Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, Inspiron, Dell Precision, Dimension, OptiPlex, Latitude, PowerEdge, PowerVault,
PowerApp,
PowerConnect, and Dell OpenManage are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Pentium, and Celeron are registered trademarks of Intel
Corporation in
the U.S. and other countries; Microsof t, Windows, Windows Server, MS-DOS and Windows Vista are either trademarks or
registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or
their products.
Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
This document is organized to help you find the information that you want as quickly and easily as
possible.
The document contains the following components:
• Chapter 1, “Introducing the Dell M8428-k,”describes the converged network switch and
explains its basic concepts and features. This chapter also provides instructions for unpacking
the switch module from its shipping container, and references to the appropriate publication
for installing the module into the Blade Server Enclosure.
• Chapter 2, “Configuring the Dell M8428-k” describes how to change the converged network
switch’s IP address, connect the module to the Ethernet network and fabric, change between
NPIV mode and full fabric mode, and backing up the switch module configuration.
• Chapter 3, “Operating the Dell M8428-k,” provides details about monitoring and replacing a
switch module.
• Appendix A, “Dell M8428-k specifications,” is a product specification reference.
Supported hardware and software
This document includes information specific to the Dell M8428-k only.
This section describes text formatting conventions and important notice formats used in this
document.
Text formatting
The narrative-text formatting conventions that are used are as follows:
bold textIdentifies command names
italic textProvides emphasis
code textIdentifies CLI output
For readability, command names in the narrative portions of this guide are presented in mixed
lettercase: for example, switchShow. In actual examples, command lettercase is all lowercase.
Identifies the names of user-manipulated GUI elements
Identifies keywords and operands
Identifies text to enter at the GUI or CLI
Identifies variables
Identifies paths and Internet addresses
Identifies document titles
Identifies command syntax examples
Command syntax conventions
Command syntax in this manual follows these conventions:
commandCommands are printed in bold.
--option, optionCommand options are printed in bold.
-argument, argArguments.
[ ]Optional element.
variableVariables are printed in italics. In the help pages, values are underlined
enclosed in angled brackets < >.
...Repeat the previous element, for example “member[;member...]”
valueFixed values following arguments are printed in plain font. For example,
--show WWN
|Boolean. Elements are exclusive. Example:
--show -mode egress | ingress
or
Command examples
This book describes how to perform configuration tasks using the switch module command line
interface, but does not describe the commands in detail.
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Notes, cautions, and warnings
NOTE
ATTENTION
CAUTION
DANGER
The following notices and statements are used in this manual. They are listed below in order of
increasing severity of potential hazards.
A note provides a tip, guidance or advice, emphasizes important information, or provides a reference
to related information.
An Attention statement indicates potential damage to hardware or data.
A Caution statement alerts you to situations that can be potentially hazardous to you or cause
damage to hardware, firmware, software, or data.
A Danger statement indicates conditions or situations that can be potentially lethal or extremely
hazardous to you. Safety labels are also attached directly to products to warn of these conditions
or situations.
Key terms
For definitions of SAN-specific terms, visit the Storage Networking Industry Association online
dictionary at:
http://www.snia.org/education/dictionary
Notice to the reader
This document may contain references to the trademarks of the following corporations. These
trademarks are the properties of their respective companies and corporations.
These references are made for informational purposes only.
CorporationReferenced Trademarks and Products
Dell, Inc.PowerEdge
Microsoft CorporationWindows, Windows 2000, Windows 2003, Windows XP
This section lists additional industry-specific documentation that you might find helpful.
Industry resources
For additional resource information, visit the Technical Committee T11 Web site. This Web site
provides interface standards for high-performance and mass storage applications for Fibre
Channel, storage management, and other applications:
http://www.t11.org
For information about the Fibre Channel industry, visit the Fibre Channel Industry Association Web
site:
http://www.fibrechannel.org
Getting technical help
Contact your switch support supplier for hardware, firmware, and software support, including
product repairs and part ordering. To expedite your call, have the following information available:
1. General Information
• Switch model
• Switch operating system version
• Software name and software version, if applicable
• Error numbers and messages received
• supportSave command output
• Detailed description of the problem, including the switch or fabric behavior immediately
following the problem, and specific questions
• Description of any troubleshooting steps already performed and the results
• Serial console and Telnet session logs
• syslog message logs
2. Switch Serial Number
The switch serial number and corresponding bar code are provided on the serial number label,
as illustrated below.:
*FT00X0054E9*
FT00X0054E9
3. World Wide Name (WWN)
Use the licenseIdShow command to display the WWN of the chassis.
If you cannot use the licenseIdShow command because the switch is inoperable, you can get
the WWN from the same place as the serial number.
The Dell M8428-k is a 28-port switch module with 8 external Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE)
ports, 4 external Fibre Channel (FC) ports, and 16 internal CEE ports that installs in a Dell
PowerEdge M1000e Blade Server Enclosure. The switch module is designed to be inserted in any
of the bays labeled B1, B2, C1, or C2.
1
The external CEE ports operate at 10 Gbps. The internal CEE ports can operate at either 10 Gbps or
1 Gbps. The FC ports support link speeds up to 8 Gbps.
The 16 internal ports connect to the server utilizing 10GBase-KR (KR) technology.
The Dell M8428-k ships with N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) mode enabled. This technology
provides the ability to attach more devices to the fabric without having to create more domains.
Management for the converged network switch can be done through Dell Chassis Management
Controller (CMC), the browser based GUI, or the command line interface (CLI).
The switch module contains three (3) temperature sensors. While the sensors will report the
temperature of the switch, they will not initiate shutdown if the temperature is too high. That
decision is made by the CMC.
The switch ships with three licenses installed:
• Fabric license
• Enhanced Group Management license
• FCoE Base license
NPIV mode and full fabric mode
The converged network switch can function in either NPIV mode or full fabric mode.
• The switch module is shipped in NPIV mode by default.
• NPIV mode simplifies SAN deployment by using N_Port ID Virtualization. NPIV provides Fibre
Features available on the switch module depend on whether the module is configured in NPIV or
full fabric mode.
Tab le 1 lists Fabric OS components that are supported on a switch when NPIV mode is enabled.
“No” indicates that the feature is not provided in NPIV mode. “NA” indicates this feature is not
applicable in NPIV mode of operation. A single asterisk (*) indicates the feature is transparent to
NPIV, that is NPIV forwards the request to the Enterprise fabric. Two asterisks (**) indicates that if
the Enterprise fabric is not of a specific configuration, the feature may not be available.
TABLE 1Fabric OS components supported in NPIV mode
Feature Support
Access ControlYes (limited roles)
Admin DomainsNo
AuditYes
BeaconingYes
Config Download/UploadYes
DHCPYes
Environmental MonitorYes
Error Event ManagementYes
Extended FabricsNo
Fabric Device Management Interface (FDMI) Yes*
Fabric WatchYes (limited)
FICON (includes CUP)No
Native Interoperability ModeNA
LicenseYes**
Log TrackingYes
Management ServerNA
Manufacturing DiagnosticsYes
N_Port ID VirtualizationYes
Name ServerNA
Network Time Protocol (NTP)No (no relevance from fabric perspective)
Open E_PortNA
Performance MonitorYes (Basic PM only, no APM support)
Port MirroringNo
Channel switch functions that improve switch module scalability, manageability, and
interoperability.
-For a list of switch module F_Ports mapped to N_Ports in the switch module as shipped
from the factory, refer to
NPIV mode-enabled switches cannot be connected directly into an array; it requires a fabric to
support NPIV.
“NPIV Mode default port mapping” on page 27.
1
2
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Hardware description
TABLE 1Fabric OS components supported in NPIV mode (Continued)
Feature Support
QuickLoop, QuickLoop Fabric AssistNo
SecurityYes (ADS/DCC Policy)
SNMPYes
Speed NegotiationYes
Syslog DaemonYes
Tru nkin gYes* *
ZoningNA
1.When a switch is enabled in NPIV mode, RBAC features in the Fabric OS are available, but
there are some limitations.
2. In embedded switches, time should be updated by the server management utility.
NPIV mode hardware considerations
Hardware considerations for NPIV mode are as follows:
1
• Loop devices are not supported.
• Direct connections to SAN target devices are only supported if the NPIV-enabled module is
connected to a fabric.
Hardware description
This section describes the physical switch module as shipped from the factory. For specifications,
such as installed memory, weight and physical dimensions, facility requirements, architectural
specifications, and regulatory compliance, refer to
Port side
Externally accessible ports and LEDs are on the port side of the switch module. The port side faces
out when the switch module is inserted into the I/O bay of the Blade Server enclosure.
details the port side. For a complete description of the locations and interpretations of these LEDs,
see
“Interpreting LED activity” on page 23.
Access the converged network switch handle at the front of the port side of the switch module. By
lifting the handle’s release latch, you can open the handle to remove and insert the unit. To extend
the release lever, gently squeeze the release latch and pull outward.
The nonport side of the switch module (shown in Figure 2) is seated into the enclosure. You do not
need to line up the switch module as it will seat correctly when the release lever is closed.
When the switch module is inserted, the midplane connectors activate a connection port, allowing
the switch module to be configured in the Blade Server Enclosure.
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FIGURE 2Top view
NOTE
NOTE
4
3
2
1
Hardware description
1
1Switch module release lever
2Release latch
3Product label including serial number
4Midplane connectors
Labeling
Figure 2 shows the labels appearing on the switch module. A second serial label is located beneath
the release lever on the enclosure (visible only when the lever is extended).
Transceivers
You must install Dell-approved transceivers in the switch module.
The converged network switch was designed to work with small form-factor pluggable (SFP) optical
modules. The basic switch module ships with four 8 Gbps Dell-approved transceivers for the Fibre
Channel ports.
You can also install 4 Gbps transceivers in the FC ports of the switch module. All transceivers must
be Dell-approved.