Dell Force10 MXL Blade, Force10 MXL 10 GbE, Force10 MXL 40 GbE Getting Started Manual
Dell Force10 MXL 10/40GbE
Switch IO Module
Getting Started Guide
June 2012
Regulatory Model: DF10MXL
Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of
your device.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss of data if
instructions are not followed.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal
injury, or death.
____________________
Information in this publication is subject to change without notice.
© 2012 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
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Regulatory Model DF10MXL
June 2012 P/N WMDP6 Rev. A00
Contents 3
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2 Product Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3 Hardware Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Internal Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Base Module
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
FlexIO
TM
Plug-in Modules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Port Numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
USB Ports
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
System and Port LEDs
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Unpacking the Switch
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4 Installing and Configuring the Switch. . . 14
Installing the Switch Blade in a PowerEdge M1000e . 16
Connecting a Console Terminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4 Contents
Invoking the X-Loader and U-Boot CLIs . . . . . . . . . 19
Performing the Initial Configuration
. . . . . . . . . . . 19
5 Assembling a Switch Stack . . . . . . . . . . 25
Configuring and Bringing Up a Stack . . . . . . . . . . 26
Managing a Stack
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
6 Splitting 40GbE QSFP+ Ports into 10GbE SFP+
Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
7 Switch Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
DCB Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
FCoE Connectivity
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
iSCSI Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
8 Next Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
9 Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Chassis Physical Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Environmental Parameters
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Power Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
IEEE Standards
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Introduction 5
Introduction
This document provides basic information about the Dell Force10 MXL
10/40GbE Switch IO Module, including how to install the switch in the Dell
PowerEdge M1000e Enclosure and perform the initial configuration.
For more detailed information about any
of the basic installation steps
, refer to
the
Dell PowerEdge M1000e Enclosure Owner's Manual
on the Dell Support
website at http://support.dell.com/manuals.
Product Description
The MXL 10/40GbE Switch is a layer 2/3 blade switch with two fixed 40GbE
ports on the base module and support for two optional plug-in modules. The
switch operates in a PowerEdge M1000e Enclosure, which can support up to
32 servers and six MXL 10/40GbE Switches.
The MXL 10/40GbE Switch runs the Force10 Operating System (FTOS),
providing switching, bridging, and routing functionality for transmitting data,
storage, and server traffic as follows:
• GbE/10GbE connections through the midplane to up to 32 server ports in
the chassis
• GbE, 10GbE or 40GbE connections through uplink ports to top-of-rack
(ToR) switches
• 40GbE stacking connections to other
MXL 10/40GbE Switche
s in a
switch stack
In a data center network, the MXL 10/40GbE Switch provides converged
network support and interoperates with Dell and third-party ToR devices.
The switch supports
data center bridging (DCB) features, and optimizes
connectivity between servers and storage devices over Fiber Channel over
Ethernet (FCoE) and iSCSI links.
By providing increased 40GbE bandwidth for device interconnection in a
shared network storage environment, with the possibility of splitting 40GbE
QSFP+ uplinks into 10GbE SFP+ connections, the MXL 10/40GbE Switch
is perfectly positioned to help transition a data center with multiple speed
requirements.
6 Hardware Overview
Hardware Overview
This section contains information about device characteristics and modular
hardware configurations for the MXL 10/40GbE Switch.
Internal Ports
The MXL 10/40GbE Switch provides 32 1/10-Gigabit Ethernet internal ports.
The internal ports are connected to server blades through the M1000e chassis
midplane. Each port can operate in either 1GbE or 10GbE mode. Internal
ports are numbered 1 to 32.
The MXL 10/40GbE Switch also provides an internal Ethernet interface—the
out-of-band (OOB) interface—which is dedicated to switch management.
The OOB interface is connected to the chassis management controller
(CMC) through the chassis midplane. Traffic on this port is segregated from
operational network traffic on the switch ports and cannot be switched or
routed to the operational network.
Front Panel
Figure 1-1 shows the MXL 10/40GbE Switch front panel:
Figure 1-1. MXL 10/40GbE Switch: Front Panel l
Expansion Slot 1
40GbE QSFP+ Ports
USB Console Port
Expansion Slot 0
Hardware Overview 7
Base Module
The MXL 10/40GbE Switch provides two native 40-Gigabit Ethernet fixed ports
on the base module for uplink connections. You can use these ports with 4x10G
breakout cables to operate as 10GbE uplink ports.
In addition, you can configure the native 40GbE ports as stacking ports. You
can connect up to six MXL 10/40GbE Switches (in the same or different
chassis) in a single stack. For more information, refer to "Assembling a Switch
Stack" on page 25.
FlexIOTM Plug-in Modules
The MXL 10/40GbE Switch (Figure 1-2) provides 10/40GbE external
connectivity by using the following FlexIO plug-in modules in the two
expansion slots:
• 4-Port 10-Gigabit Ethernet module using SFP+ optics (SR or LR) or
direct-attach cables (1m, 3m, or 5m DAC)
• 4-Port 10GBASE-T module using RJ-45 connector (copper) cables
NOTE: The 10Mb speed is not supported on the 4-Port 10GBASE-T module.
Only 100Mb, 1GbE, and 10GbE speeds are supported.
• 2-Port 40-Gigabit Ethernet quad form-factor pluggable plus (QSFP+)
module which you can use for 40GbE connections or 10GbE small formfactor pluggable plus (SFP+) connections using 4x10G breakout cables.
By default, the 40GbE ports on a 2-Port 40GbE QSFP+ module come up
in 4x10GbE (quad) mode as eight 10GbE ports. To change a port from
4x10GbE to 40GbE mode of operation, enter the
no stack-unit port
portmode quad
command.
FTOS(conf)# no stack-unit unit-number port port-number
portmode quad
stack-unit unit-number
: Enter the number of the stack unit to be
reset. Range: 0-5.
To display the stack-unit number, enter the
show
system brief
command.
port port-number
: Enter the port number of the 40GbE QSFP+ port
to be split. Valid values for slot 0: 41 or 45; for slot 1: 49 or 53 (see
"Port Numbering" on page 9).
portmode quad
: Identifies the port as a split 10GbE SFP+ port.
8 Hardware Overview
Then save the configuration and reload the switch.
FTOS# write memory
FTOS# reload
Figure 1-2. MXL 10/40GbE Switch: Plug-in Modules
NOTE: You can only hot-swap plug-in modules of the same type without requiring a
reboot. For example, you can replace a 2-Port 40GbE QSFP+ module only with
another 2-Port 40GbE QSFP+ module.
On the MXL 10/40GbE Switch, you can configure uplink ports of the same
speed on different modules in the same link aggregation group (LAG). You
can also use individual ports for uplink connections.
NOTE: A maximum of 16 ports are supported in a LAG.
For switch stacking, you must use a 40GbE port on the base module or on a
2-Port 40GbE QSFP+ plug-in module. Stacking is not supported on 10GbE
ports.
All FlexIO plug-in modules, transceivers, and attach cables are sold separately.
4-Port 10GbE SFP+ Module
4-Port 10GBASE-T Module (100Mb/1GbE/10GbE)
2-Port 40GbE QSFP+ Module
Hardware Overview 9
Port Numbering
When installed in a PowerEdge M1000e Enclosure, the MXL 10/40GbE
Switch ports are numbered 33 to 56 from the bottom to the top of the switch:
• 40GbE base-module ports:
• In 40GbE mode of operation, the ports are numbered 33 and 37.
•
In 4x10GbE mode of operation, the ports are numbered 33 to 36
and 37 to 40.
For information about how to change a 40GbE port to 4x10GbE mode,
refer to "Splitting 40GbE QSFP+ Ports into 10GbE SFP+ Ports" on
page 30.
•
2-Port 40-GbE QSFP+ module operating
in the default 4x10GbE mode:
• In expansion slot 0, the ports are numbered 41 to 44 and 45 to 48.
• In expansion slot 1, the ports are numbered 49 to 52 and 53 to 56.
For information about how to change a port from 4x10GbE to 40GbE
mode of operation, refer to "FlexIOTM Plug-in Modules" on page 7.
•
2-Port 40-GbE QSFP+ module operating
in 40GbE mode:
• In expansion slot 0, the ports are numbered 41 and 45.
• In expansion slot 1, the ports are numbered 49 and 53.
• 4-Port 10-GbE SFP+ or 10GBASE-T module:
• In expansion slot 0, the ports are numbered 41 to 44.
•
I
n expansion slot 1
, the ports are numbered 49 to 52.
10 Hardware Overview
USB Ports
Figure 1-3. USB Ports on Front Panel
Use the lower USB console port to configure the switch through an RS-232
serial interface (Figure 1-3). This port provides a direct connection to the
switch and allows you to access the command line interface (CLI) from a
console terminal connected to the port through the provided serial cable
(with USB type-A to female DB-9 connectors).
The console port supports asynchronous data of eight data bits, one stop bit,
no parity bit, and no flow control. The default baud rate is 9600 bps.
The upper USB port functions as an external flash drive that you can use to
store configuration files and scripts.
USB Console Port
USB Storage Port
Hardware Overview 11
System and Port LEDs
The front panel of the MXL 10/40GbE Switch contains light emitting diodes
(LEDs) that provide information about the status of the switch (Figure 1-4).
Figure 1-4. System LEDs on Front Panel
Table 1-1 describes system LED conditions.
Table 1-1. System LEDs
System LED Color Meaning
Power
Green Power is being supplied to the switch.
Off The switch does not have power.
Status
Blue The switch is operating normally as a standalone
switch or as a stack master.
Off The switch is not the stack master.
Amber A fault has occurred or the switch is booting.
System Status LED
System Power LED
40GbE Ports
12 Hardware Overview
Each plug-in module also contains LEDs that provide information about the
link status and traffic activity on a port (Figure 1-5).
Figure 1-5. Port LEDs on Modules
Table 1-2 describes the LED status of the 10GbE BASE-T, 10GbE SFP+, and
40GbE QSFP+ ports.
Table 1-2. Port LED Status
Port LED Color Meaning
Link Status
Off The port is down.
Green The port is up and can transmit traffic at maximum
speed:
A QSFP+ port can transmit at 40G.
An SFP+ port can transmit at 10G.
A BASE-T port can transmit at 10G.
Yellow The port is up and is transmitting traffic at lower than
maximum speed:
A 40GbE QSFP+ port is transmitting at 10G.
A 10GbE SFP+ or 10GBASE-T port is transmitting at
1G or 100Mb.
Activity
Off No traffic is being transmitted or received on the port.
Blinking
Green
Traffic is being transmitted or received on the port.
Link Status
Activity
Link Status
Activity
Link Status
Activity
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