HP CISCO GIGABIT ETHERNET SWITCH FOR BL P-CLASS User Manual

Cisco Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module for

HP BladeSystem p-Class Release Notes,

Cisco IOS Release 12.2(37)SE and Later

Revised August 8, 2007

These release notes include important information about this Cisco IOS release for the Cisco Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module (CGESM) for the HP BladeSystem p-Class. This document includes any limitations, restrictions, and caveats that apply to this release.

To verify that these release notes are correct for your switch, use the show version user EXEC command (see the “Finding the Software Version and Feature Set” section on page 3).

You can download the switch software from this URL:

http://www.hp.com/support

Contents

This information is in the release notes:

•“System Requirements” section on page 2

•“Upgrading the Switch Software” section on page 3

•“Installation Notes” section on page 5

•“New Software Features” section on page 6

•“Minimum Cisco IOS Release for Major Features” section on page 6

•“Limitations and Restrictions” section on page 7

•“Device Manager Notes” section on page 11

•“VLAN Interfaces and MAC Addresses” section on page 13

•“Open Caveats” section on page 13

•“Resolved Caveats” section on page 17

© 2005-2007 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

System Requirements

•“Updates to the Software Configuration Guide” section on page 21

•“Related Documentation” section on page 22

•“Technical support” section on page 22

System Requirements

The system requirements are described in these sections:

•“Device Manager System Requirements” section on page 2

•“Cluster Compatibility” section on page 3

Device Manager System Requirements

These sections describes the hardware and software requirements for using the device manager:

•“Hardware Requirements” section on page 2

•“Software Requirements” section on page 2

Hardware Requirements

Table 1 lists the minimum hardware requirements for running the device manager.

Table 1	Minimum Hardware Requirements
Processor Speed		DRAM	Number of Colors	Resolution	Font Size
Intel Pentium II1		64 MB2	256	1024 x 768	Small

1.We recommend Intel Pentium 4.

2.We recommend 256-MB DRAM.

Software Requirements

Table 2 lists the supported operating systems and browsers for using the device manager. The device manager verifies the browser version when starting a session to ensure that the browser is supported.

Note The device manager does not require a plug-in.

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Upgrading the Switch Software

Table 2	Supported Operating Systems and Browsers
			Microsoft Internet	Netscape
Operating System		Minimum Service Pack or Patch	Explorer1	Navigator
Windows 2000		None	5.5 or 6.0	7.1
Windows XP		None	5.5 or 6.0	7.1

1. Service Pack 1 or higher is required for Internet Explorer 5.5.

Cluster Compatibility

You cannot create and manage switch clusters through the device manager. To create and manage switch clusters, use the command-line interface (CLI).

When creating a switch cluster or adding a switch to a cluster, follow these guidelines:

•When you create a switch cluster, we recommend configuring the highest-end switch in your cluster as the command switch.

•The standby command switch must be the same type as the command switch. For example, if the command switch is a CGESM switch, all standby command switches must be CGESM switches.

Upgrading the Switch Software

These are the procedures for downloading software. Before downloading software, read this section for important information:

•“Finding the Software Version and Feature Set” section on page 3

•“Deciding Which Files to Use” section on page 4

•“Upgrading a Switch by Using the Device Manager” section on page 4

•“Upgrading a Switch by Using the CLI” section on page 4

•“Recovering from a Software Failure” section on page 5

Finding the Software Version and Feature Set

The Cisco IOS image is stored as a bin file in a directory that is named with the Cisco IOS release.

A subdirectory contains the files needed for web management. The image is stored on the system board flash device (flash:).

You can use the show version user EXEC command to display the software version that is running on your switch.

You also can use the dir filesystem: privileged EXEC command to see the directory names of other software images that you might have stored in flash memory.

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Upgrading the Switch Software

Deciding Which Files to Use

The upgrade procedures in these release notes describe how to perform the upgrade by using a tar file. This file contains the Cisco IOS image file and the files needed for the embedded device manager. You must use the tar file to upgrade the switch through the device manager. To upgrade the switch through the command-line interface (CLI), use the tar file and the archive download-sw privileged EXEC command.

Here are the filenames for this software release:

•cgesm-lanbase-tar.122-37.SE1.tar

•cgesm-lanbasek9-tar.122-37.SE1.tar

Upgrading a Switch by Using the Device Manager

You can upgrade switch software by using the device manager. From the feature bar, choose

Administration > Software Upgrade. For detailed instructions, click Help.

Note When using the device manager to upgrade your switch, do not use or close your browser session after the upgrade process begins. Wait until after the upgrade process completes.

Upgrading a Switch by Using the CLI

This procedure is for copying the tar file to the switch. You copy the file to the switch from a TFTP server and extract the files. You can download an image file and replace or keep the current image. The archive download-sw privileged EXEC command both downloads and extracts the files.

To download the image for a CGESM switch, follow these steps:

Step 1 Go to: http://www.hp.com/support and select the appropriate country or region.

Step 2 From the Support and Drivers page, click the Download drivers and software (and firmware) radio button.

Step 3 Enter CGESM in the product field and press the Right Arrow key.

Step 4 Select an operating system, then click on the desired blade infrastructure or firmware release.

Step 5 Click the download button to download the image.

To download the cryptographic software files, click the software depot link in the Notes section. Once there, search for CGESM or go to the Enhancement releases and patch bundles section.

Step 6 Copy the image to the appropriate TFTP directory on the workstation, and make sure that the TFTP server is properly configured.

For more information, refer to Appendix B in the software configuration guide for this release.

Step 7 Log into the switch through the console port or a Telnet session.

Step 8 (Optional) Ensure that you have IP connectivity to the TFTP server by entering this privileged EXEC command:

ping tftp-server-address

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Installation Notes

For more information about assigning an IP address and default gateway to the switch, refer to the software configuration guide for this release.

Step 9 Download the image file from the TFTP server to the switch. If you are installing the same version of software that is currently on the switch, overwrite the current image by entering this privileged EXEC command:

archive download-sw /overwrite /reload tftp:[[//location]/directory]/image-name.tar

The /overwrite option overwrites the software image in flash memory with the downloaded one.

The /reload option reloads the system after downloading the image unless the configuration has been changed and not saved.

For //location, specify the IP address of the TFTP server.

For /directory/image-name.tar, specify the directory (optional) and the image to download. Directory and image names are case sensitive.

This example shows how to download an image from a TFTP server at 198.30.20.19 and to overwrite the image on the switch:

Switch# archive download-sw /overwrite tftp://198.30.20.19/cgesm-i6l2-tar.122-25.SE1.tar

You also can download the image file from the TFTP server to the switch and keep the current image by replacing the /overwrite option with the /leave-old-sw option.

Recovering from a Software Failure

For recovery procedures, see the “Troubleshooting” chapter in the Cisco Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module for HP-Blade System p-Class Software Configuration Guide for this release.

Installation Notes

You can assign IP information to your switch by using these methods:

•The Express Setup program, as described in the Cisco Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module for HP-Blade System p-Class Hardware Installation Guide.

•The CLI-based setup program, as described in the Cisco Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module for HP-Blade System p-Class Hardware Installation Guide.

•The DHCP-based autoconfiguration, as described in the Cisco Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module for HP-Blade System p-Class Software Configuration Guide.

•Manually assigning an IP address, as described in the Cisco Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module for HP-Blade System p-Class Software Configuration Guide.

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New Software Features

New Software Features

•VLAN Flex Links load balancing to configure a Flex Links pair to allow both ports to forward traffic for some VLANs (mutually exclusive)

•Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) and LLDP Media Endpoint Discovery (LLDP-MED) for interoperability with third-party IP phones

•VLAN aware port security option to shut down the VLAN on the port when a violation occus, instead of shutting down the entire port

•DHCP snooping statistics show and clear commands to display and remove DHCP snooping statistics in summary or detail form

•SNMP support for the Port Error Disable MIB

•Support for the Time Domain Reflectometry MIB

Minimum Cisco IOS Release for Major Features

Table 3 lists the minimum software release required to support the major features on this switch.

Table 3	CGESM Switch Features and the Minimum Cisco IOS Release Required
		Minimum Cisco IOS
Feature		Release Required
VLAN Flex Links load balancing		12.2(37)SE
Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) and LLDP Media Endpoint		12.2(37)SE
Discovery (LLDP-MED)
VLAN aware port security		12.2(37)SE
Support for DHCP snooping statistics		12.2(37)SE
Support for auto rendezvous point (auto-RP) for multicast		12.2(37)SE
Web authentication		12.2(35)SE
Support for DSCP transparency		12.2(25)SE1
Support for VLAN-based QoS and hierarchical policy maps on SVIs		12.2(25)SE1
Device manager		12.2(25)SE1
Support for SSL version 3.0 for secure HTTP communication		12.2(25)SE1
(cryptographic images only)
802.1x accounting and MIBs (IEEE8021-PAE-MIB and		12.2(25)SE1
CISCO-PAE-MIB)
Flex Links		12.2(25)SE1
HTTP software upgrade (device manager only)		12.2(25)SE1
SFP module diagnostic-management interface		12.2(25)SE1
Smartports macros		12.2(25)SE1

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Limitations and Restrictions

Limitations and Restrictions

You should review this section before you begin working with the switch. These are known limitations that will not be fixed, and there is not always a workaround. Some features might not work as documented, and some features could be affected by recent changes to the switch hardware or software.

This section contains these limitations:

•“Cisco IOS Limitations” section on page 7

•“Device Manager Limitations and Restrictions” section on page 11

•“Hardware Limitations and Restrictions” section on page 11

Cisco IOS Limitations

These limitations apply to CGESM switch:

•“Configuration” section on page 7

•“Ethernet” section on page 8

•“HSRP” section on page 8

•“IP” section on page 8

•“IP Telephony” section on page 9

•“Multicasting” section on page 9

•“QoS” section on page 9

•“SPAN and RSPAN” section on page 10

•“Trunking” section on page 10

•“VLAN” section on page 11

Configuration

These are the configuration limitations:

•If you run the CLI-based setup program, the IP address that the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DCHP) provides is reflected as a static IP address in the config.text file. The workaround is to not run setup if DHCP is required for your configuration.

•If you start and then end the autoinstall program before the DHCP server replies, DHCP requests are ignored. The workaround is to wait until you see the IP address appear when it is provided by the DCHP server.

•A static IP address might be removed when the previously acquired DHCP IP address lease expires. This problem occurs under these conditions:

–When the switch is booted up without a configuration (no config.text file in flash memory).

–When the switch is connected to a DHCP server that is configured to give an address to it (the dynamic IP address is assigned to VLAN 1).

–When an IP address is configured on VLAN 1 before the dynamic address lease assigned to VLAN 1 expires.

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Limitations and Restrictions

The workaround is to reconfigure the static IP address. (CSCea71176 and CSCdz11708)

1.Disable auto-QoS on the interface.

2.Change the routed port to a nonrouted port or the reverse.

3.Re-enable auto-QoS on the interface. (CSCec44169)

•The DHCP snooping binding database is not written to flash or a remote file in either of these situations:

–The DHCP snooping database file is manually removed from the file system. After you enable the DHCP snooping database by configuring a database URL, a database file is created. If you manually remove the file from the system, the DHCP snooping database does not create another database file. You need to disable the DHCP snooping database and enable it again to create the database file.

–The URL for the configured DHCP snooping database was replaced because the original URL is not accessible. The new URL might not take effect after the timeout of the old URL.

No workaround is necessary; these are the designed behaviors. (CSCed50819)

•When connected to some third-party devices that send early preambles, a switch port operating at 100 Mb/s full duplex or 100 Mb/s half duplex might bounce the line protocol up and down. The problem is observed only when the switch is receiving frames.

The workaround is to configure the port for 10 Mb/s and half duplex or to connect a hub or a nonaffected device to the switch. (CSCed39091)

•When port security is enabled on an interface in restricted mode and the switchport block unicast interface command has been entered on that interface, MAC addresses are incorrectly forwarded when they should be blocked

The workaround is to enter the no switchport block unicast interface configuration command on that specific interface. (CSCee93822)

•A traceback error occurs if a crypto key is generated after an SSL client session.

There is no workaround. This is a cosmetic error and does not affect the functionality of the switch. (CSCef59331)

Ethernet

Subnetwork Access Protocol (SNAP) encapsulated IP packets are dropped without an error message being reported at the interface. The switch does not support SNAP-encapsulated IP packets. There is no workaround. (CSCdz89142)

HSRP

When the active switch fails in a switch cluster that uses HSRP redundancy, the new active switch might not contain a full cluster member list. The workaround is to ensure that the ports on the standby cluster members are not in the spanning-tree blocking state. To verify that these ports are not in the blocking state, see the “Configuring STP” chapter in the software configuration guide. (CSCec76893)

IP

When the rate of received DHCP requests exceeds 2,000 packets per minute for a long time, the response time might be slow when you are using the console. The workaround is to use rate limiting on DHCP traffic to prevent a denial of service attack from occurring. (CSCeb59166)

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