Dell N4032 Configuration manual

Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

Dell Engineering February 2014

A Dell Deployment and Configuration Guide

Date

Description

Author(s)

February 2014

Initial Release

Victor Teeter

Revisions

THIS PAPER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND MAY CONTAIN TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND TECHNICAL INACCURACIES. THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND.

© 2014 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden. For more information, contact Dell. PRODUCT WARRANTIES APPLICABLE TO THE DELL PRODUCTS DESCRIBED IN THIS DOCUMENT MAY BE FOUND AT:

http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/19/terms-of-sale-commercial-and-public-sector Performance of network reference

architectures discussed in this document may vary with differing deployment conditions, network loads, and the like. Third party products may be included in reference architectures for the convenience of the reader. Inclusion of such third party products does

not necessarily constitute Dell’s recommendation of those products. Please consult your Dell representative for additional

information. Trademarks used in this text:

Dell™, the Dell logo, Dell Boomi™, Dell Precision™ ,OptiPlex™, Latitude™, PowerEdge™, PowerVault™, PowerConnect™, OpenManage™, EqualLogic™, Compellent™, KACE™, FlexAddress™, Force10™ and Vostro™ are trademarks of Dell Inc. Other

Dell trademarks may be used in this document. Cisco Nexus®, Cisco MDS®, Cisco NX-0S®, and other Cisco Catalyst® are registered trademarks of Cisco System Inc. EMC VNX®, and EMC Unisphere® are registered trademarks of EMC Corporation. Intel®, Pentium®, Xeon®, Core® and Celeron® are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. AMD® is a registered

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2 Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

Table of contents

Revisions ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 2

1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................ 4

1.1 Stacking and management............................................................................................................................................ 5

1.2 Simplified firmware updates for stack members ....................................................................................................... 5

1.3 Dell Networking 8100 Support ..................................................................................................................................... 5

1.4 Stacking and redundancy .............................................................................................................................................. 5

1.5 Nonstop forwarding on the stack ................................................................................................................................ 6

1.6 Hot add/delete and firmware synchronization ......................................................................................................... 6

1.7 Meta-data considerations.............................................................................................................................................. 6

1.8 How a Master is selected ............................................................................................................................................... 7

1.9 How to select a Master during initial stack setup ...................................................................................................... 9

2 Stacking scenarios .................................................................................................................................................................... 11

2.1.1 QSFP+ quad-breakout cables .................................................................................................................................... 12

2.2 Creating a Stack ............................................................................................................................................................ 13

2.2.1 Command-line interface method .................................................................................................................. 14

2.2.2 Web interface method ..................................................................................................................................... 17

2.2.3 Automatic firmware updates for new members joining the stack ........................................................... 21

2.3 Adding new member units to a stack ........................................................................................................................ 23

2.3.1 Command-line interface method .................................................................................................................. 23

2.3.2 Web interface method ..................................................................................................................................... 27

2.4 Updating firmware on a stack ..................................................................................................................................... 31

2.4.1 Command-line interface method .................................................................................................................. 31

2.4.2 Web interface method ..................................................................................................................................... 33

2.5 Removing member units ............................................................................................................................................. 39

2.5.1 Command-line interface method .................................................................................................................. 39

2.5.2 Web interface method ..................................................................................................................................... 45

3 Managing the standby unit ..................................................................................................................................................... 55

3.1.1 Command-line interface method .............................................................................................................................. 55

3.1.2 Web interface method ................................................................................................................................................. 56

4 Appendix A – Commands used in this document ............................................................................................................. 59

5 Appendix B - Network switch versions ............................................................................................................................... 60

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1 Introduction

Most Dell switches today include a stacking feature that allows multiple switches to operate as a single unit. These stacks include up to twelve Dell Networking N4032/N4032F/N4064/N4064F switches in any combination, using up to four links between stack members. Any Ethernet port type on the front panel can be used in creating these links, including SFP+, QSFP+, and 10GbaseT.

A single switch in the stack (known as the Master switch) manages all the units in the stack using a single IP address, which allows the user to access every port in the stack from this one address. This IP address is copied from the Master to the Standby when the Standby is created. If for any reason the Master fails, the Standby takes over as Master keeping the IP address of the stack the same. This allows continuous management of the stack.

The

new

Master unit also continues to use the disruptions to the network. When a failed Master re-joins the stack, it does so as a member (not a Master) unless a new Master has not had time to be elected.

Note: Dell N4032, N4032F, N4064, and N4064F series switches can be mixed in any combination within a stack.

original Master

unit’s MAC addresses, which helps to reduce

This document provides an easy to use step-by-step guide on how to configure stacking for the Dell N4032 (Figure 1), N4032F (Figure 2), N4064 (Figure 3) and the N4064F (Figure 4).

Dell N4032 Figure 1

Dell N4032F Figure 2

Dell N4064 Figure 3

Dell N4064F Figure 4

4 Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

1.1 Stacking and management

An important advantage of stacking is that it provides a consolidated interface for management of multiple switches that are linked together. One switch acts as the Master through which the entire stack is managed through various interfaces (Web, CLI, and SNMP). After a stack is deployed in the network, operators can easily add units to the stack as their port requirements increase, with minimal administrative overhead. Additional stack members can immediately use existing configuration information such as routing and switching configurations, VLANs, ACLs, port profiles, and security certificates.

1.2 Simplified firmware updates for stack members

When switches are stacked, only the Master needs to be updated with new firmware. All other members of the stack will receive the firmware from the Master at that same time, reducing effort normally required when updating individual switches. Also, when a switch is added to a stack, if it is running a different version of firmware than the active version on the Master, the backup firmware on the new member is automatically updated to match the Master, the backup version of firmware on the new member is then activated, and the new member is rebooted.

1.3 Dell Networking 8100 Support

Dell Networking 81xx/81xxF switches can be stacked with Dell Networking N4000 switches, but only if all switches in the stack are running 6.0.0.8 firmware or later, and all switches in the stack are running the same firmware revision. The firmware must be applied to the switches before they are added to the stack. Dell Networking N4000 switches cannot be downgraded to 5.x.x.x releases like the 81xx can. Refer to the N4xxx Release Notes for more information.

1.4 Stacking and redundancy

By connecting a cable from the last switch in a stack back to the first switch, the operator makes sure that a stack has the protection of redundant paths for control and data traffic, including support for Link Aggregation Group (LAGs) configured across multiple switches. This means that any single point of failure (a switch or a stack cable failure) does not affect the overall operation of the remaining stack elements. This type of topology is known as a ring, or loop topology. Without the final cable(s) connecting the two ends of the stack, the topology is a daisy-chain, which can cause multiple masters and ip address conflicts on the network when a middle switch or link goes down. It is therefore recommended to always use a ring topology when stacking.

Note: Ring topologies are highly recommended for resiliency and fault tolerance over the daisy-chain.

5 Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

Daisy Chain topology

Ring (loop) topology

1.5 Nonstop forwarding on the stack

The Nonstop Forwarding (NSF) feature allows the forwarding plane of stack units to continue to forward packets while the control and management planes restart as a result of a power failure, hardware failure, or software fault on the stack Master and allows the standby switch to quickly takeover as the Master.

1.6 Hot add/delete and firmware synchronization

Units can be added and removed to and from the stack without cycling the power on the stack. When adding a unit, the Stack Firmware Synchronization feature automatically synchronizes the firmware version with the version running on the stack Master. The synchronization operation may result in either an upgrade or a downgrade of firmware on the mismatched stack member. In addition, the running-config on the member is updated to match the Master switch. The startup-configurations on the standby and member switches are not updated to match the Master switch. The hardware configuration of every switch is updated to match the Master switch (unit number, slot configuration, stack member number, and so on).

Note: Auto-downgrade of a stack is enabled by default. To avoid accidentally downgrading a stack, be sure to disable auto-downgrade (CLI command: no boot auto-copy-sw allow-downgrade)

1.7 Metadata considerations

When creating a stack, the configuration information is metadata that is part of the hardware configuration applied at boot time before the switch firmware is started (and before the startup configuration is read). The stack information shown in the startup and running configurations is simply copies of the stack

configuration for the user’s knowledge. The actual stack information used by the switch

is stored in the startup configuration.

stack member

the configuration that says Since these are stack-capable devices, an un-stacked device is still considered a stack of one. Here is an example configuration of a device that is

6 Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

configuration is always present on stacking capable switches, so there always is a line in

stack

and a second line that says

not

stacked.

member

is not

that which

even if there are no devices stacked.

console#show run

!Current Configuration: !System Description "N4064F, 6.0.1.3, Linux 2.6.32.9” !System Software Version 6.0.1.3 !Cut-through mode is configured as disabled ! configure slot 1/0 5 ! N4064F slot 1/1 8 ! Dell 10GBase-T Card stack  member 1 4 ! N4064F  exit interface out-of-band ip address 172.25.194.24 255.255.0.0 172.25.194.254 exit interface vlan 1 exit username "admin" password dec68e453164a2 privilege 15 encrypted line telnet enable authentication enableList exit snmp-server engineid local 800002a203001ec9ddad5b exit

Notice there is only then there would be multiple member lines in the configuration, such as:

stack member 1 1 ! N4064F  member 2 2 ! N4064F  member 3 3 ! N4032F 

Note: A single stack member configuration is always present on stack-capable switches even if they are not part of an actual stack. The single switch is considered a

one

member line in the configuration. If there were multiple members in the stack

1.8 How a Master is selected

A Master is elected or re-elected based on the following considerations, in order:

1. The switch is currently the Master.

2. The switch has the higher MAC address.

3. A unit is selected as standby by the administrator, and a fail over action is manually initiated or

occurs due to a Master unit failure.

stack of one

7 Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

Note: The terms Master and Manager/Management Unit are often used interchangeably in regards to stacking.

In most cases, a switch that is added to an existing stack becomes a stack member, and not the Management Unit. When a switch is added to the stack, one of the following scenarios takes place regarding the management status of the new switch:

- If the switch has the Management Unit function enabled but another Master unit is already active, then

the switch changes its configured Management Unit value to disabled.

- If the Management Unit function is unassigned and there is another Management Unit in the system,

then the switch changes its configured Management Unit value to disabled.

- If the Management Unit function is enabled or unassigned and there is no other Management Unit in

the system, then the switch becomes Management Unit.

- If the Management Unit function is disabled, the unit remains a non-Management Unit.

- If the entire stack is powered OFF and ON again, the unit that was the Management Unit before the

reboot remains the Management Unit after the stack resumes operation.

A Unit number for the switch can be manually set. To avoid unit-number conflicts, one of the following scenarios takes place when adding a new member to the stack:

- If the switch has a unit number that is already in use, then the unit added to the stack changes its

configured unit number to the lowest unassigned unit number.

- If the switch added does not have an assigned unit number, then the switch sets its configured unit

number to the lowest unassigned unit number.

- If the unit number is configured and there are no other devices using the unit number, then the switch

starts using the configured unit number.

- If the switch detects that the maximum number of units already exist in the stack making it unable to

assign a unit number, then the switch sets its unit number to unassigned and does not participate in the stack.

After the stack is created, the show switch command displays the roles of each switch.

console#show switch

Management Standby Preconfig Plugged-in Switch Code SW Status Status Model ID Model ID Status Version

--- ---------- --------- ---------- ------------- ---------- --------1 Mgmt Sw Ν4032 Ν4032 ΟΚ 6.0.1.3 2 Stack Mbr Oper Stby N4032F N4032F OK 6.0.1.3

8 Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

3 Stack Mbr N4064 N4064 OK 6.0.1.3

Note that in this example Switch 1 is the Master (Mgmt Sw) and Switch 2 is the Standby (Oper Stby) ready to take over as Master in the event the Master fails.

To find the same information from the Web UI go to System > Stack Management > Stack Summary.

1.9 How to select a Master during initial stack setup

After creating a stack it is easy to go into the settings on the Master and select any of the members to take its place as Master. The former Master becomes a regular stack member automatically.

To select a particular physical unit to be Master during initial setup, simply boot it up powering on any of the other switches. All subsequent members added to the stack will join as regular stack members.

When simultaneously booting two or more switches to initially create a stack, the Master is chosen based on the highest MAC address. To find the MAC address of an individual switch prior to creating a stack, type show system from a CLI prompt:

console#show system System Description: Dell Ethernet Switch System Up Time: 0 days, 00h:12m:53s Burned In MAC Address: D067.E594.1475 

Or from the Web UI, go to the System > General > System Information page:

completely

before

9 Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

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10GBASE -T MODULE

LNK ACT

QSFP+ MODULE

ACT

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ACT

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10G SFP+ MODULE

LNK ACT

2 Stacking scenarios

The following sections present examples in a variety of areas concerning stacking the Dell N4000 switches and provides step-by-step guidance using the CLI and Web UI, with screen shots as a visual guide. Consult the table of contents above for a list of examples covered in this document.

Each scenario in this document assumes that all Dell switches are using the same firmware revision. It is also recommended that all devices are using the latest firmware version.

Note: Upgrade the firmware to the latest revision on the units before stacking them.

Unless mentioned otherwise, all scenarios below assume the switches are using the static ports that are hard-wired into the switches, and that no modules are installed providing additional ports. However, ports from an installed expansion module are supported and may be used for stacking. The following expansion modules are supported for stacking in Dell N4000 switches:

10Gbase-T four-port expansion module for the Dell Networking N4xxx and N4xxxF Figure 5

40G QSFP+ two-port expansion module for the Dell Networking N4xxx and N4xxxF Figure 6

10G SFP+ four-port expansion modules for the Dell Networking N4xxx and N4xxxF Figure 7

With an expansion module installed, the command show switch stack-ports shows the link status, link speed, and stack mode for each port in the module.

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2.1.1 QSFP+ quad-breakout cables

QSFP+ quad-breakout cables may also be used for stacking. This allows a 40G QSFP+ port to connect to four 10G SFP+ ports on the adjacent switch. When a breakout cable is used, the connections are considered to be four links taking up four ports.

QSFP+ quad-breakout cable may be used for stacking Figure 8

To use a QSFP+ quad-breakout cable to stack two peers, the QSFP+ port must be set to port mode 4x10G and reloaded before setting it to stack mode (described in the next section). From the interface configuration CLI prompt, use the hardware profile command to set the port to this mode. The command is:

console(config-if-Fo1/0/1)#hardware profile portmode 4x10g

This command will not take effect until the switch is rebooted.

When the portmode changes on a port, so do the interface names. For example, a QSFP+ port may be named

Fo1/0/1

when in 40G mode but takes on a new identity as

Te1/1/1 through Te1/0/4

when changed to 10G mode. Therefore, if it is desired to use the QSFP+ quad-breakout cable, be sure to set the port mode to 4x10G and reload the switch

before

setting the ports to stack mode since configuration settings

on one port mode does not translate to the other portmode.

Also, when in port mode 4x10G it is required that all four of the breakout ports be moved from Ethernet mode to Stack mode to use them for stacking.

12 Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

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2.2 Creating a Stack

Examples below provide steps on how to create a stack. Graphics shown in this section only depict some of the possibilities of how to cable together members of a stack.

Note: While the cable pictures below come before the configuration steps, it is important not to cable the stack until instructed to do so.

Cabling is one of the last steps and comes after configuring all switches used in the stack; however, it is necessary to know exactly each port that is going to be cabled to configure each switch correctly.

The Dell N4000 series switches can be stacked up to twelve high, supporting up to 672x10G ports when two 40G ports on each unit are configured as stacking ports. The stack can contain any combination of Dell N4000 and Dell N4000F switches.

Switches can be stacked using anywhere from one to eight Ethernet ports on the front panel, which includes 40Gb QSFP+ ports, 10Gb SFP+ fiber ports, and 10Gb baseT copper ports. Each of these default to Ethernet mode and must be reconfigured as stacking ports in order to stack.

This scenario shows steps to create a stack. Figure 9 shows one example of connectivity between stack members.

Stacking Dell N4000 series switches using 40G and 10G stack links Figure 9

Notice the top two switches are stacked together using four cables plugged into 10G ports. For each remaining switch in the stack, one cable from a 40G stacking port on a switch is connected to a 40G

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stacking port on the next switch. This process is repeated until all of the devices are connected. To complete the ring topology for the stack, one stacking port on the last switch is connected to a stacking port on the first switch. See the Ring vs. daisy-chain topology section for more information on ring topologies.

Things to consider when cabling a stack together:

 Only use interfaces with the same bandwidth to stack between members. It is not supported to mix 40G

QSFP+ ports with 10G SFP+ or 10Gbase-T ports on a switch when stacking. It is okay however to use one interface type between two stack members, then a different interface type between two other stacking members as shown in Figure 9.

 A QSFP+ port is counted as one port when stacking. Therefore if stacking only two switches together, all

QSFP+ ports (including those on an expansion module) can be used to stack between them when in 40G port mode.

 Up to eight ports may be used on any switch for stacking purposes.

Connecting additional cables in parallel increases the stacking bandwidth. Up to eight ports can be connected in parallel when only stacking two switches. When stacking three or more switches, up to 4 cables can be connected in parallel between members. It is recommended to have the same bandwidth between the stack members. It is also recommended to connect the stack in a ring topology for resiliency. Figure 10 shows an example of connecting four stack ports between each stacking peer.

Note: In a stack of three or more switches, Dell strongly recommends connecting the stack in a ring topology so that each switch is connected to two other switches.

Stacking Dell N4000/N4000F series switches using multiple stack links Figure 10

2.2.1 Command-line interface method

Make sure all switches are at the same firmware version prior to configuring the stack, or use the Stack Firmware Synchronization (boot auto-copy-fw) feature to synchronize all firmware during the stack setup process to that of the Master. The boot auto-copy-fw command is explained below in this example.

14 Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

Connect power to all switches to be stacked. Performing the command show switch stack-ports will provide information on the unit number for the switch, which is used in the stacking commands. It also shows Interfaces of the switch that may be used for stacking and whether they are in Ethernet or Stacking mode.

console#show switch stack-ports

Configured Running Stack Stack Link Link Interface Mode Mode Status Speed (Gb/s)

---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- -----------Te1/0/1 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down Unknown Te1/0/2 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down Unknown Te1/0/3 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down Unknown

. .

Te1/0/22 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down Unknown Te1/0/23 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down Unknown Te1/0/24 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down Unknown Fo1/1/1 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down 40 Fo1/1/2 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down 40 Te1/1/1 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 Te1/1/2 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 Te1/1/3 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 Te1/1/4 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 Te1/1/5 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 Te1/1/6 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 Te1/1/7 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 Te1/1/8 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10

The example above shows a Dell N4032F with a QSFP+ two-port expansion module installed. The two 40G QSFP+ ports are represented by interfaces stacking in the example below.

F01/1/1

and

F01/1/2

. We will use these two interfaces for

Notice that Configured Stack Mode and the Running Stack Mode are currently both Ethernet. Perform the following commands to convert each desired port to Stack mode.

console#config console(config)#stack console(config-stack)#stack-port fortygigabitethernet 1/1/1 stack console(config-stack)#stack-port fortygigabitethernet 1/1/2 stack console(config-stack)#show switch stack-ports

Configured Running Stack Stack Link Link Interface Mode Mode Status Speed (Gb/s)

---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- -----------Te1/0/1 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down Unknown Te1/0/2 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down Unknown

15 Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

Te1/0/3 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down Unknown

. . . Te1/0/23 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down Unknown Te1/0/24 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down Unknown Fo1/1/1 Stack Ethernet Link Down 40 Fo1/1/2 Stack Ethernet Link Down 40

The Configured Stack Mode is now changes to Stack upon reloading the switch, as instructed below.

Save the configuration to the Startup-Configuration.

console#copy running-config startup-config

This operation may take a few minutes. Management interfaces will not be available during this time.

Are you sure you want to save? (y/n) y

Configuration Saved!

Follow these steps to complete the process:

1. Apply the same method to the remaining switches. Do not forget to configure the stacking ports on

the last and first switch to create a ring topology if desired.

2. Once the switches have been configured,

3. While powered off,

4. Select the switch to be the Master switch and power up that switch only allowing a few minutes to

boot up completely.

5. Verify the switch is up by logging into the CLI.

6. Once the Master is up, power up the second switch in line.

7. Allow the second switch 30 seconds to boot up, then power up the third switch.

8. Continue to power up each switch allowing 30 seconds between powering switches. This allows each

adjacent switch to be active before the next one. Failure to wait may result in another switch becoming the Master.

cable all of the switches together using the stack ports that were configured.

Stack

, but the Running Stack Mode is still

remove power from all switches

Ethernet

. The Running Mode

All subsequent switches will enter the stack as Member Units. Stack Member units serial ports and management IP addresses are not accessible for managing those devices. Only the Master’s management ports can be used to monitor and configure ports in the stack.

16 Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

2.2.1.1 Validation

After the entire stack is created, it can be validated with the show switch command from the Master switch:

console#show switch

Management Standby Preconfig Plugged-in Switch Code SW Status Status Model ID Model ID Status Version

--- ---------- --------- ----------- ----------- -------- ------1 Mgmt Sw N4064F N4064F OK 6.0.1.1 2 Stack Mbr Oper Stby N4064 N4064 OK 6.0.1.1 3 Stack Mbr N4032 N4032 OK 6.0.1.1

The show switch stack-ports command can also be used to see all of the ports that have been added to the stack as well as which ones are being used for stacking. To view only ports that are configured for stacking, use the command show switch stack-ports | include Stack.

Figure 11 shows the Stack LED that is located on the back panel of every Dell N4000 series switch.

Stacking LED for the Dell N4000/N4000F series switch Figure 11

When the switch is the Master of a stack, the LED glows solid blue. If it is a stack member only, it glows a solid amber. When in stand-alone mode, the LED is off.

Note: Each stack members’ role (including the Master and Standby) can be defined any time after the initial stack is created.

2.2.2 Web interface method

17 Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

Select a switch to be Master of the stack and for managing all ports and member units with the stack. Login to the Web UI for this switch by entering the IP address of the switch into a supported Web browser. A username and password is required and should be setup beforehand on each switch. See the switch User Guide for more information regarding username, password, and Web access.

After login, the first screen to appear is the Home screen, which shows the current stacking member number. Before stacking, the single member has the Stack number of 1 (one).

18 Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032, N4032F, N4064, N4064F

+ 42 hidden pages

Dell N4032 Configuration manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual