Image Update in a Stack

The current master of a stack is responsible for the Auto Configuration/Image Update of the whole stack. For auto configuration, the new configuration file is downloaded to the master unit. For auto image update, the new image is saved to the non-active image of the master unit. After the stack is rebooted, the new image is copied to the units of the stack.

Ensuring Correct Performance

To ensure that the Auto Configuration/Image Update feature works correctly, note the following:

• A configuration file that is placed on the TFTP/SCP server must match the

form and format requirements of the supported configuration file. The form and format of the file are checked, but the validity of the configuration parameters is not checked prior to loading it to the Startup Configuration.

• In IPv4, to ensure that a device downloads the configuration and images file

as intended during the Auto Configuration/Image Update process, it is recommended that the device is always assigned the same IP address.

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This ensures that the device is always assigned with the same IP address, and obtains the same information used in Auto Configuration/Image Update.

DHCP Auto Configuration/Image Update

The following GUI pages are used to configure the device:

• Administration > File Management > DHCP Auto Configuration/Image

Update—To configure the device as a DHCP client.

• Administration > Management Interface > IPv4 Interface (In L2) or IP

Configuration > IPv4 Management and Interfaces > IPv4 Interfaces (in L3)— To renew the IP address through DHCP when the device is in Layer 2 system mode.

Default Settings and Configuration

The following defaults exist on the system:

• Auto Configuration is enabled.

• Auto Image Update is enabled.

• The device is enabled as a DHCP client.

• Remote SSH server authentication is disabled.

Before You Start the Auto Configuration/Image Update Process

To use this feature, the device must either be configured as a DHCPv4 or DHCPv6 client. The type of DHCP client defined on the device is in correlation with the type of interfaces defined on the device.

Auto Configuration Preparations on the Server

To prepare the DHCP and TFTP/SCP servers, do the following:

TFTP/SCP Server

• Place a configuration file in the working directory. This file can be created

by copying a configuration file from a device. When the device is booted, this becomes the Running Configuration file.

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DHCP Server

Configure the DHCP server with the following options:

• DHCPv4:

- 66 (single server address) or 150 (list of server addresses)

- 67 (name of configuration file)

• DHCPv6

- Option 59 (server address)

- Options 60 (name of configuration file plus indirect image file name,

separated by a comma)

Auto Image Update Preparations

To prepare the DHCP and TFTP/SCP servers do the following:

TFTP/SCP Server

1. Create a sub directory in the main directory. Place a software image file in it.

2. Create an indirect file that contains a path and the name of the firmware version (for example indirect-cisco.txt that contains cisco\cisco-version.ros).

3. Copy this indirect file to the TFTP/SCP server’s main directory

DHCP Server

Configure the DHCP server with the following options

• DHCPv4—Option 125 (indirect file name)

• DHCPv6—Options 60 (name of configuration file plus indirect image file

name, separated by a comma)

DHCP Client Work Flow

STEP 1 Configure Auto Configuration and/or Auto Image Update parameters in the

Administration > File Management > DHCP Auto Configuration/Image Update page.

STEP 2 Set the IP Address Type to Dynamic in the Defining an IPv4 Interface in Layer 2

System Mode or Defining IPv4 Interface in Layer 3 System Mode pages, and/

or define the device as a stateless DHCPv6 client in the IPv6 Interface page.

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Web Configuration

To configure Auto Configuration and/or Auto Update:

STEP 1 Click Administration > File Management > DHCP Auto Configuration/Image

Update.

STEP 2 Enter the values.

• Auto Configuration Via DHCP—Select this field to enable DHCP Auto

Configuration. This feature is enabled by default, but can be disabled here.

• Download Protocol—Select one of the following options:

Auto By File Extension

the TFTP or SCP protocol depending on the extension of the configuration file. If this option is selected, the extension of the configuration file does not necessarily have to be given. If it is not given, the default extension is used (as indicated below).

File Extension for SCP

indicate a file extension here. Any file with this extension is downloaded using SCP. If no extension is entered, the default file extension .scp is used.

TFTP Only

for auto configuration.

SCP Only

auto configuration.

• Image Auto Update Via DHCP—Select this field to enable update of the

firmware image from the DHCP server. This feature is enabled by default, but can be disabled here.

• Download Protocol—Select one of the following options:

—Select to indicate that only the TFTP protocol is to be used

—Select to indicate that only the SCP protocol is to be used for

—Select to indicate that Auto Configuration uses

—If Auto By File Extension is selected, you can

Auto By File Extension

TFTP or SCP protocol depending on the extension of the image file. If this option is selected, the extension of the image file does not necessarily have to be given. If it is not given, the default extension is used (as indicated below).

File Extension for SCP

indicate a file extension here. Any file with this extension is downloaded using SCP. If no extension is entered, the default file extension .scp is used.

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—Select to indicate that auto update uses the

—If Auto By File Extension is selected, you can

TFTP Only

for auto update.

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Auto Configuration/Image Update via DHCP

—Select to indicate that only the TFTP protocol is to be used

SCP Only

auto update.

• SSH Settings for SCP—When using SCP for downloading the configuration

files, select one of the following options:

• Remote SSH Server Authentication—Click on the Enable/Disable link to

navigate to the SSH Server Authentication page. There you can enable authentication of the SSH server to be used for the download and enter the trusted SSH server if required.

• SSH Client Authentication—Click on the System Credentials link to enter

user credentials in the SSH User Authentication page.

• Backup Server Definition—Select whether the backup server will be

configured By IP address or By name.

• IP Version—Select whether an IPv4 or an IPv6 address is used.

• IPv6 Address Type—Select the IPv6 address type (if IPv6 is used). The

options are:

- Link Local—The IPv6 address uniquely identifies hosts on a single

—Select to indicate that only the SCP protocol is to be used for

- Global—The IPv6 address is a global Unicast IPV6 type that is visible and

reachable from other networks.

• Link Local Interface—Select the link local interface (if IPv6 is used) from the

list.

STEP 3 Enter the following optional information that is used if the DHCP server did not

provide the required information.

• Backup Server IP Address/Name—Enter either the backup server IP

address or name.

• Backup Configuration File Name—Enter the backup configuration file

name.

• Backup Indirect Image File Name—Enter the indirect image file name to

be used. This is

69 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

a file that holds the path to the image. An example of an

Administration: File Management

indirect image file name is: indirect-cisco.scp. This file contains the path and name of the firmware image.

The following fields are displayed:

• Last Auto Configuration/Image Server IP Address—Address of the last

backup server.

• Last Auto Configuration File Name—Name of the last configuration file

name.

STEP 4 Click Apply. The parameters are copied to the Running Configuration file.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 70

Administration: Stack Management

This section describes how stacks are managed. It covers the following topics:

• Overview

• Types of Units in Stack

• Stack Topology

• Unit ID Assignment

Overview

• Master Selection Process

• Stack Changes

• Unit Failure in Stack

• Software Auto Synchronization in Stack

• Stack Unit Mode

• Stack Ports

• Default Configuration

• Interactions With Other Features

• System Modes

Devices can either function on their own (Standalone mode), or they can be connected into a stack of up to eight devices in various stacking modes (see

Stack Unit Mode).

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 71

Administration: Stack Management

Overview

The devices (units) in a stack are connected through stack ports. These devices are then collectively managed as a single logical device. In some cases, stack ports can become members in Link Aggregation Groups (LAGs) increasing the bandwidth of the stack port. See Stack Port Link Aggregation.

The stack is based on a model of a single master/backup and multiple slaves.

An example of eight devices connected into a stack is shown in the following:

Stack Architecture (Chain Topology)

A stack provides the following benefits:

• Network capacity can be expanded or contracted dynamically. By adding a

unit, the administrator can dynamically increase the number of ports in the stack while maintaining a single point of management. Similarly, units can be removed to decrease network capacity.

• The stacked system supports redundancy in the following ways:

- The backup unit becomes the master of the stack if the original master

fails.

- The stack system supports two types of topologies: chain (see “Stack

Architecture (Chain Topology)”and ring (see “Stack in Ring To po lo g y” ). In ring topology, if one of the stack ports fails, the stack

continues to function in chain topology (see Stack Topology).

- A process known as Fast Stack Link Failover is supported on the ports in

a ring stack to reduce the duration of data packet loss when one of the stack ports link fails. Until the stack recovers to the new chain topology, the stack port that is currently down, loops-back the packets that were supposed to be sent through it, so that the packets arrive at their

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 72

destination using the remaining stacking links. During Fast Stack Link failover, the master/backup units remain active and functioning.

NOTE The Fast Stack Link Failover feature is only active for one or two

unit stacks. See Stack Port Link Aggregation.

Types of Units in Stack

A stack consists of a maximum of eight units. A unit in a stack is one of the following types:

• Master—The master unit’s ID must be either 1 or 2. The stack is managed

through the master unit that manages itself, the backup unit and the slave units.

Administration: Stack Management

Types of Units in Stack

• Backup—If the master unit fails, the backup unit assumes the master role

(switchover). The backup unit’s ID must be either 1 or 2.

• Slave—These units are managed by the master unit.

In order for a group of units to function as a stack, there must be a master-enabled unit. When the master-enabled unit fails, the stack continues to function as long as there is a backup unit (the active unit that assumes the master role).

If the backup unit fails, in addition to the master, and the only functioning units are the slave units, these also stop functioning after one minute. This means for example, that if after 1 minute, you plug in a cable to one of the slave units that was running without a master, the link will not come up.

Backward Compatibility of Number of Units in Stack

Previous versions of the device supported a maximum of four units as opposed to the current version that supports eight units. Upgrading from earlier software releases can be done without changing the configuration files.

When a firmware version, which does not support the hybrid stack modes is loaded to the stack and the stack is rebooted, the stack reverts to Native Stack mode. When a device in Hybrid stack mode is loaded with a firmware version that does not support Hybrid stack mode, its system mode reverts to the default system mode (SG500X/EWS2-550X: L3 and L2, Sx500: L2).

If a stack’s unit IDs were manually-configured, those units whose ID is greater than 4 are switched to auto numbering.

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Administration: Stack Management

Stack Topology

Unit LEDs

The device has 4 LEDs marked as 1, 2, 3, 4 that are used to display the unit ID of each unit (e.g. on Unit ID 1, LED 1 is ON and the other LEDs are OFF). To support unit IDs greater than 4, the LED display is changed in accordance to the below definition:

• Units 1-4: LEDs 1-4 are lit, respectively.

• Unit 5: LED 1 and 4 are lit.

• Unit 6: LED 2 and 4 are lit.

• Unit 7: LED 3 and 4 are lit.

• Unit 8: LED 1, 3, and 4 are lit.

Stack Topology

Types of Stack Topology

The units in a stack can be connected in one of the following types of topologies:

• Chain To p o l o g y —Each unit is connected to the neighboring unit, but there is

no cable connection between the first and last unit. See “Stack

Architecture (Chain Topology)” shows a chain topology.

• Ring Topology—Each unit is connected to the neighboring unit. The last unit

is connected to the first unit. The following shows a ring topology of an eight-unit stack:

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 74

Administration: Stack Management

Stack Topology

Stack in Ring Topology

A ring topology is more reliable than a chain topology. The failure of one link in a ring does not affect the function of the stack, whereas the failure of one link in a chain connection might cause the stack to be split.

Topology Discovery

A stack is established by a process called topology discovery. This process is triggered by a change in the up/down status of a stack port.

The following are examples of events that trigger this process:

• Changing the stack topology from a ring to a chain

• Merging two stacks into a single stack

• Splitting the stack

• Inserting other slave units to the stack, for instance because the units were

previously disconnected from the stack due to a failure. This can happen in a chain topology if a unit in the middle of the stack fails.

During topology discovery, each unit in a stack exchanges packets, which contain topology information.

After the topology discovery process is completed, each unit contains the stack mapping information of all units in the stack.

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Administration: Stack Management

Unit ID Assignment

After topology discovery is completed, each unit in a stack is assigned a unique unit ID.

The unit ID is set in the System Mode and Stack Management page in one of the following ways:

• Automatically (Auto)—The Unit ID is assigned by the topology discovery

process. This is the default setting.

• Manually—The unit ID is manually set to an integer from 1-8. .

Duplicate Unit IDs

If you assign the same unit ID to two separate units, only one of them can join the stack with that unit ID.

If auto numbering has been selected, the duplicate unit is assigned a new unit number. If auto numbering was not selected, the duplicate unit is shut down.

The following shows a case where two units were manually assigned the same unit ID. Unit 1 does not join the stack and is shut down. It did not win the master selection process between the master-enabled units (1 or 2).

Duplicate Unit Shut Down

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Administration: Stack Management

Unit ID Assignment

The following shows a case where one of the duplicate units (auto-numbered) is renumbered.

Duplicate Unit Renumbered

The following shows a case where one of the duplicate units is renumbered. The one with the lower MAC retains its unit ID (see Master Selection Process for a description of this process).

Duplication Between Two Units With Auto Number Unit ID

NOTE If a new stack has more than the maximum number of units (8), all extra units are shut

down.

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Administration: Stack Management

Master Selection Process

The master unit is selected from the master-enabled units (1 or 2). The factors in selecting the master unit are taken into account in the following priority:

• Force Master—If Force Master is activated on a unit, it is selected.

• System Up Time—The master-enabled units exchange up-time, which is

measured in segments of 10 minutes. The unit with the higher number of segments is selected. If both units have the same number of time segments, and the unit ID of one of the units was set manually while the other unit’s unit ID was set automatically, the unit with the manually-defined unit ID is selected; otherwise the unit with the lowest unit ID is selected. If both units IDs are the same, the unit with the lowest MAC address is chosen. Note: The up time of the backup unit is retained when it is selected as master in the switch failover process.

NOTE For a stack to operate, it must have a master unit. A master unit is defined as the

Stack Changes

• Unit ID—If both units have the same number of time segments, the unit with

the lowest unit ID is selected.

• MAC Address—If both units IDs are the same, the unit with the lowest MAC

address is chosen.

active unit that assumes the master role. The stack must contain a unit 1 and/or unit 2 after the master selection process. Otherwise, the stack and all its units are partially shut down, not as a complete power-off, but with traffic-passing capabilities halted.

This section describes various events that can cause a change to the stack. A stack topology changes when one of the following occurs:

• One or more units are connecting and/or disconnecting to and from the

stack.

• Any of its stack ports has a link up or down.

• The stack changes between ring and chain formation.

When units are added or removed to and from a stack, it triggers topology changes, master election process, and/or unit ID assignment.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 78

Administration: Stack Management

Stack Changes

Connecting a New Unit

When a unit is inserted into the stack, a stack topology change is triggered. The unit ID is assigned (in case of auto numbering), and the unit is configured by the master.

One of the following cases can occur when connecting a new unit to an existing stack:

• No duplicate unit IDs exist.

- Units with user-defined IDs retain their unit ID.

- Units with automatically-assigned IDs retain their unit ID.

- Factory default units receive unit IDs automatically, beginning from the

lowest available ID.

• One or more duplicate unit IDs exist. Auto numbering resolves conflicts and

assigns unit IDs. In case of manual numbering, only one unit retains its unit ID and the other(s) are shutdown.

• The number of units in the stack exceeds the maximum number of units

allowed. The new units that joined the stack are shut down, and a SYSLOG message is generated and appears on the master unit.

The following shows an example of auto numbering when a master-enabled unit joins the stack. There are two units with unit ID = 1. The master selection process selects the best unit to be the master unit. The best unit is the unit with the higher uptime in segments of 10 minutes. The other unit is made the backup.

Auto-numbered Master-enabled Unit

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Administration: Stack Management

Unit Failure in Stack

The following shows an example of auto numbering when a new unit joins the stack. The existing units retain their ID. The new unit receives the lowest available ID.

Auto Number Unit

The following shows what happens when a user-assigned, master-enabled unit with Unit ID 1 joins a stack that already has a master unit with user-assigned unit ID

1. The newer Unit 1 does not join the stack and is shutdown.

User-assigned Master-enabled Unit

Unit Failure in Stack

Failure of Master Unit

If the Master fails, the backup unit takes over the master role and continues to operate the stack normally.

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Administration: Stack Management

Unit Failure in Stack

For the backup to be able to take the place of the master, both units maintain a warm standby at all times. In warm standby, the master and its backup units are synchronized with the static configuration (contained in both the Startup and Running configuration files). Backup configuration files are not synchronized. The backup configuration file remains on the previous master.

Dynamic process-state information, such as the STP state table, dynamicallylearned MAC addresses, dynamically-learned Smartport types, MAC Multicast tables, LACP, and GVRP are not synchronized.

When a master is being configured, it synchronizes the backup immediately. Synchronization is performed as soon as a command is executed. This is transparent.

If a unit is inserted into a running stack, and is selected as a backup unit, the master synchronizes it so that it has an up-to date configuration, and then generates a SYNC COMPLETE SYSLOG message. This is a unique SYSLOG message that appears only when backup is converging with the master unit, and looks like this: %DSYNCH-I-SYNCH_SUCCEEDED: Synchronization with unit 2 is finished successfully.

Master/Backup Switchover

When a master fails or when you configure a force master on the backup unit, a switchover occurs.

The backup unit becomes the master, and all of its processes and protocol stacks are initialized to take responsibility for the entire stack. As a result, there is temporarily no traffic forwarding in this unit, but slave units remain active.

NOTE When STP is used and the ports are in link up, the STP port’s state is temporarily

Blocking, and it cannot forward traffic or learn MAC addresses. This is to prevent spanning tree loops between active units.

Slave Unit Handling

While the backup becomes the master, the active slave units remain active and continue to forward packets based on the configuration from the original master. This minimizes data traffic interruption in units.

After the backup unit has completed the transition to the master state, it initializes the slave units one at a time by performing the following operations:

• Clear and reset the configuration of the slave unit to default (to prevent an

incorrect configuration from the new master unit). As a result, there is no traffic forwarding on the slave unit.

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Administration: Stack Management

Software Auto Synchronization in Stack

• Apply related user configurations to the slave unit.

• Exchange dynamic information such as port STP state, dynamic MAC

addresses, and link up/down status between the master and the slave unit. Packet forwarding on the slave unit resumes after the state of its ports are set to forwarding by the master according to STP.

NOTE Packet flooding to unknown unicast MAC addresses occurs until the

MAC addresses are learned or relearned.

Reconnecting the Original Master Unit After Failover

After failover, if the original master is connected again, the master selection process is performed. If the original master (unit 1) is reselected to be the master, the current master (unit 2, which was the original backup unit) is rebooted and becomes the backup once again.

NOTE During master/backup failover, the up time of the backup unit is retained.

Software Auto Synchronization in Stack

All the units in the stack must run the same software version (firmware and bootcode). Each unit in a stack automatically downloads firmware and bootcode from the master unit if the firmware and/or boot code that the unit and the master are running is different. The unit automatically reboots itself to run the new version.

Stack Unit Mode

The stack unit mode of a device indicates whether it is configured to be part of a stack or to operate on its own.

Devices can operate in one of the following stack unit modes:

• Standalone—A device in Standalone stack unit mode is not connected to

any other device and does not have a designated stack port.

• Native Stacking—A device in Native Stacking mode can be connected to

other devices of the same type through its stack ports to form a stack. All units in a native stack must be of the same type (either all Sx500s, all SG500Xs/ESW2-550Xs or all SG500XGs).

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Administration: Stack Management

Stack Unit Mode

• Basic Hybrid—A device in Basic Hybrid mode can be connected to

Sx500and SG500X/ESW2-550X devices to form a stack. The only limitation (and the reason that this mode is called Basic Hybrid as opposed to Advanced Hybrid) is that there is no support for VRRP or RIP. In this mode, the GUI displays the pages of Sx500, even if the stack master is a SG500X/ ESW2-550X, since the feature set is that of the Sx500.

In this mode, any type of device can take the master/backup roles. Only the 5G stacking ports can be used as stack ports.

• Advanced Hybrid—A device in Advanced Hybrid mode can be connected

to Sx500 and SG500X/ESW2-550X devices to form a stack. In this mode, VRRP and/or RIP are supported, but auto numbering of units is not supported, because only the SG500Xor ESW2-550X devices can function as master/backup.

Sx500 devices can only be slaves, therefore up to 6 Sx500 units can be stacked together with two SG500X/ESW2-550Xs devices.

• Advanced Hybrid XG—A device in Advanced Hybrid XG mode can be

connected to SG500X/ESW2-550X and SG500XG devices to form a stack.

All units can be master or slave units.

Stack Configuration Options

The following describes some typical stack configurations:

Possible Stack Configuration Possible RIP/

VRRP Support

Stack consists of all SG500Xs in Native Stacking mode.

Stack consists of all ESW2-550Xs in Native Stacking mode.

Stack consists of all Sx500s in Native Stacking mode.

Enabled/ Disabled

Not supported.

Stack Ports Speed

1G/10G or 1G/5G

1G/5G (default) or 1G Copper/SFP (Combo)

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Administration: Stack Management

Stack Unit Mode

Possible Stack Configuration Possible RIP/

VRRP Support

Stack consists of mixed device types in Basic Hybrid mode.

• Master: Either SG500X,

ESW2-550X or Sx500s

• Backup: Either type of

device

• Slaves: Either type of device

Stack consists of mixed device types in Advanced Hybrid mode.

• Master: SG500X

• Backup: SG500X

• Slaves: Either type of device

Stack consists of mixed device types in Advanced Hybrid XG mode.

Not supported.

Enabled/ Disabled

Stack Ports Speed

1G/5G

1 G or 10G

• Master: SG500X/ESW2-

550X or SG500XG

• Backup: SG500X/ESW2-

550X or SG500XG

• Slaves: Either type of device

Consistency of Stack Unit Modes in the Stack

All units in the stack must have the same stack unit mode.

When the stack is initialized, it runs a topology discovery algorithm that collects information on the units of the stack.

After a unit is selected to become the master, it can reject its neighbor’s request to join the stack if it has an inconsistent stack unit mode. When a unit is rejected because of its stack unit mode, it is logically shutdown (the ports cannot send/ receive traffic) and all its LEDs (system, FAN, unit IDs, network ports and stack ports LEDs) are turned on. The information regarding the stack unit mode is displayed as a SYSLOG error in the master unit.

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Administration: Stack Management

Stack Unit Mode

Note that the only way for the unit to recover from this mode is by unplugging its electricity and plugging it back in.

Changing the Stack Unit Mode

Change the stack unit mode of a device to remove it from a stack (by changing its stack unit mode to Standalone), or when configuring it to become part of a stack (by changing its stack unit mode to Native Stacking, Basic Hybrid Stacking or Advanced Hybrid Stacking).

The following sections describe the system mode and configuration of the devices after reboot when the stack unit mode is changed.

System Mode (500 Devices) After Reboot

When the stack mode of a device is changed, the system mode of the device may be changed after reboot:

• Sx500 devices—The system mode (Layer 2 or Layer 3) of the backup and

slave Sx500 units is taken from the master-enabled unit. If the system mode is not specifically set before reboot, it is Layer 2 after reboot (this is the default). If you want the device to be in Layer 3 mode after reboot, this must be specifically set before reboot.

• SG500X/ESW2-550X devices—When the device is in Standalone or

Native Stacking mode, its system mode is always Layer 2 and 3. When the device is in Basic or Advanced Hybrid mode, it behaves as described above for Sx500 devices. When the device is in Basic or Advanced Hybrid mode, it behaves as described above for Sx500 devices..

• SG500XG devices—Always Layer 2 and Layer 3.

Configuration After Reboot

When you change the stack mode of a device and reboot the device, the Startup Configuration file is usually removed because it may contain configuration information that is not applicable to the new mode.

It is retained after bootup in the following cases:

• SG500X/ESW2-550X devices:

- Standalone to Native Stacking—Retained only when the unit is forced

to become the master with unit ID = 1

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Stack Ports

- Basic Hybrid to Advanced Hybrid—Retained only when the unit is

forced to become the master with unit ID = 1

- Basic Hybrid to Advanced Hybrid XG—Retained only when the unit is

forced to become the master with unit ID = 1

• SG500XG:

- Standalone to Native Stacking—Retained only when the unit is forced

to become the master unit with unit ID = 1

- Native to Advanced Hybrid XG—Retained only when the unit is forced

to become the master unit with unit ID = 1

• Sx500 devices:

- Standalone to Native Stacking—Retained only when the unit is forced

to become the master unit with unit ID = 1

Stack Ports

- Standalone to Basic Hybrid—Retained only when the unit is forced to

become the master with unit ID = 1

- Native Stacking to Basic Hybrid—Retained only when the unit is

forced to become the master with unit ID = 1

Ports in a stack must be reserved to be one of the following port types:

• Network Ports—Also known as uplink ports. These are ports that are

connected to the network.

• Stack Ports—Ports that connect two units in a stack. Stack ports are used

to transfer data and protocol packets among the units.

You must indicate to the system (reserve) which ports you plan to use as stack ports (in the System Mode and Stack Management page). All ports that are not reserved to be stack ports, are considered to be network ports.

Stack Port Link Aggregation

When two neighboring units are connected, the ports connecting them are automatically assigned to a stack LAG. This feature enables increasing the stack bandwidth of the stack port beyond that of a single port.

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Administration: Stack Management

Stack Ports

There can be up to two stack LAGs per unit.

The stack LAG can be composed of between two and eight stack ports depending on the unit type.

Stack Port States

Stack ports can be in one of the following states:

• Down—Port operational status is down or stack port operational status is

up, but traffic cannot pass on the port.

• Active—Stack port was added to a stack LAG whose stack port

operational status is up and traffic can pass on the port and it is a member of a stack LAG.

• Standby—Stack port operational status is up and bidirectional traffic can

pass on the port, but the port cannot be added to a stack LAG, and the port does not transmit traffic. Possible reasons for a port being in standby are:

- Stack ports with different speeds are used to connect a single neighbor.

- One unit is connected to more than two neighboring units.

Backward Compatibility

For an explanation of the performance of a stack consisting of devices that support stack port LAGs and devices that do not support this feature, see

Backwards Compatibility.

Physical Constraints for Stack LAGs

The following factors constrain the use of stack LAGs:

• A stack LAG must contain stack ports as described in Ta bl e 1 through

Ta bl e 4 .

• A stack LAG must contain ports of the same speed.

• When attempting to connect a unit to a stack whose topology is not a ring/

chain (for example, trying to connect a unit to more than two neighboring units - star topology), only two stack LAGs can be active, the remainder of the stack ports are set to standby mode (inactive).

Recommended Stack Connections

The following tables describe the optimal way to connect units in a stack according to the type of units in the stack.

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Stack Ports

When link failure occurs on a port in a stack LAG, the traffic on the stack is redistributed between the remaining stack ports in the stack LAG. This can cause the stack connections to change from a recommended configuration to a nonrecommended configuration.

Ta bl e 1 Sx500 Stack with Sx500 or SG500X/ESW2-550X

Number of Active Stack Ports

1 S1 or S2 or S3 or S4 2 The following cases are possible:

Ta bl e 2 SG500X and ESW2550X Stacks with Sx500, SG500X/ESW2-550X or SG500XG

Number of Active Stack Ports

1 S1 or S2 or XG1 or XG2 2 Case 1: S1 to one neighbor and S2 to another neighbor

Recommended Connections for Stack Ports on the Sx500

Case 1: S1 to one neighbor and S2 to another neighbor

Case 2: S3 to one neighbor and S4 to another neighbor

Case 3: S1 and S2 to same neighbor

Case 4: S3 and S4 to same neighbor

Recommended Connections for Stack Ports on the SG500X

Case 2: XG1 to one neighbor and XG2 to another neighbor

Case 3: S1 and S2 to same neighbor

Case 4: XG1 and XG2 to same neighbor

4 S1+S2 to same neighbor and XG1+XG2 to another neighbor

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Administration: Stack Management

Stack Ports

Ta bl e 3 SG500XG Stack with SG500X/ESW2-550X

Number of Active Stack Ports

1Any port 2 One port to one neighbor and another port to another neighbor

4 2 ports to one neighbor and another 2 ports to another

Ta bl e 4 Sx500XG Stack with Sx500XG

Number of Active Stack Ports

1Any port 2 1 port to one neighbor and the other port to another neighbor

4 2 ports to one neighbor and the other 2 ports to another

Recommended Connections for Stack Ports on the SG500XG

2 ports to same neighbor

neighbor

Recommended Connections for Stack Ports on the Sx500XG

2 ports to same neighbor

neighbor

4 ports to same neighbor

8 4 ports to one neighbor and the other 4 ports to another

neighbor

Default Stack and Network Ports

The following are the default stack and network ports:

• Sx500 Devices—When an Sx500 device operates in Native Stacking

mode, S1-S2-1G operate as regular network ports, and S3-S4-5G operate as stack ports by default.

• SG500X/ESW2-550X Devices—S1-S2-10G are stack ports by default.

You can manually reconfigure S1-S2-10G and S1-S2-5G as network ports or stack ports.

• SG500XG Devices—Any ports can be stack or network. By default the

device is standalone.

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Stack Ports

When you convert a device from one of the Stacking modes to Standalone mode, the stack ports automatically become network ports.

Port Speeds

The speed of stack ports can be set manually or set to auto selection. The following describes the available types of stack ports and their speeds on the various types of devices:

Device Type Port Pair Possible Speeds in

Stack

Sx500 S1-S2 1G No

Sx500 S3-S4 5G/1G Yes

SG500X/

ESW2-550X

SG500X/

ESW2-550X

SG500XG Any pair of ports

S1-S 2-XG 10 G/1G Yes

S1-S 2- 5G 5G/1G Ye s

1G or 10G Yes

from XG1 - XG16

Auto Speed Selection Available

Auto Selection of Port Speed

You can set the stacking cable type to be discovered automatically when the cable is connected to the port (auto-discovery is the default setting). The system automatically identifies the stack cable type and selects the highest speed supported by the cable and the port.

A SYSLOG message (informational level) requesting that the user configures the port speed manually is displayed when the cable type is not recognized.

Connecting Units

Two units can only be connected in a stack if the ports on both ends of the link are of the same speed. This is done by configuring the stack ports speed to:

• Auto Speed mode

• Same speed on each side of the connection

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Cables Types

Each type of stack port can be used with specific cable types.

When the stack mode is set to Native Stacking, you can use either a fiber or copper cable as a stacking cable. If both cables (Fiber and Copper) are connected, fiber is the preferred media. Dual connection can be used for redundancy. When a media change occurs, for example you disconnect the fiber stacking cable and the copper stacking cable becomes active, the system initiates a topology change event.

The following describes the possible combinations of cables types and ports.

Stack Ports Network Ports

Connector Type S1-S2-5G

for SG500X/ ESW2550X and S3-S4 for Sx500

Cisco SFPH10GB -CU1M – Passive Copper Cable

Cisco SFPH10GB -CU3M – Passive Copper Cable

5G 1G 10G1G1G10G

S1, S2 in Sx500

S1,S2 - XG in SG500X/ ESW2550X

Administration: Stack Management

Stack Ports

S1,S2 - 5G for SG500X and S3, S4 for Sx500

S1,S2 in Sx500

S1,S2 - XG in SG500X

Cisco SFPH10GB -CU5M – Passive Copper Cable

Cisco SFP-10G-SRNot

Cisco SFP-10GLRM

Cisco SFP-10G-LRNot

1G SFP Module MGBSX1

91 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

5G 1G 10G1G1G10G

Not

supported Not

supported

supported 1G 1G 1G 1G 1G 1G

supported Not

supported

10G Not

supported

10G Not

supported

10G Not

supported

Not supported

10G

Administration: Stack Management

Stack Ports

Stack Ports Network Ports

Connector Type S1-S2-5G

for SG500X/ ESW2550X and S3-S4 for Sx500

1G SFP Module MGBT1

1G SFP Module MGBLX1

1G 1G 1G 1G 1G 1G

S1, S2 in Sx500

S1,S2 - XG in SG500X/ ESW2550X

S1,S2 - 5G for SG500X and S3, S4 for Sx500

S1,S2 in Sx500

S1,S2 - XG in SG500X

1G SFP Module MGBBX1

100Mbs SFP Module MFELX1

100Mbs SFP Module MFEFX1

100Mbs SFP Module MFEBX1

Other SFPs 1G According

Connector Type All ports

1G 1G 1G 1G 1G 1G

Not supported

to:

Forced user speed

EEPROM speed

1G speed

Stack Ports or Network Ports

Not supported

According to:

Forced user speed

EEPROM speed

1G speed

Not supported

1G According

100Mbs Not

supported

100Mbs Not

supported

100Mbs Not

supported According

to:

Forced user speed

EEPROM speed

1G speed

to:

Forced user speed

EEPROM speed

10G speed

Cisco SFP-H10GB-CU1M – Passive Copper Cable 1G - 10G Cisco SFP-H10GB-CU3M – Passive Copper Cable 1G - 10G Cisco SFP-H10GB-CU5M – Passive Copper Cable 1G - 10G Cisco SFP-10G-SR 10G Cisco SFP-10G-LRM 10G Cisco SFP-10G-LR 10G 1G SFP Module MGBSX1 1G

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 92

Administration: Stack Management

Stack Ports or Network Ports

Connector Type All ports

1G SFP Module MGBT1 1G 1G SFP Module MGBLX1 1G 1G SFP Module MGBBX1 1G 100Mbs SFP Module MFELX1 Not supported 100Mbs SFP Module MFEFX1 Not supported 100Mbs SFP Module MFEBX1 Not supported Other SFPs 1G

Stack Ports

93 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Administration: Stack Management

Default Configuration

The following are the device defaults in the various stacking modes:

Device Type

Sx500 Native Stack S3-S4 5G Stack Layer 2

SG500X/ ESW2550X

SG500XG Native Stack User can choose

Stack Mode Default Stack

Ports

Basic Hybrid S3-S4 5G Stack Layer 2

Advanced Hybrid S3-S4 5G Stack Layer 2

Native Stack S1-S 2 1 0G Sta ck Layer 2+Layer 3

Basic Hybrid S1-S2 5 G S ta ck Layer 2

Advanced Hybrid S1-S2 5 G Stack Layer 2

Advanced Hybrid XG S1-S2 5G St ack Layer 2

any pair

Advanced Hybrid XG User can choose

any pair

Default System Mode

Layer 2+Layer 3

Interactions With Other Features

RIP and VRRP are not supported in Basic Hybrid stack mode.

System Modes

Use the System Mode and Stack Management page to perform the following:

• Change the stack mode of a device to Standalone.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 94

Administration: Stack Management

System Modes

• Change the stack mode of a device to one of the stacking modes, change

the unit ID, stack ports, and the speed of the stack ports of all the devices in a stack.

• Change the system mode (Layer 2/3) of a standalone device or of the stack.

• Change the queues mode from 4 to 8 supported queues or vice versa.

Information about these modes is stored in the configuration file, as follows:

• Configuration File Header—Contains the system mode and the queues

mode (even if these are the default values).

• Configuration File Body—Contains configuration commands.

Backwards Compatibility

The following modes have been expanded in the current software version of the device. Care must be taken when using these features in previous software versions:

• Stack Port LAG—If a unit whose software supports stack ports in LAGs is

connected to a unit whose software does not support stack ports in LAGs, the stack port connecting the units is not made a member of the stack LAG. The units are connected through the stack ports, and the stack master copies its software to the other unit. The software copied depends on the unit which becomes the master.

• Queues Mode—This mode can be changed from 4 QoS queues to 8 QoS

queues. There is no issue when upgrading from previous software versions that did not support 8 queues, since the 4-queue mode is the default queues mode in the current software version. However, when changing the queues mode to 8 queues, the configuration must be examined and adjusted to meet the desired QoS objectives with the new queues mode. Changing the queues mode takes effect after rebooting the system. Queuerelated configuration that conflicts with the new queues mode is rejected.

• Stacking Mode—The Stacking mode has been expanded to include hybrid

stacking modes. There is no problem in upgrading from previous software versions, since the device will boot with the existing stacking mode (Native Stacking mode). If you want to downgrade software from a device that was configured in a hybrid stacking mode to a software version that does not support hybrid stacking, configure the device to Native Stacking mode first.

95 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Administration: Stack Management

System Modes

System Mode and Stack Management

To configure the stack:

STEP 1 Click Administration > System Mode and Stack Management.

The operational status of a standalone device or a stack is displayed in the Operational Status block:

• Stack Mode—Displays one of the following values for the device:

- Standalone—Device is not part of a stack.

- Native Stacking—Device is part of a stack in which all of the units are of

the same types.

- Basic Hybrid Stacking—Device is part of a stack that can consist of both

SG500X and Sx500 devices with the Sx500 feature set.

- Advanced Hybrid Stacking—Device is part of a stack that can consist of

both SG500X and Sx500 devices with the SG500X feature set.

- Advanced Hybrid Stacking XG—Device is part of a stack that can

consist of both SG500X/ESW2-550X and SG500XG devices with the SG500X feature set.

• Stack Topology—Displays whether the topology of the stack is chain or

ring.

• System Mode—Displays whether the stack/standalone devices are

operating in Layer 2, Layer 3 or Layer 2 and Layer 3 system mode.

• Stack Master—Displays the unit ID of the master unit of the stack.

• Master Election Status—Displays how the stack master unit was selected.

See Master Selection Process.

STEP 2 Enter the following Administrative Status fields:

• Stack Master—Select the master unit of the stack. The following options are

available:

- Auto Select—System selects the master. See Master Selection

Process.

- Unit 1—Select unit 1 as the master unit after reboot.

- Unit 2—Select unit 2 as the master unit after reboot.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 96

Administration: Stack Management

System Modes

• System Mode—Select either Layer 2 or Layer 3 mode.

NOTE Available only on devices where system mode can be selected.

• Queues Mode—Select whether to configure 4 or 8 QoS queues on the

device. See Configuring QoS Queues.

NOTE If the device is an Sx500 and if the stack unit mode is changed from Native Stacking

to Standalone, the device will be in Layer 2 system mode after reboot, unless you change the System Mode field to Layer 3 at this time.

Stack Topology View

This view displays how the devices in the stack are connected to each other. When you click on the arrows connecting the devices, a tooltip displays the unit number, the type of stack ports connected the units and the numbers of the connected units. See an example of this below:

97 Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide

Administration: Stack Management

Stack Port

Network Port

Becomes stack ports after Apply&Reboot

Cannot become stack port

System Modes

Unit View and Stack Port Configuration

To select stack ports for a device:

a. Click a device in the Stack Topology View. The ports on this device are

displayed in this view.

b. When you click on a port, a tooltip displays the port number, unit that it is

connected to, the port speed and its connection status. See an example of this in the following:

c. Click on the (black) network ports that you want to select as stacking ports

(gray ports). These are ports that are currently network ports. When you click Apply and Reboot, these ports become stack ports after the reboot.

d. To confirgure stack parameters for devices in the stack, click the device in the

Stack Topology View, and enter the following fields for the device and stacking ports:

• Unit ID After Reset—Select a unit ID or select Auto to have the unit ID be

assigned by the system.

• Unit 1 Stack Mode—Select a stack mode.

• Unit 1 Stack Connection Speed—Select the speed for the stack ports.

Select Auto for the system to select the speed.

STEP 3 Click Apply and Reboot. The parameters are copied to the Running Configuration

file and the stack is rebooted.

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide 98

Cisco SF500-24, SF500-24P, SF500-24MP, SF500-48, SF500-48P Service Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Getting Started

Starting the Web-based Configuration Utility

Launching the Configuration Utility

HTTP/HTTPS

Logging Out

Quick Start Device Configuration

Interface Naming Conventions

Differences Between 500 Devices<500>

Window Navigation

Application Header

Management Buttons

Status and Statistics

System Summary

Ethernet Interfaces

Etherlike Statistics

GVRP Statistics

802.1X EAP Statistics

ACL Statistics

TCAM Utilization

Health

RMON

RMON Statistics

RMON History

RMON History Table

RMON Events Control

RMON Events Logs

RMON Alarms

View Log

Administration: System Log

Setting System Log Settings

Setting Remote Logging Settings

Viewing Memory Logs

RAM Memory

Flash Memory

Administration: File Management

System Files

Upgrade/Backup Firmware/Language

Upgrade/Backing Firmware or Language File

Active Image

Download/Backup Configuration/Log

Configuration File Backwards Compatibility

Downloading or Backing-up a Configuration or Log File

Configuration Files Properties

Copy/Save Configuration

Auto Configuration/Image Update via DHCP

Download Protocols (TFTP or SCP)

SSH Client Authentication

Auto Configuration/Image Update Process

Auto Configuration/Image Update Trigger

Auto Configuration Image Update in a Stack

Ensuring Correct Performance

DHCP Auto Configuration/Image Update

Default Settings and Configuration

Before You Start the Auto Configuration/Image Update Process

Auto Configuration Preparations on the Server

Auto Image Update Preparations

DHCP Client Work Flow

Web Configuration

Administration: Stack Management

Overview

Types of Units in Stack

Backward Compatibility of Number of Units in Stack

Stack Topology

Unit LEDs

Types of Stack Topology

Topology Discovery

Unit ID Assignment

Duplicate Unit IDs

Master Selection Process

Stack Changes

Connecting a New Unit

Unit Failure in Stack

Failure of Master Unit

Master/Backup Switchover

Slave Unit Handling

Software Auto Synchronization in Stack