FTOS 9.1(0.0) Configuration Guide For The S4810 System 1508082823force10 Reference En Us

User Manual: DELL FORCE10 S4810 pdf | FreeUserManuals.com

Open the PDF directly: View PDF PDF.
Page Count: 1146

DownloadFTOS 9.1(0.0) Configuration Guide For The S4810 System  1508082823force10-s4810 Reference En-us
Open PDF In BrowserView PDF
FTOS Configuration Guide for
the S4810 System
FTOS 9.1(0.0)
Publication Date: June 2013

Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to
avoid the problem.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.

Information in this publication is subject to change without notice.
© 2013 Dell Force10. All rights reserved.
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, Dell Precision™, OptiPlex™, Latitude™, PowerEdge™, PowerVault™,
PowerConnect™, OpenManage™, EqualLogic™, KACE™, FlexAddress™ and Vostro™ are trademarks of Dell Inc. Intel®, Pentium®, Xeon®,
Core™ and Celeron® are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. AMD® is a registered trademark and AMD
Opteron™, AMD Phenom™, and AMD Sempron™ are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft®, 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. Red Hat Enterprise Linux® and Enterprise Linux® are registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. in the United States and/or other
countries. Novell® is a registered trademark and SUSE ™ is a trademark of Novell Inc. in the United States and other countries. Oracle® is a
registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Citrix®, Xen®, XenServer® and XenMotion® are either registered trademarks
or trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. VMware®, Virtual SMP®, vMotion®, vCenter®, and vSphere®
are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMWare, Inc. in the United States or other countries.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this publication 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.
June 2013

1 About this Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Information Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

2 Configuration Fundamentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Accessing the Command Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
CLI Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Navigating CLI Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
The do Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Undoing Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Obtaining Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Entering and Editing Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Command History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Filtering show Command Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Multiple Users in Configuration mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

3 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Console access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Serial console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Default Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Configure a Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Access the System Remotely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Access the C-Series, E-Series, S-Series, and the Z-Series Remotely . . . . . . . . . . .41
Access the S-Series Remotely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Configure the Enable Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Configuration File Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Copy Files to and from the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Save the Running-configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Configure the Overload bit for Startup Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
View Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
File System Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
View command history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Upgrading FTOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

4 Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Configure Privilege Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Create a Custom Privilege Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Apply a Privilege Level to a Username . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Apply a Privilege Level to a Terminal Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

| 1

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configure Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Log Messages in the Internal Buffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Configuration Task List for System Log Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Disable System Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Send System Messages to a Syslog Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Configure a Unix System as a Syslog Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Change System Logging Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Display the Logging Buffer and the Logging Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Configure a UNIX logging facility level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Synchronize log messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Enable timestamp on syslog messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
File Transfer Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Configuration Task List for File Transfer Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Terminal Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Deny and Permit Access to a Terminal Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Configure Login Authentication for Terminal Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Time out of EXEC Privilege Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Telnet to Another Network Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Lock CONFIGURATION mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Viewing the Configuration Lock Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Recovering from a Forgotten Password on the S4810 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Recovering from a Forgotten Enable Password on the S4810 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Recovering from a Failed Start on the S4810 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

5 802.1ag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Ethernet CFM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Maintenance Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Maintenance Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Maintenance End Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Configure CFM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Related Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Enable Ethernet CFM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Create a Maintenance Domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Create a Maintenance Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Create Maintenance Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Create a Maintenance End Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Create a Maintenance Intermediate Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
MP Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Continuity Check Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
Enable CCM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Enable Cross-checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Loopback Message and Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

2

|

Linktrace Message and Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Link Trace Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Enable CFM SNMP Traps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Display Ethernet CFM Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

6 802.1X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
The Port-authentication Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
EAP over RADIUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Configuring 802.1X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Related Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Enabling 802.1X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Configuring Request Identity Re-transmissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Configuring a Quiet Period after a Failed Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Forcibly Authorizing or Unauthorizing a Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Re-authenticating a Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
Periodic Re-authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
Configuring Timeouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Dynamic VLAN Assignment with Port Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
Guest and Authentication-fail VLANs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Configuring a Guest VLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Configuring an Authentication-fail VLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98

7 Access Control Lists (ACLs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
IP Access Control Lists (ACLs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
CAM Profiling, CAM Allocation, and CAM Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
Implementing ACLs on FTOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
IP Fragment Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Configure a standard IP ACL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Configure an extended IP ACL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Established Flag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Configuring Layer 2 and Layer 3 ACLs on an Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Assign an IP ACL to an Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Counting ACL Hits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Configuring Ingress ACLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Configuring Egress ACLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Egress Layer 3 ACL Lookup for Control-plane IP Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Configuring ACLs to Loopback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Applying an ACL on Loopback Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
IP Prefix Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

| 3

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configuration Task List for Prefix Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
ACL Resequencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Resequencing an ACL or Prefix List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Route Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Configuration Task List for Route Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

8 Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
How BFD Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Configuring Bidirectional Forwarding Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Configuring BFD for Physical Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Configuring BFD for Static Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Configuring BFD for OSPF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Configuring BFD for IS-IS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
Configuring BFD for BGP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
Configuring BFD for VRRP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163
Configuring BFD for VLANs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
Configuring BFD for Port-Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
Configuring Protocol Liveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Troubleshooting BFD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169

9 Border Gateway Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
Autonomous Systems (AS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
Sessions and Peers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
Route Reflectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
Confederations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
BGP Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Best Path Selection Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Local Preference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180
Multi-Exit Discriminators (MEDs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
AS Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Next Hop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Multiprotocol BGP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
Implementing BGP with FTOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
Additional Path (Add-Path) support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
Advertise IGP cost as MED for redistributed routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
Ignore Router-ID for some best-path calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185

4

|

4-Byte AS Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
AS4 Number Representation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
AS Number Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189
BGP4 Management Information Base (MIB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
Configuration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192
BGP Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193
Configuration Task List for BGP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
MBGP Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236
BGP Regular Expression Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237
Debugging BGP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Storing Last and Bad PDUs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238
Capturing PDUs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
PDU Counters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
Sample Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240

10 Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Important Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252
BMP Process Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252
Preparing BMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253
File Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Domain Name Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255
Reload Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
BMP Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Normal Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257
DHCP Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257
FTOS Image Retrieval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257
Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Pre-configuration Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257
Post-configuration Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258
Auto-execution Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258
Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259
System boot and set-up behavior in BMP Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260
BMP mode: Boot and Set-up Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261
Reload using the Auto-execution Script (Normal mode only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
Script Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Auto-execution Script - Normal mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266
Pre-configuration Script - BMP Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269

| 5

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

11 Content Addressable Memory (CAM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Content Addressable Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271
CAM Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .272
Microcode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
CAM Profiling for ACLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274
Boot Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Example: EF Line Card with EG Chassis Profile (Card Problem) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
Example: EH Line Card with EG Chassis Profile (Card Problem) . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
When to Use CAM Profiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277
Differences Between EtherScale and TeraScale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277
Select CAM Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277
CAM Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Test CAM Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
View CAM Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279
View CAM-ACL settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280
View CAM Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282
Configure IPv4Flow Sub-partitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282
Configure Ingress Layer 2 ACL Sub-partitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285
Return to the Default CAM Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287
CAM Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287
Applications for CAM Profiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287
LAG Hashing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287
LAG Hashing based on Bidirectional Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288
CAM profile for the VLAN ACL group feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288
Troubleshoot CAM Profiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288
CAM Profile Mismatches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288
QoS CAM Region Limitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289

12 Control Plane Policing (CoPP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Configure Control Plane Policing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .292
Configure CoPP for protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293
Configure CoPP for CPU queues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .295
Show commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296

13 Data Center Bridging (DCB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Ethernet Enhancements in Data Center Bridging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299
Priority-Based Flow Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300
Enhanced Transmission Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302
Data Center Bridging Exchange Protocol (DCBx) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303
Data Center Bridging in a Traffic Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303

6

|

Enabling Data Center Bridging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304
QoS dot1p Traffic Classification and Queue Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305
Configuring Priority-Based Flow Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306
Configuring Lossless Queues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309
Configuring the PFC Buffer in a Switch Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310
Configuring Enhanced Transmission Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
ETS Prerequisites and Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Creating a QoS ETS Output Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312
Creating an ETS Priority Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .315
Applying an ETS Output Policy for a Priority Group to an Interface . . . . . . . . . . . .316
ETS Operation with DCBx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317
Configuring Bandwidth Allocation for DCBx CIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318
Applying DCB Policies in a Switch Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319
Configuring DCBx Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320
DCBx Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320
DCBx Port Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320
DCB Configuration Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322
Configuration Source Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322
Propagation of DCB Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323
Auto-Detection and Manual Configuration of the DCBx Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323
DCBx Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .324
DCBx Prerequisites and Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326
DCBx Configuration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326
Verifying DCB Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331
PFC and ETS Configuration Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344
Using PFC and ETS to Manage Data Center Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344
Using PFC and ETS to Manage Converged Ethernet Traffic in a Switch Stack . . .348
Hierarchical Scheduling in ETS Output Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349

14 S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Offline diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .351
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352
Running Offline Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352
Trace logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Auto Save on Crash or Rollover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .356
Last restart reason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .356
Hardware watchdog timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .356
show hardware commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .357
Environmental monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358
Recognize an over-temperature condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358
Troubleshoot an over-temperature condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .359
Recognize an under-voltage condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .359
Troubleshoot an under-voltage condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360

| 7

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Buffer tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Deciding to tune buffers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .362
Buffer tuning commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .363
Sample buffer profile configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365
Troubleshooting packet loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366
Displaying Drop Counters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366
Dataplane Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368
Displaying Stack Port Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .370
Displaying Stack Member Counters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .370
Application core dumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .371
Mini core dumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
TCP dumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372

15 Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .375
DHCP Packet Format and Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .376
Assigning an IP Address using DHCP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .377
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .378
Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .378
Configure the System to be a DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .378
Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .379
Configure the Server for Automatic Address Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .379
Specify a Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381
Enable DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381
Configure a Method of Hostname Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .382
Create Manual Binding Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .382
Debug DHCP server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383
DHCP Clear Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383
Configure the System to be a Relay Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383
Configure the System for User Port Stacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .385
Configure Secure DHCP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .385
Option 82 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
DHCP Snooping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .386
Drop DHCP packets on snooped VLANs only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .388
Dynamic ARP Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .389
Source Address Validation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .391

16 Equal Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
ECMP for Flow-based Affinity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .395
Configurable Hash Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .395
Deterministic ECMP Next Hop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .396
Configurable Hash Algorithm Seed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .396
Link Bundle Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .397

8

|

Managing ECMP Group Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .398

17 Enabling FIPS Cryptography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
Preparing the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .399
Enabling FIPS Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .399
Generating Host-Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .400
Monitoring FIPS Mode Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .401
Disabling the FIPS Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .401

18 FIP Snooping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Fibre Channel over Ethernet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .403
Ensuring Robustness in a Converged Ethernet Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .403
FIP Snooping on Ethernet Bridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .405
FIP Snooping in a Switch Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .407
Configuring FIP Snooping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .407
Enabling the FIP Snooping Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .408
Enabling FIP Snooping on VLANs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .408
Configuring the FC-MAP Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .408
Configuring a Port for a Bridge-to-Bridge Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .409
Configuring a Port for a Bridge-to-FCF Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .409
Impact on Other Software Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .409
FIP Snooping Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .409
FIP Snooping Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .410
Configuration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .410
Displaying FIP Snooping Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
FIP Snooping Configuration Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .416

19 Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .419
Ring Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
Multiple FRRP Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .421
Important FRRP Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .421
Important FRRP Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .422
Implementing FRRP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .423
FRRP Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .423
Troubleshooting FRRP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428
Configuration Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428
Sample Configuration and Topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428

20 GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .431
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .431

| 9

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configuring GVRP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .432
Related Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .433
Enabling GVRP Globally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .433
Enabling GVRP on a Layer 2 Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .433
Configuring GVRP Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .434
Configuring a GARP Timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .434

21 High Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Component Redundancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .438
RPM Redundancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .438
Online Insertion and Removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .444
RPM Online Insertion and Removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .444
Linecard Online Insertion and Removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .445
Hitless Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
Graceful Restart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
Software Resiliency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .448
Runtime System Health Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .448
SFM Channel Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449
Software Component Health Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449
System Health Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449
Failure and Event Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449
Hot-lock Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .450
Warm Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
Configure Cache Boot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .452
Process Restartability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .455

22 Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
IGMP Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457
IGMP Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457
IGMP version 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457
IGMP version 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .459
Configuring IGMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .462
Related Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .462
Viewing IGMP Enabled Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .463
Selecting an IGMP Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .463
Viewing IGMP Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .464
Adjusting Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
Adjusting Query and Response Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .464
Adjusting the IGMP Querier Timeout Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .465
Configuring a Static IGMP Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .465
Enabling IGMP Immediate-leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .465
IGMP Snooping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466
IGMP Snooping Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .466

10

|

Configuring IGMP Snooping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .466
Enabling IGMP Immediate-leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .467
Disabling Multicast Flooding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .467
Specifying a Port as Connected to a Multicast Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .467
Configuring the Switch as Querier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .467
Fast Convergence after MSTP Topology Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .468
Designating a Multicast Router Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .468

23 Interfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
Interface Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
View Basic Interface Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .470
Enable a Physical Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .472
Physical Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .473
Configuration Task List for Physical Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .473
Overview of Layer Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .473
Configure Layer 2 (Data Link) Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .474
Configure Layer 3 (Network) Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .475
Management Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .476
Configure Management Interfaces on the E-Series, C-Series and the S4810 . . . .476
Configure Management Interfaces on the S-Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .478
VLAN Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
Loopback Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .480
Null Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
Port Channel Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .480
Bulk Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .493
Interface Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .493
Bulk Configuration Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .493
Interface Range Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .495
Define the Interface Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .495
Choose an Interface-range Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .495
Monitor and Maintain Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .496
Maintenance using TDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .497
Splitting QSFP ports to SFP+ ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .498
Important Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .498
Link Debounce Timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .499
Important Points to Remember about Link Debounce Timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .499
Assign a debounce time to an interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .499
Show debounce times in an interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .500
Disable ports when one only SFM is available (E300 only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .500
Disable port on one SFM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .500
Link Dampening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .501
Enable Link Dampening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .501

| 11

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Link Bundle Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .503
Ethernet Pause Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .503
Threshold Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .504
Enable Pause Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .505
Configure MTU Size on an Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .506
Port-pipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507
Auto-Negotiation on Ethernet Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .508
View Advanced Interface Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .510
Display Only Configured Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .510
Configure Interface Sampling Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
Dynamic Counters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .513

24 IPv4 Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
IP Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .516
Configuration Task List for IP Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .516
Directed Broadcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .520
Resolution of Host Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .521
ARP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
Configuration Task List for ARP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .523
ARP Learning via Gratuitous ARP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .525
ARP Learning via ARP Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .526
Configurable ARP Retries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .527
ICMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527
Configuration Task List for ICMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .527
UDP Helper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528
Configuring UDP Helper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .528
Important Points to Remember about UDP Helper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .529
Enabling UDP Helper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .529
Configuring a Broadcast Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .530
Configurations Using UDP Helper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .530
UDP Helper with Broadcast-all Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .530
UDP Helper with Subnet Broadcast Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .531
UDP Helper with Configured Broadcast Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .532
UDP Helper with No Configured Broadcast Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .532
Troubleshooting UDP Helper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .533

25 IPv6 Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .535
Extended Address Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .536
Stateless Autoconfiguration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .536
IPv6 Headers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .537
IPv6 Header Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .537

12

|

Extension Header fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .539
Addressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541
Implementing IPv6 with FTOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .542
ICMPv6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544
Path MTU Discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .545
IPv6 Neighbor Discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .546
IPv6 Neighbor Discovery of MTU packets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .547
QoS for IPv6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .547
IPv6 Multicast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .547
SSH over an IPv6 Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .548
Configuration Task List for IPv6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .548
Change your CAM-Profile on an E-Series system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .548
Adjust your CAM-Profile on a C-Series or S-Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .549
Assign an IPv6 Address to an Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .550
Assign a Static IPv6 Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .551
Telnet with IPv6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .553
SNMP over IPv6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .553
Show IPv6 Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .554
Show an IPv6 Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .555
Show IPv6 Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .556
Show the Running-Configuration for an Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .557
Clear IPv6 Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .558

26 iSCSI Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559
iSCSI Optimization Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .559
Monitoring iSCSI Traffic Flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .561
Application of Quality of Service to iSCSI Traffic Flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .561
Information Monitored in iSCSI Traffic Flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .561
Detection and Auto-configuration for Dell EqualLogic Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .562
Detection and Port Configuration for Dell Compellent Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .563
Synchronizing iSCSI Sessions Learned on VLT-Lags with VLT-Peer . . . . . . . . . . .563
Enabling and Disabling iSCSI Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .564
Default iSCSI Optimization Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .564
iSCSI Optimization Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .565
Configuring iSCSI Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .565
Displaying iSCSI Optimization Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .567

27 Intermediate System to Intermediate System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .569
IS-IS Addressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570
Multi-Topology IS-IS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .571
Transition Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .571
Interface support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .572

| 13

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Adjacencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572
Graceful Restart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .573
Configuration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .574
Configuration Task List for IS-IS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .574
Configuring the distance of a route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .585
Change the IS-type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .585
IS-IS Metric Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .593
Configure Metric Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .593
Maximum Values in the Routing Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .594
Changing the IS-IS Metric Style in One Level Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .594
Leaking from One Level to Another . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .596
Sample Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .597

28 Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
Introduction to Dynamic LAGs and LACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .601
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .602
LACP modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .602
LACP Configuration Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .603
LACP Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .603
Monitor and Debugging LACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .605
Shared LAG State Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .606
Configure Shared LAG State Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .606
Important Points about Shared LAG State Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .608
Configure LACP as Hitless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .608
LACP Basic Configuration Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .608

29 Layer 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
Managing the MAC Address Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .619
Clear the MAC Address Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .619
Set the Aging Time for Dynamic Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .620
Configure a Static MAC Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .620
Display the MAC Address Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .621
MAC Learning Limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .621
mac learning-limit dynamic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .622
mac learning-limit mac-address-sticky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .623
mac learning-limit station-move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .623
Learning Limit Violation Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .623
Station Move Violation Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .624
Recovering from Learning Limit and Station Move Violations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .624
Per-VLAN MAC Learning Limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .625
NIC Teaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626
MAC Move Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .627

14

|

Microsoft Clustering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .627
Default Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .628
Configuring the Switch for Microsoft Server Clustering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .628
Enable and Disable VLAN Flooding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .629
Configuring Redundant Pairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .630
Important Points about Configuring Redundant Pairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .631
Restricting Layer 2 Flooding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .633
Far-end Failure Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .634
FEFD state changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .635
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .636
Configuring FEFD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .636
Debugging FEFD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .637

30 Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639
802.1AB (LLDP) Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .639
Protocol Data Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .639
Optional TLVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641
Management TLVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .641
TIA-1057 (LLDP-MED) Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .643
TIA Organizationally Specific TLVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .643
Configuring LLDP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .647
Related Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .647
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .648
LLDP Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .648
CONFIGURATION versus INTERFACE Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .648
Enabling LLDP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649
Disabling and Undoing LLDP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .649
Advertising TLVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650
Viewing the LLDP Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .651
Viewing Information Advertised by Adjacent LLDP Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .652
Configuring LLDPDU Intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .653
Configuring Transmit and Receive Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .654
Configuring a Time to Live . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .655
Debugging LLDP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .656
Relevant Management Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .657

31 Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .663
Anycast RP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .664
Configuring Multicast Source Discovery Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .665
Related Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .665
Enable MSDP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 670

| 15

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Manage the Source-active Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .670
View the Source-active Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .671
Limit the Source-active Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .671
Clear the Source-active Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .671
Enable the Rejected Source-active Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .671
Accept Source-active Messages that fail the RFP Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672
Limit the Source-active Messages from a Peer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .674
Prevent MSDP from Caching a Local Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .675
Prevent MSDP from Caching a Remote Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .676
Prevent MSDP from Advertising a Local Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .677
Log Changes in Peership States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .678
Terminate a Peership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .678
Clear Peer Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .679
Debug MSDP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 680
MSDP with Anycast RP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .680
Reducing Source-active Message Flooding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682
Specify the RP Address Used in SA Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682
MSDP Sample Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686

32 Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 691
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .691
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .692
Configure Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .692
Related Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .692
Enable Multiple Spanning Tree Globally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .693
Add and Remove Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .693
Create Multiple Spanning Tree Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .694
Influence MSTP Root Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .695
Interoperate with Non-FTOS Bridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .695
Modify Global Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .696
Modify Interface Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .697
Configure an EdgePort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .698
Flush MAC Addresses after a Topology Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .699
MSTP Sample Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .700
Debugging and Verifying MSTP Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704

33 Multicast Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 707
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .707
Enable IP Multicast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .707
Multicast with ECMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .708
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .708
First Packet Forwarding for Lossless Multicast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .709
Multicast Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .710

16

|

IPv4 Multicast Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .710
IPv6 Multicast Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .715
Multicast Traceroute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .717

34 Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 719
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .720
Autonomous System (AS) Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .720
Area Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 721
Networks and Neighbors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .722
Router Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .722
Designated and Backup Designated Routers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .724
Link-State Advertisements (LSAs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .725
Virtual Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 726
Router Priority and Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .726
Implementing OSPF with FTOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .727
Graceful Restart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .728
Fast Convergence (OSPFv2, IPv4 only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .729
Multi-Process OSPF (OSPFv2, IPv4 only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .729
Processing SNMP and Sending SNMP Traps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .730
RFC-2328 Compliant OSPF Flooding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .730
OSPF ACK Packing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .731
OSPF Adjacency with Cisco Routers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .731
Configuration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .732
Configuration Task List for OSPFv2 (OSPF for IPv4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .732
Enable OSPFv2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .733
Enable Multi-Process OSPF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .735
Assign an OSPFv2 area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .736
Enable OSPFv2 on interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .737
Configure stub areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .739
Configure OSPF Stub-Router Advertisement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .740
Enable passive interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .741
Enable fast-convergence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .742
Change OSPFv2 parameters on interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .743
Enable OSPFv2 authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .745
Enable OSPFv2 graceful restart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .745
Configure virtual links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .747
Filter routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 748
Redistribute routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .749
Troubleshooting OSPFv2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .750
Sample Configurations for OSPFv2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .753
Basic OSPFv2 Router Topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .753
Configuration Task List for OSPFv3 (OSPF for IPv6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .754
Enable IPv6 Unicast Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .755

| 17

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Assign IPv6 addresses on an interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .755
Assign Area ID on interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .755
Assign OSPFv3 Process ID and Router ID Globally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .756
Configure stub areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .756
Configure Passive-Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .757
Redistribute routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758
Configure a default route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758
Enable OSPFv3 graceful restart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .759
OSPFv3 Authentication Using IPsec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .762
Troubleshooting OSPFv3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .772

35 PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .775
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .775
Requesting Multicast Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .776
Refusing Multicast Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .776
Sending Multicast Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .776
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .777
Configure PIM-SM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .777
Related Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .777
Enable PIM-SM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 778
Configurable S,G Expiry Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .779
Configure a Static Rendezvous Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .780
Override Bootstrap Router Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .781
Configure a Designated Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .781
Create Multicast Boundaries and Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .782
PIM-SM Graceful Restart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .782
Monitoring PIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 783

36 Port Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 785
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .785
Port Monitoring on E-Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .786
E-Series TeraScale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .786
E-Series ExaScale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .787
Port Monitoring on C-Series and S-Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .787
Configuring Port Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .790
Flow-based Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .791

37 Private VLANs (PVLAN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793
Private VLAN Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .793
Private VLAN Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .795
Private VLAN Configuration Task List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .796

18

|

Private VLAN Configuration Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .799

38 Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 803
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .803
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .804
Configure Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .804
Related Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .804
Enable PVST+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 805
Disable PVST+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .805
Influence PVST+ Root Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .805
Modify Global PVST+ Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .807
Modify Interface PVST+ Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .808
Configure an EdgePort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .809
PVST+ in Multi-vendor Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .810
PVST+ Extended System ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .810
PVST+ Sample Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 811

39 Quality of Service (QoS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 815
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .817
Port-based QoS Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .817
Set dot1p Priorities for Incoming Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .818
Honor dot1p Priorities on Ingress Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .818
Configure Port-based Rate Policing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .819
Configure Port-based Rate Limiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .820
Configure Port-based Rate Shaping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .821
Policy-based QoS Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .822
Classify Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .822
Create a QoS Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .826
Create Policy Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .829
QoS Rate Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .833
Strict-priority Queueing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .834
Weighted Random Early Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .834
Create WRED Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .835
Apply a WRED profile to traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .836
Display Default and Configured WRED Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .836
Display WRED Drop Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .837
Pre-calculating Available QoS CAM Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .838

40 Routing Information Protocol (RIP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 841
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .841
RIPv1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 841
RIPv2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 842

| 19

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .842
Configuration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .842
Configuration Task List for RIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .842
RIP Configuration Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .850

41 Remote Monitoring (RMON) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 857
Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 857
Fault Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 858

42 Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 863
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .863
Configuring Rapid Spanning Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .863
Related Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .863
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .864
RSTP and VLT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .864
Configure Interfaces for Layer 2 Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .865
Enable Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol Globally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .866
Add and Remove Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .869
Modify Global Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .869
Modify Interface Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .870
Configure an EdgePort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .871
Influence RSTP Root Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .872
SNMP Traps for Root Elections and Topology Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .873
Fast Hellos for Link State Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .873

43 Software-Defined Networking (SDN). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 875
44 Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877
AAA Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877
Configuration Task List for AAA Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .877
AAA Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .880
Configuration Task List for AAA Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .880
AAA Authorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .883
Privilege Levels Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .883
Configuration Task List for Privilege Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .884
RADIUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888
RADIUS Authentication and Authorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .889
Configuration Task List for RADIUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .890
TACACS+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 893
Configuration Task List for TACACS+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .893
TACACS+ Remote Authentication and Authorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .895
Command Authorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .897

20

|

Protection from TCP Tiny and Overlapping Fragment Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .897
SCP and SSH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 897
Using SCP with SSH to copy a software image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .899
Secure Shell Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .900
Troubleshooting SSH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .903
Telnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 903
Trace Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 904
Configuration Tasks for Trace Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .904
VTY Line and Access-Class Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .910
VTY Line Local Authentication and Authorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .910
VTY Line Remote Authentication and Authorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 911
VTY MAC-SA Filter Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 911

45 Service Provider Bridging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 913
VLAN Stacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 913
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .914
Configure VLAN Stacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .914
Create Access and Trunk Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .915
Enable VLAN-Stacking for a VLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .915
Configure the Protocol Type Value for the Outer VLAN Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .916
FTOS Options for Trunk Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .916
Debug VLAN Stacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .917
VLAN Stacking in Multi-vendor Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .918
VLAN Stacking Packet Drop Precedence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .924
Enable Drop Eligibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .925
Honor the Incoming DEI Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .925
Mark Egress Packets with a DEI Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .926
Dynamic Mode CoS for VLAN Stacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .926
Layer 2 Protocol Tunneling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .929
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .931
Enable Layer 2 Protocol Tunneling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .931
Specify a Destination MAC Address for BPDUs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .932
Rate-limit BPDUs on the E-Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .932
Rate-limit BPDUs on the C-Series and S-Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .932
Debug Layer 2 Protocol Tunneling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .933
Provider Backbone Bridging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .933

46 sFlow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 935
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 935
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .936
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .936
Enable and Disable sFlow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .937
Enable and Disable on an Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .937

| 21

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

sFlow Show Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .938
Show sFlow Globally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .938
Show sFlow on an Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .938
Show sFlow on a Line Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .939
Specify Collectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .940
Polling Intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .940
Sampling Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 940
Sub-sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .941
Back-off Mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .942
sFlow on LAG ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .942
Extended sFlow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 942
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .943

47 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 945
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .945
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .945
Configure Simple Network Management Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .945
Related Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .946
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .946
Setting up SNMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .946
Create a Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .947
Setting Up User-based Security (SNMPv3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .947
Read Managed Object Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .949
Write Managed Object Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .950
Configure Contact and Location Information using SNMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .950
Subscribe to Managed Object Value Updates using SNMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .951
Copy Configuration Files Using SNMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .955
Manage VLANs using SNMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .961
Create a VLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .961
Assign a VLAN Alias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .961
Display the Ports in a VLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .962
Add Tagged and Untagged Ports to a VLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .964
Managing Overload on Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .965
Enable and Disable a Port using SNMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .966
Fetch Dynamic MAC Entries using SNMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .966
Deriving Interface Indices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .968
Monitor Port-channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .969
Troubleshooting SNMP Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .970

48 Stacking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 971
S-Series Stacking Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .971
Stack Management Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .972
Stack Master Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .972

22

|

Virtual IP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 973
Failover Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .974
MAC Addressing on S-Series Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .974
Stacking LAG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .976
Supported Stacking Topologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .976
High Availability on S-Series Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .977
Management Access on S-Series Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .978
Important Points to Remember - S4810 Stacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .979
S-Series Stacking Installation Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .980
Create an S-Series Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .980
Add Units to an Existing S-Series Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .985
Split an S-Series Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .989
S-Series Stacking Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .989
Assign Unit Numbers to Units in an S-Series Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .989
Create a Virtual Stack Unit on an S-Series Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .990
Display Information about an S-Series Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .990
Influence Management Unit Selection on an S-Series Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .992
Manage Redundancy on an S-Series Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .993
Reset a Unit on an S-Series Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .993
Verifying a Stack Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .993
LED Status Indicators on an S4810 Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .993
Display Status of Stacking Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .994
Removing Units or Front End Ports from a Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .995
Remove a Unit from an S-Series Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .995
Remove Front End Port Stacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .996
Troubleshoot an S-Series Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .997
Recover from Stack Link Flaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .997
Recover from a Card Problem State on an S-Series Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .997
Recover from a Card Mismatch State on an S-Series Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .999

49 Storm Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1001
Configure Storm Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1001
Configure storm control from INTERFACE mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1001
Configure storm control from CONFIGURATION mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1002

50 Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1003
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1003
Configuring Spanning Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1003
Related Configuration Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1003
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1004
Configuring Interfaces for Layer 2 Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1004
Enabling Spanning Tree Protocol Globally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1006
Adding an Interface to the Spanning Tree Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1008

| 23

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Removing an Interface from the Spanning Tree Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1008
Modifying Global Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1009
Modifying Interface STP Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1010
Enabling PortFast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1010
Preventing Network Disruptions with BPDU Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1011
STP Root Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1013
STP Root Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1014
Root Guard Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1014
Root Guard Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1016
SNMP Traps for Root Elections and Topology Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1016
Configuring Spanning Trees as Hitless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1017
STP Loop Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1017
Loop Guard Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1017
Loop Guard Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1020
Displaying STP Guard Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1021

51 System Time and Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1023
Network Time Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1023
Protocol Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1024
Implementation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1025
Configuring Network Time Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1025
Enable NTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1026
Set the Hardware Clock with the Time Derived from NTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1026
Configure NTP broadcasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1027
Disable NTP on an interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1027
Configure a source IP address for NTP packets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1027
Configure NTP authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1028
FTOS Time and Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1031
Configuring time and date settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1031
Set daylight saving time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1034

52 Uplink Failure Detection (UFD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1039
Feature Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1039
How Uplink Failure Detection Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1040
UFD and NIC Teaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1041
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1042
Configuring Uplink Failure Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1043
Clearing a UFD-Disabled Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1044
Displaying Uplink Failure Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1046
Sample Configuration: Uplink Failure Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1049

24

|

53 Upgrade Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1051
Find the upgrade procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1051
Get Help with upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1051

54 Virtual LANs (VLAN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1053
Default VLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1054
Port-Based VLANs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1055
VLANs and Port Tagging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1055
Configuration Task List for VLANs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1056
VLAN Interface Counters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1060
Native VLANs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1061
Enable Null VLAN as the Default VLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1062

55 Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1063
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1063
Enhanced VLT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1065
VLT Concepts Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1065
Configuring Virtual Link Trunking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1066
Important Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1066
Configuration Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1067
RSTP and VLT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1071
VLT Bandwidth Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1071
VLT and IGMP Snooping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1072
VLT Port Delayed Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1072
PIM-Sparse Mode Support on VLT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1073
RSTP Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1074
VLT Configuration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1075
Verifying a VLT Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1089
Sample Configuration: Virtual Link Trunking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1091
Troubleshooting VLT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1094

56 Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1097
VRRP Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1097
VRRP Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1099
VRRP Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1099
VRRP Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1101
Configuration Task List for VRRP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1101
VRRP initialization delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1111
Sample Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1112
VRRP for IPv4 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1112
VRRP for IPv6 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1114
VRRP in VRF Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1116

| 25

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

57 Standards Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1123

26

IEEE Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1123
RFC and I-D Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1124
MIB Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1134

58 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1135

|

1
About this Guide
Objectives
This guide describes the protocols and features supported by the Force10 Operating System (FTOS) and
provides configuration instructions and examples for implementing them. It supports the system platforms
E-Series, C-Series, S-Series and Z-Series.
Though this guide contains information on protocols, it is not intended to be a complete reference. This
guide is a reference for configuring protocols on Dell Force10 systems. For complete information on
protocols, refer to other documentation including IETF Requests for Comment (RFCs). The instructions in
this guide cite relevant RFCs, and Chapter 57, Standards Compliance contains a complete list of the
supported RFCs and Management Information Base files (MIBs).

Audience
This document is intended for system administrators who are responsible for configuring and maintaining
networks and assumes you are knowledgeable in Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking technologies.

Conventions
This document uses the following conventions to describe command syntax:
Convention

Description

keyword

Keywords are in bold and should be entered in the CLI as listed.

parameter

Parameters are in italics and require a number or word to be entered in the CLI.

{X}

Keywords and parameters within braces must be entered in the CLI.

[X]

Keywords and parameters within brackets are optional.

x|y

Keywords and parameters separated by bar require you to choose one.

About this Guide | 27

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Information Symbols
Table 1-1 describes symbols contained in this guide.
Table 1-1.

Information Symbols

Symbol

Warning

Description

ces

Platform Specific
Feature

This symbol informs you of a feature that supported on one or two
platforms only: e is for E-Series, c is for C-Series, s is for S-Series.

et ex

E-Series Specific
Feature/Command

If a feature or command applies to only one of the E-Series platforms, a
separate symbol calls this to attention: et for the TeraScale or e x for
the ExaScale.

S4810

This symbol indicates that the selected feature is supported on the S4810 but not on
other S-Series systems.

Exception

This symbol is a note associated with some other text on the page that is
marked with an asterisk.

*

Related Documents
For more information about the Dell Force10 E-Series, C-Series, S-Series., and Z-Series refer to the
following documents:
•
•
•

28

|

FTOS Command Reference
Installing the System
FTOS Release Notes

About this Guide

2
Configuration Fundamentals
The FTOS Command Line Interface (CLI) is a text-based interface through which you can configure
interfaces and protocols. The CLI is largely the same for the E-Series, C-Series, and S-Series with the
exception of some commands and command outputs. The CLI is structured in modes for security and
management purposes. Different sets of commands are available in each mode, and you can limit user
access to modes using privilege levels.
In FTOS, after a command is enabled, it is entered into the running configuration file. You can view the
current configuration for the whole system or for a particular CLI mode. To save the current configuration
copy the running configuration to another location.
Note: Due to a differences in hardware architecture and the continued system development, features may
occasionally differ between the platforms. These differences are identified by the information symbols
shown on Table 1-1.

Accessing the Command Line
Access the command line through a serial console port or a Telnet session (Figure 2-1). When the system
successfully boots, you enter the command line in the EXEC mode.
Note: You must have a password configured on a virtual terminal line before you can Telnet into the
system. Therefore, you must use a console connection when connecting to the system for the first time.
Figure 2-1.

Logging into the System using Telnet

telnet 172.31.1.53
Trying 172.31.1.53...
Connected to 172.31.1.53.
Escape character is '^]'.
Login: username
Password:
FTOS>

EXEC mode prompt

Configuration Fundamentals | 29

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

CLI Modes
Different sets of commands are available in each mode. A command found in one mode cannot be
executed from another mode (with the exception of EXEC mode commands preceded by the command do;
see The do Command on page 34). You can set user access rights to commands and command modes using
privilege levels; for more information on privilege levels and security options, refer to Chapter 9, Security,
on page 627.
The FTOS CLI is divided into three major mode levels:
•

•

•

EXEC mode is the default mode and has a privilege level of 1, which is the most restricted level. Only
a limited selection of commands is available, notably show commands, which allow you to view
system information.
EXEC Privilege mode has commands to view configurations, clear counters, manage configuration
files, run diagnostics, and enable or disable debug operations. The privilege level is 15, which is
unrestricted. You can configure a password for this mode; see Configure the Enable Password on
page 44.
CONFIGURATION mode enables you to configure security features, time settings, set logging and
SNMP functions, configure static ARP and MAC addresses, and set line cards on the system.

Beneath CONFIGURATION mode are sub-modes that apply to interfaces, protocols, and features.
Figure 2-2 illustrates this sub-mode command structure. Two sub-CONFIGURATION modes are
important when configuring the chassis for the first time:
•

•

INTERFACE sub-mode is the mode in which you configure Layer 2 and Layer 3 protocols and IP
services specific to an interface. An interface can be physical (Management interface, 1-Gigabit
Ethernet, or 10-Gigabit Ethernet, or SONET) or logical (Loopback, Null, port channel, or VLAN).
LINE sub-mode is the mode in which you to configure the console and virtual terminal lines.
Note: At any time, entering a question mark (?) will display the available command options. For example,
when you are in CONFIGURATION mode, entering the question mark first will list all available commands,
including the possible sub-modes.

30

|

Configuration Fundamentals

Figure 2-2.

CLI Modes in FTOS

EXEC
EXEC Privilege
CONFIGURATION
ARCHIVE
AS-PATH ACL
INTERFACE
GIGABIT ETHERNET
10 GIGABIT ETHERNET
INTERFACE RANGE
LOOPBACK
MANAGEMENT ETHERNET
NULL
PORT-CHANNEL
SONET
VLAN
VRRP
IP
IPv6
IP COMMUNITY-LIST
IP ACCESS-LIST
STANDARD ACCESS-LIST
EXTENDED ACCESS-LIST
LINE
AUXILIARY
CONSOLE
VIRTUAL TERMINAL
MAC ACCESS-LIST
MONITOR SESSION
MULTIPLE SPANNING TREE
OPENFLOW
Per-VLAN SPANNING TREE
PREFIX-LIST
RAPID SPANNING TREE
REDIRECT
ROUTE-MAP
ROUTER BGP
ROUTER ISIS
ROUTER OSPF
ROUTER RIP
SPANNING TREE
TRACE-LIST

Navigating CLI Modes
The FTOS prompt changes to indicate the CLI mode. Table 2-1 lists the CLI mode, its prompt, and
information on how to access and exit this CLI mode. You must move linearly through the command
modes, with the exception of the end command which takes you directly to EXEC Privilege mode; the exit
command moves you up one command mode level.
Note: Sub-CONFIGURATION modes all have the letters “conf” in the prompt with additional modifiers to
identify the mode and slot/port information. These are shown in Table 2-1.

Configuration Fundamentals | 31

Prompt

Access Command

EXEC

FTOS>

Access the router through the console or Telnet.

EXEC Privilege

FTOS#

•
•

From EXEC mode, enter the command enable.
From any other mode, use the command end.

CONFIGURATION

FTOS(conf)#

•

From EXEC privilege mode, enter the command
configure.
From every mode except EXEC and EXEC
Privilege, enter the command exit.

•

Note: Access all of the following modes from CONFIGURATION mode.

IP ACCESS-LIST
LINE
32

FTOS Command Modes

CLI Command Mode

INTERFACE modes

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 2-1.

|

ARCHIVE

FTOS(conf-archive)

archive

AS-PATH ACL

FTOS(config-as-path)#

ip as-path access-list

Gigabit Ethernet
Interface

FTOS(conf-if-gi-0/0)#

10 Gigabit Ethernet
Interface

FTOS(conf-if-te-0/0)#

Interface Range

FTOS(conf-if-range)#

Loopback Interface

FTOS(conf-if-lo-0)#

Management Ethernet
Interface

FTOS(conf-if-ma-0/0)#

Null Interface

FTOS(conf-if-nu-0)#

Port-channel Interface

FTOS(conf-if-po-0)#

SONET Interface

FTOS(conf-if-so-0/0)#

VLAN Interface

FTOS(conf-if-vl-0)#

STANDARD ACCESSLIST

FTOS(config-std-nacl)#

EXTENDED ACCESSLIST

FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#

IP COMMUNITY-LIST

FTOS(config-community-list)#

AUXILIARY

FTOS(config-line-aux)#

CONSOLE

FTOS(config-line-console)#

VIRTUAL TERMINAL

FTOS(config-line-vty)#

Configuration Fundamentals

interface

ip access-list standard

ip access-list extended

ip community-list

line

Table 2-1.

FTOS Command Modes (continued)
Prompt

Access Command

STANDARD ACCESSLIST

FTOS(config-std-macl)#

mac access-list standard

EXTENDED ACCESSLIST

FTOS(config-ext-macl)#

mac access-list extended

MULTIPLE
SPANNING TREE

FTOS(config-mstp)#

protocol spanning-tree mstp

OPENFLOW

FTOS(conf-of-instance of-id)#

openflow of-instance of-id
of-id represents the OpenFlow instance ID.

Per-VLAN SPANNING
TREE Plus

FTOS(config-pvst)#

protocol spanning-tree pvst

PREFIX-LIST

FTOS(conf-nprefixl)#

ip prefix-list

RAPID SPANNING
TREE

FTOS(config-rstp)#

protocol spanning-tree rstp

REDIRECT

FTOS(conf-redirect-list)#

ip redirect-list

ROUTE-MAP

FTOS(config-route-map)#

route-map

ROUTER BGP

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#

router bgp

ROUTER ISIS

FTOS(conf-router_isis)#

router isis

ROUTER OSPF

FTOS(conf-router_ospf)#

router ospf

ROUTER RIP

FTOS(conf-router_rip)#

router rip

SPANNING TREE

FTOS(config-span)#

protocol spanning-tree 0

TRACE-LIST

FTOS(conf-trace-acl)#

ip trace-list

MAC ACCESS-LIST

CLI Command Mode

Figure 2-3 illustrates how to change the command mode from CONFIGURATION mode to PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE.
Figure 2-3.

Changing CLI Modes

FTOS(conf)#protocol spanning-tree 0
FTOS(config-span)#
New command

prompt

Configuration Fundamentals | 33

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

The do Command
Enter an EXEC mode command from any CONFIGURATION mode (CONFIGURATION, INTERFACE,
SPANNING TREE, etc.) without returning to EXEC mode by preceding the EXEC mode command with
the command do. Figure 2-4 illustrates the do command.
Note: The following commands cannot be modified by the do command: enable, disable, exit, and
configure.
Figure 2-4.

Using the do Command

FTOS(conf)#do show linecard all

“do” form of show command
-- Line cards -Slot Status
NxtBoot
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
not present
1
not present
2
online
online
E48TB
E48TB
1-1-463
48
3
not present
4
not present
5
online
online
E48VB
E48VB
1-1-463
48

Undoing Commands
When you enter a command, the command line is added to the running configuration file. Disable a
command and remove it from the running-config by entering the original command preceded by the
command no. For example, to delete an ip address configured on an interface, use the no ip address
ip-address command, as shown in Figure 2-5.
Note: Use the help or ? command as discussed in Obtaining Help command to help you construct the
“no” form of a command.
Figure 2-5.

Undoing a command with the no Command

FTOS(conf)#interface gigabitethernet 4/17
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/17)#ip address 192.168.10.1/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/17)#show config
!
IP address assigned
interface GigabitEthernet 4/17
ip address 192.168.10.1/24
“no” form of
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/17)#no ip address
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/17)#show config
IP address removed
!
interface GigabitEthernet 4/17

IP address command

Layer 2 protocols are disabled by default. Enable them using the no disable command. For example, in
PROTOCOL SPANNING TREE mode, enter no disable to enable Spanning Tree.

34

|

Configuration Fundamentals

Obtaining Help
Obtain a list of keywords and a brief functional description of those keywords at any CLI mode using the ?
or help command:
•

Enter ? at the prompt or after a keyword to list the keywords available in the current mode.
• ? after a prompt lists all of the available keywords. The output of this command is the same for the
help command.

Figure 2-6.

? Command Example

“?” at prompt for list of commands

FTOS#?
calendar
cd
change
clear
clock
configure
copy
debug
--More--

•

Manage the hardware calendar
Change current directory
Change subcommands
Reset functions
Manage the system clock
Configuring from terminal
Copy from one file to another
Debug functions

? after a partial keyword lists all of the keywords that begin with the specified letters.

Figure 2-7.

Keyword? Command Example

FTOS(conf)#cl?
class-map
clock
FTOS(conf)#cl

•

partial keyword plus “[space]?” for matching keywords

A keyword followed by [space]? lists all of the keywords that can follow the specified keyword.

Figure 2-8.

Keyword ? Command Example

FTOS(conf)#clock ?
summer-time
timezone
FTOS(conf)#clock

keyword plus “[space]?” for compatible keywords
Configure summer (daylight savings) time
Configure time zone

Entering and Editing Commands
When entering commands:
•
•

•

The CLI is not case sensitive.
You can enter partial CLI keywords.
• You must enter the minimum number of letters to uniquely identify a command. For example, cl
cannot be entered as a partial keyword because both the clock and class-map commands begin
with the letters “cl.” clo, however, can be entered as a partial keyword because only one command
begins with those three letters.
The TAB key auto-completes keywords in commands. You must enter the minimum number of letters
to uniquely identify a command.

Configuration Fundamentals | 35

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•
Table 2-2.

The UP and DOWN arrow keys display previously entered commands (see Command History).
The BACKSPACE and DELETE keys erase the previous letter.
Key combinations are available to move quickly across the command line, as described in Table 2-2.
Short-Cut Keys and their Actions

Key Combination

Action

CNTL-A

Moves the cursor to the beginning of the command line.

CNTL-B

Moves the cursor back one character.

CNTL-D

Deletes character at cursor.

CNTL-E

Moves the cursor to the end of the line.

CNTL-F

Moves the cursor forward one character.

CNTL-I

Completes a keyword.

CNTL-K

Deletes all characters from the cursor to the end of the command line.

CNTL-L

Re-enters the previous command.

CNTL-N

Return to more recent commands in the history buffer after recalling commands with CTRL-P or the
UP arrow key.

CNTL-P

Recalls commands, beginning with the last command

CNTL-R

Re-enters the previous command.

CNTL-U

Deletes the line.

CNTL-W

Deletes the previous word.

CNTL-X

Deletes the line.

CNTL-Z

Ends continuous scrolling of command outputs.

Esc B

Moves the cursor back one word.

Esc F

Moves the cursor forward one word.

Esc D

Deletes all characters from the cursor to the end of the word.

Command History
FTOS maintains a history of previously-entered commands for each mode. For example:
•
•

36

|

When you are in EXEC mode, the UP and DOWN arrow keys display the previously-entered EXEC
mode commands.
When you are in CONFIGURATION mode, the UP or DOWN arrows keys recall the
previously-entered CONFIGURATION mode commands.

Configuration Fundamentals

Filtering show Command Outputs
Filter the output of a show command to display specific information by adding | [except | find | grep |
no-more | save] specified_text after the command. The variable specified_text is the text for which you are
filtering and it IS case sensitive unless the ignore-case sub-option is implemented.
Starting with FTOS 7.8.1.0, the grep command accepts an ignore-case sub-option that forces the search to
case-insensitive. For example, the commands:
•

show run | grep Ethernet returns a search result with instances containing a capitalized “Ethernet,”

•

such as interface GigabitEthernet 0/0.
show run | grep ethernet would not return that search result because it only searches for instances
containing a non-capitalized “ethernet.”

Executing the command show run | grep Ethernet ignore-case would return instances containing both
“Ethernet” and “ethernet.”
•

grep displays only the lines containing specified text. Figure 2-9 shows this command used in
combination with the command show linecard all.

Figure 2-9.

Filtering Command Outputs with the grep Command

FTOS(conf)#do show linecard all | grep 0
0
not present

Note: FTOS accepts a space or no space before and after the pipe. To filter on a phrase with spaces,
underscores, or ranges, enclose the phrase with double quotation marks.

•

except displays text that does not match the specified text. Figure 2-10 shows this command used in
combination with the command show linecard all.

Figure 2-10.

Filtering Command Outputs with the except Command

FTOS#show linecard all | except 0
-- Line cards -Slot Status
NxtBoot
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------2
not present
3
not present
4
not present
5
not present
6
not present

Configuration Fundamentals | 37

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

find displays the output of the show command beginning from the first occurrence of specified text
Figure 2-11 shows this command used in combination with the command show linecard all.

Figure 2-11.

Filtering Command Outputs with the find Command

FTOS(conf)#do show linecard all | find 0
0
not present
1
not present
2
online
online
E48TB
E48TB
3
not present
4
not present
5
online
online
E48VB
E48VB
6
not present
7
not present

1-1-463

48

1-1-463

48

•
•

display displays additional configuration information.

•

save copies the output to a file for future reference.

no-more displays the output all at once rather than one screen at a time. This is similar to the command
terminal length except that the no-more option affects the output of the specified command only.

Note: You can filter a single command output multiple times. The save option should be the last option
entered. For example:
FTOS# command | grep regular-expression | except regular-expression
| grep other-regular-expression | find regular-expression | save

Multiple Users in Configuration mode
FTOS notifies all users in the event that there are multiple users logged into CONFIGURATION mode. A
warning message indicates the username, type of connection (console or vty), and in the case of a vty
connection, the IP address of the terminal on which the connection was established. For example:
•

On the system that telnets into the switch, Message 1 appears:

Message 1 Multiple Users in Configuration mode Telnet Message
% Warning: The following users are currently configuring the system:
User "" on line console0

•

On the system that is connected over the console, Message 2 appears:

Message 2 Multiple Users in Configuration mode Telnet Message
% Warning: User "" on line vty0 "10.11.130.2" is in configuration mode

If either of these messages appears, Dell Force10 recommends that you coordinate with the users listed in
the message so that you do not unintentionally overwrite each other’s configuration changes.

38

|

Configuration Fundamentals

3
Getting Started
This chapter contains the following major sections:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Default Configuration
Configure a Host Name
Access the System Remotely
Configure the Enable Password
Configuration File Management
File System Management

When you power up the chassis, the system performs\ a Power-On Self Test (POST) during which Route
Processor Module (RPM), Switch Fabric Module (SFM), and line card status LEDs blink green.The
system then loads FTOS and boot messages scroll up the terminal window during this process. No user
interaction is required if the boot process proceeds without interruption.
When the boot process is complete, the RPM and line card status LEDs remain online (green), and the
console monitor displays the EXEC mode prompt.
For details on using the Command Line Interface (CLI), refer to Accessing the Command Line in the
Configuration Fundamentals chapter.

Console access
The S4810 has 2 management ports available for system access: a serial console port and an
Out-of-Bounds (OOB) port.

Serial console
The RJ-45/RS-232 console port is labeled on the S4810 chassis. It is in the upper right-hand side, as you
face the I/O side of the chassis.
RJ-45
Console Port

Getting Started | 39

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To access the console port, follow the procedures below. Refer to Table 3-1 for the console port pinout.
Step

Task

1

Install an RJ-45 copper cable into the console port.Use a rollover (crossover) cable to connect the S4810
console port to a terminal server.

2

Connect the other end of the cable to the DTE terminal server.

3

Terminal settings on the console port cannot be changed in the software and are set as follows:
9600 baud rate
No parity
8 data bits
1 stop bit
No flow control

Accessing the RJ-45 console port with a DB-9 adapter
You can connect to the console using a RJ-45 to RJ-45 rollover cable and a RJ-45 to DB-9 female DTE
adapter to a terminal server (for example, PC). Table 3-1 lists the pin assignments.
Table 3-1.

Pin Assignments Between the Console and a DTE Terminal Server

S-Series
Console Port RJ-45 to RJ-45 Rollover Cable

RJ-45 to DB-9
Adapter

Terminal Server
Device

Signal

DB-9 Pin

Signal

RJ-45 pinout

RJ-45 Pinout

RTS

1

8

8

CTS

NC

2

7

6

DSR

TxD

3

6

2

RxD

GND

4

5

5

GND

GND

5

4

5

GND

RxD

6

3

3

TxD

NC

7

2

4

DTR

CTS

8

1

7

RTS

Default Configuration
A version of FTOS is pre-loaded onto the chassis, however the system is not configured when you power
up for the first time (except for the default hostname, which is FTOS). You must configure the system
using the CLI.

40

|

Getting Started

Configure a Host Name
The host name appears in the prompt. The default host name is FTOS.
•
•

Host names must start with a letter and end with a letter or digit.
Characters within the string can be letters, digits, and hyphens.

To configure a host name:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Create a new host name.

hostname name

CONFIGURATION

The example below illustrates the hostname command.
FTOS(conf)#hostname R1
R1(conf)#

Access the System Remotely
You can configure the system to access it remotely by Telnet. The method for configuring the C-Series and
E-Series for Telnet access is different from S-Series.
•
•
•

The C-Series, E-Series, S-Series (except for S25 and S50), and Z9000 have a dedicated management
port and a management routing table that is separate from the IP routing table.
The S-Series (except the S4810) does not have a dedicated management port, but is managed from any
port. It does not have a separate management routing table.
All Dell Force10 products can be managed via the front-end data ports as well.

Access the C-Series, E-Series, S-Series, and the Z-Series
Remotely
Configuring the system for Telnet is a three-step process:
1. Configure an IP address for the management port. See Configure the Management Port IP Address.
2. Configure a management route with a default gateway. See Configure a Management Route.
3. Configure a username and password. See Configure a Username and Password.

Configure the Management Port IP Address
Assign IP addresses to the management ports in order to access the system remotely.

Getting Started | 41

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Note: Assign different IP addresses to each RPM’s management port.

To configure the management port IP address:
Step
1

2

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enter INTERFACE mode for the
Management port.

interface ManagementEthernet slot/port

CONFIGURATION

Assign an IP address to the
interface.

•
•

ip address ip-address/mask

•
•

3

Enable the interface.

slot range: 0 to 1
port range: 0
INTERFACE

ip-address: an address in dotted-decimal
format (A.B.C.D).
mask: a subnet mask in /prefix-length format (/
xx).

no shutdown

INTERFACE

Configure a Management Route
Define a path from the system to the network from which you are accessing the system remotely.
Management routes are separate from IP routes and are only used to manage the system through the
management port.
To configure a management route:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure a management route to
the network from which you are
accessing the system.

management route ip-address/mask gateway
• ip-address: the network address in
dotted-decimal format (A.B.C.D).
• mask: a subnet mask in /prefix-length format (/
xx).
• gateway: the next hop for network traffic
originating from the management port.

CONFIGURATION

Configure a Username and Password
Configure a system username and password to access the system remotely.

42

|

Getting Started

To configure a username and password:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure a username and
password to access the system
remotely.

username username password [encryption-type]
password
encryption-type specifies how you are inputting the
password, is 0 by default, and is not required.

CONFIGURATION

•
•

0 is for inputting the password in clear text.
7 is for inputting a password that is already
encrypted using a Type 7 hash. Obtaining the
encrypted password from the configuration of
another Dell Force10 system.

Access the S-Series Remotely
The S-Series does not have a dedicated management port nor a separate management routing table.
Configure any port on the S-Series to be the port through which you manage the system and configure an
IP route to that gateway.
Note: The S4810 system uses management ports and should be configured similar to the C-Series and
E-Series systems. Refer to Access the C-Series, E-Series, S-Series, and the Z-Series Remotely

Configuring the system for Telnet access is a three-step process:
1. Configure an IP address for the port through which you will manage the system using the command ip
address from INTERFACE mode, as shown in the example below.
2. Configure a IP route with a default gateway using the command ip route from CONFIGURATION
mode, as shown in the example below.
3. Configure a username and password using the command username from CONFIGURATION mode,
as shown in the example below.
R5(conf)#int gig 0/48
R5(conf-if-gi-0/48)#ip address 10.11.131.240
R5(conf-if-gi-0/48)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/48
ip address 10.11.131.240/24
no shutdown
R5(conf-if-gi-0/48)#exit
R5(conf)#ip route 10.11.32.0/23 10.11.131.254
R5(conf)#username admin pass FTOS

Getting Started | 43

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configure the Enable Password
Access the EXEC Privilege mode using the enable command. The EXEC Privilege mode is unrestricted by
default. Configure a password as a basic security measure. There are two types of enable passwords:
•

enable password stores the password in the running/startup configuration using a DES encryption

method.
•

enable secret is stored in the running/startup configuration in using a stronger, MD5 encryption

method.
Dell Force10 recommends using the enable secret password.
To configure an enable password:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Create a password to
access EXEC Privilege
mode.

enable [password | secret] [level level] [encryption-type]
password

CONFIGURATION

level is the privilege level, is 15 by default, and is not required.
encryption-type specifies how you are inputting the password, is 0
by default, and is not required.
•
•
•

0 is for inputting the password in clear text.
7 is for inputting a password that is already encrypted using a
DES hash. Obtain the encrypted password from the configuration
file of another Dell Force10 system.
5 is for inputting a password that is already encrypted using an
MD5 hash. Obtain the encrypted password from the configuration
file of another Dell Force10 system.

Configuration File Management
Files can be stored on and accessed from various storage media. Rename, delete, and copy files on the
system from the EXEC Privilege mode.
The E-Series TeraScale and ExaScale platforms architecture use Compact Flash for the internal and
external Flash memory. It has a space limitation but does not limit the number of files it can contain.
Note: Using flash memory cards in the system that have not been approved by Dell Force10 can cause
unexpected system behavior, including a reboot.

44

|

Getting Started

Copy Files to and from the System
The command syntax for copying files is similar to UNIX. The copy command uses the format copy
source-file-url destination-file-url.
Note: See the FTOS Command Line Reference Guide for a detailed description of the copy command.

•
•

Table 3-2.

To copy a local file to a remote system, combine the file-origin syntax for a local file location with the
file-destination syntax for a remote file location shown in Table 3-2.
To copy a remote file to Dell Force10 system, combine the file-origin syntax for a remote file location
with the file-destination syntax for a local file location shown in Table 3-2.
Forming a copy Command
source-file-url Syntax

destination-file-url Syntax

primary RPM

copy flash://filename

flash://filename

standby RPM

copy rpm{0|1}flash://filename

rpm{0|1}flash://filename

primary RPM

copy rpm{0|1}slot0://filename

rpm{0|1}slot0://filename

standby RPM

copy rpm{0|1}slot0://filename

rpm{0|1}slot0://filename

Local File Location
Internal flash:

External flash:

USB Drive (E-Series ExaScale)
USB drive on RPM0

copy rpm0usbflash://filepath

rpm0usbflash://filename

External USB drive

copy usbflash://filepath

usbflash://filename

Remote File Location
FTP server

copy ftp://username:password@{hostip | ftp://username:password@{hostip |
hostname}/filepath/filename
hostname}/filepath/filename

TFTP server

copy tftp://{hostip | hostname}/filepath/
filename

tftp://{hostip | hostname}/filepath/filename

SCP server

copy scp://{hostip | hostname}/filepath/
filename

scp://{hostip | hostname}/filepath/filename

Important Points to Remember
•
•
•
•

You may not copy a file from one remote system to another.
You may not copy a file from one location to the same location.
The internal flash memories on the RPMs are synchronized whenever there is a change, but only if
both RPMs are running the same version of FTOS.
When copying to a server, a hostname can only be used if a DNS server is configured.

Getting Started | 45

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•

The usbflash and rpm0usbflash commands are supported on E-Series ExaScale systems. Refer to
your system’s Release Notes for a list of approved USB vendors.
The usbflash command is supported on Z9000. Refer to your system’s Release Notes for a list of
approved USB vendors.

The following text is an example of using the copy command to save a file to an FTP server.
FTOS#copy flash://FTOS-EF-8.2.1.0.bin ftp://myusername:mypassword@10.10.10.10//FTOS/FTOS-EF-8.2.1.0
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
27952672 bytes successfully copied

The following text is an example of using the copy command to import a file to the Dell Force10 system
from an FTP server.
core1#$//copy ftp://myusername:mypassword@10.10.10.10//FTOS/FTOS-EF-8.2.1.0.bin flash://
Destination file name [FTOS-EF-8.2.1.0.bin.bin]:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
26292881 bytes successfully copied

Save the Running-configuration
The running-configuration contains the current system configuration. Dell Force10 recommends that you
copy your running-configuration to the startup-configuration. The system uses the startup-configuration
during boot-up to configure the system. The startup-configuration is stored in the internal flash on the
primary RPM by default, but it can be saved onto an external flash (on an RPM) or a remote server.
To save the running-configuration:
Note: The commands in this section follow the same format as those in Copy Files to and from the
System but use the filenames startup-configuration and running-configuration. These commands assume
that current directory is the internal flash, which is the system default.

46

|

Getting Started

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Save the running-configuration to:
the startup-configuration on the
internal flash of the primary RPM

copy running-config startup-config

the internal flash on an RPM

copy running-config rpm{0|1}flash://filename

Note: The internal flash memories on the RPMs are synchronized whenever there is a
change, but only if the RPMs are running the same version of FTOS.

the external flash of an RPM

copy running-config rpm{0|1}slot0://filename

an FTP server

copy running-config ftp://
username:password@{hostip | hostname}/
filepath/filename

a TFTP server

copy running-config tftp://{hostip | hostname}/
filepath/filename

an SCP server

copy running-config scp://{hostip | hostname}/
filepath/filename

EXEC Privilege

Note: When copying to a server, a hostname can only be used if a DNS server is configured.

Save the running-configuration to the
startup-configuration on the internal flash
of the primary RPM. Then copy the new
startup-config file to the external flash of
the primary RPM.

copy running-config startup-config duplicate
EXEC Privilege

FTOS Behavior: If you create a startup-configuration on an RPM and then move the RPM to another chassis, the
startup-configuration is stored as a backup file (with the extension .bak), and a new, empty startup-configuration file
is created. To restore your original startup-configuration in this situation, overwrite the new startup-configuration
with the original one using the command copy startup-config.bak startup-config.

Configure the Overload bit for Startup Scenario
For information on setting the router overload bit for a specific period of time after a switch reload is
implemented, see the FTOS Command Line Reference Guide, Chapter 18 - Intermediate System to
Intermediate System (IS-IS).

Getting Started | 47

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

View Files
File information and content can only be viewed on local file systems. To view a list of files on the internal
or external Flash:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

the internal flash of an RPM

dir flash:

EXEC Privilege

the external flash of an RPM

dir slot:

View a list of files on:

The output of the command dir also shows the read/write privileges, size (in bytes), and date of
modification for each file, as shown in the example below.
FTOS#dir
Directory of flash:
1 drw2 drwx
3 drw4 drw5 drw6 drw7 d--8 -rw9 -rw10 -rw11 drw12 -rw13 -rw14 -rw15 -rw--More--

32768
512
8192
8192
8192
8192
8192
33059550
27674906
27674906
8192
7276
7341
27674906
27674906

Jan
Jul
Mar
Mar
Mar
Mar
Mar
Jul
Jul
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jul
Jul
Jul

01
23
30
30
30
30
30
11
06
06
01
20
20
06
06

1980
2007
1919
1919
1919
1919
1919
2007
2007
2007
1980
2007
2007
2007
2007

00:00:00
00:38:44
10:31:04
10:31:04
10:31:04
10:31:04
10:31:04
17:49:46
00:20:24
19:54:52
00:18:28
01:52:40
15:34:46
19:52:22
02:23:22

.
..
TRACE_LOG_DIR
CRASH_LOG_DIR
NVTRACE_LOG_DIR
CORE_DUMP_DIR
ADMIN_DIR
FTOS-EF-7.4.2.0.bin
FTOS-EF-4.7.4.302.bin
boot-image-FILE
diag
startup-config.bak
startup-config
boot-image
boot-flash

To view the contents of a file:
Step
1

48

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

View the:
contents of a file in the internal flash of
an RPM

show file rpm{0|1}flash://filename

contents of a file in the external flash
of an RPM

show file rpm{0|1}slot0://filename

running-configuration

show running-config

startup-configuration

show startup-config

Getting Started

EXEC Privilege

View Configuration Files
Configuration files have three commented lines at the beginning of the file, as shown in the example
below, to help you track the last time any user made a change to the file, which user made the changes, and
when the file was last saved to the startup-configuration.
In the running-configuration file, if there is a difference between the timestamp on the “Last configuration
change,” and “Startup-config last updated,” then you have made changes that have not been saved and will
not be preserved upon a system reboot.
FTOS#show running-config
Current Configuration ...
! Version 8.2.1.0
! Last configuration change at Thu Apr 3 23:06:28 2008 by admin
! Startup-config last updated at Thu Apr 3 23:06:55 2008 by admin
!
boot system rpm0 primary flash://FTOS-EF-8.2.1.0.bin
boot system rpm0 secondary flash://FTOS-EF-7.8.1.0.bin
boot system rpm0 default flash://FTOS-EF-7.7.1.1.bin
boot system rpm1 primary flash://FTOS-EF-7.8.1.0.bin
boot system gateway 10.10.10.100
--More--

File System Management
The Dell Force10 system can use the internal Flash, external Flash, or remote devices to store files. It
stores files on the internal Flash by default but can be configured to store files elsewhere.
To view file system information:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

View information about each file system.

show file-systems

EXEC Privilege

The output of the command show file-systems in the example below shows the total capacity, amount of
free memory, file structure, media type, read/write privileges for each storage device in use.
FTOS#show file-systems
Size(b)
Free(b)
Feature
Type
Flags
520962048
213778432
dosFs2.0 USERFLASH
127772672
21936128
dosFs2.0 USERFLASH
network
network
network

Prefixes
rw flash:
rw slot0:
rw ftp:
rw tftp:
rw scp:

You can change the default file system so that file management commands apply to a particular device or
memory.

Getting Started | 49

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To change the default storage location:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the default directory.

cd directory

EXEC Privilege

In the example below, the default storage location is changed to the external Flash of the primary RPM.
File management commands then apply to the external Flash rather than the internal Flash.
FTOS#cd slot0:
FTOS#copy running-config test
FTOS#copy run test
!
7419 bytes successfully copied
FTOS#dir
Directory of slot0:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

drwdrwx
----rw----------------

32768
512
0
7419
0
0
0
0
0

Jan
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
Jan
Jan
Jan
Jan

01
23
01
23
01
01
01
01
01

1980
2007
1970
2007
1970
1970
1970
1970
1970

00:00:00
00:38:44
00:00:00
20:44:40
00:00:00
00:00:00
00:00:00
00:00:00
00:00:00

.
..
DCIM
test
BT
200702~1VSN
G
F
F

slot0: 127772672 bytes total (21927936 bytes free)

View command history
The command-history trace feature captures all commands entered by all users of the system with a time
stamp and writes these messages to a dedicated trace log buffer. The system generates a trace message for
each executed command. No password information is saved to the file.
To view the command-history trace, use the show command-history command, as shown in the example
below.
FTOS#show command-history
[12/5 10:57:8]: CMD-(CLI):service password-encryption
[12/5 10:57:12]: CMD-(CLI):hostname Force10
[12/5 10:57:12]: CMD-(CLI):ip telnet server enable
[12/5 10:57:12]: CMD-(CLI):line console 0
[12/5 10:57:12]: CMD-(CLI):line vty 0 9
[12/5 10:57:13]: CMD-(CLI):boot system rpm0 primary flash://FTOS-CB-1.1.1.2E2.bin

Upgrading FTOS
Note: To upgrade FTOS, see the Release Notes for the version you want to load on the system.

50

|

Getting Started

4
Management
Management is supported on platforms:

e c sz

This chapter explains the different protocols or services used to manage the Dell Force10 system
including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Configure Privilege Levels
Configure Logging
File Transfer Services
Terminal Lines
Lock CONFIGURATION mode
Recovering from a Forgotten Password on the S4810
Recovering from a Failed Start on the S4810

Configure Privilege Levels
Privilege levels restrict access to commands based on user or terminal line. There are 16 privilege levels, of
which three are pre-defined. The default privilege level is 1.
•

Level 0—Access to the system
enable, disable, and exit.

•
•

Level 1—Access to the system begins at EXEC mode, and all commands are available.
Level 15—Access to the system begins at EXEC Privilege mode, and all commands are available.

begins at EXEC mode, and EXEC mode commands are limited to

Create a Custom Privilege Level
Custom privilege levels start with the default EXEC mode command set. You can then customize privilege
levels 2-14 by:
•
•
•

restricting access to an EXEC mode command
moving commands from EXEC Privilege to EXEC mode
restricting access

A user can access all commands at his privilege level and below.

Management | 51

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Removing a command from EXEC mode
Remove a command from the list of available commands in EXEC mode for a specific privilege level
using the command privilege exec from CONFIGURATION mode. In the command, specify a level greater
than the level given to a user or terminal line, followed by the first keyword of each command to be
restricted.

Move a command from EXEC privilege mode to EXEC mode
Move a command from EXEC Privilege to EXEC mode for a privilege level using the command privilege
exec from CONFIGURATION mode. In the command, specify the privilege level of the user or terminal
line, and specify all keywords in the command to which you want to allow access.

Allow Access to CONFIGURATION mode commands
Allow access to CONFIGURATION mode using the command privilege exec level level configure from
CONFIGURATION mode. A user that enters CONFIGURATION mode remains at his privilege level, and
has access to only two commands, end and exit. You must individually specify each CONFIGURATION
mode command to which you want to allow access using the command privilege configure level level. In the
command, specify the privilege level of the user or terminal line, and specify all keywords in the command
to which you want to allow access.

Allow Access to INTERFACE, LINE, ROUTE-MAP, and ROUTER mode
1. Similar to allowing access to CONFIGURATION mode, to allow access to INTERFACE, LINE,
ROUTE-MAP, and ROUTER modes, you must first allow access to the command that enters you into
the mode. For example, allow a user to enter INTERFACE mode using the command privilege configure
level level interface gigabitethernet

2. Then, individually identify the INTERFACE, LINE, ROUTE-MAP or ROUTER commands to which
you want to allow access using the command privilege {interface | line | route-map | router} level level. In
the command, specify the privilege level of the user or terminal line, and specify all keywords in the
command to which you want to allow access.
The following table lists the configuration tasks you can use to customize a privilege level:

52

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Remove a command from the list of available commands
in EXEC mode.

privilege exec level level
{command ||...|| command}

CONFIGURATION

Move a command from EXEC Privilege to EXEC mode.

privilege exec level level
{command ||...|| command}

CONFIGURATION

Allow access to CONFIGURATION mode.

privilege exec level level configure

Management

CONFIGURATION

Task

Command Syntax

Allow access to INTERFACE, LINE, ROUTE-MAP,
and/or ROUTER mode. Specify all keywords in the
command.

privilege configure level level
{interface | line | route-map |
router} {command-keyword ||...||
command-keyword}

Allow access to a CONFIGURATION, INTERFACE,
LINE, ROUTE-MAP, and/or ROUTER mode command.

privilege {configure |interface | line
| route-map | router} level level
{command ||...|| command}

Command Mode
CONFIGURATION

CONFIGURATION

The configuration in the following example creates privilege level 3. This level:
•
•
•
•

removes the resequence command from EXEC mode by requiring a minimum of privilege level 4
moves the command capture bgp-pdu max-buffer-size from EXEC Privilege to EXEC mode by requiring
a minimum privilege level 3, which is the configured level for VTY 0
allows access to CONFIGURATION mode with the banner command
allows access to INTERFACE and LINE modes are allowed with no commands

FTOS(conf)#do show run priv
!
privilege exec level 3 capture
privilege exec level 3 configure
privilege exec level 4 resequence
privilege exec level 3 capture bgp-pdu
privilege exec level 3 capture bgp-pdu max-buffer-size
privilege configure level 3 line
privilege configure level 3 interface
FTOS(conf)#do telnet 10.11.80.201
[telnet output omitted]
FTOS#show priv
Current privilege level is 3.
FTOS#?
capture
Capture packet
configure
Configuring from terminal
disable
Turn off privileged commands
enable
Turn on privileged commands
exit
Exit from the EXEC
ip
Global IP subcommands
monitor
Monitoring feature
mtrace
Trace reverse multicast path from destination to source
ping
Send echo messages
quit
Exit from the EXEC
show
Show running system information
[output omitted]
FTOS#config
[output omitted]
FTOS(conf)#do show priv
Current privilege level is 3.
FTOS(conf)#?

Management | 53

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

end
Exit from configuration mode
exit
Exit from configuration mode
interface
Select an interface to configure
line
Configure a terminal line
linecard
Set line card type
FTOS(conf)#interface ?
fastethernet
Fast Ethernet interface
gigabitethernet
Gigabit Ethernet interface
loopback
Loopback interface
managementethernet
Management Ethernet interface
null
Null interface
port-channel
Port-channel interface
range
Configure interface range
sonet
SONET interface
tengigabitethernet
TenGigabit Ethernet interface
vlan
VLAN interface
FTOS(conf)#interface gigabitethernet 1/1
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#?
end
Exit from configuration mode
exit
Exit from interface configuration mode
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#exit
FTOS(conf)#line ?
aux
Auxiliary line
console
Primary terminal line
vty
Virtual terminal
FTOS(conf)#line vty 0
FTOS(config-line-vty)#?
exit
Exit from line configuration mode
FTOS(config-line-vty)#

Apply a Privilege Level to a Username
To set a privilege level for a user:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure a privilege level for a user.

username username privilege level

CONFIGURATION

Apply a Privilege Level to a Terminal Line
To set a privilege level for a terminal line:

54

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure a privilege level for a terminal line.

privilege level level

LINE

Management

Note: When you assign a privilege level between 2 and 15, access to the system begins at EXEC mode,
but the prompt is hostname#, rather than hostname>.

Configure Logging
FTOS tracks changes in the system using event and error messages. By default, FTOS logs these messages
on:
•
•
•

the internal buffer
console and terminal lines, and
any configured syslog servers

Disable Logging
To disable logging:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable all logging except on the console.

no logging on

CONFIGURATION

Disable logging to the logging buffer.

no logging buffer

CONFIGURATION

Disable logging to terminal lines.

no logging monitor

CONFIGURATION

Disable console logging.

no logging console

CONFIGURATION

Log Messages in the Internal Buffer
All error messages, except those beginning with %BOOTUP (Message), are log in the internal buffer.
Message 1 BootUp Events
%BOOTUP:RPM0:CP %PORTPIPE-INIT-SUCCESS: Portpipe 0 enabled

Configuration Task List for System Log Management
The following list includes the configuration tasks for system log management:
•
•

Disable System Logging
Send System Messages to a Syslog Server

Management | 55

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Disable System Logging
By default, logging is enabled and log messages are sent to the logging buffer, all terminal lines, console,
and syslog servers.
Enable and disable system logging using the following commands:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable all logging except on the console.

no logging on

CONFIGURATION

Disable logging to the logging buffer.

no logging buffer

CONFIGURATION

Disable logging to terminal lines.

no logging monitor

CONFIGURATION

Disable console logging.

no logging console

CONFIGURATION

Send System Messages to a Syslog Server
Send system messages to a syslog server by specifying the server with the following command:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Specify the server to which you want to send system
messages. You can configure up to eight syslog servers.

logging {ip-address | hostname}

CONFIGURATION

Configure a Unix System as a Syslog Server
Configure a UNIX system as a syslog server by adding the following lines to /etc/syslog.conf on the Unix
system and assigning write permissions to the file.
•
•

on a 4.1 BSD UNIX system, add the line: local7.debugging /var/log/ftos.log
on a 5.7 SunOS UNIX system, add the line: local7.debugging /var/adm/ftos.log

In the lines above, local7 is the logging facility level and debugging is the severity level.

56

|

Management

Change System Logging Settings
You can change the default settings of the system logging by changing the severity level and the storage
location. The default is to log all messages up to debug level, that is, all system messages. By changing the
severity level in the logging commands, you control the number of system messages logged.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Specify the minimum severity level for logging to the logging buffer.

logging buffered level

CONFIGURATION

Specify the minimum severity level for logging to the console.

logging console level

CONFIGURATION

Specify the minimum severity level for logging to terminal lines.

logging monitor level

CONFIGURATION

Specifying the minimum severity level for logging to a syslog server.

logging trap level

CONFIGURATION

Specify the minimum severity level for logging to the syslog history
table.

logging history level

CONFIGURATION

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Specify the size of the logging buffer.
Note: When you decrease the buffer size, FTOS deletes
all messages stored in the buffer. Increasing the buffer
size does not affect messages in the buffer.

logging buffered size

CONFIGURATION

Specify the number of messages that FTOS saves to its
logging history table.

logging history size size

CONFIGURATION

To change one of the settings for logging system messages, use any or all of the following commands in
the CONFIGURATION mode:
To view the logging buffer and configuration, use the show logging command in the EXEC privilege mode
as shown in the example for Display the Logging Buffer and the Logging Configuration.
To change the severity level of messages logged to a syslog server, use the following command in the
CONFIGURATION mode:
To view the logging configuration, use the show running-config logging command in the EXEC privilege
mode as shown in the example for Configure a UNIX logging facility level.

Display the Logging Buffer and the Logging Configuration
Display the current contents of the logging buffer and the logging settings for the system, use the show
logging command in the EXEC privilege mode as shown in the example below.

FTOS#show logging

Management | 57

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

syslog logging: enabled
Console logging: level Debugging
Monitor logging: level Debugging
Buffer logging: level Debugging, 40 Messages Logged, Size (40960 bytes)
Trap logging: level Informational
%IRC-6-IRC_COMMUP: Link to peer RPM is up
%RAM-6-RAM_TASK: RPM1 is transitioning to Primary RPM.
%RPM-2-MSG:CP1 %POLLMGR-2-MMC_STATE: External flash disk missing in 'slot0:'
%CHMGR-5-CARDDETECTED: Line card 0 present
%CHMGR-5-CARDDETECTED: Line card 2 present
%CHMGR-5-CARDDETECTED: Line card 4 present
%CHMGR-5-CARDDETECTED: Line card 5 present
%CHMGR-5-CARDDETECTED: Line card 8 present
%CHMGR-5-CARDDETECTED: Line card 10 present
%CHMGR-5-CARDDETECTED: Line card 12 present
%TSM-6-SFM_DISCOVERY: Found SFM 0
%TSM-6-SFM_DISCOVERY: Found SFM 1
%TSM-6-SFM_DISCOVERY: Found SFM 2
%TSM-6-SFM_DISCOVERY: Found SFM 3
%TSM-6-SFM_DISCOVERY: Found SFM 4
%TSM-6-SFM_DISCOVERY: Found SFM 5
%TSM-6-SFM_DISCOVERY: Found SFM 6
%TSM-6-SFM_DISCOVERY: Found SFM 7
%TSM-6-SFM_SWITCHFAB_STATE: Switch Fabric: UP
%TSM-6-SFM_DISCOVERY: Found SFM 8
%TSM-6-SFM_DISCOVERY: Found 9 SFMs
%CHMGR-5-CHECKIN: Checkin from line card 5 (type EX1YB, 1 ports)
%TSM-6-PORT_CONFIG: Port link status for LC 5 => portpipe 0: OK portpipe 1: N/A
%CHMGR-5-LINECARDUP: Line card 5 is up
%CHMGR-5-CHECKIN: Checkin from line card 12 (type S12YC12, 12 ports)
%TSM-6-PORT_CONFIG: Port link status for LC 12 => portpipe 0: OK portpipe 1: N/A
%CHMGR-5-LINECARDUP: Line card 12 is up
%IFMGR-5-CSTATE_UP: changed interface Physical state to up: So 12/8
%IFMGR-5-CSTATE_DN: changed interface Physical state to down: So 12/8

To view any changes made, use the show running-config logging command in the EXEC privilege mode as
shown in the example for Configure a UNIX logging facility level.

Configure a UNIX logging facility level
You can save system log messages with a UNIX system logging facility.

58

|

Management

To configure a UNIX logging facility level, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

logging facility [facility-type]

CONFIGURATION

Specify one of the following parameters.
• auth (for authorization messages)
• cron (for system scheduler messages)
• daemon (for system daemons)
• kern (for kernel messages)
• local0 (for local use)
• local1 (for local use)
• local2 (for local use)
• local3 (for local use)
• local4 (for local use)
• local5 (for local use)
• local6 (for local use)
• local7 (for local use). This is the default.
• lpr (for line printer system messages)
• mail (for mail system messages)
• news (for USENET news messages)
• sys9 (system use)
• sys10 (system use)
• sys11 (system use)
• sys12 (system use)
• sys13 (system use)
• sys14 (system use)
• syslog (for syslog messages)
• user (for user programs)
• uucp (UNIX to UNIX copy protocol)
The default is local7.

To view nondefault settings, use the show running-config logging command in the EXEC mode as shown in
the example below.
FTOS#show running-config logging
!
logging buffered 524288 debugging
service timestamps log datetime msec
service timestamps debug datetime msec
!
logging trap debugging
logging facility user
logging source-interface Loopback 0
logging 10.10.10.4
FTOS#

Management | 59

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Synchronize log messages
You can configure FTOS to filter and consolidate the system messages for a specific line by synchronizing
the message output. Only the messages with a severity at or below the set level appear. This feature works
on the terminal and console connections available on the system.
To synchronize log messages, use these commands in the following sequence starting in the
CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

2

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

line {console 0 | vty number [end-number]
| aux 0}

CONFIGURATION

Enter the LINE mode. Configure the
following parameters for the virtual
terminal lines:
• number range: zero (0) to 8.
• end-number range: 1 to 8.
You can configure multiple virtual
terminals at one time by entering a number
and an end-number.

logging synchronous [level severity-level |
all] [limit]

LINE

Configure a level and set the maximum
number of messages to be printed.
Configure the following optional
parameters:
• level severity-level range: 0 to 7.
Default is 2. Use the all keyword to
include all messages.
• limit range: 20 to 300. Default is 20.

To view the logging synchronous configuration, use the show config command in the LINE mode.

Enable timestamp on syslog messages
By default, syslog messages do not include a time/date stamp stating when the error or message was
created.
To have FTOS include a timestamp with the syslog message, use the following command syntax in the
CONFIGURATION mode:

60

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

service timestamps [log |
debug] [datetime [localtime]
[msec] [show-timezone] |
uptime]

CONFIGURATION

Add timestamp to syslog messages. Specify the following
optional parameters:
• datetime: You can add the keyword localtime to include the
localtime, msec, and show-timezone. If you do not add
the keyword localtime, the time is UTC.
• uptime. To view time since last boot.
If neither parameter is specified, FTOS configures uptime.

Management

To view the configuration, use the show running-config logging command in the EXEC privilege mode.
To disable time stamping on syslog messages, enter no service timestamps [log | debug].

File Transfer Services
With FTOS, you can configure the system to transfer files over the network using File Transfer Protocol
(FTP). One FTP application is copying the system image files over an interface on to the system; however,
FTP is not supported on VLAN interfaces.
For more information on FTP, refer to RFC 959, File Transfer Protocol.
Note: To transmit large files, Dell Force10 recommends configuring the switch as an FTP server.

Configuration Task List for File Transfer Services
The following list includes the configuration tasks for file transfer services:
•
•
•

Enable FTP server (mandatory)
Configure FTP server parameters (optional)
Configure FTP client parameters (optional)

Enable FTP server
To enable the system as an FTP server, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ftp-server enable

CONFIGURATION

Enable FTP on the system.

To view FTP configuration, use the show running-config ftp command in the EXEC privilege mode as
shown in the example below.
FTOS#show running ftp
!
ftp-server enable
ftp-server username nairobi password 0 zanzibar
FTOS#

Configure FTP server parameters
After the FTP server is enabled on the system, you can configure different parameters.

Management | 61

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To configure FTP server parameters, use any or all of the following commands in the CONFIGURATION
mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ftp-server topdir dir

CONFIGURATION

Specify the directory for users using FTP to reach the
system.
The default is the internal flash directory.

ftp-server username username
password [encryption-type]

CONFIGURATION

Specify a user name for all FTP users and configure either
a plain text or encrypted password. Configure the
following optional and required parameters:
• username: Enter a text string
• encryption-type: Enter 0 for plain text or 7 for
encrypted text.
• password: Enter a text string.

password

Note: You cannot use the change directory (cd) command until ftp-server topdir has been
configured.

To view the FTP configuration, use the show running-config ftp command in EXEC privilege mode.

Configure FTP client parameters
To configure FTP client parameters, use the following commands in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip ftp source-interface interface

CONFIGURATION

Enter the following keywords and slot/port or number
information:
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a loopback interface, enter the keyword loopback
followed by a number between 0 and 16383.
• For a port channel interface, enter the keyword
port-channel followed by a number from 1 to 255 for
TeraScale and ExaScale, 1 to 32 for EtherScale.
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword sonet
followed by the slot/port information.
• For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port
information.
• For a VLAN interface, enter the keyword vlan followed
by a number from 1 to 4094.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
fortyGigE followed by the slot/port information.

ip ftp password password

CONFIGURATION

Configure a password.

ip ftp username name

CONFIGURATION

Enter username to use on FTP client.

To view FTP configuration, use the show running-config ftp command in the EXEC privilege mode as
shown in the example for Enable FTP server.

62

|

Management

Terminal Lines
You can access the system remotely and restrict access to the system by creating user profiles. The terminal
lines on the system provide different means of accessing the system. The console line (console) connects
you through the Console port in the RPMs. The virtual terminal lines (VTY) connect you through Telnet to
the system. The auxiliary line (aux) connects secondary devices such as modems.

Deny and Permit Access to a Terminal Line
Dell Force10 recommends applying only standard ACLs to deny and permit access to VTY lines.
•
•

Layer 3 ACL deny all traffic that is not explicitly permitted, but in the case of VTY lines, an ACL with
no rules does not deny any traffic.
You cannot use show ip accounting access-list to display the contents of an ACL that is applied only to a
VTY line.

To apply an IP ACL to a line:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Apply an ACL to a VTY line.

ip access-class access-list

LINE

To view the configuration, enter the show config command in the LINE mode, as shown in the example
below.
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#show config
!
ip access-list standard myvtyacl
seq 5 permit host 10.11.0.1
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#line vty 0
FTOS(config-line-vty)#show config
line vty 0
access-class myvtyacl

FTOS Behavior: Prior to FTOS version 7.4.2.0, in order to deny access on a VTY line, you must apply an ACL and
AAA authentication to the line. Then users are denied access only after they enter a username and password.
Beginning in FTOS version 7.4.2.0, only an ACL is required, and users are denied access before they are
prompted for a username and password.

Configure Login Authentication for Terminal Lines
You can use any combination of up to 6 authentication methods to authenticate a user on a terminal line. A
combination of authentication methods is called a method list. If the user fails the first authentication
method, FTOS prompts the next method until all methods are exhausted, at which point the connection is
terminated. The available authentication methods are:

Management | 63

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•

•
•
•
•

enable—Prompt

for the enable password.
line—Prompt for the e password you assigned to the terminal line. You must configure a password for
the terminal line to which you assign a method list that contains the line authentication method.
Configure a password using the command password from LINE mode.
local—Prompt for the the system username and password.
none—Do not authenticate the user.
radius—Prompt for a username and password and use a RADIUS server to authenticate.
tacacs+—Prompt for a username and password and use a TACACS+ server to authenticate.

To configure authentication for a terminal line:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

1

Create an authentication method list.
You may use a mnemonic name or
use the keyword default. The default
authentication method for terminal
lines is local, and the default method
list is empty.

aaa authentication login {method-list-name |
default} [method-1] [method-2] [method-3]
[method-4] [method-5] [method-6]

2

Apply the method list from Step 1 to
a terminal line.

login authentication {method-list-name |
default}

CONFIGURATION

3

If you used the line authentication
method in the method list you
applied to the terminal line,
configure a password for the terminal
line.

password

LINE

In the example below, VTY lines 0-2 use a single authentication method, line.
FTOS(conf)#aaa authentication login myvtymethodlist line
FTOS(conf)#line vty 0 2
FTOS(config-line-vty)#login authentication myvtymethodlist
FTOS(config-line-vty)#password myvtypassword
FTOS(config-line-vty)#show config
line vty 0
password myvtypassword
login authentication myvtymethodlist
line vty 1
password myvtypassword
login authentication myvtymethodlist
line vty 2
password myvtypassword
login authentication myvtymethodlist
FTOS(config-line-vty)#

64

|

Management

Command Mode
CONFIGURATION

Time out of EXEC Privilege Mode
EXEC timeout is a basic security feature that returns FTOS to the EXEC mode after a period of inactivity
on terminal lines.
To change the timeout period or disable EXEC timeout.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Set the number of minutes and seconds.
Default: 10 minutes on console, 30 minutes on VTY.
Disable EXEC timeout by setting the timeout period to 0.

exec-timeout minutes [seconds]

LINE

Return to the default timeout values.

no exec-timeout

LINE

View the configuration using the command show config from LINE mode.
FTOS(conf)#line con 0
FTOS(config-line-console)#exec-timeout 0
FTOS(config-line-console)#show config
line console 0
exec-timeout 0 0
FTOS(config-line-console)#

Telnet to Another Network Device
To telnet to another device:
Note: The system allows 120 telnet sessions per minute, allowing the login and logout of 10 telnet
sessions 12 times in a minute. If the system reaches this non-practical limit, the telnet service will be
stopped for 10 minutes. Console and SSH service may be used to access the system during downtime.

Task

Command Syntax

Telnet to the peer RPM. You do not need to configure the management
port on the peer RPM to be able to telnet to it.

telnet-peer-rpm

Telnet to a device with an IPv4 or IPv6 address. If you do not enter an IP
address, FTOS enters a Telnet dialog that prompts you for one.
• Enter an IPv4 address in dotted decimal format (A.B.C.D).
• Enter an IPv6 address in the format
0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000. Elision of zeros is
supported.

telnet [ip-address]

Command Mode
EXEC Privilege
EXEC Privilege

FTOS# telnet 10.11.80.203
Trying 10.11.80.203...
Connected to 10.11.80.203.
Exit character is '^]'.

Management | 65

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Login:
Login: admin
Password:
FTOS>exit
FTOS#telnet 2200:2200:2200:2200:2200::2201
Trying 2200:2200:2200:2200:2200::2201...
Connected to 2200:2200:2200:2200:2200::2201.
Exit character is '^]'.
FreeBSD/i386 (freebsd2.force10networks.com) (ttyp1)
login: admin
FTOS#

Lock CONFIGURATION mode
FTOS allows multiple users to make configurations at the same time. You can lock CONFIGURATION
mode so that only one user can be in CONFIGURATION mode at any time (Message 2).
A two types of locks can be set: auto and manual.
•

•

Set an auto-lock using the command configuration mode exclusive auto from CONFIGURATION mode.
When you set an auto-lock, every time a user is in CONFIGURATION mode all other users are denied
access. This means that you can exit to EXEC Privilege mode, and re-enter CONFIGURATION mode
without having to set the lock again.
Set a manual lock using the command configure terminal lock from CONFIGURATION mode. When
you configure a manual lock, which is the default, you must enter this command time you want to enter
CONFIGURATION mode and deny access to others.

FTOS(conf)#configuration mode exclusive auto
BATMAN(conf)#exit
3d23h35m: %RPM0-P:CP %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by

console

FTOS#config
! Locks configuration mode exclusively.
FTOS(conf)#

If another user attempts to enter CONFIGURATION mode while a lock is in place, Message 1 appears on
their terminal.
Message 1 CONFIGURATION mode Locked Error
% Error: User "" on line console0 is in exclusive configuration mode

If any user is already in CONFIGURATION mode when while a lock is in place, Message 2 appears on
their terminal.
Message 2 Cannot Lock CONFIGURATION mode Error
% Error: Can't lock configuration mode exclusively since the following users are
currently configuring the system:
User "admin" on line vty1 ( 10.1.1.1 )

66

|

Management

Note: The CONFIGURATION mode lock corresponds to a VTY session, not a user. Therefore, if you
configure a lock and then exit CONFIGURATION mode, and another user enters CONFIGURATION
mode, when you attempt to re-enter CONFIGURATION mode, you are denied access even though you
are the one that configured the lock.

Note: If your session times out and you return to EXEC mode, the CONFIGURATION mode lock is
unconfigured.

Viewing the Configuration Lock Status
If you attempt to enter CONFIGURATION mode when another user has locked it, you may view which
user has control of CONFIGURATION mode using the command show configuration lock from EXEC
Privilege mode.
You can then send any user a message using the send command from EXEC Privilege mode. Alternatively
you can clear any line using the command clear from EXEC Privilege mode. If you clear a console session,
the user is returned to EXEC mode.

Recovering from a Forgotten Password on the S4810
If you configure authentication for the console and you exit out of EXEC mode or your console session
times out, you are prompted for a password to re-enter.
If you forget your password:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Log onto the system via console.

2

Power-cycle the chassis by switching off all of the power modules and then switching them back on.

3

Hit any key to abort the boot process.
You enter uBoot i mme id at ely, as
indicated by the => prompt.

hit any key

(during bootup)

4

Set the system parameters to ignore
the startup configuration file when
the system reloads.

setenv stconfigignore true

uBoot

5

To save the changes use the saveenv
command.

saveenv

uBoot

6

Reload the system.

reset

uBoot

7

Copy startup-config.bak to the
running config.

copy flash://startup-config.bak
running-config

EXEC Privilege

8

Remove all authentication statements
you might have for the console.

no authentication login
no password

LINE

Management | 67

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

9

Save the running-config.

copy running-config startup-config

EXEC Privilege

10

Set the system parameters to use the
startup configuration file when the
system reloads.

setenv stconfigignore false

uBoot

11

Save the running-config.

copy running-config startup-config

EXEC Privilege

Recovering from a Forgotten Enable Password on the S4810
If you forget the enable password:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Log onto the system via console.

2

Power-cycle the chassis by switching off all of the power modules and then switching them back on.

3

Hit any key to abort the boot process.
You enter uBoot immediately, as
indicated by the => prompt.

hit any key

(during bootup)

4

Set the system parameters to ignore
the enable password when the system
reloads.

setenv enablepwdignore true

uBoot

5

Reload the system.

reset

uBoot

6

Configure a new enable password.

enable {secret | password}

CONFIGURATION

7

Save the running-config to the
startup-config.

copy running-config startup-config

EXEC Privilege

Recovering from a Failed Start on the S4810
A system that does not start correctly might be attempting to boot from a corrupted FTOS image or from a
mis-specified location. In that case, you can restart the system and interrupt the boot process to point the
system to another boot location. Use the setenv command, as described below. For details on the setenv
command, its supporting commands, and other commands that can help recover from a failed start, see the
Boot User chapter in the FTOS Command Line Reference for the S4810.
Step

68

|

Task

Command Syntax

1

Power-cycle the chassis (pull the power cord and reinsert it).

2

Hit any key to abort the boot process.
You enter uBoot immediately, as
indicated by the => prompt.

Management

hit any key

Command Mode

(during bootup)

Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

3

Assign the new location to the FTOS
image to be used when the system
reloads.

setenv [primary_image f10boot location |
secondary_image f10boot location |
default_image f10boot location]

uBoot

4

Assign an IP address to the
Management Ethernet interface.

setenv ipaddre address

uBoot

6

Assign an IP address as the default
gateway for the system.

setenv gatewayip address

uBoot

7

Reload the system.

reset

uBoot

5

Management | 69

70

|

Management

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

5
802.1ag
802.1ag is available only on platform:

s

Ethernet Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) is a set of tools used to install, monitor,
troubleshoot and manage Ethernet infrastructure deployments. Ethernet OAM consists of three main areas:
1. Service Layer OAM: IEEE 802.1ag Connectivity Fault Management (CFM)
2. Link Layer OAM: IEEE 802.3ah OAM
3. Ethernet Local management Interface (MEF-16 E-LMI)

Ethernet CFM
Ethernet CFM is an end-to-end per-service-instance Ethernet OAM scheme which enables: proactive
connectivity monitoring, fault verification, and fault isolation.
The service-instance with regard to OAM for Metro/Carrier Ethernet is a VLAN. This service is sold to an
end-customer by a network service provider. Typically the service provider contracts with multiple
network operators to provide end-to-end service between customers. For end-to-end service between
customer switches, connectivity must be present across the service provider through multiple network
operators.
Layer 2 Ethernet networks usually cannot be managed with IP tools such as ICMP Ping and IP Traceroute.
Traditional IP tools often fail because:
•
•
•

•

•

there are complex interactions between various Layer 2 and Layer 3 protocols such as STP, LAG,
VRRP and ECMP configurations.
Ping and traceroute are not designed to verify data connectivity in the network and within each node in
the network (such as in the switching fabric and hardware forwarding tables).
when networks are built from different operational domains, access controls impose restrictions that
cannot be overcome at the IP level, resulting in poor fault visibility. There is a need for hierarchical
domains that can be monitored and maintained independently by each provider or operator.
routing protocols choose a subset of the total network topology for forwarding, making it hard to detect
faults in links and nodes that are not included in the active routing topology. This is made more
complex when using some form of Traffic Engineering (TE) based routing.
network and element discovery and cataloging is not clearly defined using IP troubleshooting tools.

802.1ag | 71

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

There is a need for Layer 2 equivalents to manage and troubleshoot native Layer 2 Ethernet networks. With
these tools, you can identify, isolate, and repair faults quickly and easily, which reduces operational cost of
running the network. OAM also increases availability and reduces mean time to recovery, which allows for
tighter service level agreements, resulting in increased revenue for the service provider.
In addition to providing end-to-end OAM in native Layer 2 Ethernet Service Provider/Metro networks,
you can also use CFM to manage and troubleshoot any Layer 2 network including enterprise, datacenter,
and cluster networks.

Maintenance Domains
Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) divides a network into hierarchical maintenance domains, as
shown in the illustration below.
A CFM maintenance domain is a management space on a network that is owned and operated by a single
management entity. The network administrator assigns a unique maintenance level (0 to 7) to each domain
to define the hierarchical relationship between domains. Domains can touch or nest but cannot overlap or
intersect as that would require management by multiple entities.
Service Provider Network
Customer Network

Customer Network

Ethernet Access

MPLS Core

MPLS Access

Customer Domain (7)

Provider Domain (6)
Operator Domain (5)

Operator Domain (5)

Operator Domain (5)

MPLS Domain (4)

Maintenance Points
Domains are comprised of logical entities called Maintenance Points. A maintenance point is an interface
demarcation that confines CFM frames to a domain. There are two types of maintenance points:
•
•

72

|

802.1ag

Maintenance End Points (MEPs): a logical entity that marks the end-point of a domain
Maintenance Intermediate Points (MIPs): a logical entity configured at a port of a switch that is an
intermediate point of a Maintenance Entity (ME). An ME is a point-to-point relationship between two
MEPs within a single domain. MIPs are internal to a domain, not at the boundary, and respond to CFM
only when triggered by linktrace and loopback messages. MIPs can be configured to snoop Continuity
Check Messages (CCMs) to build a MIP CCM database.

These roles define the relationships between all devices so that each device can monitor the layers under its
responsibility. Maintenance points drop all lower-level frames and forward all higher-level frames.
Service Provider Network
Customer Network

Customer Network

Ethernet Access

MPLS Core

MPLS Access

Customer Domain (7)

Provider Domain (6)
Operator Domain (5)

Operator Domain (5)

Operator Domain (5)

MPLS Domain (4)

MEP

MIP

Maintenance End Points
A Maintenance End Point (MEP) is a logical entity that marks the end-point of a domain. There are two
types of MEPs defined in 802.1ag for an 802.1 bridge:
•

•

Up-MEP: monitors the forwarding path internal to an bridge on the customer or provider edge; on
Dell Force10 systems the internal forwarding path is effectively the switch fabric and forwarding
engine.
Down-MEP: monitors the forwarding path external another bridge.

Configure Up- MEPs on ingress ports, ports that send traffic towards the bridge relay. Configure
Down-MEPs on egress ports, ports that send traffic away from the bridge relay.
Customer Network

towards relay

Service Provider Ethernet Access

away from relay

Up-MEP
Down-MEP

802.1ag | 73

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Implementation Information
•

Since the S-Series has a single MAC address for all physical/LAG interfaces, only one MEP is allowed
per MA (per VLAN or per MD level).

Configure CFM
Configuring CFM is a five-step process:
1. Configure the ecfmacl CAM region using the cam-acl command. Refer to Configure Ingress Layer 2
ACL Sub-partitions.
2. Enable Ethernet CFM.
3. Create a Maintenance Domain.
4. Create a Maintenance Association.
5. Create Maintenance Points.
6. Use CFM tools:
a

Continuity Check Messages

b

Loopback Message and Response

c

Linktrace Message and Response

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•

74

|

802.1ag

Enable CFM SNMP Traps.
Display Ethernet CFM Statistics

Enable Ethernet CFM
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Spawn the CFM process. No CFM configuration is
allowed until the CFM process is spawned.

ethernet cfm

CONFIGURATION

Disable Ethernet CFM without stopping the CFM
process.

disable

ETHERNET CFM

Create a Maintenance Domain
Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) divides a network into hierarchical maintenance domains, as
shown in the illustration in Maintenance Domains.
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Create maintenance domain.

domain name md-level number

ETHERNET CFM

Range: 0-7
2

Display maintenance domain information.

show ethernet cfm domain [name |
brief]

EXEC Privilege

FTOS# show ethernet cfm domain
Domain Name: customer
Level: 7
Total Service: 1
Services
MA-Name
My_MA
Domain Name: praveen
Level: 6
Total Service: 1
Services
MA-Name
Your_MA

VLAN

CC-Int

X-CHK Status

200

10s

enabled

VLAN

CC-Int

X-CHK Status

100

10s

enabled

802.1ag | 75

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Create a Maintenance Association
A Maintenance Association MA is a subdivision of an MD that contains all managed entities
corresponding to a single end-to-end service, typically a VLAN. An MA is associated with a VLAN ID.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Create maintenance association.

service name vlan vlan-id

ECFM DOMAIN

Create Maintenance Points
Domains are comprised of logical entities called Maintenance Points. A maintenance point is a interface
demarcation that confines CFM frames to a domain. There are two types of maintenance points:
•
•

Maintenance End Points (MEPs): a logical entity that marks the end-point of a domain
Maintenance Intermediate Points (MIPs): a logical entity configured at a port of a switch that
constitutes intermediate points of an Maintenance Entity (ME). An ME is a point-to-point relationship
between two MEPs within a single domain.

These roles define the relationships between all devices so that each device can monitor the layers under its
responsibility.

Create a Maintenance End Point
A Maintenance End Point (MEP) is a logical entity that marks the end-point of a domain. There are two
types of MEPs defined in 802.1ag for an 802.1 bridge:
•

•

Up-MEP: monitors the forwarding path internal to an bridge on the customer or provider edge; on
Dell Force10 systems the internal forwarding path is effectively the switch fabric and forwarding
engine.
Down-MEP: monitors the forwarding path external another bridge.

Configure Up- MEPs on ingress ports, ports that send traffic towards the bridge relay. Configure
Down-MEPs on egress ports, ports that send traffic away from the bridge relay.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Create an MEP.

ethernet cfm mep {up-mep | down-mep} domain {name | level }
ma-name name mepid mep-id

INTERFACE

Range: 1-8191
Display configured MEPs and
MIPs.

76

|

802.1ag

show ethernet cfm maintenance-points local [mep | mip]

EXEC Privilege

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

FTOS#show ethernet cfm maintenance-points local mep
------------------------------------------------------------------------------MPID
Domain Name
Level
Type
Port
CCM-Status
MA Name
VLAN
Dir
MAC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------100

cfm0
test0

7
10

MEP
DOWN

Gi 4/10
00:01:e8:59:23:45

Enabled

200

cfm1
test1

6
20

MEP
DOWN

Gi 4/10
00:01:e8:59:23:45

Enabled

300

cfm2
test2

5
30

MEP
DOWN

Gi 4/10
00:01:e8:59:23:45

Enabled

Create a Maintenance Intermediate Point
Maintenance Intermediate Point (MIP) is a logical entity configured at a port of a switch that constitutes
intermediate points of an Maintenance Entity (ME). An ME is a point-to-point relationship between two
MEPs within a single domain. An MIP is not associated with any MA or service instance, and it belongs to
the entire MD.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Create an MIP.

ethernet cfm mip domain {name | level } ma-name name

INTERFACE

Display configured MEPs and
MIPs.

show ethernet cfm maintenance-points local [mep | mip]

EXEC Privilege

FTOS#show ethernet cfm maintenance-points local mip
------------------------------------------------------------------------------MPID
Domain Name
Level
Type
Port
CCM-Status
MA Name
VLAN
Dir
MAC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------0

service1
My_MA

4
3333

MIP
DOWN

Gi 0/5
00:01:e8:0b:c6:36

Disabled

0

service1
Your_MA

4
3333

MIP
UP

Gi 0/5
00:01:e8:0b:c6:36

Disabled

MP Databases
CFM maintains two MP databases:
•

MEP Database (MEP-DB): Every MEP must maintain a database of all other MEPs in the MA that
have announced their presence via CCM.

802.1ag | 77

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

MIP Database (MIP-DB): Every MIP must maintain a database of all other MEPs in the MA that
have announced their presence via CCM

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Display the MEP Database.

show ethernet cfm maintenance-points remote detail [active |
domain {level | name} | expired | waiting]

EXEC Privilege

FTOS#show ethernet cfm maintenance-points remote detail
MAC Address: 00:01:e8:58:68:78
Domain Name: cfm0
MA Name: test0
Level: 7
VLAN: 10
MP ID: 900
Sender Chassis ID: Force10
MEP Interface status: Up
MEP Port status: Forwarding
Receive RDI: FALSE
MP Status: Active
Display the MIP Database.

show ethernet cfm mipdb

EXEC Privilege

MP Database Persistence
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Set the amount of time that data
from a missing MEP is kept in
the Continuity Check Database.

database hold-time minutes

ECFM DOMAIN

Default: 100 minutes
Range: 100-65535 minutes

Continuity Check Messages
Continuity Check Messages (CCM) are periodic hellos used to:
•
•
•
•

discover MEPs and MIPs within a maintenance domain
detect loss of connectivity between MEPs
detect misconfiguration, such as VLAN ID mismatch between MEPs
to detect unauthorized MEPs in a maintenance domain

Continuity Check Messages (CCM) are multicast Ethernet frames sent at regular intervals from each MEP.
They have a destination address based on the MD level (01:80:C2:00:00:3X where X is the MD level of
the transmitting MEP from 0 to 7). All MEPs must listen to these multicast MAC addresses and process
these messages. MIPs may optionally processes the CCM messages originated by MEPs and construct a
MIP CCM database.

78

|

802.1ag

MEPs and MIPs filter CCMs from higher and lower domain levels as described in Table 5-1, "Continuity
Check Message Processing," in 802.1ag.
Table 5-1.

Continuity Check Message Processing

Frames at

Frames from

UP-MEP Action

Down-MEP Action MIP Action

Less than my level

Bridge-relay side or Wire side

Drop

Drop

Drop

My level

Bridge-relay side

Consume

Drop

Wire side

Drop

Consume

Add to MIP-DB
and forward

Bridge-relay side or Wire side

Forward

Forward

Forward

Greater than my level

All the remote MEPs in the maintenance domain are defined on each MEP. Each MEP then expects a
periodic CCM from the configured list of MEPs. A connectivity failure is then defined as:
1. Loss of 3 consecutive CCMs from any of the remote MEP, which indicates a network failure
2. Reception of a CCM with an incorrect CCM transmission interval, which indicates a configuration
error.
3. Reception of CCM with an incorrect MEP ID or MAID, which indicates a configuration or
cross-connect error. This could happen when different VLANs are cross-connected due to a
configuration error.
4. Reception of a CCM with an MD level lower than that of the receiving MEP, which indicates a
configuration or cross-connect error.
5. Reception of a CCM containing a port status/interface status TLV, which indicates a failed bridge or
aggregated port.
The Continuity Check protocol sends fault notifications (Syslogs, and SNMP traps if enabled) whenever
any of the above errors are encountered.

Enable CCM
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable CCM.

no ccm disable

ECFM DOMAIN

Default: Disabled
2

Configure the transmit interval (mandatory).
The interval specified applies to all MEPs in
the domain.

ccm transmit-interval seconds

ECFM DOMAIN

Default: 10 seconds

802.1ag | 79

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Enable Cross-checking
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable cross-checking.

mep cross-check enable

ETHERNET CFM

Default: Disabled
Start the cross-check operation for an MEP.

mep cross-check mep-id

ETHERNET CFM

Configure the amount of time the system waits for a
remote MEP to come up before the cross-check operation
is started.

mep cross-check start-delay number

ETHERNET CFM

Loopback Message and Response
Loopback Message and Response (LBM, LBR), also called Layer 2 Ping, is an administrative echo
transmitted by MEPs to verify reachability to another MEP or MIP within the maintenance domain. LBM
and LBR are unicast frames.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Send a Loopback message.

ping ethernet domain name ma-name ma-name remote {mep-id
| mac-addr mac-address} source {mep-id | port interface}

EXEC Privilege

Linktrace Message and Response
Linktrace Message and Response (LTM, LTR), also called Layer 2 Traceroute, is an administratively sent
multicast frames transmitted by MEPs to track, hop-by-hop, the path to another MEP or MIP within the
maintenance domain. All MEPs and MIPs in the same domain respond to an LTM with a unicast LTR.
Intermediate MIPs forward the LTM toward the target MEP.

MPLS Core

MEP

Lin

MIP

ktra

c e m M essa

MIP

ge

L i n k t ra ce R e s p o n s e

80

|

802.1ag

MIP

Link trace messages carry a unicast target address (the MAC address of an MIP or MEP) inside a multicast
frame. The destination group address is based on the MD level of the transmitting MEP
(01:80:C2:00:00:3[8 to F]). The MPs on the path to the target MAC address reply to the LTM with an LTR,
and relays the LTM towards the target MAC until the target MAC is reached or TTL equals 0.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Send a Linktrace message. Since the
LTM is a Multicast message sent to the
entire ME, there is no need to specify a
destination.

traceroute ethernet domain

EXEC Privilege

Link Trace Cache
After a Link Trace command is executed, the trace information can be cached so that you can view it later
without retracing.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable Link Trace caching.

traceroute cache

CONFIGURATION

Set the amount of time a trace result is cached.

traceroute cache hold-time minutes

ETHERNET CFM

Default: 100 minutes
Range: 10-65535 minutes
Set the size of the Link Trace Cache.

traceroute cache size entries

ETHERNET CFM

Default: 100
Range: 1 - 4095 entries
Display the Link Trace Cache.

show ethernet cfm traceroute-cache

EXEC Privilege

FTOS#show ethernet cfm traceroute-cache
Traceroute to 00:01:e8:52:4a:f8 on Domain Customer2, Level 7, MA name Test2 with VLAN 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Hops
Host
IngressMAC
Ingr Action
Relay Action
Next Host
Egress MAC
Egress Action FWD Status
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------4

00:00:00:01:e8:53:4a:f8
00:00:00:01:e8:52:4a:f8

Delete all Link Trace Cache entries.

00:01:e8:52:4a:f8

IngOK

clear ethernet cfm traceroute-cache

RlyHit
Terminal MEP
EXEC Privilege

802.1ag | 81

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Enable CFM SNMP Traps.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable SNMP trap messages for
Ethernet CFM.

snmp-server enable traps ecfm

CONFIGURATION

A Trap is sent only when one of the five highest priority defects occur, as shown in Table 5-2, "ECFM
SNMP Traps," in 802.1ag.
Table 5-2.

ECFM SNMP Traps

Cross-connect defect

%ECFM-5-ECFM_XCON_ALARM: Cross connect fault detected by MEP 1 in Domain customer1 at Level 7 VLAN 1000

Error-CCM defect

%ECFM-5-ECFM_ERROR_ALARM: Error CCM Defect detected by MEP 1 in Domain customer1 at Level 7 VLAN 1000

MAC Status defect

%ECFM-5-ECFM_MAC_STATUS_ALARM: MAC Status Defect detected by MEP 1 in Domain provider at Level 4 VLAN 3000

Remote CCM defect

%ECFM-5-ECFM_REMOTE_ALARM: Remote CCM Defect detected by MEP 3 in Domain customer1 at Level 7 VLAN 1000

RDI defect

%ECFM-5-ECFM_RDI_ALARM: RDI Defect detected by MEP 3 in Domain customer1 at Level 7 VLAN 1000

Three values are giving within the trap messages: MD Index, MA Index, and MPID. You can reference
these values against the output of show ethernet cfm domain and show ethernet cfm maintenance-points local
mep.
FTOS#show ethernet cfm maintenance-points local mep
------------------------------------------------------------------------------MPID
Domain Name
Level
Type
Port
CCM-Status
MA Name
VLAN
Dir
MAC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------100

cfm0
test0

7
10

MEP
DOWN

Gi 4/10
00:01:e8:59:23:45

Enabled

FTOS(conf-if-gi-0/6)#do show ethernet cfm domain
Domain Name: My_Name
MD Index: 1
Level: 0
Total Service: 1
Services
MA-Index
MA-Name
1

test

Domain Name: Your_Name
MD Index: 2
Level: 2
Total Service: 1
Services
MA-Index
MA-Name
1

82

|

802.1ag

test

VLAN

CC-Int

X-CHK Status

0

1s

enabled

VLAN

CC-Int

X-CHK Status

1s

enabled

100

Display Ethernet CFM Statistics
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Display MEP CCM statistics.

show ethernet cfm statistics [domain {name | level}
vlan-id vlan-id mpid mpid

EXEC Privilege

FTOS#

show ethernet cfm statistics

Domain Name: Customer
Domain Level: 7
MA Name: My_MA
MPID: 300
CCMs:
Transmitted:
LTRs:
Unexpected Rcvd:
LBRs:
Received:
Received Bad MSDU:
Transmitted:
Display CFM statistics by port.

1503

RcvdSeqErrors:

0

0
0
0
0

Rcvd Out Of Order:

show ethernet cfm port-statistics [interface]

0

EXEC Privilege

FTOS#show ethernet cfm port-statistics interface gigabitethernet 0/5
Port statistics for port: Gi 0/5
==================================
RX Statistics
=============
Total CFM Pkts 75394 CCM Pkts 75394
LBM Pkts 0 LTM Pkts 0
LBR Pkts 0 LTR Pkts 0
Bad CFM Pkts 0 CFM Pkts Discarded 0
CFM Pkts forwarded 102417
TX Statistics
=============
Total CFM Pkts 10303 CCM Pkts 0
LBM Pkts 0 LTM Pkts 3
LBR Pkts 0 LTR Pkts 0

802.1ag | 83

84

|

802.1ag

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

6
802.1X
802.1X is supported on platforms:

ecsz

Protocol Overview
802.1X is a method of port security. A device connected to a port that is enabled with 802.1X is disallowed
from sending or receiving packets on the network until its identity can be verified (through a username and
password, for example). This feature is named for its IEEE specification.
802.1X employs Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)* to transfer a device’s credentials to an
authentication server (typically RADIUS) via a mandatory intermediary network access device, in this
case, a Dell Force10 switch. The network access device mediates all communication between the end-user
device and the authentication server so that the network remains secure. The network access device uses
EAP over Ethernet (EAPOL) to communicate with the end-user device and EAP over RADIUS to
communicate with the server.

The illustration above and the illustration below show how EAP frames are encapsulated in Ethernet and
RADIUS frames.

802.1X | 85

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Start Frame
Delimiter

Preamble

Destination MAC
(1:80:c2:00:00:03)

Source MAC
(Auth Port MAC)

EAPOL Frame

Ethernet Type
(0x888e)

Protocol Version
Range: 0-4
(1)
Type: 0: EAP Packet
1: EAPOL Start
2: EAPOL Logoff
3: EAPOL Key
4: EAPOL Encapsulated-ASF-Alert
Range: 1-4
Codes: 1: Request
2: Response
3: Success
4: Failure

Packet Type

Code
(0-4)

ID
(Seq Number)

FCS

EAP Frame

Length

Range: 1-255
Codes: 1: Identity
2: Notification
3: NAK
4: MD-5 Challenge
5: One-Time Challenge
6: Generic Token Card

*

Padding

EAP-Method Frame

Length

EAP-Method
Code
(0-255)

Length

EAP-Method Data
(Supplicant Requested Credentials)

Note: FTOS supports 802.1X with EAP-MD5, EAP-OTP, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, PEAPv0, PEAPv1, and
MS-CHAPv2 with PEAP.

The authentication process involves three devices:
•

The device attempting to access the network is the supplicant. The supplicant is not allowed to
communicate on the network until the port is authorized by the authenticator. It can only communicate
with the authenticator in response to 802.1X requests.
The device with which the supplicant communicates is the authenticator. The authenicator is the gate
keeper of the network. It translates and forwards requests and responses between the authentication
server and the supplicant. The authenticator also changes the status of the port based on the results of
the authentication process. The Dell Force10 switch is the authenticator.
The authentication-server selects the authentication method, verifies the information provided by the
supplicant, and grants it network access privileges.

•

•

Ports can be in one of two states:
•

Ports are in an unauthorized state by default. In this state, non-802.1X traffic cannot be forwarded in
or out of the port.
The authenticator changes the port state to authorized if the server can authenticate the supplicant. In
this state, network traffic can be forwarded normally.

•

Note: The Dell Force10 switches place 802.1X-enabled ports in the unauthorized state by default.

The Port-authentication Process
The authentication process begins when the authenticator senses that a link status has changed from down
to up:

86

|

802.1X

1. When the authenticator senses a link state change, it requests that the supplicant identify itself using an
EAP Identity Request Frame.
2. The supplicant responds with its identity in an EAP Response Identity frame.
3. The authenticator decapsulates the EAP Response from the EAPOL frame, encapsulates it in a
RADIUS Access-Request frame, and forwards the frame to the authentication server.
4. The authentication server replies with an Access-Challenge. The Access-Challenge is request that the
supplicant prove that it is who it claims to be, using a specified method (an EAP-Method). The
challenge is translated and forwarded to the supplicant by the authenticator.
5. The supplicant can negotiate the authentication method, but if it is acceptable, the supplicant provides
the requested challenge information in an EAP Response, which is translated and forwarded to the
authentication server as another Access-Request.
6. If the identity information provided by the supplicant is valid, the authentication server sends an
Access-Accept frame in which network privileges are specified. The authenticator changes the port
state to authorized, and forwards an EAP Success frame. If the identity information is invalid, the
server sends and Access-Reject frame. The port state remains unauthorized, and the authenticator
forwards EAP Failure frame
Supplicant

Authenticator

EAP over LAN (EAPOL)

Authentication
Server

EAP over RADIUS

Request Identity
Response Identity
Access Request
Access Challenge
EAP Request
EAP Reponse
Access Request
Access {Accept | Reject}
EAP {Sucess | Failure}

EAP over RADIUS
802.1X uses RADIUS to shuttle EAP packets between the authenticator and the authentication server, as
defined in RFC 3579. EAP messages are encapsulated in RADIUS packets as a type of attribute in Type,
Length, Value (TLV) format. The Type value for EAP messages is 79.

802.1X | 87

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Code

Identifier

Length

Range: 1-4
Codes: 1: Access-Request
2: Access-Accept
3: Access-Reject
11: Access-Challenge

Message-Authenticator
Attribute

Type
(79)

EAP-Message Attribute

Length

EAP-Method Data
(Supplicant Requested Credentials)

fnC0034mp

RADIUS Attributes for 802.1 Support
Dell Force10 systems includes the following RADIUS attributes in all 802.1X-triggered Access-Request
messages:
•
•
•
•

Attribute 31—Calling-station-id: relays the supplicant MAC address to the authentication server.
Attribute 41—NAS-Port-Type: NAS-port physical port type. 15 indicates Ethernet.
Attribute 61—NAS-Port: the physical port number by which the authenticator is connected to the
supplicant.
Attribute 81—Tunnel-Private-Group-ID: associate a tunneled session with a particular group of
users.

Configuring 802.1X
Configuring 802.1X on a port is a one-step process:
1. Enabling 802.1X.

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•
•
•
•
•

88

|

802.1X

Configuring Request Identity Re-transmissions
Forcibly Authorizing or Unauthorizing a Port
Re-authenticating a Port
Configuring Timeouts
Configuring a Guest VLAN
Configuring an Authentication-fail VLAN

Important Points to Remember
•
•
•
•

FTOS supports 802.1X with EAP-MD5, EAP-OTP, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, PEAPv0, PEAPv1, and
MS-CHAPv2 with PEAP.
All platforms support only RADIUS as the authentication server.
If the primary RADIUS server becomes unresponsive, the authenticator begins using a secondary
RADIUS server, if configured.
802.1X is not supported on port-channels or port-channel members.

Enabling 802.1X
802.1X must be enabled globally.

To enable 802.1X:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Enable 802.1X globally.

dot1x authentication

CONFIGURATION

2

Enter INTERFACE mode on an interface or a range of
interfaces.

interface [range]

INTERFACE

3

Enable 802.1X on the supplicant interface only.

dot1x authentication

INTERFACE

Verify that 802.1X is enabled globally and at interface level using the command show running-config | find
dot1x from EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in the example below.
FTOS#show running-config | find dot1x
dot1x authentication
!
[output omitted]
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet 2/1

802.1X | 89

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

no ip address
dot1x authentication
no shutdown
!
FTOS#

View 802.1X configuration information for an interface using the command show dot1x interface, as
shown in the example below.
FTOS#show dot1x interface TenGigabitEthernet 2/1
802.1x information on Te 2/1:
----------------------------Dot1x Status:
Enable
Port Control:
AUTO
Port Auth Status:
UNAUTHORIZED
Re-Authentication:
Disable
Untagged VLAN id:
None
Guest VLAN:
Disable
Guest VLAN id:
NONE
Auth-Fail VLAN:
Disable
Auth-Fail VLAN id:
NONE
Auth-Fail Max-Attempts:
NONE
Mac-Auth-Bypass:
Disable
Mac-Auth-Bypass Only:
Disable
Tx Period:
30 seconds
Quiet Period:
60 seconds
ReAuth Max:
2
Supplicant Timeout:
30 seconds
Server Timeout:
30 seconds
Re-Auth Interval:
3600 seconds
Max-EAP-Req:
2
Host Mode:
SINGLE_HOST
Auth PAE State:
Initialize
Backend State:
Initialize

Configuring Request Identity Re-transmissions
If the authenticator sends a Request Identity frame, but the supplicant does not respond, the authenticator
waits 30 seconds and then re-transmits the frame. The amount of time that the authenticator waits before
re-transmitting and the maximum number of times that the authenticator re-transmits are configurable.
Note: There are several reasons why the supplicant might fail to respond; the supplicant might have been
booting when the request arrived, or there might be a physical layer problem.

90

|

802.1X

To configure the amount of time that the authenticator waits before re-transmitting an EAP Request
Identity frame:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure the amount of time that the authenticator
waits before re-transmitting an EAP Request Identity
frame.

dot1x tx-period number

INTERFACE

Range: 1 - 65535 (1 year)
Default: 30

To configure a maximum number of Request Identity re-transmissions:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure a maximum number of times that a Request
Identity frame can be re-transmitted by the
authenticator.

dot1x max-eap-req number

INTERFACE

Range: 1- 10
Default: 2

The example in Configuring a Quiet Period after a Failed Authentication shows configuration information
for a port for which the authenticator re-transmits an EAP Request Identity frame after 90 seconds and
re-transmits a maximum of 10 times.

Configuring a Quiet Period after a Failed Authentication
If the supplicant fails the authentication process, the authenticator sends another Request Identity frame
after 30 seconds by default, but this period can be configured.
Note: The quiet period (dot1x quiet-period) is an transmit interval for after a failed authentication where as
the Request Identity Re-transmit interval (dot1x tx-period) is for an unresponsive supplicant.

To configure the quiet period after a failed authentication:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure the amount of time that the authenticator
waits to re-transmit a Request Identity frame after a
failed authentication.

dot1x quiet-period seconds

INTERFACE

Range: 1- 65535
Default: 60

The example below shows configuration information for a port for which the authenticator re-transmits an
EAP Request Identity frame:
•
•

after 90 seconds and a maximum of 10 times for an unresponsive supplicant
Re-transmits an EAP Request Identity frame

FTOS(conf-if-range-Te-0/0)#dot1x tx-period 90
FTOS(conf-if-range-Te-0/0)#dot1x max-eap-req 10
FTOS(conf-if-range-Te-0/0)#dot1x quiet-period 120
FTOS#show dot1x interface TenGigabitEthernet 2/1

802.1X | 91

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

802.1x information on Te 2/1:
----------------------------Dot1x Status:
Enable
Port Control:
AUTO
Port Auth Status:
UNAUTHORIZED
Re-Authentication:
Disable
Untagged VLAN id:
None
Tx Period:
90 seconds
Quiet Period:
120 seconds
ReAuth Max:
2
Supplicant Timeout: 30 seconds
Server Timeout:
30 seconds
Re-Auth Interval:
3600 seconds
Max-EAP-Req:
10
Auth Type:
SINGLE_HOST
Auth PAE State:
Backend State:

Initialize
Initialize

Forcibly Authorizing or Unauthorizing a Port
IEEE 802.1X requires that a port can be manually placed into any of three states:
•

ForceAuthorized is an authorized state. A device connected to this port in this state is never subjected
to the authentication process, but is allowed to communicate on the network. Placing the port in this
state is same as disabling 802.1X on the port.
ForceUnauthorized an unauthorized state. A device connected to a port in this state is never subjected
to the authentication process and is not allowed to communicate on the network. Placing the port in
this state is the same as shutting down the port. Any attempt by the supplicant to initiate authentication
is ignored.
Auto is an unauthorized state by default. A device connected to this port is this state is subjected to the
authentication process. If the process is successful, the port is authorized and the connected device can
communicate on the network. All ports are placed in the auto state by default.

•

•

To place a port in one of these three states:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Place a port in the ForceAuthorized,
ForceUnauthorized, or Auto state.

dot1x port-control {force-authorized |
force-unauthorized | auto}

INTERFACE

Default: auto

The example below shows configuration information for a port that has been force-authorized.
FTOS(conf-if-Te-0/0)#dot1x port-control force-authorized
FTOS(conf-if-Te-0/0)#show dot1x interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/0

92

|

802.1X

802.1x information on Te 0/0:
----------------------------Dot1x Status:
Enable
Port Control:
FORCE_AUTHORIZED
Port Auth Status:
UNAUTHORIZED
Re-Authentication:
Disable
Untagged VLAN id:
None
Tx Period:
90 seconds
Quiet Period:
120 seconds
ReAuth Max:
2
Supplicant Timeout: 30 seconds
Server Timeout:
30 seconds
Re-Auth Interval:
3600 seconds
Max-EAP-Req:
10
Auth Type:
SINGLE_HOST
Auth PAE State:
Backend State:
Auth PAE State:
Backend State:

Initialize
Initialize
Initialize
Initialize

Re-authenticating a Port
Periodic Re-authentication
After the supplicant has been authenticated, and the port has been authorized, the authenticator can be
configured to re-authenticates the supplicant periodically. If re-authentication is enabled, the supplicant is
required to re-authenticate every 3600 seconds, but this interval can be configured. A maximum number of
re-authentications can be configured as well.
To configure a re-authentication or a re-authentication period:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure the authenticator to
periodically re-authenticate the
supplicant.

dot1x reauthentication [interval] seconds

INTERFACE

Range: 1-65535
Default:3600

802.1X | 93

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To configure a maximum number of re-authentications:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure the maximum number of
times that the supplicant can be
reauthenticated.

dot1x reauth-max number

INTERFACE

Range: 1-10
Default: 2

FTOS(conf-if-Te-0/0)#dot1x reauthentication interval 7200
FTOS(conf-if-Te-0/0)#dot1x reauth-max 10
FTOS(conf-if-Te-0/0)#do show dot1x interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/0
802.1x information on Te 0/0:
----------------------------Dot1x Status:
Enable
Port Control:
FORCE_AUTHORIZED
Port Auth Status:
UNAUTHORIZED
Re-Authentication:
Enable
Untagged VLAN id:
None
Tx Period:
90 seconds
Quiet Period:
120 seconds
ReAuth Max:
10
Supplicant Timeout: 30 seconds
Server Timeout:
30 seconds
Re-Auth Interval:
7200 seconds
Max-EAP-Req:
10
Auth Type:
SINGLE_HOST
Auth PAE State:
Backend State:
Auth PAE State:
Backend State:

Initialize
Initialize
Initialize
Initialize

Configuring Timeouts
If the supplicant or the authentication server is unresponsive, the authenticator terminates the
authentication process after 30 seconds by default. This amount of time that the authenticator waits for a
response can be configured.
To terminate the authentication process due to an unresponsive supplicant:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Terminate the authentication process due to an
unresponsive supplicant.

dot1x supplicant-timeout seconds

INTERFACE

Range: 1-300
Default: 30

94

|

802.1X

To terminate the authentication process due to an unresponsive authentication server:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Terminate the authentication process due to an
unresponsive authentication server.

dot1x server-timeout seconds

INTERFACE

Range: 1-300
Default: 30

The example below shows configuration information for a port for which the authenticator terminates the
authentication process for an unresponsive supplicant or server after 15 seconds.
FTOS(conf-if-Te-0/0)#dot1x port-control force-authorized
FTOS(conf-if-Te-0/0)#do show dot1x interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/0
802.1x information on Te 0/0:
----------------------------Dot1x Status:
Enable
Port Control:
FORCE_AUTHORIZED
Port Auth Status:
UNAUTHORIZED
Re-Authentication:
Disable
Untagged VLAN id:
None
Guest VLAN:
Disable
Guest VLAN id:
NONE
Auth-Fail VLAN:
Disable
Auth-Fail VLAN id:
NONE
Auth-Fail Max-Attempts:
NONE
Tx Period:
90 seconds
Quiet Period:
120 seconds
ReAuth Max:
10
Supplicant Timeout:
15 seconds
Server Timeout:
15 seconds
Re-Auth Interval:
7200 seconds
Max-EAP-Req:
10
Auth Type:
SINGLE_HOST
Auth PAE State:
Backend State:

Initialize
Initialize

802.1X | 95

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Dynamic VLAN Assignment with Port Authentication
FTOS supports dynamic VLAN assignment when using 802.1X. The basis for VLAN assignment is
RADIUS attribute 81, Tunnel-Private-Group-ID. Dynamic VLAN assignment uses the standard dot1x
procedure: 1) the host sends a dot1x packet to the Dell Force10system, 2) the system forwards a RADIUS
REQEST packet containing the host MAC address and ingress port number, and 3) the RADIUS server
authenticates the request and returns a RADIUS ACCEPT message with the VLAN assignment using
Tunnel-Private-Group-ID.
Step

Task

1

Configure 8021.x globally (refer to Enabling 802.1X) along with relevant RADIUS server configurations (refer to
the illustration in Dynamic VLAN Assignment with Port Authentication).

2

Make the interface a switchport so that it can be assigned to a VLAN.

3

Create the VLAN to which the interface will be assigned.

4

Connect the supplicant to the port configured for 802.1X.

5

Verify that the port has been authorized and placed in the desired VLAN (refer to the illustration in Dynamic
VLAN Assignment with Port Authentication).

The illustration below shows the configuration on the Dell Force10 system before connecting the end-user
device in black and blue text, and after connecting the device in red text. The blue text corresponds to the
preceding numbered steps on dynamic VLAN assignment with 802.1X.

96

|

802.1X

Guest and Authentication-fail VLANs
Typically, the authenticator (Dell Force10 system) denies the supplicant access to the network until the
supplicant is authenticated. If the supplicant is authenticated, the authenticator enables the port and places
it in either the VLAN for which the port is configured, or the VLAN that the authentication server indicates
in the authentication data.
Note: Ports cannot be dynamically assigned to the default VLAN.

If the supplicant fails authentication, the authenticator typically does not enable the port. In some cases this
behavior is not appropriate. External users of an enterprise network, for example, might not be able to be
authenticated, but still need access to the network. Also, some dumb-terminals such as network printers do
not have 802.1X capability and therefore cannot authenticate themselves. To be able to connect such
devices, they must be allowed access the network without compromising network security.
The Guest VLAN 802.1X extension addresses this limitation with regard to non-802.1X capable devices,
and the Authentication-fail VLAN 802.1X extension addresses this limitation with regard to external users.
•
•

If the supplicant fails authentication a specified number of times, the authenticator places the port in
the Authentication-fail VLAN.
If a port is already forwarding on the Guest VLAN when 802.1X is enabled, then the port is moved out
of the Guest VLAN, and the authentication process begins.

Configuring a Guest VLAN
If the supplicant does not respond within a determined amount of time ([reauth-max + 1] * tx-period, (refer to
Configuring Timeouts) the system assumes that the host does not have 802.1X capability, and the port is
placed in the Guest VLAN.
Configure a port to be placed in the Guest VLAN after failing to respond within the timeout period using
the command dot1x guest-vlan from INTERFACE mode, as shown in the example below.
FTOS(conf-if-Te-2/1)#dot1x guest-vlan 200
FTOS(conf-if-Te 2/1))#show config
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet 21
switchport
dot1x guest-vlan 200
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-Te 2/1))#

View your configuration using the command show config from INTERFACE mode, as shown in the
example above, or using the command show dot1x interface command from EXEC Privilege mode as
shown in the second example below.

802.1X | 97

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configuring an Authentication-fail VLAN
If the supplicant fails authentication, the authenticator re-attempts to authenticate after a specified amount
of time (30 seconds by default, see Configuring a Quiet Period after a Failed Authentication). You can
configure the maximum number of times the authenticator re-attempts authentication after a failure (3 by
default), after which the port is placed in the Authentication-fail VLAN.
Configure a port to be placed in the VLAN after failing the authentication process as specified number of
times using the command dot1x auth-fail-vlan from INTERFACE mode, as shown in the example below.
Configure the maximum number of authentication attempts by the authenticator using the keyword
max-attempts with this command.
FTOS(conf-if-Te-2/1)#dot1x guest-vlan 200
FTOS(conf-if-Te 2/1)#show config
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet 2/1
switchport
dot1x authentication
dot1x guest-vlan 200
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-Te-2/1)#
FTOS(conf-if-Te-2/1)#dot1x auth-fail-vlan 100 max-attempts 5
FTOS(conf-if-Te-2/1)#show config
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet 2/1
switchport
dot1x authentication
dot1x guest-vlan 200
dot1x auth-fail-vlan 100 max-attempts 5
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-Te-2/1)#

View your configuration using the command show config from INTERFACE mode, as shown in the
example in Configuring a Guest VLAN, or using the command show dot1x interface command from EXEC
Privilege mode as shown in the example below.
FTOS(conf-if-Te 2/1)#dot1x port-control force-authorized
FTOS(conf-if-Te 2/1)#show dot1x interface TenGigabitEthernet 2/1
802.1x information on Te 2/1:
----------------------------Dot1x Status:
Enable
Port Control:
FORCE_AUTHORIZED
Port Auth Status:
UNAUTHORIZED
Re-Authentication:
Disable
Untagged VLAN id:
None
Guest VLAN:
Disabled
Guest VLAN id:
200
Auth-Fail VLAN:
Disabled

98

|

802.1X

Auth-Fail VLAN id:
Auth-Fail Max-Attempts:
Tx Period:
Quiet Period:
ReAuth Max:
Supplicant Timeout:
Server Timeout:
Re-Auth Interval:
Max-EAP-Req:
Auth Type:

100
5
90 seconds
120 seconds
10
15 seconds
15 seconds
7200 seconds
10
SINGLE_HOST

Auth PAE State:
Backend State:

Initialize
Initialize

802.1X | 99

100

|

802.1X

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

7
Access Control Lists (ACLs)
This chapter describes the Access Control Lists (ACLs), prefix lists, and route-maps.

ecsz
Ingress IP and MAC ACLs are supported on platforms: e c s z
Egress IP and MAC ACLs are supported on platforms: e s z

Access Control Lists (ACLs) are supported on platforms:

Overview
At their simplest, Access Control Lists (ACLs), Prefix lists, and Route-maps permit or deny traffic based
on MAC and/or IP addresses. This chapter discusses implementing IP ACLs, IP Prefix lists and
Route-maps. For MAC ACLS, refer to Layer 2.
An ACL is essentially a filter containing some criteria to match (examine IP, TCP, or UDP packets) and an
action to take (permit or deny). ACLs are processed in sequence so that if a packet does not match the
criterion in the first filter, the second filter (if configured) is applied. When a packet matches a filter, the
switch drops or forwards the packet based on the filter’s specified action. If the packet does not match any
of the filters in the ACL, the packet is dropped ( implicit deny).
The number of ACLs supported on a system depends on your CAM size. See CAM Profiling, CAM
Allocation, and CAM Optimization in this chapter for more information. Refer to Content Addressable
Memory (CAM) for complete CAM profiling information.
This chapter covers the following topics:
•

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

IP Access Control Lists (ACLs)
• CAM Profiling, CAM Allocation, and CAM Optimization
• Implementing ACLs on FTOS
IP Fragment Handling
Configure a standard IP ACL
Configure an extended IP ACL
Configuring Layer 2 and Layer 3 ACLs on an Interface
Assign an IP ACL to an Interface
Configuring Ingress ACLs
Configuring Egress ACLs

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 101

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•
•

Configuring ACLs to Loopback
• Applying an ACL on Loopback Interfaces
IP Prefix Lists
ACL Resequencing
Route Maps

IP Access Control Lists (ACLs)
In the Dell Force10 switch/routers, you can create two different types of IP ACLs: standard or extended. A
standard ACL filters packets based on the source IP packet. An extended ACL filters traffic based on the
following criteria (for more information on ACL supported options see the FTOS Command Reference):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

IP protocol number
Source IP address
Destination IP address
Source TCP port number
Destination TCP port number
Source UDP port number
Destination UDP port number

For extended ACL TCP and UDP filters, you can match criteria on specific or ranges of TCP or UDP
ports. For extended ACL TCP filters, you can also match criteria on established TCP sessions.
When creating an access list, the sequence of the filters is important. You have a choice of assigning
sequence numbers to the filters as you enter them, or FTOS will assign numbers in the order the filters are
created. The sequence numbers, whether configured or assigned by FTOS, are listed in the show config
and show ip accounting access-list command display output.
Ingress and egress Hot Lock ACLs allow you to append or delete new rules into an existing ACL (already
written into CAM) without disrupting traffic flow. Existing entries in CAM are shuffled to accommodate
the new entries. Hot Lock ACLs are enabled by default and support both standard and extended ACLs and
on all platforms.
Note: Hot Lock ACLs are supported for Ingress ACLs only.

CAM Profiling, CAM Allocation, and CAM Optimization
CAM Profiling is supported on platform

e

User Configurable CAM Allocations are supported on platform
CAM optimization is supported on platforms

102

|

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

cs

c and s

CAM Profiling
CAM optimization is supported on platforms

et

The default CAM profile has 1K Layer 2 ingress ACL entries. If you need more memory for Layer 2
ingress ACLs, select the profile l2-ipv4-inacl.
When budgeting your CAM allocations for ACLs and QoS configurations, remember that ACL and QoS
rules might consume more than one CAM entry depending on complexity. For example, TCP and UDP
rules with port range options might require more than one CAM entry.
The Layer 2 ACL CAM partition has sub-partitions for several types of information. Table 7-1 lists the
sub-partition and the percentage of the Layer 2 ACL CAM partition that FTOS allocates to each by default.
Table 7-1.
Partition

Layer 2 ACL CAM Sub-partition Sizes
% Allocated

Sysflow

6

L2ACL

14

*PVST

50

QoS

12

L2PT

13

FRRP

5

You can re-configure the amount of space, in percentage, allocated to each sub-partition. As with the
IPv4Flow partition, you can configure the Layer 2 ACL partition from EXEC Privilege mode or
CONFIGURATION mode.
The amount of space that you can distribute to the sub-partitions is equal to the amount of CAM space that
the selected CAM profile allocates to the Layer 2 ACL partition. FTOS requires that you specify the
amount of CAM space for all sub-partitions and that the sum of all sub-partitions is 100%. FTOS displays
the following message if the total allocated space is not correct:
% Error: Sum of all regions does not total to 100%.

User Configurable CAM Allocation
User Configurable CAM Allocations are supported on platform

c and

Allocate space for IPV6 ACLs on the by using the cam-acl command in CONFIGURATION mode.
The CAM space is allotted in FP blocks. The total space allocated must equal 13 FP blocks. Note that there
are 16 FP blocks, but the System Flow requires 3 blocks that cannot be reallocated. The default CAM
Allocation settings on a C-Series matching are:

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 103

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•
•
•

L3 ACL (ipv4acl): 6
L2 ACL(l2acl): 5
IPv6 L3 ACL (ipv6acl): 0
L3 QoS (ipv4qos): 1
L2 QoS (l2qos): 1

The ipv6acl allocation must be entered as a factor of 2 (2, 4, 6, 8, 10). All other profile allocations can use
either even or odd numbered ranges.
You must save the new CAM settings to the startup-config (write-mem or copy run start) then reload the
system for the new settings to take effect.

CAM optimization
CAM optimization is supported on platforms

cs

When this command is enabled, if a Policy Map containing classification rules (ACL and/or dscp/
ip-precedence rules) is applied to more than one physical interface on the same port-pipe, only a single
copy of the policy is written (only 1 FP entry will be used). When the command is disabled, the system
behaves as described in this chapter.

Test CAM Usage
The test cam-usage command is supported on platforms

ces

This command applies to both IPv4 and IPv6 CAM profiles, but is best used when verifying QoS
optimization for IPv6 ACLs.
Use this command to determine whether sufficient ACL CAM space is available to enable a service-policy.
Create a Class Map with all required ACL rules, then execute the test cam-usage command in Privilege
mode to verify the actual CAM space required. The example below gives a sample of the output shown
when executing the command. The status column indicates whether or not the policy can be enabled.
FTOS#test cam-usage service-policy input TestPolicy linecard all
Linecard | Portpipe | CAM Partition | Available CAM | Estimated CAM per Port | Status
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2 |
1 | IPv4Flow
|
232 |
0 | Allowed
2 |
1 | IPv6Flow
|
0 |
0 | Allowed
4 |
0 | IPv4Flow
|
232 |
0 | Allowed
4 |
0 | IPv6Flow
|
0 |
0 | Allowed
FTOS#

104

|

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Implementing ACLs on FTOS
One IP ACL can be assigned per interface with FTOS. If an IP ACL is not assigned to an interface, it is not
used by the software in any other capacity.
The number of entries allowed per ACL is hardware-dependent. Refer to your line card documentation for
detailed specification on entries allowed per ACL.
If counters are enabled on IP ACL rules that are already configured, those counters are reset when a new
rule is inserted or prepended. If a rule is appended, the existing counters are not affected. This is applicable
to the following features:
•
•
•

L2 Ingress Access list
L2 Egress Access list
L3 Egress Access list

Note: IP ACLs are supported over VLANs in Version 6.2.1.1 and higher.
V

ACLs and VLANs
There are some differences when assigning ACLs to a VLAN rather than a physical port. For example,
when using a single port-pipe, if you apply an ACL to a VLAN, one copy of the ACL entries would get
installed in the ACL CAM on the port-pipe. The entry would look for the incoming VLAN in the packet.
Whereas if you apply an ACL on individual ports of a VLAN, separate copies of the ACL entries would be
installed for each port belonging to a port-pipe.
When you use the log keyword, CP processor will have to log details about the packets that match.
Depending on how many packets match the log entry and at what rate, CP might become busy as it has to
log these packets’ details. However the other processors (RP1 and RP2) should be unaffected. This option
is typically useful when debugging some problem related to control traffic. We have used this option
numerous times in the field and have not encountered any problems in such usage so far.

ACL Optimization
If an access list contains duplicate entries, FTOS deletes one entry to conserve CAM space. Standard and
Extended ACLs take up the same amount of CAM space. A single ACL rule uses 2 CAM entries whether
it is identified as a Standard or Extended ACL.

Determine the order in which ACLs are used to classify traffic
When you link class-maps to queues using the command service-queue, FTOS matches the class-maps
according to queue priority (queue numbers closer to 0 have lower priorities). For example, in the example
below, class-map cmap2 is matched against ingress packets before cmap1.

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 105

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

ACLs acl1 and acl2 have overlapping rules because the address range 20.1.1.0/24 is within 20.0.0.0/8.
Therefore, (without the keyword order) packets within the range 20.1.1.0/24 match positive against cmap1
and are buffered in queue 7, though you intended for these packets to match positive against cmap2 and be
buffered in queue 4.
In cases such as these, where class-maps with overlapping ACL rules are applied to different queues, use
the order keyword to specify the order in which you want to apply ACL rules, as shown in the example
below. The order can range from 0 to 254. FTOS writes to the CAM ACL rules with lower order numbers
(order numbers closer to 0) before rules with higher order numbers so that packets are matched as you
intended. By default, all ACL rules have an order of 254.
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list standard acl1
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#permit 20.0.0.0/8
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#exit
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list standard acl2
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#permit 20.1.1.0/24 order 0
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#exit
FTOS(conf)#class-map match-all cmap1
FTOS(conf-class-map)#match ip access-group acl1
FTOS(conf-class-map)#exit
FTOS(conf)#class-map match-all cmap2
FTOS(conf-class-map)#match ip access-group acl2
FTOS(conf-class-map)#exit
FTOS(conf)#policy-map-input pmap
FTOS(conf-policy-map-in)#service-queue 7 class-map cmap1
FTOS(conf-policy-map-in)#service-queue 4 class-map cmap2
FTOS(conf-policy-map-in)#exit
FTOS(conf)#interface gig 1/0
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/0)#service-policy input pmap

IP Fragment Handling
FTOS supports a configurable option to explicitly deny IP fragmented packets, particularly second and
subsequent packets. It extends the existing ACL command syntax with the fragments keyword for all Layer
3 rules applicable to all Layer protocols (permit/deny ip/tcp/udp/icmp).
•
•

•
•
•
•

106

|

Both standard and extended ACLs support IP fragments.
Second and subsequent fragments are allowed because a Layer 4 rule cannot be applied to these
fragments. If the packet is to be denied eventually, the first fragment would be denied and hence the
packet as a whole cannot be reassembled.
Implementing the required rules will use a significant number of CAM entries per TCP/UDP entry.
For IP ACL, FTOS always applies implicit deny. You do not have to configure it.
For IP ACL, FTOS applies implicit permit for second and subsequent fragment just prior to the
implicit deny.
If an explicit deny is configured, the second and subsequent fragments will not hit the implicit permit
rule for fragments.

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

•

Loopback interfaces do not support ACLs using the IP fragment option. If you configure an ACL with
the fragments option and apply it to a loopback interface, the command is accepted, but the ACL
entries are not actually installed the offending rule in CAM.

IP fragments ACL examples
The following configuration permits all packets (both fragmented & non-fragmented) with destination IP
10.1.1.1. The second rule does not get hit at all.
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list extended ABC
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#permit ip any 10.1.1.1/32
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#deny ip any 10.1.1.1./32 fragments
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)

To deny second/subsequent fragments, use the same rules in a different order. These ACLs deny all second
& subsequent fragments with destination IP 10.1.1.1 but permit the first fragment & non fragmented
packets with destination IP 10.1.1.1.
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list extended ABC
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#deny ip any 10.1.1.1/32 fragments
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#permit ip any 10.1.1.1/32
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)

Layer 4 ACL rules examples
In the below scenario, first fragments non-fragmented TCP packets from 10.1.1.1 with TCP destination
port equal to 24 are permitted. All other fragments are denied.
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list extended ABC
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#permit tcp host 10.1.1.1 any eq 24
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#deny ip any any fragment
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)

In the following, TCP packets that are first fragments or non-fragmented from host 10.1.1.1 with TCP
destination port equal to 24 are permitted. Additionally, all TCP non-first fragments from host 10.1.1.1 are
permitted. All other IP packets that are non-first fragments are denied.
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list extended ABC
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#permit tcp host 10.1.1.1 any eq 24
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#permit tcp host 10.1.1.1 any fragment
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#deny ip any any fragment
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)

To log all the packets denied and to override the implicit deny rule and the implicit permit rule for TCP/
UDP fragments, use a configuration similar to the following.
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list extended ABC
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#permit tcp any any fragment
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#permit udp any any fragment
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#deny ip any any log

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 107

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)

Note the following when configuring ACLs with the fragments keyword.
When an ACL filters packets it looks at the Fragment Offset (FO) to determine whether or not it is a fragment.

•
•

FO = 0 means it is either the first fragment or the packet is a non-fragment.
FO > 0 means it is dealing with the fragments of the original packet.

Permit ACL line with L3 information only, and the fragments keyword is present:
If a packet's L3 information matches the L3 information in the ACL line, the packet's fragment offset (FO) is
checked.

•
•

If a packet's FO > 0, the packet is permitted.
If a packet's FO = 0 , the next ACL entry is processed.

Deny ACL line with L3 information only, and the fragments keyword is present:
If a packet's L3 information does match the L3 information in the ACL line, the packet's fragment offset (FO) is
checked.

•
•

If a packet's FO > 0, the packet is denied.
If a packet's FO = 0, the next ACL line is processed.

Configure a standard IP ACL
To configure an ACL, use commands in the IP ACCESS LIST mode and the INTERFACE mode. The
following list includes the configuration tasks for IP ACLs:
For a complete listing of all commands related to IP ACLs, refer to the FTOS Command Line Interface
Reference document.
Refer to Configure an extended IP ACL to set up extended ACLs.
A standard IP ACL uses the source IP address as its match criterion.
To configure a standard IP ACL, use these commands in the following sequence:
Step
1

2

108

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip access-list standard access-listname

CONFIGURATION

Enter IP ACCESS LIST mode by
naming a standard IP access list.

seq sequence-number {deny | permit}
{source [mask] | any | host ip-address}
[count [byte] | log ] [order] [monitor]
[fragments]

CONFIG-STD-NACL

Configure a drop or forward filter. The
parameters are:
• log and monitor options are
supported on E-Series only.

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Note: When assigning sequence numbers to filters, keep in mind that you might need to insert a
new filter. To prevent reconfiguring multiple filters, assign sequence numbers in multiples of five or
another number.

When you use the log keyword, CP processor logs details about the packets that match. Depending on how
many packets match the log entry and at what rate, the CP may become busy as it has to log these packets’
details.
To view the rules of a particular ACL configured on a particular interface, use the show ip accounting
access-list ACL-name interface interface command in EXEC Privilege mode as shown in the example
below.
FTOS#show ip accounting access ToOspf interface gig 1/6
Standard IP access list ToOspf
seq 5 deny any
seq 10 deny 10.2.0.0 /16
seq 15 deny 10.3.0.0 /16
seq 20 deny 10.4.0.0 /16
seq 25 deny 10.5.0.0 /16
seq 30 deny 10.6.0.0 /16
seq 35 deny 10.7.0.0 /16
seq 40 deny 10.8.0.0 /16
seq 45 deny 10.9.0.0 /16
seq 50 deny 10.10.0.0 /16
FTOS#

The example below illustrates how the seq command orders the filters according to the sequence number
assigned. In the example, filter 25 was configured before filter 15, but the show config command displays
the filters in the correct order.
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#seq 25 deny ip host 10.5.0.0 any log
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#seq 15 permit tcp 10.3.0.0 /16 any
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#show config
!
ip access-list standard dilling
seq 15 permit tcp 10.3.0.0/16 any
seq 25 deny ip host 10.5.0.0 any log
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#

To delete a filter, use the no seq sequence-number command in the IP ACCESS LIST mode.
If you are creating a standard ACL with only one or two filters, you can let FTOS assign a sequence
number based on the order in which the filters are configured. The software assigns filters in multiples of 5.

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 109

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To configure a filter without a specified sequence number, use these commands in the following sequence,
starting in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip access-list standard

CONFIGURATION

Create a standard IP ACL and assign it a
unique name.

CONFIG-STD-NACL

Configure a drop or forward IP ACL filter.
• log and monitor options are supported
on E-Series only.

access-list-name

2

{deny | permit} {source [mask] | any
| host ip-address} [count [byte] |
log ] [order] [monitor] [fragments]

When you use the log keyword, CP processor logs details about the packets that match. Depending on how
many packets match the log entry and at what rate, the CP may become busy as it has to log these packets’
details.
The example below illustrates a standard IP ACL in which the sequence numbers were assigned by the
FTOS. The filters were assigned sequence numbers based on the order in which they were configured (for
example, the first filter was given the lowest sequence number). The show config command in the IP
ACCESS LIST mode displays the two filters with the sequence numbers 5 and 10.
FTOS(config-route-map)#ip access standard kigali
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#permit 10.1.0.0/16
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#show config
!
ip access-list standard kigali
seq 5 permit 10.1.0.0/16
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#

To view all configured IP ACLs, use the show ip accounting access-list command in the EXEC Privilege
mode as shown in the example below.
FTOS#show ip accounting access example interface gig 4/12
Extended IP access list example
seq 10 deny tcp any any eq 111
seq 15 deny udp any any eq 111
seq 20 deny udp any any eq 2049
seq 25 deny udp any any eq 31337
seq 30 deny tcp any any range 12345 12346
seq 35 permit udp host 10.21.126.225 10.4.5.0 /28
seq 40 permit udp host 10.21.126.226 10.4.5.0 /28
seq 45 permit udp 10.8.0.0 /16 10.50.188.118 /31 range 1812 1813
seq 50 permit tcp 10.8.0.0 /16 10.50.188.118 /31 eq 49
seq 55 permit udp 10.15.1.0 /24 10.50.188.118 /31 range 1812 1813

To delete a filter, enter the show config command in the IP ACCESS LIST mode and locate the sequence
number of the filter you want to delete. Then use the no seq sequence-number command in the IP ACCESS
LIST mode.

110

|

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Configure an extended IP ACL
Extended IP ACLs filter on source and destination IP addresses, IP host addresses, TCP addresses, TCP
host addresses, UDP addresses, and UDP host addresses.
Since traffic passes through the filter in the order of the filter’s sequence, you can configure the extended
IP ACL by first entering the IP ACCESS LIST mode and then assigning a sequence number to the filter.
Note: On E-Series ExaScale systems, TCP ACL flags are not supported in an extended ACL with IPv6
microcode. An error message is shown if IPv6 microcode is configured and an ACL is entered with a TCP
filter included.
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl)#seq 8 permit tcp any any urg
May 5 08:32:34: %E90MJ:0 %ACL_AGENT-2-ACL_AGENT_ENTRY_ERROR: Unable to write seq
8 of list test as individual TCP flags are not supported on linecard 0

Configure filters with sequence number
To create a filter for packets with a specified sequence number, use these commands in the following
sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

2

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip access-list extended
access-list-name

CONFIGURATION

Enter the IP ACCESS LIST mode by creating
an extended IP ACL.

CONFIG-EXT-NACL

Configure a drop or forward filter.
• log and monitor options are supported on
E-Series only.

seq sequence-number
{deny | permit}
{ip-protocol-number |
icmp | ip | tcp | udp}
{source mask | any | host
ip-address} {destination
mask | any | host
ip-address} [operator
port [port]] [count [byte]
| log ] [order] [monitor]
[fragments]

When you use the log keyword, CP processor logs details about the packets that match. Depending on how
many packets match the log entry and at what rate, the CP may become busy as it has to log these packets’
details.

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 111

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

TCP packets: To create a filter for TCP packets with a specified sequence number, use these commands in
the following sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip access-list extended

CONFIGURATION

Create an extended IP ACL and assign it a
unique name.

CONFIG-EXT-NACL

Configure an extended IP ACL filter for TCP
packets.
• log and monitor options are supported on
E-Series only.

access-list-name

2

seq sequence-number
{deny | permit} tcp
{source mask | any |
host ip-address}}
[count [byte] | log ]
[order] [monitor]
[fragments]

When you use the log keyword, CP processor logs details about the packets that match. Depending on how
many packets match the log entry and at what rate, the CP may become busy as it has to log these packets’
details.
UDP packets: To create a filter for UDP packets with a specified sequence number, use these commands
in the following sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip access-list extended

CONFIGURATION

Create a extended IP ACL and assign it a unique
name.

CONFIG-EXT-NACL

Configure an extended IP ACL filter for UDP
packets.
• log and monitor options are supported on
E-Series only.

access-list-name

2

seq
sequence-number
{deny | permit}
{ip-protocol-number
udp} {source mask |
any | host ip-address}
{destination mask |
any | host ip-address}
[operator port [port]]
[count [byte] | log ]
[order] [monitor]
[fragments]

When you create the filters with a specific sequence number, you can create the filters in any order and the
filters are placed in the correct order.
Note: When assigning sequence numbers to filters, keep in mind that you might need to insert a
new filter. To prevent reconfiguring multiple filters, assign sequence numbers in multiples of five or
another number.

112

|

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

The following example illustrates how the seq command orders the filters according to the sequence
number assigned. In the example, filter 15 was configured before filter 5, but the show config command
displays the filters in the correct order.
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#seq 15 deny ip host 112.45.0.0 any log
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#seq 5 permit tcp 12.1.3.45 0.0.255.255 any
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#show confi
!
ip access-list extended dilling
seq 5 permit tcp 12.1.0.0 0.0.255.255 any
seq 15 deny ip host 112.45.0.0 any log
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#

Configure filters without sequence number
If you are creating an extended ACL with only one or two filters, you can let FTOS assign a sequence
number based on the order in which the filters are configured. FTOS assigns filters in multiples of 5.
To configure a filter for an extended IP ACL without a specified sequence number, use any or all of the
following commands in the IP ACCESS LIST mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

{deny | permit} {source mask | any
| host ip-address} [count [byte] |
log ] [order] [monitor] [fragments]

CONFIG-EXT-NACL

Configure a deny or permit filter to
examine IP packets.
• log and monitor options are
supported on E-Series only.

{deny | permit} tcp {source mask] |
any | host ip-address}} [count
[byte] | log ] [order] [monitor]
[fragments]

CONFIG-EXT-NACL

Configure a deny or permit filter to
examine TCP packets.
• log and monitor options are
supported on E-Series only.

{deny | permit} udp {source mask |
any | host ip-address}} [count
[byte] | log ] [order] [monitor]
[fragments]

CONFIG-EXT-NACL

Configure a deny or permit filter to
examine UDP packets.
• log and monitor options are
supported on E-Series only.

When you use the log keyword, CP processor logs details about the packets that match. Depending on how
many packets match the log entry and at what rate, the CP may become busy as it has to log these packets’
details.
The following example illustrates an extended IP ACL in which the sequence numbers were assigned by
the software. The filters were assigned sequence numbers based on the order in which they were
configured (for example, the first filter was given the lowest sequence number). The show config
command in the IP ACCESS LIST mode displays the two filters with the sequence numbers 5 and 10.
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#deny tcp host 123.55.34.0 any
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#permit udp 154.44.123.34 0.0.255.255 host 34.6.0.0

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 113

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#show config
!
ip access-list extended nimule
seq 5 deny tcp host 123.55.34.0 any
seq 10 permit udp 154.44.0.0 0.0.255.255 host 34.6.0.0
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#

To view all configured IP ACLs and the number of packets processed through the ACL, use the show ip
accounting access-list command in the EXEC Privilege mode as shown in the first example in Configure
a standard IP ACL.

Established Flag
The est (established) flag is deprecated for Terascale series line cards.The flag is only available on legacy
EtherScale linecards. Employ the ack and rst flags instead to achieve the same functionality.
To obtain the functionality of est, use the following ACLs:
•
•

permit tcp any any rst
permit tcp any any ack

Configuring Layer 2 and Layer 3 ACLs on an Interface
Both Layer 2 and Layer 3 ACLs may be configured on an interface in Layer 2 mode. If both L2 and L3
ACLs are applied to an interface, the following rules apply:
•
•
•

The packets routed by FTOS are governed by the L3 ACL only, since they are not filtered against an
L2 ACL.
The packets switched by FTOS are first filtered by the L3 ACL, then by the L2 ACL.
When packets are switched by FTOS, the egress L3 ACL does not filter the packet.

For the following features, if counters are enabled on rules that have already been configured and a new
rule is either inserted or prepended, all the existing counters will be reset:
•
•
•

L2 Ingress Access list
L3 Egress Access list
L2 Egress Access list

If a rule is simply appended, existing counters are not affected.
Table 7-2.

114

|

L2 and L3 ACL Filtering on Switched Packets

L2 ACL Behavior

L3 ACL Behavior

Decision on Targeted Traffic

Deny

Deny

Denied by L3 ACL

Deny

Permit

Permitted by L3 ACL

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Table 7-2.

L2 and L3 ACL Filtering on Switched Packets

L2 ACL Behavior

L3 ACL Behavior

Decision on Targeted Traffic

Permit

Deny

Denied by L3 ACL

Permit

Permit

Permitted by L3 ACL

Note: If an interface is configured as a vlan-stack access port, the packets are filtered by an L2 ACL only.
The L3 ACL applied to such a port does not affect traffic. That is, existing rules for other features (such as
trace-list, PBR, and QoS) are applied accordingly to the permitted traffic.

For information on MAC ACLs, refer to Layer 2.

Assign an IP ACL to an Interface
Ingress IP ACLs are supported on platforms:

c

Ingress and Egress IP ACLs are supported on platform:

e and s

To pass traffic through a configured IP ACL, you must assign that ACL to a physical interface, a port
channel interface, or a VLAN. The IP ACL is applied to all traffic entering a physical or port channel
interface and the traffic is either forwarded or dropped depending on the criteria and actions specified in
the ACL.
The same ACL may be applied to different interfaces and that changes its functionality. For example, you
can take ACL “ABCD”, and apply it using the in keyword and it becomes an ingress access list. If you
apply the same ACL using the out keyword, it becomes an egress access list. If you apply the same ACL to
the loopback interface, it becomes a loopback access list.
This chapter covers the following topics:
•
•
•

Configuring Ingress ACLs
Configuring Egress ACLs
Configuring ACLs to Loopback

For more information on Layer-3 interfaces, refer to Interfaces.
To apply an IP ACL (standard or extended) to a physical or port channel interface, use these commands in
the following sequence in the INTERFACE mode:
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

interface interface slot/port

CONFIGURATION

Enter the interface number.

2

ip address ip-address

INTERFACE

Configure an IP address for the interface, placing
it in Layer-3 mode.

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 115

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

3

ip access-group access-list-name
{in | out} [implicit-permit] [vlan
vlan-range]

INTERFACE

Apply an IP ACL to traffic entering or exiting an
interface.
• out: configure the ACL to filter outgoing
traffic. This keyword is supported only on
E-Series.
Note: The number of entries allowed per ACL is
hardware-dependent. Refer to your line card
documentation for detailed specification on entries
allowed per ACL.

ip access-list [standard |
extended] name

4

INTERFACE

Apply rules to the new ACL.

To view which IP ACL is applied to an interface, use the show config command in the INTERFACE mode
as shown below or the show running-config command in the EXEC mode.
FTOS(conf-if)#show conf
!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/0
ip address 10.2.1.100 255.255.255.0
ip access-group nimule in
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if)#

Use only Standard ACLs in the access-class command to filter traffic on Telnet sessions.

Counting ACL Hits
You can view the number of packets matching the ACL by using the count option when creating ACL
entries. E-Series supports packet and byte counts simultaneously. C-Series and S-Series support only one
at any given time.
To view the number of packets matching an ACL that is applied to an interface:
Step

116

|

Task

1

Create an ACL that uses rules with the count option. See Configure a standard IP ACL

2

Apply the ACL as an inbound or outbound ACL on an interface. See Assign an IP ACL to an Interface

3

View the number of packets matching the ACL using the show ip accounting access-list from EXEC
Privilege mode.

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Configuring Ingress ACLs
Ingress ACLs are applied to interfaces and to traffic entering the system.These system-wide ACLs
eliminate the need to apply ACLs onto each interface and achieves the same results. By localizing target
traffic, it is a simpler implementation.
To create an ingress ACLs, use the ip access-group command in the EXEC Privilege mode as shown
below. This example also shows applying the ACL, applying rules to the newly created access group, and
viewing the access list:
FTOS(conf)#interface gige 0/0
FTOS(conf-if-gige0/0)#ip access-group abcd in
FTOS(conf-if-gige0/0)#show config
!
gigethernet 0/0
no ip address
ip access-group abcd in
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gige0/0)#end
FTOS#configure terminal
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list extended abcd
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#permit tcp any any
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#deny icmp any any
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#permit 1.1.1.2
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#end
FTOS#show ip accounting access-list
!
Extended Ingress IP access list abcd on gigethernet 0/0
seq 5 permit tcp any any
seq 10 deny icmp any any
seq 15 permit 1.1.1.2

Configuring Egress ACLs
Egress ACLs are supported on platforms

e and

Egress ACLs are applied to line cards and affect the traffic leaving the system. Configuring egress ACLs
onto physical interfaces protects the system infrastructure from attack—malicious and incidental—by
explicitly allowing only authorized traffic.These system-wide ACLs eliminate the need to apply ACLs
onto each interface and achieves the same results. By localizing target traffic, it is a simpler
implementation.
An egress ACL is used when users would like to restrict egress traffic. For example, when a DOS attack
traffic is isolated to one particular interface, you can apply an egress ACL to block that particular flow
from exiting the box, thereby protecting downstream devices.

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 117

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To create an egress ACLs, use the ip access-group command in the EXEC Privilege mode as shown in the
example below. This example also shows viewing the configuration, applying rules to the newly created
access group, and viewing the access list:
FTOS(conf)#interface gige 0/0
FTOS(conf-if-gige0/0)#ip access-group abcd out
FTOS(conf-if-gige0/0)#show config
!
gigethernet 0/0
no ip address
ip access-group abcd out
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gige0/0)#end
FTOS#configure terminal
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list extended abcd
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#permit tcp any any
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#deny icmp any any
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#permit 1.1.1.2
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#end
FTOS#show ip accounting access-list
!
Extended Ingress IP access list abcd on gigethernet 0/0
seq 5 permit tcp any any
seq 10 deny icmp any any
seq 15 permit 1.1.1.2

Egress Layer 3 ACL Lookup for Control-plane IP Traffic
By default, packets originated from the system are not filtered by egress ACLs. If you initiate a ping
session from the system, for example, and apply an egress ACL to block this type of traffic on the
interface, the ACL does not affect that ping traffic. The Control Plane Egress Layer 3 ACL feature
enhances IP reachability debugging by implementing control-plane ACLs for CPU-generated and
CPU-forwarded traffic. Using permit rules with the count option, you can track on a per-flow basis
whether CPU-generated and CPU-forwarded packets were transmitted successfully..
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Apply Egress ACLs to IPv4 system
traffic.

ip control-plane [egress filter]

CONFIGURATION

Apply Egress ACLs to IPv6 system
traffic.

ipv6 control-plane [egress filter]

CONFIGURATION

Create a Layer 3 ACL using permit
rules with the count option to describe
the desired CPU traffic

permit ip {source mask | any |
host ip-address} {destination mask
| any | host ip-address} count

CONFIG-NACL

Note: The ip control-plane [egress filter] and the ipv6 control-plane [egress filter] commands are not
supported on S4810 systems.

118

|

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

FTOS Behavior: VRRP hellos and IGMP packets are not affected when egress ACL filtering for CPU traffic is
enabled. Packets sent by the CPU with the source address as the VRRP virtual IP address have the interface MAC
address instead of VRRP virtual MAC address.

Configuring ACLs to Loopback
ACLs can be supplied on Loopback interfaces supported on platform

e

Configuring ACLs onto the CPU in a loopback interface protects the system infrastructure from attack—
malicious and incidental—by explicate allowing only authorized traffic.
The ACLs on loopback interfaces are applied only to the CPU on the RPM—this eliminates the need to
apply specific ACLs onto all ingress interfaces and achieves the same results. By localizing target traffic, it
is a simpler implementation.
The ACLs target and handle Layer 3 traffic destined to terminate on the system including routing
protocols, remote access, SNMP, ICMP, and etc. Effective filtering of Layer 3 traffic from Layer 3 routers
reduces the risk of attack.
Note: Loopback ACLs are supported only on ingress traffic.

Loopback interfaces do not support ACLs using the IP fragment option. If you configure an ACL with the
fragments option and apply it to a loopback interface, the command is accepted, but the ACL entries are
not actually installed the offending rule in CAM.
See also Loopback Interfaces in the Interfaces chapter.

Applying an ACL on Loopback Interfaces
ACLs can be applied on Loopback interfaces supported on platform

e

To apply an ACL (standard or extended) for loopback, use these commands in the following sequence:
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

interface loopback 0

CONFIGURATION

Only loopback 0 is supported for the loopback
ACL.

2

ip access-list [standard |
extended] name

CONFIGURATION

Apply rules to the new ACL.

3

ip access-group name in

INTERFACE

Apply an ACL to traffic entering loopback.
• in: configure the ACL to filter incoming
traffic
Note: ACLs for loopback can only be
applied to incoming traffic.

1

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 119

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To apply ACLs on loopback, use the ip access-group command in the INTERFACE mode as shown in the
example below. This example also shows the interface configuration status, adding rules to the access
group, and displaying the list of rules in the ACL:
FTOS(conf)#interface loopback 0
FTOS(conf-if-lo-0)#ip access-group abcd in
FTOS(conf-if-lo-0)#show config
!
interface Loopback 0
no ip address
ip access-group abcd in
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-lo-0)#end
FTOS#configure terminal
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list extended abcd
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#permit tcp any any
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#deny icmp any any
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#permit 1.1.1.2
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#end
FTOS#show ip accounting access-list
!
Extended Ingress IP access list abcd on Loopback 0
seq 5 permit tcp any any
seq 10 deny icmp any any
seq 10 deny icmp any any
permit 1.1.1.2
Note: Refer to the section VTY Line Local Authentication and Authorization in the Security chapter.

IP Prefix Lists
Prefix Lists are supported on platforms:

cesz

IP prefix lists control routing policy. An IP prefix list is a series of sequential filters that contain a matching
criterion (examine IP route prefix) and an action (permit or deny) to process routes. The filters are
processed in sequence so that if a route prefix does not match the criterion in the first filter, the second
filter (if configured) is applied. When the route prefix matches a filter, FTOS drops or forwards the packet
based on the filter’s designated action. If the route prefix does not match any of the filters in the prefix list,
the route is dropped (that is, implicit deny).
A route prefix is an IP address pattern that matches on bits within the IP address. The format of a route
prefix is A.B.C.D/X where A.B.C.D is a dotted-decimal address and /X is the number of bits that should be
matched of the dotted decimal address. For example, in 112.24.0.0/16, the first 16 bits of the address
112.24.0.0 match all addresses between 112.24.0.0 to 112.24.255.255.
Below are some examples that permit or deny filters for specific routes using the le and ge parameters,
where x.x.x.x/x represents a route prefix:

120

|

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

•
•
•
•

To deny only /8 prefixes, enter deny x.x.x.x/x ge 8 le 8
To permit routes with the mask greater than /8 but less than /12, enter permit x.x.x.x/x ge 8
le 12
To deny routes with a mask less than /24, enter deny x.x.x.x/x le 24
To permit routes with a mask greater than /20, enter permit x.x.x.x/x ge 20

The following rules apply to prefix lists:
•
•
•

A prefix list without any permit or deny filters allows all routes.
An “implicit deny” is assumed (that is, the route is dropped) for all route prefixes that do not match a
permit or deny filter in a configured prefix list.
Once a route matches a filter, the filter’s action is applied. No additional filters are applied to the route.

Implementation Information
In FTOS, prefix lists are used in processing routes for routing protocols (for example, RIP, OSPF, and
BGP).
Note: The S-Series platform does not support all protocols. It is important to know which protocol you are
supporting prior to implementing Prefix-Lists.

Configuration Task List for Prefix Lists
To configure a prefix list, you must use commands in the PREFIX LIST, the ROUTER RIP, ROUTER
OSPF, and ROUTER BGP modes. Basically, you create the prefix list in the PREFIX LIST mode, and
assign that list to commands in the ROUTER RIP, ROUTER OSPF and ROUTER BGP modes.
The following list includes the configuration tasks for prefix lists:
•
•

Configure a prefix list
Use a prefix list for route redistribution

For a complete listing of all commands related to prefix lists, refer to the FTOS Command Line Interface
Reference document.

Configure a prefix list
To configure a prefix list, use these commands in the following sequence, starting in the
CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip prefix-list prefix-name

CONFIGURATION

Create a prefix list and assign it a unique
name.
You are in the PREFIX LIST mode.

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 121

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

2

seq sequence-number {deny |
permit} ip-prefix [ge
min-prefix-length] [le
max-prefix-length]

CONFIG-NPREFIXL

Create a prefix list with a sequence number
and a deny or permit action. The optional
parameters are:
• ge min-prefix-length: is the minimum
prefix length to be matched (0 to 32).
• le max-prefix-length: is the maximum
prefix length to be matched (0 to 32).

If you want to forward all routes that do not match the prefix list criteria, you must configure a prefix list
filter to permit all routes (permit 0.0.0.0/0 le 32). The “permit all” filter should be the last filter in your
prefix list. To permit the default route only, enter permit 0.0.0.0/0.
The example below illustrates how the seq command orders the filters according to the sequence number
assigned. In the example, filter 20 was configured before filter 15 and 12, but the show config command
displays the filters in the correct order.
FTOS(conf-nprefixl)#seq 20 permit 0.0.0.0/0 le 32
FTOS(conf-nprefixl)#seq 12 deny 134.23.0.0 /16
FTOS(conf-nprefixl)#seq 15 deny 120.23.14.0 /8 le 16
FTOS(conf-nprefixl)#show config
!
ip prefix-list juba
seq 12 deny 134.23.0.0/16
seq 15 deny 120.0.0.0/8 le 16
seq 20 permit 0.0.0.0/0 le 32
FTOS(conf-nprefixl)#

Note the last line in the prefix list Juba contains a “permit all” statement. By including this line in a prefix
list, you specify that all routes not matching any criteria in the prefix list are forwarded.
To delete a filter, use the no seq sequence-number command in the PREFIX LIST mode.
If you are creating a standard prefix list with only one or two filters, you can let FTOS assign a sequence
number based on the order in which the filters are configured. The FTOS assigns filters in multiples of
five.
To configure a filter without a specified sequence number, use these commands in the following sequence
starting in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

122

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip prefix-list prefix-name

CONFIGURATION

Create a prefix list and assign it a unique
name.

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

2

{deny | permit} ip-prefix [ge
min-prefix-length] [le
max-prefix-length]

CONFIG-NPREFIXL

Create a prefix list filter with a deny or
permit action. The optional parameters are:
• ge min-prefix-length: is the minimum
prefix length to be matched (0 to 32).
• le max-prefix-length: is the maximum
prefix length to be matched (0 to 32).

The example below illustrates a prefix list in which the sequence numbers were assigned by the software.
The filters were assigned sequence numbers based on the order in which they were configured (for
example, the first filter was given the lowest sequence number). The show config command in the
PREFIX LIST mode displays the two filters with the sequence numbers 5 and 10.
FTOS(conf-nprefixl)#permit 123.23.0.0 /16
FTOS(conf-nprefixl)#deny 133.24.56.0 /8
FTOS(conf-nprefixl)#show conf
!
ip prefix-list awe
seq 5 permit 123.23.0.0/16
seq 10 deny 133.0.0.0/8
FTOS(conf-nprefixl)#

To delete a filter, enter the show config command in the PREFIX LIST mode and locate the sequence
number of the filter you want to delete; then use the no seq sequence-number command in the PREFIX
LIST mode.
To view all configured prefix lists, use either of the following commands in the EXEC mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

show ip prefix-list detail [prefix-name]

EXEC Privilege

Show detailed information about configured Prefix
lists.

show ip prefix-list summary

EXEC Privilege

Show a table of summarized information about
configured Prefix lists.

[prefix-name]

FTOS>show ip prefix detail
Prefix-list with the last deletion/insertion: filter_ospf
ip prefix-list filter_in:
count: 3, range entries: 3, sequences: 5 - 10
seq 5 deny 1.102.0.0/16 le 32 (hit count: 0)
seq 6 deny 2.1.0.0/16 ge 23 (hit count: 0)
seq 10 permit 0.0.0.0/0 le 32 (hit count: 0)
ip prefix-list filter_ospf:
count: 4, range entries: 1, sequences: 5 - 10
seq 5 deny 100.100.1.0/24 (hit count: 0)
seq 6 deny 200.200.1.0/24 (hit count: 0)
seq 7 deny 200.200.2.0/24 (hit count: 0)
seq 10 permit 0.0.0.0/0 le 32 (hit count: 0)

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 123

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS>
FTOS>show ip prefix summary
Prefix-list with the last deletion/insertion: filter_ospf
ip prefix-list filter_in:
count: 3, range entries: 3, sequences: 5 - 10
ip prefix-list filter_ospf:
count: 4, range entries: 1, sequences: 5 - 10
FTOS>

Use a prefix list for route redistribution
To pass traffic through a configured prefix list, you must use the prefix list in a route redistribution
command. The prefix list is applied to all traffic redistributed into the routing process and the traffic is
either forwarded or dropped depending on the criteria and actions specified in the prefix list.
To apply a filter to routes in RIP (RIP is supported on C and E-Series.), use either of the following
commands in the ROUTER RIP mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

router rip

CONFIGURATION

Enter RIP mode

distribute-list prefix-list-name in

CONFIG-ROUTER-RIP

Apply a configured prefix list to incoming
routes. You can specify an interface.
If you enter the name of a nonexistent prefix
list, all routes are forwarded.

CONFIG-ROUTER-RIP

Apply a configured prefix list to outgoing
routes. You can specify an interface or type
of route.
If you enter the name of a non-existent prefix
list, all routes are forwarded.

[interface]

distribute-list prefix-list-name out
[interface | connected | static | ospf]

To view the configuration, use the show config command in the ROUTER RIP mode as shown in the
example below or the show running-config rip command in the EXEC mode.
FTOS(conf-router_rip)#show config
!
router rip
distribute-list prefix juba out
network 10.0.0.0
FTOS(conf-router_rip)#router ospf 34

To apply a filter to routes in OSPF, use either of the following commands in the ROUTER OSPF mode:

124

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

router ospf

CONFIGURATION

Enter OSPF mode

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

distribute-list prefix-list-name in
[interface]

CONFIG-ROUTER-OSPF

Apply a configured prefix list to incoming
routes. You can specify an interface.
If you enter the name of a non-existent prefix
list, all routes are forwarded.

distribute-list prefix-list-name out
[connected | rip | static]

CONFIG-ROUTER-OSPF

Apply a configured prefix list to incoming
routes. You can specify which type of routes
are affected.
If you enter the name of a non-existent prefix
list, all routes are forwarded.

To view the configuration, use the show config command in the ROUTER OSPF mode as shown in the
example below or the show running-config ospf command in the EXEC mode.
FTOS(conf-router_ospf)#show config
!
router ospf 34
network 10.2.1.1 255.255.255.255 area 0.0.0.1
distribute-list prefix awe in
FTOS(conf-router_ospf)#

ACL Resequencing
ACL Resequencing allows you to re-number the rules and remarks in an access or prefix list. The
placement of rules within the list is critical because packets are matched against rules in sequential order.
Use Resequencing whenever there is no longer an opportunity to order new rules as desired using current
numbering scheme.
For example, Table 7-3 contains some rules that are numbered in increments of 1. No new rules can be
placed between these, so apply resequencing to create numbering space, as shown in Table 7-4. In the same
example, apply resequencing if more than two rules must be placed between rules 7 and 10.
IPv4 and IPv6 ACLs and prefixes and MAC ACLs can be resequenced. No CAM writes happen as a result
of resequencing, so there is no packet loss; the behavior is like Hot-lock ACLs.
Note: ACL Resequencing does not affect the rules or remarks or the order in which they are applied. It
merely renumbers them so that new rules can be placed within the list as desired.

Table 7-3.

ACL Resequencing Example (Insert New Rules)

seq 5 permit any host 1.1.1.1
seq 6 permit any host 1.1.1.2

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 125

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 7-3.

ACL Resequencing Example (Insert New Rules)

seq 7 permit any host 1.1.1.3
seq 10 permit any host 1.1.1.4

Table 7-4.

ACL Resequencing Example (Resequenced)

seq 5 permit any host 1.1.1.1
seq 10 permit any host 1.1.1.2
seq 15 permit any host 1.1.1.3
seq 20 permit any host 1.1.1.4

Resequencing an ACL or Prefix List
Resequencing is available for IPv4 and IPv6 ACLs and prefix lists and MAC ACLs. To resequence an
ACL or prefix list use the appropriate command in Table 7-5. You must specify the list name, starting
number, and increment when using these commands.
Table 7-5.

Resequencing ACLs and Prefix Lists

List

Command

Command Mode

IPv4, IPv6, or MAC ACL

resequence access-list {ipv4 | ipv6 | mac} {access-list-name
StartingSeqNum Step-to-Increment}

Exec

IPv4 or IPv6 prefix-list

resequence prefix-list {ipv4 | ipv6} {prefix-list-name StartingSeqNum
Step-to-Increment}

Exec

The following example shows the resequencing of an IPv4 access-list beginning with the number 2 and
incrementing by 2.
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)# show config
!
ip access-list extended test
remark 4 XYZ
remark 5 this remark corresponds to permit any host 1.1.1.1
seq 5 permit ip any host 1.1.1.1
remark 9 ABC
remark 10 this remark corresponds to permit ip any host 1.1.1.2
seq 10 permit ip any host 1.1.1.2
seq 15 permit ip any host 1.1.1.3
seq 20 permit ip any host 1.1.1.4
FTOS# end
FTOS# resequence access-list ipv4 test 2 2
FTOS# show running-config acl

126

|

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

!
ip access-list extended test
remark 2 XYZ
remark 4 this remark corresponds to permit any host 1.1.1.1
seq 4 permit ip any host 1.1.1.1
remark 6 this remark has no corresponding rule
remark 8 this remark corresponds to permit ip any host 1.1.1.2
seq 8 permit ip any host 1.1.1.2
seq 10 permit ip any host 1.1.1.3
seq 12 permit ip any host 1.1.1.4

Remarks and rules that originally have the same sequence number have the same sequence number after
the resequence command is applied. Remarks that do not have a corresponding rule will be incremented as
as a rule. These two mechanisms allow remarks to retain their original position in the list.
For example, in the following example, remark 10 corresponds to rule 10 and as such, they have the same
number before and after the command is entered. Remark 4 is incremented as a rule, and all rules have
retained their original positions.
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)# show config
!
ip access-list extended test
remark 4 XYZ
remark 5 this remark corresponds to permit any host 1.1.1.1
seq 5 permit ip any host 1.1.1.1
remark 9 ABC
remark 10 this remark corresponds to permit ip any host 1.1.1.2
seq 10 permit ip any host 1.1.1.2
seq 15 permit ip any host 1.1.1.3
seq 20 permit ip any host 1.1.1.4
FTOS# end
FTOS# resequence access-list ipv4 test 2 2
FTOS# show running-config acl
!
ip access-list extended test
remark 2 XYZ
remark 4 this remark corresponds to permit any host 1.1.1.1
seq 4 permit ip any host 1.1.1.1
remark 6 this remark has no corresponding rule
remark 8 this remark corresponds to permit ip any host 1.1.1.2
seq 8 permit ip any host 1.1.1.2
seq 10 permit ip any host 1.1.1.3
seq 12 permit ip any host 1.1.1.4

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 127

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Route Maps
Route-maps are supported on platforms:

ces z

Like ACLs and prefix lists, route maps are composed of a series of commands that contain a matching
criterion and an action, yet route maps can change the packets meeting the criterion. ACLs and prefix lists
can only drop or forward the packet or traffic. Route maps process routes for route redistribution. For
example, a route map can be called to filter only specific routes and to add a metric.
Route maps also have an “implicit deny.” Unlike ACLs and prefix lists, however, where the packet or
traffic is dropped, in route maps, if a route does not match any of the route map conditions, the route is not
redistributed.

Implementation Information
The FTOS implementation of route maps allows route maps with no match command or no set command.
When there is no match command, all traffic matches the route map and the set command applies.

Important Points to Remember
•

•
•

For route-maps with more than one match clause:
• Two or more match clauses within the same route-map sequence have the same match commands
(though the values are different), matching a packet against these clauses is a logical OR operation.
• Two or more match clauses within the same route-map sequence have different match commands,
matching a packet against these clauses is a logical AND operation.
If no match is found in a route-map sequence, the process moves to the next route-map sequence until
a match is found, or there are no more sequences.
When a match is found, the packet is forwarded; no more route-map sequences are processed.
• If a continue clause is included in the route-map sequence, the next or a specified route-map
sequence is processed after a match is found.

Configuration Task List for Route Maps
You configure route maps in the ROUTE-MAP mode and apply them in various commands in the
ROUTER RIP and ROUTER OSPF modes.
The following list includes the configuration tasks for route maps:
•
•
•
•

128

|

Create a route map (mandatory)
Configure route map filters (optional)
Configure a route map for route redistribution (optional)
Configure a route map for route tagging (optional)

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Create a route map
Route maps, ACLs, and prefix lists are similar in composition because all three contain filters, but route
map filters are do not contain the permit and deny actions found in ACLs and prefix lists. Route map filters
match certain routes and set or specify values.
To create a route map and enter the ROUTE-MAP mode, use the following command in the
CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

route-map map-name [permit | deny]

CONFIGURATION

Create a route map and assign it a unique name.
The optional permit and deny keywords are the
action of the route map. The default is permit.
The optional parameter seq allows you to assign
a sequence number to the route map instance.

[sequence-number]

The default action is permit and the default sequence number starts at 10. When the keyword deny is used
in configuring a route map, routes that meet the match filters are not redistributed.
To view the configuration, use the show config command in the ROUTE-MAP mode as shown in the
example below.
FTOS(config-route-map)#show config
!
route-map dilling permit 10
FTOS(config-route-map)#

You can create multiple instances of this route map by using the sequence number option to place the route
maps in the correct order. FTOS processes the route maps with the lowest sequence number first. When a
configured route map is applied to a command, like redistribute, traffic passes through all instances of that
route map until a match is found. The following text shows an example with two instances of a route map.
FTOS#show route-map
route-map zakho, permit, sequence 10
Match clauses:
Set clauses:
route-map zakho, permit, sequence 20
Match clauses:
interface GigabitEthernet 0/1
Set clauses:
tag 35
level stub-area
FTOS#

To delete all instances of that route map, use the no route-map map-name command. To delete just one
instance, add the sequence number to the command syntax as shown in the following example.
FTOS(conf)#no route-map zakho 10
FTOS(conf)#end

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 129

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS#show route-map
route-map zakho, permit, sequence 20
Match clauses:
interface GigabitEthernet 0/1
Set clauses:
tag 35
level stub-area
FTOS#

The following text shows an example of a route map with multiple instances. The show config command
displays only the configuration of the current route map instance. To view all instances of a specific route
map, use the show route-map command.
FTOS#show route-map dilling
route-map dilling, permit, sequence 10
Match clauses:
Set clauses:
route-map dilling, permit, sequence 15
Match clauses:
interface Loopback 23
Set clauses:
tag 3444
FTOS#

To delete a route map, use the no route-map map-name command in the CONFIGURATION mode.

Configure route map filters
Within the ROUTE-MAP mode, there are match and set commands. Basically, match commands search
for a certain criterion in the routes and the set commands change the characteristics of those routes, either
adding something or specifying a level.
When there are multiple match commands of the same parameter under one instance of route-map, then
FTOS does a match between either of those match commands. If there are multiple match commands of
different parameter, then FTOS does a match ONLY if there is a match among ALL match commands.
The following example explains better:

Example 1
FTOS(conf)#route-map force permit 10
FTOS(config-route-map)#match tag 1000
FTOS(config-route-map)#match tag 2000
FTOS(config-route-map)#match tag 3000

In the above route-map, if a route has any of the tag value specified in the match commands, then there is a
match.

Example 2
FTOS(conf)#route-map force permit 10
FTOS(config-route-map)#match tag 1000

130

|

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

FTOS(config-route-map)#match metric 2000

In the above route-map, only if a route has both the characteristics mentioned in the route-map, it is
matched. Explaining further, the route must have a tag value of 1000 and a metric value of 2000. Only then
is there a match.
Also, if there are different instances of the same route-map, then it’s sufficient if a permit match happens in
any instance of that route-map. As an example:
FTOS(conf)#route-map force permit 10
FTOS(config-route-map)#match tag 1000
FTOS(conf)#route-map force deny 20
FTOS(config-route-map)#match tag 1000
FTOS(conf)#route-map force deny 30
FTOS(config-route-map)#match tag 1000

In the above route-map, instance 10 permits the route having a tag value of 1000 and instances 20 & 30
denies the route having a tag value of 1000. In the above scenario, FTOS scans all the instances of the
route-map for any permit statement. If there is a match anywhere, the route is permitted, though other
instances of the route-map denies it.
To configure match criterion for a route map, use any or all of the following commands in the
ROUTE-MAP mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

match as-path as-path-name

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Match routes with the same AS-PATH numbers.

match community

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Match routes with COMMUNITY list attributes in
their path.

community-list-name [exact]

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 131

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

match interface interface

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Match routes whose next hop is a specific
interface. The parameters are:
• For a Fast Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword FastEthernet followed by the slot/
port information.
• For a 1-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword gigabitEthernet followed by the
slot/port information.
• For a loopback interface, enter the keyword
loopback followed by a number between
zero (0) and 16383.
• For a port channel interface, enter the keyword
port-channel followed by a number from 1
to 255 for TeraScale and ExaScale, 1 to 32 for
EtherScale.
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword
sonet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword tengigabitEthernet followed by
the slot/port information.
• For a VLAN, enter the keyword vlan followed
by a number from 1 to 4094.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword fortyGigE followed by the slot/port
information.

132

|

match ip address prefix-list-name

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Match destination routes specified in a prefix list
(IPv4).

match ipv6 address prefix-list-name

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Match destination routes specified in a prefix list
(IPv6).

match ip next-hop
{access-list-name | prefix-list
prefix-list-name}

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Match next-hop routes specified in a prefix list
(IPv4).

match ipv6 next-hop
{access-list-name | prefix-list
prefix-list-name}

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Match next-hop routes specified in a prefix list
(IPv6).

match ip route-source
{access-list-name | prefix-list
prefix-list-name}

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Match source routes specified in a prefix list
(IPv4).

match ipv6 route-source
{access-list-name | prefix-list
prefix-list-name}

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Match source routes specified in a prefix list
(IPv6).

match metric metric-value

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Match routes with a specific value.

match origin {egp | igp |
incomplete}

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Match BGP routes based on the ORIGIN attribute.

match route-type {external
[type-1 | type-2] | internal | level-1
| level-2 | local }

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Match routes specified as internal or external to
OSPF, ISIS level-1, ISIS level-2, or locally
generated.

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

match tag tag-value

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Match routes with a specific tag.

To configure a set condition, use any or all of the following commands in the ROUTE-MAP mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

set as-path prepend as-number [...
as-number]

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Add an AS-PATH number to the beginning of
the AS-PATH

set automatic-tag

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Generate a tag to be added to redistributed
routes.

set level {backbone | level-1 | level-1-2 |
level-2 | stub-area}

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Specify an OSPF area or ISIS level for
redistributed routes.

set local-preference value

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Specify a value for the BGP route’s
LOCAL_PREF attribute.

set metric {+ | - | metric-value}

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Specify a value for redistributed routes.

set metric-type {external | internal |
type-1 | type-2}

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Specify an OSPF or ISIS type for redistributed
routes.

set next-hop ip-address

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Assign an IP address as the route’s next hop.

set ipv6 next-hop ip-address

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Assign an IPv6 address as the route’s next hop.

set origin {egp | igp | incomplete}

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Assign an ORIGIN attribute.

set tag tag-value

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Specify a tag for the redistributed routes.

set weight value

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Specify a value as the route’s weight.

Use these commands to create route map instances. There is no limit to the number of set and match
commands per route map, but the convention is to keep the number of match and set filters in a route map
low. Set commands do not require a corresponding match command.

Configure a route map for route redistribution
Route maps on their own cannot affect traffic and must be included in different commands to affect routing
traffic. To apply a route map to traffic on the E-Series, you must call or include that route map in a
command such as the redistribute or default-information originate commands in OSPF, ISIS, and BGP.
Route redistribution occurs when FTOS learns the advertising routes from static or directly connected
routes or another routing protocol. Different protocols assign different values to redistributed routes to
identify either the routes and their origins. The metric value is the most common attribute that is changed
to properly redistribute other routes into a routing protocol. Other attributes that can be changed include
the metric type (for example, external and internal route types in OSPF) and route tag. Use the redistribute
command in OSPF, RIP, ISIS, and BGP to set some of these attributes for routes that are redistributed into
those protocols.

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 133

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Route maps add to that redistribution capability by allowing you to match specific routes and set or change
more attributes when redistributing those routes.
In the following example, the redistribute command calls the route map static ospf to redistribute
only certain static routes into OSPF. According to the route map static ospf, only routes that have a
next hop of Gigabitethernet interface 0/0 and that have a metric of 255 will be redistributed into the OSPF
backbone area.
Note: When re-distributing routes using route-maps, the user must take care to create the
route-map defined in the redistribute command under the routing protocol. If no route-map is
created, then NO routes are redistributed.
router ospf 34
default-information originate metric-type 1
redistribute static metric 20 metric-type 2 tag 0 route-map staticospf
!
route-map staticospf permit 10
match interface GigabitEthernet 0/0
match metric 255
set level backbone

Configure a route map for route tagging
One method for identifying routes from different routing protocols is to assign a tag to routes from that
protocol. As the route enters a different routing domain, it is tagged and that tag is passed along with the
route as it passes through different routing protocols. This tag can then be used when the route leaves a
routing domain to redistribute those routes again.
In the following example, the redistribute ospf command with a route map is used in the ROUTER RIP
mode to apply a tag of 34 to all internal OSPF routes that are redistributed into RIP.
!
router rip
redistribute ospf 34 metric 1 route-map torip
!
route-map torip permit 10
match route-type internal
set tag 34
!

Continue clause
Normally, when a match is found, set clauses are executed, and the packet is then forwarded; no more
route-map modules are processed. If the continue command is configured at the end of a module, the next
module (or a specified module) is processed even after a match is found. The following example shows a
continue clause at the end of a route-map module. In this example, if a match is found in the route-map
“test” module 10, module 30 will be processed.

134

|

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Note: If the continue clause is configured without specifying a module, the next sequential module is
processed.
!
route-map test permit 10
match commu comm-list1
set community 1:1 1:2 1:3
set as-path prepend 1 2 3 4 5
continue 30!

Access Control Lists (ACLs) | 135

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
136

|

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

8
Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)
Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) is supported only on platforms: e c z

Protocol Overview
Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) is a protocol that is used to rapidly detect communication
failures between two adjacent systems. It is a simple and lightweight replacement for existing routing
protocol link state detection mechanisms. It also provides a failure detection solution for links on which no
routing protocol is used.
BFD is a simple hello mechanism. Two neighboring systems running BFD establish a session using a
three-way handshake. After the session has been established, the systems exchange periodic control
packets at sub-second intervals. If a system does not receive a hello packet within a specified amount of
time, routing protocols are notified that the forwarding path is down.
BFD provides forwarding path failure detection times on the order of milliseconds rather than seconds as
with conventional routing protocol hellos. It is independent of routing protocols, and as such provides a
consistent method of failure detection when used across a network. Networks converge faster because BFD
triggers link state changes in the routing protocol sooner and more consistently, because BFD can
eliminate the use of multiple protocol-dependent timers and methods.
BFD also carries less overhead than routing protocol hello mechanisms. Control packets can be
encapsulated in any form that is convenient, and, on Dell Force10 routers, sessions are maintained by BFD
Agents that reside on the line card, which frees resources on the RPM. Only session state changes are
reported to the BFD Manager (on the RPM), which in turn notifies the routing protocols that are registered
with it.
BFD is an independent and generic protocol, which all media, topologies, and routing protocols can
support using any encapsulation. Dell Force10 has implemented BFD at Layer 3 and with UDP
encapsulation. BFD functionality will be implemented in phases. The C-Series and E-Series support BFD
on OSPF, IS-IS, VLANs, VRRP, LAGs, and physical ports based on the IETF internet draft document
draft-ietf-bfd-base-03. On the S4810, BFD is supported on dynamic routing protocols such as OSPF, IS-IS
and BGP.

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 137

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

How BFD Works
Two neighboring systems running BFD establish a session using a three-way handshake. After the session
has been established, the systems exchange control packets at agreed upon intervals. In addition, systems
send a control packet anytime there is a state change or change in a session parameter; these control
packets are sent without regard to transmit and receive intervals.
Note: FTOS does not support multi-hop BFD sessions.

If a system does not receive a control packet within an agreed-upon amount of time, the BFD Agent
changes the session state to Down. It then notifies the BFD Manager of the change, and sends a control
packet to the neighbor that indicates the state change (though it might not be received if the link or
receiving interface is faulty). The BFD Manager notifies the routing protocols that are registered with it
(clients) that the forwarding path is down, and a link state change is triggered in all protocols.
Note: A session state change from Up to Down is the only state change that triggers a link state change in the routing
protocol client.

BFD packet format
Control packets are encapsulated in UDP packets. The following illustration shows the complete
encapsulation of a BFD control packet inside an IPv4 packet.

138

|

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

Version
(4)

IHL

TOS

Total Length

Preamble

Flags

Start Frame
Delimiter

Frag Offset

Destination MAC

TTL
(255)

Source MAC

Protocol

Ethernet Type
(0x888e)

Header
Checksum

Version
(1)

State

Range: 3784

Source Port

Options

Diag Code

Dest IP Addr

Padding

Checksum

UDP Packet

Detect Mult

My
Discriminator

Your
Discriminator

Random number generated by
remote system to identify a
session

Required
Min RX Interval

Required Min
Echo RX Interval

Auth Type

The minimum interval between
Echo packtes that the local system
is capable of supporting

The minimum interval between
control packets that the local
system is capable of supporting

Desired
Min TX Interval

The intervals at which the local
system would like to transmit
control packets

BFD Control Packet

Random number generated by
the local system to identify
a session

Length

The number of packets that
must be missed in a row in
order to declare a session down

Length

P: Poll
F: Final
C: Control Plane Independent
A: Authentication Present
D: Demand
(Final bit reserved)

Flags

Range: 3784
Echo: 3785

Destination Port

Padding

FCS

Range: 0-31
Code: 0: AdminDown
Range: 0-31
1: Down
Bit:
Code: 0: No Diagnostic
2: Init
1: Control Detection Time Expired
3: Up
2: Echo Function Failed
3: Neighbor Signaled Session Down
4: Forwarding Plane Reset
5: Path Down
6: Concatenated Path Down
7: Administratively Down
8: Reverse Concatenated Path Down
9-31: Reserved for Future Use

Src IP Addr

IP Packet

Auth Length

Auth Data

Figure 8-1.
BFD in IPv4 Packet Format

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 139

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 8-1.

BFD Packet Fields

Field

Description

Diagnostic Code

The reason that the last session failed.

State

The current local session state. See BFD sessions.

Flag

A bit that indicates packet function. If the poll bit is set, the receiving system must respond as
soon as possible, without regard to its transmit interval. The responding system clears the poll
bit and sets the final bit in its response. The poll and final bits are used during the handshake
and Demand mode (see BFD sessions).
Note: FTOS does not currently support multi-point sessions, Demand mode, authentication, or
control plane independence; these bits are always clear.

Detection Multiplier

The number of packets that must be missed in order to declare a session down.

Length

The entire length of the BFD packet.

My Discriminator

A random number generated by the local system to identify the session.

Your Discriminator

A random number generated by the remote system to identify the session. Discriminator
values are necessary to identify the session to which a control packet belongs since there can
be many sessions running on a single interface.

Desired Min TX Interval

The minimum rate at which the local system would like to send control packets to the remote
system.

Required Min RX Interval

The minimum rate at which the local system would like to receive control packets from the
remote system.

Required Min Echo RX

The minimum rate at which the local system would like to receive echo packets.
Note: FTOS does not currently support the echo function.

Authentication Type
Authentication Length

An optional method for authenticating control packets.
Note: FTOS does not currently support the BFD authentication function.

Authentication Data

Two important parameters are calculated using the values contained in the control packet.
•

•

Transmit interval — Transmit interval is the agreed-upon rate at which a system sends control
packets. Each system has its own transmit interval, which is the greater of the last received remote
Desired TX Interval and the local Required Min RX Interval.
Detection time — Detection time is the amount of time that a system does not receive a control
packet, after which the system determines that the session has failed. Each system has its own
detection time.
• In Asynchronous mode: Detection time is the remote Detection Multiplier multiplied by greater of
the remote Desired TX Interval and the local Required Min RX Interval.
• In Demand mode: Detection time is the local Detection Multiplier multiplied by the greater of the
local Desired Min TX and the remote Required Min RX Interval.

BFD sessions
BFD must be enabled on both sides of a link in order to establish a session. The two participating systems
can assume either of two roles:

140

|

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

•
•

Active—The active system initiates the BFD session. Both systems can be active for the same session.
Passive—The passive system does not initiate a session. It only responds to a request for session
initialization from the active system.

A BFD session has two modes:
•
•

Asynchronous mode—In Asynchronous mode, both systems send periodic control messages at an
agreed upon interval to indicate that their session status is Up.
Demand mode—If one system requests Demand mode, the other system stops sending periodic
control packets; it only sends a response to status inquiries from the Demand mode initiator. Either
system (but not both) can request Demand mode at any time.
Note: FTOS supports asynchronous mode only.

A session can have four states: Administratively Down, Down, Init, and Up.
•
•
•
•

Administratively Down—The local system will not participate in a particular session.
Down—The remote system is not sending any control packets or at least not within the detection time
for a particular session.
Init—The local system is communicating.
Up—The both systems are exchanging control packets.

The session is declared down if:
•
•
•

A control packet is not received within the detection time.
Sufficient echo packets are lost.
Demand mode is active and a control packet is not received in response to a poll packet.

BFD three-way handshake
A three-way handshake must take place between the systems that will participate in the BFD session. The
handshake shown in the illustration below assumes that there is one active and one passive system, and that
this is the first session established on this link. The default session state on both ports is Down.
1. The active system sends a steady stream of control packets that indicates that its session state is Down,
until the passive system responds. These packets are sent at the desired transmit interval of the Active
system, and the Your Discriminator field is set to zero.
2. When the passive system receives any of these control packets, it changes its session state to Init, and
sends a response that indicates its state change. The response includes its session ID in the My
Discriminator field, and the session ID of the remote system in the Your Discriminator field.
3. The active system receives the response from the passive system, and changes its session state to Up. It
then sends a control packet indicating this state change. This is the third and final part of the
handshake. At this point, the discriminator values have been exchanged, and the transmit intervals
have been negotiated.

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 141

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

4. The passive system receives the control packet, changes its state to Up. Both systems agree that a
session has been established. However, since both members must send a control packet—that requires
a response—anytime there is a state change or change in a session parameter, the passive system sends
a final response indicating the state change. After this, periodic control packets are exchanged.
Transmit Interval: User-configurable
Default Session State: Down

Default Session State: Down
Version: 1
Diag Code: 0 (assumes no previous session)
State: Down
Flag: P:1
Detect Multiplier: User-configurable
My Discriminator: X ( Active System Session ID)
Your Discriminator: 0
Desired Min TX Interval: User-configurable
Required Min RX Interval: User-configurable
Required Min Echo RX Interval: User-configurable

ACTIVE System

PASSIVE System

Steady Rate of Control Packets
Version: 1
Diag Code: 0 (assumes no previous session)
State: Init
Flag: F: 1
Detect Multiplier: User-configurable
My Discriminator: Y (Passsive System Session ID)
Your Discriminator: X
Desired Min TX Interval: User-configurable
Required Min RX Interval: User-configurable
Required Min Echo RX Interval: User-configurable

Init State Change
Version: 1
Diag Code: 0 (assumes no previous session)
State: Up
Flag: P: 1
Detect Multiplier: User-configurable
My Discriminator: X
Your Discriminator: Y
Desired Min TX Interval: User-configurable
Required Min RX Interval: User-configurable
Required Min Echo RX Interval: User-configurable

Up State Change

Version: 1
Diag Code: 0 (assumes no previous session)
State: Up
Flag: F: 1
Detect Multiplier: User-configurable
My Discriminator: Y
Your Discriminator: X
Desired Min TX Interval: User-configurable
Required Min RX Interval: User-configurable
Required Min Echo RX Interval: User-configurable

Up State Change

Version: 1
Diag Code: 0 (assumes no previous session)
State: Up
Flag: P: Clear
Detect Multiplier: User-configurable
My Discriminator: X
Your Discriminator: Y
Desired Min TX Interval: User-configurable
Required Min RX Interval: User-configurable
Required Min Echo RX Interval: User-configurable

Periodic Control Packet

fnC0036mp

Session state changes
The illustration below shows how the session state on a system changes based on the status notification it
receives from the remote system. For example, if a session on a system is down, and it receives a Down
status notification from the remote system, the session state on the local system changes to Init.
current session state

Up, Admin Down, Timer

the packet received

Down

Init
Down

Admin Down,
Timer

Down

Init

Init, Up

Admin Down,
Down,
Timer
Up

Up, Init

fnC0037mp

142

|

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

Important Points to Remember
•
•

•
•
•
•
•

BFD for line card ports is hitless, but is not hitless for VLANs since they are instantiated on the RPM.
FTOS supports a maximum of 100 sessions per BFD agent on C-Series and E-Series. Each linecard
processor has a BFD Agent, so the limit translates to 100 BFD sessions per linecard (plus, on the
E-Series, 100 BFD sessions on RP2, which handles LAG and VLANs). On the S4810, FTOS supports
128 sessions per stack unit at 200 minimum transmit and receive intervals with a multiplier of 3, and
64 sessions at 100 minimum transmit and receive intervals with a multiplier of 4.
BFD must be enabled on both ends of a link.
Demand mode, authentication, and the Echo function are not supported.
BFD is not supported on multi-hop and virtual links.
Protocol Liveness is supported for routing protocols only.
FTOS supports only OSPF, IS-IS, (E-Series, Z-Series and
only), BGP (
only), and
VRRP (not on
) protocols as BFD clients.

Configuring Bidirectional Forwarding Detection
The remainder of this chapter is divided into the following sections:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Configuring BFD for Physical Ports
Configuring BFD for Static Routes
Configuring BFD for OSPF
Configuring BFD for IS-IS
Configuring BFD for BGP
Configuring BFD for VRRP
Configuring BFD for VLANs
Configuring BFD for Port-Channels
Configuring Protocol Liveness
Troubleshooting BFD

Configuring BFD for Physical Ports
Configuring BFD for Physical Ports is supported on C-Series and E-Series only.
BFD on physical ports is useful when no routing protocol is enabled. Without BFD, if the remote system
fails, the local system does not remove the connected route until the first failed attempt to send a packet.
When BFD is enabled, the local system removes the route as soon as it stops receiving periodic control
packets from the remote system.
Configuring BFD for a physical port is a two-step process:
1. Enabling BFD globally.

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 143

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

2. Establish a session with a next-hop neighbor.

Related configuration tasks
•
•

Viewing physical port session parameters.
Disabling and re-enabling BFD.

Enabling BFD globally
BFD must be enabled globally on both routers, as shown in the illustration in Establishing a session on
physical ports.
To enable BFD globally:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable BFD globally.

bfd enable

CONFIGURATION

Verify that BFD is enabled globally using the command show running bfd, as shown in the example below.
R1(conf)#bfd ?
enable

Enable BFD protocol

protocol-liveness

Enable BFD protocol-liveness

R1(conf)#bfd enable
R1(conf)#do show running-config bfd
!
bfd enable
R1(conf)#

Establishing a session on physical ports
To establish a session, BFD must be enabled at interface level on both ends of the link, as shown in the
illustration below. The configuration parameters do not need to match.

144

|

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

R2: ACTIVE Role

R1: ACTIVE Role
4/24

2/1

FTOS(config)# bfd enable
FTOSconfig)# interface gigabitethernet 2/1
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/1)# ip address 2.2.2.2/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/1)# bfd neighbor 2.2.2.1
FTOS(config)# bfd enable
FTOS(config)# interface gigabitethernet 4/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/1)# ip address 2.2.2.1/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/1)# bfd neighbor 2.2.2.2

fnC0038mp

To establish a session:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Enter interface mode

interface

CONFIGURATION

2

Assign an IP address to the interface if one is not already
assigned.

ip address ip-address

INTERFACE

Verify that the session is established using the command show bfd neighbors, as shown in the example
below.
R1(conf-if-gi-4/24)#do show bfd neighbors
*

- Active session role

Ad Dn

- Admin Down

C

- CLI

I

- ISIS

O

- OSPF

R

- Static Route (RTM)
LocalAddr

* 2.2.2.1

RemoteAddr

Interface State Rx-int Tx-int Mult Clients

2.2.2.2

Gi 4/24

Up

100

100

3

C

The example below for the command show bfd neighbors detail shows more specific information about
BFD sessions.
R1(conf-if-gi-4/24)#do show bfd neighbors detail
Session Discriminator: 1
Neighbor Discriminator: 1
Local Addr: 2.2.2.1
Local MAC Addr: 00:01:e8:09:c3:e5
Remote Addr: 2.2.2.2
Remote MAC Addr: 00:01:e8:06:95:a2
Int: GigabitEthernet 4/24
State: Up
Configured parameters:

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 145

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

TX:

100ms, RX:

100ms, Multiplier: 3

Neighbor parameters:
TX:

100ms, RX:

100ms, Multiplier: 3

Actual parameters:
TX:

100ms, RX:

100ms, Multiplier: 3

Role: Active
Delete session on Down: False
Client Registered: CLI
Uptime: 00:03:57
Statistics:
Number of packets received from neighbor: 1775
Number of packets sent to neighbor: 1775
Number of state changes: 1
Number of messages from IFA about port state change: 0
Number of messages communicated b/w Manager and Agent: 4

When both interfaces are configured for BFD, log messages are displayed indicating state changes, as
shown in Message 1.
Message 1 BFD Session State Changes
R1(conf-if-gi-4/24)#00:36:01: %RPM0-P:RP2 %BFDMGR-1-BFD_STATE_CHANGE: Changed session state to
Down for neighbor 2.2.2.2 on interface Gi 4/24 (diag: 0)
00:36:02: %RPM0-P:RP2 %BFDMGR-1-BFD_STATE_CHANGE: Changed session state to Up for neighbor
2.2.2.2 on interface Gi 4/24 (diag: 0)

Viewing physical port session parameters
BFD sessions are configured with default intervals and a default role (active). Dell Force10 recommends
maintaining the default values.
View session parameters using the show bfd neighbors detail command.
R1(conf-if-gi-4/24)#bfd interval 100 min_rx 100 multiplier 4 role passive
R1(conf-if-gi-4/24)#do show bfd neighbors detail
Session Discriminator: 1
Neighbor Discriminator: 1
Local Addr: 2.2.2.1
Local MAC Addr: 00:01:e8:09:c3:e5
Remote Addr: 2.2.2.2
Remote MAC Addr: 00:01:e8:06:95:a2
Int: GigabitEthernet 4/24
State: Up
Configured parameters:
TX:

100ms, RX:

100ms, Multiplier: 4

Neighbor parameters:
TX:

100ms, RX:

100ms, Multiplier: 3

Actual parameters:
TX:

100ms, RX:

100ms, Multiplier: 4

Role: Passive

146

|

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

Delete session on Down: False
Client Registered: CLI
Uptime: 00:09:06
Statistics:
Number of packets received from neighbor: 4092
Number of packets sent to neighbor: 4093
Number of state changes: 1
Number of messages from IFA about port state change: 0
Number of messages communicated b/w Manager and Agent: 7

Disabling and re-enabling BFD
BFD is enabled on all interfaces by default, though sessions are not created unless explicitly configured. If
BFD is disabled, all of the sessions on that interface are placed in an Administratively Down state
(Message 2), and the remote systems are notified of the session state change (Message 3).
To disable BFD on an interface:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable BFD on an interface.

no bfd enable

INTERFACE

Message 2 Disabling BFD on a Local Interface
R1(conf-if-gi-4/24)#01:00:52: %RPM0-P:RP2 %BFDMGR-1-BFD_STATE_CHANGE: Changed session state to Ad
Dn for neighbor 2.2.2.2 on interface Gi 4/24 (diag: 0)

Message 3 Remote System State Change due to Local State Admin Down
R2>01:32:53: %RPM0-P:RP2 %BFDMGR-1-BFD_STATE_CHANGE: Changed session state to Down for neighbor
2.2.2.1 on interface Gi 2/1 (diag: 7)

To re-enable BFD on an interface:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable BFD on an interface.

bfd enable

INTERFACE

Configuring BFD for Static Routes
Configuring BFD for Static Routes is supported on C-Series and E-Series only.
BFD gives systems a link state detection mechanism for static routes. With BFD, systems are notified to
remove static routes from the routing table as soon as the link state change occurs, rather than having to
wait until packets fail to reach their next hop.

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 147

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configuring BFD for static routes is a three-step process:
1. Enabling BFD globally.
2. On the local system, establish a session with the next hop of a static route. Refer to Configuring BFD
for Static Routes.
3. On the remote system, establish a session with the physical port that is the origin of the static route.
Refer to Establishing a session on physical ports.

Related configuration tasks
•
•

Changing static route session parameters.
Disabling BFD for static routes.

Establishing sessions for static routes
Sessions are established for all neighbors that are the next hop of a static route.
FTOS(config)# interface gigabitethernet 2/2
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/2)# ip address 2.2.3.1/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/2)# no shutdown

FTOS(config)# interface gigabitethernet 2/1
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/1)# ip address 2.2.2.2/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/1)# no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/1)# bfd neighbor 2.2.2.1

R1

R3

R2
4/24

2/2

2/1

2.2.2.1/24

2.2.2.2/24

FTOS(config)# interface gigabitethernet 4/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/24)# ip address 2.2.2.1/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/24)# no shutdown
FTOS(config)# ip route 2.2.3.0/24 2.2.2.2
FTOS(config)# ip route bfd

2.2.3.1/24

6/0
2.2.3.2/24

FTOS(config)# interface gigabitethernet 6/0
FTOS(conf-if-gi-6/0)# ip address 2.2.3.2/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-6/0)# no shutdown

fnC0039mp

To establish a BFD session:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Establish BFD sessions for all neighbors that are the next hop
of a static route.

ip route bfd

CONFIGURATION

Verify that sessions have been created for static routes using the command show bfd neighbors, as shown
in the example below.
R1(conf)#ip route 2.2.3.0/24 2.2.2.2
R1(conf)#ip route bfd
R1(conf)#do show bfd neighbors

148

|

*

- Active session role

Ad Dn

- Admin Down

C

- CLI

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

I

- ISIS

O

- OSPF

R

- Static Route (RTM)
LocalAddr

RemoteAddr

Interface State Rx-int Tx-int Mult Clients

2.2.2.1

2.2.2.2

Gi 4/24

Up

100

100

4

R

View detailed session information using the command show bfd neighbors detail, as shown in the example
in Verifying BFD sessions with BGP neighbors using show bfd neighbors detail.

Changing static route session parameters
BFD sessions are configured with default intervals and a default role. The parameters that can be
configured are: Desired TX Interval, Required Min RX Interval, Detection Multiplier, and system role.
These parameters are configured for all static routes; if you change a parameter, the change affects all
sessions for static routes.
To change parameters for static route sessions:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change parameters for all static route
sessions.

ip route bfd interval milliseconds min_rx
milliseconds multiplier value role [active |
passive]

CONFIGURATION

View session parameters using the command show bfd neighbors detail, as shown in the example in
Verifying BFD sessions with BGP neighbors using show bfd neighbors detail.

Disabling BFD for static routes
If BFD is disabled, all static route BFD sessions are torn down. A final Admin Down packet is sent to all
neighbors on the remote systems, and those neighbors change to the Down state (Message 3).
To disable BFD for static routes:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable BFD for static routes.

no ip route bfd

CONFIGURATION

Configuring BFD for OSPF
BFD for OSPF is only supported on platforms:

ecz

When using BFD with OSPF, the OSPF protocol registers with the BFD manager on the RPM. BFD
sessions are established with all neighboring interfaces participating in OSPF. If a neighboring interface
fails, the BFD agent on the line card notifies the BFD manager, which in turn notifies the OSPF protocol
that a link state change occurred.

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 149

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configuring BFD for OSPF is a two-step process:
1. Enabling BFD globally.
2. Establishing sessions with OSPF neighbors.

Related configuration tasks
•
•

Changing OSPF session parameters.
Disabling BFD for OSPF.

Establishing sessions with OSPF neighbors
BFD sessions can be established with all OSPF neighbors at once or sessions can be established with all
neighbors out of a specific interface. Sessions are only established when the OSPF adjacency is in the full
state.
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/1)# ip address 2.2.2.2/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/1)# no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/1)# exit
FTOS(config)# router ospf 1
FTOS(config-router_ospf )# network 2.2.2.0/24 area 0
FTOS(config-router_ospf )# bfd all-neighbors

FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/2)# ip address 2.2.3.1/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/2)# no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/2)# exit
FTOS(config)# router ospf 1
FTOS(config-router_ospf )# network 2.2.3.0/24 area 1
FTOS(config-router_ospf )# bfd all-neighbors

AREA 1

AREA 0
R2

R1

2.2.2.1/24

2.2.2.2/24

FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/24)# ip address 2.2.2.1/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/24)# no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/24)# exit
FTOS(config)# router ospf 1
FTOS(config-router_ospf )# network 2.2.2.0/24 area 0
FTOS(config-router_ospf )# bfd all-neighbors

R3
2/2

2/1

4/24

FTOS(conf-if-gi-6/1)# ip address 2.2.4.1/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-6/1)# no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-6/1)# exit
FTOS(config)# router ospf 1
FTOS(config-router_ospf )# network 2.2.4.0/24 area 1
FTOS(config-router_ospf )# bfd all-neighbors

6/0
2.2.3.2/24

2.2.3.1/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-6/0)# ip address 2.2.3.2/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-6/0)# no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-6/0)# exit
FTOS(config)# router ospf 1
FTOS(config-router_ospf )# network 2.2.3.0/24 area 1
FTOS(config-router_ospf )# bfd all-neighbors

6/1
2.2.4.1/24

R4 2.2.4.2/24
1/1
FTOS(conf-if-gi-6/0)# ip address 2.2.4.2/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-6/0)# no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-6/0)# exit
FTOS(config)# router ospf 1
FTOS(config-router_ospf )# network 2.2.4.0/24 area 1
FTOS(config-router_ospf )# bfd all-neighbors

To establish BFD with all OSPF neighbors:
Step
1

150

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Establish sessions with all OSPF neighbors.

bfd all-neighbors

ROUTER-OSPF

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

To establish BFD for all OSPF neighbors on a single interface:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Establish sessions with all OSPF neighbors on a
single interface.

ip ospf bfd all-neighbors

INTERFACE

View the established sessions using the command show bfd neighbors, as shown in the example below.
R2(conf-router_ospf)#bfd all-neighbors
R2(conf-router_ospf)#do show bfd neighbors
*

- Active session role

Ad Dn

- Admin Down

C

- CLI

I

- ISIS

O

- OSPF

R

- Static Route (RTM)
RemoteAddr

Interface State Rx-int Tx-int Mult Clients

* 2.2.2.2

LocalAddr

2.2.2.1

Gi 2/1

Up

100

100

3

O

* 2.2.3.1

2.2.3.2

Gi 2/2

Up

100

100

3

O

Changing OSPF session parameters
BFD sessions are configured with default intervals and a default role. The parameters that can be
configured are: Desired TX Interval, Required Min RX Interval, Detection Multiplier, and system role.
These parameters are configured for all OSPF sessions or all OSPF sessions on a particular interface; if
you change a parameter globally, the change affects all OSPF neighbors sessions. If you change a
parameter at interface level, the change affects all OSPF sessions on that interface.
To change parameters for all OSPF sessions:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change parameters for OSPF
sessions.

bfd all-neighbors interval milliseconds
min_rx milliseconds multiplier value role
[active | passive]

ROUTER-OSPF

To change parameters for OSPF sessions on an interface:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change parameters for all OSPF
sessions on an interface.

ip ospf bfd all-neighbors interval
milliseconds min_rx milliseconds multiplier
value role [active | passive]

INTERFACE

View session parameters using the command show bfd neighbors detail, as shown in the example in
Displaying BFD for BGP Information.

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 151

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Disabling BFD for OSPF
If BFD is disabled globally, all sessions are torn down, and sessions on the remote system are placed in a
Down state. If BFD is disabled on an interface, sessions on the interface are torn down, and sessions on the
remote system are placed in a Down state (Message 3). Disabling BFD does not trigger a change in BFD
clients; a final Admin Down packet is sent before the session is terminated.
To disable BFD sessions with all OSPF neighbors:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable BFD sessions with all OSPF neighbors.

no bfd all-neighbors

ROUTER-OSPF

To disable BFD sessions with all OSPF neighbors out of an interface:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable BFD sessions with all OSPF neighbors out
of an interface

ip ospf bfd all-neighbors
disable

INTERFACE

Configuring BFD for IS-IS
BFD for IS-IS is supported on platforms:

ez

When using BFD with IS-IS, the IS-IS protocol registers with the BFD manager on the RPM. BFD
sessions are then established with all neighboring interfaces participating in IS-IS. If a neighboring
interface fails, the BFD agent on the line card notifies the BFD manager, which in turn notifies the IS-IS
protocol that a link state change occurred.
Configuring BFD for IS-IS is a two-step process:
1. Enable BFD globally. See Enabling BFD globally.
2. Establish sessions for all or particular IS-IS neighbors.

Related configuration tasks
•
•

Change session parameters.
Disable BFD sessions for IS-IS.

Establishing sessions with IS-IS neighbors
BFD sessions can be established for all IS-IS neighbors at once or sessions can be established for all
neighbors out of a specific interface.

152

|

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

Figure 8-2.

Establishing Sessions with IS-IS Neighbors
FTOS(conf )# router isis
FTOS(conf-router_isis)# net 02.1921.6800.2002.00
FTOS(conf-router_isis)# interface gigabitethernet 2/1
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/1)#ip address 2.2.2.2/24
FTOS(config-if-gi-2/1)# ip router isis
FTOS(config-if-gi-2/1)# exit
FTOS(conf )# router isis
FTOS(conf-router_isis)# bfd all-neighbors

FTOS(conf-router_isis)# interface gigabitethernet 2/2
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/2)#ip address 2.2.3.1/24
FTOS(config-if-gi-2/2)# ip router isis
FTOS(config-if-gi-2/2)# exit
FTOS(conf )# router isis
FTOS(conf-router_isis)# bfd all-neighbors

AREA 2

AREA 1

AREA 3

R2: Level 2

R1: Level 1 - 2
4/24

2/1

R3: Level 1 - 2
2/2
6/0

FTOS(conf )# router isis
FTOS(conf-router_isis)# net 01.1921.6800.1001.00
FTOS(conf-router_isis)# interface gigabitethernet 4/24
FTOS(config-if-gi-4/24)# ip address 2.2.2.1/24
FTOS(config-if-gi-4/24)# ip router isis
FTOS(config-if-gi-4/24)# exit
FTOS(conf )# router isis
FTOS(conf-router_isis)# bfd all-neighbors

6/1

FTOS(conf )# router isis
FTOS(conf-router_isis)# net 03.1921.6800.3003.00
FTOS(conf-router_isis)# interface gigabitethernet 6/0
FTOS(conf-if-gi-6/0)#ip address 2.2.3.2/24
FTOS(config-if-gi-6/0)# ip router isis
FTOS(config-if-gi-6/0)# exit
FTOS(conf )# router isis
FTOS(conf-router_isis)# bfd all-neighbors

FTOS(conf-router_isis)# interface gigabitethernet 6/1
FTOS(conf-if-gi-6/1)#ip address 2.2.4.1/24

fnC0041mp

To establish BFD with all IS-IS neighbors:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Establish sessions with all IS-IS neighbors.

bfd all-neighbors

ROUTER-ISIS

To establish BFD with all IS-IS neighbors out of a single interface:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Establish sessions with all IS-IS neighbors out of an
interface.

isis bfd all-neighbors

INTERFACE

View the established sessions using the command show bfd neighbors, as shown in Figure 8-3.
Figure 8-3.

Viewing Established Sessions for IS-IS Neighbors

R2(conf-router_isis)#bfd all-neighbors
R2(conf-router_isis)#do show bfd neighbors
*
Ad Dn
C
I
O
R

-

Active session role
Admin Down
CLI
ISIS
OSPF
Static Route (RTM)

LocalAddr
Clients
* 2.2.2.2

IS-IS BFD Sessions Enabled

RemoteAddr

Interface State Rx-int Tx-int Mult

2.2.2.1

Gi 2/1

Up

100

100

3

I

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 153

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Changing IS-IS session parameters
BFD sessions are configured with default intervals and a default role. The parameters that can be
configured are: Desired TX Interval, Required Min RX Interval, Detection Multiplier, and system role.
These parameters are configured for all IS-IS sessions or all IS-IS sessions out of an interface; if you
change a parameter globally, the change affects all IS-IS neighbors sessions. If you change a parameter at
interface level, the change affects all IS-IS sessions on that interface.
To change parameters for all IS-IS sessions:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change parameters for all IS-IS
sessions.

bfd all-neighbors interval milliseconds
min_rx milliseconds multiplier value role
[active | passive]

ROUTER-ISIS

To change parameters for IS-IS sessions on an interface:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change parameters for all IS-IS
sessions out of an interface.

isis bfd all-neighbors interval milliseconds
min_rx milliseconds multiplier value role
[active | passive]

INTERFACE

View session parameters using the command show bfd neighbors detail.

Disabling BFD for IS-IS
If BFD is disabled globally, all sessions are torn down, and sessions on the remote system are placed in a
Down state. If BFD is disabled on an interface, sessions on the interface are torn down, and sessions on the
remote system are placed in a Down state (Message 3). Disabling BFD does not trigger a change in BFD
clients; a final Admin Down packet is sent before the session is terminated.
To disable BFD sessions with all IS-IS neighbors:
Step
1

154

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable BFD sessions with all IS-IS
neighbors.

no bfd all-neighbors

ROUTER-ISIS

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

To disable BFD sessions with all IS-IS neighbors out of an interface:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable BFD sessions with all IS-IS
neighbors out of an interface.

isis bfd all-neighbors disable

INTERFACE

Configuring BFD for BGP
BFD for BGP is only supported on platforms: cez
In a BGP core network, BFD provides rapid detection of communication failures in BGP fast-forwarding
paths between internal BGP (iBGP) and external BGP (eBGP) peers for faster network reconvergence.
BFD for BGP is supported on 1GE, 10GE, 40GE, port-channel, and VLAN interfaces. BFD for BGP does
not support IPv6 and the BGP multihop feature.

Prerequisites
Before configuring BFD for BGP, you must first configure the following settings:
1. Configure BGP on the routers that you want to interconnect as described in Chapter 9, Border
Gateway Protocol.
2. Enable fast fall-over for BGP neighbors to reduce convergence time (neighbor fall-over command) as
described in BGP fast fall-over.

Establishing sessions with BGP neighbors
Before configuring BFD for BGP, you must first configure BGP on the routers that you want to
interconnect. For more information, refer to Chapter 9, Border Gateway Protocol.
For example, the following illustration shows a sample BFD configuration on Router 1 and Router 2 that
use eBGP in a transit network to interconnect AS1 and AS2. The eBGP routers exchange information with
each other as well as with iBGP routers to maintain connectivity and accessibility within each autonomous
system.

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 155

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Interior BGP

Interior BGP

Router 1
2/2
2.2.4.2

Router 2
1/1
2.2.4.3
Exterior BGP

AS 1
FTOS(conf )# bfd enable
FTOS(conf )# router bgp 1
FTOS(conf-router-bgp)# neighbor 2.2.4.3 remote-as 2
FTOS(conf-router-bgp)# neighbor 2.2.4.3 no shutdown
FTOS(conf-router-bgp)# bfd all-neighbors interval 200 min_rx 200
multiplier 6 role active
OR
FTOS(conf-router-bgp)# neighbor 2.2.4.3 bfd

AS 2
FTOS(conf )# bfd enable
FTOS(conf )# router bgp 2
FTOS(conf-router-bgp)# neighbor 2.2.4.2 remote-as 1
FTOS(conf-router-bgp)# neighbor 2.2.4.2 no shutdown
FTOS(conf-router-bgp)# bfd all-neighbors interval 200 min_rx 200
multiplier 6 role active
OR
FTOS(conf-router-bgp)# neighbor 2.2.4.2 bfd

Note that the sample configuration shows alternative ways to establish a BFD session with a BGP
neighbor:
•
•

By establishing BFD sessions with all neighbors discovered by BGP (bfd all-neighbors command)
By establishing a BFD session with a specified BGP neighbor (neighbor {ip-address | peer-group-name}
bfd command)

BFD packets originating from a router are assigned to the highest priority egress queue to minimize
transmission delays. Incoming BFD control packets received from the BGP neighbor are assigned to the
highest priority queue within the Control Plane Policing (COPP) framework to avoid BFD packets drops
due to queue congestion.
BFD notifies BGP of any failure conditions that it detects on the link. Recovery actions are initiated by
BGP.
BFD for BGP is supported only on directly-connected BGP neighbors and only in BGP IPv4 networks.
•
•

156

|

On an E-Series ExaScale, up to 100 simultaneous BFD sessions are supported.
On an S4810, up to 128 simultaneous BFD sessions are supported.

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

As long as each BFD for BGP neighbor receives a BFD control packet within the configured BFD interval
for failure detection, the BFD session remains up and BGP maintains its adjacencies. If a BFD for BGP
neighbor does not receive a control packet within the detection interval, the router informs any clients of
the BFD session (other routing protocols) about the failure. It then depends on the individual routing
protocols that uses the BGP link to determine the appropriate response to the failure condition. The typical
response is usually to terminate the peering session for the routing protocol and reconverge by bypassing
the failed neighboring router. A log message is generated whenever BFD detects a failure condition.
On C-Series and E-Series only, you can configure BFD for BGP on the following types of interfaces:
physical port (10GE or 40GE), port channel, and VLAN.
To establish a BFD session with one or all BGP neighbors, follow these steps:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Enable BFD globally.

bfd enable

CONFIGURATION

2

Specify the AS number and enter ROUTER
BGP configuration mode.

router bgp as-number

CONFIGURATION

3

Add a BGP neighbor or peer group in a
remote AS.

neighbor {ip-address | peer-group
name} remote-as as-number

CONFIG-ROUTERBGP

4

Enable the BGP neighbor.

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} no shutdown

CONFIG-ROUTERBGP

Configure parameters for a BFD session
established with all neighbors discovered by
BGP.

bfd all-neighbors [interval millisecs
min_rx millisecs multiplier value role
{active | passive}]

CONFIG-ROUTERBGP

OR

OR

Establish a BFD session with a specified BGP
neighbor or peer group using the default BFD
session parameters.

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} bfd

5

Notes:
- When you establish a BFD session with a specified BGP neighbor or peer group using the neighbor bfd
command, the default BFD session parameters are used (interval: 100 milliseconds, min_rx: 100 milliseconds,
multiplier: 3 packets, and role: active).
- When you explicitly enable or disable a BGP neighbor for a BFD session with the neighbor bfd or neighbor bfd
disable commands:
- The neighbor does not inherit the BFD enable/disable values configured with the bfd all-neighbors command or
configured for the peer group to which the neighbor belongs.
- The neighbor only inherits the global timer values configured with the bfd all-neighbors command (interval,
min_rx, and multiplier).
6

Repeat Steps 1 to 5 on each BGP peer participating in a BFD session.

Disabling BFD for BGP
To disable a BFD for BGP session with a specified neighbor, enter the neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} bfd disable command in ROUTER BGP configuration mode.

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 157

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To remove the disabled state of a BFD for BGP session with a specified neighbor, enter the no neighbor
{ip-address | peer-group-name} bfd disable command in ROUTER BGP configuration mode. The BGP link
with the neighbor returns to normal operation and uses the BFD session parameters globally configured
with the bfd all-neighbors command or configured for the peer group to which the neighbor belongs.

Using BFD in a BGP Peer Group
If you establish a BFD session for the members of a peer group (neighbor peer-group-name bfd command
in ROUTER BGP configuration mode), members of the peer group may have BFD:
•
•
•

Explicitly enabled (neighbor ip-address bfd command)
Explicitly disabled (neighbor ip-address bfd disable command)
Inherited (neither explicitly enabled or disabled) according to the current BFD configuration of the
peer group. For information on BGP peer groups, refer to Configure Peer Groups.

If you explicitly enable (or disable) a BGP neighbor for BFD that belongs to a peer group:
•
•

The neighbor does not inherit the BFD enable/disable values configured with the bfd all-neighbors
command or configured for the peer group to which the neighbor belongs.
The neighbor inherits only the global timer values that are configured with the bfd all-neighbors
command (interval, min_rx, and multiplier).

If you explicitly enable (or disable) a peer group for BFD that has no BFD parameters configured (e.g.
advertisement interval) using the neighbor peer-group-name bfd command, the peer group inherits any
BFD settings configured with the bfd all-neighbors command.

Displaying BFD for BGP Information
To display information about BFD for BGP sessions on a router, enter one of the following show
commands:
Task

Command

Command Mode

Verify a BFD for BGP configuration.

show running-config bgp
Verifying a BFD for BGP Configuration

EXEC Privilege

Verify that a BFD for BGP session has been
successfully established with a BGP neighbor. A
line-by-line listing of established BFD
adjacencies is displayed.

show bfd neighbors [interface] [detail]
Verifying BFD sessions with BGP neighbors
using show bfd neighbors and Verifying
BFD sessions with BGP neighbors using
show bfd neighbors detail

EXEC Privilege

Check to see if BFD is enabled for BGP
connections.

show ip bgp summary
Displaying BFD for BGP status

EXEC Privilege

Displays routing information exchanged with
BGP neighbors, including BFD for BGP
sessions.

show ip bgp neighbors [ip-address]
Displaying Routing Sessions with BGP
neighbors

EXEC Privilege

The following examples show the BFD for BGP output displayed for these show commands.

158

|

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

Verifying a BFD for BGP Configuration
R2# show running-config bgp
!
router bgp 2
neighbor 1.1.1.2 remote-as 1
neighbor 1.1.1.2 no shutdown
neighbor 2.2.2.2 remote-as 1
neighbor 2.2.2.2 no shutdown
neighbor 3.3.3.2 remote-as 1
neighbor 3.3.3.2 no shutdown
bfd all-neighbors

Verifying BFD sessions with BGP neighbors using show bfd neighbors
R2# show bfd neighbors
*

- Active session role

Ad Dn

- Admin Down

B

- BGP

C

- CLI

I

- ISIS

O

- OSPF

R

- Static Route (RTM)

M

- MPLS

V

- VRRP
RemoteAddr

Interface State Rx-int Tx-int Mult Clients

* 1.1.1.3

LocalAddr

1.1.1.2

Te 6/0

Up

100

100

3

B

* 2.2.2.3

2.2.2.2

Te 6/1

Up

100

100

3

B

* 3.3.3.3

3.3.3.2

Te 6/2

Up

100

100

3

B

Verifying BFD sessions with BGP neighbors using show bfd neighbors detail
R2# show bfd neighbors detail
Session Discriminator: 9
Neighbor Discriminator: 10
Local Addr: 1.1.1.3
Local MAC Addr: 00:01:e8:66:da:33
Remote Addr: 1.1.1.2
Remote MAC Addr: 00:01:e8:8a:da:7b
Int: TenGigabitEthernet 6/0
State: Up
Configured parameters:
TX:

100ms, RX:

100ms, Multiplier: 3

Neighbor parameters:
TX:

100ms, RX:

100ms, Multiplier: 3

Actual parameters:
TX:

100ms, RX:

100ms, Multiplier: 3

Role: Active

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 159

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Delete session on Down: True
Client Registered: BGP
Uptime: 00:07:55
Statistics:
Number of packets received from neighbor: 4762
Number of packets sent to neighbor: 4490
Number of state changes: 2
Number of messages from IFA about port state change: 0
Number of messages communicated b/w Manager and Agent: 5
Session Discriminator: 10
Neighbor Discriminator: 11
Local Addr: 2.2.2.3
Local MAC Addr: 00:01:e8:66:da:34
Remote Addr: 2.2.2.2
Remote MAC Addr: 00:01:e8:8a:da:7b
Int: TenGigabitEthernet 6/1
State: Up
Configured parameters:
TX:

100ms, RX:

100ms, Multiplier: 3

Neighbor parameters:
TX:

100ms, RX:

100ms, Multiplier: 3

Actual parameters:
TX:

100ms, RX:

100ms, Multiplier: 3

Role: Active
Delete session on Down: True
Client Registered: BGP
Uptime: 00:02:22
Statistics:
Number of packets received from neighbor: 1428
Number of packets sent to neighbor: 1428
Number of state changes: 1
Number of messages from IFA about port state change: 0
Number of messages communicated b/w Manager and Agent: 4

Displaying BFD Packet Counters
R2# show bfd counters bgp
Interface TenGigabitEthernet 6/0
Protocol BGP
Messages:
Registration

: 5

De-registration

: 4

Init

: 0

Up

: 6

Down

: 0

Admin Down

: 2

Interface TenGigabitEthernet 6/1

160

|

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

Protocol BGP
Messages:
Registration

: 5

De-registration

: 4

Init

: 0

Up

: 6

Down

: 0

Admin Down

: 2

Interface TenGigabitEthernet 6/2
Protocol BGP
Messages:
Registration

: 1

De-registration

: 0

Init

: 0

Up

: 1

Down

: 0

Admin Down

: 2

Displaying BFD for BGP status
R2# show ip bgp summary
BGP router identifier 10.0.0.1, local AS number 2
BGP table version is 0, main routing table version 0
BFD is enabled, Interval 100 Min_rx 100 Multiplier 3 Role Active
3 neighbor(s) using 24168 bytes of memory
Neighbor

AS

MsgRcvd

MsgSent

TblVer

InQ

1.1.1.2
2.2.2.2
3.3.3.2

OutQ Up/Down

State/Pfx

1

282

281

0

0

0 00:38:12

0

1

273

273

0

0

(0) 04:32:26

0

1

282

281

0

0

0 00:38:12

0

Displaying Routing Sessions with BGP neighbors
R2# show ip bgp neighbors 2.2.2.2
BGP neighbor is 2.2.2.2, remote AS 1, external link
BGP version 4, remote router ID 12.0.0.4
BGP state ESTABLISHED, in this state for 00:05:33
Last read 00:00:30, last write 00:00:30
Hold time is 180, keepalive interval is 60 seconds
Received 8 messages, 0 in queue
1 opens, 0 notifications, 0 updates
7 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Sent 9 messages, 0 in queue
2 opens, 0 notifications, 0 updates
7 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Minimum time between advertisement runs is 30 seconds
Minimum time before advertisements start is 0 seconds

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 161

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Capabilities received from neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
Capabilities advertised to neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
Neighbor is using BGP global mode BFD configuration
For address family: IPv4 Unicast
BGP table version 0, neighbor version 0
Prefixes accepted 0 (consume 0 bytes), withdrawn 0 by peer, martian prefixes ignored 0
Prefixes advertised 0, denied 0, withdrawn 0 from peer
Connections established 1; dropped 0
Last reset never
Local host: 2.2.2.3, Local port: 63805
Foreign host: 2.2.2.2, Foreign port: 179
E1200i_ExaScale#

R2# show ip bgp neighbors 2.2.2.3
BGP neighbor is 2.2.2.3, remote AS 1, external link
Member of peer-group pg1 for session parameters
BGP version 4, remote router ID 12.0.0.4
BGP state ESTABLISHED, in this state for 00:05:33
...
Neighbor is using BGP neighbor mode BFD configuration
Peer active in peer-group outbound optimization
...

R2# show ip bgp neighbors 2.2.2.4
BGP neighbor is 2.2.2.4, remote AS 1, external link
Member of peer-group pg1 for session parameters
BGP version 4, remote router ID 12.0.0.4
BGP state ESTABLISHED, in this state for 00:05:33
...
Neighbor is using BGP peer-group mode BFD configuration
Peer active in peer-group outbound optimization
...

162

|

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

Configuring BFD for VRRP
BFD for VRRP is only supported on platforms:

ec

When using BFD with VRRP, the VRRP protocol registers with the BFD manager on the RPM. BFD
sessions are established with all neighboring interfaces participating in VRRP. If a neighboring interface
fails, the BFD agent on the line card notifies the BFD manager, which in turn notifies the VRRP protocol
that a link state change occurred.
Configuring BFD for VRRP is a three-step process:
1. Enable BFD globally. Refer to Enabling BFD globally.
2. Establish VRRP BFD sessions with all VRRP-participating neighbors.
3. On the master router, establish a VRRP BFD sessions with the backup routers. Refer to Establishing
sessions with all VRRP neighbors.

Related configuration tasks
•
•

Changing VRRP session parameters.
Establishing sessions with OSPF neighbors.

Establishing sessions with all VRRP neighbors
BFD sessions can be established for all VRRP neighbors at once, or a session can be established with a
particular neighbor.

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 163

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

VIRTUAL

IP Address: 2.2.5.4

R1: BACKUP

R2: MASTER
2/3

4/25

FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/25)# ip address 2.2.5.1/24
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/25)# no shutdown
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/25)# vrrp-group 1
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/25)# virtual-address 2.2.5.4
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/25)# vrrp bfd all-neighbors
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/25)# vrrp bfd neighbor 2.2.5.2

IP Address: 2.2.5.3
Gateway: 2.2.5.1

FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/3)#ip address 2.2.5.2/24
FTOS(config-if-gi-2/3)# no shutdown
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/25)# vrrp-group 1
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/25)# virtual-address 2.2.5.4
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/25)# vrrp bfd all-neighbors
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/25)# vrrp bfd neighbor 2.2.5.1

fnC0042mp

To establish sessions with all VRRP neighbors:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Establish sessions with all VRRP neighbors.

vrrp bfd all-neighbors

INTERFACE

Establishing VRRP sessions on VRRP neighbors
The master router does not care about the state of the backup router, so it does not participate in any VRRP
BFD sessions. Therefore, VRRP BFD sessions on the backup router cannot change to the UP state. The
master router must be configured to establish an individual VRRP session the backup router.
To establish a session with a particular VRRP neighbor:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Establish a session with a particular VRRP
neighbor.

vrrp bfd neighbor ip-address

INTERFACE

View the established sessions using the command show bfd neighbors, as shown in the example below.
R1(conf-if-gi-4/25)#vrrp bfd all-neighbors
R1(conf-if-gi-4/25)#do show bfd neighbor

164

|

*

- Active session role

Ad Dn

- Admin Down

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

C

- CLI

I

- ISIS

O

- OSPF

R

- Static Route (RTM)

V

- VRRP
LocalAddr

Interface State Rx-int Tx-int Mult Clients

2.2.5.2

Gi 4/25

* 2.2.5.1

RemoteAddr

Down

1000

1000

3

V

Session state information is also shown in the show vrrp command output, as shown in the following
example.
R1(conf-if-gi-4/25)#do show vrrp
-----------------GigabitEthernet 4/1, VRID: 1, Net: 2.2.5.1
State: Backup, Priority: 1, Master: 2.2.5.2
Hold Down: 0 sec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 1 sec
Adv rcvd: 95, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 933, Gratuitous ARP sent: 3
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:01:01
Virtual IP address:
2.2.5.4
Authentication: (none)
BFD Neighbors:
RemoteAddr

State

2.2.5.2

Up

Changing VRRP session parameters
BFD sessions are configured with default intervals and a default role. The parameters that can be
configured are: Desired TX Interval, Required Min RX Interval, Detection Multiplier, and system role.
You can change parameters for all VRRP sessions for a particular neighbor.
To change parameters for all VRRP sessions:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change parameters for all VRRP
sessions.

vrrp bfd all-neighbors interval milliseconds
min_rx milliseconds multiplier value role
[active | passive]

INTERFACE

To change parameters for a particular VRRP session:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change parameters for a particular
VRRP session.

vrrp bfd neighbor ip-address interval
milliseconds min_rx milliseconds multiplier
value role [active | passive]

INTERFACE

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 165

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

View session parameters using the command show bfd neighbors detail, as shown in the example in
Verifying BFD sessions with BGP neighbors using show bfd neighbors detail.

Disabling BFD for VRRP
If any or all VRRP sessions are disabled, the sessions are torn down. A final Admin Down control packet
is sent to all neighbors and sessions on the remote system change to the Down state (Message 3).
To disable all VRRP sessions on an interface:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable all VRRP sessions on an interface.

no vrrp bfd all-neighbors

INTERFACE

To disable all VRRP sessions in a particular VRRP group:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable all VRRP sessions in a VRRP group.

bfd disable

VRRP

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable a particular VRRP session on an interface.

no vrrp bfd neighbor
ip-address

INTERFACE

To disable a particular VRRP session:
Step
1

Configuring BFD for VLANs
Configuring BFD for VLANs is supported on platforms c e.
BFD on Dell Force10 systems is a Layer 3 protocol. Therefore, BFD is used with routed VLANs. BFD on
VLANs is analogous to BFD on physical ports. If no routing protocol is enabled, and a remote system fails,
the local system does not remove the connected route until the first failed attempt to send a packet. If BFD
is enabled, the local system removes the route when it stops receiving periodic control packets from the
remote system.
There is one BFD Agent for VLANs and port-channels, which resides on RP2 as opposed to the other
agents which are on the line card. Therefore, the 100 total possible sessions that this agent can maintain is
shared for VLANs and port-channels.
Configuring BFD for VLANs is a two-step process:
1. Enabling BFD globally.
2. Establishing sessions with VLAN neighbors.

166

|

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

Related configuration tasks
•

Establishing sessions with OSPF neighbors.

Establishing sessions with VLAN neighbors
To establish a session, BFD must be enabled at interface level on both ends of the link, as shown in the
illustration below. The session parameters do not need to match.
R1

R2
VLAN 200
4/25

2/3

FTOS(config-if-gi-4/25)# switchport
FTOS(config-if-gi-4/25)# no shutdown
FTOS(config-if-gi-4/25)# interface vlan 200
FTOS(config-if-vl-200)# ip address 2.2.3.1/24
FTOS(config-if-vl-200)# untagged gigabitethernet 4/25
FTOS(config-if-vl-200)# no shutdown
FTOS(config-if-vl-200)# bfd neighbor 2.2.3.2

FTOS(config-if-gi-2/3)# switchport
FTOS(config-if-gi-2/3)# no shutdown
FTOS(config-if-gi-2/3)# interface vlan 200
FTOS(config-if-vl-200)# ip address 2.2.3.2/24
FTOS(config-if-vl-200)# untagged gigabitethernet 2/3
FTOS(config-if-vl-200)# no shutdown
FTOS(config-if-vl-200)# bfd neighbor 2.2.3.2

fnC0043mp

Disabling BFD for VLANs
If BFD is disabled on an interface, sessions on the interface are torn down. A final Admin Down control
packet is sent to all neighbors, and sessions on the remote system change to the Down state (Message 3).
To disable BFD on a VLAN interface:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable all sessions on a VLAN interface.

no bfd enable

INTERFACE VLAN

Configuring BFD for Port-Channels
Configuring BFD for port-channels is supported on platforms: c e
BFD on port-channels is analogous to BFD on physical ports. If no routing protocol is enabled, and a
remote system fails, the local system does not remove the connected route until the first failed attempt to
send a packet. If BFD is enabled, the local system removes the route when it stops receiving periodic
control packets from the remote system.
There is one BFD Agent for VLANs and port-channels, which resides on RP2 as opposed to the other
agents which are on the line card. Therefore, the 100 total possible sessions that this agent can maintain is
shared for VLANs and port-channels.

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 167

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configuring BFD for port-channels is a two-step process:
1. Enabling BFD globally.
2. Establishing sessions on port-channels.

Related configuration tasks
•

Disabling BFD for port-channels.

Establishing sessions on port-channels
To establish a session, BFD must be enabled at interface level on both ends of the link, as shown in the
example below. The session parameters do not need to match.

FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/24-5)# port-channel-protocol lacp
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/24-5)# port-channel 1 mode active
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/24-5)# no shutdown
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-4/24-5)# interface port-channel 1
FTOS(config-if-po-1)# ip address 2.2.2.1/24
FTOS(config-if-po-1)# no shutdown
FTOS(config-if-po-1)# bfd neighbor 2.2.2.2

2/1

4/24
Port Channel 1
4/25

2/2

FTOS(config-if-range-gi-2/1-2)# port-channel-protocol lacp
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-2/1-2)# port-channel 1 mode active
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-2/1-2)# no shutdown
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-2/1-2)# interface port-channel 1
FTOS(config-if-po-1)# ip address 2.2.2.2/24
FTOS(config-if-po-1)# no shutdown
FTOS(config-if-po-1)# bfd neighbor 2.2.2.1

fnC0044mp

Disabling BFD for port-channels
If BFD is disabled on an interface, sessions on the interface are torn down. A final Admin Down control
packet is sent to all neighbors, and sessions on the remote system are placed in a Down state (Message 3).
To disable BFD for a port-channel:
Step
1

168

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable BFD for a port-channel.

no bfd enable

INTERFACE PORT-CHANNEL

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

Configuring Protocol Liveness
Protocol Liveness is a feature that notifies the BFD Manager when a client protocol is disabled. When a
client is disabled, all BFD sessions for that protocol are torn down. Neighbors on the remote system
receive an Admin Down control packet and are placed in the Down state (Message 3).
To enable Protocol Liveness:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable Protocol Liveness

bfd protocol-liveness

CONFIGURATION

Troubleshooting BFD
Examine control packet field values using the command debug bfd detail. The following example shows a
three-way handshake using this command.
R1(conf-if-gi-4/24)#00:54:38: %RPM0-P:RP2 %BFDMGR-1-BFD_STATE_CHANGE: Changed session state to
Down for neighbor 2.2.2.2 on interface Gi 4/24 (diag: 0)
00:54:38 : Sent packet for session with neighbor 2.2.2.2 on Gi 4/24
TX packet dump:
Version:1, Diag code:0, State:Down, Poll bit:0, Final bit:0, Demand bit:0
myDiscrim:4, yourDiscrim:0, minTx:1000000, minRx:1000000, multiplier:3, minEchoRx:0
00:54:38 : Received packet for session with neighbor 2.2.2.2 on Gi 4/24
RX packet dump:
Version:1, Diag code:0, State:Init, Poll bit:0, Final bit:0, Demand bit:0
myDiscrim:6, yourDiscrim:4, minTx:1000000, minRx:1000000, multiplier:3, minEchoRx:0
00:54:38: %RPM0-P:RP2 %BFDMGR-1-BFD_STATE_CHANGE: Changed session state to Up for neighbor 2.2.2.2
on interface Gi 4/24 (diag: 0)

Examine control packets in hexadecimal format using the command debug bfd packet.
RX packet dump:
20 c0 03 18 00 00 00 05 00 00 00 04 00 01 86 a0
00 01 86 a0 00 00 00 00
00:34:13 : Sent packet for session with neighbor 2.2.2.2 on Gi 4/24
TX packet dump:
20 c0 03 18 00 00 00 04 00 00 00 05 00 01 86 a0
00 01 86 a0 00 00 00 00
00:34:14 : Received packet for session with neighbor 2.2.2.2 on Gi 4/24
RX packet dump:
20 c0 03 18 00 00 00 05 00 00 00 04 00 01 86 a0
00 01 86 a0 00 00 00 00
00:34:14 : Sent packet for session with neighbor 2.2.2.2 on Gi 4/24
TX packet dump:
20 c0 03 18 00 00 00 04 00 00 00 05 00 01 86 a0
00 01 86 a0 00 00 00 00
00:34:14 : Received packet for session with neighbor 2.2.2.2 on Gi 4/24
RX packet dump:

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) | 169

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

20 c0 03 18 00 00 00 05 00 00 00 04 00 01 86 a0

170

00 01 86 a0 00 00 00 00
00:34:14 : Sent packet for session with neighbor 2.2.2.2 on Gi 4/24
L

The output for the command debug bfd event is the same as the log messages that appear on the console by
default.

|

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)

9
Border Gateway Protocol
Platforms support BGP according to the following table:
FTOS version

Platform support

IPv4: 8.3.11.2
IPv6: 9.0.0.0

Z9000

8.3.7.0

S4810

8.1.1.0

E-Series ExaScale

7.8.1.0

S-Series

7.7.1.0.

C-Series

pre-7.7.1.0

E-Series TeraScale

z
ex
s
c
et

This chapter is intended to provide a general description of Border Gateway Protocol version 4 (BGPv4) as
it is supported in the Force10 Operating System (FTOS).
This chapter includes the following topics:
•

•

Protocol Overview
• Autonomous Systems (AS)
• Sessions and Peers
• Route Reflectors
• Confederations
BGP Attributes
• Best Path Selection Criteria
• Weight
• Local Preference
• Multi-Exit Discriminators (MEDs)
• AS Path
• Next Hop

Border Gateway Protocol | 171

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•

•

•

Multiprotocol BGP
Implementing BGP with FTOS
• Additional Path (Add-Path) support
• Advertise IGP cost as MED for redistributed routes
• Ignore Router-ID for some best-path calculations
• 4-Byte AS Numbers
• AS4 Number Representation
• AS Number Migration
• BGP4 Management Information Base (MIB)
• Important Points to Remember
Configuration Information
• Configuration Task List for BGP
• MBGP Configuration
• Storing Last and Bad PDUs
• Capturing PDUs
• PDU Counters
Sample Configurations

BGP protocol standards are listed in the Appendix 50, Standards Compliance chapter.

Protocol Overview
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is an external gateway protocol that transmits interdomain routing
information within and between Autonomous Systems (AS). Its primary function is to exchange network
reachability information with other BGP systems. BGP generally operates with an Internal Gateway
Protocol (IGP) such as OSPF or RIP, allowing you to communicate to external ASs smoothly. BGP adds
reliability to network connections having multiple paths from one router to another.

Autonomous Systems (AS)
BGP Autonomous Systems (ASs) are a collection of nodes under common administration, with common
network routing policies. Each AS has a number, already assigned by an internet authority. You do not
assign the BGP number.
AS Numbers (ASNs) are important because the ASN uniquely identifies each network on the Internet. The
IANA has reserved AS numbers 64512 through 65534 to be used for private purposes. The ASNs 0 and
65535 are reserved by the IANA and should not be used in a live environment.
Autonomous Systems can be grouped into three categories, defined by their connections and operation.

172

|

Border Gateway Protocol

A multihomed AS is one that maintains connections to more than one other AS. This allows the AS to
remain connected to the internet in the event of a complete failure of one of their connections. However,
this type of AS does not allow traffic from one AS to pass through on its way to another AS. A simple
example of this is seen in Figure 9-1.
A stub AS is one that is connected to only one other AS.
A transit AS is one that provides connections through itself to separate networks. For example as seen in
Figure 9-1, Router 1 can use Router 2 (the transit AS) to connect to Router 4. ISPs are always transit ASs,
because they provide connections from one network to another. The ISP is considered to be “selling transit
service” to the customer network, so thus the term Transit AS.

When BGP operates inside an Autonomous System (AS1 or AS2 as seen in Figure 9-1), it is
referred to as Internal BGP (IBGP Interior Border Gateway Protocol). When BGP operates
between Autonomous Systems (AS1 and AS2), it is called External BGP (EBGP Exterior Border
Gateway Protocol). IBGP provides routers inside the AS with the knowledge to reach routers external to
the AS. EBGP routers exchange information with other EBGP routers as well as IBGP routers to maintain
connectivity and accessibility.
BGP Autonomous Zones

lpbgp1111

Figure 9-1.

Router 5

Router 3

Router 1

Router 4

Router 2

Router 6

Exterior BGP
(EBGP)

AS 1
Interior BGP (IBGP)

Router 7

AS 2
Interior BGP (IBGP)

BGP version 4 (BGPv4) supports classless interdomain routing and aggregate routes and AS paths. BGP
is a path vector protocol - a computer network in which BGP maintains the path that update

information takes as it diffuses through the network. Updates traveling through the network and
returning to the same node are easily detected and discarded.
BGP does not use traditional Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) matrix, but makes routing decisions based
on path, network policies and/or rulesets. Unlike most protocols, BGP uses TCP as its transport protocol.

Border Gateway Protocol | 173

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Since each BGP router talking to another router is a session, a BGP network needs to be in “full mesh”.
This is a topology that has every router directly connected to every other router. Each BGP router within an
AS must have iBGP sessions with all other BGP routers in the AS. For example, a BGP network within an
AS needs to be in “full mesh.” As seen in Figure 9-2, four routers connected in a full mesh have three peers
each, six routers have 5 peers each, and eight routers in full mesh will have seven peers each.
Figure 9-2.

Full Mesh Examples

4 Routers
6 Routers

8 Routers
The number of BGP speakers each BGP peer must maintain increases exponentially. Network
management quickly becomes impossible.

Sessions and Peers
When two routers communicate using the BGP protocol, a BGP session is started. The two end-points of
that session are Peers. A Peer is also called a Neighbor.

174

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Establishing a session
Information exchange between peers is driven by events and timers. The focus in BGP is on the traffic
routing policies.
In order to make decisions in its operations with other BGP peers, a BGP process uses a simple finite state
machine that consists of six states: Idle, Connect, Active, OpenSent, OpenConfirm, and Established. For
each peer-to-peer session, a BGP implementation tracks which of these six states the session is in. The
BGP protocol defines the messages that each peer should exchange in order to change the session from one
state to another.
The first state is the Idle mode. BGP initializes all resources, refuses all inbound BGP connection attempts,
and initiates a TCP connection to the peer.
The next state is Connect. In this state the router waits for the TCP connection to complete, transitioning
to the OpenSent state if successful.
If that transition is not successful, BGP resets the ConnectRetry timer and transitions to the Active state
when the timer expires.
In the Active state, the router resets the ConnectRetry timer to zero, and returns to the Connect state.
Upon successful OpenSent transition, the router sends an Open message and waits for one in return.
Once the Open message parameters are agreed between peers then the neighbor relation is established and
is in Open confirm state. This is when the router receives and checks for agreement on the parameters of
open messages to establish a session.
Keepalive messages are exchanged next, and upon successful receipt, the router is placed in the
Established state. Keepalive messages continue to be sent at regular periods (established by the Keepalive
timer) to verify connections.
Once established, the router can now send/receive Keepalive, Update, and Notification messages to/from
its peer.

Peer Groups
Peer Groups are neighbors grouped according to common routing policies. They enable easier system
configuration and management by allowing groups of routers to share and inherit policies.
Peer groups also aid in convergence speed. When a BGP process needs to send the same information to a
large number of peers, it needs to set up a long output queue to get that information to all the proper peers.
If they are members of a peer group, however, the information can be sent to one place then passed onto
the peers within the group.

Border Gateway Protocol | 175

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Route Reflectors
Route Reflectors reorganize the iBGP core into a hierarchy and allows some route advertisement rules.
Note: Route Reflectors (RRs) should not be used in the forwarding path. In iBGP, hierarchal RRs
maintaining forwarding plane RRs could create routing loops.

Route reflection divides iBGP peers into two groups: client peers and nonclient peers. A route reflector and
its client peers form a route reflection cluster. Since BGP speakers announce only the best route for a given
prefix, route reflector rules are applied after the router makes its best path decision.
•
•

If a route was received from a nonclient peer, reflect the route to all client peers.
If the route was received from a client peer, reflect the route to all nonclient and all client peers.

To illustrate how these rules affect routing, see Figure 9-3 and the following steps. Routers B, C, D, E, and
G are members of the same AS - AS100. These routers are also in the same Route Reflection Cluster,
where Router D is the Route Reflector. Router E and H are client peers of Router D; Routers B and C and
nonclient peers of Router D.
Route Reflection Example

Router A

{

eBGP Route

eBGP Route

Router B

Router E

{

Figure 9-3.

Router F

iBGP Routes

Route Reflector
Router D

Route Reflector Client Peers

Router C

Router G
iBGP Routes

Router H

{

iBGP Route

eBGP Route

1. Router B receives an advertisement from Router A through eBGP. Since the route is learned through
eBGP, Router B advertises it to all its iBGP peers: Routers C and D.
2. Router C receives the advertisement but does not advertise it to any peer because its only other peer is
Router D, an iBGP peer, and Router D has already learned it through iBGP from Router B.
3. Router D does not advertise the route to Router C because Router C is a nonclient peer and the route
advertisement came from Router B who is also a non-client peer.
4. Router D does reflect the advertisement to Routers E and G because they are client peers of Router D.
5. Routers E and G then advertise this iBGP learned route to their eBGP peers Routers F and H.

176

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Confederations
Communities
BGP communities are sets of routes with one or more common attributes. This is a way to assign
common attributes to multiple routes at the same time.

BGP Attributes
Routes learned via BGP have associated properties that are used to determine the best route to a destination
when multiple paths exist to a particular destination. These properties are referred to as BGP attributes, and
an understanding of how BGP attributes influence route selection is required for the design of robust
networks. This section describes the attributes that BGP uses in the route selection process:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Weight
Local Preference
Multi-Exit Discriminators (MEDs)
Origin
AS Path
Next Hop

Best Path Selection Criteria
Paths for active routes are grouped in ascending order according to their neighboring external AS number
(BGP best path selection is deterministic by default, which means the bgp non-deterministic-med
command is NOT applied).
The best path in each group is selected based on specific criteria. Only one “best path” is selected at a time.
If any of the criteria results in more than one path, BGP moves on to the next option in the list. For
example, two paths may have the same weights, but different local preferences. BGP sees that the Weight
criteria results in two potential “best paths” and moves to local preference to reduce the options. If a
number of best paths is determined, this selection criteria is applied to group’s best to determine the
ultimate best path.
In non-deterministic mode (the bgp non-deterministic-med command is applied), paths are compared in
the order in which they arrive. This method can lead to FTOS choosing different best paths from a set of
paths, depending on the order in which they were received from the neighbors, since MED may or may not
get compared between adjacent paths. In deterministic mode, FTOS compares MED between adjacent
paths within an AS group since all paths in the AS group are from the same AS.

Border Gateway Protocol | 177

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
178

Syste

Note: In 8.3.11.4, the bgp bestpath as-path multipath-relax command is disabled by default, preventing
BGP from load-balancing a learned route across two or more eBGP peers. To enable load-balancing across
different eBGP peers, enable the bgp bestpath as-path multipath-relax command.
A system error will result if the bgp bestpath as-path ignore command and the bgp bestpath as-path
multipath-relax command are configured at the same time. Only enable one command at a time.

Figure 9-4 illustrates the decisions BGP goes through to select the best path. The list following the
illustration details the path selection criteria.
Figure 9-4.

|

BGP Best Path Selection

Border Gateway Protocol

Best Path selection details
1. Prefer the path with the largest WEIGHT attribute.
2. Prefer the path with the largest LOCAL_PREF attribute.
3. Prefer the path that was locally Originated via a network command, redistribute command or
aggregate-address command.
•

Routes originated with the network or redistribute commands are preferred over routes originated
with the aggregate-address command.

4. Prefer the path with the shortest AS_PATH (unless the bgp bestpath as-path ignore command is
configured, then AS_PATH is not considered). The following criteria apply:
•
•
•
•

An AS_SET has a path length of 1, no matter how many ASs are in the set.
A path with no AS_PATH configured has a path length of 0.
AS_CONFED_SET is not included in the AS_PATH length.
AS_CONFED_SEQUENCE has a path length of 1, no matter how many ASs are in the
AS_CONFED_SEQUENCE.

5. Prefer the path with the lowest ORIGIN type (IGP is lower than EGP, and EGP is lower than
INCOMPLETE).
6. Prefer the path with the lowest Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED) attribute. The following criteria apply:
•
•
•

This comparison is only done if the first (neighboring) AS is the same in the two paths; the MEDs
are compared only if the first AS in the AS_SEQUENCE is the same for both paths.
If the bgp always-compare-med command is entered, MEDs are compared for all paths.
Paths with no MED are treated as “worst” and assigned a MED of 4294967295.

7. Prefer external (EBGP) to internal (IBGP) paths or confederation EBGP paths.
8. Prefer the path with the lowest IGP metric to the BGP next-hop is selected when synchronization is
disabled and only an internal path remains.
9. FTOS deems the paths as equal and does not perform steps 9 through 11 listed below if the following
criteria are met:
•
•
•
•

the IBGP multipath or EBGP multipath is configured (using the maximum-path command)
the bgp bestpath as-path multipath-relax command is not configured and the received paths are
from the same AS with the same number of ASs in the AS path but have different NextHops
the bgp bestpath as-path multipath-relax command is configured and the learned paths are from
different ASs but have equal AS path numbers
the paths were received from IBGP or EBGP neighbor respectively

10. If the bgp bestpath router-id ignore command is enabled and:
•
•

If the Router-ID is the same for multiple paths (because the routes were received from the same
route) skip this step.
If the Router-ID is NOT the same for multiple paths, Prefer the path that was first received as the
Best Path. The path selection algorithm should return without performing any of the checks
outlined below.

Border Gateway Protocol | 179

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

11. Prefer the external path originated from the BGP router with the lowest router ID. If both paths are
external, prefer the oldest path (first received path). For paths containing a Route Reflector (RR)
attribute, the originator ID is substituted for the router ID.
12. If two paths have the same router ID, prefer the path with the lowest cluster ID length. Paths without a
cluster ID length are set to a 0 cluster ID length.
13. Prefer the path originated from the neighbor with the lowest address. (The neighbor address is used in
the BGP neighbor configuration, and corresponds to the remote peer used in the TCP connection with
the local router.)
After a number of best paths is determined, this selection criteria is applied to group’s best to determine the
ultimate best path.
In non-deterministic mode (the bgp non-deterministic-med command is applied), paths are compared in
the order in which they arrive. This method can lead to FTOS choosing different best paths from a set of
paths, depending on the order in which they were received from the neighbors since MED may or may not
get compared between adjacent paths. In deterministic mode, FTOS compares MED between adjacent
paths within an AS group since all paths in the AS group are from the same AS.

Weight
The Weight attribute is local to the router and is not advertised to neighboring routers. If the router learns
about more than one route to the same destination, the route with the highest weight will be preferred. The
route with the highest weight is installed in the IP routing table.

Local Preference
Local Preference (LOCAL_PREF) represents the degree of preference within the entire AS. The higher the
number, the greater the preference for the route.
The Local Preference (LOCAL_PREF) is one of the criteria used to determine the best path, so keep in
mind that other criteria may impact selection, as shown in Figure 9-4. For this example, assume that
LOCAL_PREF is the only attribute applied. In Figure 9-5, AS100 has two possible paths to AS 200.
Although the path through the Router A is shorter (one hop instead of two) the LOCAL_PREF settings
have the preferred path go through Router B and AS300. This is advertised to all routers within AS100
causing all BGP speakers to prefer the path through Router B.

180

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Figure 9-5.

LOCAL_PREF Example

Set Local Preference to 100
Router A

AS 100

T1 Link

Router C

AS 200

Router B

Router E
Set Local Preference to 200

OC3 Link

Router E
Router D

AS 300

Router F

Multi-Exit Discriminators (MEDs)
If two Autonomous Systems (AS) connect in more than one place, a Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED) can
be used to assign a preference to a preferred path. The MED is one of the criteria used to determine the best
path, so keep in mind that other criteria may impact selection, as shown in Figure 9-4.
One AS assigns the MED a value and the other AS uses that value to decide the preferred path. For this
example, assume the MED is the only attribute applied. In Figure 9-6, AS100 and AS200 connect in two
places. Each connection is a BGP session. AS200 sets the MED for its T1 exit point to 100 and the MED
for its OC3 exit point to 50. This sets up a path preference through the OC3 link. The MEDs are advertised
to AS100 routers so they know which is the preferred path.
An MED is a non-transitive attribute. If AS100 sends an MED to AS200, AS200 does not pass it on to
AS300 or AS400. The MED is a locally relevant attribute to the two participating Autonomous Systems
(AS100 and AS200).
Note that the MEDs are advertised across both links, so that if a link goes down AS 1 still has connectivity
to AS300 and AS400.

Border Gateway Protocol | 181

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 9-6.

MED Route Example

AS 100

Set MED to 100

Router A

T1 Link

Router C

AS 200

Router B

Router E

OC3 Link

Router D
Set MED to 50

Note: With FTOS Release 8.3.1.0, configuring the set metric-type internal command in a route-map
advertises the IGP cost as MED to outbound EBGP peers when redistributing routes. The configured set
metric value overwrites the default IGP cost. If the outbound route-map uses MED, it will overwrite the
IGP MED.

Origin
The Origin indicates the origin of the prefix, or how the prefix came into BGP. There are three Origin
codes: IGP, EGP, INCOMPLETE.
•
•
•

IGP indicated the prefix originated from information learned through an interior gateway protocol.
EGP indicated the prefix originated from information learned from an EGP protocol, which NGP
replaced.
INCOMPLETE indicates that the prefix originated from an unknown source.

Generally, an IGP indicator means that the route was derived inside the originating AS. EGP generally
means that a route was learned from an external gateway protocol. An INCOMPLETE origin code
generally results from aggregation, redistribution or other indirect ways of installing routes into BGP.
In FTOS, these origin codes appear as shown in Figure 9-7. The question mark (?) indicates an Origin code
of INCOMPLETE. The lower case letter (i) indicates an Origin code of IGP.

182

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Figure 9-7.

Origin attribute reported

FTOS#show ip bgp
BGP table version is 0, local router ID is 10.101.15.13
Status codes: s suppressed, d damped, h history, * valid, > best
Path source: I - internal, a - aggregate, c - confed-external, r - redistributed, n - network
Origin codes: i - IGP, e - EGP, ? - incomplete

Network

Next Hop

*>

7.0.0.0/29

10.114.8.33

*>

7.0.0.0/30

*>

9.2.0.0/16

Metric

LocPrf Weight Path

0

0 18508

?

10.114.8.33

0

0 18508

?

10.114.8.33

10

0 18508

701 i

AS Path
The AS Path is the list of all Autonomous Systems that all the prefixes listed in the update have passed
through. The local AS number is added by the BGP speaker when advertising to a eBGP neighbor.
In FTOS the AS Path is shown in Figure 9-8. Note that the Origin attribute is shown following the AS Path
information.
Figure 9-8.

AS Path attribute reported

FTOS#show ip bgp paths
Total 30655 Paths
Address

Hash Refcount Metric Path

0x4014154

0

3 18508

701 3549 19421 i

0x4013914

0

3 18508

701 7018 14990 i

0x5166d6c

0

3 18508

209 4637 1221 9249 9249 i

0x5e62df4

0

2 18508

701 17302 i

0x3a1814c

0

26 18508

209 22291 i

0x567ea9c

0

75 18508

209 3356 2529 i

0x6cc1294

0

2 18508

209 1239 19265 i

0x6cc18d4

0

1 18508

701 2914 4713 17935 i

0x5982e44

0

162 18508

0x67d4a14

0

2 18508

701 19878 ?

0x559972c

0

31 18508

209 18756 i

0x59cd3b4

0

2 18508

209 i

209 7018 15227 i

Border Gateway Protocol | 183

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Next Hop
The Next Hop is the IP address used to reach the advertising router. For EBGP neighbors, the Next-Hop
address is the IP address of the connection between the neighbors. For IBGP, the EBGP Next-Hop address
is carried into the local AS. A Next Hop attribute is set when a BGP speaker advertises itself to another
BGP speaker outside its local AS. It can also be set when advertising routes within an AS. The Next Hop
attribute also serves as a way to direct traffic to another BGP speaker, rather than waiting for a speaker to
advertise.
FTOS allows you to set the Next Hop attribute in the CLI. Setting the Next Hop attribute lets you
determine a router as the next hop for a BGP neighbor.

Multiprotocol BGP

ec
MBGP for IPv4 Multicast is supported on platform c e s z
MBGP for IPv6 unicast is supported on platforms

Multiprotocol Extensions for BGP (MBGP) is defined in IETF RFC 2858. MBGP allows different types of
address families to be distributed in parallel. This allows information about the topology of IP
Multicast-capable routers to be exchanged separately from the topology of normal IPv4 and IPv6 unicast
routers. It allows a multicast routing topology different from the unicast routing topology.
Note: It is possible to configure BGP peers that exchange both unicast and multicast network layer
reachability information (NLRI), but you cannot connect Multiprotocol BGP with BGP. Therefore, you
cannot redistribute Multiprotocol BGP routes into BGP.

Implementing BGP with FTOS
Additional Path (Add-Path) support
BGP Add-path is supported on platforms

ez

The Add-path feature reduces convergence times by advertising multiple paths to its peers for the same
address prefix without replacing existing paths with new ones. By default, a BGP speaker advertises only
the best path to its peers for a given address prefix. If the best path becomes unavailable, the BGP speaker
withdraws it path from its local RIB and recalculates a new best path. This requires both IGP and BGP
convergence and can therefore be a lengthy process. BGP Add-path also helps switchover to the next new
best path when the current best path is unavailable.

184

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Advertise IGP cost as MED for redistributed routes
When using multipath connectivity to an external AS, you can advertise the MED value selectively to each
peer for redistributed routes. For some peers you can set the internal/IGP cost as the MED while setting
others to a constant pre-defined metric as MED value.
FTOS 8.3.1.0 and later support configuring the set metric-type internal command in a route-map to
advertise the IGP cost as the MED to outbound EBGP peers when redistributing routes. The configured set
metric value overwrites the default IGP cost.
By using the redistribute command in conjunction with the route-map command, you can specify whether
a peer advertises the standard MED or uses the IGP cost as the MED.
Note the following when configuring this functionality:
•
•

•

If the redistribute command does not have any metric configured and BGP Peer out-bound route-map
does have metric-type internal configured, BGP advertises the IGP cost as MED.
If the redistribute command has metric configured (route-map set metric or redistribute route-type
metric ) and the BGP Peer out-bound route-map has metric-type internal configured, BGP advertises
the metric configured in the redistribute command as MED.
If BGP peer out-bound route-map has metric configured, then all other metrics are overwritten by this.
Note: When redistributing static, connected or OSPF routes, there is no metric option. Simply assign the
appropriate route-map to the redistributed route.

Table 9-1 gives some examples of these rules.
Table 9-1.

Example MED advertisement

Command Settings

BGP Local Routing
Information Base

MED Advertised to Peer
WITH route-map
metric-type internal

WITHOUT route-map
metric-type internal

redistribute isis
(IGP cost = 20)

MED: IGP cost 20

MED = 20

MED = 0

redistribute isis
route-map set metric 50

MED: IGP cost 50

MED: 50

MED: 50

redistribute isis metric 100

MED: IGP cost 100

MED: 100

MED: 100

Ignore Router-ID for some best-path calculations
FTOS 8.3.1.0 and later allow you to avoid unnecessary BGP best-path transitions between external paths
under certain conditions. The bgp bestpath router-id ignore command reduces network disruption caused
by routing and forwarding plane changes and allows for faster convergence.

Border Gateway Protocol | 185

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

4-Byte AS Numbers
FTOS Version 7.7.1 and later support 4-Byte (32-bit) format when configuring Autonomous System
Numbers (ASNs). The 4-Byte support is advertised as a new BGP capability (4-BYTE-AS) in the OPEN
message. If a 4-Byte BGP speaker has sent and received this capability from another speaker, all the
messages will be 4-octet. The behavior of a 4-Byte BGP speaker will be different with the peer depending
on whether the peer is 4-Byte or 2-Byte BGP speaker.
Where the 2-Byte format is 1-65535, the 4-Byte format is 1-4294967295. Enter AS Numbers using the
traditional format. If the ASN is greater than 65535, the dot format is shown when using the show ip bgp
commands. For example, an ASN entered as 3183856184 will appear in the show commands as
48581.51768; an ASN of 65123 is shown as 65123. To calculate the comparable dot format for an ASN
from a traditional format, use ASN/65536. ASN%65536.
Table 9-2.

4-Byte ASN Dot Format Examples

Traditional Format

Dot Format

65001

Is

0.65501

65536

The

1.0

100000

Same As

1.34464

4294967295

65535.65535

When creating Confederations, all the routers in a Confederation must be either 4-Byte or 2-Byte identified
routers. You cannot mix them.
Configure the 4-byte AS numbers with the four-octet-support command.

AS4 Number Representation
FTOS version 8.2.1.0 supports multiple representations of an 4-byte AS Numbers: asplain, asdot+, and
asdot.
Note: The ASDOT and ASDOT+ representations are supported only in conjunction with the 4-Byte AS
Numbers feature. If 4-Byte AS Numbers are not implemented, only ASPLAIN representation is supported.

ASPLAIN is the method FTOS has used for all previous FTOS versions.It remains the default method with
FTOS 8.2.1.0 and later. With the ASPLAIN notation, a 32 bit binary AS number is translated into a
decimal value.
•
•

All AS Numbers between 0-65535 are represented as a decimal number when entered in the CLI as
well as when displayed in the show command outputs.
AS Numbers larger than 65535 are represented using ASPLAIN notation as well. 65546 is

represented as 65546.

186

|

Border Gateway Protocol

ASDOT+ representation splits the full binary 4-byte AS number into two words of 16 bits separated by a
decimal point (.): .. Some examples are shown in
Table 9-2.
•
•

All AS Numbers between 0-65535 are represented as a decimal number, when entered in the CLI as
well as when displayed in the show command outputs.
AS Numbers larger than 65535 is represented using ASDOT notation as .. For example: AS 65546 is represented as 1.10.

ASDOT representation combines the ASPLAIN and ASDOT+ representations. AS Numbers less than
65536 appear in integer format (asplain); AS Numbers equal to or greater than 65536 appear using the
decimal method (asdot+). For example, the AS Number 65526 appears as 65526, and the AS Number
65546 appears as 1.10.

Dynamic AS Number Notation application
FTOS 8.3.1.0 applies the ASN Notation type change dynamically to the running-config statements. When
you apply or change an asnotation, the type selected is reflected immediately in the running-configuration
and the show commands (Figure 9-9 and Figure 9-10).

Border Gateway Protocol | 187

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 9-9.

Dynamic changes of the bgp asnotation command in the show running config

ASDOT
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#bgp asnotation asdot
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#show conf
!
router bgp 100
bgp asnotation asdot
bgp four-octet-as-support
neighbor 172.30.1.250 local-as 65057


FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#do show ip bgp
BGP table version is 24901, local router ID is 172.30.1.57


ASDOT+
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#bgp asnotation asdot+
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#show conf
!
router bgp 100
bgp asnotation asdot+
bgp four-octet-as-support
neighbor 172.30.1.250 local-as 65057


FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#do show ip bgp
BGP table version is 31571, local router ID is 172.30.1.57


AS-PLAIN
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#bgp asnotation asplain
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#sho conf
!
router bgp 100
bgp four-octet-as-support
neighbor 172.30.1.250 local-as 65057


FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#do sho ip bgp
BGP table version is 34558, local router ID is 172.30.1.57


188

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Figure 9-10.
config

Dynamic changes when bgp asnotation command is disabled in the show running

AS NOTATION DISABLED
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#no bgp asnotation
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#sho conf
!
router bgp 100
bgp four-octet-as-support
neighbor 172.30.1.250 local-as 65057


FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#do sho ip bgp
BGP table version is 28093, local router ID is 172.30.1.57

AS4 SUPPORT DISABLED
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#no bgp four-octet-as-support
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#sho conf
!
router bgp 100
neighbor 172.30.1.250 local-as 65057

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#do show ip bgp
BGP table version is 28093, local router ID is 172.30.1.57

AS Number Migration
When migrating one AS to another, perhaps combining ASs, an eBGP network may lose its routing to an
iBGP if the ASN changes. Migration can be difficult as all the iBGP and eBGP peers of the migrating
network need to be updated to maintain network reachability. With this feature you can transparently
change the AS number of entire BGP network and ensure that the routes are propagated throughout the
network while the migration is in progress. Essentially, Local-AS provides a capability to the BGP speaker
to operate as if it belongs to "virtual" AS network besides its physical AS network.
Figure 9-11 shows a scenario where Router A, Router B and Router C belong to AS 100, 200, 300
respectively. Router A acquired Router B; Router B has Router C as its customer. When Router B is
migrating to Router A, it needs to maintain the connection with Router C without immediately updating
Router C's configuration. Local-AS allows this to happen by allowing Router B to appear as if it still
belongs to Router B's old network (AS 200) as far as communicating with Router C is concerned.

Border Gateway Protocol | 189

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 9-11.

Local-AS Scenario

Router A
AS 100

Router C
AS 300

Router B
AS 200

Before Migration

Router A

AS 100
AS 100

Router C
AS 300

Router B
Local AS
200

After Migration, with Local-AS enabled
When you complete your migration, and you have reconfigured your network with the new information
you must disable this feature.
If the “no prepend” option is used, the local-as will not be prepended to the updates received from the
eBGP peer. If “no prepend” is not selected (the default), the local-as is added to the first AS segment in the
AS-PATH. If an inbound route-map is used to prepend the as-path to the update from the peer, the local-as
is added first. For example, consider the topology described in Figure 9-11. If Router B has an inbound
route-map applied on Router C to prepend "65001 65002" to the as-path, the following events will take
place on Router B
1.
2.
3.

Receive and validate the update
Prepend local-as 200 to as-path
Prepend "65001 65002" to as-path

Local-as is prepended before the route-map to give an impression that update passed thru a router in AS
200 before it reached Router B.

190

|

Border Gateway Protocol

BGP4 Management Information Base (MIB)
The FORCE10-BGP4-V2-MIB enhances FTOS BGP Management Information Base (MIB) support with
many new SNMP objects and notifications (traps) defined in the draft-ietf-idr-bgp4-mibv2-05. To see these
enhancements, download the MIB from the Dell Force10 website, www.force10networks.com.
Note: See the Dell Force10 iSupport webpage for the Force10-BGP4-V2-MIB and other MIB
documentation.

Important Points to Remember
•

•

•

•

•
•

•
•
•
•
•

•

In f10BgpM2AsPathTableEntry table, f10BgpM2AsPathSegmentIndex, and
f10BgpM2AsPathElementIndex are used to retrieve a particular ASN from the AS path. These indices
are assigned to the AS segments and individual ASN in each segment starting from 0. For example, an
AS path list of {200 300 400} 500 consists of two segments: {200 300 400} with segment index 0 and
500 with segment index 1. ASN 200, 300, and 400 are be assigned 0, 1, and 2 element indices in that
order.
Unknown optional transitive attributes within a given path attribute (PA) are assigned indices in order.
These indices correspond to f10BgpM2PathAttrUnknownIndex field in the
f10BgpM2PathAttrUnknownEntry table.
Negotiation of multiple instances of the same capability is not supported.
F10BgpM2PeerCapAnnouncedIndex and f10BgpM2PeerCapReceivedIndex are ignored in the peer
capability lookup.
Inbound BGP soft-reconfiguration must be configured on a peer for
f10BgpM2PrefixInPrefixesRejected to display the number of prefixes filtered due to a policy. If BGP
soft-reconfig is not enabled, the denied prefixes are not accounted for.
F10BgpM2AdjRibsOutRoute stores the pointer to the NLRI in the peer's Adj-Rib-Out.
PA Index (f10BgpM2PathAttrIndex field in various tables) is used to retrieve specific attributes from
the PA table. The Next-Hop, RR Cluster-list, Originator ID attributes are not stored in the PA Table
and cannot be retrieved using the index passed in. These fields are not populated in
f10BgpM2PathAttrEntry, f10BgpM2PathAttrClusterEntry, f10BgpM2PathAttrOriginatorIdEntry.
F10BgpM2PathAttrUnknownEntry contains the optional-transitive attribute details.
Query for f10BgpM2LinkLocalNextHopEntry returns default value for Link-local Next-hop.
RFC 2545 and the f10BgpM2Rfc2545Group are not supported.
An SNMP query will display up to 89 AS paths. A query for a larger AS path count will display as
"…" at the end of the output.
SNMP set for BGP is not supported. For all peer configuration tables
(f10BgpM2PeerConfigurationGroup, f10BgpM2PeerRouteReflectorCfgGroup, and
f10BgpM2PeerAsConfederationCfgGroup), an SNMP set operation will return an error. Only SNMP
queries are supported. In addition, the f10BgpM2CfgPeerError, f10BgpM2CfgPeerBgpPeerEntry, and
f10BgpM2CfgPeerRowEntryStatus fields are to hold the SNMP set status and are ignored in SNMP
query.
The AFI/SAFI is not used as an index to the f10BgpM2PeerCountersEntry table. The BGP peer's AFI/
SAFI (IPv4 Unicast or IPv6 Multicast) is used for various outbound counters. Counters corresponding
to IPv4 Multicast cannot be queried.

Border Gateway Protocol | 191

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

•
•

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

The f10BgpM2[Cfg]PeerReflectorClient field is populated based on the assumption that
route-reflector clients are not in a full mesh if BGP client-2-client reflection is enabled and that the
BGP speaker acting as reflector will advertise routes learned from one client to another client. If
disabled, it is assumed that clients are in a full mesh, and there is no need to advertise prefixes to the
other clients.
High CPU utilization may be observed during an SNMP walk of a large BGP Loc-RIB.
To avoid SNMP timeouts with a large-scale configuration (large number of BGP neighbors and a large
BGP Loc-RIB), Dell Force10 recommends setting the timeout and retry count values to a relatively
higher number. e.g. t = 60 or r = 5.
To return all values on an snmpwalk for the f10BgpM2Peer sub-OID, use the -C c option, such as
snmpwalk -v 2c -C c -c public  .
An SNMP walk may terminate pre-maturely if the index does not increment lexicographically. Dell
Force10 recommends using options to ignore such errors.
Multiple BPG process instances are not supported. Thus, the F10BgpM2PeerInstance field in various
tables is not used to locate a peer.
Multiple instances of the same NLRI in the BGP RIB are not supported and are set to zero in the
SNMP query response.
F10BgpM2NlriIndex and f10BgpM2AdjRibsOutIndex fields are not used.
Carrying MPLS labels in BGP is not supported. F10BgpM2NlriOpaqueType and
f10BgpM2NlriOpaquePointer fields are set to zero.

4-byte ASN is supported. f10BgpM2AsPath4byteEntry table contains 4-byte ASN-related
parameters based on the configuration.

Traps (notifications) specified in the BGP4 MIB draft  are not
supported. Such traps (bgpM2Established and bgpM2BackwardTransition) are supported as part of
RFC 1657.

Configuration Information
The software supports BGPv4 as well as the following:
•
•
•
•

deterministic multi-exit discriminator (MED) (default)
a path with a missing MED is treated as worst path and assigned an MED value of (0xffffffff)
the community format follows RFC 1998
delayed configuration (the software at system boot reads the entire configuration file prior to sending
messages to start BGP peer sessions)

The following are not yet supported:
•
•

192

|

auto-summarization (the default is no auto-summary)
synchronization (the default is no synchronization)

Border Gateway Protocol

BGP Configuration
To enable the BGP process and begin exchanging information, you must assign an AS number and use
commands in the ROUTER BGP mode to configure a BGP neighbor.

Defaults
By default, BGP is disabled.
By default, FTOS compares the MED attribute on different paths from within the same AS (the bgp
always-compare-med command is not enabled).

Note: In FTOS, all newly configured neighbors and peer groups are disabled. You must enter the neighbor
{ip-address | peer-group-name} no shutdown command to enable a neighbor or peer group.

Table 9-3 displays the default values for BGP on FTOS.
Table 9-3.

FTOS BGP Defaults

Item

Default

BGP Neighbor Adjacency changes

All BGP neighbor changes are logged.

Fast External Fallover feature

Enabled

graceful restart feature

Disabled

Local preference

100

MED

0

Route Flap Damping Parameters

half-life = 15 minutes
reuse = 750
suppress = 2000
max-suppress-time = 60 minutes

Distance

external distance = 20
internal distance = 200
local distance = 200

Timers

keepalive = 60 seconds
holdtime = 180 seconds

Add-path

Disabled

Border Gateway Protocol | 193

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configuration Task List for BGP
The following list includes the configuration tasks for BGP:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Enable BGP
Configure AS4 Number Representations
Configure Peer Groups
BGP fast fall-over
Configure passive peering
Maintain existing AS numbers during an AS migration
Allow an AS number to appear in its own AS path
Enable graceful restart
Filter on an AS-Path attribute
Configure IP community lists
Manipulate the COMMUNITY attribute
Change MED attribute
Change LOCAL_PREFERENCE attribute
Change NEXT_HOP attribute
Change WEIGHT attribute
Enable multipath
Filter BGP routes
Redistribute routes
Enable additional paths
Configure BGP route reflectors
Aggregate routes
Configure BGP confederations
Enable route flap dampening
Change BGP timers
BGP neighbor soft-reconfiguration
Route map continue

Enable BGP
By default, BGP is not enabled on the system. FTOS supports one Autonomous System (AS) and you must
assign the AS Number (ASN). To establish BGP sessions and route traffic, you must configure at least one
BGP neighbor or peer.
In BGP, routers with an established TCP connection are called neighbors or peers. Once a connection is
established, the neighbors exchange full BGP routing tables with incremental updates afterwards. In
addition, neighbors exchange KEEPALIVE messages to maintain the connection.

194

|

Border Gateway Protocol

In BGP, neighbor routers or peers can be classified as internal or external. External BGP peers must be
connected physically to one another (unless you enable the EBGP multihop feature), while internal BGP
peers do not need to be directly connected. The IP address of an EBGP neighbor is usually the IP address
of the interface directly connected to the router. First, the BGP process determines if all internal BGP peers
are reachable, and then it determines which peers outside the AS are reachable.
Note: Sample Configurations for enabling BGP routers are found at the end of this chapter.
Use these commands in the following sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION mode to establish BGP
sessions on the router.
Step
1

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

router bgp as-number

CONFIGURATION

Assign an AS number and enter the
ROUTER BGP mode.
AS Number: 0-65535 (2-Byte) or
1-4294967295 (4-Byte) or 0.1-65535.65535
(Dotted format)

Only one AS is supported per system
If you enter a 4-Byte AS Number, 4-Byte AS Support is enabled
automatically.
1a

bgp four-octet-as-support

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enable 4-Byte support for the BGP process.
Note: This is an OPTIONAL command.
Enable if you want to use 4-Byte AS
numbers or if you support AS4 Number
Representation.

Use it only if you support 4-Byte AS Numbers or if you support AS4
Number Representation. If you are supporting 4-Byte ASNs, this
command must be enabled first.
Disable 4-Byte support and return to the default 2-Byte format by using
the no bgp four-octet-as-support command. You cannot disable
4-Byte support if you currently have a 4-Byte ASN configured.
Disabling 4-Byte AS Numbers also disables ASDOT and ASDOT+
number representation. All AS Numbers will be displayed in ASPLAIN
format.
1b

address-family [ipv4 | ipv6}

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enable IPv4 multicast or IPv6 mode.
Use this command to enter BGP for IPv6
mode (CONF-ROUTER_BGPv6_AF).

2

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group name} remote-as
as-number

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Add a neighbor as a remote AS.
Formats:
IP Address A.B.C.D
Peer-Group Name: 16 characters
AS-number: 0-65535 (2-Byte) or
1-4294967295 (4-Byte) or 0.1-65535.65535
(Dotted format)

Border Gateway Protocol | 195

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

You must Configure Peer Groups before assigning it a remote AS.

3

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} no shutdown

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enable the BGP neighbor.

Note: When you change the configuration of a BGP neighbor, always reset it by entering the clear ip bgp
command in EXEC Privilege mode.

Enter show config in CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to view the BGP configuration. Use the
show ip bgp summary command in EXEC Privilege mode to view the BGP status. Figure 9-12 shows the
summary with a 2-Byte AS Number displayed; Figure 9-13 shows the summary with a 4-Byte AS Number
displayed.
Figure 9-12.

Command example: show ip bgp summary (2-Byte AS Number displayed)

R2#show ip bgp summary

2-Byte AS Number

BGP router identifier 192.168.10.2, local AS number 65123
BGP table version is 1, main routing table version 1
1 network entrie(s) using 132 bytes of memory
1 paths using 72 bytes of memory
BGP-RIB over all using 73 bytes of memory
1 BGP path attribute entrie(s) using 72 bytes of memory
1 BGP AS-PATH entrie(s) using 47 bytes of memory
5 neighbor(s) using 23520 bytes of memory

Neighbor

AS

MsgRcvd

MsgSent

TblVer

InQ

10.10.21.1
10.10.32.3

65123

0

0

0

0

0 never

Active

65123

0

0

0

0

0 never

Active

100.10.92.9

65192

0

0

0

0

0 never

Active

192.168.10.1

65123

0

0

0

0

0 never

Active

192.168.12.2

65123

0

0

0

0

0 never

Active

R2#

196

|

Border Gateway Protocol

OutQ Up/Down

State/Pfx

Figure 9-13.

Command example: show ip bgp summary (4-Byte AS Number displayed)

R2#show ip bgp summary

4-Byte AS Number

BGP router identifier 192.168.10.2, local AS number 48735.59224
BGP table version is 1, main routing table version 1
1 network entrie(s) using 132 bytes of memory
1 paths using 72 bytes of memory
BGP-RIB over all using 73 bytes of memory
1 BGP path attribute entrie(s) using 72 bytes of memory
1 BGP AS-PATH entrie(s) using 47 bytes of memory
5 neighbor(s) using 23520 bytes of memory

Neighbor

AS

MsgRcvd

MsgSent

TblVer

InQ

10.10.21.1
10.10.32.3

OutQ Up/Down

State/Pfx

65123

0

0

0

0

0 never

Active

65123

0

0

0

0

0 never

Active

100.10.92.9

65192

0

0

0

0

0 never

Active

192.168.10.1

65123

0

0

0

0

0 never

Active

192.168.12.2

65123

0

0

0

0

0 never

Active

R2#

For the router’s identifier, FTOS uses the highest IP address of the Loopback interfaces configured. Since
Loopback interfaces are virtual, they cannot go down, thus preventing changes in the router ID. If no
Loopback interfaces are configured, the highest IP address of any interface is used as the router ID.
To view the status of BGP neighbors, use the show ip bgp neighbors (Figure 9-14) command in EXEC
Privilege mode. For BGP neighbor configuration information, use the show running-config bgp
command in EXEC Privilege mode (Figure 9-15). Note that the showconfig command in
CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode gives the same information as thew show running-config bgp.
Figure 9-14 displays two neighbors, one is an external and the second one is an internal BGP neighbor. The
first line of the output for each neighbor displays the AS number and states whether the link is an external
or internal.
The third line of the show ip bgp neighbors output contains the BGP State. If anything other than
ESTABLISHED is listed, the neighbor is not exchanging information and routes. For more details on using
the show ip bgp neighbors command, refer to the FTOS Command Line Interface Reference.

Border Gateway Protocol | 197

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 9-14.

Command example: show ip bgp neighbors

FTOS#show ip bgp neighbors

External BGP neighbor

BGP neighbor is 10.114.8.60, remote AS 18508, external link
BGP version 4, remote router ID 10.20.20.20
BGP state ESTABLISHED, in this state for 00:01:58
Last read 00:00:14, hold time is 90, keepalive interval is 30 seconds
Received 18552 messages, 0 notifications, 0 in queue
Sent 11568 messages, 0 notifications, 0 in queue
Received 18549 updates, Sent 11562 updates
Minimum time between advertisement runs is 30 seconds

For address family: IPv4 Unicast
BGP table version 216613, neighbor version 201190
130195 accepted prefixes consume 520780 bytes
Prefix advertised 49304, rejected 0, withdrawn 36143

Connections established 1; dropped 0
Last reset never
Local host: 10.114.8.39, Local port: 1037
Foreign host: 10.114.8.60, Foreign port: 179

BGP neighbor is 10.1.1.1, remote AS 65535, internal link

Internal BGP neighbor

Administratively shut down
BGP version 4, remote router ID 10.0.0.0
BGP state IDLE, in this state for 17:12:40
Last read 17:12:40, hold time is 180, keepalive interval is 60 seconds
Received 0 messages, 0 notifications, 0 in queue
Sent 0 messages, 0 notifications, 0 in queue
Received 0 updates, Sent 0 updates
Minimum time between advertisement runs is 5 seconds

For address family: IPv4 Unicast
BGP table version 0, neighbor version 0
0 accepted prefixes consume 0 bytes
Prefix advertised 0, rejected 0, withdrawn 0

Connections established 0; dropped 0
Last reset never
No active TCP connection
FTOS#

198

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Figure 9-15.

Command example: show running-config bgp

R2#show running-config bgp
!
router bgp 65123
bgp router-id 192.168.10.2
network 10.10.21.0/24
network 10.10.32.0/24
network 100.10.92.0/24
network 192.168.10.0/24
bgp four-octet-as-support
neighbor 10.10.21.1 remote-as 65123
neighbor 10.10.21.1 filter-list ISP1in
neighbor 10.10.21.1 no shutdown
neighbor 10.10.32.3 remote-as 65123
neighbor 10.10.32.3 no shutdown
neighbor 100.10.92.9 remote-as 65192
neighbor 100.10.92.9 no shutdown
neighbor 192.168.10.1 remote-as 65123
neighbor 192.168.10.1 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.10.1 no shutdown
neighbor 192.168.12.2 remote-as 65123
neighbor 192.168.12.2 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.12.2 no shutdown
R2#

Configure AS4 Number Representations
Enable one type of AS Number Representation: ASPLAIN, ASDOT+, or ASDOT.
•

•
•

ASPLAIN is the method FTOS has used for all previous FTOS versions. It remains the default method
with FTOS 8.2.1.0 and later. With the ASPLAIN notation, a 32 bit binary AS number is translated into
a decimal value.
ASDOT+ representation splits the full binary 4-byte AS number into two words of 16 bits separated by
a decimal point (.): ..
ASDOT representation combines the ASPLAIN and ASDOT+ representations. AS Numbers less than
65536 appear in integer format (asplain); AS Numbers equal to or greater than 65536 appear using the
decimal method (asdot+). For example, the AS Number 65526 appears as 65526, and the AS Number
65546 appears as 1.10.
Note: The ASDOT and ASDOT+ representations are supported only in conjunction with the 4-Byte AS
Numbers feature. If 4-Byte AS Numbers are not implemented, only ASPLAIN representation is supported.

Border Gateway Protocol | 199

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Only one form of AS Number Representation is supported at a time. You cannot combine the types of
representations within an AS.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable ASPLAIN AS Number
representation. Figure 9-16

bgp asnotation asplain

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Note: ASPLAIN is the default method FTOS uses and does not appear in
the configuration display.
Enable ASDOT AS Number
representation. Figure 9-17

bgp asnotation asdot

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enable ASDOT+ AS Number
representation.Figure 9-18

bgp asnotation asdot+

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Figure 9-16.

Command example and output: bgp asnotation asplain

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#bgp asnotation asplain
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#sho conf
!
router bgp 100
bgp four-octet-as-support
neighbor 172.30.1.250 remote-as 18508
neighbor 172.30.1.250 local-as 65057
neighbor 172.30.1.250 route-map rmap1 in
neighbor 172.30.1.250 password 7
5ab3eb9a15ed02ff4f0dfd4500d6017873cfd9a267c04957
neighbor 172.30.1.250 no shutdown
5332332 9911991 65057 18508 12182 7018 46164 i

Figure 9-17.

Command example and output: bgp asnotation asdot

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#bgp asnotation asdot
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#sho conf
!
router bgp 100
bgp asnotation asdot
bgp four-octet-as-support
neighbor 172.30.1.250 remote-as 18508
neighbor 172.30.1.250 local-as 65057
neighbor 172.30.1.250 route-map rmap1 in
neighbor 172.30.1.250 password 7
5ab3eb9a15ed02ff4f0dfd4500d6017873cfd9a267c04957
neighbor 172.30.1.250 no shutdown
5332332 9911991 65057 18508 12182 7018 46164 i

200

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Figure 9-18.

Command example and output: bgp asnotation asdot+

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#bgp asnotation asdot+
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#sho conf
!
router bgp 100
bgp asnotation asdot+
bgp four-octet-as-support
neighbor 172.30.1.250 remote-as 18508
neighbor 172.30.1.250 local-as 65057
neighbor 172.30.1.250 route-map rmap1 in
neighbor 172.30.1.250 password 7
5ab3eb9a15ed02ff4f0dfd4500d6017873cfd9a267c04957
neighbor 172.30.1.250 no shutdown
5332332 9911991 65057 18508 12182 7018 46164 i

Configure Peer Groups
To configure multiple BGP neighbors at one time, create and populate a BGP peer group. Another
advantage of peer groups is that members of a peer groups inherit the configuration properties of the group
and share same update policy.
A maximum of 256 Peer Groups are allowed on the system.
You create a peer group by assigning it a name, then adding members to the peer group. Once a peer group
is created, you can configure route policies for it. Refer to Filter BGP routes for information on configuring
route policies for a peer group.
Note: Sample Configurations for enabling Peer Groups are found at the end of this chapter.
Use these commands in the following sequence starting in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode
to create a peer group.
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

neighbor peer-group-name
peer-group

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Create a peer group by assigning a name to
it.

2

neighbor peer-group-name
no shutdown

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enable the peer group.
By default, all peer groups are disabled

3

neighbor ip-address remote-as
as-number

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Create a BGP neighbor.

4

neighbor ip-address no shutdown

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enable the neighbor.

Border Gateway Protocol | 201

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

5

neighbor ip-address peer-group
peer-group-name

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Add an enabled neighbor to the peer group.

6

neighbor {ip-address | peer-group
name} remote-as as-number

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Add a neighbor as a remote AS.
Formats:
IP Address A.B.C.D
Peer-Group Name16 characters
AS-number: 0-65535 (2-Byte) or
1-4294967295 | 0.1- 65535.65535 (4-Byte)
or 0.1-65535.65535 (Dotted format)

To add an external BGP (EBGP) neighbor, configure the as-number
parameter with a number different from the BGP as-number configured
in the router bgp as-number command.
To add an internal BGP (IBGP neighbor, configure the as-number
parameter with the same BGP as-number configured in the router bgp
as-number command.

After you create a peer group, you can use any of the commands beginning with the keyword neighbor to
configure that peer group.
When you add a peer to a peer group, it inherits all the peer group’s configured parameters.
A neighbor cannot become part of a peer group if it has any of the following commands are configured:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

neighbor advertisement-interval
neighbor distribute-list out
neighbor filter-list out
neighbor next-hop-self
neighbor route-map out
neighbor route-reflector-client
neighbor send-community

A neighbor may keep its configuration after it was added to a peer group if the neighbor’s configuration is
more specific than the peer group’s, and the neighbor’s configuration does not affect outgoing updates.
Note: When you configure a new set of BGP policies for a peer group, always reset the peer group by
entering the clear ip bgp peer-group peer-group-name command in EXEC Privilege mode.

Use the show config command in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to view the
configuration. When you create a peer group, it is disabled (shutdown). Figure 9-19 shows the creation of
a peer group (zanzibar).

202

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Figure 9-19.

Command example: show config (creating peer-group)

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor zanzibar peer-group

Configuring neighbor zanzibar

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#show conf
!
router bgp 45
bgp fast-external-fallover
bgp log-neighbor-changes
neighbor zanzibar peer-group
neighbor zanzibar shutdown
neighbor 10.1.1.1 remote-as 65535
neighbor 10.1.1.1 shutdown
neighbor 10.14.8.60 remote-as 18505
neighbor 10.14.8.60 no shutdown
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#

Use the neighbor peer-group-name no shutdown command in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP
mode to enable a peer group.
Figure 9-20.

Command example: show config (peer-group enabled

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor zanzibar no shutdown
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#show config

Enabling neighbor zanzibar

!
router bgp 45
bgp fast-external-fallover
bgp log-neighbor-changes
neighbor zanzibar peer-group
neighbor zanzibar no shutdown
neighbor 10.1.1.1 remote-as 65535
neighbor 10.1.1.1 shutdown
neighbor 10.14.8.60 remote-as 18505
neighbor 10.14.8.60 no shutdown
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#

To disable a peer group, use the neighbor peer-group-name shutdown command in the

CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode. The configuration of the peer group is maintained, but it is not
applied to the peer group members. When you disable a peer group, all the peers within the peer group that
are in ESTABLISHED state are moved to IDLE state.
Use the show ip bgp peer-group command in EXEC Privilege mode (Figure 9-21) to view the status of
peer groups.

Border Gateway Protocol | 203

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 9-21.

Command example: show ip bgp peer-group

FTOS>show ip bgp peer-group

Peer-group zanzibar, remote AS 65535
BGP version 4
Minimum time between advertisement runs is 5 seconds

For address family: IPv4 Unicast
BGP neighbor is zanzibar, peer-group internal,
Number of peers in this group 26
Peer-group members (* - outbound optimized):
10.68.160.1
10.68.161.1
10.68.162.1
10.68.163.1
10.68.164.1
10.68.165.1
10.68.166.1
10.68.167.1
10.68.168.1
10.68.169.1
10.68.170.1
10.68.171.1
10.68.172.1
10.68.173.1
10.68.174.1
10.68.175.1
10.68.176.1
10.68.177.1
10.68.178.1
10.68.179.1
10.68.180.1
10.68.181.1
10.68.182.1
10.68.183.1
10.68.184.1
10.68.185.1
FTOS>

204

|

Border Gateway Protocol

BGP fast fall-over
By default, a BGP session is governed by the hold time. BGP routers typically carry large routing tables, so
frequent session resets are not desirable. The BGP fast fall-over feature reduces the convergence time
while maintaining stability. The connection to a BGP peer is immediately reset if a link to a directly
connected external peer fails.
When fall-over is enabled, BGP tracks IP reachability to the peer remote address and the peer local
address. Whenever either address becomes unreachable (for example, no active route exists in the routing
table for peer IPv6 destinations/local address), BGP brings down the session with the peer.
The BGP fast fall-over feature is configured on a per-neighbor or peer-group basis and is disabled by
default.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} fall-over

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enable BGP Fast Fall-Over

To disable Fast Fall-Over, use the [no] neighbor [neighbor | peer-group] fall-over command in
CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode
Use the show ip bgp neighbors command as shown in Figure 9-22 to verify that fast fall-over is enabled
on a particular BGP neighbor. Note that since Fast Fall-Over is disabled by default, it will appear only if it
has been enabled.

Border Gateway Protocol | 205

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 9-22.

Command example: show ip bgp neighbors

FTOS#sh ip bgp neighbors
BGP neighbor is 100.100.100.100, remote AS 65517, internal link
Member of peer-group test for session parameters
BGP version 4, remote router ID 30.30.30.5
BGP state ESTABLISHED, in this state for 00:19:15
Last read 00:00:15, last write 00:00:06
Hold time is 180, keepalive interval is 60 seconds
Received 52 messages, 0 notifications, 0 in queue
Sent 45 messages, 5 notifications, 0 in queue
Received 6 updates, Sent 0 updates
Route refresh request: received 0, sent 0
Minimum time between advertisement runs is 5 seconds
Minimum time before advertisements start is 0 seconds
Capabilities received from neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
Capabilities advertised to neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)

Fast Fall-Over Indicator

Fall-over enabled
Update source set to Loopback 0

Peer active in peer-group outbound optimization
For address family: IPv4 Unicast
BGP table version 52, neighbor version 52
4 accepted prefixes consume 16 bytes
Prefix advertised 0, denied 0, withdrawn 0
Connections established 6; dropped 5
Last reset 00:19:37, due to Reset by peer
Notification History
'Connection Reset' Sent : 5

Recv: 0

Local host: 200.200.200.200, Local port: 65519
Foreign host: 100.100.100.100, Foreign port: 179
FTOS#

Use the show ip bgp peer-group command to verify that fast fall-over is enabled on a peer-group.

206

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Figure 9-23.

Command example: show ip bgp peer-group

FTOS#sh ip bgp peer-group

Peer-group test
Fall-over enabled
BGP version 4
Minimum time between advertisement runs is 5 seconds

For address family: IPv4 Unicast
BGP neighbor is test
Number of peers in this group 1
Peer-group members (* - outbound optimized):
100.100.100.100*

FTOS#

router bgp 65517
neighbor test peer-group
neighbor test fall-over

Fast Fall-Over Indicator

neighbor test no shutdown
neighbor 100.100.100.100 remote-as 65517
neighbor 100.100.100.100 fall-over
neighbor 100.100.100.100 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 100.100.100.100 no shutdown
FTOS#

Configure passive peering
When you enable a peer-group, the software sends an OPEN message to initiate a TCP connection. If you
enable passive peering for the peer group, the software does not send an OPEN message, but it will
respond to an OPEN message.
When a BGP neighbor connection with authentication configured is rejected by a passive peer-group,
FTOS does not allow another passive peer-group on the same subnet to connect with the BGP neighbor. To
work around this, change the BGP configuration or change the order of the peer group configuration.
You can constrain the number of passive sessions accepted by the neighbor. The limit keyword allows you
to set the total number of sessions the neighbor will accept, between 2 and 265. The default is 256 sessions.

Border Gateway Protocol | 207

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Use these commands in the following sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode
to configure passive peering.
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

neighbor peer-group-name
peer-group passive limit

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Configure a peer group that does not initiate TCP
connections with other peers. Enter the limit
keyword to restrict the number of sessions
accepted.

2

neighbor peer-group-name
subnet subnet-number
mask

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Assign a subnet to the peer group. The peer
group will respond to OPEN messages sent on
this subnet.

3

neighbor peer-group-name
no shutdown

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enable the peer group.

4

neighbor peer-group-name
remote-as as-number

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Create and specify a remote peer for BGP
neighbor.

Only after the peer group responds to an OPEN message sent on the subnet does its BGP state change to
ESTABLISHED. Once the peer group is ESTABLISHED, the peer group is the same as any other peer
group.
For more information on peer groups, refer to Configure Peer Groups on page 201.

Maintain existing AS numbers during an AS migration
The local-as feature smooths out the BGP network migration operation and allows you to maintain
existing ASNs during a BGP network migration.
When you complete your migration, be sure to reconfigure your routers with the new information and
disable this feature.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

neighbor {IP address |
peer-group-name local-as as
number [no prepend]

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Allow external routes from this neighbor.
Format:
IP Address: A.B.C.D
Peer Group Name: 16 characters
AS-number: 0-65535 (2-Byte) or 1-4294967295
(4-Byte) or
0.1-65535.65535 (Dotted format)
No Prepend specifies that local AS values are not
prepended to announcements from the neighbor.

You must Configure Peer Groups before assigning it to an AS.
This feature is not supported on passive peer groups.

208

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Disable this feature, using the no neighbor local-as command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP
mode.
Figure 9-24.

Local-as information shown

R2(conf-router_bgp)#show conf
!
router bgp 65123
bgp router-id 192.168.10.2
network 10.10.21.0/24
network 10.10.32.0/24
network 100.10.92.0/24
network 192.168.10.0/24
bgp four-octet-as-support
neighbor 10.10.21.1 remote-as 65123
neighbor 10.10.21.1 filter-list Laura in
neighbor 10.10.21.1 no shutdown
neighbor 10.10.32.3 remote-as 65123
neighbor 10.10.32.3 no shutdown

Actual AS Number

neighbor 100.10.92.9 remote-as 65192

Local-AS Number 6500
Maintained During Migration

neighbor 100.10.92.9 local-as 6500
neighbor 100.10.92.9 no shutdown
neighbor 192.168.10.1 remote-as 65123
neighbor 192.168.10.1 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.10.1 no shutdown
neighbor 192.168.12.2 remote-as 65123
neighbor 192.168.12.2 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.12.2 no shutdown
R2(conf-router_bgp)#

Allow an AS number to appear in its own AS path
This command allows you to set the number of times a particular AS number can occur in the AS path. The
allow-as feature permits a BGP speaker to allow the ASN to be present for specified number of times in
the update received from the peer, even if that ASN matches its own. The AS-PATH loop is detected if the
local ASN is present more than the specified number of times in the command.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

neighbor {IP address |
peer-group-name} allowas-in
number

CONFIG-ROUTERBGP

Allow this neighbor ID to use the AS path the
specified number of times.
Format:
IP Address: A.B.C.D
Peer Group Name: 16 characters
Number: 1-10

You must Configure Peer Groups before assigning it to an AS.

To disable this feature, use the no neighbor allow-as in number command in the CONFIGURATION
ROUTER BGP mode.

Border Gateway Protocol | 209

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 9-25.

Allowas-in information shown

R2(conf-router_bgp)#show conf
!
router bgp 65123
bgp router-id 192.168.10.2
network 10.10.21.0/24
network 10.10.32.0/24
network 100.10.92.0/24
network 192.168.10.0/24
bgp four-octet-as-support
neighbor 10.10.21.1 remote-as 65123
neighbor 10.10.21.1 filter-list Laura in
neighbor 10.10.21.1 no shutdown
neighbor 10.10.32.3 remote-as 65123
neighbor 10.10.32.3 no shutdown
neighbor 100.10.92.9 remote-as 65192
neighbor 100.10.92.9 local-as 6500
neighbor 100.10.92.9 no shutdown
neighbor 192.168.10.1 remote-as 65123
neighbor 192.168.10.1 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.10.1 no shutdown
neighbor 192.168.12.2 remote-as 65123
neighbor 192.168.12.2 allowas-in 9
neighbor 192.168.12.2 update-source Loopback 0

Number of Times ASN 65123
Can Appear in AS PATH

neighbor 192.168.12.2 no shutdown
R2(conf-router_bgp)#R2(conf-router_bgp)#

Enable graceful restart
Use this feature to lessen the negative effects of a BGP restart. FTOS advertises support for this feature to
BGP neighbors through a capability advertisement. You can enable graceful restart by router and/or by
peer or peer group.
Note: By default, BGP graceful restart is disabled.
The default role for BGP on is as a receiving or restarting peer. If you enable BGP, when a peer that
supports graceful restart resumes operating, FTOS performs the following tasks:
•
•
•
•

Continues saving routes received from the peer if the peer advertised it had graceful restart capability.
Continues forwarding traffic to the peer.
Flags routes from the peer as Stale and sets a timer to delete them if the peer does not perform a
graceful restart.
Deletes all routes from the peer if forwarding state information is not saved.
Speeds convergence by advertising a special update packet known as an end-of-RIB marker. This
marker indicates the peer has been updated with all routes in the local RIB.

If you configure your system to do so, FTOS can perform the following actions during a hot failover:

210

|

Border Gateway Protocol

•
•

•
•

Save all FIB and CAM entries on the line card and continue forwarding traffic while the secondary
RPM is coming online.
Advertise to all BGP neighbors and peer-groups that the forwarding state of all routes has been saved.
This prompts all peers to continue saving the routes they receive from your E-Series and to continue
forwarding traffic.
Bring the secondary RPM online as the primary and re-open sessions with all peers operating in “no
shutdown” mode.
Defer best path selection for a certain amount of time. This helps optimize path selection and results in
fewer updates being sent out.

Enable graceful restart using the configure router bgp graceful-restart command. The table below shows
the command and its available options:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

bgp graceful-restart

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enable graceful restart for the BGP node.

bgp graceful-restart [restart-time
time-in-seconds]

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Set maximum restart time for all peers. Default
is 120 seconds.

bgp graceful-restart [stale-path-time
time-in-seconds]

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Set maximum time to retain the restarting peer’s
stale paths. Default is 360 seconds.

bgp graceful-restart [role
receiver-only]

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Local router supports graceful restart as a
receiver only.

BGP graceful restart is active only when the neighbor becomes established. Otherwise it is disabled.
Graceful-restart applies to all neighbors with established adjacency.
With the graceful restart feature, FTOS enables the receiving/restarting mode by default. In receiver-only
mode, graceful restart saves the advertised routes of peers that support this capability when they restart.
However, the E-Series does not advertise that it saves these forwarding states when it restarts. This option
provides support for remote peers for their graceful restart without supporting the feature itself.
You can implement BGP graceful restart either by neighbor or by BGP peer-group. For more information,
please see the following table or the FTOS Command Line Interface Reference.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} graceful-restart

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Add graceful restart to a BGP neighbor or
peer-group.

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} graceful-restart
[restart-time time-in-seconds]

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Set maximum restart time for the neighbor or
peer-group. Default is 120 seconds.

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} graceful-restart
[role receiver-only]

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Local router supports graceful restart for this
neighbor or peer-group as a receiver only.

Border Gateway Protocol | 211

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} graceful-restart
[stale-path-time time-in-seconds]

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Set maximum time to retain the restarting
neighbor’s or peer-group’s stale paths. Default
is 360 seconds.

Filter on an AS-Path attribute
The BGP attribute, AS_PATH, can be used to manipulate routing policies. The AS_PATH attribute
contains a sequence of AS numbers representing the route’s path. As the route traverses an Autonomous
System, the AS number is prepended to the route. You can manipulate routes based on their AS_PATH to
affect interdomain routing. By identifying certain AS numbers in the AS_PATH, you can permit or deny
routes based on the number in its AS_PATH.
To view all BGP path attributes in the BGP database, use the show ip bgp paths command in EXEC
Privilege mode (Figure 9-26).
Figure 9-26.

Command example: show ip bgp paths

FTOS#show ip bgp paths
Total 30655 Paths
Address

Hash Refcount Metric Path

0x4014154

0

3

18508 701 3549 19421 i

0x4013914

0

3

18508 701 7018 14990 i

0x5166d6c

0

3

18508 209 4637 1221 9249 9249 i

0x5e62df4

0

2

18508 701 17302 i

0x3a1814c

0

26

18508 209 22291 i

0x567ea9c

0

75

18508 209 3356 2529 i

0x6cc1294

0

2

18508 209 1239 19265 i

0x6cc18d4

0

1

18508 701 2914 4713 17935 i

0x5982e44

0

162

0x67d4a14

0

2

18508 701 19878 ?

0x559972c

0

31

18508 209 18756 i

0x59cd3b4

0

2

18508 209 7018 15227 i

0x7128114

0

10

18508 209 3356 13845 i

0x536a914

0

3

18508 209 i

18508 209 701 6347 7781 i

AS-PATH ACLs use regular expressions to search AS_PATH values. AS-PATH ACLs have an “implicit
deny.” This means that routes that do not meet a deny or match filter are dropped.

212

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Use these commands in the following sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION mode to configure an
AS-PATH ACL to filter a specific AS_PATH value.
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

ip as-path access-list
as-path-name

CONFIGURATION

Assign a name to a AS-PATH ACL and enter AS-PATH
ACL mode.

2

{deny | permit} filter
parameter

CONFIG-AS-PATH

Enter the parameter to match BGP AS-PATH for
filtering. This is the filter that will be used to match the
AS-path. The entries can be any format, letters,
numbers, or regular expressions.
This command can be entered multiple times if multiple
filters are desired.
See Table 9-4 for accepted expressions.

3

exit

AS-PATH ACL

Return to CONFIGURATION mode

4

router bgp as-number

CONFIGURATION

Enter ROUTER BGP mode.

5

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name}
filter-list as-path-name
{in | out}

CONFIG-ROUTER-B
GP

Use a configured AS-PATH ACL for route filtering and
manipulation.
If you assign an non-existent or empty AS-PATH ACL,
the software allows all routes.

Regular Expressions as filters
Regular expressions are used to filter AS paths or community lists. A regular expression is a special
character used to define a pattern that is then compared with an input string.
For an AS-path access list as shown in the commands above, if the AS path matches the regular expression
in the access list, then the route matches the access list.
Figure 9-27 applies access list Eagle to routes inbound from BGP peer 10.5.5.2. Access list Eagle uses a
regular expression to deny routes originating in AS 32.

Border Gateway Protocol | 213

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 9-27.

Filtering with Regular Expression

FTOS(config)#router bgp 99
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#neigh AAA peer-group
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#neigh AAA no shut
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#show conf
!
router bgp 99
neighbor AAA peer-group
neighbor AAA no shutdown
neighbor 10.155.15.2 remote-as 32
neighbor 10.155.15.2 shutdown
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#neigh 10.155.15.2 filter-list 1 in
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#ex

FTOS(conf)#ip as-path access-list Eagle

Create the Access List and Filter

FTOS(config-as-path)#deny 32$
FTOS(config-as-path)#ex
FTOS(conf)#router bgp 99
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor AAA filter-list Eagle in
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#show conf
!
router bgp 99
neighbor AAA peer-group
neighbor AAA filter-list Eaglein
neighbor AAA no shutdown
neighbor 10.155.15.2 remote-as 32
neighbor 10.155.15.2 filter-list 1 in
neighbor 10.155.15.2 shutdown
FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#ex
FTOS(conf)#ex

FTOS# show ip as-path-access-lists
ip as-path access-list Eagle
deny 32$

Regular Expression shown
as part of Access List filter

FTOS#

Table 9-4 lists the Regular Expressions accepted in FTOS.
Table 9-4.

Regular Expressions

Regular
Expression

Definition

^ (caret)

Matches the beginning of the input string.
Alternatively, when used as the first character within brackets [ ^ ] matches any number except
the ones specified within the brackets.

214

|

$ (dollar)

Matches the end of the input string.

. (period)

Matches any single character, including white space.

* (asterisk)

Matches 0 or more sequences of the immediately previous character or pattern.

Border Gateway Protocol

Table 9-4.

Regular Expressions

Regular
Expression

Definition

+ (plus)

Matches 1 or more sequences of the immediately previous character or pattern.

? (question)

Matches 0 or 1 sequence of the immediately previous character or pattern.

( ) (parenthesis)

Specifies patterns for multiple use when followed by one of the multiplier metacharacters:
asterisk *, plus sign +, or question mark ?

[ ] (brackets)

Matches any enclosed character; specifies a range of single characters

- (hyphen)

Used within brackets to specify a range of AS or community numbers.

_ (underscore)

Matches a ^, a $, a comma, a space, a {, or a }. Placed on either side of a string to specify a
literal and disallow substring matching. Numerals enclosed by underscores can be preceded or
followed by any of the characters listed above.

| (pipe)

Matches characters on either side of the metacharacter; logical OR.

As seen in Figure 9-27, the expressions are displayed when using the show commands. Use the show
config command in the CONFIGURATION AS-PATH ACL mode and the show ip as-path-access-list
command in EXEC Privilege mode to view the AS-PATH ACL configuration.
For more information on this command and route filtering, refer to Filter BGP routes.

Redistribute routes
In addition to filtering routes, you can add routes from other routing instances or protocols to the BGP
process. With the redistribute command syntax, you can include ISIS, OSPF, static, or directly connected
routes in the BGP process.
Use any of the following commands in ROUTER BGP mode to add routes from other routing instances or
protocols.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

redistribute {connected | static}
[route-map map-name]

ROUTER BGP or
CONF-ROUTER_BGPv6_AF

Include, directly connected or user-configured
(static) routes in BGP. Configure the following
parameters:
• map-name: name of a configured route map.

redistribute isis [level-1 |
level-1-2 | level-2] [metric value]
[route-map map-name]

ROUTER BGP or
CONF-ROUTER_BGPv6_AF

Include specific ISIS routes in BGP. Configure
the following parameters:
• level-1, level-1-2, or level-2: Assign all
redistributed routes to a level. Default is
level-2.
• metric range: 0 to 16777215. Default is 0.
• map-name: name of a configured route map.

Border Gateway Protocol | 215

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

redistribute ospf process-id
[match external {1 | 2} | match
internal] [metric-type {external |
internal}] [route-map
map-name]

ROUTER BGP or
CONF-ROUTER_BGPv6_AF

Include specific OSPF routes in IS-IS. Configure
the following parameters:
• process-id range: 1 to 65535
• match external range: 1 or 2
• match internal
• metric-type: external or internal.
• map-name: name of a configured route map.

Enable additional paths
By default, the add-path feature is disabled.
Note: Using Multipath and Add Path simultaneously in a Route Reflector is not recommended.

Use the following command in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to allow multiple paths sent
to peers.
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

bgp add-path {send |
both} path-count count
bgp add-path receive

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Allow the advertisement of multiple paths for the
same address prefix without the new paths
replacing any previous ones.
Range: 2-64

2

neighbor {ipaddress|
peergroup name}
add-path [send |
receive| both]
path-count count

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Allow the specified neighbor/peer group to send/
receive multiple path advertisements.

Note: The path-count parameter controls the number of paths that are advertised, not the number of
paths that are received.

Configure IP community lists
Within FTOS, you have multiple methods of manipulating routing attributes. One attribute you can
manipulate is the COMMUNITY attribute. This attribute is an optional attribute that is defined for a group
of destinations. In FTOS, you can assign a COMMUNITY attribute to BGP routers by using an IP
Community list. After you create an IP Community list, you can apply routing decisions to all routers
meeting the criteria in the IP Community list.
IETF RFC 1997 defines the COMMUNITY attribute and the pre-defined communities of INTERNET,
NO_EXPORT_SUBCONFED, NO_ADVERTISE, and NO_EXPORT. All BGP routes belong to the
INTERNET community. In the RFC, the other communities are defined as follows:

216

|

Border Gateway Protocol

•
•
•

All routes with the NO_EXPORT_SUBCONFED (0xFFFFFF03) community attribute are not sent to
CONFED-EBGP or EBGP peers, but are sent to IBGP peers within CONFED-SUB-AS.
All routes with the NO_ADVERTISE (0xFFFFFF02) community attribute must not be advertised.
All routes with the NO_EXPORT (0xFFFFFF01) community attribute must not be advertised outside a
BGP confederation boundary, but are sent to CONFED-EBGP and IBGP peers.

FTOS also supports BGP Extended Communities as described in RFC 4360—BGP Extended
Communities Attribute.
Use these commands in the following sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION mode to configure an
IP community list.
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

ip community-list
community-list-name

CONFIGURATION

Create a Community list and enter the
COMMUNITY-LIST mode.

2

{deny | permit}
{community-number |
local-AS | no-advertise |
no-export | quote-regexp
regular-expression-list |
regexp regular-expression}

CONFIG-COMMUNITYLIST

Configure a Community list by denying or
permitting specific community numbers or types
of community
• community-number: use AA:NN format
where AA is the AS number (2 or 4 Bytes)
and NN is a value specific to that autonomous
system.
• local-AS: routes with the COMMUNITY
attribute of NO_EXPORT_SUBCONFED.
• no-advertise: routes with the
COMMUNITY attribute of
NO_ADVERTISE.
• no-export: routes with the COMMUNITY
attribute of NO_EXPORT.
• quote-regexp: followed by any number of
regular expressions. The software applies all
regular expressions in the list.
• regexp: followed by a regular expression.

Use these commands in the following sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION mode to configure an
IP extended community list.
Step
1

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip extcommunity-list
extcommunity-list-name

CONFIGURATION

Create a extended community list and enter the
EXTCOMMUNITY-LIST mode.

Border Gateway Protocol | 217

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step

2

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

{permit | deny} {{rt | soo}
{ASN:NN | IPADDR:N} |
regex REGEX-LINE}

CONFIG-COMMUNITYLIST

Two types of extended communities are
supported. Filter routes based on the type of
extended communities they carry using one of
the following keywords:
• rt: Route Target
• soo: Route Origin or Site-of-Origin.
Support for matching extended communities
against regular expression is also supported.
Match against a regular expression using the
following keyword:
• regexp: regular expression

To set or modify an extended community attribute, use the set extcommunity {rt | soo} {ASN:NN |
IPADDR:NN} command.
To view the configuration, use the show config command in the CONFIGURATION
COMMUNITY-LIST or CONFIGURATION EXTCOMMUNITY LIST mode or the show ip
{community-lists | extcommunity-list} command in EXEC Privilege mode (Figure 9-28).
Figure 9-28.

Command example: show ip community-lists

FTOS#show ip community-lists
ip community-list standard 1
deny 701:20
deny 702:20
deny 703:20
deny 704:20
deny 705:20
deny 14551:20
deny 701:112
deny 702:112
deny 703:112
deny 704:112
deny 705:112
deny 14551:112
deny 701:667
deny 702:667
deny 703:667
deny 704:666
deny 705:666
deny 14551:666
FTOS#

218

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Use these commands in the following sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION mode, To use an IP
Community list or Extended Community List to filter routes, you must apply a match community filter to
a route map and then apply that route map to a BGP neighbor or peer group.
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

route-map map-name [permit |
deny] [sequence-number]

CONFIGURATION

Enter the ROUTE-MAP mode and assign a
name to a route map.

2

match {community
community-list-name [exact] |
extcommunity
extcommunity-list-name [exact]}

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Configure a match filter for all routes
meeting the criteria in the IP Community or
Extended Community list.

3

exit

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Return to the CONFIGURATION mode.

4

router bgp as-number

CONFIGURATION

Enter the ROUTER BGP mode.
AS-number: 0-65535 (2-Byte) or
1-4294967295 (4-Byte) or
0.1-65535.65535 (Dotted format)

5

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} route-map
map-name {in | out}

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Apply the route map to the neighbor or peer
group’s incoming or outgoing routes.

To view the BGP configuration, use the show config command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP
mode. To view a route map configuration, use the show route-map command in EXEC Privilege mode.
To view which BGP routes meet an IP Community or Extended Community list’s criteria, use the show ip
bgp {community-list | extcommunity-list} command in EXEC Privilege mode.

Manipulate the COMMUNITY attribute
In addition to permitting or denying routes based on the values of the COMMUNITY attributes, you can
manipulate the COMMUNITY attribute value and send the COMMUNITY attribute with the route
information.
By default, FTOS does not send the COMMUNITY attribute.
Use the following command in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to send the COMMUNITY
attribute to BGP neighbors.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} send-community

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enable the software to send the router’s
COMMUNITY attribute to the BGP neighbor
or peer group specified.

To view the BGP configuration, use the show config command in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP
mode.

Border Gateway Protocol | 219

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

If you want to remove or add a specific COMMUNITY number from a BGP path, you must create a route
map with one or both of the following statements in the route map. Then apply that route map to a BGP
neighbor or peer group. Use these commands in the following sequence, starting in the
CONFIGURATION mode:
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

route-map map-name
[permit | deny]
[sequence-number]

CONFIGURATION

Enter the ROUTE-MAP mode and assign a name
to a route map.

2

set comm-list
community-list-name
delete

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Configure a set filter to delete all COMMUNITY
numbers in the IP Community list.

set community
{community-number |
local-as | no-advertise |
no-export | none}

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Configure a Community list by denying or
permitting specific community numbers or types
of community
• community-number: use AA:NN format
where AA is the AS number (2 or 4 Bytes) and
NN is a value specific to that autonomous
system.
• local-AS: routes with the COMMUNITY
attribute of NO_EXPORT_SUBCONFED and
are not sent to EBGP peers.
• no-advertise: routes with the COMMUNITY
attribute of NO_ADVERTISE and are not
advertised.
• no-export: routes with the COMMUNITY
attribute of NO_EXPORT.
• none: remove the COMMUNITY attribute.
• additive: add the communities to already
existing communities.

3

exit

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Return to the CONFIGURATION mode.

4

router bgp as-number

CONFIGURATION

Enter the ROUTER BGP mode.

5

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name}
route-map map-name {in
| out}

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Apply the route map to the neighbor or peer
group’s incoming or outgoing routes.

To view the BGP configuration, use the show config command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP
mode. To view a route map configuration, use the show route-map command in EXEC Privilege mode.
Use the show ip bgp community command in EXEC Privilege mode (Figure 9-29) to view BGP routes
matching a certain community number or pre-defined BGP community.

220

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Figure 9-29.

Command example: show ip bgp community (Partial)

FTOS>show ip bgp community
BGP table version is 3762622, local router ID is 10.114.8.48
Status codes: s suppressed, d damped, h history, * valid, > best, i - internal
Origin codes: i - IGP, e - EGP, ? - incomplete

Network

Next Hop

Metric

LocPrf

Weight

Path

* i 3.0.0.0/8

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 701 80 i

*>i 4.2.49.12/30

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 i

* i 4.21.132.0/23

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 6461 16422 i

*>i 4.24.118.16/30

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 i

*>i 4.24.145.0/30

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 i

*>i 4.24.187.12/30

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 i

*>i 4.24.202.0/30

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 i

*>i 4.25.88.0/30

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 3561 3908 i

*>i 6.1.0.0/16

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 7170 1455 i

*>i 6.2.0.0/22

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 7170 1455 i

*>i 6.3.0.0/18

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 7170 1455 i

*>i 6.4.0.0/16

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 7170 1455 i

*>i 6.5.0.0/19

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 7170 1455 i

*>i 6.8.0.0/20

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 7170 1455 i

*>i 6.9.0.0/20

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 7170 1455 i

*>i 6.10.0.0/15

195.171.0.16

100

0

209 7170 1455 i

*>i 6.14.0.0/15

205.171.0.16

100

0

209 7170 1455 i

*>i 6.133.0.0/21

205.171.0.16

100

0

209 7170 1455 i

*>i 6.151.0.0/16

205.171.0.16

100

0

209 7170 1455 i

--More--

Border Gateway Protocol | 221

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Change MED attribute
By default, FTOS uses the MULTI_EXIT_DISC or MED attribute when comparing EBGP paths from the
same AS.
Use any or all of the following commands in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to change how
the MED attribute is used.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

bgp always-compare-med

CONFIG-ROUTERBGP

Enable MED comparison in the paths from neighbors
with different ASs.
By default, this comparison is not performed.

bgp bestpath med {confed |
missing-as-best}

CONFIG-ROUTERBGP

Change the bestpath MED selection to one of the
following:
confed: Chooses the bestpath MED comparison of
paths learned from BGP confederations.
missing-as-best: Treat a path missing an MED as
the most preferred one

Use the show config command in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to view the nondefault
values.

Change LOCAL_PREFERENCE attribute
In FTOS, you can change the value of the LOCAL_PREFERENCE attribute.
Use the following command in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to change the default values
of this attribute for all routes received by the router.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

bgp default local-preference value

CONFIG-ROUTERBGP

Change the LOCAL_PREF value.
• value range: 0 to 4294967295
• Default is 100.

Use the show config command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode or the show running-config
bgp command in EXEC Privilege mode to view BGP configuration.
A more flexible method for manipulating the LOCAL_PREF attribute value is to use a route map.
Use these commands in the following sequence, starting CONFIGURATION mode to change the default
value of the LOCAL_PREF attribute for specific routes.
Step
1

222

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

route-map map-name [permit |
deny] [sequence-number]

CONFIGURATION

Enter the ROUTE-MAP mode and assign a
name to a route map.

Border Gateway Protocol

Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

2

set local-preference value

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Change LOCAL_PREF value for routes
meeting the criteria of this route map.

3

exit

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Return to the CONFIGURATION mode.

4

router bgp as-number

CONFIGURATION

Enter the ROUTER BGP mode.

5

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} route-map
map-name {in | out}

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Apply the route map to the neighbor or peer
group’s incoming or outgoing routes.

To view the BGP configuration, use the show config command in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP
mode. To view a route map configuration, use the show route-map command in EXEC Privilege mode.

Change NEXT_HOP attribute
You can change how the NEXT_HOP attribute is used.
Use the following command in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to change the how the
NEXT_HOP attribute is used.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} next-hop-self

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Disable next hop processing and configure the
router as the next hop for a BGP neighbor.

Use the show config command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode or the show running-config
bgp command in EXEC Privilege mode to view BGP configuration.
You can also use route maps to change this and other BGP attributes. For example, you can include the
following command in a route map to specify the next hop address:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

set next-hop ip-address

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Sets the next hop address.

Change WEIGHT attribute
Use the following command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to change the how the WEIGHT
attribute is used.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} weight weight

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Assign a weight to the neighbor connection.
• weight range: 0 to 65535
• Default is 0

Border Gateway Protocol | 223

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Use the show config command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode or the show running-config
bgp command in EXEC Privilege mode to view BGP configuration.
You can also use route maps to change this and other BGP attributes. For example, you can include the
following command in a route map to specify the next hop address:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

set weight weight

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Sets weight for the route.
• weight range: 0 to 65535

Enable multipath
By default, the software allows one path to a destination. You can enable multipath to allow up to 16
parallel paths to a destination.
Note: Using Multipath and Add Path simultaneously in a Route Reflector is not recommended.

Use the following command in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to allow more than one path.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

maximum-paths {ebgp | ibgp} number

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enable multiple parallel paths.
• number range: 1 to 16
• Default is 1

The show ip bgp network command includes multipath information for that network.

Filter BGP routes
Filtering routes allows you to implement BGP policies. You can use either IP prefix lists, route maps,
AS-PATH ACLs or IP Community lists (via a route map) to control which routes are accepted and
advertised by the BGP neighbor or peer group. Prefix lists filter routes based on route and prefix length,
while AS-Path ACLs filter routes based on the Autonomous System number. Route maps can filter and set
conditions, change attributes, and assign update policies.
Note: FTOS supports up to 255 characters in a set community statement inside a route map.

Note: With FTOS, you can create inbound and outbound policies. Each of the commands used for
filtering, has in and out parameters that must be applied. In FTOS, the order of preference varies
depending on whether the attributes are applied for inbound updates or outbound updates.

For inbound and outbound updates the order of preference is:
•

224

|

prefix lists (using neighbor distribute-list command)

Border Gateway Protocol

•
•

AS-PATH ACLs (using neighbor filter-list command)
route maps (using neighbor route-map command)

Prior to filtering BGP routes, you must create the prefix list, AS-PATH ACL, or route map to be used.
Refer to Chapter 6, “Access Control Lists (ACLs),” on page 89 for configuration information on prefix
lists, AS-PATH ACLs, and route maps.
Note: When you configure a new set of BGP policies, always reset the neighbor or peer group by
entering the clear ip bgp command in EXEC Privilege mode to ensure the changes are made.

Use these commands in the following sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION mode to filter routes
using prefix lists.
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

ip prefix-list prefix-name

CONFIGURATION

Create a prefix list and assign it a name.

2

seq sequence-number {deny |
permit} {any | ip-prefix [ge | le] }

CONFIG-PREFIX LIST

Create multiple prefix list filters with a deny
or permit action.
ge: Minimum prefix length to be matched
le: maximum prefix length to me matched
Refer to Chapter 6, “Access Control Lists
(ACLs),” on page 89 for information on
configuring prefix lists.

3

exit

CONFIG-PREFIX LIST

Return to the CONFIGURATION mode.

4

router bgp as-number

CONFIGURATION

Enter ROUTER BGP mode.

5

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} distribute-list
prefix-list-name {in | out}

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Filter routes based on the criteria in the
configured prefix list. Configure the
following parameters:
• ip-address or peer-group-name: enter
the neighbor’s IP address or the peer
group’s name.
• prefix-list-name: enter the name of a
configured prefix list.
• in: apply the prefix list to inbound routes.
• out: apply the prefix list to outbound
routes.

As a reminder, below are some rules concerning prefix lists:
•
•

•

If the prefix list contains no filters, all routes are permitted.
If none of the routes match any of the filters in the prefix list, the route is denied. This action is called
an implicit deny. (If you want to forward all routes that do not match the prefix list criteria, you must
configure a prefix list filter to permit all routes. For example, you could have the following filter as the
last filter in your prefix list permit 0.0.0.0/0 le 32).
Once a route matches a filter, the filter’s action is applied. No additional filters are applied to the route.

Border Gateway Protocol | 225

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To view the BGP configuration, use the show config command in the ROUTER BGP mode. To view a
prefix list configuration, use the show ip prefix-list detail or show ip prefix-list summary commands in
EXEC Privilege mode.
Use these commands in the following sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION mode to filter routes
using a route map.
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

route-map map-name [permit |
deny] [sequence-number]

CONFIGURATION

Create a route map and assign it a name.

2

{match | set}

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Create multiple route map filters with a
match or set action.
Refer to Chapter 6, “Access Control Lists
(ACLs),” on page 89 for information on
configuring route maps.

3

exit

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Return to the CONFIGURATION mode.

4

router bgp as-number

CONFIGURATION

Enter ROUTER BGP mode.

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} route-map
map-name {in | out}

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Filter routes based on the criteria in the
configured route map. Configure the
following parameters:
• ip-address or peer-group-name: enter
the neighbor’s IP address or the peer
group’s name.
• map-name: enter the name of a
configured route map.
• in: apply the route map to inbound
routes.
• out: apply the route map to outbound
routes.

Use the show config command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to view the BGP
configuration. Use the show route-map command in EXEC Privilege mode to view a route map
configuration.
Use these commands in the following sequence, beginning in the CONFIGURATION mode to filter routes
based on AS-PATH information.
Step

226

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

ip as-path access-list
as-path-name

CONFIGURATION

Create a AS-PATH ACL and assign it a name.

2

{deny | permit}
as-regular-expression

AS-PATH ACL

Create a AS-PATH ACL filter with a deny or
permit action.

3

exit

AS-PATH ACL

Return to the CONFIGURATION mode.

4

router bgp as-number

CONFIGURATION

Enter ROUTER BGP mode.

Border Gateway Protocol

Step

5

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name} filter-list
as-path-name {in | out}

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Filter routes based on the criteria in the
configured route map. Configure the following
parameters:
• ip-address or peer-group-name: enter the
neighbor’s IP address or the peer group’s
name.
• as-path-name: enter the name of a
configured AS-PATH ACL.
• in: apply the AS-PATH ACL map to inbound
routes.
• out: apply the AS-PATH ACL to outbound
routes.

Use the show config command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode and show ip
as-path-access-list command in EXEC Privilege mode to view which commands are configured.
Include this filter permit .* in your AS-PATH ACL to forward all routes not meeting the AS-PATH ACL
criteria.

Configure BGP route reflectors
BGP route reflectors are intended for Autonomous Systems with a large mesh and they reduce the amount
of BGP control traffic. With route reflection configured properly, IBGP routers are not fully meshed within
a cluster but all receive routing information.
Note: Using Multipath and Add Path simultaneously in a Route Reflector is not recommended.

Configure clusters of routers where one router is a concentration router and others are clients who receive
their updates from the concentration router.
Use the following commands in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to configure a route
reflector.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

bgp cluster-id cluster-id

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Assign an ID to a router reflector cluster.
You can have multiple clusters in an AS.

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name}
route-reflector-client

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Configure the local router as a route reflector and the
neighbor or peer group identified is the route reflector
client.

To view a route reflector configuration, use the show config command in the CONFIGURATION
ROUTER BGP mode or show running-config bgp in EXEC Privilege mode.

Border Gateway Protocol | 227

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

When you enable a route reflector, FTOS automatically enables route reflection to all clients. To disable
route reflection between all clients in this reflector, use the no bgp client-to-client reflection command in
CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode. All clients should be fully meshed before you disable route
reflection.

Aggregate routes
FTOS provides multiple ways to aggregate routes in the BGP routing table. At least one specific route of
the aggregate must be in the routing table for the configured aggregate to become active.
Use the following command in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to aggregate routes.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

aggregate-address ip-address
mask [advertise-map map-name]
[as-set] [attribute-map map-name]
[summary-only] [suppress-map
map-name]

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Assign the IP address and mask of the prefix to be
aggregated.
Optional parameters are:
• advertise-map map-name: set filters for
advertising an aggregate route

•
•
•
•

as-set: generate path attribute information and
include it in the aggregate.
attribute-map map-name: modify attributes of
the aggregate, except for the AS_PATH and
NEXT_HOP attributes
summary-only: advertise only the aggregate
address. Specific routes will not be advertised
suppress-map map-name: identify which
more-specific routes in the aggregate are suppressed

AS_SET includes AS_PATH and community information from the routes included in the aggregated route.
In the show ip bgp command, aggregates contain an ‘a’ in the first column and routes suppressed by the
aggregate contain an ‘s’ in the first column.
Figure 9-30.

Command Example: show ip bgp

FTOS#show ip bgp
BGP table version is 0, local router ID is 10.101.15.13
Status codes: s suppressed, d damped, h history, * valid, > best
Path source: I - internal, a - aggregate, c - confed-external, r - redistributed, n - network
Origin codes: i - IGP, e - EGP, ? - incomplete

Network

Next Hop

*>

7.0.0.0/29

10.114.8.33

*>

7.0.0.0/30

10.114.8.33

*>a 9.0.0.0/8

192.0.0.0

*>

9.2.0.0/16

10.114.8.33

*>

9.141.128.0/24

10.114.8.33

FTOS#

228

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Metric

LocPrf Weight Path

0

0 18508 ?

0

Aggregate Route
Indicators

0 18508 ?
32768

18508 701 {7018 2686 3786} ?
0 18508 701 i
0 18508 701 7018 2686 ?

Configure BGP confederations
Another way to organize routers within an AS and reduce the mesh for IBGP peers is to configure BGP
confederations. As with route reflectors, BGP confederations are recommended only for IBGP peering
involving a large number of IBGP peering sessions per router. Basically, when you configure BGP
confederations, you break the AS into smaller sub-AS, and to those outside your network, the
confederations appear as one AS. Within the confederation sub-AS, the IBGP neighbors are fully meshed
and the MED, NEXT_HOP, and LOCAL_PREF attributes are maintained between confederations.
Use the following commands in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to configure BGP
confederations.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

bgp confederation identifier
as-number

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Specifies the confederation ID.
AS-number: 0-65535 (2-Byte) or 1-4294967295
(4-Byte)

bgp confederation peers
as-number [... as-number]

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Specifies which confederation sub-AS are peers.
AS-number: 0-65535 (2-Byte) or 1-4294967295
(4-Byte)

All Confederation routers must be either 4-Byte or 2-Byte. You cannot have a mix of
router ASN support,

Use the show config command in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to view the
configuration.

Enable route flap dampening
When EBGP routes become unavailable, they “flap” and the router issues both WITHDRAWN and
UPDATE notices. A flap is when a route
•
•
•

is withdrawn
is readvertised after being withdrawn
has an attribute change

The constant router reaction to the WITHDRAWN and UPDATE notices causes instability in the BGP
process. To minimize this instability, you may configure penalties, a numeric value, for routes that flap.
When that penalty value reaches a configured limit, the route is not advertised, even if the route is up. In
FTOS, that penalty value is 1024. As time passes and the route does not flap, the penalty value decrements
or is decayed. However, if the route flaps again, it is assigned another penalty.
The penalty value is cumulative and penalty is added under following cases:
•
•
•

Withdraw
Readvertise
Attribute change

Border Gateway Protocol | 229

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

When dampening is applied to a route, its path is described by one of the following terms:
•
•
•

history entry—an entry that stores information on a downed route
dampened path—a path that is no longer advertised
penalized path—a path that is assigned a penalty

The CLI example below shows configuring values to start reusing or restarting a route, as well as their
default values.
Figure 9-31.

Setting Reuse and Restart Route Values

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#bgp dampening ?
<1-45>

Half-life time for the penalty (default = 15)

route-map

Route-map to specify criteria for dampening

Set time before
value decrements


FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#bgp dampening 2 ?
<1-20000>

Set readvertise value

Value to start reusing a route (default = 750)

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#bgp dampening 2 2000 ?
<1-20000>

Set suppress value

Value to start suppressing a route (default = 2000)

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#bgp dampening 2 2000 3000 ?
<1-255>

Set time to suppress a route

Maximum duration to suppress a stable route (default = 60)

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#bgp dampening 2 2000 3000 10 ?
route-map

Route-map to specify criteria for dampening



Use the following command in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to configure route flap
dampening parameters.

230

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

bgp dampening
[half-life | reuse |
suppress
max-suppress-time]
[route-map
map-name]

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enable route dampening.
Enter the following optional parameters to configure route
dampening parameters:
• half-life range: 1 to 45. Number of minutes after which the
Penalty is decreased. After the router assigns a Penalty of 1024
to a route, the Penalty is decreased by half after the half-life
period expires. (Default: 15 minutes)
• reuse range: 1 to 20000. This number is compared to the
flapping route’s Penalty value. If the Penalty value is less than
the reuse value, the flapping route is once again advertised (or no
longer suppressed). Withdrawn routes are removed from history
state. (Default: 750)
• suppress range: 1 to 20000. This number is compared to the
flapping route’s Penalty value. If the Penalty value is greater than
the suppress value, the flapping route is no longer advertised
(that is, it is suppressed). (Default: 2000.)
• max-suppress-time range: 1 to 255. The maximum number of
minutes a route can be suppressed. The default is four times the
half-life value. (Default: 60 minutes.)
• route-map map-name: name of a configured route map. Only
match commands in the configured route map are supported. Use
this parameter to apply route dampening to selective routes.

Border Gateway Protocol

To view the BGP configuration, use show config in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode or
show running-config bgp in EXEC Privilege mode.
To set dampening parameters via a route map, use the following command in CONFIGURATION
ROUTE-MAP mode:

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

set dampening half-life reuse
suppress max-suppress-time

CONFIG-ROUTE-MAP

Enter the following optional parameters to
configure route dampening parameters:
• half-life range: 1 to 45. Number of minutes
after which the Penalty is decreased. After the
router assigns a Penalty of 1024 to a route, the
Penalty is decreased by half after the half-life
period expires. (Default: 15 minutes)
• reuse range: 1 to 20000. This number is
compared to the flapping route’s Penalty value.
If the Penalty value is less than the reuse value,
the flapping route is once again advertised (or
no longer suppressed). (Default: 750)
• suppress range: 1 to 20000. This number is
compared to the flapping route’s Penalty value.
If the Penalty value is greater than the suppress
value, the flapping route is no longer
advertised (that is, it is suppressed). (Default:
2000.)
• max-suppress-time range: 1 to 255. The
maximum number of minutes a route can be
suppressed. The default is four times the
half-life value. (Default: 60 minutes.)

To view a count of dampened routes, history routes and penalized routes when route dampening is enabled,
look at the seventh line of the show ip bgp summary command output (Figure 9-32).
Figure 9-32.

Command example: show ip bgp summary

FTOS>show ip bgp summary
BGP router identifier 10.114.8.131, local AS number 65515
BGP table version is 855562, main routing table version 780266
122836 network entrie(s) and 221664 paths using 29697640 bytes of memory
34298 BGP path attribute entrie(s) using 1920688 bytes of memory
29577 BGP AS-PATH entrie(s) using 1384403 bytes of memory
184 BGP community entrie(s) using 7616 bytes of memory
Dampening enabled. 0 history paths, 0 dampened paths, 0 penalized paths

Neighbor

AS

MsgRcvd MsgSent

10.114.8.34

18508

82883

10.114.8.33

18508

117265

OutQ Up/Down

Dampening
Information

TblVer

InQ

State/PfxRcd

79977

780266

0

2 00:38:51

118904

25069

780266

0

20 00:38:50

102759

FTOS>

Border Gateway Protocol | 231

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To view which routes are dampened (non-active), use the show ip bgp dampened-routes command in
EXEC Privilege mode.
Use the following command in EXEC Privilege mode to clear information on route dampening and return
suppressed routes to active state.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

clear ip bgp dampening
[ip-address mask]

EXEC Privilege

Clear all information or only information on a specific route.

Use the following command in EXEC and EXEC Privilege mode to view statistics on route flapping.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

show ip bgp flap-statistics
[ip-address [mask]] [filter-list
as-path-name] [regexp
regular-expression]

EXEC
EXEC Privilege

View all flap statistics or for specific routes meeting the
following criteria:
• ip-address [mask]: enter the IP address and mask
• filter-list as-path-name: enter the name of an
AS-PATH ACL.
• regexp regular-expression: enter a regular
express to match on.

By default, the path selection in FTOS is deterministic, that is, paths are compared irrespective of the order
of their arrival. You can change the path selection method to non-deterministic, that is, paths are compared
in the order in which they arrived (starting with the most recent). Furthermore, in non-deterministic mode,
the software may not compare MED attributes though the paths are from the same AS.
Use the following command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to change the path selection
from the default mode (deterministic) to non-deterministic.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

bgp non-deterministic-med

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Change the best path selection method to non-deterministic.

Note: When you change the best path selection method, path selection for existing paths remains
unchanged until you reset it by entering the clear ip bgp command in EXEC Privilege mode.

232

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Change BGP timers
Use either or both of the following commands in the CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to
configure BGP timers.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

neighbors {ip-address |
peer-group-name} timers
keepalive holdtime

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Configure timer values for a BGP neighbor or peer group.
• keepalive range: 1 to 65535. Time interval, in
seconds, between keepalive messages sent to the
neighbor routers. (Default: 60 seconds)
• holdtime range: 3 to 65536. Time interval, in seconds,
between the last keepalive message and declaring the
router dead. (Default: 180 seconds)

timers bgp keepalive holdtime

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Configure timer values for all neighbors.
• keepalive range: 1 to 65535. Time interval, in
seconds, between keepalive messages sent to the
neighbor routers. (Default: 60 seconds)
• holdtime range: 3 to 65536. Time interval, in seconds,
between the last keepalive message and declaring the
router dead. (Default: 180 seconds)

Use the show config command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode or the show running-config
bgp command in EXEC Privilege mode to view non-default values.
Timer values configured with the neighbor timers command override the timer values configured with the
timers bgp command.
When two neighbors, configured with different keepalive and holdtime values, negotiate for new values,
the resulting values will be as follows:
•
•

the lower of the holdtime values is the new holdtime value, and
whichever is the lower value; one-third of the new holdtime value, or the configured keepalive value is
the new keepalive value.

BGP neighbor soft-reconfiguration
Changing routing policies typically requires a reset of BGP sessions (the TCP connection) for the policies
to take effect. Such resets cause undue interruption to traffic due to hard reset of the BGP cache and the
time it takes to re-establish the session. BGP soft reconfig allows for policies to be applied to a session
without clearing the BGP Session. Soft-reconfig can be done on a per-neighbor basis and can either be
inbound or outbound.
BGP Soft Reconfiguration clears the policies without resetting the TCP connection.

Border Gateway Protocol | 233

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Use the clear ip bgp command in EXEC Privilege mode at the system prompt to reset a BGP connection
using BGP soft reconfiguration.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

clear ip bgp {* |
neighbor-address | AS Numbers
| ipv4 | peer-group-name} [soft
[in | out]]

EXEC Privilege

Clear all information or only specific details.
*: Clear all peers
neighbor-address: Clear the neighbor with this IP
address
AS Numbers: Peers’ AS numbers to be cleared
ipv4: Clear information for IPv4 Address family
peer-group-name: Clear all members of the specified
peer group

neighbor {ip-address |
peer-group-name}
soft-reconfiguration inbound

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enable soft-reconfiguration for the BGP neighbor
specified. BGP stores all the updates received by the
neighbor but does not reset the peer-session.

Entering this command starts the storage of updates, which is required to do inbound
soft reconfiguration. Outbound BGP soft reconfiguration does not require inbound soft
reconfiguration to be enabled.

When soft-reconfiguration is enabled for a neighbor and the clear ip bgp soft in command is executed, the
update database stored in the router is replayed and updates are reevaluated. With this command, the replay
and update process is triggered only if route-refresh request is not negotiated with the peer. If the request is
indeed negotiated (upon execution of clear ip bgp soft in), then BGP sends a route-refresh request to the
neighbor and receives all of the peer’s updates.
To use soft reconfiguration, or soft reset, without preconfiguration, both BGP peers must support the soft
route refresh capability, which is advertised in the open message sent when the peers establish a TCP
session.
To determine whether a BGP router supports this capability, use the show ip bgp neighbors command. If
a router supports the route refresh capability, the following message should be displayed:
Received route refresh capability from peer.

If you specify a BGP peer group by using the peer-group-name argument, all members of the peer group
inherit the characteristic configured with this command.
The following (Figure 9-33) enables inbound soft reconfiguration for the neighbor 10.108.1.1. All updates
received from this neighbor are stored unmodified, regardless of the inbound policy. When inbound soft
reconfiguration is done later, the stored information is used to generate a new set of inbound updates.
Figure 9-33.

Command example: router bgp

FTOS>router bgp 100
neighbor 10.108.1.1 remote-as 200
neighbor 10.108.1.1 soft-reconfiguration inbound

234

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Route map continue
The BGP route map continue feature (in ROUTE-MAP mode) allows movement from one route-map
entry to a specific route-map entry (the sequence number). If the sequence number is not specified, the
continue feature moves to the next sequence number (also known as an implied continue). If a match
clause exists, the continue feature executes only after a successful match occurs. If there are no successful
matches, continue is ignored.
continue [sequence-number]

Match Clause with a Continue Clause
The continue feature can exist without a match clause. Without a match clause, the continue clause
executes and jumps to the specified route-map entry. With a match clause and a continue clause, the match
clause executes first and the continue clause next in a specified route map entry. The continue clause
launches only after a successful match. The behavior is:
•
•
•

A successful match with a continue clause—the route map executes the set clauses and then goes to the
specified route map entry upon execution of the continue clause.
If the next route map entry contains a continue clause, the route map executes the continue clause if a
successful match occurs.
If the next route map entry does not contain a continue clause, the route map evaluates normally. If a
match does not occur, the route map does not continue and falls-through to the next sequence number,
if one exists.

Set Clause with a Continue Clause
If the route-map entry contains sets with the continue clause, then the set actions operation is performed
first followed by the continue clause jump to the specified route map entry.
•

•

If a set actions operation occurs in the first route map entry and then the same set action occurs with a
different value in a subsequent route map entry, the last set of actions overrides the previous set of
actions with the same set command.
If the set community additive and set as-path prepend commands are configured, the communities
and AS numbers are prepended.

Border Gateway Protocol | 235

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

MBGP Configuration

et c
MBGP for IPv4 Multicast is supported on platform c et s z
MBGP is not supported on the E-Series ExaScale ex platform.
MBGP for IPv6 unicast is supported on platforms

Multiprotocol BGP (MBGP) is an enhanced BGP that carries IP multicast routes. BGP carries two sets of
routes: one set for unicast routing and one set for multicast routing. The routes associated with multicast
routing are used by the Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) to build data distribution trees.
FTOS MBGP is implemented as per RFC 1858. The MBGP feature can be enabled per router and/or per
peer/peer-group.
Default is IPv4 Unicast routes.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

address family ipv4 multicast

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP

Enables support for the IPv4 Multicast
family on the BGP node

neighbor [ip-address |
peer-group-name] activate

CONFIG-ROUTER-BGP-AF
(Address Family)

Enable IPv4 Multicast support on a BGP
neighbor/peer group

When a peer is configured to support IPv4 Multicast, FTOS takes the following actions:
•
•
•
•
•

Send a capacity advertisement to the peer in the BGP Open message specifying IPv4 Multicast as a
supported AFI/SAFI (Subsequent Address Family Identifier).
If the corresponding capability is received in the peer’s Open message, BGP will mark the peer as
supporting the AFI/SAFI.
When exchanging updates with the peer, BGP sends and receives IPv4 Multicast routes if the peer is
marked as supporting that AFI/SAFI.
Exchange of IPv4 Multicast route information occurs through the use of two new attributes called
MP_REACH_NLRI and MP_UNREACH_NLRI, for feasible and withdrawn routes, respectively.
If the peer has not been activated in any AFI/SAFI, the peer remains in Idle state.

Most FTOS BGP IPv4 Unicast commands are extended to support the IPv4 Multicast RIB using extra
options to the command. See the FTOS Command Line Interface Reference for a detailed description of the
MBGP commands.

236

|

Border Gateway Protocol

BGP Regular Expression Optimization
BGP policies that contain regular expressions to match against as-paths and communities might take a lot
of CPU processing time, thus affect BGP routing convergence. Also, show bgp commands that get filtered
through regular expressions can to take a lot of CPU cycles, especially when the database is large. FTOS
optimizes processing time when using regular expressions by caching and re-using regular expression
evaluated results, at the expense of some memory in RP1 processor. This feature is turned on by default.
Use the command bgp regex-eval-optz-disable in CONFIGURATION ROUTER BGP mode to

disable it if necessary.

Debugging BGP
Use any of the commands in EXEC Privilege mode to enable BGP debugging.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

debug ip bgp [ip-address | peer-group
peer-group-name] [in | out]

EXEC Privilege

View all information on BGP, including BGP
events, keepalives, notifications, and updates.

debug ip bgp dampening [in | out]

EXEC Privilege

View information on BGP route being dampened.

debug ip bgp [ip-address | peer-group
peer-group-name] events [in | out]

EXEC Privilege

View information on local BGP state changes and
other BGP events.

debug ip bgp [ip-address | peer-group
peer-group-name] keepalive [in | out]

EXEC Privilege

View information about BGP KEEPALIVE
messages.

debug ip bgp [ip-address | peer-group
peer-group-name] notifications [in | out]

EXEC Privilege

View information about BGP notifications received
from or sent to neighbors.

debug ip bgp [ip-address | peer-group
peer-group-name] updates [in | out]
[prefix-list name]

EXEC Privilege

View information about BGP updates and filter by
prefix name

debug ip bgp {ip-address |
peer-group-name} soft-reconfiguration

EXEC Privilege

Enable soft-reconfiguration debug. Enable
soft-reconfiguration debug.
To enhance debugging of soft reconfig, use the
following command only when route-refresh is not
negotiated to avoid the peer from resending
messages:
bgp soft-reconfig-backup
In-BGP is shown via the show ip protocols
command.

FTOS displays debug messages on the console. To view which debugging commands are enabled, use the
show debugging command in EXEC Privilege mode.
Use the keyword no followed by the debug command To disable a specific debug command. For example,
to disable debugging of BGP updates, enter no debug ip bgp updates command.

Border Gateway Protocol | 237

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Use no debug ip bgp to disable all BGP debugging.
Use undebug all to disable all debugging.

Storing Last and Bad PDUs
FTOS stores the last notification sent/received, and the last bad PDU received on per peer basis. The last
bad PDU is the one that causes a notification to be issued. These PDUs are shown in the output of the
command show ip bgp neighbor, as shown in Figure 9-34.
Figure 9-34.

Viewing the Last Bad PDU from BGP Peers

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#do show ip bgp neighbors 1.1.1.2
BGP neighbor is 1.1.1.2, remote AS 2, external link
BGP version 4, remote router ID 2.4.0.1
BGP state ESTABLISHED, in this state for 00:00:01
Last read 00:00:00, last write 00:00:01
Hold time is 90, keepalive interval is 30 seconds
Received 1404 messages, 0 in queue
3 opens, 1 notifications, 1394 updates
6 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Sent 48 messages, 0 in queue
3 opens, 2 notifications, 0 updates
43 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Minimum time between advertisement runs is 30 seconds
Minimum time before advertisements start is 0 seconds
Capabilities received from neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
Capabilities advertised to neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
For address family: IPv4 Unicast
BGP table version 1395, neighbor version 1394
Prefixes accepted 1 (consume 4 bytes), 0 withdrawn by peer
Prefixes advertised 0, rejected 0, 0 withdrawn from peer
Connections established 3; dropped 2
Last reset 00:00:12, due to Missing well known attribute
Notification History
'UPDATE error/Missing well-known attr' Sent : 1
'Connection Reset' Sent : 1

Recv: 0

Recv: 0

Last notification (len 21) sent 00:26:02 ago
ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff 00160303 03010000
Last notification (len 21) received 00:26:20 ago
ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff 00150306 00000000
Last PDU (len 41) received 00:26:02 ago that caused notification to be issued

Last PDUs

ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff 00290200 00000e01 02040201 00024003 04141414 0218c0a8
01000000
Local host: 1.1.1.1, Local port: 179
Foreign host: 1.1.1.2, Foreign port: 41758

238

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Capturing PDUs
Capture incoming and outgoing PDUs on a per-peer basis using the command capture bgp-pdu neighbor
direction. Disable capturing using the no form of this command.
The buffer size supports a maximum value between 40 MB (the default) and 100 MB. The capture buffers
are cyclic and reaching the limit prompts the system to overwrite the oldest PDUs when new ones are
received for a given neighbor or direction. Setting the buffer size to a value lower than the current max,
might cause captured PDUs to be freed to set the new limit.
Note: Memory on RP1 is not pre-allocated, and is allocated only when a PDU needs to be captured.

Use the command capture bgp-pdu max-buffer-size (Figure 9-35) to change the maximum buffer size.
View the captured PDUs using the command show capture bgp-pdu neighbor.
Figure 9-35.

Viewing Captured PDUs

FTOS#show capture bgp-pdu neighbor 20.20.20.2
Incoming packet capture enabled for BGP neighbor 20.20.20.2
Available buffer size 40958758, 26 packet(s) captured using 680 bytes
PDU[1] : len 101, captured 00:34:51 ago
ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff 00650100 00000013 00000000 00000000 419ef06c 00000000
00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 0181a1e4 0181a25c 41af92c0 00000000 00000000 00000000
00000000 00000001 0181a1e4 0181a25c 41af9400 00000000
PDU[2] : len 19, captured 00:34:51 ago
ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff 00130400
PDU[3] : len 19, captured 00:34:51 ago
ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff 00130400
PDU[4] : len 19, captured 00:34:22 ago
ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff 00130400
[. . .]
Outgoing packet capture enabled for BGP neighbor 20.20.20.2
Available buffer size 40958758, 27 packet(s) captured using 562 bytes
PDU[1] : len 41, captured 00:34:52 ago
ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff 00290104 000100b4 14141401 0c020a01 04000100 01020080
00000000
PDU[2] : len 19, captured 00:34:51 ago
ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff 00130400
PDU[3] : len 19, captured 00:34:50 ago
ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff 00130400
PDU[4] : len 19, captured 00:34:20 ago
ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff 00130400
[. . .]

The buffers storing the PDU free memory when:
•
•
•

BGP is disabled
A neighbor is unconfigured
clear ip bgp is issued

Border Gateway Protocol | 239

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•

New PDU are captured and there is no more space to store them
The max buffer size is reduced. (This may cause PDUs to be cleared depending upon the buffer space
consumed and the new limit.)

With full internet feed (205K) captured, approximately 11.8MB is required to store all of the PDUs, as
shown in Figure 9-36.
Figure 9-36.

Required Memory for Captured PDUs

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#do show capture bgp-pdu neighbor 172.30.1.250

Incoming packet capture enabled for BGP neighbor 172.30.1.250
Available buffer size 29165743, 192991 packet(s) captured using 11794257 bytes
[. . .]

FTOS(conf-router_bgp)#do sho ip bg s
BGP router identifier 172.30.1.56, local AS number 65056
BGP table version is 313511, main routing table version 313511
207896 network entrie(s) and 207896 paths using 42364576 bytes of memory
59913 BGP path attribute entrie(s) using 2875872 bytes of memory
59910 BGP AS-PATH entrie(s) using 2679698 bytes of memory
3 BGP community entrie(s) using 81 bytes of memory

Neighbor

AS

1.1.1.2

2

172.30.1.250

18508

MsgRcvd

MsgSent

TblVer

InQ

OutQ Up/Down

State/Pfx

17

18966

0

0

0 00:08:19 Active

243295

25

313511

0

0 00:12:46

207896

PDU Counters
FTOS version 7.5.1.0 introduces additional counters for various types of PDUs sent and received from
neighbors. These are seen in the output of the command show ip bgp neighbor.

Sample Configurations
The following configurations are examples for enabling BGP and setting up some peer groups. These are
not comprehensive directions. They are intended to give you a some guidance with typical configurations.
You can copy and paste from these examples to your CLI. Be sure you make the necessary changes to
support your own IP Addresses, Interfaces, Names, etc.

240

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Figure 9-37 is a graphic illustration of the configurations shown on the following pages. These
configurations show how to create BGP areas using physical and virtual links. They include setting up the
interfaces and peers groups with each other.
Figure 9-37.

Sample Configuration Illustration

Physical Links

AS 99

Virtual Links

GigE 1/21
10.0.1.21 /24

GigE 2/11
10.0.1.22 /24

Peer Group AAA

e
Pe

Loopback
ck 1
192.168.128.1 /24

rG
u
ro
p
BB

GigE 1/31
10.0.3.31 /24

Loopback 1
Lo
192.168.128.2 /24
19

B

er
Pe

GigE 3/11
10.0.3.33 /24

o
Gr

C
CC
p
u

GigE 2/31
10.0.2.2 /24

GigE 3/21
10.0.2.3 /24

Loopback 1
192.168.128.3 /24

AS 100

Border Gateway Protocol | 241

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 9-38.

Enable BGP - Router 1

R1# conf
R1(conf)#int loop 0
R1(conf-if-lo-0)#ip address 192.168.128.1/24
R1(conf-if-lo-0)#no shutdown
R1(conf-if-lo-0)#show config
!
interface Loopback 0
ip address 192.168.128.1/24
no shutdown
R1(conf-if-lo-0)#int gig 1/21
R1(conf-if-gi-1/21)#ip address 10.0.1.21/24
R1(conf-if-gi-1/21)#no shutdown
R1(conf-if-gi-1/21)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/21
ip address 10.0.1.21/24
no shutdown
R1(conf-if-gi-1/21)#int gig 1/31
R1(conf-if-gi-1/31)#ip address 10.0.3.31/24
R1(conf-if-gi-1/31)#no shutdown
R1(conf-if-gi-1/31)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/31
ip address 10.0.3.31/24
no shutdown
R1(conf-if-gi-1/31)#router bgp 99
R1(conf-router_bgp)#network 192.168.128.0/24
R1(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.2 remote 99
R1(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.2 no shut
R1(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.2 update-source loop 0
R1(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.3 remote 100
R1(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.3 no shut
R1(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.3 update-source loop 0
R1(conf-router_bgp)#show config
!
router bgp 99
network 192.168.128.0/24
neighbor 192.168.128.2 remote-as 99
neighbor 192.168.128.2 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.128.2 no shutdown
neighbor 192.168.128.3 remote-as 100
neighbor 192.168.128.3 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.128.3 no shutdown
R1(conf-router_bgp)#end
R1#
R1#show ip bgp summary
BGP router identifier 192.168.128.1, local AS number 99
BGP table version is 4, main routing table version 4
4 network entrie(s) using 648 bytes of memory
6 paths using 408 bytes of memory
BGP-RIB over all using 414 bytes of memory
3 BGP path attribute entrie(s) using 144 bytes of memory
2 BGP AS-PATH entrie(s) using 74 bytes of memory
2 neighbor(s) using 8672 bytes of memory
Neighbor

AS

MsgRcvd

MsgSent

TblVer

InQ

192.168.128.2

99

4

5

4

0

0 00:00:32

1

192.168.128.3

100

5

4

1

0

0 00:00:09

4

R1#

242

|

Border Gateway Protocol

OutQ Up/Down

State/Pfx

Figure 9-39.

Enable BGP - Router 2

R2# conf
R2(conf)#int loop 0
R2(conf-if-lo-0)#ip address 192.168.128.2/24
R2(conf-if-lo-0)#no shutdown
R2(conf-if-lo-0)#show config
!
interface Loopback 0
ip address 192.168.128.2/24
no shutdown
R2(conf-if-lo-0)#int gig 2/11
R2(conf-if-gi-2/11)#ip address 10.0.1.22/24
R2(conf-if-gi-2/11)#no shutdown
R2(conf-if-gi-2/11)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/11
ip address 10.0.1.22/24
no shutdown
R2(conf-if-gi-2/11)#int gig 2/31
R2(conf-if-gi-2/31)#ip address 10.0.2.2/24
R2(conf-if-gi-2/31)#no shutdown
R2(conf-if-gi-2/31)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/31
ip address 10.0.2.2/24
no shutdown
R2(conf-if-gi-2/31)#
R2(conf-if-gi-2/31)#router bgp 99
R2(conf-router_bgp)#network 192.168.128.0/24
R2(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.1 remote 99
R2(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.1 no shut
R2(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.1 update-source loop 0
R2(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.3 remote 100
R2(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.3 no shut
R2(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.3 update loop 0
R2(conf-router_bgp)#show config
!
router bgp 99
bgp router-id 192.168.128.2
network 192.168.128.0/24
bgp graceful-restart
neighbor 192.168.128.1 remote-as 99
neighbor 192.168.128.1 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.128.1 no shutdown
neighbor 192.168.128.3 remote-as 100
neighbor 192.168.128.3 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.128.3 no shutdown
R2(conf-router_bgp)#end
R2#show ip bgp summary
BGP router identifier 192.168.128.2, local AS number 99
BGP table version is 1, main routing table version 1
1 network entrie(s) using 132 bytes of memory
3 paths using 204 bytes of memory
BGP-RIB over all using 207 bytes of memory
2 BGP path attribute entrie(s) using 128 bytes of memory
2 BGP AS-PATH entrie(s) using 90 bytes of memory
2 neighbor(s) using 9216 bytes of memory
Neighbor
192.168.128.1
192.168.128.3
R2#

AS
99
100

MsgRcvd
40
4

MsgSent
35
4

TblVer
1
1

InQ
0
0

OutQ Up/Down State/Pfx
0 00:01:05
1
0 00:00:16
1

Border Gateway Protocol | 243

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 9-40.

Enable BGP - Router 3

R3# conf
R3(conf)#
R3(conf)#int loop 0
R3(conf-if-lo-0)#ip address 192.168.128.3/24
R3(conf-if-lo-0)#no shutdown
R3(conf-if-lo-0)#show config
!
interface Loopback 0
ip address 192.168.128.3/24
no shutdown
R3(conf-if-lo-0)#int gig 3/11
R3(conf-if-gi-3/11)#ip address 10.0.3.33/24
R3(conf-if-gi-3/11)#no shutdown
R3(conf-if-gi-3/11)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/11
ip address 10.0.3.33/24
no shutdown
R3(conf-if-lo-0)#int gig 3/21
R3(conf-if-gi-3/21)#ip address 10.0.2.3/24
R3(conf-if-gi-3/21)#no shutdown
R3(conf-if-gi-3/21)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/21
ip address 10.0.2.3/24
no shutdown
R3(conf-if-gi-3/21)#
R3(conf-if-gi-3/21)#router bgp 100
R3(conf-router_bgp)#show config
!
router bgp 100
R3(conf-router_bgp)#network 192.168.128.0/24
R3(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.1 remote 99
R3(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.1 no shut
R3(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.1 update-source loop 0
R3(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.2 remote 99
R3(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.2 no shut
R3(conf-router_bgp)#neighbor 192.168.128.2 update loop 0
R3(conf-router_bgp)#show config
!
router bgp 100
network 192.168.128.0/24
neighbor 192.168.128.1 remote-as 99
neighbor 192.168.128.1 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.128.1 no shutdown
neighbor 192.168.128.2 remote-as 99
neighbor 192.168.128.2 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.128.2 no shutdown
R3(conf)#end
R3#show ip bgp summary
BGP router identifier 192.168.128.3, local AS number 100
BGP table version is 1, main routing table version 1
1 network entrie(s) using 132 bytes of memory
3 paths using 204 bytes of memory
BGP-RIB over all using 207 bytes of memory
2 BGP path attribute entrie(s) using 128 bytes of memory
2 BGP AS-PATH entrie(s) using 90 bytes of memory
2 neighbor(s) using 9216 bytes of memory
Neighbor
AS
MsgRcvd MsgSent
TblVer InQ OutQ Up/Down State/Pfx
192.168.128.1
99
24
25
1
0
0 00:14:20
1
192.168.128.2
99
14
14
1
0
0 00:10:22
1
R3#

244

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Figure 9-41.

Enable Peer Group - Router 1

R1#conf
R1(conf)#router bgp 99
R1(conf-router_bgp)# network 192.168.128.0/24
R1(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor AAA peer-group
R1(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor AAA no shutdown
R1(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor BBB peer-group
R1(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor BBB no shutdown
R1(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor 192.168.128.2 peer-group AAA
R1(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor 192.168.128.3 peer-group BBB
R1(conf-router_bgp)#
R1(conf-router_bgp)#show config
!
router bgp 99
network 192.168.128.0/24
neighbor AAA peer-group
neighbor AAA no shutdown
neighbor BBB peer-group
neighbor BBB no shutdown
neighbor 192.168.128.2 remote-as 99
neighbor 192.168.128.2 peer-group AAA
neighbor 192.168.128.2 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.128.2 no shutdown
neighbor 192.168.128.3 remote-as 100
neighbor 192.168.128.3 peer-group BBB
neighbor 192.168.128.3 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.128.3 no shutdown
R1#
R1#show ip bgp summary
BGP router identifier 192.168.128.1, local AS number 99
BGP table version is 1, main routing table version 1
1 network entrie(s) using 132 bytes of memory
3 paths using 204 bytes of memory
BGP-RIB over all using 207 bytes of memory
2 BGP path attribute entrie(s) using 96 bytes of memory
2 BGP AS-PATH entrie(s) using 74 bytes of memory
2 neighbor(s) using 8672 bytes of memory
Neighbor

AS

MsgRcvd

MsgSent

TblVer

InQ

OutQ Up/Down

State/Pfx

192.168.128.2

99

23

24

1

0

(0) 00:00:17

1

192.168.128.3

100

30

29

1

0

(0) 00:00:14

1

!
R1#show ip bgp neighbors
BGP neighbor is 192.168.128.2, remote AS 99, internal link
Member of peer-group AAA for session parameters
BGP version 4, remote router ID 192.168.128.2
BGP state ESTABLISHED, in this state for 00:00:37
Last read 00:00:36, last write 00:00:36
Hold time is 180, keepalive interval is 60 seconds
Received 23 messages, 0 in queue
2 opens, 0 notifications, 2 updates
19 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Sent 24 messages, 0 in queue
2 opens, 1 notifications, 2 updates
19 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Minimum time between advertisement runs is 5 seconds
Minimum time before advertisements start is 0 seconds

Border Gateway Protocol | 245

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 9-42.

Enable Peer Groups - Router 1 continued

Capabilities received from neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
Capabilities advertised to neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
Update source set to Loopback 0
Peer active in peer-group outbound optimization
For address family: IPv4 Unicast
BGP table version 1, neighbor version 1
Prefixes accepted 1 (consume 4 bytes), withdrawn 0 by peer
Prefixes advertised 1, denied 0, withdrawn 0 from peer
Connections established 2; dropped 1
Last reset 00:00:57, due to user reset
Notification History
'Connection Reset' Sent : 1

Recv: 0

Last notification (len 21) sent 00:00:57 ago
ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff 00150306 00000000
Local host: 192.168.128.1, Local port: 179
Foreign host: 192.168.128.2, Foreign port: 65464
BGP neighbor is 192.168.128.3, remote AS 100, external link
Member of peer-group BBB for session parameters
BGP version 4, remote router ID 192.168.128.3
BGP state ESTABLISHED, in this state for 00:00:37
Last read 00:00:36, last write 00:00:36
Hold time is 180, keepalive interval is 60 seconds
Received 30 messages, 0 in queue
4 opens, 2 notifications, 4 updates
20 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Sent 29 messages, 0 in queue
4 opens, 1 notifications, 4 updates
20 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Minimum time between advertisement runs is 30 seconds
Minimum time before advertisements start is 0 seconds
Capabilities received from neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
Capabilities received from neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
Update source set to Loopback 0
Peer active in peer-group outbound optimization
For address family: IPv4 Unicast
BGP table version 1, neighbor version 1
Prefixes accepted 1 (consume 4 bytes), withdrawn 0 by peer
Prefixes advertised 1, denied 0, withdrawn 0 from peer
Connections established 4; dropped 3
Last reset 00:00:54, due to user reset
R1#

246

|

Border Gateway Protocol

Figure 9-43.

Enable Peer Groups - Router 2

R2#conf
R2(conf)#router bgp 99
R2(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor CCC peer-group
R2(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor CC no shutdown
R2(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor BBB peer-group
R2(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor BBB no shutdown
R2(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor 192.168.128.1 peer AAA
R2(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor 192.168.128.1 no shut
R2(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor 192.168.128.3 peer BBB
R2(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor 192.168.128.3 no shut
R2(conf-router_bgp)#show conf
!
router bgp 99
network 192.168.128.0/24
neighbor AAA peer-group
neighbor AAA no shutdown
neighbor BBB peer-group
neighbor BBB no shutdown
neighbor 192.168.128.1 remote-as 99
neighbor 192.168.128.1 peer-group CCC
neighbor 192.168.128.1 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.128.1 no shutdown
neighbor 192.168.128.3 remote-as 100
neighbor 192.168.128.3 peer-group BBB
neighbor 192.168.128.3 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.128.3 no shutdown
R2(conf-router_bgp)#end
R2#
R2#show ip bgp summary
BGP router identifier 192.168.128.2, local AS number 99
BGP table version is 2, main routing table version 2
1 network entrie(s) using 132 bytes of memory
3 paths using 204 bytes of memory
BGP-RIB over all using 207 bytes of memory
2 BGP path attribute entrie(s) using 128 bytes of memory
2 BGP AS-PATH entrie(s) using 90 bytes of memory
2 neighbor(s) using 9216 bytes of memory
Neighbor

AS

MsgRcvd

MsgSent

TblVer

InQ

192.168.128.1

99

140

136

2

0

OutQ Up/Down
(0) 00:11:24

State/Pfx
1

192.168.128.3

100

138

140

2

0

(0) 00:18:31

1

R2#show ip bgp neighbor
BGP neighbor is 192.168.128.1, remote AS 99, internal link
Member of peer-group AAA for session parameters
BGP version 4, remote router ID 192.168.128.1
BGP state ESTABLISHED, in this state for 00:11:42
Last read 00:00:38, last write 00:00:38
Hold time is 180, keepalive interval is 60 seconds
Received 140 messages, 0 in queue
6 opens, 2 notifications, 19 updates
113 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Sent 136 messages, 0 in queue
12 opens, 3 notifications, 6 updates
115 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Minimum time between advertisement runs is 5 seconds
Minimum time before advertisements start is 0 seconds

Border Gateway Protocol | 247

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 9-44.

Enable Peer Group - Router 3

R3#conf
R3(conf)#router bgp 100
R3(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor
R3(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor
R3(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor
R3(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor
R3(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor
R3(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor
R3(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor
R3(conf-router_bgp)# neighbor
R3(conf-router_bgp)#

AAA peer-group
AAA no shutdown
CCC peer-group
CCC no shutdown
192.168.128.2 peer-group BBB
192.168.128.2 no shutdown
192.168.128.1 peer-group BBB
192.168.128.1 no shutdown

R3(conf-router_bgp)#end
R3#show ip bgp summary
BGP router identifier 192.168.128.3, local AS number 100
BGP table version is 1, main routing table version 1
1 network entrie(s) using 132 bytes of memory
3 paths using 204 bytes of memory
BGP-RIB over all using 207 bytes of memory
2 BGP path attribute entrie(s) using 128 bytes of memory
2 BGP AS-PATH entrie(s) using 90 bytes of memory
2 neighbor(s) using 9216 bytes of memory
Neighbor

AS

MsgRcvd

192.168.128.1
99
192.168.128.2
99
R3#show ip bgp neighbor

93
122

MsgSent

TblVer

InQ

99
120

1
1

0
0

OutQ Up/Down
(0) 00:00:15
(0) 00:00:11

BGP neighbor is 192.168.128.1, remote AS 99, external link
Member of peer-group BBB for session parameters
BGP version 4, remote router ID 192.168.128.1
BGP state ESTABLISHED, in this state for 00:00:21
Last read 00:00:09, last write 00:00:08
Hold time is 180, keepalive interval is 60 seconds
Received 93 messages, 0 in queue
5 opens, 0 notifications, 5 updates
83 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Sent 99 messages, 0 in queue
5 opens, 4 notifications, 5 updates
85 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Minimum time between advertisement runs is 30 seconds
Minimum time before advertisements start is 0 seconds
Capabilities received from neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
Capabilities advertised to neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
Update source set to Loopback 0
Peer active in peer-group outbound optimization
For address family: IPv4 Unicast
BGP table version 1, neighbor version 1
Prefixes accepted 1 (consume 4 bytes), withdrawn 0 by peer
Prefixes advertised 1, denied 0, withdrawn 0 from peer

248

|

Border Gateway Protocol

State/Pfx
1
1

Figure 9-45.

Enable Peer Groups - Router 3 continued

Capabilities received from neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
Capabilities advertised to neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
Update source set to Loopback 0
Peer active in peer-group outbound optimization
For address family: IPv4 Unicast
BGP table version 2, neighbor version 2
Prefixes accepted 1 (consume 4 bytes), withdrawn 0 by peer
Prefixes advertised 1, denied 0, withdrawn 0 from peer
Connections established 6; dropped 5
Last reset 00:12:01, due to Closed by neighbor
Notification History
'HOLD error/Timer expired' Sent : 1 Recv: 0
'Connection Reset' Sent : 2 Recv: 2
Last notification (len 21) received 00:12:01 ago
ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff 00150306 00000000
Local host: 192.168.128.2, Local port: 65464
Foreign host: 192.168.128.1, Foreign port: 179
BGP neighbor is 192.168.128.3, remote AS 100, external link
Member of peer-group BBB for session parameters
BGP version 4, remote router ID 192.168.128.3
BGP state ESTABLISHED, in this state for 00:18:51
Last read 00:00:45, last write 00:00:44
Hold time is 180, keepalive interval is 60 seconds
Received 138 messages, 0 in queue
7 opens, 2 notifications, 7 updates
122 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Sent 140 messages, 0 in queue
7 opens, 4 notifications, 7 updates
122 keepalives, 0 route refresh requests
Minimum time between advertisement runs is 30 seconds
Minimum time before advertisements start is 0 seconds
Capabilities advertised to neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
Capabilities received from neighbor for IPv4 Unicast :
MULTIPROTO_EXT(1)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
ROUTE_REFRESH(2)
CISCO_ROUTE_REFRESH(128)
Update source set to Loopback 0
Peer active in peer-group outbound optimization
For address family: IPv4 Unicast
BGP table version 2, neighbor version 2
Prefixes accepted 1 (consume 4 bytes), withdrawn 0 by peer
Prefixes advertised 1, denied 0, withdrawn 0 from peer

Border Gateway Protocol | 249

250

|

Border Gateway Protocol

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

10
Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0)
Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0) is included as part of the FTOS image. It is supported on platforms
z.

Overview
Bare Metal Provisioning (BMP) is a feature that improves operational efficiency to the system by
automatically loading pre-defined configurations and FTOS images using standard protocols such as
DHCP and common file transfer mechanisms.
Bare Metal Provisioning:
•
•
•

reduces the time to install and configure the network device.
helps eliminate configuration errors and ensure consistent configurations.
can be used on a single system or on multiple systems.

With BMP 3.0, the system can retrieve a configuration file or a pre-configuration script indicated in the
DHCP offer. Using the pre-configuration script, you can:
•
•
•
•

verify the integrity of the boot image downloaded from the DHCP offer.
decide what type of configurations you want to apply based on factors such as your network
reachability, port status, and neighbor discovery.
monitor your CPU and memory utilization, your port traffic status, or perform link and topology
checking with LLDP.
retrieve a configuration from a central repository.

This chapter includes the following topics:
•
•
•
•
•

•

Prerequisites
Important Information
BMP Process Overview
Preparing BMP
Reload Modes
• BMP Mode
• Normal Mode
Scripts

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0) |

251

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•

• Pre-configuration Scripts
• Post-configuration Scripts
• Auto-execution Scripts
Configuration Tasks
Script Examples

Prerequisites
Before you use BMP 3.0 to auto-configure a supported Dell Force10 switch, you must first configure:
•
•
•
•

An external Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server (required) - a network device
offering configuration parameters
File Server (required) - a network device for storing and servicing files.
Domain Name Server (DNS) (optional) - a server that associates domain names in the network with IP
addresses.
Relay Agent (optional) - an intermediary network device that passes messages between DHCP clients
and the DHCP server when the server is not on the same subnet. It can also provide IP addresses for
multiple subnets.

For more information, see Domain Name Server and File Server.

Important Information
BMP 3.0 is supported on the user ports and management ports of a switch.
If your network has VLT enabled on aggregator switches and you are configuring the ToR switch to load
using BMP, ensure the aggregator switches are configured with the lacp ungroup member-independent
vlt command if the DHCP and file servers are reachable via the interface configured as part of VLT LAG.
Bare Metal Provisioning works to ease configuration in the following key areas:
•
•
•

Switch access is allowed through all ports (management and user ports) with or without DHCP-based
dynamic IP address configuration of a switch.
Booting up in Layer 3 mode with interfaces already in no shutdown mode and some basic protocols
enabled to protect the system and the network.
Use the DHCP offer to access the configuration file or a pre-configuration script.

BMP Process Overview
When the system boots up in the default BMP mode, the following items are requested:

252

|

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0)

1. Current (new) FTOS build image.
2. Configuration file or pre-configuration script (ZSH, TCL, or Expect script).
3. A list of checksums for all these components.
Note: The configuration file is to maintain normal BMP functionality when a pre-configuration script is not
sent.

Preparing BMP
DHCP Server
DHCP Configuration
You must first configure a DHCP server before you can use the BMP mode on a switch. Configure the
DHCP server with the set of parameters described below for each client switch. Refer to the FTOS
Configuration Guide: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol chapter for detailed information. The DHCP
server is configured to assign an IP to the system and other parameters.
Update the following parameters on the appropriate DHCP server.
•

•
•

•
•

Boot File Name: The FTOS image to be loaded on the system. The boot file name is expected to use
option 67 or the boot filename in the BOOTP payload of the DHCP offer. If both are specified, option
67 will be used. The system supports TFTP, HTTP, HTTPS, SFTP, SCP and FTP protocols, as well as
files stored in Flash.
Configuration File Name: The configurations to be applied to the system. The configuration file name
is expected to use option 209.
File Server Address: The server where the Image and Configurations file are placed. The address is
assumed to be a TFTP address unless it is given as a URL. The system supports TFTP, HTTP, HTTPS,
SFTP, SCP and FTP protocols, as well as files stored in Flash.
Domain Name Server: (Optional) The DNS server to be contacted to resolve the hostname.
IP Address: Dynamic IP address for the system. This is used only for file transfers.

The DHCP option codes used are:
•
•
•
•
•
•

6
60
66
67
150
209

Domain Name Server IP
Vendor class identifier
TFTP Server name
Boot filename
TFTP server IP address
Configuration File

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0) |

253

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

230

User port stacking

Note: BMP will eventually exit when the timeout occurs.

DHCP Retry Mechanism
BMP requests a different DHCP offer in the following scenarios:
•

•
•

If the command reload-type config-scr-download enable is enabled, the DHCP offer specifies both
the boot image and the configuration file. If either download is successful, BMP will not request
another DHCP offer.
If the offer contains only a boot image that cannot be downloaded, BMP will request another DHCP
offer.
If the command reload-type config-scr-download enable is enabled and the configuration file in the
offer cannot be downloaded, BMP will request another DHCP offer.

DHCP server IP Blacklist
If the process does not complete successfully, the DHCP server IP will be blacklisted and the BMP process
will be re-initiated. A DHCP server IP is maintained in the blacklist for ten minutes. If a DHCP offer is
received from the blacklisted DHCP server, the offer will be rejected until the IP is alive in the blacklist (10
minutes).

MAC-Based IP assignment
One way to use the BMP mode most efficiently is to configure the DHCP server to assign a fixed IP
address, FTOS image, and configuration file based on the system’s MAC address. When this is done, the
same IP address is assigned to the system even on repetitive reloads and the same configuration file will be
retrieved when using the DNS server or the network-config file to determine the hostname.
The assigned IP address is only used to retrieve the files from the file server. It is discarded after the files
are retrieved.
Following is an example of a configuration of the DHCP server included on the most popular Linux
distribution. The dhcpd.conf file shows the MAC based IP and configuration file assignment are fixed.
Parameter Example
option configfile code 209=text;
option bootfile-name code 67=text;
host HOST1 {
##### Mac to IP mapping
hardware ethernet 00:01:e8:8c:4d:0e;
fixed-address 30.0.0.20;
##### Config file name could be given in the following way

254

|

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0)

Description

option configfile "ftp://admin:admin@30.0.0.1/pt-s4810-12";

FTP URL with IP address

option configfile "http://Guest-1/pt-s4810-12";

HTTP URL with DNS

option configfile "pt-s4810-12";

TFTP

##### bootfile-name could be given in the following way
option bootfile-name “ftp://admin:admin@Guest-1/
FTOS-SE-8.3.10.1.bin”;

FTP URL with DNS

option bootfile-name "http://30.0.0.1/FTOS-SE-8.3.10.1.bin”;

HTTP URL with IP address

option bootfile-name "tftp://30.0.0.1/FTOS-SE-8.3.10.1.bin";

TFTP URL with IP address

)

File Server
Set up a file server and ensure connectivity.
The file server that holds the boot and configuration files must be configured to allow file transfers to the
switch. The system recognizes FTP, SFTP, TFTP, HTTP, HTTPS, SCP, USB, and Flash URLs.
For example:
•

tftp://server ip or name/filename

•

ftp://user:passwd@serverip or name//mypath/FTOS-A.B.C.D.bin

•

flash://filename

•

http://server ip

•

name/filename

When loading the FTOS image, if the FTOS image on the server is different from the image on the local
Flash, the system downloads the image from the server onto the local Flash and reloads using that image. If
it is the same image, the system loads the configuration file, if present, or the startup-config without
downloading a new image.

Domain Name Server
Set up a Domain Name Server (DNS) to determine the host name applied in the switch startup
configuration when no configuration file is retrieved from the DHCP server. The DNS server is contacted
only when no configuration file is contained in a DHCP server response and the host name is not resolved
from the network-config file on the switch. Refer to the FTOS Configuration Guide, IPv4 Addressing
chapter, Resolution of Host Names for information.

Reload Modes
Bare Metal Provisioning supports two types of reload modes: BMP mode and Normal mode.

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0) |

255

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

BMP mode is the default boot mode configured for a new system arriving from Dell Force10. This mode
obtains the FTOS image and configuration file from a network source (DHCP and file servers).
Use Normal mode to boot the switch up with the management port in a no shutdown mode. If the
management IP address is present in the start-up configuration file, it will be assigned. If the management
IP address is not present in the start-up configuration file, no IP address will be assigned to the
management interface.

BMP Mode
BMP Mode Prerequisites
Before you use the BMP mode to auto-configure a switch, you must first configure a DHCP, DNS, and file
server in the network.
On a new factory-loaded switch, the switch boots up in the default BMP mode to facilitate configuration of
the switch. You can reconfigure a switch to reload between BMP and Normal mode.
•

BMP mode (default): The switch automatically configures all ports (management and user ports) as
Layer 3 physical ports and acts as a DHCP client on the ports for a user-configured time (DHCP
timeout). It is set with the reload-type bmp command.
Normal mode: The switch loads the FTOS image and startup configuration file stored in the local
Flash. New configurations require that the Management IP and Management Interface be configured
manually. This mode is set with the reload-type normal-reload command.

•

Note: To apply the startup configuration, you must cancel the default BMP setup using the stop bmp
command from the console. To disable BMP for the next reload, enter the reload-type normal-reload

command.

MAC-Based IP Address Assignment
One way to deploy the BMP mode is to configure the DHCP server to assign a fixed IP address and
configuration file based on the system’s MAC address. In this way, the same IP address is assigned and the
same configuration file is retrieved when the switch reloads.
Using a dynamic IP address assignment may create a situation in which the desired configuration is not
loaded on the system because the IP address changes each time the system is reloaded.
For example, on a DHCP3 server, you can configure the assignment of a fixed MAC-based IP address and
configuration file by entering the following lines of configuration parameters in the dhcpd.conf file on the
server:
host S4810 {
hardware ethernet 00:01:e8:81:e2:39;
fixed-address 20.0.0.48;
option configfile "customer.conf";
}

256

|

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0)

Normal Mode
When reloaded in Normal mode, the switch boots up with the management port in a no shutdown mode. If
the management IP address is present in the start-up configuration file, it will be assigned. If the
management IP address is not present in the start-up configuration file, no IP address will be assigned to
the management interface. You can connect to the management port with an IP address on the same
network and log in to the system through a telnet or SSH session.
To configure a switch to reload using the Normal mode, enter the reload-type normal-reload command.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

reload-type normal-reload

GLOBAL
CONFIGURATION

The switch reloads in Normal mode using the FTOS
image and startup configuration file stored in the
local Flash.

DHCP Configuration
Normal mode does not require a separate DHCP server configuration.

FTOS Image Retrieval
The FTOS image is loaded from the local Flash.

Scripts
With 9.1(0.0), the system supports a scripting environment when a BMP or Normal reload occurs. BMP
uses pre- and post-configuration scripts, while a Normal reload uses an auto-execution (auto-exec) script.

Pre-configuration Scripts
In previous BMP 2.0 releases, FTOS accessed the Configuration file or the Image file from the DHCP
server. With BMP 3.0, FTOS now accesses the image, followed by the Configuration file or a
pre-configuration script from the DHCP offer. Use of the pre-configuration scripts allows you to verify the
integrity of the FTOS image downloaded from the DHCP offer. You can also use the pre-configuration
script to dynamically decide what types of configurations to apply to your system based on various factors
such as network reachability, port status, neighbor discovery and so forth. You can also monitor CPU and
memory utilization, port traffic status, and perform link and topology checking with LLDP. The system
supports pre-configuration scripts in TCLSH, EXPECT, and ZSH.

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0) |

257

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Post-configuration Scripts
In BMP 3.0, after the pre-configuration script has completed and the configuration is loaded, you can run a
post-configuration script if one is present in the configuration file. Use the post-configuration script to
check the status of configured ports or protocols which can then be sent as a status report to a central
repository for your network administrators. You may also use the post-configuration script to set the host
name of the system or perform additional configuration settings. The system supports post-configuration
scripts in TCLSH, EXPECT, and ZSH. If you have SmartScripts installed in FTOS, the system also
supports post-configuration scripts in PERL and Python.

Auto-execution Scripts
The function of an auto-execution script is the same as a pre-configuration script except that it is executed
on every reboot in Normal mode. Scripts must be stored in a flash://autoexec file. Auto-exec scripts are
independent of BMP.
The auto-exec script is only executed when:
•
•
•

BMP is disabled.
the script is stored in a flash://autoexec file.
when the reload-type normal-reload command is used before the chassis is reloaded.

If the auto-exec script fails, the system generates a message indicating the failure and does not load the
configuration file. You must update the error in the script before continuing the upgrade.

Process for pre-configuration scripts:
1. Decide what information you want to pre-configure, such as username/password information,
verifying the integrity of the boot image downloaded from the DHCP offer, types of configurations to
be applied, and so on.
2. Create a pre-configuration script in ZSH, TCL, or Expect. The script cannot be binary.
3. Store the script on the DHCP server in the DHCP offer.
4. Apply the FTOS upgrade. The system will boot in BMP default mode and run the pre-configuration
script.
•

The default timer on the script is 10 minutes; the maximum amount of time the script can run is 1
hour. If an error occurs that ends the script abnormally, the system will reboot.

5. The system receives an IP address via the DHCP server which it uses to get an FTOS image to be
booted, a configuration file (if supplied) and a pre-configuration script to be run.
•

258

|

During the pre-configuration process, a connection to a dedicated instance of the CLI is available.

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0)

Configuration Tasks
When the system boots up in BMP mode all ports, including management ports, are placed in L3 mode in
a no shut state. The system acts as a DHCP client on these ports for a period of time (dhcp-timeout). This
allows the system time to send out a DHCP DISCOVER on all the interface up ports to the DHCP Server
in order to obtain its IP address, boot image filename and configuration file from the DHCP server.
•

Set up a DHCP server. Refer to the FTOS Configuration Guide: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
chapter for detailed information. You must configure the DHCP server to assign an IP address to each
system along with the following DHCP server parameters:
• IP address pool: IP address for the system.
• Image name: FTOS image used to boot up the system.
• configuration filet: Startup configuration parameters to be applied to the system.
• IP address of TFTP file server: File server from which the image and startup configuration file are
downloaded.
• Domain Name server: DNS server to be contacted to resolve the host name.
Use the following DHCP option codes in the dhcpd.conf file:
• 6
IP address of Domain Name Server, if a DNS server is needed to resolve the IP address of
a file server hostname.
• 150
IP address of a TFTP server.
• 209
configuration file.

For example, a sample dhcpd.conf file on a DHCP3 server is as follows:
lease-file-name "/var/lib/dhcpd/dhcpd.leases";
option configfile code 209 = text;
option tftp-server-address code 150 = ip-address;
subnet 20.0.0.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
range 20.0.0.26 20.0.0.28;
filename "FTOS-SC-1-2-0-363.bin";
option configfile "customer.conf";
option tftp-server-address 20.0.0.1;
option domain-name-servers 20.0.0.1;
}

•

•

Set up a TFTP server and ensure connectivity.
Configure a TFTP file server as the network source from which the switch downloads the image file
and the configuration file to be applied to the system. On a TFTP server, the required files are commonly stored in the /tftpboot directory.
When loading the FTOS image, if the FTOS image on the file server is different from the image stored
in the local Flash memory, the system downloads the image on the file server into the local Flash memory and reboots using that image. If the image is the same, the system reloads the image from the local
Flash memory.
Set up a DNS server. Refer to the FTOS Configuration Guide: IPv4 Addressing chapter: Resolution of
Host Names section for information.
Configure the DNS server to determine a system’s host name and the correct configuration file to be
downloaded on the system if the DHCP server response does not specify a configuration file and the
host name is not resolved using the network-config file.

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0) |

259

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

System boot and set-up behavior in BMP Mode
1. System begins boot up process in BMP mode (default mode).
2. The system sends DHCP Discover on all the interface up ports.
00:01:31:
00:01:31:
00:01:31:
00:01:31:
00:01:47:
00:01:47:
00:01:47:
00:01:47:
00:01:47:

%STKUNIT0-M:CP
%STKUNIT0-M:CP
%STKUNIT0-M:CP
%STKUNIT0-M:CP
%STKUNIT0-M:CP
%STKUNIT0-M:CP
%STKUNIT0-M:CP
%STKUNIT0-M:CP
%STKUNIT0-M:CP

%JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DISCOVER:
%JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DISCOVER:
%JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DISCOVER:
%JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DISCOVER:
%JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DISCOVER:
%JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DISCOVER:
%JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DISCOVER:
%JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DISCOVER:
%JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DISCOVER:

DHCP
DHCP
DHCP
DHCP
DHCP
DHCP
DHCP
DHCP
DHCP

DISCOVER
DISCOVER
DISCOVER
DISCOVER
DISCOVER
DISCOVER
DISCOVER
DISCOVER
DISCOVER

sent
sent
sent
sent
sent
sent
sent
sent
sent

on
on
on
on
on
on
on
on
on

Ma
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Fo
Fo
Ma

0/0.
0/0.
0/5.
0/6.
0/8.
0/35.
0/56.
0/60.
0/0.

3. The IP address, boot image filename and the configuration file name are reserved for the system and
provided in the DHCP reply (one-file read method). The system receives its IP address, subnet mask,
DHCP server IP, TFTP server address, DNS server IP, bootfile name and the configuration filename
from the DHCP server.
If a DHCP offer has neither an image path or configuration file path it is considered to be an invalid
BMP DHCP offer and the offer is ignored. The first DHCP offer with IP address, FTOS image and
configuration file, or the IP address and FTOS image, or the IP address and configuration file is
chosen.
4. The DHCP OFFER is selected.
a

All other ports except the port on which the offer was received and selected are set to shutdown
mode.

00:01:33: %STKUNIT0-M:CP
server IP 30.1.1.1.
00:01:33: %STKUNIT0-M:CP
IP 30.0.0.14.
00:01:33: %STKUNIT0-M:CP
00:01:33: %STKUNIT0-M:CP
00:01:33: %STKUNIT0-M:CP

%JUMPSTART-5-DHCP_OFFER: DHCP acquired IP 30.0.0.20 mask 255.255.0.0
%JUMPSTART-5-DHCP_OFFER: DHCP tftp IP 30.0.0.1 dns IP 30.0.0.1 router
%JUMPSTART-5-DHCP_OFFER: DHCP image file FTOS-SE-8.3.10.1.bin.
%JUMPSTART-5-DHCP_OFFER: DHCP config file pt-s4810-12.
%JUMPSTART-5-DHCP_OFFER: DHCP stacking info NIL.

5. The system sends a unicast message to the server to retrieve the named configuration file and/or boot
file from the base directory of the server.

260

|

a

If an optional bootfile-name is used, the file name can be 256 bytes. If a filename field is
specified in the DHCP offer, the filename can be 128 bytes. The name can be a fully qualified URL
or it can be a file name only.

b

When an FTOS build image is found, the system compares that build image to the version
currently loaded on the chassis.

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0)

•

If there is a mismatch between the build images, the system upgrades to the downloaded version
and reloads.

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:
: 1

Downloaded Image Major Version

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:
0

Downloaded Image Minor Version

:

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:
0

Downloaded Image Main Version

:

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:
0

Downloaded Image Patch Version

:

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:

Flash A Image Major Version

: 9

00:03:07: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:

Flash A Image Minor Version

: 1

00:03:07: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:

Flash A Image Main Version

: 0

00:03:07: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:

Flash A Image Patch Version

: 222

00:03:07: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-2-JUMPSTART_DOWNLOAD_START: The FTOS image download has started.
Erasing IOM Primary Image, please wait
.............................................................................................

•

If the versions match, the system downloads the configuration file or pre-configuration script.

00:03:27: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-CFG_APPLY: The downloaded config from dhcp server is being
applied

00:03:27: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %BMP-5-JUMPSTART: DHCP RELEASE sent on Fo 0/56.
00:03:27: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %SYS-5-CONFIG_LOAD: Loading configuration file

c

If the configuration file or pre-configuration script is downloaded from the server, any saved
startup-configuration on the Flash is ignored. If no configuration file is downloaded from the
server, the startup-configuration file on the Flash is loaded as in Normal reload.

6. When the FTOS build image and the configuration file have been downloaded, the IP address is
released.
00:04:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART: DHCP RELEASE sent on Fo 0/56.
00:04:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %IFMGR-5-ASTATE_DN: Changed interface Admin state to down: Fo 0/56

7. The system applies the configuration. The system is now up and running. It can be managed as usual.

BMP mode: Boot and Set-up Behavior
When a switch that is configured to reload in BMP mode boots up, one of the following scenarios may
occur:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Reload without a DHCP Server Offer
Reload with a DHCP Server Offer without an FTOS Image
Reload with a DHCP Server Offer without a Configuration File
Reload with a DHCP Server Offer without a DNS Server
Reload with a Pre-configuration Script (BMP mode only)
Using the Post-Configuration Script (BMP mode only)

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0) |

261

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Reload without a DHCP Server Offer
A switch configured to reload in BMP mode and if the DHCP server cannot be reached, the system keeps
on sending DISCOVER messages.
00:01:44: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DISCOVER: DHCP DISCOVER sent on Te 0/50.
00:01:44: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DISCOVER: DHCP DISCOVER sent on Te 0/51.
00:01:44: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DISCOVER: DHCP DISCOVER sent on Ma 0/0.

Reload with a DHCP Server Offer without an FTOS Image
If a switch that is configured to reload in BMP mode reaches a DHCP server but does not locate a
downloadable FTOS image file on the server, it attempts to download the configuration file.
1. The system boots up with the BMP application.
13:23:47: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-BOOT_OFFER: DHCP acquired IP 10.16.134.167 mask 255.255.0.0 server
IP 10.16.134.207.
13:23:48: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-BOOT_OFFER: DHCP tftp IP NIL sname NIL dns IP NIL router IP NIL.
13:23:48: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-BOOT_OFFER: DHCP image file NIL.
13:23:48: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-BOOT_OFFER: DHCP config file tftp://10.16.127.53/customer.conf.
13:23:49: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-BOOT_OFFER: stacking info NIL.

2. The system downloads the customer.conf configuration file from the file-server address if
config-scr-download is enabled.
3. If the configuration download is successful, the following logs are displayed.
00:02:29: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DWNLD_CONFIG_SCRIPT_SUCCESS: The config file download is
successful.
00:02:30: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-DOWNLOAD_INFO: test123 config file successfully downloaded
00:02:31: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_DOWNLOAD: The config file download is successful.
00:02:31: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-CFG_APPLY: The downloaded config from dhcp server is being applied
00:02:31: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %SYS-5-CONFIG_LOAD: Loading configuration file
00:02:31: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-PROCESS_COMPLETED: Autoconfig process is complete. The
configuration must be saved in order to use it after subsequent reloads

Reload with a DHCP Server Offer without a Configuration File
If a switch that is configured to reload in BMP mode reaches a DHCP server but cannot retrieve a
configuration file, the switch looks for a configuration file on the file server only if the
config-scr-download command is enabled.
1. The system boots up with the BMP application.

262

|

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0)

2. The system receives a DHCP offer from a DHCP server with the following parameters:
13:23:47: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-BOOT_OFFER: DHCP acquired IP 10.16.134.167 mask 255.255.0.0 server
IP 10.16.134.207.
13:23:48: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-BOOT_OFFER: DHCP tftp IP NIL sname NIL dns IP NIL router IP NIL.
13:23:48: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-BOOT_OFFER: DHCP image file tftp://10.16.127.53/mxl.bin.
13:23:48: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-BOOT_OFFER: DHCP config file NIL.
13:23:49: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-BOOT_OFFER: stacking info NIL.

3. The system downloads the build image from the file server.
4. The system compares the current local build image to the downloaded build image as follows:
a

If the build image versions match, the system does not try to load any image and comes up with the
FTOS prompt.

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:
: 1

Downloaded Image Major Version

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:
0

Downloaded Image Minor Version

:

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:
0

Downloaded Image Main Version

:

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:
0

Downloaded Image Patch Version

:

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:

Flash A Image Major Version

: 1

00:03:07: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:

Flash A Image Minor Version

: 0

00:03:07: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:

Flash A Image Main Version

: 0

00:03:07: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:

Flash A Image Patch Version

: 0

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0) |

263

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

b

If the build images versions are different, the system stores the downloaded build image in the
local Flash and loads the build image from the Flash. This process is repeated until the build image
versions match.

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:
: 1

Downloaded Image Major Version

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:
0

Downloaded Image Minor Version

:

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:
0

Downloaded Image Main Version

:

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:
0

Downloaded Image Patch Version

:

00:03:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:

Flash A Image Major Version

: 9

00:03:07: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:

Flash A Image Minor Version

: 1

00:03:07: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:

Flash A Image Main Version

: 0

00:03:07: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-JUMPSTART_RELEASE_HEADER_INFO:

Flash A Image Patch Version

: 222

00:03:07: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %JUMPSTART-2-JUMPSTART_DOWNLOAD_START: The FTOS image download has started.

Erasing Sseries Primary Image, please wait
........................

The system looks for the configuration file on the file server. If a configuration file is not found, the
download fails. If the build image processing is successful, the BMP stops. If the build image download
also fails, then the current offer is treated as invalid and the BMP tries to send DISCOVER messages.

Reload with a DHCP Server Offer without a DNS Server
Although the DNS server is optional, it allows you to specify the configuration file to be applied to a
switch by assigning a hostname.
When the DHCP offer is received and no DNS IP address is specified, if the configuration file cannot be
retrieved from a file server the configuration file will not be downloaded.

Reload with a Pre-configuration Script (BMP mode only)
1. To reload FTOS on a switch using a pre-configuration script, the following conditions must be true:
•
•
•

BMP must be enabled.
The download of the script is from an external server. The location will be specified in the DHCP offer.
The first line of the script must contain one of the following:

#!/usr/bin/expect
#!/usr/bin/tclsh
#!/usr/bin/zsh

2. After the first line, but before the actual start of the script, the script must contain the signature “#/
DELL-FORCE10”.

264

|

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0)

3. The pre-configuration script is downloaded instead of the configuration file.
4. The pre-configuration script is run before applying the start-up configuration file.
5. The pre-configuration script has the ability to use configuration FTOS CLI commands using the utility
name “F10do”.
6. When the pre-configuration script completes, the start-up configuration file will be automatically
applied.

Using the Post-Configuration Script (BMP mode only)
To reload FTOS on a switch using a pre-configuration script, the following conditions must be true:
•
•
•
•
•
•

BMP must be enabled.
The post-configuration script can be written in Expect, TCLSH, or ZSH. If the SmartScripts package is
already installed, the post-configuration script can also be written in PERL or Python.
No restraints are required for the post-configuration script, such as the signature “#/DELL-FORCE10”
that is required for the pre-configuration script.
The post-configuration script must be configured by the script post-config command.
The post-configuration script must be executed after the start-up configuration process required by
BMP has been applied.
The post-configuration script has the ability to use configuration FTOS CLI commands using the
utility name “F10do”.

Reload using the Auto-execution Script (Normal mode only)
To use the auto-execution script, the following conditions must be true:
•
•
•
•
•
•

BMP must be disabled.
The auto-execution script must always be stored in flash://autoexec
The auto-execution script can be written in Expect, TCLSH, or ZSH. If the SmartScripts package is
already installed, the post-configuration script can also be written in PERL or Python.
No restraints are required for the auto-execution script, such as the signature “#/DELL-FORCE10”
that is required for the pre-configuration script.
The auto-execution script has the ability to use configuration FTOS CLI commands using the utility
name “F10do”.
When the auto-execution script is complete, the start-up configuration is applied depending on the
return status of the script:
• Success - 0: the start-up configuration is applied.
• Failure - non-zero: the start-up configuration is not applied.

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0) |

265

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Script Examples
Auto-execution Script - Normal mode
FTOS#show reload-type
Reload-Type

:

normal-reload [Next boot : normal-reload]

FTOS#show file flash://autoexec
#! /usr/bin/tclsh
puts [ exec f10do "show version" ]
puts [ exec date ]
puts "this is Autoexec script"
FTOS#
FTOS#
FTOS#reload
System configuration has been modified. Save? [yes/no]: no

Proceed with reload [confirm yes/no]: yes
00:32:16: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-RELOAD: User request to reload the chassis
syncing disks... done
unmounting file systems...
unmounting /f10/flash (/dev/ld0h)...
unmounting /usr/pkg (/dev/ld0g)...
unmounting /usr (mfs:35)...
unmounting /f10 (mfs:21)...
unmounting /kern (kernfs)...
unmounting / (/dev/md0a)... done
rebooting
þ
..
..
..
Starting Dell Force10 application

00:00:13: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %RAM-6-ELECTION_ROLE: Stack unit 1 is transitioning to Management unit.
00:00:15: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-STACKUNITDETECTED: Stack unit 1 present

266

|

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0)

The following line indicates the start of the auto-execution script.
00:00:16: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-AUTOEXEC_START:
00:00:19: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-CHECKIN: Checkin from Stack unit 1 (type S4810, 64 ports)

00:00:20: %00:00:20: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-0-PS_UP: Power supply 0 in unit 1 is up
00:00:20: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-STACKUNITUP: Stack unit 1 is up
00:00:21: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-SYSTEM_READY: System ready
00:00:21: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %RAM-5-STACK_STATE: Stack unit 1 is in Active State.
00:00:22: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Changed interface state to up: Ma 1/0
00:00:26: %S4810:1 %IFAGT-5-INSERT_OPTICS: Optics SFP inserted in slot 1 port 30
00:00:27: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-PSU_FAN_UP: Fan 0 in PSU 0 of Unit 1 is up
00:00:29: %S4810:1 %IFAGT-5-INSERT_OPTICS_PLUS: Optics SFP+ inserted in slot 1 port 11
00:00:36: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %IFMGR-5-IFM_ISCSI_ACL_REGION_NOT_ALLOCATED: iSCSI Session monitoring cannot be
enabled without ACL regions allocated to it. To enable iSCSI Session Monitoring allocate cam-blocks to
iscsioptacl using cam-acl CLI and then save and reload.
00:00:36: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %IFMGR-5-IFM_ISCSI_ENABLE: iSCSI has been enabled causing flow control to be
enabled on all interfaces. EQL detection and enabling iscsi profile-compellent on an interface may cause
some automatic configurations to occur like jumbo frames on all ports and no storm control and spanning
tree port-fast on the port of detection
00:00:36: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %SEC-5-LOGIN_SUCCESS: Login successful on console
FTOS>FTOS#terminal length 0

The following line indicates the auto-execution script is executing.
FTOS#show version
Dell Force10 Real Time Operating System Software
Dell Force10 Operating System Version: 2.0
Dell Force10 Application Software Version: 1-0(0-338)
Copyright (c) 1999-2012 by Dell Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Build Time: Thu Dec 27 21:32:28 2012
Build Path: /sites/sjc/work/build/buildSpaces/build06/FIT-INDUS-1-0-0/SW/SRC
System image file is "dt-maa-s4810-72"
System Type: S4810
Control Processor: Freescale QorIQ P2020 with 2147483648 bytes of memory.
128M bytes of boot flash memory.
1 52-port GE/TE/FG (SE)
48 Ten GigabitEthernet/IEEE 802.3 interface(s)

4 Forty GigabitEthernet/IEEE 802.3 interface(s)
FTOS#
Wed Jan

2 22:47:34 GMT 2013

this is Autoexec script

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0) |

267

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

268

The following line indicates the successful completion of the auto-execution script.
00:00:49: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %JUMPSTART-5-AUTOEXEC_SUCCESS:
The AutoExec Script execution returned Success.

The following line indicates that the Configuration file is loaded into the switch.
FTOS#00:00:51: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %SYS-5-CONFIG_LOAD: Loading configuration file
00:00:52: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %IFMGR-5-ASTATE_UP: Changed interface Admin state to up: Te 0/36
00:00:53: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %IFMGR-5-ASTATE_DN: Changed interface Admin state to down: Ma 0/0

|

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0)

Pre-configuration Script - BMP Mode
#! /usr/bin/expect

#/DELL-FORCE10

# Execute F10do and Print
proc print_f10do {cmd_str} {
set str [exec f10do "$cmd_str"]
set tmp_str [string map {\n \r\n} $str ]
puts $tmp_str
}

set ftp_ip

"20.0.0.1"

set ftp_username

"lab"

set ftp_passwd

"lab"

set config_file

"s4810-10-startup-config"

set post_conf

"s4810-10-post-config.exp"

puts "Executing Pre-Config Script !!!!\r\n"

exec rm -rf "$config_file"
exec rm -rf "$post_conf"

puts "Downloading Startup Config and Post-Config Script from $ftp_ip ...\r\n"

spawn ftp "$ftp_ip"
expect

"Name .*: "

send

"$ftp_username\n"

expect

"Password:"

send

"$ftp_passwd\n"

expect

"ftp>"

send

"cd scripts\n"

expect

"ftp>"

send

"ls\n"

expect

"ftp>"

send

"get $post_conf\n"

expect

"ftp>"

send

"get $config_file\n"

expect

"ftp>"

send

"bye\n"

expect eof

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0) |

269

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

after 5000
puts "Download Complete !!!\r\n"

if {[file exists $config_file]} {
puts "Config File: $config_file downloaded successfully\r\n"
} else {
puts "ERROR: Config File: $config_file - Not Found\r\n"
}

if {[file exists $post_conf]} {
puts "Post Config Script: $post_conf downloaded successfully\r\n"
} else {
puts "ERROR: Post Config Script: $post_conf - Not Found\r\n"
}

# Copy Config to Startup Config

print_f10do "show version"
after 5000

print_f10do "copy flash://$config_file startup-config"
print_f10do "yes"
after 5000

puts "Pre-Config Script Execution Successfull !!!!!\r\n"

exit 0

270

|

Bare Metal Provisioning 3.0 (BMP 3.0)

11
Content Addressable Memory (CAM)
Content Addressable Memory (CAM) is supported on platforms:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

et c s

Content Addressable Memory
CAM Profiles
Microcode
CAM Profiling for ACLs
When to Use CAM Profiling
Differences Between EtherScale and TeraScale
Important Points to Remember
Select CAM Profiles
CAM Allocation
Test CAM Usage
View CAM Profiles
View CAM-ACL settings
View CAM-ACL settings
Configure IPv4Flow Sub-partitions
Configure Ingress Layer 2 ACL Sub-partitions
Return to the Default CAM Configuration
CAM Optimization
Applications for CAM Profiling
Troubleshoot CAM Profiling

Content Addressable Memory
Content Addressable Memory (CAM) is a type of memory that stores information in the form of a lookup
table. On Dell Force10 systems, the CAM stores Layer 2 and Layer 3 forwarding information, access-lists
(ACL), flows, and routing policies. On Dell Force10 systems, there are one or two CAM (Dual-CAM)
modules per port-pipe depending on the type of line card.
•
•

The ExaScale EH and EJ series line cards are single-CAM line cards that support 10M and 40M CAM
for storing the lookup information.
The TeraScale EG-series line cards are dual-CAM and use two 18 Megabit CAM modules with a
dedicated 512 IPv4 Forwarding Information Base (FIB), and flexible CAM allocations for Layer2,
FIB, and ACLs.

Content Addressable Memory (CAM) | 271

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

Either ExaScale 10G or 40G CAM line cards can be used in a system.

CAM Profiles
Dell Force10 systems partition each CAM module so that it can store the different types of information.
The size of each partition is specified in the CAM profile. A CAM profile is stored on every card,
including each RPM. The same profile must be on every line card and RPM in the chassis.
There is a default CAM profile and several other CAM profiles available so that you can partition the
CAM according to your performance requirements. For example, the default profile has 1K Layer 2
ingress ACL entries. If you need more memory for Layer 2 ingress ACLs, select the profile l2-ipv4-inacl.
Table 11-1 describes the available profiles. The default profile is an all-purpose profile that allocates CAM
space according to the way Dell Force10 systems are most commonly used. In general, non-default profiles
allocate more space to particular regions to accommodate specific applications. The size of CAM
partitions is measured in entries. The total CAM space is finite, therefore adding entries to one region
necessarily decreases the number available to other regions.
Note: Not all CAM profiles and microcodes are available for all systems. Refer to the Command Line
Interface Reference Guide for details regarding available profiles for each system.
Table 11-1.

272

|

CAM Profile Descriptions

CAM Profile

Description

Default

An all-purpose profile that allocates CAM space according to the way Dell Force10 systems are most
commonly used.
Available Microcodes: default, lag-hash-align, lag-hash-mpls

eg-default

For EG-series line cards only. EG series line cards have two CAM modules per Port-pipe.
Available Microcodes: default, ipv6-extacl

ipv4-320k

Provides 320K entries for the IPv4 Forwarding Information Base (FIB) and reduces the IPv4 Flow
partition to 12K.
Available Microcodes: default, lag-hash-mpls

ipv4-egacl-16k

Provides 16K entries for egress ACLs
Available Microcodes: acl-group

ipv6-extacl

Provides IPv6 functionality.
Available Microcodes: ipv6-extacl

l2-ipv4-inacl

Provides 32K entries for Layer 2 ingress ACLs and 28K entries for Layer 3 IPv4 ingress ACLs.
Available Microcodes: default

unified-default

Maintains the CAM allocations for the and IPv4 FIB while allocating more CAM space for the Ingress
and Egress Layer 2 ACL, and IPv4 ACL regions.
Available Microcodes: ipv6-extacl

Content Addressable Memory (CAM)

Table 11-1.

CAM Profile Descriptions

CAM Profile

Description

ipv4-64k-ipv6

Provides IPv6 functionality; an alternate to ipv6-extacl that redistributes CAM space from the IPv4FIB
to IPv4Flow and IPv6FIB.
Available Microcodes: ipv6-extacl

The size of CAM partitions is measured in entries. Table 11-1 shows the number of entries available in
each partition for all CAM profiles. The total CAM space is finite, therefore adding entries to one region
necessarily decreases the number available to other regions.

EgIPv6ACL

IPv6Flow

256K

12K

24K

1K

1K

8K

0

0

0

0

eg-default

32K

2K

512K

12K

24K

1K

1K

8K

32K

3K

4K

1K

ipv4-320k

32K

2K

320K

12K

12K

1K

1K

4K

0

0

0

0

pv4-egacl-16k

32K

2K

192K

8K

24K

0

16K

8K

0

0

0

0

ipv6-extacl

32K

2K

192K

12K

8K

1K

1K

2K

6K

3K

4K

2K

l2-ipv4-inacl

32K

33K

64K

27K

8K

2K

2K

2K

0

0

0

0

unified-default

32K

3K

192K

9K

8K

2K

2K

2K

6K

2K

4K

2K

ipv4-64k-ipv6

32K

2K

64K

12K

24K

1K

1K

8K

16K

3K

4K

1K

IPv6FIB

IPv6ACL

Reserved

EgIPv4ACL

EgL2ACL

2K

L2ACL

32K

Profile

L2FIB

Default

Partition

IPv4ACL

IPv4Flow

CAM entries per partition

IPv4FIB

Table 11-2.

Microcode
Microcode is a compiled set of instructions for a CPU. On Dell Force10 systems, the microcode controls
how packets are handled.
There is a default microcode, and several other microcodes are available, so that you can adjust packet
handling according to your application. Specifying a microcode is mandatory when selecting a CAM
profile (though you are not required to change it).
Note: Not all CAM profiles and microcodes are available for all systems. Refer to the Command Line
Interface Reference Guide for details regarding available profiles for each system.

Content Addressable Memory (CAM) | 273

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 11-3.

Microcode Descriptions

Microcode

Description

default

Distributes CAM space for a typical deployment

lag-hash-align

For applications that require the same hashing for bi-directional traffic (for
example, VoIP call or P2P file sharing). For port-channels, this microcode maps
both directions of a bi-directional flow to the same output link.

lag-hash-mpls

For hashing based on MPLS labels (up to five labels deep). With the default microcode, MPLS
packets are distributed over a port-channel based on the MAC source and destination address. With
the lag-hash-mpls microcode, MPLS packets are distributed across the port-channel based on IP
source and destination address and IP protocol. This is applicable for MPLS packets with up to five
labels. When the IP header is not available after the 5th label, hashing for default load-balance is
based on MPLS labels. For packets with more than 5 labels, hashing is always based on the MAC
source and destination address.

ipv6-extacl

Use this microcode when IPv6 is enabled.

acl-group

For applications that need 16k egress IPv4 ACLs (for example, the VLAN ACL Group feature,
which permits group VLANs IP egress ACLs.

CAM Profiling for ACLs
CAM Profiling for ACLs is supported on platform

et only.

The default CAM profile has 1K Layer 2 ingress ACL entries. If you need more memory for Layer 2
ingress ACLs, select the profile l2-ipv4-inacl.
When budgeting your CAM allocations for ACLs and QoS configurations, remember that ACL and QoS
rules might consume more than one CAM entry depending on complexity. For example, TCP and UDP
rules with port range options might require more than one CAM entry.
The Layer 2 ACL CAM partition has sub-partitions for several types of information. Table 11-4 lists the
sub-partition and the percentage of the Layer 2 ACL CAM partition that FTOS allocates to each by default.
Table 11-4.
Partition

274

|

Layer 2 ACL CAM Sub-partition Sizes
% Allocated

Sysflow

6

L2ACL

14

PVST

50

QoS

12

L2PT

13

FRRP

5

Content Addressable Memory (CAM)

You can re-configure the amount of space, in percentage, allocated to each sub-partition. As with the
IPv4Flow partition, you can configure the Layer 2 ACL partition from EXEC Privilege mode or
CONFIGURATION mode.
The amount of space that you can distribute to the sub-partitions is equal to the amount of CAM space that
the selected CAM profile allocates to the Layer 2 ACL partition. FTOS requires that you specify the
amount of CAM space for all sub-partitions and that the sum of all sub-partitions is 100%. FTOS displays
the following message if the total allocated space is not correct:
% Error: Sum of all regions does not total to 100%.

Boot Behavior
The profile and microcode loaded on the primary RPM determines the profile and microcode that is
required on all other chassis components and is called the “chassis profile.” A profile mismatch condition
exists if either the CAM profile or the microcode does not match. The following points describe line card
boot behavior when the line card profile does not match the chassis profile.
•
•

•

•

A microcode mismatch constitutes a profile mismatch.
When the line card profile and chassis profile are of the same type (single-CAM or dual-CAM), but
their CAM profiles do not match, the line card must load a new profile and therefore takes longer to
come online.
If you insert a single-CAM line card into a chassis with a dual-CAM profile, the system displays
Message 1. The line card boots with the default (single-CAM) profile and remains in a problem state
as shown in the following command output example. The line card cannot forward traffic in a problem
state.
If you insert a dual-CAM line card into a chassis with a single-CAM profile, the line card boots with a
matching profile, but operates with a lower capability.

Message 1 EF Line Card with EG Chassis Profile Error
# Before reload:
01:09:56: %RPM0-P:CP %CHMGR-4-EG_PROFILE_WARN: If EG CAM profile is selected, non-EG
cards will be in problem state after reload
# After reload:
00:04:46: %RPM0-P:CP %CHMGR-3-PROFILE_MISMATCH: Mismatch: line card 1 has mismatch CAM
profile or microcode

Message 2 EH Line Card with EG Chassis Profile Error
# Before reload:
01:09:56: %RPM0-P:CP %CHMGR-4-EH_PROFILE_WARN: If EH CAM profile is selected, non-EJ
cards will be in problem state after reload
# After reload:
00:04:46: %RPM0-P:CP %CHMGR-3-PROFILE_MISMATCH: Mismatch: line card 1 has mismatch CAM
profile or microcode

Content Addressable Memory (CAM) | 275

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Example: EF Line Card with EG Chassis Profile (Card
Problem)
R1#show linecard 1 brief
-- Line card
Status
Next Boot
Required Type
Current Type
Hardware Rev
Num Ports
Up Time
FTOS Version
Jumbo Capable

1
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

-card problem - mismatch cam profile
online
E48TF - 48-port 10/100/1000Base-T line card with RJ-45 interfaces (EF)
E48TF - 48-port 10/100/1000Base-T line card with RJ-45 interfaces (EF)
Base - 1.1 PP0 - 1.1 PP1 - 1.1
48
0 sec
7.6.1.0
yes

Example: EH Line Card with EG Chassis Profile (Card
Problem)
R1#show linecard 1 brief
-- Line card
Status
Next Boot
Required Type :
Current Type :
Hardware Rev
Num Ports
Up Time
FTOS Version
Jumbo Capable

1 -: card problem - mismatch cam profile
: online
E90MH - 90-port 10/100/1000Base-T line card with mini RJ-21 interfaces (EH)
E90MH - 90-port 10/100/1000Base-T line card with mini RJ-21 interfaces (EH)
: Base - 0.3 PP0 - 1.1 PP0 - PP1 : 90
: 0 sec
: 8.1.1.0
: yes

When to Use CAM Profiling
The CAM profiling feature enables you to partition the CAM to best suit your application. For example:
•
•
•
•
•
•

276

|

Configure more Layer 2 FIB entries when the system is deployed as a switch.
Configure more Layer 3 FIB entries when the system is deployed as a router.
Configure more ACLs (when IPv6 is not employed).
Hash MPLS packets based on source and destination IP addresses for LAGs. Refer to LAG Hashing.
Hash based on bidirectional flow for LAGs. Refer to LAG Hashing based on Bidirectional Flow.
Optimize the VLAN ACL Group feature, which permits group VLANs for IP egress ACLs. Refer to
CAM profile for the VLAN ACL group feature.

Content Addressable Memory (CAM)

Important Points to Remember
•
•

•
•
•

•

CAM Profiling is available on the E-Series TeraScale with FTOS versions 6.3.1.1 and later.
All line cards within a single system must have the same CAM profile; this profile must match the
system CAM profile (the profile on the primary RPM).
• FTOS automatically reconfigures the CAM profile on line cards and the secondary RPM to match
the system CAM profile by saving the correct profile on the card and then rebooting it.
The CAM configuration is applied to entire system when you use CONFIGURATION mode
commands. You must save the running-configuration to affect the change.
All CAM configuration commands require you to reboot the system.
When budgeting your CAM allocations for ACLs and QoS configurations, remember that ACL and
QoS rules might consume more than one CAM entry depending on complexity. For example, TCP and
UDP rules with port range options might require more than one CAM entry. Refer to Pre-calculating
Available QoS CAM Space.
After you install a secondary RPM, copy the running-configuration to the startup-configuration so that
the new RPM has the correct CAM profile.

Differences Between EtherScale and TeraScale
•
•
•

Only one CAM profile and microcode is available on EtherScale systems.
Only EtherScale systems can sub-partition the IPv4ACL partition.
Both EtherScale and TeraScale systems can sub-partition the IPv4Flow CAM partition.

Select CAM Profiles
A CAM profile is selected in CONFIGURATION mode. The CAM profile is applied to entire system,
however, you must save the running-configuration to affect the change.
All components in the chassis must have the same CAM profile and microcode. The profile and microcode
loaded on the primary RPM determines the profile that is required on all other chassis components.
•
•

If a newly installed line card has a profile different from the primary RPM, the card reboots so that it
can load the proper profile.
If a the standby RPM has a profile different from the primary RPM, the card reboots so that it can load
the proper profile.

To change the CAM profile on the entire system:
Step
1
2

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Select a CAM profile.

cam-profile profile microcode

CONFIGURATION

Save the running-configuration.

copy running-config startup-config

microcode

EXEC Privilege

Content Addressable Memory (CAM) | 277

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

3

Verify that the new CAM profile will be
written to the CAM on the next boot.

show cam-profile summary

EXEC Privilege

4

Reload the system.

reload

EXEC Privilege

CAM Allocation
User Configurable CAM Allocations is available on platforms:

cs

Allocate space for IPV4 ACLs and QoS regions, and IPv6 6 ACLs and QoS regions on the C-Series and
S-Series by using the cam-acl command in CONFIGURATION mode.
The CAM space is allotted in FP blocks. The total space allocated must equal 13 FP blocks. Note that there
are 16 FP blocks, but the System Flow requires 3 blocks that cannot be reallocated. The default CAM
Allocation settings are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

L3 ACL (ipv4acl): 6
L2 ACL(l2acl): 5
IPv6 L3 ACL (ipv6acl): 0
L3 QoS (ipv4qos): 1
L2 QoS (l2qos): 1
L2PT (l2pt): 1
MAC ACLs (ipmacacl): 2
ECFMACL (ecfmacl): 0
VMAN QoS (vman-qos): 0
VMAN Dual QoS (vman-dual-qos): 0

The following additional CAM Allocation settings are supported on the
•
•

:

FCoE ACL (fcoeacl): 0
ISCSI Opt ACL (iscsioptacl): 2

The ipv6acl and vman-dual-qos allocations must be entered as a factor of 2 (2, 4, 6, 8, 10). All other profile
allocations can use either even or odd numbered ranges.
Note: On the S4810, there can be only one odd number of Blocks in the CLI configuration; the other
Blocks must be in factors of 2. For example, a CLI configuration of 5+4+2+1+1 Blocks is not supported; a
configuration of 6+4+2+1 Blocks is supported.

You must save the new CAM settings to the startup-config (write-mem or copy run start) then reload the
system for the new settings to take effect.

278

|

Content Addressable Memory (CAM)

To configure the IPv4 and IPv6 ACLs and Qos regions on the entire system:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Select a cam-acl action

cam-acl [default | l2acl]

CONFIGURATION

Note: Selecting default resets the CAM entries to the default settings. Select l2acl to allocate space for
the ACLs, and QoS regions.
2

Enter the number of FP blocks for each
region.
Note: If allocation values are not
entered for the CAM regions, the value
is 0.

l2acl number ipv4acl number ipv6acl
number, ipv4qos number l2qos
number, l2pt number ipmacacl number
ecfmacl number [vman-qos |
vman-dual-qos number

3

Verify that the new settings will be written
to the CAM on the next boot.

show cam-acl

EXEC Privilege

4

Reload the system.

reload

EXEC Privilege

EXEC Privilege

Test CAM Usage
The test cam-usage command is supported on platforms

ces

This command applies to both IPv4 and IPv6 CAM profiles, but is best used when verifying QoS
optimization for IPv6 ACLs.
Use this command to determine whether sufficient ACL CAM space is available to enable a service-policy.
Create a Class Map with all required ACL rules, then execute the test cam-usage command in Privilege
mode to verify the actual CAM space required. The following example gives a sample of the output shown
when executing the command. The status column indicates whether or not the policy can be enabled.
FTOS#test cam-usage service-policy input TestPolicy linecard all
Linecard | Portpipe | CAM Partition | Available CAM | Estimated CAM per Port | Status
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2 |
1 | IPv4Flow
|
232 |
0 | Allowed
2 |
1 | IPv6Flow
|
0 |
0 | Allowed
4 |
0 | IPv4Flow
|
232 |
0 | Allowed
4 |
0 | IPv6Flow
|
0 |
0 | Allowed
FTOS#

View CAM Profiles
View the current CAM profile for the chassis and each component using the command show cam-profile, as
shown in the following example. This command also shows the profile that will be loaded upon the next
chassis or component reload.

Content Addressable Memory (CAM) | 279

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS#show cam-profile
-- Chassis CAM Profile -CamSize
Profile Name
L2FIB
L2ACL
IPv4FIB
IPv4ACL
IPv4Flow
EgL2ACL
EgIPv4ACL
Reserved
FIB
:
ACL
:
Flow
:
EgACL
:
MicroCode Name
--More--

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
0
0
0
0

18-Meg
Current Settings
Default
32K entries
1K entries
256K entries
12K entries
24K entries
1K entries
1K entries
8K entries
entries
: 0
entries
: 0
entries
: 0
entries
: 0
: Default

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

Next Boot
Default
32K entries
1K entries
256K entries
12K entries
24K entries
1K entries
1K entries
8K entries
entries
entries
entries
entries
: Default

View a brief output of the command show cam-profile using the summary option.
The command show running-config cam-profile shows the current profile and microcode as shown in the
following example.
Note: If you select the CAM profile from CONFIGURATION mode, the output of this command does not
reflect any changes until you save the running-configuration and reload the chassis.

FTOS#show running-config cam-profile
!
cam-profile default microcode default
FTOS#

View CAM-ACL settings
The show cam-acl command is supported on platforms

cs

View the current cam-acl settings for the C-Series, S-Series and
systems chassis and each
component using the command show cam-acl, as shown in as shown in the following examples.
The default values for the show cam-acl command for C-Series and S-Series are:
FTOS# show cam-acl
-- Chassis Cam ACL -Current Settings(in block sizes)
L2Acl
:
2
Ipv4Acl
:
2
Ipv6Acl
:
2

280

|

Content Addressable Memory (CAM)

Ipv4Qos
L2Qos
L2PT
IpMacAcl
VmanQos
VmanDualQos
EcfmAcl

:
:
:
:
:
:
:

2
2
1
2
0
0
0

-- Line card 0 -Current Settings(in block sizes)
L2Acl
:
2
Ipv4Acl
:
2
Ipv6Acl
:
2
Ipv4Qos
:
2
L2Qos
:
2
L2PT
:
1
IpMacAcl
:
2
VmanQos
:
0
VmanDualQos :
0
EcfmAcl
:
0
-- Line card 6 -Current Settings(in block sizes)
L2Acl
:
2
Ipv4Acl
:
2
Ipv6Acl
:
2
Ipv4Qos
:
2
L2Qos
:
2
L2PT
:
1
IpMacAcl
:
2
VmanQos
:
0
VmanDualQos :
0
EcfmAcl
:
0

The default values for the show cam-acl command for the

are:

FTOS#show cam-acl
-- Chassis Cam ACL -Current Settings(in block sizes)
L2Acl
:
4
Ipv4Acl
:
4
Ipv6Acl
:
0
Ipv4Qos
:
2
L2Qos
:
1
L2PT
:
0
IpMacAcl
:
0
VmanQos
:
0
VmanDualQos :
0
EcfmAcl
:
0
FcoeAcl
:
0
iscsiOptAcl :
2
-- Stack unit 0 -Current Settings(in block sizes)

Content Addressable Memory (CAM) | 281

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

L2Acl
Ipv4Acl
Ipv6Acl
Ipv4Qos
L2Qos
L2PT
IpMacAcl
VmanQos
VmanDualQos
EcfmAcl
FcoeAcl
iscsiOptAcl

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

4
4
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
2

FTOS#

View CAM Usage
View the amount of CAM space available, used, and remaining in each partition (including IPv4Flow and
Layer 2 ACL sub-partitions) using the command show cam-usage from EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in
the following example.
R1#show cam-usage
Linecard|Portpipe| CAM Partition
| Total CAM
| Used CAM
|Available CAM
========|========|=================|=============|=============|==============
1
|
0
| IN-L2 ACL
|
1008
|
320
|
688
|
| IN-L2 FIB
|
32768
|
1132
|
31636
|
| IN-L3 ACL
|
12288
|
2
|
12286
|
| IN-L3 FIB
|
262141
|
14
|
262127
|
| IN-L3-SysFlow
|
2878
|
45
|
2833
|
| IN-L3-TrcList
|
1024
|
0
|
1024
|
| IN-L3-McastFib |
9215
|
0
|
9215
|
| IN-L3-Qos
|
8192
|
0
|
8192
|
| IN-L3-PBR
|
1024
|
0
|
1024
|
| IN-V6 ACL
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
| IN-V6 FIB
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
| IN-V6-SysFlow
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
| IN-V6-McastFib |
0
|
0
|
0
|
| OUT-L2 ACL
|
1024
|
0
|
1024
|
| OUT-L3 ACL
|
1024
|
0
|
1024
|
| OUT-V6 ACL
|
0
|
0
|
0
1
|
1
| IN-L2 ACL
|
320
|
0
|
320
|
| IN-L2 FIB
|
32768
|
1136
|
31632
|
| IN-L3 ACL
|
12288
|
2
|
12286
|
| IN-L3 FIB
|
262141
|
14
|
262127
|
| IN-L3-SysFlow
|
2878
|
44
|
2834
--More--

Configure IPv4Flow Sub-partitions
IPv4Flow sub-partition are supported on platform

282

|

Content Addressable Memory (CAM)

e

The IPv4Flow CAM partitions have sub-partitions for several types of information. Table 11-5 lists the
types of information stored in this partition and the number of entries that FTOS allocates to each type.
Table 11-5.

IPv4Flow CAM Sub-partition Sizes
Space Allocated
(EtherScale)

Space Allocated
(TeraScale)

Space Allocated
(ExaScale)

ACL

8K

—

—

Multicast FIB/ACL

9K

3K

3K

PBR

1K

1K

1K

QoS

8K

2K

2K

System Flow

5K

5K

5K

1

1K

1K

Partition

Trace Lists

You can re-configure the amount of space allocated for each type of entry. FTOS requires that you specify
an amount of CAM space for all types and in the order shown in Table 11-5.
•

The IPv4Flow configuration is applied to entire system when you enter the command cam-ipv4flow
from CONFIGURATION mode, however, you must save the running-configuration to affect the
change.

The amount of space that is allocated among the sub-partitions must be equal to the amount of CAM space
allocated to IPv4Flowby the selected CAM profile (refer to Table 11-1.); Message 3 is displayed if the total
allocated space is not correct.
Message 3 IPv4Flow Configuration Error
% Error: Total size must add up to match IPv4flow size of 24K required by the
configured profile.

The minimum amount of space that can be allocated to any sub-partition is 1K, except for System flow, for
which the minimum is 4K.
To re-allocate CAM space within the IPv4Flow partition on the entire system:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Re-allocate CAM space within the
IPv4Flow partition.

cam-ipv4flow

CONFIGURATION

2

Save the running-configuration.

copy running-config startup-config

EXEC Privilege

3

Verify that the new CAM configuration will
be written to the CAM on the next boot.

show cam-ipv4flow

EXEC Privilege

4

Reload the system.

reload

EXEC Privilege

Content Addressable Memory (CAM) | 283

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS(conf)#cam-ipv4flow default
FTOS#copy running-config startup-config
File with same name already exist.
Proceed to copy the file [confirm yes/no]: yes
!
3914 bytes successfully copied
FTOS#sh cam-ipv4flow
-- Chassis Cam Ipv4Flow -Current Settings
Multicast Fib/Acl :
8K
Pbr
:
2K
Qos
:
7K
System Flow
:
6K
Trace Lists
:
1K

Next Boot
9K
1K
8K
5K
1K

-- Line card 0 --

Multicast Fib/Acl
Pbr
Qos
System Flow
Trace Lists

:
:
:
:
:

Current Settings
8K
2K
7K
6K
1K

Next Boot
9K
1K
8K
5K
1K

Current Settings

Next Boot

-- Line card 1 --

Multicast Fib/Acl
Pbr
Qos
System Flow
Trace Lists

284

|

:
:
:
:
:

8K
2K
7K
6K
1K

Content Addressable Memory (CAM)

9K
1K
8K
5K
1K

Configure Ingress Layer 2 ACL Sub-partitions
IPv4Flow sub-partitions are supported on platform

e

The Ingress Layer 2 ACL CAM partition has sub-partitions for several types of information. Table 11-6
lists the sub-partition and the percentage of the Ingress Layer 2 ACL CAM partition that FTOS allocates to
each by default.
Table 11-6.
Partition

Layer 2 ACL CAM Sub-partition Sizes
% Allocated

Sysflow

6

L2ACL

14

*PVST

50

QoS

12

L2PT

13

FRRP

5

You can re-configure the amount of space, in percentage, allocated to each sub-partition.
•

Apply the Ingress Layer 2 ACL configuration to entire system by entering the command cam-l2acl from
CONFIGURATION mode, however, you must save the running-configuration to affect the change.

The amount of space that you can distribute to the sub-partitions is equal to the amount of CAM space that
the selected CAM profile allocates to the Ingress Layer 2 ACL partition (refer to Table 11-1). FTOS
requires that you specify the amount of CAM space for all sub-partitions and that the sum of all
sub-partitions is 100%. FTOS displays message Message 4 if the total allocated space is not correct.
Message 4 Layer 2 ACL Configuration Error
% Error: Sum of all regions does not total to 100%.

*

Note: You must allocate at least ( * )
entries at least when employing PVST+ . For example, the default CAM Profile allocates 1000 entries to
the Ingress Layer 2 ACL CAM region, and a 48-port linecard has two port-pipes with 24 ports each. If
you have 5 VLANs, then you must allocate at least 120 (5*24) entries to the PVST Ingress Layer 2 ACL
CAM region, which is 12% of the total 1000 available entries.

Content Addressable Memory (CAM) | 285

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To re-allocate CAM space within the Ingress Layer 2 ACL partition on the entire system as shown in the
following example. :
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Re-allocate CAM space within the Ingress
Layer 2 ACL partition.

cam-l2acl

CONFIGURATION

2

Save the running-configuration.

copy running-config startup-config

EXEC Privilege

3

Verify that FTOS will write the new CAM
configuration to the CAM on the next boot.

show cam-l2acl

EXEC Privilege

4

Reload the system.

reload

EXEC Privilege

FTOS(conf)#do show cam-l2acl | find “Line card 1”
-- Line card 1 -Current Settings(in percent)
Sysflow :
6
L2Acl
:
14
Pvst
:
50
Qos
:
12
L2pt
:
13
Frrp
:
5
[output omitted]
FTOS(conf)#cam-l2acl system-flow 100 l2acl 0 p 0 q 0 l 0 f 0
FTOS(conf)#do show cam-l2acl | find “Line card 1”
-- Line card 1 -Current Settings(in percent)
Sysflow :
6
L2Acl
:
14
Pvst
:
50
Qos
:
12
L2pt
:
13
Frrp
:
5
[output omitted]
FTOS(conf)#do copy run start
File with same name already exist.
Proceed to copy the file [confirm yes/no]: yes
!
8676 bytes successfully copied
02:00:49: %RPM0-P:CP %FILEMGR-5-FILESAVED: Copied running-config to startup-config in flash by default
FTOS(conf)#do show cam-l2acl | find “Line card 1”
-- Line card 1 -Current Settings(in percent) Next Boot(in percent)
Sysflow :
6
100
L2Acl
:
14
5
Pvst
:
50
5
Qos
:
12
5
L2pt
:
13
5
Frrp
:
5
5

286

|

Content Addressable Memory (CAM)

Return to the Default CAM Configuration
Return to the default CAM Profile, microcode, IPv4Flow, or Layer 2 ACL configuration using the
keyword default from EXEC Privilege mode or from CONFIGURATION mode, as shown in the following
example.
FTOS(conf)#cam-profile ?
default
Enable default CAM profile
eg-default
Enable eg-default CAM profile
ipv4-320k
Enable 320K CAM profile
ipv4-egacl-16k
Enable CAM profile with 16K IPv4 egress ACL
ipv6-extacl
Enable CAM profile with extended ACL
l2-ipv4-inacl
Enable CAM profile with 32K L2 and 28K IPv4 ingress ACL
unified-default
Enable default unified CAM profile
FTOS(conf)#cam-profile default microcode ?
default
Enable default microcode
lag-hash-align
Enable microcode with LAG hash align
lag-hash-mpls
Enable microcode with LAG hash MPLS
FTOS(conf)#cam-profile default microcode default
FTOS(conf)#cam-ipv4flow ?
default
Reset IPv4flow CAM entries to default setting
multicast-fib
Set multicast FIB entries
FTOS(conf)#cam-l2acl ?
default
Reset L2-ACL CAM entries to default setting
system-flow
Set system flow entries

CAM Optimization
CAM optimization is supported on platforms

cs

When this command is enabled, if a Policy Map containing classification rules (ACL and/or dscp/
ip-precedence rules) is applied to more than one physical interface on the same port-pipe, only a single
copy of the policy is written (only 1 FP entry will be used). When the command is disabled, the system
behaves as described in this chapter.

Applications for CAM Profiling
LAG Hashing
FTOS includes a CAM profile and microcode that treats MPLS packets as non-IP packets. Normally,
switching and LAG hashing is based on source and destination MAC addresses. Alternatively, you can
base LAG hashing for MPLS packets on source and destination IP addresses. This type of hashing is
allowed for MPLS packets with 5 labels or less.
MPLS packets are treated as follows:

Content Addressable Memory (CAM) | 287

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•
•

When MPLS IP packets are received, FTOS looks up to 5 labels deep for the IP header.
When an IP header is present, hashing is based on IP 3 tuple (source IP address, destination IP address,
and IP protocol).
If an IP header is not found after the 5th label, hashing is based on the MPLS labels.
If the packet has more than 5 MPLS labels, hashing is based on the source and destination MAC
address.

To enable this type of hashing, use the default CAM profile with the microcode lag-hash-mpls.

LAG Hashing based on Bidirectional Flow
To hash LAG packets such that both directions of a bidirectional flow (for example, VoIP or P2P file
sharing) are mapped to the same output link in the LAG bundle, use the default CAM profile with the
microcode lag-hash-align.

CAM profile for the VLAN ACL group feature
IPv4Flow sub-partitions are supported on platform

et only.

To optimize for the VLAN ACL Group feature, which permits group VLANs for the IP egress ACL, use
the CAM profile ipv4-egacl-16k with the default microcode.
Note: Do not use this CAM profile for Layer 2 egress ACLs.

Troubleshoot CAM Profiling
CAM Profile Mismatches
The CAM profile on all cards must match the system profile. In most cases, the system corrects
mismatches by copying the correct profile to the card, and rebooting the card. If three resets do not bring
up the card, or if the system is running an FTOS version prior to 6.3.1.1, the system presents an error
message. In this case, manually adjust the CAM configuration on the card to match the system
configuration.
Dell Force10 recommends the following to prevent mismatches:
•
•
•

288

|

Use the eg-default CAM profile in a chassis that has only EG Series line cards. If this profile is used in
a chassis with non-EG line cards, the non-EG line cards enter a problem state.
Before moving a card to a new chassis, change the CAM profile on a card to match the new system
profile.
After installing a secondary RPM into a chassis, copy the running-configuration to the
startup-configuration.

Content Addressable Memory (CAM)

•
•
•

Change to the default profile if downgrading to and FTOS version earlier than 6.3.1.1.
Use the CONFIGURATION mode commands so that the profile is change throughout the system.
Use the EXEC Privilege mode commands to match the profile of a component to the profile of the
target system.

QoS CAM Region Limitation
The default CAM profile allocates a partition within the IPv4Flow region to store QoS service policies. If
the QoS CAM space is exceeded, messages similar to the ones in Message 5 are displayed.
Message 5 QoS CAM Region Exceeded
%EX2YD:12 %DIFFSERV-2-DSA_QOS_CAM_INSTALL_FAILED: Not enough space in L3
Cam(PolicyQos) for class 2 (Gi 12/20) entries on portpipe 1 for linecard 12
%EX2YD:12 %DIFFSERV-2DSA_QOS_CAM_INSTALL_FAILED: Not enough space in L3 Cam(PolicyQos) for class 5 (Gi 12/
22) entries on portpipe 1 for linecard 12

If you exceed the QoS CAM space:
Step

Task

1

Verify that you have configured a CAM profile that allocates 24K entries to the IPv4 system flow region. Refer to
View CAM Profiles.

2

Allocate more entries in the IPv4Flow region to QoS. Refer to Configure IPv4Flow Sub-partitions.

FTOS version 7.4.1 introduced the ability to view the actual CAM usage before applying a service-policy.
The command test cam-usage service-policy provides this test framework, refer to Pre-calculating Available
QoS CAM Space.
Note: For troubleshooting other CAM issues, refer to the E-Series Network Operations Guide.

Content Addressable Memory (CAM) | 289

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
290

|

Content Addressable Memory (CAM)

12
Control Plane Policing (CoPP)
z

Control Plane Policing (CoPP) is supported on platforms:

Overview
Control Plane Policing (CoPP) uses ACL rules and QoS policies to create filters for a system’s control
plane. That filter prevents traffic not specifically identified as legitimate from reaching the system control
plane, rate-limits, traffic to an acceptable level.
Control Plane Policing (CoPP) increases security on the system by protecting the Routing Processor from
unnecessary or DoS traffic, giving priority to important control plane and management traffic. CoPP uses a
dedicated control plane configuration through the ACL and QoS CLIs to provide filtering and rate-limiting
capabilities for the control plane packets.

CoPP Rule
Examples
Q7
1100 PPS

BGP, ICMP Echo, ICMP
Reply, ARP Reply, NTP
L3 Local Traffic

Q6
400 PPS

ARP Req, DHCP, Unknown L3,
L2 Broadcast on L3 VLAN,
Broadcast L2 DST on VLAN6095

Q5
400 PPS

Stacking, IPC, IRC, VLT

Q4
2000 PPS

sFlow

Q3
300 PPS

MAC Learning Limit
Violation Log, HyperPull

Q2
300 PPS

MC Data
BFD

200 PPS
Per-Protocol
Rate Limiting
OSPF 200 PPS
BGP 100 PPS
STP 100 PPS
ICMP 50 PPS
.
.
.
.

OPSF

50 PPS

CPU Processes
(OSPF, LACP, STP, ICMP, etc)

OSPF, VRRP, RIPv2,
IGMP, PIM, xSTP,
LACP, PVST, GVRP, LLDP

CPU Software Queue

Packets

(Ingress Flow Entries)

ICMP
PING

Front End Ports

OPSF

Protocol to Queue Classification

Hardware Queue
Rate Limiting

ICMP
PING

Q1
300 PPS
Q0
1300 PPS

The following illustration shows an example of the difference between having CoPP implemented and not
having CoPP implemented.

Control Plane Policing (CoPP) | 291

Q5
Q4

CPU Processes
(OSPF, LACP, STP, ICMP, etc)

Q6 400 PPS

(Ingress Flow Entries)

Packets

Protocol to Queue Classification

ICMP
PING

Front End Ports

STP

Q7 1100 PPS
CPU Software Queue

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

OPSF flood CPU at 1100 PPS
ICMP fails

Hardware Queue
Rate Limiting

No CoPP Rules

Q3
Q2
Q1

STP

Q0

Q7 receives STP at 1100 pps due to network storm/loop.
The CPU is hit with the entire 1100 pps and the PING attemp fails intermittently.

Q5
Q4
Q3
Q2

100 PPS
Per-Protocol
Rate Limiting
OSPF 200 PPS
BGP 100 PPS
STP 100 PPS
ICMP 50 PPS

50 PPS

Q1

CPU Processes
(OSPF, LACP, STP, ICMP, etc)

Q6 400 PPS

CPU Software Queue

Packets

CoPP Rule
Examples

Q7 1100 PPS
(Ingress Flow Entries)

ICMP
PING

Protocol to Queue Classification

STP

Front End Ports

Hardware Queue
Rate Limiting

STP
ICMP
PING

Q0

CoPP restricts the STP control packet rate to the CPU to 100 pps. PING works reliably.

Configure Control Plane Policing
The S4810 can process a maximum of 4200 PPS (packets per second). Protocols that share a single queue
may experience flaps if one of the protocols receives a high rate of control traffic even though Per Protocol
CoPP is applied. This happens because Queue-Based Rate Limiting is applied first.
For example, BGP and ICMP share same queue (Q6); Q6 has 400 PPS of bandwidth by default. The
desired rate of ICMP is 100 pps and the remaining 300 pps is assigned to BGP. If ICMP packets come at
400 pps, BGP packets may be dropped though ICMP packets are rate-limited to 100 PPS. This may be
solved by increasing Q6 bandwidth to 700 pps to allow both ICMP and BGP packets and then applying
per-flow CoPP for ICMP and BGP packets. The setting of this Q6 bandwidth is purely dependent on the
incoming traffic for the set of protocols sharing the same queue. If the user is not aware of the incoming
protocol traffic rate then the required Queue Rate Limit value cannot be set. Such queue bandwidth tuning
must be done carefully because the system cannot open up to handle any rate, including traffic coming at
the line rate.
CoPP policies are assigned on a per-protocol or a per-queue basis, and are assigned in CONTROL-PLANE
mode to each port-pipe.

292

|

Control Plane Policing (CoPP)

The CoPP policies are configured by creating extended ACL rules and specifying rate-limits through QoS
policies. The ACLs and QoS policies are assigned as service-policies.

Configure CoPP for protocols
This section lists the commands necessary to create and enable the service-policies for CoPP. Refer to
Access Control Lists (ACLs) and Quality of Service (QoS) for complete information about creating ACLs
and QoS rules.
The basics for creating a CoPP service policy is to create a Layer 2, Layer 3, and/or an IPv6 ACL rule for
the desired protocol type. Then, create a QoS input policy to rate-limit the protocol traffics according to the
ACL. The ACL and QoS policies are finally assigned to a control-plane service policy for each port-pipe.
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Create a Layer 2 extended ACL for
control-plane traffic policing for a
particular protocol.

mac access-list extended name
cpu-qos permit {arp | frrp | gvrp
| isis | lacp | lldp | stp}

CONFIGURATION

2

Create a Layer 3 extended ACL for
control-plane traffic policing for a
particular protocol.

ip access-list extended name
cpu-qos permit {bgp | dhcp |
dhcp-relay | ftp | icmp | igmp |
msdp | ntp | ospf | pim | ip | ssh |
telnet | vrrp}

CONFIGURATION

3

Create an IPv6 ACL for
control-plane traffic policing for a
particular protocol.

ipv6 aqccess-list name cpu-qos
permit {bgp | icmp | vrrp}

CONFIGURATION

4

Create a QoS input policy for the
router and assign the policing.

qos-policy-input name cpu-qos
rate-police

CONFIGURATION

5

Create a QoS class map to
differentiate the control-plane traffic
and assign to an ACL.

class-map match-any name
cpu-qos match {ip | mac | ipv6}
access-group name

CONFIGURATION

6

Create a QoS input policy map to
match to the class-map and
qos-policy for each desired protocol.

policy-map-input name cpu-qos
class-map name qos-policy
name

CONFIGURATION

7

Enter Control Plane mode.

control-plane-cpuqos

CONFIGURATION

8

Assign the protocol based service
policy on the control plane. Enabling
this command on a port-pipe
automatically enables the ACL and
QoS rules creates with the cpu-qos
keyword.

service-policy
rate-limit-protocols

CONTROL-PLANE

Control Plane Policing (CoPP) | 293

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Sample Config for CoPP protocol configuration
Create IP/IPv6/MAC Extended ACL
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list extended ospf cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-ip-acl-cpuqos)#permit ospf
FTOS(conf-ip-acl-cpuqos)#exit
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list extended bgp cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-ip-acl-cpuqos)#permit bgp
FTOS(conf-ip-acl-cpuqos)#exit
FTOS(conf)#mac access-list extended lacp cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-mac-acl-cpuqos)#permit lacp
FTOS(conf-mac-acl-cpuqos)#exit
FTOS(conf)#ipv6 access-list ipv6-icmp cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl-cpuqos)#permit icmp
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl-cpuqos)#exit
FTOS(conf)#ipv6 access-list ipv6-vrrp cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl-cpuqos)#permit vrrp
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl-cpuqos)#exit

Create QoS Input Policy
FTOS(conf)#qos-policy-in rate_limit_200k cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-in-qos-policy-cpuqos)#rate-police 200 40 peak 500 40
FTOS(conf-in-qos-policy-cpuqos)#exit
FTOS(conf)#qos-policy-in rate_limit_400k cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-in-qos-policy-cpuqos)#rate-police 400 50 peak 600 50
FTOS(conf-in-qos-policy-cpuqos)#exit
FTOS(conf)#qos-policy-in rate_limit_500k cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-in-qos-policy-cpuqos)#rate-police 500 50 peak 1000 50
FTOS(conf-in-qos-policy-cpuqos)#exit

Create QoS Class Map
FTOS(conf)#class-map match-any class_ospf cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-class-map-cpuqos)#match ip access-group ospf
FTOS(conf-class-map-cpuqos)#exit
FTOS(conf)#class-map match-any class_bgp cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-class-map-cpuqos)#match ip access-group bgp
FTOS(conf-class-map-cpuqos)#exit
FTOS(conf)#class-map match-any class_lacp cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-class-map-cpuqos)#match mac access-group lacp
FTOS(conf-class-map-cpuqos)#exit
FTOS(conf)#class-map match-any class-ipv6-icmp cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-class-map-cpuqos)#match ipv6 access-group ipv6-icmp
FTOS(conf-class-map-cpuqos)#exit

294

|

Control Plane Policing (CoPP)

Match QoS Class Map to QoS Policy
FTOS(conf)#policy-map-input egressFP_rate_policy cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-policy-map-in-cpuqos)#class-map class_ospf qos-policy rate_limit_500k
FTOS(conf-policy-map-in-cpuqos)#class-map class_bgp qos-policy rate_limit_400k
FTOS(conf-policy-map-in-cpuqos)#class-map class_lacp qos-policy rate_limit_200k
FTOS(conf-policy-map-in-cpuqos)#class-map class-ipv6 qos-policy rate_limit_200k
FTOS(conf-policy-map-in-cpuqos)#exit

Create Control Plane Service Policy
FTOS(conf)#control-plane-cpuqos
FTOS(conf-control-cpuqos)#service-policy rate-limit-protocols egressFP_rate_policy
FTOS(conf-control-cpuqos)#exit

Configure CoPP for CPU queues
Controlling traffic on the CPU queues does not require ACL rules, but does require QoS policies.
CoPP for CPU queues converts the input rate from kbps to pps, assuming 64 bytes is the average packet
size, and applies that rate to the corresponding queue. Consequently, 1 kbps is roughly equivalent to 2 pps.
The basics for creating a CoPP service policy is to create QoS policies for the desired CPU bound queue
and associate it with a particular rate-limit. The QoS policies are assigned to a control-plane service policy
for each port-pipe.
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Create a QoS input policy for the
router and assign the policing.

qos-policy-input name cpu-qos

CONFIGURATION

2

Create an input policy-map to assign
the QoS policy to the desired service
queues.l.

policy-map--input name cpu-qos
service-queue 0 qos-policy name

CONFIGURATION

3

Enter Control Plane mode.

control-plane-cpuqos

CONFIGURATION

4

Assign a CPU queue-based service
policy on the control plane in
cpu-qos mode. Enabling this
command sets the queue rates
according to those configured.

service-policy
rate-limit-cpu-queues name

CONTROL-PLANE

Sample Config for CoPP CPU queue configuration
Create QoS Policy
FTOS#conf
FTOS(conf)#qos-policy-input cpuq_1
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-in)#rate-police 3000 40 peak 500 40
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-in)#exit

Control Plane Policing (CoPP) | 295

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS(conf)#qos-policy-input cpuq_2
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-in)#rate-police 5000 80 peak 600 50
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-in)#exit

Assign QoS Policy to Queues
FTOS(conf)#policy-map-input cpuq_rate_policy cpu-qos
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-in)#service-queue 5 qos-policy cpuq_1
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-in)#service-queue 6 qos-policy cpuq_2
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-in)#service-queue 7 qos-policy cpuq_1

Create Control Plane Service Policy
FTOS#conf
FTOS(conf)#control-plane
FTOS(conf-control-plane)#service-policy rate-limit-cpu-queues cpuq_rate_policy

Show commands
Use the show cpu-queue rate cp command to view the rates for each queue.
FTOS#show cpu-queue rate cp
Service-Queue
Rate (PPS)
-----------------------Q0
1300
Q1
300
Q2
300
Q3
300
Q4
2000
Q5
400
Q6
400
Q7
1100
FTOS#

Use the show ip protocol-queue-mapping command to view the queue mapping for each configured
protocol.
FTOS#show ip protocol-queue-mapping
Protocol
Src-Port
Dst-Port
TcpFlag
---------------------------TCP (BGP)
any/179
179/any
_
UDP (DHCP)
67/68
68/67
_
UDP (DHCP-R) 67
67
_
TCP (FTP)
any
21
_
ICMP
any
any
_
IGMP
any
any
_
TCP (MSDP)
any/639
639/any
_
UDP (NTP)
any
123
_
OSPF
any
any
_
PIM
any
any
_
UDP (RIP)
any
520
_
TCP (SSH)
any
22
_
TCP (TELNET) any
23
_
VRRP
any
any
_

296

|

Control Plane Policing (CoPP)

Queue
EgPort
---------Q6
CP
Q6/Q5
CP
Q6
CP
Q6
CP
Q6
CP
Q7
CP
Q6
CP
Q6
CP
Q7
CP
Q7
CP
Q7
CP
Q6
CP
Q6
CP
Q7
CP

Rate (kbps)
----------100
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_

FTOS#

Use the show mac protocol-queue-mapping command to view the queue mapping for the MAC protocols.
FTOS#show mac protocol-queue-mapping
Protocol
Destination Mac
EtherType
--------------------------------ARP
any
0x0806
FRRP
01:01:e8:00:00:10/11 any
LACP
01:80:c2:00:00:02
0x8809
LLDP
any
0x88cc
GVRP
01:80:c2:00:00:21
any
STP
01:80:c2:00:00:00
any
ISIS
01:80:c2:00:00:14/15 any
09:00:2b:00:00:04/05 any

Queue
EgPort
---------Q5/Q6
CP
Q7
CP
Q7
CP
Q7
CP
Q7
CP
Q7
CP
Q7
CP
Q7
CP

Rate (kbps)
----------_
_
_
_
_
_
_

FTOS#

Use the show ipv6 protocol-queue-mapping command to view the queue mapping for IPv6 protocols.

FTOS#show ipv6 protocol-queue-mapping
Protocol
Src-Port
Dst-Port
TcpFlag
---------------------------TCP (BGP)
any/179
179/any
_
ICMP
any
any
_
VRRP
any
any
_

Queue
----Q6
Q6
Q7

EgPort
-----CP
CP
CP

Rate (kbps)
----------_
_
_

FTOS#

Control Plane Policing (CoPP) | 297

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
298

|

Control Plane Policing (CoPP)

13
Data Center Bridging (DCB)
The data center bridging (DCB) features are supported on the

. and S4820T

This chapter describes the following data center bridging topics:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Ethernet Enhancements in Data Center Bridging
Enabling Data Center Bridging
Configuring Priority-Based Flow Control
Configuring Enhanced Transmission Selection
Applying DCB Policies in a Switch Stack
Configuring DCBx Operation
Verifying DCB Configuration
PFC and ETS Configuration Examples

Ethernet Enhancements in Data Center Bridging
The S4810 and S4820T can support loading two DCB_Config files:
•
•

FCoE_DCB_Config
iSCSI_DCB_Config

These files are located in the root directory C:/CONFIG_TEMPLATE. After copying the config files to the
startup config and reloading the system.
The S4810 and S4820T support the following DCB features:
•
•
•

Data center bridging exchange protocol (DCBx)
Priority-based Flow Control (PFC)
Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS)

Data center bridging (DCB) refers to a set of IEEE Ethernet enhancements that provide data centers with a
single, robust, converged network to support multiple traffic types, including local area network (LAN),
server, and storage traffic. Through network consolidation, DCB results in reduced operational cost,
simplified management, and easy scalability by avoiding the need to deploy separate application-specific
networks.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 299

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

For example, instead of deploying an Ethernet network for LAN traffic, additional storage area networks
(SANs) to ensure lossless fiber-channel traffic, and a separate InfiniBand network for high-performance
inter-processor computing within server clusters, only one DCB-enabled network is required in a data
center. The Dell Force10 switches that support a unified fabric and consolidate multiple network
infrastructures use a single input/output (I/O) device called a converged network adapter (CNA).
A CNA is a computer input/output device that combines the functionality of a host bus adapter (HBA) with
a network interface controller (NIC). Multiple adapters on different devices for several traffic types are no
longer required.
Data center bridging satisfies the needs of the following types of data center traffic in a unified fabric:
•

•

•

LAN traffic consists of a large number of flows that are generally insensitive to latency requirements,
while certain applications, such as streaming video, are more sensitive to latency. Ethernet functions as
a best-effort network that may drop packets in case of network congestion. IP networks rely on
transport protocols (for example, TCP) for reliable data transmission with the associated cost of greater
processing overhead and performance impact.
Storage traffic based on Fibre Channel media uses the SCSI protocol for data transfer. This traffic
typically consists of large data packets with a payload of 2K bytes that cannot recover from frame loss.
To successfully transport storage traffic, data center Ethernet must provide no-drop service with
lossless links.
Servers use InterProcess Communication (IPC) traffic within high-performance computing clusters to
share information. Server traffic is extremely sensitive to latency requirements.

To ensure lossless delivery and latency-sensitive scheduling of storage and service traffic and I/O
convergence of LAN, storage, and server traffic over a unified fabric, IEEE data center bridging adds the
following extensions to a classical Ethernet network:
•
•
•
•

802.1Qbb - Priority-based Flow Control (PFC)
802.1Qaz - Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS)
802.1Qau - Congestion Notification
Data Center Bridging Exchange (DCBx) protocol
Note: In FTOS version 8.3.12.0, only the PFC, ETS, and DCBx features are supported in data center
bridging.

Priority-Based Flow Control
In a data center network, priority-based flow control (PFC) manages large bursts of one traffic type in
multiprotocol links so that it does not affect other traffic types and no frames are lost due to congestion.
When PFC detects congestion on a queue for a specified priority, it sends a pause frame for the 802.1p
priority traffic to the transmitting device. In this way, PFC ensures that large amounts of queued LAN
traffic do not cause storage traffic to be dropped, and that storage traffic does not result in high latency for
high-performance computing (HPC) traffic between servers.

300

|

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

PFC enhances the existing 802.3x pause and 802.1p priority capabilities to enable flow control based on
802.1p priorities (classes of service). Instead of stopping all traffic on a link (as performed by the
traditional Ethernet pause mechanism), PFC pauses traffic on a link according to the 802.1p priority set on
a traffic type. You can create lossless flows for storage and server traffic while allowing for loss in case of
LAN traffic congestion on the same physical interface.
Figure 13-1 shows how PFC handles traffic congestion by pausing the transmission of incoming traffic
with dot1p priority 4.
Figure 13-1.

Priority-Based Flow Control

PFC is implemented as follows in the Dell Force10 operating software (FTOS):
•

•
•

•

•
•

PFC is supported on specified 802.1p priority traffic (dot1p 0 to 7) and is configured per interface.
However, only two lossless queues are supported on an interface: one for FCoE converged traffic and
one for iSCSI storage traffic. You must configure the same lossless queues on all ports.
PFC delay constraints place an upper limit on the transmit time of a queue after receiving a message to
pause a specified priority.
By default, PFC is enabled when DCB is enabled. If FCoE_DCB_Config and iSCSI_DCB_Config
have not been loaded and DCB is disabled. When DCB is enabled globally, TX and RX cannot be
enabled simultaneously on the interface for flow control and link-level flow control is disabled.
During DCBx negotiation with a remote peer:
• DCBx communicates with the remote peer by LLDP TLV to determine current policies, such as
PFC support and ETS BW allocation.
• If the negotiation fails and PFC is enabled on the port, any user-configured PFC input policies are
applied. If no PFC input policy has been previously applied, the PFC default setting is used (no
priorities configured). If you do not enable PFC on an interface, you can enable the 802.3x
link-level pause function. By default, the link-level flow pause is disabled when DCBx and PFC
are enabled. If no PFC input policy has been applied on the interface, the default PFC settings are
used.
• If DCBx negotiation is not successful (due to, for example, a version or TLV mismatch), DCBx
will be disabled and PFC or ETS cannot be enabled.
PFC supports buffering to receive data that continues to arrive on an interface while the remote system
reacts to the PFC operation.
PFC uses the DCB MIB IEEE 802.1azd2.5 and the PFC MIB IEEE 802.1bb-d2.2.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 301

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Enhanced Transmission Selection
Enhanced transmission selection (ETS) supports optimized bandwidth allocation between traffic types in
multiprotocol (Ethernet, FCoE, SCSI) links. ETS allows you to divide traffic according to its 802.1p
priority into different priority groups (traffic classes) and configure bandwidth allocation and queue
scheduling for each group to ensure that each traffic type is correctly prioritized and receives its required
bandwidth. For example, you can prioritize low-latency storage or server cluster traffic in a traffic class to
receive more bandwidth and restrict best-effort LAN traffic assigned to a different traffic class.
Although you can configure strict-priority queue scheduling for a priority group, ETS introduces flexibility
that allows the bandwidth allocated to each priority group to be dynamically managed according to the
amount of LAN, storage, and server traffic in a flow. Unused bandwidth is dynamically allocated to
prioritized priority groups. Traffic is queued according to its 802.1p priority assignment, while flexible
bandwidth allocation and the configured queue-scheduling for a priority group is supported.
Figure 13-2 shows how ETS allows you to allocate bandwidth when different traffic types are classed
according to 802.1p priority and mapped to priority groups.
Figure 13-2.

Enhanced Transmission Selection

ETS uses the following traffic groupings to select multiprotocol traffic for transmission:
•

•
•
•

Priority group: A group of 802.1p priorities used for bandwidth allocation and queue scheduling. All
802.1p priority traffic in a group should have the same traffic handling requirements for latency and
frame loss.
Group ID: A 4-bit identifier assigned to each priority group. Range is from 0 to 7.
Group bandwidth: Percentage of available bandwidth allocated to a priority group.
Group transmission selection algorithm (TSA): Type of queue scheduling used by a priority group.

ETS is implemented as follows in FTOS:
•

302

|

ETS supports groups of 802.1p priorities that have:
• PFC enabled or disabled
• No bandwidth limit or no ETS processing

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

•

•

•

Bandwidth allocated by the ETS algorithm is made available after strict-priority groups are serviced. If
a priority group does not use its allocated bandwidth, the unused bandwidth is made available to other
priority groups.
For ETS traffic selection, an algorithm is applied to priority groups using:
• Strict-priority shaping
• ETS shaping
Credit-based shaping is not supported.
ETS uses the DCB MIB IEEE 802.1azd2.5.

Data Center Bridging Exchange Protocol (DCBx)
The data center bridging exchange (DCBx) protocol is disabled by default on the S4810 and S4820T; ETS
is also disabled. DCBx allows a switch to automatically discover DCB-enabled peers and exchange
configuration information. PFC and ETS use DCBx to exchange and negotiate parameters with peer
devices. DCBx capabilities include:
•
•
•

Discovery of DCB capabilities on peer-device connections
Determination of possible mismatch in DCB configuration on a peer link
Configuration of a peer device over a DCB link

DCBx requires the link layer discovery protocol (LLDP) to provide the path to exchange DCB parameters
with peer devices. Exchanged parameters are sent in organizationally specific type, length, values (TLVs)
in LLDP data units. For more information, refer to Chapter 29, Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP).
The following LLDP TLVs are supported for DCB parameter exchange:
•
•

PFC parameters: PFC Configuration TLV and Application Priority Configuration TLV.
ETS parameters: ETS Configuration TLV and ETS Recommendation TLV.

Data Center Bridging in a Traffic Flow
The following figure shows how DCB handles a traffic flow on an interface.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 303

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 13-3.

DCB PFC and ETS Traffic Handling

Enabling Data Center Bridging
Data center bridging (DCB) is automatically configured when FCoE or iSCSI Optimization are
configured. Data center bridging supports converged enhanced Ethernet (CEE) in a data center network.
DCB is disabled by default. It must be enabled to support CEE.
•
•
•
•

Priority-based flow control
Enhanced transmission selection
Data center bridging exchange protocol
FCoE initialization protocol (FIP) snooping

DCB processes virtual local area network (VLAN)-tagged packets and dot1p priority values. Untagged
packets are treated with a dot1p priority of 0.
For DCB to operate effectively, you can classify ingress traffic according to its dot1p priority so that it
maps to different data queues. The dot1p-queue assignments used are shown in Table 13-1.
To enable DCB, you must enable either the iSCSI Optimization configuration or the FCoE configuration.
For information to configure iSCSI Optimization, refer to Enabling and Disabling iSCSI Optimization. For
information to configure FCoE, refer to Step 1 in Configuring FIP Snooping.
To enable DCB with PFC buffers on a switch, enter the following commands, save the configuration, and
reboot the system to allow the changes to take effect:

304

|

Task

Command

Command Mode

Enable DCB.

dcb enable

CONFIGURATION

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Task

Command

Command Mode

Set PFC buffering on the DCB stack unit.

dcb stack-unit all
pfc-buffering
pfc-ports 64
pfc-queues 2

CONFIGURATION

Note: Save the configuration and reboot the system to save the pfc buffering configuration changes.

FTOS Behavior:
DCB is not supported if you enable link-level flow control on one or more interfaces (refer to Ethernet
Pause Frames on page 469).

QoS dot1p Traffic Classification and Queue Assignment
DCB supports PFC, ETS, and DCBx to handle converged Ethernet traffic that is assigned to an egress
queue according to the following quality of service (QoS) methods:
•

•

Important: of two

Honor dot1p: Using the service-class dynamic dot1p command in INTERFACE configuration mode, you
can honor dot1p priorities in ingress traffic at the port or global switch level (refer to Default dot1p to
Queue Mapping).
Layer 2 class maps: You can use dot1p priorities to classify traffic in a class map and apply a service
policy to an ingress port to map traffic to egress queues (refer to Policy-based QoS Configurations).
Note: Dell Force10 does not recommend mapping all ingress traffic to a single queue when using PFC
and ETS. Ingress traffic classification using the service-class dynamic dot1p command (honor dot1p) is
recommended on all DCB-enabled interfaces. If you use L2 class maps to map dot1p priority traffic to
egress queues, take into account the default dot1p-queue assignments in Table 13-1 and the maximum
number of two lossless queues supported on a port (refer to Configuring Lossless Queues).

Although FTOS allows you to change the default dot1p priority-queue assignments (refer to Set dot1p
Priorities for Incoming Traffic), DCB policies applied to an interface may become invalid if dot1p-queue
mapping is reconfigured. If the configured DCB policy remains valid, the change in the dot1p-queue
assignment is allowed.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 305

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 13-1.

dot1p Priority-Queue Assignment

dot1p Value in Incoming Frame

Egress Queue Assignment

0

0

1

0

2

0

3

1

4

2

5

3

6

3

7

3

Configuring Priority-Based Flow Control
Priority-based flow control (PFC) provides a flow control mechanism based on the 802.1p priorities in
converged Ethernet traffic received on an interface and is enabled by default when DCB is enabled. As an
enhancement to the existing Ethernet pause mechanism, PFC stops traffic transmission for specified
priorities (CoS values) without impacting other priority classes. Different traffic types are assigned to
different priority classes.
When traffic congestion occurs, PFC sends a pause frame to a peer device with the CoS priority values of
the traffic that needs to be stopped. DCBx provides the link-level exchange of PFC parameters between
peer devices. PFC allows network administrators to create zero-loss links for SAN traffic that requires
no-drop service, while at the same time retaining packet-drop congestion management for LAN traffic.
To ensure complete no-drop service, you must apply the same DCB input policy with the same pause time
and dot1p priorities on all PFC-enabled peer interfaces.
To configure PFC and apply a PFC input policy to an interface, follow these steps:
Step

306

|

Task

Command

Command Mode

1

Create a DCB input policy to apply pause or flow
control for specified priorities using a configured delay
time.
Maximum: 32 alphanumeric characters.

dcb-input policy-name

CONFIGURATION

2

Configure the link delay used to pause specified priority
traffic.One quantum is equal to a 512-bit transmission.
Range (in quanta): 712-65535.
Default: 45556 quantum in link delay.

pfc link-delay value

DCB INPUT POLICY

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Step
3

Task

Command

Command Mode

Configure the CoS traffic to be stopped for the specified
delay. Enter the 802.1p values of the frames to be
paused.
Range: 0-7.
Default: None.
Maximum number of loss less queues supported on the
switch: 2.
Separate priority values with a comma. Specify a
priority range with a dash, for example: pfc priority

pfc priority priority-range

DCB INPUT POLICY

1,3,5-7.

4

Enable the PFC configuration on the port so that the
priorities are included in DCBx negotiation with peer
PFC devices. Default: PFC mode is on.

pfc mode on

DCB INPUT POLICY

5

(Optional) Enter a text description of the input policy.
Maximum: 32 characters.

description text

DCB INPUT POLICY

6

Exit DCB input policy configuration mode.

exit

DCB INPUT POLICY

7

Enter interface configuration mode.

interface type slot/port

CONFIGURATION

8

Apply the input policy with the PFC configuration to an
ingress interface.

dcb-policy input
policy-name

INTERFACE

9

Repeat Steps 1 to 8 on all PFC-enabled peer interfaces to ensure lossless traffic service.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 307

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS Behavior:
As soon as you apply a DCB policy with PFC enabled on an interface, DCBx starts exchanging
information with PFC-enabled peers. The IEEE802.1Qbb, CEE and CIN versions of PFC TLV are
supported. DCBx also validates PFC configurations that are received in TLVs from peer devices.
By applying a DCB input policy with PFC enabled, you enable PFC operation on ingress port traffic.
To achieve complete lossless handling of traffic, you must also enable PFC on all DCB egress ports or
configure the dot1p priority-queue assignment of PFC priorities to lossless queues (refer to
Configuring Lossless Queues).
To remove a DCB input policy, including the PFC configuration it contains, use the no dcb-input
policy-name command in INTERFACE Configuration mode. To disable PFC operation on an interface,
use the no pfc mode on command in DCB Input Policy Configuration mode. PFC is enabled and
disabled as the global DCB operation is enabled (dcb enable) or disabled (no dcb enable).
You can enable any number of 802.1p priorities for PFC. Queues to which PFC priority traffic is
mapped are lossless by default. Traffic may be interrupted due to an interface flap (going down and
coming up) when you reconfigure the lossless queues for no-drop priorities in a PFC input policy and
re-apply the policy to an interface.
For PFC to be applied, the configured priority traffic must be supported by a PFC peer (as detected by
DCBx).
To honor a PFC pause frame multiplied by the number of PFC-enabled ingress ports, the minimum
link delay should be greater than the round-trip transmission time required by a peer.
If you apply an input policy with PFC disabled (no pfc mode on):
- Link-level flow control can be enabled on the interface (refer to Ethernet Pause Frames on page 469).
To delete the input policy, you must first disable link-level flow control. PFC is then automatically
enabled on the interface because an interface is by default PFC-enabled.
- PFC still allows you to configure lossless queues on a port to ensure no-drop handling of lossless
traffic (refer to Configuring Lossless Queues).
PFC and link-level flow control cannot be enabled at the same time on an interface.
When you apply an input policy to an interface, an error message is displayed if:
- The PFC dot1p priorities result in more than two lossless port queues globally on the switch.
- Link-level flow control is already enabled. PFC and link-level flow control cannot be enabled at the
same time on an interface.
- In a switch stack, you must configure all stacked ports with the same PFC configuration.

308

|

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

A DCB input policy for PFC applied to an interface may become invalid if dot1p-queue mapping is
reconfigured (refer to Create Input Policy Maps in Chapter 38, Quality of Service (QoS)). This
situation occurs when the new dot1p-queue assignment exceeds the maximum number (2) of lossless
queues supported globally on the switch. In this case, all PFC configurations received from
PFC-enabled peers are removed and re-synchronized with the peer devices.
Traffic may be interrupted when you reconfigure PFC no-drop priorities in an input policy or re-apply
the policy to an interface.

Configuring Lossless Queues
DCB also supports the manual configuration of lossless queues on an interface when PFC mode is turned
off and priority classes are disabled in a DCB input policy applied to the interface. The configuration of
no-drop queues provides flexibility for ports on which PFC is not needed but lossless traffic should egress
from the interface.
Lossless traffic egresses out the no-drop queues. Ingress dot1p traffic from PFC-enabled interfaces is
automatically mapped to the no-drop egress queues.
Prerequisite: A DCB input policy with PFC configuration is applied to the interface with the following
conditions:
•
•

PFC mode is off (no pfc mode on).
No PFC priority classes are configured (no pfc priority priority-range).

To configure lossless queues on a port interface, follow these steps:
Step

Task

Command

Command Mode

1

Enter INTERFACE Configuration mode.

interface type slot/port

CONFIGURATION

2

Configure the port queues that will still function as
no-drop queues for lossless traffic. For the
dot1p-queue assignments, refer to Table 13-1.
Maximum number of lossless queues globally
supported on the switch: 2.
Range: 0-3. Separate queue values with a comma;
specify a priority range with a dash; for example: pfc

pfc no-drop queues
queue-range

INTERFACE

no-drop queues 1,3 or
pfc no-drop queues 2-3

Default: No lossless queues are configured.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 309

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS Behavior:
By default, no lossless queues are configured on a port.
A limit of two lossless queues are supported on a port. If the amount of priority traffic that you configure
to be paused exceeds the two lossless queues, an error message is displayed. You must reconfigure
the input policy using a smaller number of PFC priorities.
If you configure lossless queues on an interface that already has a DCB input policy with PFC enabled
(pfc mode on), an error message is displayed.

Configuring the PFC Buffer in a Switch Stack
In a switch stack, you must configure all stacked ports with the same PFC configuration. In addition, you
must configure a separate buffer of memory allocated exclusively to a service pool accessed by queues on
which priority-based control flows are mapped.
These PFC-enabled queues ensure the lossless transmission of storage and server traffic. The buffer
required for the PFC service pool is calculated based on the number of ports and port queues used by PFC
traffic.
You can configure the size of the PFC buffer for all switches in a stack or all port pipes on a specified stack
unit by entering the following commands on the master switch:
Task

Command

Command Mode

Configure the PFC buffer for all switches
in the stack.
Default: The PFC buffer is enabled on all
ports on the stack unit.

[no] dcb stack-unit all pfc-buffering
pfc-port {1-64} pfc-queues {1-2}

CONFIGURATION

Configure the PFC buffer for all port pipes
in a specified stack unit by specifying the
port-pipe number, number of PFC-enabled
ports, and number of configured lossless
queues.
Valid stack-unit IDs are 0 to 5.
The only valid port-set ID (port-pipe
number) is 0.

[no] dcb stack-unit stack-unit-id
[port-set port-set-id] pfc-buffering
pfc-ports {1-64} pfc-queues {1-2}

CONFIGURATION

FTOS Behavior:
If you configure PFC on a 40GbE port, count the 40GbE port as four PFC-enabled ports in the pfc-port
number you enter in the command syntax.
To achieve lossless PFC operation, the PFC port count and queue number used for the reserved
buffer size that is created must be greater than or equal to the buffer size required for PFC-enabled
ports and lossless queues on the switch.
For the PFC buffer configuration to take effect, you must reload the stack or a specified stack unit
(reload command at the EXEC Privilege level).

310

|

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

DCB and Switch Stacking Caveats for the S4820T
The following is a list of behaviors and limitations regarding the use of DCB over S4820T ports involved
in switch stacking:
•
•
•
•

You can enable DCB only on 40 Gig (QSPF+) ports.
DCB is not supported over any of the 48 RJ-45 10 Gig ports while they are configured in stacking
mode.
You cannot configure stacking on any of the 48 RJ-45 10 Gig ports, if DCB is enabled on any of the 40
Gig stacking ports.
If DCB is enabled, it will disable the ability to use any of the 48 10 Gig ports for stacking.

Configuring Enhanced Transmission Selection
Enhanced transmission selection (ETS) provides a way to optimize bandwidth allocation to outbound
802.1p classes of converged Ethernet traffic. Different traffic types have different service needs. Using
ETS, you can create groups within an 802.1p priority class to configure different treatment for traffic with
different bandwidth, latency, and best-effort needs.
For example, storage traffic is sensitive to frame loss; interprocess communication (IPC) traffic is
latency-sensitive. ETS allows different traffic types to coexist without interruption in the same converged
link by:
•
•

Allocating a guaranteed share of bandwidth to each priority group
Allowing each group to exceed its minimum guaranteed bandwidth if another group is not fully using
its allotted bandwidth

To configure ETS and apply an ETS output policy to an interface, you must:
1. Create a QoS output policy with ETS scheduling and bandwidth allocation settings.
2. Create a priority group of 802.1p traffic classes.
3. Configure a DCB output policy in which you associate a priority group with a QoS ETS output policy.
4. Apply the DCB output policy to an interface.

ETS Prerequisites and Restrictions
The following prerequisites and restrictions apply when you configure ETS bandwidth allocation or queue
scheduling and apply a QoS ETS output policy on an interface:
•

Configuring ETS bandwidth allocation or a queue scheduler for dot1p priorities in a priority group is
applicable if the DCBx version used on a port is CIN (refer to Configuring DCBx on an Interface) or
CEE as a port version where CNA supports CEE and DUT port versions in AUTO or CEE mode.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 311

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

•

•

When allocating bandwidth or configuring a queue scheduler for dot1p priorities in a priority group on
a DCBx CIN interface, take into account the CIN bandwidth allocation (Configuring Bandwidth
Allocation for DCBx CIN) and dot1p-queue mapping (Table 13-1).
Although an ETS output policy does not support WRED, ECN, rate shaping, and rate limiting because
these parameters are not negotiated by DCBx with peer devices, you can apply a QoS output policy
with WRED and/or rate shaping on a DCBx CIN-enabled interface (refer to Configure Port-based Rate
Shaping on page 763 and Weighted Random Early Detection). In this case, the WRED or rate shaping
configuration in the QoS output policy should take into account the bandwidth allocation or queue
scheduler configured in the ETS output policy.
You can only use a QoS ETS output policy in association with a priority group in a DCB output policy
and cannot be applied to an interface as a normal QoS output policy (refer to Applying an ETS Output
Policy for a Priority Group to an Interface and Create an output QoS policy in Chapter 38, Quality of
Service (QoS)).
Note: The IEEE 802.1Qaz, CEE, and CIN versions of ETS are supported.

Creating a QoS ETS Output Policy
A QoS output policy that you create to optimize bandwidth on an output interface for specified priority
traffic consists of the ETS settings used in DCBx negotiations with peer devices:
•
•

Bandwidth percentage
Queue scheduling

To create a QoS output policy with ETS settings, follow these steps:
Step

Task

Command

Command Mode

1

Create a QoS output policy to configure the ETS
bandwidth allocation and scheduling for priority
traffic.
Maximum: 32 characters.

qos-policy-output
policy-name ets

CONFIGURATION

2

(Optional) Configure the method used to
schedule priority traffic in port queues.
• strict - Strict priority traffic is serviced before
any other queued traffic (refer to
Strict-priority Queueing in Chapter 38,
Quality of Service (QoS)).

scheduler value

POLICY-MAP-OUT-ETS

Note: If you configure a scheduling method, you
cannot configure bandwidth allocation in Step 3.

312

|

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Step
3

Task

Command

Command Mode

(Optional) Configure the bandwidth percentage
allocated to priority traffic in port queues.
Percentage range: 1 to 100% in units of 1%.
The sum of bandwidth percentage assigned to
dot1p priorities/queues in a priority group should
be 100%.
Default: None.

bandwidth-percentage
percentage

POLICY-MAP-OUT-ETS

exit

POLICY-MAP-OUT-ETS

Note: If you configure bandwidth allocation, you
cannot configure a scheduling method in Step 2.

4

Exit ETS Output Policy Configuration mode.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 313

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS Behavior:
Traffic in priority groups is assigned to strict-queue or WERR scheduling in an ETS output policy and is
managed using the ETS bandwidth-assignment algorithm. FTOS de-queues all frames of strict-priority
traffic before servicing any other queues. A queue with strict-priority traffic can starve other queues in
the same port.
ETS-assigned bandwidth allocation and scheduling apply only to data queues, not to control queues.
FTOS supports hierarchical scheduling on an interface. FTOS control traffic is redirected to control
queues as higher priority traffic with strict priority scheduling. After control queues drain out, the
remaining data traffic is scheduled to queues according to the bandwidth and scheduler configuration
in the ETS output policy. The available bandwidth calculated by the ETS algorithm is equal to the link
bandwidth after scheduling non-ETS higher-priority traffic.
The configuration of bandwidth allocation and strict-queue scheduling is not supported at the same
time for a priority group. If both are configured, the configured bandwidth allocation is ignored for
priority-group traffic when you apply the output policy on an interface (refer to Applying an ETS Output
Policy for a Priority Group to an Interface).
Bandwidth assignment in a dot.1p priority-queue: By default, equal bandwidth is assigned to each
port queue and each dot1p priority in a priority group. Use the bandwidth-percentage command to
configure bandwidth amounts in associated dot1p queues. When specified bandwidth is assigned to
some port queues and not to others, the remaining bandwidth (100% minus assigned bandwidth
amount) is equally distributed to unassigned non-strict priority queues in the priority group. The sum of
the allocated bandwidth to all queues in a priority group should be 100% of the bandwidth on the link.
Bandwidth assignment in a priority group: By default, equal bandwidth is assigned to each priority
group in the ETS output policy applied to an egress port if you did not configure bandwidth allocation.
The sum of configured bandwidth allocation to dot1p priority traffic in all ETS priority groups must be
100%. You must allocate at least 1% of the total bandwidth to each priority group and queue. If you
assign bandwidth to some priority groups but not to others, the remaining bandwidth (100% minus
assigned bandwidth amount) is equally distributed to non-strict-priority groups which have no
configured scheduler.
Scheduling of priority traffic: dot1p priority traffic on the switch is scheduled to the current queue
mapping. dot1p priorities within the same queue should have the same traffic properties and
scheduling method.
ETS output-policy error: If an error occurs in an ETS output-policy configuration, the configuration is
ignored and the scheduler and bandwidth allocation settings are reset to the ETS default values (all
priorities are in the same ETS priority group and bandwidth is allocated equally to each priority).
If an error occurs when a port receives a peer’s ETS configuration, the port’s configuration is reset to
the previously configured ETS output policy. If no ETS output policy was previously applied, the port is
reset to the default ETS parameters.

314

|

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Creating an ETS Priority Group
An ETS priority group specifies the range of 802.1p priority traffic to which a QoS output policy with ETS
settings is applied on an egress interface. You can associate a priority group to more than one ETS output
policy on different interfaces.
To create a priority group for ETS, follow these steps:
Step

Task

Command

Command Mode

1

Create an ETS priority group to use with an ETS
output policy. Maximum: 32 characters.

priority-group group-name

CONFIGURATION

2

Configure the priority-group identifier.
Range: 0 to 7. Default: None.

set-pgid value

PRIORITY-GROUP

3

Configure the 802.1p priorities for the traffic on
which you want to apply an ETS output policy.
Range: 0 to 7.
Default: None.
Separate priority values with a comma. Specify a
priority range with a dash. For example:

priority-list value

PRIORITY-GROUP

exit

PRIORITY-GROUP

priority-list 3,5-7.

4

Exit priority-group configuration mode.

5

Repeat Steps 1 to 4 to configure all remaining dot1p priorities in an ETS priority group.
FTOS Behavior:
A priority group consists of 802.1p priority values that are grouped together for similar bandwidth
allocation and scheduling, and that share the same latency and loss requirements. All 802.1p priorities
mapped to the same queue should be in the same priority group.
All 802.1p priorities should be configured in priority groups associated with an ETS output policy (refer
to Applying an ETS Output Policy for a Priority Group to an Interface). You can assign each dot1p
priority to only one priority group.
By default:
- All 802.1p priorities are grouped in priority group 0.
- 100% of the port bandwidth is assigned to priority group 0. The complete bandwidth is equally
assigned to each priority class so that each class has 12 to 13%.
The maximum number of priority groups supported in ETS output policies on an interface is equal to
the number of data queues (4) on the port. The 802.1p priorities in a priority group can map to multiple
queues.
If you configure more than one priority queue as strict priority or more than one priority group as strict
priority, the higher numbered priority queue is given preference when scheduling data traffic.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 315

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Applying an ETS Output Policy for a Priority Group to an
Interface

316

To apply ETS on egress port traffic, you must associate a priority group with an ETS output policy which
has scheduling and bandwidth configuration in a DCB output policy, and then apply the output policy to an
interface.
To apply ETS on egress port traffic, follow these steps:
Step

|

Task

Command

Command Mode

1

Create a DCB output policy to associate an
ETS configuration with priority traffic.
Maximum: 32 alphanumeric characters.

dcb-output policy-name

CONFIGURATION

2

Enable the ETS configuration so that
scheduling and bandwidth allocation
configured in an ETS output policy or received
in a DCBx TLV from a peer can take effect on
an interface.
Default: ETS mode is on.

ets mode on

DCB OUTPUT POLICY

3

Associate the 802.1p priority traffic in a
priority group with the ETS configuration in a
QoS output policy.

priority-group group-name
qos-policy ets-policy-name

DCB OUTPUT POLICY

4

(Optional) Enter a text description of the output
policy.
Maximum: 32 characters.

description text

DCB OUTPUT POLICY

5

Repeat Steps 1 to 4 to configure all remaining ETS priority groups with an ETS output policy.

6

Exit DCB Output Policy Configuration mode.

exit

DCB OUTPUT POLICY

7

Enter INTERFACE Configuration mode.

interface type slot/port

CONFIGURATION

8

Apply the output policy with the ETS
configuration to an egress interface.

dcb-policy output
policy-name

INTERFACE

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

FTOS Behavior:
Create a DCB output policy to associate a priority group with an ETS output policy with scheduling and
bandwidth configuration. You can apply a DCB output policy on multiple egress ports.
The ETS configuration associated with 802.1p priority traffic in a DCB output policy is used in DCBx
negotiation with ETS peers.
When you apply an ETS output policy to an interface, ETS-configured scheduling and bandwidth
allocation take precedence over any configured settings in the QoS output policies.
To remove an ETS output policy from an interface, use the no dcb-policy output policy-name command.
DCB and ETS are both disabled by default. When DCB is enabled, ETS is enabled on all interfaces
that have the default ETS configuration applied.
If you disable ETS in an output policy applied to an interface (the no ets mode on command), any
previously configured QoS settings at the interface or global level take effect. If QoS settings are
configured at the interface or global level and in an output policy map (the service-policy output
command), the QoS configuration in the output policy take precedence.

ETS Operation with DCBx
In DCBx negotiation with peer ETS devices, ETS configuration is handled as follows:
•
•
•
•

•

ETS TLVs are supported in DCBx versions CIN, CEE, and IEEE2.5.
ETS operational parameters are determined by the DCBx port-role configurations (see Configuring
DCBx Operation).
ETS configurations received from TLVs from a peer are validated.
In case of a hardware limitation or TLV error:
• DCBx operation on an ETS port goes down.
• New ETS configurations are ignored and existing ETS configurations are reset to the previously
configured ETS output policy on the port or to the default ETS settings if no ETS output policy
was previously applied.
ETS operates with legacy DCBx versions as follows:
• In the CEE version, the priority group/traffic class group (TCG) ID 15 represents a non-ETS
priority group. Any priority group configured with a scheduler type is treated as a strict-priority
group and is given the priority-group (TCG) ID 15.
• The CIN version supports two types of strict-priority scheduling:
— Group strict priority: Allows a single priority flow in a priority group to increase its
bandwidth usage to the bandwidth total of the priority group. A single flow in a group can
use all the bandwidth allocated to the group.
— Link strict priority: Allows a flow in any priority group to increase to the maximum link
bandwidth.
CIN supports only the dot1p priority-queue assignment in a priority group. To configure a dot1p
priority flow in a priority group to operate with link strict priority, you must configure:
- The dot1p priority for strict-priority scheduling (strict-priority command; Strict-priority
Queueing)

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 317

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

- The priority group for strict-priority scheduling (scheduler strict command; Creating a QoS ETS
Output Policy)
If you configure only the priority group in an ETS output policy or only the dot1p priority for
strict-priority scheduling, the flow is handled with group strict priority.

Configuring Bandwidth Allocation for DCBx CIN
After you apply an ETS output policy to an interface, if the DCBx version used in your data center network
is CIN, you may need to configure a QoS output policy to overwrite the default CIN bandwidth allocation.
This default setting divides the bandwidth allocated to each port queue equally between the dot1p priority
traffic assigned to the queue.
For more information, refer to Allocate bandwidth to queue.
To create a QoS output policy that allocates different amounts of bandwidth to the different traffic types/
dot1p priorities assigned to a queue and apply the output policy to the interface, follow these steps.
Step

318

|

Task

Command

Command Mode

1

Create a QoS output policy.
Maximum: 32 alphanumeric characters.

qos-policy-output
output-policy-name

CONFIGURATION

2

Configure the percentage of bandwidth to be
allocated to the dot1p priority/queue traffic in
the associated L2 class map.
Default: None.

bandwidth-percentage
percentage

QoS OUTPUT POLICY

3

Repeat Step 2 to configure bandwidth
percentages for other priority queues on the
port.

bandwidth-percentage
percentage

QoS OUTPUT POLICY

4

Exit QoS Output Policy Configuration mode.

exit

QoS OUTPUT POLICY

5

Enter INTERFACE Configuration mode.

interface type slot/port

CONFIGURATION

6

Apply the QoS output policy with the
bandwidth percentage for specified priority
queues to an egress interface.

service-policy output
output-policy-name

INTERFACE

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Applying DCB Policies in a Switch Stack
Note: The S4820T does not support DCB on any of the 48 RJ-45 10 Gigabit stacking links.

You can apply a DCB input policy with PFC configuration to all stacked ports in a switch stack or on a
stacked switch. You can apply different DCB input policies to different stacked switches.
Task

Command

Command Mode

Apply the specified DCB input policy on
all ports of the switch stack or a single
stacked switch.

dcb-policy input stack-unit {all |
stack-unit-id} stack-ports all
dcb-input-policy-name

CONFIGURATION

FTOS Behavior:

Entering the command removes all DCB input policies applied to stacked ports.
A dcb-policy input stack-unit all command overwrites any previous dcb-policy input stack-unit
stack-unit-id configurations. Similarly, a dcb-policy input stack-unit stack-unit-id command overwrites any
previous dcb-policy input stack-unit all configuration.
Entering the no dcb-policy input stack-unit all command removes all DCB input policies applied to
stacked ports and resets PFC to its default settings. The no dcb-policy input stack-unit stack-unit-id
command removes only the DCB input policy applied to the specified switch.
You can apply a DCB output policy with ETS configuration to all stacked ports in a switch stack or an
individual stacked switch. In addition, you can apply different DCB output policies to different stack units.
Task

Command

Command Mode

Apply the specified DCB output policy on
all ports of the switch stack or a stacked
switch.

dcb-policy output stack-unit {all |
stack-unit-id} stack-ports all
dcb-output-policy-name

CONFIGURATION

FTOS Behavior:

Entering the command removes all DCB input policies applied to stacked ports.
A dcb-policy output stack-unit all command overwrites any previous dcb-policy output stack-unit
stack-unit-id configurations. Similarly, a dcb-policy output stack-unit stack-unit-id command overwrites
any previous dcb-policy output stack-unit all configuration.
Entering the no dcb-policy output stack-unit all command removes all DCB output policies applied to
stacked ports. The no dcb-policy output stack-unit stack-unit-id command removes only the DCB output
policy applied to the specified switch.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 319

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configuring DCBx Operation
The data center bridging exchange protocol (DCBx) is used by DCB devices to exchange configuration
information with directly connected peers using the link layer discovery protocol (LLDP) protocol. DCBx
can detect the mis-configuration of a peer DCB device, and optionally, configure peer DCB devices with
DCB feature settings to ensure consistent operation in a data center network.
DCBx is a prerequisite for using DCB features, such as priority-based flow control (PFC) and enhanced
traffic selection (ETS), to exchange link-level configurations in a converged Ethernet environment. DCBx
is also deployed in topologies that support lossless operation for FCoE or iSCSI traffic. In these scenarios,
all network devices are DCBx-enabled (DCBx is enabled end-to-end). For more information about how
these features are implemented and used, refer to:
•
•
•
•

Configuring Priority-Based Flow Control
Configuring Enhanced Transmission Selection
FIP Snooping
Chapter 13, Data Center Bridging (DCB)

The following versions of DCBx are supported CIN, CEE, and IEEE2.5.
Prerequisite: DCBx requires the LLDP to be enabled on all DCB devices.

DCBx Operation
DCBx performs the following operations:
•
•

•
•

Discovers DCB configuration (such as PFC and ETS) in a peer device.
Detects DCB mis-configuration in a peer device; that is, when DCB features are not compatibly
configured on a peer device and the local switch. Mis-configuration detection is feature-specific
because some DCB features support asymmetric configuration.
Reconfigures a peer device with the DCB configuration from its configuration source if the peer
device is willing to accept configuration.
Accepts the DCB configuration from a peer if a DCBx port is in “willing” mode to accept a peer’s
DCB settings and then internally propagates the received DCB configuration to its peer ports.

DCBx Port Roles
Use the following DCBx port roles to enable the auto-configuration of DCBx-enabled ports and propagate
DCB configurations learned from peer DCBx devices internally to other switch ports:
•

320

|

Auto-upstream: The port advertises its own configuration to DCBx peers and is willing to receive peer
configuration. The port also propagates its configuration to other ports on the switch.
The first auto-upstream that is capable of receiving a peer configuration is elected as the
configuration source. The elected configuration source then internally propagates the configuration
to other auto-upstream and auto-downstream ports. A port that receives an internally propagated
configuration overwrites its local configuration with the new parameter values.

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

•

•

•

When an auto-upstream port (besides the configuration source) receives and overwrites its
configuration with internally propagated information, one of the following actions is taken:
• If the peer configuration received is compatible with the internally propagated port configuration,
the link with the DCBx peer is enabled.
• If the received peer configuration is not compatible with the currently configured port
configuration, the link with the DCBx peer port is disabled and a syslog message for an
incompatible configuration is generated. The network administrator must then reconfigure the peer
device so that it advertises a compatible DCB configuration.
The configuration received from a DCBx peer or from an internally propagated configuration is
not stored in the switch’s running configuration.
On a DCBx port in an auto-upstream role, the PFC and application priority TLVs are enabled. ETS
recommend TLVs are disabled and ETS configuration TLVs are enabled.
Auto-downstream: The port advertises its own configuration to DCBx peers but is not willing to receive
remote peer configuration. The port always accepts internally propagated configurations from a
configuration source. An auto-downstream port that receives an internally propagated configuration
overwrites its local configuration with the new parameter values.
When an auto-downstream port receives and overwrites its configuration with internally
propagated information, one of the following actions is taken:
• If the peer configuration received is compatible with the internally propagated port configuration,
the link with the DCBx peer is enabled.
• If the received peer configuration is not compatible with the currently configured port
configuration, the link with the DCBx peer port is disabled and a syslog message for an
incompatible configuration is generated. The network administrator must then reconfigure the peer
device so that it advertises a compatible DCB configuration.
The internally propagated configuration is not stored in the switch's running configuration.
On a DCBx port in an auto-downstream role, all PFC, application priority, ETS recommend, and
ETS configuration TLVs are enabled.
Configuration source: The port is configured to serve as a source of configuration information on the
switch. Peer DCB configurations received on the port are propagated to other DCBx auto-configured
ports. If the peer configuration is compatible with a port configuration, DCBx is enabled on the port.
On a configuration-source port, the link with a DCBx peer is enabled when the port receives a
DCB configuration that can be internally propagated to other auto-configured ports.
The configuration received from a DCBx peer is not stored in the switch’s running configuration.
On a DCBx port that is the configuration source, all PFC and application priority TLVs are
enabled. ETS recommend TLVs are disabled and ETS configuration TLVs are enabled.
Manual: The port is configured to operate only with administrator-configured settings and does not
auto-configure with DCB settings received from a DCBx peer or from an internally propagated
configuration from the configuration source. If you enable DCBx, ports in Manual mode advertise
their configurations to peer devices but do not accept or propagate internal or external configurations.
Unlike other user-configured ports, the configuration of DCBx ports in Manual mode is saved in the
running configuration.
On a DCBx port in a manual role, all PFC, application priority, ETS recommend, and ETS
configuration TLVs are enabled.
When making a configuration change to a DCBx port in a Manual role, Dell Force10 recommends
that you shut down the interface using the shutdown command, change the configuration, then
re-activate the interface using the no shutdown command.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 321

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Default DCBx port role: Manual.
Note: On a DCBx port, application priority TLV advertisements are handled as follows:
- The application priority TLV is transmitted only if the priorities in the advertisement match the configured
PFC priorities on the port.
- On auto-upstream and auto-downstream ports:
- If a configuration source is elected, the ports send an application priority TLV based on the application
priority TLV received on the configuration-source port. When an application priority TLV is received on the
configuration-source port, the auto-upstream and auto-downstream ports use the internally propagated
PFC priorities to match against the received application priority. Otherwise, these ports use their locally
configured PFC priorities in application priority TLVs.
- If no configuration source is configured, auto-upstream and auto-downstream ports check to see that
the locally configured PFC priorities match the priorities in a received application priority TLV.
- On manual ports: An application priority TLV is advertised only if the priorities in the TLV match the PFC
priorities configured on the port.

DCB Configuration Exchange
The DCBx protocol supports the exchange and propagation of configuration information for the following
DCB features.
•
•

Enhanced transmission selection (ETS)
Priority-based flow control (PFC)

DCBx uses the following methods to exchange DCB configuration parameters:
•

•

Asymmetric: DCB parameters are exchanged between a DCBx-enabled port and a peer port without
requiring that a peer port and the local port use the same configured values for the configurations to be
compatible. For example, ETS uses an asymmetric exchange of parameters between DCBx peers.
Symmetric: DCB parameters are exchanged between a DCBx-enabled port and a peer port with the
requirement that each configured parameter value is the same for the configurations to be compatible.
For example, PFC uses an symmetric exchange of parameters between DCBx peers.

Configuration Source Election
When an auto-upstream or auto-downstream port receives a DCB configuration from a peer, the port first
checks to see if there is an active configuration source on the switch.
•

•

322

|

If a configuration source already exists, the received peer configuration is checked against the local
port configuration. If the received configuration is compatible, the DCBx marks the port as
DCBx-enabled. If the configuration received from the peer is not compatible, a warning message is
logged and the DCBx frame error counter is incremented. Although DCBx is operationally disabled,
the port keeps the peer link up and continues to exchange DCBx packets. If a compatible peer
configuration is later received, DCBx is enabled on the port.
If there is no configuration source, a port may elect itself as the configuration source. A port may
become the configuration source if the following conditions exist:
• No other port is the configuration source.
• The port role is auto-upstream.

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

•
•
•

The port is enabled with link up and DCBx enabled.
The port has performed a DCBx exchange with a DCBx peer.
The switch is capable of supporting the received DCB configuration values through either a
symmetric or asymmetric parameter exchange.

A newly elected configuration source propagates configuration changes received from a peer to the other
auto-configuration ports. Ports receiving auto-configuration information from the configuration source
ignore their current settings and use the configuration source information.

Propagation of DCB Information
When an auto-upstream or auto-downstream port receives a DCB configuration from a peer, the port acts
as a DCBx client and checks if a DCBx configuration source exists on the switch.
•

•

If a configuration source is found, the received configuration is checked against the currently
configured values that are internally propagated by the configuration source. If the local configuration
is compatible with the received configuration, the port is enabled for DCBx operation and
synchronization.
If the configuration received from the peer is not compatible with the internally propagated
configuration used by the configuration source, the port is disabled as a client for DCBx operation and
synchronization and a syslog error message is generated. The port keeps the peer link up and continues
to exchange DCBx packets. If a compatible configuration is later received from the peer, the port is
enabled for DCBx operation.
Note: DCB configurations internally propagated from a configuration source do not overwrite the
configuration on a DCBx port in a manual role.
When a configuration source is elected, all auto-upstream ports other than the configuration source are
marked as willing disabled. The internally propagated DCB configuration is refreshed on all
auto-configuration ports and each port may begin configuration negotiation with a DCBx peer again.

Auto-Detection and Manual Configuration of the DCBx
Version
When operating in Auto-Detection mode (DCBx version auto command in the DCBx Configuration
Procedure), a DCBx port automatically detects the DCBx version on a peer port. Legacy CIN and CEE
versions are supported in addition to the standard IEEE version 2.5 DCBx.
A DCBx port detects a peer version after receiving a valid frame for that version. The local DCBx port
reconfigures to operate with the peer version and maintains the peer version on the link until one of the
following conditions occurs:
•
•
•
•
•

The switch reboots.
The link is reset (goes down and up).
User-configured CLI commands require the version negotiation to restart.
The peer times out.
Multiple peers are detected on the link.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 323

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

If you configure a DCBx port to operate with a specific version (DCBx version {cee | cin | ieee-v2.5}
command in the DCBx Configuration Procedure), DCBx operations are performed according to the
configured version, including fast and slow transmit timers and message formats. If a DCBx frame with a
different version is received, a syslog message is generated and the peer version is recorded in the peer
status table. If the frame cannot be processed, it is discarded and the discard counter is incremented.
Note: Because DCBx TLV processing is best effort, it is possible that CIN frames may be processed
when DCBx is configured to operate in CEE mode and vice versa. In this case, the unrecognized TLVs
cause the unrecognized TLV counter to be incremented, but the frame is processed and is not discarded.
Legacy DCBx (CIN and CEE) supports the DCBx control state machine that is defined to maintain the
sequence number and acknowledge number sent in the DCBx control TLVs.

DCBx Example
Figure 13-4 shows how DCBx is used. The external 40GbE ports on the base module (ports 33 and 37) of
two switches are used for uplinks configured as DCBx auto-upstream ports. The S4810 or S4820T is
connected to third-party, top-of-rack (ToR) switches through 40GbE uplinks. The ToR switches are part of
a Fibre Channel storage network.
•

324

|

The internal ports (ports 1-32) connected to the 10GbE backplane are configured as auto-downstream
ports.
On the S4810 and S4820T, PFC and ETS use DCBx to exchange link-level configuration with DCBx
peer devices.

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Figure 13-4.

DCBx Sample Topology

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 325

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

DCBx Prerequisites and Restrictions
The following prerequisites and restrictions apply when you configure DCBx operation on a port:
•

•

DCBx requires LLDP in both send (TX) and receive (RX) mode to be enabled on a port interface
(protocol lldp mode command; refer to the example in CONFIGURATION versus INTERFACE
Configurations in the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) chapter). If a multiple DCBx peer ports
are detected on a local DCBx interface, LLDP is shut down.
The CIN version of DCBx supports only PFC, ETS, and FCOE; it does not support iSCSI, backward
congestion management (BCN), logical link down (LLDF), and network interface virtualization
(NIV).

DCBx Configuration Procedure
To configure an S4810 or S4820Tfor DCBx operation in a data center network, you must:
1. Configure ToR- and FCF-facing interfaces as auto-upstream ports.
2. Configure server-facing interfaces as auto-downstream ports.
3. Configure a port to operate in a configuration-source role.
4. Configure ports to operate in a manual role.
To verify the DCBx configuration on a port, use the show interface DCBx detail command (Figure 13-16).
Configure DCBx operation at the interface level on a switch or globally on the switch.
Prerequisite: DCBx requires LLDP to be enabled to advertise DCBx TLVs to peers. For more
information, refer to Chapter 29, Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP).

Configuring DCBx on an Interface
To configure DCBx operation on an interface, follow these steps:
Step

326

|

Task

Command

Command Mode

1

Enter INTERFACE Configuration mode.

interface type slot/port

CONFIGURATION

2

Enter LLDP Configuration mode to enable DCBx
operation.

[no] protocol lldp

INTERFACE

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Step

Task

Command

Command Mode

3

Configure the DCBx version used on the interface, where:
auto configures the port to operate using the DCBx version
received from a peer.
• cee configures the port to use CEE (Intel 1.01).
• cin configures the port to use Cisco-Intel-Nuova
(DCBx 1.0).
• ieee-v2.5 configures the port to use IEEE 802.1Qaz
(Draft 2.5).
Default: Auto.

[no] DCBx version {auto |
cee | cin | ieee-v2.5}

PROTOCOL LLDP

4

Configure the DCBx port role used by the interface to
exchange DCB information, where:
• auto-upstream configures the port to receive a peer
configuration. The configuration source is elected from
auto-upstream ports.
• auto-downstream configures the port to accept the
internally propagated DCB configuration from a
configuration source.
• config-source configures the port to serve as the
configuration source on the switch.
• manual configures the port to operate only on
administer-configured DCB parameters. The port does
not accept a DCB configuration received from a peer or
a local configuration source.
Default: Manual.

[no] DCBx port-role
{config-source |
auto-downstream |
auto-upstream | manual}

PROTOCOL LLDP

5

On manual ports only:
Configure the PFC and ETS TLVs advertised to DCBx
peers, where:
• ets-conf enables the advertisement of ETS
Configuration TLVs.
• ets-reco enables the advertisement of ETS Recommend
TLVs.
• pfc enables the advertisement of PFC TLVs.
Default: All PFC and ETS TLVs are advertised.

[no] advertise DCBx-tlv
{ets-conf | ets-reco | pfc}
[ets-conf | ets-reco | pfc]
[ets-conf | ets-reco | pfc]

PROTOCOL LLDP

Note: You can configure the transmission of more than one
TLV type at a time; for example: advertise DCBx-tlv ets-conf
ets-reco. You can enable ETS recommend TLVs (ets-reco)
only if ETS configuration TLVs (ets-conf) are enabled. To
disable TLV transmission, use the no form of the command;
for example, no advertise DCBx-tlv pfc ets-reco.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 327

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step
6

Task

Command

Command Mode

On manual ports only:
Configure the Application Priority TLVs advertised on the
interface to DCBx peers, where:
• fcoe enables the advertisement of FCoE in Application
Priority TLVs.
• iscsi enables the advertisement of iSCSI in Application
Priority TLVs.
Default: Application Priority TLVs are enabled to advertise
FCoE and iSCSI.

[no] advertise
DCBx-appln-tlv {fcoe | iscsi}

PROTOCOL LLDP

Note: To disable TLV transmission, enter the no form of the
command; for example, no advertise DCBx-appln-tlv iscsi.

For information about how to use FCoE and iSCSI, refer to
FIP Snooping and iSCSI Optimization.

Configuring DCBx Globally on the Switch
To globally configure DCBx operation on a switch, follow these steps:
Step

Task

Command

Command Mode

1

Enter Global Configuration mode.

configure

EXEC PRIVILEGE

2

Enter LLDP Configuration mode to enable DCBx
operation.

[no] protocol lldp

CONFIGURATION

3

Configure the DCBx version used on all interfaces not
already configured to exchange DCB information, where:
• auto configures all ports to operate using the DCBx
version received from a peer.
• cee configures a port to use CEE (Intel 1.01).
cin configures a port to use Cisco-Intel-Nuova (DCBx
1.0).
• ieee-v2.5 configures a port to use IEEE 802.1Qaz
(Draft 2.5).
Default: Auto.

[no] DCBx version {auto | cee
| cin | ieee-v2.5}

PROTOCL LLDP

Note: You can configure the DCBx port role used by interfaces to exchange DCB information by using the DCBx
port-role command in INTERFACE Configuration mode (see Step 3 in Configuring DCBx Globally on the Switch).

328

|

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Step
4

Task

Command

Command Mode

Configure the PFC and ETS TLVs to be advertised on
un-configured interfaces with a manual port-role, where:
• ets-conf enables transmission of ETS Configuration
TLVs.
• ets-reco enables transmission of ETS Recommend
TLVs.
• pfc enables transmission of PFC TLVs.

[no] advertise DCBx-tlv
{ets-conf | ets-reco | pfc}
[ets-conf | ets-reco | pfc]
[ets-conf | ets-reco | pfc]

PROTOCOL LLDP

[no] advertise DCBx-appln-tlv
{fcoe | iscsi}

PROTOCOL LLDP

Note: You can configure the transmission of more than
one TLV type at a time. ETS recommend TLVs (ets-reco)
can be enabled only if ETS configuration TLVs (ets-conf)
are enabled. To disable TLV transmission, use the no form
of the command; for example, no advertise DCBx-tlv pfc
ets-reco.

Default: All TLV types are enabled.
5

Configure the Application Priority TLVs to be advertised
on un-configured interfaces with a manual port-role,
where:
• fcoe enables the advertisement of FCoE in Application
Priority TLVs.
• iscsi enables the advertisement of iSCSI in
Application Priority TLVs.
Default: Application Priority TLVs are enabled and
advertise FCoE and iSCSI.
Note: To disable TLV transmission, use the no form of the
command; for example, no advertise DCBx-appln-tlv iscsi.

For information about how to use FCoE and iSCSI, refer
to FIP Snooping and iSCSI Optimization.
6

Configure the FCoE priority advertised for the FCoE
protocol in Application Priority TLVs.
The priority-bitmap range is from 1 to FF.
Default: 0x8.

[no] fcoe priority-bits
priority-bitmap

PROTOCOL LLDP

7

Configure the iSCSI priority advertised for the iSCSI
protocol in Application Priority TLVs.
The priority-bitmap range is from 1 to FF.
Default: 0x10.

[no] iscsi priority-bits
priority-bitmap

PROTOCOL LLDP

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 329

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

DCBx Error Messages
An error in DCBx operation is displayed using the syslog messages:
LLDP_MULTIPLE_PEER_DETECTED: DCBx is operationally disabled after detecting more than one DCBx
peer on the port interface.
LLDP_PEER_AGE_OUT: DCBx is disabled as a result of LLDP timing out on a DCBx peer interface.
DSM_DCBx_PEER_VERSION_CONFLICT: A local port expected to receive the IEEE, CIN, or CEE version
in a DCBx TLV from a remote peer but received a different, conflicting DCBx version.
DSM_DCBx_PFC_PARAMETERS_MATCH and DSM_DCBx_PFC_PARAMETERS_MISMATCH: A local DCBx port received
a compatible (match) or incompatible (mismatch) PFC configuration from a peer.
DSM_DCBx_ETS_PARAMETERS_MATCH and DSM_DCBx_ETS_PARAMETERS_MISMATCH: A local DCBx port received
a compatible (match) or incompatible (mismatch) ETS configuration from a peer.
LLDP_UNRECOGNISED_DCBx_TLV_RECEIVED: A local DCBx port received an unrecognized DCBx TLV from
a peer.

Debugging DCBx on an Interface
To enabled DCBx debug traces for all or a specific control path, use the following command:

330

|

Task

Command

Command Mode

Enable DCBx debugging, where:
• all: Enables all DCBx debugging operations.
auto-detect-timer: Enables traces for DCBx
auto-detect timers.
• config-exchng: Enables traces for DCBx
configuration exchanges.
• fail: Enables traces for DCBx failures.
• mgmt: Enables traces for DCBx management
frames.
• resource: Enables traces for DCBx system
resource frames.
• sem: Enables traces for the DCBx state machine.
• tlv: Enables traces for DCBx TLVs.

debug DCBx {all | auto-detect-timer
| config-exchng | fail | mgmt |
resource | sem | tlv}

EXEC PRIVILEGE

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Verifying DCB Configuration
Use the show commands in Table 13-2 to display DCB configurations.
Table 13-2.

Displaying DCB Configurations

Command

Output

show dot1p-queue mapping

Displays the current 802.1p priority-queue mapping.

show dcb [stack-unit unit-number]

Displays data center bridging status, number of PFC-enabled ports, and
number of PFC-enabled queues. On the master switch in a stack, you can
specify a stack-unit number. Range is : 0 to 5.

show qos dcb-input [pfc-profile]

Displays the PFC configuration in a DCB input policy.

show qos dcb-output [ets-profile]

Displays the ETS configuration in a DCB output policy.

show qos priority-groups

Displays the ETS priority groups configured on the switch, including the
802.1p priority classes and ID of each group.

show interface port-type slot/port pfc
{summary | detail}

Displays the PFC configuration applied to ingress traffic on an interface,
including priorities and link delay.
To clear PFC TLV counters, use the clear pfc counters interface port-type
slot/port command.

show interface port-type slot/port pfc statistics Displays counters for the PFC frames received and transmitted (by dot1p

priority class) on an interface.
show interface port-type slot/port ets
{summary | detail}

Displays the ETS configuration applied to egress traffic on an interface,
including priority groups with priorities and bandwidth allocation.
To clear ETS TLV counters, enter the clear ets counters interface port-type
slot/port command.

show interface port-type slot/port DCBx detail

Displays the DCBx configuration on an interface.

show stack-unit {0-11 | all} stack ports all pfc Displays the PFC configuration applied to ingress traffic on stack-links,
details
including priorities and link delay.
show stack-unit {0-11 | all} stack ports all ets Displays the ETS configuration applied to ingress traffic on stack-links,
details
including priorities and link delay.

Figure 13-5.

show dot1p-queue mapping Command Example

FTOS(conf)# show dot1p-queue-mapping
Dot1p Priority: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Queue
: 0 0 0 1 2 3 3 3

Figure 13-6.

show dcb Command Example

FTOS# show dcb
stack-unit 0 port-set 0
DCB Status : Enabled
PFC Port Count : 56 (current), 56 (configured)
PFC Queue Count : 2 (current), 2 (configured)

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 331

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 13-7.

show qos dcb-input Command Example

FTOS(conf)# show qos dcb-input
dcb-input pfc-profile
pfc link-delay 32
pfc priority 0-1
dcb-input pfc-profile1
no pfc mode on
pfc priority 6-7

Figure 13-8.

show qos dcb-output Command Example

FTOS# show qos dcb-output
dcb-output ets
priority-group san qos-policy san
priority-group ipc qos-policy ipc
priority-group lan qos-policy lan

Figure 13-9.

show qos priority-groups Command Example

FTOS#show qos priority-groups
priority-group ipc
priority-list 4
set-pgid 2

332

|

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Figure 13-10.

show interfaces pfc summary Command Example

FTOS# show interfaces tengigabitethernet 0/49 pfc
Interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/49
Admin mode is on
Admin is enabled
Remote is enabled, Priority list is 4
Remote Willing Status is enabled
Local is enabled
Oper status is Recommended
PFC DCBx Oper status is Up
State Machine Type is Feature
TLV Tx Status is enabled
PFC Link Delay 45556 pause quantams
Application Priority TLV Parameters :
-------------------------------------FCOE TLV Tx Status is disabled
ISCSI TLV Tx Status is disabled
Local FCOE PriorityMap is 0x8
Local ISCSI PriorityMap is 0x10
Remote FCOE PriorityMap is 0x8
Remote ISCSI PriorityMap is 0x8

summary

FTOS# show interfaces tengigabitethernet 0/49 pfc detail
Interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/49
Admin mode is on
Admin is enabled
Remote is enabled
Remote Willing Status is enabled
Local is enabled
Oper status is recommended
PFC DCBx Oper status is Up
State Machine Type is Feature
TLV Tx Status is enabled
PFC Link Delay 45556 pause quanta
Application Priority TLV Parameters :
-------------------------------------FCOE TLV Tx Status is disabled
ISCSI TLV Tx Status is disabled
Local FCOE PriorityMap is 0x8
Local ISCSI PriorityMap is 0x10
Remote FCOE PriorityMap is 0x8
Remote ISCSI PriorityMap is 0x8
0 Input TLV pkts, 1 Output TLV pkts, 0 Error pkts, 0 Pause Tx pkts, 0 Pause Rx pkts

Table 13-3.

show interface pfc summary Command Description

Field

Description

Interface

Interface type with stack-unit and port number.

Admin mode is on
Admin is enabled

PFC Admin mode is on or off with a list of the configured PFC priorities.
When PFC admin mode is on, PFC advertisements are enabled to be sent and
received from peers; received PFC configuration takes effect.
The admin operational status for a DCBx exchange of PFC configuration is
enabled or disabled.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 333

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 13-3.

334

show interface pfc summary Command Description

Field

|

Description

Remote is enabled, Priority list
Remote Willing Status is
enabled

Operational status (enabled or disabled) of peer device for DCBx exchange of
PFC configuration with a list of the configured PFC priorities.
Willing status of peer device for DCBx exchange (Willing bit received in PFC
TLV): enabled or disabled.

Local is enabled

DCBx operational status (enabled or disabled) with a list of the configured
PFC priorities.

Operational status (local port)

Port state for current operational PFC configuration:
Init: Local PFC configuration parameters were exchanged with peer.
Recommend: Remote PFC configuration parameters were received from
peer.
Internally propagated: PFC configuration parameters were received from
configuration source.

PFC DCBx Oper status

Operational status for exchange of PFC configuration on local port: match
(up) or mismatch (down).

State Machine Type

Type of state machine used for DCBx exchanges of PFC parameters:
Feature - for legacy DCBx versions; Symmetric - for an IEEE version.

TLV Tx Status

Status of PFC TLV advertisements: enabled or disabled.

PFC Link Delay

Link delay (in quanta) used to pause specified priority traffic.

Application Priority TLV:
FCOE TLV Tx Status

Status of FCoE advertisements in application priority TLVs from local DCBx
port: enabled or disabled.

Application Priority TLV:
ISCSI TLV Tx Status

Status of ISCSI advertisements in application priority TLVs from local DCBx
port: enabled or disabled.

Application Priority TLV:
Local FCOE Priority Map

Priority bitmap used by local DCBx port in FCoE advertisements in
application priority TLVs.

Application Priority TLV:
Local ISCSI Priority Map

Priority bitmap used by local DCBx port in ISCSI advertisements in
application priority TLVs.

Application Priority TLV:
Remote FCOE Priority Map

Status of FCoE advertisements in application priority TLVs from remote peer
port: enabled or disabled.

Application Priority TLV:
Remote ISCSI Priority Map

Status of iSCSI advertisements in application priority TLVs from remote peer
port: enabled or disabled.

PFC TLV Statistics:
Input TLV pkts

Number of PFC TLVs received.

PFC TLV Statistics:
Output TLV pkts

Number of PFC TLVs transmitted.

PFC TLV Statistics:
Error pkts

Number of PFC error packets received.

PFC TLV Statistics:
Pause Tx pkts

Number of PFC pause frames transmitted.

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Table 13-3.

show interface pfc summary Command Description

Field
PFC TLV Statistics:
Pause Rx pkts
Figure 13-11.

Description
Number of PFC pause frames received

show interface pfc statistics Command Example

FTOS#show interfaces te 0/0
Interface TenGigabitEthernet
Priority Received PFC Frames
-------- ------------------0
0
1
0
2
0
3
0
4
0
5
0
6
0
7
0

pfc statistics
0/0
Transmitted PFC Frames
---------------------0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 335

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 13-12.

show interface ets summary Command Example

FTOS(conf-qos-policy-out-ets)#do sho int te 0/3 ets de
Interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/3
Max Supported TC Groups is 4
Number of Traffic Classes is 8
Admin mode is on
Admin Parameters :
-----------------Admin is enabled
TC-grp
Priority#
Bandwidth
TSA
-----------------------------------------------0
1
0,1,2
100%
ETS
2
3
0 %
SP
3
4,5,6,7
0 %
SP
4
5
6
7
Remote Parameters :
------------------Remote is disabled
Local Parameters :
-----------------Local is enabled
TC-grp
Priority#
Bandwidth
TSA
-----------------------------------------------0
1
0,1,2
100%
ETS
2
3
0 %
SP
3
4,5,6,7
0 %
SP
4
5
6
7
Oper status is init
ETS DCBx Oper status is Down
State Machine Type is Asymmetric
Conf TLV Tx Status is enabled
Reco TLV Tx Status is enabled
0 Input Conf TLV Pkts, 1955 Output Conf TLV Pkts, 0 Error Conf TLV Pkts
0 Input Reco TLV Pkts, 1955 Output Reco TLV Pkts, 0 Error Reco TLV Pkts

336

|

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

FTOS(conf)# show interfaces tengigabitethernet 0/0 ets detail
Interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/0
Max Supported TC Groups is 4
Number of Traffic Classes is 8
Admin mode is on
Admin Parameters :
-----------------Admin is enabled
TC-grp Priority# Bandwidth TSA
0 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7 100% ETS
1 0% ETS
2 0% ETS
3 0% ETS
4 0% ETS
5 0% ETS
6 0% ETS
7 0% ETS
Priority# Bandwidth TSA
0 13% ETS
1 13% ETS
2 13% ETS
3 13% ETS
4 12% ETS
5 12% ETS
6 12% ETS
7 12% ETS
Remote Parameters:
------------------Remote is disabled
Local Parameters :
-----------------Local is enabled
TC-grp Priority# Bandwidth TSA
0 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7 100% ETS
1 0% ETS
2 0% ETS
3 0% ETS
4 0% ETS
5 0% ETS
6 0% ETS
7 0% ETS
Priority# Bandwidth TSA
0 13% ETS
1 13% ETS
2 13% ETS
3 13% ETS
4 12% ETS
5 12% ETS
6 12% ETS
7 12% ETS
Oper status is init
Conf TLV Tx Status is disabled
Traffic Class TLV Tx Status is disabled
0 Input Conf TLV Pkts, 0 Output Conf TLV Pkts, 0 Error Conf TLV Pkts
0T LIVnput Traffic Class TLV Pkts, 0 Output Traffic Class TLV Pkts, 0 Error Traffic Class
Pkts

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 337

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 13-13.

show interface ets detail Command Example

FTOS(conf)# show interfaces tengigabitethernet 0/0 ets
Interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/0
Max Supported TC Groups is 4
Number of Traffic Classes is 8
Admin mode is on
Admin Parameters :
-----------------Admin is enabled
TC-grp
Priority#
Bandwidth
TSA
0
0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7
100%
ETS
1
0%
ETS
2
0%
ETS
3
0%
ETS
4
0%
ETS
5
0%
ETS
6
0%
ETS
7
0%
ETS
Priority#
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Remote Parameters:
------------------Remote is disabled
Local Parameters :
-----------------Local is enabled
TC-grp
Priority#
0
0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Bandwidth
13%
13%
13%
13%
12%
12%
12%
12%

TSA
ETS
ETS
ETS
ETS
ETS
ETS
ETS
ETS

Bandwidth
100%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%

TSA
ETS
ETS
ETS
ETS
ETS
ETS
ETS
ETS

detail

Priority#
Bandwidth
TSA
0
13%
ETS
1
13%
ETS
2
13%
ETS
3
13%
ETS
4
12%
ETS
5
12%
ETS
6
12%
ETS
7
12%
ETS
Oper status is init
Conf TLV Tx Status is disabled
Traffic Class TLV Tx Status is disabled
0 Input Conf TLV Pkts, 0 Output Conf TLV Pkts, 0 Error Conf TLV Pkts
0 Input Traffic Class TLV Pkts, 0 Output Traffic Class TLV Pkts, 0 Error Traffic Class TLV
Pkts

338

|

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Table 13-4.

show interface ets detail Command Description

Field

Description

Interface

Interface type with stack-unit and port number.

Max Supported TC Group

Maximum number of priority groups supported.

Number of Traffic Classes

Number of 802.1p priorities currently configured.

Admin mode

ETS mode: on or off.
When on, the scheduling and bandwidth allocation configured in an ETS
output policy or received in a DCBx TLV from a peer can take effect on an
interface.

Admin Parameters

ETS configuration on local port, including priority groups, assigned dot1p
priorities, and bandwidth allocation.

Remote Parameters

ETS configuration on remote peer port, including Admin mode (enabled if a
valid TLV was received or disabled), priority groups, assigned dot1p
priorities, and bandwidth allocation. If the ETS Admin mode is enabled on the
remote port for DCBx exchange, the Willing bit received in ETS TLVs from
the remote peer is included.

Local Parameters

ETS configuration on local port, including Admin mode (enabled when a
valid TLV is received from a peer), priority groups, assigned dot1p priorities,
and bandwidth allocation.

Operational status (local port)

Port state for current operational ETS configuration:
Init: Local ETS configuration parameters were exchanged with peer.
Recommend: Remote ETS configuration parameters were received from peer.
Internally propagated: ETS configuration parameters were received from
configuration source.

ETS DCBx Oper status

Operational status of ETS configuration on local port: match or mismatch.

State Machine Type

Type of state machine used for DCBx exchanges of ETS parameters:
Feature - for legacy DCBx versions; Asymmetric - for an IEEE version.

Conf TLV Tx Status

Status of ETS Configuration TLV advertisements: enabled or disabled.

ETS TLV Statistic:
Input Conf TLV pkts

Number of ETS Configuration TLVs received.

ETS TLV Statistic:
Output Conf TLV pkts

Number of ETS Configuration TLVs transmitted.

ETS TLV Statistic:
Error Conf TLV pkts

Number of ETS Error Configuration TLVs received.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 339

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 13-14.

show stack-unit all stack-ports all pfc details Command Example

FTOS(conf)# show stack-unit all

stack-ports all pfc details

stack unit 0 stack-port all
Admin mode is On
Admin is enabled, Priority list is 4-5
Local is enabled, Priority list is 4-5
Link Delay 45556 pause quantum
0 Pause Tx pkts, 0 Pause Rx pkts
stack unit 1 stack-port all
Admin mode is On
Admin is enabled, Priority list is 4-5
Local is enabled, Priority list is 4-5
Link Delay 45556 pause quantum
0 Pause Tx pkts, 0 Pause Rx pkts

Figure 13-15.

show stack-unit all stack-ports all ets details Command Example

FTOS(conf)# show stack-unit all

stack-ports all ets details

Stack unit 0 stack port all
Max Supported TC Groups is 4
Number of Traffic Classes is 1
Admin mode is on
Admin Parameters:
-------------------Admin is enabled
TC-grp
Priority#
Bandwidth
TSA
-----------------------------------------------0
0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7
100%
ETS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Stack unit 1 stack port all
Max Supported TC Groups is 4
Number of Traffic Classes is 1
Admin mode is on
Admin Parameters:
-------------------Admin is enabled
TC-grp
Priority#
Bandwidth
TSA
-----------------------------------------------0
0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7
100%
ETS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
-

340

|

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Figure 13-16.

show interface DCBx detail for ieee Command Example

FTOS(conf-if-te-0/17-lldp)#do sho int te 2/12 dc d
E-ETS Configuration TLV enabled
e-ETS Configuration TLV disabled
R-ETS Recommendation TLV enabled
r-ETS Recommendation TLV disabled
P-PFC Configuration TLV enabled
p-PFC Configuration TLV disabled
F-Application priority for FCOE enabled
f-Application Priority for FCOE disabled
I-Application priority for iSCSI enabled
i-Application Priority for iSCSI disabled
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Interface TenGigabitEthernet 2/12
Remote Mac Address 00:01:e8:8a:df:a0
Port Role is Manual
DCBx Operational Status is Enabled
Is Configuration Source? FALSE
Local DCBx Compatibility mode is IEEEv2.5
Local DCBx Configured mode is IEEEv2.5
Peer Operating version is IEEEv2.5
Local DCBx TLVs Transmitted: ERPFi
1 Input PFC TLV pkts, 2 Output PFC TLV pkts, 0 Error PFC pkts
0 PFC Pause Tx pkts, 0 Pause Rx pkts
1 Input ETS Conf TLV Pkts, 1 Output ETS Conf TLV Pkts, 0 Error ETS Conf TLV Pkts
1 Input ETS Reco TLV pkts, 1 Output ETS Reco TLV pkts, 0 Error ETS Reco TLV Pkts

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 341

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 13-17.

show interface DCBx detail for legacy cee Command Example

FTOS(conf-if-te-0/17-lldp)#do sho int te 1/14 dc d
E-ETS Configuration TLV enabled
e-ETS Configuration TLV disabled
R-ETS Recommendation TLV enabled
r-ETS Recommendation TLV disabled
P-PFC Configuration TLV enabled
p-PFC Configuration TLV disabled
F-Application priority for FCOE enabled
f-Application Priority for FCOE disabled
I-Application priority for iSCSI enabled
i-Application Priority for iSCSI disabled
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Interface TenGigabitEthernet 1/14
Remote Mac Address 00:01:e8:8a:df:a0
Port Role is Auto-Upstream
DCBx Operational Status is Enabled
Is Configuration Source? FALSE
Local DCBx Compatibility mode is CEE
Local DCBx Configured mode is CEE
Peer Operating version is CEE
Local DCBx TLVs Transmitted: ErPFi
Local DCBx Status
----------------DCBx Operational Version is 0
DCBx Max Version Supported is 0
Sequence Number: 1
Acknowledgment Number: 1
Protocol State: In-Sync
Peer DCBx Status:
---------------DCBx Operational Version is 0
DCBx Max Version Supported is 0
Sequence Number: 1
Acknowledgment Number: 1
Total DCBx Frames transmitted 994
Total DCBx Frames received 646
Total DCBx Frame errors 0
Total DCBx Frames unrecognized 0

Table 13-5.

342

|

show interface DCBx detail Command Description

Field

Description

Interface

Interface type with chassis slot and port number.

Port-Role

Configured DCBx port role: auto-upstream, auto-downstream, config-source,
or manual.

DCBx Operational Status

Operational status (enabled or disabled) used to elect a configuration source
and internally propagate a DCB configuration. The DCBx operational status is
the combination of PFC and ETS operational status.

Configuration Source

Specifies whether the port serves as the DCBx configuration source on the
switch: true (yes) or false (no).

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Table 13-5.

show interface DCBx detail Command Description

Field

Description

Local DCBx Compatibility
mode

DCBx version accepted in a DCB configuration as compatible. In
auto-upstream mode, a port can only received a DCBx version supported on
the remote peer.

Local DCBx Configured mode

DCBx version configured on the port: CEE, CIN, IEEE v2.5, or Auto (port
auto-configures to use the DCBx version received from a peer).

Peer Operating version

DCBx version that the peer uses to exchange DCB parameters.

Local DCBx TLVs Transmitted

Transmission status (enabled or disabled) of advertised DCB TLVs (see TLV
code at the top of the show command output).

Local DCBx Status:
DCBx Operational Version

DCBx version advertised in Control TLVs.

Local DCBx Status:
DCBx Max Version Supported

Highest DCBx version supported in Control TLVs.

Local DCBx Status:
Sequence Number

Sequence number transmitted in Control TLVs.

Local DCBx Status:
Acknowledgment Number

Acknowledgement number transmitted in Control TLVs

Local DCBx Status:
Protocol State

Current operational state of DCBx protocol: ACK or IN-SYNC.

Peer DCBx Status:
DCBx Operational Version

DCBx version advertised in Control TLVs received from peer device.

Peer DCBx Status:
DCBx Max Version Supported

Highest DCBx version supported in Control TLVs received from peer device.

Peer DCBx Status:
Sequence Number

Sequence number transmitted in Control TLVs received from peer device.

Peer DCBx Status:
Acknowledgment Number

Acknowledgement number transmitted in Control TLVs received from peer
device.

Total DCBx Frames transmitted

Number of DCBx frames sent from local port.

Total DCBx Frames received

Number of DCBx frames received from remote peer port.

Total DCBx Frame errors

Number of DCBx frames with errors received.

Total DCBx Frames
unrecognized

Number of unrecognizable DCBx frames received.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 343

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

PFC and ETS Configuration Examples
This section contains examples of how to configure and apply DCB input and output policies on an
interface.

Using PFC and ETS to Manage Data Center Traffic
In the following example:
•
•
•

344

|

Incoming SAN traffic is configured for priority-based flow control.
Outbound LAN, IPC, and SAN traffic is mapped into three ETS priority groups and configured for
enhanced traffic selection (bandwidth allocation and scheduling).
One lossless queue is used.

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Figure 13-18.

Example: PFC and ETS Applied to LAN, IPC, and SAN Priority Traffic

QoS Traffic Classification: The service-class dynamic dot1p command has been used in Global
Configuration mode to map ingress dot1p frames to the queues shown in Table 13-6. For more
information, refer to QoS dot1p Traffic Classification and Queue Assignment.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 345

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 13-6.

Example: dot1p-Queue Assignment

dot1p Value in Incoming Frame

Queue Assignment

0

0

1

0

2

0

3

1

4

2

5

3

6

3

7

3

Lossless SAN traffic with dot1p priority 3 is assigned to queue 1. Other traffic types are assigned the
802.1p priorities shown in Table 13-7 and the bandwidth allocations shown in Table 13-8.
Table 13-7.

Example: dot1p-priority class group Assignment

dot1p Value in Incoming Frame

Table 13-8.

0

LAN

1

LAN

2

LAN

3

SAN

4

IPC

5

LAN

6

LAN

7

LAN

Example: priority group-bandwidth Assignment

Priority Group

346

|

Priority Group Assignment

Bandwidth Assignment
IPC

5%

SAN

50%

LAN

45%

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Figure 13-19.

PFC and ETS Configuration Command Example

Configure QoS priority-queue assignment to honor dot1p priorities or use L2 class maps to mark and
map ingress traffic to output queues; for example:
FTOS(conf)# service-class dynamic dot1p
Or
FTOS(conf)# interface tengigabitethernet 0/1
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/1)# service-class dynamic dot1p

Configure a DCB input policy for applying PFC to lossless SAN priority traffic:
FTOS(conf)# dcb-input ipc_san_lan
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-in)# pfc mode on
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-in)# pfc priority 3

Configure an ETS priority group:
FTOS(conf)# priority-group san
FTOS(conf-pg)# priority-list 3
FTOS(conf-pg)# set-pgid 1
FTOS(conf-pg)# exit
FTOS(conf)# priority-group ipc
FTOS(conf-pg)# priority-list 4
FTOS(conf-pg)# set-pgid 2
FTOS(conf-pg)# exit
FTOS(conf)# priority-group lan
FTOS(conf-pg)# priority-list 0-2,5-7
FTOS(conf-pg)# set-pgid 3
FTOS(conf-pg)# exit

Configure an ETS output policy for egress traffic:
FTOS(conf)# qos-policy-output san ets
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-out)# bandwidth-percentage 50
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-out)# exit
FTOS(conf)# qos-policy-output lan ets
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-out)# bandwidth-percentage 45
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-out)# exit
FTOS(conf)# qos-policy-output ipc ets
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-out)# bandwidth-percentage 5
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-out)# exit

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 347

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 13-20.

Example: DCB PFC and ETS Configuration (Continued)

Configure a DCB output policy for applying ETS (bandwidth allocation and scheduling) to IPC, SAN, and
LAN priority traffic:
FTOS(conf)# dcb-output ets
FTOS(conf-dcb-out)# priority-group san qos-policy san
FTOS(conf-dcb-out)# priority-group lan qos-policy lan
FTOS(conf-dcb-out)# priority-group ipc qos-policy ipc

Apply DCB input and output policies to a port interface:
FTOS(conf)# interface tengigabitethernet 0/1
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/1)# dcb-policy input pfc
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/1)# dcb-policy output ets

If the DCBx version is CIN, configure a QoS output policy to specify bandwidth allocation to different
traffic types:
FTOS(conf)# qos-policy-output lan-q0
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-out)# bandwidth-percentage 20
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-out)# exit
FTOS(conf)#q os-policy-output lan-q3
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-out)# bandwidth-percentage 70
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-out)# exit
FTOS(conf)#policy-map-output ets-queues

Create a QoS policy map for DCBx CIN bandwidth allocation:
FTOS(conf)# policy-map-output ets-queues
FTOS(conf-policy-map-out)# service-queue 0 qos-policy lan-q0
FTOS(conf-policy-map-out)# service-queue 3 qos-policy lan-q3

Apply the QoS policy map for DCBx CIN bandwidth allocation to an interface:
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/1)# service-policy output ets-queues

Using PFC and ETS to Manage Converged Ethernet Traffic in
a Switch Stack
Figure 13-21 shows how to apply the DCB PFC input policy (ipc_san_lan) and ETS output policy (ets)
configured in Figure 13-19 and Figure 13-20 on all ports in a switch stack.
Figure 13-21.

Apply DCB PFC Input Policy and ETS Output Policy in a Switch Stack Example

On the stack master, apply DCB PFC input and ETS output policies to all port interfaces on stacked
switches:
FTOS(conf)# dcb-policy output stack-unit all stack-ports all ets
FTOS(conf)# dcb-policy input stack-unit all stack-ports all pfc

348

|

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Hierarchical Scheduling in ETS Output Policies
ETS supports up to three levels of hierarchical scheduling. For example, you can apply ETS output policies
with the following configurations:
•
•
•

Priority group 1 assigns traffic to one priority queue with 20% of the link bandwidth and strict-priority
scheduling.
Priority group 2 assigns traffic to one priority queue with 30% of the link bandwidth.
Priority group 3 assigns traffic to two priority queues with 50% of the link bandwidth and
strict-priority scheduling.

In this example, the configured ETS bandwidth allocation and scheduler behavior is as follows:
•

Unused bandwidth usage: Normally, if there is no traffic or unused bandwidth for a priority group, the
bandwidth allocated to the group is distributed to the other priority groups according to the bandwidth
percentage allocated to each group. However, when three priority groups with different bandwidth
allocations are used on an interface:
• If priority group 3 has free bandwidth, it is distributed as follows: 20% of the free bandwidth to
priority group 1 and 30% of the free bandwidth to priority group 2.
• If priority group 1 or 2 has free bandwidth, (20 + 30)% of the free bandwidth is distributed to
priority group 3. Priority groups 1 and 2 retain whatever free bandwidth remains up to the (20+
30)%.

•

Strict-priority groups: If two priority groups have strict-priority scheduling, traffic assigned from the
priority group with the higher priority-queue number is scheduled first. However, when three priority
groups are used and two groups have strict-priority scheduling (such as groups 1 and 3 in the example),
the strict priority group whose traffic is mapped to one queue takes precedence over the strict priority
group whose traffic is mapped to two queues.

Therefore, in the example, scheduling traffic to priority group 1 (mapped to one strict-priority queue) takes
precedence over scheduling traffic to priority group 3 (mapped to two strict-priority queues).

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 349

350

|

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

14
S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics
The chapter contains the following major sections:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Offline diagnostics
Trace logs
Last restart reason
show hardware commands
Environmental monitoring
Buffer tuning
Troubleshooting packet loss
Application core dumps
Mini core dumps
TCP dumps

Offline diagnostics
The offline diagnostics test suite is useful for isolating faults and debugging hardware.The diagnostics tests
are grouped into three levels:
•
•

•

Level 0—Level 0 diagnostics check for the presence of various components and perform essential path
verifications. In addition, they verify the identification registers of the components on the board.
Level 1—A smaller set of diagnostic tests. Level 1 diagnostics perform status/self-test for all the
components on the board and test their registers for appropriate values. In addition, they perform
extensive tests on memory devices (e.g., SDRAM, flash, NVRAM, EEPROM) wherever possible.
Level 2—The full set of diagnostic tests. Level 2 diagnostics are used primarily for on-board loopback
tests and more extensive component diagnostics. Various components on the board are put into
loopback mode, and test packets are transmitted through those components. These diagnostics also
perform snake tests using VLAN configurations.

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics | 351

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Important Points to Remember
•

You can only perform offline diagnostics on an offline standalone unit or offline member unit of a
stack of three or more. You cannot perform diagnostics on the management or standby unit in a stack
of two or more (Message 1).
Message 1 Offline Diagnostics on Master/Standby Error
Running Diagnostics on master/standby unit is not allowed on stack.

•
•
•
•

Perform offline diagnostics on one stack member at a time.
Diagnostics only test connectivity, not the entire data path.
Diagnostic results are stored on the flash of the unit on which you performed the diagnostics.
When offline diagnostics are complete, the unit or stack member reboots automatically.

Running Offline Diagnostics
1. Place the unit in the offline state using the offline stack-unit command from EXEC Privilege mode, as
shown in Figure 14-1. You cannot enter the command on a Master or Standby stack unit.
The system reboots when the off-line diagnostics complete. This is an automatic process. A
warning message appears when the offline stack-unit command is implemented.
Warning - Diagnostic execution will cause stack-unit to reboot after completion of
diags.
Proceed with Offline-Diags [confirm yes/no]:y

Figure 14-1.

Taking an S-Series Stack Unit Offline

FTOS#offline stack-unit 2
Warning - Diagnostic execution will cause stack-unit to reboot after completion of diags.
Proceed with Offline-Diags [confirm yes/no]:y
5w6d12h: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %CHMGR-2-STACKUNIT_DOWN: Stack unit 2 down - stack unit offline
5w6d12h: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %IFMGR-1-DEL_PORT: Removed port: Gi 2/1-48
FTOS#5w6d12h: %STKUNIT1-S:CP %IFMGR-1-DEL_PORT: Removed port: Gi 2/1-48

2. Use the show system brief command from EXEC Privilege mode to confirm offline status, as shown in
Figure 14-2.

352

|

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics

Figure 14-2.

Verifying the Offline/Online Status of an S-Series Stack Unit

FTOS#show system brief | no-more
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:d6:02:39
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0 Standby
online
S25V
S25V
4.7.7.220
28
1
Management
offline S50N
S50N
4.7.7.220
52
2
Member
online
S25P
S25P
4.7.7.220
28
3
Member
not present
4
Member
not present
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present
-- Module Info -Unit Module No
Status
Module Type
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
0
online
S50-01-10GE-2C
2
0
1
online
S50-01-12G-2S
2
1
0
online
S50-01-10GE-2P
2
1
1
online
S50-01-12G-2S
2
2
0
not present
No Module
0
2
1
offline
S50-01-12G-2S
2
-- Power Supplies -Unit
Bay
Status
Type
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
0
up
AC
0
1
absent
1
0
up
AC
1
1
absent
2
0
up
AC
2
1
absent

3. Start diagnostics on the unit using the command diag, as shown in Figure 14-3. When the tests are
complete, the system displays syslog Message 2, and automatically reboots the unit. Diagnostic results
are printed to a file in the flash using the filename format TestReport-SU-.txt.
Message 2 Offline Diagnostics Complete
FTOS#00:09:32 : Diagnostic test results are stored on file: flash:/TestReport-SU-1.txt
00:09:37: %S50N:1 %DIAGAGT-6-DA_DIAG_DONE: Diags finished on stack unit 1
Diags completed... Rebooting the system now!!!

As shown in Figure 14-3 and Figure 14-4, log messages differ somewhat when diagnostics are done on a
standalone unit and on a stack member.

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics | 353

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 14-3.

Running Offline Diagnostics on an S-Series Standalone Unit

FTOS#diag stack-unit 1 alllevels
Warning - diagnostic execution will cause multiple link flaps on the peer side - advisable
to shut directly connected ports
Proceed with Diags [confirm yes/no]: yes
00:03:35: %S50N:1 %DIAGAGT-6-DA_DIAG_STARTED: Starting diags on stack unit 1
00:03:35 : Approximate time to complete these Diags ... 6 Min
S50N#00:09:32 : Diagnostic test results are stored on file: flash:/TestReport-SU-0.txt
00:09:37: %S50N:0 %DIAGAGT-6-DA_DIAG_DONE: Diags finished on stack unit 0
Diags completed... Rebooting the system now!!!
[reboot output omitted]
S50N#00:01:35: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by

console

dir
Directory of flash:
1

drw-

16384

2

drwx

1536

Jan 01 1980 00:00:00 +00:00 .

3

drw-

512

Aug 15 1996 23:09:48 +00:00 TRACE_LOG_DIR

4

d---

512

Aug 15 1996 23:09:52 +00:00 ADMIN_DIR

5

-rw-

3854

6

-rw-

12632

Feb 29 1996 00:05:22 +00:00 ..

Sep 24 1996 03:43:46 +00:00 startup-config
Nov 05 2008 17:15:16 +00:00 TestReport-SU-1.txt

flash: 3104256 bytes total (3086336 bytes free)

Figure 14-4 shows the output of the master and member units when you run offline diagnostics on a
member unit.
Figure 14-4.

Running Offline Diagnostics on an S-Series Stack Member

[output from master unit]
FTOS#diag stack-unit 2
Warning - the stack unit will be pulled out of the stack for diagnostic execution
Proceed with Diags [confirm yes/no]: yes
Warning - diagnostic execution will cause multiple link flaps on the peer side - advisable
to shut directly connected ports
Proceed with Diags [confirm yes/no]: yes
FTOS#00:03:13: %S25P:2 %DIAGAGT-6-DA_DIAG_STARTED: Starting diags on stack unit 2
00:03:13 : Approximate time to complete these Diags ... 6 Min
00:03:13 : Diagnostic test results will be stored on stack unit 2 file: flash:/
TestReport-SU-2.txt
FTOS#00:03:35: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-2-STACKUNIT_DOWN: Stack unit 2 down - card removed
00:08:50: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-STACKUNITDETECTED: Stack unit 2 present
00:09:00: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-CHECKIN: Checkin from Stack unit 2 (type S25P, 28 ports)
00:09:00: %S25P:2 %CHMGR-0-PS_UP: Power supply 0 in unit 2 is up
00:09:00: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-STACKUNITUP: Stack unit 2 is up
[output from the console of the unit in which diagnostics are performed]
FTOS(stack-member-2)#
Diagnostic test results are stored on file: flash:/TestReport-SU-2.txt
Diags completed... Rebooting the system now!!!

354

|

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics

4. View the results of the diagnostic tests using the command show file flash:// from EXEC Privilege mode,
as shown in Figure 14-5.
Figure 14-5.

Viewing the Results of Offline Diagnostics on a Standalone Unit

FTOS#show file flash://TestReport-SU-0.txt
**********************************S-Series Diagnostics********************
Stack Unit Board Serial Number : DL267160098
CPU Version : MPC8541, Version: 1.1
PLD Version : 5
Diag image based on build : E_MAIN4.7.7.206
Stack Unit Board Voltage levels - 3.300000 V, 2.500000 V, 1.800000 V, 1.250000 V, 1.200000
V, 2.000000 V
Stack Unit Board temperature : 26 Degree C
Stack Unit Number : 0
****************************Stack Unit EEPROM INFO*******************************
********MFG INFO*******************
Data in Chassis Eeprom Mfg Info is listed as...
Vendor Id: 07
Country Code: 01
Date Code: 12172007
Serial Number: DL267160098
Part Number: 7590003600
Product Revision: B
Product Order Number: ${
**************************** LEVEL 0 DIAGNOSTICS**************************
Test 0 - CPLD Presence Test .........................................
Hardware PCB Revision is - Revision B
Test 1 - CPLD Hardware PCB Revision Test ............................
Test 2.000 - CPLD Fan-0 Presence Test ...............................
Test 2.001 - CPLD Fan-1 Presence Test ...............................
Test 2.002 - CPLD Fan-2 Presence Test ...............................
Test 2.003 - CPLD Fan-3 Presence Test ...............................
Test 2.004 - CPLD Fan-4 Presence Test ...............................
Test 2.005 - CPLD Fan-5 Presence Test ...............................
Test 3.000 - CPLD Power Bay-0 Presence Test .........................
Test 3.001 - CPLD Power Bay-1 Presence Test .........................
Test 4 - SDRAM Access Test ..........................................
Test 5 - CPU Access Test ............................................
Test 6 - I2C Temp Access Test CPU Board .............................
Test 7 - I2C Temp Access Test Main Board ............................
Test 8 - RTC Access Test ............................................
--More--

PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
NOT PRESENT
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS

Trace logs
In addition to the syslog buffer, FTOS buffers trace messages which are continuously written by various
FTOS software tasks to report hardware and software events and status information. Each trace message
provides the date, time, and name of the FTOS process. All messages are stored in a ring buffer and can be
saved to a file either manually or automatically upon failover.

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics | 355

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Auto Save on Crash or Rollover
Exception information on for master or standby units is stored in the flash:/TRACE_LOG_DIR directory.
This directory contains files that save trace information when there has been a task crash or timeout.
On a master unit, the TRACE_LOG_DIR files can be reached by FTP or by using the show file command
from the flash://TRACE_LOG_DIR directory.
On a Standby unit, the TRACE_LOG_DIR files can be reached only by using the show file command
from the flash://TRACE_LOG_DIR directory.
Note: Non-management member units do not support this functionality.

Last restart reason
If an S4810 system restarted for some reason (automatically or manually), the show system command
output includes the reason for the restart. The following table shows the reasons displayed in the output
and their corresponding causes.
Table 14-1.

Line card restart causes and reasons

Causes

Displayed Reasons

Remote power cycle of the chassis

push button reset

reload

soft reset

reboot after a crash

soft reset

Hardware watchdog timer
The hardware watchdog command automatically reboots an FTOS switch/router with a single RPM that is
unresponsive. This is a last resort mechanism intended to prevent a manual power cycle.
Table 14-2.

356

|

Hardware Watchdog Command

Command

Description

hardware watchdog

Enable the hardware watchdog mechanism.

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics

show hardware commands
Note: The show hardware command tree is supported on the S4810 and Z9000.

The show hardware command tree consists of EXEC Privilege commands used with the S4810 system.
These commands display information from a hardware sub-component and from hardware-based feature
tables.
Table 14-3 lists the show hardware commands available as of the latest FTOS version on the S4810.
Note: The show hardware commands should only be used under the guidance of Dell Force10 Technical
Assistance Center.

Table 14-3.

show hardware Commands

Command

Description

show hardware stack-unit {0-11} cpu
management statistics

View internal interface status of the stack-unit CPU port which connects to
the external management interface.

show hardware stack-unit {0-11} cpu data-plane
statistics

View driver-level statistics for the data-plane port on the CPU for the
specified stack-unit. It provides insight into the packet types entering the
CPU to see whether CPU-bound traffic is internal (IPC traffic) or network
control traffic, which the CPU must process.

show hardware stack-unit {0-11} buffer
total-buffer

View the modular packet buffers details per stack unit and the mode of
allocation.

show hardware stack-unit {0-11} buffer unit {0-1} View the modular packet buffers details per unit and the mode of
total-buffer
allocation.
show hardware stack-unit {0-11} buffer unit {0-1} View the forwarding plane statistics containing the packet buffer usage per
port {1-64 | all} buffer-info
port per stack unit.
show hardware stack-unit {0-11} buffer unit {0-1} View the forwarding plane statistics containing the packet buffer statistics
port {1-64} queue {0-14 | all} buffer-info
per COS per port.
show hardware stack-unit {0-11} cpu party-bus
statistics

View input and output statistics on the party bus, which carries
inter-process communication traffic between CPUs.

show hardware stack-unit {0-11} drops unit {0-1} View the ingress and egress internal packet-drop counters, MAC counters
port {1-64}
drop, and FP packet drops for the stack unit on per port basis. It assists in

identifying the stack unit/port pipe/port that may experience internal drops.
show hardware stack-unit {0-11} stack-port
{0-64}

View the input and output statistics for a stack-port interface.

show hardware stack-unit {0-11} unit {0-1}
counters

View the counters in the field processors of the stack unit.

show hardware stack-unit {0-11} unit {0-1} details View the details of the FP Devices, and Hi gig ports on the stack-unit.
show hardware stack-unit {0-11} unit {0-1}
execute-shell-cmd {command}

Execute a specified bShell commands from the CLI without going into the
bShell.

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics | 357

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 14-3.

show hardware Commands

Command

Description

show hardware stack-unit {0-11} unit {0-1}
ipmc-replication

View the Multicast IPMC replication table from the bShell.

show hardware stack-unit {0-11} unit {0-1}
port-stats [detail]

View the internal statistics for each port-pipe (unit) on per port basis.

show hardware stack-unit {0-11} unit {0-1}
register

View the stack-unit internal registers for each port-pipe.

show hardware stack-unit {0-11} unit {0-1}
table-dump {table name}

View the tables from the bShell through the CLI without going into the
bShell.

Environmental monitoring
The S4810 components use environmental monitoring hardware to detect transmit power readings, receive
power readings, and temperature updates. To receive periodic power updates, the enable optic-info-update
interval command must be enabled. The output in Figure 14-6 displays the environment status of the RPM.
Figure 14-6.

show interfaces transceiver Command Example

FTOS#show interfaces
-- RPM Environment Status -Slot Status
Temp
Voltage
-------------------------------------0
active
33C
ok
1
not present

Recognize an over-temperature condition
An over-temperature condition occurs, for one of two reasons:
•
•

The card genuinely is too hot.
A sensor has malfunctioned.

Inspect cards adjacent to the one reporting the condition to discover the cause.
•
•

If directly adjacent cards are not normal temperature, suspect a genuine overheating condition.
If directly adjacent cards are normal temperature, suspect a faulty sensor.

When the system detects a genuine over-temperature condition, it powers off the card. To recognize this
condition, look for the system messages in Message 3.
Message 3 Over Temperature Condition System Messages
CHMGR-2-MAJOR_TEMP: Major alarm: chassis temperature high (temperature reaches or exceeds threshold of
[value]C)
CHMGR-2-TEMP_SHUTDOWN_WARN: WARNING! temperature is [value]C; approaching shutdown threshold of [value]C

358

|

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics

To view the programmed alarm thresholds levels, including the shutdown value, execute the show alarms
threshold command shown in Figure 14-7.
Figure 14-7.

show alarms threshold Command Example

FTOS#show alarms threshold
-- Temperature Limits (deg C) ---------------------------------------------------------------Minor
Minor Off
Major
Major Off
Shutdown
Linecard
75
70
80
77
85
RPM
65
60
75
70
80
FTOS#

Troubleshoot an over-temperature condition
To troubleshoot an over-temperature condition:
1. Use the show environment commands to monitor the temperature levels.
2. Check air flow through the system. On the C-Series, air flows sideways from right to left. Ensure the
air ducts are clean and that all fans are working correctly.
3. Once the software has determined that the temperature levels are within normal limits, the card can be
re-powered safely. Use the power-on command in EXEC mode to bring the line card back online.
In addition, Dell Force10 requires that you install blanks in all slots without a line card to control airflow
for adequate system cooling.
Note: Exercise care when removing a card; if it has exceeded the major or shutdown thresholds, the card
could be hot to the touch!

Recognize an under-voltage condition
If the system detects an under-voltage condition and declares an alarm. To recognize this condition, look
for the system messages in Message 4.
Message 4 Under-voltage Condition System Messages
%CHMGR-1-CARD_SHUTDOWN: Major alarm: Line card 2 down - auto-shutdown due to under voltage

This message in Message 4 indicates that the specified card is not receiving enough power. In response, the
system first shuts down Power over Ethernet (PoE). If the under-voltage condition persists, line cards are
shut down, then RPMs.

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics | 359

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Troubleshoot an under-voltage condition
To troubleshoot an under-voltage condition, check that the correct number of power supplies are installed
and their Status LEDs are lit.
The SNMP traps and OIDs in Table 14-4 provide information on S-Series environmental monitoring
hardware and hardware components.
Table 14-4.

SNMP Traps and OIDs

OID String

OID Name

Description

chSysPortXfpRecvPower

OID to display the receiving power of the connected
optics.

chSysPortXfpTxPower

OID to display the transmitting power of the
connected optics.

chSysPortXfpRecvTemp

OID to display the Temperature of the connected
optics.
Note: These OIDs will only be generated if the
CLI command enable optic-info-update-interval is
enabled.

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.16.1.1.4

fpPacketBufferTable

View the modular packet buffers details per stack
unit and the mode of allocation.

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.16.1.1.5

fpStatsPerPortTable

View the forwarding plane statistics containing the
packet buffer usage per port per stack unit.

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.16.1.1.6

fpStatsPerCOSTable

View the forwarding plane statistics containing the
packet buffer statistics per COS per port.

Receiving power
.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.10.1.2.5.1.6
Transmitting power
.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.10.1.2.5.1.8
Temperature
.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.10.1.2.5.1.7

Hardware MIB Buffer Statistics

Buffer tuning
Buffer Tuning allows you to modify the way your switch allocates buffers from its available memory, and
helps prevent packet drops during a temporary burst of traffic. The S-Series ASICs implement the key
functions of queuing, feature lookups, and forwarding lookups in hardware.
•

360

|

Forwarding Processor (FP) ASICs provide Ethernet MAC functions, queueing and buffering, as well
as store feature and forwarding tables for hardware-based lookup and forwarding decisions. 1G and
10G interfaces use different FPs.

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics

Table 14-5 describes the type and number of ASICs per platform.
Table 14-5.

ASICS by Platform

Hardware

FP

CSF

S50N, S50V

2

0

S25V, S25P, S25N

1

0

You can tune buffers at three locations, as shown in Figure 14-8.
1. CSF – Output queues going from the CSF.
2. FP Uplink—Output queues going from the FP to the CSF IDP links.
3. Front-End Link—Output queues going from the FP to the front-end PHY.
All ports support eight queues, 4 for data traffic and 4 for control traffic. All 8 queues are tunable.
Physical memory is organized into cells of 128 bytes. The cells are organized into two buffer pools—
dedicated buffer and dynamic buffer.
•

•

•
•
•

Dedicated buffer is reserved memory that cannot be used by other interfaces on the same ASIC or by
other queues on the same interface. This buffer is always allocated, and no dynamic recarving takes
place based on changes in interface status. Dedicated buffers introduce a trade-off. They provide each
interface with a guaranteed minimum buffer to prevent an overused and congested interface from
starving all other interfaces. However, this minimum guarantee means the buffer manager does not
reallocate the buffer to an adjacent congested interface, which means that in some cases, memory is
underused.
Dynamic buffer is shared memory that is allocated as needed, up to a configured limit. Using dynamic
buffers provides the benefit of statistical buffer sharing. An interface requests dynamic buffers when
its dedicated buffer pool is exhausted. The buffer manager grants the request based on three
conditions:
The number of used and available dynamic buffers
The maximum number of cells that an interface can occupy
Available packet pointers (2k per interface). Each packet is managed in the buffer using a unique
packet pointer. Thus, each interface can manage up to 2k packets.

You can configure dynamic buffers per port on both 1G and 10G FPs and per queue on CSFs. By default,
the FP dynamic buffer allocation is 10 times oversubscribed. For the 48-port 1G card:
•
•
•

Dynamic Pool= Total Available Pool(16384 cells) – Total Dedicated Pool = 5904 cells
Oversubscription ratio = 10
Dynamic Cell Limit Per port = 59040/29 = 2036 cells

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics | 361

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 14-8.

Buffer Tuning Points

CSF Unit 3

1
IDP Switch Links
2

FP Unit 1

3

Front-end Links

PHY

PHY

Deciding to tune buffers
Dell Force10 recommends exercising caution when configuring any non-default buffer settings, as tuning
can significantly affect system performance. The default values work for most cases.
As a guideline, consider tuning buffers if traffic is very bursty (and coming from several interfaces). In this
case:
•
•
•

362

|

Reduce the dedicated buffer on all queues/interfaces.
Increase the dynamic buffer on all interfaces.
Increase the cell pointers on a queue that you are expecting will receive the largest number of packets.

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics

Buffer tuning commands
Task

Command

Command Mode

Define a buffer profile for the FP queues.

buffer-profile fp fsqueue

CONFIGURATION

Define a buffer profile for the CSF queues.

buffer-profile csf csqueue

CONFIGURATION

Change the dedicated buffers on a physical 1G
interface.

buffer dedicated

BUFFER PROFILE

Change the maximum amount of dynamic buffers
an interface can request.

buffer dynamic

BUFFER PROFILE

Change the number of packet-pointers per queue.

buffer packet-pointers

BUFFER PROFILE

Apply the buffer profile to a line card.

buffer fp-uplink linecard

CONFIGURATION

Apply the buffer profile to a CSF to FP link.

buffer csf linecard

CONFIGURATION

FTOS Behavior: If you attempt to apply a buffer profile to a non-existent port-pipe, FTOS displays the following
message. However, the configuration still appears in the running-config.
%DIFFSERV-2-DSA_BUFF_CARVING_INVALID_PORT_SET: Invalid FP port-set 2 for linecard 2. Valid range of
port-set is <0-1>

Configuration changes take effect immediately and appear in the running configuration. Since under
normal conditions all ports do not require the maximum possible allocation, the configured dynamic
allocations can exceed the actual amount of available memory; this is called oversubscription. If you
choose to oversubscribe the dynamic allocation, a burst of traffic on one interface might prevent other
interfaces from receiving the configured dynamic allocation, which causes packet loss.
You cannot allocate more than the available memory for the dedicated buffers. If the system determines
that the sum of the configured dedicated buffers allocated to the queues is more than the total available
memory, the configuration is rejected, returning a syslog message similar to the following.
Table 14-6.

Buffer Allocation Error

00:04:20: %S50N:0 %DIFFSERV-2-DSA_DEVICE_BUFFER_UNAVAILABLE: Unable to allocate dedicated buffers for
stack-unit 0, port pipe 0, egress port 25 due to unavailability of cells

FTOS Behavior: When you remove a buffer-profile using the command no buffer-profile [fp | csf] from
CONFIGURATION mode, the buffer-profile name still appears in the output of show buffer-profile [detail | summary].
After a line card reset, the buffer profile correctly returns to the default values, but the profile name remains.
Remove it from the show buffer-profile [detail | summary] command output by entering no buffer [fp-uplink |csf] linecard
port-set buffer-policy from CONFIGURATION mode and no buffer-policy from INTERFACE mode.

Display the allocations for any buffer profile using the show commands in Figure 14-10. Display the
default buffer profile using the command show buffer-profile {summary | detail} from EXEC Privilege mode, as
shown in Figure 14-9.

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics | 363

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 14-9.

Display the Default Buffer Profile

FTOS#show buffer-profile detail interface gigabitethernet 0/1
Interface Gi 0/1
Buffer-profile Dynamic buffer 194.88 (Kilobytes)
Queue#
Dedicated Buffer
Buffer Packets
(Kilobytes)
0
2.50
256
1
2.50
256
2
2.50
256
3
2.50
256
4
9.38
256
5
9.38
256
6
9.38
256
7
9.38
256

Figure 14-10.

Displaying Buffer Profile Allocations

FTOS#show running-config interface tengigabitethernet 2/0 !
interface TenGigabitEthernet 2/0
no ip address
mtu 9252
switchport
no shutdown
buffer-policy myfsbufferprofile
FTOS#sho buffer-profile detail int gi 0/10
Interface Gi 0/10
Buffer-profile fsqueue-fp
Dynamic buffer 1256.00 (Kilobytes)
Queue#
Dedicated Buffer
Buffer Packets
(Kilobytes)
0
3.00
256
1
3.00
256
2
3.00
256
3
3.00
256
4
3.00
256
5
3.00
256
6
3.00
256
7
3.00
256
FTOS#sho buffer-profile detail fp-uplink stack-unit 0 port-set 0
Linecard 0 Port-set 0
Buffer-profile fsqueue-hig
Dynamic Buffer 1256.00 (Kilobytes)
Queue#
Dedicated Buffer
Buffer Packets
(Kilobytes)
0
3.00
256
1
3.00
256
2
3.00
256
3
3.00
256
4
3.00
256
5
3.00
256
6
3.00
256
7
3.00
256

364

|

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics

Using a pre-defined buffer profile
FTOS provides two pre-defined buffer profiles, one for single-queue (i.e non-QoS) applications, and one
for four-queue (i.e QoS) applications.
Task

Command

Mode

Apply one of two pre-defined buffer profiles for all port
pipes in the system.

buffer-profile global [1Q|4Q]

CONFIGURATION

You must reload the system for the global buffer profile to take effect (Message 5).
Message 5 Reload After Applying Global Buffer Profile
% Info: For the global pre-defined buffer profile to take effect, please save the config and reload the
system.

FTOS Behavior: After you configure buffer-profile global 1Q, Message 5 is displayed during every bootup. Only one
reboot is required for the configuration to take effect; afterwards this bootup message may be ignored.

FTOS Behavior: The buffer profile does not returned to the default, 4Q, if you configure 1Q, save the
running-config to the startup-config, and then delete the startup-config and reload the chassis. The only way to
return to the default buffer profile is to explicitly configure 4Q, and then reload the chassis.

The buffer-profile global command fails if you have already applied a custom buffer profile on an interface.
Message 6 Global Buffer Profile Error
% Error: User-defined buffer profile already applied. Failed to apply global pre-defined buffer profile.
Please remove all user-defined buffer profiles.

Similarly, when buffer-profile global is configured, you cannot not apply a buffer profile on any single
interface.
Message 7 Global Buffer Profile Error
% Error: Global pre-defined buffer profile already applied. Failed to apply user-defined buffer profile
on interface Gi 0/1. Please remove global pre-defined buffer profile.

If the default buffer profile (4Q) is active, FTOS displays an error message instructing you to remove the
default configuration using the command no buffer-profile global.

Sample buffer profile configuration
The two general types of network environments are sustained data transfers and voice/data. Dell Force10
recommends a single-queue approach for data transfers, as shown in Figure 14-11.

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics | 365

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 14-11.

Single Queue Application for S50N with Default Packet Pointers

!
buffer-profile fp fsqueue-fp
buffer dedicated queue0 3 queue1 3 queue2 3 queue3 3 queue4 3 queue5 3 queue6 3 queue7 3
buffer dynamic 1256
!
buffer-profile fp fsqueue-hig
buffer dedicated queue0 3 queue1 3 queue2 3 queue3 3 queue4 3 queue5 3 queue6 3 queue7 3
buffer dynamic 1256
!
buffer fp-uplink stack-unit 0 port-set 0 buffer-policy fsqueue-hig
buffer fp-uplink stack-unit 0 port-set 1 buffer-policy fsqueue-hig
!
Interface range gi 0/1 - 48
buffer-policy fsqueue-fp
FTOS#sho run int gi 0/10
!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/10
no ip address

Troubleshooting packet loss
The show hardware stack-unit command is intended primarily to troubleshoot packet loss.
•
•
•
•

show hardware stack-unit cpu data-plane statistics
show hardware stack-unit cpu party-bus statistics
show hardware stack-unit 0-11 drops unit 0-1 port 0-63
show hardware stack-unit 0-11 stack-port 48-51

•

show hardware stack-unit 0-11 unit 0-1 {counters | details | port-stats [detail] | register | execute-shell-cmd |
ipmc-replication | table-dump}:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

show hardware {layer2| layer3} {e.g. acl |in acl} stack-unit 0-11 port-set 0-1
show hardware layer3 qos stack-unit 0-7 port-set 0-1
show hardware ipv6 {e.g.-acl |in-acl} stack-unit 0-11 port-set 0-1
show hardware system-flow layer2 stack-unit 0-11 port-set 0-1 [counters]
clear hardware stack-unit 0-11 counters
clear hardware stack-unit 0-11 unit 0-1 counters
clear hardware stack-unit 0-11 cpu data-plane statistics
clear hardware stack-unit 0-11 cpu party-bus statistics
clear hardware stack-unit 0-11 stack-port 48-51

Displaying Drop Counters
The show hardware stack-unit 0–11 drops [unit 0 [port 0–63]] command assists in identifying which stack unit,
port pipe, and port is experiencing internal drops, as shown in Figure 14-12 and Figure 14-13.

366

|

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics

Figure 14-12.

Displaying Drop Counter Statistics

FTOS#show hardware stack-unit 0 drops
UNIT No: 0
Total Ingress Drops :0
Total IngMac Drops :0
Total Mmu Drops :0
Total EgMac Drops :0
Total Egress Drops :0
UNIT No: 1
Total Ingress Drops :0
Total IngMac Drops :0
Total Mmu Drops :0
Total EgMac Drops :0
Total Egress Drops :0
FTOS#show hardware stack-unit 0 drops unit 0
Port# :Ingress Drops :IngMac Drops :Total Mmu Drops :EgMac Drops :Egress
Drops
1 0 0 0 0 0
2 0 0 0 0 0
3 0 0 0 0 0
4 0 0 0 0 0
5 0 0 0 0 0
6 0 0 0 0 0
7 0 0 0 0 0
8 0 0 0 0 0

Display drop counters with the show hardware stack-unit drops unit port command:

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics | 367

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 14-13.

Displaying Buffer Statistics, Displaying Drop Counters

FTOS#show hardware stack-unit
--- Ingress Drops
--Ingress Drops
IBP CBP Full Drops
PortSTPnotFwd Drops
IPv4 L3 Discards
Policy Discards
Packets dropped by FP
(L2+L3) Drops
Port bitmap zero Drops
Rx VLAN Drops

0 drops unit 0 port 1
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

30
0
0
0
0
14
0
16
0

--- Ingress MAC counters--Ingress FCSDrops
Ingress MTUExceeds

: 0
: 0

--- MMU Drops
HOL DROPS
TxPurge CellErr
Aged Drops

: 0
: 0
: 0

---

--- Egress MAC counters--Egress FCS Drops

: 0

--- Egress FORWARD PROCESSOR Drops
IPv4 L3UC Aged & Drops
: 0
TTL Threshold Drops
: 0
INVALID VLAN CNTR Drops
: 0
L2MC Drops
: 0
PKT Drops of ANY Conditions
: 0
Hg MacUnderflow
: 0
TX Err PKT Counter
: 0

---

Dataplane Statistics
The show hardware stack-unit cpu data-plane statistics command provides insight into the packet types coming
to the CPU. As shown in Figure 14-14, the command output has been augmented, providing detailed RX/
TX packet statistics on a per-queue basis. The objective is to see whether CPU-bound traffic is internal
(so-called party bus or IPC traffic) or network control traffic, which the CPU must process.

368

|

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics

Figure 14-14.

Displaying Buffer Statistics, Displaying Dataplane Statistics

FTOS#show hardware stack-unit 2 cpu data-plane statistics
bc pci driver statistics for device:
rxHandle
:0
noMhdr
:0
noMbuf
:0
noClus
:0
recvd
:0
dropped
:0
recvToNet
:0
rxError
:0
rxDatapathErr
:0
rxPkt(COS0)
:0
rxPkt(COS1)
:0
rxPkt(COS2)
:0
rxPkt(COS3)
:0
rxPkt(COS4)
:0
rxPkt(COS5)
:0
rxPkt(COS6)
:0
rxPkt(COS7)
:0
rxPkt(UNIT0)
:0
rxPkt(UNIT1)
:0
rxPkt(UNIT2)
:0
rxPkt(UNIT3)
:0
transmitted
:0
txRequested
:0
noTxDesc
:0
txError
:0
txReqTooLarge
:0
txInternalError :0
txDatapathErr
:0
txPkt(COS0)
:0
txPkt(COS1)
:0
txPkt(COS2)
:0
txPkt(COS3)
:0
txPkt(COS4)
:0
txPkt(COS5)
:0
txPkt(COS6)
:0
txPkt(COS7)
:0
txPkt(UNIT0)
:0

The show hardware stack-unit cpu party-bus statistics command displays input and output statistics on the party
bus, which carries inter-process communication traffic between CPUs, as shown in Figure 14-15.
Figure 14-15.

Displaying Party Bus Statistics

FTOS#sh hardware stack-unit 2 cpu party-bus statistics
Input Statistics:
27550 packets, 2559298 bytes
0 dropped, 0 errors
Output Statistics:
1649566 packets, 1935316203 bytes
0 errors

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics | 369

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Displaying Stack Port Statistics
The show hardware stack-unit stack-port command displays input and output statistics for a stack-port
interface, as shown in Figure 14-16.
Figure 14-16.

Displaying Stack Unit Statistics

FTOS#show hardware stack-unit 2 stack-port 49
Input Statistics:
27629 packets, 3411731 bytes
0 64-byte pkts, 27271 over 64-byte pkts, 207 over 127-byte pkts
17 over 255-byte pkts, 56 over 511-byte pkts, 78 over 1023-byte pkts
0 Multicasts, 5 Broadcasts
0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
0 CRC, 0 overrun, 0 discarded
Output Statistics:
1649714 packets, 1948622676 bytes, 0 underruns
0 64-byte pkts, 27234 over 64-byte pkts, 107970 over 127-byte pkts
34 over 255-byte pkts, 504838 over 511-byte pkts, 1009638 over 1023-byte pkts
0 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts, 1649714 Unicasts
0 throttles, 0 discarded, 0 collisions
Rate info (interval 45 seconds):
Input 00.00 Mbits/sec,
2 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
Output 00.06 Mbits/sec,
8 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
FTOS#

Displaying Stack Member Counters
The show hardware stack-unit 0–11 {counters | details | port-stats [detail] | register} command displays internal
receive and transmit statistics, based on the selected command option. A sample of the output is shown for
the counters option in Figure 14-17.
Figure 14-17.
RIPC4.ge0
RUC.ge0
RDBGC0.ge0
RDBGC1.ge0
RDBGC5.ge0
RDBGC7.ge0
GR64.ge0
GR127.ge0
GR255.ge0
GRPKT.ge0
GRBYT.ge0
GRMCA.ge0
GRBCA.ge0
GT64.ge0
GT127.ge0
GT255.ge0
GT511.ge0
GTPKT.ge0
GTBCA.ge0
GTBYT.ge0
RUC.cpu0
TDBGC6.cpu0

370

|

Displaying Stack Unit Counters
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics

1,202
1,224
34
366
16
18
5,176
1,566
4
1,602
117,600
366
12
4
964
4
1
973
1
71,531
972
1,584

+1,202
+1,217
+24
+235
+12
+12
+24
+1,433
+4
+1,461
+106,202
+235
+9
+3
+964
+4
+1
+972
+1
+71,467
+971
+1,449=

Application core dumps
Application core dumps are disabled by default. A core dump file can be very large. Due to memory
requirements the file can only be sent directly to an FTP server. It is not stored on the local flash. Enable
full application core dumps with the following:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable RPM core dumps and specify the
shutdown mode.

logging coredump server

CONFIGURATION

Undo this command using the no logging coredump server.

Mini core dumps
FTOS supports mini core dumps on the for application and kernel crashes. The mini core dump apply to
Master, Standby and Member units.
Application and kernel mini core dumps are always enabled. The mini core dumps contain the stack space
and some other very minimal information that can be used to debug a crash. These files are small files and
are written into flash until space is exhausted. When the flash is full, the write process is stopped.
A mini core dump contains critical information in the event of a crash. Mini core dump files are located in
flash:/ (root dir). The application mini core file name format is f10StkUnit..acore.mini.txt. The kernel mini core file name format is f10StkUnit.kcore.mini.txt.
Sample files names are shown in Figure 14-18 and sample file text is shown in Figure 14-19.
Figure 14-18.

Mini application core file naming example

FTOS#dir
Directory of flash:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

drwdrwx
drwd---rw-rw-rw-rw-rw-rw-rw-rw-rw-

16384
1536
512
512
8693
8693
156
156
156
156
156
156
156

Jan
Sep
Aug
Aug
Sep
Sep
Aug
Aug
Aug
Aug
Aug
Aug
Aug

01
03
07
07
03
03
28
28
28
28
31
29
31

1980
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009

00:00:00
16:51:02
13:05:58
13:06:00
16:50:56
16:44:22
16:16:10
17:17:24
18:25:18
19:07:36
16:18:50
14:28:34
16:14:56

+00:00
+00:00
+00:00
+00:00
+00:00
+00:00
+00:00
+00:00
+00:00
+00:00
+00:00
+00:00
+00:00

.
..
TRACE_LOG_DIR
ADMIN_DIR
startup-config
startup-config.bak
f10StkUnit0.mrtm.acore.mini.txt
f10StkUnit0.vrrp.acore.mini.txt
f10StkUnit0.sysd.acore.mini.txt
f10StkUnit0.frrp.acore.mini.txt
f10StkUnit2.sysd.acore.mini.txt
f10StkUnit0.ipm1.acore.mini.txt
f10StkUnit0.acl.acore.mini.txt

flash: 3104256 bytes total (2959872 bytes free)
FTOS#

When a member or standby unit crashes, the mini core file gets uploaded to master unit. When the master
unit crashes, the mini core file is uploaded to new master.

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics | 371

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 14-19.

Mini core text file example

VALID MAGIC
------------------------PANIC STRING ----------------panic string is :
----------------------STACK TRACE START--------------0035d60c :
00274f8c :
0024e2b0 :
0024dee8 :
0024d9c4 :
002522b0 :
0026a8d0 :
0026a00c :
------------------------STACK TRACE END------------------------------------------FREE MEMORY--------------uvmexp.free = 0x2312

The panic string contains key information regarding the crash. Several panic string types exist, and they are
displayed in regular English text to enable easier understanding of the crash cause.

TCP dumps
TCP dump captures CPU bound control plane traffic to improve troubleshooting and system
manageability. When enabled, a TCP dump captures all the packets on the local CPU, as specified in the
CLI.
The traffic capture files can be saved to flash, to FTP, SCP, or TFTP. The files saved on the flash are
located in the flash://TCP_DUMP_DIR/Tcpdump_/ directory, and labeled tcpdump_*.pcap.
There can be up to 20 Tcpdump_ directories. The file after 20 overwrites the oldest
saved file. The maximum file size for a TCP dump capture is 1MB. When a file reaches 1MB, a new file is
created, up to the specified total number of files.
Maximize the number of packets recorded in a file by specifying the snap-length to capture the file headers
only.
The tcpdump CLI has a finite run process. When the command is enabled, it will run until the
capture-duration timer and/or the packet-count counter threshold is met. If no threshold is set, the system
uses a default of 5 minute capture-duration and/or a single 1k file as the stopping point for the dump.
The capture-duration timer and the packet-count counter can be used at the same time. The TCP dump stops
when the first of the thresholds is met. That means that even if the duration timer is 9000 seconds, if the
maximum file count parameter is met first, the dumps stop.

372

|

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable a TCP dump for CPU bound traffic.

tcpdump cp [capture-duration time | filter
expression | max-file-count value |
packet-count value | snap-length value |
write-to path]

CONFIGURATION

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics | 373

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
374

|

S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics

Skippy812

15
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is available on platforms: e c s z
This chapter contains the following sections:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Protocol Overview
Implementation Information
Configuration Tasks
Configure the System to be a DHCP Server
Configure the System to be a Relay Agent
Configure the System for User Port Stacking
Configure Secure DHCP

Protocol Overview
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is an application layer protocol that dynamically assigns IP
addresses and other configuration parameters to network end-stations (hosts) based on configuration
policies determined by network administrators. DHCP:
•
•

relieves network administrators of manually configuring hosts, which is a can be a tedious and
error-prone process when hosts often join, leave, and change locations on the network.
reclaims IP addresses that are no longer in use to prevent address exhaustion.

DHCP is based on a client-server model. A host discovers the DHCP server and requests an IP address, and
the server either leases or permanently assigns one. There are three types of devices that are involved in
DHCP negotiation:
•
•
•

DHCP Server—a network device offering configuration parameters to the client
DHCP Client—a network device requesting configuration parameters from the server
Relay agent—an intermediary network device that passes DHCP messages between the client and
server when the server is not on the same subnet as the host

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) | 375

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

DHCP Packet Format and Options
DHCP uses UDP as its transport protocol. The server listens on port 67 and transmits to port 68; the client
listens on port 68 and dhcp snoopingtransmits to port 67. The configuration parameters are carried as
options in the DHCP packet in Type, Length, Value (TLV) format; many options are specified in RFC
2132. To limit the number of parameters that servers must provide, hosts specify the parameters that they
require, and the server sends only those; some common options are given in Table 15-1.
Figure 15-1.
op

DHCP Packet Format

htype

hlen

hops

xid

flags

secs

ciaddr

yiaddr

siaddr

giaddr

chaddr

sname

Code

Table 15-1.

376

|

options

file

Length

Value

Common DHCP Options

Option

Code

Description

Subnet Mask

1

Specifies the client’s subnet mask.

Router

3

Specifies the router IP addresses that may serve as the client’s default
gateway.

Domain Name Server

6

Specifies the DNS servers that are available to the client.

Domain Name

15

Specifies the domain name that clients should use when resolving hostnames
via DNS.

IP Address Lease Time

51

Specifies the amount of time that the client is allowed to use an assigned IP
address.

DHCP Message Type

53

1: DHCPDISCOVER
2: DHCPOFFER
3: DHCPREQUEST
4: DHCPDECLINE
5: DHCPACK
6: DHCPNACK
7: DHCPRELEASE
8: DHCPINFORM

Parameter Request List

55

Clients use this option to tell the server which parameters it requires. It is a
series of octets where each octet is DHCP option code.

Renewal Time

58

Specifies the amount of time after the IP address is granted that the client
attempts to renew its lease with the original server.

Rebinding Time

59

Specifies the amount of time after the IP address is granted that the client
attempts to renew its lease with any server, if the original server does not
respond.

End

255

Signals the last option in the DHCP packet.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

Assigning an IP Address using DHCP
When a client joins a network:
1. The client initially broadcasts a DHCPDISCOVER message on the subnet to discover available
DHCP servers. This message includes the parameters that the client requires and might include
suggested values for those parameters.
2. Servers unicast or broadcast a DHCPOFFER message in response to the DHCPDISCOVER that
offers to the client values for the requested parameters. Multiple servers might respond to a single
DHCPDISCOVER; the client might wait a period of time and then act on the most preferred offer.
3. The client broadcasts a DHCPREQUEST message in response to the offer, requesting the offered
values.
4. Upon receiving a DHCPREQUEST, the server binds the clients’ unique identifier (the hardware
address plus IP address) to the accepted configuration parameters and stores the data in a database
called a binding table. The server then broadcasts a DHCPACK message, which signals to the client
that it may begin using the assigned parameters.
5. When the client leaves the network, or the lease time expires, returns its IP address to the server in a
DHCPRELEASE message.
There are additional messages that are used in case the DHCP negotiation deviates from the process
previously described and shown in the illustration below.
•

•
•

DHCPDECLINE—A client sends this message to the server in response to a DHCPACK if the
configuration parameters are unacceptable, for example, if the offered address is already in use. In this
case, the client starts the configuration process over by sending a DHCPDISCOVER.
DHCPINFORM—A client uses this message to request configuration parameters when it assigned an
IP address manually rather than with DHCP. The server responds by unicast.
DHCPNAK—A server sends this message to the client if it is not able to fulfill a DHCPREQUEST,
for example if the requested address is already in use. In this case, the client starts the configuration
process over by sending a DHCPDISCOVER.

Client

Relay Agent

Server

1. DHCPDISCOVER
2. DHCPOFFER
3. DHCPREQUEST
4. DHCPACK
5. DHCPRELEASE

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) | 377

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Implementation Information
•
•

The Dell Force10 implementation of DHCP is based on RFC 2131 and RFC 3046.
IP Source Address Validation is a sub-feature of DHCP Snooping; FTOS uses ACLs internally to
implement this feature and as such, you cannot apply ACLs to an interface which has IP Source
Address Validation. If you configure IP Source Address Validation on a member port of a VLAN and
then attempt to apply a access list to the VLAN, FTOS displays the first line in Message 1. If you first
apply an ACL to a VLAN and then attempt enable IP Source Address Validation on one of its member
ports, FTOS displays the second line in Message 1.

Message 1 DHCP Snooping with VLAN ACL Compatibility Error
% Error: Vlan member has access-list configured.
% Error: Vlan has an access-list configured.

Note: If DHCP Snooping is enabled globally and any L2 port is configured, any IP ACL,MAC ACL, or
DHCP Source-Address validation ACL won't block DHCP packets .

•

•
•
•

FTOS provides 40K entries that can be divided between leased addresses and excluded addresses. By
extension, the maximum number of pools you can configure depends on the on the subnet mask that
you give to each pool. For example, if all pools were configured for a /24 mask, the total would be
40000/253 (approximately 158). If the subnet is increased, more pools can be configured. The
maximum subnet that can be configured for a single pool is /17. FTOS displays an error message for
configurations that exceed the allocated memory.
E-Series supports 16K DHCP Snooping entries across 500 VLANs.
C-Series, S-Series (S25/S50), S55, S60 and S4810 support 4K DHCP Snooping entries.
All platforms support Dynamic ARP Inspection on 16 VLANs per system. Refer to Dynamic ARP
Inspection.
Note: If the DHCP server is located on the ToR and the VLTi (ICL) is down due to a failed link when a VLT
node is rebooted in JumpStart mode, it will not be able to reach the DHCP server, resulting in BMP failure.

Configuration Tasks
•
•
•

Configure the System to be a DHCP Server
Configure the System to be a Relay Agent
Configure Secure DHCP

Configure the System to be a DHCP Server
Configure the System to be a DHCP Server is supported only on platforms:

378

|

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

cs

A DHCP server is a network device that has been programmed to provide network configuration
parameters to clients upon request. Servers typically serve many clients, making host management much
more organized and efficient.
The key responsibilities of DHCP servers are:
1. Address Storage and Management: DHCP servers are the owners of the addresses used by DHCP
clients.The server stores the addresses and manages their use, keeping track of which addresses have
been allocated and which are still available.
2. Configuration Parameter Storage and Management: DHCP servers also store and maintain other
parameters that are sent to clients when requested. These parameters specify in detail how a client is to
operate.
3. Lease Management: DHCP servers use leases to allocate addresses to clients for a limited time. The
DHCP server maintains information about each of the leases, including lease length.
4. Responding To Client Requests: DHCP servers respond to different types of requests from clients,
primarily, granting, renewing, and terminating leases.
5. Providing Administration Services: The DHCP server includes functionality that allows an
administrator to implement policies that govern how DHCP performs its other tasks.

Configuration Tasks
To configure DHCP, an administrator must first set up a DHCP server and provide it with configuration
parameters and policy information including IP address ranges, lease length specifications, and
configuration data that DHCP hosts need.
Configuring the Dell Force10 system to be a DHCP server is a 3-step process:
1. Configure the Server for Automatic Address Allocation
2. Specify a Default Gateway
3. Enable DHCP Server

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•
•
•

Configure a Method of Hostname Resolution
Create Manual Binding Entries
Debug DHCP server
DHCP Clear Commands

Configure the Server for Automatic Address Allocation
This feature is available on

c and s (S25/S50) platforms only.

Automatic Address Allocation is an address assignment method by which the DHCP server leases an IP
address to a client from a pool of available addresses.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) | 379

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Create an IP Address Pool
An address pool is a range of IP addresses that may be assigned by the DHCP server. Address pools are
indexed by subnet number.
To create an address pool:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Access the DHCP server CLI context.

ip dhcp server

CONFIGURATION

2

Create an address pool and give it a name.

pool name

DHCP

3

Specify the range of IP addresses from which the
DHCP server may assign addresses.
• network is the subnet address.
• prefix-length specifies the number of bits
used for the network portion of the address
you specify.

network network /prefix-length

DHCP 

Display the current pool configuration.

show config

4

Prefix-length Range: 17 to 31

DHCP 

Once an IP address is leased to a client, only that client may release the address. FTOS performs a IP +
MAC source address validation to ensure that no client can release another clients address. This is a default
behavior and is separate from IP+MAC Source Address Validation.

Exclude Addresses from the Address Pool
The DHCP server assumes that all IP addresses in a DHCP address pool are available for assigning to
DHCP clients. You must specify the IP address that the DHCP server should not assign to clients.

380

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Exclude an address range from DHCP assignment. The
exclusion applies to all configured pools.

excluded-address

DHCP

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

Specify an Address Lease Time
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Specify an address lease time for the addresses in a pool.

lease {days [hours] [minutes] |
infinite}

DHCP 

Default: 24 hours

Specify a Default Gateway
The IP address of the default router should be on the same subnet as the client.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Specify default gateway(s) for the clients on the subnet, in
order of preference.

default-router address

DHCP 

Enable DHCP Server
This feature is available on

c and s (S25/S50) platforms only.

The DHCP server is disabled by default.
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Enter the DHCP command-line context.

ip dhcp server

CONFIGURATION

2

Enable DHCP server.

no disable

DHCP

Default: Disabled
3

Display the current DHCP configuration.

show config

DHCP

In the illustration below, an IP phone is powered by PoE and has acquired an IP address from the Dell
Force10 system, which is advertising LLDP-MED. The leased IP address is displayed using show ip dhcp
binding, and confirmed with show lldp neighbors.

DNS Server

7/1

Relay Agent

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) | 381

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configure a Method of Hostname Resolution
Dell Force10 systems are capable of providing DHCP clients with parameters for two methods of
hostname resolution.

Address Resolution using DNS
A domain is a group of networks. DHCP clients query DNS IP servers when they need to correlate host
names to IP addresses.
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Create a domain.

domain-name name

DHCP 

2

Specify in order of preference the DNS servers that are
available to a DHCP client.

dns-server address

DHCP 

Address Resolution using NetBIOS WINS
Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) is a name resolution service that Microsoft DHCP clients use
to correlate host names to IP addresses within a group of networks. Microsoft DHCP clients can be one of
four types of NetBIOS nodes: broadcast, peer-to-peer, mixed, or hybrid.
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Specify the NetBIOS Windows Internet Naming
Service (WINS) name servers, in order of preference,
that are available to Microsoft Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP) clients.

netbios-name-server address

DHCP 

2

Specify the NetBIOS node type for a Microsoft
DHCP client. Dell Force10 recommends specifying
clients as hybrid.

netbios-node-type type

DHCP 

Create Manual Binding Entries
An address binding is a mapping between the IP address and Media Access Control (MAC) address of a
client. The DHCP server assigns the client an available IP address automatically, and then creates a entry in
the binding table. However, the administrator can manually create an entry for a client; manual bindings
are useful when you want to guarantee that a particular network device receives a particular IP address.
Manual bindings can be considered single-host address pools. There is no limit on the number of manual
bindings, but you can only configure one manual binding per host.
Note: FTOS does not prevent you from using a network IP as a host IP; be sure to not use a network IP
as a host IP.

382

|

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

To create a manual binding:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Create an address pool

pool name

DHCP

2

Specify the client IP address.

host address

DHCP 

3

Specify the client hardware address.
• hardware-address is the client MAC
address.
type is the protocol of the hardware
platform. The default protocol is Ethernet.

hardware-address hardware-address type

DHCP 

Debug DHCP server
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Display debug information for DHCP server.

debug ip dhcp server [events | packets]

EXEC Privilege

DHCP Clear Commands
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Clear DHCP binding entries for the entire binding table.

clear ip dhcp binding

EXEC Privilege

Clear a DHCP binding entry for an individual IP address.

clear ip dhcp binding ip address

EXEC Privilege

Clear a DHCP address conflict. (This feature is available on

clear ip dhcp conflict

EXEC Privilege

clear ip dhcp server statistics

EXEC Privilege

c and s (S25/S50) platforms only.)
Clear DHCP server counters. (This feature is available on

c and s (S25/S50) platforms only.)
Configure the System to be a Relay Agent
The following feature is available on platforms:

c, e, s and

DHCP clients and servers request and offer configuration information via broadcast DHCP messages.
Routers do not forward broadcasts, so if there are no DHCP servers on the subnet, the client does not
receive a response to its request and therefore cannot access the network.
You can configure an interface on the Dell Force10 system to relay the DHCP messages to a specific
DHCP server using the command ip helper-address dhcp-address from INTERFACE mode, as shown in the
illustration below. Specify multiple DHCP servers by entering the ip helper-address dhcp-address command
multiple times.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) | 383

Note: DHCP Relay is not available on Layer 2 interfaces and VLANs.

HCP Relay Device

DHCP Server
10.11.2.5

Broadcast
Source IP : 10.11.1.5
Destination IP: 255.255.255.255
Source Port: 67
Destination Port: 68

Unicast
Source IP : 10.11.1.5
Destination IP: 10.11.0.3
Source Port: 67
Destination Port: 68

Unicast

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

When ip helper-address is configured, the system listens for DHCP broadcast messages on port 67. The
system rewrites packets received from the client and forwards it via unicast; the system rewrites the
destination IP address and writes its own address as the relay device. Responses from the server are unicast
back to the relay agent on port 68 and the relay agent rewrites the destination address and forwards the
packet to the client subnet via broadcast.

DHCP Server

10.11.1.5

1/4
Broadcast
Source IP : 0.0.0.0
Destination IP: 255.255.255.255
Source Port: 68
Destination Port: 67
Relay Agent Address: 0.0.0.0

1/3
Unicast
Source IP : 10.11.1.3
Destination IP: 10.11.1.5
Source Port: 67
Destination Port: 67
Relay Agent Address: 10.11.0.3

R1(conf-if-gi-1/3)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/3
ip address 10.11.0.3/24
ip helper-address 10.11.1.5
ip helper-address 10.11.2.5
no shutdown

DHCP 001

To view the ip helper-address configuration for an interface, use the command show ip interface from
EXEC privilege mode, as shown in the following example.
R1_E600#show ip int gig 1/3
GigabitEthernet 1/3 is up, line protocol is down
Internet address is 10.11.0.1/24
Broadcast address is 10.11.0.255
Address determined by user input
IP MTU is 1500 bytes
Helper address is 192.168.0.1
192.168.0.2
Directed broadcast forwarding is disabled
Proxy ARP is enabled
Split Horizon is enabled
Poison Reverse is disabled
ICMP redirects are not sent
ICMP unreachables are not sent

384

|

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

Configure the System for User Port Stacking
When you set the DHCP offer on the DHCP server, you can set the stacking-option variable to provide the
stack-port detail so a stack can be formed when the units are connected.

Configure Secure DHCP
The following feature is available on platforms: c

es

z (except where noted).

DHCP as defined by RFC 2131 provides no authentication or security mechanisms. Secure DHCP is a
suite of features that protects networks that use dynamic address allocation from spoofing and attacks.
•
•
•
•

Option 82
DHCP Snooping
Dynamic ARP Inspection
Source Address Validation

Option 82
RFC 3046 (Relay Agent Information option, or Option 82) is used for class-based IP address assignment.
The code for the Relay Agent Information option is 82, and is comprised of two sub-options, Circuit ID
and Remote ID.
•
•

Circuit ID is the interface on which the client-originated message is received.
Remote ID identifies the host from which the message is received. The value of this sub-option is the
MAC address of the relay agent that adds Option 82.

The DHCP relay agent inserts Option 82 before forwarding DHCP packets to the server. The server can
use this information to:
•
•
•

track the number of address requests per relay agent; restricting the number of addresses available per
relay agent can harden a server against address exhaustion attacks.
associate client MAC addresses with a relay agent to prevent offering an IP address to a client spoofing
the same MAC address on a different relay agent.
assign IP addresses according to the relay agent. This prevents generating DHCP offers in response to
requests from an unauthorized relay agent.

The server echoes the option back to the relay agent in its response, and the relay agent can use the
information in the option to forward a reply out the interface on which the request was received rather than
flooding it on the entire VLAN.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) | 385

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

The relay agent strips Option 82 from DHCP responses before forwarding them to the client.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Insert Option 82 into DHCP packets. For routers
between the relay agent and the DHCP server, enter
the trust-downstream option.

ip dhcp relay information-option
[trust-downstream]

CONFIGURATION

Manually reset the remote ID for Option 82.

ip dhcp relay information-option
remote-id

CONFIGURATION

DHCP Snooping
DHCP Snooping protects networks from spoofing. In the context of DHCP Snooping, all ports are either
trusted or untrusted. By default, all ports are untrusted. Trusted ports are ports through which attackers
cannot connect. Manually configure ports connected to legitimate servers and relay agents as trusted.
When DHCP Snooping is enabled, the relay agent builds a binding table—using DHCPACK messages—
containing the client MAC address, IP addresses, IP address lease time, port, VLAN ID, and binding type.
Every time the relay agent receives a DHCPACK on an trusted port, it adds an entry to the table.
The relay agent then checks all subsequent DHCP client-originated IP traffic (DHCPRELEASE,
DHCPNACK, and DHCPDECLINE) against the binding table to ensure that the MAC-IP address pair is
legitimate, and that the packet arrived on the correct port; packets that do not pass this check are forwarded
to the server for validation. This check-point prevents an attacker from spoofing a client and declining or
releasing the real client’s address. Server-originated packets (DHCPOFFER, DHCPACK, DHCPNACK)
that arrive on an untrusted port are also dropped. This check-point prevents an attacker from impostering
as a DHCP server to facilitate a man-in-the-middle attack.
Binding table entries are deleted when a lease expires, or the relay agent encounters a DHCPRELEASE,
DHCPNACK, DHCPDECLINE.
FTOS Behavior: Introduced in FTOS version 7.8.1.0, DHCP Snooping was available for Layer 3 only and
dependent on DHCP Relay Agent (ip helper-address). FTOS version 8.2.1.0 extends DHCP Snooping to Layer 2,
and you do not have to enable relay agent to snoop on Layer 2 interfaces.
FTOS Behavior: Binding table entries are deleted when a lease expires or when the relay agent encounters a
DHCPRELEASE. Starting with FTOS Release 8.2.1.2, line cards maintain a list of snooped VLANs. When the
binding table is exhausted, DHCP packets are dropped on snooped VLANs, while these packets are forwarded
across non-snooped VLANs. Since DHCP packets are dropped, no new IP address assignments are made.
However, DHCPRELEASE and DHCPDECLINE packets are allowed so that the DHCP Snooping table can
decrease in size. Once the table usage falls below the maximum limit of 4000 entries, new IP address assignments
are allowed.

Note: DHCP server packets will be dropped on all untrusted interfaces of a system configured for DHCP
Snooping. To prevent these packets from being dropped, configure ip dhcp snooping trust on the
server-connected port.

386

|

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

Enable DCHP Snooping
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Enable DHCP Snooping globally.

ip dhcp snooping

CONFIGURATION

2

Specify ports connected to DHCP servers as trusted.

ip dhcp snooping trust

INTERFACE

3

Enable DHCP Snooping on a VLAN.

ip dhcp snooping vlan

CONFIGURATION

Add a static entry in the binding table
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Add a static entry in the binding table.

ip dhcp snooping binding mac

EXEC Privilege

Clear the binding table
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Delete all of the entries in the binding table

clear ip dhcp snooping binding

EXEC Privilege

Display the contents of the binding table
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Display the contents of the binding table.

show ip dhcp snooping

EXEC Privilege

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) | 387

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

View the DHCP Snooping statistics with the show ip dhcp snooping command.
FTOS#show ip dhcp snooping
IP
IP
IP
IP

DHCP
DHCP
DHCP
DHCP

Snooping
Snooping Mac Verification
Relay Information-option
Relay Trust Downstream

:
:
:
:

Enabled.
Disabled.
Disabled.
Disabled.

Database write-delay (In minutes)

: 0

DHCP packets information
Relay Information-option packets
Relay Trust downstream packets
Snooping packets

: 0
: 0
: 0

Packets received on snooping disabled L3 Ports
: 0
Snooping packets processed on L2 vlans
: 142
DHCP Binding File Details
Invalid File
Invalid Binding Entry
Binding Entry lease expired
List of Trust Ports
List of DHCP Snooping Enabled Vlans
List of DAI Trust ports

: 0
: 0
: 0
:Te 0/49
:Vl 10
:Te 0/49

Drop DHCP packets on snooped VLANs only
Binding table entries are deleted when a lease expires or the relay agent encounters a DHCPRELEASE.
Starting with FTOS Release 8.2.1.1, line cards maintain a list of snooped VLANs. When the binding table
fills, DHCP packets are dropped only on snooped VLANs, while such packets will be forwarded across
non-snooped VLANs. Since DHCP packets are dropped, no new IP address assignments are made.
However, DHCP Release and Decline packets are allowed so that the DHCP Snooping table can decrease
in size. Once the table usage falls below the max limit of 4000 entries, new IP address assignments are
allowed.

388

|

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

View the number of entries in the table with the show ip dhcp snooping binding command. This output
displays the snooping binding table created using the ACK packets from the trusted port.
FTOS#show ip dhcp snooping binding
Codes :

S - Static D - Dynamic

IP Address
MAC Address
Expires(Sec) Type VLAN
Interface
========================================================================
10.1.1.251
00:00:4d:57:f2:50
172800
D
Vl 10
Gi 0/2
10.1.1.252
00:00:4d:57:e6:f6
172800
D
Vl 10
Gi 0/1
10.1.1.253
00:00:4d:57:f8:e8
172740
D
Vl 10
Gi 0/3
10.1.1.254
00:00:4d:69:e8:f2
172740
D
Vl 10
Te 0/50
Total number of Entries in the table : 4

Dynamic ARP Inspection
Dynamic ARP inspection prevents ARP spoofing by forwarding only ARP frames that have been validated
against the DHCP binding table.
ARP is a stateless protocol that provides no authentication mechanism. Network devices accept ARP
requests and replies from any device, and ARP replies are accepted even when no request was sent. If a
client receives an ARP message for which a relevant entry already exists in its ARP cache, it overwrites the
existing entry with the new information.
The lack of authentication in ARP makes it vulnerable to spoofing. ARP spoofing is a technique attackers
use to inject false IP-to-MAC mappings into the ARP cache of a network device. It is used to launch
man-in-the-middle (MITM), and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, among others.
A spoofed ARP message is one in which the MAC address in the sender hardware address field and the IP
address in the sender protocol field are strategically chosen by the attacker. For example, in an MITM
attack, the attacker sends a client an ARP message containing the attacker’s MAC address and the
gateway’s IP address. The client then thinks that the attacker is the gateway, and sends all internet-bound
packets to it. Likewise, the attacker sends the gateway an ARP message containing the attacker’s MAC
address and the client’s IP address. The gateway then thinks that the attacker is the client and forwards all
packets addressed to the client to it. As a result, the attacker is able to sniff all packets to and from the
client.
Other attacks using ARP spoofing include:
•
•

broadcast—an attacker can broadcast an ARP reply that specifies FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF as the gateway’s
MAC address, resulting in all clients broadcasting all internet-bound packets.
MAC flooding—an attacker can send fraudulent ARP messages to the gateway until the ARP cache is
exhausted, after which, traffic from the gateway is broadcast.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) | 389

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

denial of service—an attacker can send a fraudulent ARP messages to a client to associate a false
MAC address with the gateway address, which would blackhole all internet-bound packets from the
client.
Note: DAI uses entries in the L2SysFlow CAM region, a sub-region of SystemFlow. One CAM entry is
required for every DAI-enabled VLAN. You can enable DAI on up to 16 VLANs on a system. However, the
ExaScale default CAM profile allocates only 9 entries to the L2SysFlow region for DAI. You can configure
10 to 16 DAI-enabled VLANs by allocating more CAM space to the L2SysFlow region before enabling
DAI.
SystemFlow has 102 entries by default. This region is comprised of two sub-regions: L2Protocol and
L2SystemFlow. L2Protocol has 87 entries, and L2SystemFlow has 15 entries. Six L2SystemFlow entries
are used by Layer 2 protocols, leaving 9 for DAI. L2Protocol can have a maximum of 100 entries, and this
region must be expanded to capacity before you can increase the size of L2SystemFlow. This is relevant
when you are enabling DAI on VLANs. If, for example, you want to enable DAI on 16 VLANs, you need 7
more entries; in this case, reconfigure the SystemFlow region for 122 entries:
layer-2 eg-acl value fib value frrp value ing-acl value learn value l2pt value qos value system-flow 122

The logic is as follows:
L2Protocol has 87 entries by default and must be expanded to its maximum capacity, 100 entries, before
L2SystemFlow can be increased; therefore 13 more L2Protocol entries are required. L2SystemFlow has
15 entries by default, but only 9 are for DAI; to enable DAI on 16 VLANs, 7 more entries are required. 87
L2Protocol + 13 additional L2Protocol + 15 L2SystemFlow + 7 additional L2SystemFlow equals 122.

Step

Task

1

Enable DHCP Snooping.

2

Validate ARP frames against the DHCP Snooping binding table.

Command Syntax

Command Mode

arp inspection

INTERFACE VLAN

View the number of entries in the ARP database with the show arp inspection database command.
FTOS#show arp inspection database
Protocol
Address
Age(min) Hardware Address
Interface
VLAN CPU
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Internet
10.1.1.251
00:00:4d:57:f2:50
Gi 0/2
Vl 10 CP
Internet
10.1.1.252
00:00:4d:57:e6:f6
Gi 0/1
Vl 10 CP
Internet
10.1.1.253
00:00:4d:57:f8:e8
Gi 0/3
Vl 10 CP
Internet
10.1.1.254
00:00:4d:69:e8:f2
Te 0/50
Vl 10 CP
FTOS#

390

|

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

Use show arp inspection statistics command to see how many valid and invalid ARP packets have been
processed.
FTOS#show arp inspection statistics
Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI) Statistics
--------------------------------------Valid ARP Requests
Valid ARP Replies
Invalid ARP Requests
Invalid ARP Replies
FTOS#

:
:
:
:

0
1000
1000
0

Bypass the ARP Inspection
You can configure a port to skip ARP inspection by defining the interface as trusted, which is useful in
multi-switch environments. ARPs received on trusted ports bypass validation against the binding table. All
ports are untrusted by default.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Specify an interface as trusted so that ARPs are not validated against the
binding table.

arp inspection-trust

INTERFACE

FTOS Behavior: Introduced in FTOS version 8.2.1.0, Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI) was available for Layer 3
only. FTOS version 8.2.1.1 extends DAI to Layer 2.

Source Address Validation
Using the DHCP binding table, FTOS can perform three types of source address validation (SAV):
•
•
•

IP Source Address Validation prevents IP spoofing by forwarding only IP packets that have been
validated against the DHCP binding table.
DHCP MAC Source Address Validation verifies a DHCP packet’s source hardware address matches
the client hardware address field (CHADDR) in the payload.
IP+MAC Source Address Validation verifies that the IP source address and MAC source address are a
legitimate pair.

IP Source Address Validation
IP Source Address Validation (SAV) prevents IP spoofing by forwarding only IP packets that have been
validated against the DHCP binding table. A spoofed IP packet is one in which the IP source address is
strategically chosen to disguise the attacker. For example, using ARP spoofing an attacker can assume a
legitimate client’s identity and receive traffic addressed to it. Then the attacker can spoof the client’s IP
address to interact with other clients.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) | 391

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

The DHCP binding table associates addresses assigned by the DHCP servers, with the port on which the
requesting client is attached. When IP Source Address Validation is enabled on a port, the system verifies
that the source IP address is one that is associated with the incoming port. If an attacker is impostering as a
legitimate client the source address appears on the wrong ingress port, and the system drops the packet.
Likewise, if the IP address is fake, the address will not be on the list of permissible addresses for the port,
and the packet is dropped.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable IP Source Address Validation

ip dhcp source-address-validation

INTERFACE

Note: If IP Source Guard is enabled using the ip dhcp source-address-validation command and there are
187 entries or more in the current DHCP snooping binding table, Source Address Validation (SAV) may
not be applied to all entries.
To ensure that SAV is applied correctly to all entries, enable the ip dhcp source-address-validation
command before adding entries to the binding table.

DHCP MAC Source Address Validation
DHCP MAC Source Address Validation (SAV) validates a DHCP packet’s source hardware address
against the client hardware address field (CHADDR) in the payload.
FTOS Release 8.2.1.1 ensures that the packet’s source MAC address is checked against the CHADDR
field in the DHCP header only for packets from snooped VLANs.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable DHCP MAC Source Address Validation.

ip dhcp snooping verify mac-address

CONFIGURATION

IP+MAC Source Address Validation
The following feature is available on platforms:

c, s and

.

IP Source Address Validation validates the IP source address of an incoming packet against the DHCP
Snooping binding table. IP+MAC Source Address Validation ensures that the IP source address and MAC
source address are a legitimate pair, rather validating each attribute individually. IP+MAC Source Address
Validation cannot be configured with IP Source Address Validation.
Step

392

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Allocate at least one FP block to the
ipmacacl CAM region.

cam-acl l2acl

CONFIGURATION

2

Save the running-config to the
startup-config.

copy running-config startup-config

EXEC Privilege

3

Reload the system.

reload

EXEC Privilege

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

Step
4

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable IP+MAC Source Address
Validation.

ip dhcp source-address-validation ipmac

INTERFACE

FTOS creates an ACL entry for each IP+MAC address pair in the binding table and applies it to the
interface.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Display the IP+MAC ACL for an
interface for the entire system.

show ip dhcp snooping source-address-validation
[interface]

EXEC Privilege

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) | 393

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
394

|

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

16
Equal Cost Multi-Path (ECMP)
Equal Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) is supported on platforms: e c s

ECMP for Flow-based Affinity
ECMP for Flow-based Affinity is available on platforms e and
The hashing algorithm on E-Series TeraScale and E-Series ExaScale are different. Hashing on ExaScale is
based on CRC, checksum, or XOR, and the algorithm on TeraScale is based on checksum only. If
flow-based affinity is to be maintained by an ExaScale and TeraScale chassis, they must both use the same
hashing algorithm and seed value, and ECMP must deterministically choose a next hop.
Note: IPv6 /128 routes having multiple paths do not form ECMPs. The /128 route is treated as a host
entry and finds its place in the host table.

Note: Using XOR algorithms will result in imbalanced loads across an ECMP/LAG when the number of
members in said ECMP/LAG is a multiple of 4.

•
•
•
•

Configurable Hash Algorithm
Configurable Hash Algorithm Seed
Deterministic ECMP Next Hop
Link Bundle Monitoring

Configurable Hash Algorithm
TeraScale has one algorithm that is used for LAGs, ECMP, and NH-ECMP, and ExaScale can use three
different algorithms for each of these features. To adjust the ExaScale behavior to match TeraScale, use the
following command:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the ExaScale hash-algorithm for LAG, ECMP,
and NH-ECMP to match TeraScale.

hash-algorithm ecmp checksum 0
lag checksum 0 nh-ecmp checksum
0

CONFIGURATION

Equal Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) | 395

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS Behavior: In FTOS versions prior to 8.2.1.2, the ExaScale default hash-algorithm is 0. Beginning with
version 8.2.1.2, the default hash-algorithm is 24.

Deterministic ECMP Next Hop
Deterministic ECMP Next Hop arranges all ECMPs in order before writing them into the CAM. For
example, suppose the RTM learns 8 ECMPs in the order that the protocols and interfaces came up. In this
case, the FIB and CAM sort them so that the ECMPs are always arranged.This implementation ensures that
every chassis having the same prefixes orders the ECMPs the same.
With 8 or less ECMPs, the ordering is lexicographic and deterministic. With more than 8 ECMPs, ordering
is deterministic, but it is not in lexicographic order.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable IPv4 Deterministic ECMP Next
Hop.

ip ecmp-deterministic

CONFIGURATION

Enable IPv6 Deterministic ECMP Next
Hop.

ipv6 ecmp-deterministic

CONFIGURATION

Note: Packet loss might occur when you enable ip/ipv6 ecmp-deterministic for the first-time only.

Configurable Hash Algorithm Seed
Deterministic ECMP sorts ECMPs in order even though RTM provides them in a random order. However,
the hash algorithm uses as a seed the lower 12 bits of the chassis MAC, which yields a different hash result
for every chassis. This means that for a given flow, even though the prefixes are sorted, two unrelated
chassis will select different hops.
FTOS provides a CLI-based solution for modifying the hash seed to ensure that on each configured
system, the ECMP selection is same. When configured, the same seed is set for ECMP, LAG, and NH, and
is used for incoming traffic only.
Note: While the seed is stored separately on each port-pipe, the same seed is used across all CAMs.
Note: You cannot separate LAG and ECMP, but you can use different algorithms across chassis with the
same seed. If LAG member ports span multiple port-pipes and line cards, set the seed to the same value
on each port-pipe to achieve deterministic behavior.
Note: If the hash algorithm configuration is removed. Hash seed will not go to original factory default
setting.

Task
Specify the hash algorithm seed.

Command Syntax

Command Mode

hash-algorithm seed value [linecard number]

CONFIGURATION

[port-set number]
Range: 0 to 4095.

396

|

Equal Cost Multi-Path (ECMP)

In the illustration below, Core Router 1 is an E-Series TeraScale and Core Router 2 is an E-Series
ExaScale. They have similar configurations and have routes for prefix P with two possible next-hops.
When Deterministic ECMP is enabled and the hash algorithm and seed are configured the same, each flow
is consistently sent to the same next hop even though they are routed through two different chassis.
Backbone router

F lo

w

A

Flo

wB

Core Router 1
TeraScale

Core Router 2
ExaScale

Next-hop 1

Next-hop 2

Prefix: P

Link Bundle Monitoring
Link Bundle Monitoring is supported only on platform
Monitoring linked ECMP bundles allows traffic distribution amounts in a link to be monitored for unfair
distribution at any given time. A default threshold of 60% is defined as an acceptable amount of traffic on
a member link. Links are monitored in 15-second intervals for three consecutive instances. Any deviation
within that time causes a syslog to be sent and an alarm event to be generated. When the deviation clears,
another syslog is sent and a clear alarm event is generated.
Message 1 Link bundle monitoring percent threshold
%STKUNIT0-M:CP %IFMGR-5-BUNDLE_UNEVEN_DISTRIBUTION: Found uneven distribution in LAG bundle 11.

The link bundle utilization is calculated as the total bandwidth of all links divided by the total
bytes-per-second of all links. Within each ECMP group, interfaces can be specified. If monitoring is
enabled for the ECMP group, the utilization calculation is performed when the utilization of the
link-bundle (not a link within a bundle) exceeds 60%.

Equal Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) | 397

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Enable link bundle monitoring using the ecmp-group command.
Note: An ecmp-group index is generated automatically for each unique ecmp-group when the user
configures multipath routes to the same network. The system can generate a maximum of 512 unique
ecmp-groups. The ecmp-group indexes are generated in even numbers (0, 2, 4, 6... 1022) and are for
information only.
For link bundle monitoring with ECMP, the ecmp-group command is used to enable the link bundle
monitoring feature. The ecmp-group with id 2, enabled for link bundle monitoring is user configured. This
is different from the ecmp-group index 2 that is created by configuring routes and is automatically
generated.
These two ecmp-groups are not related in any way.

Managing ECMP Group Paths
Managing ECMP Group Paths is supported only on platform:
Configure the maximum number of paths for an ECMP route that the L3 CAM can hold to avoid path
degeneration. When the maximum number of routes is not configured, the CAM can hold a maximum
ECMP per route.
Use the ip ecmp-group path-fallback command to enable or disable the feature.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure the maximum number of paths
per ECMP group

ip ecmp-group maximum-paths
{2-64}

CONFIGURATION

Enable ECMP group path management

ip ecmp-group path-fallback

CONFIGURATION

Note: You must save the new ECMP settings to the startup-config (write-mem) then reload the system for the
new settings to take effect.
pt-s4801-temp1(conf)#ip ecmp-group maximum-paths 3
User configuration has been changed. Save the configuration and reload to take effect
pt-s4801-temp1(conf)#

398

|

Equal Cost Multi-Path (ECMP)

17
Enabling FIPS Cryptography
FIPS Cryptography is supported on the following platforms: z
This chapter describes how to enable FIPS cryptography requirements on the Dell Force10 S4810 platform. This feature
provides cryptographic algorithms conforming to various FIPS standards published by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST), a non-regulatory agency of the US Department of Commerce. The FIPS mode is also validated for
numerous platforms to meet the FIPS-140-2 standard for a software-based cryptographic module.

Note: The FIPS mode included in this release is the OpenSSL FIPS Object Module v2.0, which has been validated
to meet FIPS-140-2 requirements, per certificate #1747. The S4810 platform is not one of the validated platforms.
Dell Force10 has contracted with the OpenSSL Foundation to complete a Change Letter validation of the S4810
platform for this FIPS mode. A patch release will be available once that Change Letter validation has been
completed.

Note: For release 8.3.12.0 only the SSH and SCP copy features use the FIPS cryptographic mode to secure
management interface user sessions and file transfers. Other features that use cryptographic algorithms do not, or
cannot, use the FIPS mode. The administrator must configure the management interfaces to limit access to/from the
system to SSH alone.
This chapter describes the FIPS configuration procedure:
•
•
•
•
•

Preparing the System
Enabling FIPS Mode
Generating Host-Keys
Monitoring FIPS Mode Status
Disabling the FIPS Mode

Preparing the System
Before you enable FIPS mode on the S4810, Dell Force10 recommends making the following steps to your system:
•
•
•

disable the Telnet server (only SSH (Secure Shell) should be used to access the system).
disable the FTP server (only SCP (Secure Copy) should be used to transfer files to and from the system).
Attach a secure, standalone host to the console port to be used for FIPS configuration.

Enabling FIPS Mode
You must use the console port to enable or disable FIPS mode. The host attached to the console port must be secured against
unauthorized access. Any attempts to enable or disable FIPS mode from a virtual terminal session are denied.

Enabling FIPS Cryptography | 399

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To enable FIPS mode:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable FIPS mode from a console port.

fips mode enable

CONFIG

When the FIPS mode is enabled, the following actions are taken:
•
•
•
•

If enabled, the SSH server will be disabled.
All open SSH and Telnet sessions, as well as all SCP and FTP file transfers, will be closed.
Any existing host keys (both RSA and RSA1) will be deleted from system memory and NVRAM storage.
The FIPS mode is enabled.
— If the SSH server was enabled when the fips mode enable command was entered, it will be re-enabled for version 2
only.
— If the SSH server is re-enabled, a new RSA host key-pair will be generated automatically. This key-pair can also be
created manually using the crypto key generate command.
Note: Under certain unusual circumstances, it is possible for the FIPS enable command to indicate a failure.
— This will occur if any of the self-tests fail when FIPS mode is enabled
— This will occur if there were existing SSH/Telnet sessions that could not be closed successfully in a reasonable
amount of time. In general this can occur if a user at a remote host is in the process of establishing an SSH session to
the local system, and has been prompted to accept a new host key or to enter a password, but is not responding to the
request. Assuming this is a transient condition, attempting to enable FIPS mode again should be successful.

Generating Host-Keys
When FIPS mode is enabled, or disabled, the system will delete the current public/private host-key pair, terminate any SSH
sessions that are in progress (deleting all the per-session encryption key information), actually enable/test the FIPS mode,
generate new host-keys, and re-enable the SSH server (assuming it was enabled before enabling FIPS). Refer to SSH Server
and SCP Commands in the Security chapter of the FTOS Command Line Interface Guide for more information.

400

|

Enabling FIPS Cryptography

Monitoring FIPS Mode Status
The status of the current FIPS mode (Enabled/Disabled) can be viewed directly using either the show fips status command or
the show system command as shown below.
FTOS#show fips status
FIPS Mode
: Enabled
for the system using the show system command.

FTOS#show system
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:8a:ff:0c
Reload Type : normal-reload [Next boot : normal-reload]
-- Unit 0 -Unit Type
Status
Next Boot
Required Type
Current Type
Master priority
Hardware Rev
Num Ports
Up Time
FTOS Version
Jumbo Capable
POE Capable
FIPS Mode
Burned In MAC
No Of MACs
...

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

Management Unit
online
online
S4810 - 52-port GE/TE/FG (SE)
S4810 - 52-port GE/TE/FG (SE)
0
3.0
64
7 hr, 3 min
4810-8-3-7-1061
yes
no
enabled
00:01:e8:8a:ff:0c
3

Disabling the FIPS Mode
Use the console port to disable FIPS mode.
To disable the FIPS mode:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

To disable FIPS mode from a console port.

no fips mode enable

CONFIG

The following Warning message displays:
WARNING: Disabling FIPS mode will close all SSH/Telnet connections, restart those servers, and destroy
all configured host keys.
Proceed (y/n) ?

When the FIPS mode is disabled, the following changes occur:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

The SSH server is disabled.
All open SSH and Telnet sessions, as well as all SCP and FTP file transfers, are closed.
Any existing host keys (both RSA and RSA1) are deleted from system memory and NVRAM storage.
The FIPS mode is disabled.
The SSH server is re-enabled.
The telnet server is re-enabled if it is present in the configuration
New 1024-bit RSA and RSA1 host key-pairs are created.

Enabling FIPS Cryptography | 401

402

|

Enabling FIPS Cryptography

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

18
FIP Snooping
FIP snooping is supported on the following platforms:

z

This chapter describes the FIP snooping concepts and configuration procedures:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Fibre Channel over Ethernet
Ensuring Robustness in a Converged Ethernet Network
FIP Snooping on Ethernet Bridges
FIP Snooping in a Switch Stack
Configuring FIP Snooping
Displaying FIP Snooping Information
FIP Snooping Configuration Example

Fibre Channel over Ethernet
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) provides a converged Ethernet network that allows the combination
of storage-area network (SAN) and LAN traffic on a Layer 2 link by encapsulating Fibre Channel data into
Ethernet frames.
FCoE works with the Ethernet enhancements provided in data center bridging (DCB) to support lossless
(no-drop) SAN and LAN traffic. In addition, DCB provides flexible bandwidth sharing for different traffic
types, such as LAN and SAN, according to 802.1p priority classes of service. For more information, refer
to the Data Center Bridging (DCB) chapter in the S4810 FTOS Configuration Guide.

Ensuring Robustness in a Converged Ethernet Network
Fibre Channel networks used for SAN traffic employ switches that operate as trusted devices. End devices
log into the switch to which they are attached in order to communicate with other end devices attached to
the Fibre Channel network. Because Fibre Channel links are point-to-point, a Fibre Channel switch
controls all storage traffic that an end device sends and receives over the network. As a result, the switch
can enforce zoning configurations, ensure that end devices use their assigned addresses, and secure the
network from unauthorized access and denial-of-service attacks.

FIP Snooping | 403

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To ensure similar Fibre Channel robustness and security with FCoE in an Ethernet cloud network, the
Fibre Channel over Ethernet initialization protocol (FIP) establishes virtual point-to-point links between
FCoE end-devices (server ENodes and target storage devices) and FCoE forwarders (FCFs) over transit
FCoE-enabled bridges.
Ethernet bridges commonly provide access control list (ACLs) that can emulate a point-to-point link by
providing the traffic enforcement required to create a Fibre Channel-level of robustness. In addition, FIP
serves as a Layer 2 protocol to:
•
•

Operate between FCoE end-devices and FCFs over intermediate Ethernet bridges to prevent
unauthorized access to the network and achieve the required security.
Allow transit Ethernet bridges to efficiently monitor FIP frames passing between FCoE end-devices
and an FCF, and use the FIP snooping data to dynamically configure ACLs on the bridge to only
permit traffic authorized by the FCF.

FIP enables FCoE devices to discover one another, initialize and maintain virtual links over an Ethernet
network, and access storage devices in a storage area network. FIP satisfies the Fibre Channel requirement
for point-to-point connections by creating a unique virtual link for each connection between an FCoE
end-device and an FCF via a transit switch.
FIP provides functionality for discovering and logging in to an FCF. After discovering and logging in, FIP
allows FCoE traffic to be sent and received between FCoE end-devices (ENodes) and the FCF. FIP uses its
own EtherType and frame format. The following figure shows the communication that occurs between an
ENode server and an FCoE switch (FCF).
FIP performs the following functions:
•
•
•
•

404

|

FIP virtual local area network (VLAN) discovery: FCoE devices (ENodes) discover the FCoE VLANs
on which to transmit and receive FIP and FCoE traffic.
FIP discovery: FCoE end-devices and FCFs are automatically discovered.
Initialization: FCoE devices perform fabric login (FLOGI) and fabric discovery (FDISC) to create a
virtual link with an FCoE switch.
Maintenance: A valid virtual link between an FCoE device and an FCoE switch is maintained and the
link termination logout (LOGO) functions properly.

FIP Snooping

Figure 18-1.

FIP discovery and login between an ENode and an FCF

FIP Snooping on Ethernet Bridges
In a converged Ethernet network, intermediate Ethernet bridges can snoop on FIP packets during the login
process on an FCF. Then, using ACLs, a transit bridge can permit only authorized FCoE traffic to be
transmitted between an FCoE end-device and an FCF. An Ethernet bridge that provides these functions is
called a FIP snooping bridge (FSB).
On a FIP snooping bridge, ACLs are created dynamically as FIP login frames are processed. The ACLs are
installed on switch ports configured for any of the following port modes:
•
•

ENode mode for server-facing ports
FCF mode for a trusted port directly connected to an FCF

You must enable FIP snooping on the switch, configure the FIP snooping parameters, and configure CAM
allocation for FCoE (optional in FTOS version 9.1.(0.0)). When you enable FIP snooping, all ports on the
switch by default become ENode ports.
Dynamic ACL generation on the switch operating as a FIP snooping bridge functions as follows:

FIP Snooping | 405

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

406

•
•

Port-based ACLs are applied on all three port modes: on ports directly connected to an FCF,
server-facing ENode ports, and bridge-to-bridge links.
Port-based ACLs take precedence over global ACLs.
FCoE-generated ACLs take precedence over user-configured ACLs. A user-configured ACL entry
cannot deny FCoE and FIP snooping frames.

Figure 18-2 shows a switch used as a FIP snooping bridge in a converged Ethernet network. The ToR
switch operates as an FCF for FCoE traffic. Converged LAN and SAN traffic is transmitted between the
ToR switch and an S4810 switch. The switch operates as a lossless FIP snooping bridge to transparently
forward FCoE frames between the ENode servers and the FCF switch.
Figure 18-2.

|

FIP Snooping

FIP Snooping on an S4810 Switch

The following sections describe how to configure the FIP snooping feature on a switch that functions as a
FIP snooping bridge so that it can perform the following functions:
•
•
•

•
•
•

Allocate CAM resources for FCoE (optional in FTOS version 9.1.(0.0)).
Perform FIP snooping (allowing and parsing FIP frames) globally on all VLANs or on a per-VLAN
basis.
Set the FCoE MAC address prefix (FC-MAP) value used by an FCF to assign a MAC address to an
FCoE end-device (server ENode or storage device) after a server successfully logs in. The FC-MAP
value is used in the ACLs installed in bridge-to-bridge links on the switch.
Set the FCF or Bridge-to-Bridge Port modes to provide additional port security on ports that are
directly connected to an FCF and have links to other FIP snooping bridges.
Check FIP snooping-enabled VLANs to ensure that they are operationally active.
Process FIP VLAN discovery requests and responses, advertisements, solicitations, FLOGI/FDISC
requests and responses, FLOGO requests and responses, keep-alive packets, and clear virtual-link
messages.

FIP Snooping in a Switch Stack
FIP snooping supports switch stacking as follows:
•
•
•

A switch stack configuration is synchronized with the standby stack unit.
Dynamic population of the FCoE database (ENode, Session, and FCF tables) is synchronized with the
standby stack unit. The FCoE database is maintained by snooping FIP keep-alive messages.
In case of a failover, the new master switch starts the required timers for the FCoE database tables.
Timers run only on the master stack unit.

Configuring FIP Snooping
The configuration of FIP snooping consists of the following tasks:
1. Enable the FIP snooping feature on a switch to maintain FIP snooping information on the switch.
2. Enable FIP snooping on all VLANs (globally) or individual VLANs on a FIP snooping bridge.
3. Configure the FC-Map value applied globally by the switch on all VLANs or an individual VLAN.
4. Configure FCoE-Trusted mode for a FIP snooping bridge-to-bridge link.
5. Configure FCF mode for a FIP snooping bridge-to-FCF link.
For a sample FIP snooping configuration, refer to Figure 18-11.

FIP Snooping | 407

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Enabling the FIP Snooping Feature
Note: FIP Snooping is disabled by default. To enable this feature, you must follow the Configuration
Procedure.

As soon as you enable the FIP snooping feature on a switch-bridge, existing VLAN-specific and FIP
snooping configurations are applied. The FCoE database is populated when the switch connects to a
converged network adapter (CNA) or FCF port and compatible DCB configurations are synchronized. By
default, all FCoE and FIP frames are dropped unless specifically permitted by existing FIP
snooping-generated ACLs. You can reconfigure any of the FIP snooping settings.
If you disable FIP snooping, FIP and FCoE traffic are handled as normal Ethernet frames and no FIP
snooping ACLs are generated. The VLAN-specific and FIP snooping configuration is disabled and stored
until you re-enable FIP snooping and the configurations are re-applied.

Enabling FIP Snooping on VLANs
You can enable FIP snooping globally on a switch on all VLANs or on a specified VLAN. When you
enable FIP snooping on VLANs:
•
•
•
•

FIP frames are allowed to pass through the switch on the enabled VLANs and are processed to
generate FIP snooping ACLs.
FCoE traffic is allowed on VLANs only after a successful virtual-link initialization (fabric login
FLOGI) between an ENode and an FCF. All other FCoE traffic is dropped.
You must configure at least one interface for FCF (FIP snooping bridge-bridge) mode on a FIP
snooping-enabled VLAN. You can configure multiple FCF trusted interfaces in a VLAN.
A maximum of eight VLANS are supported for FIP snooping on the switch.When enabled globally,
FIP snooping processes FIP packets in traffic only from the first eight incoming VLANs. When
enabled on a per-VLAN basis, FIP snooping is supported on up to eight VLANs.

Configuring the FC-MAP Value
You can configure the FC-MAP value to be applied globally by the switch on all or individual FCoE
VLANs to authorize FCoE traffic.
The configured FC-MAP value is used to check the FC-MAP value for the MAC address assigned to
ENodes in incoming FCoE frames. If the FC-MAP value does not match, FCoE frames are dropped. A
session between an ENode and an FCF is established by the switch-bridge only when the FC-MAP value
on the FCF matches the FC-MAP value on the FIP snooping bridge.

408

|

FIP Snooping

Configuring a Port for a Bridge-to-Bridge Link
If a switch port is connected to another FIP snooping bridge, configure the FCoE-Trusted Port mode for
bridge-bridge links. Initially, all FCoE traffic is blocked. Only FIP frames with the ALL_FCF_MAC and
ALL_ENODE_MAC values in their headers are allowed to pass. After the switch learns the MAC address
of a connected FCF, it allows FIP frames destined to or received from the FCF MAC address.
FCoE traffic is allowed on the port only after the switch learns the FC-MAP value associated with the
specified FCF MAC address and verifies that it matches the configured FC-MAP value for the FCoE
VLAN.

Configuring a Port for a Bridge-to-FCF Link
If a port is directly connected to an FCF, configure the port mode as FCF. Initially, all FCoE traffic is
blocked; only FIP frames are allowed to pass.
FCoE traffic is allowed on the port only after a successful FLOGI request/response and confirmed use of
the configured FC-MAP value for the VLAN.

Impact on Other Software Features
When you enable FIP snooping on a switch, other software features are impacted as follows:
•
•

•
•

MAC address learning: MAC address learning is not performed on FIP and FCoE frames, which are
denied by ACLs dynamically created by FIP snooping on server-facing ports in ENode mode.
MTU auto-configuration: MTU size is set to mini-jumbo (2500 bytes) when a port is in Switchport
mode, the FIP snooping feature is enabled on the switch, and FIP snooping is enabled on all or
individual VLANs.
Link aggregation group (LAG): FIP snooping is supported on port channels on ports on which PFC
mode is on (PFC is operationally up).
STP: If you enable an STP protocol (STP, RSTP, PVSTP, or MSTP) on the switch and ports enter a
blocking state, when the state change occurs, the corresponding port-based ACLs are deleted. If a port
is enabled for FIP snooping in ENode or FCF mode, the ENode/FCF MAC-based ACLs are deleted.

FIP Snooping Prerequisites
Before you configure FIP snooping on a switch, ensure that the following conditions are met:
•

A FIP snooping bridge requires DCBX and PFC to be enabled on the switch for lossless Ethernet
connections (refer to the Data Center Bridging (DCB) chapter in the S4810 FTOS Configuration Guide).
Dell Force10 recommends that you also enable ETS; ETS is recommended but not required.
If you enable DCBX and PFC mode is on (PFC is operationally up) in a port configuration, FIP
snooping is operational on the port. If the PFC parameters in a DCBX exchange with a peer are not
synchronized, FIP and FCoE frames are dropped on the port after you enable the FIP snooping feature.

FIP Snooping | 409

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

VLAN membership:
• You must create the VLANs on the switch which handles FCoE traffic (interface vlan command).
• You must configure each FIP snooping port to operate in Hybrid mode so that it accepts both
tagged and untagged VLAN frames (portmode hybrid command).
• You must configure tagged VLAN membership on each FIP snooping port that sends and receives
FCoE traffic and has links with an FCF, ENode server, or another FIP snooping bridge (tagged
port-type slot/port command).
The default VLAN membership of the port should continue to operate with untagged frames. FIP
snooping is not supported on a port that is configured for non-default untagged VLAN membership.

FIP Snooping Restrictions
The following restrictions apply when you configure FIP snooping:
•
•
•

The maximum number of FCoE VLANs supported on the switch is 8.
The maximum number of FIP snooping sessions supported per ENode server is 16.
The maximum number of FCFs supported per FIP snooping-enabled VLAN is 4.

Configuration Procedure
You can enable FIP snooping globally on all FCoE VLANs on a switch or on an individual FCoE VLAN.
By default, FIP snooping is disabled.
To enable FIP snooping on the switch and configure FIP snooping parameters on ports, follow these steps:
Step
1

Task

Command

Configure FCoE. The configuration files are
stored in the flash memory in the
CONFIG_TEMPLATE.

FCoE configuration:

Command Mode

copy FCoE_DCB_Config
running-config

Note: DCB/DCBx are enabled when either of
these configurations is applied.

2

Save the configuration on the switch.

write memory

EXEC Privilege

3

Reload the switch to enable the configuration.
After the switch is reloaded, DCB/DCBX will
be enabled.

reload

EXEC Privilege

4

Enable the FIP snooping feature on a switch.

feature fip-snooping

CONFIGURATION

5

Enable FIP snooping on all VLANs or on a
specified VLAN.

fip-snooping enable

CONFIGURATION
Or
VLAN INTERFACE

6

Configure the port for bridge-to-FCF links.

fip-snooping port-mode fcf

INTERFACE
CONFIGURATION

Note: To disable the FIP snooping feature or FIP snooping on VLANs, use the no version of a command;
for example, no feature fip-snooping or no fip-snooping enable.
410

|

FIP Snooping

Displaying FIP Snooping Information
Use the show commands in Table 18-1 to display information on FIP snooping.
Table 18-1.

Displaying FIP Snooping Information

Command

Output

show fip-snooping sessions [interface vlan
vlan-id]

Displays information on FIP-snooped sessions on all VLANs or a specified
VLAN, including the ENode interface and MAC address, the FCF
interface and MAC address, VLAN ID, FCoE MAC address and FCoE
session ID number (FC-ID), worldwide node name (WWNN) and the
worldwide port name (WWPN).

show fip-snooping config

Displays the FIP snooping status and configured FC-MAP values.

show fip-snooping enode
[enode-mac-address]

Displays information on the ENodes in FIP-snooped sessions, including
the ENode interface and MAC address, FCF MAC address, VLAN ID and
FC-ID.

show fip-snooping fcf [fcf-mac-address]

Displays information on the FCFs in FIP-snooped sessions, including the
FCF interface and MAC address, FCF interface, VLAN ID, FC-MAP
value, FKA advertisement period, and number of ENodes connected.

clear fip-snooping database interface vlan
Clears FIP snooping information on a VLAN for a specified FCoE MAC
vlan-id {fcoe-mac-address | enode-mac-address address, ENode MAC address, or FCF MAC address, and removes the
| fcf-mac-address}
corresponding ACLs generated by FIP snooping.
show fip-snooping statistics [interface vlan
vlan-id| interface port-type port/slot | interface
port-channel port-channel-number]

Displays statistics on the FIP packets snooped on all interfaces, including
VLANs, physical ports, and port channels.

clear fip-snooping statistics [interface vlan
vlan-id | interface port-type port/slot | interface
port-channel port-channel-number]

Clears the statistics on the FIP packets snooped on all VLANs, a specified
VLAN, or a specified port interface.

show fip-snooping system

Display information on the status of FIP snooping on the switch (enabled
or disabled), including the number of FCoE VLANs, FCFs, ENodes, and
currently active sessions.

show fip-snooping vlan

Display information on the FCoE VLANs on which FIP snooping is
enabled.

Figure 18-3. show fip-snooping sessions Command Example
FTOS#show fip-snooping sessions
Enode MAC
Enode Intf
aa:bb:cc:00:00:00
Te 0/42
aa:bb:cc:00:00:00
Te 0/42
aa:bb:cc:00:00:00
Te 0/42
aa:bb:cc:00:00:00
Te 0/42
aa:bb:cc:00:00:00
Te 0/42
FCoE MAC
0e:fc:00:01:00:01
0e:fc:00:01:00:02
0e:fc:00:01:00:03
0e:fc:00:01:00:04
0e:fc:00:01:00:05

FC-ID
01:00:01
01:00:02
01:00:03
01:00:04
01:00:05

FCF MAC
aa:bb:cd:00:00:00
aa:bb:cd:00:00:00
aa:bb:cd:00:00:00
aa:bb:cd:00:00:00
aa:bb:cd:00:00:00

Port WWPN
31:00:0e:fc:00:00:00:00
41:00:0e:fc:00:00:00:00
41:00:0e:fc:00:00:00:01
41:00:0e:fc:00:00:00:02
41:00:0e:fc:00:00:00:03

FCF Intf
Te 0/43
Te 0/43
Te 0/43
Te 0/43
Te 0/43

VLAN
100
100
100
100
100

Port WWNN
21:00:0e:fc:00:00:00:00
21:00:0e:fc:00:00:00:00
21:00:0e:fc:00:00:00:00
21:00:0e:fc:00:00:00:00
21:00:0e:fc:00:00:00:00

FIP Snooping | 411

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 18-2. show fip-snooping sessions Command Description

Field

Description

ENode MAC

MAC address of the ENode.

ENode Interface

Slot/ port number of the interface connected to the ENode.

FCF MAC

MAC address of the FCF.

FCF Interface

Slot/ port number of the interface to which the FCF is connected.

VLAN

VLAN ID number used by the session.

FCoE MAC

MAC address of the FCoE session assigned by the FCF.

FC-ID

Fibre Channel ID assigned by the FCF.

Port WWPN

Worldwide port name of the CNA port.

Port WWNN

Worldwide node name of the CNA port.

Figure 18-4. show fip-snooping config Command Example
FTOS# show fip-snooping config
FIP Snooping Feature enabled Status: Enabled
FIP Snooping Global enabled Status: Enabled
Global FC-MAP Value: 0X0EFC00
FIP Snooping enabled VLANs
VLAN
Enabled
FC-MAP
----------------100
TRUE
0X0EFC00

Figure 18-5.

show fip-snooping enode Command Example

FTOS# show fip-snooping enode
Enode MAC
Enode Interface
----------------------d4:ae:52:1b:e3:cd
Te 0/11

Table 18-3.

FCF MAC
------54:7f:ee:37:34:40

VLAN
---100

FC-ID
----62:00:11

show fip-snooping enode Command Description

Field

Description

ENode MAC

MAC address of the ENode.

ENode Interface

Slot/ port number of the interface connected to the ENode.

FCF MAC

MAC address of the FCF.

VLAN

VLAN ID number used by the session.

FC-ID

Fibre Channel session ID assigned by the FCF.

Figure 18-6. show fip-snooping fcf Command Example
FTOS# show fip-snooping fcf
FCF MAC
FCF Interface
------------------54:7f:ee:37:34:40
Po 22

412

|

FIP Snooping

VLAN
---100

FC-MAP
-----0e:fc:00

FKA_ADV_PERIOD
-------------4000

No. of Enodes
------------2

Table 18-4. show fip-snooping fcf Command Description

Field

Description

FCF MAC

MAC address of the FCF.

FCF Interface

Slot/port number of the interface to which the FCF is connected.

VLAN

VLAN ID number used by the session.

FC-MAP

FC-Map value advertised by the FCF.

ENode Interface

Slot/ number of the interface connected to the ENode.

FKA_ADV_PERIOD

Period of time (in milliseconds) during which FIP keep-alive advertisements are transmitted.

No of ENodes

Number of ENodes connected to the FCF.

FC-ID

Fibre Channel session ID assigned by the FCF.

FIP Snooping | 413

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 18-7.

show fip-snooping statistics (VLAN and port) Command Example

FTOS# show fip-snooping statistics interface vlan 100
Number of Vlan Requests
Number of Vlan Notifications
Number of Multicast Discovery Solicits
Number of Unicast Discovery Solicits
Number of FLOGI
Number of FDISC
Number of FLOGO
Number of Enode Keep Alive
Number of VN Port Keep Alive
Number of Multicast Discovery Advertisement
Number of Unicast Discovery Advertisement
Number of FLOGI Accepts
Number of FLOGI Rejects
Number of FDISC Accepts
Number of FDISC Rejects
Number of FLOGO Accepts
Number of FLOGO Rejects
Number of CVL
Number of FCF Discovery Timeouts
Number of VN Port Session Timeouts
Number of Session failures due to Hardware Config
FTOS(conf)#

:0
:0
:2
:0
:2
:16
:0
:9021
:3349
:4437
:2
:2
:0
:16
:0
:0
:0
:0
:0
:0
:0

FTOS# show fip-snooping statistics int tengigabitethernet 0/11
Number of Vlan Requests
:1
Number of Vlan Notifications
:0
Number of Multicast Discovery Solicits
:1
Number of Unicast Discovery Solicits
:0
Number of FLOGI
:1
Number of FDISC
:16
Number of FLOGO
:0
Number of Enode Keep Alive
:4416
Number of VN Port Keep Alive
:3136
Number of Multicast Discovery Advertisement
:0
Number of Unicast Discovery Advertisement
:0
Number of FLOGI Accepts
:0
Number of FLOGI Rejects
:0
Number of FDISC Accepts
:0
Number of FDISC Rejects
:0
Number of FLOGO Accepts
:0
Number of FLOGO Rejects
:0
Number of CVL
:0
Number of FCF Discovery Timeouts
:0
Number of VN Port Session Timeouts
:0
Number of Session failures due to Hardware Config
:0

414

|

FIP Snooping

Figure 18-8. show fip-snooping statistics (port channel) Command Example
FTOS# show fip-snooping statistics interface port-channel 22
Number of Vlan Requests
:0
Number of Vlan Notifications
:2
Number of Multicast Discovery Solicits
:0
Number of Unicast Discovery Solicits
:0
Number of FLOGI
:0
Number of FDISC
:0
Number of FLOGO
:0
Number of Enode Keep Alive
:0
Number of VN Port Keep Alive
:0
Number of Multicast Discovery Advertisement
:4451
Number of Unicast Discovery Advertisement
:2
Number of FLOGI Accepts
:2
Number of FLOGI Rejects
:0
Number of FDISC Accepts
:16
Number of FDISC Rejects
:0
Number of FLOGO Accepts
:0
Number of FLOGO Rejects
:0
Number of CVL
:0
Number of FCF Discovery Timeouts
:0
Number of VN Port Session Timeouts
:0
Number of Session failures due to Hardware Config
:0

Table 18-5.

show fip-snooping statistics Command Descriptions

Field

Description

Number of VLAN Requests

Number of FIP-snooped VLAN request frames received on the interface.

Number of VLAN Notifications

Number of FIP-snooped VLAN notification frames received on the interface.

Number of Multicast Discovery
Solicits

Number of FIP-snooped multicast discovery solicit frames received on the
interface.

Number of Unicast Discovery
Solicits

Number of FIP-snooped unicast discovery solicit frames received on the
interface.

Number of FLOGI

Number of FIP-snooped FLOGI request frames received on the interface.

Number of FDISC

Number of FIP-snooped FDISC request frames received on the interface.

Number of FLOGO

Number of FIP-snooped FLOGO frames received on the interface.

Number of ENode Keep Alives

Number of FIP-snooped ENode keep-alive frames received on the interface.

Number of VN Port Keep Alives

Number of FIP-snooped VN port keep-alive frames received on the interface.

Number of Multicast Discovery
Advertisements

Number of FIP-snooped multicast discovery advertisements received on the
interface.

Number of Unicast Discovery
Advertisements

Number of FIP-snooped unicast discovery advertisements received on the
interface.

Number of FLOGI Accepts

Number of FIP FLOGI accept frames received on the interface.

Number of FLOGI Rejects

Number of FIP FLOGI reject frames received on the interface.

Number of FDISC Accepts

Number of FIP FDISC accept frames received on the interface.

FIP Snooping | 415

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 18-5.

show fip-snooping statistics Command Descriptions

Field

Description

Number of FDISC Rejects

Number of FIP FDISC reject frames received on the interface.

Number of FLOGO Accepts

Number of FIP FLOGO accept frames received on the interface.

Number of FLOGO Rejects

Number of FIP FLOGO reject frames received on the interface.

Number of CVLs

Number of FIP clear virtual link frames received on the interface.

Number of FCF Discovery
Timeouts

Number of FCF discovery timeouts that occurred on the interface.

Number of VN Port Session
Timeouts

Number of VN port session timeouts that occurred on the interface.

Number of Session failures due
to Hardware Config

Number of session failures due to hardware configuration that occurred on the
interface.

Figure 18-9. show fip-snooping system Command Example
FTOS# show fip-snooping system
Global Mode
FCOE VLAN List (Operational)
FCFs
Enodes
Sessions

:
:
:
:
:

Enabled
1, 100
1
2
17

Figure 18-10. show fip-snooping vlan Command Example
FTOS# show fip-snooping vlan
* = Default VLAN
VLAN
---*1
100

FC-MAP
-----0X0EFC00

FCFs
---1

Enodes
-----2

Sessions
-------17

FIP Snooping Configuration Example
Figure 18-11 shows a S4810 switch used as a FIP snooping bridge for FCoE traffic between an ENode
(server blade) and an FCF (ToR switch). The ToR switch operates as an FCF and FCoE gateway.

416

|

FIP Snooping

Figure 18-11.

Configuration Example: FIP Snooping on an S4810 Switch

In Figure 18-11, DCBX and PFC are enabled on the FIP snooping bridge and on the FCF ToR switch. On
the FIP snooping bridge, DCBX is configured as follows:
•
•

A server-facing port is configured for DCBX in an auto-downstream role.
An FCF-facing port is configured for DCBX in an auto-upstream or configuration-source role.

The DCBX configuration on the FCF-facing port is detected by the server-facing port and the DCB PFC
configuration on both ports is synchronized. For more information about how to configure DCBX and PFC
on a port, refer to Data Center Bridging (DCB) in the S4810 FTOS Configuration Guide.
Figure 18-12 shows how to configure FIP snooping on FCoE VLAN 10, on an FCF-facing port (0/50), on
an ENode server-facing port (0/1), and to configure the FIP snooping ports as tagged members of the FCoE
VLAN enabled for FIP snooping.

FIP Snooping | 417

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 18-12.

FIP Snooping Configuration Example

Enable the FIP snooping feature on the switch (FIP snooping bridge):
FTOS(conf)# feature fip-snooping

Enable FIP snooping on FCoE VLAN 10:
FTOS(conf)# interface vlan 10
FTOS(conf-if-vl-10)# fip-snooping enable

Enable an FC-MAP value on VLAN 10:
FTOS(conf-if-vl-10)# fip-snooping fc-map 0xOEFC01

Note: Configuring an FC-MAP value is only required if you do not use the default FC-MAP value
(0x0EFC00).
Configure the ENode server-facing port:
FTOS(conf)# interface tengigabitethernet 0/1
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/1)# portmode hybrid
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/1)# switchport
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/1)# protocol lldp
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/1-lldp)# dcbx port-role auto-downstream

Note: A port is enabled by default for bridge-ENode links.
Configure the FCF-facing port:
FTOS(conf)# interface tengigabitethernet 0/50
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/50)# portmode hybrid
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/50)# switchport
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/50)# fip-snooping port-mode fcf
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/50)# protocol lldp
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/50-lldp)# dcbx port-role auto-upstream

Configure FIP snooping ports as tagged members of FCoE VLAN:
FTOS(conf)# interface vlan 10
FTOS(conf-if-vl-10)# tagged tengigabitethernet 0/1
FTOS(conf-if-vl-10)# tagged tengigabitethernet 0/50
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/1)# no shut
FTOS(conf-if-te-0/50)# no shut
FTOS(conf-if-vl-10)# no shut

After FIP packets are exchanged between the ENode and the switch, a FIP snooping session is established.
ACLS are dynamically generated for FIP snooping on the FIP snooping bridge/switch.

418

|

FIP Snooping

19
Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP)
Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP) is supported on platforms:

e cs z

Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP) provides fast network convergence to Layer 2 switches
interconnected in a ring topology, such as a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) or large campuses. FRRP
is similar to what can be achieved with the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), though even with optimizations,
STP can take up to 50 seconds to converge (depending on the size of network and node of failure) may
require 4 to 5 seconds to reconverge. FRRP can converge within 150ms to 1500ms when a link in the ring
breaks (depending on network configuration).
To operate a deterministic network, a network administrator must run a protocol that converges
independently of the network size or node of failure. The Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP) is a
proprietary protocol that provides this flexibility, while preventing Layer 2 loops. FRRP provides
sub-second ring-failure detection and convergence/re-convergence in a Layer 2 network while eliminating
the need for running spanning-tree protocol. With its two-way path to destination configuration, FRRP
provides protection against any single link/switch failure and thus provides for greater network uptime.

Protocol Overview
FRRP is built on a ring topology. Up to 255 rings can be configured on a system. FRRP uses one Master
node and multiple Transit nodes in each ring. There is no limit to the number of nodes on a ring. The
Master node is responsible for the intelligence of the Ring and monitors the status of the Ring. The Master
node checks the status of the Ring by sending Ring Health Frames (RHF) around the Ring from its Primary
port and returning on its Secondary port. If the Master node misses three consecutive RHFs, it determines
the ring to be in a failed state. The Master then sends a Topology Change RHF to the Transit Nodes
informing them that the ring has changed. This causes the Transit Nodes to flush their forwarding tables,
and re-converge to the new network structure.
One port of the Master node is designated the Primary port (P) to the ring; another port is designated as the
Secondary port (S) to the ring. In normal operation, the Master node blocks the Secondary port for all
non-control traffic belonging to this FRRP group, thereby avoiding a loop in the ring, like STP. Layer 2
switching and learning mechanisms operate per existing standards on this ring.
Each Transit node is also configured with a Primary port and a Secondary port on the ring, but the port
distinction is ignored as long as the node is configured as a Transit node. If the ring is complete, the Master
node logically blocks all data traffic in the transmit and receive directions on the Secondary port to prevent
a loop. If the Master node detects a break in the ring, it unblocks its Secondary port and allows data traffic
to be transmitted and received through it. Refer to the illustration below for a simple example of this FRRP
topology. Note that ring direction is determined by the Master node’s Primary and Secondary ports.

Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP) | 419

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

A Virtual LAN (VLAN) is configured on all node ports in the ring. All ring ports must be members of the
Member VLAN and the Control VLAN.
The Member VLAN is the VLAN used to transmit data as described earlier.
The Control VLAN is used to perform the health checks on the ring. The Control VLAN can always pass
through all ports in the ring, including the secondary port of the Master node.

Ring Status
The Ring Failure notification and the Ring Status checks provide two ways to ensure the ring remains up
and active in the event of a switch or port failure.

Ring Checking
At specified intervals, the Master Node sends a Ring Health Frame (RHF) through the ring. If the ring is
complete, the frame is received on its secondary port and the Master node resets its fail-period timer and
continues normal operation.
If the Master node does not receive the Ring Health Frame (RHF) before the fail-period timer expires (a
configurable timer), the Master node moves from the Normal state to the Ring-Fault state and unblocks its
Secondary port. The Master node also clears its forwarding table and sends a control frame to all other
nodes, instructing them to also clear their forwarding tables. Immediately after clearing its forwarding
table, each node starts learning the new topology.

Ring Failure
If a Transit node detects a link down on any of its ports on the FRRP ring, it immediately sends a
link-down control frame on the Control VLAN to the Master node. When the Master node receives this
control frame, the Master node moves from the Normal state to the Ring-Fault state and unblocks its
Secondary port. The Master node clears its routing table and sends a control frame to all other ring nodes,
instructing them to clear their routing tables as well. Immediately after clearing its routing table, each node
begins learning the new topology.

Ring Restoration
The Master node continues sending Ring Health Frames out its primary port even when operating in the
Ring-Fault state. Once the ring is restored, the next status check frame is received on the Master node's
Secondary port. This will cause the Master node to transition back to the Normal state. The Master node
then logically blocks non-control frames on the Secondary port, clears its own forwarding table, and sends
a control frame to the Transit nodes, instructing them to clear their forwarding tables and re-learn the
topology.

420

|

Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP)

During the time between the Transit node detecting that its link is restored and the Master node detecting
that the ring is restored, the Master node’s Secondary port is still forwarding traffic. This can create a
temporary loop in the topology. To prevent this, the Transit node places all the ring ports transiting the
newly restored port into a temporary blocked state. The Transit node remembers which port has been
temporarily blocked and places it into a pre- forwarding state. When the Transit node in the pre-forwarding
state receives the control frame instructing it to clear its routing table, it does so and unblocks the
previously blocked ring ports on the newly restored port. Then the Transit node returns to the Normal state.

Multiple FRRP Rings
Up to 255 rings are allowed per system and multiple rings can be run on one system. However, it is not
recommended on the S20/S50 to have more than 34 rings on the same interface (either a physical interface
or a portchannel). More than the recommended number of rings may cause interface instability. Multiple
rings can be configured with a single switch connection; a single ring can have multiple FRRP groups;
multiple rings can be connected with a common link.
The S4810, S55, and S60 support up to 32 rings on a system (including stacked units).

Member VLAN Spanning Two Rings Connected by One Switch
A Member VLAN can span two rings interconnected by a common switch, in a figure-eight style topology.
A switch can act as a Master node for one FRRP Group and a Transit for another FRRP group, or it can be
a Transit node for both rings.
In the example shown below, FRRP 101 is a ring with its own Control VLAN, and FRRP 202 has its own
Control VLAN running on another ring. A Member VLAN that spans both rings is added as a Member
VLAN to both FRRP groups. Switch R3 has two instances of FRRP running on it: one for each ring. The
example topology that follows shows R3 assuming the role of a Transit node for both FRRP 101 and FRRP
202.

Important FRRP Points
FRRP provides a convergence time that can generally range between 150ms and 1500ms for Layer 2
networks. The master node originates a high-speed frame that circulates around the ring. This frame,
appropriately, sets up or breaks down the ring.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Ring Status Check Frames are transmitted by the Master Node at specified intervals
Multiple physical rings can be run on the same switch
One Master node per ring—all other nodes are Transit
Each node has 2 member interfaces—Primary, Secondary
No limit to the number of nodes on a ring
Master node ring port states—blocking, pre-forwarding, forwarding, disabled
Transit node ring port states—blocking, pre-forwarding, forwarding, disabled
STP disabled on ring interfaces
Master node secondary port is in blocking state during Normal operation

Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP) | 421

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

Ring Health Frames (RHF)
• Hello RHF
— Sent at 500ms (hello interval)
— Transmitted and processed by Master node only
• Topology Change RHF
— Triggered updates
— Processed at all nodes

Important FRRP Concepts
Table 19-1, "FRRP Components," in Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP) lists some important FRRP
concepts.
Table 19-1.

FRRP Components

Concept

Explanation

Ring ID

Each ring has a unique 8-bit ring ID through which the ring is identified (e.g.
FRRP 101 and FRRP 202 as shown in the illustration in Member VLAN
Spanning Two Rings Connected by One Switch.

Control VLAN

Each ring has a unique Control VLAN through which tagged Ring Health
Frames (RHF) are sent. Control VLANs are used only for sending Ring Health
Frames, and cannot be used for any other purpose.

Member VLAN

Each ring maintains a list of member VLANs. Member VLANs must be
consistent across the entire ring.

Port Role

Each node has two ports for each ring: Primary and Secondary. The Master node
Primary port generates Ring Health Frames (RHF). The Master node Secondary
port receives the RHF frames. On Transit nodes, there is no distinction between
a Primary and Secondary interface when operating in the Normal state.

Ring Interface State

Each interface (port) that is part of the ring maintains one of four states
•
•

•

•
Ring Protocol Timers

422

|

Blocking State: Accepts ring protocol packets but blocks data packets.
LLDP, FEFD, or other Layer 2 control packets are accepted. Only the master
node Secondary port can enter this state.
Pre-Forwarding State: A transition state before moving to the Forward
state. Control traffic is forwarded but data traffic is blocked. The Master
node Secondary port transitions through this state during ring bring-up. All
ports transition through this state when a port comes up.
Forwarding State—Both ring control and data traffic is passed. When the
ring is in Normal operation, the Primary port on the Master node and both
Primary and Secondary ports on the Transit nodes are in forwarding state.
When the ring is broken, all ring ports are in this state.
Disabled State—When the port is disabled or down, or is not on the VLAN.

Hello Interval: The interval when ring frames are generated from the Master
node’s Primary interface (default 500 ms). The Hello interval is configurable in
50 ms increments from 50 ms to 2000 ms.
Dead Interval: The interval when data traffic is blocked on a port. The default is
3 times the Hello interval rate. The dead interval is configurable in 50 ms
increments from 50 ms to 6000 ms.

Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP)

Table 19-1.

FRRP Components (continued)

Concept

Explanation

Ring Status

The state of the FRRP ring. During initialization/configuration, the default ring
status is Ring-down (disabled). The Primary and Secondary interfaces, Control
VLAN, and Master and Transit node information must be configured for the ring
to be up.
• Ring-Up: Ring is up and operational
• Ring-Down: Ring is broken or not set up

Ring Health-check Frame
(RHF)

Two types of RHFs are generated by the Master node. RHFs never loop the ring
because they terminate at the Master node’s secondary port.
• Hello RHF (HRHF): These frames are processed only on the Master node’s
Secondary port. The Transit nodes pass the HRHF through the without
processing it. An HRHF is sent at every Hello interval.
• Topology Change RHF (TCRHF): These frames contains ring status,
keepalive, and the Control and Member VLAN hash. It is processed at each
node of the ring. TCRHFs are sent out the Master Node’s Primary and
Secondary interface when the ring is declared in a Failed state with the same
sequence number, on any topology change to ensure all Transit nodes receive
it. There is no periodic transmission of TCRHFs. The TCRHFs are sent on
triggered events of ring failure or ring restoration only.

Implementing FRRP
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

FRRP is media and speed independent.
FRRP is a Dell Force10 proprietary protocol that does not interoperate with any other vendor.
Spanning Tree must be disabled on both Primary and Secondary interfaces before FRRP is enabled.
All ring ports must be Layer 2 ports. This is required for both Master and Transit nodes.
A VLAN configured as control VLAN for a ring cannot be configured as a control or member VLAN
for any other ring.
The Control VLAN is used to carry any data traffic; it carries only RHFs.
The Control VLAN cannot have members that are not ring ports.
If multiple rings share one or more member VLANs, they cannot share any links between them.

•

Member VLANs across multiple rings are not supported in Master nodes.

•

Each ring has only one Master node; all others are transit nodes.

FRRP Configuration
These are the tasks to configure FRRP.
•
•
•

Create the FRRP group
Configure the Control VLAN
• Configure Primary and Secondary ports
Configure and add the Member VLANs

Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP) | 423

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•
•

• Configure Primary and Secondary ports
Configure the Master node
Configure a Transit node
Set FRRP Timers (optional)
Enable FRRP

Other FRRP related commands are:
•

Clear FRRP counters

Create the FRRP group
The FRRP group must be created on each switch in the ring.
Use the commands in the following sequence to create the FRRP group.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

protocol frrp ring-id

CONFIGURATION

Create the FRRP group with this Ring ID
Ring ID: 1-255

Configure the Control VLAN
Control and Member VLANS are configured normally for Layer 2. Their status as Control or Member is
determined at the FRRP group commands. For complete information about configuring VLANS in Layer 2
mode, refer to Layer 2.
Be sure to follow these guidelines:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

All VLANS must be in Layer 2 mode.
Only ring nodes can be added to the VLAN.
A Control VLAN can belong to one FRRP group only.
Control VLAN ports must be tagged.
All ports on the ring must use the same VLAN ID for the Control VLAN.
A VLAN cannot be configured as both a Control VLAN and Member VLAN on the same ring.
Only two interfaces can be members of a Control VLAN (the Master Primary and Secondary ports).

•

Member VLANs across multiple rings are not supported in Master nodes

Use the commands in the following sequence, on the switch that will act as the Master node, to create the
Control VLAN for this FRRP group.

424

|

Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

interface vlan vlan-id

CONFIGURATION

Create a VLAN with this ID number
VLAN ID: 1-4094

Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP)

Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

2

tagged interface slot/
port {range}

CONFIG-INT-VLAN

Tag the specified interface or range of interfaces
to this VLAN.
Interface:
• For a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface, enter
the keyword keyword GigabitEthernet
followed by the slot/port information.
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword GigabitEthernet followed by the
slot/port information
• For a 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword TenGigabitEthernet followed by the
slot/port information.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword fortyGigE followed by the slot/port
information.

Slot/Port, Range: Slot and Port ID for the
interface. Range is entered Slot/Port-Port.
3

interface primary int
slot/port secondary int
slot/port control-vlan
vlan id

CONFIG-FRRP

Assign the Primary and Secondary ports, and the
Control VLAN for the ports on the ring.
Interface:
• For a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface, enter
the keyword keyword GigabitEthernet
followed by the slot/port information.
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword GigabitEthernet followed by the
slot/port information
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword
sonet followed by slot/port information.
• For a 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword TenGigabitEthernet followed by the
slot/port information.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword fortyGigE followed by the slot/port
information.

Slot/Port: Slot and Port ID for the interface.
VLAN ID: The VLAN identification of the
Control VLAN.
4

mode master

CONFIG-FRRP

Configure the Master node

5

member-vlan vlan-id
{range}

CONFIG-FRRP

Identify the Member VLANs for this FRRP
group
VLAN-ID, Range: VLAN IDs for the ring’s
Member VLANS.

6

no disable

CONFIG-FRRP

Enable FRRP

Configure and add the Member VLANs
Control and Member VLANS are configured normally for Layer 2. Their status as Control or Member is
determined at the FRRP group commands. For complete information about configuring VLANS in Layer 2
mode, refer to Layer 2.

Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP) | 425

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Be sure to follow these guidelines:
•
•
•

All VLANS must be in Layer 2 mode.
Control VLAN ports must be tagged. Member VLAN ports except the Primary/Secondary interface
can be tagged or untagged.
The Control VLAN must be the same for all nodes on the ring.

Use the commands in the following sequence, on all of the Transit switches in the ring, to create the
Members VLANs for this FRRP group.
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

interface vlan vlan-id

CONFIGURATION

Create a VLAN with this ID number
VLAN ID: 1-4094

2

tagged interface slot/
port {range}

CONFIG-INT-VLAN

Tag the specified interface or range of interfaces
to this VLAN.
Interface:
• For a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface, enter
the keyword keyword GigabitEthernet
followed by the slot/port information.
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword GigabitEthernet followed by the
slot/port information
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword
sonet followed by slot/port information.
• For a 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword TenGigabitEthernet followed by the
slot/port information.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword fortyGigE followed by the slot/port
information.

Slot/Port, Range: Slot and Port ID for the
interface. Range is entered Slot/Port-Port.
3

interface primary int
slot/port secondary int
slot/port control-vlan
vlan id

CONFIG-FRRP

Assign the Primary and Secondary ports, and the
Control VLAN for the ports on the ring.
Interface:
• For a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface, enter
the keyword keyword GigabitEthernet
followed by the slot/port information.
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword GigabitEthernet followed by the
slot/port information
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword
sonet followed by slot/port information.
• For a 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword TenGigabitEthernet followed by the
slot/port information.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword fortyGigE followed by the slot/port
information.

Slot/Port: Slot and Port ID for the interface.
VLAN ID: Identification number of the Control
VLAN

426

|

Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP)

Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

4

mode transit

CONFIG-FRRP

Configure a Transit node

5

member-vlan vlan-id
{range}

CONFIG-FRRP

Identify the Member VLANs for this FRRP
group
VLAN-ID, Range: VLAN IDs for the ring’s
Member VLANs.

6

no disable

CONFIG-FRRP

Enable this FRRP group on this switch.

Set FRRP Timers
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

timer

CONFIG-FRRP

Enter the desired intervals for Hello-Interval or
Dead-Interval times.
Hello-Interval: 50-2000, in increments of 50
(default is 500)
Dead-Interval: 50-6000, in increments of 50
(default is 1500)

{hello-interval|dead-interval}
milliseconds

The Dead-Interval time should be set at 3x the Hello-Interval.

Clear FRRP counters
Use one of the following commands to clear the FRRP counters.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

clear frrp ring-id

EXEC PRIVELEGED

Clear the counters associated with this Ring ID
Ring ID: 1-255

clear frrp

EXEC PRIVELEGED

Clear the counters associated with all FRRP
groups

Show FRRP configuration
Use the following command to view the configuration for the FRRP group.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

show configuration

CONFIG-FRRP

Show the configuration for this FRRP group

Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP) | 427

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Show FRRP information
Use one of the following commands show general FRRP information.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

show frrp ring-id

EXEC or EXEC
PRIVELEGED

Show the information for the identified FRRP
group.
Ring ID: 1-255

show frrp summary

EXEC or EXEC
PRIVELEGED

Show the state of all FRRP groups.
Ring ID: 1-255

Troubleshooting FRRP
Configuration Checks
•
•
•
•
•

•

Each Control Ring must use a unique VLAN ID
Only two interfaces on a switch can be Members of the same Control VLAN
There can be only one Master node for any FRRP Group.
FRRP can be configured on Layer 2 interfaces only
Spanning Tree (if enabled globally) must be disabled on both Primary and Secondary interfaces when
FRRP is enabled.
• When the interface ceases to be a part of any FRRP process, if Spanning Tree is enabled globally,
it must be enabled explicitly for the interface.
The maximum number of rings allowed on a chassis is 255.

Sample Configuration and Topology
The following illustration is an example of a basic FRRP topology. Below the illustration are the
associated CLI commands.
R1 MASTER
interface GigabitEthernet 1/24
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/34
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 101
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 1/24,34

428

|

Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP)

no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 201
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 1/24,34
no shutdown
!
protocol frrp 101
interface primary GigabitEthernet 1/24
secondary GigabitEthernet 1/34 control-vlan 101
member-vlan 201
mode master
no disable

R2 TRANSIT
interface GigabitEthernet 2/14
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/31
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 101
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 2/14,31
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 201
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 2/14,31
no shutdown
!
protocol frrp 101
interface primary GigabitEthernet 2/14 secondary GigabitEthernet 2/31 control-vlan 101
member-vlan 201
mode transit
no disable

R3 TRANSIT
interface GigabitEthernet 3/14
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/21
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 101
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 3/14,21
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 201
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 3/14,21
no shutdown
!

Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP) | 429

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

protocol frrp 101
interface primary GigabitEthernet 3/21
secondary GigabitEthernet 3/14 control-vlan 101
member-vlan 201
mode transit
no disable

430

|

Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP)

20
GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP)
GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP) is supported on platforms:

ecs z

Protocol Overview
Typical VLAN implementation involves manually configuring each Layer 2 switch that participates in a
given VLAN. GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP), defined by the IEEE 802.1q specification, is a
Layer 2 network protocol that provides for automatic VLAN configuration of switches. GVRP-compliant
switches use GARP to register and de-register attribute values, such as VLAN IDs, with each other.
GVRP exchanges network VLAN information to allow switches to dynamically forward frames for one or
more VLANs. Consequently, GVRP spreads this information and configures the needed VLAN(s) on any
additional switches in the network. Data propagates via the exchange of GVRP protocol data units (PDUs).
The purpose of GVRP is to simplify (but not eliminate) static configuration. The idea is to configure
switches at the edge and have the information dynamically propagate into the core. As such, the edge ports
must still be statically configured with VLAN membership information, and they do not run GVRP. It is
this information that is propagated to create dynamic VLAN membership in the core of the network.

Important Points to Remember
•
•
•
•

GVRP propagates VLAN membership throughout a network. GVRP allows end stations and switches
to issue and revoke declarations relating to VLAN membership.
VLAN registration is made in the context of the port that receives the GARP PDU and is propagated to
the other active ports.
GVRP is disabled by default; you must enable GVRP for the switch and then for individual ports.
Dynamic VLANs are aged out after the LeaveAll timer expires three times without receipt of a Join
message. Use the show gvrp statistics {interface interface | summary} command to display status.

GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP) | 431

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

On the E-Series, C-Series, and non-S60/S55/S4810 S-Series, Per-VLAN Spanning Tree (PVST+) or
MSTP and GVRP cannot be enabled at the same time, as shown in the example below. If Spanning
Tree and GVRP are both required, implement RSTP. The S60, S55, and S4810 systems do support
enabling GVRP and MSTP at the same time.

FTOS(conf)#protocol spanning-tree pvst
FTOS(conf-pvst)#no disable
% Error: GVRP running. Cannot enable PVST.
.........
FTOS(conf)#protocol spanning-tree mstp
FTOS(conf-mstp)#no disable
% Error: GVRP running. Cannot enable MSTP.
.........
FTOS(conf)#protocol gvrp
FTOS(conf-gvrp)#no disable
% Error: PVST running. Cannot enable GVRP.
% Error: MSTP running. Cannot enable GVRP.

Configuring GVRP
Globally, enable GVRP on each switch to facilitate GVRP communications. Then, GVRP configuration is
per interface on a switch-by-switch basis. Enable GVRP on each port that connects to a switch where you
want GVRP information exchanged. In the illustration below, that type of port is referred to as a VLAN
trunk port, but it is not necessary to specifically identify to FTOS that the port is a trunk port.

432

|

GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP)

Basic GVRP configuration is a 2-step process:
1. Enabling GVRP Globally.
2. Enabling GVRP on a Layer 2 Interface.

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•

Configuring GVRP Registration
Configuring a GARP Timer

Enabling GVRP Globally
Enable GVRP for the entire switch using the command gvrp enable in CONFIGURATION mode, as shown
in the following example. Use the show gvrp brief command to inspect the global configuration.
FTOS(conf)#protocol gvrp
FTOS(config-gvrp)#no disable
FTOS(config-gvrp)#show config
!
protocol gvrp
no disable
FTOS(config-gvrp)#

Enabling GVRP on a Layer 2 Interface
Enable GVRP on a Layer 2 interface using the command gvrp enable in INTERFACE mode, as shown in
the following example. Use show config from the INTERFACE mode to inspect the interface
configuration, as shown in the following example, or use the show gvrp interface command in EXEC or
EXEC Privilege mode.
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/21)#switchport
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/21)#gvrp enable
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/21)#no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/21)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/21
no ip address
switchport
gvrp enable
no shutdown

GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP) | 433

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configuring GVRP Registration
•

•

Fixed Registration Mode: Configuring a port in fixed registration mode allows for manual creation
and registration of VLANs, prevents VLAN de-registration, and registers all VLANs known on other
ports on the port. For example, if an interface is statically configured via the CLI to belong to a VLAN,
it should not be un-configured when it receives a Leave PDU. So, the registration mode on that
interface is FIXED.
Forbidden Mode: Disables the port to dynamically register VLANs, and to propagate VLAN
information except information about VLAN 1. A port with forbidden registration type thus allows
only VLAN 1 to pass through even though the PDU carries information for more VLANs. So, set the
interface to the registration mode of FORBIDDEN if you do not want the interface to advertise or learn
about particular VLANS.

Based on the configuration in the example shown below, the interface 1/21 will not be removed from
VLAN 34 or VLAN 35 despite receiving a GVRP Leave message. Additionally, the interface will not be
dynamically added to VLAN 45 or VLAN 46, even if a GVRP Join message is received.
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/21)#gvrp registration fixed 34,35
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/21)#gvrp registration forbidden 45,46
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/21)#show conf
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/21
no ip address
switchport
gvrp enable
gvrp registration fixed 34-35
gvrp registration forbidden 45-46
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/21)#

Configuring a GARP Timer
GARP timers must be set to the same values on all devices that are exchanging information using GVRP:
•

•

434

|

Join: A GARP device reliably transmits Join messages to other devices by sending each Join message
two times. Use this parameter to define the interval between the two sending operations of each Join
message. The FTOS default is 200ms.
Leave: When a GARP device expects to de-register a piece of attribute information, it will send out a
Leave message and start this timer. If a Join message does not arrive before the timer expires, the
information is de-registered. The Leave timer must be greater than or equal to 3x the Join timer. The
FTOS default is 600ms.

GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP)

•

LeaveAll: Upon startup, a GARP device globally starts a LeaveAll timer. Upon expiration of this
interval, it will send out a LeaveAll message so that other GARP devices can re-register all relevant
attribute information. The device then restarts the LeaveAll timer to begin a new cycle. The LeaveAll
timer must be greater than or equal to 5x of the Leave timer. The FTOS default is 10000ms.

FTOS(conf)#garp timer leav 1000
FTOS(conf)#garp timers leave-all 5000
FTOS(conf)#garp timer join 300
Verification:
FTOS(conf)#do show garp timer
GARP Timers
Value (milliseconds)
---------------------------------------Join Timer
300
Leave Timer
1000
LeaveAll Timer
5000
FTOS(conf)#

FTOS displays Message 1 if an attempt is made to configure an invalid GARP timer.
Message 1 GARP Timer Error
Force10(conf)#garp timers join 300
% Error: Leave timer should be >= 3*Join timer.

GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP) | 435

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
436

|

GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP)

21
High Availability
High Availability (HA) is supported on platforms: c e s
Note: High Availability is not supported on the S60 system.

High availability is a collection of features that preserves system continuity by maximizing uptime and
minimizing packet loss during system disruptions.
To support all the features within the HA collection, you should have the latest boot code. The following
table lists the boot code requirements as of this FTOS release.
Component

Boot Code

E-Series TeraScale RPM

2.4.2.1

E-Series TeraScale Line Card

2.3.2.1

E-Series ExaScale RPM

2.5.1.9

E-Series ExaScale Line Card

2.9.1.1

C-Series RPM

2.7.1.1

C-Series Line Card

2.6.0.2

S-Series RPM

2.8.2.0

S-Series Line Card

2.8.2.0

The features in this collection are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Component Redundancy
Online Insertion and Removal
Hitless Behavior
Graceful Restart
Software Resiliency
Warm Upgrade
Hot-lock Behavior

High Availability | 437

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Component Redundancy
Dell Force10 systems eliminate single points of failure by providing dedicated or load-balanced
redundancy for each component.

RPM Redundancy
The current version of FTOS supports 1+1 hitless Route Processor Module (RPM) redundancy. The
primary RPM performs all routing, switching, and control operations while the standby RPM monitors the
primary RPM. In the event that the primary RPM fails, the standby RPM can assume control of the system
without requiring a chassis reboot.
This section contains the following sub-sections:
•
•
•
•
•

Boot the chassis with a single RPM
Boot the chassis with dual RPMs
Automatic and manual RPM failover
Support for RPM redundancy by FTOS version
RPM synchronization

Boot the chassis with a single RPM
You can boot the chassis with one RPM and later add a second RPM, which automatically becomes the
standby RPM. FTOS displays Message 1 when the standby RPM is online.
Message 1 Standby RPM is Online
%RPM-2-MSG:CP0 %POLLMGR-2-ALT_RPM_STATE: Alternate RPM is present
%IRC-6-IRC_COMMUP: Link to peer RPM is up
%RAM-6-RAM_TASK: RPM1 is in Standby State.

On the C-Series, since the RPM also contains the switch fabric, even though the second RPM comes online
as the standby, the switch fabric is active and participates in routing. You can achieve line rate on all line
cards with a single RPM except for the 8-port 10G line card which requires both RPMs to achieve line rate.

Boot the chassis with dual RPMs
When you boot the system with two RPMs installed, the RPM in slot R0 is the primary RPM by default.
Both RPMs should be running the same version of FTOS. You can configure either RPM to be the primary
upon the next chassis reboot using the command redundancy primary from CONFIGURATION mode.

438

|

High Availability

Version compatibility between RPMs
In general, the two RPMs should have the same FTOS version. However, FTOS tolerates some degree of
difference between the two versions, as described in Table 21-1, "System Behavior with RPMs with
Mismatched FTOS Versions," in High Availability. View the configuration loaded on each RPM using the
command show redundancy, as shown in the example in Automatic and manual RPM failover .
Table 21-1.

System Behavior with RPMs with Mismatched FTOS Versions

Mismatch Condition

Example

Behavior

different FTOS versions with
only first two digits matching

Primary: 7.4.2.0
Standby: 7.4.1.0

The link to the standby RPM is up, and FTOS block syncs only the
startup-config. The failover type is warm upgrade. FTOS displays
Message 2.

different FTOS versions with
first two digits not matching

Primary: 7.6.1.0
Standby: 7.5.1.0

The link to the standby RPM is down, and the standby RPM is in a boot
loop. FTOS displays Message 3 and a boot fail prompt.

different FTOS versions with Primary: 7.4.2.0
only first three digits matching Standby: 7.4.2.1

The link to the peer RPM is up, and FTOS performs a complete block
sync. The failover type is hot failover. FTOS displays Message 2.

Message 2 FTOS Version Incompatibility Error
************************************************
*
*
Warning !!! Warning !!! Warning !!!
*
* ---------------------------------------------*
*
Incompatible SW Version detected !!
*
*
This RPM -> 7.4.2.0
*
Peer RPM -> 7.4.1.0
*
************************************************
00:00:12:
Different
00:00:12:
00:00:14:

%RPM0-U:CP %IRC-4-IRC_VERSION: Current RPM 7.4.2.0 Peer RPM 7.4.1.0 software version detected
%RPM0-U:CP %IRC-6-IRC_COMMUP: Link to peer RPM is up
%RPM0-U:CP %RAM-6-ELECTION_ROLE: RPM0 is transitioning to Primary RPM.

Message 3 Boot Failure on Standby RPM
System failed to boot up. Please reboot the chassis !!!
00:12:46: %RPM1-U:CP %TME-0-RPM BRINGUP FAIL: FTOS failed to bring up the system
Communication between RPMs is not up, check the software version and reboot chassis.
FTOS(standby)(bootfail)#

High Availability | 439

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Automatic and manual RPM failover
RPM failover is the process of the standby RPM becoming the primary RPM. FTOS fails over to the
standby RPM when:
1. Communication is lost between the standby and primary RPMs
2. You request a failover via the CLI
3. You remove the primary RPM
Use the command show redundancy from EXEC Privilege mode to display the reason for the last failover.
FTOS#show redundancy
-- RPM Status ------------------------------------------------RPM Slot ID:
0
RPM Redundancy Role:
Primary
RPM State:
Active
RPM SW Version:
7.6.1.0
Link to Peer:
Up
-- PEER RPM Status ------------------------------------------------RPM State:
Standby
RPM SW Version:
7.6.1.0
-- RPM Redundancy Configuration ------------------------------------------------Primary RPM:
rpm0
Auto Data Sync:
Full
Failover Type:
Hot Failover
Auto reboot RPM:
Enabled
Auto failover limit:
3 times in 60 minutes
-- RPM Failover Record ------------------------------------------------Failover Count:
0
Last failover timestamp:
None
Last failover Reason:
None
Last failover type:
None
-- Last Data Block Sync Record: ------------------------------------------------Line Card Config:
succeeded May 19 2008
Start-up Config:
succeeded May 19 2008
Runtime Event Log:
succeeded May 19 2008
Running Config:
succeeded May 19 2008
FTOS#

11:34:06
11:34:06
11:34:06
11:34:07

Communication between RPMs
E-Series RPMs have three CPUs: Control Processor (CP), Routing Processor 1 (RP1), and Routing
Processor 2 (RP2). The CPUs use Fast Ethernet connections to communicate to each other and to the line
card CPUs (LP) using Inter-Processor Communication (IPC). The CP monitors the health status of the
other processors by sending a heartbeat message. If any CPU fails to acknowledge a consecutive number
of heartbeat messages, or the CP itself fails to send heartbeat messages (IPC timeout), the primary RPM
requests a failover to the standby RPM, and FTOS displays a message similar to Message 4.

440

|

High Availability

C-Series RPMs have one CPU: Control Processor (CP). The CP on the RPM communicates with the LP
via IPC. Like the E-Series, the CP monitors the health status of the other processors by sending a heartbeat
message. If any CPU fails to acknowledge a consecutive number of heartbeat messages, or the CP itself
fails to send heartbeat messages (IPC timeout), the primary RPM requests a failover to the standby RPM,
and FTOS displays a message similar to Message 4.
Message 4 RPM Failover due to IPC Timeout
%RPM1-P:CP
%RPM0-S:CP
on failure
%RPM0-S:CP
%RPM0-P:CP

%IPC-2-STATUS: target rp2 not responding
%RAM-6-FAILOVER_REQ: RPM failover request from active peer: Auto failover
%RAM-6-ELECTION_ROLE: RPM0 is transitioning to Primary RPM.
%TSM-6-SFM_SWITCHFAB_STATE: Switch Fabric: UP

In addition to IPC, the CP on the each RPM sends heartbeat messages to the CP on its peer RPM via a
process called Inter-RPM Communication (IRC). If the primary RPM fails to acknowledge a consecutive
number of heartbeat messages (IRC timeout), the standby RPM responds by assuming the role of primary
RPM, and FTOS displays message similar to message Message 5.
Message 5 RPM Failover due to IRC Timeout
20:29:07: %RPM1-S:CP %IRC-4-IRC_WARNLINKDN: Keepalive packet 7 to peer RPM is lost
20:29:07: %RPM1-S:CP %IRC-4-IRC_COMMDOWN: Link to peer RPM is down
%RPM1-S:CP %RAM-4-MISSING_HB: Heartbeat lost with peer RPM. Auto failover on heart beat lost.
%RPM1-S:CP %RAM-6-ELECTION_ROLE: RPM1 is transitioning to Primary RPM.

IPC and IRC timeouts and failover behavior
IPC or IRC timeouts can occur because heartbeat messages and acknowledgements are lost or arrive out of
sequence, or a software or hardware failure occurs that impacts IPC or IRC. Table 21-2, "Failover
Behaviors," in High Availability describes the failover behavior for the possible failure scenarios.
Table 21-2.

Failover Behaviors

Platform

Failover Trigger

Failover Behavior

ce

CP task crash on the primary
RPM

The standby RPM detects the IRC time out and initiates failover, and
the failed RPM reboots itself after saving a CP application core dump.

ce

CP IRC timeout for a non-task
crash reason on the primary RPM

The standby RPM detects IRC time out and initiates failover. FTOS
saves a CP trace log, the CP IPC-related system status, and a CP
application core dump. Then the failed RPM reboots itself.

e

RP task or kernel crash on the
primary RPM

CP on the primary RPM detects the RP IPC timeout and notifies the
standby RPM. The standby RPM initiates a failover. FTOS saves an
RP application or kernel core dump, the CP trace log, and the CP
IPC-related system status. Then the new primary RPM reboots the
failed RPM.

High Availability | 441

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 21-2.

Failover Behaviors

Platform

Failover Trigger

Failover Behavior

e

RP IPC timeout for a non-task
crash reason on the primary RPM

CP on primary RPM detects the RP IPC timeout and notifies standby
RPM. Standby RPM initiates a failover. FTOS saves an RP
application core dump, RP IPC-related system status, a CP trace log
record, and the CP IPC-related system status. Then the new primary
RPM reboots the failed RPM.

ce

Hardware error detected on the
primary RPM

FTOS detects the hardware error on the primary RPM and notifies the
standby RPM. The standby RPM initiates a failover. FTOS saves a
CP trace log, and a CP hardware nvtrace log. Then the new primary
RPM reboots the failed RPM.

ce

Forced failover via the CLI

CP on primary RPM notifies standby RPM and the standby RPM
initiates a failover. FTOS collects no system information. The former
primary RPM immediately reboots after failover.

ce

Primary RPM is removed

The standby RPM detects the removal and initiates a failover. FTOS
collects no system information.

After a failover, the new primary RPM prompts you for a username and password if authentication
methods was configured and that data was synchronized. The standby RPM does not use authentication
methods involving client/server protocols, such as RADIUS and TACACS+.
FTOS logs information about IPC timeouts in a log file that you can access. Refer to:
•
•

C-Series Debugging and Diagnostics, C-Series Debugging and Diagnostics
E-Series TeraScale Debugging and Diagnostics, Inter-CPU timeouts

Support for RPM redundancy by FTOS version
FTOS supports increasing levels of RPM redundancy (warm and hot) as described in Table 21-3, "Support
for RPM Redundancy by FTOS Version," in High Availability.
Table 21-3.

442

|

Support for RPM Redundancy by FTOS Version

Failover Type

Failover Behavior

Platform

Warm Failover

The new primary RPM remains online, while the failed RPM, all line cards, and all
SFMs reboot.

ce

Hot Failover

Only the failed RPM reboots.
All line cards and SFMs remain online.
All application tasks are spawned on the secondary RPM before failover.
The running configuration is synchronized at runtime so it does not need to be reapplied
during failover.

ce
s

High Availability

RPM synchronization
Data between the two RPMs is synchronized immediately after bootup. Once the two RPMs have done an
initial full synchronization (block sync), thereafter FTOS only updates changed data (incremental sync).
The data that is synchronized consists of configuration data, operational data, state and status, and statistics
depending on the FTOS version.
Failover Type

Synchronized Data

Platform

Warm Failover

some NVRAM information, startup-configuration, line card configurations, user-access
configurations

ecs

Hot Failover

some NVRAM information, startup-config, line card configurations, user-access
configurations, running-config, SFM and datapath states, run-time event log and
configuration, interface state

ecs

RPM redundancy configuration tasks
Select a Primary RPM
The RPM in slot 0 is the primary RPM by default. Manually select the primary RPM using the command
redundancy primary from CONFIGURATION mode. View which RPM is the primary using the command
show running-config redundancy from EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in the example in the “Force an
RPM failover” section.
FTOS#show running-config redundancy
!
redundancy auto-failover-limit count 3 period 60
redundancy auto-synchronize full
redundancy primary rpm0
FTOS#

Force an RPM failover
Trigger an RPM failover between RPMs using the command redundancy force-failover rpm from EXEC
Privilege mode. Use this feature when:
•
•

You are replacing an RPM, and
You are performing a warm upgrade

FTOS#redundancy force-failover rpm
Peer RPM's SW version is different but HA compatible.
Failover can be done by warm or hitless upgrade.
All linecards will be reset during warm upgrade.
Specify hitless upgrade or warm upgrade [confirm hitless/warm]:hitless
Proceed with warm upgrade [confirm yes/no]:

High Availability | 443

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Specify an Auto-failover Limit
When a non-recoverable fatal error is detected, an automatic failover occurs. However, FTOS is
configured to auto-failover only three times within any 60 minute period. You may specify a different
auto-failover count and period using the command redundancy auto-failover-limit.
To re-enable the auto-failover-limit with its default parameters, in CONFIGURATION mode, use the
redundancy auto-failover-limit command without parameters.

Disable Auto-reboot
Prevent a failed RPM from rebooting after a failover using the command redundancy disable-auto-reboot
from CONFIGURATION mode.

Manually Synchronize RPMs
Manually synchronize RPMs at any time using the command redundancy synchronize full from EXEC
Privilege mode.

Switch Fabric Module redundancy
Switch Fabric Module Redundancy is supported on platform: c
Since the RPM on the C-Series also contains the switch fabric, even though the second RPM comes online
as the standby, the switch fabric is active and is automatically available for routing. Change this behavior
using the command redundancy sfm standby from CONFIGURATION mode. To bring the secondary SFM
online, enter no redundancy sfm standby. There is sub-second packet-loss anytime an SFM is brought
online or taken offline. Use the command show sfm all to determine the status of the SFMs on the RPMs.

Online Insertion and Removal
You can add, replace, or remove chassis components while the chassis is operating.
This section contains the following sub-sections:
•
•

RPM Online Insertion and Removal
Linecard Online Insertion and Removal

RPM Online Insertion and Removal
Dell Force10 systems are functional with only one RPM. If a second RPM is inserted, it comes online as
the standby RPM, as shown in the example below.

444

|

High Availability

On the C-Series, when a secondary RPM with a logical SFM is inserted or removed, the system must add
or remove the backplane links to the switch fabric trunk. Any time such links are changed, traffic is
disrupted. Use the command redundancy sfm standby to avoid any traffic disruption when the secondary
RPM is inserted. When this command is executed, the logical SFM on the standby RPM is immediately
taken offline, and the SFM state set as standby. Use the command show sfm all to see SFM status
information.
FTOS#show rpm all
-- Route Processor Modules -Slot Status
NxtBoot
Version
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
active
online
7-5-1-71
1
not present
%RPM0-P:CP %POLLMGR-2-ALT_RPM_STATE: Alternate RPM is present
%RPM0-P:CP %IRC-6-IRC_COMMUP: Link to peer RPM is up
%RPM1-S:CP %RAM-5-RPM_STATE: RPM1 is in Standby State
FTOS#show rpm all
-- Route Processor Modules -Slot Status
NxtBoot
Version
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
active
online
7-5-1-71
1
standby
online
7-5-1-71

Linecard Online Insertion and Removal
FTOS detects the line card type when you insert a line card into a online chassis. FTOS writes the line card
type to the running-config and maintains this information as a logical configuration if you remove the card
(or the card fails), as shown in the example below.
FTOS(conf)#do show linecard all
-- Line cards -Slot Status
NxtBoot
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
not present
[output omitted]
FTOS(conf)# %RPM0-P:CP %CHMGR-5-CARDDETECTED: Line card 0 present
FTOS(conf)# do show linecard all
-- Line cards -Slot Status
NxtBoot
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
online
online
E48VB
E48VB
7-5-1-71
48
[output omitted]
FTOS(conf)#%RPM0-P:CP %CHMGR-2-CARD_DOWN: Line card 0 down - card removed
FTOS(conf)#do show linecard all
-- Line cards -Slot Status
NxtBoot
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
not present
E48VB
[output omitted]

High Availability | 445

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Pre-configure a line card slot
You may also pre-configure an empty line card slot with a logical line card using the command linecard
from CONFIGURATION mode. After creating the logical line card, you can configure the interfaces on
the line card as if it is present, as shown in the example below.
FTOS(conf)#do show linecard 0
-- Line card 0 -Status
: not present
FTOS(conf)#int gig 0/0
^
% Error: No card configured in slot at "^" marker.
FTOS(conf)#linecard 0 E48VB
FTOS(conf)#do show linecard 0
-- Line card 0 -Status
: not present
Required Type : E48VB - 48-port GE 10/100/1000Base-T line card with RJ45 interfaces and PoE (CB)
FTOS(conf)#int gig 0/0
FTOS(conf-if-gi-0/0)#

Replace a line card
If you are replacing a line card with a line card of the same type, you may replace the card without any
additional configuration.
If you are replacing a line card with a line card of a different type, remove the card and then remove the
existing line card configuration using the command no linecard. If you do not, FTOS reports a card
mismatch (Message 6) when you insert the new card, and the installed line card has a card mismatch status.
Message 6 Line card Mismatch Error
%RPM0-P:CP %CHMGR-3-CARD_MISMATCH: Mismatch: line card 0 is type E48VB - type E48TB required

To clear this line card mismatch status and bring the line card online, specify the type of line card you
inserted using the command linecard, as shown in the example below.
%RPM0-P:CP %CHMGR-5-CARDDETECTED: Line card 0 present
%RPM0-P:CP %CHMGR-3-CARD_MISMATCH: Mismatch: line card 0 is type E48VB - type E48TB required
FTOS#show linecard

all

-- Line cards -Slot Status
NxtBoot
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
type mismatch online
E48TB
E48VB
7-5-1-71
48
[output omitted]
FTOS(conf)#linecard 0 E48VB
Aug 6 14:25:22: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-1-DEL_PORT: Removed port: Gi 0/0-47
FTOS(conf)#Aug 6 14:25:24: %RPM0-P:CP %CHMGR-5-LINECARDUP: Line card 0 is up
FTOS#show linecard

446

|

High Availability

all

-- Line cards -Slot Status
NxtBoot
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
online
online
E48VB
E48VB
7-5-1-71
48
[output omitted]

Hitless Behavior
Hitless Behavior is supported only on platforms: c e
Hitless behavior is supported on S4810 with FTOS 8.3.12.0 and later or the E-Series ExaScale ex with
FTOS 8.2.1.0. and later.
Hitless is a protocol-based system behavior that makes an RPM failover on the local system transparent to
remote systems. The system synchronizes protocol information on the standby and primary RPMs such
that, the event of an RPM failover, there is no need to notify remote systems of a local state change.
Hitless behavior is defined in the context of an RPM failover only and does not include line card, SFM,
and power module failures.
•
•

On the E-Series: Failovers triggered by software exception, hardware exception, forced failover via the
CLI, and manual removal of the primary RPM are all hitless.
On the C-Series and S4810: Only failovers via the CLI are hitless. The system is not hitless in any
other scenario.

Hitless protocols are compatible with other hitless and graceful restart protocols. For example, if hitless
OSPF is configured over hitless LACP LAGs, both features work seamlessly to deliver a hitless
OSPF-LACP result. However, if hitless behavior involves multiple protocols, all must be hitless in order to
achieve a hitless end result. For example, if OSPF is hitless but BFD is not, OSPF operates hitlessly and
BFD flaps upon an RPM failover.
The following protocols are hitless:
•
•
•

Link Aggregation Control Protocol. Refer to Configure LACP as Hitless.
Spanning Tree Protocol. Refer to Configuring Spanning Trees as Hitless.
On the E-Series only, Bi-directional Forwarding Detection (line card ports). Refer to Bidirectional
Forwarding Detection (BFD).

High Availability | 447

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Graceful Restart
Graceful Restart is supported on platforms: e c s
Graceful restart (also called non-stop forwarding) is a protocol-based mechanism that preserves the
forwarding table of the restarting router and its neighbors for a specified period to minimize the loss of
packets. A graceful-restart router does not immediately assume that a neighbor is permanently down and
so does not trigger a topology change. On E-Series, when you configure graceful restart, the system drops
no packets during an RPM failover for protocol-relevant destinations in the forwarding table, and is
therefore called “hitless”. On the C-Series and S-Series, packet loss is non-zero, but trivial, and so is still
called hitless.
FTOS supports graceful restart for the following protocols:
•
•
•
•

Border Gateway Protocol.
Open Shortest Path First.
Protocol Independent Multicast—Sparse Mode.
Intermediate System to Intermediate System.

Software Resiliency
During normal operations FTOS monitors the health of both hardware and software components in the
background to identify potential failures, even before these failures manifest.

Runtime System Health Check
Runtime System Health Check is supported on platform: e
FTOS runs a system health check to detect data transfer errors within the system. FTOS performs the
check during normal operation by interspersing test frames among the data frames that carry user and
system data. One such check is a data plane loopback test.
There are some differences between the TeraScale and ExaScale line card and RPM testing:
•
•
•

448

|

The TeraScale card test contains a loopback from the RPM to the SFM and a loopback from the line
cards to the SFM.
The ExaScale card test contains a loopback from the RPM to the SFM and a loopback from the line
cards to the on-board TSF3.
For TeraScale, each line card and RPM periodically sends out test frames that loop back through the
SFM. The loopback health check determines the overall status of the backplane and can identifies a
faulty SFM. If three consecutive RPM loopbacks fail, then the software initiates a fault isolation
procedure that sequentially disables one SFM at a time and performs the same loopback test.

High Availability

•

For ExaScale, the RPM alone RPM periodically sends out test frames that loop back through the SFM.
The loopback health check determines the overall status of the backplane and can identifies a faulty
SFM. If three consecutive RPM loopbacks fail, then the software initiates a fault isolation procedure
that sequentially disables one SFM at a time and performs the same loopback test.

Refer to the E-Series TeraScale Debugging and Diagnostics and E-Series ExaScale Debugging and
Diagnostics chapters for details on the different system checks performed.

SFM Channel Monitoring
PCDFO is supported only on platform: e
Another test that is used to check the integrity of the data plane is a Per-channel De-skew FIFO Overflow
(PCDFO). Each ingress and egress Buffer and Traffic Manager (BTM/FPTM) maintains nine channel
connections to the SFM. The PCDFO test detects a faulty channel on an SFM, RPM, or line card by
creating a test frame and striping it across all nine SFM channels between the eBTM/eFPTM and iBTM/
iFPTM. The eBTM/eFPTM must receive each segment of striped data within a specified time to be
considered to have proper temporal alignment. Small skews less than the specified time are tolerated
because of buffering within the BTM/FPTM. If segments are not received within the specified time, the
fault is not tolerated, and FTOS initiates additional tests to isolate the fault.
For more information on the PCDFO test, see E-Series TeraScale Debugging and Diagnostics, Respond to
PCDFO events or E-Series ExaScale Debugging and Diagnostics.
Note: The BTM applies to E-Series TeraScale, and the FPTM applies to the E-Series ExaScale.

Software Component Health Monitoring
On each of the line cards and the RPM, there are a number of software components. FTOS performs a
periodic health check on each of these components by querying the status of a flag, which the
corresponding component resets within a specified time.
If any health checks on the RPM fail, then the FTOS fails over to standby RPM. If any health checks on a
line card fail, FTOS resets the card to bring it back to the correct state.

System Health Monitoring
FTOS also monitors the overall health of the system. Key parameters like CPU utilization, free memory,
and error counters (CRC failures, packet loss, etc.) are measured, and upon exceeding a threshold can be
used to initiate recovery mechanism.

Failure and Event Logging
Dell Force10 systems provide multiple options for logging failures and events.

High Availability | 449

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Trace Log
Developers interlace messages with software code to track a the execution of a program. These messages
are called trace messages; they are primarily used for debugging and provide lower level information than
event messages, which are primarily used by system administrators. FTOS retains executed trace messages
for hardware and software and stores them in files (logs) on the internal flash.
•
•
•

NV Trace Log—contains line card bootup trace messages that FTOS never overwrites, and is stored in
internal flash under the directory NVTRACE_LOG_DIR.
Trace Log—contains trace messages related to software and hardware events, state, and errors. Trace
Logs are stored in internal flash under the directory TRACE_LOG_DIR.
Crash Log—contains trace messages related to IPC and IRC timeouts and task crashes on line cards,
and is stored under the directory CRASH_LOG_DIR.

For more information on trace logs and configuration options, see:
•
•
•
•

C-Series Debugging and Diagnostics
E-Series TeraScale Debugging and Diagnostics
E-Series ExaScale Debugging and Diagnostics
S-Series Debugging and Diagnostics

Core Dumps
A core dump is the contents of RAM being used by a program at the time of a software exception and is
used to identify the cause of the exception. There are two types of core dumps: application and kernel.
•

•

The kernel is the central component of an operating system that manages system processors and
memory allocation and makes these facilities available to applications. A kernel core dump is the
contents of the memory in use by the kernel at the time of an exception.
An application core dump is the contents of the memory allocated to a failed application at the time of
an exception.

System Log
Event messages provide system administrators diagnostics and auditing information. FTOS sends event
messages to the internal buffer, all terminal lines, the console, and optionally to a syslog server. For more
information on event messages and configurable options, see Management.

Hot-lock Behavior
FTOS Hot-lock features allow you to append and delete their corresponding CAM entries dynamically
without disrupting traffic. Existing entries are simply are shuffled to accommodate new entries.
FTOS offers the following Hot-lock features:

450

|

High Availability

•

•

Hot-lock IP ACLs (supported on E-Series, C-Series, and S-Series) allow you to append rules to and
delete rules from an Access Control List that is already written to CAM. This behavior is enabled by
default and is available for both standard and extended ACLs on ingress and egress. For information
on configuring ACLs, see Access Control Lists (ACLs).
Hot-lock PBR (supported on E-Series only) allows you to append rules to and delete rules from a
redirect list that is already written to CAM without disrupting traffic. This behavior is enabled by
default. For information on configuring Policy-based Routing, see Policy-based Routing.

Warm Upgrade
Warm Upgrade is supported on platform e
Warm software upgrades use warm failover, which means that FTOS reboots the secondary RPM and all
line cards and SFMs. The chassis remains online during the upgrade, but forwarding is interrupted, as
shown in Table 21-4, "Control Plane and Data Plane Status during Warm Upgrade," in High Availability.
FTOS supports warm software upgrades under two conditions:
•

•

between consecutive feature releases where only the second digit differs between the running FTOS
version number and the upgrade version number. For example, an upgrade from FTOS version 7.6.1.0
to 7.7.1.0 is warm.
between two consecutive maintenance releases of the same feature release. For example, upgrading
from 7.7.1.0 to 7.7.1.1 is warm.

Table 21-4, "Control Plane and Data Plane Status during Warm Upgrade," in High Availability show the
warm upgrade and downtime impact, if any, which each step.
Table 21-4.

Control Plane and Data Plane Status during Warm Upgrade
Download 6.3.1.1 to Reboot RPM1 to
RPMs
Upgrade

Initiate Warm
Failover

Reboot RPM0 to
Upgrade

RPM 0

7.6.1.0 Primary

7.6.1.0 Primary

7.6.1.0 Secondary

7.7.1.0 Secondary

RPM 1

7.6.1.0 Secondary

7.7.1.0 Secondary

7.7.1.0 Primary

7.7.1.0 Primary

Line Cards

7.6.1.0

7.6.1.0

7.7.1.0

7.7.1.0

Control Plane

Operational

Operational

Interruption

Operational

Forwarding State

Forwarding

Forwarding

Interruption

Forwarding

High Availability | 451

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configure Cache Boot
Cache Boot is supported on platforms: c e
Cache Boot is supported on E-Series ExaScale ex with FTOS 8.2.1.0. and later.
FTOS Behavior: On E-Series ExaScale, the SFM auto upgrade feature is not supported with cacheboot. If you
attempt an SFM auto upgrade, you must reload the chassis to recover.

The Dell Force10 system has the ability to boot the chassis using a cached FTOS image. FTOS stores the
system image on the bootflash for each processor so that:
•
•

the processors do not have to download the images during bootup, and
the processors can boot in parallel rather than serially.

Booting the system by this method significantly reduces the time to bring the system online. Using Cache
Boot with Warm Upgrade significantly reduces downtime during an upgrade to bring the system online
during routine reloads.
Cache Boot can be configured during runtime. Dell Force10 recommends, however, that it be configured it
when the system is offline.
The bootflash is partitioned so that two separate images can be cached, one for each RPM.

Cache Boot Pre-requisites
The system must meet two requirements before you can use the cache boot feature:
1. On the E-Series, the cache boot feature requires RPM hardware revision 2.1 or later. Use the show rpm
command (shown below) to determine the version of your RPM. There is no hardware requirement for
C-Series. In the example below, the relevant information appears in red.
FTOS#show rpm
-- RPM card 0 -Status
: active
Next Boot
: online
Card Type
: RPM - Route Processor Module (LC-EF3-RPM)
Hardware Rev : 2.2i
Num Ports
: 1
Up Time
: 1 day, 4 hr, 25 min
Last Restart : reset by user
FTOS Version : 4.7.5.427
Jumbo Capable : yes
CP Boot Flash : A: 2.4.1.1
[booted]
B: 2.4.1.1
RP1 Boot Flash: A: 2.4.1.1
B: 2.4.1.1
[booted]
RP2 Boot Flash: A: 2.4.1.1
B: 2.4.1.1
[booted]
CP Mem Size
: 536870912 bytes
RP1 Mem Size : 1073741824 bytes
RP2 Mem Size : 1073741824 bytes
MMC Mem Size : 520962048 bytes
External MMC : n/a
Temperature
: 32C

452

|

High Availability

Power Status : AC
Voltage
: ok
Serial Number : FX000017082
--More--

2. The cache boot feature requires at least the boot code versions in Table 21-5, "Boot Code
Requirements for Cache Boot," in High Availability. Use show rpm and show linecard commands to
verify that you have the proper version.
Table 21-5.

Boot Code Requirements for Cache Boot

Component

Boot Code

E-Series TeraScale RPM

2.4.2.1

E-Series TeraScale Line Card

2.3.2.1

E-Series ExaScale RPM

2.5.0.3

E-Series ExaScale Line Card

2.9.0.5

C-Series RPM

2.7.1.1

C-Series Line Card

2.6.0.1

If you do not have the proper boot code version, the system displays a message similar to Message 7 when
you attempt to select a cache boot image (see Select the Cache Boot Image). See Upgrading the Boot Code
in the Release Notes for instructions on upgrading boot code.
Message 7 Boot Code Upgrade Required for Cache Boot Error
% Error: linecard 0 doesn't have cache boot aware bootCode.

Select the Cache Boot Image
Select the FTOS image that you want to cache using the command upgrade system-image, as shown in the
example below. Dell Force10 recommends using the keyword all with this command to avoid any
mis-matched configurations.
Note: The cache boot feature is not enabled by default; you must copy the running configuration to the
startup configuration (copy running-config startup-config) after selecting a cache boot image in order to
enable it.
FTOS#upgrade system-image all A flash://FTOS-EF-7.8.1.0.bin
Current cache boot information in the system:
=============================================
Type
A
B
--------------------------------------------------------CP
invalid
invalid
RP1
invalid[b][n]
invalid
RP2
invalid
invalid
linecard 0
invalid
invalid
linecard 1 is not present.
linecard 2 is not present.
linecard 3 is not present.

High Availability | 453

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

linecard 4
invalid
linecard 5 is not present.

6.5.1.8

Note: [b] : booted
[n] : next boot
Upgrade cache boot image(4.7.5.427) for all cards [yes/no]: yes
cache boot image downloading in progress...
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cache boot upgrade in progress. Please do NOT power off the card.
Note: Updating Flash Table of Contents...
Erasing TOC area...
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Upgrade result :
================
All cache boot image upgraded to 4.7.5.427
FTOS#

View your cache boot configuration using the command show boot system all, as shown in the example
below.
FTOS#show boot system all
Current system image information in the system:
=============================================
Type
Boot Type
A
B
---------------------------------------------------------------CP
DOWNLOAD BOOT 4.7.5.427
invalid
RP1
DOWNLOAD BOOT 4.7.5.427
invalid
RP2
DOWNLOAD BOOT 4.7.5.427
invalid
linecard 0
DOWNLOAD BOOT 4.7.5.427
invalid
linecard 1 is not present.
linecard 2 is not present.
linecard 3 is not present.
linecard 4
DOWNLOAD BOOT 4.7.5.427
6.5.1.8
linecard 5 is not present.
FTOS#

If you attempt to cache a system image that does not support the cache boot feature, Message 8 appears.
Message 8 System Image does not Support Cache Boot Error
%% Error: Given image is not cache boot aware image.

Verify that the system is configured to boot with the selected cache boot image using the command show
bootvar as shown in the example below.
FTOS#copy running-config startup-config
File with same name already exist.
Proceed to copy the file [confirm yes/no]: yes
!
10496 bytes successfully copied
1d6h32m: %RPM0-P:CP %FILEMGR-5-FILESAVED: Copied running-config to startup-config in flash by
default
R4_E300#show bootvar
PRIMARY IMAGE FILE = system://4.7.5.427

454

|

High Availability

SECONDARY IMAGE FILE = flash://FTOS-EF-7.7.1.0.bin
DEFAULT IMAGE FILE = flash://FTOS-EF-7.6.1.0.bin
LOCAL CONFIG FILE = variable does not exist
PRIMARY HOST CONFIG FILE = variable does not exist
SECONDARY HOST CONFIG FILE = variable does not exist
PRIMARY NETWORK CONFIG FILE = variable does not exist
SECONDARY NETWORK CONFIG FILE = variable does not exist
CURRENT IMAGE FILE = flash://FTOS-EF-7.7.1.0.bin
CURRENT CONFIG FILE 1 = flash://startup-config
CURRENT CONFIG FILE 2 = variable does not exist
CONFIG LOAD PREFERENCE = local first
BOOT INTERFACE GATEWAY IP ADDRESS = variable does not exist
FTOS#

Process Restartability
Process Restartability is an extension to the FTOS high availability system component that enables
application processes and system protocol tasks to be restarted. This extension increases system reliability
and uptime by attempting to restart the crashed process on primary RPM before executing the failover
procedure as a last resort.
Currently, if a software exception occurs, FTOS executes a failover procedure. In a single-RPM system,
the system generates a coredump and reboots; in a dual-RPM system, the system generates a coredump and
fails over to the standby RPM.
With a system reload, the system must read and apply the entire startup-config file, which might take some
time if the startup-config is large. Restarting a process saves time because only a portion of the
configuration related to the crashed process is read and re-applied.
For a dual-RPMs system, restarting a process also precludes launching the failover process on the primary
and standby RPMs. Recovery is attempted first locally on the primary RPM, which involves less CPU
overhead, increasing the systems availability for other activities.
However, in both single and dual-RPM systems, even when Process Restart is configured, the coredump
portion of failover is still executed.
The processes that can be restarted fall under three categories:
•
•
•

Interface-related processes—TACACS+, RADIUS, CLI, and SSH, etc.
Protocol tasks—OSPF, RIP, and ACL, etc. Process Restart is not currently available for protocol
tasks; the failover procedure is executed immediately upon software exception.
Line card processes—IPC, Event Log Agent, Line Card Manager, etc. Process Restart is not currently
available for line card processes; the failover procedure is executed immediately upon software
exception.

High Availability | 455

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

The restart time varies by process. In general, interface-related processes are hitless and can be restarted in
seconds; if a restart is successful, traffic is not interrupted. Protocol tasks and line card processes are not
hitless and take longer to restart. You can select which process may attempt to restart and the number of
consecutive restart attempts before failover, but by default, every process fails over.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable Process Restartability for a
process or task.

process restartable [process] [try number]
[timestamp hours]

CONFIGURATION

Display the processes and tasks
configured for restart.

show process restartable

EXEC Privilege

When a process restarts, FTOS displays Message 9.
Message 9 System Message for Process Restarts
[9/18 23:22:21] TME-(tme): Starting to restart the failed process tacplus
[9/18 23:22:41] TME-(tme): Finishing restarting the failed process tacplus

Customers can specify the timestamp in hour(s) so that if the number of attempts to restart exceeds the max
allowed within this timestamp, the restart mode will be changed into failover mode from this moment on.
Meaning the next time the crashed process will NOT be restarted but failover to the standby RPM if it is on
a dual RPM environment and rebooted if it is on a single RPM.

456

|

High Availability

22
Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)
Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is supported on platforms:

ecsz

Multicast is premised on identifying many hosts by a single destination IP address; hosts represented by
the same IP address are a multicast group. Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is a Layer 3
multicast protocol that hosts use to join or leave a multicast group. Multicast routing protocols (such as
PIM) use the information in IGMP messages to discover which groups are active and to populate the
multicast routing table.

IGMP Implementation Information
•
•
•
•
•

FTOS supports IGMP versions 1, 2, and 3 based on RFCs 1112, 2236, and 3376, respectively.
FTOS does not support IGMP version 3 and versions 1 or 2 on the same subnet.
IGMP on FTOS supports up to 512 interfaces on E-Series, 31 interfaces on C-Series and S25/S50,95
interfaces on the S4810, S55, and S60and an unlimited number of groups on all platforms.
Dell Force10 systems cannot serve as an IGMP host or an IGMP version 1 IGMP Querier.
FTOS automatically enables IGMP on interfaces on which you enable a multicast routing protocol.

IGMP Protocol Overview
IGMP has three versions. Version 3 obsoletes and is backwards-compatible with version 2; version 2
obsoletes version 1.

IGMP version 2
IGMP version 2 improves upon version 1 by specifying IGMP Leave messages, which allows hosts to
notify routers that they no longer care about traffic for a particular group. Leave messages reduce the
amount of time that the router takes to stop forwarding traffic for a group to a subnet (leave latency) after
the last host leaves the group. In version 1 hosts quietly leave groups, and the router waits for a query
response timer several times the value of the query interval to expire before it stops forwarding traffic.

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) | 457

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To receive multicast traffic from a particular source, a host must join the multicast group to which the
source is sending traffic. A host that is a member of a group is called a receiver. A host may join many
groups, and may join or leave any group at any time. A host joins and leaves a multicast group by sending
an IGMP message to its IGMP Querier. The querier is the router that surveys a subnet for multicast
receivers, and processes survey responses to populate the multicast routing table.
IGMP messages are encapsulated in IP packets, as shown in the following illustration.
Preamble

Version
(4)

IHL

TOS
(0xc0)

Total Length

Start Frame
Delimiter

Destination MAC

Flags

Frag Offset

Source MAC

TTL
(1)

Protocol
(2)

Padding

IP Packet

Ethernet Type

Header
Checksum

Src IP Addr

Dest IP Addr

FCS

Options
(Router Alert)

Type

Padding

Max. Response
Time

8 bits

Code: 0x11:
0x12:
0x16:
0x17:

Membership Query
IGMP version 1 Membership Report
IGMP version 2 Membership Report
IGMP Leave Group

IGMP Packet

Checksum

Group Address

16 bits

May be zero and ignored by hosts for
general queries or contain a group
address for group-specific queries

fnC0069mp

Joining a Multicast Group
There are two ways that a host may join a multicast group: it may respond to a general query from its
querier or it may send an unsolicited report to its querier.

Responding to an IGMP Query
1. One router on a subnet is elected as the querier. The querier periodically multicasts (to
all-multicast-systems address 224.0.0.1) a general query to all hosts on the subnet.
2. A host that wants to join a multicast group responds with an IGMP Membership Report that contains
the multicast address of the group it wants to join (the packet is addressed to the same group). If
multiple hosts want to join the same multicast group, only the report from the first host to respond
reaches the querier and the remaining hosts suppress their responses (see Adjusting Query and
Response Timers for how the delay timer mechanism works).
3. The querier receives the report for a group and adds the group to the list of multicast groups associated
with its outgoing port to the subnet. Multicast traffic for the group is then forwarded to that subnet.

Sending an Unsolicited IGMP Report
A host does not have to wait for a general query to join a group. It may send an unsolicited IGMP
Membership Report, also called an IGMP Join message, to the querier.

Leaving a Multicast Group
1. A host sends a membership report of type 0x17 (IGMP Leave message) to the all routers multicast
address 224.0.0.2 when it no longer cares about multicast traffic for a particular group.

458

|

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)

2. The querier sends a Group-Specific Query to determine whether there are any remaining hosts in the
group. There must be at least one receiver in a group on a subnet for a router to forward multicast
traffic for that group to the subnet.
3. Any remaining hosts respond to the query according to the delay timer mechanism (see Adjusting
Query and Response Timers). If no hosts respond (because there are none remaining in the group) the
querier waits a specified period and sends another query. If it still receives no response, the querier
removes the group from the list associated with forwarding port and stops forwarding traffic for that
group to the subnet.

IGMP version 3
Conceptually, IGMP version 3 behaves the same as version 2. There are differences:
•
•

•

Version 3 adds the ability to filter by multicast source, which helps multicast routing protocols avoid
forwarding traffic to subnets where there are no interested receivers.
To enable filtering, routers must keep track of more state information, that is, the list of sources that
must be filtered. An additional query type, the Group-and-Source-Specific Query, keeps track of state
changes, while the Group-Specific and General queries still refresh the existing state.
Reporting is more efficient and robust: hosts do not suppress query responses (non-suppression helps
track state and enables the immediate-leave and IGMP Snooping features), state-change reports are
retransmitted to insure delivery, and a single membership report bundles multiple statements from a
single host, rather than sending an individual packet for each statement.

The version 3 packet structure is different from version 2 to accommodate these protocol enhancements.
Queries are still sent to the all-systems address 224.0.0.1 as shown in the illustration below, but reports are
sent to the all IGMP version 3-capable multicast routers address 244.0.0.22 as shown in the second
illustration.

Max. Response
Code

Type
(0x11)

Maximum Response Time
derived from this value

Code: 0x11: Membership Query

Checksum

Group Address

Reserved

S

Querier Robustness
Value
(2)

Bit flag that when set to
1 suppresses router query
response timer updates

Querier's Query
Interval Code

Query Interval derived
from this value

Number of times that a
router or receiver transmits
a query or report to insure
that it is received

Number of
Sources

Source Addresses

Source addresses to be
filtered

Number of source addresses
to be filtered

fnC0070mp

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) | 459

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Version
(4)

IHL

TOS
(0xc0)

Total Length

Flags

Frag Offset

TTL
(1)

Protocol
(2)

Header
Checksum

Type

Reserved

Src IP Addr

Dest IP Addr
(224.0.0.22)

Checksum

Reserved

Options
(Router Alert)

IGMP Packet

Padding

Number of Group
Records

Group Record 1

Group Record 2

Group Record N

Value used by IGMP to calculate
multicast reception state
Record Type
0x12: IGMP version 1 Membership Report
0x16: IGMP version 2 Membership Report
0x17: IGMP Leave Group
0x22: IGMP version 3 Membership Report

Auxiliary Data
Length
(0)

Length of Auxiliary
Data field

Number of
Sources

Multicast Address

Source
Addresses

Group address to which
the group record pertains

Number of source addresses
Range: 1-6
to be filtered
Code: 1: Current state is Include
2: Current state is Exclude
3: State change to Include
4: State change to Exclude
5: Allow new sources and no state change
6: Block old sources and no state change

Auxiliary Data

None defined in RFC 3376

Source addresses
to be filtered

fnC0071mp

Joining and Filtering Groups and Sources
The following illustration shows how multicast routers maintain the group and source information from
unsolicited reports.
1. The first unsolicited report from the host indicates that it wants to receive traffic for group 224.1.1.1.
2. The host’s second report indicates that it is only interested in traffic from group 224.1.1.1, source
10.11.1.1. Include messages prevent traffic from all other sources in the group from reaching the
subnet. Before recording this request, the querier sends a group-and-source query to verify that there
are no hosts interested in any other sources. The multicast router must satisfy all hosts if they have
conflicting requests. For example, if another host on the subnet is interested in traffic from 10.11.1.3,
then the router cannot record the include request. There are no other interested hosts, so the request is
recorded. At this point, the multicast routing protocol prunes the tree to all but the specified sources.
3. The host’s third message indicates that it is only interested in traffic from sources 10.11.1.1 and
10.11.1.2. Since this request again prevents all other sources from reaching the subnet, the router sends
another group-and-source query so that it can satisfy all other hosts. There are no other interested hosts
so the request is recorded.

460

|

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)

Membership Reports: Joining and Filtering
3

Interface Multicast Group Filter Source Source
Address Timer Mode
Timer
1/1
224.1.1.1 GMI Exclude
None
1/1
224.1.1.1
Include
10.11.1.1 GMI
1/1
224.1.1.1
Include
10.11.1.1 GMI

IGMP Group-and-Source
Specific Query
Non-Querier

Querier
Type: 0x11
Group Address: 244.1.1.1
Number of Sources: 1
Source Address: 10.11.1.1
1/1

10.11.1.2 GMI

2

Change to Include

Type: 0x22
Number of Group Records: 1
Record Type: 3
Number of Sources: 1
Multicast Address: 224.1.1.1
Source Address: 10.11.1.1

State-change reports retransmitted
Query Robustness Value-1 times at
Unsolicited Report Interval

Type: 0x22
Number of Group Records: 1
Record Type: 4
Number of Sources: 0
Multicast Address: 224.1.1.1
Type: 0x22
Number of Group Records: 1
Record Type: 5
Number of Sources: 1
Multicast Address: 224.1.1.1
Source Address: 10.11.1.2

IGMP Join message

Allow New

1

4

fnC0072mp

Leaving and Staying in Groups
The illustration below shows how multicast routers track and refresh state changes in response to
group-and-specific and general queries.
1. Host 1 sends a message indicating it is leaving group 224.1.1.1 and that the include filter for 10.11.1.1
and 10.11.1.2 are no longer necessary.
2. The querier, before making any state changes, sends a group-and-source query to see if any other host
is interested in these two sources; queries for state-changes are retransmitted multiple times. If any are,
they respond with their current state information and the querier refreshes the relevant state
information.
3. Separately in the following illustration, the querier sends a general query to 224.0.0.1.
4. Host 2 responds to the periodic general query so the querier refreshes the state information for that
group.

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) | 461

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Membership Queries: Leaving and Staying
Non-Querier

Querier
Interface Multicast Group Filter Source Source
Address Timer Mode
Timer
1/1
224.1.1.1
Include
10.11.1.1 LQMT
10.11.1.2 LQMT

Non-querier builds identical table
and waits Other Querier Present
Interval to assume Querier role

1/1

2/1

224.2.2.2 GMI Exclude None

IGMP Group-and-Source
Specific Query

Type: 0x11
Group Address: 224.1.1.1
Number of Sources: 2
Source Address: 10.11.1.1, 10.11.1.2

2

1

Queries retransmitted Last Member
Query Count times at Last Member
Query Interval

Type: 0x17
Number of Group Records: 1
Record Type: 6
Number of Sources: 2
Multicast Address: 224.1.1.1
Source Addresses: 10.11.1.1, 10.11.1.2

3

Type: 0x22
Number of Group Records: 1
Record Type: 2
Number of Sources: 0
Multicast Address: 224.2.2.2

4

IGMP Leave message

Host 1

Host 2

Configuring IGMP
Configuring IGMP is a two-step process:
1. Enable multicast routing using the command ip multicast-routing.
2. Enable a multicast routing protocol.

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

462

|

Viewing IGMP Enabled Interfaces
Selecting an IGMP Version
Viewing IGMP Groups
Adjusting Timers
Configuring a Static IGMP Group
Prevent a Host from Joining a Group
Enabling IGMP Immediate-leave
IGMP Snooping
Fast Convergence after MSTP Topology Changes
Designating a Multicast Router Interface

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)

Type: 0x11
Group Address: 224.0.0.1
Number of Sources: 0

IGMP General
Membership Query

IGMP Membership Report

Viewing IGMP Enabled Interfaces
Interfaces that are enabled with PIM-SM are automatically enabled with IGMP. View IGMP-enabled
interfaces using the command show ip igmp interface in the EXEC Privilege mode.
FTOS#show ip igmp interface gig 7/16
GigabitEthernet 7/16 is up, line protocol is up
Internet address is 10.87.3.2/24
IGMP is enabled on interface
IGMP query interval is 60 seconds
IGMP querier timeout is 300 seconds
IGMP max query response time is 10 seconds
Last member query response interval is 199 ms
IGMP activity: 0 joins, 0 leaves
IGMP querying router is 10.87.3.2 (this system)
IGMP version is 2
FTOS#

Selecting an IGMP Version
FTOS enables IGMP version 2 by default, which supports version 1 and 2 hosts, but is not compatible with
version 3 on the same subnet. If hosts require IGMP version 3, you can switch to IGMP version 3 using the
command ip igmp version from INTERFACE mode, as shown in the following example.
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/13)#ip igmp version 3
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/13)#do show ip igmp interface
GigabitEthernet 1/13 is up, line protocol is down
Inbound IGMP access group is not set
Interface IGMP group join rate limit is not set
Internet address is 1.1.1.1/24
IGMP is enabled on interface
IGMP query interval is 60 seconds
IGMP querier timeout is 125 seconds
IGMP max query response time is 10 seconds
IGMP last member query response interval is 1000 ms
IGMP immediate-leave is disabled
IGMP activity: 0 joins, 0 leaves, 0 channel joins, 0 channel leaves
IGMP querying router is 1.1.1.1 (this system)
IGMP version is 3
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/13)#

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) | 463

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Viewing IGMP Groups
View both learned and statically configured IGMP groups using the command show ip igmp groups from
EXEC Privilege mode.
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/0)#do sho ip igmp groups
Total Number of Groups: 2
IGMP Connected Group Membership
Group Address
Interface
Uptime
224.1.1.1
GigabitEthernet 1/0
00:00:03
224.1.2.1
GigabitEthernet 1/0
00:56:55

Expires
Never
00:01:22

Last Reporter
CLI
1.1.1.2

Adjusting Timers
View the current value of all IGMP timers using the command show ip igmp interface from EXEC
Privilege mode, as shown in the example in Viewing IGMP Enabled Interfaces.

Adjusting Query and Response Timers
The querier periodically sends a general query to discover which multicast groups are active. A group must
have at least one host to be active. When a host receives a query, it does not respond immediately, but
rather starts a delay timer. The delay time is set to a random value between 0 and the Maximum Response
Time. The host sends a response when the timer expires; in version 2, if another host responds before the
timer expires, the timer is nullified, and no response is sent.
The Maximum Response Time is the amount of time that the querier waits for a response to a query before
taking further action. The querier advertises this value in the query (refer to the illustration in IGMP
version 2). Lowering this value decreases leave latency but increases response burstiness since all host
membership reports must be sent before the Maximum Response Time expires. Inversely, increasing this
value decreases burstiness at the expense of leave latency.
•
•

Adjust the period between queries using the command ip igmp query-interval from INTERFACE mode.
Adjust the Maximum Response Time using the command ip igmp query-max-resp-time from
INTERFACE mode.

When the querier receives a leave message from a host, it sends a group-specific query to the subnet. If no
response is received, it sends another. The amount of time that the querier waits to receive a response to the
initial query before sending a second one is the Last Member Query Interval (LMQI). The switch waits one
LMQI after the second query before removing the group from the state table.
•

464

|

Adjust the Last Member Query Interval using the command ip igmp last-member-query-interval from
INTERFACE mode.

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)

Adjusting the IGMP Querier Timeout Value
If there is more than one multicast router on a subnet, only one is elected to be the querier, which is the
router that sends queries to the subnet.
1. Routers send queries to the all multicast systems address, 224.0.0.1. Initially, all routers send queries.
2. When a router receives a query it compares the IP address of the interface on which it was received
with the source IP address given in the query. If the receiving router IP address is greater than the
source address given in the query, the router stops sending queries. By this method, the router with the
lowest IP address on the subnet is elected querier and continues to send queries.
3. If a specified amount of time elapses during which other routers on the subnet do not receive a query,
those routers assume that the querier is down, and a new querier is elected.
The amount of time that elapses before routers on a subnet assume that the querier is down is the Other
Querier Present Interval. Adjust this value using the command ip igmp querier-timeout from INTERFACE
mode.

Configuring a Static IGMP Group
Configure a static IGMP group using the command ip igmp static-group. Multicast traffic for static groups
is always forwarded to the subnet even if there are no members in the group.
View the static groups using the command show ip igmp groups from EXEC Privilege mode. Static groups
have an expiration value of Never and a Last Reporter value of CLI, as shown in the example in Viewing
IGMP Groups.

Enabling IGMP Immediate-leave
If the querier does not receive a response to a group-specific or group-and-source query, it sends another
(Querier Robustness Value). Then, after no response, it removes the group from the outgoing interface for
the subnet.
IGMP Immediate Leave reduces leave latency by enabling a router to immediately delete the group
membership on an interface upon receiving a Leave message (it does not send any group-specific or
group-and-source queries before deleting the entry). Configure the system for IGMP Immediate Leave
using the command ip igmp immediate-leave.
View the enable status of this feature using the command show ip igmp interface from EXEC Privilege
mode, as shown in the example in Selecting an IGMP Version.

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) | 465

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

IGMP Snooping
Multicast packets are addressed with multicast MAC addresses, which represent a group of devices, rather
than one unique device. Switches forward multicast frames out of all ports in a VLAN by default, even
though there may be only some interested hosts, which is a waste of bandwidth. IGMP Snooping enables
switches to use information in IGMP packets to generate a forwarding table that associates ports with
multicast groups so that when they receive multicast frames, they can forward them only to interested
receivers.
If IGMP snooping is enabled on a VLT unit, the IGMP snooping dynamically learned groups and multicast
router ports are made to learn on the peer by explicitly tunneling the received IGMP control packets.

IGMP Snooping Implementation Information
•
•
•

IGMP Snooping on FTOS uses IP multicast addresses not MAC addresses.
IGMP Snooping is supported on all S-Series stack members.
IGMP Snooping reacts to STP and MSTP topology changes by sending a general query on the
interface that transitions to the forwarding state.

Configuring IGMP Snooping
Configuring IGMP Snooping is a one-step process. That is, enable it on a switch using the command ip
igmp snooping enable from CONFIGURATION mode. View the configuration using the command show
running-config from CONFIGURATION mode, as shown in the following example. You can disable
snooping on for a VLAN using the command no ip igmp snooping from INTERFACE VLAN mode.
There is no specific configuration needed for IGMP Snooping in conjunction with VLT.
FTOS(conf)#ip igmp snooping enable
FTOS(conf)#do show running-config igmp
ip igmp snooping enable
FTOS(conf)#

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•
•
•

466

|

Enabling IGMP Immediate-leave
Disabling Multicast Flooding
Specifying a Port as Connected to a Multicast Router
Configuring the Switch as Querier

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)

Enabling IGMP Immediate-leave
Configure the switch to remove a group-port association upon receiving an IGMP Leave message using the
command ip igmp fast-leave from INTERFACE VLAN mode. View the configuration using the command
show config from INTERFACE VLAN mode, as shown in the example below.
FTOS(conf-if-vl-100)#show config
!
interface Vlan 100
no ip address
ip igmp snooping fast-leave
shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-vl-100)#

Disabling Multicast Flooding
If the switch receives a multicast packet that has an IP address of a group it has not learned (unregistered
frame), the switch floods that packet out of all ports on the VLAN.
On the E-Series, you can configure the switch to only forward unregistered packets to ports on a VLAN
that are connected to multicast routers (mrouter ports) using the command no ip igmp snooping flood from
CONFIGURATION mode. When flooding is disabled, if there are no such ports in the VLAN connected to
a multicast router, the switch drops the packets.
On the C-Series and S-Series, when you configure no ip igmp snooping flood, the system drops the packets
immediately. The system does not forward the frames on mrouter ports, even if they are present. On the
C-Series and S-Series, Layer 3 multicast must be disabled (no ip multicast-routing) in order to disable
multicast flooding.

Specifying a Port as Connected to a Multicast Router
You can statically specify a port in a VLAN as connected to a multicast router using the command ip igmp
snooping mrouter from INTERFACE VLAN mode.
View the ports that are connected to multicast routers using the command show ip igmp snooping mrouter
from EXEC Privilege mode.

Configuring the Switch as Querier
Hosts that do not support unsolicited reporting wait for a general query before sending a membership
report. When the multicast source and receivers are in the same VLAN, multicast traffic is not routed, and
so there is no querier. You must configure the switch to be the querier for a VLAN so that hosts send
membership reports, and the switch can generate a forwarding table by snooping.
Configure the switch to be the querier for a VLAN by first assigning an IP address to the VLAN interface,
and then using the command ip igmp snooping querier from INTERFACE VLAN mode.

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) | 467

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•

IGMP snooping Querier does not start if there is a statically configured multicast router interface in the
VLAN.
The switch may lose the querier election if it does not have the lowest IP address of all potential
queriers on the subnet.
When enabled, IGMP snooping Querier starts after one query interval in case no IGMP general query
(with IP SA lower than its VLAN IP address) is received on any of its VLAN members.

Adjusting the Last Member Query Interval
When the querier receives a leave message from a receiver, it sends a group-specific query out of the ports
specified in the forwarding table. If no response is received, it sends another. The amount of time that the
querier waits to receive a response to the initial query before sending a second one is the Last Member
Query Interval (LMQI). The switch waits one LMQI after the second query before removing the
group-port entry from the forwarding table.
Adjust the Last Member Query Interval using the command ip igmp snooping last-member-query-interval
from INTERFACE VLAN mode.

Fast Convergence after MSTP Topology Changes
When a port transitions to the Forwarding state as a result of an STP or MSTP topology change, FTOS
sends a general query out of all ports except the multicast router ports. The host sends a response to the
general query and the forwarding database is updated without having to wait for the query interval to
expire.
When an IGMP snooping switch is not acting as a Querier it sends out the general query, in response to the
MSTP triggered link-layer topology change, with the source IP address of 0.0.0.0 to avoid triggering
Querier election.

Designating a Multicast Router Interface
You can designate an interface as a multicast router interface with the command ip igmp snooping mrouter
interface. FTOS also has the capability of listening in on the incoming IGMP General Queries and
designate those interfaces as the multicast router interface when the frames have a non-zero IP source
address. All IGMP control packets and IP multicast data traffic originating from receivers is forwarded to
multicast router interfaces.

468

|

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)

23
Interfaces
This chapter describes interface types, both physical and logical, and how to configure them with FTOS.
10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces are supported on
platforms: e c s z
SONET interfaces are only supported on platform e.

Basic Interface Configuration:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Interface Types
View Basic Interface Information
Enable a Physical Interface
Physical Interfaces
Management Interfaces
VLAN Interfaces
Loopback Interfaces
Null Interfaces
Port Channel Interfaces

Advanced Interface Configuration:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Bulk Configuration
Interface Range Macros
Monitor and Maintain Interfaces
Splitting QSFP ports to SFP+ ports
Link Debounce Timer
Link Dampening
Link Bundle Monitoring
Ethernet Pause Frames
Configure MTU Size on an Interface
Port-pipes
Auto-Negotiation on Ethernet Interfaces
View Advanced Interface Information

Interfaces | 469

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Interface Types
Interface Type

Modes
Possible

Default Mode

Requires
Creation

Default State

Physical

L2, L3

Unset

No

Shutdown (disabled)

Management

N/A

N/A

No

No Shutdown (enabled)

Loopback

L3

L3

Yes

No Shutdown (enabled)

Null

N/A

N/A

No

Enabled

Port Channel

L2, L3

L3

Yes

Shutdown (disabled)

VLAN

L2, L3

L2

Yes (except
default)

L2 - No Shutdown (enabled)
L3 - Shutdown (disabled)

View Basic Interface Information
The user has several options for viewing interface status and configuration parameters. The show interfaces
command in EXEC mode will list all configurable interfaces on the chassis and has options to display the
interface status, IP and MAC addresses, and multiple counters for the amount and type of traffic passing
through the interface. If a port channel interface is configured, the show interfaces command can list the
interfaces configured in the port channel.
Note: To end output from the system, such as the output from the show interfaces command, enter
CTRL+C and FTOS will return to the command prompt.

Note: The CLI output may be incorrectly displayed as 0 (zero) for the Rx/Tx power values. Perform an
SNMP query to obtain the correct power information.

The following example displays the configuration and status information for one interface.
FTOS#show interfaces tengigabitethernet 1/0
TenGigabitEthernet 1/0 is up, line protocol is up
Hardware is Force10Eth, address is 00:01:e8:05:f3:6a
Current address is 00:01:e8:05:f3:6a
Pluggable media present, XFP type is 10GBASE-LR.
Medium is MultiRate, Wavelength is 1310nm
XFP receive power reading is -3.7685
Interface index is 67436603
Internet address is 65.113.24.238/28
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
LineSpeed 10000 Mbit, Mode full duplex, Master
ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00
Last clearing of "show interface" counters 00:09:54
Queueing strategy: fifo

470

|

Interfaces

Input Statistics:
0 packets, 0 bytes
0 Vlans
0 64-byte pkts, 0 over 64-byte pkts, 0 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
0 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts
0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
0 CRC, 0 overrun, 0 discarded
Output Statistics:
3 packets, 192 bytes, 0 underruns
3 64-byte pkts, 0 over 64-byte pkts, 0 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
0 Multicasts, 3 Broadcasts, 0 Unicasts
0 Vlans, 0 throttles, 0 discarded, 0 collisions
Rate info (interval 299 seconds):
Input 00.00 Mbits/sec,
Output 00.00 Mbits/sec,

0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate

Time since last interface status change: 00:00:31
FTOS#

Use the show ip interfaces brief command in the EXEC Privilege mode to view which interfaces are
enabled for Layer 3 data transmission. In the following example, GigabitEthernet interface 1/5 is in Layer
3 mode since an IP address has been assigned to it and the interface’s status is operationally up.
FTOS#show ip interface brief
Interface

IP-Address

OK? Method Status

Protocol

GigabitEthernet 1/0

unassigned

NO

Manual administratively down down

GigabitEthernet 1/1

unassigned

NO

Manual administratively down down

GigabitEthernet 1/2

unassigned

YES Manual up

up

GigabitEthernet 1/3

unassigned

YES Manual up

up

GigabitEthernet 1/4

unassigned

YES Manual up

up

GigabitEthernet 1/5

10.10.10.1

YES Manual up

up

GigabitEthernet 1/6

unassigned

NO

Manual administratively down down

GigabitEthernet 1/7

unassigned

NO

Manual administratively down down

GigabitEthernet 1/8

unassigned

NO

Manual administratively down down

Use the show interfaces configured command in the EXEC Privilege mode to view only configured
interfaces. In the previous example, GigabitEthernet interface 1/5 is in Layer 3 mode since an IP address
has been assigned to it and the interface’s status is operationally up.
To determine which physical interfaces are available, use the show running-config command in EXEC
mode. This command displays all physical interfaces available on the line cards..
FTOS#show running
Current Configuration ...
!
interface GigabitEthernet 9/6

Interfaces | 471

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

no ip address
shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 9/7
no ip address
shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 9/8
no ip address
shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 9/9
no ip address
shutdown

Enable a Physical Interface
After determining the type of physical interfaces available, the user may enter the INTERFACE mode by
entering the command interface interface slot/port to enable and configure the interfaces.
To enter the INTERFACE mode, use these commands in the following sequence, starting in the
CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

interface interface

CONFIGURATION

Enter the keyword interface followed by the type of interface
and slot/port information:
• For a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For the Management interface on the RPM, enter the
keyword ManagementEthernet followed by the slot/port
information.
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword sonet followed
by slot/port information.
• For a 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword fortyGigE
followed by the slot/port information.

2

no shutdown

INTERFACE

Enter the no shutdown command to enable the interface. If the
interface is a SONET interface, enter the encap ppp command
to enable PPP encapsulation.

To confirm that the interface is enabled, use the show config command in the INTERFACE mode. To leave
the INTERFACE mode, use the exit command or end command. The user can not delete a physical
interface.

472

|

Interfaces

Physical Interfaces
The Management Ethernet interface is a single RJ-45 Fast Ethernet port on the Route Processor Module
(RPM) of the C-Series and E-Series and on each unit of the S4810. It provides dedicated management
access to the system. The other S-Series (non-S4810) systems supported by FTOS do not have this
dedicated management interface, but you can use any Ethernet port configured with an IP address and
route.
Line card interfaces support Layer 2 and Layer 3 traffic over the 10/100/1000, Gigabit, and 10-Gigabit
Ethernet interfaces. SONET interfaces with PPP encapsulation support Layer 3 traffic. These interfaces
(except SONET interfaces with PPP encapsulation) can also become part of virtual interfaces such as
VLANs or port channels.
Link detection on ExaScale line cards is interrupt-based rather than poll-based, which enables ExaScale
cards to bring up and take down links faster.
For more information on VLANs, see Bulk Configuration and for more information on port channels, see
Port Channel Interfaces.
FTOS Behavior: S-Series systems use a single MAC address for all physical interfaces while E-Series and
C-Series use a unique MAC address for each physical interface, though this results in no functional difference
between these platforms.

Configuration Task List for Physical Interfaces
By default, all interfaces are operationally disabled and traffic will not pass through them.
The following section includes information about optional configurations for physical interfaces:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Overview of Layer Modes
Configure Layer 2 (Data Link) Mode
Management Interfaces
Auto-Negotiation on Ethernet Interfaces
Adjust the keepalive timer
Clear interface counters

Overview of Layer Modes
On all systems running FTOS, you can place physical interfaces, port channels, and VLANs in Layer 2
mode or Layer 3 mode.

Interfaces | 473

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

By default, VLANs are in Layer 2 mode.
Table 23-1.

Interfaces Types

Type of Interface

Possible
Modes

Requires
Creation

Default State

10/100/1000 Ethernet, Gigabit
Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet

Layer 2
Layer 3

No

Shutdown (disabled)

SONET (PPP encapsulation)

Layer 3

No

Shutdown (disabled)

Management

n/a

No

Shutdown (disabled)

Loopback

Layer 3

Yes

No shutdown (enabled)

Null interface

n/a

No

Enabled

Port Channel

Layer 2
Layer 3

Yes

Shutdown (disabled)

VLAN

Layer 2
Layer 3

Yes, except for the
default VLAN

No shutdown (active for Layer 2)
Shutdown (disabled for Layer 3)

Configure Layer 2 (Data Link) Mode
Use the switchport command in INTERFACE mode to enable Layer 2 data transmissions through an
individual interface. The user can not configure switching or Layer 2 protocols such as spanning tree
protocol on an interface unless the interface has been set to Layer 2 mode.
The following example displays the basic configuration found in a Layer 2 interface.
FTOS(conf-if)#show config
!
interface Port-channel 1
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if)#

To configure an interface in Layer 2 mode, use these commands in the INTERFACE mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

no shutdown

INTERFACE

Enable the interface.

switchport

INTERFACE

Place the interface in Layer 2 (switching) mode.

For information on enabling and configuring Spanning Tree Protocol, Refer to Spanning Tree Protocol
(STP). To view the interfaces in Layer 2 mode, use the command show interfaces switchport in the EXEC
mode.

474

|

Interfaces

Configure Layer 3 (Network) Mode
When you assign an IP address to a physical interface, you place it in Layer 3 mode. Use the ip address
command and no shutdown command in INTERFACE mode to enable Layer 3 mode on an individual
interface. In all interface types except VLANs, the shutdown command prevents all traffic from passing
through the interface. In VLANs, the shutdown command prevents Layer 3 traffic from passing through the
interface. Layer 2 traffic is unaffected by the shutdown command. One of the interfaces in the system must
be in Layer 3 mode before you configure or enter a Layer 3 protocol mode (for example, OSPF).
The example below shows how the show config command displays an example of a Layer 3 interface.
FTOS(conf-if)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/5
ip address 10.10.10.1 /24
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if)#

If an interface is in the incorrect layer mode for a given command, an error message is displayed to the
user. In the example below, the command ip address triggered an error message because the interface is in
Layer 2 mode and the ip address command is a Layer 3 command only.
FTOS(conf-if)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/2
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if)#ip address 10.10.1.1 /24
% Error: Port is in Layer 2 mode Gi 1/2.
FTOS(conf-if)#

To determine the configuration of an interface, you can use the show config command in INTERFACE
mode or the various show interface commands in EXEC mode.
To assign an IP address, use both of the following commands in the INTERFACE mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

no shutdown

INTERFACE

Enable the interface.

ip address ip-address mask [secondary]

INTERFACE

Configure a primary IP address and mask on
the interface. The ip-address must be in
dotted-decimal format (A.B.C.D) and the
mask must be in slash format (/xx).
Add the keyword secondary if the IP address
is the interface’s backup IP address.

Interfaces | 475

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

You can only configure one (1) primary IP address per interface. You can configure up to 255 secondary IP
addresses on a single interface.
To view all interfaces to see with an IP address assigned, use the show ip interfaces brief command in the
EXEC mode as shown in View Basic Interface Information.
To view IP information on an interface in Layer 3 mode, use the show ip interface command in the EXEC
Privilege mode as shown in the example below.
FTOS>show ip int vlan 58
Vlan 58 is up, line protocol is up
Internet address is 1.1.49.1/24
Broadcast address is 1.1.49.255
Address determined by config file
MTU is 1554 bytes
Inbound

access list is not set

Proxy ARP is enabled
Split Horizon is enabled
Poison Reverse is disabled
ICMP redirects are not sent
ICMP unreachables are not sent

Management Interfaces
The S4810 system supports the Management Ethernet interface as well as the standard S-Series interface
on any port. Either method can be used to connect to the system.

Configure Management Interfaces on the E-Series, C-Series
and the S4810
On the E-Series, C-Series, and S4810 the dedicated Management interface provides management access to
the system. You can configure this interface with FTOS, but the configuration options on this interface are
limited. Gateway addresses and IP addresses cannot be configured if it appears in the main routing table of
FTOS. In addition, Proxy ARP is not supported on this interface.
Note: On the S4810, a default IP address is assigned to the Management port. Use this IP address to set
your laptop Ethernet port to the same network for test purposes.

476

|

Interfaces

To configure a Management interface, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

interface Managementethernet interface

CONFIGURATION

Enter the slot and the port (0).
ON the E-Series and C-Series, dual RPMs can
be in use.
Slot range:
C-Series, E-Series: 0-1
S4810: 0

To view the Primary RPM Management port, use the show interface Managementethernet command in the
EXEC Privilege mode. If there are 2 RPMs, the you cannot view information on that interface.
To configure IP addresses on a Management interface, use the following command in the
MANAGEMENT INTERFACE mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip address ip-address mask

INTERFACE

Configure an IP address and mask on the
interface.
• ip-address mask: enter an address in
dotted-decimal format (A.B.C.D), the
mask must be in /prefix format (/x)

If there are 2 RPMs on the system, each Management interface must be configured with a different IP
address. Unless the management route command is configured, you can only access the Management
interface from the local LAN. To access the Management interface from another LAN, the management
route command must be configured to point to the Management interface.
Alternatively, you can use virtual-ip to manage a system with one or two RPMs. A virtual IP is an IP
address assigned to the system (not to any management interfaces) and is a CONFIGURATION mode
command. When a virtual IP address is assigned to the system, the active management interface of the
RPM is recognized by the virtual IP address—not by the actual interface IP address assigned to it. During
an RPM failover, you do not have to remember the IP address of the new RPM’s management interface—
the system will still recognizes the virtual-IP address.

Important Things to Remember — virtual-ip
•
•

•

•

virtual-ip is a CONFIGURATION mode command.

When applied, the management port on the primary RPM assumes the virtual IP address. Executing
show interfaces and show ip interface brief commands on the primary RPM management interface
will display the virtual IP address and not the actual IP address assigned on that interface.
A duplicate IP address message is printed for management port’s virtual IP address on an RPM
failover. This is a harmless error that is generated due to a brief transitory moment during failover
when both RPMs’ management ports own the virtual IP address, but have different MAC addresses.
The primary management interface will use only the virtual IP address if it is configured. The system
can not be accessed through the native IP address of the primary RPM’s management interface.

Interfaces | 477

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

Once the virtual IP address is removed, the system is accessible through the native IP address of the
primary RPM’s management interface.
Primary and secondary management interface IP and virtual IP must be in the same subnet.

•

Configure Management Interfaces on the S-Series
The user can manage the S-Series from any port. Configure an IP address for the port using the ip address
command, and enable it using the command no shutdown. The user may use the command description from
INTERFACE mode to note that the interface is the management interface. There is no separate
management routing table, so the user must configure all routes in the IP routing table (the ip route
command).
As shown in the following example, from EXEC Privilege mode, display the configuration for a given port
by entering the command show interface, and the routing table with the show ip route command.
FTOS#show int gig 0/48
GigabitEthernet 0/48 is up, line protocol is up
Description: This is the Managment Interface
Hardware is Force10Eth, address is 00:01:e8:cc:cc:ce
Current address is 00:01:e8:cc:cc:ce
Pluggable media not present
Interface index is 46449666
Internet address is 10.11.131.240/23
[output omitted]
FTOS#show ip route
Codes: C - connected, S - static, R - RIP,
B - BGP, IN - internal BGP, EX - external BGP,LO - Locally Originated,
O - OSPF, IA - OSPF inter area, N1 - OSPF NSSA external type 1,
N2 - OSPF NSSA external type 2, E1 - OSPF external type 1,
E2 - OSPF external type 2, i - IS-IS, L1 - IS-IS level-1,
L2 - IS-IS level-2, IA - IS-IS inter area, * - candidate default,
> - non-active route, + - summary route
Gateway of last resort is 10.11.131.254 to network 0.0.0.0

*S
C
FTOS#

478

|

Interfaces

Destination

Gateway

Dist/Metric Last Change

-----------

-------

----------- -----------

0.0.0.0/0

via 10.11.131.254, Gi 0/48

1/0

1d2h

10.11.130.0/23

Direct, Gi 0/48

0/0

1d2h

VLAN Interfaces
VLANs are logical interfaces and are, by default, in Layer 2 mode. Physical interfaces and port channels
can be members of VLANs. For more information on VLANs and Layer 2, refer to Layer 2 and Virtual
LANs (VLAN)
Note: To monitor VLAN interfaces, use the Management Information Base for Network Management of
TCP/IP-based internets: MIB-II (RFC 1213). Monitoring VLAN interfaces via SNMP is supported only on
E-Series.

Note: Egress rate shaping and ingress rate policing cannot be simultaneously used on the same VLAN.

FTOS supports Inter-VLAN routing (Layer 3 routing in VLANs). You can add IP addresses to VLANs and
use them in routing protocols in the same manner that physical interfaces are used. For more information
on configuring different routing protocols, refer to the chapters on the specific protocol.
A consideration for including VLANs in routing protocols is that the no shutdown command must be
configured. (For routing traffic to flow, the VLAN must be enabled.)
Note: An IP address cannot be assigned to the Default VLAN, which, by default, is VLAN 1. To assign
another VLAN ID to the Default VLAN, use the default vlan-id vlan-id command.

Assign an IP address to an interface with the following command the INTERFACE mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip address ip-address mask [secondary]

INTERFACE

Configure an IP address and mask on the interface.
• ip-address mask: enter an address in
dotted-decimal format (A.B.C.D) and the mask
must be in slash format (/24).
• secondary: the IP address is the interface’s
backup IP address. You can configure up to eight
secondary IP addresses.

The following example shows a sample configuration of a VLAN participating in an OSPF process.
interface Vlan 10
ip address 1.1.1.2/24
tagged GigabitEthernet 2/2-13
tagged TenGigabitEthernet 5/0
ip ospf authentication-key force10
ip ospf cost 1
ip ospf dead-interval 60
ip ospf hello-interval 15
no shutdown
!

Interfaces | 479

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Loopback Interfaces
A Loopback interface is a virtual interface in which the software emulates an interface. Packets routed to it
are processed locally. Since this interface is not a physical interface, you can configure routing protocols
on this interface to provide protocol stability. You can place Loopback interfaces in default Layer 3 mode.
To configure a Loopback interface, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

interface loopback number

CONFIGURATION

Enter a number as the loopback interface.
Range: 0 to 16383.

To view Loopback interface configurations, use the show interface loopback number command in the EXEC
mode.
To delete a Loopback interface, use the no interface loopback number command syntax in the
CONFIGURATION mode.
Many of the same commands found in the physical interface are found in Loopback interfaces.
See also Configuring ACLs to Loopback.

Null Interfaces
The Null interface is another virtual interface created by the E-Series software. There is only one Null
interface. It is always up, but no traffic is transmitted through this interface.
To enter the INTERFACE mode of the Null interface, use the following command in the
CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

interface null 0

CONFIGURATION

Enter the INTERFACE mode of the Null interface.

The only configurable command in the INTERFACE mode of the Null interface is the ip unreachable
command.

Port Channel Interfaces
Port channel interfaces support link aggregation, as described in IEEE Standard 802.3ad.
This section covers the following topics:

480

|

Interfaces

•
•
•
•

Port channel definition and standards
Port channel benefits
Port channel implementation
Configuration task list for port channel interfaces

Port channel definition and standards
Link aggregation is defined by IEEE 802.3ad as a method of grouping multiple physical interfaces into a
single logical interface—a Link Aggregation Group (LAG) or port channel. A LAG is “a group of links
that appear to a MAC client as if they were a single link” according to IEEE 802.3ad. In FTOS, a LAG is
referred to as a port channel interface.
A port channel provides redundancy by aggregating physical interfaces into one logical interface. If one
physical interface goes down in the port channel, another physical interface carries the traffic.

Port channel benefits
For the E-Series, a port channel interface provides many benefits, including easy management, link
redundancy, and sharing.
Port channels are transparent to network configurations and can be modified and managed as one interface.
For example, you configure one IP address for the group and that IP address is used for all routed traffic on
the port channel.
With this feature, the user can create larger-capacity interfaces by utilizing a group of lower-speed links.
For example, the user can build a 5-Gigabit interface by aggregating five 1-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces
together. If one of the five interfaces fails, traffic is redistributed across the four remaining interfaces.

Port channel implementation
FTOS supports two types of port channels:
•
•

Static—Port channels that are statically configured
Dynamic—Port channels that are dynamically configured using Link Aggregation Control Protocol
(LACP). For details, see Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP).

Table 23-2.

Number of Port-channels per Platform

Platform

Port-channels

Members/Channel

E-Series TeraScale

255

16

E-Series ExaScale

512

64

C-Series

128

8

S-Series: S25 and S50

52

8

S55, S60 and S4810

128

8

Z9000

128

8

Interfaces | 481

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Note: If you are using either 10G ports or 40G ports, the Z9000 supports 8 members per LAG

As soon as a port channel is configured, FTOS treats it like a physical interface. For example, IEEE
802.1Q tagging is maintained while the physical interface is in the port channel.
Member ports of a LAG are added and programmed into hardware in a predictable order based on the port
ID, instead of in the order in which the ports come up. With this implementation, load balancing yields
predictable results across line card resets and chassis reloads.
A physical interface can belong to only one port channel at a time.
Each port channel must contain interfaces of the same interface type/speed.
Port channels can contain a mix of 10, 100, or 1000 Mbps Ethernet interfaces and Gigabit Ethernet
interfaces, and the interface speed (10, 100, or 1000 Mbps) used by the port channel is determined by the
first port channel member that is physically up. FTOS disables the interfaces that do match the interface
speed set by the first channel member. That first interface may be the first interface that is physically
brought up or was physically operating when interfaces were added to the port channel. For example, if the
first operational interface in the port channel is a Gigabit Ethernet interface, all interfaces at 1000 Mbps are
kept up, and all 10/100/1000 interfaces that are not set to 1000 speed or auto negotiate are disabled.
FTOS brings up 10/100/1000 interfaces that are set to auto negotiate so that their speed is identical to the
speed of the first channel member in the port channel.

10/100/1000 Mbps interfaces in port channels
When both 10/100/1000 interfaces and GigE interfaces are added to a port channel, the interfaces must
share a common speed. When interfaces have a configured speed different from the port channel speed, the
software disables those interfaces.
The common speed is determined when the port channel is first enabled. At that time, the software checks
the first interface listed in the port channel configuration. If that interface is enabled, its speed
configuration becomes the common speed of the port channel. If the other interfaces configured in that port
channel are configured with a different speed, FTOS disables them.
For example, if four interfaces (Gi 0/0, 0/1, 0/2, 0/3) in which Gi 0/0 and Gi 0/3 are set to speed 100 Mb/s
and the others are set to 1000 Mb/s, with all interfaces enabled, and you add them to a port channel by
entering channel-member gigabitethernet 0/0-3 while in the port channel interface mode, and FTOS
determines if the first interface specified (Gi 0/0) is up. Once it is up, the common speed of the port
channel is 100 Mb/s. FTOS disables those interfaces configured with speed 1000 or whose speed is 1000
Mb/s as a result of auto-negotiation.
In this example, you can change the common speed of the port channel by changing its configuration so the
first enabled interface referenced in the configuration is a 1000 Mb/s speed interface. You can also change
the common speed of the port channel here by setting the speed of the Gi 0/0 interface to 1000 Mb/s.

482

|

Interfaces

Configuration task list for port channel interfaces
To configure a port channel (LAG), you use the commands similar to those found in physical interfaces.
By default, no port channels are configured in the startup configuration.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Create a port channel (mandatory)
Add a physical interface to a port channel (mandatory)
Reassign an interface to a new port channel (optional)
Configure the minimum oper up links in a port channel (LAG) (optional)
Add or remove a port channel from a VLAN (optional)
Assign an IP address to a port channel (optional)
Delete or disable a port channel (optional)
Load balancing through port channels (optional)

Create a port channel
You can create up to 255 port channels on an E-Series (255 for TeraScale and ExaScale, 1 to 32 for
EtherScale). You can create up to 128 port channels on an C-Series, 52 port channels with 8 port members
per group on an S-Series S50 or S25, and 128 port channels with 8 port members per group on an S-Series
S55, S60 and S4810.
To configure a port channel, use these commands in the following sequence, starting in the
CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

2

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

interface port-channel id-number

CONFIGURATION

Create a port channel.

no shutdown

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

Ensure that the port channel is active.

The port channel is now enabled and you can place the port channel in Layer 2 or Layer 3 mode. Use the
switchport command to place the port channel in Layer 2 mode or configure an IP address to place the port
channel in Layer 3 mode.
You can configure a port channel as you would a physical interface by enabling or configuring protocols or
assigning access control lists.

Add a physical interface to a port channel
The physical interfaces in a port channel can be on any line card in the chassis, but must be the same
physical type.
Note: Port channels can contain a mix of Gigabit Ethernet and 10/100/1000 Ethernet interfaces, but FTOS
disables the interfaces that are not the same speed of the first channel member in the port channel (see
10/100/1000 Mbps interfaces in port channels).

Interfaces | 483

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

You can add any physical interface to a port channel if the interface configuration is minimal. Only the
following commands can be configured on an interface if it is a member of a port channel:
•
•

description

•

mtu

•

ip mtu (if the interface is on a Jumbo-enabled by default.)

shutdown/no shutdown

Note: The S-Series supports jumbo frames by default (the default maximum transmission unit (MTU) is
1554 bytes) You can configure the MTU using the mtu command from INTERFACE mode.

To view the interface’s configuration, enter the INTERFACE mode for that interface and enter the show
config command or from the EXEC Privilege mode, enter the show running-config interface interface
command.
When an interface is added to a port channel, FTOS recalculates the hash algorithm.
To add a physical interface to a port channel, use these commands in the following sequence in the
INTERFACE mode of a port channel:
Step
1

2

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

channel-member interface

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

Add the interface to a port channel.
The interface variable is the physical interface
type and slot/port information.

show config

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

Double check that the interface was added to
the port channel.

To view the port channel’s status and channel members in a tabular format, use the show interfaces
port-channel brief command in the EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in the following example.
FTOS#show int port brief
LAG Mode

Status

Uptime

Ports

1

L2L3

up

00:06:03

Gi 13/6

(Up) *

Gi 13/12

(Up)

2

L2L3

up

00:06:03

Gi 13/7

(Up) *

Gi 13/8

(Up)

Gi 13/13

(Up)

Gi 13/14

(Up)

FTOS#

The example below displays the port channel’s mode (L2 for Layer 2 and L3 for Layer 3 and L2L3 for a
Layer 2 port channel assigned to a routed VLAN), the status, and the number of interfaces belonging to the
port channel.
FTOS>show interface port-channel 20
Port-channel 20 is up, line protocol is up

484

|

Interfaces

Hardware address is 00:01:e8:01:46:fa
Internet address is 1.1.120.1/24
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
LineSpeed 2000 Mbit
Members in this channel:

Gi 9/10 Gi 9/17

ARP type: ARPA, ARP timeout 04:00:00
Last clearing of "show interface" counters 00:00:00
Queueing strategy: fifo
1212627 packets input, 1539872850 bytes
Input 1212448 IP Packets, 0 Vlans 0 MPLS
4857 64-byte pkts, 17570 over 64-byte pkts, 35209 over 127-byte pkts
69164 over 255-byte pkts, 143346 over 511-byte pkts, 942523 over 1023-byte pkts
Received 0 input symbol errors, 0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
42 CRC, 0 IP Checksum, 0 overrun, 0 discarded
2456590833 packets output, 203958235255 bytes, 0 underruns
Output 1640 Multicasts, 56612 Broadcasts, 2456532581 Unicasts
2456590654 IP Packets, 0 Vlans, 0 MPLS
0 throttles, 0 discarded
Rate info (interval 5 minutes):
Input 00.01Mbits/sec,
Output 81.60Mbits/sec,

2 packets/sec
133658 packets/sec

Time since last interface status change: 04:31:57
FTOS>

When more than one interface is added to a Layer 2 port channel, FTOS selects one of the active interfaces
in the port channel to be the Primary Port. The primary port replies to flooding and sends protocol PDUs.
An asterisk in the show interfaces port-channel brief command indicates the primary port.
As soon as a physical interface is added to a port channel, the properties of the port channel determine the
properties of the physical interface. The configuration and status of the port channel are also applied to the
physical interfaces within the port channel. For example, if the port channel is in Layer 2 mode, you cannot
add an IP address or a static MAC address to an interface that is part of that port channel. As the following
example illustrates, interface GigabitEthernet 1/6 is part of port channel 5, which is in Layer 2 mode, and
an error message appeared when an IP address was configured.
FTOS(conf-if-portch)#show config
!
interface Port-channel 5
no ip address
switchport
channel-member GigabitEthernet 1/6
FTOS(conf-if-portch)#int gi 1/6
FTOS(conf-if)#ip address 10.56.4.4 /24
% Error: Port is part of a LAG Gi 1/6.
FTOS(conf-if)#

Interfaces | 485

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Reassign an interface to a new port channel
An interface can be a member of only one port channel. If the interface is a member of a port channel, you
must remove it from the first port channel and then add it to the second port channel.
Each time you add or remove a channel member from a port channel, FTOS recalculates the hash
algorithm for the port channel.
To reassign an interface to a new port channel, use these commands in the following sequence in the
INTERFACE mode of a port channel:
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

no channel-member interface

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

Remove the interface from the first port
channel.

2

interface port-channel id number

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

Change to the second port channel
INTERFACE mode.

3

channel-member interface

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

Add the interface to the second port channel.

1

The following text displays an example of moving the GigabitEthernet 1/8 interface from port channel 4 to
port channel 3.
FTOS(conf-if-portch)#show config
!
interface Port-channel 4
no ip address
channel-member GigabitEthernet 1/8
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-portch)#no chann gi 1/8
FTOS(conf-if-portch)#int port 5
FTOS(conf-if-portch)#channel gi 1/8
FTOS(conf-if-portch)#sho conf
!
interface Port-channel 5
no ip address
channel-member GigabitEthernet 1/8
shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-portch)#

486

|

Interfaces

Configure the minimum oper up links in a port channel (LAG)
You can configure the minimum links in a port channel (LAG) that must be in “oper up” status for the port
channel to be considered to be in “oper up” status. Use the following command in the INTERFACE mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

minimum-links number

INTERFACE

Enter the number of links in a LAG that must be in “oper
up” status.
Default: 1

The following text displays an example of configuring five minimum “oper up” links in a port channel.
FTOS#config t
FTOS(conf)#int po 1
FTOS(conf-if-po-1)#minimum-links 5
FTOS(conf-if-po-1)#

Add or remove a port channel from a VLAN
As with other interfaces, you can add Layer 2 port channel interfaces to VLANs. To add a port channel to a
VLAN, you must place the port channel in Layer 2 mode (by using the switchport command).
To add a port channel to a VLAN, use either of the following commands:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

tagged port-channel id number

INTERFACE
VLAN

Add the port channel to the VLAN as a tagged
interface. An interface with tagging enabled can
belong to multiple VLANs.

untagged port-channel id number

INTERFACE
VLAN

Add the port channel to the VLAN as an untagged
interface. An interface without tagging enabled can
belong to only one VLAN.

To remove a port channel from a VLAN, use either of the following commands:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

no tagged port-channel id number

INTERFACE
VLAN

Remove the port channel with tagging enabled
from the VLAN.

no untagged port-channel id number

INTERFACE
VLAN

Remove the port channel without tagging
enabled from the VLAN.

To see which port channels are members of VLANs, enter the show vlan command in the EXEC Privilege
mode.

Interfaces | 487

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Assign an IP address to a port channel
You can assign an IP address to a port channel and use port channels in Layer 3 routing protocols.
To assign an IP address, use the following command in the INTERFACE mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip address ip-address mask [secondary]

INTERFACE

Configure an IP address and mask on the interface.
• ip-address mask: enter an address in
dotted-decimal format (A.B.C.D) and the mask
must be in slash format (/24).
• secondary: the IP address is the interface’s
backup IP address. You can configure up to eight
secondary IP addresses.

Delete or disable a port channel
To delete a port channel, you must be in the CONFIGURATION mode and use the no interface portchannel
channel-number command.
When you disable a port channel (using the shutdown command) all interfaces within the port channel are
operationally down also.

Load balancing through port channels
FTOS uses hash algorithms for distributing traffic evenly over channel members in a port channel (LAG).
The hash algorithm distributes traffic among ECMP paths and LAG members. The distribution is based on
a flow, except for packet-based hashing. A flow is identified by the hash and is assigned to one link. In
packet-based hashing, a single flow can be distributed on the LAG and uses one link.
Packet based hashing is used to load balance traffic across a port-channel based on the IP Identifier field
within the packet. Load balancing uses source and destination packet information to get the greatest
advantage of resources by distributing traffic over multiple paths when transferring data to a destination.
FTOS allows you to modify the hashing algorithms used for flows and for fragments. The load-balance and
hash-algorithm commands are available for modifying the distribution algorithms. Their syntax and
implementation are somewhat different between the E-Series and the C-Series and S-Series.
Note: Hash-based load-balancing on MPLS does not work when packet-based hashing (load-balance
ip-selection packet-based) is enabled.

E-Series load-balancing
On the E-Series, the default load-balance criteria are a 5-tuple, as follows:
•

488

|

IP source address

Interfaces

•
•
•
•

IP destination address
Protocol type
TCP/UDP source port
TCP/UDP destination port

Balancing may be applied to IPv4, switched IPv6, and non-IP traffic. For these traffic types, the
IP-header-based hash and MAC-based hash may be applied to packets by using the following methods.
Table 23-3.

Hash Methods as Applied to Port Channel Types
Layer 2
Port Channel

Hash (Header Based)

Layer 3
Port Channel

5-tuple

X

X

3-tuple

X

X

Packet-based

X

X

MAC source address (SA) and destination address (DA)

X

On the E-Series, to change the 5-tuple default to 3-tuple, MAC, or packet-based, use the following
command in CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

[no] load-balance [ip-selection
{3-tuple | packet-based}] [mac]

CONFIGURATION

To designate a method to balance traffic over a port
channel. By default, IP 5-tuple is used to distribute
traffic over members port channel.
ip-selection 3-tuple—Distribute IP traffic based on IP
source address, IP destination address, and IP protocol type.
ip-selection packet-based—Distribute IPV4 traffic based
on the IP Identification field in the IPV4 header.
mac—Distribute traffic based on the MAC source address,
and the MAC destination address.

See Table 23-1 for more information.

For details on the load-balance command, see the IP Routing chapter of the FTOS Command Reference.
To distribute IP traffic over an E-Series port channel member, FTOS uses the 5-tuple IP default. The
5-tuple and the 3-tuple hash use the following keys:
Table 23-4.

5-tuple and 3-tuple Keys

Keys

5-tuple

3-tuple

IP source address (lower 32 bits)

X

X

IP destination address (lower 32 bits)

X

X

Protocol type

X

X

Interfaces | 489

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 23-4.

5-tuple and 3-tuple Keys

Keys

5-tuple

TCP/UDP source port

X

TCP/UDP destination port

X

3-tuple

Note: For IPV6, only the first 32 bits (LSB) of IP Source Address and IP Destination Address are used for
hash generation.

The following example shows the configuration and show command for packet-based hashing on the
E-Series.
FTOS(conf)#load-balance ip-selection packet-based

FTOS#show running-config | grep load
load-balance ip-selection packet-based
FTOS#

The load-balance packet based command can co-exist with load balance mac command to achieve the
functionality shown in Table 23-1.

IPv4, IPv6, and non-IP traffic handling on the E-Series
The table below presents the combinations of the load-balance command and their effect on traffic types.
Figure 23-1.

The load-balance Commands and Port Channel Types

Configuration Commands

490

|

Switched IP Traffic

Routed IP Traffic
(IPv4 only)

Switched
Non-IP Traffic

Default (IP 5-tuple)

IP 5-tuple
(lower 32 bits)

IP 5-tuple

MAC-based

load-balance ip-selection 3-tuple

IP 3-tuple
(lower 32 bits)

IP 3-tuple

MAC-based

load-balance ip-selection mac

MAC-based

IP 5-tuple

MAC-based

load-balance ip-selection 3-tuple
load-balance ip-selection mac

MAC-based

IP 3-tuple

MAC-based

load-balance ip-selection packet-based

Packet based: IPV4
No distribution: IPV6

Packet-based

MAC-based

load-balance ip-selection packet-based
load-balance ip-selection mac

MAC-based

Packet-based

MAC-based

Interfaces

C-Series and S-Series load-balancing
For LAG hashing on C-Series and S-Series, the source IP, destination IP, source TCP/UDP port, and
destination TCP/UDP port are used for hash computation by default. For packets without a Layer 3 header,
FTOS automatically uses load-balance mac source-dest-mac.
IP hashing or MAC hashing should not be configured at the same time. If you configure an IP and MAC
hashing scheme at the same time, the MAC hashing scheme takes precedence over the IP hashing scheme.
To change the IP traffic load balancing default on the C-Series and S-Series, use the following command:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

[no] load-balance {ip-selection
[dest-ip | source-ip]} | {mac
[dest-mac | source-dest-mac |
source-mac]} | {tcp-udp enable} |
{ing-port}

CONFIGURATION

Replace the default IP 4-tuple method of balancing
traffic over a port channel. You can select one, two, or
all three of the following basic hash methods
ip-selection [dest-ip | source-ip]—Distribute IP traffic
based on IP destination or source address.

mac [dest-mac | source-dest-mac | source-mac]—
Distribute IPV4 traffic based on the destination or source
MAC address, or both, along with the VLAN, Ethertype,
source module ID and source port ID.

tcp-udp enable—Distribute traffic based on TCP/UDP
source and destination ports.
ing-port —Distribute traffic based on the port ID of the IP
source address.

Hash algorithm
The load-balance command discussed above selects the hash criteria applied to port channels.
If even distribution is not obtained with the load-balance command, the hash-algorithm command can be
used to select the hash scheme for LAG, ECMP and NH-ECMP. The 12 bit Lag Hash can be rotated or
shifted till the desired hash is achieved.
The nh-ecmp option allows you to change the hash value for recursive ECMP routes independently of
non-recursive ECMP routes. This option provides for better traffic distribution over available equal cost
links that involve a recursive next hop lookup.

Interfaces | 491

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

For the E-Series TeraScale and ExaScale, you can select one of 47 possible hash algorithms (16 on
EtherScale).
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

hash-algorithm {algorithm-number} |
{ecmp {checksum|crc|xor}
[number]} lag
{checksum|crc|xor][number]}nh-ecm
p {[checksum|crc|xor] [number]}}|
{linecard number ip-sa-mask value
ip-da-mask value}

CONFIGURATION

Change the default (0) to another algorithm and apply
it to ECMP, LAG hashing, or a particular line card.
Note: To achieve the functionality of hash-align on
the ExaScale platform, do not use CRC as an
hash-algorithm method. For ExaScale systems, set the
default hash-algorithm method to ensure CRC is not
used for LAG. For example, hash-algorithm ecmp xor
lag checksum nh-ecmp checksum

For details on the algorithm choices, see the command
details in the IP Routing chapter of the FTOS

Command Reference.

Note: E-Series systems require the lag-hash-align microcode be configured in the in the CAM profile.
E-Series TeraScale et includes this microcode as an option with the Default cam profile. E-Series
ExaScale ex systems require that a CAM profile be created and specifically include lag-hash-align
microcode.

The following example shows a sample configuration for the hash-algorithm command.
FTOS(conf)#hash-algorithm ecmp xor 26 lag crc 26 nh-ecmp checksum 26
FTOS(conf)#

On C-Series and S-Series, the hash-algorithm command is specific to ECMP groups and has different
defaults from the E-Series. The default ECMP hash configuration is crc-lower. This takes the lower 32 bits
of the hash key to compute the egress port. Other options for ECMP hash-algorithms are:
•
•
•

crc-upper — uses the upper 32 bits of the hash key to compute the egress port
dest-ip — uses destination IP address as part of the hash key
lsb — always uses the least significant bit of the hash key to compute the egress port

To change to another method, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

hash-algorithm ecmp {crc-upper} |
{dest-ip} | {lsb}

CONFIGURATION

Change to another algorithm.

For more on load-balancing, see “Equal Cost Multipath and Link Aggregation Frequently Asked
Questions” in the E-Series FAQ section (login required) of iSupport:
https://www.force10networks.com/CSPortal20/KnowledgeBase/ToolTips.aspx

492

|

Interfaces

Bulk Configuration
Bulk configuration enables you to determine if interfaces are present for physical interfaces or configured
for logical interfaces.

Interface Range
An interface range is a set of interfaces to which other commands may be applied and may be created if
there is at least one valid interface within the range. Bulk configuration excludes from configuration any
non-existing interfaces from an interface range. A default VLAN may be configured only if the interface
range being configured consists of only VLAN ports.
The interface range command allows you to create an interface range allowing other commands to be
applied to that range of interfaces.
The interface range prompt offers the interface (with slot and port information) for valid interfaces. The
maximum size of an interface range prompt is 32. If the prompt size exceeds this maximum, it displays (...)
at the end of the output.
Note: Non-existing interfaces are excluded from interface range prompt. In the following example,
Tengigabit 3/0 and VLAN 1000 do not exist.

Note: When creating an interface range, interfaces appear in the order they were entered and are not
sorted.

The show range command is available under interface range mode. This command allows you to display
all interfaces that have been validated under the interface range context.
The show configuration command is also available under the interface range mode. This command allows
you to display the running configuration only for interfaces that are part of interface range.

Bulk Configuration Examples
The following are examples of using the interface range command for bulk configuration:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Create a single-range
Create a multiple-range
Exclude duplicate entries
Exclude a smaller port range
Overlap port ranges
Commas
Add ranges

Interfaces | 493

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Create a single-range
FTOS(config)# interface range gigabitethernet 5/1 - 23
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-5/1-23)# no shutdown
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-5/1-23)#

Create a multiple-range
FTOS(conf)#interface range tengigabitethernet 3/0 , gigabitethernet 2/1 - 47 , vlan 1000
FTOS(conf-if-range-gi-2/1-47,so-5/0)#

Exclude duplicate entries
Duplicate single interfaces and port ranges are excluded from the resulting interface range prompt:
FTOS(conf)#interface range vlan 1 , vlan 1 , vlan 3 , vlan 3
FTOS(conf-if-range-vl-1,vl-3)#
FTOS(conf)#interface range gigabitethernet 2/0 - 23 , gigabitethernet 2/0 - 23 , gigab 2/0 - 23
FTOS(conf-if-range-gi-2/0-23)#

Exclude a smaller port range
If interface range has multiple port ranges, the smaller port range is excluded from prompt:
FTOS(conf)#interface range gigabitethernet 2/0 - 23 , gigab 2/1 - 10
FTOS(conf-if-range-gi-2/0-23)#

Overlap port ranges
If overlapping port ranges are specified, the port range is extended to the smallest start port number and
largest end port number:
FTOS(conf)#inte ra gi 2/1 - 11 , gi 2/1 - 23
FTOS(conf-if-range-gi-2/1-23)#

Commas
The example below shows how to use commas to add different interface types to the range, enabling all
Gigabit Ethernet interfaces in the range 5/1 to 5/23 and both Ten Gigabit Ethernet interfaces 1/1 and 1/2.
FTOS(config-if)# interface range gigabitethernet 5/1 - 23, tengigabitethernet 1/1 - 2
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-5/1-23)# no shutdown
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-5/1-23)#

Add ranges
The example below shows how to use commas to add VLAN and port-channel interfaces to the range.

494

|

Interfaces

FTOS(config-ifrange-gi-5/1-23-te-1/1-2)# interface range Vlan 2 – 100 , Port 1 – 25
FTOS(config-if-range-gi-5/1-23-te-1/1-2-so-5/1-vl-2-100-po-1-25)# no shutdown
FTOS(config-if-range)#

Interface Range Macros
The user can define an interface-range macro to automatically select a range of interfaces for
configuration. Before you can use the macro keyword in the interface-range macro command string, you
must define the macro.
To define an interface-range macro, enter this command:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

FTOS(config)# define interface-range macro_name {vlan
vlan_ID - vlan_ID} | {{gigabitethernet | tengigabitethernet |
fortyGigE} slot/interface - interface} [ , {vlan vlan_ID vlan_ID} {{gigabitethernet | tengigabitethernet | fortyGigE}
slot/interface - interface}]

CONFIGURATION

Defines the interface-range
macro and saves it in the
running configuration file.

Define the Interface Range
This example shows how to define an interface-range macro named “test” to select Fast Ethernet interfaces
5/1 through 5/4:
FTOS(config)# define interface-range test gigabitethernet 5/1 - 4

Choose an Interface-range Macro
To use an interface-range macro in the interface range command, enter this command:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

interface range macro name

CONFIGURATION

Selects the interfaces range to be configured using the values
saved in a named interface-range macro.

The example below shows how to change to the interface-range configuration mode using the
interface-range macro named “test.”
FTOS(config)# interface range macro test
FTOS(config-if)#

Interfaces | 495

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Monitor and Maintain Interfaces
Monitor interface statistics with the monitor interface command. This command displays an ongoing list of
the interface status (up/down), number of packets, traffic statistics, etc.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

monitor interface interface

EXEC Privilege

View the interface’s statistics. Enter the type of interface and
slot/port information:
• For a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For the Management interface on the RPM, enter the
keyword ManagementEthernet followed by the slot/port
information.
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword sonet
followed by slot/port information.
• For a 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port
information.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
fortyGigE followed by the slot/port information.

The information displays in a continuous run, refreshing every 2 seconds by default as shown in the
example below. Use the following keys to manage the output.
m - Change mode

c - Clear screen

l - Page up

a - Page down

T - Increase refresh interval (by 1 second)

t - Decrease refresh interval (by 1 second)

q - Quit

FTOS#monitor interface gi 3/1

FTOS uptime is 1 day(s), 4 hour(s), 31 minute(s)
Monitor time: 00:00:00

Refresh Intvl.: 2s

Interface: Gi 3/1, Disabled, Link is Down, Linespeed is 1000 Mbit

496

|

Traffic statistics:

Current

Rate

Delta

Input bytes:

0

0 Bps

0

Output bytes:

0

0 Bps

0

Input packets:

0

0 pps

0

Output packets:

0

0 pps

0

64B packets:

0

0 pps

0

Over 64B packets:

0

0 pps

0

Over 127B packets:

0

0 pps

0

Interfaces

Over 255B packets:

0

0 pps

0

Over 511B packets:

0

0 pps

0

Over 1023B packets:

0

0 pps

0

Input underruns:

0

0 pps

0

Error statistics:
Input giants:

0

0 pps

0

Input throttles:

0

0 pps

0

Input CRC:

0

0 pps

0

Input IP checksum:

0

0 pps

0

Input overrun:

0

0 pps

0

Output underruns:

0

0 pps

0

Output throttles:

0

0 pps

0

m - Change mode

c - Clear screen

l - Page up

a - Page down

T - Increase refresh interval

t - Decrease refresh interval

q - Quit
q
FTOS#

Maintenance using TDR
The Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) is supported on all Dell Force10 switch/routers. TDR is an
assistance tool to resolve link issues that helps detect obvious open or short conditions within any of the
four copper pairs. TDR sends a signal onto the physical cable and examines the reflection of the signal that
returns. By examining the reflection, TDR is able to indicate whether there is a cable fault (when the cable
is broken, becomes unterminated, or if a transceiver is unplugged).
TDR is useful for troubleshooting an interface that is not establishing a link, that is, when the link is
flapping or not coming up. TDR is not intended to be used on an interface that is passing traffic. When a
TDR test is run on a physical cable, it is important to shut down the port on the far end of the cable.
Otherwise, it may lead to incorrect test results.
Note: TDR is an intrusive test. Do not run TDR on a link that is up and passing traffic.

Interfaces | 497

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To test the condition of cables on 10/100/1000 BASE-T modules, use the tdr-cable-test command:
Step
1

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

tdr-cable-test gigabitethernet /

EXEC Privilege

To test for cable faults on the GigabitEthernet
cable.
• Between two ports, the user must not start
the test on both ends of the cable.
• The user must enable the interface before
starting the test.
• The port should be enabled to run the test
or the test prints an error message.

EXEC Privilege

Displays TDR test results.



2

show tdr gigabitethernet /

Splitting QSFP ports to SFP+ ports
Splitting QSFP ports to SFP+ ports is supported on platforms:

and Z

The S4810 and Z9000 platforms support splitting a single 40G QSFP port into four 10G SFP+ ports using
one of the supported breakout cables (refer to the Installation Guide or the Release Notes for a list of
supported cables).
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

stack-unit stack-unit port

CONFIGURATION

Split a single 40G port into 4-10G ports on the S4810 or
Z9000.
stack-unit: Enter the stack member unit identifier of the stack

number portmode quad

member to reset.
Range: 0 to 11
number: Enter the port number of the 40G port to be split.
S4810 Range: 0 to 47 for 10G ports; 48, 52, 56 and 60 for 40G ports
Z9000 Range: 0 to 31

Important Points
•
•
•
•

Splitting a 40G port into 4x10G port is supported only on a standalone unit.
Split ports cannot be used as stack-link to stack an S4810 or a Z9000.
Split ports cannot be a part of any stacked system.
The unit number with the split ports must be the default (stack-unit 0)

This can be verified using the show system brief command. If the unit ID is different than 0, then it must be
renumbered to 0 before ports are split by using the stackunit id renumber 0 command in EXEC mode.
•

•

498

|

The quad port must be in a default configuration before it can be split into 4x10G ports. The 40G port
is lost in the config when the port is split, so be sure the port is also removed from other L2/L3 feature
configurations.
The system must be reloaded after issuing the CLI for the change to take effect.

Interfaces

Link Debounce Timer
Link Debounce Timer is supported on platform e
The Link Debounce Timer feature isolates upper layer protocols on Ethernet switches and routers from
very short-term, possibly repetitive interface flaps often caused by network jitter on the DWDM equipment
connecting the switch and other devices on a SONET ring. The Link Debounce Timer delays link change
notifications, thus decreasing traffic loss due to network configuration. All interfaces have a built-in timer
to manage traffic. This feature extends the time allowed by the upper layers.
The SONET ring has its own restore time whenever there is a failure. During this time, however, the
Ethernet interface connected to the switch will flap. Link Debounce Timer instructs the Ethernet switch to
delay the notification of the link change to the upper layers. If the link state changes again within this
period, no notification goes to the upper layers, so that the switch remains unaware of the change.
Note: Enabling the link debounce timer causes link up and link down detections to be delayed, resulting in
traffic being blackholed during the debouncing period. This situation might affect the convergence and
reconvergence of some Layer 2 and Layer 3 protocols.

Important Points to Remember about Link Debounce Timer
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Link Debounce Timer is configurable on physical ports only.
Only 1G fiber, 10/100/1000 copper, 10G fiber, 10G copper are supported.
This feature is not supported on management interfaces or SONET interfaces.
Link Debounce takes effect only when the operational state of the port is up.
Link Debounce is supported on interfaces that also have link dampening configured.
Unlike link dampening, link debounce timer does not notify other protocols.
Changes made do not affect any ongoing debounces. The timer changes take affect from the next
debounce onward.

Assign a debounce time to an interface
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

link debounce time [milliseconds]

INTERFACE

Enter the time to delay link status change notification on this
interface.
Range: 100-5000 ms
•
•

Default for Copper is 3100 ms
Default for Fiber is 100 ms

FTOS(conf)#int gi 3/1
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/1)#link debounce time 150
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/1)#=

Interfaces | 499

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Show debounce times in an interface
show interface debounce [type] [slot/port]

EXEC Privilege

Show the debounce time for the specified interface.

Enter the interface type keyword followed by the type
of interface and slot/port information:
• For a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/
port information.
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port
information.
• For a 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword TenGigabitEthernet followed by the
slot/port information.
FTOS#
FTOS#show interfaces debounce gigabitethernet 3/1
Interface

Time(ms)

GigabitEthernet 3/1

200

FTOS#

Note: FTOS rounds the entered debounce time up to the nearest hundredth.
Note in the example in Assign a debounce time to an interface that the timer was set at 150 ms, but
appears as 200 in the example in Show debounce times in an interface above.

Disable ports when one only SFM is available (E300 only)
Selected ports can be shut down when a single SFM is available on the E300 system. Each port to be shut
down must be configured individually.
When an E300 system boots up and a single SFM is active this configuration, any ports configured with
this feature will be shut down. All other ports are booted up.
Similarly, if an SFM fails (or is removed) in an E300 system with two SFM, ports configured with this
feature will be shut down. All other ports are treated normally.
When a second SFM is installed or replaced, all ports are booted up and treated as normally. This feature
does not take affect until a single SFM is active in the E300 system.

Disable port on one SFM
This feature must be configured for each interface to shut down in the event that an SFM is disabled. Enter
the command disable-on-sfm-failure from INTERFACE mode to disable the port when only a single SFM is
available.

500

|

Interfaces

Link Dampening
Interface state changes occur when interfaces are administratively brought up or down or if an interface
state changes. Every time an interface changes state or flaps, routing protocols are notified of the status of
the routes that are affected by the change in state, and these protocols go through momentous task of
re-converging. Flapping therefore puts the status of entire network at risk of transient loops and black
holes.
Link dampening minimizes the risk created by flapping by imposing a penalty for each interface flap and
decaying the penalty exponentially. Once the penalty exceeds certain threshold, the interface is put in an
“error-disabled” state, and for all practical purposes of routing, the interface is deemed to be “down.” Once
the interface becomes stable and the penalty decays below a certain threshold, the interface comes up again
and the routing protocols re-converge.
Link dampening:
•
•
•

reduces processing on the CPUs by reducing excessive interface flapping.
improves network stability by penalizing misbehaving interfaces and redirecting traffic
improves convergence times and stability throughout the network by isolating failures so that
disturbances are not propagated.

Important Points to Remember
•
•
•
•

Link dampening is not supported on VLAN interfaces
Link dampening is disabled when the interface is configured for port monitoring
Link dampening can be applied to Layer 2 and Layer 3 interfaces.
Link dampening can be configured on individual interfaces in a LAG.

Enable Link Dampening
Enable link dampening using the command dampening from INTERFACE mode, as shown in the following
example.
R1(conf-if-gi-1/1)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
ip address 10.10.19.1/24
dampening 1 2 3 4
no shutdown
R1(conf-if-gi-1/1)#exit

Interfaces | 501

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

View the link dampening configuration on an interface using the command show config, or view
dampening information on all or specific dampened interfaces using the command show interfaces
dampening from EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in the following example.
FTOS# show interfaces dampening
InterfaceStateFlapsPenaltyHalf-LifeReuseSuppressMax-Sup
Gi 0/0Up005750250020
Gi 0/1Up21200205001500300
Gi 0/2Down4850306002000120

View a dampening summary for the entire system using the command show interfaces dampening
summary from EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in the example below.
FTOS# show interfaces dampening summary
20 interfaces are configured with dampening. 3 interfaces are currently suppressed.
Following interfaces are currently suppressed:
Gi 0/2
Gi 3/1
Gi 4/2
FTOS#

Clear Dampening Counters
Clear dampening counters and accumulated penalties using the command clear dampening, as shown in the
following example.
FTOS# clear dampening interface Gi 0/1
FTOS# show interfaces dampening GigabitEthernet0/0
InterfaceStateFlapsPenaltyHalf-LifeReuseSuppressMax-Sup
Gi 0/1Up00205001500300

Link Dampening Support for XML
View the output of the following show commands in XML by adding | display xml to the end of the
command:
•
•
•

502

|

show interfaces dampening
show interfaces dampening summary
show interfaces interface x/y

Interfaces

Configure MTU size on an Interface
The E-Series supports a link Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) of 12000 bytes and maximum IP MTU
of 9234 bytes. The link MTU is the frame size of a packet, and the IP MTU size is used for IP
fragmentation. If the system determines that the IP packet must be fragmented as it leaves the interface,
FTOS divides the packet into fragments no bigger than the size set in the ip mtu command.
In FTOS, MTU is defined as the entire Ethernet packet (Ethernet header + FCS + payload)
Since different networking vendors define MTU differently, check their documentation when planing
MTU sizes across a network.
Table 23-5 lists the range for each transmission media.
Table 23-5.

MTU Range

Transmission Media

MTU Range (in bytes)

Ethernet

594-12000 = link MTU
576-9234 = IP MTU

Link Bundle Monitoring
Link Bundle Monitoring is supported only on platform:
Monitoring linked LAG bundles allows traffic distribution amounts in a link to be monitored for unfair
distribution at any given time. A threshold of 60% is defined as an acceptable amount of traffic on a
member link. Links are monitored in 15-second intervals for three consecutive instances. Any deviation
within that time causes a Syslog to be sent and an alarm event to be generated. When the deviation clears,
another Syslog is sent and a clear alarm event is generated.
The link bundle utilization is calculated as the total bandwidth of all links divided by the total
bytes-per-second of all links. If monitoring is enabled, the utilization calculation is performed when the
utilization of the link-bundle (not a link within a bundle) exceeds 60%.
Enable link bundle monitoring using the ecmp-group command.
View all LAG link bundles being monitored using the show running-config ecmp-group command.

Ethernet Pause Frames
Ethernet Pause Frames is supported on platforms c e s
Threshold Settings are supported only on platforms: c s

Interfaces | 503

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Ethernet Pause Frames allow for a temporary stop in data transmission. A situation may arise where a
sending device may transmit data faster than a destination device can accept it. The destination sends a
PAUSE frame back to the source, stopping the sender’s transmission for a period of time.
The globally assigned 48-bit Multicast address 01-80-C2-00-00-01 is used to send and receive pause
frames. To allow full duplex flow control, stations implementing the pause operation instruct the MAC to
enable reception of frames with destination address equal to this multicast address.
The PAUSE frame is defined by IEEE 802.3x and uses MAC Control frames to carry the PAUSE
commands. Ethernet Pause Frames are supported on full duplex only. The only configuration applicable to
half duplex ports is rx off tx off.
Note that if a port is over-subscribed, Ethernet Pause Frame flow control does not ensure no loss behavior.
The following error message appears when trying to enable flow control when half duplex is already
configured:
Can’t configure flowcontrol when half duplex is configure, config ignored.

The following error message appears when trying to enable half duplex and flow control configuration is
on:
Can’t configure half duplex when flowcontrol is on, config ignored.

Threshold Settings
Threshold Settings are supported only on platforms: c s
When the transmission pause is set (tx on), 3 thresholds can be set to define the controls more closely.
Ethernet Pause Frames flow control can be triggered when either the flow control buffer threshold or flow
control packet pointer threshold is reached. The thresholds are:
•
•
•

Number of flow-control packet pointers: 1-2047 (default = 75)
Flow-control buffer threshold in KB: 1-2013 (default = 49KB)
Flow-control discard threshold in KB: 1-2013 (default= 75KB)

The pause is started when either the packet pointer or the buffer threshold is met (whichever is met first).
When the discard threshold is met, packets are dropped.
The pause ends when both the packet pointer and the buffer threshold fall below 50% of the threshold
settings.
The discard threshold defines when the interface starts dropping the packet on the interface. This may be
necessary when a connected device doesn’t honor the flow control frame sent by S-Series.
The discard threshold should be larger than the buffer threshold so that the buffer holds at least hold at least
3 packets.

504

|

Interfaces

Enable Pause Frames
Note: On the C-Series and S-Series (non-S4810) platforms, Ethernet Pause Frames TX should be
enabled only after consulting with the Dell Force10 Technical Assistance Center.

Note: Changes in the flow-control values may not be reflected automatically in the show interface output.
As a workaround, apply the new settings, execute shut followed by no shut on the interface, and then
check the running-config of the port.

Note: The S4810 supports only the rx control option. The S4810 does not transmit pause frames.

Note: If rx flow control is disabled, Dell Force10 recommends rebooting the system.

Ethernet Pause Frames flow control must be enabled on all ports on a chassis or a line card. If not, the
system may exhibit unpredictable behavior.
On the C-Series and S-Series systems, the flow control sender and receiver must be on the same port-pipe.
Flow control is not supported across different port-pipes on the C-Series or S-Series system.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

flowcontrol rx [off | on] tx [off | on] [threshold

INTERFACE

Control how the system responds to and
generates 802.3x pause frames on 1 and 10Gig
line cards.

{<1-2047> <1-2013> <1-2013>}]

Defaults:
C-Series: rx off tx off
E-Series: rx on tx on
S-Series: rx off tx off
S4810: rx off
Parameters:
rx on: Enter the keywords rx on to process the received flow control frames
on this port.
rx off: Enter the keywords rx off to ignore the received flow control frames on
this port.
tx on: Enter the keywords tx on to send control frames from this port to the
connected device when a higher rate of traffic is received.
tx off: Enter the keywords tx off so that flow control frames are not sent from
this port to the connected device when a higher rate of traffic is received.

threshold (C-Series and S-Series only): When tx on is configured, the
user can set the threshold values for:
Number of flow-control packet pointers: 1-2047 (default = 75)
Flow-control buffer threshold in KB: 1-2013 (default = 49KB)
Flow-control discard threshold in KB: 1-2013 (default= 75KB)
Pause control is triggered when either the flow control buffer threshold
or flow control packet pointer threshold is reached.

Interfaces | 505

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configure MTU Size on an Interface
If a packet includes a Layer 2 header, the difference in bytes between the link MTU and IP MTU must be
enough to include the Layer 2 header. For example, for VLAN packets, if the IP MTU is 1400, the Link
MTU must be no less than 1422:
1400-byte IP MTU + 22-byte VLAN Tag = 1422-byte link MTU

The MTU range is 592-12000, with a default of 1500. On the E-Series, the user must enter the ip mtu
command to manually configure the IP MTU to compensate for the Layer 2 header. The C-Series and
S-Series automatically configure the IP MTU.
Table 23-6 lists the various Layer 2 overheads found in FTOS and the number of bytes.
Table 23-6.

Difference between Link MTU and IP MTU

Layer 2 Overhead

Difference between Link MTU and IP MTU

Ethernet (untagged)

18 bytes

VLAN Tag

22 bytes

Untagged Packet with VLAN-Stack Header

22 bytes

Tagged Packet with VLAN-Stack Header

26 bytes

Link MTU and IP MTU considerations for port channels and VLANs are as follows.
Port Channels:
•
•

All members must have the same link MTU value and the same IP MTU value.
The port channel link MTU and IP MTU must be less than or equal to the link MTU and IP MTU
values configured on the channel members.

Example: If the members have a link MTU of 2100 and an IP MTU 2000, the port channel’s MTU values
cannot be higher than 2100 for link MTU or 2000 bytes for IP MTU.
VLANs:
•
•
•

All members of a VLAN must have the same IP MTU value.
Members can have different Link MTU values. Tagged members must have a link MTU 4 bytes higher
than untagged members to account for the packet tag.
The VLAN link MTU and IP MTU must be less than or equal to the link MTU and IP MTU values
configured on the VLAN members.

Example: The VLAN contains tagged members with Link MTU of 1522 and IP MTU of 1500 and
untagged members with Link MTU of 1518 and IP MTU of 1500. The VLAN’s Link MTU cannot be
higher than 1518 bytes and its IP MTU cannot be higher than 1500 bytes.

506

|

Interfaces

Port-pipes
A port pipe is a Dell Force10 specific term for the hardware path that packets follow through a system. Port
pipes travel through a collection of circuits (ASICs) built into line cards and RPMs on which various
processing events for the packets occur. One or two port pipes process traffic for a given set of physical
interfaces or a port-set. The E300 only supports one port pipe per slot. On the E1200 and E600 each slot
has two port pipes with following specifications:
•
•

48 port line rate cards have two port pipes on the line card
48 port high density cards have only one port pipe on the line card

Note: All references to the E1200 in this section include the E1200i-AC and E1200i-DC. References to
E600 include the E600i.

For the purposes of diagnostics, the major difference between the E-Series platforms is the number of port
pipes per slot.
•
•

E1200 and E600—Each slot has two port-pipes. Each portpipe has nine 3.125Gbps channels to the
backplane, one to each SFM.
E300—Each slot has one portpipe. Each port-pipe has eight 3.125Gbps channels to the backplane,
with four channels to each SFM.

Table 23-7 presents these platform differences again.
Table 23-7.

Platform Differences Concerning Port-pipes

Chassis Type

Port-pipes Channels / Capacity of Each
/ Slot
Port-pipe Channel (Gbps)

Raw Slot Capacity
(Gbps)

E1200/E1200i-AC/DC

2

9

3.125

56.25

E600/E600i

2

9

3.125

56.25

E300

1

8

3.125

25

Interfaces | 507

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Auto-Negotiation on Ethernet Interfaces
Setting speed and duplex mode of Ethernet Interfaces
By default, auto-negotiation of speed and duplex mode is enabled on 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet
interfaces. Only 10GE interfaces do not support auto-negotiation. When using 10GE interfaces, verify that
the settings on the connecting devices are set to no auto-negotiation.
Note: Starting with FTOS 7.8.1.0, when a copper SFP2 module with catalog number GP-SFP2-1T is used
in the S25P model of the S-Series, its speed can be manually set with the speed command. When the
speed is set to 10 or 100 Mbps, the duplex command can also be executed.

The local interface and the directly connected remote interface must have the same setting, and
auto-negotiation is the easiest way to accomplish that, as long as the remote interface is capable of
auto-negotiation.
Note: As a best practice, Dell Force10 recommends keeping auto-negotiation enabled. Auto-negotiation
should only be disabled on switch ports that attach to devices not capable of supporting negotiation or
where connectivity issues arise from interoperability issues.
For 10/100/1000 Ethernet interfaces, the negotiation auto command is tied to the speed command.
Auto-negotiation is always enabled when the speed command is set to 1000 or auto. In FTOS, the
command speed 100 is an exact equivalent of speed auto 100 in IOS.
To discover whether the remote and local interface require manual speed synchronization, and to manually
synchronize them if necessary, use the following command sequence as shown in the second example:
Step

508

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Determine the local interface status. Refer
to the example below.

show interfaces [interface | linecard
slot-number] status

EXEC Privilege

2

Determine the remote interface status.

[Use the command on the remote system
that is equivalent to the above command.]

EXEC
EXEC Privilege

3

Access CONFIGURATION mode.

config

EXEC Privilege

4

Access the port.

interface interface slot/port

CONFIGURATION

5

Set the local port speed.

speed {10 | 100 | 1000 | auto}

INTERFACE

6

Optionally, set full- or half-duplex.

duplex {half | full}

INTERFACE

7

Disable auto-negotiation on the port. If the
speed was set to 1000, auto-negotiation
does not need to be disabled.

no negotiation auto

INTERFACE

8

Verify configuration changes.

show config

INTERFACE

Interfaces

Note: The show interfaces status command displays link status, but not administrative status. For link and
administrative status, use show ip interface [interface | brief | linecard slot-number] [configuration].
FTOS#show interfaces status
Port

Description Status Speed

Duplex Vlan

Gi 0/0

Up

1000 Mbit

Auto

--

Gi 0/1

Down

Auto

Auto

1

Gi 0/2

Down

Auto

Auto

1

Gi 0/3

Down

Auto

Auto

--

Gi 0/4 Force10Port

Up

1000 Mbit

Auto

Gi 0/5

Down

Auto

Auto

Gi 0/6

Down

Auto

Auto

Gi 0/7

Up

1000 Mbit

Auto

Gi 0/8

Down

Auto

Auto

--

Gi 0/9

Down

Auto

Auto

--

Gi 0/10

Down

Auto

Auto

--

Gi 0/11

Down

Auto

Auto

--

Gi 0/12

Down

Auto

Auto

--

30-130
--1502,1504,1506-1508,1602

[output omitted]

In the example above, several ports display “Auto” in the Speed field, including port 0/1. In the following
example, the speed of port 0/1 is set to 100Mb and then its auto-negotiation is disabled.
FTOS#configure
FTOS(config)#interface gig 0/1
FTOS(Interface 0/1)#speed 100
FTOS(Interface 0/1)#duplex full
FTOS(Interface 0/1)#no negotiation auto
FTOS(Interface 0/1)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/1
no ip address
speed 100
duplex full
no shutdown

Setting Auto-Negotiation Options
The negotiation auto command provides a mode option for configuring an individual port to forced master/
forced slave once auto-negotiation is enabled.
Caution: Ensure that only one end of the node is configured as forced-master and the other is configured as
forced-slave. If both are configured the same (that is both as forced-master or both as forced-slave), the show
interface command will flap between an auto-neg-error and forced-master/slave states.

Interfaces | 509

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS(conf)# int gi 0/0
FTOS(conf-if)#neg auto
FTOS(conf-if-autoneg)# ?
end

Exit from configuration mode

exit

Exit from autoneg configuration mode

mode

Specify autoneg mode

no

Negate a command or set its defaults

show

Show autoneg configuration information

FTOS(conf-if-autoneg)#mode ?
forced-master

Force port to master mode

forced-slave

Force port to slave mode

FTOS(conf-if-autoneg)#

For details on the speed, duplex, and negotiation auto commands, see the Interfaces chapter of the FTOS
Command Reference.

Adjust the keepalive timer
Use the keepalive command to change the time interval between keepalive messages on the interfaces. The
interface sends keepalive messages to itself to test network connectivity on the interface.
To change the default time interval between keepalive messages, use the following command:

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

keepalive [seconds]

INTERFACE

Change the default interval between keepalive
messages.

To view the new setting, use the show config command in the INTERFACE mode.

View Advanced Interface Information
Display Only Configured Interfaces
The following options have been implemented for show [ip | running-config] interfaces commands for (only)
linecard interfaces. When the configured keyword is used, only interfaces that have non-default
configurations are displayed. Dummy linecard interfaces (created with the linecard command) are treated
like any other physical interface.
The following example lists the possible show commands that have the configured keyword available:
FTOS#show interfaces configured
FTOS#show interfaces linecard 0 configured
FTOS#show interfaces gigabitEthernet 0 configured

510

|

Interfaces

FTOS#show ip interface configured
FTOS#show ip interface linecard 1 configured
FTOS#show ip interface gigabitEthernet 1 configured
FTOS#show ip interface br configured
FTOS#show ip interface br linecard 1 configured
FTOS#show ip interface br gigabitEthernet 1 configured
FTOS#show running-config interfaces configured
FTOS#show running-config interface gigabitEthernet 1 configured

In EXEC mode, the show interfaces switchport command displays only interfaces in Layer 2 mode and
their relevant configuration information. The show interfaces switchport command as shown in the example
below displays the interface, whether the interface supports IEEE 802.1Q tagging or not, and the VLANs
to which the interface belongs.
FTOS#show interfaces switchport
Name: GigabitEthernet 13/0
802.1QTagged: True
Vlan membership:
Vlan

2

Name: GigabitEthernet 13/1
802.1QTagged: True
Vlan membership:
Vlan

2

Name: GigabitEthernet 13/2
802.1QTagged: True
Vlan membership:
Vlan

2

Name: GigabitEthernet 13/3
802.1QTagged: True
Vlan membership:
Vlan

2

--More--

Configure Interface Sampling Size
Use the rate-interval command, in INTERFACE mode, to configure the number of seconds of traffic
statistics to display in the show interfaces output.

Interfaces | 511

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Although any value between 30 and 299 seconds (the default) can be entered, software polling is done
once every 15 seconds. So, for example, if you enter “19”, you will actually get a sample of the past 15
seconds.
All LAG members inherit the rate interval configuration from the LAG.
The following example shows how to configure rate interval when changing the default value:
FTOS#show interfaces
TenGigabitEthernet 10/0 is down, line protocol is down
Hardware is Force10Eth, address is 00:01:e8:01:9e:d9
Internet address is not set
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
LineSpeed 10000 Mbit
ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00
Last clearing of "show interface" counters 1d23h44m
Queueing strategy: fifo
0 packets input, 0 bytes
Input 0 IP Packets, 0 Vlans 0 MPLS
0 64-byte pkts, 0 over 64-byte pkts, 0 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
Received 0 input symbol errors, 0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
0 CRC, 0 IP Checksum, 0 overrun, 0 discarded
0 packets output, 0 bytes, 0 underruns
Output 0 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts, 0 Unicasts
0 IP Packets, 0 Vlans, 0 MPLS
0 throttles, 0 discarded
Rate info (interval 299 seconds):
Input 00.00 Mbits/sec,
Output 00.00 Mbits/sec,

0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate

Time since last interface status change: 1d23h40m
FTOS(conf)#interface tengigabitethernet 10/0
FTOS(conf-if-te-10/0)#rate-interval 100
FTOS#show interfaces
TenGigabitEthernet 10/0 is down, line protocol is down
Hardware is Force10Eth, address is 00:01:e8:01:9e:d9
Internet address is not set
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
LineSpeed 10000 Mbit
ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00
Last clearing of "show interface" counters 1d23h45m
Queueing strategy: fifo
0 packets input, 0 bytes
Input 0 IP Packets, 0 Vlans 0 MPLS
0 64-byte pkts, 0 over 64-byte pkts, 0 over 127-byte pkts

512

|

Interfaces

0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
Received 0 input symbol errors, 0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
0 CRC, 0 IP Checksum, 0 overrun, 0 discarded
0 packets output, 0 bytes, 0 underruns
Output 0 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts, 0 Unicasts
0 IP Packets, 0 Vlans, 0 MPLS
0 throttles, 0 discarded
Rate info (interval 100 seconds):
Input 00.00 Mbits/sec,
Output 00.00 Mbits/sec,

0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate

Time since last interface status change: 1d23h42m

Dynamic Counters
By default, counting for the following four applications is enabled:
•
•
•
•

IPFLOW
IPACL
L2ACL
L2FIB

For remaining applications, FTOS automatically turns on counting when the application is enabled, and is
turned off when the application is disabled. Please note that if more than four counter-dependent
applications are enabled on a port pipe, there is an impact on line rate performance.
The following counter-dependent applications are supported by FTOS:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Egress VLAN
Ingress VLAN
Next Hop 2
Next Hop 1
Egress ACLs
ILM
IP FLOW
IP ACL
IP FIB
L2 ACL
L2 FIB

Clear interface counters
The counters in the show interfaces command are reset by the clear counters command. This command
does not clear the counters captured by any SNMP program.

Interfaces | 513

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To clear the counters, use the following command in the EXEC Privilege mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

clear counters [interface]
[vrrp [vrid] | learning-limit]

EXEC Privilege

Clear the counters used in the show interface commands for all
VRRP groups, VLANs, and physical interfaces or selected ones.
Without an interface specified, the command clears all interface
counters.
(OPTIONAL) Enter the following interface keywords and slot/port or
number information:
•
•
•

•

•

•

For a 1-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
For a Loopback interface, enter the keyword loopback followed by a
number from 0 to 16383.
For a Port Channel interface, enter the keyword port-channel
followed by a number from 1 to 255 for TeraScale and ExaScale, 1 to
32 for EtherScale.
For the management interface on the RPM, enter the keyword
ManagementEthernet followed by slot/port information. The slot
range is 0-1, and the port range is 0.
For a SONET interface, enter the keyword sonet followed by the slot/
port information.
For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword

TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.

•

For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword fortyGigE
followed by the slot/port information.

•

For a VLAN, enter the keyword vlan followed by a number from 1 to
4094
E-Series ExaScale platforms support 4094 VLANs with FTOS version
8.2.1.0 and later. Earlier ExaScale supports 2094 VLANS.

(OPTIONAL) Enter the keyword vrrp to clear statistics for all VRRP
groups configured. Enter a number from 1 to 255 as the vrid.
(OPTIONAL) Enter the keyword learning-limit to clear unknown source
address (SA) drop counters when MAC learning limit is configured on the
interface.

When you enter this command, you must confirm that you want FTOS to clear the interface counters for
that interface as shown in the following example.
FTOS#clear counters gi 0/0
Clear counters on GigabitEthernet 0/0 [confirm]
FTOS#

514

|

Interfaces

24
IPv4 Routing
IPv4 Routing is supported on platforms:

ecsz

FTOS supports various IP addressing features. This chapter explains the basics of Domain Name Service
(DNS), Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), and routing principles and their implementation in FTOS.
•
•
•
•
•
•

IP Addresses
Directed Broadcast
Resolution of Host Names
ARP
ICMP
UDP Helper

Table 24-1 lists the defaults for the IP addressing features described in this chapter.
Table 24-1.

IP Defaults

IP Feature

Default

DNS

Disabled

Directed Broadcast

Disabled

Proxy ARP

Enabled

ICMP Unreachable

Disabled

ICMP Redirect

Disabled

IP Addresses
FTOS supports IP version 4, as described in RFC 791. It also supports classful routing and Variable Length
Subnet Masks (VLSM). With VLSM one network can be can configured with different masks.
Supernetting, which increases the number of subnets, is also supported. Subnetting is when a mask is
added to the IP address to separate the network and host portions of the IP address.
At its most basic level, an IP address is 32-bits composed of network and host portions and represented in
dotted decimal format. For example,
00001010110101100101011110000011

is represented as 10.214.87.131.

IPv4 Routing | 515

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

For more information on IP addressing, refer to RFC 791, Internet Protocol.

Implementation Information
In FTOS, you can configure any IP address as a static route except IP addresses already assigned to
interfaces.
Note: FTOS versions 7.7.1.0 and later support 31-bit subnet masks (/31, or 255.255.255.254) as defined by
RFC 3021. This feature allows you to save two more IP addresses on point-to-point links than 30-bit masks.
FTOS supports RFC 3021 with ARP.

Configuration Task List for IP Addresses
The following list includes the configuration tasks for IP addresses:
•
•
•

Assign IP addresses to an interface (mandatory)
Configure static routes (optional)
Configure static routes for the management interface (optional)

For a complete listing of all commands related to IP addressing, refer to the FTOS Command Line Interface
Reference Guide.

Assign IP addresses to an interface
Assign primary and secondary IP addresses to physical or logical (for example, VLAN or port channel)
interfaces to enable IP communication between the E-Series and hosts connected to that interface. In
FTOS, you can assign one primary address and up to 255 secondary IP addresses to each interface.

516

|

IPv4 Routing

To assign an IP address to an interface, use these commands in the following sequence, starting in the
CONFIGURATION mode:
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

interface interface

CONFIGURATION

Enter the keyword interface followed by the type of interface
and slot/port information:
• For a 1-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a Loopback interface, enter the keyword loopback
followed by a number from 0 to 16383.
• For the Management interface on the RPM, enter the
keyword ManagementEthernet followed by the slot/port
information. The slot range is 0-1 and the port range is 0.
• For a port channel interface, enter the keyword
port-channel followed by a number from 1 to 255 for
TeraScale and ExaScale, 1 to 32 for EtherScale.
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword sonet
followed by the slot/port information.
• For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port
information.
• For a VLAN interface, enter the keyword vlan followed
by a number from 1 to 4094.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
fortyGigE followed by the slot/port information.

2

no shutdown

INTERFACE

Enable the interface.

3

ip address ip-address
mask [secondary]

INTERFACE

Configure a primary IP address and mask on the interface.
• ip-address mask: IP address must be in dotted decimal
format (A.B.C.D) and the mask must be in slash
prefix-length format (/24).
Add the keyword secondary if the IP address is the
interface’s backup IP address. You can configure up to eight
secondary IP addresses.

1

IPv4 Routing | 517

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To view the configuration, use the show config command in the INTERFACE mode as shown in the
example below or show ip interface in the EXEC privilege mode as shown in the second example.
FTOS(conf-if)#show conf
!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/0
ip address 10.11.1.1/24
no shutdown
!
FTOS(conf-if)#

FTOS#show ip int gi 0/8
GigabitEthernet 0/8 is up, line protocol is up
Internet address is 10.69.8.1/24
Broadcast address is 10.69.8.255
Address determined by config file
MTU is 1554 bytes
Inbound access list is not set
Proxy ARP is enabled
Split Horizon is enabled
Poison Reverse is disabled
ICMP redirects are not sent
ICMP unreachables are not sent
FTOS#

Configure static routes
A static route is an IP address that is manually configured and not learned by a routing protocol, such as
OSPF. Often, static routes are used as backup routes in case other dynamically learned routes are
unreachable.
To configure a static route, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION mode:

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip route ip-address mask {ip-address |
interface [ip-address]} [distance]
[permanent] [tag tag-value]

CONFIGURATION

Configure a static IP address. Use the following
required and optional parameters:
• ip-address: Enter an address in dotted decimal
format (A.B.C.D).
• mask: Enter a mask in slash prefix-length
format (/X).
• interface: Enter an interface type followed by
slot/port information.
• distance range: 1 to 255 (optional).
• permanent: Keep the static route in the routing
table (if interface option is used) even if the
interface with the route is disabled. (optional)
• tag tag-value range: 1 to 4294967295.
(optional)

You can enter as many static IP addresses as necessary.

518

|

IPv4 Routing

To view the configured routes, use the show ip route static command.
FTOS#show ip route static
Destination
Gateway
----------------S
2.1.2.0/24
Direct, Nu 0
S
6.1.2.0/24
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.2/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.3/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.4/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.5/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.6/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.7/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.8/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.9/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.10/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.11/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.12/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.13/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.14/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.15/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.16/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.17/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
11.1.1.0/24
Direct, Nu 0
Direct, Lo 0
--More--

Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te

5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0

Dist/Metric Last Change
----------- ----------0/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
0/0
00:02:30

FTOS installs a next hop that is on the directly connected subnet of current IP address on the interface (for
example, if interface gig 0/0 is on 172.31.5.0 subnet, FTOS installs the static route).
FTOS also installs a next hop that is not on the directly connected subnet but which recursively resolves to
a next hop on the interface's configured subnet. For example, if gig 0/0 has ip address on subnet 2.2.2.0 and
if 172.31.5.43 recursively resolves to 2.2.2.0, FTOS installs the static route.
•
•
•
•

When interface goes down, FTOS withdraws the route.
When interface comes up, FTOS re-installs the route.
When recursive resolution is “broken,” FTOS withdraws the route.
When recursive resolution is satisfied, FTOS re-installs the route.

Configure static routes for the management interface
When an IP address used by a protocol and a static management route exists for the same prefix, the
protocol route takes precedence over the static management route.
To configure a static route for the management port, use the following command in the
CONFIGURATION mode:

IPv4 Routing | 519

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

management route ip-address mask
{forwarding-router-address |
ManagementEthernet slot/port}

CONFIGURATION

Assign a static route to point to the management
interface or forwarding router.

To view the configured static routes for the management port, use the show ip management-route command
in the EXEC privilege mode.
FTOS#show ip route static
Destination
Gateway
----------------S
2.1.2.0/24
Direct, Nu 0
S
6.1.2.0/24
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.2/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.3/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.4/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.5/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.6/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.7/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.8/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.9/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.10/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.11/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.12/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.13/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.14/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.15/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.16/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
6.1.2.17/32
via 6.1.20.2,
S
11.1.1.0/24
Direct, Nu 0
Direct, Lo 0
--More--

Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te
Te

5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0
5/0

Dist/Metric Last Change
----------- ----------0/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
1/0
00:02:30
0/0
00:02:30

Directed Broadcast
By default, FTOS drops directed broadcast packets destined for an interface. This default setting provides
some protection against Denial of Service (DOS) attacks.
To enable FTOS to receive directed broadcasts, use the following command in the INTERFACE mode:

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip directed-broadcast

INTERFACE

Enable directed broadcast.

To view the configuration, use the show config command in the INTERFACE mode.

520

|

IPv4 Routing

Resolution of Host Names
Domain Name Service (DNS) maps host names to IP addresses. This feature simplifies such commands as
Telnet and FTP by allowing you to enter a name instead of an IP address.
Dynamic resolution of host names is disabled by default. Unless the feature is enabled, the system resolves
only host names entered into the host table with the ip host command.
•
•
•

Enable dynamic resolution of host names
Specify local system domain and a list of domains
DNS with traceroute

Enable dynamic resolution of host names
By default, dynamic resolution of host names (DNS) is disabled.
To enable DNS, use the following commands in the CONFIGURATION mode:

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip domain-lookup

CONFIGURATION

Enable dynamic resolution of host names.

ip name-server ip-address

CONFIGURATION

Specify up to 6 name servers. The order you entered the
servers determines the order of their use.

[ip-address2 ... ip-address6]

To view current bindings, use the show hosts command.
FTOS>show host
Default domain is force10networks.com
Name/address lookup uses domain service
Name servers are not set
Host
Flags
TTL
--------------ks
(perm, OK) patch1
(perm, OK) tomm-3
(perm, OK) gxr
(perm, OK) f00-3
(perm, OK) FTOS>

Type
---IP
IP
IP
IP
IP

Address
------2.2.2.2
192.68.69.2
192.68.99.2
192.71.18.2
192.71.23.1

To view the current configuration, use the show running-config resolve command.

IPv4 Routing | 521

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Specify local system domain and a list of domains
If you enter a partial domain, FTOS can search different domains to finish or fully qualify that partial
domain. A fully qualified domain name (FQDN) is any name that is terminated with a period/dot. FTOS
searches the host table first to resolve the partial domain. The host table contains both statically configured
and dynamically learnt host and IP addresses. If FTOS cannot resolve the domain, it tries the domain name
assigned to the local system. If that does not resolve the partial domain, FTOS searches the list of domains
configured
To configure a domain name, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION mode:

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip domain-name name

CONFIGURATION

Enter up to 63 characters to configure one domain name
for the E-Series.

To configure a list of domain names, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION mode:

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip domain-list name

CONFIGURATION

Enter up to 63 characters to configure names to complete
unqualified host names. Configure this command up to 6
times to specify a list of possible domain names.
FTOS searches the domain names in the order they were
configured until a match is found or the list is exhausted.

DNS with traceroute
To configure your switch to perform DNS with traceroute, follow the steps below in the
CONFIGURATION mode.

522

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip domain-lookup

CONFIGURATION

Enable dynamic resolution of host names.

ip name-server ip-address
[ip-address2 ... ip-address6]

CONFIGURATION

Specify up to 6 name servers. The order you entered the
servers determines the order of their use.

traceroute [host | ip-address ]

CONFIGURATION

When you enter the traceroute command without
specifying an IP address (Extended Traceroute), you are
prompted for a target and source IP address, timeout in
seconds (default is 5), a probe count (default is 3),
minimum TTL (default is 1), maximum TTL (default is
30), and port number (default is 33434). To keep the
default setting for those parameters, press the ENTER key.

IPv4 Routing

The following text is an example output of DNS using the traceroute command.
FTOS#traceroute www.force10networks.com
Translating "www.force10networks.com"...domain server (10.11.0.1) [OK]
Type Ctrl-C to abort.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tracing the route to www.force10networks.com (10.11.84.18), 30 hops max, 40 byte packets
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TTL Hostname
Probe1
Probe2
Probe3
1 10.11.199.190
001.000 ms 001.000 ms 002.000 ms
2 gwegress-sjc-02.force10networks.com (10.11.30.126) 005.000 ms 001.000 ms 001.000 ms
3 fw-sjc-01.force10networks.com (10.11.127.254) 000.000 ms 000.000 ms 000.000 ms
4 www.force10networks.com (10.11.84.18) 000.000 ms 000.000 ms 000.000 ms
FTOS#

ARP
FTOS uses two forms of address resolution: ARP and Proxy ARP.
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) runs over Ethernet and enables endstations to learn the MAC
addresses of neighbors on an IP network. Over time, FTOS creates a forwarding table mapping the MAC
addresses to their corresponding IP address. This table is called the ARP Cache and dynamically learned
addresses are removed after a defined period of time.
For more information on ARP, see RFC 826, An Ethernet Address Resolution Protocol.
In FTOS, Proxy ARP enables hosts with knowledge of the network to accept and forward packets from
hosts that contain no knowledge of the network. Proxy ARP makes it possible for hosts to be ignorant of
the network, including subnetting.
For more information on Proxy ARP, refer to RFC 925, Multi-LAN Address Resolution, and RFC 1027, Using
ARP to Implement Transparent Subnet Gateways.

Configuration Task List for ARP
The following list includes configuration tasks for ARP:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Configure static ARP entries (optional)
Enable Proxy ARP (optional)
Clear ARP cache (optional)
ARP Learning via Gratuitous ARP
ARP Learning via ARP Request
Configurable ARP Retries

For a complete listing of all ARP-related commands, refer to the FTOS Command Line Reference.

IPv4 Routing | 523

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configure static ARP entries
ARP dynamically maps the MAC and IP addresses, and while most network host support dynamic
mapping, you can configure an ARP entry (called a static ARP) for the ARP cache.
To configure a static ARP entry, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION mode:

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

arp ip-address mac-address interface

CONFIGURATION

Configure an IP address and MAC address mapping
for an interface.
• ip-address: IP address in dotted decimal format
(A.B.C.D).
• mac-address: MAC address in nnnn.nnnn.nnnn
format
• interface: enter the interface type slot/port
information.

These entries do not age and can only be removed manually. To remove a static ARP entry, use the no arp
ip-address command syntax.
To view the static entries in the ARP cache, use the show arp static command in the EXEC privilege mode
as shown below.
FTOS#show arp
Protocol
Address
Age(min) Hardware Address
Interface VLAN
CPU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Internet
10.1.2.4
17
08:00:20:b7:bd:32
Ma 1/0
CP
FTOS#

Enable Proxy ARP
By default, Proxy ARP is enabled. To disable Proxy ARP, use no proxy-arp command in the interface
mode.
To re-enable Proxy ARP, use the following command in the INTERFACE mode:

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip proxy-arp

INTERFACE

Re-enable Proxy ARP.

To view if Proxy ARP is enabled on the interface, use the show config command in the INTERFACE
mode. If it is not listed in the show config command output, it is enabled. Only nondefault information is
displayed in the show config command output.

524

|

IPv4 Routing

Clear ARP cache
To clear the ARP cache of dynamically learnt ARP information, use the following command in the EXEC
privilege mode:

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

clear arp-cache [interface | ip

EXEC privilege

Clear the ARP caches for all interfaces or for a specific
interface by entering the following information:
• For a 1-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a port channel interface, enter the keyword
port-channel followed by a number from 1 to 255 for
TeraScale and ExaScale, 1 to 32 for EtherScale.
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword sonet
followed by the slot/port information.
• For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port
information.
• For a VLAN interface, enter the keyword vlan followed
by a number between 1 and 4094.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
fortyGigE followed by the slot/port information.

ip-address] [no-refresh]

ip ip-address (OPTIONAL) Enter the keyword ip followed by the
IP address of the ARP entry you wish to clear.

no-refresh (OPTIONAL) Enter the keyword no-refresh to
delete the ARP entry from CAM. Or use this option with interface
or ip ip-address to specify which dynamic ARP entries you want
to delete.
Note: Transit traffic may not be forwarded during the period
when deleted ARP entries are resolved again and re-installed
in CAM. Use this option with extreme caution.

ARP Learning via Gratuitous ARP
Gratuitous ARP can mean an ARP request or reply. In the context of ARP Learning via Gratuitous ARP on
FTOS, the gratuitous ARP is a request. A Gratuitous ARP Request is an ARP request that is not needed
according to the ARP specification, but one that hosts may send to:
•
•
•

detect IP address conflicts
inform switches of their presence on a port so that packets can be forwarded
update the ARP table of other nodes on the network in case of an address change

In the request, the host uses its own IP address in the Sender Protocol Address and Target Protocol Address
fields.
In FTOS versions prior to 8.3.1.0, if a gratuitous ARP is received some time after an ARP request is sent,
only RP2 installs the ARP information. For example:

IPv4 Routing | 525

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

1. At time t=0 FTOS sends an ARP request for IP A.B.C.D
2. At time t=1 FTOS receives an ARP request for IP A.B.C.D
3. At time t=2 FTOS installs an ARP entry for A.B.C.D only on RP2.
Beginning with version 8.3.1.0, when a Gratuitous ARP is received, FTOS installs an ARP entry on all 3
CPUs.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable ARP learning via gratuitous ARP.

arp learn-enable

CONFIGURATION

ARP Learning via ARP Request
In FTOS versions prior to 8.3.1.0, FTOS learns via ARP Requests only if the Target IP specified in the
packet matches the IP address of the receiving router interface. This is the case when a host is attempting to
resolve the gateway address.
If the Target IP does not match the incoming interface, then the packet is dropped. If there is an existing
entry for the requesting host, it is updated.

VLAN ID: 1.1.1.1

X

ARP Request
Target IP: 1.1.1.3

Host 1
IP: 1.1.1.2
MAC: AA

Target IP is not the VLAN interface
IP. Update existing Host 1 entry.
Drop packet.

Host 2
IP: 1.1.1.3
MAC: BB

Beginning with FTOS version 8.3.1.0, when ARP Learning via Gratuitous ARP is enabled, the system
installs a new ARP entry, or updates an existing entry for all received ARP requests.

VLAN ID: 1.1.1.1
ARP Learning via Gratuitous ARP enabled

ARP Request
Target IP: 1.1.1.3

Host 1
IP: 1.1.1.2
MAC: AA

X
Target IP is not the VLAN interface
IP. Install new entry for Host 1, or
update existing Host 1 entry.
Drop packet.

Host 2
IP: 1.1.1.3
MAC: BB

Whether ARP Learning via Gratuitous ARP is enabled or disabled, the system does not look up the Target
IP. It only updates the ARP entry for the Layer 3 interface with the source IP of the request.

526

|

IPv4 Routing

Configurable ARP Retries
In FTOS versions prior to 8.3.1.0, the number of ARP retries is set to 5 and is not configurable. After 5
retries, FTOS backs off for 20 seconds before it sends a new request. Beginning with FTOS version
8.3.1.0, the number of ARP retries is configurable.
The default backoff interval remains at 20 seconds. On the S4810 platform, with FTOS version 8.3.8.0 and
later, the time between ARP resend is configurable. This timer is an exponential backoff timer. Over the
specified period, the time between ARP requests increases. This reduces the potential for the system to
slow down while waiting for a multitude of ARP responses.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Set the number of ARP retries.

arp retries number

CONFIGURATION

Default: 5
Range: 1-20
Set the an exponential timer for resending unresolved ARPs.

arp backoff-time

CONFIGURATION

Default: 30
Range: 1 to 3600
Display all ARP entries learned via gratuitous ARP.

show arp retries

EXEC Privilege

ICMP
For diagnostics, Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) provides routing information to end stations by
choosing the best route (ICMP redirect messages) or determining if a router is reachable (ICMP Echo or
Echo Reply). ICMP Error messages inform the router of problems in a particular packet. These messages
are sent only on unicast traffic.

Configuration Task List for ICMP
Use the following steps to configure ICMP:
•
•

Enable ICMP unreachable messages
Enable ICMP redirects

See the FTOS Command Line Reference Guide for a complete listing of all commands related to ICMP.

Enable ICMP unreachable messages
By default, ICMP unreachable messages are disabled. When enabled ICMP unreachable messages are
created and sent out all interfaces. To disable ICMP unreachable messages, use the no ip unreachable
command.

IPv4 Routing | 527

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To reenable the creation of ICMP unreachable messages on the interface, use the following command in
the INTERFACE mode:

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip unreachable

INTERFACE

Set FTOS to create and send ICMP unreachable
messages on the interface.

To view if ICMP unreachable messages are sent on the interface, use the show config command in the
INTERFACE mode. If it is not listed in the show config command output, it is enabled. Only nondefault
information is displayed in the show config command output.

Enable ICMP redirects
Enable ICMP redirects is supported on

e platform.

By default, ICMP redirect messages are disabled. When enabled, ICMP redirect messages are created and
sent out all interfaces. To disable ICMP redirect messages, use the no ip redirect command.
To reenable the creation of ICMP redirect messages on the interface, use the following command in the
INTERFACE mode:

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip redirect

INTERFACE

Set FTOS to create and send ICMP redirect messages on the interface.

To view if ICMP redirect messages are sent on the interface, use the show config command in the
INTERFACE mode. If it is not listed in the show config command output, it is enabled. Only nondefault
information is displayed in the show config command output.

UDP Helper
UDP helper allows you to direct the forwarding IP/UDP broadcast traffic by creating special broadcast
addresses and rewriting the destination IP address of packets to match those addresses. Configurations
using this feature are described in the section Configurations Using UDP Helper.

Configuring UDP Helper
Configuring FTOS to direct UDP broadcast is a two-step process:
1. Enable UDP helper and specify the UDP ports for which traffic is forwarded. Refer to Enabling UDP
Helper.

528

|

IPv4 Routing

2. Configure a broadcast address on interfaces that will receive UDP broadcast traffic. Refer to
Configuring a Broadcast Address.

Important Points to Remember about UDP Helper
•
•
•
•

The existing command ip directed broadcast is rendered meaningless if UDP helper is enabled on the
same interface.
The broadcast traffic rate should not exceed 200 packets per second when UDP helper is enabled.
You may specify a maximum of 16 UDP ports.
UDP helper is compatible with IP helper (ip helper-address):
• UDP broadcast traffic with port number 67 or 68 are unicast to the DHCP server per the ip
helper-address configuration whether or not the UDP port list contains those ports.
• If the UDP port list contains ports 67 or 68, UDP broadcast traffic forwarded on those ports.

Enabling UDP Helper
Enable UPD helper using the command ip udp-helper udp-ports, as shown in the example below.
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#ip udp-helper udp-port 1000
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
ip address 2.1.1.1/24
ip udp-helper udp-port 1000
no shutdown

View the interfaces and ports on which UDP helper is enabled using the command show ip udp-helper from
EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in the following example.
FTOS#show ip udp-helper
-------------------------------------------------Port
UDP port list
-------------------------------------------------Gi 1/1
1000

IPv4 Routing | 529

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configuring a Broadcast Address
Configure a broadcast address on an interface using the command ip udp-broadcast-address, as shown in
the example below.
FTOS(conf-if-vl-100)#ip udp-broadcast-address 1.1.255.255
FTOS(conf-if-vl-100)#show config
!
interface Vlan 100
ip address 1.1.0.1/24
ip udp-broadcast-address 1.1.255.255
untagged GigabitEthernet 1/2
no shutdown

View the configured broadcast address for an interface using the command show interfaces, as shown in
the following example.
R1_E600(conf)#do show interfaces vlan 100
Vlan 100 is up, line protocol is down
Address is 00:01:e8:0d:b9:7a, Current address is 00:01:e8:0d:b9:7a
Interface index is 1107787876
Internet address is 1.1.0.1/24
IP UDP-Broadcast address is 1.1.255.255
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
LineSpeed auto
ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00
Last clearing of "show interface" counters 00:07:44
Queueing strategy: fifo
Input Statistics:
0 packets, 0 bytes
Time since last interface status change: 00:07:44

Configurations Using UDP Helper
When UDP helper is enabled and the destination IP address of an incoming packet is a broadcast address,
FTOS suppresses the destination address of the packet. The following sections describe various
configurations that employ UDP helper to direct broadcasts.
•
•
•
•

UDP Helper with Broadcast-all Addresses
UDP Helper with Subnet Broadcast Addresses
UDP Helper with Configured Broadcast Addresses
UDP Helper with No Configured Broadcast Addresses

UDP Helper with Broadcast-all Addresses
When the destination IP address of an incoming packet is the IP broadcast address, FTOS rewrites the
address to match the configured broadcast address.
In the illustration below:

530

|

IPv4 Routing

1. Packet 1 is dropped at ingress if no UDP helper address is configured.
2. If UDP helper (using the command ip udp-helper udp-port) is enabled, and the UDP destination port of
the packet matches the UDP port configured, the system changes the destination address to the
configured broadcast 1.1.255.255 and routes the packet to VLANs 100 and 101. If an IP broadcast
address is not configured (using the command ip udp-broadcast-address) on VLANs 100 or 101, the
packet is forwarded using the original destination IP address 255.255.255.255.
Packet 2, sent from a host on VLAN 101 has a broadcast MAC address and IP address. In this case:
1. It is flooded on VLAN 101 without changing the destination address because the forwarding process is
Layer 2.
2. If UDP helper is enabled, the system changes the destination IP address to the configured broadcast
address 1.1.255.255 and forwards the packet to VLAN 100.
3. Packet 2 is also forwarded to the ingress interface with an unchanged destination address because it
does not have broadcast address configured.

VLAN 100
IP address: 1.1.0.1/24
Subnet broadcast address: 1.1.0.255
Configured broadcast address: 1.1.255.255
Hosts on VLAN 100: 1.1.0.2, 1.1.0.3, 1.1.0.4

Packet 1
Destination Address:
255.255.255.255
1/2

1/1

Ingress interface
IP Address: 2.1.1.1/24
UDP helper enabled

Packet 2
Switched Packet

1/3

VLAN 101
IP address: 1.11.1/24
Subnet broadcast address: 1.1.1.255
Configured broadcast address: 1.1.255.255
Hosts on VLAN 100: 1.1.1.2, 1.1.1.3, 1.1.1.4

UDP Helper with Subnet Broadcast Addresses
When the destination IP address of an incoming packet matches the subnet broadcast address of any
interface, the system changes the address to the configured broadcast address and sends it to matching
interface.
In the following illustration, Packet 1 has the destination IP address 1.1.1.255, which matches the subnet
broadcast address of VLAN 101. If UDP helper is configured and the packet matches the specified UDP
port, then the system changes the address to the configured IP broadcast address and floods the packet on
VLAN 101.
Packet 2 is sent from host on VLAN 101. It has a broadcast MAC address and a destination IP address of
1.1.1.255. In this case, it is flooded on VLAN 101 in its original condition as the forwarding process is
Layer 2.

IPv4 Routing | 531

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Preamble

Start Frame
Delimiter

Destination MAC
(01:80:C2:00:00:0E)

TLV 1
Chassis ID

Source MAC

TLV 2
Port ID

LLDPDU

Ethernet Type
(0x88CC)

TLV 3
Port Description

TLV 4
System Name

FCS

Padding

TLV 6
TLV 7
TLV 5
System Description System Capabilities Management Addr

TLV 127
Organizationally Specific

TLV 0
End of LLDPDU

UDP Helper with Configured Broadcast Addresses
Incoming packets with a destination IP address matching the configured broadcast address of any interface
are forwarded to the matching interfaces.
In the following illustration, Packet 1 has a destination IP address that matches the configured broadcast
address of VLAN 100 and 101. If UDP helper is enabled and the UDP port number matches, the packet is
flooded on both VLANs with an unchanged destination address.
Packet 2 is sent from a host on VLAN 101. It has broadcast MAC address and a destination IP address that
matches the configured broadcast address on VLAN 101. In this case, Packet 2 is flooded on VLAN 101
with the destination address unchanged because the forwarding process is Layer 2. If UDP helper is
enabled, the packet is flooded on VLAN 100 as well.

VLAN 100
IP address: 1.1.0.1/24
Subnet broadcast address: 1.1.0.255
Configured broadcast address: 1.1.255.255
Hosts on VLAN 100: 1.1.0.2, 1.1.0.3, 1.1.0.4

Packet 1
Destination Address:
1.1.255.255
1/2

1/1

Ingress interface
IP Address: 2.1.1.1/24
UDP helper enabled

Packet 2
Switched Packet
Destination Address:
1.1.255.255

1/3

VLAN 101
IP address: 1.11.1/24
Subnet broadcast address: 1.1.1.255
Configured broadcast address: 1.1.255.255
Hosts on VLAN 100: 1.1.1.2, 1.1.1.3, 1.1.1.4

fnC0048mp

UDP Helper with No Configured Broadcast Addresses
•
•

532

|

If the incoming packet has a broadcast destination IP address, then the unaltered packet is routed to all
Layer 3 interfaces.
If the Incoming packet has a destination IP address that matches the subnet broadcast address of any
interface, then the unaltered packet is routed to the matching interfaces.

IPv4 Routing

Troubleshooting UDP Helper
Display debugging information using the command debug ip udp-helper, as shown in the example below.
FTOS(conf)# debug ip udp-helper
01:20:22: Pkt rcvd on Gi 5/0 with IP DA (0xffffffff) will be sent on Gi 5/1 Gi 5/2 Vlan 3
01:44:54: Pkt rcvd on Gi 7/0 is handed over for DHCP processing.

Use the command debug ip dhcp when using the IP helper and UDP helper on the same interface, as shown
in the following example.
Packet 0.0.0.0:68 -> 255.255.255.255:67 TTL 128
2005-11-05 11:59:35 %RELAY-I-PACKET, BOOTP REQUEST (Unicast) received at interface
172.21.50.193 BOOTP Request, XID = 0x9265f901, secs = 0 hwaddr = 00:02:2D:8D:46:DC,
giaddr = 0.0.0.0, hops = 2
2005-11-05 11:59:35 %RELAY-I-BOOTREQUEST, Forwarded BOOTREQUEST for 00:02:2D:8D:46:DC
to 137.138.17.6
2005-11-05 11:59:36 %RELAY-I-PACKET, BOOTP REPLY (Unicast) received at interface
194.12.129.98 BOOTP Reply, XID = 0x9265f901, secs = 0 hwaddr = 00:02:2D:8D:46:DC,
giaddr = 172.21.50.193, hops = 2
2005-07-05 11:59:36 %RELAY-I-BOOTREPLY, Forwarded BOOTREPLY for 00:02:2D:8D:46:DC to
128.141.128.90 Packet 0.0.0.0:68 -> 255.255.255.255:67 TTL 128

IPv4 Routing | 533

534

|

IPv4 Routing

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

25
IPv6 Routing
IPv6 Routing is supported on platforms

ecs

Note: The IPv6 basic commands are supported on all platforms. However, not all features are supported
on all platforms, nor for all releases. See Table 25-2 to determine the FTOS version supporting which
features and platforms.

IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) is the successor to IPv4. Due to the extremely rapid growth in internet
users and IP addresses, IPv4 is reaching its maximum usage. IPv6 will eventually replace IPv4 usage to
allow for the constant expansion.
This chapter provides a brief discussion of the differences between IPv4 and IPv6, and the Dell Force10
support of IPv6. This chapter discusses the following, but is not intended to be a comprehensive discussion
of IPv6.
•

•

•

Protocol Overview
• Extended Address Space
• Stateless Autoconfiguration
• IPv6 Headers
Implementing IPv6 with FTOS
• ICMPv6
• Path MTU Discovery
• IPv6 Neighbor Discovery
• QoS for IPv6
• IPv6 Multicast
• SSH over an IPv6 Transport
Configuration Task List for IPv6

Protocol Overview
IPv6 is an evolution of IPv4. IPv6 is generally installed as an upgrade in devices and operating systems.
Most new devices and operating systems support both IPv4 and IPv6.
Some key changes in IPv6 are:
•

Extended Address Space

IPv6 Routing | 535

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•

Stateless Autoconfiguration
Header Format Simplification
Improved Support for Options and Extensions

Extended Address Space
The address format is extended from 32 bits to 128 bits. This not only provides room for all anticipated
needs, it allows for the use of a hierarchical address space structure to optimize global addressing.

Stateless Autoconfiguration
When a booting device comes up in IPv6 and asks for its network prefix, the device can get the prefix (or
prefixes) from an IPv6 router on its link. It can then autoconfigure one or more global IPv6 addresses by
using either the MAC address or a private random number to build its unique IPv6 address.
Stateless auto-configuration uses three mechanisms for IPv6 address configuration:
•
•
•

Prefix Advertisement - Routers use “Router Advertisement” messages to announce the Network
Prefix. Hosts then use their interface-identifier MAC address to generate their own valid IPv6 address.
Duplicate Address Detection (DAD) - Before configuring its IPv6 address, an IPv6 host node device
checks whether that address is used anywhere on the network using this mechanism.
Prefix Renumbering - Useful in transparent renumbering of hosts in the network when an organization
changes its service provider.
Note: As an alternative to stateless auto-configuration, network hosts can obtain their IPv6
addresses using Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) servers via stateful auto-configuration.

Note: FTOS provides the flexibility to add prefixes to advertise responses to RS messages. By
default the RA response messages are not sent when an RS message is received. Enable the RA
response messages with the ipv6 nd prefix default command in INTERFACE mode.

FTOS manipulation of IPv6 stateless auto-configuration supports the router side only. Neighbor Discovery
(ND) messages are advertised so the neighbor can use this information to auto-configure its address.
However, received Neighbor Discovery (ND) messages are not used to create an IPv6 address.
The router redirect functionality in Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) is similar to IPv4 router redirect
messages. Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) uses ICMPv6 redirect messages (Type 137) to inform
nodes that a better router exists on the link.

536

|

IPv6 Routing

IPv6 Headers
The IPv6 header has a fixed length of 40 bytes. This provides 16 bytes each for Source and Destination
information and 8 bytes for general header information. The IPv6 header includes the following fields:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Version (4 bits)
Traffic Class (8 bits)
Flow Label (20 bits)
Payload Length (16 bits)
Next Header (8 bits)
Hop Limit (8 bits)
Source Address (128 bits)
Destination Address (128 bits)

IPv6 provides for Extension Headers. Extension Headers are used only if necessary. There can be no
extension headers, one extension header or more than one extension header in an IPv6 packet. Extension
Headers are defined in the Next Header field of the preceding IPv6 header.

IPv6 Header Fields
The 40 bytes of the IPv6 header are ordered as show in Figure 25-1.
Figure 25-1.

0

IPv6 Header Fields

4
Version

8

12

Traffic Class
Payload Length

16

20

24

Flow Label
Next Header

28
Hop Limit

Source Address

32

64
128
192

Destination Address
320

Version (4 bits)
The Version field always contains the number 6, referring to the packet’s IP version.

IPv6 Routing | 537

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Traffic Class (8 bits)
The Traffic Class field deals with any data that needs special handling. These bits define the packet priority
and are defined by the packet Source. Sending and forwarding routers use this field to identify different
IPv6 classes and priorities. Routers understand the priority settings and handle them appropriately during
conditions of congestion.

Flow Label (20 bits)
The Flow Label field identifies packets requiring special treatment in order to manage real-time data
traffic. The sending router can label sequences of IPv6 packets so that forwarding routers can process
packets within the same flow without needing to reprocess each packet’s header separately.
Note: All packets in the flow must have the same source and destination addresses.

Payload Length (16 bits)
The Payload Length field specifies the packet payload. This is the length of the data following the IPv6
header. IPv6 Payload Length only includes the data following the header, not the header itself.
The Payload Length limit of 2 bytes requires that the maximum packet payload be 64 KB. However, the
Jumbogram option type Extension header supports larger packet sizes when required.

Next Header (8 bits)
The Next Header field identifies the next header’s type. If an Extension header is used, this field contains
the type of Extension header (Table 25-1). If the next header is a TCP or UDP header, the value in this field
is the same as for IPv4. The Extension header is located between the IP header and the TCP or UDP
header.
Table 25-1.

538

|

Next Header field values

Value

Description

0

Hop-by-Hop option header

4

IPv4

6

TCP

8

Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP)

41

IPv6

43

Routing header

44

Fragmentation header

50

Encrypted Security

51

Authentication header

59

No Next Header

60

Destinations option header

IPv6 Routing

Note: This is not a comprehensive table of Next Header field values. Refer to the Internet
Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) web page at http://www.iana.org/assignments/
protocol-numbers for a complete and current listing.

Hop Limit (8 bits)
The Hop Limit field shows the number of hops remaining for packet processing. In IPv4, this is known as
the Time to Live (TTL) field and uses seconds rather than hops.
Each time the packet moves through a forwarding router, this field decrements by 1. If a router receives a
packet with a Hop Limit of 1, it decrements it to 0 (zero). The router discards the packet and sends an
ICMPv6 message back to the sending router indicating that the Hop Limit was exceeded in transit.

Source Address (128 bits)
The Source Address field contains the IPv6 address for the packet originator.

Destination Address (128 bits)
The Destination Address field contains the intended recipient’s IPv6 address. This can be either the
ultimate destination or the address of the next hop router.

Extension Header fields
Extension headers are used only when necessary. Due to the streamlined nature of the IPv6 header, adding
extension headers do not severely impact performance. Each Extension headers’s lengths vary, but they are
always a multiple of 8 bytes.
Each extension header is identified by the Next Header field in the IPv6 header that precedes it. Extension
headers are viewed only by the destination router identified in the Destination Address field. If the
Destination Address is a multicast address, the Extension headers are examined by all the routers in that
multicast group.
However, if the Destination Address is a Hop-by-Hop options header, the Extension header is examined by
every forwarding router along the packet’s route. The Hop-by-Hop options header must immediately
follow the IPv6 header, and is noted by the value 0 (zero) in the Next Header field (Table 25-1).
Extension headers are processed in the order in which they appear in the packet header.

IPv6 Routing | 539

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Hop-by-Hop Options header
The Hop-by-Hop options header contains information that is examined by every router along the packet’s
path. It follows the IPv6 header and is designated by the Next Header value 0 (zero) (Table 25-1).
When a Hop-by-Hop Options header is not included, the router knows that it does not have to process any
router specific information and immediately processes the packet to its final destination.
When a Hop-by-Hop Options header is present, the router only needs this extension header and does not
need to take the time to view further into the packet.
The Hop-by-Hop Options header contains:
•

Next Header (1 byte)

This field identifies the type of header following the Hop-by-Hop Options header and uses the same values
shown in Table 25-1.
•

Header Extension Length (1 byte)

This field identifies the length of the Hop-by-Hop Options header in 8-byte units, but does not include the
first 8 bytes. Consequently, if the header is less than 8 bytes, the value is 0 (zero).
•

Options (size varies)

This field can contain 1 or more options. The first byte if the field identifies the Option type, and directs
the router how to handle the option.
00

Skip and continue processing

01

Discard the packet.

10

Discard the packet and send an ICMP Parameter Problem Code 2 message to the packet’s Source
IP Address identifying the unknown option type

11

Discard the packet and send an ICMP Parameter Problem, Code 2 message to the packet’s Source
IP Address only if the Destination IP Address is not a multicast address.

The second byte contains the Option Data Length.
The third byte specifies whether the information can change en route to the destination. The value is 1 if it
can change; the value is 0 if it cannot change.

540

|

IPv6 Routing

Addressing
IPv6 addresses are normally written as eight groups of four hexadecimal digits, where each group is
separated by a colon (:). For example, 2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:0000:1428:57ab is a valid IPv6 address.
If one or more four-digit group(s) is 0000, the zeros may be omitted and replaced with two colons(::). For
example, 2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:0000:1428:57ab can be shortened to 2001:0db8::1428:57ab. Only
one set of double colons is supported in a single address. Any number of consecutive 0000 groups may be
reduced to two colons, as long as there is only one double colon used in an address. Leading and/or trailing
zeros in a group can also be omitted (as in ::1 for localhost, 1:: for network addresses and :: for unspecified
addresses).
All the addresses in the following list are all valid and equivalent.
•
•
•
•
•
•

2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:0000:1428:57ab
2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000::1428:57ab
2001:0db8:0:0:0:0:1428:57ab
2001:0db8:0:0::1428:57ab
2001:0db8::1428:57ab
2001:db8::1428:57ab

IPv6 networks are written using Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) notation. An IPv6 network (or
subnet) is a contiguous group of IPv6 addresses the size of which must be a power of two; the initial bits of
addresses, which are identical for all hosts in the network, are called the network's prefix.
A network is denoted by the first address in the network and the size in bits of the prefix (in decimal),
separated with a slash. Since a single host is seen as a network with a 128-bit prefix, host addresses may be
written with a following /128.
For example, 2001:0db8:1234::/48 stands for the network with addresses
2001:0db8:1234:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000 through 2001:0db8:1234:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff

Link-local Addresses
Link-local addresses, starting with fe80:, are assigned only in the local link area. The addresses are
generated usually automatically by the operating system's IP layer for each network interface. This
provides instant automatic network connectivity for any IPv6 host and means that if several hosts connect
to a common hub or switch, they have an instant communication path via their link-local IPv6 address.
Link-local addresses cannot be routed to the public Internet.

Static and Dynamic Addressing
Static IPv6 addresses are manually assigned to a computer by an administrator. Dynamic IPv6 addresses
are assigned either randomly or by a server using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). Even
though IPv6 addresses assigned using DHCP may stay the same for long periods of time, they can change.
In some cases, a network administrator may implement dynamically assigned static IPv6 addresses. In this

IPv6 Routing | 541

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

case, a DHCP server is used, but it is specifically configured to always assign the same IPv6 address to a
particular computer, and never to assign that IP address to another computer. This allows static IPv6
addresses to be configured in one place, without having to specifically configure each computer on the
network in a different way.
In IPv6, every interface, whether using static or dynamic address assignments, also receives a local-link
address automatically in the fe80::/64 subnet.

Implementing IPv6 with FTOS
FTOS supports both IPv4 and IPv6 and both may be used simultaneously in your system.
Note: Dell Force10 recommends that you use FTOS version 7.6.1.0 or later when implementing
IPv6 functionality on an E-Series system.

Table 25-2 lists the FTOS Version in which an IPv6 feature became available for each platform. The
sections following the table give some greater detail about the feature. Specific platform support for each
feature or functionality is designated by the following symbols: c e s
Table 25-2.

FTOS and IPv6 Feature Support

Feature and/or
Functionality

Basic IPv6
Commands

Documentation and Chapter
Location

FTOS Release Introduction
E-Series E-Series
TeraScale ExaScale

C-Series S-Series S4810

7.4.1

7.8.1

8.2.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

IPv6 Basic Commands in the FTOS
Command Line Interface Reference Guide

IPv6 Basic Addressing
IPv6 address types:
Unicast

7.4.1

8.2.1

7.8.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

Extended Address Space in this
chapter

IPv6 neighbor
discovery

7.4.1

8.2.1

7.8.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

IPv6 Neighbor Discovery in this
chapter

IPv6 stateless
autoconfiguration

7.4.1

8.2.1

7.8.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

Stateless Autoconfiguration in this
chapter

IPv6 MTU path
discovery

7.4.1

8.2.1

7.8.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

Path MTU Discovery in this chapter

IPv6 ICMPv6

7.4.1

8.2.1

7.8.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

ICMPv6 in this chapter

IPv6 ping

7.4.1

8.2.1

7.8.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

ICMPv6 in this chapter

IPv6 traceroute

7.4.1

8.2.1

7.8.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

ICMPv6 in this chapter

7.4.1

8.2.1

7.8.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

Assign a Static IPv6 Route in this
chapter

IPv6 Routing
Static routing

542

|

IPv6 Routing

Table 25-2.

FTOS and IPv6 Feature Support (continued)

Route redistribution 7.4.1

8.2.1

7.8.1

8.4.2

8.3.10.0

OSPF, IS-IS, and IPv6 BGP chapters
in the FTOS Command Line Reference
Guide

Multiprotocol BGP
extensions for IPv6

7.4.1

IPv6 BGP MD5
Authentication

8.2.1.0

IS-IS for IPv6

N/A

8.2.1

7.8.1

8.4.2

8.3.10.0

IPv6 BGP in the FTOS Command Line
Reference Guide

8.2.1.0

8.2.1.0

8.4.2

8.3.10.0

IPv6 BGP in the FTOS Command Line
Reference Guide

N/A

N/A

N/A

8.3.10.0

Chapter 27, “Intermediate System to
Intermediate System,” on page 569 in
the FTOS Configuration Guide
IPv6 IS-IS in the FTOS Command Line
Reference Guide

IS-IS for IPv6
support for
redistribution

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

8.3.10.0

Chapter 27, “Intermediate System to
Intermediate System,” on page 569 in
the FTOS Configuration Guide
IPv6 IS-IS in the FTOS Command Line
Reference Guide

ISIS for IPv6
N/A
support for distribute
lists and
administrative
distance

N/A

N/A

N/A

8.3.10.0

Chapter 27, “Intermediate System to
Intermediate System,” on page 569 in
the FTOS Configuration Guide
IPv6 IS-IS in the FTOS Command Line
Reference Guide

OSPF for IPv6
(OSPFv3)

N/A

Equal Cost
Multipath for IPv6

7.4.1

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

OSPFv3 in the FTOS Command Line
Reference Guide

8.2.1

7.8.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

7.8.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

IPv6 Services and Management
Telnet client over
IPv6 (outbound
Telnet)

7.5.1

8.2.1

Telnet with IPv6 in this chapter
Control and Monitoring in the FTOS
Command Line Reference Guide

Telnet server over
IPv6 (inbound
Telnet)

7.4.1

8.2.1

7.8.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

Telnet with IPv6 in this chapter
Control and Monitoring in the FTOS
Command Line Reference Guide

Secure Shell (SSH)
client support over
IPv6 (outbound
SSH) Layer 3 only

7.5.1

8.2.1

7.8.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

SSH over an IPv6 Transport in this
chapter

Secure Shell (SSH) 7.4.1
server support over
IPv6 (inbound SSH)
Layer 3 only

8.2.1

7.8.1

7.8.1

8.3.10.0

SSH over an IPv6 Transport in this
chapter

IPv6 Routing | 543

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 25-2.

FTOS and IPv6 Feature Support (continued)

IPv6 Access Control 7.4.1
Lists

8.2.1

7.8.1

8.2.1.0

8.3.10.0

IPv6 Access Control Lists in the FTOS
Command Line Reference Guide

IPv6 Multicast
PIM-SM for IPv6

7.4.1

8.2.1

8.4.2

8.4.2

N/A

IPv6 Multicast in this chapter;
IPv6 PIM in the FTOS Command Line
Reference Guide

PIM-SSM for IPv6

7.5.1

8.2.1

8.4.2

8.4.2

N/A

IPv6 Multicast in this chapter
IPv6 PIM in the FTOS Command Line
Reference Guide

MLDv1/v2

7.4.1

8.2.1

8.4.2

8.4.2

N/A

IPv6 Multicast in this chapter
Multicast IPv6 in the FTOS Command
Line Reference Guide

MLDv1 Snooping

7.4.1

8.2.1

8.4.2

8.4.2

N/A

IPv6 Multicast in this chapter
Multicast IPv6 in the FTOS Command
Line Reference Guide

MLDv2 Snooping

8.3.1.0

8.3.1.0

8.4.2

8.4.2

N/A

IPv6 Multicast in this chapter
Multicast IPv6 in the FTOS Command
Line Reference Guide

IPv6 QoS
trust DSCP values

7.4.1

8.2.1

8.4.2

8.4.2

N/A

QoS for IPv6 in this chapter

ICMPv6
ICMPv6 is supported on platforms c e s
ICMP for IPv6 combines the roles of ICMP, IGMP and ARP in IPv4. Like IPv4, it provides functions for
reporting delivery and forwarding errors, and provides a simple echo service for troubleshooting. The
FTOS implementation of ICMPv6 is based on RFC 2463.
Generally, ICMPv6 uses two message types:
•

•

Error reporting messages indicate when the forwarding or delivery of the packet failed at the
destination or intermediate node. These messages include Destination Unreachable, Packet Too Big,
Time Exceeded and Parameter Problem messages.
Informational messages provide diagnostic functions and additional host functions, such as Neighbor
Discovery and Multicast Listener Discovery. These messages also include Echo Request and Echo
Reply messages.

The FTOS ping and traceroute commands extend to support IPv6 addresses. These commands use ICMPv6
Type-2 messages.

544

|

IPv6 Routing

Path MTU Discovery
IPv6 MTU Discovery is supported on platforms c e s z
Path MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit), in accordance with RFC 1981, defines the largest packet size
that can traverse a transmission path without suffering fragmentation. Path MTU for IPv6 uses ICMPv6
Type-2 messages to discover the largest MTU along the path from source to destination and avoid the need
to fragment the packet.
The recommended MTU for IPv6 is 1280. Greater MTU settings increase processing efficiency because
each packet carries more data while protocol overheads (headers, for example) or underlying per-packet
delays remain fixed.
Figure 25-2.

MTU Discovery Path
Destination

Source
Router B

Router A
MTU

1600

Packet (MTU

MTU

1400

MTU

1200

1600)

ICMPv6 (Type 2)
Use MTU

Packet (MTU

1400

1400)

ICMPv6 (Type 2)
Use MTU
Packet (MTU

1200
1200)
Packet Received

IPv6 Routing | 545

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

IPv6 Neighbor Discovery
IPv6 NDP is supported on platforms c e s
Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) is a top-level protocol for neighbor discovery on an IPv6 network. In
lieu of ARP, NDP uses “Neighbor Solicitation” and “Neighbor Advertisement” ICMPv6 messages for
determining relationships between neighboring nodes. Using these messages, an IPv6 device learns the
link-layer addresses for neighbors known to reside on attached links, quickly purging cached values that
become invalid.
Note: If a neighboring node does not have an IPv6 address assigned, it must be manually pinged to allow
the IPv6 device to determine the relationship of the neighboring node.

Note: To avoid problems with network discovery, Dell Force10 recommends configuring the static route
last or assigning an IPv6 address to the interface and assigning an address to the peer (the forwarding
router’s address) less than 10 seconds apart.

With ARP, each node broadcasts ARP requests on the entire link. This approach causes unnecessary
processing by uninterested nodes. With NDP, each node sends a request only to the intended destination
via a multicast address with the unicast address used as the last 24 bits. Other hosts on the link do not
participate in the process, greatly increasing network bandwidth efficiency.
Figure 25-3.

NDP Router Redirect

Router C

Network 2001:db8::1428:57ab

Send a Packet to
Network 2001:db8::1428:57ab
Router A
Local Link
Packet Destination (2001:db8::1428:57ab)
ICMPv6 Redirect (Data: Use Router C)
Packet Destination (Destination 2001:db8::1428:57ab)

546

|

IPv6 Routing

Router B

IPv6 Neighbor Discovery of MTU packets
With FTOS 8.3.1.0, you can set the MTU advertised through the RA packets to incoming routers, without
altering the actual MTU setting on the interface. The ipv6 nd mtu command sets the value advertised to
routers. It does not set the actual MTU rate. For example, if ipv6 nd mtu is set to 1280, the interface will still
pass 1500-byte packets, if that is what is set with the mtu command.

QoS for IPv6
IPv6 QoS is supported on platform

e

FTOS IPv6 supports quality of service based on DSCP field. You can configure FTOS to honor the DSCP
value on incoming routed traffic and forward the packets with the same value.

IPv6 Multicast
IPv6 Multicast is supported on platforms

e

FTOS supports the following protocols to implement IPv6 multicast routing:
•

•

•

Multicast Listener Discovery Protocol (MLD). MLD on a multicast router sends out periodic general
MLD queries that the switch forwards through all ports in the VLAN. There are two versions of MLD:
MLD version 1 is based on version 2 of the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) for IPv4;
MLD version 2 is based on version 3 of the IGMP for IPv4. IPv6 multicast for FTOS supports versions
1 and 2.
PIM-SM. Protocol-Independent Multicast-Sparse Mode (PIM-SM) is a multicast protocol in which
multicast receivers explicitly join to receive multicast traffic. The protocol uses a router as the root or
Rendezvous Point (RP) of the share tree distribution tree to distribute multicast traffic to a multicast
group. Messages to join the multicast group (Join messages) are sent towards the RP and data is sent
from senders to the RP so receivers can discover who are the senders and begin receiving traffic
destined to the multicast group.
PIM in Source Specific Multicast (PIM-SSM). PIM-SSM protocol is based on the source specific
model for forwarding Multicast traffic across multiple domains on the Internet. It is restricted to
shortest path trees (SPTs) to specific sources described by hosts using MLD. PIM-SSM is essentially a
subset of PIM-SM protocol, which has the capability to join SPTs. The only difference being register
states and shared tree states for Multicast groups in SSM range are not maintained. End-hosts use
MLD to register their interest in a particular source-group (S,G) pair. PIM-SSM protocol interacts with
MLD to construct the multicast forwarding tree rooted at the source S.

Refer to FTOS Command Line Interface Reference document chapters Multicast IPv6 and Protocol
Independent Multicast (IPv6) for configuration details.

IPv6 Routing | 547

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

SSH over an IPv6 Transport
IPv6 SSH is supported on platforms c e s
FTOS supports both inbound and outbound SSH sessions using IPv6 addressing. Inbound SSH supports
accessing the system through the management interface as well as through a physical Layer 3 interface.
Refer to the Security Commands chapter in the FTOS Command Line Interface Reference document for SSH
configuration details.

Configuration Task List for IPv6
This section contains information regarding the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Change your CAM-Profile on an E-Series system (mandatory)
Adjust your CAM-Profile on a C-Series or S-Series
Assign an IPv6 Address to an Interface
Assign a Static IPv6 Route
Telnet with IPv6
SNMP over IPv6
Show IPv6 Information
Clear IPv6 Routes

Change your CAM-Profile on an E-Series system
The cam-profile command is supported only on platform e
Change your CAM profile to the CAM ipv6-extacl before doing any further IPv6 configuration. Once the
CAM profile is changed, save the configuration and reboot your router.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

cam-profile ipv6-extacl
microcode ipv6-extacl chassis

EXEC Privileged

Enable the CAM profile with IPv6 extended ACLs
on the entire chassis or on a specific linecard
chassis changes the CAM profile for all linecards
in the chassis
linecard slot/port changes the CAM profile only for
the specified slot

| linecard slot

Figure 25-4 displays the IPv6 CAM profile summary for a chassis that already has IPv6 CAM profile
configured. Figure 25-5 shows the full IPv6 CAM profiles. Refer to Chapter 11, Content Addressable
Memory (CAM), on page 271 for complete information regarding CAM configuration.

548

|

IPv6 Routing

Figure 25-4.

Command Example: show cam-profile summary (E-Series)

FTOS#show cam-profile summary
-- Chassis CAM Profile -: Current Settings : Next Boot
Profile Name
: IPV6-ExtACL
: IPV6-ExtACL
MicroCode Name
: IPv6-ExtACL
: IPv6-ExtACL
-- Line card 1 -: Current Settings : Next Boot
: IPV6-ExtACL
: IPV6-ExtACL
: IPv6-ExtACL
: IPv6-ExtACL

Profile Name
MicroCode Name
FTOS#

Figure 25-5.

Command Example: show cam-profile (E-Series)

FTOS#show cam-profile
-- Chassis CAM Profile -CamSize
Profile Name
L2FIB
L2ACL
IPv4FIB
IPv4ACL
IPv4Flow
EgL2ACL
EgIPv4ACL
Reserved
IPv6FIB
IPv6ACL
IPv6Flow
EgIPv6ACL
MicroCode Name

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

18-Meg
Current Settings
IPV6-ExtACL
32K entries
1K entries
192K entries
12K entries
8K entries
1K entries
1K entries
2K entries
6K entries
3K entries
4K entries
1K entries
IPv6-ExtACL

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

Next Boot
IPV6-ExtACL
32K entries
1K entries
192K entries
12K entries
8K entries
1K entries
1K entries
2K entries
6K entries
3K entries
4K entries
1K entries
IPv6-ExtACL

-- Line card 1 -CamSize
: 18-Meg
: Current Settings : Next Boot
--More--

Adjust your CAM-Profile on a C-Series or S-Series
The cam-acl command is supported on platforms

cs

Although this is not a mandatory step, if you plan to implement IPv6 ACLs, you must adjust your CAM
settings.
The CAM space is allotted in FP blocks. The total space allocated must equal 13 FP blocks. Note that there
are 16 FP blocks, but the System Flow requires 3 blocks that cannot be reallocated.
The ipv6acl allocation must be entered as a factor of 2 (2, 4, 6, 8, 10). All other profile allocations can use
either even or odd numbered ranges.

IPv6 Routing | 549

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

The default option sets the CAM Profile as follows:
•
•
•
•
•

L3 ACL (ipv4acl): 6
L2 ACL(l2acl) : 5
IPv6 L3 ACL (ipv6acl): 0
L3 QoS (ipv4qos): 1
L2 QoS (l2qos): 1

Save the new CAM settings to the startup-config (write-mem or copy run start) then reload the system for the
new settings to take effect.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

cam-acl { ipv6acl }

CONFIGURATION

Allocate space for IPV6 ACLs. Enter the CAM
profile name followed by the amount to be
allotted.
When not selecting the default option, you must
enter all of the profiles listed and a range for each.
The total space allocated must equal 13.
The ipv6acl range must be a factor of 2.

show cam-acl

EXEC
EXEC Privilege

show cam-acl-egress

Show the current CAM settings.
Provides information on FP groups allocated for
the egress acl.
You must allocate at least one group for L2ACL
and IPv4 ACL.
The total number of groups is 4.

Assign an IPv6 Address to an Interface
IPv6 Addresses are supported on platforms c e s
Essentially IPv6 is enabled in FTOS simply by assigning IPv6 addresses to individual router interfaces.
IPv6 and IPv4 can be used together on a system, but be sure to differentiate that usage carefully. Use the
ipv6 address command to assign an IPv6 address to an interface.
When you configure IPv6 addresses on multiple interfaces (ipv6 address command) and verify the
configuration (show ipv6 interfaces command), the same link local (fe80) address is displayed for each IPv6
interface.
If the user attempts to configure more than two IPv6 addresses, the following error message appears:
Already configured maximum IPV6 addresses for this interface type

550

|

IPv6 Routing

One of the existing IPv6 addresses must be deleted before a new IPv6 address can be configured.

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ipv6 address ipv6 address/mask

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Enter the IPv6 Address for the device.
ipv6 address : x:x:x:x::x
mask : prefix length 0 to 128

IPv6 addresses are normally written as eight groups of four hexadecimal
digits, where each group is separated by a colon (:). Omitting zeros is accepted
as described in Addressing earlier in this chapter.

Assign a Static IPv6 Route
IPv6 Static Routes are supported on platforms c e s
Use the ipv6 route command to configure IPv6 static routes.

IPv6 Routing | 551

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
552

Note: After you configure a static IPv6 route (ipv6 route command) and configure the forwarding router’s address
(specified in the ipv6 route command) on a neighbor’s interface, the IPv6 neighbor is not displayed in the show ipv6
route command output.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ipv6 route prefix type
{slot/port} forwarding
router tag

CONFIGURATION

Set up IPv6 static routes
prefix: IPv6 route prefix
type {slot/port}: interface type and slot/port
forwarding router: forwarding router’s address
tag: route tag
Enter the keyword interface followed by the type of
interface and slot/port information:
• For a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port
information.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
fortyGigE followed by the slot/port information.
• For a loopback interface, enter the keyword loopback
followed by the loopback number
• For a linecard interface, enter the keyword linecard
followed by the slot number
• For a port-channel interface, enter the keyword
port-channel followed by the port-channel number
• For a VLAN interface, enter the keyword vlan followed
by the VLAN ID
• For a Null interface, enter the keyword null followed by
the Null interface number

|

IPv6 Routing

Telnet with IPv6
IPv6 Telnet is supported on platforms c e s
The Telnet client and server in FTOS support IPv6 connections. You can establish a Telnet session directly
to the router using an IPv6 Telnet client, or an IPv6 Telnet connection can be initiated from the router.
Note: Telnet to link local addresses is not supported.

Command Syntax

Command Mode

telnet ipv6 address

EXEC or
EXEC Privileged

Purpose
Enter the IPv6 Address for the device.
ipv6 address : x:x:x:x::x
mask : prefix length 0-128

IPv6 addresses are normally written as eight groups of four hexadecimal digits, where
each group is separated by a colon (:). Omitting zeros is accepted as described in
Addressing earlier in this chapter.

SNMP over IPv6
SNMP is supported on platforms c e s
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) can be configured over IPv6 transport so that an IPv6 host
can perform SNMP queries and receive SNMP notifications from a device running FTOS IPv6. The FTOS
SNMP-server commands for IPv6 have been extended to support IPv6. Refer to the SNMP and SYSLOG
chapter in the FTOS Command Line Interface Reference for more information regarding SNMP commands.
•
•
•
•
•
•

snmp-server host
snmp-server user ipv6
snmp-server community ipv6
snmp-server community access-list-name ipv6
snmp-server group ipv6
snmp-server group access-list-name ipv6

IPv6 Routing | 553

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Show IPv6 Information

554

All of the following show commands are supported on platforms c e s
View specific IPv6 configuration with the following commands.

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

show ipv6 ?

EXEC or
EXEC Privileged

List the IPv6 show options

FTOS#show ipv6 ?
accounting
IPv6 accounting information
cam
IPv6 CAM Entries
fib
IPv6 FIB Entries
interface
IPv6 interface information
mbgproutes
MBGP routing table
mld
MLD information
mroute
IPv6 multicast-routing table
neighbors
IPv6 neighbor information
ospf
OSPF information
pim
PIM V6 information
prefix-list
List IPv6 prefix lists
route
IPv6 routing information
rpf
RPF table
FTOS#

|

IPv6 Routing

Show an IPv6 Interface
View the IPv6 configuration for a specific interface with the following command.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

show ipv6 interface

EXEC

Show the currently running configuration for the specified
interface
Enter the keyword interface followed by the type of interface
and slot/port information:
• For all brief summary of IPv6 status and configuration,
enter the keyword brief.
• For all IPv6 configured interfaces, enter the keyword
configured.
• For a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
fortyGigE followed by the slot/port information.
• For a loopback interface, enter the keyword loopback
followed by the loopback number
• For a linecard interface, enter the keyword linecard
followed by the slot number
• For a port-channel interface, enter the keyword
port-channel followed by the port-channel number
• For a VLAN interface, enter the keyword vlan followed by
the VLAN ID

type {slot/port}

Figure 25-6 illustrates the show ipv6 interface command output.
Figure 25-6.

Command Example: show ipv6 interface

FTOS#show ipv6 interface gi 2/2
GigabitEthernet 2/2 is down, line protocol is down
IPV6 is enabled
Link Local address: fe80::201:e8ff:fe06:95a3
Global Unicast address(es):
3:4:5:6::8, subnet is 3::/24
Global Anycast address(es):
Joined Group address(es):
ff02::1
ff02::2
ff02::1:ff00:8
ff02::1:ff06:95a3
MTU is 1500
ICMP redirects are not sent
DAD is enabled, number of DAD attempts: 1
ND reachable time is 30 seconds
ND advertised reachable time is 30 seconds
ND advertised retransmit interval is 30 seconds
ND router advertisements are sent every 200 seconds
ND router advertisements live for 1800 seconds

IPv6 Routing | 555

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Show IPv6 Routes
View the global IPv6 routing information with the following command.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

show ipv6 route type

EXEC

Show IPv6 routing information for the specified
route type.
Enter the keyword:
• To display information about a network, enter
the ipv6 address (X:X:X:X::X).
• To display information about a host, enter the
hostname.
• To display information about all IPv6 routes
(including non-active routes), enter all.
• To display information about all connected IPv6
routes, enter connected.
• To display information about brief summary of
all IPv6 routes, enter summary.
• To display information about Border Gateway
Protocol (BGP) routes, enter bgp.
• To display information about ISO IS-IS routes,
enter isis.
• To display information about Open Shortest Path
First (OSPF) routes, enter ospf.
• To display information about Routing
Information Protocol (RIP), enter rip.
• To display information about static IPv6 routes,
enter static.
• To display information about an IPv6 Prefix
lists, enter list and the prefix-list name.

Figure 25-7 illustrates the show ipv6 route command output.
Figure 25-7.

Command Example: show ipv6 route

FTOS#show ipv6 route
Codes: C - connected, L - local, S - static, R - RIP,
B - BGP, IN - internal BGP, EX - external BGP,LO - Locally Originated,
O - OSPF, IA - OSPF inter area, N1 - OSPF NSSA external type 1,
N2 - OSPF NSSA external type 2, E1 - OSPF external type 1,
E2 - OSPF external type 2, i - IS-IS, L1 - IS-IS level-1,
L2 - IS-IS level-2, IA - IS-IS inter area, * - candidate default,
Gateway of last resort is not set

C
C
C

Destination Dist/Metric, Gateway, Last Change
----------------------------------------------------2001::/64 [0/0]
Direct, Gi 1/1, 00:28:49
2002::/120 [0/0]
Direct, Gi 1/1, 00:28:49
2003::/120 [0/0]
Direct, Gi 1/1, 00:28:49

Figure 25-8 illustrates the show ipv6 route summary command output.

556

|

IPv6 Routing

Figure 25-8.

Command Example: show ipv6 route summary

FTOS#show ipv6 route summary
Route Source
connected
static
Total

Active Routes
5
0
5

Non-active Routes
0
0
0

Figure 25-9 illustrates the show ipv6 route static command output.
Figure 25-9.

Command Example: show ipv6 route static

FTOS#show ipv6 route static
Destination Dist/Metric, Gateway, Last Change
----------------------------------------------------S
8888:9999:5555:6666:1111:2222::/96 [1/0]
via
2222:2222:3333:3333::1, Gi 9/1, 00:03:16
S
9999:9999:9999:9999::/64 [1/0]
via 8888:9999:5555:6666:1111:2222:3333:4444, 00:03:16

Show the Running-Configuration for an Interface
View the configuration for any interface with the following command.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

show running-config
interface type {slot/port}

EXEC

Show the currently running configuration for the
specified interface
Enter the keyword interface followed by the type of
interface and slot/port information:
• For a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/
port information.
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/
port information.
• For the Management interface on the RPM, enter
the keyword ManagementEthernet followed by
the slot/port information.
• For a 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword TenGigabitEthernet followed by the
slot/port information.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword fortyGigE followed by the slot/port
information.

Figure 25-10 illustrates the show running-config command output. Note the IPv6 address listed.

IPv6 Routing | 557

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 25-10.

Command Example: show running-config interface

FTOS#show run int gi 2/2
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/2
no ip address
ipv6 address 3:4:5:6::8/24
shutdown
FTOS#

Clear IPv6 Routes
Use the clear IPv6 route command to clear routes from the IPv6 routing table.

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

clear ipv6 route {* | ipv6 address

EXEC

Clear (refresh) all or a specific routes from the IPv6
routing table.
* : all routes
ipv6 address : x:x:x:x::x
mask : prefix length 0-128

prefix-length}

IPv6 addresses are normally written as eight groups of four hexadecimal
digits, where each group is separated by a colon (:). Omitting zeros is
accepted as described in Addressing earlier in this chapter.

558

|

IPv6 Routing

26
iSCSI Optimization
iSCSI Optimization is supported on platform

.

This chapter describes how to configure internet small computer system interface (iSCSI) optimization,
which enables quality-of-service (QoS) treatment for iSCSI traffic. The topics covered in this chapter
include:
•
•
•
•
•

iSCSI Optimization Overview
Default iSCSI Optimization Values
iSCSI Optimization Prerequisites
Configuring iSCSI Optimization
Displaying iSCSI Optimization Information

iSCSI Optimization Overview
iSCSI is a TCP/IP-based protocol for establishing and managing connections between IP-based storage
devices and initiators in a storage area network (SAN). iSCSI optimization enables the networking switch
to auto-detect Dell’s iSCSI storage arrays and triggers a self-configuration of several key network
configurations that enables the network to be optimized for better storage traffic throughput.
iSCSI optimization also provides a means of monitoring iSCSI sessions and applying QoS policies on
iSCSI traffic. When enabled, iSCSI optimization allows a switch to monitor (snoop) the establishment and
termination of iSCSI connections. The switch uses the snooped information to detect iSCSI sessions and
connections established through the switch.
iSCSI session monitoring over VLT will synchronize the ISCSI session information between the VLT
peers, thereby allowing session information to be available in both the VLT peers.
iSCSI optimization functions as follows:
•
•
•
•

Auto-detection of EqualLogic storage arrays — The switch detects any active EqualLogic array
directly attached to its ports.
Manual configuration to detect Compellent storage arrays where auto-detection is not supported.
Automatic configuration of switch ports after detection of storage arrays.
iSCSI monitoring sessions — The switch monitors and tracks active iSCSI sessions in connections on
the switch, including port information and iSCSI session information.

iSCSI Optimization | 559

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

560

•

iSCSI QoS—A user-configured iSCSI class of service (CoS) profile is applied to all iSCSI traffic.
Classifier rules are used to direct the iSCSI data traffic to queues that can be given preferential QoS
treatment over other data passing through the switch. Preferential treatment helps to avoid session
interruptions during times of congestion that would otherwise cause iSCSI packets to be dropped.
iSCSI DCBX TLVs are supported.

Figure 26-1 shows iSCSI optimization between servers and a storage array in which a stack of three
switches connect installed servers (iSCSI initiators) to a storage array (iSCSI targets) in a SAN network.
iSCSI optimization running on the master switch is configured to use dot1p priority-queue assignments to
ensure that iSCSI traffic in these sessions receives priority treatment when forwarded on stacked switch
hardware.
Figure 26-1.

|

iSCSI Optimization

iSCSI Optimization Example

Monitoring iSCSI Traffic Flows
The switch snoops iSCSI session-establishment and termination packets by installing classifier rules that
trap iSCSI protocol packets to the CPU for examination. Devices that initiate iSCSI sessions usually use
well-known TCP ports 3260 or 860 to contact targets. When you enable iSCSI optimization, by default the
switch identifies IP packets to or from these ports as iSCSI traffic.
You can configure the switch to monitor traffic for additional port numbers or a combination of port
number and target IP address, and you can remove the well-known port numbers from monitoring.

Application of Quality of Service to iSCSI Traffic Flows
The iSCSI CoS mode is user-configurable and controls whether CoS (dot1p priority) queue assignment
and/or packet marking is performed on iSCSI traffic. When you enable iSCSI CoS mode, the CoS policy is
applied to iSCSI traffic. When you disable iSCSI CoS mode, iSCSI sessions and connections are still
detected and displayed in the status tables, but no CoS policy is applied to iSCSI traffic.
You can configure whether the iSCSI optimization feature uses the VLAN priority or IP DSCP mapping to
determine the traffic class queue. By default, iSCSI flows are assigned to dot1p priority 4. Use the CoS
dot1p-priority command to map incoming iSCSI traffic on an interface to a dot1p priority-queue other than 4
(refer to QoS dot1p Traffic Classification and Queue Assignment). Dell Force10 recommends setting the
CoS dot1p priority-queue to 0 (zero).
You can configure whether iSCSI frames are re-marked to contain the configured VLAN priority tag or IP
DSCP when forwarded through the switch.
Note: On a switch in which a large proportion of traffic is iSCSI, CoS queue assignments may interfere
with other network control-plane traffic, such as ARP or LACP. Preferential treatment of iSCSI traffic
needs to be balanced against the needs of other critical data in the network.

Information Monitored in iSCSI Traffic Flows
iSCSI optimization examines the following data in packets and uses the data to track the session and create
the classifier entries that enable QoS treatment:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Initiator’s IP Address
Target’s IP Address
ISID (Initiator defined session identifier)
Initiator’s IQN (iSCSI qualified name)
Target’s IQN
Initiator’s TCP Port
Target’s TCP Port
Connection ID
Aging
Up Time

iSCSI Optimization | 561

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

If no iSCSI traffic is detected for a session during a user-configurable aging period, the session data is
cleared.
If more than 256 simultaneous sessions are logged continuously, the following message displays indicating
the queue rate limit has been reached.
%STKUNIT2-M:CP %iSCSI-5-ISCSI_OPT_MAX_SESS_EXCEEDED: New iSCSI Session Ignored: ISID 400001370000 InitiatorName - iqn.1991-05.com.microsoft:dt-brcd-cna-2 TargetName iqn.2001-05.com.equallogic:4-52aed6-b90d9446c-162466364804fa49-wj-v1 TSIH - 0"

Only sessions observed by the switch will be learnt; sessions flowing through an adjacent switch will not
be learnt. Session monitoring learns sessions that actually flow through the switch, it does not learn all
sessions in the entire topology.
After a switch is reloaded, any information exchanged during the initial handshake is not available. If the
switch picks up the communication after reloading, it would detect a session was in progress but could not
obtain complete information for it. Any incomplete information of this type would not be available in the
“show” commands.

Detection and Auto-configuration for Dell EqualLogic Arrays
The iSCSI optimization feature includes auto-provisioning support with the ability to detect directly
connected Dell EqualLogic storage arrays and automatically reconfigure the switch to enhance storage
traffic flows.
The switch uses the link layer discovery protocol (LLDP) to discover Dell EqualLogic devices on the
network. LLDP is enabled by default. For more information about LLDP, refer to Chapter 30, Link Layer
Discovery Protocol (LLDP).
The following message is displayed the first time a Dell EqualLogic array is detected and describes the
configuration changes that are automatically performed:
%STKUNIT0-M:CP %IFMGR-5-IFM_ISCSI_AUTO_CONFIG: This switch is being configured for optimal
conditions to support iSCSI traffic which will cause some automatic configuration to occur
including jumbo frames and flow-control on all ports; no storm control and spanning-tree port
fast to be enabled on the port of detection.

The following syslog message is generated the first time an EqualLogic array is detected:
%STKUNIT0-M:CP %LLDP-5-LLDP_EQL_DETECTED: EqualLogic Storage Array detected on interface Te 1/
43

•
•
•

562

|

At the first detection of an EqualLogic array, an MTU of 12000 is enabled on all ports and
port-channels (if it is has not already been enabled).
Spanning-tree portfast is enabled on the interface identified by LLDP.
Unicast storm control is disabled on the interface identified by LLDP.

iSCSI Optimization

Detection and Port Configuration for Dell Compellent Arrays
Switches support the iscsi profile-compellent command to configure a port connected to a Dell Compellent
storage array. The command configures a port for the best iSCSI traffic conditions and must be entered in
INTERFACE Configuration mode.
The following message is displayed the first time you use the iscsi profile-compellent command to
configure a port connected to a Dell Compellent storage array and describes the configuration changes that
are automatically performed:
%STKUNIT0-M:CP %IFMGR-5-IFM_ISCSI_AUTO_CONFIG: This switch is being configured for optimal
conditions to support iSCSI traffic which will cause some automatic configuration to occur
including jumbo frames and flow-control on all ports; no storm control and spanning-tree port
fast to be enabled on the port of detection.

After you execute the iscsi profile-compellent command, the following actions occur:
•
•
•

Jumbo frame size is set to 12000 for all interfaces on all ports and port-channels, if it is not already
enabled.
Spanning-tree portfast is enabled on the interface.
Unicast storm control is disabled on the interface.

You must enter the iscsi profile-compellent command in INTERFACE configuration mode; for example:
FTOS(conf-if-te-o/50# iscsi profile-compellent

Synchronizing iSCSI Sessions Learned on VLT-Lags with
VLT-Peer
The following behavior occurs during synchronization of iSCSI sessions:
•
•
•

•

If the iSCSI login request packet is received on a port belonging to a VLT lag, the information is
synced to the VLT peer and the connection is associated with this interface.
Additional updates to connections (including aging updates) that are learnt on VLT lag members are
synced to the peer.
When receiving an iSCSI login request on a non-VLT interface followed by a response from a VLT
interface, the session is not synced since it is initially learnt on a non-VLT interface through the request
packet.
A new connection log is generated by the peer that sees the login response packet. If the login response
packet uses the ICL path, it will be seen by both the peers, which in turn generate logs for this
connection.

iSCSI Optimization | 563

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Enabling and Disabling iSCSI Optimization
Note: iSCSI monitoring is disabled by default. iSCSI auto-configuration and auto-detection is enabled by
default.

If iSCSI is enabled, flow control will be automatically enabled on all interfaces. To disable the flow control
on all interfaces, enter the command “no flow control rx on tx off” and save the configuration. To disable
iSCSI optimization, which can turn on flow control again on reboot, enter the command “no iscsi enable”
and save the configuration.
When you enable iSCSI on the switch, the following actions occur:
•
•
•

Link-level flow control is globally enabled, if it is not already enabled, and PFC is disabled.
iSCSI session snooping is enabled.
iSCSI LLDP monitoring starts to automatically detect EqualLogic arrays.

The following message is displayed when you enable iSCSI on a switch and describes the configuration
changes that are automatically performed:
%STKUNIT0-M:CP %IFMGR-5-IFM_ISCSI_ENABLE: iSCSI has been enabled causing flow control to be
enabled on all interfaces. EQL detection and enabling iscsi profile-compellent on an interface
may cause some automatic configurations to occur like jumbo frames on all ports and no storm
control and spanning tree port-fast on the port of detection.

You can reconfigure any of the auto-provisioned configuration settings that result when you enable iSCSI
on a switch.
When you disable the iSCSI feature, iSCSI resources are released and the detection of EqualLogic arrays
using LLDP is disabled. Disabling iSCSI does not remove the MTU, flow control, portfast, or storm
control configuration applied as a result of enabling iSCSI.
Note: By default, CAM allocation for iSCSI is set to 0. This disables session monitoring.

Default iSCSI Optimization Values
Table 26-1 shows the default values for the iSCSI optimization feature.
Table 26-1.

iSCSI Optimization: Default Parameters

Parameter

564

|

Default Value

iSCSI Optimization global setting

Enabled

iSCSI CoS mode (802.1p priority queue
mapping)

Enabled: dot1p priority 4 without remark setting

iSCSI CoS Packet classification

iSCSI packets are classified by VLAN instead of by DSCP values.

iSCSI Optimization

Table 26-1.

iSCSI Optimization: Default Parameters

Parameter

Default Value

VLAN priority tag

iSCSI flows are assigned by default to dot1p priority 4 without remark
setting.

DSCP

None: user-configurable.

Remark

Not configured.

iSCSI session aging time

10 minutes

iSCSI optimization target ports

iSCSI well-known ports 3260 and 860 are configured as default (with no IP
address or name) but can be removed as any other configured target.

iSCSI session monitoring

Disabled. The CAM allocation for iSCSI is set to zero (0).

iSCSI Optimization Prerequisites
•
•

iSCSI optimization requires LLDP on the switch. LLDP is enabled by default (refer to Chapter 30,
Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)).
iSCSI optimization requires two ingress ACL groups to be configured. The ACL groups are allocated
after iSCSI Optimization is configured. (refer to When to Use CAM Profiling).

Configuring iSCSI Optimization
To configure iSCSI optimization on a switch, follow these steps:
Step
1

Task

Command

Command Mode

For a non-DCB environment: Enable session
monitoring.
Configuring fcoeacl and iscioptacl are optional in
FTOS version 9.1.(0.0).

cam acl 12acl 4 ipv4acl 4
ipv6acl 0 ipv4qos 2 12 qos 1
12pt 0 ipmacacl 0 vman-qos
0 ecfmacl 0 fcoeacl 2
iscioptacl 2

CONFIGURATION

For a DCB environment: Configure iSCSI
Optimization. The configuration files are stored in the
flash memory in the CONFIG_TEMPLATE.

iSCSI configuration:

EXEC Privilege

copy iSCSI_DCB_Config
running-config

Note: DCB/DCBx is enabled when the iSCSI
configuration is applied.

For OpenFlow: Allocate CAM space.

cam-acl–vlan vlanopenflow 1
vlaniscsi 1

CONFIGURATION

2

Save the configuration on the switch.

write memory

EXEC Privilege

3

Reload the switch. After the switch is reloaded, DCB/
DCBX and iSCSI monitoring will be enabled.

reload

EXEC Privilege

iSCSI Optimization | 565

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
566

Step

|

Task

Command

Command Mode

4

(Optional) Configure the iSCSI target ports and
optionally the IP addresses on which iSCSI
communication will be monitored, where:
• tcp-port-n is the TCP port number or a list of TCP
port numbers on which the iSCSI target listens to
requests. You can configure up to 16 target TCP
ports on the switch in one command or multiple
commands. Default: 860, 3260. Separate port
numbers with a comma.
• ip-address specifies the IP address of the iSCSI
target. When you enter the no form of the
command, and the TCP port to be deleted is one
bound to a specific IP address, the IP address value
must be included in the command.

[no] iscsi target port
tcp-port-1
[tcp-port-2...tcp-port-16]
[address ip-address]

CONFIGURATION

5

(Optional) Set the QoS policy that will be applied to
iSCSI flows, where:
• enable: enables the application of preferential QoS
treatment to iSCSI traffic so that iSCSI packets are
scheduled in the switch with a dot1p priority 4
regardless of the VLAN priority tag in the packet.
Default: iSCSI packets are handled with dotp1
priority 4 without remark.
• disable: disables the application of preferential
QoS treatment to iSCSI frames.
• dot1p vlan-priority-value: specifies the VLAN
priority tag assigned to incoming packets in an
iSCSI session. Range: 0 to 7. Default: The dot1p
value in ingress iSCSI frames is not changed and is
used in iSCSI TLV advertisements if the iscsi
priority-bits command is not entered (Step 5).
• dscp dscp-value: specifies the DSCP value
assigned to incoming packets in an iSCSI session.
Range: 0 to 63. Default: The DSCP value in
ingress packets is not changed.
• remark: marks incoming iSCSI packets with the
configured dot1p or DSCP value when they egress
the switch. Default: The dot1and DSCP values in
egress packets are not changed.

[no] iscsi cos {enable |
disable | dot1p
vlan-priority-value [remark] |
dscp dscp-value [remark]}

CONFIGURATION

6

(Optional) Set the aging time for iSCSI session
monitoring.
Range: 5 to 43,200 minutes.
Default: 10 minutes.

[no] iscsi aging time time

CONFIGURATION

7

(Optional) Configures DCBX to send iSCSI TLV
advertisements. You can configure iSCSI TLVs to be
sent either globally or on a specified interface. The
interface configuration takes priority over global
configuration.
Default: Enabled.

[no] advertise dcbx-app-tlv
iscsi

CONFIGURATION
or
INTERFACE

8

(Optional) Configures the priority bitmap to be
advertised in iSCSI application TLVs.
Default: 4 (0x10 in the bitmap).

[no] iscsi priority-bits

CONFIGURATION

iSCSI Optimization

Step

Task

Command

Command Mode

9

(Optional) Enter interface configuration mode to
configure the auto-detection of Compellent disk
arrays.

interface port-type slot/port

CONFIGURATION

10

(Optional) Configures the auto-detection of
Compellent arrays on a port.
Default: Compellent disk arrays are not detected.

[no] iscsi profile-compellent

INTERFACE

Displaying iSCSI Optimization Information
Use the show commands in Table 26-2 to display information on iSCSI optimization
Table 26-2.

Displaying iSCSI Optimization Information

Command

Output

show iscsi (Figure 26-2)

Displays the currently configured iSCSI settings.

show iscsi sessions (Figure 26-3)

Displays information on active iSCSI sessions on the switch.

show iscsi sessions detailed [session isid]

Displays detailed information on active iSCSI sessions on the switch. To
display detailed information on specified iSCSi session, enter the session’s
iSCSi ID.

(Figure 26-4)
show run iscsi

Figure 26-2.

Displays all globally-configured non-default iSCSI settings in the current
FTOS session.
show iscsi Command Example

FTOS#show iscsi
iSCSI is enabled
iSCSI session monitoring is disabled
iSCSI COS : dot1p is 4 no-remark
Session aging time: 10
Maximum number of connections is 256
-----------------------------------------------iSCSI Targets and TCP Ports:
-----------------------------------------------TCP Port
Target IP Address
3260
860

iSCSI Optimization | 567

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 26-3.

show iscsi session Command Example

VLT PEER1
FTOS#show isci session
Session 0:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Target: iqn.2001-05.com.equallogic:0-8a0906-0e70c2002-10a0018426a48c94-iom010 Initiator:
iqn.1991-05.com.microsoft:win-x9l8v27yajg
ISID: 400001370000
VLT PEER2
Session 0:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Target: iqn.2001-05.com.equallogic:0-8a0906-0f60c2002-0360018428d48c94-iom011
iqn.1991-05.com.microsoft:win-x9l8v27yajg
ISID: 400001370000

Figure 26-4.

show iscsi session detailed Command Example

VLT PEER1
FTOS# show isci session detailed
Session 0:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------Target:iqn.2010-11.com.ixia:ixload:iscsi-TG1
Initiator:iqn.2010-11.com.ixia.ixload:initiator-iscsi-2c
Up Time:00:00:01:28(DD:HH:MM:SS)
Time for aging out:00:00:09:34(DD:HH:MM:SS)
ISID:806978696102
Initiator
Initiator
Target
Target
Connection
IP Address
TCP Port
IP Address
TCPPort
ID
10.10.0.44
33345
10.10.0.101
3260
0
VLT PEER2
Session 0:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------Target:iqn.2010-11.com.ixia:ixload:iscsi-TG1
Initiator:iqn.2010-11.com.ixia.ixload:initiator-iscsi-2c
Up Time:00:00:01:28(DD:HH:MM:SS)
Time for aging out:00:00:09:34(DD:HH:MM:SS)
ISID:806978696102
Initiator
Initiator
Target
Target
Connection
IP Address
TCP Port
IP Address
TCPPort
ID
10.10.0.53
33432
10.10.0.101
3260
0

568

|

iSCSI Optimization

27
Intermediate System to Intermediate System
Intermediate System to Intermediate System is supported on the following platforms:
platforms.

ez

IS-IS is supported on the E-Series ExaScale platform with FTOS 8.1.1.0 and later. It is supported on the
with FTOS 8.3.10.0 and on the z platform with FTOS 9.0.0.0
Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS) protocol is an interior gateway protocol (IGP) that
uses a shortest-path-first algorithm. Dell Force10 supports both IPv4 and IPv6 versions of IS-IS, as it is
detailed in this chapter.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Protocol Overview on page 569
IS-IS Addressing on page 570
Multi-Topology IS-IS on page 571
Graceful Restart on page 572
Implementation Information on page 573
Configuration Information on page 574
IS-IS Metric Styles on page 593
Sample Configuration on page 597

IS-IS protocol standards are listed in the Chapter 50, Standards Compliance chapter.

Protocol Overview
The intermediate-system-to-intermediate-system (IS-IS) protocol, developed by the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO), is an interior gateway protocol (IGP) that uses a shortest-path-first
algorithm.
Note: This protocol supports routers passing both IP and OSI traffic, though the Dell Force10
implementation supports only IP traffic.

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 569

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

IS-IS is organized hierarchally into routing domains, and each router or system resides in at least one area.
In IS-IS, routers are designated as Level 1, Level 2 or Level 1-2 systems. Level 1 routers only route traffic
within an area, while Level 2 routers route traffic between areas. At its most basic, Level 1 systems route
traffic within the area and any traffic destined for outside the area is sent to a Level 1-2 system. Level 2
systems manage destination paths for external routers. Only Level 2 routers can exchange data packets or
routing information directly with external routers located outside of the routing domains. Level 1-2
systems manage both inter-area and intra-area traffic by maintaining two separate link databases; one for
Level 1 routes and one for Level 2 routes. A Level 1-2 router does not advertise Level 2 routes to a Level 1
router.
To establish adjacencies, each IS-IS router sends different Protocol Data Units (PDU). For IP traffic, the IP
addressing information is included in the IS-IS hello PDUs and the Link State PDUs (LSPs).
This brief overview is not intended to provide a complete understanding of IS-IS; for that, consult the
documents listed in Multi-Topology IS-IS.

IS-IS Addressing
IS-IS PDUs require ISO-style addressing called Network Entity Title (NET). For those familiar with
NSAP addresses, the composition of the NET is identical to an NSAP address, except the last byte is
always 0. The NET is composed of IS-IS area address, system ID, and the N-selector. The last byte is the
N-selector. All routers within an area have the same area portion. Level 1 routers route based on the system
address portion of the address, while the Level 2 routers route based on the area address.
The NET length is variable, with a maximum of 20 bytes and a minimum of 8 bytes. It is composed of the
following:
•
•
•

area address. Within your routing domain or area, each area must have a unique area value. The first
byte is called the authority and format indicator (AFI).
system address. This is usually the router’s MAC address.
N-selector. This is always 0.

Figure 27-1 is an example of the ISO-style address to illustrate the address format used by IS-IS. In this
example, the first five bytes (47.0005.0001) are the area address. The system portion is 000c.000a.4321
and the last byte is always 0.
Figure 27-1.

ISO Address Format

system-id

N-selector

variable

6 bytes

1 byte

47.0005.0001.000c.000a.4321.00

570

|

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

FN00060a

area address

Multi-Topology IS-IS
FTOS 7.8.1.0 and later support Multi-Topology Routing IS-IS.
E-Series ExaScale platform ex supports Multi-Topology IS-IS with FTOS 8.2.1.0 and later.
S-Series platform

supports Multi-Topology IS-IS with FTOS 8.3.10.0 and later.

Multi-Topology IS-IS (MT IS-IS) allows you to create multiple IS-IS topologies on a single router with
separate databases. This feature is used to place a virtual physical topology into logical routing domains,
which can each support different routing and security policies.
All routers on a LAN or point-to-point must have at least one common supported topology when operating
in Multi-Topology IS-IS mode. If IPv4 is the common supported topology between those two routers,
adjacency can be formed. All topologies must share the same set of L1-L2 boundaries.
You must implement a wide metric-style globally on the Autonomous System to run Multi-Topology IS-IS
for IPv6 because the TLVs used to advertise IPv6 information in link-state packets (LSPs) are defined to
use only extended metrics.
The Multi-Topology ID is shown in the first octet of the IS-IS packet. Certain MT topologies are assigned
to serve predetermined purposes:
•
•
•
•
•
•

MT ID #0: Equivalent to the “standard” topology.
MT ID #1: Reserved for IPv4 in-band management purposes.
MT ID #2: Reserved for IPv6 routing topology.
MT ID #3: Reserved for IPv4 multicast routing topology.
MT ID #4: Reserved for IPv6 multicast routing topology.
MT ID #5: Reserved for IPv6 in-band management purposes.

Transition Mode
All routers in the area or domain must use the same type of IPv6 support, either single-topology or
multi-topology. A router operating in multi-topology mode will not recognize the ability of the
single-topology mode router to support IPv6 traffic, which will lead to holes in the IPv6 topology.
While in transition mode, both types of TLVs (single-topology and multi-topology) are sent in LSPs for all
configured IPv6 addresses, but the router continues to operate in single-topology mode (that is, the
topological restrictions of the single-topology mode remain in effect). Transition mode stops after all
routers in the area or domain have been upgraded to support multi-topology IPv6. Once all routers in the
area or domain are operating in multi-topology IPv6 mode, the topological restrictions of single-topology
mode are no longer in effect.

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 571

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Interface support
MT IS-IS is supported on physical Ethernet interfaces, physical Sonet interfaces, port-channel interfaces
(static & dynamic using LACP), and VLAN interfaces.

Adjacencies
Adjacencies on point-to-point interfaces are formed as usual, where IS-IS routers do not implement
Multi-Topology (MT) extensions. If a local router does not participate in certain MTs, it will not advertise
those MT IDs in its IIHs and so will not include that neighbor within its LSPs. If an MT ID is not detected
in the remote side's IIHs, the local router does not include that neighbor within its LSPs. The local router
will not form an adjacency if both routers don't have at least one common MT over the interface.

Graceful Restart
Graceful Restart is supported on the

e and

platforms for both Helper and Restart modes.

Graceful Restart is a protocol-based mechanism that preserves the forwarding table of the restarting router
and its neighbors for a specified period to minimize the loss of packets. A graceful-restart router does not
immediately assume that a neighbor is permanently down and so does not trigger a topology change.
Normally, when an IS-IS router is restarted, temporary disruption of routing occurs due to events in both
the restarting router and the neighbors of the restarting router. When a router goes down without a Graceful
Restart, there is a potential to lose access to parts of the network due to the necessity of network topology
changes.
IS-IS Graceful Restart recognizes the fact that in a modern router, the control plane and data plane are
functionally separate. Restarting the control plane functionality (such as the failover of the active RPM to
the backup in a redundant configuration) should not necessarily interrupt data packet forwarding. This
behavior is supported because the forwarding tables previously computed by an active RPM have been
downloaded into the Forwarding Information Base on the line cards (the data plane) and are still resident.
For packets that have existing FIB/CAM entries, forwarding between ingress and egress ports can continue
uninterrupted while the control plane IS-IS process comes back to full functionality and rebuilds its routing
tables.
A new TLV (the Restart TLV) is introduced in the IIH PDUs, indicating that the router supports Graceful
Restart.

Timers
Three timers are used to support IS-IS Graceful Restart functionality. Once Graceful Restart is enabled,
these timers manage the Graceful Restart process.

572

|

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

•

•
•

The T1 timer specifies the wait time before unacknowledged restart requests are generated. This is the
interval before the system sends a Restart Request (an IIH with RR bit set in Restart TLV) until the
CSNP is received from the helping router. The duration can be set to a specific amount of time
(seconds) or a number of attempts.
The T2 timer is the maximum time that the system will wait for LSP database synchronization. This
timer applies to the database type (level-1, level-2 or both).
The T3 timer sets the overall wait time after which the router determines that it has failed to achieve
database synchronization (by setting the overload bit in its own LSP). This timer can be based on
adjacency settings with the value derived from adjacent routers that are engaged in graceful restart
recovery (the minimum of all the Remaining Time values advertised by the neighbors) or by setting a
specific amount of time manually.

Implementation Information
IS-IS implementation supports one instance of IS-IS and six areas. The system can be configured as a
Level 1 router, a Level 2 router, or a Level 1-2 router. For IPv6, the IPv4 implementation has been
expanded to include two new type-length-values (TLV) in the protocol data unit (PDU) that carry
information required for IPv6 routing. The new TLVs are IPv6 Reachability and IPv6 Interface Address.
Also, a new IPv6 protocol identifier has also been included in the supported TLVs. The new TLVs use the
extended metrics and up/down bit semantics.
Multi-Topology IS-IS adds TLVs:
•
•
•

•

The Multi-Topology TLV contains one or more Multi-Topology IDs in which the router participates.
This TLV is included in IIH and the first fragment of an LSP.
The MT Intermediate Systems TLV appears for every topology a node supports. An MT ID is added to
the extended IS reachability TLV type 22.
The Multi-Topology Reachable IPv4 Prefixes TLV appears for each IPv4 announced by an IS for a
given MT ID. Its structure is aligned with the extended IS Reachability TLV Type 236 and it adds an
MT ID.
The Multi-Topology Reachable IPv6 Prefixes TLV appears for each IPv6 announced by an IS for a
given MT ID. Its structure is aligned with the extended IS Reachability TLV Type 236 and add a MT
ID.

By default, FTOS supports dynamic hostname exchange to assist with troubleshooting and configuration.
By assigning a name to an IS-IS NET address, you can track IS-IS information on that address easier.
FTOS does not support ISO CLNS routing; however, the ISO NET format is supported for addressing.
To support IPv6, the Dell Force10 implementation of IS-IS performs the following tasks:
•
•
•
•
•

Advertise IPv6 information in the PDUs
Process IPv6 information received in the PDUs
Compute routes to IPv6 destinations
Download IPv6 routes to RTM for installing in the FIB
Accept external IPv6 information and advertise this information in the PDUs

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 573

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 27-1 displays the default values for IS-IS.
Table 27-1.

IS-IS Default Values

IS-IS Parameter

Default Value

Complete Sequence Number PDU (CSNP) interval

10 seconds

IS-to-IS hello PDU interval

10 seconds

IS-IS interface metric

10

Metric style

Narrow

Designated Router priority

64

Circuit Type

Level 1 and Level 2

IS Type

Level 1 and Level 2

Equal Cost Multi Paths

16

Configuration Information
To use IS-IS, you must configure and enable IS-IS in two or three modes: CONFIGURATION ROUTER
ISIS, CONFIGURATION INTERFACE, and ( when configuring for IPv6) ADDRESS-FAMILY mode.
Commands in ROUTER ISIS mode configure IS-IS globally, while commands executed in INTERFACE
mode enable and configure IS-IS features on that interface only. Commands in the ADDRESS-FAMILY
mode are specific to IPv6.
Note that by using the IS-IS routing protocol to exchange IPv6 routing information and to determine
destination reachability, you can route IPv6 along with IPv4 while using a single intra-domain routing
protocol. The configuration commands allow you to enable and disable IPv6 routing and to configure or
remove IPv6 prefixes on links.
Except where identified, the commands discussed in this chapter apply to both IPv4 and IPv6 versions of
IS-IS.

Configuration Task List for IS-IS
The following list includes the configuration tasks for IS-IS:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

574

|

Enable IS-IS on page 575
Configure Multi-Topology IS-IS (MT IS-IS) on page 578
Configure IS-IS Graceful Restart on page 579
Change LSP attributes on page 582
Configure IS-IS metric style and cost on page 583
Change the IS-type on page 585
Control routing updates on page 586
Configure authentication passwords on page 590

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

•
•

Set the overload bit on page 591
Debug IS-IS on page 592

Enable IS-IS
By default, IS-IS is not enabled.
The system supports one instance of IS-IS. To enable IS-IS globally, create an IS-IS routing process and
assign a NET address. To exchange protocol information with neighbors, enable IS-IS on an interface,
instead of on a network as with other routing protocols.
In IS-IS, neighbors form adjacencies only when they are same IS type. For example, a Level 1 router never
forms an adjacency with a Level 2 router. A Level 1-2 router will form Level 1 adjacencies with a
neighboring Level 1 router and will form Level 2 adjacencies with a neighboring Level 2 router.
Note: Even though you enable IS-IS globally, you must enable the IS-IS process on an interface for the
IS-IS process to exchange protocol information and form adjacencies.

Use these commands in the following sequence to configure IS-IS globally.
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Create an IS-IS routing process.
• tag is optional and identifies the name of the IS-IS
process.

router isis [tag]

CONFIGURATION

2

Configure an IS-IS network entity title (NET) for a routing
process.
Specify the area address and system ID for an IS-IS routing
process. The last byte must be 00.
Refer to IS-IS Addressing for more information on
configuring a NET.

net network-entity-title

ROUTER ISIS

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 575

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

3

Enter the interface configuration mode. Enter the keyword
interface followed by the type of interface and slot/port
information:
• For a 1-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For the Loopback interface on the RPM, enter the
keyword loopback followed by a number from 0 to
16383.
• For a port channel, enter the keyword port-channel
followed by a number from 1 to 255 for TeraScale and
ExaScale, 1 to 32 for EtherScale.
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword sonet
followed by slot/port information.
• For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port
information.
• For a VLAN, enter the keyword vlan followed by a
number from 1 to 4094.
E-Series ExaScale platforms support 4094 VLANs
with FTOS version 8.2.1.0 and later. Earlier
ExaScale supports 2094 VLANS.

interface interface

CONFIGURATION

4

Enter an IPv4 Address.
Assign an IP address and mask to the interface.
The IP address must be on the same subnet as other IS-IS
neighbors, but the IP address does not need to relate to the
NET address.

ip address ip-address
mask

INTERFACE

5

Enter an IPv6 Address.
ipv6 address : x:x:x:x::x
mask : prefix length 0-128
The IPv6 address must be on the same subnet as other IS-IS
neighbors, but the IP address does not need to relate to the
NET address.

ipv6 address
ipv6-address mask

INTERFACE

6

Enable IS-IS on the IPv4 interface. If you configure a tag
variable, it must be the same as the tag variable assigned in
step 1.

ip router isis [tag]

ROUTER ISIS

7

Enable IS-IS on the IPv6 interface. If you configure a tag
variable, it must be the same as the tag variable assigned in
step 1.

ipv6 router isis [tag]

ROUTER ISIS

The default IS type is level-1-2. To change the IS type to Level 1 only or Level 2 only, use the is-type
command in ROUTER ISIS mode.
Enter the show isis protocol command in EXEC Privilege mode or the show config command in ROUTER
ISIS mode to view the IS-IS configuration.

576

|

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

Figure 27-2.

Command Example: show isis protocol

FTOS#show isis protocol
IS-IS Router: 
System Id: EEEE.EEEE.EEEE IS-Type: level-1-2
Manual area address(es):
47.0004.004d.0001
Routing for area address(es):
21.2223.2425.2627.2829.3031.3233
47.0004.004d.0001
Interfaces supported by IS-IS:
Vlan 2
GigabitEthernet 4/22
Loopback 0
Redistributing:
Distance: 115
Generate narrow metrics: level-1-2
Accept narrow metrics:
level-1-2
Generate wide metrics:
none
Accept wide metrics:
none
FTOS#

Use the show isis traffic command in EXEC Privilege mode to view IS-IS protocol statistics.
Figure 27-3.

Command Example: show isis traffic

FTOS#show isis traffic
IS-IS: Level-1 Hellos (sent/rcvd) : 4272/1538
IS-IS: Level-2 Hellos (sent/rcvd) : 4272/1538
IS-IS: PTP Hellos (sent/rcvd)
: 0/0
IS-IS: Level-1 LSPs sourced (new/refresh) : 0/0
IS-IS: Level-2 LSPs sourced (new/refresh) : 0/0
IS-IS: Level-1 LSPs flooded (sent/rcvd) : 32/19
IS-IS: Level-2 LSPs flooded (sent/rcvd) : 32/17
IS-IS: Level-1 LSPs CSNPs (sent/rcvd) : 1538/0
IS-IS: Level-2 LSPs CSNPs (sent/rcvd) : 1534/0
IS-IS: Level-1 LSPs PSNPs (sent/rcvd) : 0/0
IS-IS: Level-2 LSPs PSNPs (sent/rcvd) : 0/0
IS-IS: Level-1 DR Elections : 2
IS-IS: Level-2 DR Elections : 2
IS-IS: Level-1 SPF Calculations : 29
IS-IS: Level-2 SPF Calculations : 29
IS-IS: LSP checksum errors received : 0
IS-IS: LSP authentication failures : 0
FTOS#

You can assign additional NET addresses, but the System ID portion of the NET address must remain the
same. FTOS supports up to six area addresses.
Some address considerations are:
•
•

In order to be neighbors, Level 1 routers must be configured with at least one common area address.
A Level 2 router becomes a neighbor with another Level 2 router regardless of the area address
configured. However, if the area addresses are different, the link between the Level 2 routers is only at
Level 2.

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 577

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configure Multi-Topology IS-IS (MT IS-IS)
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable Multi-Topology IS-IS for
IPv6.
Enter the transition keyword to allow
an IS-IS IPv6 user to continue to use
single-topology mode while
upgrading to multi-topology
mode.After every router has been
configured with the transition
keyword, and all the routers are in
MT IS-IS IPv6 mode users can
remove the transition keyword on
each router.

multi-topology [transition]

ROUTER ISIS AF IPV6

Note: When transition mode is not enabled, you will not have IPv6 connectivity between routers
operating in single-topology mode and routers operating in multi-topology mode.
2

Excluded this router from other
router’s SPF calculations.

set-overload-bit

ROUTER ISIS AF IPV6

3

Set the minimum interval between
SPF calculations.

spf-interval [level-l | level-2 | interval]
[initial_wait_interval
[second_wait_interval]]

ROUTER ISIS AF IPV6

This command is used for IPv6 route computation only when multi-topology is enabled. If using single-topology
mode, use the spf-interval command in CONFIG ROUTER ISIS mode to apply to both IPv4 and IPv6 route
computations.
4

Implement a wide metric-style
globally.
To configure wide or wide transition
metric style, the cost can be a
between 0 and 16,777,215.

578

|

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

isis ipv6 metric metric-value [level-1 |
level-2 | level-1-2]

ROUTER ISIS AF IPV6

Configure Multi-Topology IS-IS (MT IS-IS)
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable Multi-Topology IS-IS for
IPv6.
Enter the transition keyword to allow
an IS-IS IPv6 user to continue to use
single-topology mode while
upgrading to multi-topology
mode.After every router has been
configured with the transition
keyword, and all the routers are in
MT IS-IS IPv6 mode users can
remove the transition keyword on
each router.

multi-topology [transition]

ROUTER ISIS AF IPV6

Note: When transition mode is not enabled, you will not have IPv6 connectivity between routers
operating in single-topology mode and routers operating in multi-topology mode.
2

Excluded this router from other
router’s SPF calculations.

set-overload-bit

ROUTER ISIS AF IPV6

3

Set the minimum interval between
SPF calculations.

spf-interval [level-l | level-2 | interval]
[initial_wait_interval
[second_wait_interval]]

ROUTER ISIS AF IPV6

This command is used for IPv6 route computation only when multi-topology is enabled. If using single-topology
mode, use the spf-interval command in CONFIG ROUTER ISIS mode to apply to both IPv4 and IPv6 route
computations.
4

Implement a wide metric-style
globally.

isis ipv6 metric metric-value [level-1 |
level-2 | level-1-2]

ROUTER ISIS AF IPV6

To configure wide or wide transition
metric style, the cost can be a
between 0 and 16,777,215.

Configure IS-IS Graceful Restart
To enable IS-IS Graceful Restart globally, use the following command in ROUTER-ISIS mode.
Additional, optional commands can be implemented to enable the Graceful Restart settings.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

graceful-restart ietf

ROUTER-ISIS

Enable Graceful Restart on ISIS processes

graceful-restart interval minutes

ROUTER-ISIS

Configure the period of time during which the Graceful
Restart attempt will be prevented.
Range: 1-120 minutes
Default: 5 minutes

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 579

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

graceful-restart restart-wait seconds

ROUTER-ISIS

Enable the Graceful Restart maximum wait time before
a restarting peer comes up.
Be sure to set the t3 timer to adjacency on the restarting
router when implementing this command.
Range: 5-120 seconds
Default: 30 seconds

graceful-restart t1 {interval seconds |
retry-times value}

ROUTER-ISIS

Configure the time that the Graceful Restart timer T1
defines for a restarting router to use for each interface,
as an interval before regenerating Restart Request (an
IIH with RR bit set in Restart TLV) after waiting for an
acknowledgement.
interval: wait time (Range: 5-120, default: 5)
retry-times: number of times an unacknowledged

restart request will be sent before the restarting router
gives up the graceful restart engagement with the
neighbor. (Range: 1-10 attempts, default: 1)
graceful-restart t2 {level-1 | level-2}
seconds

ROUTER-ISIS

Configure the time for Graceful Restart timer T2 that a
restarting router will use as the wait time for each
database to synchronize.
level-1, level-2: identifies the database instance type to
which the wait interval applies.
Range: 5-120 seconds
Default: 30 seconds

graceful-restart t3 {adjacency | manual
seconds}

ROUTER-ISIS

Configure Graceful Restart timer T3 to set the time
used by the restarting router as an overall maximum
time to wait for database synchronization to complete.
adjacency: the restarting router receives the remaining
time value from its peer and adjusts its T3 value
accordingly if user has configured this option.
manual: allows you to specify a fixed value that the
restarting router should use.
Range: 50-120 seconds
Default: 30 seconds

Note: If this timer expires before the synchronization has completed,
the restarting router sends the overload bit in the LSP. The 'overload'
bit is an indication to the receiving router that database synchronization
did not complete at the restarting router.

580

|

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

Use the show isis graceful-restart detail command in EXEC Privilege mode to view all Graceful Restart
related configuration.
Figure 27-4.

Command Example: show isis graceful-restart detail

FTOS#show isis graceful-restart detail
Configured Timer Value
======================
Graceful Restart
: Enabled
Interval/Blackout time
: 1 min
T3 Timer
: Manual
T3 Timeout Value
: 30
T2 Timeout Value
: 30 (level-1), 30 (level-2)
T1 Timeout Value
: 5, retry count: 1
Adjacency wait time
: 30
Operational Timer Value
======================
Current Mode/State
T3 Time left
T2 Time left
Restart ACK rcv count
Restart Req rcv count
Suppress Adj rcv count
Restart CSNP rcv count
Database Sync count

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

Normal/RUNNING
0
0 (level-1), 0
0 (level-1), 0
0 (level-1), 0
0 (level-1), 0
0 (level-1), 0
0 (level-1), 0

(level-2)
(level-2)
(level-2)
(level-2)
(level-2)
(level-2)

Circuit GigabitEthernet 2/10:
Mode: Normal L1-State:NORMAL, L2-State: NORMAL
L1: Send/Receive: RR:0/0, RA: 0/0, SA:0/0
T1 time left: 0, retry count left:0
L2: Send/Receive: RR:0/0, RA: 0/0, SA:0/0
T1 time left: 0, retry count left:0
FTOS#

Use the show isis interface command in EXEC Privilege mode to view all interfaces configured with IS-IS
routing along with the defaults.

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 581

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 27-5.

Command Example: show isis interface

FTOS#show isis interface G1/34
GigabitEthernet 2/10 is up, line protocol is up
MTU 1497, Encapsulation SAP
Routing Protocol: IS-IS
Circuit Type: Level-1-2
Interface Index 0x62cc03a, Local circuit ID 1
Level-1 Metric: 10, Priority: 64, Circuit ID: 0000.0000.000B.01
Hello Interval: 10, Hello Multiplier: 3, CSNP Interval: 10
Number of active level-1 adjacencies: 1
Level-2 Metric: 10, Priority: 64, Circuit ID: 0000.0000.000B.01
Hello Interval: 10, Hello Multiplier: 3, CSNP Interval: 10
Number of active level-2 adjacencies: 1
Next IS-IS LAN Level-1 Hello in 4 seconds
Next IS-IS LAN Level-2 Hello in 6 seconds
LSP Interval: 33
Next IS-IS LAN Level-1 Hello in 4 seconds
Next IS-IS LAN Level-2 Hello in 6 seconds
LSP Interval: 33
Restart Capable Neighbors: 2, In Start: 0, In Restart: 0
FTOS#

Change LSP attributes
IS-IS routers flood Link state PDUs (LSPs) to exchange routing information. LSP attributes include the
generation interval, maximum transmission unit (MTU) or size, and the refresh interval. You can modify
the LSP attribute defaults, but it is not necessary.
To change the defaults, use any or all of the following commands in ROUTER ISIS mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

lsp-gen-interval [level-1 | level-2]
seconds

ROUTER ISIS

Set interval between LSP generation.
• seconds range: 0 to 120
Default is 5 seconds.
Default level is Level 1.

lsp-mtu size

ROUTER ISIS

Set the LSP size.
• size range: 128 to 9195.
Default is 1497.

lsp-refresh-interval seconds

ROUTER ISIS

Set the LSP refresh interval.
• seconds range: 1 to 65535.
Default is 900 seconds.

max-lsp-lifetime seconds

ROUTER ISIS

Set the maximum time LSPs lifetime.
• seconds range: 1 to 65535
Default is 1200 seconds.

To view the configuration, use the show config command in ROUTER ISIS mode or the show
running-config isis command in EXEC Privilege mode (Figure 475).

582

|

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

Figure 27-6.

Command Example: show running-config isis

FTOS#show running-config isis
!
router isis
lsp-refresh-interval 902
net 47.0005.0001.000C.000A.4321.00
net 51.0005.0001.000C.000A.4321.00
FTOS#

Configure IS-IS metric style and cost
All IS-IS links or interfaces are associated with a cost that is used in the SPF calculations. The possible
cost varies depending on the metric style supported. If you configure narrow, transition or narrow
transition metric style, the cost can be a number between 0 and 63. If you configure wide or wide transition
metric style, the cost can be a number between 0 and 16,777,215. FTOS supports five different metric
styles: narrow, wide, transition, narrow transition, and wide transition.
By default, FTOS generates and receives narrow metric values. Metrics or costs higher than 63 are not
supported. To accept or generate routes with a higher metric, you must change the metric style of the IS-IS
process. For example, if metric is configured as narrow, and an LSP with wide metrics is received, the
route is not installed.
FTOS supports the following IS-IS metric styles:
Table 27-2.

Metric Styles
Cost Range Supported on IS-IS
Interfaces

Metric Style

Characteristics

narrow

Sends and accepts narrow or old TLVs (Type
Length Value).

0 to 63

wide

Sends and accepts wide or new TLVs

0 to 16777215

transition

Sends both wide (new) and narrow (old) TLVs.

0 to 63

narrow transition

Sends narrow (old) TLVs and accepts both narrow
(old) and wide (new) TLVs

0 to 63

wide transition

Sends wide (new) TLVs and accepts both narrow
(old) and wide (new) TLVs.

0 to 16777215

Use the following command in ROUTER ISIS mode to change the IS-IS metric style of the IS-IS process.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

metric-style {narrow [transition] |
transition | wide [transition]} [level-1 |
level-2]

ROUTER ISIS

Set the metric style for the IS-IS process.
Default: narrow
Default: Level 1 and Level 2 (level-1-2)

Use the show isis protocol command (Figure 476) in EXEC Privilege mode to view which metric types are
generated and received.

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 583

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 27-7.

Command Example: show isis protocol

FTOS#show isis protocol
IS-IS Router: 
System Id: EEEE.EEEE.EEEE IS-Type: level-1-2
Manual area address(es):
47.0004.004d.0001
Routing for area address(es):
21.2223.2425.2627.2829.3031.3233
47.0004.004d.0001
Interfaces supported by IS-IS:
Vlan 2
GigabitEthernet 4/22
Loopback 0
Redistributing:
Distance: 115
Generate narrow metrics: level-1-2
Accept narrow metrics:
level-1-2
Generate wide metrics:
none
Accept wide metrics:
none
FTOS#

IS-IS metrics settings

When you change from one IS-IS metric style to another, the IS-IS metric value could be affected. For each
interface with IS-IS enabled, you can assign a cost or metric that is used in the link state calculation.
Use the following command in INTERFACE mode to change the metric or cost of the interface.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

isis metric default-metric [level-1 |
level-2]

INTERFACE

default-value range: 0 to 63 if the metric-style is

isis ipv6 metric default-metric [level-1 |
level-2]

INTERFACE

narrow, narrow-transition or transition. 0 to 16777215
if the metric style is wide or wide transition.
Default: 10.
Assign a metric for an IPv6 link or interface.
• default-metric range: 0 to 63 for narrow and
transition metric styles; 0 to 16777215 for wide
metric styles.
Default is 10.
Default level is level-1.
Refer to Configure IS-IS metric style and cost for more
information on this command.

Use the show config command in INTERFACE mode or the show isis interface command in EXEC
Privilege mode to view the interface’s current metric.
Table 27-3.

584

|

Correct Value Range for the isis metric command

Metric Style

Correct Value Range

wide

0 to 16777215

narrow

0 to 63

wide transition

0 to 16777215

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

Table 27-3.

Correct Value Range for the isis metric command

Metric Style

Correct Value Range

narrow transition

0 to 63

transition

0 to 63

Configuring the distance of a route
Configure the distance for a route using the distance command from ROUTER ISIS mode.

Change the IS-type
You can configure the system to act as one of the following:
•
•
•

Level 1 router
Level 1-2 router
Level 2 router

Use the following command in ROUTER ISIS mode to change the IS-type for the router, u
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

is-type {level-1 | level-1-2 | level-2-only}

ROUTER ISIS

Configure IS-IS operating level for a router.
Default is level-1-2.

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

is-type {level-1 | level-1-2 | level-2}

ROUTER ISIS

Change the IS-type for the IS-IS process.

Use the show isis protocol command in EXEC Privilege mode (Figure 476) to view which IS-type is
configured. The show config command in ROUTER ISIS mode displays only non-default information, so
if you do not change the IS-type, the default value (level-1-2) is not displayed.
The default is Level 1-2 router. When the IS-type is Level 1-2, the software maintains two Link State
databases, one for each level. Use the show isis database command to view the Link State databases
(Figure 477).

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 585

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 27-8.

Command Example: show isis database

FTOS#show isis database
IS-IS Level-1 Link State Database
LSPID
LSP Seq Num
B233.00-00
0x00000003
eljefe.00-00
* 0x00000009
eljefe.01-00
* 0x00000001
eljefe.02-00
* 0x00000001
Force10.00-00
0x00000002
IS-IS Level-2 Link State Database
LSPID
LSP Seq Num
B233.00-00
0x00000006
eljefe.00-00
* 0x0000000D
eljefe.01-00
* 0x00000001
eljefe.02-00
* 0x00000001
Force10.00-00
0x00000004

LSP Checksum
0x07BF
0xF76A
0x68DF
0x2E7F
0xD1A7

LSP Holdtime
1088
1126
1122
1113
1102

ATT/P/OL
0/0/0
0/0/0
0/0/0
0/0/0
0/0/0

LSP Checksum
0xC38A
0x51C6
0x68DF
0x2E7F
0xCDA9

LSP Holdtime
1124
1129
1122
1113
1107

ATT/P/OL
0/0/0
0/0/0
0/0/0
0/0/0
0/0/0

FTOS#

Control routing updates
Use the following commands in ROUTER ISIS mode to control the source of IS-IS route information.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

passive-interface interface

ROUTER ISIS

Disable a specific interface from sending or receiving
IS-IS routing information.
Enter the type of interface and slot/port information:
• For a 1-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port
information.
• For the Loopback interface on the RPM, enter the
keyword loopback followed by a number from 0 to
16383.
• For a port channel, enter the keyword port-channel
followed by a number from 1 to 255 for TeraScale
and ExaScale, 1 to 32 for EtherScale.
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword sonet
followed by slot/port information.
• For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the
keyword TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/
port information.
• For a VLAN, enter the keyword vlan followed by a
number from 1 to 4094.
E-Series ExaScale platforms support 4094
VLANs with FTOS version 8.2.1.0 and later.
Earlier ExaScale supports 2094 VLANS.

Distribute Routes
Another method of controlling routing information is to filter the information through a prefix list. Prefix
lists are applied to incoming or outgoing routes and routes must meet the conditions of the prefix lists or
FTOS does not install the route in the routing table. The prefix lists are globally applied on all interfaces
running IS-IS.

586

|

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

Configure the prefix list in the PREFIX LIST mode prior to assigning it to the IS-IS process. For
configuration information on prefix lists, see Chapter 6, Access Control Lists (ACLs).

IPv4 routes
Use the following commands in ROUTER ISIS mode to apply prefix lists to incoming or outgoing IPv4
routes.
Note: These commands apply to IPv4 IS-IS only. Use the ADDRESS-FAMILY IPV6 mode shown later to
apply prefix lists to IPv6 routes

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

distribute-list prefix-list-name in [interface]

ROUTER ISIS

Apply a configured prefix list to all incoming
IPv4 IS-IS routes.
Enter the type of interface and slot/port
information:
• For a 1-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter
the keyword GigabitEthernet followed by
the slot/port information.
• For the Loopback interface on the RPM,
enter the keyword loopback followed by a
number from 0 to 16383.
• For a port channel, enter the keyword
port-channel followed by a number from
1 to 255 for TeraScale and ExaScale, 1 to
32 for EtherScale.
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword
sonet followed by slot/port information.
• For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter
the keyword TenGigabitEthernet followed
by the slot/port information.
• For a VLAN, enter the keyword vlan
followed by a number from 1 to 4094.
E-Series ExaScale platforms support
4094 VLANs with FTOS version
8.2.1.0 and later. Earlier ExaScale
supports 2094 VLANS.

distribute-list prefix-list-name out [bgp
as-number | connected | ospf process-id | rip |
static]

ROUTER ISIS

Apply a configured prefix list to all outgoing
IPv4 IS-IS routes. You can configure one of
the optional parameters:
• connected: for directly connected routes.
• ospf process-id: for OSPF routes only.
• rip: for RIP routes only.
• static: for user-configured routes.
• bgp: for BGP routes only

distribute-list redistributed-override in

ROUTER ISIS

Deny RTM download for pre-existing
redistributed IPv4 routes

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 587

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
588

IPv6 routes
Use these commands in ADDRESS-FAMILY IPV6 mode to apply prefix lists to incoming or outgoing
IPv6 routes. =
Note: These commands apply to IPv6 IS-IS only. Use the ROUTER ISIS mode previously shown to apply
prefix lists to IPv4 routes.

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

distribute-list prefix-list-name in [interface]

ROUTER ISIS-AF
IPV6

Apply a configured prefix list to all incoming
IPv6 IS-IS routes.
Enter the type of interface and slot/port
information:
• For a 1-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter
the keyword GigabitEthernet followed by
the slot/port information.
• For the Loopback interface on the RPM,
enter the keyword loopback followed by a
number from 0 to 16383.
• For a port channel, enter the keyword
port-channel followed by a number from
1 to 255 for TeraScale, 1 to 32 for
EtherScale.
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword
sonet followed by slot/port information.
• For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter
the keyword TenGigabitEthernet followed
by the slot/port information.
• For a VLAN, enter the keyword vlan
followed by a number from 1 to 4094.
E-Series ExaScale platforms support
4094 VLANs with FTOS version
8.2.1.0 and later. Earlier ExaScale
supports 2094 VLANS.

distribute-list prefix-list-name out [bgp
as-number | connected | ospf process-id | rip |
static]

ROUTER ISIS-AF
IPV6

Apply a configured prefix list to all outgoing
IPv6 IS-IS routes. You can configure one of
the optional parameters:
• connected: for directly connected routes.
• ospf process-id: for OSPF routes only.
• rip: for RIP routes only.
• static: for user-configured routes.
• bgp: for BGP routes only

distribute-list redistributed-override in

ROUTER ISIS-AF
IPV6

Deny RTM download for pre-existing
redistributed IPv6 routes

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

Redistribute routes
In addition to filtering routes, you can add routes from other routing instances or protocols to the IS-IS
process. With the redistribute command syntax, you can include BGP, OSPF, RIP, static, or directly
connected routes in the IS-IS process.
Note: Do not route iBGP routes to IS-IS unless there are route-maps associated with the IS-IS
redistribution.

IPv4 routes
Use any of the following commands in ROUTER ISIS mode to add routes from other routing instances or
protocols.
Note: These commands apply to IPv4 IS-IS only. Use the ADDRESS-FAMILY IPV6 mode shown later to
apply prefix lists to IPv6 routes.

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

redistribute {bgp as-number | connected | rip |
static} [level-1 level-1-2 | level-2] [metric
metric-value] [metric-type {external | internal}]
[route-map map-name]

ROUTER ISIS

Include BGP, directly connected, RIP, or
user-configured (static) routes in IS-IS.
Configure the following parameters:
• level-1, level-1-2, or level-2: Assign
all redistributed routes to a level.
Default is level-2.
• metric range: 0 to 16777215. Default is
0.
• metric-type: choose either external or
internal. Default is internal.
• map-name: name of a configured route
map.

redistribute ospf process-id [level-1| level-1-2 |
level-2] [metric value] [match external {1 | 2} | match
internal] [metric-type {external | internal}]
[route-map map-name]

ROUTER ISIS

Include specific OSPF routes in IS-IS.
Configure the following parameters:
• process-id range: 1 to 65535
• level-1, level-1-2, or level-2:: Assign
all redistributed routes to a level.
Default is level-2.
• metric range: 0 to 16777215. Default is
0.
• match external range: 1 or 2
•

•
•

match internal
metric-type: external or internal.
map-name: name of a configured route

map.

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 589

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

IPv6 routes
Use any of the these commands in ROUTER ISIS ADDRESS-FAMILY IPV6 mode to add routes from
other routing instances or protocols.
Note: These commands apply to IPv6 IS-IS only. Use the ROUTER ISIS mode previously shown to apply
prefix lists to IPv4 routes.

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

redistribute {bgp as-number | connected | rip |
static} [level-1 level-1-2 | level-2] [metric
metric-value] [metric-type {external | internal}]
[route-map map-name]

ROUTER ISIS

Include BGP, directly connected, RIP, or
user-configured (static) routes in IS-IS.
Configure the following parameters:
• level-1, level-1-2, or level-2: Assign
all redistributed routes to a level.
Default is level-2.
• metric range: 0 to 16777215. Default is
0.
• metric-type: choose either external or
internal. Default is internal.
• map-name: name of a configured route
map.

redistribute ospf process-id [level-1| level-1-2 |
level-2] [metric value] [match external {1 | 2} | match
internal] [metric-type {external | internal}]
[route-map map-name]

ROUTER ISIS

Include specific OSPF routes in IS-IS.
Configure the following parameters:
• process-id range: 1 to 65535
• level-1, level-1-2, or level-2: Assign
all redistributed routes to a level.
Default is level-2.
• metric range: 0 to 16777215. Default is
0.
• match external range: 1 or 2
• match internal
• metric-type: external or internal.
• map-name: name of a configured route
map.

Use the show running-config isis command in EXEC Privilege mode to view IS-IS configuration globally
(including both IPv4 and IPv6 settings), or the show config command in ROUTER ISIS mode to view the
current IPv4 IS-IS configuration, or the show config command in ROUTER ISIS-ADDRESS FAMILY
IPV6 mode to view the current IPv6 IS-IS configuration

Configure authentication passwords
You can assign an authentication password for routers in Level 1 and for routers in Level 2. Since Level 1
and Level 2 routers do not communicate with each other, you can assign different passwords for Level 1
routers and for Level 2 routers. If you want the routers in the level to communicate with each other, though,
they must be configured with the same password.

590

|

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

Use either or both of the commands in ROUTER ISIS mode to configure a simple text password.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

area-password [hmac-md5]
password

ROUTER ISIS

Configure authentication password for an area. FTOS
supports HMAC-MD5 authentication.
This password is inserted in Level 1 LSPs, Complete
SNPs, and Partial SNPs.

domain-password [encryption-type |
hmac-md5] password

ROUTER ISIS

Set the authentication password for a routing domain.
FTOS supports both DES and HMAC-MD5
authentication methods. This password is inserted in
Level 2 LSPs, Complete SNPs, and Partial SNPs.

Use the show config command in ROUTER ISIS mode or the show running-config isis command in EXEC
Privilege mode to view the passwords.
Remove a password by using either the no area-password or no domain-password command in ROUTER
ISIS mode.

Set the overload bit
Another use for the overload bit is to prevent other routers from using this router as an intermediate hop in
their shortest path first (SPF) calculations. For example, if the IS-IS routing database is out of memory and
cannot accept new LSPs, FTOS sets the overload bit and IS-IS traffic continues to transit the system.
Use this command the following command in ROUTER ISIS mode to set the overload bit manually.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

set-overload-bit

ROUTER ISIS

Set the overload bit in LSPs. This prevents other routers from
using it as an intermediate hop in their shortest path first (SPF)
calculations.

Enter no set-overload-bit to remove the overload bit.
When the bit is set, a 1 is placed in the OL column in the show isis database command output. In
Figure 27-9, the overload bit is set in both the Level-1 and Level-2 database because the IS type for the
router is Level-1-2

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 591

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 27-9.

Command Example: show isis database

FTOS#show isis database
IS-IS Level-1 Link State Database
LSPID
LSP Seq Num
B233.00-00
0x00000003
eljefe.00-00
* 0x0000000A
eljefe.01-00
* 0x00000001
eljefe.02-00
* 0x00000001
Force10.00-00
0x00000002
IS-IS Level-2 Link State Database
LSPID
LSP Seq Num
B233.00-00
0x00000006
eljefe.00-00
* 0x0000000E
eljefe.01-00
* 0x00000001
eljefe.02-00
* 0x00000001
Force10.00-00
0x00000004
FTOS#

LSP Checksum
0x07BF
0xF963
0x68DF
0x2E7F
0xD1A7

LSP Holdtime
1074
1196
1108
1099
1088

ATT/P/OL
0/0/0
0/0/1
0/0/0
0/0/0
0/0/0

LSP Checksum
0xC38A
0x53BF
0x68DF
0x2E7F
0xCDA9

LSP Holdtime
1110
1196
1108
1099
1093

ATT/P/OL
0/0/0
0/0/1
0/0/0
0/0/0
0/0/0

when overload bit
is set, 1 is listed in
the OL column.

Debug IS-IS
Enter the debug isis command in EXEC Privilege mode to debug all IS-IS processes.
Use the following commands for specific IS-IS debugging.

592

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

debug isis

EXEC Privilege

View all IS-IS information.

debug isis adj-packets [interface]

EXEC Privilege

View information on all adjacency-related activity
(for example, hello packets that are sent and
received).
To view specific information, enter one of the
following optional parameters:
• interface: Enter the type of interface and slot/port
information to view IS-IS information on that
interface only.

debug isis local-updates [interface]

EXEC Privilege

View information about IS-IS local update packets.
To view specific information, enter one of the
following optional parameters:
• interface: Enter the type of interface and slot/port
information to view IS-IS information on that
interface only.

debug isis snp-packets [interface]

EXEC Privilege

View IS-IS SNP packets, include CSNPs and
PSNPs.
To view specific information, enter one of the
following optional parameters:
• interface: Enter the type of interface and slot/port
information to view IS-IS information on that
interface only.

debug isis spf-triggers

EXEC Privilege

View the events that triggered IS-IS shortest path
first (SPF) events for debugging purposes.

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

debug isis update-packets [interface]

EXEC Privilege

View sent and received LSPs.
To view specific information, enter one of the
following optional parameters:
• interface: Enter the type of interface and slot/port
information to view IS-IS information on that
interface only.

FTOS displays debug messages on the console. Use the show debugging command in EXEC Privilege
mode to view which debugging commands are enabled.
Enter the keyword no followed by the debug command to disable a specific debug command. For example,
to disable debugging of IS-IS updates, enter no debug isis updates-packets.
Enter no debug isis to disable all IS-IS debugging.
Enter undebug all to disable all debugging.

IS-IS Metric Styles
The following sections provide additional information on IS-IS Metric Styles.
•
•

IS-IS Metric Styles on page 593
Configure Metric Values on page 593

FTOS supports the following IS-IS metric styles:
•
•
•
•
•

narrow (supports only type, length, and value (TLV) up to 63)
wide (supports TLV up to 16777215)
transition (supports both narrow and wide and uses a TLV up to 63)
narrow transition (accepts both narrow and wide and sends only narrow or old-style TLV)
wide transition (accepts both narrow and wide and sends only wide or new-style TLV)

Configure Metric Values
The following topics are covered in this section:
•
•
•

Maximum Values in the Routing Table on page 594
Changing the IS-IS Metric Style in One Level Only on page 594
Leaking from One Level to Another on page 596

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 593

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

For any level (Level-1, Level-2, or Level-1-2), the value range possible in the isis metric command in
INTERFACE mode changes depending on the metric style.
Table 27-4.

Correct Value Range for the isis metric Command

Metric Style

Correct Value Range for the isis metric Command

wide

0 to 16777215

narrow

0 to 63

wide transition

0 to 16777215

narrow transition

0 to 63

transition

0 to 63

Maximum Values in the Routing Table
IS-IS metric styles support different cost ranges for the route. The cost range for the narrow metric style is
0 to 1023, while all other metric styles support a range of 0 to 0xFE000000.

Changing the IS-IS Metric Style in One Level Only
By default, the IS-IS metric style is narrow. When you change from one IS-IS metric style to another, the
IS-IS metric value (configured with the isis metric command) could be affected.
In the following scenarios, the IS-type is either Level-1 or Level-2 or Level-1-2 and the metric style
changes.
Table 27-5.

594

|

Metric Value when Metric Style Changes

Beginning metric style

Final metric style

Resulting IS-IS metric value

wide

narrow

default value (10) if the original value is greater than
63.
A message is sent to the console.

wide

transition

truncated value1 (the truncated value appears in the
LSP only.)
The original isis metric value is displayed in the
show config and show running-config commands
and is used if you change back to transition metric
style.

wide

narrow transition

default value (10) if the original value is greater than
63.
A message is sent to the console.

wide

wide transition

original value

narrow

wide

original value

narrow

transition

original value

narrow

narrow transition

original value

narrow

wide transition

original value

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

Table 27-5.

Metric Value when Metric Style Changes (continued)

Beginning metric style

Final metric style

Resulting IS-IS metric value

transition

wide

original value

transition

narrow

original value

transition

narrow transition

original value

transition

wide transition

original value

narrow transition

wide

original value

narrow transition

narrow

original value

narrow transition

wide transition

original value

narrow transition

transition

original value

wide transition

wide

original value

wide transition

narrow

default value (10) if the original value is greater than
63.
A message is sent to the console.

wide transition

narrow transition

default value (10) if the original value is greater than
63.
A message is sent to the console.

wide transition

transition

truncated value (the truncated value appears in the
LSP only.)
The original isis metric value is displayed in the
show config and show running-config commands
and is used if you change back to transition metric
style.

1 a truncated value is a value that is higher than 63, but set back to 63 because the higher value is not supported.

Moving to transition and then to another metric style produces different results (Table 27-6).
Table 27-6.

Metric Value when Metric Style Changes Multiple Times

Beginning
metric style

next isis
metric style

resulting isis
metric value

Next metric style final isis metric value

wide

transition

truncated value

wide

original value is recovered

wide transition

transition

truncated value

wide transition

original value is recovered

wide

transition

truncated value

narrow

default value (10)
A message is sent to the logging buffer

wide transition

transition

truncated value

narrow transition

default value (10)
A message is sent to the logging buffer

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 595

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Leaking from One Level to Another

596

In the following scenarios, each IS-IS level is configured with a different metric style.
Table 27-7.

|

Metric Value with Different Levels Configured with Different Metric Styles

Level-1 metric style

Level-2 metric style

Resulting isis metric value

narrow

wide

original value

narrow

wide transition

original value

narrow

narrow transition

original value

narrow

transition

original value

wide

narrow

truncated value

wide

narrow transition

truncated value

wide

wide transition

original value

wide

transition

truncated value

narrow transition

wide

original value

narrow transition

narrow

original value

narrow transition

wide transition

original value

narrow transition

transition

original value

transition

wide

original value

transition

narrow

original value

transition

wide transition

original value

transition

narrow transition

original value

wide transition

wide

original value

wide transition

narrow

truncated value

wide transition

narrow transition

truncated value

wide transition

transition

truncated value

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

Sample Configuration
The following configurations are examples for enabling IPv6 IS-IS. These are not comprehensive
directions. They are intended to give you a some guidance with typical configurations.

S

Note: Only one IS-IS process can run on the router, even if both IPv4 and IPv6 routing is
being used.

You can copy and paste from these examples to your CLI. Be sure you make the necessary changes to
support your own IP Addresses, Interfaces, Names, etc.

S

Note: Whenever ISIS configuration changes are made, the IS-IS process must be cleared
(re-started) using the clear isis command. The clear isis command must include the tag for the
ISIS process. The example below shows the response from the router:
FTOS#clear isis *
% ISIS not enabled.
FTOS#clear isis 9999 *

Figure 27-10 is a sample configuration for enabling IPv6 IS-IS. Figure 27-13 illustrates the topology
created with that CLI configuration.
IPv6 IS-IS routes can be configured in one of the following three different methods:
•

•

•

Congruent Topology: Both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses must be configured on the interface. The
commands ip router isis and ipv6 router isis must be enabled on the interface. You must enable the
wide-metrics parameter in the router isis configuration mode.
Multi-topology: The IPv6 address must be configured. Configuring the IPv4 address is optional. The
command ipv6 router isis must be enabled on the interface. If IPv4 is configured, the command ip router
isis must also be enabled. In the router isis configuration mode, enable multi-topology under
address-family ipv6 unicast.
Multi-topology Transition: The IPv6 address must be configured. Configuring the IPv4 address is
optional. The command ipv6 router isis must be enabled on the interface. If IPv4 is configured, the
command ip router isis must also be enabled. In the router isis configuration mode, enable
multi-topology transition under address-family ipv6 unicast.

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 597

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 27-10.

IS-IS Sample Configuration - Congruent Topology

FTOS(conf-if-te-3/17)#show config
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet 3/17
ip address 24.3.1.1/24
ipv6 address 24:3::1/76
ip router isis
ipv6 router isis
no shutdown
FTOS (conf-if-te-3/17)#
FTOS (conf-router_isis)#show config
!
router isis
metric-style wide level-1
metric-style wide level-2
net 34.0000.0000.AAAA.00
FTOS (conf-router_isis)#

Figure 27-11.

IS-IS Sample Configuration - Multi-topology

FTOS (conf-if-te-3/17)#show config
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet 3/17
ipv6 address 24:3::1/76
ipv6 router isis
no shutdown
FTOS (conf-if-te-3/17)#
FTOS (conf-router_isis)#show config
!
router isis
net 34.0000.0000.AAAA.00
!
address-family ipv6 unicast
multi-topology
exit-address-family
FTOS (conf-router_isis)#

Figure 27-12.

IS-IS Sample Configuration - Multi-topology Transition

FTOS (conf-if-te-3/17)#show config
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet 3/17
ipv6 address 24:3::1/76
ipv6 router isis
no shutdown
FTOS (conf-if-te-3/17)#
FTOS (conf-router_isis)#show config
!
router isis
net 34.0000.0000.AAAA.00
!
address-family ipv6 unicast
multi-topology transition
exit-address-family
FTOS (conf-router_isis)#

598

|

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

Figure 27-13.

IPv6 IS-IS Sample Topography

Intermediate System to Intermediate System | 599

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
600

|

Intermediate System to Intermediate System

28
Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)
Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) is supported on platforms:

e cs

The major sections in the chapter are:
•
•
•
•
•

Introduction to Dynamic LAGs and LACP
LACP Configuration Tasks
Shared LAG State Tracking
Configure LACP as Hitless
LACP Basic Configuration Example

Introduction to Dynamic LAGs and LACP
A Link Aggregation Group (LAG), referred to as a port channel by FTOS, can provide both load-sharing
and port redundancy across line cards. LAGs can be enabled as static or dynamic. The benefits and
constraints are basically the same, as described in Port Channel Interfaces in the Interfaces chapter.
The unique benefit of a dynamic LAG is that its ports can toggle between participating in the LAG or
acting as dedicated ports, whereas ports in a static LAG must be specifically removed from the LAG in
order to act alone.
FTOS uses LACP to create dynamic LAGs. LACP provides a standardized means of exchanging
information between two systems (also called Partner Systems) and automatically establishes the LAG
between the systems. LACP permits the exchange of messages on a link to allow their LACP instances to:
•
•
•

Reach agreement on the identity of the LAG to which the link belongs.
Move the link to that LAG.
Enable the transmission and reception functions in an orderly manner.

The FTOS implementation of LACP is based on the standards specified in the IEEE 802.3: “Carrier sense
multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) access method and physical layer specifications.”
LACP functions by constantly exchanging custom MAC PDUs across LAN Ethernet links. The protocol
packets are only exchanged between ports that are configured as LACP capable.

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) | 601

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Important Points to Remember
•

•
•

•
•

•

LACP enables you to add members to a port channel (LAG) as long as it has no static members.
Conversely, if the LAG already contains a statically defined member (channel-member command),
the port-channel mode command is not permitted.
A static LAG cannot be created if a dynamic LAG using the selected number already exists.
No dual membership in static and dynamic LAGs:
• If a physical interface is a part of a static LAG, then the command port-channel-protocol lacp
will be rejected on that interface.
• If a physical interface is a part of a dynamic LAG, it cannot be added as a member of a static LAG.
The command channel-member gigabitethernet x/y will be rejected in the static LAG interface
for that physical interface.
A dynamic LAG can be created with any type of configuration.
There is a difference between the shutdown and no interface port-channel:
• The shutdown command on LAG “xyz” disables the LAG and retains the user commands.
However, the system does not allow the channel number “xyz” to be statically created.
• The command no interface port-channel channel-number deletes the specified LAG, including a
dynamically created LAG. This command causes all LACP-specific commands on the member
interfaces to be removed. The interfaces are restored to a state that is ready to be configured.
Note: There will be no configuration on the interface since that condition is required for an
interface to be part of a LAG.
Link dampening can be configured on individual members of a LAG. See Link Debounce Timer for
more information.

LACP modes
FTOS provides the following three modes for configuration of LACP:
•
•

•

Off—In this state, an interface is not capable of being part of a dynamic LAG. LACP does not run on
any port that is configured to be in this state.
Active—In this state, the interface is said to be in the “active negotiating state.” LACP runs on any
link that is configured to be in this state. A port in Active state also automatically initiates negotiations
with other ports by initiating LACP packets.
Passive—In this state, the interface is not in an active negotiating state, but LACP will run on the link.
A port in Passive state also responds to negotiation requests (from ports in Active state). Ports in
Passive state respond to LACP packets.

FTOS supports LAGs in the following cases:
•
•

A port in Active state can set up a port channel (LAG) with another port in Active state.
A port in Active state can set up a LAG with another port in Passive state.

A port in Passive state cannot set up a LAG with another port in Passive state.

602

|

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

LACP Configuration Commands
If aggregated ports are configured with compatible LACP modes (Off, Active, Passive), LACP can
automatically link them, as defined in IEEE 802.3, Section 43. The following commands configure LACP:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

[no] lacp system-priority
priority-value

CONFIGURATION

Configure the system priority.
Range: 1– 65535
(the higher the number, the lower the priority)
Default: 32768

[no] port-channel-protocol lacp

INTERFACE

Enable or disable LACP on any LAN port:
• Default is “LACP disabled”
• This command creates a new context.

[no] port-channel number mode
[active | passive | off]

LACP

Configure LACP mode.
• Default is “LACP active”
• number cannot statically contain any links

[no] lacp port-priority priority-value

LACP

Configure port priority.
• Ranges: 1 – 65535
(the higher the number, the lower the priority)
• Default: 32768

LACP Configuration Tasks
The tasks covered in this section are:
•
•
•
•
•

Create a LAG
Configure the LAG interfaces as dynamic
Set the LACP long timeout
Monitor and Debugging LACP
Configure Shared LAG State Tracking

Create a LAG
To create a dynamic port channel (LAG), define the LAG and then the LAG interfaces. Use the interface
port-channel and switchport commands, as shown in the following example, which uses the example of
LAG 32:
FTOS(conf)#interface port-channel 32
FTOS(conf-if-po-32)#no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-po-32)#switchport

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) | 603

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

The LAG is in the default VLAN. To place the LAG into a non-default VLAN, use the tagged command
on the LAG as shown in the example below:
FTOS(conf)#interface vlan 10
FTOS(conf-if-vl-10)#tagged port-channel 32

Configure the LAG interfaces as dynamic
After creating a LAG, configure the dynamic LAG interfaces. The following example shows ports 3/15, 3/
16, 4/15, and 4/16 added to LAG 32 in LACP mode with the command port-channel-protocol lacp.
FTOS(conf)#interface Gigabitethernet 3/15
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/15)#no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/15)#port-channel-protocol lacp
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/15-lacp)#port-channel 32 mode active
...
FTOS(conf)#interface Gigabitethernet 3/16
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/16)#no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/16)#port-channel-protocol lacp
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/16-lacp)#port-channel 32 mode active
...
FTOS(conf)#interface Gigabitethernet 4/15
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/15)#no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/15)#port-channel-protocol lacp
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/15-lacp)#port-channel 32 mode active
...
FTOS(conf)#interface Gigabitethernet 4/16
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/16)#no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/16)#port-channel-protocol lacp
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/16-lacp)#port-channel 32 mode active

The port-channel 32 mode active command shown above may be successfully issued as long as there is
no existing static channel-member configuration in LAG 32.

Set the LACP long timeout
PDUs are exchanged between port channel (LAG) interfaces to maintain LACP sessions. PDUs are
transmitted at either a slow or fast transmission rate, depending upon the LACP timeout value. The timeout
value is the amount of time that a LAG interface waits for a PDU from the remote system before bringing
the LACP session down. The default timeout value is 1 second; it can be configured to be 30 seconds.
Invoking the longer timeout might prevent the LAG from flapping if the remote system is up but
temporarily unable to transmit PDUs due to a system interruption.
Note: The 30-second timeout is available for dynamic LAG interfaces only. The lacp long-timeout

command can be entered for static LAGs, but it has no effect.

604

|

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

To configure the LACP long timeout as shown in the example below:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Set the LACP timeout value to 30 seconds.

lacp long-timeout

CONFIG-INT-PO

FTOS(conf)# interface port-channel 32
FTOS(conf-if-po-32)#no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-po-32)#switchport
FTOS(conf-if-po-32)#lacp long-timeout
FTOS(conf-if-po-32)#end
FTOS# show lacp 32
Port-channel 32 admin up, oper up, mode lacp
Actor System ID: Priority 32768, Address 0001.e800.a12b
Partner System ID: Priority 32768, Address 0001.e801.45a5
Actor Admin Key 1, Oper Key 1, Partner Oper Key 1
LACP LAG 1 is an aggregatable link
A - Active LACP, B - Passive LACP, C - Short Timeout, D - Long Timeout
E - Aggregatable Link, F - Individual Link, G - IN_SYNC, H - OUT_OF_SYNC
I - Collection enabled, J - Collection disabled, K - Distribution enabled L Distribution disabled,
M - Partner Defaulted, N - Partner Non-defaulted, O - Receiver is in expired
state,
P - Receiver is not in expired state
Port Gi 10/6 is enabled, LACP is enabled and mode is lacp
Actor Admin: State ADEHJLMP Key 1 Priority 128

Note: View PDU exchanges and the timeout value using the command debug lacp. See Monitor and
Debugging LACP.

Monitor and Debugging LACP
The system log (syslog) records faulty LACP actions.
To debug LACP, use the following command:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

[no] debug lacp [config | events |
pdu [in | out | [interface [in | out]]]]

EXEC

Debug LACP, including configuration and events.

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) | 605

Shared LAG State Tracking provides the flexibility to bring down a port channel (LAG) based on the
operational state of another LAG. At any time, only two LAGs can be a part of a group such that the fate
(status) of one LAG depends on the other LAG.
In the following illustration, line-rate traffic from R1 destined for R4 follows the lowest-cost route via R2,
as shown. Traffic is equally distributed between LAGs 1 and 2. If LAG 1 fails, all traffic from R1 to R4
flows across LAG 2 only. This condition over-subscribes the link, and packets are dropped.

R4
Po 1 failure

Po

2

Po

1

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Shared LAG State Tracking

R1

Po 2 over-subscribed

R2

R3
fnC0049mp

To avoid packet loss, traffic must be re-directed through the next lowest-cost link (R3 to R4). FTOS has the
ability to bring LAG 2 down in the event that LAG 1 fails, so that traffic can be re-directed, as described.
This is what is meant by Shared LAG State Tracking. To achieve this functionality, you must group LAG 1
and LAG 2 into a single entity, called a failover group.

Configure Shared LAG State Tracking
To configure Shared LAG State Tracking, you configure a failover group :
Note: If a LAG interface is part of a redundant pair, it cannot be used as a member of a failover group
created for Shared LAG State Tracking.

Step

Task

Command

Command Mode

1

Enter port-channel failover group mode.

port-channel
failover-group

CONFIGURATION

2

Create a failover group and specify the
two port-channels that will be members
of the group.

group number port-channel
number port-channel
number

CONFIG-PO-FAILOVER-GRP

In the following example, LAGs 1 and 2 have been placed into to the same failover group.

606

|

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

R2#config
R2(conf)#port-channel failover-group
R2(conf-po-failover-grp)#group 1 port-channel 1 port-channel 2

View the failover group configuration using the show running-configuration po-failover-group
command, as shown in the example below.
R2#show running-config po-failover-group
!
port-channel failover-group
group 1 port-channel 1 port-channel 2

In the following illustration, LAGs 1 and 2 are members of a failover group. LAG 1 fails and LAG 2 is
brought down upon the failure. This effect is logged by Message 1, in which a console message declares
both LAGs down at the same time.
R2(conf)# port-channel failover-group
R2(conf-po-failover-grp)# group 1 port-channel 1 port-channel 2

Po

2

Po

1

R4

R1

R2

R3
fnC0049mp

Message 1 Shared LAG State Tracking Console Message
2d1h45m: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface state to down: Po 1
2d1h45m: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface state to down: Po 2

View the status of a failover group member using the command show interface port-channel, as shown
in the following example.
R2#show interface Port-channel 2
Port-channel 2 is up, line protocol is down (Failover-group 1 is down)
Hardware address is 00:01:e8:05:e8:4c, Current address is 00:01:e8:05:e8:4c
Interface index is 1107755010
Minimum number of links to bring Port-channel up is 1
Port-channel is part of failover-group 1
Internet address is not set
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
LineSpeed 1000 Mbit
Members in this channel: Gi 1/17(U)
ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00
Last clearing of "show interface" counters 00:01:28
Queueing strategy: fifo

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) | 607

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Note: The set of console messages shown in Message 1 appear only if Shared LAG State Tracking is
configured on that router (the feature can be configured on one or both sides of a link). For example, in
previous illustration, if Shared LAG State Tracking is configured on R2 only, then no messages appear on
R4 regarding the state of LAGs in a failover group.

Important Points about Shared LAG State Tracking
•
•
•
•
•

This feature is available for static and dynamic LAGs.
Only a LAG can be a member of a failover group.
Shared LAG State Tracking can be configured on one side of a link or on both sides.
If a LAG that is part of a failover group is deleted, the failover group is deleted.
If a LAG moves to the down state due to this feature, its members may still be in the up state.

Configure LACP as Hitless
Configure LACP as Hitless is supported only on platforms:

ce

LACP on Dell Force10 systems can be configured to be hitless. When configured as hitless, there is no
noticeable impact on dynamic LAG state upon an RPM failover. Critical LACP state information is
synchronized between the two RPMs. Dynamic LAG interfaces in a redundant pair can be in a hitless
LACP configuration.
Configure LACP to be hitless using the command redundancy protocol lacp from CONFIGURATION
mode, as shown in the following example.
FTOS(conf)#redundancy protocol lacp
FTOS#show running-config redundancy
!
redundancy protocol lacp
FTOS#
FTOS#show running-config interface gigabitethernet 0/12
!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/12
no ip address
!
port-channel-protocol LACP
port-channel 200 mode active
no shutdown

LACP Basic Configuration Example
The screenshots in this section are based on the example topology shown in the following illustration. Two
routers are named ALPHA and BRAVO, and their hostname prompts reflect those names.

608

|

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

The sections are:
•
•
•

Configuring a LAG on ALPHA
Summary of the configuration on ALPHA
Summary of the configuration on BRAVO

Port Channel 10
ALPHA

BRAVO
Gig 3/21

Gig 2/31
Gig 2/32

Gig 3/22

Gig 2/33

Gig 3/23

Configuring a LAG on ALPHA
Creating a LAG on ALPHA.
Alpha(conf)#interface port-channel 10
Alpha(conf-if-po-10)#no ip address
Alpha(conf-if-po-10)#switchport
Alpha(conf-if-po-10)#no shutdown
Alpha(conf-if-po-10)#show config
!
interface Port-channel 10
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
Alpha(conf-if-po-10)#

Inspecting a LAG port configuration on ALPHA.
Alpha#sh int gig 2/31
GigabitEthernet 2/31 is up, line protocol is up
Port is part of Port-channel 10
Hardware is Force10Eth, address is 00:01:e8:06:95:c0
Current address is 00:01:e8:06:95:c0

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) | 609

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Interface Index is 109101113
Port will not be disabled on partial SFM failure
Internet address is not set
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
LineSpeed 1000 Mbit, Mode full duplex, Slave
Flowcontrol rx on tx on
ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00
Last clearing of "show interface" counters 00:02:11
Queueing strategy: fifo
Input statistics:
132 packets, 163668 bytes
0 Vlans
0 64-byte pkts, 12 over 64-byte pkts, 120 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
132 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts
0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
0 CRC, 0 overrun, 0 discarded
Output Statistics
136 packets, 16718 bytes, 0 underruns
0 64-byte pkts, 15 over 64-byte pkts, 121 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
136 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts, 0 Unicasts
0 Vlans, 0 throttles, 0 discarded, 0 collisions, 0 wreddrops
Rate info (interval 299 seconds):
Input 00.00 Mbits/sec,0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
Output 00.00 Mbits/sec,0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
Time since last interface status change: 00:02:14

610

|

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

Shows the status of this physical nterface,
and shows it is part of port channel 10.
Alpha#sh int gig 2/31
GigabitEthernet 2/31 is up, line protocol is up
Port is part of Port-channel 10
Hardware is Force10Eth, address is 00:01:e8:06:95:c0
Current address is 00:01:e8:06:95:c0
Interface index is 109101113
Port will not be disabled on partial SFM failure
Internet address is not set
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
Shows the speed of this physical interface.
LineSpeed 1000 Mbit, Mode full duplex, Slave
Also shows it is the slave of the GigE link.
Flowcontrol rx on tx on
ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00
Last clearing of "show interface" counters 00:02:11
Queueing strategy: fifo
Input Statistics:
132 packets, 16368 bytes
0 Vlans
0 64-byte pkts, 12 over 64-byte pkts, 120 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
132 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts
0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
0 CRC, 0 overrun, 0 discarded
Output Statistics:
136 packets, 16718 bytes, 0 underruns
0 64-byte pkts, 15 over 64-byte pkts, 121 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
136 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts, 0 Unicasts
0 Vlans, 0 throttles, 0 discarded, 0 collisions, 0 wreddrops
Rate info (interval 299 seconds):
Input 00.00 Mbits/sec,
0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
Output 00.00 Mbits/sec,
0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
Time since last interface status change: 00:02:14

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) | 611

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Inspecting configuration of LAG 10 on ALPHA.

612

Indicates the MAC address assigned to the
LAG. This does NOT match any of the
physical interface MAC addresses.

Alpha#show int port-channel 10
Port-channel 10 is up, line protocol is up
Created by LACP protocol
Hardware address is 00:01:e8:06:96:63, Current address is 00:01:e8:06:96:63
Interface index is 1107755018
Confirms the number of links to bring up
Minimum number of links to bring Port-channel up is 1
the LAG and that this is a switch
Internet address is not set
port instead of a router port.
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
LineSpeed 3000 Mbit
Members in this channel: Gi 2/31(U) Gi 2/32(U) Gi 2/33(U)
ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00
Last clearing of "show interface" counters 00:04:09
Confirms the total bandwidth for this
Queueing strategy: fifo
LAG and which interfaces are active.
Input Statistics:
621 packets, 78732 bytes
0 Vlans
0 64-byte pkts, 18 over 64-byte pkts, 603 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
621 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts
0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
0 CRC, 0 overrun, 0 discarded
Output Statistics:
630 packets, 79284 bytes, 0 underruns
0 64-byte pkts, 30 over 64-byte pkts, 600 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
630 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts, 0 Unicasts
0 Vlans, 0 throttles, 0 discarded, 0 collisions, 0 wreddrops
Rate info (interval 299 seconds):
Input 00.00 Mbits/sec,
2 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
Output 00.00 Mbits/sec,
2 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
Time since last interface status change: 00:03:38

|

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

Using the show lacp command to verify LAG 10 status on ALPHA.
Alpha#sho lacp 10
Port-channel 10 admin up, oper up, mode lacp
Actor System ID: Priority 32768, Address 0001.e806.953e
Partner System ID: Priority 32768, Address 0001.e809.c24a
Actor Admin Key 10, Oper Key 10, Partner Oper Key 10
LACP LAG 10 is an aggregatable link

Shows LAG status

A - Active LACP, B - Passive LACP, C - Short Timeout, D - Long Timeout
E - Aggregatable Link, F - Individual Link, G - IN_SYNC, H - OUT_OF_SYNC
I - Collection enabled, J - Collection disabled, K - Distribution enabled
L - Distribution disabled, M - Partner Defaulted, N - Partner Non-defaulted,
O - Receiver is in expired state, P - Receiver is not in expired state
Port Gi 2/31 is enabled, LACP is enabled and mode is lacp
Actor Admin: State ACEHJLMP Key 10 Priority 32768
Oper: State ACEGIKNP Key 10 Priority 32768
Partner Admin: State BDFHJLMP Key 0 Priority 0
Oper: State ACEGIKNP Key 10 Priority 32768
Port Gi 2/32 is enabled, LACP is enabled and mode is lacp
Actor Admin: State ACEHJLMP Key 10 Priority 32768
Oper: State ACEGIKNP Key 10 Priority 32768
Partner Admin: State BDFHJLMP Key 0 Priority 0
Oper: State ACEGIKNP Key 10 Priority 32768

Interfaces participating in the LAG
are included here.

Port Gi 2/33 is enabled, LACP is enabled and mode is lacp
Actor Admin: State ACEHJLMP Key 10 Priority 32768
Oper: State ACEGIKNP Key 10 Priority 32768
Partner Admin: State BDFHJLMP Key 0 Priority 0
Oper: State ACEGIKNP Key 10 Priority 32768
Alpha#

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) | 613

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Summary of the configuration on ALPHA
Summary of the configuration on ALPHA.
Alpha(conf-if-po-10)#int gig 2/31
Alpha(conf-if-gi-2/31)#no ip address
Alpha(conf-if-gi-2/31)#no switchport
Alpha(conf-if-gi-2/31)#shutdown
Alpha(conf-if-gi-2/31)#port-channel-protocol lacp
Alpha(conf-if-gi-2/31-lacp)#port-channel 10 mode active
Alpha(conf-if-gi-2/31-lacp)#no shut
Alpha(conf-if-gi-2/31)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/31
no ip address
!
port-channel-protocol LACP
port-channel 10 mode active
no shutdown
!
Alpha(conf-if-gi-2/31)#
interface Port-channel 10
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
interface GigabitEthernet 2/31
no ip address
no switchport
switchport
port-channel-protocol LACP
port-channel 10 mode active
no shutdown

614

|

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

Summary of the configuration on BRAVO
Summary of the configuration on BRAVO.
Bravo(conf-if-gi-3/21)#int port-channel 10
Bravo(conf-if-po-10)#no ip add
Bravo(conf-if-po-10)#switch
Bravo(conf-if-po-10)#no shut
Bravo(conf-if-po-10)#show config
!
interface Port-channel 10
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
Bravo(conf-if-po-10)#exit
Bravo(conf)#int gig 3/21
Bravo(conf)#no ip address
Bravo(conf)#no switchport
Bravo(conf)#shutdown
Bravo(conf-if-gi-3/21)#port-channel-protocol lacp
Bravo(conf-if-gi-3/21-lacp)#port-channel 10 mode active
Bravo(conf-if-gi-3/21-lacp)#no shut
Bravo(conf-if-gi-3/21)#end
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/21
no ip address
!
port-channel-protocol LACP
port-channel 10 mode active
no shutdown
Bravo(conf-if-gi-3/21)#end
int port-channel 10
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
show config
int gig 3/21
no ip address
no switchport
shutdown
port-channel-protocol lacp
port-channel 10 mode active
no shut
show config
end

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) | 615

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Using the show INTERFACE command to inspect a LAG port on BRAVO.

616

Shows the status of this nterface.
Also shows it is part of LAG 10.
Bravo#show int gig 3/21
GigabitEthernet 3/21 is up, line protocol is up
Port is part of Port-channel 10
Hardware is Force10Eth, address is 00:01:e8:09:c3:82
Current address is 00:01:e8:09:c3:82
Shows that this is a Layer 2 port.
Interface index is 140034106
Internet address is not set
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
LineSpeed 1000 Mbit, Mode full duplex, Master
Shows the speed of this physical interface.
Flowcontrol rx on tx on
Also shows it is the Master of the GigE link.
ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00
Last clearing of "show interface" counters 00:15:05
Queueing strategy: fifo
Input Statistics:
708 packets, 89934 bytes
0 Vlans
0 64-byte pkts, 15 over 64-byte pkts, 693 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
708 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts
0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
0 CRC, 0 overrun, 0 discarded
Output Statistics:
705 packets, 89712 bytes, 0 underruns
0 64-byte pkts, 12 over 64-byte pkts, 693 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
705 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts, 0 Unicasts
0 Vlans, 0 throttles, 0 discarded, 0 collisions, 0 wreddrops
Rate info (interval 299 seconds):
Input 00.00 Mbits/sec,
0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
Output 00.00 Mbits/sec,
0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
Time since last interface status change: 00:12:39

|

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

Using the show interfaces port-channel command to inspect LAG 10.
Indicates the MAC address assigned to the LAG.
This does NOT match any of the
physical interface MAC addresses.

FTOS#sh int port 10
Port-channel 10 is up, line protocol is up
Created by LACP protocol
Hardware address is 00:01:e8:09:c4:ef, Current address is 00:01:e8:09:c4:ef
Interface index is 1107755018
Confirms the number of links to bring up
Minimum number of links to bring Port-channel up is 1
the LAG and that this is a switch
Internet address is not set
port instead of a router port.
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
LineSpeed 3000 Mbit
Confirms the total bandwidth for this
Members in this channel: Gi 3/21(U) Gi 3/22(U) Gi 3/23(U)
LAG and which interfaces are active.
ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00
Last clearing of "show interface" counters 00:13:07
Queueing strategy: fifo
Input Statistics:
2189 packets, 278744 bytes
0 Vlans
0 64-byte pkts, 32 over 64-byte pkts, 2157 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
2189 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts
0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
0 CRC, 0 overrun, 0 discarded
Output Statistics:
2173 packets, 277350 bytes, 0 underruns
0 64-byte pkts, 19 over 64-byte pkts, 2154 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
2173 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts, 0 Unicasts
0 Vlans, 0 throttles, 0 discarded, 0 collisions, 0 wreddrops
Rate info (interval 299 seconds):
Input 00.00 Mbits/sec,
2 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
Output 00.00 Mbits/sec,
2 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
Time since last interface status change: 00:13:00

FTOS#

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) | 617

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Using the show lacp command to inspect LAG status.
FTOS#show lacp 10
Port-channel 10 admin up, oper up, mode lacp
Actor System ID: Priority 32768, Address 0001.e809.c24a
Partner System ID: Priority 32768, Address 0001.e806.953e
Actor Admin Key 10, Oper Key 10, Partner Oper Key 10
LACP LAG 10 is an aggregatable link

Shows LAG status

A - Active LACP, B - Passive LACP, C - Short Timeout, D - Long Timeout
E - Aggregatable Link, F - Individual Link, G - IN_SYNC, H - OUT_OF_SYNC
I - Collection enabled, J - Collection disabled, K - Distribution enabled
L - Distribution disabled, M - Partner Defaulted, N - Partner Non-defaulted,
O - Receiver is in expired state, P - Receiver is not in expired state
Port Gi 3/21 is enabled, LACP is enabled and mode is lacp
Actor Admin: State ACEHJLMP Key 10 Priority 32768
Oper: State ACEGIKNP Key 10 Priority 32768
Partner Admin: State BDFHJLMP Key 0 Priority 0
Oper: State ACEGIKNP Key 10 Priority 32768
Port Gi 3/22 is enabled, LACP is enabled and mode is lacp
Actor Admin: State ACEHJLMP Key 10 Priority 32768
Oper: State ACEGIKNP Key 10 Priority 32768
Partner Admin: State BDFHJLMP Key 0 Priority 0
Oper: State ACEGIKNP Key 10 Priority 32768

Interfaces participating in the LAG
are included here.

Port Gi 3/23 is enabled, LACP is enabled and mode is lacp
Actor Admin: State ACEHJLMP Key 10 Priority 32768
Oper: State ACEGIKNP Key 10 Priority 32768
Partner Admin: State BDFHJLMP Key 0 Priority 0
Oper: State ACEGIKNP Key 10 Priority 32768
FTOS#

PPP is a connection-oriented protocol that enables layer two links over a variety of different physical layer
connections. It is supported on both synchronous and asynchronous lines, and can operate in half-duplex or
full-duplex mode. It was designed to carry IP traffic but is general enough to allow any type of network
layer datagram to be sent over a PPP connection. As its name implies, it is for point-to-point connections
between exactly two devices, and assumes that frames are sent and received in the same order.

618

|

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

29
Layer 2
Layer 2 features are supported on platforms:

ecsz

This chapter describes the following Layer 2 features:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Managing the MAC Address Table
MAC Learning Limit
NIC Teaming
Microsoft Clustering
Configuring Redundant Pairs
Restricting Layer 2 Flooding
Far-end Failure Detection

Managing the MAC Address Table
FTOS provides the following management activities for the MAC address table:
•
•
•
•

Clear the MAC Address Table
Set the Aging Time for Dynamic Entries
Configure a Static MAC Address
Display the MAC Address Table

Clear the MAC Address Table
You may clear the MAC address table of dynamic entries:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Clear a MAC address table of dynamic entries.
• address deletes the specified entry
• all deletes all dynamic entries
• interface deletes all entries for the specified
interface
• vlan deletes all entries for the specified VLAN

clear mac-address-table {dynamic |
sticky} {address | all | interface | vlan}

EXEC Privilege

Layer 2 | 619

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Set the Aging Time for Dynamic Entries
Learned MAC addresses are entered in the table as dynamic entries, which means that they are subject to
aging. For any dynamic entry, if no packet arrives on the switch with the MAC address as the source or
destination address within the timer period, the address is removed from the table. The default aging time
is 1800 seconds.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable MAC address aging for all dynamic
entries.

mac-address-table aging-time 0

CONFIGURATION

Specify an aging time.

mac-address-table aging-time seconds

CONFIGURATION

Range: 10-1000000

Set the Aging Time for Dynamic Entries on a VLAN
Set the Aging Time for Dynamic Entries on a VLAN is available only on platform:

e

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Specify an aging time.

mac-address-table aging-time seconds

INTERFACE VLAN

Range: 1-1000000

FTOS Behavior: The time elapsed before the configured MAC aging time expires is not precisely as configured.
For example, the VLAN configuration mac-address-table aging-time 1 does not remove dynamic entries from the
CAM after precisely 1 second. The actual minimum aging time for entries is approximately 5 seconds because this
is the default MAC address table scanning interval. Therefore, MAC aging configurations of less than 5 seconds,
as in this example, might be ineffective. Configuring mac-address-table station-move time-interval 500 solves this
limitation. Reducing the scanning interval to the minimum, 500 milliseconds, increases the detection speed, which
results in FTOS clearing entries closer to the actual desired aging time.

Configure a Static MAC Address
A static entry is one that is not subject to aging. Static entries must be entered manually:

620

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Create a static MAC address entry in the MAC address table.

mac-address-table static

CONFIGURATION

Layer 2

Display the MAC Address Table
To display the contents of the MAC address table:
Task

Command Syntax

CommandMode

Display the contents of the MAC address table.
• address displays the specified entry.
• aging-time displays the configured aging-time.
• count displays the number of dynamic and static entries
for all VLANs, and the total number of entries.
• dynamic displays only dynamic entries
• interface displays only entries for the specified
interface.
• static displays only static entries.
• vlan displays only entries for the specified VLAN.

show mac-address-table [address |
aging-time [vlan vlan-id]| count |
dynamic | interface | static | vlan]

EXEC Privilege

MAC Learning Limit
This section has the following sub-sections:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

mac learning-limit dynamic
mac learning-limit mac-address-sticky
mac learning-limit station-move
Learning Limit Violation Actions
Station Move Violation Actions
Recovering from Learning Limit and Station Move Violations
Per-VLAN MAC Learning Limit

Layer 2 | 621

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

MAC Address Learning Limit is a method of port security on Layer 2 port-channel and physical interfaces,
and VLANs. It enables you to set an upper limit on the number of MAC addresses that learned on an
interface/VLAN. After the limit is reached, the system drops all traffic from a device with an unlearned
MAC address.
FTOS Behavior: When configuring MAC Learning Limit on a port or VLAN the configuration is accepted (becomes
part of running-config and show mac learning-limit interface) before the system verifies that sufficient CAM space
exists. If the CAM check fails, a message is displayed:
%E90MH:5 %ACL_AGENT-2-ACL_AGENT_LIST_ERROR: Unable to apply access-list Mac-Limit on
GigabitEthernet 5/84
In this case, the configuration is still present in the running-config and show output. Remove the configuration before

re-applying a MAC learning limit with lower value. Also, ensure that Syslog messages can be viewed on your session.
Note: The CAM-check failure message beginning in FTOS version 8.3.1.0 is different from versions 8.2.1.1 and
earlier, which read:
% Error: ACL returned error
% Error: Remove existing limit configuration if it was configured before

To set a MAC learning limit on an interface:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Specify the number of MAC addresses that the system can
learn off a Layer 2 interface.

mac learning-limit address_limit

INTERFACE

Three options are available with the mac learning-limit command: dynamic, no-station-move, and
station-move.
Note: An SNMP trap is available for mac learning-limit station-move. No other SNMP traps are available
for MAC Learning Limit, including limit violations.

mac learning-limit dynamic
The MAC address table is stored on the Layer 2 FIB region of the CAM (and the Layer 2 ACL region on
the E-Series). On the C-Series and S-Series the Layer 2 FIB region allocates space for static MAC address
entries and dynamic MAC address entries (all MAC address entries on the E-Series are dynamic). When
MAC Learning Limit is enabled, entries created on this port are static by default. When you configure the
dynamic option, learned MAC addresses are stored in the dynamic region and are subject to aging. Entries
created before this option is set are not affected.
FTOS Behavior: If you do not configure the dynamic option, the C-Series and S-Series do not detect station
moves in which a MAC address learned off of a MAC-limited port is learned on another port on same line card.
Therefore, FTOS does not take any configured station-move violation action. When a MAC address is relearned on
any other linecard (any line card except the one to which the original MAC-limited port belongs), the station-move
is detected, and the system takes the configured the violation action.

622

|

Layer 2

mac learning-limit mac-address-sticky
Using sticky MAC addresses allows you to associate a specific port with MAC addresses from trusted
devices. If sticky MAC is enabled, the specified port will retain any dynamically-learned addresses and
prevent them from being transferred or learned on other ports.
If mac-learning-limit is configured and sticky MAC is enabled, all dynamically-learned addresses are
converted to sticky MAC addresses for the selected port. Any new MAC addresses learned on this port will
be converted to sticky MAC addresses.
To save all sticky MAC addresses into a configuration file that can be used as a startup configuration file,
use the write config command. If the number of existing MAC addresses is fewer than the configured mac
learn limit, any additional MAC addresses will be converted to sticky MACs on that interface. To remove
all sticky MAC addresses from the running config file, disable sticky MAC and use the write config
command.
When sticky mac is enabled on an interface, dynamically-learned MAC addresses will not age, even if
mac-learning-limit dynamic is enabled. If mac-learning-limit and mac-learning-limit dynamic are configured
and sticky MAC is disabled, any dynamically-learned MAC addresses will age.

mac learning-limit station-move
mac learning-limit station-move

is available only on platforms:

csz

The station-move option, allows a MAC address already in the table to be learned off of another interface.
For example, if you disconnect a network device from one interface and reconnect it to another interface,
the MAC address is learned on the new interface. When the system detects this “station move,” the system
clears the entry learned on the original interface and installs a new entry on the new interface.

Learning Limit Violation Actions
Learning Limit Violation Actions are supported only on platforms: e

.

You can configure the system to take an action when the MAC learning limit is reached on an interface and
a new address is received using one of the following options with the mac learning-limit command:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Generate a system log message when the MAC learning
limit is exceeded.

learn-limit-violation log

INTERFACE

Shut down the interface and generate a system log
message when the MAC learning limit is exceeded.

learn-limit-violation shutdown

INTERFACE

Layer 2 | 623

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Station Move Violation Actions
Station Move Violation Actions are supported only on platforms: S-Series (S25/S50)
is the default behavior. You can configure the system to take an action if a station move
occurs using one the following options with the mac learning-limit command:.

no-station-move

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Generate a system log message
indicating a station move.

station-move-violation log

INTERFACE

Shut down the first port to learn the
MAC address.

station-move-violation shutdown-original

INTERFACE

Shut down the second port to learn the
MAC address.

station-move-violation shutdown-offending

INTERFACE

Shut down both the first and second port
to learn the MAC address.

station-move-violation shutdown-both

INTERFACE

To display a list of interfaces configured with MAC learning limit or station move violation actions:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Display a list of all of the interfaces
configured with MAC learning limit or
station move violation.

show mac learning-limit violate-action

CONFIGURATION

Recovering from Learning Limit and Station Move Violations
After a learning-limit or station-move violation shuts down an interface, you must manually reset it:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Reset interfaces in ERR_Disabled state caused
by a learning limit violation or station move
violation.

mac learning-limit reset

EXEC Privilege

Reset interfaces in ERR_Disabled state caused
by a learning limit violation.

mac learning-limit reset learn-limit-violation
[interface | all]

EXEC Privilege

Reset interfaces in ERR_Disabled state caused
by a station move violation.

mac learning-limit reset
station-move-violation [interface | all]

EXEC Privilege

Note: Alternatively, you can reset the interface by shutting it down using the shutdown command and then
reenabling it using the command no shutdown.

624

|

Layer 2

Per-VLAN MAC Learning Limit
Per-VLAN MAC Learning Limit is available only on platform:

e

An individual MAC learning limit can be configured for each VLAN using Per-VLAN MAC Learning
Limit.
One application of Per-VLAN MAC Learning Limit is on access ports. In the following illustration, an
Internet Exchange Point (IXP) connects multiple Internet Service Provider (ISP). An IXP can provide
several types of services to its customers including public and private peering. Public peering means that
all customers are connected to one VLAN. If one ISP wants to peer with another ISP, it establishes a BGP
peering session over this VLAN. Private Peering means that the IXP sets up a separate VLAN between two
customers that want to peer privately; only the ports of these two ISPs would belong to this VLAN and
they would peer via BGP. In the following illustration, Per-VLAN MAC Learning Limit is used on the
access ports for the ISPs that have subscribed to private and public peering since these access ports are
members of multiple VLANs.
Internet Exchange Point

802.1QTagged

interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
...
mac learning-limit 1 vlan 10
mac learning-limit 1 vlan 20

ISP A
ISP B
ISP C

ISP A, B, and C are all public peers through VLAN 10.
In addition, ISP A and C are private peers on a separate
VLAN, VLAN 20. Since the access ports for ISP A
and C are members of multiple VLANs, Per-VLAN MAC
Learning Limit can be applied to those ports.

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure a MAC learning limit on a
VLAN.

mac learning-limit limit vlan vlan-id

INTERFACE

Display the MAC learning limit
counters for a VLAN.

show mac learning-limit [interface slot/port [vlan
vlan-id]]

EXEC Privilege

Layer 2 | 625

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

FTOS#show mac learning-limit
Interface
Vlan
Learning
Dynamic
Static
Slot/port
Id
Limit
MAC count
MAC count
Gi 5/84
2
2
0
Gi 5/84
*
5
0
Gi 5/85
3
3
0
Gi 5/85
*
10
0
FTOS#show mac learning-limit interface gig 5/84
Interface
Vlan
Learning
Dynamic
Static
Slot/port
Id
Limit
MAC count
MAC count
Gi 5/84
2
2
0
Gi 5/84
*
5
0
FTOS#show mac learning-limit interface gig 5/84 vlan 2
Interface
Vlan
Learning
Dynamic
Static
Slot/port
Id
Limit
MAC count
MAC count
Gi 5/84
2
2
0

Unknown SA
Drops
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
Unknown SA
Drops
0
0

0
0
Unknown SA
Drops

0

0

NIC Teaming
NIC Teaming is available on the following platforms:

ces

NIC teaming is a feature that allows multiple network interface cards in a server to be represented by one
MAC address and one IP address in order to provide transparent redundancy, balancing, and to fully utilize
network adapter resources.
The following illustration shows a topology where two NICs have been teamed together. In this case, if the
primary NIC fails, traffic switches to the secondary NIC since they are represented by the same set of
addresses.
Figure 29-1.

Redundant NICs with NIC Teaming

X

Port 0/1

MAC: A:B:C:D:E:F
D
D:E:F
IP: 1.1.1.1
k
Active Lin
Port 0/5

fnC0025mp

When NIC teaming is employed, consider that the server MAC address is originally learned on Port 0/1 of
the switch (Figure 29-2) and Port 0/5 is the failover port. When the NIC fails, the system automatically
sends an ARP request for the gateway or host NIC to resolve the ARP and refresh the egress interface.
When the ARP is resolved, the same MAC address is learned on the same port where the ARP is resolved

626

|

Layer 2

(in the above example, this is Port 0/5 of the switch). To ensure the MAC address is disassociated with one
port and re-associated with another port in the ARP table, you must configure the command
mac-address-table station-move refresh-arp on the Dell Force10 switch at the time that NIC teaming is
being configured on the server.
Note: If this command is not configured, traffic continues to be forwarded to the failed NIC until the ARP
entry on the switch times out.

Figure 29-2.

Configuring mac-address-table station-move refresh-arp Command

X
MAC: A:B:C:D:E:F
D
D:E:F
IP: 1.1.1.1

Port 0/1
Move MAC
address

k
Active Lin
Port 0/5
fnC0026mp

mac-address-table station-move refresh-arp
configured at time of NIC teaming

MAC Move Optimization
MAC Move Optimization is supported only on platform:

e

Station-move detection takes 5000ms because this is the interval at which the detection algorithm runs. On
the E-Series, you can reduce detection time to as little as 500ms using the command mac-address-table
station-move threshold time-interval (though at the expense of CPU resources).
is the number of times a station move must be detected in a single interval in order to trigger a
system log message. For example, if you configure mac-address-table station-move threshold 2 time-interval
5000, and 4 station moves occur in 5000ms, then two log messages are generated.
threshold

Microsoft Clustering
Microsoft Clustering is supported only on platform:

e

Microsoft Clustering allows multiple servers using Microsoft Windows to be represented by one MAC
address and IP address in order to provide transparent failover or balancing. FTOS does not recognize
server clusters by default; it must be configured to do so.

Layer 2 | 627

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Default Behavior
When an ARP request is sent to a server cluster, either the active server or all of the servers send a reply,
depending on the cluster configuration. If the active server sends a reply, the Dell Force10 switch learns the
active server’s MAC address. If all servers reply, the switch registers only the last received ARP reply, and
the switch learns one server’s actual MAC address (Figure 29-3); the virtual MAC address is never
learned.
Since the virtual MAC address is never learned, traffic is forwarded to only one server rather than the
entire cluster, and failover and balancing are not preserved (Figure 29-4).
Figure 29-3.

Server Clustering: Multiple ARP Replies
Source MAC: MACS1
Destination MAC: MACClient
Type: 0x0806

Server1:

IPS1
MACS1

Ethernet Frame Header

Las
Server2:

IPS2
MACS2

Server3:

IPS3
MACS3

Server4:

IPS4
MACS4

tA

Source IP: IPS1
Source MAC: MACCluster

ARP Reply
Client

VLAN 1

RP

Re

CRC

Pad

ply

Microsoft Server Cluster: IPCluster
MACCluster

fnC0027mp

Figure 29-4.

Server Clustering: Failover and Balancing Not Preserved
Server1:

IPS1
MACS1
Client

VLAN 1

Microsoft Server Cluster: IPCluster
MACCluster

Server2: IPS2
MACS2

Server3:

IPS3
MACS3

Server4:

IPS4
MACS4

Data

fnC0028mp

Configuring the Switch for Microsoft Server Clustering
To preserve failover and balancing, the Dell Force10 switch must learn the cluster’s virtual MAC address,
and it must forward traffic destined for the server cluster out all member ports in the VLAN connected to
the cluster. To ensure that this happens, you must configure the command vlan-flooding on the Dell
Force10 switch at the time that the Microsoft cluster is configured (Figure 29-5).

628

|

Layer 2

As shown in Figure 29-5, the server MAC address is given in the Ethernet frame header of the ARP reply,
while the virtual MAC address representing the cluster is given in the payload. The vlan-flooding command
directs the system to discover that there are different MAC addresses in an ARP reply and associate the
virtual MAC address with the VLAN connected to the cluster. Then, all traffic destined for the cluster is
flooded out of all member ports. Since all of the servers in the cluster receive traffic, failover and balancing
are preserved.
Figure 29-5.

Server Cluster: Failover and Balancing Preserved with the vlan-flooding Command
Source MAC: MACS1
Destination MAC: MACClient
Type: 0x0806

Server1:

IPS1
MACS1

Ethernet Frame Header

Source IP: IPS1
Source MAC: MACCluster

CRC

Pad

ARP Reply
Client

VLAN 1
Server2: IPS2
MACS2
Microsoft Server Cluster: IPCluster
MACCluster
Server3:

IPS3
MACS3

Server4:

IPS4
MACS4

Data

vlan-flooding configured

fnC0029mp

Enable and Disable VLAN Flooding
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

ARP entries already resolved through the VLAN are deleted when the feature is enabled. This ensures
that ARP entries across the VLAN are consistent.
All ARP entries learned after the feature is enabled are deleted when the feature is disabled, and RP2
triggers ARP resolution. The feature is disabled with the command no vlan-flooding.
When a port is added to the VLAN, the port automatically receives traffic if the feature is enabled. Old
ARP entries are not deleted or updated.
When a member port is deleted, its ARP entries are also deleted from the CAM.
Port channels in the VLAN also receive traffic.
There is no impact on the configuration from saving the configuration.
The feature is not reflected in the output of the show arp command but is reflected in the output of the
command show ipf fib.

The ARP entries exist in the secondary RPM CAM, so failover has no effect on the feature.

Layer 2 | 629

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configuring Redundant Pairs
Configuring Redundant Pairs is supported on platforms:

ecs

Z

Networks that employ switches that do not support Spanning Tree (STP) — for example, networks with
Digital Subscriber Line Access Mutiplexers (DSLAM) — cannot have redundant links between switches
because they create switching loops (Figure 29-6). The Redundant Pairs feature enables you to create
redundant links in networks that do not use STP by configuring backup interfaces for the interfaces on
either side of the primary link.
Note: For details on STP, see Chapter 50, “Spanning Tree Protocol (STP),” on page 1003.

Assign a backup interface to an interface using the command switchport backup. The backup interface
remains in down state until the primary fails, at which point it transitions to up state. If the primary
interface fails, and later comes up, it becomes the backup interface for the redundant pair. FTOS supports
Gigabit, 10-Gigabit, and 40-Gigabit interfaces as backup interfaces.
You must apply all other configurations to each interface in the redundant pair such that their
configurations are identical, so that transition to the backup interface in the event of a failure is transparent
to rest of the network.
Figure 29-6.

Configuring Redundant Layer 2 Pairs without Spanning Tree
Redundant links create a switching loop.
Without STP broadcast storms occurs.

Use backup interfaces to create redundant
links in networks without STP
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/31)#switchport
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/31)#no shutdown

FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/41)#switchport
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/41)#switchport backup gi 3/42
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/41)#no shutdown

R3

R4
3/41

4/31
Backup Link

3/42
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/42)#switchport
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/42)#no shutdown

630

|

Layer 2

4/32

fnC0067mp
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/32)#switchport
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/32)#no shutdown

You configure a redundant pair by assigning a backup interface to a primary interface with the switchport
backup interface command. Initially, the primary interface is active and transmits traffic and the backup
interface remains down. If the primary fails for any reason, the backup transitions to an active UP state. If
the primary interface fails and later comes back up, it remains as the backup interface for the redundant
pair.
FTOS supports only Gigabit, 10-Gigabit, and 40-Gigabit ports and port channels as primary/backup
interfaces in redundant pairs. (A port channel is also referred to as a Link Aggregation Group (LAG). See
Chapter 23, Interfaces, Port Channel Interfaces on page 480 for more information.) If the interface is a
member link of a LAG, the following primary/backup interfaces are also supported:
•
•
•
•

primary interface is a physical interface, the backup interface can be a physical interface
primary interface is a physical interface, the backup interface can be a static or dynamic LAG
primary interface is a static or dynamic LAG, the backup interface can be a physical interface
primary interface is a static or dynamic LAG, the backup interface can be a static or dynamic LAG

In a redundant pair, any combination of physical and port-channel interfaces is supported as the two
interfaces in a redundant pair. For example, you can configure a static (without LACP) or dynamic (with
LACP) port-channel interface as either the primary or backup link in a redundant pair with a physical
interface.
To ensure that existing network applications see no difference when a primary interface in a redundant pair
transitions to the backup interface, be sure to apply identical configurations of other traffic parameters to
each interface.
If you remove an interface in a redundant link (remove the line card of a physical interface or delete a port
channel with the no interface port-channel command), the redundant pair configuration is also removed.

Important Points about Configuring Redundant Pairs
•
•
•
•

You may not configure any interface to be a backup for more than one interface, no interface can have
more than one backup, and a backup interface may not have a backup interface.
Neither the active nor the backup interface may be a member of a LAG.
The active and standby do not have to be of the same type (1G, 10G, etc).
You may not enable any Layer 2 protocol on any interface of a redundant pair or to ports connected to
them.

In Figure 29-7, interface 3/41 is a backup interface for 3/42, and 3/42 is in the down state, as shown in
message Message 1. If 3/41 fails, 3/42 transitions to the up state, which makes the backup link active. A
message similar to Message 1 appears whenever you configure a backup port.
Message 1 Configuring a Backup Layer 2 Port
02:28:04: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-L2BKUP_WARN: Do not run any Layer2 protocols on Gi 3/41
and Gi 3/42
02:28:04: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface state to down: Gi 3/42
02:28:04: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-STATE_ACT_STBY: Changed interface state to standby: Gi
3/42

Layer 2 | 631

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 29-7.

CLI for Configuring Redundant Layer 2 Pairs without Spanning Tree

FTOS(conf-if-range-gi-3/41-42)#switchport backup interface GigabitEthernet 3/42
FTOS(conf-if-range-gi-3/41-42)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/41
no ip address
switchport
switchport backup interface GigabitEthernet 3/42
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/42
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-range-gi-3/41-42)#
FTOS(conf-if-range-gi-3/41-42)#do show ip int brief | find 3/41
GigabitEthernet 3/41
unassigned
YES Manual up
up
GigabitEthernet 3/42
unassigned
NO Manual up
down
[output omitted]
FTOS(conf-if-range-gi-3/41-42)#interface gig 3/41
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/41)#shutdown
00:24:53: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-ASTATE_DN: Changed interface Admin state to down: Gi 3/41
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/41)#00:24:55: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface state to
down: Gi 3/41
00:24:55: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-INACTIVE: Changed Vlan interface state to inactive: Vl 1
00:24:55: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Changed interface state to up: Gi 3/42
00:24:55: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-ACTIVE: Changed Vlan interface state to active: Vl 1
00:24:55: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-STATE_STBY_ACT: Changed interface state from standby to active:
Gi 3/42
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/41)#do show ip int brief | find 3/41
GigabitEthernet 3/41
unassigned
NO Manual administratively down down
GigabitEthernet 3/42
unassigned
YES Manual up
up
[output omitted]

Figure 29-8.

CLI for Redundant Pair in Port-channel on S4810

FTOS#show interfaces port-channel brief
Codes: L - LACP Port-channel

LAG Mode Status
Uptime
Ports
1
L2
up
00:08:33
Te 0/0
(Up)
2
L2
up
00:00:02
Te 0/1
(Up)
FTOS#configure
FTOS(conf)#interface port-channel 1
FTOS(conf-if-po-1)#switchport backup interface port-channel 2
Apr 9 00:15:13: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %IFMGR-5-L2BKUP_WARN: Do not run any Layer2 protocols on Po 1 and Po 2
Apr 9 00:15:13: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface state to down: Po 2
Apr 9 00:15:13: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %IFMGR-5-STATE_ACT_STBY: Changed interface state to standby: Po 2
FTOS(conf-if-po-1)#
FTOS#
FTOS#show interfaces switchport backup
Interface
Status
Paired Interface
Status
Port-channel 1
Active
Port-chato mannel 2
Standby
Port-channel 2
Standby
Port-channel 1
Active
FTOS#
FTOS(conf-if-po-1)#switchport backup interface tengigabitethernet 0/2
Apr 9 00:16:29: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %IFMGR-5-L2BKUP_WARN: Do not run any Layer2 protocols on Po 1 and Te 0/2
FTOS(conf-if-po-1)#

632

|

Layer 2

Restricting Layer 2 Flooding
Restricting Layer 2 Flooding is supported only on platform:

e

When Layer 2 multicast traffic must be forwarded on a VLAN that has multiple ports with different speeds
on the same port-pipe, forwarding is limited to the speed of the slowest port. Restricted Layer 2 Flooding
prevents slower ports from lowering the throughput of multicast traffic on faster ports by restricting
flooding to ports with a speed equal to or above a link speed you specify.
For example, if a VLAN that has an (auto-negotiated) 100M port and a 1G port on the same port-pipe, and
you enable Restricted Layer 2 Flooding with a minimum speed of 1G, multicast traffic is only flooded on
the 1G port.
Enable Restricted Layer 2 Flooding using the command restrict-flooding from INTERFACE VLAN mode.
In combination with restrict-flooding, you can use the command mac-flood-list from CONFIGURATION
mode, without the min-speed option, to allow some specific multicast traffic (identified using a MAC
address range you specify) to be flooded on all ports regardless of the restrict-flooding configuration.
Conversely, if you want all multicast traffic to be flooded on all ports, but some specific traffic to be
restricted, use mac-flood-list with the min-speed option, but without restrict-flooding configured. This
configuration restricts flooding only for traffic with destination multicast MAC addresses within the
multicast MAC address range you specify.
In the following example, flooding of unknown multicast traffic is restricted to 1G ports on VLAN100
using the command restrict-flooding. However, the command mac-flood-list allows traffic with MAC
addresses 01:01:e8:00:00:00 to 01:01:e8:ff:ff:ff to be flooded on all ports regardless of link speed.
Figure 29-9.

Restricting Layer 2 Multicast Flooding over Low Speed Ports

FTOS(conf)#$1:01:e8:00:00:00 ff:ff:ff:00:00:00 vlan 100-200,300
FTOS#show run | find mac-flood-list
mac-flood-list 01:01:e8:00:00:00 ff:ff:ff:00:00:00 vlan 100-200,300
[output omitted]
FTOS(conf)#interface vlan 100
FTOS(conf-if-vl-100)#restrict-flooding multicast min-speed 1000
FTOS(conf-if-vl-100)#show config
!
interface Vlan 100
restrict-flooding multicast min-speed 1000
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-vl-100)#

Layer 2 | 633

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Far-end Failure Detection
Far-end Failure Detection is supported on platforms

e

Z

Far-end Failure Detection (FEFD) is a protocol that senses remote data link errors in a network. It responds
by sending a unidirectional report that triggers an echoed response after a specified time interval. FEFD
can be enabled globally or locally on an interface basis. Disabling the global FEFD configuration does not
disable the interface configuration.
Figure 29-10.

R1

Configuring Far-end Failure Detection
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/0)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 4/0
no ip address
switchport
fefd
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/0)#show config
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/0
no ip address
switchport
fefd
R2
no shutdown
Keep-alive

Interval

2w0d4h : FEFD packet sent via interface Gi 1/0
Sender state -- Bi-directional
Sender info -- Mgmt Mac(00:01:e8:14:89:25), Slot-Port(Gi 1/0)
Peer info -- Mgmt Mac (00:01:e8:14:89:25), Slot-Port(Gi 4/0)
Sender hold time -- 3 (second)
R1

R2
Echo

2w0d4h : FEFD packet sent via interface Gi 4/0
Sender state -- Bi-directional
Sender info -- Mgmt Mac(00:01:e8:14:89:25), Slot-Port(Gi 4/0)
Peer info -- Mgmt Mac (00:01:e8:14:89:25), Slot-Port(Gi 1/0)
Sender hold time -- 3 (second)
Layer2 001

The report consists of several packets in SNAP format that are sent to the nearest known MAC address.
In the event of a far-end failure, the device stops receiving frames, and after the specified time interval,
assumes that the far-end is not available. The connecting line protocol is brought down so that upper layer
protocols can detect the neighbor unavailability faster.

634

|

Layer 2

FEFD state changes
FEFD has two operational modes, Normal and Aggressive. When Normal mode is enabled on an interface
an a far-end failure is detected, no intervention is required to reset the interface to bring it back to an FEFD
operational state.When Aggressive mode is enabled on an interface in the same state, manual intervention
is required to reset the interface.
FEFD enabled systems (comprised of one or more interfaces) will automatically switch between four
different states: Idle, Unknown, Bi-directional, and Err-disabled.
1. An interface on which FEFD is not configured is in Normal mode by default.
2. Once FEFD is enabled on an interface, it transitions to the Unknown state and sends an FEFD packet
to the remote end of the link.
3. When the local interface receives the echoed packet from the remote end, the local interface transitions
to the Bi-directional state.
4. If the FEFD enabled system is configured to use FEFD in Normal mode and neighboring echoes are
not received after three intervals, (each interval can be set between 3 and 300 seconds by the user) the
state changes to unknown.
5. If the FEFD system has been set to Aggressive mode and neighboring echoes are not received after
three intervals, the state changes to Err-disabled. All interfaces in the Err-disabled state must be
manually reset using the fefd reset [interface] command in EXEC privilege mode (it can be done
globally or one interface at a time) before the FEFD enabled system can become operational again.
Table 29-1.

State Changes When Configuring FEFD

Local Event
Shutdown
Shutdown

Mode
Normal

Local State
Admin Shutdown

Aggressive Admin Shutdown

Local
Admin
Remote State Status

Local
Remote
Protocol Admin
Status
Status

Remote
Protocol
Status

Unknown

Down

Down

Up

Down

Err-disabled

Up

Down

Up

Down

FEFD enable

Normal

Bi-directional

Bi-directional

Up

Up

Up

Up

FEFD enable

Aggressive

Bi-directional

Bi-directional

Up

Up

Up

Up

FEFD + FEFD disable

Normal

Locally disabled

Unknown

Up

Down

Up

Down

FEFD + FEFD disable

Aggressive

Locally disabled

Err-disabled

Up

Down

Up

Down

Link Failure

Normal

Unknown

Unknown

Up

Down

Up

Down

Link Failure

Aggressive

Err-disabled

Err-disabled

Up

Down

Up

Down

Layer 2 | 635

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Important Points to Remember
•

FEFD enabled ports are subject to an 8 to 10 second delay during an RPM failover before becoming
operational.
FEFD can be enabled globally or on a per interface basis. Interface FEFD configurations override
global FEFD configurations.
FTOS supports FEFD on physical Ethernet interfaces only, excluding the management interface.

•
•

Configuring FEFD
You can configure FEFD for all interfaces from CONFIGURATION mode, or on individual interfaces
from INTERFACE mode.

Enable FEFD Globally
To enable FEFD globally on all interfaces enter the command fefd-global in CONFIGURATION mode.
Report interval frequency and mode adjustments can be made by supplementing this command as well.
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Setup two or more connected
interfaces for Layer 2 or Layer 3 use

ip address ip
address, switchport

INTERFACE

2

Activate the necessary ports
administratively

no shutdown

INTERFACE

3

Enable fefd globally

fefd {interval |
mode}

CONFIGURATION

Entering the show fefd command in EXEC privilege mode displays information about the state of each
interface.
Figure 29-11.

Show FEFD global outputs

FTOS#show fefd
FEFD is globally 'ON', interval is 3 seconds, mode is 'Normal'.
INTERFACE

MODE

Gi
Gi
Gi
Gi

Normal
Normal
Normal
Normal

1/0
1/1
1/2
1/3

FTOS#show run fefd
!
fefd-global mode normal
fefd-global interval 3

636

|

Layer 2

INTERVAL
(second)
3
3
3
3

STATE
Bi-directional
Admin Shutdown
Admin Shutdown
Admin Shutdown

Enable FEFD on an Interface
Entering the command fefd in INTERFACE mode enables FEFD on a per interface basis. To change the
FEFD mode, supplement the fefd command in INTERFACE mode by entering the command fefd [mode
{aggressive | normal}].
To disable FEFD protocol on one interface, enter the command fefd disable in INTERFACE mode.
Disabling an interface will shut down all protocols working on that interface’s connected line, and will not
delete your previous FEFD configuration which can be enabled again at any time.
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Setup two or more connected
interfaces for Layer 2 or Layer 3 use

ip address ip
address, switchport

INTERFACE

2

Activate the necessary ports
administratively

no shutdown

INTERFACE

3

Enable FEFD on each interface

fefd {disable |
interval | mode}

INTERFACE

Figure 29-12.

FEFD enabled interface configuration

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/0)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/0
no ip address
switchport
fefd mode normal
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/0)#do show fefd | grep 1/0
Gi 1/0
Normal
3
Unknown

Debugging FEFD
By entering the command debug fefd events in EXEC privilege mode, output is displayed whenever events
occur that initiate or disrupt an FEFD enabled connection.

Layer 2 | 637

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 29-13.

Debug FEFD events display

FTOS#debug fefd events
FTOS#config
FTOS(conf)#int gi 1/0
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/0)#shutdown
2w1d22h: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-ASTATE_DN: Changed interface Admin state to down: Gi 1/0
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/0)#2w1d22h : FEFD state on Gi 1/0 changed from ANY to Unknown
2w1d22h: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface state to down: Gi 1/0
2w1d22h: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface state to down: Gi 4/0
2w1d22h: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-INACTIVE: Changed Vlan interface state to inactive: Vl 1
2w1d22h : FEFD state on Gi 4/0 changed from Bi-directional to Unknown

Entering the command debug fefd packets in EXEC privilege mode will provide output for each packet
transmission over the FEFD enabled connection.
Figure 29-14.

Debug FEFD packets display

FTOS#debug fefd packets
FTOS#2w1d22h : FEFD packet sent via interface Gi 1/0
Sender state -- Bi-directional
Sender info -- Mgmt Mac(00:01:e8:14:89:25), Slot-Port(Gi 1/0)
Peer info -- Mgmt Mac (00:01:e8:14:89:25), Slot-Port(Gi 4/0)
Sender hold time -- 3 (second)
2w1d22h : FEFD packet received on interface Gi 4/0
Sender state -- Bi-directional
Sender info -- Mgmt Mac(00:01:e8:14:89:25), Slot-Port(Gi 1/0)
Peer info -- Mgmt Mac (00:01:e8:14:89:25), Slot-Port(Gi 4/0)
Sender hold time -- 3 (second)

During an RPM Failover
In the event that an RPM failover occurs, FEFD will become operationally down on all enabled ports for
approximately 8-10 seconds before automatically becoming operational again.
Figure 29-15.

FEFD state change during an RPM failover

02-05-2009
12:40:38
Local7.Debug
10.16.151.12
Feb 5 07:06:09:
%RPM1-S:CP %RAM-6-FAILOVER_REQ: RPM failover request from active peer: User request.
02-05-2009
12:40:38
Local7.Debug
10.16.151.12
Feb 5 07:06:19:
%RPM1-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Changed interface state to up: Gi 0/45
02-05-2009
12:40:38
Local7.Debug
10.16.151.12
Feb 5 07:06:19:
%RPM1-P:CP %FEFD-5-FEFD-BIDIRECTION-LINK-DETECTED: Interface Gi 0/45 has bidirectional link with its
peer

638

|

Layer 2

30
Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)
Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) is supported only on platforms:

ecs

This chapter contains the following sections:
•
•
•

802.1AB (LLDP) Overview
TIA-1057 (LLDP-MED) Overview
Configuring LLDP

802.1AB (LLDP) Overview
Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)—defined by IEEE 802.1AB—is a protocol that enables a LAN
device to advertise its configuration and receive configuration information from adjacent LLDP-enabled
LAN infrastructure devices. The collected information is stored in a management information base (MIB)
on each device, and is accessible via SNMP.

Protocol Data Units
Configuration information is exchanged in the form of Type, Length, Value (TLV) segments. Figure 30-1
shows the Chassis ID TLV.
•
•
•

Type—The kind of information included in the TLV
Length—The value, in octets, of the TLV after the Length field
Value—The configuration information that the agent is advertising

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) | 639

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 30-1.

Type, Length, Value (TLV) Segment

TLVs are encapsulated in a frame called an LLDP Data Unit (LLDPDU) (Figure 30-2), which is
transmitted from one LLDP-enabled device to its LLDP-enabled neighbors. LLDP is a one-way protocol.
LLDP-enabled devices (LLDP agents) can transmit and/or receive advertisements, but they cannot solicit
and do not respond to advertisements.
There are five types of TLVs. All types are mandatory in the construction of an LLDPDU except Optional
TLVs. The inclusion of individual Optional TLVs is user configurable.
Table 30-1.
Type

640

|

Type, Length, Value (TLV) Types

TLV

Description

0

End of LLDPDU

Marks the end of an LLDPDU

1

Chassis ID

An administratively assigned name that identifies the LLDP agent

2

Port ID

An administratively assigned name that identifies a port through which TLVs are sent
and received

3

Time to Live

A value that tells the receiving agent how long the information contained in the TLV
Value field is valid

—

Optional

Includes sub-types of TLVs that advertise specific configuration information. These
sub-types are Management TLVs, IEEE 802.1, IEEE 802.3, and TIA-1057
Organizationally Specific TLVs.

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

Figure 30-2.

LLDPDU Frame

Optional TLVs
FTOS supports the following optional TLVs:
•
•
•

Management TLVs

IEEE 802.1 and 802.3 Organizationally Specific TLVs
TIA-1057 Organizationally Specific TLVs

Management TLVs
A Management TLV is an Optional TLVs sub-type. This kind of TLV contains essential management
information about the sender. The five types are described in Table 30-2.

Organizationally Specific TLVs
Organizationally specific TLVs can be defined by a professional organization or a vendor. They have two
mandatory fields (Figure 30-3) in addition to the basic TLV fields (Figure 30-1):
•
•

Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI)—a unique number assigned by the IEEE to an organization
or vendor.
OUI Sub-type—These sub-types indicate the kind of information in the following data field. The
sub-types are determined by the owner of the OUI.

Figure 30-3.

Organizationally Specific TLV

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) | 641

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

IEEE Organizationally Specific TLVs
Eight TLV types have been defined by the IEEE 802.1 and 802.3 working groups (Table 30-2) as a basic
part of LLDP; the IEEE OUI is 00-80-C2. You can configure the Dell Force10 system to advertise any or
all of these TLVs.
Table 30-2.

Optional TLV Types

Type TLV

Description

Optional TLVs
4

Port description

A user-defined alphanumeric string that describes the port. FTOS does not
currently support this TLV.

5

System name

A user-defined alphanumeric string that identifies the system.

6

System description

A user-defined alphanumeric string that describes the system

7

System capabilities

Identifies the chassis as one or more of the following: repeater, bridge, WLAN
Access Point, Router, Telephone, DOCSIS cable device, end station only, or
other

8

Management address

Indicates the network address of the management interface. FTOS does not
currently support this TLV.

IEEE 802.1 Organizationally Specific TLVs
127

Port-VLAN ID

On Dell Force10 systems, indicates the untagged VLAN to which a port
belongs

127

Port and Protocol VLAN ID

On Dell Force10 systems, indicates the tagged VLAN to which a port belongs
(and the untagged VLAN to which a port belongs if the port is in hybrid mode)

127

VLAN Name

Indicates the user-defined alphanumeric string that identifies the VLAN. This
TLV is supported on C-Series only.

127

Protocol Identity

Indicates the protocols that the port can process. FTOS does not currently
support this TLV.

IEEE 802.3 Organizationally Specific TLVs

642

|

127

MAC/PHY Configuration/Status

Indicates the capability and current setting of the duplex status and bit rate, and
whether the current settings are the result of auto-negotiation. This TLV is not
available in the FTOS implementation of LLDP, but is available and mandatory
(non-configurable) in the LLDP-MED implementation.

127

Power via MDI

Dell Force10 supports LLDP-MED protocol, which recommends that Power
via MDI TLV be not implemented, and therefore Dell Force10 implements
Extended Power via MDI TLV only.

127

Link Aggregation

Indicates whether the link is capable of being aggregated, whether it is currently
in a LAG, and the port identification of the LAG. FTOS does not currently
support this TLV.

127

Maximum Frame Size

Indicates the maximum frame size capability of the MAC and PHY

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

TIA-1057 (LLDP-MED) Overview
Link Layer Discovery Protocol—Media Endpoint Discovery (LLDP-MED) as defined by ANSI/
TIA-1057— provides additional organizationally specific TLVs so that endpoint devices and network
connectivity devices can advertise their characteristics and configuration information; the OUI for the
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) is 00-12-BB.
•
•

LLDP-MED Endpoint Device—any device that is on an IEEE 802 LAN network edge can
communicate using IP and uses the LLDP-MED framework.
LLDP-MED Network Connectivity Device—any device that provides access to an IEEE 802 LAN
to an LLDP-MED endpoint device and supports IEEE 802.1AB (LLDP) and TIA-1057 (LLDP-MED).
The Dell Force10 system is an LLDP-MED network connectivity device.

With regard to connected endpoint devices, LLDP-MED provides network connectivity devices with the
ability to:
•
•
•
•

manage inventory
manage Power over Ethernet (PoE)
identify physical location
identify network policy

LLDP-MED is designed for, but not limited to, VoIP endpoints.

TIA Organizationally Specific TLVs
The Dell Force10 system is an LLDP-MED Network Connectivity Device (Device Type 4). Network
connectivity devices are responsible for:
•
•

transmitting an LLDP-MED capabilities TLV to endpoint devices
storing the information that endpoint devices advertise

Table 30-3 describes the five types of TIA-1057 Organizationally Specific TLVs.

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) | 643

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 30-3.
Type

TIA-1057 (LLDP-MED) Organizationally Specific TLVs

Sub-type

TLV

Description

127

1

LLDP-MED Capabilities

Indicates:
• whether the transmitting device supports LLDP-MED
• what LLDP-MED TLVs it supports
• LLDP device class

127

2

Network Policy

Indicates the application type, VLAN ID, Layer 2 Priority, and
DSCP value

127

3

Location Identification

Indicates the physical location of the device expressed in one of
three possible formats:
• Coordinate Based LCI
• Civic Address LCI
• Emergency Call Services ELIN

127

4

Extended Power via MDI

Indicates power requirements, priority, and power status

Inventory Management TLVs

Implementation of this set of TLVs is optional in LLDP-MED
devices. None or all TLVs must be supported. FTOS does not
currently support these TLVs.

127

5

Inventory - Hardware Revision

Indicates the hardware revision of the LLDP-MED device

127

6

Inventory - Firmware Revision

Indicates the firmware revision of the LLDP-MED device

127

7

Inventory - Software Revision

Indicates the software revision of the LLDP-MED device

127

8

Inventory - Serial Number

Indicates the device serial number of the LLDP-MED device

127

9

Inventory - Manufacturer Name

Indicates the manufacturer of the LLDP-MED device

127

10

Inventory - Model Name

Indicates the model of the LLDP-MED device

127

11

Inventory - Asset ID

Indicates a user specified device number to manage inventory

127

12-255

Reserved

—

LLDP-MED Capabilities TLV
The LLDP-MED Capabilities TLV communicates the types of TLVs that the endpoint device and the
network connectivity device support. LLDP-MED network connectivity devices must transmit the
Network Policies TLV.
•
•

The value of the LLDP-MED Capabilities field in the TLV is a 2 octet bitmap (Figure 30-4), each bit
represents an LLDP-MED capability (Table 30-4).
The possible values of the LLDP-MED Device Type is listed in Table 30-5. The Dell Force10 system
is a Network Connectivity device, which is Type 4.

When you enable LLDP-MED in FTOS (using the command advertise med) the system begins transmitting
this TLV.

644

|

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

Figure 30-4.

LLDP-MED Capabilities TLV

Table 30-4.

FTOS LLDP-MED Capabilities

Bit Position

TLV

FTOS Support

0

LLDP-MED Capabilities

Yes

1

Network Policy

Yes

2

Location Identification

Yes

3

Extended Power via MDI-PSE

Yes

4

Extended Power via MDI-PD

No

5

Inventory

No

6-15

reserved

No

Table 30-5.
Value

LLDP-MED Device Types
Device Type

0

Type Not Defined

1

Endpoint Class 1

2

Endpoint Class 2

3

Endpoint Class 3

4

Network Connectivity

5-255

Reserved

LLDP-MED Network Policies TLV
A network policy in the context of LLDP-MED is a device’s VLAN configuration and associated Layer 2
and Layer 3 configurations, specifically:
•
•
•
•

VLAN ID
VLAN tagged or untagged status
Layer 2 priority
DSCP value

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) | 645

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

The application type is a represented by an integer (the Type integer in Table 30-6), which indicates a
device function for which a unique network policy is defined. An individual LLDP-MED Network Policy
TLV is generated for each application type that you specify with the FTOS CLI (Advertising TLVs on
page 650).
Note: With regard to Table 30-6, signaling is a series of control packets that are exchanged between an
endpoint device and a network connectivity device to establish and maintain a connection. These signal
packets might require a different network policy than the media packets for which a connection is made. In
this case, configure the signaling application.

Table 30-6.
Type

Network Policy Applications

Application

Description

0

Reserved

—

1

Voice

Specify this application type for dedicated IP telephony handsets and other appliances
supporting interactive voice services.

2

Voice Signaling

Specify this application type only if voice control packets use a separate network
policy than voice data.

3

Guest Voice

Specify this application type for a separate limited voice service for guest users with
their own IP telephony handsets and other appliances supporting interactive voice
services.

4

Guest Voice Signaling

Specify this application type only if guest voice control packets use a separate network
policy than voice data.

5

Softphone Voice

Softphone is a computer program that enables IP telephony on a computer, rather than
using a phone. Specify this application type for this type of endpoint device.

6

Video Conferencing

Specify this application type for dedicated video conferencing and other similar
appliances supporting real-time interactive video.

7

Streaming Video

Specify this application type for broadcast or multicast based video content distribution
and other similar applications supporting streaming video services. This does not
include video applications relying on TCP with buffering.

8

Video Signaling

Specify this application type only if video control packets use a separate network
policy than video data.

9-255 Reserved

Figure 30-5.

646

|

LLDP-MED Policies TLV

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

—

Extended Power via MDI TLV
The Extended Power via MDI TLV enables advanced PoE management between LLDP-MED endpoints
and network connectivity devices. Advertise the Extended Power via MDI on all ports that are connected
to an 802.3af powered, LLDP-MED endpoint device.
•

•
•

•

Power Type: there are two possible power types: Power Sourcing Entity (PSE) or Power Device (PD).
The Dell Force10 system is a PSE, which corresponds to a value of 0, based on the TIA-1057
specification.
Power Source: there are two possible power sources: Primary and Backup. The Dell Force10 system
is a Primary Power Source, which corresponds to a value of 1, based on the TIA-1057 specification.
Power Priority: there are three possible priorities: Low, High, and Critical. On Dell Force10 systems,
the default power priority is “High,” which corresponds to a value of 2 based on the TIA-1057
specification. You can configure a different power priority through the CLI, Dell Force10 also honors
the power priority value sent by the powered device. However, the CLI configuration takes
precedence.
Power Value: Dell Force10 advertises the maximum amount of power that can be supplied on the
port. By default it is 15.4W, which corresponds to a Power Value of 130, based on the TIA-1057
specification. You can advertise a different Power Value using the max-milliwatts option with the power
inline auto | static command. Dell Force10 also honors the power value (power requirement) sent by the
powered device when the port is configured for power inline auto.

Figure 30-6.

Extended Power via MDI TLV

Configuring LLDP
Configuring LLDP is a two-step process:
1. Enable LLDP globally.
2. Advertise TLVs out of an interface.

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•
•
•
•
•

Viewing the LLDP Configuration
Viewing Information Advertised by Adjacent LLDP Agents
Configuring LLDPDU Intervals
Configuring Transmit and Receive Mode
Configuring a Time to Live
Debugging LLDP

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) | 647

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Important Points to Remember
•
•
•
•
•

LLDP is disabled by default.
Dell Force10 systems support up to 8 neighbors per interface.
Dell Force10 systems support a maximum of 8000 total neighbors per system. If the number of
interfaces multiplied by 8 exceeds the maximum, the system will not configure more than 8000.
INTERFACE level configurations override all CONFIGURATION level configurations.
LLDP is not hitless.

LLDP Compatibility
•
•

Spanning Tree and Force10 Ring Protocol “blocked” ports allow LLDPDUs.
802.1X controlled ports do not allow LLDPDUs until the connected device is authenticated.

CONFIGURATION versus INTERFACE Configurations
All LLDP configuration commands are available in PROTOCOL LLDP mode, which is a sub-mode of the
CONFIGURATION mode and INTERFACE mode.
•
•

648

|

Configurations made at the CONFIGURATION level are global, that is, they affect all interfaces on
the system.
Configurations made at the INTERFACE level affect only the specific interface, and they override
CONFIGURATION level configurations.

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

Figure 30-7.

Configuration and Interface mode LLDP Commands

R1(conf)#protocol lldp
R1(conf-lldp)#?
advertise
Advertise TLVs
disable
Disable LLDP protocol globally
end
Exit from configuration mode
exit
Exit from LLDP configuration mode
hello
LLDP hello configuration
mode
LLDP mode configuration (default = rx and tx)
multiplier
LLDP multiplier configuration
no
Negate a command or set its defaults
show
Show LLDP configuration
R1(conf-lldp)#exit
R1(conf)#interface gigabitethernet 1/31
R1(conf-if-gi-1/31)#protocol lldp
R1(conf-if-gi-1/31-lldp)#?
advertise
Advertise TLVs
disable
Disable LLDP protocol on this interface
end
Exit from configuration mode
exit
Exit from LLDP configuration mode
hello
LLDP hello configuration
mode
LLDP mode configuration (default = rx and tx)
multiplier
LLDP multiplier configuration
no
Negate a command or set its defaults
show
Show LLDP configuration
R1(conf-if-gi-1/31-lldp)#

Enabling LLDP
LLDP is disabled by default. LLDP can be enabled and disabled globally or per interface. If LLDP is
enabled globally, all up interfaces send periodic LLDPDUs. To enable LLDP:
Step

Task

Command

Command Mode

1

Enter Protocol LLDP mode.

protocol lldp

CONFIGURATION or INTERFACE

2

Enable LLDP.

no disable

PROTOCOL LLDP

Disabling and Undoing LLDP
•
•

Disable LLDP globally or for an interface using the command disable.
Undo an LLDP configuration by preceding the relevant command with the keyword no.

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) | 649

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Advertising TLVs
You can configure the system to advertise TLVs out of all interfaces or out of specific interfaces.
•
•

If you configure the system globally, all interfaces will send LLDPDUs with the specified TLVs.
If you configure an interface, only the interface will send LLDPDUs with the specified TLVs.

If LLDP is configured both globally and at interface level, the interface level configuration overrides the
global configuration. To advertise TLVs:

Step

Command
Mode

Task

Command

1

Enter LLDP mode.

protocol lldp

CONFIGURATI
ON or
INTERFACE

2

Advertise one or more TLVs. Include the keyword for
each TLV you want to advertise.
• For management TLVs: system-capabilities,

advertise {management-tlv |
dot1-tlv | dot3-tlv | med}

PROTOCOL
LLDP

system-description

For 802.1 TLVs: port-protocol-vlan-id, port-vlan-id,
vlan-name

•
•

For 802.3 TLVs: max-frame-size
For TIA-1057 TLVs:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

guest-voice
guest-voice-signaling
location-identification
power-via-mdi
softphone-voice
streaming-video
video-conferencing
video-signaling
voice
voice-signaling

Note: The vlan-name command is supported on C-Series and S-Series only.

In Figure 30-8, LLDP is enabled globally. R1 and R2 are transmitting periodic LLDPDUs that contain
management, 802.1, and 802.3 TLVs.

650

|

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

Figure 30-8.

Configuring LLDP

Viewing the LLDP Configuration
Display the LLDP configuration using the command show config in either the CONFIGURATION or
INTERFACE mode, as shown in Figure 30-9 and Figure 30-10, respectively.
Figure 30-9.

Viewing LLDP Global Configurations

R1(conf)#protocol lldp
R1(conf-lldp)#show config
!
protocol lldp
advertise dot1-tlv port-protocol-vlan-id port-vlan-id
advertise dot3-tlv max-frame-size
advertise management-tlv system-capabilities system-description
hello 10
no disable
R1(conf-lldp)#

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) | 651

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 30-10.

Viewing LLDP Interface Configurations

R1(conf-lldp)#exit
R1(conf)#interface gigabitethernet 1/31
R1(conf-if-gi-1/31)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/31
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
R1(conf-if-gi-1/31)#protocol lldp
R1(conf-if-gi-1/31-lldp)#show config
!
protocol lldp
R1(conf-if-gi-1/31-lldp)#

Viewing Information Advertised by Adjacent LLDP Agents
Display brief information about adjacent devices using the command show lldp neighbors, as shown in
Figure 30-11. Display all of the information that neighbors are advertising using the command show lldp
neighbors detail, as shown in Figure 30-12.
Figure 30-11.

Viewing Brief Information Advertised by Adjacent LLDP Agents

R1(conf-if-gi-1/31-lldp)#end
R1(conf-if-gi-1/31)#do show lldp neighbors
Loc PortID
Rem Host Name
Rem Port Id
Rem Chassis Id
------------------------------------------------------------------------Gi 1/21
Gi 1/31

652

|

-

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

GigabitEthernet 2/11
GigabitEthernet 3/11

00:01:e8:06:95:3e
00:01:e8:09:c2:4a

Figure 30-12.

Viewing All Information Advertised by Adjacent LLDP Agent

R1#show lldp neighbors detail
========================================================================
Local Interface Gi 1/21 has 1 neighbor
Total Frames Out: 6547
Total Frames In: 4136
Total Neighbor information Age outs: 0
Total Frames Discarded: 0
Total In Error Frames: 0
Total Unrecognized TLVs: 0
Total TLVs Discarded: 0
Next packet will be sent after 7 seconds
The neighbors are given below:
----------------------------------------------------------------------Remote Chassis ID Subtype: Mac address (4)
Remote Chassis ID: 00:01:e8:06:95:3e
Remote Port Subtype: Interface name (5)
Remote Port ID: GigabitEthernet 2/11
Local Port ID: GigabitEthernet 1/21
Locally assigned remote Neighbor Index: 4
Remote TTL: 120
Information valid for next 120 seconds
Time since last information change of this neighbor: 01:50:16
Remote MTU: 1554
Remote System Desc: Dell Force10 Networks Real Time Operating System Software
. Dell Force10 Operating System Version: 1.0. Dell Force10 App
lication Software Version: 7.5.1.0. Copyright (c) 19
99-Build Time: Thu Aug 9 01:05:51 PDT 2007
Existing System Capabilities: Repeater Bridge Router
Enabled System Capabilities: Repeater Bridge Router
Remote Port Vlan ID: 1
Port and Protocol Vlan ID: 1, Capability: Supported, Status: Enabled
--------------------------------------------------------------------------========================================================================

Configuring LLDPDU Intervals
LLDPDUs are transmitted periodically; the default interval is 30 seconds. You can configure a non-default
transmit interval—at CONFIGURATION level or INTERFACE level—using the hello command
(Figure 30-13).

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) | 653

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 30-13.

Configuring LLDPDU Transmit and Receive Mode

R1(conf)#protocol lldp
R1(conf-lldp)#show config
!
protocol lldp
advertise dot1-tlv port-protocol-vlan-id port-vlan-id
advertise dot3-tlv max-frame-size
advertise management-tlv system-capabilities system-description
no disable
R1(conf-lldp)#mode ?
rx
Rx only
tx
Tx only
R1(conf-lldp)#mode tx
R1(conf-lldp)#show config
!
protocol lldp
advertise dot1-tlv port-protocol-vlan-id port-vlan-id
advertise dot3-tlv max-frame-size
advertise management-tlv system-capabilities system-description
mode tx
no disable
R1(conf-lldp)#no mode
R1(conf-lldp)#show config
!
protocol lldp
advertise dot1-tlv port-protocol-vlan-id port-vlan-id
advertise dot3-tlv max-frame-size
advertise management-tlv system-capabilities system-description
no disable
R1(conf-lldp)#

Configuring Transmit and Receive Mode
Once LLDP is enabled, Dell Force10 systems transmit and receive LLDPDUs by default. You can
configure the system—at CONFIGURATION level or INTERFACE level—to transmit only by executing
the command mode tx, or receive only by executing the command mode rx. Return to the default with the
no mode command (Figure 30-14).

654

|

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

Figure 30-14.

Configuring LLDPDU Transmit and Receive Mode

R1(conf)#protocol lldp
R1(conf-lldp)#show config
!
protocol lldp
advertise dot1-tlv port-protocol-vlan-id port-vlan-id
advertise dot3-tlv max-frame-size
advertise management-tlv system-capabilities system-description
no disable
R1(conf-lldp)#mode ?
rx
Rx only
tx
Tx only
R1(conf-lldp)#mode tx
R1(conf-lldp)#show config
!
protocol lldp
advertise dot1-tlv port-protocol-vlan-id port-vlan-id
advertise dot3-tlv max-frame-size
advertise management-tlv system-capabilities system-description
mode tx
no disable
R1(conf-lldp)#no mode
R1(conf-lldp)#show config
!
protocol lldp
advertise dot1-tlv port-protocol-vlan-id port-vlan-id
advertise dot3-tlv max-frame-size
advertise management-tlv system-capabilities system-description
no disable
R1(conf-lldp)#

Configuring a Time to Live
The information received from a neighbor expires after a specific amount of time (measured in seconds)
called a Time to Live (TTL). The TTL is the product of the LLDPDU transmit interval (hello) and an
integer called a multiplier. The default multiplier is 4, which results in a default TTL of 120 seconds. Adjust
the TTL value—at CONFIGURATION level or INTERFACE level—using the multiplier command.
Return to the default multiplier value using the no multiplier command (Figure 30-15).

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) | 655

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 30-15.

Configuring LLDPDU Time to Live

R1(conf-lldp)#show config
!
protocol lldp
advertise dot1-tlv port-protocol-vlan-id port-vlan-id
advertise dot3-tlv max-frame-size
advertise management-tlv system-capabilities system-description
no disable
R1(conf-lldp)#multiplier ?
<2-10>
Multiplier (default=4)
R1(conf-lldp)#multiplier 5
R1(conf-lldp)#show config
!
protocol lldp
advertise dot1-tlv port-protocol-vlan-id port-vlan-id
advertise dot3-tlv max-frame-size
advertise management-tlv system-capabilities system-description
multiplier 5
no disable
R1(conf-lldp)#no multiplier
R1(conf-lldp)#show config
!
protocol lldp
advertise dot1-tlv port-protocol-vlan-id port-vlan-id
advertise dot3-tlv max-frame-size
advertise management-tlv system-capabilities system-description
no disable
R1(conf-lldp)#

Debugging LLDP
The command debug lldp enables you to view the TLVs that your system is sending and receiving.
•
•

Use the debug lldp brief command to view a readable version of the TLVs.
Use the debug lldp detail command to view a readable version of the TLVs plus a hexadecimal version
of the entire LLDPDU.

Figure 30-16.

656

|

debug lldp detail—LLDPDU Packet Dissection

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

FTOS# debug lldp interface gigabitethernet 1/2 packet detail tx
FTOS#1w1d19h : Transmit timer blew off for local interface Gi 1/2
1w1d19h : Forming LLDP pkt to send out of interface Gi 1/2
1w1d19h : TLV: Chassis ID, Len: 7, Subtype: Mac address (4), Value: 00:01:e8:0d:b6:d6
1w1d19h : TLV: Port ID, Len: 20, Subtype: Interface name (5), Value: GigabitEthernet 1/2
1w1d19h : TLV: TTL, Len: 2, Value: 120
1w1d19h : TLV: SYS_DESC, Len: 207, Value:Dell Force10 Networks Real Time Operating System Software. Dell Force10
Operating System Version: 1.0. Dell Force10 Application Software Version: 8.3.11.4. Copyright (c)1999-2011 Dell Inc.
Time: Fri Oct 26 12:22:22 PDT 2007
1w1d19h : TLV: SYSTEM CAPAB, Len: 4, Value: Existing: Repeater Bridge Router, Enabled: Repeater Bridge Router
1w1d19h : TLV: ENDOFPDU, Len: 0
1w1d19h : Sending LLDP pkt out of Gi 1/2 of length 270
Source Address (LLDP Multicast)
1w1d19h : Packet dump:
Dell Force10 System Chassis ID
1w1d19h : 01 80 c2 00 00 0e 00 01 e8 0d b7 3b 81 00 00 00
802.1Q Header
1w1d19h : 88 cc 02 07 04 00 01 e8 0d b6 d6 04 14 05 47 69
1w1d19h : 67 61 62 69 74 45 74 68 65 72 6e 65 74 20 31 2f
1w1d19h : 32 06 02 00 78 0c cf 46 6f 72 63 65 31 30 20 4e
1w1d19h : 65 74 77 6f 72 6b 73 20 52 65 61 6c 20 54 69 6d
1w1d19h : 65 20 4f 70 65 72 61 74 69 6e 67 20 53 79 73 74
1w1d19h : 65 6d 20 53 6f 66 74 77 61 72 65 2e 20 46 6f 72
1w1d19h : 63 65 31 30 20 4f 70 65 72 61 74 69 6e 67 20 53
1w1d19h : 79 73 74 65 6d 20 56 65 72 73 69 6f 6e 3a 20 31
1w1d19h : 2e 30 2e 20 46 6f 72 63 65 31 30 20 41 70 70 6c
1w1d19h : 69 63 61 74 69 6f 6e 20 53 6f 66 74 77 61 72 65
1w1d19h : 20 56 65 72 73 69 6f 6e 3a 20 45 5f 4d 41 49 4e
1w1d19h : 34 2e 37 2e 35 2e 32 37 36 2e 20 43 6f 70 79 72
1w1d19h : 69 67 68 74 20 28 63 29 20 31 39 39 39 2d 42 75
1w1d19h : 69 6c 64 20 54 69 6d 65 3a 20 46 72 69 20 4f 63
1w1d19h : 74 20 32 36 20 31 32 3a 32 32 3a 32 32 20 50 44
1w1d19h : 54 20 32 30 30 37 0e 04 00 16 00 16 00 00
1w1d19h : LLDP frame sent out successfully of Gi 1/2
1w1d19h : Started Transmit timer for Loc interface Gi 1/2 for time 30 sec
fnC0051mp

Relevant Management Objects
FTOS supports all IEEE 802.1AB MIB objects.
•
•
•
•

Table 30-7 lists the objects associated with received and transmitted TLVs.
Table 30-8 lists the objects associated with the LLDP configuration on the local agent.
Table 30-9 lists the objects associated with IEEE 802.1AB Organizationally Specific TLVs.
Table 30-10 lists the objects associated with received and transmitted LLDP-MED TLVs.

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) | 657

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 30-7.

LLDP Configuration MIB Objects

MIB Object Category

LLDP Variable

LLDP MIB Object

Description

LLDP Configuration

adminStatus

lldpPortConfigAdminStatus

Whether the local LLDP agent is
enabled for transmit, receive, or both

msgTxHold

lldpMessageTxHoldMultiplier Multiplier value

msgTxInterval

lldpMessageTxInterval

Transmit Interval value

rxInfoTTL

lldpRxInfoTTL

Time to Live for received TLVs

txInfoTTL

lldpTxInfoTTL

Time to Live for transmitted TLVs

Basic TLV Selection

LLDP Statistics

mibBasicTLVsTxEnable lldpPortConfigTLVsTxEnable Indicates which management TLVs
are enabled for system ports
mibMgmtAddrInstanceT lldpManAddrPortsTxEnable
xEnable

The management addresses defined
for the system and and the ports
through which they are enabled for
transmission

statsAgeoutsTotal

Total number of times that a
neighbors information is deleted on
the local system due to an rxInfoTTL
timer expiration

lldpStatsRxPortAgeoutsTotal

statsFramesDiscardedTot lldpStatsRxPortFramesDiscar Total number of LLDP frames
al
dedTotal
received then discarded
statsFramesInErrorsTotal lldpStatsRxPortFramesErrors

Total number of LLDP frames
received on a port with errors

statsFramesInTotal

lldpStatsRxPortFramesTotal

Total number of LLDP frames
received through the port

statsFramesOutTotal

lldpStatsTxPortFramesTotal

Total number of LLDP frames
transmitted through the port

statsTLVsDiscardedTotal lldpStatsRxPortTLVsDiscarde Total number of TLVs received then
dTotal
discarded
statsTLVsUnrecognizedT lldpStatsRxPortTLVsUnrecog Total number of all TLVs the local
otal
nizedTotal
agent does not recognize

Table 30-8.

LLDP System MIB Objects

TLV Type

TLV Name

TLV Variable

System

LLDP MIB Object

1

Chassis ID

chassis ID subtype

Local

lldpLocChassisIdSubtype

Remote

lldpRemChassisIdSubtype

Local

lldpLocChassisId

Remote

lldpRemChassisId

chassid ID

658

|

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

Table 30-8.

LLDP System MIB Objects

TLV Type

TLV Name

TLV Variable

System

LLDP MIB Object

2

Port ID

port subtype

Local

lldpLocPortIdSubtype

Remote

lldpRemPortIdSubtype

Local

lldpLocPortId

Remote

lldpRemPortId

Local

lldpLocPortDesc

Remote

lldpRemPortDesc

Local

lldpLocSysName

Remote

lldpRemSysName

Local

lldpLocSysDesc

Remote

lldpRemSysDesc

Local

lldpLocSysCapSupported

Remote

lldpRemSysCapSupported

Local

lldpLocSysCapEnabled

Remote

lldpRemSysCapEnabled

Local

lldpLocManAddrLen

Remote

lldpRemManAddrLen

Local

lldpLocManAddrSubtype

Remote

lldpRemManAddrSubtype

Local

lldpLocManAddr

Remote

lldpRemManAddr

Local

lldpLocManAddrIfSubtype

Remote

lldpRemManAddrIfSubtype

Local

lldpLocManAddrIfId

Remote

lldpRemManAddrIfId

Local

lldpLocManAddrOID

Remote

lldpRemManAddrOID

port ID
4
5
6
7
8

Port Description
System Name
System Description
System Capabilities
Management Address

port description
system name
system description
system capabilities
enabled capabilities
management address length
management address subtype
management address

interface numbering subtype

interface number
OID

Table 30-9.

LLDP 802.1 Organizationally Specific TLV MIB Objects

TLV Type

TLV Name

TLV Variable

System

LLDP MIB Object

127

Port-VLAN ID

PVID

Local

lldpXdot1LocPortVlanId

Remote

lldpXdot1RemPortVlanId

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) | 659

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 30-9.

LLDP 802.1 Organizationally Specific TLV MIB Objects

TLV Type

TLV Name

TLV Variable

127

Port and Protocol
VLAN ID

port and protocol VLAN supported Local
port and protocol VLAN enabled
PPVID

127

VLAN Name

VID
VLAN name length
VLAN name

Table 30-10.

|

LLDP MIB Object
lldpXdot1LocProtoVlanSupported

Remote

lldpXdot1RemProtoVlanSupported

Local

lldpXdot1LocProtoVlanEnabled

Remote

lldpXdot1RemProtoVlanEnabled

Local

lldpXdot1LocProtoVlanId

Remote

lldpXdot1RemProtoVlanId

Local

lldpXdot1LocVlanId

Remote

lldpXdot1RemVlanId

Local

lldpXdot1LocVlanName

Remote

lldpXdot1RemVlanName

Local

lldpXdot1LocVlanName

Remote

lldpXdot1RemVlanName

LLDP-MED System MIB Objects

TLV Sub-Type TLV Name

TLV Variable

System

LLDP-MED MIB Object

1

LLDP-MED Capabilities

Local

lldpXMedPortCapSupported
lldpXMedPortConfigTLVsTx
Enable

Remote

lldpXMedRemCapSupported,
lldpXMedRemConfigTLVsTx
Enable

Local

lldpXMedLocDeviceClass

Remote

lldpXMedRemDeviceClass

LLDP-MED
Capabilities

LLDP-MED Class Type

660

System

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

Table 30-10.

LLDP-MED System MIB Objects

TLV Sub-Type TLV Name

TLV Variable

System

LLDP-MED MIB Object

2

Application Type

Local

lldpXMedLocMediaPolicyApp
Type

Remote

lldpXMedRemMediaPolicyAp
pType

Local

lldpXMedLocMediaPolicyUnk
nown

Remote

lldpXMedLocMediaPolicyUnk
nown

Local

lldpXMedLocMediaPolicyTag
ged

Remote

lldpXMedLocMediaPolicyTag
ged

Local

lldpXMedLocMediaPolicyVla
nID

Remote

lldpXMedRemMediaPolicyVl
anID

Local

lldpXMedLocMediaPolicyPrio
rity

Remote

lldpXMedRemMediaPolicyPri
ority

Local

lldpXMedLocMediaPolicyDsc
p

Remote

lldpXMedRemMediaPolicyDs
cp

Local

lldpXMedLocLocationSubtype

Remote

lldpXMedRemLocationSubtyp
e

Local

lldpXMedLocLocationInfo

Remote

lldpXMedRemLocationInfo

Network Policy

Unknown Policy Flag

Tagged Flag

VLAN ID

L2 Priority

DSCP Value

3

Location Identifier

Location Data Format

Location ID Data

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) | 661

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 30-10.

LLDP-MED System MIB Objects

TLV Sub-Type TLV Name

TLV Variable

System

LLDP-MED MIB Object

4

Power Device Type

Local

lldpXMedLocXPoEDeviceTyp
e

Remote

lldpXMedRemXPoEDeviceTy
pe

Local

lldpXMedLocXPoEPSEPower
Source,
lldpXMedLocXPoEPDPowerS
ource

Remote

lldpXMedRemXPoEPSEPowe
rSource,
lldpXMedRemXPoEPDPower
Source

Local

lldpXMedLocXPoEPDPowerP
riority,
lldpXMedLocXPoEPSEPortP
DPriority

Remote

lldpXMedRemXPoEPSEPowe
rPriority,
lldpXMedRemXPoEPDPower
Priority

Local

lldpXMedLocXPoEPSEPortPo
werAv,
lldpXMedLocXPoEPDPower
Req

Remote

lldpXMedRemXPoEPSEPowe
rAv,
lldpXMedRemXPoEPDPower
Req

Extended Power via
MDI

Power Source

Power Priority

Power Value

662

|

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

31
Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)
Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) is supported on platform

e and

.

Protocol Overview
Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) is a Layer 3 protocol that connects IPv4 PIM-SM domains.
A domain in the context of MSDP is contiguous set of routers operating PIM within a common boundary
defined by an exterior gateway protocol, such as BGP.
Each RP peers with every other RP via TCP. Through this connection, peers advertise the sources in their
domain.
1. When an RP in a PIM-SM domain receives a PIM register message from a source it sends a
Source-Active (SA) message (Figure 31-1) to MSDP peers.
2. Each MSDP peer receives and forwards the message to its peers away from the originating RP.
3. When an MSDP peer receives an SA message, it determines if there are any group members within the
domain interested in any of the advertised sources. If there are, the receiving RP sends a join message
to the originating RP, creating an SPT to the source.
Figure 31-1.

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol

+

+

P 3
MPC
IG Receiver

OS
PF
+

PI
M

PC 2
Source

MP
IG

4/1

R4

AS Y
Area 0

4/31
2/1

OS
PF

+

PI
M

AS X
Area 0

BGP

R2
2/11

3/21

3/41

R3

1/21

1/2
R1
1/1

P Pe
MSD

ersh

ip

RP

RP1

PC 1
Receiver

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 663

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

RPs advertise each (S,G) in its domain in Type, Length, Value (TLV) format. The total number of TLVs
contained in the SA is indicated in the “Entry Count” field. SA messages are transmitted every 60 seconds,
and immediately when a new source is detected.
Figure 31-2.
Source Port

MSDP SA Message Format

Dest. Port
(639)

Seq. Number

Type

Code: 1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:

Ack. Number

Length

Offset

Entry Count

Reserved

RP Address

IPv4 Source-active
IPv4 Source-active Request
IPv4 Souce-active Response
Keepalive
Reserved
MSDP traceroute in progress
MSDP traceroute reply

Flags

Window

Reserved

Sprefix Length Group Address
(/32)

Checksum

Urgent

Options

Data

Source Address

MSDP 001

Anycast RP
Using Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP), Anycast RP provides load sharing and redundancy in
Protocol Independent Multicast sparse mode (PIM-SM) networks. Anycast RP allows two or more
rendezvous points (RPs) to share the load for source registration and the ability to act as hot backup routers
for each other.
Anycast RP allows two or more RPs to be configured with the same IP address on loopback interfaces. The
Anycast RP loopback address are configured with a 32-bit mask, making it a host address. All downstream
routers are configured to know that the Anycast RP loopback address is the IP address of their local RP. IP
routing automatically selects the closest RP for each source and receiver. Assuming that the sources are
evenly spaced around the network, an equal number of sources register with each RP. Consequently, all the
RPs in the network share the process of registering the sources equally. Since a source may register with
one RP and receivers may join to a different RP, a method is needed for the RPs to exchange information
about active sources. This information exchange is done with MSDP.
With Anycast RP, all the RPs are configured to be MSDP peers of each other. When a source registers with
one RP, an SA message is sent to the other RPs informing them that there is an active source for a
particular multicast group. The result is that each RP is aware of the active sources in the area of the other
RPs. If any of the RPs fail, IP routing converges and one of the RPs becomes the active RP in more than
one area. New sources register with the backup RP. Receivers join toward the new RP and connectivity is
maintained.

Implementation Information
•

664

|

The FTOS implementation of MSDP is in accordance with RFC 3618 and Anycast RP is in accordance
with RFC 3446.

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)

Configuring Multicast Source Discovery Protocol
Configuring MSDP is a three-step process:
1. Enable an exterior gateway protocol (EGP) with at least two routing domains.
Figure 31-5 and MSDP Sample Configurations on page 686 show the OSPF-BGP configuration used
in this chapter for MSDP. Otherwise, see Chapter 34, Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2) and
Chapter 9, Border Gateway Protocol.
2. Configure PIM-SM within each EGP routing domain.
Figure 31-5 and MSDP Sample Configurations show the PIM-SM configuration in this chapter for
MSDP. Otherwise, see Chapter 35, “PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM),” on page 775.
3. Enable MSDP. See page 670.
4. Peer the RPs in each routing domain with each other. See Enable MSDP.

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Enable MSDP
Manage the Source-active Cache
Accept Source-active Messages that fail the RFP Check
Limit the Source-active Messages from a Peer
Prevent MSDP from Caching a Local Source
Prevent MSDP from Caching a Remote Source
Prevent MSDP from Advertising a Local Source
Terminate a Peership
Clear Peer Statistics
Clear Peer Statistics
Debug MSDP
MSDP with Anycast RP
MSDP Sample Configurations

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 665

interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.3.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/2
ip address 10.11.2.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/21
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.1.12/24
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 0
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 192.168.0.1/32
no shutdown

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)
1/1

PC 1 : 10.11.3.2/24

R1

1/21

R2
2/11
interface GigabitEthernet 3/21
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.0.32/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/41
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.6.34/24
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 0
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 192.168.0.3/32
no shutdown

2/31

R3

3/21

3/41

PC 3 : 10.11.5.2/24

4/1

interface GigabitEthernet 4/1
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.5.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 4/31
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.6.43/24
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 0
ip address 192.168.0.4/32
no shutdown

4/31

R4

|
2/1

PC 2 : 10.11.4.2/24

666
1/2

interface GigabitEthernet 2/1
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.4.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/11
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.1.21/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/31
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.0.23/24
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 0
ip address 192.168.0.2/32
no shutdown

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 31-3.
Configuring Interfaces for MSDP

router ospf 1
network 10.11.2.0/24 area 0
network 10.11.1.0/24 area 0
network 192.168.0.1/32 area 0
network 10.11.3.0/24 area 0

router ospf 1
network 192.168.0.1/32 area 0
network 10.11.1.0/24 area 0
network 10.11.4.0/24 area 0
redistribute static
redistribute connected
redistribute bgp 100
R2_E300(conf)#do show run bgp
!
router bgp 100
redistribute ospf 1
neighbor 192.168.0.3 remote-as 200
neighbor 192.168.0.3 ebgp-multihop 255
neighbor 192.168.0.3 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.0.3 no shutdown

R1

1/2

OS
PF
PC 1

AS 100
Area 0

1/1

1/21

R2
2/11

2/1

PC 2

2/31

R3

3/21
3/41

PC 3

router ospf 1
network 10.11.6.0/24 area 0
network 192.168.0.3/32 area 0
redistribute static
redistribute connected
redistribute bgp 200
R3_E600(conf)#do show run bgp
!
router bgp 200
redistribute ospf 1
neighbor 192.168.0.2 remote-as 100
neighbor 192.168.0.2 ebgp-multihop 255
neighbor 192.168.0.2 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.0.2 no shutdown

BGP

OS
PF

4/1

4/31

R4

router ospf 1
network 10.11.5.0/24 area 0
network 10.11.6.0/24 area 0
network 192.168.0.4/32 area 0

AS 200
Area 0

Figure 31-4.
Configuring OSPF and BGP for MSDP

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 667

M
PI

P
GM
+I

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)

R1

1/2

RP1

PC 2
Receiver: 239.0.0.1

1/1

R3

3/41

4/31

R4

AS 200

ip multicast-routing
!
ip pim rp-address 192.168.0.3 group-address 224.0.0.0/4

ip multicast-routing
!
ip pim rp-address 192.168.0.3 group-address 224.0.0.0/4

4/1

P
GM
+ I PC 3
Receiver: 239.0.0.1

RP2

3/21

ip multicast-routing
!
ip pim rp-address 192.168.0.1 group-address 224.0.0.0/4

2/11

2/31

M
PI

|
1/21

R2

2/1

PC 2
Source: 239.0.0.1

668

ip multicast routing
!
ip pim rp-address 192.168.0.1 group-address 224.0.0.0/4

AS 100

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 31-5.
Configuring PIM in Multiple Routing Domains

R1_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp sa-cache
MSDP Source-Active Cache - 1 entries
GroupAddr
SourceAddr
RPAddr
LearnedFrom Expire UpTime
239.0.0.1
10.11.4.2
192.168.0.1 local
95 16:49:25

(10.11.4.2, 239.0.0.1), uptime 1d16h, expires 00:03:12, flags: CTA
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 1/21, RPF neighbor 10.11.1.21
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 1/1 Forward/Sparse 22:26:37/Never

(*, 239.0.0.1), uptime 22:26:37, expires 00:00:00, RP 192.168.0.1, flags: SCJ
1/2
Incoming interface: Null, RPF neighbor 0.0.0.0
Outgoing interface list:
R1
GigabitEthernet 1/1 Forward/Sparse 22:26:37/Never

PIM Multicast Routing Table
Flags: D - Dense, S - Sparse, C - Connected, L - Local, P - Pruned,
R - RP-bit set, F - Register flag, T - SPT-bit set, J - Join SPT,
M - MSDP created entry, A - Candidate for MSDP Advertisement
K - Ack-Pending State
Timers: Uptime/Expires
Interface state: Interface, next-Hop, State/Mode

R1_E600(conf)#do show run msdp
!
ip multicast-msdp
ip msdp peer 192.168.0.3 connect-source Loopback 0
R1_E600(conf)#do show ip pim tib

+

1/1

M
PI

RP1

1/21

PC 1
Receiver: 239.0.0.1

P

P
GM
+I

GigabitEthernet 2/31 Forward/Sparse 16:49:00/00:03:22

R2
2/11

2/1

(10.11.4.2, 239.0.0.1), uptime 22:27:00, expires 00:02:09, flags: FT
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 2/1, RPF neighbor 0.0.0.0
PC 2
Outgoing interface list:
Source: 239.0.0..1
GigabitEthernet 2/11 Forward/Sparse 22:26:43/00:02:40

PIM Multicast Routing Table
Flags: D - Dense, S - Sparse, C - Connected, L - Local, P - Pruned,
R - RP-bit set, F - Register flag, T - SPT-bit set, J - Join SPT,
M - MSDP created entry, A - Candidate for MSDP Advertisement
K - Ack-Pending State
Timers: Uptime/Expires
Interface state: Interface, next-Hop, State/Mode

R2_E300(conf)#do show ip pim tib

BG
OS
PF
+

2/31

P Pe
MSD

AS 100
Area 0

ersh

ip

BG

R3

P

+

M
PI

4/31

R4

AS 200
Area 0

(10.11.4.2, 239.0.0.1), uptime 16:48:40, expires 00:03:16, flags: CT
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 4/31, RPF neighbor 10.11.6.34
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 4/1 Forward/Sparse 21:07:44/Never

(*, 239.0.0.1), uptime 21:07:44, expires 00:00:00, RP 192.168.0.3, flags: SCJ
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 4/31, RPF neighbor 10.11.6.34
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 4/1 Forward/Sparse 21:07:44/Never

PIM Multicast Routing Table
Flags: D - Dense, S - Sparse, C - Connected, L - Local, P - Pruned,
R - RP-bit set, F - Register flag, T - SPT-bit set, J - Join SPT,
M - MSDP created entry, A - Candidate for MSDP Advertisement
K - Ack-Pending State
Timers: Uptime/Expires
Interface state: Interface, next-Hop, State/Mode

R4_C300(conf)#do show ip pim tib

R3_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp sa-cache
MSDP Source-Active Cache - 1 entries
GroupAddr
SourceAddr
RPAddr
LearnedFrom Expire UpTime
239.0.0.1
10.11.4.2
192.168.0.1 192.168.0.1 77 16:49:37

(10.11.4.2, 239.0.0.1), uptime 16:56:34, expires 00:02:02, flags: TM
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 3/21, RPF neighbor 10.11.0.23
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 3/41 Forward/Sparse 16:48:48/00:02:30

(*, 239.0.0.1), uptime 21:07:53, expires 00:02:30, RP 192.168.0.3, flags: S
Incoming interface: Null, RPF neighbor 0.0.0.0
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 3/41 Forward/Sparse 21:07:53/00:02:30

PIM Multicast Routing Table
Flags: D - Dense, S - Sparse, C - Connected, L - Local, P - Pruned,
R - RP-bit set, F - Register flag, T - SPT-bit set, J - Join SPT,
M - MSDP created entry, A - Candidate for MSDP Advertisement
K - Ack-Pending State
Timers: Uptime/Expires
Interface state: Interface, next-Hop, State/Mode

R3_E600(conf)#do show run msdp
!
ip multicast-msdp
ip msdp peer 192.168.0.1 connect-source Loopback 0
R3_E600(conf)#do show ip pim tib

3/41

4/1

P
GM
+I
PC 3
Receiver: 239.0.0.1

RP2

3/21

OS
PF
+

Figure 31-6.
Configuring MSDP

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 669

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Enable MSDP
Enable MSDP by peering RPs in different administrative domains.
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Enable MSDP.

ip multicast-msdp

CONFIGURATION

2

PeerPIM systems in different
administrative domains.

ip msdp peer connect-source

CONFIGURATION

Figure 31-7.

Configuring an MSDP Peer

R3_E600(conf)#ip multicast-msdp
R3_E600(conf)#ip msdp peer 192.168.0.1 connect-source Loopback 0
R3_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp summary
Peer Addr
Description

Local Addr

State

Source

SA

Up/Down

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

View details about about a peer.

show ip msdp peer

EXEC Privilege

Figure 31-8.

Displaying Details about a Peer

R3_E600#show ip msdp peer
Peer Addr: 192.168.0.1
Local Addr: 192.168.0.3(639) Connect Source: Lo 0
State: Established Up/Down Time: 00:15:20
Timers: KeepAlive 30 sec, Hold time 75 sec
SourceActive packet count (in/out): 8/0
SAs learned from this peer: 1
SA Filtering:
Input (S,G) filter: none
Output (S,G) filter: none

Multicast sources in remote domains are stored on the RP in the Source-active cache (SA cache). The
system does not create entries in the multicast routing table until there is a local receiver for the
corresponding multicast group.

Manage the Source-active Cache
Each SA-originating RP caches the sources inside its domain (domain-local), and the sources which it has
learned from its peers (domain-remote). By caching sources:
•

670

|

domain-local receivers experience a lower join latency,

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)

•
•

RPs can transmit SA messages periodically to prevent SA storms, and
only sources that are in the cache are advertised in the SA to prevent transmitting multiple copies of
the same source information.

View the Source-active Cache
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

View the SA cache.

show ip msdp sa-cache

EXEC Privilege

Figure 31-9.

Displaying the MSDP Source-active Cache

R3_E600#show ip msdp sa-cache
MSDP Source-Active Cache - 1 entries
GroupAddr
SourceAddr
RPAddr
239.0.0.1
10.11.4.2
192.168.0.1

LearnedFrom
192.168.0.1

Expire UpTime
76 00:10:44

Limit the Source-active Cache
Set the upper limit of the number of active sources that FTOS caches. The default active source limit is
500K messages. When the total number of active sources reaches the specified limit, subsequent active
sources are dropped even if they pass the RPF and policy check.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Limit the number of sources that can be stored in the SA
cache.

show ip msdp sa-limit

EXEC Privilege

If the total number of active sources is already larger than the limit when limiting is applied, the sources
that are already in FTOS are not discarded. To enforce the limit in such a situation, use the command clear
ip msdp sa-cache to clear all existing entries.

Clear the Source-active Cache
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Clear the SA cache of all, local, or rejected entries, or
entries for a specific group.

clear ip msdp sa-cache [group-address
| local | rejected-sa]

CONFIGURATION

Enable the Rejected Source-active Cache
Active sources can be rejected because
•
•

the RPF check failed,
the SA limit is reached,

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 671

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Cache rejected sources.

ip msdp cache-rejected-sa

CONFIGURATION

Accept Source-active Messages that fail the RFP Check
A default peer is a peer from which active sources are accepted even though they fail the RFP check.
•
•

•
•

672

the peer RP is unreachable,
or because of an SA message format error.

|

In Scenario 1 of Figure 31-10, all MSPD peers are up.
In Scenario 2, the peership between RP1 and RP2 is down, but the link (and routing protocols)
between them is still up. In this case, RP1 learns all active sources from RP3, the but the sources from
RP2 and RP4 are rejected because the reverse path to these routers is through Interface A.
In Scenario 3, RP3 is configured as a default MSDP peer for RP1 and so the RPF check is disregarded
for RP3.
In Scenario 4, RP1 has a default peer plus an access list. The list permits RP4 so the RPF check is
disregarded for active sources from it, but RP5 (and all others because of the implicit deny all) are
subject to the RPF check and fail, so those active sources are rejected.

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)

Figure 31-10.

MSDP Default Peer
Scenario 1

Scenario 2

RP5

RP4

RP5

RP4

(S5, G5)

(S4, G4)

(S3, G3)

(S2, G2)

(S5, G5)
MSDP Peership

MSDP Peership

(S4, G4)

(S2, G2)
RP3

RP2

(S3, G3)
RP2

Pe
er

RP3

sh

ip
il
Fa

Interface B

Interface A

RP1

Group
G2
G3
G4
G5

Source
S2
S3
S4
S5

RP1

RP
RP2
RP3
RP4
RP5

Peer
R2
R3
R4
R5

Group
G2
G3
G4
G5

Scenario 3

Source
S2
S3
S4
S5

RP
RP2
RP3
RP4
RP5

Peer
R3 RPF-Fail
R3
R3 RPF-Fail
R3

Scenario 4

(S4, G4)

RP5

RP4

RP5

RP4

(S4, G4)

(S5, G5)

MSDP Peership

MSDP Peership

(S5, G5)

(S2, G2)

(S2, G2)

(S3, G3)

(S3, G3)
RP2

RP3

sh

RP3

sh

il
Fa

Pe
er

Pe
er

ip

RP2

Interface B

Interface A

ip
il
Fa

RP1
ip msdp default-peer Router 3
Group
G2
G3
G4
G5

Source
S2
S3
S4
S5

RP
RP2
RP3
RP4
RP5

Peer
R3
R3
R3
R3

RP1
ip msdp default-peer Router 3 access-list list123
ip access-list list123
permit RP4
Deny RP5
Group
G2
G3
G4
G5

Source
S2
S3
S4
S5

RP
RP2
RP3
RP4
RP5

Peer
R3 RPF-Fail
R3
R3
R3

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 673

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Specify the forwarding-peer and originating-RP from
which all active sources are accepted without regard for
the RPF check. If you do not specify an access list, the
peer accepts all sources advertised by that peer. All
sources from RPs denied by the ACL are subjected to
the normal RPF check.

ip msdp default-peer ip-address list

CONFIGURATION

Figure 31-11.

Accepting Source-active Messages with

FTOS(conf)#ip msdp peer 10.0.50.2 connect-source Vlan 50
FTOS(conf)#ip msdp default-peer 10.0.50.2 list fifty
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list standard fifty
FTOS(conf)#seq 5 permit host 200.0.0.50
FTOS#ip msdp sa-cache
MSDP Source-Active Cache - 3 entries
GroupAddr
SourceAddr
RPAddr
229.0.50.2
24.0.50.2
200.0.0.50
229.0.50.3
24.0.50.3
200.0.0.50
229.0.50.4
24.0.50.4
200.0.0.50
FTOS#ip msdp sa-cache rejected-sa
MSDP Rejected SA Cache
3 rejected SAs received, cache-size 32766
UpTime
GroupAddr
SourceAddr
00:33:18
229.0.50.64
24.0.50.64
00:33:18
229.0.50.65
24.0.50.65
00:33:18
229.0.50.66
24.0.50.66

LearnedFrom
10.0.50.2
10.0.50.2
10.0.50.2

RPAddr
200.0.1.50
200.0.1.50
200.0.1.50

Expire UpTime
73 00:13:49
73 00:13:49
73 00:13:49

LearnedFrom
10.0.50.2
10.0.50.2
10.0.50.2

Reason
Rpf-Fail
Rpf-Fail
Rpf-Fail

Limit the Source-active Messages from a Peer
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

OPTIONAL: Store sources that are received after the
limit is reached in the rejected SA cache.

ip msdp cache-rejected-sa

CONFIGURATION

Set the upper limit for the number of sources allowed
from an MSDP peer. The default limit is 100K.

ip msdp peer peer-address sa-limit

CONFIGURATION

If the total number of sources received from the peer is already larger than the limit when this
configuration is applied, those sources are not discarded. To enforce the limit in such a situation, first clear
the SA cache.

674

|

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)

Prevent MSDP from Caching a Local Source
You can prevent MSDP from caching an active source based on source and/or group. Since the source is
not cached, it is not advertised to remote RPs.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

OPTIONAL: Cache sources that are denied by the
redistribute list in the rejected SA cache.

ip msdp cache-rejected-sa

CONFIGURATION

Prevent the system from caching local SA entries based
on source and group using an extended ACL.

ip msdp redistribute list

CONFIGURATION

When you apply this filter, the SA cache is not affected immediately. When sources which are denied by
the ACL time out, they are not refreshed. Until they time out, they continue to reside in the cache. To apply
the redistribute filter to entries already present in the SA cache, first clear the SA cache. You may
optionally store denied sources in the rejected SA cache.
Figure 31-12.

Preventing MSDP from Caching a Local Source

R1_E600(conf)#do show run msdp
!
ip multicast-msdp
ip msdp peer 192.168.0.3 connect-source Loopback 0
ip msdp redistribute list mylocalfilter
ip msdp cache-rejected-sa 1000
R1_E600(conf)#do show run acl
!
ip access-list extended mylocalfilter
seq 5 deny ip host 239.0.0.1 host 10.11.4.2
seq 10 deny ip any any
R1_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp sa-cache
R1_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp sa-cache rejected-sa
MSDP Rejected SA Cache
1 rejected SAs received, cache-size 1000
UpTime
GroupAddr
SourceAddr
RPAddr
00:02:20
239.0.0.1
10.11.4.2
192.168.0.1

LearnedFrom
local

Reason
Redistribute

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 675

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Prevent MSDP from Caching a Remote Source
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

OPTIONAL: Cache sources that are denied by the
SA filter in the rejected SA cache.

ip msdp cache-rejected-sa

CONFIGURATION

Prevent the system from caching remote sources
learned from a specific peer based on source and
group.

ip msdp sa-filter list out peer list ext-acl

CONFIGURATION

In Figure 31-14, R1 is advertising source 10.11.4.2. It is already in the SA cache of R3 when an ingress SA
filter is applied to R3. The entry remains in the SA cache until it expires; it is not stored in the rejected SA
cache.
Figure 31-13.

Preventing MSDP from Advertising a Local Source

[Router 3]
R3_E600(conf)#do show run msdp
!
ip multicast-msdp
ip msdp peer 192.168.0.1 connect-source Loopback 0
ip msdp sa-filter in 192.168.0.1 list myremotefilter
R3_E600(conf)#do show run acl
!
ip access-list extended myremotefilter
seq 5 deny ip host 239.0.0.1 host 10.11.4.2
R3_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp sa-cache
MSDP Source-Active Cache - 1 entries
GroupAddr
SourceAddr
RPAddr
LearnedFrom
239.0.0.1
10.11.4.2
192.168.0.1
192.168.0.1
R3_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp sa-cache
R3_E600(conf)#
R3_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp peer
Peer Addr: 192.168.0.1
Local Addr: 0.0.0.0(639) Connect Source: Lo 0
State: Listening
Up/Down Time: 00:01:19
Timers: KeepAlive 30 sec, Hold time 75 sec
SourceActive packet count (in/out): 0/0
SAs learned from this peer: 0
SA Filtering:
Input (S,G) filter: myremotefilter
Output (S,G) filter: none

676

|

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)

Expire UpTime
1
00:03:59

Prevent MSDP from Advertising a Local Source
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Prevent an RP from advertising a source in the SA
cache.

ip msdp sa-filter list in peer list ext-acl

CONFIGURATION

In Figure 31-14, R1 stops advertising source 10.11.4.2. Since it is already in the SA cache of R3, the entry
remains there until it expires.
Figure 31-14.

Preventing MSDP from Advertising a Local Source

[Router 1]
R1_E600(conf)#do show run msdp
!
ip multicast-msdp
ip msdp peer 192.168.0.3 connect-source Loopback 0
ip msdp sa-filter out 192.168.0.3 list mylocalfilter
R1_E600(conf)#do show run acl
!
ip access-list extended mylocalfilter
seq 5 deny ip host 239.0.0.1 host 10.11.4.2
seq 10 deny ip any any
R1_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp sa-cache
MSDP Source-Active Cache - 1 entries
GroupAddr
SourceAddr
RPAddr
LearnedFrom
239.0.0.1
10.11.4.2
192.168.0.1
local
R3_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp sa-cache
MSDP Source-Active Cache - 1 entries
GroupAddr
SourceAddr
RPAddr
LearnedFrom
239.0.0.1
10.11.4.2
192.168.0.1
192.168.0.1

Expire UpTime
70 00:27:20

Expire UpTime
1
00:10:29

[Router 3]
R3_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp sa-cache
R3_E600(conf)#

Display the configured SA filters for a peer using the command show ip msdp peer from EXEC Privilege
mode (see Figure 31-14).

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 677

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Log Changes in Peership States
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Log peership state changes.

ip msdp log-adjacency-changes

CONFIGURATION

Terminate a Peership
MSDP uses TCP as its transport protocol. In a peering relationship, the peer with the lower IP address
initiates the TCP session, while the peer with the higher IP address listens on port 639.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Terminate the TCP connection with a peer.

ip msdp shutdown

CONFIGURATION

Once the relationship is terminated, the peering state of the terminator is SHUTDOWN, while the peering
state of the peer is INACTIVE.
Figure 31-15.

Terminating a Peership

[Router 3]
R3_E600(conf)#ip msdp shutdown 192.168.0.1
R3_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp peer
Peer Addr: 192.168.0.1
Local Addr: 0.0.0.0(0) Connect Source: Lo 0
State: Shutdown
Up/Down Time: 00:00:18
Timers: KeepAlive 30 sec, Hold time 75 sec
SourceActive packet count (in/out): 0/0
SAs learned from this peer: 0
SA Filtering:
Input (S,G) filter: myremotefilter
Output (S,G) filter: none
[Router 1]
R1_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp peer
Peer Addr: 192.168.0.3
Local Addr: 0.0.0.0(0) Connect Source: Lo 0
State: Inactive
Up/Down Time: 00:00:03
Timers: KeepAlive 30 sec, Hold time 75 sec
SourceActive packet count (in/out): 0/0
SAs learned from this peer: 0
SA Filtering:

678

|

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)

Clear Peer Statistics
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Reset the TCP connection to the peer and clear all peer
statistics.

clear ip msdp peer peer-address

CONFIGURATION

Figure 31-16.

Clearing Peer Statistics

R3_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp peer
Peer Addr: 192.168.0.1
Local Addr: 192.168.0.3(639) Connect Source: Lo 0
State: Established Up/Down Time: 00:04:26
Timers: KeepAlive 30 sec, Hold time 75 sec
SourceActive packet count (in/out): 5/0
SAs learned from this peer: 0
SA Filtering:
Input (S,G) filter: myremotefilter
Output (S,G) filter: none
R3_E600(conf)#do clear ip msdp peer 192.168.0.1
R3_E600(conf)#do show ip msdp peer
Peer Addr: 192.168.0.1
Local Addr: 0.0.0.0(0) Connect Source: Lo 0
State: Inactive
Up/Down Time: 00:00:04
Timers: KeepAlive 30 sec, Hold time 75 sec
SourceActive packet count (in/out): 0/0
SAs learned from this peer: 0
SA Filtering:
Input (S,G) filter: myremotefilter
Output (S,G) filter: none

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 679

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Debug MSDP
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Display the information exchanged between peers.

debug ip msdp

CONFIGURATION

Figure 31-17.

Debugging MSDP

R1_E600(conf)#do debug ip msdp
All MSDP debugging has been turned on
R1_E600(conf)#03:16:08 : MSDP-0: Peer
03:16:09 : MSDP-0: Peer 192.168.0.3,
03:16:27 : MSDP-0: Peer 192.168.0.3,
03:16:38 : MSDP-0: Peer 192.168.0.3,
03:16:39 : MSDP-0: Peer 192.168.0.3,
03:17:09 : MSDP-0: Peer 192.168.0.3,
03:17:10 : MSDP-0: Peer 192.168.0.3,
03:17:27 : MSDP-0: Peer 192.168.0.3,
Input (S,G) filter: none
Output (S,G) filter: none

192.168.0.3, sent Keepalive msg
rcvd Keepalive msg
sent Source Active msg
sent Keepalive msg
rcvd Keepalive msg
sent Keepalive msg
rcvd Keepalive msg
sent Source Active msg

MSDP with Anycast RP
Anycast RP use MSDP with PIM-SM to allow more than one active group to RP mapping.
PIM-SM allows only active group to RP mapping, which has several implications:
•

•

•

traffic concentration: PIM-SM allows only one active group to RP mapping which means that all
traffic for the group must, at least initially, travel over the same part of the network. You can load
balance source registration between multiple RPs by strategically mapping groups to RPs, but this
technique is less effective as traffic increases because preemptive load balancing requires prior
knowledge of traffic distributions.
lack of scalable register decasulation: With only a single RP per group, all joins are sent to that RP
regardless of the topological distance between the RP, sources, and receivers, and data is transmitted to
the RP until the SPT switch threshold is reached.
slow convergence when an active RP fails: When multiple RPs are configured, there can be
considerable convergence delay involved in switching to the backup RP.

Anycast RP relieves these limitations by allowing multiple RPs per group, which can be distributed in a
topologically significant manner according to the locations of the sources and receivers.
1. All the RPs serving a given group are configured with an identical anycast address.
2. Sources then register with the topologically closest RP.
3. RPs use MSDP to peer with each other using a unique address.

680

|

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)

MSDP with Anycast RP
(10.11.4.2, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:52, expires 00:03:20, flags: FTA
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 2/1, RPF neighbor 0.0.0.0
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 2/11 Forward/Sparse 00:00:50/00:02:40
GigabitEthernet 2/31 Forward/Sparse 00:00:50/00:02:40

PI
M

AS X
Area 0

+

PI
M

PC 2
Source

+

MP
IG

PC 3
Receiver

OS
PF
+

Figure 31-18.

MP
IG

4/1

R4
4/31

OS
PF

+

2/1

BGP

(*, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:23, expires 00:00:00, RP 192.168.0.3, flags: SCJ
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 4/31, RPF neighbor 10.11.6.34
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 4/1 Forward/Sparse 00:00:23/Never
(10.11.4.2, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:23, expires 00:03:18, flags: CT
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 4/31, RPF neighbor 10.11.6.34
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 4/1 Forward/Sparse 00:00:23/Never

R2
2/11

AS Y
Area 0

RP2

3/21

3/41

R3

1/21

1/2
R1
1/1

PC 1
Receiver

P Pe
MSD

ip
ersh

RP1
(*, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:09, expires 00:00:00, RP 192.168.0.1, flags: SCJ
Incoming interface: Null, RPF neighbor 0.0.0.0
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 1/1 Forward/Sparse 00:00:09/Never

RP3
(*, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:14, expires 00:03:16, RP 192.168.0.3, flags: S
Incoming interface: Null, RPF neighbor 0.0.0.0
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 3/41 Forward/Sparse 00:00:14/00:03:16
(10.11.4.2, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:14, expires 00:03:17, flags: TM
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 3/21, RPF neighbor 10.11.0.23
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 3/41 Forward/Sparse 00:00:14/00:03:16

(10.11.4.2, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:05, expires 00:03:25, flags: CTM
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 1/21, RPF neighbor 10.11.1.21
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 1/1 Forward/Sparse 00:00:09/Never

To configure Anycast RP:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

In each routing domain that will have multiple RPs serving a
group, create a loopback interface on each RP serving the
group with the same IP address.

interface loopback

CONFIGURATION

2

Make this address the RP for the group.

ip pim rp-address

CONFIGURATION

3

In each routing domain that will have multiple RPs serving a
group, create another loopback interface on each RP serving
the group with a unique IP address.

interface loopback

CONFIGURATION

4

Peer each RP with every other RP using MSDP, specifying the
unique loopback address as the connect-source.

ip msdp peer

CONFIGURATION

5

Advertise the network of each of the unique loopback
addresses throughout the network.

network

ROUTER OSPF

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 681

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Reducing Source-active Message Flooding
RPs flood source-active messages to all of their peers away from the RP. When multiple RPs exist within a
domain, the RPs forward received active source information back to the originating RP, which violates the
RFP rule. You can prevent this unnecessary flooding by creating a mesh-group. A mesh in this context is a
topology in which each RP in a set of RPs has a peership with all other RPs in the set. When an RP is a
member of the mesh group, it forwards active source information only to its peers outside of the group.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Create a mesh group.

ip msdp mesh-group

CONFIGURATION

Specify the RP Address Used in SA Messages
The default originator-id is the address of the RP that created the message. In the case of Anycast RP, there
are multiple RPs all with the same address. You can use the (unique) address of another interface as the
originator-id.

682

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Use the address of another interface as the originator-id
instead of the RP address.

ip msdp originator-id

CONFIGURATION

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)

Figure 31-19.

R1 Configuration for MSDP with Anycast RP

ip multicast-routing
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.3.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/2
ip address 10.11.2.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/21
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.1.12/24
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 0
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 192.168.0.1/32
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 1
ip address 192.168.0.11/32
no shutdown
!
router ospf 1
network 10.11.2.0/24 area 0
network 10.11.1.0/24 area 0
network 10.11.3.0/24 area 0
network 192.168.0.11/32 area 0
!
ip multicast-msdp
ip msdp peer 192.168.0.3 connect-source Loopback 1
ip msdp peer 192.168.0.22 connect-source Loopback 1
ip msdp mesh-group AS100 192.168.0.22
ip msdp originator-id Loopback 1
!
ip pim rp-address 192.168.0.1 group-address 224.0.0.0/4

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 683

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 31-20.

684

R2 Configuration for MSDP with Anycast RP

ip multicast-routing
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/1
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.4.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/11
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.1.21/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/31
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.0.23/24
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 0
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 192.168.0.1/32
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 1
ip address 192.168.0.22/32
no shutdown
!
router ospf 1
network 10.11.1.0/24 area 0
network 10.11.4.0/24 area 0
network 192.168.0.22/32 area 0
redistribute static
redistribute connected
redistribute bgp 100
!
router bgp 100
redistribute ospf 1
neighbor 192.168.0.3 remote-as 200
neighbor 192.168.0.3 ebgp-multihop 255
neighbor 192.168.0.3 no shutdown
!
ip multicast-msdp
ip msdp peer 192.168.0.3 connect-source Loopback 1
ip msdp peer 192.168.0.11 connect-source Loopback 1
ip msdp mesh-group AS100 192.168.0.11
ip msdp originator-id Loopback 1
!
ip route 192.168.0.3/32 10.11.0.32
!
ip pim rp-address 192.168.0.1 group-address 224.0.0.0/4

|

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)

Figure 31-21.

R3 Configuration for MSDP with Anycast RP

ip multicast-routing
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/21
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.0.32/24
no shutdown
interface GigabitEthernet 3/41
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.6.34/24
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 0
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 192.168.0.3/32
no shutdown
!
router ospf 1
network 10.11.6.0/24 area 0
network 192.168.0.3/32 area 0
redistribute static
redistribute connected
redistribute bgp 200
!
router bgp 200
redistribute ospf 1
neighbor 192.168.0.22 remote-as 100
neighbor 192.168.0.22 ebgp-multihop 255
neighbor 192.168.0.22 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.0.22 no shutdown
!
ip multicast-msdp
ip msdp peer 192.168.0.11 connect-source Loopback 0
ip msdp peer 192.168.0.22 connect-source Loopback 0
ip msdp sa-filter out 192.168.0.22
!
ip route 192.168.0.1/32 10.11.0.23
ip route 192.168.0.22/32 10.11.0.23
!
ip pim rp-address 192.168.0.3 group-address 224.0.0.0/4

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 685

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

MSDP Sample Configurations

686

|

The following figures show the running-configurations for the routers shown in figures Figure 31-5,
Figure 31-4, Figure 31-5, Figure 31-6.
Figure 31-22.

MSDP Sample Configuration: R1 Running-config

ip multicast-routing
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.3.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/2
ip address 10.11.2.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/21
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.1.12/24
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 0
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 192.168.0.1/32
no shutdown
!
router ospf 1
network 10.11.2.0/24 area 0
network 10.11.1.0/24 area 0
network 192.168.0.1/32 area 0
network 10.11.3.0/24 area 0
!
ip multicast-msdp
ip msdp peer 192.168.0.3 connect-source Loopback 0
!
ip pim rp-address 192.168.0.1 group-address 224.0.0.0/4

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)

Figure 31-23.

MSDP Sample Configuration: R2 Running-config

ip multicast-routing
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/1
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.4.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/11
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.1.21/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/31
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.0.23/24
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 0
ip address 192.168.0.2/32
no shutdown
!
router ospf 1
network 10.11.1.0/24 area 0
network 10.11.4.0/24 area 0
network 192.168.0.2/32 area 0
redistribute static
redistribute connected
redistribute bgp 100
!
router bgp 100
redistribute ospf 1
neighbor 192.168.0.3 remote-as 200
neighbor 192.168.0.3 ebgp-multihop 255
neighbor 192.168.0.3 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.0.3 no shutdown
!
ip route 192.168.0.3/32 10.11.0.32
!
ip pim rp-address 192.168.0.1 group-address 224.0.0.0/4

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 687

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 31-24.

688

MSDP Sample Configuration: R3 Running-config

ip multicast-routing
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/21
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.0.32/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/41
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.6.34/24
no shutdown
!
interface ManagementEthernet 0/0
ip address 10.11.80.3/24
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 0
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 192.168.0.3/32
no shutdown
!
router ospf 1
network 10.11.6.0/24 area 0
network 192.168.0.3/32 area 0
redistribute static
redistribute connected
redistribute bgp 200
!
router bgp 200
redistribute ospf 1
neighbor 192.168.0.2 remote-as 100
neighbor 192.168.0.2 ebgp-multihop 255
neighbor 192.168.0.2 update-source Loopback 0
neighbor 192.168.0.2 no shutdown
!
ip multicast-msdp
ip msdp peer 192.168.0.1 connect-source Loopback 0
!
ip route 192.168.0.2/32 10.11.0.23

|

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)

Figure 31-25.

MSDP Sample Configuration: R4 Running-config

ip multicast-routing
!
interface GigabitEthernet 4/1
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.5.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 4/22
ip address 10.10.42.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 4/31
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.6.43/24
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 0
ip address 192.168.0.4/32
no shutdown
!
router ospf 1
network 10.11.5.0/24 area 0
network 10.11.6.0/24 area 0
network 192.168.0.4/32 area 0
!
ip pim rp-address 192.168.0.3 group-address 224.0.0.0/4

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) | 689

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
690

|

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)

32
Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)
Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) is supported on platforms:

ecsz

Protocol Overview
Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)—specified in IEEE 802.1Q-2003—is an RSTP-based spanning
tree variation that improves on PVST+. MSTP allows multiple spanning tree instances and allows you to
map many VLANs to one spanning tree instance to reduce the total number of required instances.
In contrast, PVST+ allows a spanning tree instance for each VLAN. This 1:1 approach is not suitable if
you have many VLANs, because each spanning tree instance costs bandwidth and processing resources.
In the following illustration, three VLANs are mapped to two Multiple Spanning Tree instances (MSTI).
VLAN 100 traffic takes a different path than VLAN 200 and 300 traffic. The behavior demonstrates how
you can use MSTP to achieve load balancing.
Figure 32-1.

MSTP with Three VLANs Mapped to Two Spanning Tree Instances

R1

MSTI 1: VLAN 100
MSTI 2: VLAN 200, VLAN 300

1/21

MSTI 1 root

2/11
2/31

Forwarding

Blocking

1/31

R2

3/11
3/21

MSTI 2 root

R3

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) | 691

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS supports three other variations of Spanning Tree, as shown in Table 44.
Table 32-1.

FTOS Supported Spanning Tree Protocols

Dell Force10 Term

IEEE Specification

Spanning Tree Protocol

802.1d

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol

802.1w

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol

802.1s

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus

Third Party

Implementation Information
•
•
•
•
•

The FTOS MSTP implementation is based on IEEE 802.1Q-2003, and interoperates only with bridges
that also use this standard implementation.
MSTP is compatible with STP and RSTP.
FTOS supports only one MSTP region.
When you enable MSTP, all ports in Layer 2 mode participate in MSTP.
On the C-Series and S-Series, you can configure 64 MSTIs including the default instance 0 (CIST).

Configure Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol
Configuring Multiple Spanning Tree is a four-step process:
1. Configure interfaces for Layer 2. See page 1004.
2. Place the interfaces in VLANs.
3. Enable Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol. See page 693.
4. Create Multiple Spanning Tree Instances, and map VLANs to them. See page 694.

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

692

|

Create Multiple Spanning Tree Instances on page 694
Add and Remove Interfaces on page 693
Influence MSTP Root Selection on page 695
Interoperate with Non-FTOS Bridges on page 695
Modify Global Parameters on page 696
Modify Interface Parameters on page 697
Configure an EdgePort on page 698
Flush MAC Addresses after a Topology Change on page 699
Debugging and Verifying MSTP Configuration on page 704

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)

•
•
•

Preventing Network Disruptions with BPDU Guard on page 1011
SNMP Traps for Root Elections and Topology Changes on page 873
Configuring Spanning Trees as Hitless on page 1017

Enable Multiple Spanning Tree Globally
MSTP is not enabled by default. To enable MSTP:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Enter PROTOCOL MSTP mode.

protocol spanning-tree mstp

CONFIGURATION

2

Enable MSTP.

no disable

PROTOCOL MSTP

Verify that MSTP is enabled using the show config command from PROTOCOL MSTP mode, as shown in
Figure 32-2.
Figure 32-2.

Verifying MSTP is Enabled

FTOS(conf)#protocol spanning-tree mstp
FTOS(config-mstp)#show config
!
protocol spanning-tree mstp
no disable
FTOS#

When you enable MSTP, all physical, VLAN, and port-channel interfaces that are enabled and in Layer 2
mode are automatically part of the MSTI 0.
•
•

Within an MSTI, only one path from any bridge to any other bridge is enabled.
Bridges block a redundant path by disabling one of the link ports.

Add and Remove Interfaces
•

•

To add an interface to the MSTP topology, configure it for Layer 2 and add it to a VLAN. If you
previously disabled MSTP on the interface using the command no spanning-tree 0, re-enable it using the
command spanning-tree 0.
Remove an interface from the MSTP topology using the command no spanning-tree 0 command. See
also Removing an Interface from the Spanning Tree Group on page 1008 for BPDU Filtering behavior.

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) | 693

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Create Multiple Spanning Tree Instances
A single MSTI provides no more benefit than RSTP. To take full advantage of MSTP you must create
multiple MSTIs and map VLANs to them.
Create an MSTI using the command msti from PROTOCOL MSTP mode. Specify the keyword vlan
followed by the VLANs that you want to participate in the MSTI, as shown in Figure 32-3.
Figure 32-3.

Mapping VLANs to MSTI Instances

FTOS(conf)#protocol spanning-tree mstp
FTOS(conf-mstp)#msti 1 vlan 100
FTOS(conf-mstp)#msti 2 vlan 200-300
FTOS(conf-mstp)#show config
!
protocol spanning-tree mstp
no disable
MSTI 1 VLAN 100
MSTI 2 VLAN 200-300

All bridges in the MSTP region must have the same VLAN-to-instance mapping. View to which instance a
VLAN is mapped using the command show spanning-tree mst vlan from EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in
Figure 32-6.
View the forwarding/discarding state of the ports participating in an MSTI using the command show
spanning-tree msti from EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in Figure 32-4.
Figure 32-4.

Viewing MSTP Port States

FTOS#show spanning-tree msti 1
MSTI 1 VLANs mapped 100
Root Identifier has priority 32768, Address 0001.e806.953e
Root Bridge hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15, max hops 19
Bridge Identifier has priority 32768, Address 0001.e80d.b6d6
Configured hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15, max hops 20
Current root has priority 32768, Address 0001.e806.953e
Number of topology changes 2, last change occured 1d2h ago on Gi 1/21
Port 374 (GigabitEthernet 1/21) is root Forwarding
Port path cost 20000, Port priority 128, Port Identifier 128.374
Designated root has priority 32768, address 0001.e806.953e
Designated bridge has priority 32768, address 0001.e806.953e
Designated port id is 128.374, designated path cost 20000
Number of transitions to forwarding state 1
BPDU (MRecords): sent 93671, received 46843
The port is not in the Edge port mode
Port 384 (GigabitEthernet 1/31) is alternate Discarding
Port path cost 20000, Port priority 128, Port Identifier 128.384
Designated root has priority 32768, address 0001.e806.953e
Designated bridge has priority 32768, address 0001.e809.c24a
Designated port id is 128.384, designated path cost 20000
Number of transitions to forwarding state 1
BPDU (MRecords): sent 39291, received 7547
The port is not in the Edge port mode

694

|

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)

Influence MSTP Root Selection
MSTP determines the root bridge, but you can assign one bridge a lower priority to increase the probability
that it will become the root bridge.
To change the bridge priority:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Assign a number as the bridge priority. A lower number
increases the probability that the bridge becomes the root
bridge.
Range: 0 to 61440, in increments of 4096
Default: 32768

msti instance bridge-priority priority

PROTOCOL MSTP

The simple configuration Figure 32-1 by default yields the same forwarding path for both MSTIs.
Figure 32-5, shows how R3 is assigned bridge priority 0 for MSTI 2, which elects a different root bridge
than MSTI 2. View the bridge priority using the command show config from PROTOCOL MSTP mode,
also shown in Figure 32-5.
Figure 32-5.

Changing the Bridge Priority

R3(conf-mstp)#msti 2 bridge-priority 0
1d2h51m: %RPM0-P:RP2 %SPANMGR-5-STP_ROOT_CHANGE: MSTP root changed for instance 2. My
Bridge ID: 0:0001.e809.c24a Old Root: 32768:0001.e806.953e New Root: 0:0001.e809.c24a
R3(conf-mstp)#show config
!
protocol spanning-tree mstp
no disable
MSTI 1 VLAN 100
MSTI 2 VLAN 200,300
MSTI 2 bridge-priority 0

Interoperate with Non-FTOS Bridges
FTOS supports only one MSTP region. A region is a combination of three unique qualities:
•
•
•

Name is a mnemonic string you assign to the region. The default region name on FTOS is null.
Revision is a two-byte number. The default revision number on FTOS is 0.
VLAN-to-instance mapping is the placement of a VLAN in an MSTI.

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) | 695

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

For a bridge to be in the same MSTP region as another, all three of these qualities must match exactly. The
default values for name and revision will match on all Dell Force10 FTOS equipment. If you have
non-FTOS equipment that will participate in MSTP, ensure these values to match on all the equipment.
Note: Some non-FTOS equipment may implement a non-null default region name. SFTOS, for example,
uses the Bridge ID, while others may use a MAC address.

To change the region name or revision:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the region name.

name name

PROTOCOL MSTP

Change the region revision number.
• Range: 0 to 65535
• Default: 0

revision number

PROTOCOL MSTP

View the current region name and revision using the command show spanning-tree mst configuration from
EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in Figure 32-6.
Figure 32-6.

Viewing the MSTP Region Name and Revision

FTOS(conf-mstp)#name my-mstp-region
FTOS(conf-mstp)#exit
FTOS(conf)#do show spanning-tree mst config
MST region name: my-mstp-region
Revision: 0
MSTI
VID
1
100
2
200-300

Modify Global Parameters
The root bridge sets the values for forward-delay, hello-time, max-age, and max-hops and overwrites the
values set on other MSTP bridges.
•
•
•
•

Forward-delay is the amount of time an interface waits in the Listening State and the Learning State
before it transitions to the Forwarding State.
Hello-time is the time interval in which the bridge sends MSTP Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDUs).
Max-age is the length of time the bridge maintains configuration information before it refreshes that
information by recomputing the MST topology.
Max-hops is the maximum number of hops a BPDU can travel before a receiving switch discards it.

Note: Dell Force10 recommends that only experienced network administrators change MSTP parameters.
Poorly planned modification of MSTP parameters can negatively impact network performance.

696

|

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)

To change MSTP parameters, use the following commands on the root bridge:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the forward-delay parameter.
• Range: 4 to 30
• Default: 15 seconds

forward-delay seconds

PROTOCOL MSTP

Change the hello-time parameter.
Note: With large configurations (especially those with more
ports) Dell Force10 recommends that you increase the
hello-time.
Range: 1 to 10
Default: 2 seconds

hello-time seconds

PROTOCOL MSTP

Change the max-age parameter.
Range: 6 to 40
Default: 20 seconds

max-age seconds

PROTOCOL MSTP

Change the max-hops parameter.
Range: 1 to 40
Default: 20

max-hops number

PROTOCOL MSTP

View the current values for MSTP parameters using the show running-config spanning-tree mstp command
from EXEC privilege mode.
Figure 32-7.

Viewing the Current Values for MSTP Parameters

FTOS(conf-mstp)#forward-delay 16
FTOS(conf-mstp)#exit
FTOS(conf)#do show running-config spanning-tree mstp
!
protocol spanning-tree mstp
no disable
name my-mstp-region
MSTI 1 VLAN 100
MSTI 2 VLAN 200-300
forward-delay 16
MSTI 2 bridge-priority 4096
FTOS(conf)#

Modify Interface Parameters
You can adjust two interface parameters to increase or decrease the probability that a port becomes a
forwarding port:
•
•

Port cost is a value that is based on the interface type. The greater the port cost, the less likely the port
will be selected to be a forwarding port.
Port priority influences the likelihood that a port will be selected to be a forwarding port in case that
several ports have the same port cost.

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) | 697

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 32-2 lists the default values for port cost by interface.
Table 32-2.

MSTP Default Port Cost Values

Port Cost

Default Value

100-Mb/s Ethernet interfaces

200000

1-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

20000

10-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

2000

Port Channel with 100 Mb/s Ethernet interfaces

180000

Port Channel with 1-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

18000

Port Channel with 10-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

1800

To change the port cost or priority of an interface:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the port cost of an interface.
Range: 0 to 200000
Default: see Table 32-2.

spanning-tree msti number cost cost

INTERFACE

Change the port priority of an interface.
Range: 0 to 240, in increments of 16
Default: 128

spanning-tree msti number priority priority

INTERFACE

View the current values for these interface parameters using the command show config from INTERFACE
mode. See Figure 32-8.

Configure an EdgePort
The EdgePort feature enables interfaces to begin forwarding traffic approximately 30 seconds sooner. In
this mode an interface forwards frames by default until it receives a BPDU that indicates that it should
behave otherwise; it does not go through the Learning and Listening states. The bpduguard
shutdown-on-violation option causes the interface hardware to be shutdown when it receives a BPDU. When
only bpduguard is implemented, although the interface is placed in an Error Disabled state when receiving
the BPDU, the physical interface remains up and spanning-tree will drop packets in the hardware after a
BPDU violation. BPDUs are dropped in the software after receiving the BPDU violation. This feature is
the same as PortFast mode in Spanning Tree.
Caution: Configure EdgePort only on links connecting to an end station. EdgePort can cause loops if it is enabled
on an interface connected to a network.

698

|

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)

To enable EdgePort on an interface, use the following command:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable EdgePort on an interface.

spanning-tree mstp edge-port
[bpduguard |
shutdown-on-violation]

INTERFACE

Verify that EdgePort is enabled on a port using the command show config from the INTERFACE mode, as
shown in Figure 32-8.
FTOS Behavior: Regarding bpduguard shutdown-on-violation behavior:
1 If the interface to be shutdown is a port channel then all the member ports are disabled in the hardware.
2 When a physical port is added to a port channel already in error disable state, the new member port will also be disabled
in the hardware.
3 When a physical port is removed from a port channel in error disable state, the error disabled state is cleared on this
physical port (the physical port will be enabled in the hardware).
4 The reset linecard command does not clear the error disabled state of the port or the hardware disabled state. The interface
continues to be disables in the hardware.
The error disabled state can be cleared with any of the following methods:
•Perform an shutdown command on the interface.
•Disable the shutdown-on-violation command on the interface ( no spanning-tree stp-id portfast [bpduguard |
[shutdown-on-violation]] ).
•Disable spanning tree on the interface (no spanning-tree in INTERFACE mode).
•Disabling global spanning tree (no spanning-tree in CONFIGURATION mode).
Figure 32-8.

Configuring EdgePort

FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/41)#spanning-tree mstp edge-port
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/41)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/41
no ip address
switchport
spanning-tree mstp edge-port
spanning-tree MSTI 1 priority 144
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/41)#

Flush MAC Addresses after a Topology Change
FTOS has an optimized MAC address flush mechanism for RSTP, MSTP, and PVST+ that flushes
addresses only when necessary, which allows for faster convergence during topology changes. However,
you may activate the flushing mechanism defined by 802.1Q-2003 using the command tc-flush-standard,
which flushes MAC addresses upon every topology change notification. View the enable status of this
feature using the command show running-config spanning-tree mstp from EXEC Privilege mode.

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) | 699

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

MSTP Sample Configurations
The running-configurations in Figure 32-10, Figure 32-11, and Figure 32-11 support the topology shown
in Figure 32-9. The configurations are from FTOS systems. An S50 system using SFTOS, configured as
shown Figure 32-13, could be substituted for an FTOS router in this sample following topology and MSTP
would function as designed.
Figure 32-9.

MSTP with Three VLANs Mapped to Two Spanning Tree Instances

root
R1

R2
1/2

Forwarding

2/1
2/3

Blocking

1/3

3/1

3/2

R3

700

|

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)

Figure 32-10.

Router 1 Running-configuration

protocol spanning-tree mstp
no disable
name Tahiti
revision 123
MSTI 1 VLAN 100
MSTI 2 VLAN 200,300
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/21
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/31
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 100
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 1/21,31
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 200
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 1/21,31
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 300
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 1/21,31
no shutdown

Enable MSTP globally
Set Region Name and Revision
Map MSTP Instances to VLANs

Assign Layer-2 interfaces
to MSTP topology

Create VLANs mapped to MSTP Instances
Tag interfaces to VLANs

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) | 701

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 32-11.

702

Router 2 Running-configuration

protocol spanning-tree mstp
no disable
name Tahiti
revision 123
MSTI 1 VLAN 100
MSTI 2 VLAN 200,300
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/11
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/31
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 100
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 2/11,31
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 200
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 2/11,31
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 300
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 2/11,31
no shutdown

|

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)

Enable MSTP globally
Set Region Name and Revision
Map MSTP Instances to VLANs

Assign Layer-2 interfaces
to MSTP topology

Create VLANs mapped to MSTP Instances
Tag interfaces to VLANs

Figure 32-12.

Router 3 Running-configuration

protocol spanning-tree mstp
no disable
name Tahiti
revision 123
MSTI 1 VLAN 100
MSTI 2 VLAN 200,300
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/11
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/21
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 100
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 3/11,21
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 200
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 3/11,21
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 300
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 3/11,21
no shutdown

Enable MSTP globally
Set Region Name and Revision
Map MSTP Instances to VLANs

Assign Layer-2 interfaces
to MSTP topology

Create VLANs mapped to MSTP Instances
Tag interfaces to VLANs

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) | 703

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 32-13.

SFTOS Example Running-Configuration

spanning-tree
spanning-tree
spanning-tree
spanning-tree
spanning-tree
spanning-tree
spanning-tree
spanning-tree

configuration name Tahiti
configuration revision 123
MSTi instance 1
MSTi vlan 1 100
MSTi instance 2
MSTi vlan 2 200
MSTi vlan 2 300

interface 1/0/31
no shutdown
spanning-tree port mode enable
switchport protected 0
exit

Enable MSTP globally
Set Region Name and Revision
Map MSTP Instances to VLANs

Assign Layer-2 interfaces
to MSTP topology

interface 1/0/32
no shutdown
spanning-tree port mode enable
switchport protected 0
exit
interface vlan
tagged 1/0/31
tagged 1/0/32
exit

100

interface vlan
tagged 1/0/31
tagged 1/0/32
exit

200

interface vlan
tagged 1/0/31
tagged 1/0/32
exit

300

Create VLANs mapped to MSTP Instances
Tag interfaces to VLANs

Debugging and Verifying MSTP Configuration
Display BPDUs using the command debug spanning-tree mstp bpdu from EXEC Privilege mode. Display
MSTP-triggered topology change messages debug spanning-tree mstp events.

704

|

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)

Figure 32-14.

Displaying BPDUs and Events

FTOS#debug spanning-tree mstp bpdu
1w1d17h : MSTP: Sending BPDU on Gi 1/31 :
ProtId: 0, Ver: 3, Bpdu Type: MSTP, Flags 0x68
CIST Root Bridge Id: 32768:0001.e806.953e, Ext Path Cost: 20000
Regional Bridge Id: 32768:0001.e809.c24a, CIST Port Id: 128:384
Msg Age: 2, Max Age: 20, Hello: 2, Fwd Delay: 15, Ver1 Len: 0, Ver3 Len: 96
Name: my-mstp-region, Rev: 0, Int Root Path Cost: 20000
Rem Hops: 19, Bridge Id: 32768:0001.e80d.b6d6
E1200#1w1d17h : INST 1: Flags: 0x28, Reg Root: 32768:0001.e809.c24a, Int Root Co
Brg/Port Prio: 32768/128, Rem Hops: 19
INST 2: Flags: 0x68, Reg Root: 4096:0001.e809.c24a, Int Root Cost: 20000
Brg/Port Prio: 32768/128, Rem Hops: 19
[output omitted]
FTOS#debug spanning-tree mstp events
1w1d17h : MSTP: TC flag set in the incoming BPDU on port Gi 1/31 for instance 0
1w1d17h : MSTP: TC flag set in the incoming BPDU on port Gi 1/31 for instance 0
1w1d17h : MSTP: TC flag set in the incoming BPDU on port Gi 1/31 for instance 0

Examine your individual routers to ensure all the necessary parameters match.
1. Region Name
2. Region Version
3. VLAN to Instance mapping
The show spanning-tree mst commands will show various portions of the MSTP configuration. To view the
overall MSTP configuration on the router, use the show running-configuration spanning-tree mstp in the EXEC
Privilege mode (output sample shown in Figure 32-15).
Use the debug spanning-tree mstp bpdu command to monitor and verify that the MSTP configuration is
connected and communicating as desired (output sample shown in Figure 32-16).
Key items to look for in the debug report:
•

•

•

MSTP flags indicate communication received from the same region.
• In Figure 32-16, the output shows that the MSTP routers are located in the same region.
• Does the debug log indicate that packets are coming from a “Different Region” (Figure 32-17)? If
so, one of the key parameters is not matching.
MSTP Region Name and Revision
• The configured name and revisions must be identical among all the routers.
• Is the Region name blank? That may mean that a name was configured on one router and but was
not configured or was configured differently on another router (spelling and capitalization counts).
MSTP Instances.
• Use the show commands to verify the VLAN to MSTP Instance mapping.
• Are there “extra” MSTP Instances in the Sending or Received logs? That may mean that an
additional MSTP Instance was configured on one router but not the others.

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) | 705

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 32-15.

Sample Output for show running-configuration spanning-tree mstp command

FTOS#show run spanning-tree mstp
!
protocol spanning-tree mstp
name Tahiti
revision 123
MSTI 1 VLAN 100
MSTI 2 VLAN 200,300

Figure 32-16.

Displaying BPDUs and Events - Debug Log of Successful MSTP Configuration

FTOS#debug spanning-tree mstp bpdu
MSTP debug bpdu is ON
FTOS#
4w0d4h : MSTP: Sending BPDU on Gi 2/21 :
ProtId: 0, Ver: 3, Bpdu Type: MSTP, Flags 0x6e
CIST Root Bridge Id: 32768:0001.e806.953e, Ext Path Cost: 0
Regional Bridge Id: 32768:0001.e806.953e, CIST Port Id: 128:470
Msg Age: 0, Max Age: 20, Hello: 2, Fwd Delay: 15, Ver1 Len: 0, Ver3 Len: 96
Name: Tahiti, Rev: 123, Int Root Path Cost: 0
Rem Hops: 20, Bridge Id: 32768:0001.e806.953e
4w0d4h : INST 1: Flags: 0x6e, Reg Root: 32768:0001.e806.953e, Int Root Cost: 0
Brg/Port Prio: 32768/128, Rem Hops: 20
INST 2: Flags: 0x6e, Reg Root: 32768:0001.e806.953e, Int Root Cost: 0
Brg/Port Prio: 32768/128, Rem Hops: 20
4w0d4h : MSTP: Received BPDU on Gi 2/21 :
Indicates MSTP
ProtId: 0, Ver: 3, Bpdu Type: MSTP, Flags 0x78Same Region
routers are in the
CIST Root Bridge Id: 32768:0001.e806.953e, Ext Path Cost: 0
(single) region
Regional Bridge Id: 32768:0001.e806.953e, CIST Port Id: 128:470
Msg Age: 0, Max Age: 20, Hello: 2, Fwd Delay: 15, Ver1 Len: 0, Ver3 Len: 96
Name: Tahiti, Rev: 123, Int Root Path Cost: 0
Rem Hops: 19, Bridge Id: 32768:0001.e8d5.cbbd
4w0d4h : INST 1: Flags: 0x78, Reg Root: 32768:0001.e806.953e, Int Root Cost: 0
Brg/Port Prio: 32768/128, Rem Hops: 19
INST 2: Flags: 0x78, Reg Root: 32768:0001.e806.953e, Int Root Cost: 0
Brg/Port Prio: 32768/128, Rem Hops: 19
MSTP Instance

MSTP Region name
and revision

Figure 32-17.

Displaying BPDUs and Events - Debug Log of Unsuccessful MSTP Configuration

4w0d4h : MSTP: Received BPDU on Gi 2/21 :
ProtId: 0, Ver: 3, Bpdu Type: MSTP, Flags 0x78Different Region
CIST Root Bridge Id: 32768:0001.e806.953e, Ext Path Cost: 0
Regional Bridge Id: 32768:0001.e806.953e, CIST Port Id: 128:470
Msg Age: 0, Max Age: 20, Hello: 2, Fwd Delay: 15, Ver1 Len: 0, Ver
Name: Tahiti, Rev: 123, Int Root Path Cost: 0
Rem Hops: 20, Bridge Id: 32768:0001.e8d5.cbbd
4w0d4h : INST 1: Flags: 0x70, Reg Root: 32768:0001.e8d5.cbbd, Int
Brg/Port Prio: 32768/128, Rem Hops: 20
INST 2: Flags: 0x70, Reg Root: 32768:0001.e8d5.cbbd, Int Root Cost
Brg/Port Prio: 32768/128, Rem Hops: 20

706

|

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)

Indicates MSTP
routers are in
different regions and
are not communicating
with each other

33
Multicast Features
Multicast Features are supported on platforms:

ecs

This chapter contains the following sections:
•
•
•
•
•

Enable IP Multicast on page 707
Multicast with ECMP on page 708
First Packet Forwarding for Lossless Multicast on page 709
Multicast Policies on page 710
Multicast Traceroute on page 717

FTOS supports the following multicast protocols:
•
•
•

PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM) on page 775
Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) on page 457
Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) on page 663

Implementation Information
•

Multicast is supported on secondary IP addresses on the

platform.

Enable IP Multicast
Enable IP Multicast is supported on platforms

ces

Prior to enabling any multicast protocols, you must enable multicast routing.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable multicast routing.

ip multicast-routing

CONFIGURATION

Multicast Features | 707

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Multicast with ECMP
Dell Force10 multicast uses Equal-cost Multi-path (ECMP) routing to load-balance multiple streams
across equal cost links. When creating the shared-tree Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) uses routes
from all configured routing protocols to select the best route to the rendezvous point (RP). If there are
multiple, equal-cost paths, the PIM selects the route with the least number of currently running multicast
streams. If multiple routes have the same number of streams, PIM selects the first equal-cost route returned
by the Route Table Manager (RTM).
In Figure 33-1, the receiver joins three groups. The last-hop DR initially has two equal-cost routes to the
RP with no streams, so it non-deterministically selects Route 1 for the Group 1 IGMP Join message. Route
1 then has one stream associated with it, so the last-hop DR sends the Group 2 Join by Route 2. It then
non-deterministically selects Route 2 for the Group 3 Join since both routes already have one multicast
stream.
Figure 33-1.

Multicast with ECMP

te
Rou
IG M P J

n: G3

Gig A

Gig Y
Source

Receiver

Rou
te 1

IGMP Group Table
Group Address Interface
Group 1
GigabitEthernet Y
Group 2
GigabitEthernet X
Group 3
GigabitEthernet X

Gig W

G1

RP
IGMP
Join:

Gig B

Gig Z

P Joi
IGM

2
oin: G

2

Gig X

IGMP Group Table
Group Address Interface
Group 1
GigabitEthernet A
Group 2
GigabitEthernet A
Group 3
GigabitEthernet A

Implementation Information
•

708

|

Because protocol control traffic in FTOS is redirected using the MAC address, and multicast control
traffic and multicast data traffic might map to the same MAC address, FTOS might forward data traffic
with certain MAC addresses to the CPU in addition to control traffic.

Multicast Features

As the upper five bits of an IP Multicast address are dropped in the translation, 32 different multicast
group IDs all map to the same Ethernet address. For example, 224.0.0.5 is a well known IP address for
OSPF that maps to the multicast MAC address 01:00:5e:00:00:05. However, 225.0.0.5, 226.0.0.5, etc.,
map to the same multicast MAC address. The Layer 2 FIB alone cannot differentiate multicast control
traffic multicast data traffic with the same address, so if you use IP address 225.0.0.5 for data traffic,
both the multicast data and OSPF control traffic match the same entry and are forwarded to the CPU.
Therefore, do not use well-known protocol multicast addresses for data transmission, such as the ones
below.

Protocol Ethernet Address

•
•
•

OSPF

01:00:5e:00:00:05
01:00:5e:00:00:06

RIP

01:00:5e:00:00:09

NTP

01:00:5e:00:01:01

VRRP

01:00:5e:00:00:12

PIM-SM

01:00:5e:00:00:0d

The FTOS implementation of MTRACE is in accordance with IETF draft draft-fenner-traceroute-ipm.
Multicast is not supported on secondary IP addresses.
Egress L3 ACL is not applied to multicast data traffic if multicast routing is enabled.

First Packet Forwarding for Lossless Multicast
Beginning with FTOS version 7.8.1.0 for the E-Series TeraScale, version 8.2.1.0 for E-Series ExaScale,
and version 8.3.1.0 on all other FTOS platforms, all initial multicast packets are forwarded to receivers to
achieve lossless multicast.
In previous versions, when the Dell Force10 system is an RP, all initial packets are dropped until PIM
creates an (S,G) entry. When the system is an RP and a Source DR, these initial packet drops represent a
loss of native data, and when the system is an RP only, the initial packets drops represent a loss of register
packets.
Both scenarios might be unacceptable depending on the multicast application. Beginning with the FTOS
versions above, when the Dell Force10 system is the RP, and has receivers for a group G, it forwards all
initial multicast packets for the group based on the (*,G) entry rather than discarding them until the (S,G)
entry is created, making Dell Force10 systems suitable for applications sensitive to multicast packet loss.
Note: When a source begins sending traffic, the Source DR forwards the initial packets to the RP as
encapsulated registered packets. These packets are forwarded via the soft path at a maximum rate of 70
packets/second. Incoming packets beyond this rate are dropped.

Multicast Features | 709

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Multicast Policies
FTOS offers parallel Multicast features for IPv4 and IPv6.
•
•

IPv4 Multicast Policies on page 710
IPv6 Multicast Policies on page 715

IPv4 Multicast Policies
•
•
•
•
•
•

Limit the Number of Multicast Routes on page 710
Prevent a Host from Joining a Group on page 711
Rate Limit IGMP Join Requests on page 713
Prevent a PIM Router from Forming an Adjacency on page 713
Prevent a Source from Registering with the RP on page 713
Prevent a PIM Router from Processing a Join on page 715

Limit the Number of Multicast Routes
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Limit the total number of multicast routes on the system.

ip multicast-limit

CONFIGURATION

Range: 1-50000
Default: 15000

When the limit is reached, FTOS does not process any IGMP or MLD joins to PIM—though it still
processes leave messages—until the number of entries decreases below 95% of the limit. When the limit
falls below 95% after hitting the maximum, the system begins relearning route entries through IGMP,
MLD, and MSDP.
•
•

If the limit is increased after it is reached, join subsequent join requests are accepted. In this case, you
must increase the limit by at least 10% for IGMP and MLD to resume.
If the limit is decreased after it is reached, FTOS does not clear the existing sessions. Entries are
cleared upon a timeout (you may also clear entries using clear ip mroute).
Note: FTOS waits at least 30 seconds between stopping and starting IGMP join processing. You may
experience this delay when manipulating the limit after it is reached.

When the multicast route limit is reached, FTOS displays Message 1.
Message 1 Multicast Route Limit Error
3w1d13h: %RPM0-P:RP2 %PIM-3-PIM_TIB_LIMIT: PIM TIB limit reached. No new routes will
be learnt until TIB level falls below low watermark.
3w1d13h: %RPM0-P:RP2 %PIM-3-PIM_TIB_LIMIT: PIM TIB below low watermark. Route learning
will begin.

710

|

Multicast Features

Note: The IN-L3-McastFib CAM partition is used to store multicast routes and is a separate hardware limit
that is exists per port-pipe. Any software-configured limit might be superseded by this hardware space
limitation. The opposite is also true, the CAM partition might not be exhausted at the time the system-wide
route limit set by the ip multicast-limit is reached.

Prevent a Host from Joining a Group
You can prevent a host from joining a particular group by blocking specific IGMP reports. Create an
extended access list containing the permissible source-group pairs. Use the command ip igmp access-group
access-list-name from INTERFACE mode to apply the access list.
Note: For rules in IGMP access lists, source is the multicast source, not the source of the IGMP packet.
For IGMPv2, use the keyword any for source (as shown in Figure 33-2), since IGMPv2 hosts do not know
in advance who the source is for the group in which they are interested.

FTOS Behavior: Do not enter the command ip igmp access-group before creating the access-list. If you do, upon
entering your first deny rule, FTOS clears multicast routing table and re-learns all groups, even those not covered
by the rules in the access-list, because there is an implicit deny all rule at the end of all access-lists. Therefore,
configuring an IGMP join request filter in this order might result in data loss. If you must enter the command ip igmp
access-group before creating the access-list, prevent FTOS from clearing the routing table by entering a permit any
rule with high sequence number before you enter any other rules.

In Figure 33-2, VLAN 400 is configured with an access list to permit only IGMP reports for group
239.0.0.1. Though Receiver 2 sends a membership report for groups 239.0.0.1 and 239.0.0.2, a multicast
routing table entry is created only for group 239.0.0.1. VLAN 300 has no access list limiting Receiver 1, so
both IGMP reports are accepted, and two corresponding entries are created in the routing table.

Multicast Features | 711

Multicast Features
ip igmp snooping enable

interface Vlan 400
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.4.1/24
untagged GigabitEthernet 1/2
ip igmp access-group igmpjoinfilR2G2
no shutdown

(*, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:06, expires 00:00:00, RP 10.11.12.2, flags: SCJ
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 1/21, RPF neighbor 10.11.12.2
Outgoing interface list:
Vlan 400 Forward/Sparse 00:00:06/Never

PIM Multicast Routing Table
Flags: D - Dense, S - Sparse, C - Connected, L - Local, P - Pruned,
R - RP-bit set, F - Register flag, T - SPT-bit set, J - Join SPT,
M - MSDP created entry, A - Candidate for MSDP Advertisement
K - Ack-Pending State
Timers: Uptime/Expires
Interface state: Interface, next-Hop, State/Mode

R1(conf-if-vl-400)# do show ip pim tib

R1

interface GigabitEthernet 1/21
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.12.1/24
no shutdown

RP

2/1
3/21

3/1
R3

1/31

interface Vlan 300
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.3.1/24
untagged GigabitEthernet 1/1
no shutdown

Receiver 1
10.11.3.2
Group: 239.0.0.1, 239.0.0.2

interface GigabitEthernet 1/31
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.13.1/24
no shutdown

(*, 239.0.0.2), uptime 00:01:10, expires 00:00:00, RP 10.11.12.2, flags: SCJ
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 1/21, RPF neighbor 10.11.12.2
Outgoing interface list:
Vlan 300 Forward/Sparse 00:01:10/Never

(*, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:07, expires 00:00:00, RP 10.11.12.2, flags: SCJ
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 1/21, RPF neighbor 10.11.12.2
Outgoing interface list:
Vlan 300 Forward/Sparse 00:00:07/Never

PIM Multicast Routing Table
Flags: D - Dense, S - Sparse, C - Connected, L - Local, P - Pruned,
R - RP-bit set, F - Register flag, T - SPT-bit set, J - Join SPT,
M - MSDP created entry, A - Candidate for MSDP Advertisement
K - Ack-Pending State
Timers: Uptime/Expires
Interface state: Interface, next-Hop, State/Mode

R1(conf-if-vl-300)# do show ip pim tib

R1(conf )#do show run acl
!
ip access-list extended igmpjoinfilR2G2
seq 5 permit ip any host 239.0.0.1

interface GigabitEthernet 3/11
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.13.2/24
no shutdown

239.0.0.2
239.0.0.1

interface GigabitEthernet 3/1
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.5.1/24
no shutdown

3/11
ip multicast-routing
ip pim rp-address 10.11.12.2 group-address 224.0.0.0/4
router rip
network 10.0.0.0

2/31

Receiver 2
10.11.4.2
Group: 239.0.0.1, 239.0.0.2

1/21

2/11

R2

Source 1
10.11.5.2

|
interface GigabitEthernet 2/1
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.1.1/24
no shutdown

interface GigabitEthernet 2/31
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.23.1/24
no shutdown

712
interface GigabitEthernet 2/11
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.12.2/24
no shutdown

Source 2
10.11.1.2

interface GigabitEthernet 3/21
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.23.2/24
no shutdown

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 33-2.
Preventing a Host from Joining a Group

Rate Limit IGMP Join Requests
If you expect a burst of IGMP Joins, protect the IGMP process from overload by limiting that rate at which
new groups can be joined using the command ip igmp group-join-limit from INTERFACE mode. Hosts whose
IGMP requests are denied will use the retry mechanism built-in to IGMP so that they’re membership is
delayed rather than permanently denied.
View the enable status of this feature using the command show ip igmp interface from EXEC Privilege mode.

Prevent a PIM Router from Forming an Adjacency
To prevent a router from participating in Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) (for example, to configure
stub multicast routing), use the ip pim neighbor-filter command from INTERFACE mode.

Prevent a Source from Registering with the RP
Use the command ip pim register-filter from CONFIGURATION mode to prevent a source from transmitting
to a particular group. This command prevents the PIM source DR from sending register packets to RP for
the specified multicast source and group; if the source DR never sends register packets to the RP, no hosts
can ever discover the source and create an SPT to it.
In Figure 33-3, Source 1 and Source 2 are both transmitting packets for groups 239.0.0.1 and 239.0.0.2. R3
has a PIM register filter that only permits packets destined for group 239.0.0.2. An entry is created for
group 239.0.0.1 in the routing table, but no outgoing interfaces are listed. R2 has no filter, so it is allowed
to forward both groups. As a result, Receiver 1 receives only one transmission, while Receiver 2 receives
duplicate transmissions.

Multicast Features | 713

714

|

Multicast Features

(10.11.5.2, 239.0.0.2), uptime 00:00:33, expires 00:03:07, flags: CT
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 1/31, RPF neighbor 10.11.13.2
Outgoing interface list:
Vlan 300 Forward/Sparse 00:00:40/Never

(*, 239.0.0.2), uptime 00:00:40, expires 00:00:00, RP 10.11.12.2, flags: SCJ
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 1/21, RPF neighbor 10.11.12.2
Outgoing interface list:
Vlan 300 Forward/Sparse 00:00:40/Never

(10.11.5.2, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:23, expires 00:03:17, flags: CT
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 1/31, RPF neighbor 10.11.13.2
Outgoing interface list:
Vlan 400 Forward/Sparse 00:00:43/Never

(10.11.1.2, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:17, expires 00:03:17, flags: CT
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 1/21, RPF neighbor 10.11.12.2
Outgoing interface list:
Vlan 400 Forward/Sparse 00:00:43/Never

ip igmp snooping enable

interface Vlan 400
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.4.1/24
untagged GigabitEthernet 1/2
no shutdown

interface GigabitEthernet 2/31
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.23.1/24
no shutdown

2/1

R1

3/21

3/1

Source 1
10.11.5.2

interface GigabitEthernet 3/21
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.23.2/24
no shutdown

R3

1/31

Receiver 1
10.11.3.2
Group: 239.0.0.2

interface GigabitEthernet 1/31
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.13.1/24
no shutdown

interface Vlan 300
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.3.1/24
untagged GigabitEthernet 1/1
no shutdown

interface GigabitEthernet 3/11
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.13.2/24
no shutdown

239.0.0.2
239.0.0.1

interface GigabitEthernet 3/1
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.5.1/24
no shutdown

3/11
ip multicast-routing
ip pim rp-address 10.11.12.2 group-address 224.0.0.0/4
router rip
network 10.0.0.0

2/31

Receiver 2
10.11.4.2
Group: 239.0.0.1

RP

1/21

2/11

R2

interface GigabitEthernet 2/1
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.1.1/24
no shutdown

interface GigabitEthernet 1/21
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.12.1/24
no shutdown

Source 2
10.11.1.2

interface GigabitEthernet 2/11
ip pim sparse-mode
ip address 10.11.12.2/24
no shutdown

(*, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:43, expires 00:00:00, RP 10.11.12.2, flags: SCJ
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 1/21, RPF neighbor 10.11.12.2
Outgoing interface list:
Vlan 400 Forward/Sparse 00:00:43/Never

PIM Multicast Routing Table
Flags: D - Dense, S - Sparse, C - Connected, L - Local, P - Pruned,
R - RP-bit set, F - Register flag, T - SPT-bit set, J - Join SPT,
M - MSDP created entry, A - Candidate for MSDP Advertisement
K - Ack-Pending State
Timers: Uptime/Expires
Interface state: Interface, next-Hop, State/Mode

R1(config-line-console)#do show ip pim tib

(10.11.1.2, 239.0.0.2), uptime 00:00:02, expires 00:03:28, flags: FT
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 2/1, RPF neighbor 0.0.0.0
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 2/11 Forward/Sparse 00:00:21/00:03:09

(*, 239.0.0.2), uptime 00:00:21, expires 00:03:09, RP 10.11.12.2, flags: SF
Incoming interface: Null, RPF neighbor 0.0.0.0
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 2/11 Forward/Sparse 00:00:21/00:03:09

(10.11.5.2, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:26, expires 00:03:06, flags: P
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 2/31, RPF neighbor 10.11.23.2
Outgoing interface list:

(10.11.1.2, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:00:44, expires 00:02:56, flags: FT
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 2/1, RPF neighbor 0.0.0.0
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 2/11 Forward/Sparse 00:00:13/00:03:17

(*, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:03:00, expires 00:02:32, RP 10.11.12.2, flags: SF
Incoming interface: Null, RPF neighbor 0.0.0.0
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 2/11 Forward/Sparse 00:03:00/00:02:32

PIM Multicast Routing Table
Flags: D - Dense, S - Sparse, C - Connected, L - Local, P - Pruned,
R - RP-bit set, F - Register flag, T - SPT-bit set, J - Join SPT,
M - MSDP created entry, A - Candidate for MSDP Advertisement
K - Ack-Pending State
Timers: Uptime/Expires
Interface state: Interface, next-Hop, State/Mode

R2(conf )#do show ip pim tib

R3(conf )#do show run acl
!
ip access-list extended regfilS1G2
seq 5 permit ip host 10.11.5.2 host 239.0.0.1
R3(conf )#do show run pim
!
ip pim rp-address 10.11.12.2 group-address 224.0.0.0/4
ip pim register-filter regfilS1G2

(10.11.5.2, 239.0.0.2), uptime 00:05:08, expires 00:03:26, flags: FT
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 3/1, RPF neighbor 0.0.0.0
Outgoing interface list:

(10.11.5.2, 239.0.0.1), uptime 00:05:21, expires 00:02:46, flags: FT
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 3/1, RPF neighbor 0.0.0.0
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 3/11 Forward/Sparse 00:00:18/00:03:12

PIM Multicast Routing Table
Flags: D - Dense, S - Sparse, C - Connected, L - Local, P - Pruned,
R - RP-bit set, F - Register flag, T - SPT-bit set, J - Join SPT,
M - MSDP created entry, A - Candidate for MSDP Advertisement
K - Ack-Pending State
Timers: Uptime/Expires
Interface state: Interface, next-Hop, State/Mode

R3(conf )#do show ip pim tib

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 33-3.
Preventing a Source from Transmitting to a Group

Prevent a PIM Router from Processing a Join
Permit or deny PIM Join/Prune messages on an interface using an extended IP access list. Use the
command ip pim join-filter to prevent the PIM SM router from creating state based on multicast source and/
or group.
Note: Dell Force10 recommends that you do not use the ip pim join-filter command on an interface
between a source and the RP router. Use of this command in this scenario could cause problems with the
PIM-SM source registration process resulting in excessive traffic being sent to the CPU of both the RP
and PIM DR of the source.
Excessive traffic is generated when the join process from the RP back to the source is blocked due to a
new source group being permitted in the join-filter. This results in the new source becoming stuck in
registering on the DR and the continuous generation of UDP-encapsulated registration messages
between the DR and RP routers which are being sent to the CPU.

IPv6 Multicast Policies
IPv6 Multicast Policies is available only on platform:
•
•
•
•

e

Limit the Number of IPv6 Multicast Routes on page 715
Prevent an IPv6 Neighbor from Forming an Adjacency on page 716
Prevent an IPv6 Source from Registering with the RP on page 716
Prevent an IPv6 PIM Router from Processing an IPv6 Join on page 716

Limit the Number of IPv6 Multicast Routes
You can limit the total number of IPv6 multicast routes on the system. The maximum number of multicast
entries allowed on each line card is determined by the CAM profile. Multicast routes are stored in the
IN-V6-McastFib CAM region, which has a fixed number of entries. Any limit configured via the CLI is
superseded by this hardware limit. The opposite is also true; the CAM might not be exhausted at the time
the CLI-configured route limit is reached.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Limit the total number of IPv6 multicast routes on the
system.

ipv6 multicast-limit

CONFIGURATION

Range: 1-50000
Default: 15000

Multicast Features | 715

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Prevent an IPv6 Neighbor from Forming an Adjacency
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Prevent a router from participating in PIM.

ipv6 pim neighbor-filter access-list

CONFIGURATION

FTOS(conf)#ipv6 pim neighbor-filter NEIGH_ACL
FTOS(conf)#ipv6 access-list NEIGH_ACL
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl)#show config
!
ipv6 access-list NEIGH_ACL
seq 5 deny ipv6 host fe80::201:e8ff:fe0a:5ad any
seq 10 permit ipv6 any any
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl)#

Prevent an IPv6 Source from Registering with the RP
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configured on the source DR, prevent the
source DR from sending register packets to the
RP for specific sources and groups.

ipv6 pim register-filter access-list

CONFIGURATION

FTOS(conf)#ipv6 pim register-filter REG-FIL_ACL
FTOS(conf)#ipv6 access-list REG-FIL_ACL
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl)#deny ipv6 165:87:34::10/128 ff0e::225:1:2:0/112
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl)#permit ipv6 any any
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl)#exit

Prevent an IPv6 PIM Router from Processing an IPv6 Join
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Permit or deny PIM Join/Prune messages on an
interface using an access list. This command
prevents the PIM-SM router from creating state
based on multicast source and/or group.

ipv6 pim join-filteraccess-list [in | out]

INTERFACE

FTOS(conf)#ipv6 access-list JOIN-FIL_ACL
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl)#permit ipv6 165:87:34::0/112 ff0e::225:1:2:0/112
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl)#permit ipv6 any ff0e::230:1:2:0/112
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl)#permit ipv6 165:87:32::0/112 any
FTOS(conf-ipv6-acl)#exit
FTOS(conf)#interface gigabitethernet 0/84
FTOS(conf-if-gi-0/84)#ipv6 pim join-filter JOIN-FIL_ACL in
FTOS(conf-if-gi-0/84)#ipv6 pim join-filter JOIN-FIL_ACL out

716

|

Multicast Features

Multicast Traceroute
Multicast Traceroute is supported only on platform:

e

MTRACE is an IGMP-based tool that prints that network path that a multicast packet takes from a source
to a destination, for a particular group. FTOS has mtrace client and mtrace transmit functionality.
•
•

MTRACE Client—an mtrace client transmits mtrace queries and prints out the details received
responses.
MTRACE Transit—when a Dell Force10 system is an intermediate router between the source and
destination in an MTRACE query, FTOS computes the RPF neighbor for the source, fills in the
request, and forwards the request to the RPF neighbor. While computing the RPF neighbor, static
mroutes and mBGP routes are preferred over unicast routes. When a Dell Force10 system is the last
hop to the destination, FTOS sends a response to the query.

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Print the network path that a multicast
packet takes from a multicast source to
receiver, for a particular group.

mtrace multicast-source-address
multicast-receiver-address multicast-group-address

EXEC Privilege

Figure 33-4.

Tracing a Multicast Route

FTOS#mtrace 10.11.5.2 10.11.3.2 239.0.0.1
Type Ctrl-C to abort.
Mtrace from 10.11.5.2 to 10.11.3.2 via group 239.0.0.1
From source (?) to destination (?)
Querying full reverse path...
0 10.11.3.2
-1 10.11.3.1 PIM Reached RP/Core [default]
-2 10.11.5.2

Multicast Features | 717

718

|

Multicast Features

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

34
Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)
Open Shortest Path First version 2 (OSPF for IPv4) is supported on platforms c e s Z
Open Shortest Path First version 3 (OSPF for IPv6) is supported on platforms c

eZ

OSPF for IPv4 is supported on the E-Series ExaScale platform with FTOS 8.1.1.0; OSPF for IPv6 is
supported on E-Series ExaScale with FTOS version 8.2.1.0 and later.
This chapter is intended to provide a general description of OSPFv2 (OSPF for IPv4) and OSPFv3 (OSPF
for IPv6) as supported in the Force10 Operating System (FTOS). It is not intended to provide a complete
Note: The fundamental mechanisms of OSPF (flooding, DR election, area support, SPF calculations, etc.)

are the same between OSPFv2 and OSPFv3. Where there are differences between the two versions,
they are identified and clarified. Except where identified, the information in this chapter applies to both
protocol versions.

This chapter includes the following topics:
•
•

•

•

Protocol Overview
Implementing OSPF with FTOS
• Graceful Restart
• Fast Convergence (OSPFv2, IPv4 only)
• Multi-Process OSPF (OSPFv2, IPv4 only)
• RFC-2328 Compliant OSPF Flooding
• OSPF ACK Packing
• OSPF Adjacency with Cisco Routers
Configuration Information
• Configuration Task List for OSPFv2 (OSPF for IPv4)
• Configuration Task List for OSPFv3 (OSPF for IPv6)
Sample Configurations for OSPFv2

OSPF protocol standards are listed in Appendix , , on page 1239.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 719

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Protocol Overview
Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing is a link-state routing protocol that calls for the sending of
Link-State Advertisements (LSAs) to all other routers within the same Autonomous System (AS) Areas.
Information on attached interfaces, metrics used, and other variables is included in OSPF LSAs. As OSPF
routers accumulate link-state information, they use the SPF algorithm (Shortest Path First algorithm) to
calculate the shortest path to each node.
OSPF routers initially exchange HELLO messages to set up adjacencies with neighbor routers. The
HELLO process is used to establish adjacencies between routers of the AS. It is not required that every
router within the Autonomous System areas establish adjacencies. If two routers on the same subnet agree
to become neighbors through the HELLO process, they begin to exchange network topology information
in the form of Link State Advertisements (LSAs).
OSPFv3 runs on a per-link basis instead of on a per-IP-subnet basis. All neighbors on all link types are

identified by Router ID (RID). In OSPFv2 neighbors on broadcast and NBMA links are identified
by their interface addresses, while neighbors on other types of links are identified by RID.
OSPFv3 removes this inconsistency, and all neighbors on all link types are identified by RID.
Note: OSPFv3

is not backward-compatible with OSPFv2; they can co-exist. To use OSPF
with both IPv4 and IPv6, you must run both OSPFv2 and OSPFv3.

Autonomous System (AS) Areas
OSPF operate in a type of hierarchy. The largest entity within the hierarchy is the autonomous system
(AS), which is a collection of networks under a common administration that share a common routing
strategy. OSPF is an intra-AS (interior gateway) routing protocol, although it is capable of receiving routes
from and sending routes to other ASs.
An AS can be divided into a number of areas, which are groups of contiguous networks and attached hosts.
Routers with multiple interfaces can participate in multiple areas. These routers, Area Border Routers
(ABRs), maintain separate databases for each area. Areas are a logical grouping of OSPF routers identified
by an integer or dotted-decimal number.
Areas allow you to further organize your routers within in the AS. One or more areas are required within
the AS. Areas are valuable in that they allow sub-networks to "hide" within the AS, thus minimizing the
size of the routing tables on all routers. An area within the AS may not see the details of another Area's
topology. AS areas are known by their area number or the router’s IP address.

720

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Figure 34-1.

Autonomous System Areas

Area Types
The Backbone of the network is Area 0. It is also called Area 0.0.0.0 and is the core of any Autonomous
System (AS). All other areas must connect to Area 0. Areas can be defined in such a way that the

backbone is not contiguous. In this case, backbone connectivity must be restored through virtual
links. Virtual links are configured between any backbone routers that share a link to a
non-backbone area and function as if they were direct links.
An OSPF backbone is responsible for distributing routing information between areas. It consists of all
Area Border Routers, networks not wholly contained in any area, and their attached routers.
The Backbone is the only area with a default area number. All other areas can have their Area ID assigned
in the configuration.
Figure 34-1 shows Routers A, B, C, G, H, and I are the Backbone.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 721

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

A Stub Area (SA) does not receive external route information, except for the default route. These areas do
receive information from inter-area (IA) routes. Note that all routers within an assigned Stub area must be
configured as stubby, and not generate LSAs that do not apply. For example, a Type 5 LSA is intended for
external areas and the Stubby area routers may not generate external LSAs. Stubby areas cannot be
traversed by a virtual link.
A Not-So-Stubby Area (NSSA) can import AS external route information and send it to the Backbone. It
cannot received external AS information from the Backbone or other areas. It can be traversed by a virtual
link.
Totally Stubby Areas

are referred to as No Summary areas in FTOS.

Networks and Neighbors
As a link-state protocol, OSPF sends routing information to other OSPF routers concerning the state of the
links between them. The state (up or down) of those links is important.
Routers that share a link become neighbors on that segment. OSPF uses the hello protocol as a neighbor
discovery and keep alive mechanism. After two routers are neighbors, they may proceed to exchange and
synchronize their databases, which creates an adjacency.
Note: You can log adjacency state changes for OSPFv2 and v3 with the command log-adjacency-changes

from ROUTER OSPF mode.

Router Types
Router types are attributes of the OSPF process. A given physical router may be a part of one or more
OSPF processes. For example, a router connected to more than one area, receiving routing from a BGP
process connected to another AS acts as both an Area Border Router and an Autonomous System Router.
Each router has a unique ID, written in decimal format (A.B.C.D). The router ID does not have to be
associated with a valid IP address. However, Dell Force10 recommends that the router ID and the router’s
IP address reflect each other to make troubleshooting easier.
Figure 34-2 gives some examples of the different router designations.

722

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Figure 34-2.

OSPF Routing Examples

Backbone Router (BR)
A Backbone Router (BR) is part of the OSPF Backbone, Area 0. This includes all Area Border Routers
(ABRs). It can also include any routers that connect only to the Backbone and another ABR, but are only
part of Area 0, such as Router I in Figure 34-2 above.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 723

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Area Border Router (ABR)
Within an AS, an Area Border (ABR) connects one or more areas to the Backbone. The ABR keeps a copy
of the link-state database for every area it connects to, so it may keep multiple copies of the link state
database. An Area Border Router (ABR) takes information it has learned on one of its attached areas and
can summarize it before sending it out on other areas it is connected to.
An ABR can connect to many areas in an AS, and is considered a member of each area to which it
connects.

Autonomous System Border Router (ASBR)
The Autonomous System Border Area Router (ASBR) connects to more than one AS and exchanges
information with the routers in other ASs. Generally the ASBR connects to a non-Interior Gate Protocol
(IGP) such as BGP or uses static routes.

Internal Router (IR)
The Internal Router (IR) has adjacencies with ONLY routers in the same area, as Router E, M and I are
shown in Figure 34-2.

Designated and Backup Designated Routers
OSPF elects a Designated Router and a Backup Designated router. Among other things, the designated
router is responsible for generating LSAs for the entire multiaccess network. Designated routers allow a
reduction in network traffic and in the size of the topological database.
•

•

The Designated Router (DR) maintains a complete topology table of the network and sends the
updates to the other routers via multicast. All routers in an area form a slave/master relationship with
the DR. Every time a router sends an update, it sends it to the Designated Router (DR) and Backup
Designated Router (BDR). The DR sends the update out to all other routers in the area.
The Backup Designated Router (BDR) is the router that takes over if the DR fails.

Each router exchanges information with the DR and BDR. The DR and BDR relay the information to the
other routers. On broadcast network segments, the number of OSPF packets is further reduced by the DR
and BDR sending such OSPF updates to a multicast IP address that all OSPF routers on the network
segment are listening on.
These router designations are not the same as the router IDs discussed earlier. The Designated and Backup
Designated Routers are configurable in FTOS. If no DR or BDR is defined in FTOS, the system assigns
them. OSPF looks at the priority of the routers on the segment to determine which routers are the DR and
BDR. The router with the highest priority is elected the DR. If there is a tie, then the router with the higher
Router ID takes precedence. After the DR is elected, the BDR is elected the same way. A router with a
router priority set to zero is cannot become the DR or BDR.

724

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Link-State Advertisements (LSAs)
A Link-State Advertisement (LSA) communicates the router’s local routing topology to all other local
routers in the same area.
•
•

OSPFv3 can treat LSAs as having link-local flooding scope, or store and flood them as if they are
understood, while ignoring them in their own SPF algorithms.
OSPFv2 always discards unknown LSA types.

The LSA types supported by Dell Force10 are defined as follows:
•

•

•

•

•

•

•
•

•

Type 1 - Router LSA
• The router lists links to other routers or networks in the same area. Type 1 LSAs are flooded across
their own area only. The Link-State ID of the Type 1 LSA is the originating router ID.
Type 2 - Network LSA
• The Designated Router (DR) in an area lists which routers are joined together within the area.
Type 2 LSAs are flooded across their own area only. The Link-State ID of the Type 2 LSA is the IP
interface address of the DR.
Type 3 - Summary LSA (OSPFv2), Inter-Area-Prefix LSA (OSPFv3)
• An Area Border Router (ABR) takes information it has learned on one of its attached areas and can
summarize it before sending it out on other areas it is connected to. The Link-State ID of the Type
3 LSA is the destination network number.
Type 4 - AS Border Router Summary LSA (OSPFv2), Inter-Area-Router LSA (OSPFv3)
• In some cases, Type 5 External LSAs are flooded to areas where the detailed next-hop information
may not be available. An Area Border Router will (ABR) flood the information for the router (i.e.,
the Autonomous System Border Router (ASBR) where the Type 5 advertisement originated. The
Link-State ID for Type 4 LSAs is the router ID of the described ASBR.
Type 5 - External LSA
• These LSAs contain information imported into OSPF from other routing processes. They are
flooded to all areas, except stub areas. The Link-State ID of the Type 5 LSA is the external
network number.
Type 7
• Routers in a Not-So-Stubby-Area (NSSA) do not receive external LSAs from Area Border Routers
(ABRs), but are allowed to send external routing information for redistribution. They use Type 7
LSAs to tell the ABRs about these external routes, which the Area Border Router then translates to
Type 5 external LSAs and floods as normal to the rest of the OSPF network.
Type 8 - Link LSA (OSPFv3)
• This LSA carries the IPv6 address information of the local links.
Type 9 - Link Local LSA (OSPFv2), Intra-Area-Prefix LSA (OSPFv3)
• For OSPFv2, this is a link-local “opaque” LSA as defined by RFC2370.
• For OSPFv3, this LSA carries the IPv6 prefixes of the router and network links.
Type 11 - Grace LSA (OSPFv3)
• For OSPFv3 only, this LSA is a link-local “opaque” LSA sent by a restarting OSPFv3 router
during a graceful restart.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 725

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

For all LSA types, there are 20-byte LSA headers. One of the fields of the LSA header is the Link-State ID.
Each router link is defined as one of four types: type 1, 2, 3, or 4. The LSA includes a link ID field that
identifies, by the network number and mask, the object to which this link connects.
Depending on the type, the link ID has different meanings.
•
•
•
•

1: point-to-point connection to another router/neighboring router
2: connection to a transit network IP address of Designated Router
3: connection to a stub network IP network/subnet number
4: virtual link neighboring router ID

Virtual Links
In the case where an area cannot be directly connected to Area 0, you must configure a virtual link between
that area and Area 0. The two endpoints of a virtual link are ABRs; the virtual link must be configured in
both routers. The common non-backbone area to which the two routers belong is called a transit area. A
virtual link specifies the transit area and the router ID of the other virtual endpoint (the other ABR).
A Virtual Link cannot be configured through a Stub Area or NSSA.

Router Priority and Cost
Router priority and cost is the method the system uses to “rate” the routers. For example, if not assigned,
the system will select the router with the highest priority as the DR. The second highest priority is the
BDR.
Priority is a numbered rating 0-255. The higher the number, the higher the priority.
Cost is a numbered rating 1-65535. The higher the number, the greater the cost. The cost assigned reflects
the cost should the router fail. When a router fails and the cost is assessed, a new priority number results.

726

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Figure 34-3.

Priority and Costs Example

Implementing OSPF with FTOS
FTOS supports up to 10,000 OSPF routes. Within that 10,000 up to 8,000 routes can be designated as
external and up to 2,000 designated as inter/intra area routes.
FTOS version 7.8.1.0 and later support multiple OSPF processes (OSPF MP). The S-Series supports up to
16 processes simultaneously. The Z-Series supports up to three OSPF processes simultaneously.
Prior to 7.8.1.0, FTOS supports 1 OSPFv2 and 1 OSPFv3 process ID per system. Recall that OSPFv2 and
OSPFv3 can coexist but must be configured individually.
FTOS supports Stub areas, Totally Stub (No Summary) and Not So Stubby Areas (NSSAs) and supports
the following LSAs, as discussed earlier in this document.
• Router (type 1)
• Network (type 2)
• Network Summary (type 3)
• AS Boundary (type 4)

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 727

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•

AS External (type 5)
NSSA External (type 7)
Opaque Link-local (type 9)

Graceful Restart
Graceful Restart for OSPFv2 is supported on
Restart modes.
Graceful Restart for OSPFv3 is supported on

cesz
et z

platforms in Helper and

platforms in Helper and Restart modes.

When a router goes down without a Graceful Restart, there is a possibility for loss of access to parts of the
network due to ongoing network topology changes. Additionally, LSA flooding and reconvergence can
cause substantial delays. It is, therefore, desirable that the network maintain a stable topology if it is
possible for data flow to continue uninterrupted.
OSPF Graceful Restart recognizes the fact that in a modern router, the control plane and data plane
functionality are separate, restarting the control plane functionality (such as the failover of the active RPM
to the backup in a redundant configuration), does not necessarily have to interrupt the forwarding of data
packets. This behavior is supported because the forwarding tables previously computed by an active RPM
have been downloaded into the Forwarding Information Base on the line cards (the data plane), and are
still resident. For packets that have existing FIB/CAM entries, forwarding between ingress and egress
ports/VLANs etc., can continue uninterrupted while the control plane OSPF process comes back to full
functionality and rebuilds its routing tables.
When a router is attempting to restart gracefully, it originates the following link-local Grace LSAs to notify
its helper neighbors that the restart process is beginning:
•
•

An OSPFv2 router sends Type 9 LSAs.
An OSPFv3 router sends Type 11 LSAs.

Type 9 and 11 LSAs include a grace period, which is the time period an OSPF router advertises to adjacent
neighbor routers as the time to wait for it to return to full control plane functionality. During the grace
period, neighbor OSPFv2 /v3 interfaces save the LSAs from the restarting OSPF interface. Helper
neighbor routers continue to announce the restarting router as fully adjacent, as long as the network
topology remains unchanged. When the restarting router completes its restart, it flushes the Type 9 and 11
LSAs, thereby notifying its neighbors that the restart is complete. This should happen before the grace
period expires.
Dell Force10 routers support the following OSPF graceful restart functionality:
•
•
•

728

|

Restarting role in which a router is enabled to perform its own graceful restart.
Helper role in which the router's graceful restart function is to help a restarting neighbor router in its
graceful restarts.
Helper-reject role in which OSPF does not participate in the graceful restart of a neighbor.
OSPFv2 supports “helper-only” and “restarting-only” roles. By default, both helper and restarting
roles are enabled. OSPFv2 supports the helper-reject role globally on a router.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

•

OSPFv3 supports “helper-only” and “restarting-only” roles. The “helper-only” role is enabled by
default. To enable the restarting role in addition to the “helper-only” role, you must configure a grace
period. You reconfigure OSPFv3 graceful restart to a “restarting-only” role when you enable the
helper-reject role on an interface. OSPFv3 supports the helper-reject role on a per-interface basis.
Configuring helper-reject role on an OSPFv2 router or OSPFv3 interface enables the restarting-only
role globally on the router or locally on the interface. In a helper-reject role, OSPF does not participate
in the graceful restart of an adjacent OSPFv2/v3 router.
If multiple OSPF interfaces provide communication between two routers, after you configure
helper-reject on one interface, all other interfaces between the two routers behave as if they are in the
help-reject role.
OSPFv2 and OSPFv3 support planned-only and/or unplanned-only restarts. The default is support for
both planned and unplanned restarts.
A planned restart occurs when you enter the redundancy force-failover rpm command to force the primary RPM to switch to the backup RPM. During a planned restart, OSPF sends out a Grace LSA
before the system switches over to the backup RPM.
An unplanned restart occurs when an unplanned event causes the active RPM to switch to the backup
RPM, such as when an active process crashes, the active RPM is removed, or a power failure happens.
During an unplanned restart, OSPF sends out a Grace LSA when the backup RPM comes online.

To display the configuration values for OSPF graceful restart, enter the following commands:
•
•

For OSPFv2: show run ospf
For OSPFv3: show run ospf and show ipv6 ospf database database-summary

Fast Convergence (OSPFv2, IPv4 only)
Fast Convergence allows you to define the speeds at which LSAs are originated and accepted, and reduce
OSPFv2 end-to-end convergence time. FTOS enables you to accept and originate LSAa as soon as they are
available to speed up route information propagation.
Note that the faster the convergence, the more frequent the route calculations and updates. This will impact
CPU utilization and may impact adjacency stability in larger topologies.

Multi-Process OSPF (OSPFv2, IPv4 only)

cesz

Multi-Process OSPF is supported on platforms
and later, and is supported on OSPFv2 with IPv4 only.

with FTOS version 7.8.1.0

Multi-Process OSPF allows multiple OSPFv2 processes on a single router. Multiple OSPFv2 processes
allow for isolating routing domains, supporting multiple route policies and priorities in different domains,
and creating smaller domains for easier management.
•
•
•
•

The E-Series supports up to 28 OSPFv2 processes.
The C-Series supports up to 6 OSPFv2 processes.
The S50 and S25 support up to 4 OSPFv2 processes.
The S55, S60, and S4810 support up to 16 OSPFv2 processes.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 729

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

The Z9000 supports up to 16 OSPFv2 processes.

Each OSPFv2 process has a unique process ID and must have an associated Router ID. There must be an
equal number of interfaces must be in Layer-3 mode for the number of processes created. For example, if 5
OSPFv2 processes are created on a system, there must be at least 5 interfaces assigned in Layer-3 mode.
Each OSPFv2 process is independent. If one process loses adjacency, the other processes continue to
function.

Processing SNMP and Sending SNMP Traps
Though there are may be several OSPFv2 processes, only one process can process SNMP requests and
send SNMP traps. The mib-binding command identifies one of the OSPVFv2 processes as the process
responsible for SNMP management. If the mib-binding command is not specified, the first OSPFv2 process
created manages the SNMP processes and traps.

RFC-2328 Compliant OSPF Flooding
In OSPF, flooding is the most resource-consuming task. The flooding algorithm described in RFC 2328
requires that OSPF flood LSAs on all interfaces, as governed by LSA's flooding scope. (Refer to Section
13 of the RFC.) hen multiple direct links connect two routers, the RFC 2328 flooding algorithm generates
significant redundant information across all links.
By default, FTOS implements an enhanced flooding procedure which dynamically and intelligently detects
when to optimize flooding. Wherever possible, the OSPF task attempts to reduce flooding overhead by
selectively flooding on a subset of the interfaces between two routers.
If RFC 2328 flooding behavior is required, enable it by using the command flood-2328 in ROUTER OSPF
mode. When enabled, this command configures FTOS to flood LSAs on all interfaces.
Confirm RFC 2328 flooding behavior by using the command debug ip ospf packet and look for output
similar to the following:

730

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Figure 34-4.

Enabling RFC-2328 Compliant OSPF Flooding

00:10:41 : OSPF(1000:00):
Printed only for ACK packets
Rcv. v:2 t:5(LSAck) l:64 Acks 2 rid:2.2.2.2
aid:1500 chk:0xdbee aut:0 auk: keyid:0 from:Vl 1000
LSType:Type-5 AS External id:160.1.1.0 adv:6.1.0.0 seq:0x8000000c
LSType:Type-5 AS External id:160.1.2.0 adv:6.1.0.0 seq:0x8000000c
00:10:41 : OSPF(1000:00):
Rcv. v:2 t:5(LSAck) l:64 Acks 2 rid:2.2.2.2
aid:1500 chk:0xdbee aut:0 auk: keyid:0 from:Vl 100
LSType:Type-5 AS External id:160.1.1.0 adv:6.1.0.0 seq:0x8000000c
LSType:Type-5 AS External id:160.1.2.0 adv:6.1.0.0 seq:0x8000000c
00:10:41 : OSPF(1000:00):
No change in update packets
Rcv. v:2 t:4(LSUpd) l:100 rid:6.1.0.0
aid:0 chk:0xccbd aut:0 auk: keyid:0 from:Gi 10/21
Number of LSA:2
LSType:Type-5 AS External(5) Age:1 Seq:0x8000000c id:170.1.1.0 Adv:6.1.0.0
Netmask:255.255.255.0 fwd:0.0.0.0 E2, tos:0 metric:0
LSType:Type-5 AS External(5) Age:1 Seq:0x8000000c id:170.1.2.0 Adv:6.1.0.0
Netmask:255.255.255.0 fwd:0.0.0.0 E2, tos:0 metric:0

Use show ip ospf to confirm that RFC 2328-compliant OSPF flooding is enabled, as shown below.
Figure 34-5.

Enabling RFC 2328-Compliant OSPF Flooding

FTOS#show ip ospf
Routing Process ospf 1 with ID 2.2.2.2
Supports only single TOS (TOS0) routes
It is an Autonomous System Boundary Router
It is Flooding according to RFC 2328
SPF schedule delay 5 secs, Hold time between two SPFs 10 secs
Number of area in this router is 1, normal 0 stub 0 nssa 1
--More--

OSPF ACK Packing
The OSPF ACK Packing feature bundles multiple LS acknowledgements in a single packet, significantly
reducing the number of ACK packets transmitted when the number of LSAs increases. This feature also
enhances network utilization and reduces the number of small ACK packets sent to a neighboring router.
OSPF ACK packing is enabled by default, and is non-configurable.

OSPF Adjacency with Cisco Routers
To establish an OSPF adjacency between Dell Force10 and Cisco routers, the hello interval and dead
interval must be the same on both routers. In FTOS the OSPF dead interval value is, by default, set to 40
seconds, and is independent of the OSPF hello interval. Configuring a hello interval does not change the
dead interval in FTOS. In contrast, the OSPF dead interval on a Cisco router is, by default, four

times as long as the hello interval. Changing the hello interval on the Cisco router automatically
changes the dead interval as well.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 731

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To ensure equal intervals between the routers, manually set the dead interval of the Dell Force10 router to
match the Cisco configuration. Use the command ip ospf dead-interval  in INTERFACE mode:
Figure 34-6.

Command Example: ip ospf intervals

FTOS(conf)#int gi 2/2
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/2)#ip ospf hello-interval 20

FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/2)#ip ospf dead-interval 80

Dead Interval
Set at 4x
Hello Interval

FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/2)#

Figure 34-7.

OSPF Configuration with intervals set

FTOS (conf-if-gi-2/2)#ip ospf dead-interval 20
FTOS (conf-if-gi-2/2)#do show ip os int gi1/3
GigabitEthernet 2/2 is up, line protocol is up
Internet Address 20.0.0.1/24, Area 0
Process ID 10, Router ID 1.1.1.2, Network Type BROADCAST, Cost: 1
Transmit Delay is 1 sec, State DR, Priority 1
Designated Router (ID) 1.1.1.2, Interface address 30.0.0.1
Backup Designated Router (ID) 1.1.1.1, Interface address 30.0.0.2

Timer intervals configured, Hello 20, Dead 80, Wait 20, Retransmit 5

Dead Interval
Set at 4x
Hello Interval

Hello due in 00:00:04
Neighbor Count is 1, Adjacent neighbor count is 1
Adjacent with neighbor 1.1.1.1 (Backup Designated Router)

For more information regarding this functionality or for assistance, go to http://support.dell.com/force10.

Configuration Information
The interfaces must be in Layer-3 mode (assigned an IP address) and enabled so that they can send and
receive traffic. The OSPF process must know about these interfaces. To make the OSPF process aware of
these interfaces, they must be assigned to OSPF areas.
OSPF must be configured GLOBALLY on the system in CONFIGURATION mode.
OSPF features and functions are assigned to each router using the CONFIG-INTERFACE commands for
each interface.
Note: By

default, OSPF is disabled.

Configuration Task List for OSPFv2 (OSPF for IPv4)
Open Shortest Path First version 2 (OSPF for IPv4) is supported on platforms

cesz

1. Configure a physical interface. Assign an IP address, physical or loopback, to the interface to enable
Layer 3 routing.

732

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

2. Enable OSPF globally. Assign network area and neighbors.
3. Add interfaces or configure other attributes.
The following configuration steps include two mandatory steps and several optional ones:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Enable OSPFv2 (mandatory)
Enable Multi-Process OSPF
Assign an OSPFv2 area (mandatory)
Enable OSPFv2 on interfaces
Configure stub areas
Configure OSPF Stub-Router Advertisement
Enable passive interfaces
Enable fast-convergence
Change OSPFv2 parameters on interfaces
Enable OSPFv2 authentication
Enable OSPFv2 graceful restart
Configure virtual links
Redistribute routes
Troubleshooting OSPFv2

For a complete listing of all OSPF commands, refer to the OSPF section in the FTOS Command Line
Interface Guide.

Enable OSPFv2
Assign an IP address to an interface (physical or Loopback) to enable Layer 3 routing. By default OSPF,
like all routing protocols, is disabled.
You must configure at least one interface for Layer 3 before enabling OSPFv2 globally.
If implementing Multi-Process OSPF, you must create an equal number of Layer 3 enabled interfaces and
OSPF Process IDs. For example, if you create four OSPFv2 process IDs, you must have four interfaces
with Layer 3 enabled.
Use these commands on one of the interfaces to enable OSPFv2 routing.
Step
1

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

ip address ip-address mask

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Assign an IP address to an interface.
Format: A.B.C.D/M

If using a Loopback interface, refer to Loopback Interfaces.

2

no shutdown

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Enable the interface.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 733

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Return to CONFIGURATION mode to enable the OSPF process. The OSPF Process ID is the identifying
number assigned to the OSPF process, and the Router ID is the IP address associated with the OSPF
process.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

router ospf process-id [vrf {vrf name}]

CONFIGURATION

Enable the OSPFv2 process globally.
Range: 0-65535
vrf name: Enter the VRF keyword and
instance name to tie the OSPF instance to
the VRF. All network commands under
this OSPF instance are subsequently tied
to the VRF instance.

Once the OSPF process and the VRF are tied together, the OSPF Process ID cannot be used again in the
system.
If you try to enter an OSPF Process ID, or if you try to enable more OSPF processes than available Layer 3
interfaces, prior to assigning an IP address to an interface and setting the no shutdown command, you will
see the following message.
Message 1
C300(conf)#router ospf 1
% Error: No router ID available.

In CONFIGURATION ROUTER OSPF mode, assign the Router ID. The Router ID is not required to be
the router’s IP address. Dell Force10 recommends using the IP address as the Router ID for easier
management and troubleshooting:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

router-id ip address

CONFIG-ROUTER-O
SPF-id

Assign the Router ID for the OSPFv2
process.
IP Address: A.B.C.D

Use the no router ospf process-id command syntax in the CONFIGURATION mode to disable OSPF.
Use the clear ip ospf process-id command syntax in EXEC Privilege mode to reset the OSPFv2 process.
Use the show ip ospf process-id command in EXEC mode to view the current OSPFv2 status.
Figure 34-8.

Command Example: show ip ospf process-id

FTOS#show ip ospf 55555
Routing Process ospf 55555 with ID 10.10.10.10
Supports only single TOS (TOS0) routes
SPF schedule delay 5 secs, Hold time between two SPFs 10 secs
Number of area in this router is 0, normal 0 stub 0 nssa 0

734

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Enable Multi-Process OSPF
Multi-Process OSPF allows multiple OSPFv2 processes on a single router. For more information, see
Multi-Process OSPF (OSPFv2, IPv4 only).
Follow the same steps as above when configuring a single OSPF process. Repeat them as often as
necessary for the desired number of processes. Once the process is created, all other configurations apply
as usual.
Step
1

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

ip address ip-address mask

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Assign an IP address to an interface.
Format: A.B.C.D/M

If using a Loopback interface, refer to Loopback Interfaces.

2

no shutdown

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Enable the interface.

Return to CONFIGURATION mode to enable the OSPF process. The OSPF Process ID is the identifying
number assigned to the OSPF process, and the Router ID is the IP address associated with the OSPF
process.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

router ospf process-id [vrf {vrf name}]

CONFIGURATION

Enable the OSPFv2 process globally.
Range: 0-65535
vrf name: Enter the VRF keyword and
instance name to tie the OSPF instance to
the VRF. All network commands under
this OSPF instance are subsequently tied
to the VRF instance.

Once the OSPF process and the VRF are tied together, the OSPF Process ID cannot be used again in the
system.
If you try to enable more OSPF processes than available Layer 3 interfaces you will see the following
message:
Message 2
C300(conf)#router ospf 1
% Error: No router ID available.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 735

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

In CONFIGURATION ROUTER OSPF mode, assign the Router ID. The Router ID is not required to be
the router’s IP address. Dell Force10 recommends using the IP address as the Router ID for easier
management and troubleshooting.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

router-id ip address

CONFIG-ROUTER-O
SPF-id

Assign the Router ID for the OSPFv2
process.
IP Address: A.B.C.D

Use the no router ospf process-id command syntax in the CONFIGURATION mode to disable OSPF.
Use the clear ip ospf process-id command syntax in EXEC Privilege mode to reset the OSPFv2 process.

Assign an OSPFv2 area
After OSPFv2 is enabled, assign the interface to an OSPF area. Set up OSPF Areas and enable OSPFv2 on
an interface with the network command.
You must have at least one AS area: Area 0. This is the Backbone Area. If your OSPF network contains
more than one area, you must also configure a backbone area (Area ID 0.0.0.0). Any area besides Area 0
can have any number ID assigned to it.
The OSPFv2 process evaluates the network commands in the order they are configured. Assign the
network address that is most explicit first to include all subnets of that address. For example, if you assign
the network address 10.0.0.0 /8, you cannot assign the network address 10.1.0.0 /16 since it is already
included in the first network address.
When configuring the network command, you must configure a network address and mask that is a
superset of the IP subnet configured on the Layer-3 interface to be used for OSPFv2.
Use this command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER OSPF mode to set up each neighbor and OSPF area.
The Area can be assigned by a number or with an IP interface address.

736

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

network ip-address mask area area-id

CONFIG-ROUTER-OSPF-id

Enable OSPFv2 on an interface and
assign an network address range to a
specific OSPF area.
IP Address Format: A.B.C.D/M
Area ID Range: 0-65535 or A.B.C.D/M

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Enable OSPFv2 on interfaces
Each interface must have OSPFv2 enabled on it. It must be configured for Layer 3 protocol and not be
shutdown. OSPFv2 can also be assigned to a loopback interface as a virtual interface.
OSPF functions and features such as MD5 Authentication, Grace Period, Authentication Wait Time, etc.,
are assigned on a per interface basis.
Note: If using features like MD5 Authentication, ensure all the neighboring routers are also

configured for MD5.

Figure 34-9 presents an example of assigning an IP address to an interface and then assigning an OSPFv2
area that includes that Layer 3 interface’s IP address.
Figure 34-9.

Configuring an OSPF Area Example

FTOS#(conf)#int gi 4/44

FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/44)#ip address 10.10.10.10/24
FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/44)#no shutdown

Assign Layer-3 interface
with IP Address and
no shutdown

FTOS(conf-if-gi-4/44)#ex
FTOS(conf)#router ospf 1
FTOS(conf-router_ospf-1)#network 1.2.3.4/24 area 0

FTOS(conf-router_ospf-1)#network 10.10.10.10/24 area 1

Assign interface’s
IP Address to an Area

FTOS(conf-router_ospf-1)#network 20.20.20.20/24 area 2
FTOS(conf-router_ospf-1)#

Dell Force10 recommends that the OSPFv2 Router ID be the interface IP addresses for easier management
and troubleshooting.
Use the show config command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER OSPF mode to view the configuration.
OSPF, by default, sends hello packets out to all physical interfaces assigned an IP address that are a subset
of a network on which OSPF is enabled. Use the show ip ospf interface command to view the interfaces
currently active and the areas assigned to the interfaces.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 737

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 34-10. Command Example: show ip ospf process-id interface
FTOS>show ip ospf 1 interface
GigabitEthernet 12/17 is up, line protocol is up
Internet Address 10.2.2.1/24, Area 0.0.0.0
Process ID 1, Router ID 11.1.2.1, Network Type BROADCAST, Cost: 1
Transmit Delay is 1 sec, State DR, Priority 1
Designated Router (ID) 11.1.2.1, Interface address 10.2.2.1
Backup Designated Router (ID) 0.0.0.0, Interface address 0.0.0.0
Timer intervals configured, Hello 10, Dead 40, Wait 40, Retransmit 5
Hello due in 00:00:04
Neighbor Count is 0, Adjacent neighbor count is 0
GigabitEthernet 12/21 is up, line protocol is up
Internet Address 10.2.3.1/24, Area 0.0.0.0
Process ID 1, Router ID 11.1.2.1, Network Type BROADCAST, Cost: 1
Transmit Delay is 1 sec, State BDR, Priority 1
Designated Router (ID) 13.1.1.1, Interface address 10.2.3.2
Backup Designated Router (ID) 11.1.2.1, Interface address 10.2.3.1
Timer intervals configured, Hello 10, Dead 40, Wait 40, Retransmit 5
Hello due in 00:00:05
Neighbor Count is 1, Adjacent neighbor count is 1

Loopback interfaces also assist in the OSPF process. OSPF will pick the highest interface address as the
router-id and a loopback interface address has a higher precedence than other interface addresses.
Figure 34-11 gives an example of the show ip ospf process-id interface command with a Loopback
interface.
Figure 34-11.

Command Example: show ip ospf process-id interface

FTOS#show ip ospf 1 int
GigabitEthernet 13/23 is up, line protocol is up
Internet Address 10.168.0.1/24, Area 0.0.0.1
Process ID 1, Router ID 10.168.253.2, Network Type BROADCAST, Cost: 1
Transmit Delay is 1 sec, State DROTHER, Priority 1
Designated Router (ID) 10.168.253.5, Interface address 10.168.0.4
Backup Designated Router (ID) 192.168.253.3, Interface address 10.168.0.2
Timer intervals configured, Hello 10, Dead 40, Wait 40, Retransmit 5
Hello due in 00:00:08
Neighbor Count is 3, Adjacent neighbor count is 2
Adjacent with neighbor 10.168.253.5 (Designated Router)
Adjacent with neighbor 10.168.253.3 (Backup Designated Router)
Loopback 0 is up, line protocol is up
Internet Address 10.168.253.2/32, Area 0.0.0.1
Process ID 1, Router ID 10.168.253.2, Network Type LOOPBACK, Cost: 1

738

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Configure stub areas
OSPF supports different types of LSAs to help reduce the amount of router processing within the areas.
Type 5 LSAs are not flooded into stub areas; the Area Border Router (ABR) advertises a default route into
the stub area to which it is attached. Stub area routers use the default route to reach external destinations.
To ensure connectivity in your OSPFv2 network, never configure the backbone area as a stub area.
Use these commands in the following sequence, starting in EXEC Privilege mode, to configure a stub area.
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

show ip ospf process-id [vrf
vrf name] database
database-summary

EXEC Privilege

Review all areas after they were configured to
determine which areas are NOT receiving type 5
LSAs.
vrf name: Show only the OSPF information tied to
the VRF process.

2

configure

EXEC Privilege

Enter the CONFIGURATION mode.

3

router ospf process-id [vrf {vrf
name}]

CONFIGURATION

Enter the ROUTER OSPF mode.
Process ID is the ID assigned when configuring
OSPFv2 globally.
vrf name: Enter the VRF keyword and instance
name to tie the OSPF instance to the VRF. All
network commands under this OSPF instance are
subsequently tied to the VRF instance.

4

area area-id stub
[no-summary]

CONFIG-ROUTER-O
SPF-id

Configure the area as a stub area. Use the
no-summary keywords to prevent transmission in
to the area of summary ASBR LSAs.
Area ID is the number or IP address assigned when
creating the Area.

1

Use the show ip ospf database process-id database-summary command syntax in the EXEC Privilege
mode to view which LSAs are transmitted.
Figure 34-12. Command Example: show ip ospf process-id database database-summary
FTOS#show ip ospf 34 database database-summary
OSPF Router with ID (10.1.2.100) (Process ID 34)
Area ID
2.2.2.2
3.3.3.3
FTOS#

Router
1
1

Network S-Net
0
0
0
0

S-ASBR
0
0

Type-7
0
0

Subtotal
1
1

To view information on areas, use the show ip ospf process-id command in the EXEC Privilege mode.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 739

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configure OSPF Stub-Router Advertisement
Configure OSPF Stub-Router Advertisement is supported on platforms:

ce

When you bring a new router onto an OSPF network, you can configure the router to function as a stub
area by globally reconfiguring the OSPF link cost so that other routers do not use a path that forwards
traffic destined to other networks through the new router for a specified time until the router’s switching
and routing functions are up and running, and the routing tables in network routers have converged.
By using the max-metric router-lsa command, you force the link cost of all OSPF non-stub links to the
maximum link cost (65535) for a specified time. The advertisement of this maximum metric causes other
routers to assign a cost to the new router that is higher than the cost of using an alternate path. Because of
the high cost assigned to paths that pass through the new router, other routers will not use a path through
the new router as a transit path to forward traffic to other networks.
Use the max-metric router-lsa command to gracefully shut down or reload a router without dropping
packets destined for other networks.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

max-metric router-lsa
[on-startup {announce-time |
wait-for-bgp [wait-time]}]

ROUTER OSPF

E-Series ExaScale only: Configure the maximum cost of
65535 on a new router so that it always functions as a stub
router in the network and OSPF traffic destined to other
networks is not routed on paths which pass through the
router.
on-startup announce-time specifies the time (in seconds)
following boot-up during which the maximum cost
(65535) for transmitting OSPF traffic on router interfaces
is announced in LSAs and the router functions as a stub
router. Range: 5 to 86400 seconds.
on-startup wait-for-bgp [wait-time] enables the router to
announce the maximum metric in OSPF LSAs until the
BGP routing table converges with updated routes. Default:
600 seconds.
You can also specify the time (in seconds) that the router
waits for the BGP routing table to converge before it stops
advertising the maximum cost in LSAs and advertises the
router’s currently configured OSPF cost. Range: 5 to
86400 seconds.

Note: If you enter the max-metric router-lsa command without an option (on-startup announce-time or on-startup
wait-for-bgp [wait-time]), the maximum metric of 65535 is always announced in LSAs sent by the router.

740

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Enable passive interfaces
A passive interface is one that does not send or receive routing information. Enabling passive interface
suppresses routing updates on an interface. Although the passive interface will neither send nor receive
routing updates, the network on that interface will still be included in OSPF updates sent via other
interfaces.
Use the following command in the ROUTER OSPF mode to suppress the interface’s participation on an
OSPF interface. This command stops the router from sending updates on that interface.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

passive-interface {default |
interface}

CONFIG-ROUTEROSPF-id

Specify whether all or some of the interfaces will be passive.
Default enabled passive interfaces on ALL interfaces in
the OSPF process.
Entering the physical interface type, slot, and number enable
passive interface on only the identified interface.
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information
(e.g., passive-interface gi 2/1).
• For a port channel, enter the keyword port-channel
followed by a number from 1 to 255 for TeraScale and
ExaScale.
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword sonet
followed by the slot/port information (e.g.,
passive-interface so 2/2).
• For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port
information (e.g. passive-interface ten 2/3).
• For a VLAN, enter the keyword vlan followed by a
number from 1 to 4094 (e.g., passive-interface
vlan 2222).
E-Series ExaScale platforms support 4094 VLANs with
FTOS version 8.2.1.0 and later. Earlier ExaScale
supports 2094 VLANS.

The default keyword sets all interfaces on this OSPF process as passive. The passive
interface can be removed from select interfaces using the no passive-interface
interface command while passive interface default is configured.

To enable both receiving and sending routing updates, enter the no passive-interface interface command.
When you configure a passive interface, the show ip ospf process-id interface command adds the words
“passive interface” to indicate that hello packets are not transmitted on that interface.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 741

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 34-13. Command Example: show ip ospf process-id interface
FTOS#show ip ospf 34 int
GigabitEthernet 0/0 is up, line protocol is down
Internet Address 10.1.2.100/24, Area 1.1.1.1
Process ID 34, Router ID 10.1.2.100, Network Type BROADCAST, Cost: 10
Transmit Delay is 1 sec, State DOWN, Priority 1
Designated Router (ID) 10.1.2.100, Interface address 0.0.0.0
Backup Designated Router (ID) 0.0.0.0, Interface address 0.0.0.0
Timer intervals configured, Hello 10, Dead 40, Wait 40, Retransmit 5
Hello due in 13:39:46
Neighbor Count is 0, Adjacent neighbor count is 0
GigabitEthernet 0/1 is up, line protocol is down
Internet Address 10.1.3.100/24, Area 2.2.2.2
Process ID 34, Router ID 10.1.2.100, Network Type BROADCAST, Cost: 10
Transmit Delay is 1 sec, State DR, Priority 1
Designated Router (ID) 10.1.2.100, Interface address 10.1.3.100
Backup Designated Router (ID) 0.0.0.0, Interface address 0.0.0.0
Interface is not running the
Timer intervals configured, Hello 10, Dead 40, Wait 40, Retransmit
5
OSPF protocol.

No Hellos (Passive interface)
Neighbor Count is 0, Adjacent neighbor count is 0
Loopback 45 is up, line protocol is up
Internet Address 10.1.1.23/24, Area 2.2.2.2
Process ID 34, Router ID 10.1.2.100, Network Type LOOPBACK, Cost: 1

Enable fast-convergence
The fast-convergence CLI sets the minimum origination and arrival LSA parameters to zero (0), allowing
rapid route calculation. When fast-convergence is disabled, origination and arrival LSA parameters are set
to 5 seconds and 1 second, respectively.
Setting the convergence parameter (1-4) indicates the actual convergence level. Each convergence setting
adjusts the LSA parameters to zero, but the fast-convergence parameter setting allows for even finer tuning
of the convergence speed. The higher the number, the faster the convergence. Use the following command
in the ROUTER OSPF mode to enable or disable fast-convergence.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

fast-convergence {number}

CONFIG-ROUTEROSPF-id

Enable OSPF fast-convergence and specify the convergence
level.
Parameter: 1-4
The higher the number, the faster the convergence.
When disabled, the parameter is set at 0 (Figure 34-15).

Note: A higher convergence level can result in occasional loss of OSPF adjacency. Generally, convergence level 1 meets
most convergence requirements. Higher convergence levels should only be selected following consultation with Dell
Force10 technical support.

742

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Figure 34-14 shows the convergence settings when fast-convergence is enabled and Figure 34-15 shows
settings when fast-convergence is disabled. These displays appear with the show ip ospf command.
Figure 34-14. Command Example: show ip ospf process-id (fast-convergence enabled)
FTOS(conf-router_ospf-1)#fast-converge 2
FTOS(conf-router_ospf-1)#ex
FTOS(conf)#ex
FTOS#show ip ospf 1
Routing Process ospf 1 with ID 192.168.67.2
Supports only single TOS (TOS0) routes
SPF schedule delay 5 secs, Hold time between two SPFs 10 secs

Convergence Level 2
Min LSA origination 0 secs, Min LSA arrival 0 secs

Fast-converge parameter
setting
LSA parameters

Number of area in this router is 0, normal 0 stub 0 nssa 0

Figure 34-15. Command example: show ip ospf process-id (fast-convergence disabled)
FTOS#(conf-router_ospf-1)#no fast-converge
FTOS#(conf-router_ospf-1)#ex
FTOS#(conf)#ex
FTOS##show ip ospf 1
Routing Process ospf 1 with ID 192.168.67.2
Supports only single TOS (TOS0) routes
SPF schedule delay 5 secs, Hold time between two SPFs 10 secs

Convergence Level 0
Min LSA origination 5 secs, Min LSA arrival 1 secs

Fast-converge parameter
setting
LSA parameters

Number of area in this router is 0, normal 0 stub 0 nssa 0

Change OSPFv2 parameters on interfaces
In FTOS, you can modify the OSPF settings on the interfaces. Some interface parameter values must be
consistent across all interfaces to avoid routing errors. For example, you must set the same time interval for
the hello packets on all routers in the OSPF network to prevent misconfiguration of OSPF neighbors.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 743

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Use any or all of the following commands in CONFIGURATION INTERFACE mode to change OSPFv2
parameters on the interfaces:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

ip ospf cost

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Change the cost associated with OSPF traffic on
the interface.
Cost: 1 to 65535 (default depends on the
interface speed).

ip ospf dead-interval seconds

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Change the time interval the router waits before
declaring a neighbor dead. Configure Seconds
range: 1 to 65535. Default: 40 seconds,

The dead interval must be four times the hello interval.
The dead interval must be the same on all routers in the OSPF network.
ip ospf hello-interval seconds

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Change the time interval between hello-packet
transmission.
Seconds range: from 1 to 65535 (default is 10
seconds).

The hello interval must be the same on all routers in the OSPF network.
ip ospf message-digest-key keyid
md5 key

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Use the MD5 algorithm to produce a message
digest/key, which is sent instead of the key.
Keyid range: 1 to 255
Key: a character string

Note: Be sure to write down or otherwise record the key. You cannot learn the
key once it is configured. You must be careful when changing this key.

ip ospf priority number

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Change the priority of the interface, which is
used to determine the Designated Router for the
OSPF broadcast network.
Number range: 0 to 255 (the default is 1).

ip ospf retransmit-interval seconds

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Change the retransmission interval between
LSAs.
Seconds range: 1 to 65535 (default is 5 seconds).

The retransmit interval must be the same on all routers in the OSPF network.
ip ospf transmit-delay seconds

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Change the wait period between link state
update packets sent out the interface. Seconds
range: 1 to 65535 (default is 1 second).

The transmit delay must be the same on all routers in the OSPF network.

Use the show config command in CONFIGURATION INTERFACE mode (Figure 34-16) to view interface
configurations. Use the show ip ospf interface command in EXEC mode to view interface status in the
OSPF process.

744

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Figure 34-16. Changing the OSPF Cost Value on an Interface
FTOS(conf-if)#ip ospf cost 45
FTOS(conf-if)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/0
ip address 10.1.2.100 255.255.255.0
no shutdown

The change is made on the
interface and it is reflected in the
OSPF configuration.

ip ospf cost 45
FTOS(conf-if)#end
FTOS#show ip ospf 34 interface

GigabitEthernet 0/0 is up, line protocol is up
Internet Address 10.1.2.100/24, Area 2.2.2.2
Process ID 34, Router ID 10.1.2.100, Network Type BROADCAST, Cost: 45
Transmit Delay is 1 sec, State DR, Priority 1
Designated Router (ID) 10.1.2.100, Interface address 10.1.2.100
Backup Designated Router (ID) 10.1.2.100, Interface address 0.0.0.0
Timer intervals configured, Hello 10, Dead 40, Wait 40, Retransmit 5
Hello due in 00:00:06

Enable OSPFv2 authentication
Use the following commands in CONFIGURATION INTERFACE mode to enable or change various
OSPF authentication parameters:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

ip ospf authentication-key key

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Set clear text authentication scheme on the
interface. Configure a key that is a text string no
longer than eight characters.
All neighboring routers must share the same
password to exchange OSPF information.

ip ospf auth-change-wait-time

CONFIG-INTERFACE

Set the authentication change wait time in
seconds between 0 and 300 for the interface.
This is the amount of time OSPF has available to
change its interface authentication type. During
the auth-change-wait-time, OSPF sends out
packets with both the new and old authentication
schemes. This transmission stops when the
period ends. The default is 0 seconds.

seconds

Enable OSPFv2 graceful restart
Graceful Restart is enabled for the global OSPF process. Use these commands to configure OSPFv2
graceful restart. Refer to Graceful Restart for feature details.
The Dell Force10 implementation of OSPFv2 graceful restart enables you to specify:
•

grace period—the length of time the graceful restart process can last before OSPF terminates it.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 745

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

helper-reject neighbors—the router ID of each restart router that does not receive assistance from the

•
•

configured router.
mode—the situation or situations that trigger a graceful restart.
role—the role or roles the configured router can perform.

Note: By

default, OSPFv2 graceful restart is disabled.

You enable OSPFv2 graceful restart in CONFIGURATION ROUTER OSPF mode.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

graceful-restart
grace-period seconds

CONFIG-ROUTEROSPF-id

Enable OSPFv2 graceful-restart globally and set the grace period.
Seconds range: between 40 and 3000.

This is the period of time that an OSPFv2 router’s neighbors will advertise it as fully
adjacent, regardless of the synchronization state, during a graceful restart.
OSPFv2 terminates this process when the grace period ends.
graceful-restart
helper-reject router-id

CONFIG-ROUTEROSPF-id

Enter the Router ID of the OSPFv2 helper router from which the
router does not accept graceful restart assistance.
This applies to the specified router only.
IP Address: A.B.C.D

graceful-restart mode
[planned-only |
unplanned-only]

CONFIG-ROUTEROSPF-id

Specify the operating mode in which graceful-restart functions.
FTOS supports the following options:
• Planned-only. The OSPFv2 router supports graceful-restart for
planned restarts only. A planned restart is when the user
manually enters a fail-over command to force the primary
RPM over to the secondary RPM. During a planned restart,
OSPF sends out a Grace LSA before the system switches over
to the secondary RPM. OSPF also is notified that a planned
restart is happening.
• Unplanned-only. The OSPFv2 router supports graceful-restart
for only unplanned restarts. During an unplanned restart, OSPF
sends out a Grace LSA once the secondary RPM comes online.

By default, OSPFv2 supports both planned and unplanned restarts. Selecting one or the
other mode restricts OSPFv2 to the single selected mode.
graceful-restart role
[helper-only | restart-only]

CONFIG-ROUTEROSPF-id

Configure the graceful restart role or roles that this OSPFv2 router
performs. FTOS supports the following options:
• Helper-only. The OSPFv2 router supports graceful-restart only
as a helper router.
• Restart-only. The OSPFv2 router supports graceful-restart only
during unplanned restarts.

By default, OSPFv2 supports both restarting and helper roles. Selecting one or the other role
restricts OSPFv2 to the single selected role.

When you configure a graceful restart on an OSPFv2 router, the show run ospf command (Figure 34-17)
displays information similar to the following.

746

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Figure 34-17. Command Example: show run ospf
FTOS#show run ospf
!
router ospf 1
graceful-restart grace-period 300
graceful-restart role helper-only
graceful-restart mode unplanned-only
graceful-restart helper-reject 10.1.1.1
graceful-restart helper-reject 20.1.1.1
network 10.0.2.0/24 area 0

Use the following command to disable OSPFv2 graceful-restart after you have enabled it.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

no graceful-restart grace-period

CONFIG-ROUTEROSPF-id

Disable OSPFv2 graceful-restart. Returns OSPF
graceful-restart to its default state.

For more information on OSPF graceful restart, refer to the FTOS Command Line Interface Reference
Guide.

Configure virtual links
Areas within OSPF must be connected to the backbone area (Area ID 0.0.0.0). If an OSPF area does not
have a direct connection to the backbone, at least one virtual link is required. Virtual links must be
configured on an ABR connected to the backbone.
•
•
•
•
•
•

hello-interval: help packet
retransmit-interval: LSA retransmit interval
transmit-delay: LSA transmission delay
dead-interval: dead router detection time
authentication-key: authentication key
message-digest-key: MD5 authentication key

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 747

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Use the following command in CONFIGURATION ROUTER OSPF mode to configure virtual links.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

area area-id virtual-link router-id [hello-interval
seconds | retransmit-interval seconds |
transmit-delay seconds | dead-interval seconds |
authentication-key key | message-digest-key keyid
md5 key]

CONFIG-ROUTEROSPF-id

Configure the optional parameters of a
virtual link:
• Area ID: assigned earlier (0-65535 or
A.B.C.D)
• Router ID: IP address associated with
the virtual link neighbor
• Hello Interval Seconds: 1-8192
(default 10)
• Retransmit Interval Seconds: 1-3600
(default 5)
• Transmit Delay Seconds: 1-3600
(default 1)
• Dead Interval Seconds: 1-8192
(default 40)
• Authentication Key: 8 characters
• Message Digest Key: 1-255
• MD5 Key: 16 characters

Only the Area ID and Router ID require configuration to create a
virtual link. If no other parameter is entered, the defaults are used.
Use EITHER the Authentication Key or the Message Digest
(MD5) key.

Use the show ip ospf process-id virtual-links command (Figure 34-18) in the EXEC mode to view the
virtual link.
Figure 34-18. Command Example: show ip ospf process-id virtual-links
FTOS#show ip ospf 1 virtual-links
Virtual Link to router 192.168.253.5 is up
Run as demand circuit
Transit area 0.0.0.1, via interface GigabitEthernet 13/16, Cost of using 2
Transmit Delay is 1 sec, State POINT_TO_POINT,
Timer intervals configured, Hello 10, Dead 40, Wait 40, Retransmit 5
Hello due in 00:00:02

Filter routes
To filter routes, use prefix lists. OSPF applies prefix lists to incoming or outgoing routes. Incoming routes
must meet the conditions of the prefix lists. If they do not, OSPF does not add the route to the routing table.
Configure the prefix list in CONFIGURATION PREFIX LIST mode prior to assigning it to the OSPF
process.

748

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

ip prefix-list prefix-name

CONFIGURATION

Create a prefix list and assign it a unique
name. You are in PREFIX LIST mode.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

seq sequence-number {deny |permit} ip-prefix
[ge min-prefix-length] [le max-prefix-length]

CONFIG- PREFIX
LIST

Create a prefix list with a sequence.
number and a deny or permit action. The
optional parameters are:
ge min-prefix-length: is the minimum prefix
length to be matched (0 to 32).
le max-prefix-length: is the maximum prefix
length to be matched (0 to 32).

For configuration information on prefix lists, refer to the Access Control Lists (ACLs) chapter in the FTOS
Configuration Guide.
Use the following commands in CONFIGURATION-ROUTER OSPF mode to apply prefix lists to
incoming or outgoing OSPF routes.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

distribute-list prefix-list-name in [interface]

CONFIG-ROUTEROSPF-id

Apply a configured prefix list to incoming
OSPF routes.

distribute-list prefix-list-name out [connected |
isis | rip | static]

CONFIG-ROUTEROSPF-id

Assign a configured prefix list to outgoing
OSPF routes.

Redistribute routes
You can add routes from other routing instances or protocols to the OSPF process. With the redistribute
command syntax, you can include RIP, static, or directly connected routes in the OSPF process.
Note: Do not route iBGP routes to OSPF unless there are route-maps associated with the OSPF

redistribution.

Use the following command in CONFIGURATION- ROUTER-OSPF mode to redistribute routes:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

redistribute {bgp | connected | isis |
rip | static} [metric metric-value |
metric-type type-value] [route-map
map-name] [tag tag-value]

CONFIG-ROUTEROSPF-id

Specify which routes will be redistributed into OSPF
process. Configure the following required and
optional parameters:
• bgp, connected, isis, rip, or static: enter one
of the keyword to redistribute those routes. rip is
supported only on E-Series.
• metric metric-value range: 0 to 4294967295.
• metric-type metric-type: 1 for OSPF external
route type 1 or 2 for OSPF external route type 2.
• route-map map-name: enter a name of a
configured route map.
• tag tag-value range: 0 to 4294967295.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 749

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To view the current OSPF configuration, use the show running-config ospf command in the EXEC mode
or the show config command in the ROUTER OSPF mode.
Figure 34-19. Command Example: show config
FTOS(conf-router_ospf)#show config
!
router ospf 34
network 10.1.2.32 0.0.0.255 area 2.2.2.2
network 10.1.3.24 0.0.0.255 area 3.3.3.3
distribute-list dilling in
FTOS(conf-router_ospf)#

Troubleshooting OSPFv2
FTOS has several tools to make troubleshooting easier. Be sure to check the following, as these are typical
issues that interrupt an OSPFv2 process. Note that this is not a comprehensive list, just some examples of
typical troubleshooting checks.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Has OSPF been enabled globally?
Is the OSPF process active on the interface?
Are adjacencies established correctly?
Are the interfaces configured for Layer 3 correctly?
Is the router in the correct area type?
Have the routes been included in the OSPF database?
Have the OSPF routes been included in the routing table (not just the OSPF database)?

Some useful troubleshooting commands are:
•
•
•
•
•
•

show interfaces
show protocols
debug IP OSPF events and/or packets
show neighbors
show virtual links
show routes
Note: If you are using Multi-Process OSPF, you must enter the Process ID to view information regarding a

specific OSPF process. If you do not enter the Process ID, only the first configured process is listed.

750

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Use the show running-config ospf command to see the state of all the enabled OSPFv2 processes.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

show running-config ospf

EXEC Privilege

View the summary of all OSPF process IDs enables on the
router.

Figure 34-20. Command Example: show running-config ospf
FTOS#show run ospf
!
router ospf 3
!
router ospf 4
router-id 4.4.4.4
network 4.4.4.0/28 area 1
!
router ospf 5
!
router ospf 6
!
router ospf 7
mib-binding
!
router ospf 8
!
router ospf 90
area 2 virtual-link 4.4.4.4
area 2 virtual-link 90.90.90.90 retransmit-interval 300
!
ipv6 router ospf 999

Use the following commands in EXEC Privilege mode to get general route and links status information.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

show ip route summary

EXEC Privilege

View the summary information of the IP routes.

show ip ospf database

EXEC Privilege

View the summary information for the OSPF database.

Use the following command in EXEC Privilege mode to view the OSPFv2 configuration for a neighboring
router:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

show ip ospf neighbor

EXEC Privilege

View the configuration of OSPF neighbors.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 751

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Use the following command in EXEC Privilege mode to configure the debugging options of an OSPFv2
process:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

debug ip ospf process-id
[event | packet | spf]

EXEC Privilege

View debug messages.
To view debug messages for a specific OSPF process ID, enter
debug ip ospf process-id.
If you do not enter a process ID, the command applies to the
first OSPF process.
To view debug messages for a specific operation, enter one of
the optional keywords:
• event: View OSPF event messages
• packet: View OSPF packets.
• spf: View shortest path first (spf) information.

To display a summary of the information stored in the OSPFv2 database of the router, enter the show ip
ospf database database-summary command. Note that the number of Type-9 Grace LSAs received from
restarting neighbor OSPFv2 routers are also displayed.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

show ip ospf database
database-summary

EXEC Privilege

View a summary of OSPFv2 database information.

Figure 34-21. Command Example: show ip ospf database database-summary
FTOS#show ip ospf database database-summary
!
OSPF Router with ID (200.1.1.1) (Process ID 1)
Area ID
0

752

|

Router Net
4
3

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

S-Net
3000

S-ASBR Type7
0
0

Type9
1

Type10 Total
0
3008

ChSum
0x5e69164

Sample Configurations for OSPFv2
The following configurations are examples for enabling OSPFv2. These are not comprehensive directions.
They are intended to give you a some guidance with typical configurations.
You can copy and paste from these examples to your CLI. Be sure you make the necessary changes to
support your own IP addresses, interfaces, names, etc.

Basic OSPFv2 Router Topology
The following illustration is a sample basic OSPFv2 topology.

OSPF AREA 0

GI 2/1

GI 1/1

GI 2/2

GI 1/2

GI 3/1

GI 3/2

Figure 34-22. Basic topology and CLI commands for OSPFv2

router ospf 11111
network 10.0.11.0/24 area 0
network 10.0.12.0/24 area 0
network 192.168.100.0/24 area 0
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
ip address 10.1.11.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/2
ip address 10.2.12.2/24
no shutdown
!
interface Loopback 10
ip address 192.168.100.100/24
no shutdown

router ospf 33333
network 192.168.100.0/24 area 0
network 10.0.13.0/24 area 0
network 10.0.23.0/24 area 0
!
interface Loopback 30
ip address 192.168.100.100/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/1
ip address 10.1.13.3/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/2
ip address 10.2.13.3/24
no shutdown

router ospf 22222
network 192.168.100.0/24 area 0
network 10.2.21.0/24 area 0
network 10.2.22.0/24 area 0
!
interface Loopback 20
ip address 192.168.100.20/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/1
ip address 10.2.21.2/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/2
ip address 10.2.22.2/24
no shutdown

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 753

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configuration Task List for OSPFv3 (OSPF for IPv6)
Open Shortest Path First version 3 (OSPF for IPv6) is supported on platforms

ce

The configuration options of OSPFv3 are the same as those for OSPFv2, but may be configured with
differently labeled commands. Process IDs and areas need to be specified. Interfaces and addresses need to
be included in the process. Areas can be defined as stub or totally stubby.
The interfaces must be in IPv6 Layer-3 mode (assigned an IPv6 IP address) and enabled so that they can
send and receive traffic. The OSPF process must know about these interfaces. To make the OSPF process
aware of these interfaces, they must be assigned to OSPF areas.
TheOSPFv3 ipv6 ospf area command enables OSPFv3 on the interface and places the interface in an area.
With OSPFv2, two commands are required to accomplish the same tasks: the router ospf command to
create the OSPF process, then the network area command to enable OSPF on an interface. Note that the
OSPFv2 network area command can enable OSPF on multiple interfaces with the single command, while
the OSPFv3 ipv6 ospf area command must be configured on each interface that will be running OSPFv3.
All IPv6 addresses on an interface are included in the OSPFv3 process that is created on the interface.
OSPFv3 for IPv6 is enabled by specifying an OSPF Process ID and an Area in the INTERFACE mode. If
an OSPFv3 process has not yet been created, it is created automatically. All IPv6 addresses configured on
the interface are included in the specified OSPF process.
Note: IPv6 and OSPFv3 do not support Multi-Process OSPF. Only a single OSPFv3 process is can be

enabled.

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

754

|

Enable IPv6 Unicast Routing
Assign IPv6 addresses on an interface
Assign Area ID on interface
Assign OSPFv3 Process ID and Router ID Globally
Configure stub areas
Configure Passive-Interface
Redistribute routes
Configure a default route
(Optional) Enable OSPFv3 graceful restart
(Optional) OSPFv3 Authentication Using IPsec

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Enable IPv6 Unicast Routing
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

ipv6 unicast routing

CONFIGURATION

Enables IPv6 unicast routing globally.

Assign IPv6 addresses on an interface
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

ipv6 address ipv6 address

CONF-INT-type slot/port

Assign IPv6 address to the interface.
IPv6 addresses are normally written as
eight groups of four hexadecimal digits,
where each group is separated by a colon
(:).
FORMAT: A:B:C::F/128

no shutdown

CONF-INT-type slot/port

Bring the interface up.

Assign Area ID on interface
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

ipv6 ospf process-id area area-id

CONF-INT-type slot/port

Assign the OSPFv3 process and an
OSPFv3 area to this interface.
process-id: The Process ID number
assigned above.
area-id: the area ID for this interface.

The ipv6 ospf area command enables OSPFv3 on an interface and places the interface in the specified
area. Additionally, it creates the OSPFv3 process with ID on the router. OSPFv2 required two commands
are required to accomplish the same tasks: the router ospf command to create the OSPF process, then the
network area command to enable OSPFv2 on an interface. Note that the OSPFv2 network area command
can enable OSPFv2 on multiple interfaces with the single command, whereas the OSPFv3 ipv6 ospf area
command must be configured on each interface that will be running OSPFv3.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 755

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Assign OSPFv3 Process ID and Router ID Globally
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

ipv6 router ospf {process ID}

CONFIGURATION

Enable the OSPFv3 process globally and
enter OSPFv3 mode.
Range: 0-65535

router-id {number}

CONF-IPV6-ROUTER-OSPF

Assign the Router ID for this OSPFv3
process
number: IPv4 address
Format: A.B.C.D

Note: The router-id for an OSPFv3 router is entered as an IPv4 IP

address.

Configure stub areas

756

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

area area-id stub
[no-summary]

CONF-IPV6-ROUTER-OSPF

Configure the area as a stub area. Use the
no-summary keywords to prevent transmission in
to the area of summary ASBR LSAs.
Area ID is a number or IP address assigned when
creating the Area.
The Area ID can be represented as a number
between 0 – 65536 if a dotted decimal format is
assigned, rather than an IP address.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Configure Passive-Interface
Use the following command to suppress the interface’s participation on an OSPFv3 interface. This
command stops the router from sending updates on that interface.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

passive-interface
{type slot/port}

CONF-IPV6-ROUTER-OSPF

Specify whether some or all some of the interfaces will be
passive.
Interface identifies the specific interface that will be
passive.
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information
(e.g. passive-interface gi 2/1).
• For a port channel, enter the keyword port-channel
followed by a number from 1 to 255 for TeraScale and
ExaScale, 1 to 32 for EtherScale (e.g.
passive-interface po 100)
• For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port
information ( e.g. passive-interface ten 2/3).
• For a VLAN, enter the keyword vlan followed by a
number from 1 to 4094 (e.g. passive-interface
vlan 2222).
E-Series ExaScale platforms support 4094 VLANs with
FTOS version 8.2.1.0 and later. Earlier ExaScale
supports 2094 VLANS.

To enable both receiving and sending routing updates, enter the no passive-interface interface command.
When you configure a passive interface, the show ipv6 ospf interface command adds the words “passive
interface” to indicate that hello packets are not transmitted on that interface.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 757

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Redistribute routes
You can add routes from other routing instances or protocols to the OSPFv3 process. With the redistribute
command syntax, you can include RIP, static, or directly connected routes in the OSPF process.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

redistribute {bgp | connected |
static} [metric metric-value |
metric-type type-value] [route-map
map-name] [tag tag-value]

CONF-IPV6-ROUTER-OSPF

Specify which routes will be redistributed
into OSPF process. Configure the following
required and optional parameters:
• bgp, connected, or static: enter one of
the keyword to redistribute those routes.
• metric metric-value range: 0 to
4294967295.
• metric-type metric-type: 1 for OSPFv3
external route type 1 OR 2 for OSPFv3
external route type 2.
• route-map map-name: enter a name of
a configured route map.
• tag tag-value range: 0 to 4294967295.

Configure a default route
Configure FTOS to generate a default external route into the OSPFv3 routing domain.

758

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

default-information originate
[always [metric metric-value]
[metric-type type-value]]
[route-map map-name]

CONF-IPV6-ROUTER-OSPF

Specify the information for the default route.
Configure the following required and
optional parameters:
• always: indicate that default route
information must always be advertised
• metric metric-value range: 0 to
4294967295.
• metric-type metric-type: 1 for OSPFv3
external route type 1 OR 2 for OSPFv3
external route type 2.
• route-map map-name: enter a name of
a configured route map.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Enable OSPFv3 graceful restart
Graceful Restart for OSPFv3 is supported on platforms
for more information on the feature.

et z

. Refer to Graceful Restart

By default, OSPFv3 graceful restart is disabled and functions only in a helper role to help restarting
neighbor routers in their graceful restarts when it receives a Grace LSA.
To enable OSPFv3 graceful restart, you must enter the ipv6 router ospf process-id command to enter
OSPFv3 configuration mode and then configure a grace period using the graceful-restart grace-period
command. The grace period is the length of time that OSPFv3 neighbors continue to advertise the
restarting router as though it is fully adjacent. When graceful restart is enabled (restarting role), an OSPFv3
restarting expects its OSPFv3 neighbors to help when it restarts by not advertising the broken link.
When you enable the helper-reject role on an interface with the ipv6 ospf graceful-restart helper-reject
command, you reconfigure OSPFv3 graceful restart to function in a “restarting-only” role. OSPFv3 does
not participate in the graceful restart of a neighbor. (Note that you enter the ipv6 ospf graceful-restart
helper-reject command in Interface configuration mode.)
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

graceful-restart
grace-period seconds

CONF-IPV6-ROUTE
R-OSPF

Enable OSPFv3 graceful restart globally by setting the grace
period (in seconds). Valid values are from 40 to 1800 seconds.

ipv6 ospf graceful-restart
helper-reject

INTERFACE

Configure an OSPFv3 interface to not act upon the Grace LSAs
that it receives from a restarting OSPFv3 neighbor.

graceful-restart mode
[planned-only |
unplanned-only]

CONF-IPV6-ROUTE
R-OSPF

Specify the operating mode and type of events that trigger a
graceful restart:
• Planned-only. The OSPFv3 router supports graceful restart
only for planned restarts. A planned restart is when you
manually enter a redundancy force-failover rpm command to
force the primary RPM over to the secondary RPM. During a
planned restart, OSPFv3 sends out a Grace LSA before the
system switches over to the secondary RPM. OSPFv3 is
notified that a planned restart is happening.
• Unplanned-only. The OSPFv3 router supports
graceful-restart only for unplanned restarts. During an
unplanned restart, OSPFv3 sends out a Grace LSA once the
secondary RPM comes online.
Default: Both planned and unplanned restarts trigger an OSPFv3
graceful restart. Selecting one or the other mode restricts OSPFv3
to the single selected mode.

To disable OSPFv3 graceful restart when it is enabled, enter the following command:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

no graceful-restart grace-period

CONF-IPV6-ROUTE
R-OSPF

Disable OSPFv3 graceful-restart.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 759

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To display information on the use and configuration of OSPFv3 graceful restart, enter any of the following
commands:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

show run ospf

EXEC Privilege

Display the graceful-restart configuration for OSPFv2 and
OSPFv3 (Figure 34-23).

show ipv6 ospf database
grace-lsa

EXEC Privilege

Display the Type-11 Grace LSAs sent and received on an
OSPFv3 router (Figure 34-24).

show ipv6 ospf database
database-summary

EXEC Privilege

Display the currently configured OSPFv3 parameters for
graceful restart (Figure 34-25).

Figure 34-23. Command Example: show run ospf
FTOS#show run ospf
!
router ospf 1
router-id 200.1.1.1
log-adjacency-changes

graceful-restart grace-period 180
network 20.1.1.0/24 area 0
network 30.1.1.0/24 area 0
!
ipv6 router ospf 1
log-adjacency-changes

760

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Figure 34-24. Command Example: show ipv6 ospf database database-summary
FTOS#show ipv6 ospf database database-summary
!
OSPFv3 Router with ID (200.1.1.1) (Process ID 1)
Process 1 database summary
Type
Count/Status
Oper Status
1
Admin Status
1
Area Bdr Rtr Status
0
AS Bdr Rtr Status
1
AS Scope LSA Count
0
AS Scope LSA Cksum sum
0
Originate New LSAS
73
Rx New LSAS
114085
Ext LSA Count
0
Rte Max Eq Cost Paths
5

GR grace-period
GR mode

180
planned and unplanned

Area 0 database summary
Type
Count/Status
Brd Rtr Count
2
AS Bdr Rtr Count
2
LSA count
12010
Summary LSAs
1
Rtr LSA Count
4
Net LSA Count
3
Inter Area Pfx LSA Count 12000
Inter Area Rtr LSA Count 0
Group Mem LSA Count
0

Figure 34-25. Command Example: show ipv6 ospf database grace-lsa
FTOS#show ipv6 ospf database grace-lsa
!
Type-11 Grace LSA (Area 0)
LS Age
Link State ID
Advertising Router
LS Seq Number
Checksum
Length
Associated Interface
Restart Interval

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

10
6.16.192.66
100.1.1.1
0x80000001
0x1DF1
36
Gi 5/3
180

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 761

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

OSPFv3 Authentication Using IPsec
OSPFv3 Authentication Using IPsec is supported only on platforms:

etz

Starting in release 8.4.2.0, OSPFv3 uses the IP Security (IPsec) to provide authentication for OSPFv3
packets. IPsec authentication ensures security in the transmission of OSPFv3 packets between
IPsec-enabled routers.
IPsec is a set of protocols developed by the IETF to support secure exchange of packets at the IP layer.
IPsec supports two encryption modes: Transport and Tunnel. Transport mode encrypts only the data
portion (payload) of each packet, but leaves the header untouched. The more secure Tunnel mode encrypts
both the header and the payload. On the receiving side, an IPsec-compliant device decrypts each packet.
Note: FTOS supports only transport encryption mode in OSPFv3 authentication with IPsec.

With IPsec-based authentication, crypto images are used to include the IPsec secure socket application
programming interface (API) required for use with OSPFv3.
To ensure integrity, data origin authentication, detection and rejection of replays, and confidentiality of the
packet, RFC 4302 and RFC 4303 propose using two security protocols - AH (authentication header) and
ESP (encapsulating security payload). For OSPFv3, these two IPsec protocols provide interoperable,
high-quality cryptographically-based security.
•

•

The IPsec authentication header is used in packet authentication to verify that data is not altered during
transmission and ensures that users are communicating with the intended individual or organization.
The authentication header is inserted after the IP header with a value of 51. AH provides integrity and
validation of data origin by authenticating every OSPFv3 packet. For detailed information on the IP
AH protocol, refer to RFC 4302.
The encapsulating security payload encapsulates data, enabling the protection of data that follows in
the datagram. ESP provides authentication and confidentiality of every packet. The ESP extension
header is designed to provide a combination of security services for both IPv4 and IPv6. The ESP
header is inserted after the IP header and before the next layer protocol header in transport mode. It is
possible that the ESP header is inserted between the next layer protocol header and encapsulated IP
header in tunnel mode. The tunnel mode is not supported in FTOS. For detailed information on the IP
ESP protocol, refer to RFC 4303.

In OSPFv3 communication, IPsec provides security services between a pair of communicating hosts or
security gateways using either AH or ESP. In an authentication policy on an interface or in an OSPF area,
AH and ESP are used alone; in an encryption policy, AH and ESP may be used together. The difference
between the two mechanisms is the extent of the coverage. ESP only protects IP header fields if they are
encapsulated by ESP.
The set of IPsec protocols that are employed for authentication and encryption and the ways in which they
are employed is user-dependent. When IPsec is correctly implemented and deployed, it does not adversely
affect users or hosts. AH and ESP are designed to be cryptographic algorithm-independent.

762

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

OSPFv3 Authentication using IPsec: Configuration Notes
OSPFv3 authentication using IPsec is implemented according to the specifications in RFC 4552,
including:
•

•
•

•

To use IPsec, you configure an authentication (using AH) or encryption (using ESP) security policy on
an interface or in an OSPFv3 area. Each security policy consists of a security policy index (SPI) and
the key used to validate OSPFv3 packets. After IPsec is configured for OSPFv3, IPsec operation is
invisible to the user.
• Only one security protocol (AH or ESP) can be enabled at a time on an interface or for an area.
IPsec AH is enabled with the ipv6 ospf authentication command; IPsec ESP is enabled with the
ipv6 ospf encryption command.
• The security policy configured for an area is inherited by default on all interfaces in the area.
• The security policy configured on an interface overrides any area-level configured security for the
area to which the interface is assigned.
• The configured authentication or encryption policy is applied to all OSPFv3 packets transmitted
on the interface or in the area. The IPsec security associations (SAs) are the same on inbound and
outbound traffic on an OSPFv3 interface.
• There is no maximum AH or ESP header length because the headers have fields with variable
lengths.
Manual key configuration is supported in an authentication or encryption policy (dynamic key
configuration using the Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol is not supported).
In an OSPFv3 authentication policy:
• AH is used to authenticate OSPFv3 headers and certain fields in IPv6 headers and extension
headers.
• MD5 and SHA1 authentication types are supported; encrypted and unencrypted keys are
supported.
In an OSPFv3 encryption policy:
• Both encryption and authentication are used.
• IPsec security associations (SAs) are supported only in transport mode (tunnel mode is not
supported).
• ESP with null encryption is supported for authenticating only OSPFv3 protocol headers.
• ESP with non-null encryption is supported for full confidentiality.
• 3DES, DES, AES-CBC, and NULL encryption algorithms are supported; encrypted and
unencrypted keys are supported.
Note: You may encrypt all keys on a router by using the service password-encryption command in

global configuration mode. However, this command does not provide a high level of network security. To
enable key encryption in an IPsec security policy at an interface or area level, specify 7 for
[key-encryption-type] when you enter the ipv6 ospf authentication ipsec or ipv6 ospf encryption ipsec
command.

•

To configure an IPsec security policy for authenticating or encrypting OSPFv3 packets on a physical,
port-channel, or VLAN interface or OSPFv3 area, perform any of the following tasks:
• Configuring IPsec Authentication on an Interface
• Configuring IPsec Encryption on an Interface
Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 763

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•

Configuring IPsec Authentication for an OSPFv3 Area
Configuring IPsec Encryption for an OSPFv3 Area
Displaying OSPFv3 IPsec Security Policies

Configuring IPsec Authentication on an Interface
Prerequisite: Before you enable IPsec authentication on an OSPFv3 interface, you must first enable IPv6
unicast routing globally, configure an IPv6 address and enable OSPFv3 on the interface, and assign it to an
area (see Configuration Task List for OSPFv3 (OSPF for IPv6)).
To configure IPsec authentication on an interface, enter the following command:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

ipv6 ospf authentication {null |
ipsec spi number {MD5 | SHA1}
[key-encryption-type] key}

INTERFACE

Enable IPsec authentication for OSPFv3 packets on an
IPv6-based interface, where:
null causes an authentication policy configured for the
area to not be inherited on the interface.
ipsec spi number is the Security Policy index (SPI)
value. Range: 256 to 4294967295.
MD5 | SHA1 specifies the authentication type:
Message Digest 5 (MD5) or Secure Hash
Algorithm 1 (SHA-1).
key-encryption-type (optional) specifies if the key is
encrypted. Valid values: 0 (key is not encrypted) or 7
(key is encrypted).
key specifies the text string used in authentication. All
neighboring OSPFv3 routers must share the same key to
exchange information.
For MD5 authentication, the key must be 32 hex digits
(non-encrypted) or 64 hex digits (encrypted).
For SHA-1 authentication, the key must be 40 hex digits
(non-encrypted) or 80 hex digits (encrypted).

An SPI value must be unique to one IPsec security policy (authentication or encryption) on the router. You
must configure the same authentication policy (same SPI and key) on each OSPFv3 interface in a link.
To remove an IPsec authentication policy from an interface, enter the no ipv6 ospf authentication ipsec spi
number command. To remove null authentication on an interface to allow the interface to inherit the
authentication policy configured for the OSPFv3 area, enter the no ipv6 ospf authentication null command.
To display the configuration of IPsec authentication policies on the router, enter the show crypto ipsec
policy command. To display the security associations set up for OSPFv3 interfaces in authentication
policies, enter the show crypto ipsec sa ipv6 command.

764

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Configuring IPsec Encryption on an Interface
Prerequisite: Before you enable IPsec encryption on an OSPFv3 interface, you must first enable IPv6
unicast routing globally, configure an IPv6 address and enable OSPFv3 on the interface, and assign it to an
area (see Configuration Task List for OSPFv3 (OSPF for IPv6)).
To configure IPsec encryption on an interface, enter the following command:

Command Syntax
ipv6 ospf encryption {null | ipsec
spi number esp encryption-algorithm
[key-encryption-type] key
authentication-algorithm
[key-authentication-type] key}

Command
Mode
INTERFACE

Usage
Enable IPsec encryption for OSPFv3 packets on an
IPv6-based interface, where:
null causes an encryption policy configured for the
area to not be inherited on the interface.
ipsec spi number is the Security Policy index (SPI)
value. Range: 256 to 4294967295.
esp encryption-algorithm specifies the encryption
algorithm used with ESP. Valid values: 3DES, DES,
AES-CBC, and NULL. For AES-CBC, only the
AES-128 and AES-192 ciphers are supported.
key specifies the text string used in the encryption. All
neighboring OSPFv3 routers must share the same key
to decrypt information. Required lengths of a
non-encrypted or encrypted key are: 3DES - 48 or 96
hex digits; DES - 16 or 32 hex digits; AES-CBC - 32 or
64 hex digits for AES-128 and 48 or 96 hex digits for
AES-192.
key-encryption-type (optional) specifies if the key is
encrypted. Valid values: 0 (key is not encrypted) or 7
(key is encrypted).
authentication-algorithm specifies the encryption
authentication algorithm to use. Valid values: MD5 or
SHA1.
key specifies the text string used in used in
authentication. All neighboring OSPFv3 routers must
share the same key to exchange information. For MD5
authentication, the key must be 32 hex digits
(non-encrypted) or 64 hex digits (encrypted). For
SHA-1 authentication, the key must be 40 hex digits
(non-encrypted) or 80 hex digits (encrypted).
key-authentication-type (optional) specifies if the
authentication key is encrypted. Valid values: 0 or 7.

Note that when you configure encryption with the ipv6 ospf encryption ipsec command, you enable both
IPsec encryption and authentication. However, when you enable authentication on an interface with the
ipv6 ospf authentication ipsec command, you do not enable encryption at the same time.
An SPI value must be unique to one IPsec security policy (authentication or encryption) on the router. You
must configure the same authentication policy (same SPI and key) on each OSPFv3 interface in a link.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 765

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To remove an IPsec encryption policy from an interface, enter the no ipv6 ospf encryption ipsec spi number
command. To remove null encryption on an interface to allow the interface to inherit the encryption policy
configured for the OSPFv3 area, enter the no ipv6 ospf encryption null command.
To display the configuration of IPsec encryption policies on the router, enter the show crypto ipsec policy
command. To display the security associations set up for OSPFv3 interfaces in encryption policies, enter
the show crypto ipsec sa ipv6 command.

Configuring IPsec Authentication for an OSPFv3 Area
Prerequisite: Before you enable IPsec authentication on an OSPFv3 area, you must first enable OSPFv3
globally on the router (see Configuration Task List for OSPFv3 (OSPF for IPv6)).
To configure IPsec authentication for an OSPFv3 area, enter the following command in global
configuration mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

area-id authentication ipsec
spi number {MD5 | SHA1}
[key-encryption-type] key

CONF-IPV6ROUTER-OSPF

Enable IPsec authentication for OSPFv3 packets in an
area, where:
area area-id specifies the area for which OSPFv3
traffic is to be authenticated. For area-id, you can
enter a number or an IPv6 prefix.
spi number is the Security Policy index (SPI) value.
Range: 256 to 4294967295.
MD5 | SHA1 specifies the authentication type:
message digest 5 (MD5) or Secure Hash Algorithm 1
(SHA-1).
key-encryption-type (optional) specifies if the key is
encrypted. Valid values: 0 (key is not encrypted) or 7
(key is encrypted).
key specifies the text string used in authentication. All
neighboring OSPFv3 routers must share the same key
to exchange information.
For MD5 authentication, the key must be 32 hex digits
(non-encrypted) or 64 hex digits (encrypted).
For SHA-1 authentication, the key must be 40 hex
digits (non-encrypted) or 80 hex digits (encrypted).

An SPI value must be unique to one IPsec security policy (authentication or encryption) on the router. You
must configure the same authentication policy (same SPI and key) on each interface in an OPSFv3 link.
If you have enabled IPsec encryption in an OSPFv3 area with the area encryption command, you cannot
use the area authentication command in the area at the same time.
The configuration of IPsec authentication on an interface-level takes precedence over an area-level
configuration. If you remove an interface configuration, an area authentication policy that has been
configured is applied to the interface.
To remove an IPsec authentication policy from an OSPFv3 area, enter the no area area-id authentication
ipsec spi number command.

766

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

To display the configuration of IPsec authentication policies on the router, enter the show crypto ipsec
policy command.

Configuring IPsec Encryption for an OSPFv3 Area
Prerequisite: Before you enable IPsec encryption in an OSPFv3 area, you must first enable OSPFv3
globally on the router (see Configuration Task List for OSPFv3 (OSPF for IPv6)).
To configure IPsec encryption in an OSPFv3 area, enter the following command in global configuration
mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

area area-id encryption ipsec
spi number
esp encryption-algorithm
[key-encryption-type] key
authentication-algorithm
[key-authentication-type] key

CONF-IPV6ROUTER-OSPF

Enable IPsec encryption for OSPFv3 packets in an area,
where:
area area-id specifies the area for which OSPFv3 traffic
is to be encrypted. For area-id, you can enter a number or
an IPv6 prefix.
spi number is the Security Policy index (SPI) value.
Range: 256 to 4294967295.
esp encryption-algorithm specifies the encryption
algorithm used with ESP. Valid values: 3DES, DES,
AES-CBC, and NULL. For AES-CBC, only the AES-128
and AES-192 ciphers are supported.
key specifies the text string used in the encryption. All
neighboring OSPFv3 routers must share the same key to
decrypt information. Required lengths of a non-encrypted
or encrypted key are:
3DES - 48 or 96 hex digits; DES - 16 or 32 hex digits;
AES-CBC - 32 or 64 hex digits for AES-128 and 48 or 96
hex digits for AES-192.
key-encryption-type (optional) specifies if the key is
encrypted. Valid values: 0 (key is not encrypted) or 7 (key
is encrypted).
authentication-algorithm specifies the authentication
algorithm to use for encryption.
Valid values: MD5 or SHA1.
key specifies the text string used in authentication. All
neighboring OSPFv3 routers must share the same key to
exchange information.
For MD5 authentication, the key must be 32 hex digits
(non-encrypted) or 64 hex digits (encrypted). For SHA-1
authentication, the key must be 40 hex digits
(non-encrypted) or 80 hex digits (encrypted).
key-authentication-type (optional) specifies if the
authentication key is encrypted. Valid values: 0 or 7.

An SPI value must be unique to one IPsec security policy (authentication or encryption) on the router. You
must configure the same encryption policy (same SPI and keys) on each interface in an OPSFv3 link.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 767

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Note that when you configure encryption with the area encryption command, you enable both IPsec
encryption and authentication. However, when you enable authentication on an area with the area
authentication command, you do not enable encryption at the same time.
If you have enabled IPsec authentication in an OSPFv3 area with the area authentication command, you
cannot use the area encryption command in the area at the same time.
The configuration of IPsec encryption on an interface-level takes precedence over an area-level
configuration. If you remove an interface configuration, an area encryption policy that has been configured
is applied to the interface.
To remove an IPsec encryption policy from an OSPFv3 area, enter the no area area-id encryption ipsec spi
number command.
To display the configuration of IPsec encryption policies on the router, enter the show crypto ipsec policy
command.

Displaying OSPFv3 IPsec Security Policies
To display the configuration of IPsec authentication and encryption policies, enter the following command:

768

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

show crypto ipsec policy
[name name]

EXEC Privilege

Display the AH and ESP parameters configured in IPsec
security policies, including the SPI number, key, and
algorithms used.
name displays configuration details about a specified policy.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Figure 34-26. Command Example: show crypto ipsec policy
FTOS#show crypto ipsec policy
Crypto IPSec client security policy data
Policy name
Policy refcount
Inbound ESP SPI
Outbound ESP SPI
Inbound ESP Auth Key
Outbound ESP Auth Key
Inbound ESP Cipher Key
Outbound ESP Cipher Key
Transform set

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

In this encryption policy, the keys

OSPFv3-1-502
are not encrypted.
1
502 (0x1F6)
502 (0x1F6)
123456789a123456789b123456789c12
123456789a123456789b123456789c12
123456789a123456789b123456789c123456789d12345678
123456789a123456789b123456789c123456789d12345678
esp-3des esp-md5-hmac

Crypto IPSec client security policy data
Policy name
Policy refcount
Inbound AH SPI
Outbound AH SPI
Inbound AH Key
Outbound AH Key
Transform set

:
:
:
:
:
:
:

In this authentication policy, the
keys are encrypted.

OSPFv3-1-500
2
500 (0x1F4)
500 (0x1F4)
bbdd96e6eb4828e2e27bc3f9ff541e43faa759c9ef5706ba8ed8bb5efe91e97e
bbdd96e6eb4828e2e27bc3f9ff541e43faa759c9ef5706ba8ed8bb5efe91e97e
ah-md5-hmac

In this encryption policy, the
keys are encrypted.
Crypto IPSec client security policy data
Policy name
: OSPFv3-0-501
Policy refcount
: 1
Inbound ESP SPI
: 501 (0x1F5)
Outbound ESP SPI
: 501 (0x1F5)
Inbound ESP Auth Key
:
bbdd96e6eb4828e2e27bc3f9ff541e43faa759c9ef5706ba8ed8bb5efe91e97eb7c0c30808825fb5
Outbound ESP Auth Key
:
bbdd96e6eb4828e2e27bc3f9ff541e43faa759c9ef5706ba8ed8bb5efe91e97eb7c0c30808825fb5
Inbound ESP Cipher Key : bbdd96e6eb4828e2e27bc3f9ff541e43faa759c9ef5706ba10345a1039ba8f8a
Outbound ESP Cipher Key : bbdd96e6eb4828e2e27bc3f9ff541e43faa759c9ef5706ba10345a1039ba8f8a
Transform set
: esp-128-aes esp-sha1-hmac

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 769

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To display the IPsec security associations (SAs) used on OSPFv3 interfaces, enter the following command:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

show crypto ipsec sa ipv6
[interface interface]

EXEC Privilege

Displays security associations set up for OSPFv3 links in IPsec
authentication and encryption policies on the router.
To display information on the SAs used on a specific interface,
enter interface interface, where interface is one of the following
values:
For a 1-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter
GigabitEthernet slot/port.
For a Port Channel interface, enter port-channel number. Valid
port-channel numbers (on an E-Series TeraScale):
1 to 255.
For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter TenGigabitEthernet
slot/port.

For a VLAN interface, enter vlan vlan-id.
Valid VLAN IDs: 1 to 4094

770

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Figure 34-27. Command Example: show crypto ipsec sa ipv6
FTOS#show crypto ipsec sa ipv6
Interface: TenGigabitEthernet 0/0
Link Local address: fe80::201:e8ff:fe40:4d10
IPSecv6 policy name: OSPFv3-1-500
inbound ah sas
spi : 500 (0x1f4)
transform : ah-md5-hmac
in use settings : {Transport, }
replay detection support : N
STATUS : ACTIVE
outbound ah sas
spi : 500 (0x1f4)
transform : ah-md5-hmac
in use settings : {Transport, }
replay detection support : N
STATUS : ACTIVE
inbound esp sas
outbound esp sas

Interface: TenGigabitEthernet 0/1
Link Local address: fe80::201:e8ff:fe40:4d11
IPSecv6 policy name: OSPFv3-1-600
inbound ah sas
outbound ah sas
inbound esp sas
spi : 600 (0x258)
transform : esp-des esp-sha1-hmac
in use settings : {Transport, }
replay detection support : N
STATUS : ACTIVE
outbound esp sas
spi : 600 (0x258)

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 771

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Troubleshooting OSPFv3
FTOS has several tools to make troubleshooting easier. Be sure to check the following, as these are typical
issues that interrupt the OSPFv3 process. Note that this is not a comprehensive list, just some examples of
typical troubleshooting checks.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Has OSPF been enabled globally?
Is the OSPF process active on the interface?
Are adjacencies established correctly?
Are the interfaces configured for Layer 3 correctly?
Is the router in the correct area type?
Have the routes been included in the OSPF database?
Have the OSPF routes been included in the routing table (not just the OSPF database)?

Some useful troubleshooting commands are:
•
•
•
•
•
•

show ipv6 interfaces
show ipv6 protocols
debug IPv6 OSPF events and/or packets
show ipv6 neighbors
show virtual links
show ipv6 routes

Use the following commands in EXEC Privilege mode to get general route and links status information.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

show ipv6 route summary

EXEC Privilege

View the summary information of the IPv6 routes.

show ipv6 ospf database

EXEC Privilege

View the summary information for the OSPFv3 database.

Use the following command in EXEC Privilege mode to view the OSPF configuration for a neighboring
router:

772

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

show ipv6 ospf neighbor

EXEC Privilege

View the configuration of OSPFv3 neighbors.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

Use the following command in EXEC Privilege mode to configure the debugging options of an OSPFv3
process:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

debug ipv6 ospf [event | packet]
{type slot/port}

EXEC Privilege

View debug messages for all OSPFv3 interfaces.
• event: View OSPF event messages.
• packet: View OSPF packets.
• For a Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information
(e.g., passive-interface gi 2/1).
• For a port channel, enter the keyword port-channel
followed by a number from 1 to 255 for TeraScale and
ExaScale.
• For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information
(e.g., passive-interface ten 2/3).
• For a VLAN, enter the keyword vlan followed by a
number from 1 to 4094 (e.g., passive-interface
vlan 2222).
E-Series ExaScale platforms support 4094 VLANs with
FTOS version 8.2.1.0 and later. Earlier ExaScale supports
2094 VLANS.

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3) | 773

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
774

|

Open Shortest Path First (OSPFv2 and OSPFv3)

35
PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM)
PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM) is supported on platforms:

ecsz

PIM-Sparse Mode (PIM-SM) is a multicast protocol that forwards multicast traffic to a subnet only upon
request using a PIM Join message; this behavior is the opposite of PIM-Dense Mode, which forwards
multicast traffic to all subnets until a request to stop.

Implementation Information
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

The Dell Force10 implementation of PIM-SM is based on the IETF Internet Draft
draft-ietf-pim-sm-v2-new-05.
C-Series supports a maximum of 31 PIM interfaces and 4K multicast entries including (*,G), and
(S,G) entries. There is no limit on the number of PIM neighbors C-Series can have.
S-Series supports a maximum of 31 PIM interfaces and 2K multicast entries including (*,G), and (S,G)
entries. There is no limit on the number of PIM neighbors S-Series can have.
E-Series supports a maximum of 511 PIM interfaces and 50K multicast entries including (*,G), (S,G),
and (S,G,rpt) entries. There is no limit on the number of PIM neighbors E-Series can have.
The SPT-Threshold is zero, which means that the last-hop designated router (DR) joins the shortest
path tree (SPT) to the source upon receiving the first multicast packet.
FTOS reduces the number of control messages sent between multicast routers by bundling Join and
Prune requests in the same message.
FTOS supports PIM-SM on physical, VLAN, and port-channel interfaces.
FTOS supports 2000 IPv6 multicast forwarding entries, with up to 128 PIM-SSM neighbors/interfaces.
PIM-SM on VLAN interfaces is supported on the E-Series on TeraScale platforms only.
IPv6 Multicast is not supported on SONET interfaces.

Protocol Overview
PIM-SM initially uses unidirectional shared trees to forward multicast traffic; that is, all multicast traffic
must flow only from the Rendezvous Point (RP) to the receivers. Once a receiver receives traffic from the
RP, PM-SM switches to shortest path trees (SPT) to forward multicast traffic. Every multicast group has an
RP and a unidirectional shared tree (group-specific shared tree).

PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM) | 775

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Requesting Multicast Traffic
A host requesting multicast traffic for a particular group sends an IGMP Join message to its gateway
router. The gateway router is then responsible for joining the shared tree to the RP (RPT) so that the host
can receive the requested traffic.
1. Upon receiving an IGMP Join message, the receiver gateway router (last-hop DR) creates a (*,G) entry
in its multicast routing table for the requested group. The interface on which the join message was
received becomes the outgoing interface associated with the (*,G) entry.
2. The last-hop DR sends a PIM Join message to the RP. All routers along the way, including the RP,
create an (*,G) entry in their multicast routing table, and the interface on which the message was
received becomes the outgoing interface associated with the (*,G) entry. This process constructs an
RPT branch to the RP.
3. If a host on the same subnet as another multicast receiver sends an IGMP report for the same multicast
group, the gateway takes no action. If a router between the host and the RP receives a PIM Join
message for which it already has a (*,G) entry, the interface on which the message was received is
added to the outgoing interface list associated with the (*,G) entry, and the message is not (and does
not need to be) forwarded towards the RP.

Refusing Multicast Traffic
A host requesting to leave a multicast group sends an IGMP Leave message to the last-hop DR. If the host
is the only remaining receiver for that group on the subnet, the last-hop DR is responsible for sending a
PIM Prune message up the RPT to prune its branch to the RP.
1. Upon receiving an IGMP Leave message, the gateway removes the interface on which it is received
from the outgoing interface list of the (*,G) entry. If the (*,G) entry has no remaining outgoing
interfaces, multicast traffic for that group is no longer forwarded to that subnet.
2. If the (*,G) entry has no remaining outgoing interfaces, the last-hop DR sends a PIM Prune message to
towards the RP. All routers along the way remove the interface on which the message was received
from the outgoing interface list of the (*,G) entry. If on any router there is at least one outgoing
interface listed for that (*,G) entry, the Prune message is not forwarded.

Sending Multicast Traffic
With PIM-SM, all multicast traffic must initially originate from the RP. A source must unicast traffic to the
RP so that the RP can learn about the source and create an SPT to it. Then the last-hop DR may create an
SPT directly to the source.
1. The source gateway router (first-hop DR) receives the multicast packets and creates an (S,G) entry in
its multicast routing table. The first-hop DR encapsulates the initial multicast packets in PIM Register
packets and unicasts them to the RP.
2. The RP decapsulates the PIM Register packets and forwards them if there are any receivers for that
group. The RP sends a PIM Join message towards the source. All routers between the RP and the

776

|

PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM)

source, including the RP, create an (S,G) entry and list the interface on which the message was
received as an outgoing interface, thus recreating a SPT to the source.
3. Once the RP starts receiving multicast traffic via the (S,G) it unicasts a Register-Stop message to the
first-hop DR so that multicast packets are no longer encapsulated in PIM Register packets and unicast.
Upon receiving the first multicast packet from a particular source, the last-hop DR sends a PIM Join
message to the source to create an SPT to it.
4. There are two paths, then, between the receiver and the source, a direct SPT and an RPT. One router
will receive a multicast packet on two interfaces from the same source in this case; this router prunes
the shared tree by sending a PIM Prune message to the RP that tells all routers between the source and
the RP to remove the outgoing interface from the (*,G) entry, and tells the RP to prune its SPT to the
source with a Prune message.
FTOS Behavior: When the router creates an SPT to the source, there are then two paths between the receiver
and the source, the SPT and the RPT. Until the router can prune itself from the RPT, the receiver receives
duplicate multicast packets which may cause disruption. Therefore, the router must prune itself from the RPT as
soon as possible. FTOS optimizes the shared to shortest-path tree switchover latency by copying and forwarding
the first (S,G) packet received on the SPT to the PIM task immediately upon arrival. The arrival of the (S,G) packet
confirms for PIM that the SPT is created, and that it can prune itself from the shared tree.

Important Points to Remember
•

If a loopback interface with a /32 mask is used as the RP, you must enable PIM Sparse-mode on the
interface.

Configure PIM-SM
Configuring PIM-SM is a two-step process:
1. Enable multicast routing using the command ip multicast-routing from CONFIGURATION mode.
2. Select a Rendezvous Point.
3. Enable PIM-SM on an interface. See page 778.

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•
•
•
•
•

Configurable S,G Expiry Timers on page 779
Configure a Static Rendezvous Point on page 780
Configure a Designated Router on page 781
Create Multicast Boundaries and Domains on page 782
PIM-SM Graceful Restart on page 782
Monitoring PIM on page 783

PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM) | 777

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Enable PIM-SM
You must enable PIM-SM on each participating interface:
Step
1

2

Task

Command

Command Mode

Enable multicast routing on the system.

ip multicast-routing

CONFIGURATION

Enable PIM-Sparse Mode

ip pim sparse-mode

INTERFACE

Display which interfaces are enabled with PIM-SM using the command show ip pim interface from EXEC
Privilege mode, as shown in Figure 35-1.
Figure 35-1.

Viewing PIM-SM Enabled Interfaces

FTOS#show ip pim interface
Address
Interface VIFindex Ver/
Mode
189.87.5.6
Gi 4/11
0x2
v2/S
189.87.3.2
Gi 4/12
0x3
v2/S
189.87.31.6
Gi 7/11
0x0
v2/S
189.87.50.6
Gi 7/13
0x4
v2/S
FTOS#

Nbr
Count
1
1
0
1

Query
Intvl
30
30
30
30

DR
Prio
1
1
1
1

DR
127.87.5.6
127.87.3.5
127.87.31.6
127.87.50.6

Note: You can influence the selection of the Rendezvous Point by enabling PIM-Sparse Mode on a
loopback interface and assigning a low IP address.

Display PIM neighbors for each interface using the command show ip pim neighbor from EXEC Privilege
mode, as shown in Figure 35-2.
Figure 35-2.

Viewing PIM Neighbors Command Example

FTOS#show ip pim neighbor
Neighbor
Interface
Address
127.87.5.5
Gi 4/11
127.87.3.5
Gi 4/12
127.87.50.5
Gi 7/13
FTOS#

Uptime/Expires

Ver

01:44:59/00:01:16
01:45:00/00:01:16
00:03:08/00:01:37

v2
v2
v2

DR
Prio/Mode
1 / S
1 / DR
1 / S

Display the PIM routing table using the command show ip pim tib from EXEC privilege mode, as shown in
Figure 35-3.

778

|

PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM)

Figure 35-3.

Viewing the PIM Multicast Routing Table

FTOS#show ip pim tib
PIM Multicast Routing Table
Flags: D - Dense, S - Sparse, C - Connected, L - Local, P - Pruned,
R - RP-bit set, F - Register flag, T - SPT-bit set, J - Join SPT,
Timers: Uptime/Expires
Interface state: Interface, next-Hop, State/Mode
(*, 192.1.2.1), uptime 00:29:36, expires 00:03:26, RP 10.87.2.6, flags: SCJ
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 4/12, RPF neighbor 10.87.3.5
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 4/11
GigabitEthernet 7/13
(10.87.31.5, 192.1.2.1), uptime 00:01:24, expires 00:02:26, flags: FT
Incoming interface: GigabitEthernet 7/11, RPF neighbor 0.0.0.0
Outgoing interface list:
GigabitEthernet 4/11
GigabitEthernet 4/12
GigabitEthernet 7/13
--More--

Configurable S,G Expiry Timers
By default S, G entries expire in 210 seconds. You can configure a global expiry time (for all (S,G) entries)
or configure a expiry time for a particular entry. If both are configured, the ACL supercedes the global
configuration for the specified entries.
When an expiry time created, deleted, or updated, the changes are applied when the keep alive timer
refreshes.
To configure a global expiry time:
Task

Command

Command Mode

Enable global expiry timer for S, G entries
Range 211-86400 seconds
Default: 210

ip pim sparse-mode
sg-expiry-timer seconds

CONFIGURATION

Configure the expiry time for a particular (S,G) entry:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Create an Extended ACL

ip access-list extended access-list-name

CONFIGURATION

2

Specify the source and group
to which the timer will be
applied using extended ACLs
with permit rules only.

[seq sequence-number] permit ip

CONFIG-EXT-NACL

source-address/mask | any | host source-address}

{destination-address/mask | any | host
destination-address}

PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM) | 779

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step
3

Task
Set the expiry time for a
specific (S,G) entry
(Figure 35-4).
Range 211-86400 seconds
Default: 210

Command Syntax

Command Mode

ip pim sparse-mode sg-expiry-timer seconds sg-list

CONFIGURATION

access-list-name

Note: The expiry time configuration is nullified, and the default global expiry time is used if:
• an ACL is specified for an in the ip pim sparse-mode sg-expiry-timer command, but the ACL has not been
created or is a standard ACL.
• if the expiry time is specified for an (S,G) entry in a deny rule.
Figure 35-4.

Configuring an (S,G) Expiry Time

FTOS(conf)#ip access-list extended SGtimer
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#permit ip 10.1.2.3/24 225.1.1.0/24
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#permit ip any 232.1.1.0/24
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#permit ip 100.1.1.0/16 any
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#show conf
!
ip access-list extended SGtimer
seq 5 permit ip 10.1.2.0/24 225.1.1.0/24
seq 10 permit ip any 232.1.1.0/24
seq 15 permit ip 100.1.0.0/16 any
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#exit
FTOS(conf)#ip pim sparse-mode sg-expiry-timer 1800 sg-list SGtimer

Display the expiry time configuration using the show running-configuration [acl | pim] command from
EXEC Privilege mode.

Configure a Static Rendezvous Point
The rendezvous point is a PIM-enabled interface on a router that acts as the root a group-specific tree;
every group must have an RP.
Identify an RP by the IP address of a PIM-enabled or loopback interface using the command ip pim
rp-address, as shown in Figure 35-5.
Figure 35-5.

Electing a Rendezvous Point

FTOS#sh run int loop0
!
interface Loopback 0
ip address 1.1.1.1/32
ip pim sparse-mode
no shutdown
FTOS#sh run pim
!
ip pim rp-address 1.1.1.1 group-address 224.0.0.0/4

780

|

PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM)

Override Bootstrap Router Updates
PIM-SM routers need to know the address of the RP for each group for which they have (*,G) entry. This
address is obtained automatically through the bootstrap router (BSR) mechanism or a static RP
configuration.
If you have configured a static RP for a group, use the option override with the command ip pim rp-address to
override bootstrap router updates with your static RP configuration. If you do not use this option, the RPs
advertised in the BSR updates take precedence over any statically configured RPs.
Display the assigned RP for a group using the command show ip pim rp from EXEC privilege mode, as
shown in Figure 35-6.
Figure 35-6.

Displaying the Rendezvous Point for a Multicast Group

FTOS#show ip pim rp
Group
RP
225.0.1.40
165.87.50.5
226.1.1.1
165.87.50.5

Display the assigned RP for a group range (group-to-RP mapping) using the command show ip pim rp
mapping command in EXEC privilege mode
Figure 35-7.

Display the Rendezvous Point for a Multicast Group Range

FTOS#show ip pim rp mapping
PIM Group-to-RP Mappings
Group(s): 224.0.0.0/4, Static
RP: 165.87.50.5, v2

Configure a Designated Router
Multiple PIM-SM routers might be connected to a single LAN segment. One of these routers is elected to
act on behalf of directly connected hosts. This router is the Designated Router (DR).
The DR is elected using hello messages. Each PIM router learns about its neighbors by periodically
sending a hello message out of each PIM-enabled interface. Hello messages contain the IP address of the
interface out of which it is sent and a DR priority value. The router with the greatest priority value is the
DR. If the priority value is the same for two routers, then the router with the greatest IP address is the DR.
By default the DR priority value is 192, so the IP address determines the DR.
•
•
•

Assign a DR priority value using the command ip pim dr-priority priority-value from INTERFACE mode.
Change the interval at which a router sends hello messages using the command ip pim query-interval
seconds from INTERFACE mode.
Display the current value of these parameter using the command show ip pim interface EXEC Privilege
mode.

PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM) | 781

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Create Multicast Boundaries and Domains
A PIM domain is a contiguous set of routers that all implement PIM and are configured to operate within a
common boundary defined by PIM Multicast Border Routers (PMBRs). PMBRs connect each PIM
domain to the rest of the internet.
Create multicast boundaries and domains by filtering inbound and outbound Bootstrap Router (BSR)
messages per interface, use the ip pim bsr-border command. This command is applied to the subsequent
inbound and outbound updates. Already existing BSR advertisements are removed by timeout.
Remove candidate RP advertisements using the clear ip pim rp-mapping command.

PIM-SM Graceful Restart

e
PIM-SM Graceful Restart is supported only on platform ex with FTOS 8.2.1.0 and later.
PIM-SM Graceful Restart is supported only on platform

When a PIM neighbor restarts and the liveliness timer for that neighbor expires, the join/prune states
received from the neighbor expire, and the corresponding interfaces are removed from the outgoing list of
multicast entries. The effect of this is that active multicast sessions are brought down.
FTOS supports PIM-SM graceful restart based on the GenID. Per RFC 4601, hello messages should
contain a Generation_Identifier option, which contains a randomly generated value (GenID) that is
regenerated each time PIM forwarding is started or restarted on the interface, including when the router
restarts. When a router receives from a neighbor a hello message with a new GenID, any old hello
information about that neighbor should be discarded and superseded by the information from the new hello
message.
FTOS supports graceful restart based on the GenID. A Dell Force10 PIM router announces its graceful
restart capability to its neighbors up front as an option in its hello messages.
If a graceful-restart capable router recognizes that a graceful-restart capable neighbor has restarted, it
preserves the state from the neighbor and continues forwarding multicast traffic while the neighbor
restarts.
•
•

The router holds on to the entries learned from the neighbor for the graceful restart interval. If it does
not receive a hello from the neighbor within this time, it purges all state associated with the neighbor.
If the neighbor restarts and sends a hello with a new GenID before this interval expires, the router
sends a join message towards the neighbor for the relevant entries.

If a graceful-restart capable router restarts, the router preserves all multicast entries in hardware until it
receives and consolidates joins from its graceful-restart capable neighbors. The router is not taken off the
forwarding path during restart.

782

|

PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM)

Enable PIM-SM graceful restart (non-stop forwarding capability) using the command ip pim graceful-restart
nsf from CONFIGURATION mode. There are two options with this command:
•
•

restart-time

is the time required by the Dell Force10 system to restart. The default value is 180 seconds.
stale-entry-time is the maximum amount of time that the Dell Force10 system preserves entries from a
restarting neighbor. The default value is 60 seconds.

In helper-only mode, the system preserves the PIM states of a neighboring router while the neighbor
gracefully restarts, but the Dell Force10 system allows itself to be taken off the forwarding path if it
restarts. Enable this mode using the command ip pim graceful-restart helper-only. This mode takes precedence
over any graceful restart configuration.

Monitoring PIM
The PIM MIB is supported only on platform

e

FTOS fully supports the PIM MIB as specified in RFC 5060 with some exceptions.
•

•
•

The following tables are not supported:
• pimBidirDFElectionTable
• pimAnycastRPSetTable
The OIDs related to InvalidRegisterMsgs reflect the last received invalid register message. Similarly,
the OIDs related to InvalidJoinPruneMsgs reflect the last received invalid Join or Prune message.
OIDs which refer to any timer show the time that the timer started; it is 0 otherwise.

PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM) | 783

784

|

PIM Sparse-Mode (PIM-SM)

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

36
Port Monitoring
Port Monitoring is supported on platforms:

ecsz

Port Monitoring is a feature that copies all incoming or outgoing packets on one port and forwards
(mirrors) them to another port. The source port is the monitored port (MD) and the destination port is the
monitoring port (MG). Port Monitoring functionality is different between platforms, but the behavior is the
same, with highlighted exceptions.
This chapter is divided into the following sections:
•
•
•
•
•

Important Points to Remember on page 785
Port Monitoring on E-Series on page 786
Port Monitoring on C-Series and S-Series on page 787
Configuring Port Monitoring on page 790
Flow-based Monitoring on page 791

Important Points to Remember
•
•
•
•
•

•
•

On the E-Series, Port Monitoring is supported on TeraScale and ExaScale platforms.
Port Monitoring is supported on physical ports only; VLAN and port-channel interfaces do not support
port monitoring.
A SONET port may only be a monitored port.
The Monitored (source, “MD”) and Monitoring ports (destination, “MG”) must be on the same switch.
In general, a monitoring port should have no ip address and no shutdown as the only configuration;
FTOS permits a limited set of commands for monitoring ports; display them using the command ?. A
monitoring port also may not be a member of a VLAN.
There may only be one destination port in a monitoring session.
A source port (MD) can only be monitored by one destination port (MG). The following error is
displayed if you try to assign a monitored port to more than one monitoring port.
FTOS(conf)#mon ses 1
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-1)#$gig 0/0 destination gig 0/60 direction both
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-1)#do show mon ses
SessionID
Source
Destination
Direction
Mode
----------------------------------1
Gi 0/0
Gi 0/60
both
interface
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-1)#mon ses 2
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-2)#source gig 0/0 destination gig 0/61 direction both
% Error: MD port is already being monitored.

Type
---Port-based

Port Monitoring | 785

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

The C-Series and S-Series may only have four destination ports per port-pipe. There is no limitation on
the total number of monitoring sessions.

Table 36-1 lists the maximum number of monitoring sessions per system. For the C-Series and S-Series,
the total number of sessions is derived by consuming a unique destination port in each session, in each
port-pipe.
Table 36-1.

Maximum Number of Monitoring Sessions per System

System

Maximum Sessions

System

Maximum Sessions

C150

∞ (Note)

E1200/E1200i (TeraScale)

28

C300

∞ (Note)

E1200i (ExaScale)

∞

S50V, S50N

∞

E600/E600i (TeraScale)

14

S25P

∞ (Note)

E600i (ExaScale)

∞

S55

∞ (Note)

E300

6

S60

∞ (Note)

S4810

∞ (Note)

(Note)

Note: On the C-Series and S-Series, there is no limit to the number of monitoring sessions per system,
provided that there are only 4 destination ports per port-pipe. If each monitoring session has a unique
destination port, then the maximum number of session is 4 per port-pipe.

Port Monitoring on E-Series
Both the E-Series TeraScale and E-Series ExaScale support the following.
•
•
•

FTOS supports one destination (MG) port per monitoring session. The same destination port (MG) can
be used in another monitoring session.
One destination (MG) port can monitor up to 28 source (MD) ports.
A port cannot be defined as both a source (MD) and a destination (MG) port (Message 1).

Message 1 Cannot define source (MD) and destination (MG) on same port
% Error: MD port is already being monitored.

E-Series TeraScale
The E-Series TeraScale system supports 1 monitoring session per port-pipe. E-Series TeraScale supports a
maximum of 28 port pipes.

786

|

Port Monitoring

On the E-Series TeraScale, FTOS supports a single source-destination statement in a monitor session
(Message 2). E-Series TeraScale supports only one source and one destination port per port-pipe
(Message 3). Therefore, the E-Series TeraScale supports as many monitoring sessions as there are
port-pipes in the system.
Message 2 Multiple Source-Destination Statements Error Message on E-Series TeraScale
% Error: Remove existing monitor configuration.

Message 3 One Source/Destination Port per Port-pipe Error Message on E-Series TeraScale
% Error: Some port from this port pipe is already configured as MD.
% Error: Some port from this port pipe is already configured as MG.

Figure 36-1 illustrates a possible port monitoring configuration on the E-Series.
Figure 36-1.

Port Monitoring Configurations on the E-Series
Line Card 0
Port-Pipe 0

Monitor Session 0
Monitor Session 1

MD

Port-Pipe 1

Line Card 1
Port-Pipe 0

Port-Pipe 1

MG
MD

Monitor Session 2

MG
MD

Monitor Session 3

MD
Port Monitoring 002

E-Series ExaScale
FTOS on E-Series ExaScale supports a single destination (MG) port monitoring multiple multiple source
(MD) ports in one monitor session. One monitor session can have only one destination (MG) port. The
same destination (MG) port can be uses with multiple monitoring sessions.
There is no restriction on the number of source (MD) or destination (MG) ports on the chassis because
there is no port-pipe restriction on the E-Series ExaScale system.
There is no restriction to the number of monitoring sessions supported on the E-Series ExaScale system.

Port Monitoring on C-Series and S-Series
The C-Series and S-Series support multiple source-destination statements in a monitor session, but there
may only be one destination port in a monitoring session (Message 4).
Message 4 One Destination Port in a Monitoring Session Error Message on C-Series and S-Series
% Error: Only one MG port is allowed in a session.

Port Monitoring | 787

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

The number of source ports FTOS allows within a port-pipe is equal to the number of physical ports in the
port-pipe (n). However, n number of ports may only have four different destination ports (Message 5).
Figure 36-2.

Number of Monitoring Ports on the C-Series and S-Series

FTOS#show mon session
SessionID
Source
Destination
Direction
Mode
----------------------------------0
Gi 0/13
Gi 0/1
rx
interface
10
Gi 0/14
Gi 0/2
rx
interface
20
Gi 0/15
Gi 0/3
rx
interface
30
Gi 0/16
Gi 0/37
rx
interface
FTOS(conf)#mon ses 300
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-300)#source gig 0/17 destination gig 0/4 direction tx
% Error: Exceeding max MG ports for this MD port pipe.
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-300)#
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-300)#source gig 0/17 destination gig 0/1 direction tx
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-300)#do show mon session
SessionID
Source
Destination
Direction
Mode
----------------------------------0
Gi 0/13
Gi 0/1
rx
interface
10
Gi 0/14
Gi 0/2
rx
interface
20
Gi 0/15
Gi 0/3
rx
interface
30
Gi 0/16
Gi 0/37
rx
interface
300
Gi 0/17
Gi 0/1
tx
interface
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-300)#

Type
---Port-based
Port-based
Port-based
Port-based

Type
---Port-based
Port-based
Port-based
Port-based
Port-based

In Figure 36-2, ports 0/13, 0/14, 0/15, and 0/16 all belong to the same port-pipe. They are pointing to four
different destinations (0/1, 0/2, 0/3, and 0/37). Now it is not possible for another source port from the same
port-pipe (for example, 0/17) to point to another new destination (for example, 0/4). If you attempt to
configure another destination, Message 5 appears. However, you can configure another monitoring session
that uses one of previously used destination ports, as shown in Figure 36-3.
Figure 36-3.

Number of Monitoring Ports on the C-Series and S-Series

FTOS(conf)#mon ses 300
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-300)#source gig 0/17 destination gig 0/4 direction tx
% Error: Exceeding max MG ports for this MD port pipe.
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-300)#
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-300)#source gig 0/17 destination gig 0/1 direction tx
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-300)#do show mon session
SessionID
Source
Destination
Direction
Mode
----------------------------------0
Gi 0/13
Gi 0/1
rx
interface
10
Gi 0/14
Gi 0/2
rx
interface
20
Gi 0/15
Gi 0/3
rx
interface
30
Gi 0/16
Gi 0/37
rx
interface
300
Gi 0/17
Gi 0/1
tx
interface

Type
---Port-based
Port-based
Port-based
Port-based
Port-based

In Figure 36-4, 0/25 and 0/26 belong to Port-pipe 1. This port-pipe again has the same restriction of only
four destination ports, new or used.

788

|

Port Monitoring

Figure 36-4.

Number of Monitoring Ports on the C-Series and S-Series

FTOS(conf-mon-sess-300)#do show mon session
SessionID
Source
Destination
-----------------------0
Gi 0/13
Gi 0/1
10
Gi 0/14
Gi 0/2
20
Gi 0/15
Gi 0/3
30
Gi 0/16
Gi 0/37
100
Gi 0/25
Gi 0/38
110
Gi 0/26
Gi 0/39
300
Gi 0/17
Gi 0/1
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-300)#

Direction
--------rx
rx
rx
rx
tx
tx
tx

Mode
---interface
interface
interface
interface
interface
interface
interface

Type
---Port-based
Port-based
Port-based
Port-based
Port-based
Port-based
Port-based

A source port may only be monitored by one destination port (Message 6), but a destination port may
monitor more than one source port. Given these parameters, Figure 36-1 illustrates conceptually the
possible port monitoring configurations on the C-Series and S-Series.
Message 5 One Destination Port in a Monitoring Session Error Message on C-Series and S-Series
% Error: Exceeding max MG ports for this MD port pipe.

Message 6 One Destination Port per Source Port Error Message
% Error: MD port is already being monitored.

Figure 36-5.

Port Monitoring Configurations on the C-Series and S-Series
Line Card 0
Port-Pipe 0

Monitor Session 0

MD
MD

MG

MD
MD

MG

Line Card 1
Port-Pipe 0

Port-Pipe 1

MD

Monitor Session 1

Monitor Session 2

Port-Pipe 1

MD

MG
MG
Port Monitoring 003

FTOS Behavior: On the C-Series and S-Series, all monitored frames are tagged if the configured monitoring
direction is transmit (TX), regardless of whether the monitored port (MD) is a Layer 2 or Layer 3 port. If the MD port
is a Layer 2 port, the frames are tagged with the VLAN ID of the VLAN to which the MD belongs. If the MD port is a
Layer 3 port, the frames are tagged with VLAN ID 4095. If the MD port is in a Layer 3 VLAN, the frames are tagged
with the respective Layer 3 VLAN ID. For example, in the configuration source gig 6/0 destination gig 6/1 direction
tx, if the MD port gigabitethernet 6/0 is an untagged member of any VLAN, all monitored frames that the MG port
gigabitethernet 6/1 receives are tagged with the VLAN ID of the MD port. Similarly, if BPDUs are transmitted, the
MG port receives them tagged with the VLAN ID 4095. This behavior might result in a difference between the
number of egress packets on the MD port and monitored packets on the MG port.

FTOS Behavior: The C-Series and S-Series continue to mirror outgoing traffic even after an MD participating in
Spanning Tree Protocol transitions from the forwarding to blocking.

Port Monitoring | 789

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configuring Port Monitoring
To configure port monitoring:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Verify that the intended monitoring port has no
configuration other than no shutdown, as shown in
Figure 36-6.

show interface

EXEC Privilege

2

Create a monitoring session using the command monitor
session from CONFIGURATION mode, as shown in
Figure 36-6.

monitor session

CONFIGURATION

3

Specify the source and destination port and direction of
traffic, as shown in Figure 36-6.

source

MONITOR SESSION

Display monitor sessions using the command show monitor session from EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in
Figure 36-6.
Figure 36-6.

Configuring Port-based Monitoring

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/2)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/2
no ip address
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/2)#exit
FTOS(conf)#monitor session 0
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-0)#source gig 1/1 dest gig 1/2 direction rx
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-0)#exit
FTOS(conf)#do show monitor session 0
SessionID
Source
Destination
Direction
-------------------------------0
Gi 1/1
Gi 1/2
rx
FTOS(conf)#

Mode
---interface

Type
---Port-based

In Figure 36-7, the host and server are exchanging traffic which passes through interface gigabitethernet 1/
1. Interface gigabitethernet 1/1 is the monitored port and gigabitethernet 1/2 is the monitoring port, which
is configured to only monitor traffic received on gigabitethernet 1/1 (host-originated traffic).
Figure 36-7.

790

|

Port Monitoring

Port Monitoring Example

Host Traffic
1/1

1/3

Server Traffic
1/2
Host

Server

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/2)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/2
no ip address
no shutdown
Sniffer
FTOS(conf )#monitor session 0
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-0)#source gig 1/1 destination gig 1/2 direction rx

Port Monitoring 001

Flow-based Monitoring
Flow-based Monitoring is supported only on platform

e

Flow-based monitoring conserves bandwidth by monitoring only specified traffic instead all traffic on the
interface. This feature is particularly useful when looking for malicious traffic. It is available for Layer 2
and Layer 3 ingress and egress traffic. You may specify traffic using standard or extended access-lists.
To configure flow-based monitoring:
Step
4
5

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable flow-based monitoring for a monitoring session.

flow-based enable

MONITOR SESSION

Define in an access-list rules that include the keyword

ip access-list

CONFIGURATION

ip access-group
access-list

INTERFACE

monitor. FTOS only considers for port monitoring traffic
matching rules with the keyword monitor.

See Chapter 7, Access Control Lists (ACLs).
6

Apply the ACL to the monitored port. See Chapter 7,
Access Control Lists (ACLs).

View an access-list that you applied to an interface using the command show ip accounting access-list from
EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in Figure 36-8.

Port Monitoring | 791

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 36-8.

792

Configuring Flow-based Monitoring

FTOS(conf)#monitor session 0
FTOS(conf-mon-sess-0)#flow-based enable
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list ext testflow
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#seq 5 permit icmp any any count bytes monitor
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#seq 10 permit ip 102.1.1.0/24 any count bytes monitor
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#seq 15 deny udp any any count bytes
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#seq 20 deny tcp any any count bytes
FTOS(config-ext-nacl)#exit
FTOS(conf)#interface gig 1/1
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#ip access-group testflow in
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
ip address 10.11.1.254/24
ip access-group testflow in
shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#exit
FTOS(conf)#do show ip accounting access-list testflow
!
Extended Ingress IP access list testflow on GigabitEthernet 1/1
Total cam count 4
seq 5 permit icmp any any monitor count bytes (0 packets 0 bytes)
seq 10 permit ip 102.1.1.0/24 any monitor count bytes (0 packets 0 bytes)
seq 15 deny udp any any count bytes (0 packets 0 bytes)
seq 20 deny tcp any any count bytes (0 packets 0 bytes)
FTOS(conf)#do show monitor session 0
SessionID
Source
Destination
Direction
Mode
----------------------------------0
Gi 1/1
Gi 1/2
rx
interface

|

Port Monitoring

Type
---Flow-based

37
Private VLANs (PVLAN)
The Private VLANs (PVLAN) feature is supported on platforms

cs z

For syntax details on the commands discussed in this chapter, see the Private VLANs Commands chapter
in the FTOS Command Line Reference.
This chapter contains the following major sections:
•
•
•
•
•

Private VLAN Concepts on page 793
Private VLAN Commands on page 795
Private VLAN Configuration Task List on page 796
Private VLAN Configuration Example on page 799
Inspecting the Private VLAN Configuration on page 800

Private VLANs extend the FTOS security suite by providing Layer 2 isolation between ports within the
same VLAN. A private VLAN partitions a traditional VLAN into subdomains identified by a primary and
secondary VLAN pair. Private VLANs block all traffic to isolated ports except traffic from promiscuous
ports. Traffic received from an isolated port is forwarded only to promiscuous ports or trunk ports.
Example uses of PVLANs:
•
•

A hotel can use an isolated VLAN in a private VLAN to provide Internet access for its guests, while
stopping direct access between the guest ports.
A service provider can provide Layer 2 security for customers and use the IP addresses more
efficiently, by using a separate community VLAN per customer, while at the same time using the same
IP subnet address space for all community and isolated VLANs mapped to the same primary VLAN.
In more detail, community VLANs are especially useful in the service provider environment, because,
multiple customers are likely to maintain servers that must be strictly separated in customer-specific
groups. A set of servers owned by a customer could comprise a community VLAN, so that those
servers could communicate with each other, and would be isolated from other customers. Another
customer might have another set of servers in another community VLAN. Another customer might
want an isolated VLAN, which is has one or more ports that are also isolated from each other.

Private VLAN Concepts
The VLAN types in a private VLAN (PVLAN) include:
Community VLAN — A community VLAN is a type of secondary VLAN in a primary VLAN:

Private VLANs (PVLAN) | 793

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•

Ports in a community VLAN can communicate with each other.
Ports in a community VLAN can communicate with all promiscuous ports in the primary VLAN.
A community VLAN can only contain ports configured as host.

Isolated VLAN — An isolated VLAN is a type of secondary VLAN in a primary VLAN:
•
•
•

Ports in an isolated VLAN cannot talk directly to each other.
Ports in an isolated VLAN can only communicate with promiscuous ports in the primary VLAN.
An isolated VLAN can only contain ports configured as host.

Primary VLAN—A primary VLAN is the base VLAN of a private VLAN:
•
•
•
•
•

A switch can have one or more primary VLANs, and it can have none.
A primary VLAN has one or more secondary VLANs.
A primary VLAN and each of its secondary VLANs decrement the available number of VLAN IDs in
the switch.
A primary VLAN has one or more promiscuous ports.
A primary VLAN might have one or more trunk ports, or none.

Secondary VLAN — A secondary VLAN is a subdomain of the primary VLAN. There are two types of
secondary VLAN — community VLAN and isolated VLAN.
PVLAN port types:
•
•

•
•

•

Community port: A community port is, by definition, a port that belongs to a community VLAN and is
allowed to communicate with other ports in the same community VLAN and with promiscuous ports.
Host port: A host port, in the context of a private VLAN, is a port in a secondary VLAN:
• The port must first be assigned that role in INTERFACE mode.
• A port assigned the host role cannot be added to a regular VLAN.
Isolated port: An isolated port is, by definition, a port that, in Layer 2, can only communicate with
promiscuous ports that are in the same PVLAN.
Promiscuous port: A promiscuous port is, by definition, a port that is allowed to communicate with any
other port type in the PVLAN:
• A promiscuous port can be part of more than one primary VLAN.
• A promiscuous port cannot be added to a regular VLAN.
Trunk port: A trunk port, by definition, carries traffic between switches:
• A trunk port in a PVLAN is always tagged.
• Primary or secondary VLAN traffic is carried by the trunk port in tagged mode. The tag on the
packet helps identify the VLAN to which the packet belongs.
• A trunk port can also belong to a regular VLAN (non-private VLAN).

Each of the port types can be any type of physical Ethernet port, including port channels (LAGs). For
details on port channels, see Port Channel Interfaces on page 480 in Chapter 23, Interfaces.
For an introduction to VLANs, see Chapter 29, Layer 2.

794

|

Private VLANs (PVLAN)

Private VLAN Commands
The commands dedicated to supporting the Private VLANs feature are:
Table 37-1.

Private VLAN Commands

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable/disable Layer 3 communication between
secondary VLANs.

[no] ip local-proxy-arp
Note: Even after ip-local-proxy-arp is disabled
(no ip-local-proxy-arp) in a secondary VLAN,
Layer 3 communication may happen between
some secondary VLAN hosts, until the ARP
timeout happens on those secondary VLAN
hosts.

INTERFACE VLAN

Set the mode of the selected VLAN to
community, isolated, or primary.

[no] private-vlan mode {community |
isolated | primary}

INTERFACE VLAN

Map secondary VLANs to the selected primary
VLAN.

[no] private-vlan mapping secondary-vlan

INTERFACE VLAN

Display type and status of PVLAN interfaces.

show interfaces private-vlan [interface
interface]

EXEC
EXEC Privilege

Display PVLANs and/or interfaces that are part
of a PVLAN.

show vlan private-vlan [community |
interface | isolated | primary | primary_vlan |
interface interface]

EXEC
EXEC Privilege

Display primary-secondary VLAN mapping.

show vlan private-vlan mapping

EXEC
EXEC Privilege

Set the PVLAN mode of the selected port.

switchport mode private-vlan {host |
promiscuous | trunk}

INTERFACE

vlan-list

Note: Secondary VLANs are Layer 2 VLANs, so even if they are operationally down while primary VLANs
are operationally up, Layer 3 traffic will still be transmitted across secondary VLANs.

The outputs of the following commands are augmented in FTOS 7.8.1.0 to provide PVLAN data:
•
•

show arp:

See the IP Routing Commands chapter in the FTOS Command Line Reference.
show vlan: See the Layer 2 Commands chapter in the FTOS Command Line Reference.

Private VLANs (PVLAN) | 795

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Private VLAN Configuration Task List
The following sections contain the procedures that configure a private VLAN:
•
•
•
•

Creating PVLAN ports
Creating a Primary VLAN on page 797
Creating a Community VLAN on page 798
Creating an Isolated VLAN on page 798

Creating PVLAN ports
Private VLAN ports are those that will be assigned to the private VLAN (PVLAN).
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

interface interface

CONFIGURATION

Access the INTERFACE mode for the port that you want to
assign to a PVLAN.

2

no shutdown

INTERFACE

Enable the port.

3

switchport

INTERFACE

Set the port in Layer 2 mode.

4

switchport mode
private-vlan {host |
promiscuous | trunk}

INTERFACE

Select the PVLAN mode:
• host (port in isolated or community VLAN)
• promiscuous (intra-VLAN communication port)
• trunk (inter-switch PVLAN hub port)

1

For interface details, see Enable a Physical Interface on page 472 in Chapter 23, Interfaces.
Note: Interfaces that are configured as PVLAN ports cannot be added to regular VLANs. Conversely,
“regular” ports (ports not configured as PVLAN ports) cannot be added to PVLANs.

Figure 37-1 shows the use of the switchport mode private-vlan command on a port and on a port channel:
Figure 37-1.

Examples of switchport mode private-vlan Command

FTOS#conf
FTOS(conf)#interface GigabitEthernet 2/1
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/1)#switchport mode private-vlan promiscuous
FTOS(conf)#interface GigabitEthernet 2/2
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/2)#switchport mode private-vlan host
FTOS(conf)#interface GigabitEthernet 2/3
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/3)#switchport mode private-vlan trunk
FTOS(conf)#interface GigabitEthernet 2/2
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/2)#switchport mode private-vlan host
FTOS(conf)#interface port-channel 10
FTOS(conf-if-po-10)#switchport mode private-vlan promiscuous

796

|

Private VLANs (PVLAN)

Creating a Primary VLAN
A primary VLAN is a port-based VLAN that is specifically enabled as a primary VLAN to contain the
promiscuous ports and PVLAN trunk ports for the private VLAN. A primary VLAN also contains a
mapping to secondary VLANs, which are comprised of community VLANs and isolated VLANs.
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

interface vlan vlan-id

CONFIGURATION

Access the INTERFACE VLAN mode for the VLAN to
which you want to assign the PVLAN interfaces.

2

no shutdown

INTERFACE VLAN

Enable the VLAN.

3

private-vlan mode
primary

INTERFACE VLAN

Set the PVLAN mode of the selected VLAN to primary.

4

private-vlan mapping
secondary-vlan vlan-list

INTERFACE VLAN

Map secondary VLANs to the selected primary VLAN.
The list of secondary VLANs can be:
• Specified in comma-delimited (VLAN-ID,VLAN-ID) or
hyphenated-range format (VLAN-ID-VLAN-ID).
• Specified with this command even before they have
been created.
• Amended by specifying the new secondary VLAN to be
added to the list.

5

tagged interface

INTERFACE VLAN

Add promiscuous ports as tagged or untagged interfaces.
Add PVLAN trunk ports to the VLAN only as tagged
interfaces. Interfaces can be entered singly or in range
format, either comma-delimited (slot/port,port,port) or
hyphenated (slot/port-port).
Only promiscuous ports or PVLAN trunk ports can be
added to the PVLAN (no host or regular ports).

or
untagged interface

6

ip address ip address

INTERFACE VLAN

(OPTIONAL) Assign an IP address to the VLAN.

7

ip local-proxy-arp

INTERFACE VLAN

(OPTIONAL) Enable/disable Layer 3 communication
between secondary VLANs.

Note: If a promiscuous or host port is untagged in a VLAN and it receives a tagged packet in the same
VLAN, the packet will NOT be dropped.

Private VLANs (PVLAN) | 797

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Creating a Community VLAN
A community VLAN is a secondary VLAN of the primary VLAN in a private VLAN. The ports in a
community VLAN can talk to each other and with the promiscuous ports in the primary VLAN.
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

interface vlan vlan-id

CONFIGURATION

Access the INTERFACE VLAN mode for the VLAN that
you want to make a community VLAN.

2

no shutdown

INTERFACE VLAN

Enable the VLAN.

3

private-vlan mode
community

INTERFACE VLAN

Set the PVLAN mode of the selected VLAN to community.

4

tagged interface

INTERFACE VLAN

Add one or more host ports to the VLAN. The interfaces
can be entered singly or in range format, either
comma-delimited (slot/port,port,port) or hyphenated (slot/

or
untagged interface

port-port).

Only host (isolated) ports can be added to the VLAN.

Creating an Isolated VLAN
An isolated VLAN is a secondary VLAN of a primary VLAN. Its ports can only talk with the promiscuous
ports in that primary VLAN.
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

interface vlan vlan-id

CONFIGURATION

Access the INTERFACE VLAN mode for the VLAN that
you want to make an isolated VLAN.

2

no shutdown

INTERFACE VLAN

Enable the VLAN.

3

private-vlan mode
isolated

INTERFACE VLAN

Set the PVLAN mode of the selected VLAN to isolated.

4

tagged interface

INTERFACE VLAN

Add one or more host ports to the VLAN. The interfaces
can be entered singly or in range format, either
comma-delimited (slot/port,port,port) or hyphenated (slot/

or
untagged interface

port-port).

Only ports defined as host can be added to the VLAN.

Figure 37-2 shows the use of the PVLAN commands that are used in VLAN INTERFACE mode to
configure the PVLAN member VLANs (primary, community, and isolated VLANs):

798

|

Private VLANs (PVLAN)

Figure 37-2.

Configuring VLANs for a Private VLAN

FTOS#conf
FTOS(conf)# interface vlan 10
FTOS(conf-vlan-10)# private-vlan mode primary
FTOS(conf-vlan-10)# private-vlan mapping secondary-vlan 100-101
FTOS(conf-vlan-10)# untagged Gi 2/1
FTOS(conf-vlan-10)# tagged Gi 2/3
FTOS(conf)# interface vlan 101
FTOS(conf-vlan-101)# private-vlan mode community
FTOS(conf-vlan-101)# untagged Gi 2/10
FTOS(conf)# interface vlan 100
FTOS(conf-vlan-100)# private-vlan mode isolated
FTOS(conf-vlan-100)# untagged Gi 2/2

Private VLAN Configuration Example
Figure 37-3.

Sample Private VLAN Topology

The following configuration is based on the example diagram, above:
On C300-1:
•
•
•
•
•

Gi 0/0 and Gi 23 are configured as promiscuous ports, assigned to the primary VLAN, VLAN 4000.
Gi 0/25 is configured as a PVLAN trunk port, also assigned to the primary VLAN 4000.
Gi 0/24 and Gi 0/47 are configured as host ports and assigned to the isolated VLAN, VLAN 4003.
Gi 4/0 and Gi 23 are configured as host ports and assigned to the community VLAN, VLAN 4001.
Gi 4/24 and Gi 4/47 are configured as host ports and assigned to community VLAN 4002.

Private VLANs (PVLAN) | 799

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

The result is that:
•
•
•
•

The ports in community VLAN 4001 can communicate directly with each other and with promiscuous
ports.
The ports in community VLAN 4002 can communicate directly with each other and with promiscuous
ports
The ports in isolated VLAN 4003 can only communicate with the promiscuous ports in the primary
VLAN 4000.
All the ports in the secondary VLANs (both community and isolated VLANs) can only communicate
with ports in the other secondary VLANs of that PVLAN over Layer 3, and only when the command ip
local-proxy-arp is invoked in the primary VLAN.
Note: Even after ip-local-proxy-arp is disabled (no ip-local-proxy-arp) in a secondary VLAN, Layer 3
communication may happen between some secondary VLAN hosts, until the ARP timeout happens on
those secondary VLAN hosts.

In parallel, on S50-1:
•
•

Gi 0/3 is a promiscuous port and Gi 0/25 is a PVLAN trunk port, assigned to the primary VLAN 4000.
Gi 0/4-6 are host ports. Gi 0/4 and Gi 0/5 are assigned to the community VLAN 4001, while Gi 0/6 is
assigned to the isolated VLAN 4003.

The result is that:
•
•

The S50V ports would have the same intra-switch communication characteristics as described above
for the C300.
For transmission between switches, tagged packets originating from host PVLAN ports in one
secondary VLAN and destined for host PVLAN ports in the other switch travel through the
promiscuous ports in the local VLAN 4000 and then through the trunk ports (0/25 in each switch).

Inspecting the Private VLAN Configuration
The standard methods of inspecting configurations also apply in PVLANs:
•
•

•

800

|

Within the INTERFACE and INTERFACE VLAN modes, use the show config command to display the
specific interface configuration.
Inspect the running-config, and, with the grep pipe option (show running-config | grep string), you can
display a specific part of the running-config. Figure 37-8 shows the PVLAN parts of the
running-config from the S50V switch in the topology diagram shown in Figure 37-3, above.
You can also use one of three show commands that are specific to the Private VLAN feature:
• show interfaces private-vlan [interface interface]: Display the type and status of the configured
PVLAN interfaces. See the example output in the Security chapter of the FTOS Command Line
Reference.
• show vlan private-vlan [community | interface | isolated | primary | primary_vlan | interface interface]:
Display the configured PVLANs or interfaces that are part of a PVLAN. Figure 37-4 shows the
results of using the command without command options on the C300 switch in the topology
diagram shown in Figure 37-3, above, while Figure 37-5 shows the results on the S50V.

Private VLANs (PVLAN)

•

show vlan private-vlan mapping: Display the primary-secondary VLAN mapping. See the example

output from the S50V, above, in Figure 37-6.
Two show commands revised to display PVLAN data are:

•

•

show arp

•

show vlan: See

Figure 37-4.

revised output in Figure 37-7.

show vlan private-vlan Example Output from C300

c300-1#show vlan private-vlan
Primary Secondary Type
Active
------- --------- --------- -----4000
Primary
Yes
4001
Community Yes
4002
Community Yes
4003
Isolated Yes

Figure 37-5.

Ports
-----------------------------------------Gi 0/0,23,25
Gi 4/0,23
Gi 4/24,47
Gi 0/24,47

show vlan private-vlan Example Output from S50V

S50-1#show vlan private-vlan
Primary Secondary Type
Active
------- --------- --------- -----4000
Primary
Yes
4001
Community Yes
4003
Isolated Yes

Figure 37-6.

Ports
-----------------------------------------Gi 0/3,25
Gi 0/4-5
Gi 0/6

show vlan private-vlan mapping Example Output from S50V

S50-1#show vlan private-vlan mapping
Private Vlan:
Primary
: 4000
Isolated : 4003
Community : 4001

In the following screenshot, note the addition of the PVLAN codes – P, I, and C – in the left column:
Figure 37-7.

show vlan Example Output from S50V

S50V#show vlan
Codes:
Q: U x G -

*
P
I

NUM
1
100
200
201

* - Default VLAN, G - GVRP VLANs, P - Primary, C - Community, I - Isolated
Untagged, T - Tagged
Dot1x untagged, X - Dot1x tagged
GVRP tagged, M - Vlan-stack
Status
Inactive
Inactive
Inactive
Inactive

Description

Q Ports

primary VLAN in PVLAN
isolated VLAN in VLAN 200

T Gi 0/19-20
T Gi 0/21

PVLAN codes

Private VLANs (PVLAN) | 801

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 37-8.

802

Example running-config Output of PVLAN Configuration from S50V

!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/3
no ip address
switchport
switchport mode private-vlan promiscuous
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/4
no ip address
switchport
switchport mode private-vlan host
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/5
no ip address
switchport
switchport mode private-vlan host
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/6
no ip address
switchport
switchport mode private-vlan host
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/25
no ip address
switchport
switchport mode private-vlan trunk
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 4000
private-vlan mode primary
private-vlan mapping secondary-vlan 4001-4003
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 0/3,25
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 4001
private-vlan mode community

|

Private VLANs (PVLAN)

38
Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+)
Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+) is supported on platforms:

ecsz

Protocol Overview
Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+) is a variation of Spanning Tree—developed by a third party—
that allows you to configure a separate Spanning Tree instance for each VLAN. For more information on
Spanning Tree, see Chapter 50, Spanning Tree Protocol (STP).
Figure 38-1.

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree

STI 1/2/3 root

STI 1: VLAN 100
STI 2: VLAN 200
STI 3: VLAN 300

R2

3/22

2/32

R3

3/12
Forwarding

2/12

1/22

g

kin

oc
Bl

X
XX
1/32

R1
FTOS supports three other variations of Spanning Tree, as shown in Table 38-1.
Table 38-1.

FTOS Supported Spanning Tree Protocols

Dell Force10 Term

IEEE Specification

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

802.1d

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol
(RSTP)

802.1w

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+) | 803

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 38-1.

FTOS Supported Spanning Tree Protocols

Dell Force10 Term

IEEE Specification

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol
(MSTP)

802.1s

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus
(PVST+)

Third Party

Implementation Information
•
•

•
•

The FTOS implementation of PVST+ is based on IEEE Standard 802.1d.
The FTOS implementation of PVST+ uses IEEE 802.1s costs as the default costs (Table 38-2). Other
implementations use IEEE 802.1d costs as the default costs if you are using Dell Force10 systems in a
multi-vendor network, verify that the costs are values you intended.
You must allocate at least the default minimum amount of Layer 2 ACL CAM space when employing
PVST+ on the E-Series. See Configure Ingress Layer 2 ACL Sub-partitions on page 285.
On the C-Series and S-Series, you can enable PVST+ on 254 VLANs. To set up VLANs, see
Chapter 54, Virtual LANs (VLAN).

Configure Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus
Configuring PVST+ is a four-step process:
1. Configure interfaces for Layer 2.
2. Place the interfaces in VLANs.
3. Enable PVST+. See page 805.
4. Optionally, for load balancing, select a non-default bridge-priority for a VLAN. See page 805.

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

804

|

Modify Global PVST+ Parameters on page 807
Modify Interface PVST+ Parameters on page 808
Configure an EdgePort on page 809
Flush MAC Addresses after a Topology Change on page 699
Preventing Network Disruptions with BPDU Guard on page 1011
SNMP Traps for Root Elections and Topology Changes on page 1016
Configuring Spanning Trees as Hitless on page 1017
PVST+ in Multi-vendor Networks on page 810
PVST+ Extended System ID on page 810
PVST+ Sample Configurations on page 811

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+)

Enable PVST+
When you enable PVST+, FTOS instantiates STP on each active VLAN. To enable PVST+ globally:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Enter PVST context.

protocol spanning-tree pvst

PROTOCOL PVST

2

Enable PVST+.

no disable

PROTOCOL PVST

Disable PVST+
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable PVST+ globally.

disable

PROTOCOL PVST

Disable PVST+ on an interface, or remove a PVST+
parameter configuration.

no spanning-tree pvst

INTERFACE

Display your PVST+ configuration by entering the command show config from PROTOCOL PVST
context, as shown in fig.
Figure 38-2.

Display the PVST+ Configuration

FTOS_E600(conf-pvst)#show config verbose
!
protocol spanning-tree pvst
no disable
vlan 100 bridge-priority 4096

Influence PVST+ Root Selection
In Figure 38-1, all VLANs use the same forwarding topology because R2 is elected the root, and all
GigabitEthernet ports have the same cost. Figure 38-3 changes the bridge priority of each bridge so that a
different forwarding topology is generated for each VLAN. This behavior demonstrates how you can use
PVST+ to achieve load balancing.

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+) | 805

Load Balancing with PVST+

STI 2 root

STI 1: VLAN 100
STI 2: VLAN 200
STI 3: VLAN 300

R2

vlan 100 bridge-priority 4096

2/32

Blocking

3/22
X

R3

STI 3 root

vlan 100 bridge-priority 4096

3/12

2/12
Forwarding

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 38-3.

1/22

X
X
1/32

STI 1 root

R1

vlan 100 bridge-priority 4096

The bridge with the bridge value for bridge priority is elected root. Since all bridges use the default priority
(until configured otherwise), lowest MAC address is used as a tie-breaker. Assign bridges a low
non-default value for bridge priority to increase the likelihood that it will be selected as the STP root.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Assign a bridge priority.
Range: 0 to 61440
Default: 32768

vlan bridge-priority

PROTOCOL PVST

Display the PVST+ forwarding topology by entering the command show spanning-tree pvst [vlan vlan-id]
from EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in Figure 38-4.

806

|

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+)

Figure 38-4.

Display the PVST+ Forwarding Topology

FTOS_E600(conf)#do show spanning-tree pvst vlan 100
VLAN 100
Root Identifier has priority 4096, Address 0001.e80d.b6d6
Root Bridge hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15
Bridge Identifier has priority 4096, Address 0001.e80d.b6d6
Configured hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15
We are the root of VLAN 100
Current root has priority 4096, Address 0001.e80d.b6d6
Number of topology changes 5, last change occurred 00:34:37 ago on Gi 1/32
Port 375 (GigabitEthernet 1/22) is designated Forwarding
Port path cost 20000, Port priority 128, Port Identifier 128.375
Designated root has priority 4096, address 0001.e80d.b6:d6
Designated bridge has priority 4096, address 0001.e80d.b6:d6
Designated port id is 128.375 , designated path cost 0
Number of transitions to forwarding state 2
BPDU sent 1159, received 632
The port is not in the Edge port mode
Port 385 (GigabitEthernet 1/32) is designated Forwarding
Port path cost 20000, Port priority 128, Port Identifier 128.385
Designated root has priority 4096, address 0001.e80d.b6:d6
Designated bridge has priority 4096, address 0001.e80d.b6:d6
Designated port id is 128.385 , designated path cost 0

Modify Global PVST+ Parameters
The root bridge sets the values for forward-delay, and hello-time and overwrites the values set on other
PVST+ bridges.
•
•
•

Forward-delay is the amount of time an interface waits in the Listening State and the Learning State
before it transitions to the Forwarding State.
Hello-time is the time interval in which the bridge sends Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDUs).
Max-age is the length of time the bridge maintains configuration information before it refreshes that
information by recomputing the PVST+ topology.

To change PVST+ parameters, use the following commands on the root bridge:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the forward-delay parameter.
• Range: 4 to 30
• Default: 15 seconds

vlan forward-delay

PROTOCOL PVST

Change the hello-time parameter.
Note: With large configurations (especially those with
more ports) Dell Force10 recommends that you increase
the hello-time.
Range: 1 to 10
Default: 2 seconds

vlan hello-time

PROTOCOL PVST

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+) | 807

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the max-age parameter.
Range: 6 to 40
Default: 20 seconds

vlan max-age

PROTOCOL PVST

The values for global PVST+ parameters are given in the output of the command show spanning-tree pvst,
as shown in Figure 38-4.

Modify Interface PVST+ Parameters
You can adjust two interface parameters to increase or decrease the probability that a port becomes a
forwarding port:
•
•

Port cost is a value that is based on the interface type. The greater the port cost, the less likely the port
will be selected to be a forwarding port.
Port priority influences the likelihood that a port will be selected to be a forwarding port in case that
several ports have the same port cost.

Table 38-2 lists the default values for port cost by interface.
Table 38-2.

PVST+ Default Port Cost Values

Port Cost

Default Value

100-Mb/s Ethernet interfaces

200000

1-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

20000

10-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

2000

Port Channel with 100 Mb/s Ethernet interfaces

180000

Port Channel with 1-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

18000

Port Channel with 10-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

1800

Note: The FTOS implementation of PVST+ uses IEEE 802.1s costs as the default costs. Other
implementations use IEEE 802.1d costs as the default costs if you are using Dell Force10 systems in a
multi-vendor network, verify that the costs are values you intended.

To change the port cost or priority of an interface:

808

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the port cost of an interface.
Range: 0 to 200000
Default: see Table 38-2.

spanning-tree pvst vlan cost

INTERFACE

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+)

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the port priority of an interface.
Range: 0 to 240, in increments of 16
Default: 128

spanning-tree pvst vlan priority

INTERFACE

The values for interface PVST+ parameters are given in the output of the command show spanning-tree
pvst, as shown in Figure 38-4.

Configure an EdgePort
The EdgePort feature enables interfaces to begin forwarding traffic approximately 30 seconds sooner. In
this mode an interface forwards frames by default until it receives a BPDU that indicates that it should
behave otherwise; it does not go through the Learning and Listening states. The bpduguard
shutdown-on-violation option causes the interface hardware to be shutdown when it receives a BPDU.
When only bpduguard is implemented, although the interface is placed in an Error Disabled state when
receiving the BPDU, the physical interface remains up and spanning-tree will drop packets in the hardware
after a BPDU violation. BPDUs are dropped in the software after receiving the BPDU violation. This
feature is the same as PortFast mode in Spanning Tree.
Caution: Configure EdgePort only on links connecting to an end station. EdgePort can cause loops if it is enabled
on an interface connected to a network.

To enable EdgePort on an interface, use the following command:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable EdgePort on an interface.

spanning-tree pvst edge-port
[bpduguard |
shutdown-on-violation]

INTERFACE

The EdgePort status of each interface is given in the output of the command show spanning-tree pvst, as
shown in Figure 38-4.

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+) | 809

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS Behavior: Regarding bpduguard shutdown-on-violation behavior:
1 If the interface to be shutdown is a port channel then all the member ports are disabled in the hardware.
2 When a physical port is added to a port channel already in error disable state, the new member port will also be disabled
in the hardware.
3 When a physical port is removed from a port channel in error disable state, the error disabled state is cleared on this
physical port (the physical port will be enabled in the hardware).
4 The reset linecard command does not clear the error disabled state of the port or the hardware disabled state. The
interface continues to be disables in the hardware.
The error disabled state can be cleared with any of the following methods:
• Perform a shutdown command on the interface.
• Disable the shutdown-on-violation command on the interface ( no spanning-tree stp-id portfast [bpduguard |
[shutdown-on-violation]] ).
• Disable spanning tree on the interface (no spanning-tree in INTERFACE mode).
• Disabling global spanning tree (no spanning-tree in CONFIGURATION mode).

PVST+ in Multi-vendor Networks
Some non-Dell Force10 systems which have hybrid ports participating in PVST+ transmit two kinds of
BPDUs: an 802.1D BPDU and an untagged PVST+ BPDU.
Dell Force10 systems do not expect PVST+ BPDU (tagged or untagged) on an untagged port. If this
happens, FTOS places the port in error-disable state. This behavior might result in the network not
converging. To prevent FTOS from executing this action, use the command no spanning-tree pvst
err-disable cause invalid-pvst-bpdu. After you configure this command, if the port receives a PVST+
BPDU, the BPDU is dropped, and the port remains operational.

PVST+ Extended System ID
In Figure 38-5, ports P1 and P2 are untagged members of different VLANs. These ports are untagged
because the hub is VLAN unaware. There is no data loop in the above scenario, however, PVST+ can be
employed to avoid potential misconfigurations.
If PVST+ is enabled on the Dell Force10 switch in this network, P1 and P2 receive BPDUs from each
other. Ordinarily, the Bridge ID in the frame matches the Root ID, a loop is detected, and the rules of
convergence require that P2 move to blocking state because it has the lowest port ID.
To keep both ports in forwarding state, use Extend System ID. Extend System ID augments the Bridge ID
with a VLAN ID to differentiate BPDUs on each VLAN so that PVST+ does not detect a loop, and both
ports can remain in forwarding state.
Figure 38-5.

810

|

PVST+ with Extend System ID

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+)

Dell Force10 System

VLAN unaware
Hub

P1
untagged in VLAN 10

X

P2
untagged in VLAN 20

moves to blocking unless
Extended System ID is
enabled

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Augment the Bridge ID with the VLAN ID.

extend system-id

PROTOCOL PVST

FTOS(conf-pvst)#do show spanning-tree pvst vlan 5 brief
VLAN 5
Executing IEEE compatible Spanning Tree Protocol
Root ID
Priority 32773, Address 0001.e832.73f7
Root Bridge hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15
Bridge ID
Priority 32773 (priority 32768 sys-id-ext 5), Address 0001.e832.73f7
We are the root of Vlan 5
Configured hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15
...

PVST+ Sample Configurations
Figure 38-6, Figure 38-7, and Figure 38-8 provide the running configurations for the topology shown in
Figure 38-3.

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+) | 811

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 38-6.

812

PVST+ Sample Configuration: R1 Running-configuration

interface GigabitEthernet 1/22
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/32
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
protocol spanning-tree pvst
no disable
vlan 100 bridge-priority 4096
interface Vlan 100
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 1/22,32
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 200
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 1/22,32
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 300
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 1/22,32
no shutdown
!
protocol spanning-tree pvst
no disable
vlan 100 bridge-priority 4096

|

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+)

Figure 38-7.

PVST+ Sample Configuration: R2 Running-configuration

interface GigabitEthernet 2/12
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/32
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 100
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 2/12,32
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 200
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 2/12,32
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 300
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 2/12,32
no shutdown
!
protocol spanning-tree pvst
no disable
vlan 200 bridge-priority 4096

Figure 38-8.

PVST+ Sample Configuration: R3 Running-configuration

interface GigabitEthernet 3/12
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/22
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 100
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 3/12,22
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 200
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 3/12,22
no shutdown
!
interface Vlan 300
no ip address
tagged GigabitEthernet 3/12,22
no shutdown
!
protocol spanning-tree pvst
no disable
vlan 300 bridge-priority 4096

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+) | 813

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
814

|

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+)

39
Quality of Service (QoS)
Quality of Service (QoS) is supported on platforms: e c s z
Differentiated service is accomplished by classifying and queuing traffic, and assigning priorities to those
queues.
The E-Series has eight unicast queues per port and 128 multicast queues per-port pipe. Traffic is queued on
ingress and egress. By default, on ingress, all data traffic is mapped to Queue 0, and all control traffic is
mapped to Queue 7. On egress control traffic is mapped across all eight queues. All queues are serviced
using the Weighted Fair Queuing scheduling algorithm. You can only manage queuing prioritization on
egress.
The C-Series traffic has eight queues per port. Four queues are for data traffic and four are for control
traffic. All queues are serviced using the Deficit Round Robin scheduling algorithm. You can only manage
queuing prioritization on egress.

Table 39-1.

FTOS Support for Port-based, Policy-based, and Multicast QoS Features

Feature

Platform

Direction

Port-based QoS Configurations

ces

Ingress + Egress

Set dot1p Priorities for Incoming Traffic

ces

Ingress

Honor dot1p Priorities on Ingress Traffic

ces

Configure Port-based Rate Policing

ces

Configure Port-based Rate Limiting

e

Configure Port-based Rate Shaping

ces

Policy-based QoS Configurations
Classify Traffic
Create a Layer 3 class map
Set DSCP values for egress packets based on flow
Create a Layer 2 class map
Create a QoS Policy

Egress

ces

Ingress + Egress

ces

Ingress

ces
e
ces
ces

Ingress + Egress

Quality of Service (QoS) | 815

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 39-1.

FTOS Support for Port-based, Policy-based, and Multicast QoS Features

Feature
Create an input QoS policy

Platform

Direction

ces

Ingress

Configure policy-based rate policing

ces

Set a DSCP value for egress packets

e

Set a dot1p value for egress packets

ces

Create an output QoS policy

ces

Configure policy-based rate limiting

e

Configure policy-based rate shaping

ces

Allocate bandwidth to queue

ces
e

Specify WRED drop precedence
Create Policy Maps
Create Input Policy Maps

ces

Ingress + Egress

ces

Ingress

Honor DSCP values on ingress packets

ces

Honoring dot1p values on ingress packets

ecs

Create Output Policy Maps
Specify an aggregate QoS policy

ces

ces

Strict-priority Queueing

ces

Quality of Service (QoS)

Egress

e

Create WRED Profiles

|

—
e

Weighted Random Early Detection

816

Egress

ces

QoS Rate Adjustment

Pre-calculating Available QoS CAM Space

Egress

ces

—

Figure 39-1.

Dell Force10 QoS Architecture
Marking
(DiffServ,
802.1p, Exp)

Ingress
Packet
Processing

Packet
Classification
(ACL)

Rate Policing

Buffers
Class-based
Queues

Switching

Rate Limiting

Buffers
Class-based
Queues

Egress
Congestion Management
(WFQ Scheduling)

Egress
Packet
Processing

Traffic
Shaping

Congestion
Avoidance
(WRED)

Implementation Information
The Dell Force10 QoS implementation complies with IEEE 802.1p User Priority Bits for QoS Indication.
It also implements these Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) documents:
•
•
•
•

RFC 2474, Definition of the Differentiated Services Field (DS Field) in the IPv4 Headers
RFC 2475, An Architecture for Differentiated Services
RFC 2597, Assured Forwarding PHB Group
RFC 2598, An Expedited Forwarding PHB

You cannot configure port-based and policy-based QoS on the same interface, and SONET line cards
support only port-based QoS.

Port-based QoS Configurations
You can configure the following QoS features on an interface:
Note: Egress rate shaping and ingress rate policing cannot be simultaneously used on the same VLAN.

Quality of Service (QoS) | 817

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•
•

Set dot1p Priorities for Incoming Traffic
Configure Port-based Rate Policing
Configure Port-based Rate Limiting
Configure Port-based Rate Shaping

Set dot1p Priorities for Incoming Traffic
Change the priority of incoming traffic on the interface using the command dot1p-priority from
INTERFACE mode, as shown in Figure 39-2. FTOS places traffic marked with a priority in a queue based
on Table 39-2. If you set a dot1p priority for a port-channel, all port-channel members are configured with
the same value. You cannot assign a dot1p value to an individual interfaces in a port-channel.
FTOS Behavior: The C-Series and S-Series distribute eight dot1p priorities across four data queues. This is
different from the E-Series, which distributes eight dot1p priorities across eight queues (Table 39-2).

Table 39-2.

dot1p-priority values and queue numbers
E-Series
Queue
Number

dot1p

C-Series
Queue
Number

S-Series
Queue
Number

0

2

1

1

1

0

0

0

2

1

0

0

3

3

1

1

4

4

2

2

5

5

2

2

6

6

3

3

7

7

3

3

Figure 39-2.

Configuring dot1p Priority on an Interface

FTOS#config
FTOS(conf)#interface gigabitethernet 1/0
FTOS(conf-if)#switchport
FTOS(conf-if)#dot1p-priority 1
FTOS(conf-if)#end
FTOS#

Honor dot1p Priorities on Ingress Traffic
By default FTOS does not honor dot1p priorities on ingress traffic. Use the command service-class dynamic
from INTERFACE mode to honor dot1p priorities on ingress traffic, as shown in Figure 39-3. You
can configure this feature on physical interfaces and port-channels, but you cannot configure it on
individual interfaces in a port channel.
dot1p

818

|

Quality of Service (QoS)

On the C-Series and S-Series you can configure service-class dynamic dot1p from CONFIGURATION
mode, which applies the configuration to all interfaces. A CONFIGURATION mode service-class dynamic
dot1p entry supersedes any INTERFACE entries. See Mapping dot1p values to service queues on page 832.
Note: You cannot configure service-policy input and service-class dynamic dot1p on the same interface.
Figure 39-3.

service-class dynamic dot1p Command Example

FTOS#config t
FTOS(conf)#interface gigabitethernet 1/0
FTOS(conf-if)#service-class dynamic dot1p
FTOS(conf-if)#end
FTOS#

Priority-tagged Frames on the Default VLAN
Priority-tagged Frames on the Default VLAN is available only on platforms: ex c s
Priority-tagged frames are 802.1Q tagged frames with VLAN ID 0. For VLAN classification these packets
are treated as untagged. However, the dot1p value is still honored when service-class dynamic dot1p or trust
dot1p is configured.
When priority-tagged frames ingress an untagged port or hybrid port the frames are classified to the default
VLAN of the port, and to a queue according to their dot1p priority dot1p priority if service-class dynamic
dotp or trust dot1p are configured. When priority-tagged frames ingress a tagged port, the frames are
dropped because for a tagged port the default VLAN is 0.
FTOS Behavior: Hybrid ports can receive untagged, tagged, and priority tagged frames. The rate metering
calculation might be inaccurate for untagged ports, since an internal assumption is made that all frames are treated
as tagged. Internally the ASIC adds a 4-bytes tag to received untagged frames. Though these 4-bytes are not part
of the untagged frame received on the wire, they are included in the rate metering calculation resulting in metering
inaccuracy.

Configure Port-based Rate Policing
Rate policing ingress traffic on an interface using the command rate police from INTERACE mode, as
shown in Figure 39-4. If the interface is a member of a VLAN, you may specify the VLAN for which
ingress packets are policed.
Figure 39-4.

Rate Policing Ingress Traffic

FTOS#config t
FTOS(conf)#interface gigabitethernet 1/0
FTOS(conf-if)#rate police 100 40 peak 150 50
FTOS(conf-if)#end
FTOS#

Quality of Service (QoS) | 819

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 39-5.

Displaying your Rate Policing Configuration

FTOS#show interfaces gigabitEthernet 1/2 rate police
Rate police 300 (50) peak 800 (50)
Traffic Monitor 0: normal 300 (50) peak 800 (50)
Out of profile yellow 23386960 red 320605113
Traffic Monitor 1: normal NA peak NA
Out of profile yellow 0 red 0
Traffic Monitor 2: normal NA peak NA
Out of profile yellow 0 red 0
Traffic Monitor 3: normal NA peak NA
Out of profile yellow 0 red 0
Traffic Monitor 4: normal NA peak NA
Out of profile yellow 0 red 0

Configure Port-based Rate Limiting
Configure Port-based Rate Limiting is supported only on platform e
FTOS Behavior: On the C-Series and S-Series, rate shaping is effectively rate limiting because of its smaller
buffer size.

Rate limit egress traffic on an interface using the command rate limit from INTERFACE mode, as shown
in Figure 39-6. If the interface is a member of a VLAN, you may specify the VLAN for which egress
packets are rate limited.
Figure 39-6.

Rate Limiting Egress Traffic

FTOS#config t
FTOS(conf)#interface gigabitethernet 1/0
FTOS(conf-if)#rate limit 100 40 peak 150 50
FTOS(conf-if)#end
FTOS#

Display how your rate limiting configuration affects traffic using the keyword rate limit with the command
show interfaces, as shown in Figure 39-7.

820

|

Quality of Service (QoS)

Figure 39-7.

Displaying How Your Rate Limiting Configuration Affects Traffic

FTOS#show interfaces gigabitEthernet 1/1 rate limit
Rate limit 300 (50) peak 800 (50)
Traffic Monitor 0: normal 300 (50) peak 800 (50)
Out of profile yellow 23386960 red 320605113
Traffic Monitor 1: normal NA peak NA
Out of profile yellow 0 red 0
Traffic Monitor 2: normal NA peak NA
Out of profile yellow 0 red 0
Traffic Monitor 3: normal NA peak NA
Out of profile yellow 0 red 0
Traffic Monitor 4: normal NA peak NA
Out of profile yellow 0 red 0
Traffic Monitor 5: normal NA peak NA
Out of profile yellow 0 red 0
Traffic Monitor 6: normal NA peak NA
Out of profile yellow 0 red 0
Traffic Monitor 7: normal NA peak NA
Out of profile yellow 0 red 0
Total: yellow 23386960 red 320605113

Configure Port-based Rate Shaping
Configure Port-based Rate Limiting is supported only on platform c e s
FTOS Behavior: On the C-Series and S-Series, rate shaping is effectively rate limiting because of its smaller
buffer size. On the S4810, rate shaping on tagged ports is slightly greater than the configured rate and rate shaping
on untagged ports is slightly less than configured rate.

Rate shaping buffers, rather than drops, traffic exceeding the specified rate until the buffer is exhausted. If
any stream exceeds the configured bandwidth on a continuous basis, it can consume all of the buffer space
that is allocated to the port.
•
•

Apply rate shaping to outgoing traffic on a port using the command rate shape from INTERFACE
mode, as shown in Figure 39-8.
Apply rate shaping to a queue using the command rate-shape from QoS Policy mode.

Figure 39-8.

Applying Rate Shaping to Outgoing Traffic

FTOS#config
FTOS(conf)#interface gigabitethernet 1/0
FTOS(conf-if)#rate shape 500 50
FTOS(conf-if)#end
FTOS#

Quality of Service (QoS) | 821

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Policy-based QoS Configurations
Policy-based QoS configurations consist of the components shown in Figure 39-9.
Figure 39-9.

Constructing Policy-based QoS Configurations
Interface

Input Service Policy

0

Output Service Policy

7
Input
Policy
Map

Input
Policy
Map

Class Map

L3 ACL

L3
Fields

7

0

DSCP

Rate
Policing

Output
Policy
Map

Output
Policy
Map

Output QoS
Policy

Input QoS
Policy

Outgoing
Marking

Rate
Limiting

WRED

B/W %

Classify Traffic
Class maps differentiate traffic so that you can apply separate quality of service policies to each class. For
both class maps, Layer 2 and Layer 3, FTOS matches packets against match criteria in the order that you
configure them.

Create a Layer 3 class map
A Layer 3 class map differentiates ingress packets based on DSCP value or IP precedence, and
characteristics defined in an IP ACL. You may specify more than one DSCP and IP precedence value, but
only one value must match to trigger a positive match for the class map.
1. Create a match-any class map using the command class-map match-any or a match-all class map using
the command class-map match-all from CONFIGURATION mode, as shown in Figure 39-10.

822

|

Quality of Service (QoS)

2. Once you create a class-map, FTOS places you in CLASS MAP mode. From this mode, specify your
match criteria using the command match ip, as shown in Figure 39-10. Match-any class maps allow up
to five ACLs, and match-all class-maps allow only one ACL.
3. After you specify your match criteria, link the class-map to a queue using the command service-queue
from POLICY MAP mode, as shown in Figure 39-10.
Figure 39-10.

Using the Order Keyword in ACLs

FTOS(conf)#ip access-list standard acl1
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#permit 20.0.0.0/8
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#exit
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list standard acl2
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#permit 20.1.1.0/24 order 0
FTOS(config-std-nacl)#exit
FTOS(conf)#class-map match-all cmap1
FTOS(conf-class-map)#match ip access-group acl1
FTOS(conf-class-map)#exit
FTOS(conf)#class-map match-all cmap2
FTOS(conf-class-map)#match ip access-group acl2
FTOS(conf-class-map)#exit
FTOS(conf)#policy-map-input pmap
FTOS(conf-policy-map-in)#service-queue 7 class-map cmap1
FTOS(conf-policy-map-in)#service-queue 4 class-map cmap2
FTOS(conf-policy-map-in)#exit
FTOS(conf)#interface gig 1/0
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/0)#service-policy input pmap

Create a Layer 2 class map
All class maps are Layer 3 by default; you can create a Layer 2 class map by specifying the option layer2
with the class-map command. A Layer 2 class map differentiates traffic according to 802.1p value and/or
characteristics defined in a MAC ACL.
1. Create a match-any class map using the command class-map match-any or a match-all class map using
the command class-map match-all from CONFIGURATION mode, and enter the keyword layer2.
2. Once you create a class-map, FTOS places you in CLASS MAP mode. From this mode, specify your
match criteria using the command match mac. Match-any class maps allow up to five access-lists, and
match-all class-maps allow only one. You can match against only one VLAN ID.
3. After you specify your match criteria, link the class-map to a queue using the command service-queue
from POLICY MAP mode.

Determine the order in which ACLs are used to classify traffic
When you link class-maps to queues using the command service-queue, FTOS matches the class-maps
according to queue priority (queue numbers closer to 0 have lower priorities). For example, in
Figure 39-10, class-map cmap2 is matched against ingress packets before cmap1.
ACLs acl1 and acl2 have overlapping rules because the address range 20.1.1.0/24 is within 20.0.0.0/8.
Therefore, (without the keyword order) packets within the range 20.1.1.0/24 match positive against cmap1
and are buffered in queue 7, though you intended for these packets to match positive against cmap2 and be
buffered in queue 4.

Quality of Service (QoS) | 823

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

In cases such as these, where class-maps with overlapping ACL rules are applied to different queues, use
the order keyword to specify the order in which you want to apply ACL rules, as shown in Figure 39-10.
The order can range from 0 to 254. FTOS writes to the CAM ACL rules with lower order numbers (order
numbers closer to 0) before rules with higher order numbers so that packets are matched as you intended.
By default, all ACL rules have an order of 254.

Set DSCP values for egress packets based on flow
Set DSCP values for egress packets based on flow is supported only on platform e
Match-any Layer 3 flows may have several match criteria. All flows that match at least one of the match
criteria are mapped to the same queue since they are in the same class map. Setting a DSCP value from
QOS-POLICY-IN mode (see Set a DSCP value for egress packets on page 826) assigns the same DSCP
value to all of the matching flows in the class-map. The Flow-based DSCP Marking feature allows you to
assign different DSCP to each match criteria CLASS-MAP mode using the option set-ip-dscp with the
match command so that matching flows within a class map can have different DSCP values, as shown in
Figure 39-11. The values you set from CLASS-MAP mode override the value you QoS input policy DSCP
value, and packets matching the rule are marked with the specified value.
Figure 39-11.
FTOS#show
!
class-map
match ip
match ip
match ip

Marking Flows in the Same Queue with Different DSCP Values

run class-map
match-any example-flowbased-dscp
access-group test set-ip-dscp 2
access-group test1 set-ip-dscp 4
precedence 7 set-ip-dscp 1

FTOS#show run qos-policy-input
!
qos-policy-input flowbased
set ip-dscp 3
FTOS# show cam layer3 linecard 2 port-set 0
Cam
Port Dscp Proto Tcp
Src
Dst
SrcIp
DstIp
DSCP
Queue
Index
Flag Port Port
Marking
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16260 1
0
TCP
0x0
0
0
1.1.1.0/24
0.0.0.0/0
2
0
16261 1
0
UDP
0x0
0
0
2.2.2.2/32
0.0.0.0/0
4
0
16262 1
56
0
0x0
0
0
0.0.0.0/0
0.0.0.0/0
1
0
24451 1
0
0
0x0
0
0
0.0.0.0/0
0.0.0.0/0
0

Display configured class maps and match criteria
Display all class-maps or a specific class map using the command show qos class-map from EXEC Privilege
mode.

824

|

Quality of Service (QoS)

FTOS Behavior: An explicit “deny any" rule in a Layer 3 ACL used in a (match any or match all) class-map creates
a "default to Queue 0" entry in the CAM, which causes unintended traffic classification. Below, traffic is classified in
two Queues, 1 and 2. Class-map ClassAF1 is “match any,” and ClassAF2 is “match all”.
FTOS#show running-config policy-map-input
!
policy-map-input PolicyMapIn
service-queue 1 class-map ClassAF1 qos-policy QosPolicyIn-1
service-queue 2 class-map ClassAF2 qos-policy QosPolicyIn-2
FTOS#show running-config class-map
!
class-map match-any ClassAF1
match ip access-group AF1-FB1 set-ip-dscp 10
match ip access-group AF1-FB2 set-ip-dscp 12
match ip dscp 10 set-ip-dscp 14
!
class-map match-all ClassAF2
match ip access-group AF2
match ip dscp 18
FTOS#show running-config ACL
!
ip access-list extended AF1-FB1
seq 5 permit ip host 23.64.0.2 any
seq 10 deny ip any any
!
ip access-list extended AF1-FB2
seq 5 permit ip host 23.64.0.3 any
seq 10 deny ip any any
!
ip access-list extended AF2
seq 5 permit ip host 23.64.0.5 any
seq 10 deny ip any any
FTOS#show cam layer3-qos interface gigabitethernet 4/49
Cam
Port Dscp Proto Tcp
Src
Dst
SrcIp
DstIp
DSCP
Queue
Index
Flag Port Port
Marking
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------20416 1
18
IP
0x0
0
0
23.64.0.5/32
0.0.0.0/0
20
2
20417 1
18
IP
0x0
0
0
0.0.0.0/0
0.0.0.0/0
0
20418 1
0
IP
0x0
0
0
23.64.0.2/32
0.0.0.0/0
10
1
20419 1
0
IP
0x0
0
0
0.0.0.0/0
0.0.0.0/0
0
20420 1
0
IP
0x0
0
0
23.64.0.3/32
0.0.0.0/0
12
1
20421 1
0
IP
0x0
0
0
0.0.0.0/0
0.0.0.0/0
0
20422 1
10
0
0x0
0
0
0.0.0.0/0
0.0.0.0/0
14
1
24511 1
0
0
0x0
0
0
0.0.0.0/0
0.0.0.0/0
0

Above, the ClassAF1 does not classify traffic as intended. Traffic matching the first match criteria is classified to Queue 1, but
all other traffic is classified to Queue 0 as a result of CAM entry 20419.
When the explicit “deny any” rule is removed from all three ACLs, the CAM reflects exactly the desired classification.
FTOS#show cam layer3-qos interface gigabitethernet 4/49
Cam
Port Dscp Proto Tcp
Src
Dst
SrcIp
DstIp
DSCP
Queue
Index
Flag Port Port
Marking
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------20416 1
18
IP
0x0
0
0
23.64.0.5/32
0.0.0.0/0
20
2
20417 1
0
IP
0x0
0
0
23.64.0.2/32
0.0.0.0/0
10
1
20418 1
0
IP
0x0
0
0
23.64.0.3/32
0.0.0.0/0
12
1
20419 1
10
0
0x0
0
0
0.0.0.0/0
0.0.0.0/0
14
1
24511 1
0
0
0x0
0
0
0.0.0.0/0
0.0.0.0/0
0

Quality of Service (QoS) | 825

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Create a QoS Policy
There are two types of QoS policies: input and output.
Input QoS policies regulate Layer 3 and Layer 2 ingress traffic. The regulation mechanisms for input QoS
policies are rate policing and setting priority values. There are two types of input QoS policies: Layer 3 and
Layer 2.
•
•

Layer 3 QoS input policies allow you to rate police and set a DSCP or dot1p value.
Layer 2 QoS input policies allow you to rate police and set a dot1p value.

Output QoS policies regulate Layer 3 egress traffic. The regulation mechanisms for output QoS policies
are rate limiting, rate shaping, and WRED.
Note: When changing a "service-queue" configuration in a QoS policy map, all QoS rules are deleted and
re-added automatically to ensure that the order of the rules is maintained. As a result, the Matched
Packets value shown in the "show qos statistics" command is reset.

Note: To avoid issues caused by misconfiguration, Dell Force10 recommends configuring either DCBX or
Egress QoS features, but not both simultaneously. If both DCBX and Egress QoS are enabled at the
same time, the DCBX configuration will be applied and unexpected behavior will occur on the Egress
QoS.

Create an input QoS policy
To create an input QoS policy:
1. Create a Layer 3 input QoS policy using the command qos-policy-input from CONFIGURATION mode.
Create a Layer 2 input QoS policy by specifying the keyword layer2 after the command qos-policy-input.
2. Once you create an input QoS policy, do one or more of the following:
•
•
•

Configure policy-based rate policing
Set a DSCP value for egress packets
Set a dot1p value for egress packets

Configure policy-based rate policing
Rate police ingress traffic using the command rate-police from QOS-POLICY-IN mode.

Set a DSCP value for egress packets
Set a DSCP value for egress packets is supported only on platform e

826

|

Quality of Service (QoS)

Set a DSCP value for egress packets based on ingress QoS classification, as shown in Figure 39-2. The 6
bits that are used for DSCP are also used to identify the queue in which traffic is buffered. When you set a
DSCP value, FTOS displays an informational message advising you of the queue to which you should
apply the QoS policy (using the command service-queue from POLICY-MAP-IN mode). If you apply the
QoS policy to a queue other than the one specified in the informational message, FTOS replaces the first 3
bits in the DSCP field with the queue ID you specified.
Figure 39-12.

Marking DSCP Values for Egress Packets

FTOS#config
FTOS(conf)#qos-policy-input my-input-qos-policy
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-in)#set ip-dscp 34
% Info: To set the specified DSCP value 34 (100-010 b) the QoS policy must be mapped to queue
4 (100 b).
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-in)#show config
!
qos-policy-input my-input-qos-policy
set ip-dscp 34
FTOS(conf-qos-policy-in)#end
FTOS#

Set a dot1p value for egress packets
Set a dot1p value for egress packets using the command set mac-dot1p from QOS-POLICY-IN mode.

Create an output QoS policy
To create an output QoS policy:
1. Create an output QoS policy using the command qos-policy-output from CONFIGURATION mode.
2. Once you configure an output QoS policy, do one or more of the following
•
•
•
•

Configure policy-based rate limiting
Configure policy-based rate shaping
Allocate bandwidth to queue
Specify WRED drop precedence

Configure policy-based rate limiting
Configure policy-based rate limiting is supported only on platform e
Policy-based rate limiting is configured the same way as port-based rate limiting except that the command
from QOS-POLICY-OUT mode is rate-limit rather than rate limit as it is in INTERFACE mode.

Configure policy-based rate shaping
Rate shape egress traffic using the command rate-shape from QOS-POLICY-OUT mode.

Quality of Service (QoS) | 827

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Allocate bandwidth to queue
The E-Series schedules unicast, multicast, and replication traffic for egress based on the Weighted Fair
Queuing algorithm. The C-Series and S-Series schedule packets for egress based on Deficit Round Robin
(DRR). These strategies both offer a guaranteed data rate.
To allocate bandwidth to queues on the C-Series and S-Series, assign each queue a weight ranging from 1
to 1024, in increments of 2n, using the command bandwidth-weight. Table 39-3 shows the default
bandwidth weights for each queue, and their equivalent percentage which is derived by dividing the
bandwidth weight by the sum of all queue weights.
Note: Dell Force10 recommends assigning bandwidth to all queues. If queues are left un-allocated, the
remaining bandwidth is shared equally among the un-allocated queues. If the sum of the allocated
bandwidth percentage exceeds 100% 1% from the allocated queues will be assigned to each un-allocated
queues.
Table 39-3.

Queue

Default Bandwidth Weights for C-Series and S-Series

Default Weight

Equivalent
Percentage

0

1

6.67%

1

2

13.33%

2

4

26.67%

3

8

53.33%

The key difference between allocating bandwidth by weight on the C-Series and S-Series and allocating
bandwidth by percentage on the E-Series because you are required to choose a bandwidth weight in
increments of 2n you may not be able to achieve exactly a target bandwidth allocation.
A key similarity between allocating bandwidth by percentage and allocating by weight is that assigning a
weight or percentage to one queue affects the amount of bandwidth that is allocated to other queues.
Therefore, whenever you are allocating bandwidth to one queue, Dell Force10 recommends that you
evaluate your bandwidth requirements for all other queues as well.
Table 39-4 shows an example of choosing bandwidth weights for all four queues to achieve a target
bandwidth allocation.
Table 39-4.

Queue

828

|

Assigning Bandwidth Weights for the C-Series and S-Series
Equivalent
Percentage

Weight

Target
Allocation

0

1

0.44%

1%

1

64

28.44%

25%

2

128

56.89%

60%

3

32

14.22%

14%

Quality of Service (QoS)

Specify WRED drop precedence
Specify WRED drop precedence is supported only on platform e
Specify a WRED profile to yellow and/or green traffic using the command wred from QOS-POLICY-OUT
mode. See Apply a WRED profile to traffic.

Create Policy Maps
There are two types of policy maps: input and output.

Create Input Policy Maps
There are two types of input policy-maps: Layer 3 and Layer 2.
1. Create a Layer 3 input policy map using the command policy-map-input from CONFIGURATION mode.
Create a Layer 2 input policy map by specifying the keyword layer2 with the policy-map-input command.
2. Once you create an input policy map, do one or more of the following:
•
•
•
•

Apply a class-map or input QoS policy to a queue
Apply an input QoS policy to an input policy map
Honor DSCP values on ingress packets
Honoring dot1p values on ingress packets

3. Apply the input policy map to an interface.
FTOS Behavior: On ExaScale, FTOS cannot classify protocol traffic on a Layer 2 interface using Layer 3 policy
map. The packets always take the default queue, Queue 0, and cannot be rate-policed.

Apply a class-map or input QoS policy to a queue
Assign an input QoS policy to a queue using the command service-queue from POLICY-MAP-IN mode.

Apply an input QoS policy to an input policy map
Apply an input QoS policy to an input policy map using the command policy-aggregate from
POLICY-MAP-IN mode.

Honor DSCP values on ingress packets
FTOS provides the ability to honor DSCP values on ingress packets using Trust DSCP feature. Enable this
feature using the command trust diffserv from POLICY-MAP-IN mode. Table 39-5 lists the standard DSCP
definitions, and indicates to which queues FTOS maps DSCP values. When Trust DSCP is configured the
matched packets and matched bytes counters are not incremented in show qos statistics.

Quality of Service (QoS) | 829

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 39-5.

Default DSCP to Queue Mapping

DSCP/CP
hex
range
(XXX)xxx DSCP Definition

E-Series
Internal
Queue ID

Traditional IP
Precedence

C-Series
Internal
Queue ID

S-Series
Internal
Queue ID

111XXX

Network Control

7

3

3

110XXX

Internetwork Control

6

3

3

101XXX

EF (Expedited
Forwarding)

CRITIC/ECP

5

2

2

100XXX

AF4 (Assured
Forwarding)

Flash Override

4

2

2

011XXX

AF3

Flash

3

1

1

010XXX

AF2

Immediate

2

1

1

001XXX

AF1

Priority

1

0

0

000XXX

BE (Best Effort)

Best Effort

0

0

0

DSCP/CP
decimal
48–63

32–47

16–31
0–15

Honoring dot1p values on ingress packets
FTOS provides the ability to honor dot1p values on ingress packets with the Trust dot1p feature. Enable
Trust dot1p using the command trust dot1p from POLICY-MAP-IN mode. Table 39-6 specifies the queue to
which the classified traffic is sent based on the dot1p value.
Table 39-6.

Default dot1p to Queue Mapping

dot1p

E-Series
Queue ID

C-Series
Queue ID

S-Series
Queue ID

0

2

1

1

1

0

0

0

2

1

0

0

3

3

1

1

4

4

2

2

5

5

2

2

6

6

3

3

7

7

3

3

The dot1p value is also honored for frames on the default VLAN; see Priority-tagged Frames on the
Default VLAN.

Fall Back to trust diffserve or dot1p
Fall Back to trust diffserve or dot1p is available only on platforms: e

830

|

Quality of Service (QoS)

When using QoS service policies with multiple class maps, you can configure FTOS to use the incoming
DSCP or dot1p marking as a secondary option for packet queuing in the event that no match occurs in the
class maps.
When class-maps are used, traffic is matched against each class-map sequentially from first to last. The
sequence is based on the priority of the rules, as follows:
1. rules with lowest priority, or in the absence of a priority configuration,
2. rules of the next numerically higher queue
By default, if no match occurs, the packet is queued to the default queue, Queue 0.
In the following configuration, packets are classified to queues using the three class maps:
!
policy-map-input input-policy
service-queue 1 class-map qos-BE1
service-queue 3 class-map qos-AF3
service-queue 4 class-map qos-AF4
!
class-map match-any qos-AF3
match ip dscp 24
match ip access-group qos-AF3-ACL
!
class-map match-any qos-AF4
match ip dscp 32
match ip access-group qos-AF4-ACL
!
class-map match-all qos-BE1
match ip dscp 0
match ip access-group qos-BE1-ACL

The packet classification logic for the above configuration is as follows:
1. Match packets against match-any qos-AF4. If a match exists, queue the packet as AF4 in Queue 4, and
if no match exists, go to the next class map.
2. Match packets against match-any qos-AF3. If a match exists, queue the packet as AF3 in Queue 3, and
if no match exists, go to the next class map.
3. Match packets against match-all qos-BE1. If a match exists, queue the packet as BE1, and if no match
exists, queue the packets to the default queue, Queue 0.
You can optionally classify packets using their DSCP marking, instead of placing packets in Queue 0, if no
match occurs. In the above example, if no match occurs against match-all qos-BE1, the classification logic
continues:
4. Queue the packet according to the DSCP marking. The DSCP to Queue mapping will be as per the
Table 39-5.
The behavior is similar for trust dot1p fallback in a Layer2 input policy map; the dot1p-to-queue mapping is
according to Table 39-6.

Quality of Service (QoS) | 831

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To enable Fall Back to trust diffserve or dot1p:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Classify packets according to their DSCP value as a secondary
option in case no match occurs against the configured class
maps.

trust {diffserve | dot1p} fallback

POLICY-MAP-IN

Mapping dot1p values to service queues
Mapping dot1p values to service queues is available only on platforms: c s
On the C-Series and S-Series all traffic is by default mapped to the same queue, Queue 0. If you honor
dot1p on ingress, then you can create service classes based the queueing strategy in Table 39-6 using the
command service-class dynamic dot1p from INTERFACE mode. You may apply this queuing strategy
globally by entering this command from CONFIGURATION mode.
•
•

All dot1p traffic is mapped to Queue 0 unless service-class dynamic dot1p is enabled on an interface or
globally.
Layer 2 or Layer 3 service policies supersede dot1p service classes.

Guaranteeing bandwidth to dot1p-based service queues
Guarantee a minimum bandwidth to queues globally from CONFIGURATION mode with the command
service-class bandwidth-weight. The command is applied in the same way as the bandwidth-weight command
in an output QoS policy (see Allocate bandwidth to queue on page 828). The bandwidth-weight command in
QOS-POLICY-OUT mode supersedes the service-class bandwidth-weight command.

Apply an input policy map to an interface
Apply an input policy map to an interface using the command service-policy input from INTERFACE mode.
Specify the keyword layer2 if the policy map you are applying a Layer 2 policy map; in this case, the
INTERFACE must be in switchport mode. You can apply the same policy map to multiple interfaces, and
you can modify a policy map after you apply it.
•
•
•

You cannot apply a class-map and QoS policies to the same interface.
You cannot apply an input Layer 2 QoS policy on an interface you also configure with vlan-stack
access.
If you apply a service policy that contains an ACL to more than one interface, FTOS uses ACL
optimization to conserves CAM space. The ACL Optimization behavior detects when an ACL already
exists in the CAM and rather than writing it to the CAM multiple times.

Create Output Policy Maps
Create Output Policy Maps is supported only on platform e
1. Create an output policy map using the command policy-map-output from CONFIGURATION mode.

832

|

Quality of Service (QoS)

2. Once you create an output policy map, do one or more of the following:
•
•
•

Apply an output QoS policy to a queue
Specify an aggregate QoS policy
Apply an output policy map to an interface

3. Apply the policy map to an interface. See page 61.

Apply an output QoS policy to a queue
Apply an output QoS policy to queues using the command service-queue from INTERFACE mode.

Specify an aggregate QoS policy
Specify an aggregate QoS policy using the command policy-aggregate from POLICY-MAP-OUT mode.

Apply an output policy map to an interface
Apply an input policy map to an interface using the command service-policy output from INTERFACE
mode. You can apply the same policy map to multiple interfaces, and you can modify a policy map after
you apply it.

QoS Rate Adjustment
The Ethernet packet format consists of:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Preamble: 7 bytes Preamble
Start Frame Delimiter (SFD): 1 byte
Destination MAC Address: 6 bytes
Source MAC Address: 6 bytes
Ethernet Type/Length: 2 bytes
Payload: (variable)
Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC): 4 bytes
Inter-frame Gap (IFG): (variable)

By default, while rate limiting, policing, and shaping, FTOS does not include the Preamble, SFD, or the
IFG fields. These fields are overhead; only the fields from MAC Destination Address to the CRC are used
for forwarding and are included in these rate metering calculations. You can optionally include overhead
fields in rate metering calculations by enabling QoS Rate Adjustment.

Quality of Service (QoS) | 833

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

QoS Rate Adjustment is disabled by default, and no qos-rate-adjust is listed in the running-configuration.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Include a specified number of bytes of packet overhead
to include in rate limiting, policing, and shaping
calculations. For example, to include the Preamble and
SFD, enter qos-rate-adjust 8. For variable length
overhead fields you must know the number of bytes you
want to include.

qos-rate-adjust overhead-bytes

CONFIGURATION

Default: Disabled
C-Series and S-Series Range: 1-31
E-Series Range: 1-144

Strict-priority Queueing
You can assign strict-priority to one unicast queue, 1-7, using the command strict-priority from
CONFIGURATION mode. Strict-priority means that FTOS dequeues all packets from the assigned queue
before servicing any other queues.
•
•
•

The strict-priority supersedes bandwidth-percentage an bandwidth-weight percentage configurations.
A queue with strict-priority can starve other queues in the same port-pipe.
On the E-Series, this configuration is applied to the queue on both ingress and egress.

Weighted Random Early Detection
Weighted Random Early Detection is supported only on platform e
Weighted Random Early Detection (WRED) congestion avoidance mechanism that drops packets to
prevent buffering resources from being consumed.
Traffic is a mixture of various kinds of packets. The rate at which some types of packets arrive might be
greater than others. In this case, the space on the BTM (ingress or egress) can be consumed by only one or
a few types of traffic, leaving no space for other types. A WRED profile can be applied to a policy-map so
that specified traffic can be prevented from consuming too much of the BTM resources.
WRED uses a profile to specify minimum and maximum threshold values. The minimum threshold is the
allotted buffer space for specified traffic, for example 1000KB on egress. If the 1000KB is consumed,
packets will be dropped randomly at an exponential rate until the maximum threshold is reached
(Figure 39-13); this is the “early detection” part of WRED. If the maximum threshold—2000KB, for
example—is reached, then all incoming packets are dropped until less than 2000KB of buffer space is
consumed by the specified traffic.

834

|

Quality of Service (QoS)

Figure 39-13.

Packet Drop Rate for WREDl

No Packets Buffered

Early Warning

Allotted Space

Packet Drop Rate

All Pckts

0 Pckts
0KB

Min

Total Buffer Space

Max
Buffer Space

fnC0045mp

You can create a custom WRED profile or use on of the five pre-defined profiles.
Table 39-7.

Pre-defined WRED Profiles (E-Series)

Default Profile
Name

Minimum
Threshold

Maximum
Threshold

wred_drop

0

0

wred_ge_y

1024

2048

wred_ge_g

2048

4096

wred_teng_y

4096

8192

wred_teng_g

8192

16384

Table 39-8.

Pre-defined WRED Profiles (S4810)

Default Profile Minimum
Name
Threshold

Maximum
Threshold

Maximum
Drop Rate

wred_drop

0

0

100

wred_teng_y

467

4671

100

wred_teng_g

467

4671

50

wred_fortyg_y

467

4671

50

wred_fortyg_g

467

4671

25

Create WRED Profiles
To create a WRED profile:
1. Create a WRED profile using the command wred from CONFIGURATION mode.

Quality of Service (QoS) | 835

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

2. The command wred places you in WRED mode. From this mode, specify minimum and maximum
threshold values using the command threshold.

Apply a WRED profile to traffic
Once you create a WRED profile you must specify to which traffic FTOS should apply the profile.
FTOS assigns a color (also called drop precedence)—red, yellow, or green—to each packet based on it
DSCP value before queuing it. DSCP is a 6 bit field. Dell Force10 uses the first three bits of this field (DP)
to determine the drop precedence. DP values of 110 and 100 map to yellow, and all other values map to
green. If you do not configure FTOS to honor DSCP values on ingress (Honor DSCP values on ingress
packets on page 829) see all traffic defaults to green drop precedence.
Assign a WRED profile to either yellow or green traffic from QOS-POLICY-OUT mode using the
command wred.

Display Default and Configured WRED Profiles
Display default and configured WRED profiles and their threshold values using the command show qos
from EXEC mode, as shown in Figure 39-14.

wred-profile

Figure 39-14.

Displaying WRED Profiles (E-Series)

FTOS#show qos wred-profile
Wred-profile-name
wred_drop
wred_ge_y
wred_ge_g
wred_teng_y
wred_teng_g

Figure 39-15.

min-threshold
0
1000
2000
4000
8000

max-threshold
0
2000
4000
8000
16000

Displaying WRED Profiles (S4810)

FTOS#show qos wred-profile
Wred-profile-name

min-threshold

max-threshold

max-drop-rate

wred_drop

0

0

100

wred_teng_y

467

4671

100

wred_teng_g

467

4671

50

wred_fortyg_y

467

4671

50

wred_fortyg_g

467

4671

25

0
FTOS#

836

|

Quality of Service (QoS)

Display WRED Drop Statistics
Display the number of packets FTOS dropped by WRED Profile using the command show qos statistics
from EXEC Privilege mode.
Figure 39-16.

show qos statistics Command Example (E-Series)

FTOS#show qos statistics wred-profile
Interface Gi 5/11
Queue# Drop-statistic WRED-name
0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Green
Yellow
Out of
Green
Yellow
Out of
Green
Yellow
Out of
Green
Yellow
Out of
Green
Yellow
Out of
Green
Yellow
Out of
Green
Yellow
Out of
Green
Yellow
Out of

Min

Max

Dropped Pkts

WRED1
WRED2

10
20

100
100

WRED1
WRED2

10
20

100
100

WRED1
WRED2

10
20

100
100

WRED1
WRED2

10
20

100
100

WRED1
WRED2

10
20

100
100

WRED1
WRED2

10
20

100
100

WRED1
WRED2

10
20

100
100

WRED1
WRED2

10
20

100
100

51623
51300
0
52082
51004
0
50567
49965
0
50477
49815
0
50695
49476
0
50245
49535
0
50033
49595
0
50474
49522
0

Profile

Profile

Profile

Profile

Profile

Profile

Profile

Profile

FTOS#

FTOS Behavior: The C-Series fetches the per-queue packet count via class-maps. The count is the number of
packets matching the ACL entries in class-map. Every time the class-map or policy-map is modified, the ACL
entries are re-written to the Forwarding Processor, and the queue statistics are cleared. This behavior is different
from the E-Series. The E-Series fetches the packet count directly from counters at each queue, which allows
queue statistics to persist until explicitly cleared via the CLI.
Figure 39-17.

show qos statistics Command Example (S4810)

FTOS#show qos statistics wred-profile
Interface Te 0/0
Drop-statistic

WRED-name

Dropped Pkts

Green

WRED1

51623

Yellow

WRED2

51300

Out of Profile

0

FTOS#

Quality of Service (QoS) | 837

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Pre-calculating Available QoS CAM Space
Pre-calculating Available QoS CAM Space is supported on platforms: c e s
Before version 7.3.1 there was no way to measure the number of CAM entries a policy-map would
consume (the number of CAM entries that a rule uses is not predictable; 1 to 16 entries might be used per
rule depending upon its complexity). Therefore, it was possible to apply to an interface a policy-map that
requires more entries than are available. In this case, the system writes as many entries as possible, and
then generates an CAM-full error message (Message 1). The partial policy-map configuration might cause
unintentional system behavior.
Message 1 QoS CAM Region Exceeded
%EX2YD:12 %DIFFSERV-2-DSA_QOS_CAM_INSTALL_FAILED: Not enough space in L3
Cam(PolicyQos) for class 2 (Gi 12/20) entries on portpipe 1 for linecard 12
%EX2YD:12 %DIFFSERV-2DSA_QOS_CAM_INSTALL_FAILED: Not enough space in L3 Cam(PolicyQos) for class 5 (Gi 12/
22) entries on portpipe 1 for linecard 12

The command test cam-usage enables you to verify that there are enough available CAM entries before
applying a policy-map to an interface so that you avoid exceeding the QoS CAM space and partial
configurations. This command measures the size of the specified policy-map and compares it to the
available CAM space in a partition for a specified port-pipe.
Test the policy-map size against the CAM space for a specific port-pipe or all port-pipes using these
commands:
•
•

test cam-usage service-policy input policy-map {linecard | stack-unit } number port-set number
test cam-usage service-policy input policy-map {linecard | stack-unit } all

The output of this command, shown in Figure 39-18, displays:
•
•
•

the estimated number of CAM entries the policy-map will consume
whether or not the policy-map can be applied
the number of interfaces in a port-pipe to which the policy-map can be applied

Specifically:
•
•
•

838

|

Available CAM is the available number of CAM entries in the specified CAM partition for the
specified line card or stack-unit port-pipe.
Estimated CAM is the estimated number of CAM entries that the policy will consume when it is
applied to an interface.
Status indicates whether or not the specified policy-map can be completely applied to an interface in
the port-pipe.
• Allowed indicates that the policy-map can be applied because the estimated number of CAM
entries is less or equal to the available number of CAM entries. The number of interfaces in the
port-pipe to which the policy-map can be applied is given in parenthesis.

Quality of Service (QoS)

•

Exception indicates that the number of CAM entries required to write the policy-map to the CAM
is greater than the number of available CAM entries, and therefore the policy-map cannot be
applied to an interface in the specified port-pipe.

Note: The command show cam-usage provides much of the same information as test cam-usage, but
whether or not a policy-map can be successfully applied to an interface cannot be determined without first
measuring how many CAM entries the policy-map would consume; the command test cam-usage is useful
because it provides this measurement.
Figure 39-18.

test cam-usage Command Example

FTOS# test cam-usage service-policy input pmap_l2 linecard 0 port-set 0
Linecard | Port-pipe | CAM Partition | Available CAM | Estimated CAM | Status
===============================================================================
0
0
L2ACL
500
200
Allowed(2)

Quality of Service (QoS) | 839

840

|

Quality of Service (QoS)

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

40
Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is supported only on platforms:

e cs z

Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is based on a distance-vector algorithm, it tracks distances or hop
counts to nearby routers when establishing network connections.
•
•
•
•

Protocol Overview on page 841
Implementation Information on page 842
Configuration Information on page 842
RIP Configuration Example on page 850

RIP protocol standards are listed in the Chapter 57, Standards Compliance chapter.

Protocol Overview
RIP is the oldest interior gateway protocol. There are two versions of RIP: RIP version 1 (RIPv1) and RIP
version 2 (RIPv2). These versions are documented in RFCs 1058 and 2453.

RIPv1
RIPv1 learns where nodes in a network are located by automatically constructing a routing data table. The
routing table is established after RIP sends out one or more broadcast signals to all adjacent nodes in a
network. Hop counts of these signals are tracked and entered into the routing table, which defines where
nodes in the network are located.
The information that is used to update the routing table is sent as either a request or response message. In
RIPv1, automatic updates to the routing table are performed as either one-time requests or periodic
responses (every 30 seconds). RIP transports its responses or requests by means of UDP over port 520.
RIP must receive regular routing updates to maintain a correct routing table. Response messages
containing a router’s full routing table are transmitted every 30 seconds. If a router does not send an update
within a certain amount of time, the hop count to that route is changed to unreachable (a route hop metric
of 16 hops). Another timer sets the amount of time before the unreachable routes are removed from the
routing table.
This first RIP version does not support VLSM or CIDR and is not widely used.

Routing Information Protocol (RIP) | 841

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

RIPv2
RIPv2 adds support for subnet fields in the RIP routing updates, thus qualifying it as a classless routing
protocol. The RIPv2 message format includes entries for route tags, subnet masks, and next hop addresses.
Another enhancement included in RIPv2 is multicasting for route updates on IP multicast address
224.0.0.9.

Implementation Information
FTOS supports both versions of RIP and allows you to configure one version globally and the other
version or both versions on the interfaces. The C-Series and E-Series both support 1,000 RIP routes.
Table 40-1 displays the defaults for RIP in FTOS.
Table 40-1.

RIP Defaults in FTOS

Feature

Default

Interfaces running RIP

Listen to RIPv1 and RIPv2
Transmit RIPv1

RIP timers

update timer = 30 seconds
invalid timer = 180 seconds
holddown timer = 180 seconds
flush timer = 240 seconds

Auto summarization

Enabled

ECMP paths supported

16

Configuration Information
By default, RIP is disabled in FTOS. To configure RIP, you must use commands in two modes: ROUTER
RIP and INTERFACE. Commands executed in the ROUTER RIP mode configure RIP globally, while
commands executed in the INTERFACE mode configure RIP features on that interface only.
RIP is best suited for small, homogeneous networks. All devices within the RIP network must be
configured to support RIP if they are to participate in the RIP.

Configuration Task List for RIP
•
•
•
•
•

842

|

Enable RIP globally on page 843 (mandatory)
Configure RIP on interfaces on page 844 (optional)
Control RIP routing updates on page 844 (optional)
Set send and receive version on page 846 (optional)
Generate a default route on page 848 (optional)

Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

•
•
•
•

Control route metrics on page 849 (optional)
Summarize routes on page 848 (optional)
Control route metrics on page 849
Debug RIP on page 849

For a complete listing of all commands related to RIP, refer to the FTOS Command Reference.

Enable RIP globally
By default, RIP is not enabled in FTOS. To enable RIP, use the following commands in sequence, starting
in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

2

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

router rip

CONFIGURATION

Enter ROUTER RIP mode and enable the RIP process
on FTOS.

network ip-address

ROUTER RIP

Assign an IP network address as a RIP network to
exchange routing information.
You can use this command multiple times to exchange
RIP information with as many RIP networks as you
want.

After designating networks with which the system is to exchange RIP information, ensure that all devices
on that network are configured to exchange RIP information.
The FTOS default is to send RIPv1, and to receive RIPv1 and RIPv2. To change the RIP version globally,
use the version command in the ROUTER RIP mode.
When RIP is enabled, you can view the global RIP configuration by using the show running-config
command in the EXEC mode or the show config command shown in the following example in the
ROUTER RIP mode.
Figure 40-1.

show config Command Example in ROUTER RIP mode

FTOS(conf-router_rip)#show config
!
router rip
network 10.0.0.0
FTOS(conf-router_rip)#

When the RIP process has learned the RIP routes, use the show ip rip database command in the EXEC
mode to view those routes as shown in the following example.

Routing Information Protocol (RIP) | 843

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 40-2.

show ip rip database Command Example (Partial)

FTOS#show ip rip database
Total number of routes in RIP database: 978
160.160.0.0/16
[120/1] via 29.10.10.12, 00:00:26, Fa
160.160.0.0/16
auto-summary
2.0.0.0/8
[120/1] via 29.10.10.12, 00:01:22, Fa
2.0.0.0/8
auto-summary
4.0.0.0/8
[120/1] via 29.10.10.12, 00:01:22, Fa
4.0.0.0/8
auto-summary
8.0.0.0/8
[120/1] via 29.10.10.12, 00:00:26, Fa
8.0.0.0/8
auto-summary
12.0.0.0/8
[120/1] via 29.10.10.12, 00:00:26, Fa
12.0.0.0/8
auto-summary
20.0.0.0/8
[120/1] via 29.10.10.12, 00:00:26, Fa
20.0.0.0/8
auto-summary
29.10.10.0/24
directly connected,Fa
29.0.0.0/8
auto-summary
31.0.0.0/8
[120/1] via 29.10.10.12, 00:00:26, Fa
31.0.0.0/8
auto-summary
192.162.2.0/24
[120/1] via 29.10.10.12, 00:01:21, Fa
192.162.2.0/24
auto-summary
192.161.1.0/24
[120/1] via 29.10.10.12, 00:00:27, Fa
192.161.1.0/24
auto-summary
192.162.3.0/24
[120/1] via 29.10.10.12, 00:01:22, Fa
192.162.3.0/24
auto-summary

0/0

0/0

0/0

0/0

0/0

0/0
0/0

0/0

0/0

0/0

0/0

To disable RIP globally, use the no router rip command in the CONFIGURATION mode.

Configure RIP on interfaces
When you enable RIP globally on the system, interfaces meeting certain conditions start receiving RIP
routes. By default, interfaces that are enabled and configured with an IP address in the same subnet as the
RIP network address receive RIPv1 and RIPv2 routes and send RIPv1 routes.
Assign IP addresses to interfaces that are part of the same subnet as the RIP network identified in the
network command syntax.

Control RIP routing updates
By default, RIP broadcasts routing information out all enabled interfaces, but you can configure RIP to
send or to block RIP routing information, either from a specific IP address or a specific interface. To
control which devices or interfaces receive routing updates, you must configure a direct update to one
router and configure interfaces to block RIP updates from other sources.

844

|

Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

To control the source of RIP route information, use the following commands, in the ROUTER RIP mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

neighbor ip-address

ROUTER RIP

Define a specific router to exchange RIP information
between it and the Dell Force10 system.
You can use this command multiple times to exchange
RIP information with as many RIP networks as you
want.

passive-interface interface

ROUTER RIP

Disable a specific interface from sending or receiving
RIP routing information.

Another method of controlling RIP (or any routing protocol) routing information is to filter the information
through a prefix list. A prefix lists is applied to incoming or outgoing routes. Those routes must meet the
conditions of the prefix list; if not, FTOS drops the route. Prefix lists are globally applied on all interfaces
running RIP. Configure the prefix list in the PREFIX LIST mode prior to assigning it to the RIP process.
For configuration information on prefix lists, see Chapter 17, IP Access Control Lists, Prefix Lists, and
Route-maps.
To apply prefix lists to incoming or outgoing RIP routes, use the following commands in the ROUTER
RIP mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

distribute-list prefix-list-name in

ROUTER RIP

Assign a configured prefix list to all incoming
RIP routes.

distribute-list prefix-list-name out

ROUTER RIP

Assign a configured prefix list to all outgoing
RIP routes.

In addition to filtering routes, you can add routes from other routing instances or protocols to the RIP
process. With the redistribute command syntax, you can include OSPF, static, or directly connected routes
in the RIP process.
To add routes from other routing instances or protocols, use any of the following commands in the
ROUTER RIP mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

redistribute {connected | static} [metric
metric-value] [route-map map-name]

ROUTER RIP

Include directly connected or
user-configured (static) routes in RIP.
• metric range: 0 to 16
• map-name: name of a configured route
map.

redistribute isis [level-1 | level-1-2 | level-2] [metric
metric-value] [route-map map-name]

ROUTER RIP

Include IS-IS routes in RIP.
• metric range: 0 to 16
• map-name: name of a configured route
map.

Routing Information Protocol (RIP) | 845

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

redistribute ospf process-id [match external {1 | 2} |
match internal] [metric value] [route-map
map-name]

ROUTER RIP

Include specific OSPF routes in RIP.
Configure the following parameters:
• process-id range: 1 to 65535
• metric range: 0 to 16
• map-name: name of a configured route
map.

To view the current RIP configuration, use the show running-config command in the EXEC mode or the
show config command in the ROUTER RIP mode.

Set send and receive version
To specify the RIP version, use the version command in the ROUTER RIP mode. To set an interface to
receive only one or the other version, use the ip rip send version or the ip rip receive version commands in
the INTERFACE mode.
To change the RIP version globally in FTOS, use the following command in the ROUTER RIP mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

version {1 | 2}

ROUTER RIP

Set the RIP version sent and received on the system.

You can set one RIP version globally on the system. This command sets the RIP version for RIP traffic on
the interfaces participating in RIP unless the interface was specifically configured for a specific RIP
version.
Use the show config command in the ROUTER RIP mode to see whether the version command is
configured. You can also use the show ip protocols command in the EXEC mode to view the routing
protocols configuration.
Figure 40-3 shows an example of the RIP configuration after the ROUTER RIP mode version command is
set to RIPv2. When the ROUTER RIP mode version command is set, the interface (GigabitEthernet 0/0)
participating in the RIP process is also set to send and receive RIPv2.

846

|

Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

Figure 40-3.

show ip protocols Command Example

FTOS#show ip protocols
Routing Protocols is RIP
Sending updates every 30 seconds, next due in 23
Invalid after 180 seconds, hold down 180, flushed after 240
Output delay 8 milliseconds between packets
Automatic network summarization is in effect
Outgoing filter for all interfaces is
Incoming filter for all interfaces is
Default redistribution metric is 1
Default version control: receive version 2, send version 2
Interface
Recv Send
GigabitEthernet 0/0
2
2
Routing for Networks:
10.0.0.0
Routing Information Sources:
Gateway
Distance

RIPv2 configured
globally and on the
interface.

Last Update

Distance: (default is 120)
FTOS#

To configure the interfaces to send or receive different RIP versions from the RIP version configured
globally, use either of the following commands in the INTERFACE mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip rip receive version [1] [2]

INTERFACE

Set the RIP version(s) received on that interface.

ip rip send version [1] [2]

INTERFACE

Set the RIP version(s) sent out on that interface.

To configure an interface to receive or send both versions of RIP, include 1 and 2 in the command syntax.
Figure 40-4 displays the command syntax for sending both RIPv1 and RIPv2 and receiving only RIPv2.
Figure 40-4.

Configuring an interface to send both versions of RIP

FTOS(conf-if)#ip rip send version 1 2
FTOS(conf-if)#ip rip receive version 2

The show ip protocols command example Figure 40-5 confirms that both versions are sent out that
interface. This interface no longer sends and receives the same RIP versions as FTOS does globally.

Routing Information Protocol (RIP) | 847

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 40-5.

show ip protocols Command Example

FTOS#show ip protocols
Routing Protocols is RIP
Sending updates every 30 seconds, next due in 11
Invalid after 180 seconds, hold down 180, flushed after 240
Output delay 8 milliseconds between packets
Automatic network summarization is in effect
Outgoing filter for all interfaces is
Incoming filter for all interfaces is
Default redistribution metric is 1
Default version control: receive version 2, send version 2
Interface
Recv Send
Different RIP versions
FastEthernet 0/0
2
1 2
Routing for Networks:
configured for this
10.0.0.0
interface
Routing Information Sources:
Gateway
Distance

RIPv2 configured
globally

Last Update

Distance: (default is 120)
FTOS#

Generate a default route
Traffic is forwarded to the default route when the traffic’s network is not explicitly listed in the routing
table. Default routes are not enabled in RIP unless specified. Use the default-information originate command
in the ROUTER RIP mode to generate a default route into RIP. In FTOS, default routes received in RIP
updates from other routes are advertised if the default-information originate command is configured.
To configure FTOS to generate a default route, use the following command in the ROUTER RIP mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

default-information originate [always] [metric value]
[route-map route-map-name]

ROUTER RIP

Specify the generation of a default route
in RIP. Configure the following
parameters:
• always: enter this keyword to always
generate a default route.
• value range: 1 to 16.
• route-map-name: name of a
configured route map.

Use the show config command in the ROUTER RIP mode to confirm that the default route configuration is
completed.

Summarize routes
Routes in the RIPv2 routing table are summarized by default, thus reducing the size of the routing table
and improving routing efficiency in large networks. By default, the autosummary command in the
ROUTER RIP mode is enabled and summarizes RIP routes up to the classful network boundary.

848

|

Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

If you must perform routing between discontiguous subnets, disable automatic summarization. With
automatic route summarization disabled, subnets are advertised.
The command autosummary requires no other configuration commands. To disable automatic route
summarization, in the ROUTER RIP mode, enter no autosummary.
Note: If the ip split-horizon command is enabled on an interface, then the system does not advertise the
summarized address.

Control route metrics
As a distance-vector protocol, RIP uses hop counts to determine the best route, but sometimes the shortest
hop count is a route over the lowest-speed link. To manipulate RIP routes so that the routing protocol
prefers a different route, you must manipulate the route by using the offset command.
Exercise caution when applying an offset command to routers on a broadcast network, as the router using
the offset command is modifying RIP advertisements before sending out those advertisements.
The distance command also allows you to manipulate route metrics. Use the command to assign different
weights to routes so that the ones with the lower weight or administrative distance assigned are preferred.
To set route metrics, use either of the following commands in the ROUTER RIP mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

distance weight [ip-address mask
[access-list-name]]

ROUTER RIP

Apply a weight to all routes or a specific route and
ACL. Configure the following parameters:
• weight range: 1 to 255 (default is 120)
• ip-address mask: the IP address in dotted
decimal format (A.B.C.D), and the mask in
slash format (/x).
• access-list-name: name of a configured IP
ACL.

offset-list access-list-name {in | out} offset
[interface]

ROUTER RIP

Apply an additional number to the incoming or
outgoing route metrics. Configure the following
parameters:
• prefix-list-name: the name of an established
Prefix list to determine which incoming routes
will be modified
• offset range: 0 to 16.
• interface: the type, slot, and number of an
interface.

Use the show config command in the ROUTER RIP mode to view configuration changes.

Debug RIP
The debug ip rip command enables RIP debugging. When debugging is enabled, you can view information
on RIP protocol changes or RIP routes.

Routing Information Protocol (RIP) | 849

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To enable RIP debugging, use the following command in the EXEC privilege mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

debug ip rip [interface | database | events | trigger]

EXEC privilege

Enable debugging of RIP.

Figure 40-6 shows the confirmation when the debug function is enabled.
Figure 40-6.

debug ip rip Command Example

FTOS#debug ip rip
RIP protocol debug is ON
FTOS#

To disable RIP, use the no debug ip rip command.

RIP Configuration Example
The example in this section shows the command sequence to configure RIPv2 on the two routers shown in
Figure 40-7 — “Core 2” and “Core 3”. The host prompts used in the example screenshots reflect those
names. The screenshots are divided into the following groups of command sequences:
•
•
•
•
•

Configuring RIPv2 on Core 2 on page 851
Core 2 Output on page 851
RIP Configuration on Core 3 on page 853
Core 3 RIP Output on page 853
RIP Configuration Summary on page 855

Figure 40-7.

RIP Topology Example
GigE 3/43 192.168.1.0 /24
GigE 3/44 192.168.2.0 /24

GigE 2/41 10.200.10.0 /24
GigE 2/42 10.300.10.0 /24

Core 2

GigE
2/31

GigE 2/11 10.11.10.1 /24
GigE 2/31 10.11.20.2 /24

850

|

Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

GigE
3/21

Core 3

GigE 3/11 10.11.30.1 /24
GigE 3/21 10.11.20.1 /24

Configuring RIPv2 on Core 2
Figure 40-8.

Configuring RIPv2 on Core 2

Core2(conf-if-gi-2/31)#
Core2(conf-if-gi-2/31)#router rip
Core2(conf-router_rip)#ver 2
Core2(conf-router_rip)#network 10.200.10.0
Core2(conf-router_rip)#network 10.300.10.0
Core2(conf-router_rip)#network 10.11.10.0
Core2(conf-router_rip)#network 10.11.20.0
Core2(conf-router_rip)#show config
!
router rip
network 10.0.0.0
version 2
Core2(conf-router_rip)#

Core 2 Output
The screenshots in this section are:
•
•
•

Figure 40-9: Using show ip rip database command to display Core 2 RIP database
Figure 40-10: Using show ip route command to display Core 2 RIP setup
Figure 40-11: Using show ip protocols command to display Core 2 RIP activity

Figure 40-9.

Example of RIP Configuration Response from Core 2

Core2(conf-router_rip)#end
00:12:24: %RPM0-P:CP %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by
Core2#show ip rip database
Total number of routes in RIP database: 7
10.11.30.0/24
[120/1] via 10.11.20.1, 00:00:03, GigabitEthernet 2/31
10.300.10.0/24
directly connected,GigabitEthernet 2/42
10.200.10.0/24
directly connected,GigabitEthernet 2/41
10.11.20.0/24
directly connected,GigabitEthernet 2/31
10.11.10.0/24
directly connected,GigabitEthernet 2/11
10.0.0.0/8
auto-summary
192.168.1.0/24
[120/1] via 10.11.20.1, 00:00:03, GigabitEthernet 2/31
192.168.1.0/24
auto-summary
192.168.2.0/24
[120/1] via 10.11.20.1, 00:00:03, GigabitEthernet 2/31
192.168.2.0/24
auto-summary

console

Core2#

Routing Information Protocol (RIP) | 851

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 40-10.

Using show ip route Command to Show RIP Configuration on Core 2

Core2#show ip route
Codes: C - connected, S - static, R - RIP,
B - BGP, IN - internal BGP, EX - external BGP,LO - Locally Originated,
O - OSPF, IA - OSPF inter area, N1 - OSPF NSSA external type 1,
N2 - OSPF NSSA external type 2, E1 - OSPF external type 1,
E2 - OSPF external type 2, i - IS-IS, L1 - IS-IS level-1,
L2 - IS-IS level-2, IA - IS-IS inter area, * - candidate default,
> - non-active route, + - summary route
Gateway of last resort is not set
Destination
Gateway
----------------C
10.11.10.0/24
Direct, Gi 2/11
C
10.11.20.0/24
Direct, Gi 2/31
R
10.11.30.0/24
via 10.11.20.1,
C
10.200.10.0/24
Direct, Gi 2/41
C
10.300.10.0/24
Direct, Gi 2/42
R
192.168.1.0/24
via 10.11.20.1,
R
192.168.2.0/24
via 10.11.20.1,
Core2#
R
192.168.1.0/24
via 10.11.20.1,
R
192.168.2.0/24
via 10.11.20.1,

Dist/Metric Last Change
----------- ----------0/0
00:02:26
0/0
00:02:02
Gi 2/31
120/1
00:01:20
0/0
00:03:03
0/0
00:02:42
Gi 2/31
120/1
00:01:20
Gi 2/31
120/1
00:01:20
Gi 2/31
Gi 2/31

120/1
120/1

00:05:22
00:05:22

Core2#

Figure 40-11.

Using show ip protocols Command to Show RIP Configuration Activity on Core 2

Core2#show ip protocols
Routing Protocol is "RIP"
Sending updates every 30 seconds, next due in 17
Invalid after 180 seconds, hold down 180, flushed after 240
Output delay 8 milliseconds between packets
Automatic network summarization is in effect
Outgoing filter for all interfaces is
Incoming filter for all interfaces is
Default redistribution metric is 1
Default version control: receive version 2, send version 2
Interface
Recv Send
GigabitEthernet 2/42
2
2
GigabitEthernet 2/41
2
2
GigabitEthernet 2/31
2
2
GigabitEthernet 2/11
2
2
Routing for Networks:
10.300.10.0
10.200.10.0
10.11.20.0
10.11.10.0
Routing Information Sources:
Gateway
Distance
10.11.20.1
120
Distance: (default is 120)
Core2#

852

|

Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

Last Update
00:00:12

RIP Configuration on Core 3
Figure 40-12.

RIP Configuration on Core 3

Core3(conf-if-gi-3/21)#router rip
Core3(conf-router_rip)#version 2
Core3(conf-router_rip)#network 192.168.1.0
Core3(conf-router_rip)#network 192.168.2.0
Core3(conf-router_rip)#network 10.11.30.0
Core3(conf-router_rip)#network 10.11.20.0
Core3(conf-router_rip)#show config
!
router rip
network 10.0.0.0
network 192.168.1.0
network 192.168.2.0
version 2
Core3(conf-router_rip)#

Core 3 RIP Output
The screenshots in this section are:
•
•
•

Figure 40-13: Using show ip rip database command to display Core 3 RIP database
Figure 40-14: Using show ip route command to display Core 3 RIP setup
Figure 40-15: Using show ip protocols command to display Core 3 RIP activity

Figure 40-13.

Using show ip rip database Command for Core 3 RIP Setup

Core3#show ip rip database
Total number of routes in RIP database: 7
10.11.10.0/24
[120/1] via 10.11.20.2, 00:00:13, GigabitEthernet 3/21
10.200.10.0/24
[120/1] via 10.11.20.2, 00:00:13, GigabitEthernet 3/21
10.300.10.0/24
[120/1] via 10.11.20.2, 00:00:13, GigabitEthernet 3/21
10.11.20.0/24
directly connected,GigabitEthernet 3/21
10.11.30.0/24
directly connected,GigabitEthernet 3/11
10.0.0.0/8
auto-summary
192.168.1.0/24
directly connected,GigabitEthernet 3/43
192.168.1.0/24
auto-summary
192.168.2.0/24
directly connected,GigabitEthernet 3/44
192.168.2.0/24
auto-summary
Core3#

Routing Information Protocol (RIP) | 853

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 40-14.

Using show ip routes for Core 3 RIP Setup

Core3#show ip routes
Codes: C - connected, S - static, R - RIP,
B - BGP, IN - internal BGP, EX - external BGP,LO - Locally Originated,
O - OSPF, IA - OSPF inter area, N1 - OSPF NSSA external type 1,
N2 - OSPF NSSA external type 2, E1 - OSPF external type 1,
E2 - OSPF external type 2, i - IS-IS, L1 - IS-IS level-1,
L2 - IS-IS level-2, IA - IS-IS inter area, * - candidate default,
> - non-active route, + - summary route
Gateway of last resort is not set

R
C
C
R
R
C
C
Core3#

Destination
----------10.11.10.0/24
10.11.20.0/24
10.11.30.0/24
10.200.10.0/24
10.300.10.0/24
192.168.1.0/24
192.168.2.0/24

Figure 40-15.

Gateway
------via 10.11.20.2, Gi 3/21
Direct, Gi 3/21
Direct, Gi 3/11
via 10.11.20.2, Gi 3/21
via 10.11.20.2, Gi 3/21
Direct, Gi 3/43
Direct, Gi 3/44

Dist/Metric Last Change
----------- ----------120/1
00:01:14
0/0
00:01:53
0/0
00:06:00
120/1
00:01:14
120/1
00:01:14
0/0
00:06:53
0/0
00:06:26

Using show ip protocols Command to Show RIP Configuration Activity on Core 3

Core3#show ip protocols
Routing Protocol is "RIP"
Sending updates every 30 seconds, next due in 6
Invalid after 180 seconds, hold down 180, flushed after 240
Output delay 8 milliseconds between packets
Automatic network summarization is in effect
Outgoing filter for all interfaces is
Incoming filter for all interfaces is
Default redistribution metric is 1
Default version control: receive version 2, send version 2
Interface
Recv Send
GigabitEthernet 3/21
2
2
GigabitEthernet 3/11
2
2
GigabitEthernet 3/44
2
2
GigabitEthernet 3/43
2
2
Routing for Networks:
10.11.20.0
10.11.30.0
192.168.2.0
192.168.1.0
Routing Information Sources:
Gateway
Distance
10.11.20.2
120
Distance: (default is 120)
Core3#

854

|

Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

Last Update
00:00:22

RIP Configuration Summary
Figure 40-16.

Summary of Core 2 RIP Configuration Using Output of show run Command

!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/11
ip address 10.11.10.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/31
ip address 10.11.20.2/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/41
ip address 10.200.10.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/42
ip address 10.250.10.1/24
no shutdown
router rip
version 2
10.200.10.0
10.300.10.0
10.11.10.0
10.11.20.0

Figure 40-17.

Summary of Core 3 RIP Configuration Using Output of show run Command

!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/11
ip address 10.11.30.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/21
ip address 10.11.20.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/43
ip address 192.168.1.1/24
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/44
ip address 192.168.2.1/24
no shutdown

!
router rip
version 2
network 10.11.20.0
network 10.11.30.0
network 192.168.1.0
network 192.168.2.0

Routing Information Protocol (RIP) | 855

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
856

|

Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

41
Remote Monitoring (RMON)
Remote Monitoring (RMON) is supported on platform:

ecsz

This chapter describes the Remote Monitoring (RMON):
•
•

Implementation on page 857
Fault Recovery on page 858

Remote Monitoring (RMON) is an industry-standard implementation that monitors network traffic by
sharing network monitoring information. RMON provides both 32-bit and 64-bit monitoring facility and
long-term statistics collection on Dell Force10 Ethernet Interfaces.
RMON operates with SNMP and monitors all nodes on a LAN segment. RMON monitors traffic passing
through the router and segment traffic not destined for the router. The monitored interfaces may be chosen
by using alarms and events with standard MIBs.

Implementation
You must configure SNMP prior to setting up RMON. For a complete SNMP implementation discussion,
refer to Chapter 6, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
Configuring RMON requires using the RMON CLI and includes the following tasks:
•
•
•
•
•

Set rmon alarm
Configure an RMON event
Configure RMON collection statistics
Configure RMON collection history
Enable an RMON MIB collection history group

RMON implements the following standard RFCs (for details see Chapter 57, Standards Compliance):
•
•
•

RFC-2819
RFC-3273
RFC-3434

Remote Monitoring (RMON) | 857

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Fault Recovery
RMON provides the following fault recovery functions:
Interface Down—When an RMON-enabled interface goes down, monitoring continues. However, all data
values are registered as 0xFFFFFFFF (32 bits) or ixFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF (64 bits). When the interface
comes back up, RMON monitoring processes resumes.
Note: A Network Management System (NMS) should be ready to interpret a down interface
and plot the interface performance graph accordingly.

Line Card Down—The same as Interface Down (see above).
RPM Down, RPM Failover—Master and standby RPMs run the RMON sampling process in the
background. Therefore, when an RPM goes down, the other RPM maintains the sampled data—the new
master RPM provides the same sampled data as did the old master—as long as the master RPM had been
running long enough to sample all the data.
NMS backs up all the long-term data collection, and displays the failover downtime from the performance
graph.
Chassis Down—When a chassis goes down, all sampled data is lost. But the RMON configurations are
saved in the configuration file, and the sampling process continues after the chassis returns to operation.
Platform Adaptation—RMON supports all Dell Force10 chassis and all Dell Force10 Ethernet
Interfaces.

858

|

Remote Monitoring (RMON)

Set rmon alarm
To set an alarm on any MIB object, use the rmon alarm or rmon hc-alarm command in GLOBAL
CONFIGURATION mode. To disable the alarm, use the no form of this command:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

[no] rmon alarm number variable
interval {delta | absolute}
rising-threshold [value event-number]
falling-threshold value event-number
[owner string]

CONFIGURATION

Set an alarm on any MIB object. Use the no form of
this command to disable the alarm.
Configure the alarm using the following optional
parameters:
• number: Alarm number, should be an integer
from 1 to 65,535, the value must be unique in the
RMON Alarm Table
• variable: The MIB object to monitor—the
variable must be in the SNMP OID format. For
example, 1.3.6.1.2.1.1.3. The object type must be
a 32-bit integer for the rmon alarm command
and 64 bits for the rmon hc-alarm command.
• interval: Time in seconds the alarm monitors the
MIB variable, the value must be between 1 to
3,600.
• delta: Tests the change between MIB variables,
this is the alarmSampleType in the RMON Alarm
table.
• absolute: Tests each MIB variable directly, this is
the alarmSampleType in the RMON Alarm table.
• rising-threshold value: Value at which the
rising-threshold alarm is triggered or reset. For
the rmon alarm command this is a 32-bits value,
for rmon hc-alarm command this is a 64-bits
value.
• event-number: Event number to trigger when the
rising threshold exceeds its limit. This value is
identical to the alarmRisingEventIndex in the
alarmTable of the RMON MIB. If there is no
corresponding rising-threshold event, the value
should be zero.
• falling-threshold value: Value at which the
falling-threshold alarm is triggered or reset. For
the rmon alarm command, this is a 32-bits
value, for rmon hc-alarm command this is a
64bits value.
• event-number: Event number to trigger when the
falling threshold exceeds its limit. This value is
identical to the alarmFallingEventIndex in the
alarmTable of the RMON MIB. If there is no
corresponding falling-threshold event, the value
should be zero.
• owner string: (Optional) Specifies an owner for
the alarm, this is the alarmOwner object in the
alarmTable of the RMON MIB. Default is a

or

[no] rmon hc-alarm number variable
interval {delta | absolute}
rising-threshold value event-number
falling-threshold value event-number
[owner string]

null-terminated string.

The following example configures an RMON alarm using the rmon alarm command.

Remote Monitoring (RMON) | 859

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 41-1.

rmon alarm Command Example

FTOS(conf)#rmon alarm 10 1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.20.1 20 delta rising-threshold 15 1 falling-threshold 0
owner nms1

Alarm Number

MIB Variable

Monitor Interval

Counter Value Limit

Triggered Event

The above example configures RMON alarm number 10. The alarm monitors the MIB variable
1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.20.1 (ifEntry.ifOutErrors) once every 20 seconds until the alarm is disabled, and checks
the rise or fall of the variable. The alarm is triggered when the 1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.20.1 value shows a MIB
counter increase of 15 or more (such as from 100000 to 100015). The alarm then triggers event number 1,
which is configured with the RMON event command. Possible events include a log entry or a SNMP trap.
If the 1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.20.1 value changes to 0 (falling-threshold 0), the alarm is reset and can be triggered
again.

Configure an RMON event
To add an event in the RMON event table, use the rmon event command in GLOBAL CONFIGURATION
mode. To disable RMON on the interface, use the no form of this command:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

[no] rmon event number [log] [trap
community] [description string]
[owner string]

CONFIGURATION

number: Assigned event number, which is identical to the
eventIndex in the eventTable in the RMON MIB. The value
must be an integer from 1 to 65,535, the value must be
unique in the RMON Event Table.
log: (Optional) Generates an RMON log entry when the
event is triggered and sets the eventType in the RMON
MIB to log or log-and-trap. Default is no log.
trap community: (Optional) SNMP community string used
for this trap. Configures the setting of the eventType in the
RMON MIB for this row as either snmp-trap or
log-and-trap. This value is identical to the
eventCommunityValue in the eventTable in the RMON
MIB. Default is “public”.
description string: (Optional) Specifies a description of
the event, which is identical to the event description in the
eventTable of the RMON MIB. Default is a null-terminated
string.
owner string: (Optional) Owner of this event, which is
identical to the eventOwner in the eventTable of the
RMON MIB. Default is a null-terminated string.

The following example shows the rmon event command.

860

|

Remote Monitoring (RMON)

Figure 41-2.

rmon event Command Example

FTOS(conf)#rmon event 1 log trap eventtrap description “High ifOutErrors” owner nms1

The above configuration example creates RMON event number 1, with the description “High ifOutErrors”,
and generates a log entry when the event is triggered by an alarm. The user nms1 owns the row that is
created in the event table by this command. This configuration also generates an SNMP trap when the
event is triggered using the SNMP community string “eventtrap”.

Configure RMON collection statistics
To enable RMON MIB statistics collection on an interface, use the RMON collection statistics command
in interface configuration mode. To remove a specified RMON statistics collection, use the no form of this
command.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

[no] rmon collection statistics
{controlEntry integer} [owner
ownername]

CONFIGURATION
INTERFACE
(config-if)

controlEntry: Specifies the RMON group of statistics
using a value.
integer: A value from 1 to 65,535 that identifies the RMON
Statistics Table. The value must be unique in the RMON
Statistic Table.
owner: (Optional) Specifies the name of the owner of the
RMON group of statistics.
ownername: (Optional) Records the name of the owner of
the RMON group of statistics. Default is a null-terminated
string

The following command enables the RMON statistics collection on the interface, with an ID value of 20
and an owner of “john.”
Figure 41-3.

rmon collection statistics Command Example

FTOS(conf-if-mgmt)#rmon collection statistics controlEntry 20 owner john

Remote Monitoring (RMON) | 861

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configure RMON collection history
To enable the RMON MIB history group of statistics collection on an interface, use the rmon collection
history command in interface configuration mode. To remove a specified RMON history group of statistics
collection, use the no form of this command.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

[no] rmon collection history
{controlEntry integer} [owner
ownername] [buckets bucket-number]
[interval seconds]

CONFIGURATION
INTERFACE
(config-if)

controlEntry: Specifies the RMON group of
statistics using a value.
integer: A value from 1 to 65,535 that identifies the
RMON group of statistics. The value must be a
unique index in the RMON History Table.
owner: (Optional) Specifies the name of the owner
of the RMON group of statistics.Default is a
null-terminated string.
ownername: (Optional) Records the name of the
owner of the RMON group of statistics.
buckets: (Optional) Specifies the maximum number
of buckets desired for the RMON collection history
group of statistics.
bucket-number: (Optional) A value associated with
the number of buckets specified for the RMON
collection history group of statistics. The value is
limited to from 1 to 1000. Default is 50 (as defined in
RFC-2819).
interval: (Optional) Specifies the number of seconds
in each polling cycle.
seconds: (Optional) The number of seconds in each
polling cycle. The value is ranged from 5 to 3,600
(Seconds). Default is 1,800 as defined in RFC-2819.

Enable an RMON MIB collection history group
The following command enables an RMON MIB collection history group of statistics with an ID number
of 20 and an owner of “john”, both the sampling interval and the number of buckets use their respective
defaults.
Figure 41-4.

rmon collection history Command Example

FTOS(conf-if-mgmt)#rmon collection history controlEntry 20 owner john

862

|

Remote Monitoring (RMON)

42
Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)
Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) is supported on platforms:

ecsz

Protocol Overview
Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) is a Layer 2 protocol—specified by IEEE 802.1w—that is
essentially the same as Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP) but provides faster convergence and interoperability
with switches configured with STP and MSTP.
FTOS supports three other variations of Spanning Tree, as shown in Table 42-1.
Table 42-1.

FTOS Supported Spanning Tree Protocols

Dell Force10 Term

IEEE Specification

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

802.1d

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol
(RSTP)

802.1w

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol
(MSTP)

802.1s

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus
(PVST+)

Third Party

Configuring Rapid Spanning Tree
Configuring Rapid Spanning Tree is a two-step process:
1. Configure interfaces for Layer 2. See page 48.
2. Enable Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol. See page 49.

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•
•

Add and Remove Interfaces on page 869
Modify Global Parameters on page 869
Modify Interface Parameters on page 870

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) | 863

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Configure an EdgePort on page 871
Preventing Network Disruptions with BPDU Guard on page 1011
Influence RSTP Root Selection on page 872
Configuring Spanning Trees as Hitless on page 1017
SNMP Traps for Root Elections and Topology Changes on page 873
Fast Hellos for Link State Detection on page 873
Flush MAC Addresses after a Topology Change on page 699

Important Points to Remember
•
•
•
•

RSTP is disabled by default.
FTOS supports only one Rapid Spanning Tree (RST) instance.
All interfaces in VLANs and all enabled interfaces in Layer 2 mode are automatically added to the
RST topology.
Avoid using the range command to add a large group of ports to a large group of VLANs; adding a
group of ports to a range of VLANs sends multiple messages to the RSTP task. When using the range
command, Dell Force10 recommends limiting the range to 5 ports and 40 VLANs.

RSTP and VLT
VLT provides loop-free redundant topologies and does not require rapid spanning tree protocol (RSTP).
RSTP can cause temporary port state blocking and may cause topology changes after link or node failures.
Spanning tree topology changes are distributed to the entire layer 2 network, which can cause a
network-wide flush of learned MAC and ARP addresses, requiring these addresses to be re-learned.
However, enabling RSTP can detect potential loops caused by non-system issues such as cabling errors or
incorrect configurations. RSTP is useful for potential loop detection but should be configured using the
specifications below to minimize possible topology changes after link or node failure.
The following recommendations will help you avoid these issues and the associated traffic loss caused by
using rapid spanning trees when VLT is enabled on both VLT peers:
•

•

•

864

|

Any ports at the edge of the spanning tree's operating domain should be configured as edge ports,
which are directly connected to end stations or server racks. Ports connected directly to layer 3-only
routers not running STP should have RSTP disabled or be configured as edge ports.
Ensure the primary VLT node is the root bridge and the secondary VLT peer node has the second-best
bridge ID in the network. If the primary VLT peer node fails, the secondary VLT peer node becomes
the root bridge, avoiding problems with spanning tree port state changes that occur when a VLT node
fails or recovers.
Even with this configuration, if the node has non-VLT ports using RSTP that are not configured as
edge ports and are connected to other layer 2 switches, spanning tree topology changes can still be
detected after VLT node recovery. To avoid this scenario, ensure that any non-VLT ports are
configured as edge ports or have RSTP disabled.

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)

Configure Interfaces for Layer 2 Mode
All interfaces on all bridges that will participate in Rapid Spanning Tree must be in Layer 2 and enabled.
Figure 42-1.

Configuring Interfaces for Layer 2 Mode

R1
R1(conf)# int range gi 1/1 - 4
R1(conf-if-gi-1/1-4)# switchport
R1(conf-if-gi-1/1-4)# no shutdown
R1(conf-if-gi-1/1-4)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/2
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/3
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/4
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown

R2
1/3

2/1

1/4

2/2

1/1

1/2

3/1

3/2 3/3

2/3

2/4

3/4

R3

To configure the interfaces for Layer 2 and then enable them:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

If the interface has been assigned an IP address,
remove it.

no ip address

INTERFACE

2

Place the interface in Layer 2 mode.

switchport

INTERFACE

3

Enable the interface.

no shutdown

INTERFACE

Verify that an interface is in Layer 2 mode and enabled using the show config command from INTERFACE
mode.
Figure 42-2.

Verifying Layer 2 Configuration

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
no ip address
switchport
Indicates
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#

that the interface is in Layer 2 mode

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) | 865

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Enable Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol Globally
Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol must be enabled globally on all participating bridges; it is not enabled by
default.
To enable Rapid Spanning Tree globally for all Layer 2 interfaces:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Enter the PROTOCOL SPANNING TREE RSTP
mode.

protocol spanning-tree rstp

CONFIGURATIO
N

2

Enable Rapid Spanning Tree.

no disable

PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE
RSTP

Note: To disable RSTP globally for all Layer 2 interfaces, enter the disable command from PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE RSTP mode.

Verify that Rapid Spanning Tree is enabled using the show config command from PROTOCOL SPANNING
TREE RSTP mode.
Figure 42-3.

Verifying RSTP is Enabled

FTOS(conf-rstp)#show config
!
protocol spanning-tree rstp
no disable
FTOS(conf-rstp)#

Indicates that Rapid Spanning Tree is enabled

When you enable Rapid Spanning Tree, all physical and port-channel interfaces that are enabled and in
Layer 2 mode are automatically part of the RST topology.
•
•

866

|

Only one path from any bridge to any other bridge is enabled.
Bridges block a redundant path by disabling one of the link ports.

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)

Figure 42-4.

Rapid Spanning Tree Enabled Globally

root
R1

R2
1/3

Forwarding

2/1

1/4

Blocking

2/2

1/1

1/2

3/1

3/2 3/3

2/3

2/4

3/4

R3
Port 684 (GigabitEthernet 4/43) is alternate Discarding
Port path cost 20000, Port priority 128, Port Identifier 128.684
Designated root has priority 32768, address 0001.e801.cbb4
Designated bridge has priority 32768, address 0001.e801.cbb4
Designated port id is 128.684, designated path cost 20000
Number of transitions to forwarding state 0
BPDU : sent 3, received 219
The port is not in the Edge port mode

View the interfaces participating in Rapid Spanning Tree using the show spanning-tree rstp command from
EXEC privilege mode. If a physical interface is part of a port channel, only the port channel is listed in the
command output.

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) | 867

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 42-5.

show spanning-tree rstp Command Example

FTOS#show spanning-tree rstp
Root Identifier has priority 32768, Address 0001.e801.cbb4
Root Bridge hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15, max hops 0
Bridge Identifier has priority 32768, Address 0001.e801.cbb4
Configured hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15, max hops 0
We are the root
Current root has priority 32768, Address 0001.e801.cbb4
Number of topology changes 4, last change occurred 00:02:17 ago on Gi 1/26
Port 377 (GigabitEthernet 2/1) is designated Forwarding
Port path cost 20000, Port priority 128, Port Identifier 128.377
Designated root has priority 32768, address 0001.e801.cbb4
Designated bridge has priority 32768, address 0001.e801.cbb4
Designated port id is 128.377, designated path cost 0
Number of transitions to forwarding state 1
BPDU : sent 121, received 9
The port is not in the Edge port mode
Port 378 (GigabitEthernet 2/2) is designated Forwarding
Port path cost 20000, Port priority 128, Port Identifier 128.378
Designated root has priority 32768, address 0001.e801.cbb4
Designated bridge has priority 32768, address 0001.e801.cbb4
Designated port id is 128.378, designated path cost 0
Number of transitions to forwarding state 1
BPDU : sent 121, received 2
The port is not in the Edge port mode
Port 379 (GigabitEthernet 2/3) is designated Forwarding
Port path cost 20000, Port priority 128, Port Identifier 128.379
Designated root has priority 32768, address 0001.e801.cbb4
Designated bridge has priority 32768, address 0001.e801.cbb4
Designated port id is 128.379, designated path cost 0
Number of transitions to forwarding state 1
BPDU : sent 121, received 5
The port is not in the Edge port mode
Port 380 (GigabitEthernet 2/4) is designated Forwarding
Port path cost 20000, Port priority 128, Port Identifier 128.380
Designated root has priority 32768, address 0001.e801.cbb4
Designated bridge has priority 32768, address 0001.e801.cbb4
Designated port id is 128.380, designated path cost 0

Number of transitions to forwarding state 1
BPDU : sent 147, received 3
The port is not in the Edge port mode

Confirm that a port is participating in Rapid Spanning Tree using the show spanning-tree rstp brief command
from EXEC privilege mode.

868

|

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)

Figure 42-6.

show spanning-tree rstp brief Command Example

R3#show spanning-tree rstp brief
Executing IEEE compatible Spanning Tree Protocol
Root ID
Priority 32768, Address 0001.e801.cbb4
Root Bridge hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15
Bridge ID
Priority 32768, Address 0001.e80f.1dad
Configured hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15
Interface
Designated
Name
PortID
Prio Cost
Sts Cost
Bridge ID
PortID
---------- -------- ---- ------- --- ------- -------------------- -------Gi 3/1
128.681 128 20000
BLK 20000
32768 0001.e80b.88bd 128.469
Gi 3/2
128.682 128 20000
BLK 20000
32768 0001.e80b.88bd 128.470
Gi 3/3
128.683 128 20000
FWD 20000
32768 0001.e801.cbb4 128.379
Gi 3/4
128.684 128 20000
BLK 20000
32768 0001.e801.cbb4 128.380
Interface
Name
Role
PortID
Prio Cost
Sts Cost
Link-type Edge
---------- ------ -------- ---- ------- --- ------- --------- ---Gi 3/1
Altr
128.681 128 20000
BLK 20000
P2P
No
Gi 3/2
Altr
128.682 128 20000
BLK 20000
P2P
No
Gi 3/3
Root
128.683 128 20000
FWD 20000
P2P
No
Gi 3/4
Altr
128.684 128 20000
BLK 20000
P2P
No
R3#

Add and Remove Interfaces
•

•

To add an interface to the Rapid Spanning Tree topology, configure it for Layer 2 and it is
automatically added. If you previously disabled RSTP on the interface using the command no
spanning-tree 0, re-enable it using the command spanning-tree 0.
Remove an interface from the Rapid Spanning Tree topology using the command no spanning-tree 0.
See also Removing an Interface from the Spanning Tree Group on page 1008 for BPDU Filtering
behavior.

Modify Global Parameters
You can modify Rapid Spanning Tree parameters. The root bridge sets the values for forward-delay,
hello-time, and max-age and overwrites the values set on other bridges participating in the Rapid Spanning
Tree group.
•
•
•

Forward-delay is the amount of time an interface waits in the Listening State and the Learning State
before it transitions to the Forwarding State.
Hello-time is the time interval in which the bridge sends RSTP Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDUs).
Max-age is the length of time the bridge maintains configuration information before it refreshes that
information by recomputing the RST topology.

Note: Dell Force10 recommends that only experienced network administrators change the Rapid Spanning
Tree group parameters. Poorly planned modification of the RSTG parameters can negatively impact
network performance.

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) | 869

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 42-2 displays the default values for RSTP.
Table 42-2.

RSTP Default Values

RSTP
Parameter

Default Value

Forward Delay

15 seconds

Hello Time

2 seconds

Max Age

20 seconds

Port Cost

100-Mb/s Ethernet interfaces

200000

1-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

20000

10-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

2000

Port Channel with 100 Mb/s Ethernet interfaces

180000

Port Channel with 1-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

18000

Port Channel with 10-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

1800

Port Priority

128

To change these parameters, use the following commands, on the root bridge:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the forward-delay parameter.
• Range: 4 to 30
• Default: 15 seconds

forward-delay seconds

PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE
RSTP

Change the hello-time parameter.

hello-time seconds

PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE
RSTP

max-age seconds

PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE
RSTP

Note: With large configurations (especially those with more ports) Dell
Force10 recommends that you increase the hello-time.

Range: 1 to 10
Default: 2 seconds
Change the max-age parameter.
Range: 6 to 40
Default: 20 seconds

View the current values for global parameters using the show spanning-tree rstp command from EXEC
privilege mode. See Figure 42-5.

Modify Interface Parameters
On interfaces in Layer 2 mode, you can set the port cost and port priority values.
•

870

|

Port cost is a value that is based on the interface type. The default values are listed in Table 42-2. The
greater the port cost, the less likely the port will be selected to be a forwarding port.

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)

•

Port priority influences the likelihood that a port will be selected to be a forwarding port in case that
several ports have the same port cost.

To change the port cost or priority of an interface, use the following commands:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the port cost of an interface.
Range: 0 to 65535
Default: see Table 42-2.

spanning-tree rstp cost cost

INTERFACE

Change the port priority of an interface.
Range: 0 to 15
Default: 128

spanning-tree rstp priority priority-value

INTERFACE

View the current values for interface parameters using the show spanning-tree rstp command from EXEC
privilege mode. See Figure 42-5.

Configure an EdgePort
The EdgePort feature enables interfaces to begin forwarding traffic approximately 30 seconds sooner. In
this mode an interface forwards frames by default until it receives a BPDU that indicates that it should
behave otherwise; it does not go through the Learning and Listening states. The bpduguard
shutdown-on-violation option causes the interface hardware to be shutdown when it receives a BPDU. When
only bpduguard is implemented, although the interface is placed in an Error Disabled state when receiving
the BPDU, the physical interface remains up and spanning-tree will drop packets in the hardware after a
BPDU violation. BPDUs are dropped in the software after receiving the BPDU violation. This feature is
the same as PortFast mode in Spanning Tree.
Caution: Configure EdgePort only on links connecting to an end station. EdgePort can cause loops if it is enabled
on an interface connected to a network.

To enable EdgePort on an interface, use the following command:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable EdgePort on an interface.

spanning-tree rstp edge-port
[bpduguard |
shutdown-on-violation]

INTERFACE

Verify that EdgePort is enabled on a port using the show spanning-tree rstp command from the EXEC
privilege mode or the show config command from INTERFACE mode; Dell Force10 recommends using the
show config command, as shown in Figure 42-7.

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) | 871

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS Behavior: Regarding bpduguard shutdown-on-violation behavior:
1 If the interface to be shutdown is a port channel then all the member ports are disabled in the hardware.
2 When a physical port is added to a port channel already in error disable state, the new member port will also be disabled in
the hardware.
3 When a physical port is removed from a port channel in error disable state, the error disabled state is cleared on this
physical port (the physical port will be enabled in the hardware).
4 The reset linecard command does not clear the error disabled state of the port or the hardware disabled state. The interface
continues to be disables in the hardware.
The error disabled state can be cleared with any of the following methods:
•Perform an shutdown command on the interface.
•Disable the shutdown-on-violation command on the interface ( no spanning-tree stp-id portfast [bpduguard |
[shutdown-on-violation]] ).
•Disable spanning tree on the interface (no spanning-tree in INTERFACE mode).
•Disabling global spanning tree (no spanning-tree in CONFIGURATION mode).

Figure 42-7.

EdgePort Enabled on Interface

FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/0)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/0
no ip address
switchport
spanning-tree rstp edge-port
shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-2/0)#

Indicates the interface is in EdgePort mode

Influence RSTP Root Selection
The Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol determines the root bridge, but you can assign one bridge a lower
priority to increase the likelihood that it will be selected as the root bridge.
To change the bridge priority, use the following command:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Assign a number as the bridge priority or designate it as the
primary or secondary root.
priority-value range: 0 to 65535. The lower the number
assigned, the more likely this bridge will become the root
bridge. The default is 32768. Entries must be multiples of
4096.

bridge-priority priority-value

PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE
RSTP

A console message appears when a new root bridge has been assigned. Figure 42-8 shows the console
message after the bridge-priority command is used to make R2 the root bridge.

872

|

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)

Figure 42-8.

bridge-priority Command Example

FTOS(conf-rstp)#bridge-priority 4096
04:27:59: %RPM0-P:RP2 %SPANMGR-5-STP_ROOT_CHANGE: RSTP root changed. My Bridge ID:
4096:0001.e80b.88bd Old Root: 32768:0001.e801.cbb4 New Root: 4096:0001.e80b.88bd

Old root bridge ID

New root bridge ID

SNMP Traps for Root Elections and Topology Changes
Enable SNMP traps for RSTP, MSTP, and PVST+ collectively using the command snmp-server enable traps
xstp.

Fast Hellos for Link State Detection
Fast Hellos for Link State Detection is available only on platform:

s

Use RSTP Fast Hellos to achieve sub-second link-down detection so that convergence is triggered faster.
The standard RSTP link-state detection mechanism does not offer the same low link-state detection speed.
RSTP Fast Hellos decrease the hello interval to the order of milliseconds and all timers derived from the
hello timer are adjusted accordingly. This feature does not inter-operate with other vendors, and is
available only for RSTP.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure a hello time on the order of milliseconds.

hello-time milli-second interval

PROTOCOL RSTP

Range: 50 - 950 milliseconds
FTOS(conf-rstp)#do show spanning-tree rstp brief
Executing IEEE compatible Spanning Tree Protocol
Root ID
Priority 0, Address 0001.e811.2233
Root Bridge hello time 50 ms, max age 20, forward delay 15
Bridge ID
Priority 0, Address 0001.e811.2233
We are the root
Configured hello time 50 ms, max age 20, forward delay 15
Note: The hello time is encoded in BPDUs in increments of 1/256ths of a second. The standard minimum
hello time in seconds is 1 second, which is encoded as 256. Millisecond hello times are encoded using
values less than 256; the millisecond hello time equals (x/1000)*256.
Note: When millisecond hellos are configured, the default hello interval of 2 seconds is still used for edge
ports; the millisecond hello interval is not used.

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) | 873

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
874

|

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)

43
Software-Defined Networking (SDN)
Dell Networking operating software (FTOS) supports Software-Defined Networking (SDN). For more
information, refer to the SDN Deployment Guide.

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) | 875

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
876

|

Software-Defined Networking (SDN)

44
Security
Security features are supported on platforms:

ecsz

This chapter discusses several ways to provide access security to the Dell Force10 system.
Platform-specific features are identified by the c, e or s icons (as shown below).
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

AAA Accounting on page 877
AAA Authentication on page 880
AAA Authorization on page 883
RADIUS on page 888
TACACS+ on page 893
Protection from TCP Tiny and Overlapping Fragment Attacks on page 897
SCP and SSH on page 897
Telnet on page 903
VTY Line and Access-Class Configuration on page 910
Trace Lists on page 904

For details on all commands discussed in this chapter, see the Security Commands chapter in the FTOS
Command Line Reference Guide.

AAA Accounting
AAA Accounting is part of the AAA security model (Accounting, Authentication, and Authorization),
which includes services for authentication, authorization, and accounting. For details on commands related
to AAA security, refer to the Security chapter in the FTOS Command Line Reference Guide.
AAA Accounting enables tracking of services that users are accessing and the amount of network
resources being consumed by those services. When AAA Accounting is enabled, the network server
reports user activity to the security server in the form of accounting records. Each accounting record is
comprised of accounting AV pairs and is stored on the access control server.
As with authentication and authorization, you must configure AAA Accounting by defining a named list of
accounting methods and then applying that list to various VTY lines.

Configuration Task List for AAA Accounting
The following sections present the AAA Accounting configuration tasks:

Security | 877

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•
•
•

Enable AAA Accounting on page 878 (mandatory)
Suppress AAA Accounting for null username sessions on page 878 (optional)
Configure Accounting of EXEC and privilege-level command usage on page 879 (optional)
Configure AAA Accounting for terminal lines on page 879 (optional)
Monitor AAA Accounting on page 879 (optional)

Enable AAA Accounting
The aaa accounting command enables you to create a record for any or all of the accounting functions
monitored. To enable AAA accounting, perform the following task in CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

aaa accounting {system | exec |
command level} {default | name}
{start-stop | wait-start | stop-only}
{tacacs+}

CONFIGURATION

Enable AAA Accounting and create a record for
monitoring the accounting function.
The variables are:
• system—sends accounting information of any
other AAA configuration
• exec—sends accounting information when a user
has logged in to the EXEC mode
• command level—sends accounting of commands
executed at the specified privilege level
• default | name—Enter the name of a list of
accounting methods.
• start-stop—Use for more accounting information,
to send a start-accounting notice at the beginning
of the requested event and a stop-accounting
notice at the end.
• wait-start—ensures that the TACACS+ security
server acknowledges the start notice before
granting the user's process request
• stop-only—Use for minimal accounting; instructs
the TACACS+ server to send a stop record
accounting notice at the end of the requested user
process.
• tacacs+ —Designate the security service.
Currently, FTOS supports only TACACS+

Suppress AAA Accounting for null username sessions
When AAA Accounting is activated, the FTOS software issues accounting records for all users on the
system, including users whose username string, because of protocol translation, is NULL. An example of
this is a user who comes in on a line where the AAA Authentication login method-list none command is
applied. To prevent accounting records from being generated for sessions that do not have usernames
associated with them, perform the following task in CONFIGURATION mode:

878

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

aaa accounting suppress null-username

CONFIGURATION

Prevent accounting records from being generated for
users whose username string is NULL

Security

Configure Accounting of EXEC and privilege-level command usage
The network access server monitors the accounting functions defined in the TACACS+ attribute/value
(AV) pairs.
In the following sample configuration, AAA accounting is set to track all usage of EXEC commands and
commands on privilege level 15.
FTOS(conf)#aaa accounting exec default start-stop tacacs+
FTOS(conf)#aaa accounting command 15 default start-stop tacacs+

System accounting can use only the default method list:
aaa accounting system default start-stop tacacs+

Configure AAA Accounting for terminal lines
Use the following commands to enable accounting with a named method list for a specific terminal line
(where com15 and execAcct are the method list names):
FTOS(config-line-vty)# accounting commands 15 com15
FTOS(config-line-vty)# accounting exec execAcct

Monitor AAA Accounting
FTOS does not support periodic interim accounting, because the periodic command can cause heavy
congestion when many users are logged in to the network.
No specific show command exists for TACACS+ accounting. To obtain accounting records displaying
information about users currently logged in, perform the following task in Privileged EXEC mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

show accounting

CONFIGURATION

Step through all active sessions and print all the accounting records
for the actively accounted functions.

Figure 44-1.

show accounting Command Example for AAA Accounting

FTOS#show accounting
Active accounted actions on tty2, User admin Priv 1
Task ID 1, EXEC Accounting record, 00:00:39 Elapsed, service=shell
Active accounted actions on tty3, User admin Priv 1
Task ID 2, EXEC Accounting record, 00:00:26 Elapsed, service=shell
FTOS#

Security | 879

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

AAA Authentication
FTOS supports a distributed client/server system implemented through Authentication, Authorization, and
Accounting (AAA) to help secure networks against unauthorized access. In the Dell Force10
implementation, the Dell Force10 system acts as a RADIUS or TACACS+ client and sends authentication
requests to a central RADIUS or TACACS+ server that contains all user authentication and network
service access information.
Dell Force10 uses local usernames/passwords (stored on the Dell Force10 system) or AAA for login
authentication. With AAA, you can specify the security protocol or mechanism for different login methods
and different users. In FTOS, AAA uses a list of authentication methods, called method lists, to define the
types of authentication and the sequence in which they are applied. You can define a method list or use the
default method list. User-defined method lists take precedence over the default method list.
Note: If a console user logs in with RADIUS authentication, the privilege level will be applied from the
RADIUS server if the privilege level is configured for that user in RADIUS whether or not RADIUS
authorization is configured.

Configuration Task List for AAA Authentication
The following sections provide the configuration tasks:
•
•
•
•

Configure login authentication for terminal lines
Configure AAA Authentication login methods on page 881
Enable AAA Authentication on page 882
AAA Authentication—RADIUS on page 882

For a complete listing of all commands related to login authentication, refer to the Security chapter in the
FTOS Command Reference.

Configure login authentication for terminal lines
You can assign up to five authentication methods to a method list. FTOS evaluates the methods in the order
in which you enter them in each list. If the first method list does not respond or returns an error, FTOS
applies the next method list until the user either passes or fails the authentication. If the user fails a method
list, FTOS does not apply the next method list.

880

|

Security

Configure AAA Authentication login methods
To configure an authentication method and method list, use these commands in the following sequence in
the CONFIGURATION mode:
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

aaa authentication login
{method-list-name | default} method1 [...
method4]

CONFIGURATION

Define an authentication method-list
(method-list-name) or specify the default.
The default method-list is applied to all
terminal lines.
Possible methods are:
• enable—use the password defined by the
enable secret or enable password
command in the CONFIGURATION
mode.
• line—use the password defined by the
password command in the LINE mode.
• local—use the username/password
database defined in the local
configuration.
• none—no authentication.
• radius—use the RADIUS server(s)
configured with the radius-server host
command.
• tacacs+—use the TACACS+ server(s)
configured with the tacacs-server host
command

2

line {aux 0 | console 0 | vty number
[... end-number]}

CONFIGURATION

Enter the LINE mode.

3

login authentication {method-list-name |
default}

LINE

Assign a method-list-name or the default list
to the terminal line.

1

FTOS Behavior: If you use a method list on the console port in which RADIUS or TACACS is the last
authentication method, and the server is not reachable, FTOS allows access even though the username and
password credentials cannot be verified. Only the console port behaves this way, and does so to ensure that users
are not locked out of the system in the event that network-wide issue prevents access to these servers.

To view the configuration, use the show config command in the LINE mode or the show running-config in the
EXEC Privilege mode.
Note: Dell Force10 recommends that you use the none method only as a backup. This method
does not authenticate users. The none and enable methods do not work with SSH.

You can create multiple method lists and assign them to different terminal lines.

Security | 881

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Enable AAA Authentication
To enable AAA authentication, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

aaa authentication enable

CONFIGURATION

•

{method-list-name | default} method1 [...
method4]

•
•

default—Uses the listed authentication

methods that follow this argument as the
default list of methods when a user logs in.
method-list-name—Character string used to
name the list of enable authentication methods
activated when a user logs in.
method1 [... method4]—Any of the following:
RADIUS, TACACS, enable, line, none.

If the default list is not set, only the local enable is checked. This has the same effect as issuing:
aaa authentication enable default enable

AAA Authentication—RADIUS
To enable authentication from the RADIUS server, and use TACACS as a backup, use the following
commands:
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

aaa authentication enable default radius
tacacs

CONFIGURATION

To enable RADIUS and to set up TACACS
as backup.

2

radius-server host x.x.x.x key
some-password

CONFIGURATION

To establish host address and password.

3

tacacs-server host x.x.x.x key
some-password

CONFIGURATION

To establish host address and password.

1

To get enable authentication from the RADIUS server, and use TACACS as a backup, issue the following
commands:
FTOS(config)# aaa authentication enable default radius tacacs
Radius and TACACS server has to be properly setup for this.
FTOS(config)# radius-server host x.x.x.x key 
FTOS(config)# tacacs-server host x.x.x.x key 

To use local authentication for enable secret on console, while using remote authentication on VTY lines,
perform the following steps:
FTOS(config)# aaa authentication enable mymethodlist radius tacacs
FTOS(config)# line vty 0 9
FTOS(config-line-vty)# enable authentication mymethodlist

882

|

Security

Server-side configuration
TACACS+: When using TACACS+, Dell Force10 sends an initial packet with service type
SVC_ENABLE, and then, a second packet with just the password. The TACACS server must have an
entry for username $enable$.
RADIUS: When using RADIUS authentication, FTOS sends an authentication packet with the following:
Username: $enab15$
Password: 

Therefore, the RADIUS server must have an entry for this username.

AAA Authorization
FTOS enables AAA new-model by default.You can set authorization to be either local or remote. Different
combinations of authentication and authorization yield different results. By default, FTOS sets both to
local.

Privilege Levels Overview
Limiting access to the system is one method of protecting the system and your network. However, at times,
you might need to allow others access to the router and you can limit that access to a subset of commands.
In FTOS, you can configure a privilege level for users who need limited access to the system.
Every command in FTOS is assigned a privilege level of 0, 1 or 15. You can configure up to 16 privilege
levels in FTOS. FTOS is pre-configured with 3 privilege levels and you can configure 13 more. The three
pre-configured levels are:
•

•
•

Privilege level 1—is the default level for the EXEC mode. At this level, you can interact with the
router, for example, view some show commands and Telnet and ping to test connectivity, but you
cannot configure the router. This level is often called the “user” level. One of the commands available
in Privilege level 1 is the enable command, which you can use to enter a specific privilege level.
Privilege level 0—contains only the end, enable and disable commands.
Privilege level 15—the default level for the enable command, is the highest level. In this level you can
access any command in FTOS.

Privilege levels 2 through 14 are not configured and you can customize them for different users and access.
After you configure other privilege levels, enter those levels by adding the level parameter after the enable
command or by configuring a user name or password that corresponds to the privilege level. Refer to
Configure a username and password on page 884 for more information on configuring user names.

Security | 883

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

By default, commands in FTOS are assigned to different privilege levels. You can access those commands
only if you have access to that privilege level. For example, to reach the protocol spanning-tree command,
you must log in to the router, enter the enable command for privilege level 15 (this is the default level for
the command) and then enter the CONFIGURATION mode.
You can configure passwords to control access to the box and assign different privilege levels to users.
FTOS supports the use of passwords when you log in to the system and when you enter the enable
command. If you move between privilege levels, you are prompted for a password if you move to a higher
privilege level.

Configuration Task List for Privilege Levels
The following list has the configuration tasks for privilege levels and passwords.
•
•
•
•
•

Configure a username and password on page 884 (mandatory)
Configure the enable password command on page 885 (mandatory)
Configure custom privilege levels on page 885 (mandatory)
Specify LINE mode password and privilege on page 887 (optional)
Enable and disabling privilege levels on page 888 (optional)

For a complete listing of all commands related to FTOS privilege levels and passwords, refer to the
Security chapter in the FTOS Command Reference.

Configure a username and password
In FTOS, you can assign a specific username to limit user access to the system.
To configure a username and password, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

username name [access-class
access-list-name] [nopassword | password
[encryption-type] password] [privilege level]

CONFIGURATION

Assign a user name and password. Configure the
optional and required parameters:
• name: Enter a text string up to 63 characters
long.
• access-class access-list-name: Enter the
name of a configured IP ACL.
• nopassword: Do not require the user to enter
a password.
• encryption-type: Enter 0 for plain text or 7
for encrypted text.
• password: Enter a string.
• privilege level range: 0 to 15.

To view usernames, use the show users command in the EXEC Privilege mode.

884

|

Security

Configure the enable password command
To configure FTOS, you must use the enable command to enter the EXEC Privilege level 15. After entering
the command, FTOS requests that you enter a password. Privilege levels are not assigned to passwords,
rather passwords are assigned to a privilege level. A password for any privilege level can always be
changed. To change to a different privilege level, enter the enable command, followed by the privilege
level. If you do not enter a privilege level, the default level 15 is assumed.
To configure a password for a specific privilege level, use the following command in the
CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

enable password [level level]
[encryption-mode] password

CONFIGURATION

Configure a password for a privilege level. Configure the
optional and required parameters:
• level level: Specify a level 0 to 15. Level 15 includes all
levels.
• encryption-type: Enter 0 for plain text or 7 for encrypted
text.
• password: Enter a string.
To change only the password for the enable command,
configure only the password parameter.

To view the configuration for the enable secret command, use the show running-config command in the
EXEC Privilege mode.
In custom-configured privilege levels, the enable command is always available. No matter what privilege
level you entered FTOS, you can enter the enable 15 command to access and configure all CLI.

Configure custom privilege levels
In addition to assigning privilege levels to the user, you can configure the privilege levels of commands so
that they are visible in different privilege levels. Within FTOS, commands have certain privilege levels.
With the privilege command, the default level can be changed or you can reset their privilege level back to
the default.
•
•

Assign the launch keyword (for example, configure) for the keyword’s command mode.
If you assign only the first keyword to the privilege level, all commands beginning with that keyword
are also assigned to the privilege level. If you enter the entire command, the software assigns the
privilege level to that command only.

Security | 885

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To assign commands and passwords to a custom privilege level, you must be in privilege level 15 and use
these commands in the following sequence in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

username name [access-class
access-list-name] [privilege level]
[nopassword | password
[encryption-type] password]

CONFIGURATION

Assign a user name and password. Configure the
optional and required parameters:
• name: Enter a text string (up to 63
characters).
• access-class access-list-name: Enter the
name of a configured IP ACL.
• privilege level range: 0 to 15.
• nopassword: Do not require the user to enter
a password.
• encryption-type: Enter 0 for plain text or 7 for
encrypted text.
• password: Enter a string.

2

enable password [level level]
[encryption-mode] password

CONFIGURATION

Configure a password for privilege level.
Configure the optional and required parameters:
• level level: Specify a level 0 to 15. Level 15
includes all levels.
• encryption-type: Enter 0 for plain text or 7 for
encrypted text.
• password: Enter a string up to 25 characters
long.
To change only the password for the enable
command, configure only the password
parameter.

3

privilege mode {level level command |
reset command}

CONFIGURATION

Configure level and commands for a mode or
reset a command’s level. Configure the
following required and optional parameters:
• mode: Enter a keyword for the modes (exec,
configure, interface, line, route-map, router)
• level level range: 0 to 15. Levels 0, 1 and 15
are pre-configured. Levels 2 to 14 are
available for custom configuration.
• command: A FTOS CLI keyword (up to 5
keywords allowed).
• reset: Return the command to its default
privilege mode.

1

To view the configuration, use the show running-config command in the EXEC Privilege mode.
Figure 44-2 is an example of a configuration to allow a user “john” to view only the EXEC mode
commands and all snmp-server commands. Since the snmp-server commands are “enable” level commands
and, by default, found in the CONFIGURATION mode, you must also assign the launch command for the
CONFIGURATION mode, configure, to the same privilege level as the snmp-server commands.

886

|

Security

Figure 44-2.

Configuring a Custom Privilege Level

FTOS(conf)#username john privilege 8 password john
FTOS(conf)#enable password level 8 notjohn
FTOS(conf)#privilege exec level 8 configure
FTOS(conf)#privilege config level 8 snmp-server
FTOS(conf)#end
FTOS#show running-config
Current Configuration ...
!
hostname Force10
!
enable password level 8 notjohn
enable password Force10
!
username admin password 0 admin
username john password 0 john privilege 8
!

The user john is assigned privilege level
8 and assigned a password.
All other users are assigned a password
to access privilege level 8
The command configure is assigned to
privilege level 8 since it is needed to
reach the CONFIGURATION mode
where the snmp-server commands are
located.
The snmp-server commands, in the
CONFIGURATION mode, are assigned
to privilege level 8.

Figure 44-3 is a screen shot of the Telnet session for user “john”. The show privilege command output
confirms that “john” is in privilege level 8. In the EXEC Privilege mode, “john” can access only the
commands listed. In CONFIGURATION mode, “john” can access only the snmp-server commands.
Figure 44-3.

User john’s Login and the List of Available Commands

apollo% telnet 172.31.1.53
Trying 172.31.1.53...
Connected to 172.31.1.53.
Escape character is '^]'.
Login: john
Password:
FTOS#show priv
Current privilege level is 8
FTOS#?
configure
Configuring from terminal
disable
Turn off privileged commands
enable
Turn on privileged commands
exit
Exit from the EXEC
no
Negate a command
show
Show running system information
terminal
Set terminal line parameters
traceroute
Trace route to destination
FTOS#confi
FTOS(conf)#?
end
Exit from Configuration mode
exit
Exit from Configuration mode
no
Reset a command
snmp-server
Modify SNMP parameters
FTOS(conf)#

Specify LINE mode password and privilege
You can specify a password authentication of all users on different terminal lines. The user’s privilege
level will be the same as the privilege level assigned to the terminal line, unless a more specific privilege
level is is assigned to the user.

Security | 887

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To specify a password for the terminal line, use the following commands, in any order, in the LINE mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

privilege level level

LINE

Configure a custom privilege level for the terminal
lines.
• level level range: 0 to 15. Levels 0, 1 and 15 are
pre-configured. Levels 2 to 14 are available for
custom configuration.

password [encryption-type] password

LINE

Specify either a plain text or encrypted password.
Configure the following optional and required
parameters:
• encryption-type: Enter 0 for plain text or 7 for
encrypted text.
• password: Enter a text string up to 25 characters
long.

To view the password configured for a terminal, use the show config command in the LINE mode.

Enable and disabling privilege levels
Enter the enable or enable privilege-level command in the EXEC Privilege mode to set a user’s security level.
If you do not enter a privilege level, FTOS sets it to 15 by default.
To move to a lower privilege level, enter the command disable followed by the level-number you wish to set
for the user in the EXEC Privilege mode. If you enter disable without a level-number, your security level
is 1.

RADIUS
Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) is a distributed client/server protocol. This
protocol transmits authentication, authorization, and configuration information between a central RADIUS
server and a RADIUS client (the Dell Force10 system). The system sends user information to the RADIUS
server and requests authentication of the user and password. The RADIUS server returns one of the
following responses:
•
•

Access-Accept—the RADIUS server authenticates the user
Access-Reject—the RADIUS server does not authenticate the user

If an error occurs in the transmission or reception of RADIUS packets, the error can be viewed by enabling
the debug radius command.
Transactions between the RADIUS server and the client are encrypted (the users’ passwords are not sent in
plain text). RADIUS uses UDP as the transport protocol between the RADIUS server host and the client.
For more information on RADIUS, refer to RFC 2865, Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service.

888

|

Security

RADIUS Authentication and Authorization
FTOS supports RADIUS for user authentication (text password) at login and can be specified as one of the
login authentication methods in the aaa authentication login command.
When configuring AAA authorization, you can configure to limit the attributes of services available to a
user. When authorization is enabled, the network access server uses configuration information from the
user profile to issue the user's session. The user’s access is limited based on the configuration attributes.
RADIUS exec-authorization stores a user-shell profile and that is applied during user login. You may name
the relevant named-lists with either a unique name or the default name. When authorization is enabled by
the RADIUS server, the server returns the following information to the client:
•
•
•
•

Idle time
ACL configuration information
Auto-command
Privilege level

After gaining authorization for the first time, you may configure these attributes.
Note: RADIUS authentication/authorization is done for every login. There is no difference between
first-time login and subsequent logins.

Idle Time
Every session line has its own idle-time. If the idle-time value is not changed, the default value of 30
minutes is used. RADIUS specifies idle-time allow for a user during a session before timeout. When a user
logs in, the lower of the two idle-time values (configured or default) is used. The idle-time value is updated
if both of the following happens:
•
•

The administrator changes the idle-time of the line on which the user has logged in
The idle-time is lower than the RADIUS-returned idle-time

ACL
The RADIUS server can specify an ACL. If an ACL is configured on the RADIUS server, and if that ACL
is present, user may be allowed access based on that ACL. If the ACL is absent, authorization fails, and a
message is logged indicating the this.
RADIUS can specify an ACL for the user if both of the following are true:
•
•

If an ACL is absent
There is a very long delay for an entry, or a denied entry because of an ACL, and a message is logged

Note: The ACL name must be a string. Only standard ACLs in authorization (both RADIUS and TACACS)
are supported. Authorization is denied in cases using Extended ACLs.

Security | 889

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Auto-command
You can configure the system through the RADIUS server to automatically execute a command when you
connect to a specific line. To do this, use the command auto-command. The auto-command is executed
when the user is authenticated and before the prompt appears to the user.

Set access to privilege levels through RADIUS
Through the RADIUS server, you can use the command privilege level to configure a privilege level for the
user to enter into when they connect to a session. This value is configured on the client system.

Configuration Task List for RADIUS
To authenticate users using RADIUS, at least one RADIUS server must be specified so that the system can
communicate with and configure RADIUS as one of your authentication methods.
The following list includes the configuration tasks for RADIUS.
•
•
•
•
•

Define a aaa method list to be used for RADIUS on page 890 (mandatory)
Apply the method list to terminal lines on page 891 (mandatory except when using default lists)
Specify a RADIUS server host on page 891 (mandatory)
Set global communication parameters for all RADIUS server hosts on page 892 (optional)
Monitor RADIUS on page 893 (optional)

For a complete listing of all FTOS commands related to RADIUS, refer to the Security chapter in the
FTOS Command Reference.
Note: RADIUS authentication and authorization are done in a single step. Hence, authorization cannot be
used independent of authentication. However, if RADIUS authorization is configured and authentication is
not, then a message is logged stating this. During authorization, the next method in the list (if present) is
used, or if another method is not present, an error is reported.

To view the configuration, use the show config in the LINE mode or the show running-config command in the
EXEC Privilege mode.

Define a AAA method list to be used for RADIUS
To configure RADIUS to authenticate or authorize users on the system, you must create a AAA method
list. Default method lists do not need to be explicitly applied to the line, so they are not mandatory. To
create a method list, enter one of the following commands in CONFIGURATION mode:

890

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

aaa authentication login
method-list-name radius

CONFIGURATION

Enter a text string (up to 16 characters long) as the name
of the method list you wish to use with the RADIUS
authentication method.

Security

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

aaa authorization exec
{method-list-name | default} radius
tacacs+

CONFIGURATION

Create methodlist with RADIUS and TACACS+ as
authorization methods. Typical order of methods:
RADIUS, TACACS+, Local, None. If authorization is
denied by RADIUS, the session ends (radius should not
be the last method specified).

Apply the method list to terminal lines
To enable RADIUS AAA login authentication for a method list, you must apply it to a terminal line. To
configure a terminal line for RADIUS authentication and authorization, enter the following commands:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

line {aux 0 | console 0 | vty number
[end-number]}

CONFIGURATION

Enter the LINE mode.

login authentication {method-list-name |
default}

LINE

Enable AAA login authentication for the specified
RADIUS method list. This procedure is mandatory if
you are not using default lists.

authorization exec methodlist

CONFIGURATION

To use the methodlist.

Specify a RADIUS server host
When configuring a RADIUS server host, you can set different communication parameters, such as the
UDP port, the key password, the number of retries, and the timeout.
To specify a RADIUS server host and configure its communication parameters, use the following
command in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

radius-server host {hostname |
ip-address} [auth-port port-number]
[retransmit retries] [timeout seconds]
[key [encryption-type] key]

CONFIGURATION

Enter the host name or IP address of the RADIUS server
host. Configure the optional communication parameters
for the specific host:
• auth-port port-number range: 0 to 65335. Enter a
UDP port number. The default is 1812.
• retransmit retries range: 0 to 100. Default is 3.
• timeout seconds range: 0 to 1000. Default is 5
seconds.
• key [encryption-type] key: Enter 0 for plain text or 7
for encrypted text, and a string for the key. The key
can be up to 42 characters long. This key must match
the key configured on the RADIUS server host.
If these optional parameters are not configured, the
global default values for all RADIUS host are applied.

Security | 891

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To specify multiple RADIUS server hosts, configure the radius-server host command multiple times. If
multiple RADIUS server hosts are configured, FTOS attempts to connect with them in the order in which
they were configured. When FTOS attempts to authenticate a user, the software connects with the
RADIUS server hosts one at a time, until a RADIUS server host responds with an accept or reject
response.
If you want to change an optional parameter setting for a specific host, use the radius-server host command.
To change the global communication settings to all RADIUS server hosts, refer to Set global
communication parameters for all RADIUS server hosts on page 892.
To view the RADIUS configuration, use the show running-config radius command in the EXEC Privilege
mode.
To delete a RADIUS server host, use the no radius-server host {hostname | ip-address} command.

Set global communication parameters for all RADIUS server hosts
You can configure global communication parameters (auth-port, key, retransmit, and timeout parameters)
and specific host communication parameters on the same system. However, if both global and specific host
parameters are configured, the specific host parameters override the global parameters for that RADIUS
server host.
To set global communication parameters for all RADIUS server hosts, use any or all of the following
commands in the CONFIGURATION mode:

892

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

radius-server deadtime seconds

CONFIGURATION

Set a time interval after which a RADIUS host
server is declared dead.
• seconds range: 0 to 2147483647.
Default: 0 seconds

radius-server key [encryption-type] key

CONFIGURATION

Configure a key for all RADIUS communications
between the system and RADIUS server hosts.
• encryption-type: Enter 7 to encrypt the
password. Enter 0 to keep the password as plain
text.
• key: Enter a string. The key can be up to 42
characters long. You cannot use spaces in the
key.

radius-server retransmit retries

CONFIGURATION

Configure the number of times FTOS retransmits
RADIUS requests.
• retries range: 0 to 100. Default is 3 retries.

radius-server timeout seconds

CONFIGURATION

Configure the time interval the system waits for a
RADIUS server host response.
• seconds range: 0 to 1000.
Default is 5 seconds.

Security

To view the configuration of RADIUS communication parameters, use the show running-config command in
the EXEC Privilege mode.

Monitor RADIUS
To view information on RADIUS transactions, use the following command in the EXEC Privilege mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

debug radius

EXEC Privilege

View RADIUS transactions to troubleshoot
problems.

TACACS+
FTOS supports Terminal Access Controller Access Control System (TACACS+ client, including support
for login authentication.

Configuration Task List for TACACS+
The following list includes the configuration task for TACACS+ functions:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Choose TACACS+ as the Authentication Method
Monitor TACACS+
TACACS+ Remote Authentication and Authorization on page 895
TACACS+ Remote Authentication and Authorization on page 895
Specify a TACACS+ server host on page 896
Choose TACACS+ as the Authentication Method on page 893

For a complete listing of all commands related to TACACS+, refer to the Security chapter in the FTOS
Command Reference.

Choose TACACS+ as the Authentication Method
One of the login authentication methods available is TACACS+ and the user’s name and password are sent
for authentication to the TACACS hosts specified. To use TACACS+ to authenticate users, you must
specify at least one TACACS+ server for the system to communicate with and configure TACACS+ as one
of your authentication methods.

Security | 893

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To select TACACS as the login authentication method, use these commands in the following sequence in
the CONFIGURATION mode:
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

tacacs-server host {ip-address | host}

CONFIGURATION

Configure a TACACS+ server host. Enter
the IP address or host name of the
TACACS+ server.
Use this command multiple times to
configure multiple TACACS+ server hosts.

2

aaa authentication login {method-list-name
| default} tacacs+ [...method3]

CONFIGURATION

Enter a text string (up to 16 characters
long) as the name of the method list you
wish to use with the TACAS+
authentication method
The tacacs+ method should not be the last
method specified.

3

line {aux 0 | console 0 | vty number
[end-number]}

CONFIGURATION

Enter the LINE mode.

4

login authentication {method-list-name |
default}

LINE

Assign the method-list to the terminal line.

1

To view the configuration, use the show config in the LINE mode or the show running-config tacacs+
command in the EXEC Privilege mode.
If authentication fails using the primary method, FTOS employs the second method (or third method, if
necessary) automatically. For example, if the TACACS+ server is reachable, but the server key is invalid,
FTOS proceeds to the next authentication method. In Figure 44-4, the TACACS+ is incorrect, but the user
is still authenticated by the secondary method.

894

|

Security

Figure 44-4.

Failed Authentication

FTOS(conf)#
FTOS(conf)#do show run aaa

!
aaa
aaa
aaa
aaa
aaa
aaa
aaa
aaa
aaa
aaa

authentication enable default tacacs+ enable
authentication enable LOCAL enable tacacs+
authentication login default tacacs+ local
authentication login LOCAL local tacacs+
authorization exec default tacacs+ none
authorization commands 1 default tacacs+ none
authorization commands 15 default tacacs+ none
accounting exec default start-stop tacacs+
accounting commands 1 default start-stop tacacs+
accounting commands 15 default start-stop tacacs+
FTOS(conf)#
FTOS(conf)#do show run tacacs+
!
tacacs-server key 7 d05206c308f4d35b Server key purposely changed to incorrect value
tacacs-server host 10.10.10.10 timeout 1
FTOS(conf)#tacacs-server key angeline
FTOS(conf)#%RPM0-P:CP %SEC-5-LOGIN_SUCCESS: Login successful for user admin on
vty0 (10.11.9.209)
%RPM0-P:CP %SEC-3-AUTHENTICATION_ENABLE_SUCCESS: Enable password
authentication success on vty0 ( 10.11.9.209 )
%RPM0-P:CP %SEC-5-LOGOUT: Exec session is terminated for user admin on line
vty0 (10.11.9.209)
FTOS(conf)#username angeline password angeline
FTOS(conf)#%RPM0-P:CP %SEC-5-LOGIN_SUCCESS: Login successful for user angeline
on vty0 (10.11.9.209)
%RPM0-P:CP %SEC-3-AUTHENTICATION_ENABLE_SUCCESS: Enable password
User authenticated using secondary method
authentication success on vty0 ( 10.11.9.209 )

Monitor TACACS+
To view information on TACACS+ transactions, use the following command in the EXEC Privilege mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

debug tacacs+

EXEC Privilege

View TACACS+ transactions to troubleshoot
problems.

TACACS+ Remote Authentication and Authorization
FTOS takes the access class from the TACACS+ server. Access class is the class of service that restricts
Telnet access and packet sizes. If you have configured remote authorization, then FTOS ignores the access
class you have configured for the VTY line. FTOS instead gets this access class information from the
TACACS+ server. FTOS needs to know the username and password of the incoming user before it can
fetch the access class from the server. A user, therefore, will at least see the login prompt. If the access
class denies the connection, FTOS closes the Telnet session immediately.

Security | 895

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 44-5 demonstrates how to configure the access-class from a TACACS+ server. This causes the
configured access-class on the VTY line to be ignored. If you have configured a deny10 ACL on the
TACACS+ server, FTOS downloads it and applies it. If the user is found to be coming from the 10.0.0.0
subnet, FTOS also immediately closes the Telnet connection. Note, that no matter where the user is coming
from, they see the login prompt.
Figure 44-5.

Specify a TACACS+ server host

FTOS#
FTOS(conf)#
FTOS(conf)#ip access-list standard deny10
FTOS(conf-std-nacl)#permit 10.0.0.0/8
FTOS(conf-std-nacl)#deny any
FTOS(conf)#
FTOS(conf)#aaa authentication login tacacsmethod tacacs+
FTOS(conf)#aaa authentication exec tacacsauthorization tacacs+
FTOS(conf)#tacacs-server host 25.1.1.2 key Force10
FTOS(conf)#
FTOS(conf)#line vty 0 9
FTOS(config-line-vty)#login authentication tacacsmethod
FTOS(config-line-vty)#authorization exec tacauthor
FTOS(config-line-vty)#
FTOS(config-line-vty)#access-class deny10
FTOS(config-line-vty)#end

When configuring a TACACS+ server host, you can set different communication parameters, such as the
key password.
To specify a TACACS+ server host and configure its communication parameters, use the following
command in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

tacacs-server host {hostname |
ip-address} [port port-number]
[timeout seconds] [key key]

CONFIGURATION

Enter the host name or IP address of the TACACS+
server host. Configure the optional communication
parameters for the specific host:
• port port-number range: 0 to 65335. Enter a TCP port
number. The default is 49.
• timeout seconds range: 0 to 1000. Default is 10
seconds.
• key key: Enter a string for the key. The key can be up
to 42 characters long. This key must match a key
configured on the TACACS+ server host. This
parameter should be the last parameter configured.
If these optional parameters are not configured, the
default global values are applied.

To specify multiple TACACS+ server hosts, configure the tacacs-server host command multiple times. If
multiple TACACS+ server hosts are configured, FTOS attempts to connect with them in the order in which
they were configured.
To view the TACACS+ configuration, use the show running-config tacacs+ command in the EXEC Privilege
mode.

896

|

Security

To delete a TACACS+ server host, use the no tacacs-server host {hostname | ip-address} command.
freebsd2# telnet 2200:2200:2200:2200:2200::2202
Trying 2200:2200:2200:2200:2200::2202...
Connected to 2200:2200:2200:2200:2200::2202.
Escape character is '^]'.
Login: admin
Password:
FTOS#
FTOS#

Command Authorization
The AAA command authorization feature configures FTOS to send each configuration command to a
TACACS server for authorization before it is added to the running configuration.
By default, the AAA authorization commands configure the system to check both EXEC mode and
CONFIGURATION mode commands. Use the command no aaa authorization config-commands to enable
only EXEC mode command checking.
If rejected by the AAA server, the command is not added to the running config, and messages similar to
Message 1 are displayed.
Message 1 Configuration Command Rejection
04:07:48: %RPM0-P:CP %SEC-3-SEC_AUTHORIZATION_FAIL: Authorization failure
authorization failed for user (denyall) on vty0 ( 10.11.9.209 )

Command

Protection from TCP Tiny and Overlapping Fragment
Attacks
Tiny and overlapping fragment attack is a class of attack where configured ACL entries—denying TCP
port-specific traffic—can be bypassed, and traffic can be sent to its destination although denied by the
ACL. RFC 1858 and 3128 proposes a countermeasure to the problem. This countermeasure is configured
into the line cards and enabled by default.

SCP and SSH
Secure Shell (SSH) is a protocol for secure remote login and other secure network services over an
insecure network. FTOS is compatible with SSH versions 1.5 and 2, both the client and server modes. SSH
sessions are encrypted and use authentication. For details on command syntax, see the Security chapter in
the FTOS Command Line Interface Reference.

Security | 897

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

SCP is a remote file copy program that works with SSH and is supported by FTOS.
Note: The Windows-based WinSCP client software is not supported for secure copying between a PC
and an FTOS-based system. Unix-based SCP client software is supported.

To use the SSH client, use the following command in the EXEC Privilege mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ssh {hostname} [-l username | -p
port-number | -v {1 | 2}

EXEC Privilege

Open an SSH connection specifying the hostname,
username, port number, and version of the SSH client.
hostname is the IP address or hostname of the remote
device.
• Enter an IPv4 or IPv6 address in dotted decimal
format (A.B.C.D).

To enable the SSH server for version 1 and 2, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION
mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip ssh server {enable | port port-number}

CONFIGURATION

Configure the Dell Force10 system as an
SCP/SSH server.

To enable the SSH server for version 1 or 2 only, use the following command:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip ssh server version {1|2}

CONFIGURATION

Configure the Dell Force10 system as an SSH server that
uses only version 1 or 2.

To view the SSH configuration, use the following command in EXEC Privilege mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

show ip ssh

EXEC Privilege

Display SSH connection information.

Figure 44-6 shows the use of the command ip ssh server version 2 to enable SSH version 2, and the show ip
ssh command to confirm the setting.

898

|

Security

Figure 44-6.

Specifying an SSH version

FTOS(conf)#ip ssh server version 2
FTOS(conf)#do show ip ssh
SSH server
: disabled.
SSH server version
: v2.
Password Authentication
: enabled.
Hostbased Authentication : disabled.
RSA
Authentication : disabled.

To disable SSH server functions, enter no ip ssh server enable.

Using SCP with SSH to copy a software image
To use Secure Copy (SCP) to copy a software image through an SSH connection from one switch to
another, use the following procedure:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

On Chassis One, set the SSH port
number (port 22 by default).

ip ssh server port number

2

On Chassis One, enable SSH.

ip ssh server enable

CONFIGURATION

3

On Chassis Two, invoke SCP.

copy scp: flash:

CONFIGURATION

4

On Chassis Two, in response to prompts,
enter the path to the desired file and enter
the port number specified in Step 1.

CONFIGURATION

EXEC Privilege

This example shows the use of SCP and SSH to copy a software image from one switch running SSH
Server on UDP port 99 to the local switch:
Figure 44-7.

Using SCP to copy from an SSH Server on another Switch

FTOS#copy scp: flash:
Address or name of remote host []: 10.10.10.1
Port number of the server [22]: 99
Source file name []: test.cfg
User name to login remote host: admin
Password to login remote host:

Other SSH-related commands include:
•
•
•
•
•

crypto key generate:

Generate keys for the SSH server.
debug ip ssh: Enables collecting SSH debug information.
ip scp topdir: Identify a location for files used in secure copy transfer.
ip ssh authentication-retries: Configure the maximum number of attempts that should be used to
authenticate a user.
ip ssh connection-rate-limit: Configure the maximum number of incoming SSH connections per minute.

Security | 899

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

ip ssh hostbased-authentication enable: Enable

hostbased-authentication for the SSHv2 server.
ip ssh key-size: Configure the size of the server-generated RSA SSHv1 key.
ip ssh password-authentication enable: Enable password authentication for the SSH server.
ip ssh pub-key-file: Specify the file to be used for host-based authentication.
ip ssh rhostsfile: Specify the rhost file to be used for host-based authorization.
ip ssh rsa-authentication enable: Enable RSA authentication for the SSHv2 server.
ip ssh rsa-authentication: Add keys for the RSA authentication.
show crypto: Display the public part of the SSH host-keys.
show ip ssh client-pub-keys: Display the client public keys used in host-based authentication.
show ip ssh rsa-authentication: Display the authorized-keys for the RSA authentication.
ssh-peer-rpm: Open an SSH connection to the peer RPM.

Secure Shell Authentication
Secure Shell (SSH) is disabled by default. Enable it using the command ip ssh server enable.
SSH supports three methods of authentication:
•
•
•

SSH Authentication by Password on page 900
RSA Authentication of SSH on page 901
Host-based SSH Authentication on page 901

Important Points to Remember for SSH Authentication
•
•
•

If more than one method is enabled, the order in which the methods are preferred is based on the
ssh_config file on the Unix machine.
When all the three authentication methods are enabled, password authentication is the backup method
when the RSA method fails.
The files known_hosts and known_hosts2 are generated when a user tries to SSH using version 1 or
version 2, respectively.

SSH Authentication by Password
Authenticate an SSH client by prompting for a password when attempting to connect to the Dell Force10
system. This is the simplest methods of authentication and uses SSH version 1.
Enable SSH password authentication using the command ip ssh password-authentication enable from
CONFIGURATION mode. View your SSH configuration using the command show ip ssh from EXEC
Privilege mode.

900

|

Security

Figure 44-8.

Enabling SSH Password Authentication

FTOS(conf)#ip ssh server enable
% Please wait while SSH Daemon initializes ... done.
FTOS(conf)#ip ssh password-authentication enable
FTOS#sh ip ssh
SSH server
: enabled.
Password Authentication
: enabled.
Hostbased Authentication : disabled.
RSA
Authentication : disabled.

RSA Authentication of SSH
The following procedure authenticates an SSH client based on an RSA key using RSA authentication. This
method uses SSH version 2:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

On the SSH client (Unix machine), generate an RSA key, as shown in Figure 44-9.
Figure 44-9.

Generating RSA Keys

admin@Unix_client#ssh-keygen -t rsa
Generating public/private rsa key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/home/admin/.ssh/id_rsa):
/home/admin/.ssh/id_rsa already exists.
Overwrite (y/n)? y
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:
Your identification has been saved in /home/admin/.ssh/id_rsa.
Your public key has been saved in /home/admin/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.

2

Copy the public key id_rsa.pub to the Dell Force10 system.

3

Disable password authentication if enabled.

no ip ssh password-authentication
enable

CONFIGURATION

4

Enable RSA authentication.

ip ssh rsa-authentication enable

EXEC Privilege

5

Bind the public keys to RSA authentication.

ip ssh rsa-authentication
my-authorized-keys flash://public_key

EXEC Privilege

Host-based SSH Authentication
Authenticate a particular host. This method uses SSH version 2.
To configure host-based authentication:
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure RSA Authentication. See RSA Authentication of SSH, above.

Security | 901

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step
2

Task

Command Syntax

Create shosts by copying the public
RSA key to the to the file shosts in the
diretory .ssh, and write the IP address
of the host to the file.

cp /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key.pub /.ssh/shosts

Figure 44-10.

Command Mode

Creating shosts

admin@Unix_client# cd /etc/ssh
admin@Unix_client# ls
moduli
sshd_config
ssh_host_dsa_key.pub
ssh_host_rsa_key.pub ssh_config ssh_host_dsa_key
ssh_host_rsa_key

ssh_host_key.pub
ssh_host_key

admin@Unix_client# cat ssh_host_rsa_key.pub
ssh-rsa
AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAABIwAAAIEA8K7jLZRVfjgHJzUOmXxuIbZx/
AyWhVgJDQh39k8v3e8eQvLnHBIsqIL8jVy1QHhUeb7GaDlJVEDAMz30myqQbJgXBBRTWgBpLWwL/
doyUXFufjiL9YmoVTkbKcFmxJEMkE3JyHanEi7hg34LChjk9hL1by8cYZP2kYS2lnSyQWk=
admin@Unix_client# ls
id_rsa

id_rsa.pub

shosts

admin@Unix_client# cat shosts
10.16.127.201, ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAABIwAAAIEA8K7jLZRVfjgHJzUOmXxuIbZx/AyW
hVgJDQh39k8v3e8eQvLnHBIsqIL8jVy1QHhUeb7GaDlJVEDAMz30myqQbJgXBBRTWgBpLWwL/
doyUXFufjiL9YmoVTkbKcFmxJEMkE3JyHanEi7hg34LChjk9hL1by8cYZP2kYS2lnSyQWk=

3

Create a list of IP addresses and usernames that are permitted to SSH in a file called rhosts, as shown in
Figure 44-11.
Figure 44-11.

Creating rhosts

admin@Unix_client# ls
id_rsa id_rsa.pub rhosts shosts
admin@Unix_client# cat rhosts
10.16.127.201 admin

4

Copy the file shosts and rhosts to the Dell Force10 system.

5

Disable password authentication and
RSA authentication, if configured

•
•

6

Enable host-based authentication.

ip ssh hostbased-authentication enable

CONFIGURATION

7

Bind shosts and rhosts to host-based
authentication.

ip ssh pub-key-file flash://filename
ip ssh rhostsfile flash://filename

CONFIGURATION

no ip ssh password-authentication
no ip ssh rsa-authentication

•
•

CONFIGURATION
EXEC Privilege

Client-based SSH Authentication
SSH from the chassis to the SSH client using using the command ssh ip_address. This method uses SSH
version 1 or version 2. If the SSH port is a non-default value, use the command ip ssh server port number, to
change the default port number. You may only change the port number when SSH is disabled. When must
then still use the -p option with the command ssh.

902

|

Security

Figure 44-12.

Client-based SSH Authentication

FTOS#ssh 10.16.127.201 ?
-l
User name option
-p
SSH server port option (default 22)
-v
SSH protocol version

Troubleshooting SSH
•

You may not bind id_rsa.pub to RSA authentication while logged in via the console. In this case,
Message 2 appears.

Message 2 RSA Authentication Error
%Error: No username set for this term.

•

Host-based authentication must be enabled on the server (Dell Force10system) and the client (Unix
machine). Message 3 appears if you attempt to log in via SSH and host-based is disabled on the client.
In this case, verify that host-based authentication is set to “Yes” in the file ssh_config (root permission
is required to edit this file).

Message 3 Host-based Authentication Error
permission denied (host based)

•

If the IP address in the RSA key does not match the IP address from which you attempt to log in,
Message 4 appears. In this case, verify that the name and IP address of the client is contained in the file
/etc/hosts.

Message 4 RSA Authentication Error
getname info 8 failed

Telnet
To use Telnet with SSH, you must first enable SSH, as described above.
By default, the Telnet daemon is enabled. If you want to disable the Telnet daemon, use the following
command, or disable Telnet in the startup config.
Use the [no] ip telnet server enable command to enable or disable the Telnet daemon.
FTOS(conf)#ip telnet server enable
FTOS(conf)#no ip telnet server enable

Security | 903

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Trace Lists
The Trace Lists feature is supported only on the E-Series:

e

You can log packet activity on a port to confirm the source of traffic attacking a system. Once the Trace list
is enabled on the system, you view its traffic log to confirm the source address of the attacking traffic. In
FTOS, Trace lists are similar to extended IP ACLs, except that Trace lists are not applied to an interface.
Instead, Trace lists are enabled for all switched traffic entering the system.
The number of entries allowed per trace list is 1K.
In the E-Series, you can create a trace filter based on any of the following criteria:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Source IP address
Destination IP address
Source TCP port number
Destination TCP port number
Source UDP port number
Destination UDP port number

For trace lists, you can match criteria on specific or ranges of TCP or UDP ports or established TCP
sessions.
Note: If there are unresolved next-hops and a trace-list is enabled, there is a possibility that the traffic
hitting the CPU will not be rate-limited.

When creating a trace list, the sequence of the filters is important. You have a choice of assigning sequence
numbers to the filters as you enter them, or FTOS assigns numbers in the order the filters were created. For
more information on sequence numbering, refer to Chapter 21, IP Access Control Lists, Prefix Lists, and
Route-maps.

Configuration Tasks for Trace Lists
The following configuration steps include mandatory and optional steps.
•
•

Creating a trace list (mandatory)
Apply trace lists (mandatory)

For a complete listing of all commands related to trace lists, refer to the Security chapter in the FTOS
Command Reference.

904

|

Security

Creating a trace list
Trace lists filter and log traffic based on source and destination IP addresses, IP host addresses, TCP
addresses, TCP host addresses, UDP addresses, and UDP host addresses. When configuring the Trace list
filters, include the count and bytes parameters so that any hits to that filter are logged.
Since traffic passes through the filter in the order of the filter’s sequence, you can configure the trace list by
first entering the TRACE LIST mode and then assigning a sequence number to the filter.
To create a filter for packets with a specified sequence number, use these commands in the following
sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

2

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip trace-list trace-list-name

CONFIGURATION

Enter the TRACE LIST mode by creating
an trace list.

seq sequence-number {deny | permit} {ip |
ip-protocol-number} {source mask | any |
host ip-address} {destination mask | any |
host ip-address} [count [byte] | log]

TRACE LIST

Configure a drop or forward filter.
Configure the following required and
optional parameters:
• sequence-number range: 0 to,
4294967290.
• ip: to specify IP as the protocol to filter
for.
• ip-protocol-number range: 0 to 255.
• source: An IP address as the source IP
address for the filter to match.
• mask: a network mask
• any: to match any IP source address
• host ip-address: to match IP addresses
in a host.
• destination: An IP address as the source
IP address for the filter to match.
• count: count packets processed by the
filter.
• byte: count bytes processed by the filter.
• log: is supported.

To create a filter for TCP packets with a specified sequence number, use these commands in the following
sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip trace-list trace-list-name

CONFIGURATION

Create a trace list and assign it a unique
name.

Security | 905

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

2

seq sequence-number {deny | permit} tcp
{source mask | any | host ip-address}
[operator port [port]] {destination mask |
any | host ip-address} [operator port [port]]
[established] [count [byte] | log]

TRACE LIST

Configure a trace list filter for TCP
packets.
• source: An IP address as the source IP
address for the filter to match.
• mask: a network mask
• any: to match any IP source address
• host ip-address: to match IP addresses
in a host.
• destination: An IP address as the source
IP address for the filter to match.
• count: count packets processed by the
filter.
• byte: count bytes processed by the
filter.
• log: is supported.

To create a filter for UDP packets with a specified sequence number, use these commands in the following
sequence, starting in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

2

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip trace-list access-list-name

CONFIGURATION

Create a trace list and assign it a unique
name.

seq sequence-number {deny | permit} udp
{source mask | any | host ip-address}
[operator port [port]] {destination mask |
any | host ip-address} [operator port
[port]] [count [byte] | log]

TRACE LIST

Configure a trace list filter for UDP
packets.
• source: An IP address as the source IP
address for the filter to match.
• mask: a network mask
• any: to match any IP source address
• host ip-address: to match IP addresses
in a host.
• destination: An IP address as the source
IP address for the filter to match.
• count: count packets processed by the
filter.
• byte: count bytes processed by the
filter.
• log: is supported.

When you create the filters with a specific sequence number, you can create the filters in any order and the
filters are placed in the correct order.
Note: When assigning sequence numbers to filters, keep in mind that you might need to insert a
new filter. To prevent reconfiguring multiple filters, assign sequence numbers in multiples of five or
another number.

Figure 44-13 illustrates how the seq command orders the filters according to the sequence number
assigned. In the example, filter 15 was configured before filter 5, but the show config command displays the
filters in the correct order.

906

|

Security

Figure 44-13.

Trace list Using seq Command Example

FTOS(config-trace-acl)#seq 15 deny ip host 12.45.0.0 any log
FTOS(config-trace-acl)#seq 5 permit tcp 121.1.3.45 0.0.255.255 any
FTOS(config-trace-acl)#show conf
!
ip trace-list dilling
seq 5 permit tcp 121.1.0.0 0.0.255.255 any
seq 15 deny ip host 12.45.0.0 any log
FTOS(config-trace-acl)#

If you are creating a Trace list with only one or two filters, you can let FTOS assign a sequence number
based on the order in which the filters are configured. FTOS assigns filters in multiples of 5.
To configure a filter for a Trace list without a specified sequence number, use any or all of the following
commands in the TRACE LIST mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

{deny | permit} {ip | ip-protocol-number} {source
mask | any | host ip-address} {destination mask | any |
host ip-address} [count [byte] | log]

TRACE LIST

Configure a deny or permit filter to
examine IP packets. Configure the
following required and optional
parameters:
• ip: to specify IP as the protocol to filter
for.
• ip-protocol-number range: 0 to 255.
• source: An IP address as the source IP
address for the filter to match.
• mask: a network mask
• any: to match any IP source address
• host ip-address: to match IP addresses
in a host.
• destination: An IP address as the
source IP address for the filter to
match.
• count: count packets processed by the
filter.
• byte: count bytes processed by the
filter.
• log: is supported.

Security | 907

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

{deny | permit} tcp {source mask | any | host

TRACE LIST

Configure a deny or permit filter to
examine TCP packets. Configure the
following required and optional
parameters:
• source: An IP address as the source IP
address for the filter to match.
• mask: a network mask
• any: to match any IP source address
• host ip-address: to match IP addresses
in a host.
• destination: An IP address as the
source IP address for the filter to
match.
• precedence precedence range: 0 to 7.
• tos tos-value range: 0 to 15
• count: count packets processed by the
filter.
• byte: count bytes processed by the
filter.
• log: is supported.

TRACE LIST

Configure a deny or permit filter to
examine UDP packets. Configure the
following required and optional
parameters:
• source: An IP address as the source IP
address for the filter to match.
• mask: a network mask
• any: to match any IP source address
• host ip-address: to match IP addresses
in a host.
• destination: An IP address as the
source IP address for the filter to
match.
• precedence precedence range: 0 to 7.
• tos tos-value range: 0 to 15
• count: count packets processed by the
filter.
• byte: count bytes processed by the
filter.
• log: is supported.

ip-address} [operator port [port]] {destination mask |
any | host ip-address} [operator port [port]]
[established] [count [byte] | log]

{deny | permit} udp {source mask | any | host
ip-address} [operator port [port]] {destination mask |
any | host ip-address} [operator port [port]] | log]

Figure 44-14 illustrates a Trace list in which the sequence numbers were assigned by the software. The
filters were assigned sequence numbers based on the order in which they were configured (for example,
the first filter was given the lowest sequence number). The show config command in the TRACE LIST
mode displays the two filters with the sequence numbers 5 and 10.

908

|

Security

Figure 44-14.

Trace List Example

FTOS(config-trace-acl)#deny tcp host 123.55.34.0 any
FTOS(config-trace-acl)#permit udp 154.44.123.34 0.0.255.255 host 34.6.0.0
FTOS(config-trace-acl)#show config
!
ip trace-list nimule
seq 5 deny tcp host 123.55.34.0 any
seq 10 permit udp 154.44.0.0 0.0.255.255 host 34.6.0.0

To view all configured Trace lists and the number of packets processed through the Trace list, use the show
ip accounting trace-list command (Figure 110) in the EXEC Privilege mode.

Apply trace lists
After you create a Trace list, you must enable it. Without enabling the Trace list, no traffic is filtered.
You can enable one Trace list.
To enable a Trace list, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip trace-group trace-list-name

CONFIGURATION

Enable a configured Trace list to filter traffic.

To remove a Trace list, use the no ip trace-group trace-list-name command syntax.
Once the Trace list is enabled, you can view its log with the show ip accounting trace-list trace-list-name
[linecard number] command.
Figure 44-15.

show ip accounting trace-list Command Example

FTOS#show ip accounting trace-list dilling
Trace List dilling on linecard 0
seq 2 permit ip host 10.1.0.0 any count (0 packets)
seq 5 deny ip any any
FTOS#

Security | 909

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

VTY Line and Access-Class Configuration
Various methods are available to restrict VTY access in FTOS. These depend on which authentication
scheme you use — line, local, or remote:
Table 44-1.

VTY Access

Authentication Method

Username
VTY access-class access-class
support?
support?

Remote authorization support?

Line

YES

NO

NO

Local

NO

YES

NO

TACACS+

YES

NO

YES (with FTOS 5.2.1.0 and later)

RADIUS

YES

NO

YES (with FTOS 6.1.1.0 and later)

FTOS provides several ways to configure access classes for VTY lines, including:
•
•

VTY Line Local Authentication and Authorization on page 910
VTY Line Remote Authentication and Authorization on page 911

VTY Line Local Authentication and Authorization
FTOS retrieves the access class from the local database. To use this feature:
1. Create a username
2. Enter a password
3. Assign an access class
4. Enter a privilege level
Line authentication can be assigned on a per-VTY basis; it is a simple password authentication, using an
access-class as authorization.
Local authentication is configured globally. You configure access classes on a per-user basis.
FTOS can assign different access classes to different users by username. Until users attempt to log in,
FTOS does not know if they will be assigned a VTY line. This means that incoming users always see a
login prompt even if you have excluded them from the VTY line with a deny-all access class. Once users
identify themselves, FTOS retrieves the access class from the local database and applies it. (FTOS also
subsequently can close the connection if a user is denied access).
Note: If a VTY user logs in with RADIUS authentication, the privilege level will be applied from the
RADIUS server only if RADIUS authentication is configured.

910

|

Security

Figure 44-16 shows how to allow or deny a Telnet connection to a user. Users will see a login prompt, even
if they cannot login. No access class is configured for the VTY line. It defaults from the local database.
Figure 44-16.

Example Access-Class Configuration Using Local Database

FTOS(conf)#user gooduser password abc privilege 10 access-class permitall
FTOS(conf)#user baduser password abc privilege 10 access-class denyall
FTOS(conf)#
FTOS(conf)#aaa authentication login localmethod local
FTOS(conf)#
FTOS(conf)#line vty 0 9
FTOS(config-line-vty)#login authentication localmethod
FTOS(config-line-vty)#end

Note: See also the section Chapter 7, Access Control Lists (ACLs).

VTY Line Remote Authentication and Authorization
FTOS retrieves the access class from the VTY line.
The Dell Force10 OS takes the access class from the VTY line and applies it to ALL users. FTOS does not
need to know the identity of the incoming user and can immediately apply the access class. If the
authentication method is radius, TACACS+, or line, and you have configured an access class for the VTY
line, FTOS immediately applies it. If the access-class is deny all or deny for the incoming subnet, FTOS closes
the connection without displaying the login prompt. The following example shows how to deny incoming
connections from subnet 10.0.0.0 without displaying a login prompt. The example uses TACACS+ as the
authentication mechanism.
Figure 44-17.

Example Access Class Configuration Using TACACS+ Without Prompt

FTOS(conf)#ip access-list standard deny10
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#permit 10.0.0.0/8
FTOS(conf-ext-nacl)#deny any
FTOS(conf)#
FTOS(conf)#aaa authentication login tacacsmethod tacacs+
FTOS(conf)#tacacs-server host 256.1.1.2 key Force10
FTOS(conf)#
FTOS(conf)#line vty 0 9
FTOS(config-line-vty)#login authentication tacacsmethod
FTOS(config-line-vty)#
FTOS(config-line-vty)#access-class deny10
FTOS(config-line-vty)#end
(same applies for radius and line authentication)

VTY MAC-SA Filter Support
FTOS supports MAC access lists which permit or deny users based on their source MAC address. With
this approach, you can implement a security policy based on the source MAC address.

Security | 911

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To apply a MAC ACL on a VTY line, use the same access-class command as IP ACLs (Figure 44-18).
Figure 44-18 shows how to deny incoming connections from subnet 10.0.0.0 without displaying a login
prompt.

912

Figure 44-18.

Example Access Class Configuration Using TACACS+ Without Prompt

FTOS(conf)#mac access-list standard sourcemac
FTOS(config-std-mac)#permit 00:00:5e:00:01:01
FTOS(config-std-mac)#deny any
FTOS(conf)#
FTOS(conf)#line vty 0 9
FTOS(config-line-vty)#access-class sourcemac
FTOS(config-line-vty)#end

|

Security

45
Service Provider Bridging
Service Provider Bridging is supported on platforms:

ecsz

This chapter contains the following major sections:
•
•
•
•
•

VLAN Stacking
VLAN Stacking Packet Drop Precedence
Dynamic Mode CoS for VLAN Stacking
Layer 2 Protocol Tunneling
Provider Backbone Bridging

VLAN Stacking
VLAN Stacking is supported on platforms:

cesz

VLAN Stacking, also called Q-in-Q, is defined in IEEE 802.1ad—Provider Bridges, which is an
amendment to IEEE 802.1Q—Virtual Bridged Local Area Networks. It enables service providers to use
802.1Q architecture to offer separate VLANs to customers with no coordination between customers, and
minimal coordination between customers and the provider.
Using only 802.1Q VLAN tagging all customers would have to use unique VLAN IDs to ensure that traffic
is segregated, and customers and the service provider would have to coordinate to ensure that traffic
mapped correctly across the provider network. Even under ideal conditions, customers and the provider
would still share the 4094 available VLANs.
Instead, 802.1ad allows service providers to add their own VLAN tag to frames traversing the provider
network. The provider can then differentiate customers even if they use the same VLAN ID, and providers
can map multiple customers to a single VLAN to overcome the 4094 VLAN limitation. Forwarding
decisions in the provider network are based on the provider VLAN tag only, so the provider can map traffic
through the core independently; the customer and provider need only coordinate at the provider edge.
In at the access point of a VLAN-stacking network, service providers add a VLAN tag, the S-Tag, to each
frame before the 802.1Q tag. From this point, the frame is double-tagged. The service provider uses the
S-Tag, to forward the frame traffic across its network. At the egress edge, the provider removes the S-Tag,
so that the customer receives the frame in its original condition (Figure 45-1).

Service Provider Bridging | 913

VLAN Stacking in a Service Provider Network

PCP

TPID
(0x9100)

DEI

VID
(VLAN 300)

PCP

TPID
(0x8100)

CFI
(0)

VID
(VLAN Red)

AN

1 00

tagged 100

AN
0
10

VL

VL

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 45-1.

trunk port

VLAN

VLAN 300
00
N1
VLA

VL

AN

20

100

0

access port
tagged 100
IN

TE

RN

ET

S E RV I C E P R O V

ID E

Rw / V

LAN

S TA C KI N

G

Important Points to Remember
•

•
•
•

Interfaces that are members of the Default VLAN and are configured as VLAN-Stack access or trunk
ports do not switch untagged traffic. To switch traffic, these interfaces must be added to a non-default
VLAN-Stack-enabled VLAN.
Dell Force10 cautions against using the same MAC address on different customer VLANs, on the
same VLAN-Stack VLAN.
You can ping across a trunk port only if both systems on the link are an E-Series. You cannot ping
across the link if one or both of the systems is a C-Series or S-Series.
This limitation becomes relevant if you enable the port as a multi-purpose port (carrying single-tagged
and double-tagged traffic).

Configure VLAN Stacking
Configuring VLAN-Stacking is a three-step process:
1. Create access and trunk ports. See page 915.
2. Assign access and trunk ports to a VLAN. See page 915.
3. Make the VLAN VLAN-stacking capable.

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•
•
•

914

|

Configure the Protocol Type Value for the Outer VLAN Tag on page 916
FTOS Options for Trunk Ports on page 916
Debug VLAN Stacking on page 917
VLAN Stacking in Multi-vendor Networks on page 918

Service Provider Bridging

Create Access and Trunk Ports
An access port is a port on the service provider edge that directly connects to the customer. An access port
may belong to only one service provider VLAN.
A trunk port is a port on a service provider bridge that connects to another service provider bridge and is
a member of multiple service provider VLANs.
Physical ports and port-channels can be access or trunk ports.
To create access and trunk ports:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Assign the role of access port to a Layer 2 port on a provider
bridge that is connected to a customer.

vlan-stack access

INTERFACE

2

Assign the role of trunk port to a Layer 2 port on a provider
bridge that is connected to another provider bridge.

vlan-stack trunk

INTERFACE

3

Assign all access ports and trunk ports to service provider
VLANs.

member

INTERFACE VLAN

Display the VLAN-Stacking configuration for a switchport using the command show config from
INTERFACE mode, as shown in Figure 45-2.
Figure 45-2.

Displaying the VLAN-Stack Configuration on a Layer 2 Port

FTOS#show run interface gi 7/0
!
interface GigabitEthernet 7/0
no ip address
switchport
vlan-stack access
no shutdown
FTOS#show run interface gi 7/12
!
interface GigabitEthernet 7/12
no ip address
switchport
vlan-stack trunk
no shutdown

Enable VLAN-Stacking for a VLAN
To enable VLAN-Stacking for a VLAN:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable VLAN-Stacking for the VLAN.

INTERFACE VLAN

vlan-stack compatible

Service Provider Bridging | 915

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Display the status and members of a VLAN using the show vlan command from EXEC Privilege mode.
Members of a VLAN-Stacking-enabled VLAN are marked with an M in column Q.
Figure 45-3.

Display the Members of a VLAN-Stacking-enabled VLAN

FTOS#show vlan
Codes: * - Default VLAN, G - GVRP VLANs

*

NUM

Status

Q Ports

1

Active

U Gi 13/0-5,18

2

Inactive

3

Inactive

4

Inactive

5

Inactive

6

Active

M Po1(Gi 13/14-15)
M Gi 13/13

FTOS#

Configure the Protocol Type Value for the Outer VLAN Tag
The Tag Protocol Identifier (TPID) field of the S-Tag is user-configurable:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Select a value for the S-Tag TPID.

CONFIGURATION

vlan-stack protocol-type

Default: 9100

Display the S-Tag TPID for a VLAN using the command show running-config from EXEC privilege mode.
FTOS displays the S-Tag TPID only if it is a non-default value.

FTOS Options for Trunk Ports
802.1ad trunk ports may also be tagged members of a VLAN so that it can carry single and double-tagged
traffic.
You can enable trunk ports to carry untagged, single-tagged, and double-tagged VLAN traffic by making
the trunk port a hybrid port.
Step
1

916

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure a trunk port to carry untagged, single-tagged, and
double-tagged traffic by making it a hybrid port.
Note: Note: On the C-Series and S-Series, a trunk port
can be added to an 802.1Q VLAN as well as a Stacking
VLAN only when the TPID 0x8100.

portmode hybrid

INTERFACE

Service Provider Bridging

Step
2

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Add the port to a 802.1Q VLAN as tagged or untagged.

[tagged | untagged]

INTERFACE VLAN

In Figure 45-4 GigabitEthernet 0/1 a trunk port that is configured as a hybrid port and then added to VLAN
100 as untagged VLAN 101 as tagged, and VLAN 103, which is a stacking VLAN.
Figure 45-4.

Hybrid Port as VLAN-Stack Trunk Port and as Member of other VLANs

FTOS(conf)#int gi 0/1
FTOS(conf-if-gi-0/1)#portmode hybrid
FTOS(conf-if-gi-0/1)#switchport
FTOS(conf-if-gi-0/1)#vlan-stack trunk
FTOS(conf-if-gi-0/1)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/1
no ip address
portmode hybrid
switchport
vlan-stack trunk
shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-0/1)#interface vlan 100
FTOS(conf-if-vl-100)#untagged gigabitethernet 0/1
FTOS(conf-if-vl-100)#interface vlan 101
FTOS(conf-if-vl-101)#tagged gigabitethernet 0/1
FTOS(conf-if-vl-101)#interface vlan 103
FTOS(conf-if-vl-103)#vlan-stack compatible
FTOS(conf-if-vl-103-stack)#member gigabitethernet 0/1
FTOS(conf-if-vl-103-stack)#do show vlan
Codes:
Q: U x G -

*

NUM
1
100
101
103

* - Default VLAN, G - GVRP VLANs
Untagged, T - Tagged
Dot1x untagged, X - Dot1x tagged
GVRP tagged, M - Vlan-stack
Status
Inactive
Inactive
Inactive
Inactive

Description

Q Ports
U Gi 0/1
T Gi 0/1
M Gi 0/1

Debug VLAN Stacking
To debug the internal state and membership of a VLAN and its ports, use the debug member command, as
shown in Figure 45-5. The port notations in Figure 45-5 are as follows:
•
•
•
•
•

MT — stacked trunk
MU — stacked access port
T— 802.1Q trunk port
U— 802.1Q access port
NU— Native VLAN (untagged)

Service Provider Bridging | 917

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 45-5.

Example of Output of debug member vlan and debug member port

FTOS# debug member vlan 603
vlan id
: 603
ports
: Gi 2/47 (MT), Gi 3/1(MU), Gi 3/25(MT), Gi 3/26(MT), Gi 3/27(MU)
FTOS#debug member port gigabitethernet 2/47
vlan id
: 603 (MT), 100(T), 101(NU)
FTOS#

VLAN Stacking in Multi-vendor Networks
The first field in the VLAN tag is the Tag Protocol Identifier (TPID), which is two bytes. In a
VLAN-stacking network, once the frame is double tagged, the outer tag TPID must match the TPID of the
next-hop system.
While 802.1Q requires that the inner tag TPID is 0x8100, it does not require a specific value for the outer
tag TPID. Systems may use any two-byte value; FTOS uses 0x9100 (Figure 45-6) while non-Dell Force10
systems might use a different value.
If the next-hop system’s TPID does not match the outer-tag TPID of the incoming frame, the system drops
the frame. For example, in Figure 45-6, the frame originating from Building A is tagged VLAN RED, and
then double-tagged VLAN PURPLE on egress at R4. The TPID on the outer tag is 0x9100. R2’s TPID
must also be 0x9100, and it is, so R2 forwards the frame.
Given the matching-TPID requirement, there are limitations when you employ Dell Force10 systems at
network edges, at which, frames are either double tagged on ingress (R4) or the outer tag is removed on
egress (R3).

VLAN Stacking with E-Series TeraScale Systems
The default TPID for the outer VLAN tag is 0x9100. Although the TPID field is 16 bits, E-Series
TeraScale only uses the first eight to make forwarding decisions, and as such makes no distinction between
0x8100 and any other TPID beginning with 0x81, for example, 0x8181. You can configure the first eight
bits of the TPID using the command vlan-stack protocol-type command. In Figure 45-6, the frame originating
from Building C is tagged 0x9191 on egress of R1. R2’s TPID is 0x9100, but it its an E-Series TeraScale
system and makes no distinction between 0x9191 and 0x9100, so it forwards the frame.

918

|

Service Provider Bridging

Figure 45-6.

TPID Match and First-byte Match on the E-Series TeraScale

LUE
NB
TPID 0x9191

VLAN GREEN, VLAN

VLAN GREEN

UE
N BL
VLA
R1-E-Series TeraScale
TPID: 0x9191

VLA

INTE
RN
ET

Building D
CE PROVIDER
RVI
SE

R2-E-Series TeraScale
TPID: 0x9100

VL

AN

VLAN RE

PURPLE

D

R3-E-Series TeraScale
TPID: 0x9100

PU

Building B

RP
LE
TPID
(0x9100)

Building C

PCP

CFI
(0)

VID
(VLAN Purple)

TPID
(0x8100)

PCP

CFI
(0)

VID
(VLAN Red)

TPID
(0x8100)

PCP

CFI
(0)

VID
(VLAN Red)

R4

VL
AN

R4-Non-Force10 System
TPID: 0x9100

D
RE

Building A

TPID 0x8100 on E-Series TeraScale Systems
E-Series TeraScale treats TPID 0x8100 as a normal VLAN even when on the outer tag. E-Series TeraScale
makes forwarding decisions based strictly on the protocol type, without regard for whether the port is an
access port. Therefore, when the outer tag has TPID 0x8100, the system does not remove it from frames
egressing an access port. Still, although the frames cannot be decapsulated, the system is able to switch
them. In Figure 45-7, the frame originating from Building A is double tagged on egress at R4 and is
switched towards Building B, but is not decapsulated on egress at R2 because its TPID is 0x8181.
FTOS Behavior: The E-Series ExaScale and TeraScale forward frames with TPID 0x8100 even when its own
TPID is not 0x8100. This behavior is required to service ARP and PVST packets, which use TPID 0x8100.

Service Provider Bridging | 919

LUE

TPID Mismatch and 0x8100 Match on the E-Series TeraScale

TPID 0x9100

VLAN GREEN
UE
N BL
VLA

R1-E-Series TeraScale
TPID: 0x9100

NB

CE PROVIDER
RVI
SE

X

R2-E-Series TeraScale
TPID: 0x8181

VLAN GREEN, VLAN
VL

AN

Building D
TPID 0x8100

VLA

INTE
RN
ET

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 45-7.

VLAN R

PURPLE

ED

X

R3-E-Series TeraScale
TPID: 0x8181
PU

Building B

RP
LE
TPID
(0x8100)

PCP

CFI
(0)

VID
(VLAN Purple)

TPID
(0x8100)

PCP

CFI
(0)

VID
(VLAN Red)

TPID
(0x8100)

PCP

CFI
(0)

VID
(VLAN Red)

Building C
VL
AN

R4-Non-Force10 System
TPID: 0x8100

D
RE

Building A

VLAN Stacking with E-Series ExaScale Systems
E-Series ExaScale, beginning with FTOS version 8.2.1.0, allows you to configure both bytes of the 2-byte
TPID. TeraScale systems allow you to configure the first byte only and thus, the system did not
differentiate between TPIDs with a common first byte. For example 0x9100 and 0x91A8 were treated as
the same TPID. In Figure 45-6, R2 forwards the frame with TPID 0x9191 which originated from Building
C. In contrast, R2 drops the frame with TPID 0x9191 originating from Building C in Figure 45-8 because
the frames TPID does not match both bytes of its own TPID.
FTOS Behavior: The E-Series ExaScale and TeraScale forwards frames with TPID 0x8100 even when its own
TPID is not 0x8100. This behavior is required to service ARP and PVST packets, which use TPID 0x8100.

920

|

Service Provider Bridging

LUE

First-byte TPID Match on the E-Series ExaScale

TPID 0x9191

VLAN GREEN
UE
N BL
VLA

R1-E-Series TeraScale
TPID: 0x9191

Building D

NB

CE PROVIDER
RVI
SE

VLA

INTE
RN
ET

Figure 45-8.

X

R2-E-Series ExaScale
TPID: 0x9100

VLAN GREEN, VLAN
VL

AN

PU

VLAN R

PURPLE

ED

RP
LE

Building C
VL
AN
D
RE

Table 45-1 details the outcome of matched and mis-matched TPIDs in a VLAN-stacking network with the
E-Series.
Table 45-1.

E-Series Behaviors for Mis-matched TPID

Network
Position

Incoming
Packet TPID

System
TPID

Match Type

TeraScale Behavior

ExaScale Behavior

Core

0xUVWX

0xUVYZ

1st-byte match

switch as 0xUVYZ

drop

0xUVWZ

0xQRST

mismatch

drop

drop

0xUVWX

0xUVYZ

1st-byte match

switch as 0xUVYZ

drop

0x81WX

0x81YZ

1st-byte match

switch as is (no
decapsulation)

drop

0xUVWZ

0xQRST

mismatch

drop

drop

Egress Access
Point

VLAN Stacking with C-Series and S-Series
The default TPID for the outer VLAN tag is 0x9100. Beginning with FTOS version 8.2.1.0, both the
C-Series and S-Series allow you to configure both bytes of the 2-byte TPID. Previous versions allowed
you to configure the first byte only, and thus, the systems did not differentiate between TPIDs with a
common first byte. For example 0x8100 and any other TPID beginning with 0x81 were treated as the same
TPID, as shown in Figure 45-9. Versions 8.2.1.0 and later differentiate between 0x9100 and 0x91XY, as
shown in Figure 45-11.

Service Provider Bridging | 921

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

You can configure the first eight bits of the TPID using the command vlan-stack protocol-type.
The TPID on the C-Series and S-Series systems is global. Ingress frames that do not match the system
TPID are treated as untagged. This rule applies for both the outer tag TPID of a double-tagged frame and
the TPID of a single-tagged frame.
For example, if you configure TPID 0x9100, then the system treats 0x8100 and untagged traffic the same
and maps both types to the default VLAN, as shown by the frame originating from Building C in
Figure 45-11. For the same traffic types, if you configure TPID 0x8100, then the system is able to
differentiate between 0x8100 and untagged traffic and maps each to the appropriate VLAN, as shown by
the packet originating from Building A in Figure 45-11.
Therefore, a mismatched TPID results in the port not differentiating between tagged and untagged traffic.
Single and Double-tag TPID Match on the C-Series and S-Series

Building D

VLA

NB

LUE

Figure 45-9.

TPID 0x8100
R2-C-Series
TPID: 0x8100

Building C

VLAN GREEN, VLAN

VLAN GREEN
UE
N BL
VLA

VL

R1-C-Series
TPID: 0x8100

AN

VLAN R

PURPLE

R3-C-Series
TPID: 0x8100
PU

Building B

RP
LE
TPID
(0x8100)

R4-Non-Force10 System
TPID: 0x8100

IN

TE

PCP

VID
(VLAN Red)

RN

ET S

E R V I C E P R O VID

ER
AN

CFI
(0)

VL

TPID
(0x8100)

D
RE

Building A

922

|

Service Provider Bridging

ED

PCP

CFI
(0)

VID
(VLAN Purple)

TPID
(0x8100)

PCP

CFI
(0)

VID
(VLAN Red)

VLA

NB

LUE

Single and Double-tag First-byte TPID Match on C-Series and S-Series

DEFAULT VLAN

Figure 45-10.

TPID 0x8181
R2-C-Series w/ FTOS <8.2.1.0
ED
TPID: 0x8181
VLAN R
PURPLE
VLAN GREEN, VLAN
EN
GRE
VLAN
UE
DEFAULT VLAN
N BL
R3-C-Series w/ FTOS >=8.2.1.0
VL
VLA
TPID: 0x8181
AN
PU
R1-C-Series w/ FTOS <8.2.1.0
RP
TPID: 0x8181
LE

R4-Non-Force10 System
TPID: 0x8100

IN

TE

RN

E R V I C E P R O VID

ER
AN

VID
(VLAN Red)

CFI
(0)

ET S

VL

PCP

TPID
(0x8100)

Building B

D
RE

Building A

Building C

TPID 0x8181

VL

R1-C-Series
TPID: 0x9100

AN

R3-C-Series
TPID: 0x9100
PU

Building B

RP
LE
CFI
(0)

VID
(VLAN Purple)

TPID
(0x8100)

PCP

CFI
(0)

VID
(VLAN Red)

RN

ET S

E R V I C E P R O VID

R4

ER
AN

VID
(VLAN Red)

PCP

VL

CFI
(0)

ED

R4-Non-Force10 System
TPID: 0x8181

IN

TE

PCP

LUE

VLAN R

TPID
(0x8181)

TPID
(0x8100)

NB

R2-E-Series w/ FTOS version <8.2.1.0
TPID: 0x8181
PURPLE
VLAN GREEN, VLAN
VLAN GREEN

UE
N BL
VLA

Building D

VLA

TPID 0x9100

DEFAULT VLAN

Single and Double-tag TPID Mismatch on the C-Series and S-Series

DEFAULT VLAN
VLA

Figure 45-11.

D
RE

Building A

Service Provider Bridging | 923

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 45-2 details the outcome of matched and mismatched TPIDs in a VLAN-stacking network with the
C-Series and S-Series.
Table 45-2.

C-Series and S-Series Behaviors for Mis-matched TPID

Network
Position

Incoming
Packet TPID

System
TPID

Match Type

Pre-8.2.1.0

8.2.1.0+

0xUVWX

—

switch to default
VLAN

switch to default
VLAN

0xUVWX

single-tag
mismatch

switch to default
VLAN

switch to default
VLAN

0x8100

single-tag match

switch to VLAN

switch to VLAN

0x81XY

single-tag first-byte switch to VLAN
match

switch to default
VLAN

untagged

0xUVWX

—

switch to default
VLAN

switch to default
VLAN

double-tag
0xUVWX

0xUVWX

double-tag match

switch to VLAN

switch to VLAN

0xUVYZ

double-tag
first-byte match

switch to VLAN

switch to default
VLAN

0xQRST

double-tag
mismatch

switch to default
VLAN

switch to default
VLAN

untagged

0xUVWX

—

switch to default
VLAN

switch to default
VLAN

double-tag
0xUVWX

0xUVWX

double-tag match

switch to VLAN

switch to VLAN

0xUVYZ

double-tag
first-byte match

switch to VLAN

switch to default
VLAN

0xQRST

double-tag
mismatch

switch to default
VLAN

switch to default
VLAN

Ingress Access Point untagged
single-tag (0x8100)

Core

Egress Access Point

VLAN Stacking Packet Drop Precedence
VLAN Stacking Packet Drop Precedence is available only on platform:

cs

The Drop Eligible Indicator (DEI) bit in the S-Tag indicates to a service provider bridge which packets it
should prefer to drop when congested.

924

|

Service Provider Bridging

Enable Drop Eligibility
You must enable Drop Eligibility globally before you can honor or mark the DEI value.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Make packets eligible for dropping based on their DEI value. By
default, packets are colored green, and DEI is marked 0 on egress.

dei enable

CONFIGURATION

When Drop Eligibility is enabled, DEI mapping or marking takes place according to the defaults. In this
case, the CFI is affected according to Table 45-3.
Table 45-3.

Drop Eligibility Behavior

Ingress

Egress

DEI Disabled

DEI Enabled

Normal Port

Normal Port

Retain CFI

Set CFI to 0

Trunk Port

Trunk Port

Retain inner tag CFI

Retain inner tag CFI

Retain outer tag CFI

Set outer tag CFI to 0

Retain inner tag CFI

Retain inner tag CFI

Set outer tag CFI to 0

Set outer tag CFI to 0

Access Port

Trunk Port

Honor the Incoming DEI Value
To honor the incoming DEI value, you must explicitly map the DEI bit to an FTOS drop precedence;
precedence can have one of three colors:
Precedence

Description

Green

High priority packets that are the least preferred to be dropped.

Yellow

Lower priority packets that are treated as best-effort.

Red

Lowest priority packets that are always dropped (regardless of
congestion status).

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Honor the incoming DEI value by mapping it to an
FTOS drop precedence. You may enter the
command once for 0 and once for 1. Packets with an
unmapped DEI value are colored green.

dei honor {0 | 1} {green | red | yellow}

INTERFACE

Display the DEI-honoring configuration.

show interface dei-honor [interface slot/port
| linecard number port-set number]

EXEC Privilege

Service Provider Bridging | 925

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

FTOS#show interface dei-honor
Default Drop precedence: Green
Interface
CFI/DEI
Drop precedence
------------------------------------------------------------Gi 0/1
0
Green
Gi 0/1
1
Yellow
Gi 8/9
1
Red
Gi 8/40
0
Yellow

Mark Egress Packets with a DEI Value
On egress, you can set the DEI value according to a different mapping than ingress (see Honor the
Incoming DEI Value).
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Set the DEI value on egress according to the color
currently assigned to the packet.

dei mark {green | yellow} {0 | 1}

INTERFACE

Display the DEI-marking configuration.

show interface dei-mark [interface slot/port |
linecard number port-set number]

EXEC Privilege

FTOS#show interface dei-mark
Default CFI/DEI Marking: 0
Interface
Drop precedence
CFI/DEI
-----------------------------------------------Gi 0/1
Green
0
Gi 0/1
Yellow
1
Gi 8/9
Yellow
0
Gi 8/40
Yellow
0

Dynamic Mode CoS for VLAN Stacking
Dynamic Mode CoS for VLAN Stacking is available only on platforms:

cs

One of the ways to ensure quality of service for customer VLAN-tagged frames is to use the 802.1p
priority bits in the tag to indicate the level of QoS desired. When an S-Tag is added to incoming customer
frames, the 802.1p bits on the S-Tag may be configured statically for each customer or derived from the
C-Tag using Dynamic Mode CoS. Dynamic Mode CoS maps the C-Tag 802.1p value to a S-Tag 802.1p
value.

926

|

Service Provider Bridging

Figure 45-12.

Statically and Dynamically Assigned dot1p for VLAN Stacking

Untagged

S-Tag with statically-assigned dot1p

S-Tag

DATA

0x0800

SA

DA

DATA

100

1

C-Tag

C-Tag

3

0x0800

0x8100

SA

DA

3

100

0x8100

C-Tagged

400

0x9100

SA

DA

0x9100

SA

DA

S-Tag

4

400

S-Tag with mapped dot1p

When configuring Dynamic Mode CoS, you have two options:
a

mark the S-Tag dot1p and queue the frame according to the original C-Tag dot1p. In this case, you
must have other dot1p QoS configurations; this option is classic dot1p marking.

b

mark the S-Tag dot1p and queue the frame according to the S-Tag dot1p. For example, if frames
with C-Tag dot1p values 0, 6 and 7 are mapped to an S-Tag dot1p value 0, then all such frames are
sent to the queue associated with the S-Tag 802.1p value 0. This option requires two different
CAM entries, each in a different Layer 2 ACL FP block.

Note: The ability to map incoming C-Tag dot1p to any S-Tag dot1p requires up to 8 entries to be installed
in the Layer 2 QoS and Layer 2 ACL table for each configured customer VLAN. The scalability of this
feature is limited by the impact of the 1:8 expansion in these CAM tables.

Service Provider Bridging | 927

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS Behavior: For Option A above, when there is a conflict between the queue selected by Dynamic Mode CoS
(vlan-stack dot1p-mapping) and a QoS configuration, the queue selected by Dynamic Mode CoS takes precedence.
However, rate policing for the queue is determined by QoS configuration. For example, the following access-port
configuration maps all traffic to Queue 0:
vlan-stack dot1p-mapping c-tag-dot1p 0-7 sp-tag-dot1p 1
However, if the following QoS configuration also exists on the interface, traffic is queued to Queue 0 but will be rate policed
at 40Mbps (qos-policy-input for queue 3) since class-map "a" of Queue 3 also matches the traffic. This behavior is expected.
policy-map-input in layer2
service-queue 3 class-map a qos-policy 3
!
class-map match-any a layer2
match mac access-group a
!
mac access-list standard a
seq 5 permit any
!
qos-policy-input 3 layer2
rate-police 40

Likewise, in the configuration below, packets with dot1p priority 0 – 3 are marked as dot1p 7 in the outer
tag and queued to Queue 3. Rate policing is according to qos-policy-input 3. All other packets will have
outer dot1p 0 and hence are queued to Queue 1. They are therefore policed according to qos-policy-input 1.
A policy map output with rate shape for different queues can also be used.
policy-map-input in layer2
service-queue 1 qos-policy 1
service-queue 3 qos-policy 3
!
qos-policy-input 1 layer2
rate-police 10
!
qos-policy-input 3 layer2
rate-police 30
!
interface GigabitEthernet 0/21
no ip address
switchport
vlan-stack access
vlan-stack dot1p-mapping c-tag-dot1p 0-3 sp-tag-dot1p 7
service-policy input in layer2
no shutdown

928

|

Service Provider Bridging

To map C-Tag dot1p values to S-Tag dot1p values and mark the frames accordingly:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Allocate CAM space to enable queuing
frames according to the C-Tag or the
S-Tag.
vman-qos: mark the S-Tag dot1p and
queue the frame according to the original
C-Tag dot1p. This method requires half as
many CAM entries as vman-qos-dual-fp.
vman-qos-dual-fp: mark the S-Tag dot1p
and queue the frame according to the
S-Tag dot1p. This method requires twice
as many CAM entries as vman-qos and FP
blocks in multiples of 2.

cam-acl l2acl number ipv4acl number
ipv6acl number ipv4qos number l2qos
number l2pt number ipmacacl number
ecfmacl number {vman-qos |
vman-qos-dual-fp} number

CONFIGURATION

2

The new CAM configuration is stored in
NVRAM and takes effect only after a save
and reload.

copy running-config startup-config
reload

EXEC Privilege

3

Map C-Tag dot1p values to a S-Tag dot1p
value. C-Tag values may be separated by
commas, and dashed ranges are permitted.
Dynamic Mode CoS overrides any Layer 2
QoS configuration in case of conflicts.

vlan-stack dot1p-mapping c-tag-dot1p
values sp-tag-dot1p value

INTERFACE

1

Default: 0 FP blocks for vman-qos and
vman-qos-dual-fp

Note: Since dot1p-mapping marks and queues packets, the only remaining applicable QoS configuration is
rate metering. You may use Rate Shaping or Rate Policing.

Layer 2 Protocol Tunneling
Layer 2 Protocol Tunneling (L2PT) is supported on platforms:

ces

Spanning Tree BPDUs use a reserved destination MAC address called the Bridge Group Address, which is
01-80-C2-00-00-00. Only spanning-tree bridges on the LAN recognize this address and process the BPDU.
When VLAN stacking is used to connect physically separate regions of a network, BPDUs attempting to
traverse the intermediate network might be consumed and subsequently dropped because the intermediate
network itself might be using Spanning Tree (Figure 45-13).

Service Provider Bridging | 929

SPANNI
NG
TR

VLAN Stacking without L2PT

INTE
RN
E

T

no spanning-tree
ETWORK
EN
RE

SPAN
NIN
G

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 45-13.

T

ING TREE
ANN
SP
PROVIDER w/
VICE
R
SE

EE

EE
TR

Building B
no spanning-tree

X
BPDU w/ destination
MAC address: 01-80-C2-00-00-00

Building A

You might need to transport control traffic transparently through the intermediate network to the other
region. Layer 2 Protocol Tunneling enables BPDUs to traverse the intermediate network by identifying
frames with the Bridge Group Address, rewriting the destination MAC to a user-configured non-reserved
address, and forwarding the frames. Since the frames now use a unique MAC address, BPDUs are treated
as normal data frames by the switches in the intermediate network core. On egress edge of the intermediate
network, the MAC address rewritten to the original MAC address and forwarded to the opposing network
region (Figure 45-14).
FTOS Behavior: In FTOS versions prior to 8.2.1.0, the MAC address that Dell Force10 systems use to overwrite
the Bridge Group Address on ingress was non-configurable. The value of the L2PT MAC address was the Dell
Force10-unique MAC address, 01-01-e8-00-00-00. As such, with these FTOS versions, Dell Force10 systems are
required at the egress edge of the intermediate network because only FTOS could recognize the significance of
the destination MAC address and rewrite it to the original Bridge Group Address. In FTOS version 8.2.1.0 and
later, the L2PT MAC address is user-configurable, so you can specify an address that non-Dell Force10 systems
can recognize and rewrite the address at egress edge.

930

|

Service Provider Bridging

VLAN Stacking with L2PT
SPANNI
NG
TR

Figure 45-14.

INTE
RN
E

ETWORK
EN
RE

SPAN
NIN
G

T

no spanning-tree

EE

EE
TR

ING TREE
ANN
SP
PROVIDER w/
VICE
R
SE
BPDU w/ destination
T
MAC address: 01-01-e8-00-00-00

R1-E-Series

BPDU w/ destination
MAC address: 01-80-C2-00-00-00
no spanning-tree

Building B

R2
Non-Dell Force10
System

R3
Non-Dell Force10
System

BPDU w/ destination
MAC address: 01-80-C2-00-00-00

Building A

Implementation Information
•
•
•

L2PT is available for STP, RSTP, MSTP, and PVST+ BPDUs.
No protocol packets are tunneled when VLAN Stacking is enabled.
L2PT requires the default CAM profile.

Enable Layer 2 Protocol Tunneling
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Verify that the system is running the default CAM profile;
you must use this CAM profile for L2PT.

show cam-profile

EXEC Privilege

2

Enable protocol tunneling globally on the system.

protocol-tunnel enable

CONFIGURATION

3

Tunnel BPDUs the VLAN.

protocol-tunnel stp

INTERFACE
VLAN

Service Provider Bridging | 931

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Specify a Destination MAC Address for BPDUs
By default, FTOS uses a Dell Force10-unique MAC address for tunneling BPDUs. You can configure
another value.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Overwrite the BPDU with a user-specified destination
MAC address when BPDUs are tunneled across the
provider network.
Default: 01:01:e8:00:00:00

protocol-tunnel destination-mac

CONFIGURATION

Rate-limit BPDUs on the E-Series
In order to rewrite the destination MAC address on BPDUs, they are forwarded to the RPM. You can
rate-limit BPDUs to protect the RPM, in which case the system drops BPDUs when the threshold is
reached.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Set a maximum rate at which the RPM will process BPDUs for
L2PT.
Default: 75 pps

protocol-tunnel rate-limit

CONFIGURATION

E-Series Range: 75 to 3000 pps

Rate-limit BPDUs on the C-Series and S-Series
CAM space is allocated in sections called Field Processor (FP) blocks.
There are total 13 user-configurable FP blocks on the C-Series and S-Series. The default number of blocks
for L2PT is 0; you must allocate at least one to enable BPDU rate-limiting.
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Create at least one FP group for L2PT. See
CAM Allocation on page 278 for details on
this command.

cam-acl l2acl

CONFIGURATION

2

Save the running-config to the startup-config.

copy running-config startup-config

3

Reload the system.

reload

EXEC Privilege

4

Set a maximum rate at which the RPM will
process BPDUs for L2PT.
Default: no rate limiting

protocol-tunnel rate-limit

VLAN STACKING

C-Series Range: 64 to 640 kbps
S-Series Range: 64 to 320 kbps

932

|

Service Provider Bridging

EXEC Privilege

Debug Layer 2 Protocol Tunneling
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Display debugging information for L2PT.

debug protocol-tunnel

EXEC Privilege

Provider Backbone Bridging
Provider Backbone Bridging is supported only on platforms:

cs

IEEE 802.1ad—Provider Bridges amends 802.1Q—Virtual Bridged Local Area Networks so that service
providers can use 802.1Q architecture to offer separate VLANs to customers with no coordination between
customers, and minimal coordination between customers and the provider.
802.1ad specifies that provider bridges operating Spanning Tree use a reserved destination MAC address
called the Provider Bridge Group Address, 01-80-C2-00-00-08, to exchange BPDUs instead of the Bridge
Group Address, 01-80-C2-00-00-00, originally specified in 802.1Q. Only bridges in the service provider
network use this destination MAC address so these bridges treat BPDUs originating from the customer
network as normal data frames, rather than consuming them.
The same is true for GVRP. 802.1ad specifies that provider bridges participating in GVRP use a reserved
destination MAC address called the Provider Bridge GVRP Address, 01-80-C2-00-00-0D, to exchange
GARP PDUs instead of the GVRP Address, 01-80-C2-00-00-21, specified in 802.1Q. Only bridges in the
service provider network use this destination MAC address so these bridges treat GARP PDUs originating
from the customer network as normal data frames, rather than consuming them.
Provider Backbone Bridging through IEEE 802.1ad eliminates the need for tunneling BPDUs with L2PT
and increases the reliability of provider bridge networks as the network core need only learn the MAC
addresses of core switches, as opposed to all MAC addresses received from attached customer devices.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Use the Provider Bridge Group address
as the destination MAC address in
BPDUs. The xstp keyword applies this
functionality to STP, RSTP, and MSTP;
this functionality is not available for
PVST+.

bpdu-destination-mac-address [stp | gvrp]
provider-bridge-group

CONFIGURATION

Service Provider Bridging | 933

934

|

Service Provider Bridging

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

46
sFlow
Configuring sFlow is supported on platforms:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

ecsz

Enable and Disable sFlow
sFlow Show Commands
Specify Collectors
Polling Intervals
Sampling Rate
Back-off Mechanism
sFlow on LAG ports
Extended sFlow

Overview
FTOS supports sFlow version 5. sFlow is a standard-based sampling technology embedded within
switches and routers which is used to monitor network traffic. It is designed to provide traffic monitoring
for high speed networks with many switches and routers. sFlow uses two types of sampling:
•
•

Statistical packet-based sampling of switched or routed packet flows
Time-based sampling of interface counters

The sFlow monitoring system consists of an sFlow Agent (embedded in the switch/router) and an sFlow
collector. The sFlow Agent resides anywhere within the path of the packet, and combines the flow samples
and interface counters into sFlow datagrams and forwards them to the sFlow Collector at regular intervals.
The datagrams consists of information on, but not limited to, packet header, ingress and egress interfaces,
sampling parameters, and interface counters.
Packet sampling is typically done by the ASIC. sFlow Collector analyses the sFlow datagrams received
from different devices and produces a network-wide view of traffic flows.

sFlow | 935

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 46-1.

sFlow Traffic Monitoring System
sFlow Collector

Switch/Router

sFlow Datagrams

sFlow Agent
Poll Interface
Counters

Interface
Counters

Flow Samples

Switch ASIC

Implementation Information
The Dell Force10 sFlow is designed so that the hardware sampling rate is per line card port-pipe and is
decided based upon all the ports in that port-pipe. If sFlow is not enabled on any port specifically, then the
global sampling rate is downloaded to that port and is to calculate the port-pipe’s lowest sampling rate.
This design supports the possibility that sFlow might be configured on that port in the future. Back-off is
triggered based on the port-pipe’s hardware sampling rate.
For example, if port 1 in a the port-pipe has sFlow configured with a 16384 sampling rate while port 2 in
the port-pipe has sFlow configured but no sampling rate set, FTOS applies a global sampling rate of 512 to
port 2. The hardware sampling rate on the port-pipe is then set at 512 because that is the lowest configured
rate on the port-pipe. When a high traffic situation occurs, a back-off is triggered and the hardware
sampling rate is backed-off from 512 to 1024. Note that port 1 maintains its sampling rate of 16384; port 1
is unaffected because it maintains its configured sampling rate of 16484.
To avoid the back-off, either increase the global sampling rate or configure all the line card ports with the
desired sampling rate even if some ports have no sFlow configured.

Important Points to Remember
•
•
•
•
•

936

|

sFlow

The FTOS implementation of the sFlow MIB supports sFlow configuration via snmpset.
Collection through management interface is supported on E-Series only
Dell Force10 recommends that the sFlow Collector be connected to the Dell Force10 chassis through a
line card port rather than the RPM Management Ethernet port.
E-Series TeraScale sFlow sampling is done on a per-port-pipe basis.
E-Series ExaScale, C-Series, and S-Series sFlow sampling is done on a per-port basis.

•

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

FTOS exports all sFlow packets to the collector. A small sampling rate can equate to a large number of
exported packets. A backoff mechanism will automatically be applied to reduce this amount. Some
sampled packets may be dropped when the exported packet rate is high and the backoff mechanism is
about to or is starting to take effect. The dropEvent counter, in the sFlow packet, will always be zero.
Community list and local preference fields are not filled in extended gateway element in sFlow
datagram.
802.1P source priority field is not filled in extended switch element in sFlow datagram.
Only Destination and Destination Peer AS number are packed in the dst-as-path field in extended
gateway element
If packet being sampled is redirected using PBR (Policy-Based Routing), sFlow datagram may contain
incorrect extended gateway/router information.
Source VLAN field in the extended switch element will not be packed in case of routed packet.
Destination VLAN field in the extended switch element will not be packed in case of Multicast packet.
On the S-Series, up to 700 packets can be sampled and processed per second.
On the C-Series up to 1000 packets can be sampled and processed per second.
On the E-Series, the maximum number of packets that can be sampled and processed per second is:
— 7500 packets when no extended information packing is enabled.
— 1000 packets when only extended-switch information packing is enabled.
— 1600 packets when extended-router and/or extended-gateway information packing is
enabled.

Enable and Disable sFlow
By default, sFlow is disabled globally on the system. To enable sFlow globally, use the sflow enable
command in CONFIGURATION mode. Use the no version of this command to disable sFlow globally.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

[no] sflow enable

CONFIGURATION

Enable sFlow globally.

Enable and Disable on an Interface
By default, sFlow is disabled on all interfaces. To enable sFlow on a specific interface, use the sflow
enable command in INTERFACE mode. Use the no version of this command to disable sFlow on an
interface. This CLI is supported on physical ports and LAG ports.
Command Syntax
[no] sflow enable

Command Mode
INTERFACE

Usage
Enable sFlow on an interface.

sFlow | 937

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

sFlow Show Commands
FTOS includes the following sFlow display commands:
•
•
•

Show sFlow Globally
Show sFlow on an Interface
Show sFlow on a Line Card

Show sFlow Globally
Use the following command to view sFlow statistics:
Command Syntax
show sflow

Command Mode
EXEC

Purpose
Display sFlow configuration information and statistics.

Figure 46-2 is a sample output from the show sflow command:
Figure 46-2.

Command Example: show sflow

FTOS#show sflow
Indicates sFlow is globally enabled
sFlow services are enabled
Global default sampling rate: 32768
Global default counter polling interval: 20
1 collectors configured
Collector IP addr: 133.33.33.53, Agent IP addr: 133.33.33.116, UDP port: 6343
77 UDP packets exported
0 UDP packets dropped
165 sFlow samples collected
69 sFlow samples dropped due to sub-sampling
Indicates sFlow is enabled on
linecards Gi 1/16 and Gi 1/17
Linecard 1 Port set 0 H/W sampling rate 8192
Gi 1/16: configured rate 8192, actual rate 8192, sub-sampling rate 1
Gi 1/17: configured rate 16384, actual rate 16384, sub-sampling rate 2

Show sFlow on an Interface
Use the following command to view sFlow information on a specific interface:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

show sflow interface
interface-name

EXEC

Purpose
Display sFlow configuration information and statistics on a
specific interface.

Figure 46-3 is a sample output from the show sflow interface command.

938

|

sFlow

Figure 46-3.

Command Example: show sflow interface

FTOS#show sflow interface gigabitethernet 1/16
Gi 1/16
Configured sampling rate
:8192
Actual sampling rate
:8192
Sub-sampling rate
:2
Counter polling interval
:15
Samples rcvd from h/w
:33
Samples dropped for sub-sampling :6

The configuration, shown in Figure 46-2, is also displayed in the running configuration (Figure 46-4):
Figure 46-4.

Command Example: show running-config interface

FTOS#show running-config interface gigabitethernet 1/16
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/16
no ip address
mtu 9252
ip mtu 9234
switchport
sflow enable
sflow sample-rate 8192
no shutdown

Show sFlow on a Line Card
Use the following command to view sFlow statistics on a specified line card:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

show sflow linecard slot-number

EXEC

Purpose
Display sFlow configuration information and statistics on
the specified interface.

Figure 46-5 is a sample output from the show sflow linecard command:
Figure 46-5.

Command Example: show sflow linecard

FTOS#show sflow linecard 1
Linecard 1
Samples rcvd from h/w
Samples dropped for sub-sampling
Total UDP packets exported
UDP packets exported via RPM
UDP packets dropped

:165
:69
:77
:77
:

sFlow | 939

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Specify Collectors
The sflow collector command allows identification of sFlow Collectors to which sFlow datagrams are
forwarded. The user can specify up to two sFlow collectors. If two Collectors are specified, the samples are
sent to both.
Collection through Management interface is supported on platform:

e.

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

sflow collector ip-address
agent-addr ip-address [number
[max-datagram-size number] ] |
[max-datagram-size number ]

CONFIGURATION

Identify sFlow collectors to which sFlow datagrams
are forwarded.
Default UDP port: 6343
Default max-datagram-size: 1400

Polling Intervals
The sflow polling-interval command configures the polling interval for an interface in the maximum
number of seconds between successive samples of counters to be sent to the collector. This command
changes the global default counter polling (20 seconds) interval. You can configure an interface to use a
different polling interval.
The polling interval can be configured globally (in CONFIGURATION mode) or by interface (in
INTERFACE mode) by executing the interval command:
.

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Usage

sflow polling-interval
interval value

CONFIGURATION or
INTERFACE

Change the global default counter polling interval.
interval value—in seconds.
Range: 15 to 86400 seconds
Default: 20 seconds

Sampling Rate
Sampling Rate is supported on platform

et

The sFlow sampling rate is the number of packets that are skipped before the next sample is taken. sFlow
does not have time-based packet sampling.

940

|

sFlow

The sflow sample-rate command, when issued in CONFIGURATION mode, changes the default
sampling rate. By default, the sampling rate of an interface is set to the same value as the current global
default sampling rate.If the value entered is not a correct power of 2, the command generates an error
message with the previous and next power-of-2 value. Select one of these two number and re-enter the
command. (For more information on values in power-of-2, see Sub-sampling on page 941.)
The sample rate can be configured globally or by interface using the sample rate command:
Command Syntax
[no] sflow sample-rate
sample-rate

Command Mode
CONFIGURATION
or
INTERFACE

Usage
Change the global or interface sampling rate. Rate must
be entered in factors of 2 (eg, 4096, 8192).
sample-rate range:
256-8388608 for C-Series and S-Series
2-8388608 for E-Series

Sub-sampling
Sub-sampling is available only on platform:

et

The sFlow sample rate is not the frequency of sampling, but the number of packets that are skipped before
the next sample is taken. Although a sampling rate can be configured for each port, TeraScale line cards
can support only a single sampling rate per port-pipe.
Therefore, sFlow Agent uses sub-sampling to create multiple sampling rates per port-pipe. To achieve
different sampling rates for different ports in a port-pipe, sFlow Agent takes the lowest numerical value of
the sampling rate of all the ports within the port-pipe, and configures all ports to this value. sFlow Agent is
then able to skip samples on ports where you require a larger sampling rate value.
Sampling rates are configurable in powers of two. This allows the smallest sampling rate possible to be
configured on the hardware, and also allows all other sampling rates to be available through sub-sampling.
For example, if Gig 1/0 and 1/1 are in a port-pipe, and they are configured with a sampling rate of 4096 on
interface Gig 1/0, and 8192 on Gig 1/1, sFlow Agent does the following:
1. Configures the hardware to a sampling rate of 4096 for all ports with sFlow enabled on that port-pipe.
2. Configure interface Gig 1/0 to a sub-sampling rate of 1 to achieve an actual rate of 4096.
3. Configure interface Gig 1/1 to a sub-sampling rate of 2 to achieve an actual rate of 8192.
Note: Sampling rate backoff can change the sampling rate value that is set in the hardware. This equation
shows the relationship between actual sampling rate, sub-sampling rate, and the hardware sampling rate
for an interface:
Actual sampling rate = sub-sampling rate * hardware sampling rate

Note the absence of a configured rate in the equation. That is because when the hardware sampling rate
value on the port-pipe exceeds the configured sampling rate value for an interface, the actual rate changes
to the hardware rate. The sub-sampling rate never goes below a value of one.

sFlow | 941

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Back-off Mechanism
If the sampling rate for an interface is set to a very low value, the CPU can get overloaded with flow
samples under high-traffic conditions. In such a scenario, a binary back-off mechanism gets triggered,
which doubles the sampling-rate (halves the number of samples per second) for all interfaces. The backoff
mechanism continues to double the sampling-rate until CPU condition is cleared. This is as per sFlow
version 5 draft. Once the back-off changes the sample-rate, users must manually change the sampling rate
to the desired value.
As a result of back-off, the actual sampling-rate of an interface may differ from its configured sampling
rate. The actual sampling-rate of the interface and the configured sample-rate can be viewed by using the
show sflow command.

sFlow on LAG ports
When a physical port becomes a member of a LAG, it inherits the sFlow configuration from the LAG port.

Extended sFlow
Extended sFlow is supported fully on platform
Platforms

e

c and s support extended-switch information processing only.

Extended sFlow packs additional information in the sFlow datagram depending on the type of sampled
packet. The following options can be enabled:
extended-switch — 802.1Q VLAN ID and 802.1p priority information

•
•
•

extended-router — Next-hop and source and destination mask length.
extended-gateway — Source and destination AS number and the BGP next-hop.

Note: The entire AS path is not included. BGP community-list and local preference information are not
included. These fields are assigned default values and are not interpreted by the collector.

Use the command sflow [extended-switch] [extended-router] [extended-gateway] enable command. By
default packing of any of the extended information in the datagram is disabled.
Use the command show sflow to confirm that extended information packing is enabled, as shown in
Figure 46-6.

942

|

sFlow

Figure 46-6.

Confirming that Extended sFlow is Enabled

FTOS#show sflow
sFlow services are enabled
Extended sFlow settings
Global default sampling rate: 4096
show all 3 types are enabled
Global default counter polling interval: 15
Global extended information enabled: gateway, router, switch
1 collectors configured
Collector IP addr: 10.10.10.3, Agent IP addr: 10.10.0.0, UDP port: 6343
77 UDP packets exported
0 UDP packets dropped
165 sFlow samples collected
69 sFlow samples dropped due to sub-sampling
Linecard 1 Port set 0 H/W sampling rate 8192
Gi 1/16: configured rate 8192, actual rate 8192, sub-sampling rate 1
Gi 1/17: configured rate 16384, actual rate 16384, sub-sampling rate 2
Linecard 3 Port set 1 H/W sampling rate 16384
Gi 3/40: configured rate 16384, actual rate 16384, sub-sampling rate 1

If none of the extended information is enabled, the show output is as shown in Figure 46-7.
Figure 46-7.

Confirming that Extended sFlow is Disabled

FTOS#show sflow
sFlow services are disabled
Global default sampling rate: 32768
Global default counter polling interval: 20
Global extended information enabled: none
0 collectors configured
0 UDP packets exported
0 UDP packets dropped
0 sFlow samples collected
0 sFlow samples dropped due to sub-sampling

Indicates no Extended sFlow types
enabled.

Important Points to Remember
•
•
•

•
•

The IP destination address has to be learned via BGP in order to export extended-gateway data, prior to
FTOS version 7.8.1.0.
If the IP destination address is not learned via BGP the Dell Force10 system does not export
extended-gateway data, prior to FTOS version 7.8.1.0.
FTOS 7.8.1.0 and later enhances the sFlow implementation for real time traffic analysis on the
E-Series to provide extended gateway information in cases where the destination IP addresses are
learned by different routing protocols, and for cases where the destination is reachable over ECMP.
If the IP source address is learned via IGP then srcAS and srcPeerAS are zero.
The srcAS and srcPeerAS might be zero even though the IP source address is learned via BGP. The c
system packs the srcAS and srcPeerAS information only if the route is learned via BGP and it is
reachable via the ingress interface of the packet.

The previous points are summarized in following table.

sFlow | 943

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 46-1.

Extended Gateway Summary

IP SA

IP DA

srcAS and
srcPeerAS

dstAS and
dstPeerAS

static/connected/IGP

static/connected/IGP

—

—

Extended gateway data is not
exported because there is no AS
information.

static/connected/IGP

BGP

0

Exported

src_as & src_peer_as are zero
because there is no AS information
for IGP.

BGP

static/connected/IGP

—

—

Prior to FTOS version 7.8.1.0,
extended gateway data is not be
exported because IP DA is not
learned via BGP.

Exported

Exported

Description

7.8.1.0 allows extended gateway
information in cases where the
source and destination IP addresses
are learned by different routing
protocols, and for cases where is
source is reachable over ECMP.
BGP

944

|

sFlow

BGP

Exported

Exported

Extended gateway data is packed.

47
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is supported on platforms:

ecsz

SNMP is supported on the E-Series ExaScale platform with FTOS 8.1.1.0 and later.
Note: On Dell Force10 routers, standard and private SNMP MIBs are supported, including all Get and a
limited number of Set operations (such as set vlan and copy cmd).

Protocol Overview
Network management stations use Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to retrieve or alter
management data from network elements. A datum of management information is called a managed
object; the value of a managed object can be static or variable. Network elements store managed objects in
a database called a Management Information Base (MIB).
MIBs are hierarchically structured and use object identifiers to address managed objects, but managed
objects also have a textual name called an object descriptor.

Implementation Information
•
•
•
•

FTOS supports SNMP version 1 as defined by RFC 1155, 1157, and 1212, SNMP version 2c as
defined by RFC 1901, and SNMP version 3 as defined by RFC 2571.
FTOS supports up to 16 trap receivers.
The FTOS implementation of the sFlow MIB supports sFlow configuration via SNMP sets.
SNMP traps for STP and MSTP state changes are based on BRIDGE MIB (RFC 1483) for STP and
IEEE 802.1 draft ruzin-mstp-mib-02 for MSTP.

Configure Simple Network Management Protocol
Note: The configurations in this chapter use a UNIX environment with net-snmp version 5.4. This is only
one of many RFC-compliant SNMP utilities you can use to manage your Dell Force10 system using
SNMP. Also, these configurations use SNMP version 2c.

Configuring SNMP version 1 or version 2 requires only a single step:

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) | 945

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

1. Create a community. See page 947.
Configuring SNMP version 3 requires you to configure SNMP users in one of three methods. See Setting
Up User-based Security (SNMPv3).

Related Configuration Tasks
The following list contains configuration tasks for SNMP:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Managing Overload on Startup
Read Managed Object Values
Write Managed Object Values
Subscribe to Managed Object Value Updates using SNMP
Copy Configuration Files Using SNMP
Manage VLANs using SNMP
Enable and Disable a Port using SNMP
Fetch Dynamic MAC Entries using SNMP
Deriving Interface Indices
Monitor Port-channels

Important Points to Remember
•

•

Typically, 5-second timeout and 3-second retry values on an SNMP server are sufficient for both LAN
and WAN applications. If you experience a timeout with these values, increase the timeout value to
greater than 3 seconds, and increase the retry value to greater than 2 on your SNMP server.
User ACLs override group ACLs.

Setting up SNMP
As previously stated, FTOS supports SNMP version 1 and version 2 which are community-based security
models. The primary difference between the two versions is that version 2 supports two additional protocol
operations (informs operation and snmpgetbulk query) and one additional object (counter64 object).
SNMP version 3 (SNMPv3) is a user-based security model that provides password authentication for user
security and encryption for data security and privacy. Three sets of configurations are available for SNMP
read/write operations: no password or privacy, password privileges, password and privacy privileges
A maximum of 16 users can be configured even if they are in different groups.

946

|

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Create a Community
For SNMPv1 and SNMPv2, you must create a community to enable the community-based security in
FTOS. The management station generates requests to either retrieve or alter the value of a management
object and is called the SNMP manager. A network element that processes SNMP requests is called an
SNMP agent. An SNMP community is a group of SNMP agents and managers that are allowed to interact.
Communities are necessary to secure communication between SNMP managers and agents; SNMP agents
do not respond to requests from management stations that are not part of the community.
FTOS enables SNMP automatically when you create an SNMP community and displays Message 1. You
must specify whether members of the community may only retrieve values (read), or retrieve and alter
values (read-write).
To create an SNMP community:
Task

Command

Command Mode

Choose a name for the community.

snmp-server community name {ro | rw}

CONFIGURATION

Message 1 SNMP Enabled
22:31:23: %RPM1-P:CP %SNMP-6-SNMP_WARM_START: Agent Initialized - SNMP WARM_START.

View your SNMP configuration, using the command show running-config snmp from EXEC Privilege
mode, as shown in Figure 47-1.
Figure 47-1.

Creating an SNMP Community

FTOS(conf)#snmp-server community my-snmp-community ro
22:31:23: %RPM1-P:CP %SNMP-6-SNMP_WARM_START: Agent Initialized - SNMP WARM_START.
FTOS#show running-config snmp
!
snmp-server community mycommunity ro

Setting Up User-based Security (SNMPv3)
When setting up SNMPv3, you can set users up with one of the following three types of configuration for
SNMP read/write operations. Users are typically associated to an SNMP group with permissions provided,
such as OID view.
•

•
•

noauth: no password or privacy. Select this option to set a user up with no password or privacy
privileges. This is the basic configuration. Users must have a group and profile that do not require
password privileges.
auth: password privileges. Select this option to set up an user with password authentication
priv: password and privacy privileges. Select this option to set up a user with password and privacy
privileges.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) | 947

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 47-2.

Select a User-based Security Type

FTOS(conf)#snmp-server host 1.1.1.1 traps {oid tree} version 3 ?
auth

Use the SNMPv3 authNoPriv Security Level

noauth

Use the SNMPv3 noAuthNoPriv Security Level

priv

Use the SNMPv3 authPriv Security Level

FTOS(conf)#snmp-server host 1.1.1.1 traps {oid tree} version 3 noauth ?
WORD

SNMPv3 user name

To set up a user with view privileges only (no password or privacy privileges):
Task

Command

Command Mode

Configure the user.

snmp-server user name group-name 3 noauth

CONFIGURATION

Configure an SNMP group.

snmp-server group group-name 3 noauth auth
read name write name

CONFIGURATION

Configure an SNMPv3 view.

snmp-server view view-name oid-tree {included |
excluded}
Note: To give a user read and write view privileges,
repeat this step for each privilege type.

CONFIGURATION

To set up a user with password privileges only, use the following commands:
Task

Command

Command Mode

Configure the user with an authorization
password

snmp-server user name group-name 3 noauth
auth md5 auth-password

CONFIGURATION

Configure an SNMP group.

snmp-server group groupname {oid-tree} auth
read name write name

CONFIGURATION

Configure an SNMPv3 view.

snmp-server view view-name 3 noauth {included |
excluded}
Note: To give a user read and write privileges,
repeat this step for each privilege type.

CONFIGURATION

To set up a user with password or privacy privileges:
Task

Command

Command Mode

Configure an SNMP group.

snmp-server group group-name {oid-tree} priv
read name write name

CONFIGURATION

snmp-server user name group-name {oid-tree}
auth md5 auth-password priv des56 priv password

CONFIGURATION

snmp-server view view-name oid-tree {included |
excluded}

CONFIGURATION

Configure the user with a secure
authorization password and
privacy password.
Configure an SNMPv3 view.

948

|

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Read Managed Object Values
You may only retrieve (read) managed object values if your management station is a member of the same
community as the SNMP agent.
Dell Force10 supports RFC 4001, Textual Conventions for Internet Work Addresses that defines values
representing a type of internet address. These values display for ipAddressTable objects using the
snmpwalk command.
In the following figure, the value “4” displays in the OID before the IP address for IPv4. For an IPv6 IP
address ), a value of “16” displays.

>snmpwalk

-v 2c -c public 10.11.195.63 1.3.6.1.2.1.4.34

IP-MIB::ip.34.1.3.1.4.1.1.1.1 = INTEGER: 1107787778
IP-MIB::ip.34.1.3.1.4.2.1.1.1 = INTEGER: 1107787779
IP-MIB::ip.34.1.3.2.16.0.1.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.1 = INTEGER: 1107787778
IP-MIB::ip.34.1.3.2.16.0.2.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.1 = INTEGER: 1107787779
IP-MIB::ip.34.1.3.2.16.254.128.0.0.0.0.0.0.2.1.232.255.254.139.5.8 = INTEGER: 1107787778
IP-MIB::ip.34.1.4.1.4.1.1.1.1 = INTEGER: 1
IP-MIB::ip.34.1.4.1.4.2.1.1.1 = INTEGER: 1
IP-MIB::ip.34.1.4.2.16.0.1.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.1 = INTEGER: 1

There are several UNIX SNMP commands that read data:
Task

Command

Read the value of a single managed object,
as shown in Figure 47-3.

snmpget -v version -c community agent-ip {identifier.instance |
descriptor.instance}

Figure 47-3.

Reading the Value of a Managed Object

> snmpget -v 2c -c mycommunity 10.11.131.161 sysUpTime.0
DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks: (32852616) 3 days, 19:15:26.16
> snmpget -v 2c -c mycommunity 10.11.131.161 .1.3.6.1.2.1.1.3.0

Read the value of the managed object
directly below the specified object, as
shown in Figure 47-4.
Figure 47-4.

snmpgetnext -v version -c community agent-ip {identifier.instance |
descriptor.instance}

Reading the Value of the Next Managed Object in the MIB

> snmpgetnext -v 2c -c mycommunity 10.11.131.161 .1.3.6.1.2.1.1.3.0
SNMPv2-MIB::sysContact.0 = STRING:
> snmpgetnext -v 2c -c mycommunity 10.11.131.161 sysContact.0

Read the value of many objects at once, as
shown in Figure 47-5.

snmpwalk -v version -c community agent-ip {identifier.instance |
descriptor.instance}

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) | 949

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Task

Command

Figure 47-5.

Reading the Value of Many Managed Objects at Once

> snmpwalk -v 2c -c mycommunity 10.11.131.161 .1.3.6.1.2.1.1
SNMPv2-MIB::sysDescr.0 = STRING: Dell Force10 Real Time Operating System Software
Dell Force10 Operating System Version: 1.0
Dell Force10 Application Soft;ware Version: E_MAIN4.7.6.350
Copyright (c) 1999-2007 by Dell Force10
Build Time: Mon May 12 14:02:22 PDT 2008
SNMPv2-MIB::sysObjectID.0 = OID: SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.1.3.1
DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks: (32920954) 3 days, 19:26:49.54
SNMPv2-MIB::sysContact.0 = STRING:

Write Managed Object Values
You may only alter (write) a managed object value if your management station is a member of the same
community as the SNMP agent, and the object is writable.
To write or write-over the value of a managed object:
Task

Command

To write or write-over the value of a
managed object, as shown in Figure 47-6.

snmpset -v version -c community agent-ip {identifier.instance |
descriptor.instance}syntax value

Figure 47-6.

Writing over the Current Value of a Managed Object

> snmpset -v 2c -c mycommunity 10.11.131.161 sysName.0 s "R5"
SNMPv2-MIB::sysName.0 = STRING: R5

Configure Contact and Location Information using SNMP
You may configure system contact and location information from the Dell Force10 system or from the
management station using SNMP.
To configure system contact and location information from the Dell Force10 system:

950

|

Task

Command

Command Mode

Identify the system manager along with this person’s contact
information (e.g., E-mail address or phone number). You may
use up to 55 characters.
Default: None

snmp-server contact text

CONFIGURATION

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Task

Command

Command Mode

Identify the physical location of the system. For example, San
Jose, 350 Holger Way, 1st floor lab, rack A1-1. You may use up
to 55 characters.
Default: None

snmp-server location text

CONFIGURATION

To configure the system from the management station using SNMP:
Task

Command

Command Mode

Identify the system manager along with this person’s
contact information (e.g., E-mail address or phone
number). You may use up to 55 characters.
Default: None

snmpset -v version -c community
agent-ip sysContact.0 s “contact-info”

CONFIGURATION

Identify the physical location of the system. For
example, San Jose, 350 Holger Way, 1st floor lab,
rack A1-1. You may use up to 55 characters.
Default: None

snmpset -v version -c community
agent-ip sysLocation.0 s “location-info”

CONFIGURATION

Subscribe to Managed Object Value Updates using SNMP
By default, the Dell Force10 system displays some unsolicited SNMP messages (traps) upon certain events
and conditions. You can also configure the system to send the traps to a management station. Traps cannot
be saved on the system.
FTOS supports the following three sets of traps:
•
•
•

RFC 1157-defined traps: coldStart, warmStart, linkDown, linkUp, authenticationFailure,
egpNeighbborLoss
Force10 enterpriseSpecific environment traps: fan, supply, temperature
Force10 enterpriseSpecific protocol traps: bgp, ecfm, stp, xstp

To configure the system to send SNMP notifications:
Step
1

Task

Command

Command Mode

Configure the Dell Force10 system to send
notifications to an SNMP server.
• Enter the keyword traps to send trap messages.
• Enter the keyword informs to send
informational messages.
• Enter the keyword version to send the SNMP
version to use for notification messages.
• Enter the name of the community-string to
identify the SNMPv1 community string.

snmp-server host ip-address
[traps | informs] [version 1 | 2c
|3] [community-string]

CONFIGURATION

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) | 951

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step

Task

Command

Command Mode

2

Specify which traps the Dell Force10 system sends
to the trap receiver.
• Enable all Dell Force10 enterpriseSpecific and
RFC-defined traps using the command
snmp-server enable traps from
CONFIGURATION mode.
• Enable all of the RFC-defined traps using the
command snmp-server enable traps snmp
from CONFIGURATION mode.

snmp-server enable traps

CONFIGURATION

3

Specify the interfaces out of which FTOS sends
SNMP traps.

snmp-server trap-source

CONFIGURATION

Table 47-1 lists the traps the RFC-defined SNMP traps and the command used to enable each. Note that the
coldStart and warmStart traps are enabled using a single command.
Table 47-1.

RFC 1157 Defined SNMP Traps on FTOS

Command Option

Trap

snmp authentication

SNMP_AUTH_FAIL:SNMP Authentication failed.Request with invalid community string.

snmp coldstart

SNMP_COLD_START: Agent Initialized - SNMP COLD_START.
SNMP_WARM_START: Agent Initialized - SNMP WARM_START.

snmp linkdown

PORT_LINKDN:changed interface state to down:%d

snmp linkup

PORT_LINKUP:changed interface state to up:%d

Enable a subset of Dell Force10 enterprise specific SNMP traps using one of the listed command options in
Table 47-2 with the command snmp-server enable traps. Note that the envmon option enables all
environment traps including those that are enabled with the envmon supply, envmon temperature, and
envmon fan options.
Table 47-2.

Dell Force10 Enterprise-specific SNMP Traps

Command Option

Trap

envmon

CARD_SHUTDOWN: %sLine card %d down - %s
CARD_DOWN: %sLine card %d down - %s
LINECARDUP: %sLine card %d is up
CARD_MISMATCH: Mismatch: line card %d is type %s - type %s required.
RPM_STATE: RPM1 is in Active State
RPM_STATE: RPM0 is in Standby State
RPM_DOWN: RPM 0 down - hard reset
RPM_DOWN: RPM 0 down - card removed
HOT_FAILOVER: RPM Failover Completed
SFM_DISCOVERY: Found SFM 1
SFM_REMOVE: Removed SFM 1
MAJOR_SFM: Major alarm: Switch fabric down
MAJOR_SFM_CLR: Major alarm cleared: Switch fabric up

952

|

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Table 47-2.

Dell Force10 Enterprise-specific SNMP Traps

Command Option

Trap
MINOR_SFM: MInor alarm: No working standby SFM
MINOR_SFM_CLR: Minor alarm cleared: Working standby SFM present
TASK SUSPENDED: SUSPENDED - svce:%d - inst:%d - task:%s
RPM0-P:CP %CHMGR-2-CARD_PARITY_ERR
ABNORMAL_TASK_TERMINATION: CRASH - task:%s %s
CPU_THRESHOLD: Cpu %s usage above threshold. Cpu5SecUsage (%d)
CPU_THRESHOLD_CLR: Cpu %s usage drops below threshold. Cpu5SecUsage (%d)
MEM_THRESHOLD: Memory %s usage above threshold. MemUsage (%d)
MEM_THRESHOLD_CLR: Memory %s usage drops below threshold. MemUsage (%d)
DETECT_STN_MOVE: Station Move threshold exceeded for Mac %s in vlan %d
CAM-UTILIZATION: Enable SNMP envmon CAM utilization traps.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) | 953

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 47-2.

Dell Force10 Enterprise-specific SNMP Traps

Command Option

Trap

envmon supply

PEM_PRBLM: Major alarm: problem with power entry module %s
PEM_OK: Major alarm cleared: power entry module %s is good
MAJOR_PS: Major alarm: insufficient power %s
MAJOR_PS_CLR: major alarm cleared: sufficient power
MINOR_PS: Minor alarm: power supply non-redundant
MINOR_PS_CLR: Minor alarm cleared: power supply redundant

envmon temperature

MINOR_TEMP: Minor alarm: chassis temperature
MINOR_TEMP_CLR: Minor alarm cleared: chassis temperature normal (%s %d
temperature is within threshold of %dC)
MAJOR_TEMP: Major alarm: chassis temperature high (%s temperature reaches or
exceeds threshold of %dC)
MAJOR_TEMP_CLR: Major alarm cleared: chassis temperature lower (%s %d
temperature is within threshold of %dC)

envmon fan

FAN_TRAY_BAD: Major alarm: fantray %d is missing or down
FAN_TRAY_OK: Major alarm cleared: fan tray %d present
FAN_BAD: Minor alarm: some fans in fan tray %d are down
FAN_OK: Minor alarm cleared: all fans in fan tray %d are good

vlt

Enable VLT traps.

vrrp

Enable VRRP state change traps

xstp

%SPANMGR-5-STP_NEW_ROOT: New Spanning Tree Root, Bridge ID
Address 0001.e801.fc35.

Priority 32768,

%SPANMGR-5-STP_TOPOLOGY_CHANGE: Bridge port GigabitEthernet 11/38 transitioned
from Forwarding to Blocking state.
%SPANMGR-5-MSTP_NEW_ROOT_BRIDGE: Elected root bridge for instance 0.
%SPANMGR-5-MSTP_NEW_ROOT_PORT: MSTP root changed to port Gi 11/38 for instance
0. My Bridge ID: 40960:0001.e801.fc35 Old Root: 40960:0001.e801.fc35 New Root:
32768:00d0.038a.2c01.
%SPANMGR-5-MSTP_TOPOLOGY_CHANGE: Topology change BridgeAddr: 0001.e801.fc35 Mstp
Instance Id 0 port Gi 11/38 transitioned from forwarding to discarding state.
ecfm

%ECFM-5-ECFM_XCON_ALARM: Cross connect fault detected by MEP 1 in Domain
customer1 at Level 7 VLAN 1000
%ECFM-5-ECFM_ERROR_ALARM: Error CCM Defect detected by MEP 1 in Domain customer1
at Level 7 VLAN 1000
%ECFM-5-ECFM_MAC_STATUS_ALARM: MAC Status Defect detected by MEP 1 in Domain
provider at Level 4 VLAN 3000
%ECFM-5-ECFM_REMOTE_ALARM: Remote CCM Defect detected by MEP 3 in Domain
customer1 at Level 7 VLAN 1000
%ECFM-5-ECFM_RDI_ALARM: RDI Defect detected by MEP 3 in Domain customer1 at
Level 7 VLAN 1000

entity

Enable entity change traps
Trap SNMPv2-MIB::sysUpTime.0 = Timeticks: (1487406) 4:07:54.06,
SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0 = OID: SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.47.2.0.1,
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.6.1.1.2.0 = INTEGER: 4
Trap SNMPv2-MIB::sysUpTime.0 = Timeticks: (1488564) 4:08:05.64,
SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0 = OID: SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.47.2.0.1,
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.6.1.1.2.0 = INTEGER: 5
Trap SNMPv2-MIB::sysUpTime.0 = Timeticks: (1489064) 4:08:10.64,
SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0 = OID: SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.47.2.0.1,
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.6.1.1.2.0 = INTEGER: 6

954

|

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Table 47-2.

Dell Force10 Enterprise-specific SNMP Traps

Command Option

Trap
Trap SNMPv2-MIB::sysUpTime.0 = Timeticks: (1489568)
4:08:15.68,SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0 = OID: SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.47.2.0.1,
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.6.1.1.2.0 = INTEGER: 7



SNMP Copy Config Command Completed
%RPM0-P:CP %SNMP-4-RMON_RISING_THRESHOLD: RMON rising threshold alarm from SNMP
OID 
%RPM0-P:CP %SNMP-4-RMON_FALLING_THRESHOLD: RMON falling threshold alarm from
SNMP OID



%RPM0-P:CP %SNMP-4-RMON_HC_RISING_THRESHOLD: RMON high-capacity rising threshold
alarm from SNMP OID



Copy Configuration Files Using SNMP
Use SNMP from a remote client to:
•
•
•

copy the running-config file to the startup-config file, or
copy configuration files from the Dell Force10 system to a server
copy configuration files from a server to the Dell Force10 system

All of these tasks can be performed using IPv4 or IPv6 addresses. The examples in this section use IPv4
addresses; IPv6 addresses can be substituted for the IPv4 addresses in all of the examples.
The relevant MIBs for these functions are:
Table 47-3.

MIB Objects for Copying Configuration Files via SNMP

MIB Object

OID

Object Values

Description

copySrcFileType

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.2

1 = FTOS file
2 = running-config
3 = startup-config

Specifies the type of file to copy from.
Range is:
• If the copySrcFileType is
running-config or startup-config,
the default copySrcFileLocation is
flash.
• If the copySrcFileType is a binary
file, the copySrcFileLocation and
copySrcFileName must also be
specified.

copySrcFileLocation

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.3

1 = flash
2 = slot0
3 = tftp
4 = ftp
5 = scp
6 = usbflash

Specifies the location of source file.
• If the copySrcFileLocation is FTP
or SCP, copyServerAddress,
copyUserName, and
copyUserPassword must be
specified.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) | 955

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 47-3.

MIB Objects for Copying Configuration Files via SNMP

MIB Object

OID

Object Values

Description

copySrcFileName

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.4

Path (if file is not in Specifies name of the file.
current directory)
• If copySourceFileType is set to
and filename.
running-config or startup-config,
copySrcFileName is not required.

copyDestFileType

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.5

1 = FTOS file
2 = running-config
3 = startup-config

Specifies the type of file to copy to.
• If the copySourceFileType is
running-config or startup-config,
the default copyDestFileLocation is
flash.
• If the copyDestFileType is a binary
the copyDestFileLocation and
copyDestFileName must be
specified.

copyDestFileLocation

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.6

1 = flash
2 = slot0
3 = tftp
4 = ftp
5 = scp

Specifies the location of destination
file.
• If the copyDestFileLocation is FTP
or SCP, copyServerAddress,
copyUserName, and
copyUserPassword must be
specified.

copyDestFileName

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.7

Path (if file is not in Specifies the name of destination file.
default directory)
and filename.

copyServerAddress

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.8

IP Address of the
server

The IP address of the server.
• If the copyServerAddress is
specified so must copyUserName,
and copyUserPassword.

copyUserName

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.9

Username for the
server.

Username for the FTP, TFTP, or SCP
server.
• If the copyUserName is specified so
must copyUserPassword.

copyUserPassword

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.10

Password for the
server.

Password for the FTP, TFTP, or SCP
server.

To copy a configuration file:
Step

956

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Create an SNMP community string with read/
write privileges.

snmp-server community
community-name rw

CONFIGURATION

2

Copy the f10-copy-config.mib MIB from the Dell Force10 iSupport webpage to the server to which you are
copying the configuration file.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Step

Task

3

Command Syntax

Command Mode

On the server, use the command snmpset as shown:
snmpset -v snmp-version -c community-name -m mib_path/f10-copy-config.mib force10system-ip-address
mib-object.index {i | a | s} object-value...

•
•
•

Every specified object must have an object value, which must be preceded by the keyword i. See Table 6 for
ranges.
index must be unique to all previously executed snmpset commands. If an index value has been used
previously, a message like the one in Message 3 appears. In this case, increment the index value and enter the
command again.
Use as many MIB Objects in the command as required by the MIB Object descriptions in Table 6 to complete
the command. See Table 7 or examples.

Note: You can use the entire OID rather than the object name. Use the form: OID.index i object-value, as shown in
Figure 57.

Message 2 snmpset Index Value Error
Error in packet.
Reason: notWritable (that object does not support modification)
Failed object: FTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copySrcFileType.101

Table 7 shows examples of using the command snmpset to copy a configuration. These examples assume
that:
•
•
•
•

the server OS is UNIX
you are using SNMP version 2c
the community name is public, and
the file f10-copy-config.mib is in the current directory or in the snmpset tool path.
Note: In UNIX, enter the command snmpset for help using this command. Place the file
f10-copy-config.mib in the directory from which you are executing the snmpset command or in the
snmpset tool path.

Note: Use the following options in the snmpset command to view additional information:
-c: View the community, either public or private
-m: View the MIB files for the SNMP command
-r: Number of retries using the option
-t: View the timeout
-v: View the SNMP version (either 1, 2, 2d or 3)

Table 47-4.

Copying Configuration Files via SNMP

Task
Copy the running-config to the startup-config using the following command from the UNIX machine:

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) | 957

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 47-4.

Copying Configuration Files via SNMP

Task
snmpset -v 2c -c public force10system-ip-address copySrcFileType.index i 2 copyDestFileType.index i 3

Figure 47-7 show the command syntax using MIB object names. Figure 47-8 shows the same command using the object
OIDs. In both cases, the object is followed by a unique index number.
Figure 47-7.

Copying Configuration Files via SNMP using Object-Name Syntax

> snmpset -v 2c -r 0 -t 60 -c private -m ./f10-copy-config.mib 10.10.10.10 copySrcFileType.101
i 2 copyDestFileType.101 i 3
FTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copySrcFileType.101 = INTEGER: runningConfig(2)
FTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copyDestFileType.101 = INTEGER: startupConfig(3)

Figure 47-8.

Copying Configuration Files via SNMP using OID Syntax

> snmpset -v 2c -c public -m ./f10-copy-config.mib 10.10.10.10
.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.2.100 i 2 .1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.5.100 i 3
FFTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copySrcFileType.100 = INTEGER: runningConfig(2)
FTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copyDestFileType.100 = INTEGER: startupConfig(3)

Copy the startup-config to the running-config using the following command from a UNIX machine:
snmpset -c private -v 2c force10system-ip-address copySrcFileType.index i 3 copyDestFileType.index i 2

Figure 47-9.

Copying Configuration Files via SNMP using Object-Name Syntax

> snmpset -c public -v 2c -m ./f10-copy-config.mib 10.11.131.162 copySrcFileType.7 i 3
copyDestFileType.7 i 2
FTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copySrcFileType.7 = INTEGER: runningConfig(3)
FTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copyDestFileType.7 = INTEGER: startupConfig(2)

Figure 47-10.

Copying Configuration Files via SNMP using OID Syntax

>snmpset -c public -v 2c 10.11.131.162 .1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.2.8 i 3
.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.5.8 i 2
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.2.8 = INTEGER: 3
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.5.8 = INTEGER: 2

Copy the startup-config to the server via FTP using the following command from the UNIX machine:
snmpset -v 2c -c public -m ./f10-copy-config.mib force10system-ip-address copySrcFileType.index i 2
copyDestFileName.index s filepath/filename copyDestFileLocation.index i 4 copyServerAddress.index a
server-ip-address copyUserName.index s server-login-id copyUserPassword.index s server-login-password

958

|

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Table 47-4.

Copying Configuration Files via SNMP

Task
•
•

server-ip-address must be preceded by the keyword a.
values for copyUsername and copyUserPassword must be preceded by the keyword s.

Figure 47-11.

Copying Configuration Files via SNMP and FTP to a Remote Server

> snmpset -v 2c -c private -m ./f10-copy-config.mib 10.10.10.10 copySrcFileType.110 i 2
copyDestFileName.110 s /home/startup-config copyDestFileLocation.110 i 4 copyServerAddress.110
a 11.11.11.11 copyUserName.110 s mylogin copyUserPassword.110 s mypass
FTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copySrcFileType.110 = INTEGER: runningConfig(2)
FTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copyDestFileName.110 = STRING: /home/startup-config
FTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copyDestFileLocation.110 = INTEGER: ftp(4)
FTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copyServerAddress.110 = IpAddress: 11.11.11.11
FTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copyUserName.110 = STRING: mylogin
FTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copyUserPassword.110 = STRING: mypass

Copy the startup-config to the server via TFTP using the following command from the UNIX machine:
Note: Verify that the file exists and its permissions are set to 777. Specify the relative path to the TFTP root
directory.
snmpset -v 2c -c public -m ./f10-copy-config.mib force10system-ip-address copySrcFileType.index i 3
copyDestFileType.index i 1 copyDestFileName.index s filepath/filename copyDestFileLocation.index i 3
copyServerAddress.index a server-ip-address

Figure 47-12.

Copying Configuration Files via SNMP and TFTP to a Remote Server

.snmpset -v 2c -c private -m ./f10-copy-config.mib 10.10.10.10
copySrcFileType.4 i 3
copyDestFileType.4 i 1
copyDestFileLocation.4 i 3
copyDestFileName.4 s /home/myfilename
copyServerAddress.4 a 11.11.11.11

Copy a binary file from the server to the startup-configuration on the Dell Force10 system via FTP using the following
command:
snmpset -v 2c -c public -m ./f10-copy-config.mib force10system-ip-address copySrcFileType.index i 1
copySrcFileLocation.index i 4 copySrcFileName.index s filepath/filename copyDestFileType.index i 3
copyServerAddress.index a server-ip-address copyUserName.index s server-login-id copyUserPassword.index s
server-login-password

Figure 47-13.

Copying Configuration Files via SNMP and FTP from a Remote Server

> snmpset -v 2c -c private -m ./f10-copy-config.mib 10.10.10.10 copySrcFileType.10 i 1
copySrcFileLocation.10 i 4 copyDestFileType.10 i 3 copySrcFileName.10 s /home/myfilename
copyServerAddress.10 a 172.16.1.56 copyUserName.10 s mylogin copyUserPassword.10 s mypass

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) | 959

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Dell Force10 provides additional MIB Objects to view copy statistics. These are provided in Table 47-5.
Table 47-5.

MIB Objects for Copying Configuration Files via SNMP

MIB Object

OID

Values

Description

copyState

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.11

1= running
2 = successful
3 = failed

Specifies the state of the copy
operation.

copyTimeStarted

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.12

Time value

Specifies the point in the up-time clock
that the copy operation started.

copyTimeCompleted

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.13

Time value

Specifies the point in the up-time clock
that the copy operation completed.

copyFailCause

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.14

1 = bad file name
Specifies the reason the copy request
2 = copy in progress failed.
3 = disk full
4 = file exists
5 = file not found
6 = timeout
7 = unknown

copyEntryRowStatus

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.15

Row status

Specifies the state of the copy
operation. Uses CreateAndGo when
you are performing the copy. The state
is set to active when the copy is
completed.

To obtain a value for any of the MIB Objects in Table 47-5:
Step

Task

1

Get a copy-config MIB object value.
snmpset -v 2c -c public -m ./f10-copy-config.mib force10system-ip-address [OID.index | mib-object.index]

•

index is the index value used in the snmpset command used to complete the copy operation.

Note: You can use the entire OID rather than the object name. Use the form: OID.index, as shown in Figure 47-15.

Figure 47-14 and Figure 47-15 are examples of using the command snmpget to obtain a MIB object value.
These examples assume that:
•
•
•
•

the server OS is UNIX
you are using SNMP version 2c
the community name is public, and
the file f10-copy-config.mib is in the current directory.
Note: In UNIX, enter the command snmpset for help using this command.

960

|

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Figure 47-14 shows the command syntax using MIB object names, and Figure 47-15 shows the same
command using the object OIDs. In both cases, the object is followed by same index number used in the
snmpset command.
Figure 47-14.

Obtaining MIB Object Values for a Copy Operation using Object-name Syntax

> snmpget -v 2c -c private -m ./f10-copy-config.mib 10.11.131.140 copyTimeCompleted.110
FTOS-COPY-CONFIG-MIB::copyTimeCompleted.110 = Timeticks: (1179831) 3:16:38.31

Figure 47-15.

Obtaining MIB Object Values for a Copy Operation using OID Syntax

> snmpget -v 2c -c private 10.11.131.140 .1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.13.110
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.5.1.1.1.1.13.110 = Timeticks: (1179831) 3:16:38.31

Manage VLANs using SNMP
The qBridgeMIB managed objects in the Q-BRIDGE-MIB, defined in RFC 2674, enable you to use SNMP
manage VLANs.

Create a VLAN
Use the dot1qVlanStaticRowStatus object to create a VLAN. The snmpset operation in Figure 47-16
creates VLAN 10 by specifying a value of 4 for instance 10 of the dot1qVlanStaticRowStatus object.
Figure 47-16.

Creating a VLAN using SNMP

> snmpset -v2c -c mycommunity 123.45.6.78 .1.3.6.1.2.1.17.7.1.4.3.1.5.10 i 4
SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.17.7.1.4.3.1.5.10 = INTEGER: 4

Assign a VLAN Alias
Write a character string to the dot1qVlanStaticName object to assign a name to a VLAN, as shown in
Figure 47-17.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) | 961

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 47-17.

Assign a VLAN Alias using SNMP

[Unix system output]
> snmpset -v2c -c mycommunity 10.11.131.185 .1.3.6.1.2.1.17.7.1.4.3.1.1.1107787786 s "My
VLAN"
SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.17.7.1.4.3.1.1.1107787786 = STRING: "My VLAN"
[FTOS system output]
FTOS#show int vlan 10
Vlan 10 is down, line protocol is down
Vlan alias name is: My VLAN
Address is 00:01:e8:cc:cc:ce, Current address is 00:01:e8:cc:cc:ce
Interface index is 1107787786
Internet address is not set
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
LineSpeed auto

Display the Ports in a VLAN
FTOS identifies VLAN interfaces using an interface index number that is displayed in the output of the
command show interface vlan, as shown in Figure 47-18.
Figure 47-18.

Identifying the VLAN Interface Index Number

FTOS(conf)#do show interface vlan id 10
% Error: No such interface name.
R5(conf)#do show interface vlan 10
Vlan 10 is down, line protocol is down
Address is 00:01:e8:cc:cc:ce, Current address is 00:01:e8:cc:cc:ce
Interface index is 1107787786
Internet address is not set
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
LineSpeed auto
ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00

To display the ports in a VLAN, send an snmpget request for the object dot1qStaticEgressPorts using the
interface index as the instance number, as shown for an S-Series in Figure 47-19.
Figure 47-19.

Display the Ports in a VLAN in SNMP

> snmpget -v2c -c mycommunity 10.11.131.185 .1.3.6.1.2.1.17.7.1.4.3.1.2.1107787786
SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.17.7.1.4.3.1.2.1107787786 = Hex-STRING:
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00

962

|

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

The table that the Dell Force10 system sends in response to the snmpget request is a table that contains
hexadecimal (hex) pairs, each pair representing a group of eight ports.
•
•

•

On the E-Series, 12 hex pairs represents a line card. Twelve pairs accommodates the greatest currently
available line card port density, 96 ports.
On the C-Series, 28 hex pairs represents a line card. Twenty-eight pairs accommodates the greatest
currently available line card port density, 28 ports per port-pipe, and any remaining hex pairs are
unused.
On the S-Series, 7 hex pairs represents a stack unit. Seven pairs accommodates the greatest number of
ports available on an S-Series – 56 ports on the S55 and S60; 64 ports on the S4810. On the S55 and
S60, the last stack unit is assigned 8 pairs; the eighth pair is unused. On the S4810, the last stack unit
begins on the 66th bit.

The first hex pair, 00 in Figure 47-19, represents ports 1-7 in Stack Unit 0. The next pair to the right
represents ports 8-15. To resolve the hex pair into a representation of the individual ports, convert the hex
pair to binary. Consider the first hex pair 00, which resolves to 0000 0000 in binary:
•

•

On the E-Series and C-Series each position in the 8-character string is for one port, starting with Port 0
at the left end of the string, and ending with Port 7 at the right end. A 0 indicates that the port is not a
member of the VLAN; a 1 indicates VLAN membership.
On the S-Series, each position in the 8-character string is for one port, starting with Port 1 at the left
end of the string, and ending with Port 8 at the right end. A 0 indicates that the port is not a member of
the VLAN; a 1 indicates VLAN membership.

Figure 47-19 shows the output for an S-Series. All hex pairs are 00, indicating that no ports are assigned to
VLAN 10. In Figure 47-20, Port 0/2 is added to VLAN 10 as untagged. And the first hex pair changes
from 00 to 04.
Figure 47-20.

Displaying Ports in a VLAN using SNMP

[FTOS system output]
R5(conf)#do show vlan id 10
Codes: * - Default VLAN, G - GVRP VLANs
Q: U - Untagged, T - Tagged
x - Dot1x untagged, X - Dot1x tagged
G - GVRP tagged, M - Vlan-stack
NUM

Status

10

Inactive

Description

Q Ports
U Gi 0/2

[Unix system output]
> snmpget -v2c -c mycommunity 10.11.131.185 .1.3.6.1.2.1.17.7.1.4.3.1.2.1107787786
SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.17.7.1.4.3.1.2.1107787786 = Hex-STRING: 40 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) | 963

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

The value 40 is in the first set of 7 hex pairs, indicating that these ports are in Stack Unit 0. The hex value
40 is 0100 0000 in binary. As described above, the left-most position in the string represents Port 1. The
next position from the left represents Port 2 and has a value of 1, indicating that Port 0/2 is in VLAN 10.
The remaining positions are 0, so those ports are not in the VLAN.
Note that the table contains none of the other information provided by the command, such as port speed or
whether the ports are tagged or untagged.

Add Tagged and Untagged Ports to a VLAN
The value dot1qVlanStaticEgressPorts object is an array of all VLAN members.
The dot1qVlanStaticUntaggedPorts object is an array of only untagged VLAN members. All VLAN
members that are not in dot1qVlanStaticUntaggedPorts are tagged.
•
•

To add a tagged port to a VLAN, write the port to the dot1qVlanStaticEgressPorts object, as shown in
Figure 47-21.
To add an untagged port to a VLAN, write the port to the dot1qVlanStaticEgressPorts and
dot1qVlanStaticUntaggedPorts objects, as shown in Figure 47-22.
Note: Whether adding a tagged or untagged port, you must specify values for both
dot1qVlanStaticEgressPorts and dot1qVlanStaticUntaggedPorts.

In Figure 47-21, Port 0/2 is added as an untagged member of VLAN 10.
Figure 47-21.

Adding Untagged Ports to a VLAN using SNMP

>snmpset -v2c -c mycommunity 10.11.131.185 .1.3.6.1.2.1.17.7.1.4.3.1.2.1107787786 x "40
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00"
.1.3.6.1.2.1.17.7.1.4.3.1.4.1107787786 x "40 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00"

00
00
00
00

SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.17.7.1.4.3.1.2.1107787786 = Hex-STRING: 40 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.17.7.1.4.3.1.4.1107787786 = Hex-STRING: 40 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00

964

|

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

In Figure 47-22, Port 0/2 is added as a tagged member of VLAN 10.
Figure 47-22.

Adding Tagged Ports to a VLAN using SNMP

>snmpset -v2c -c mycommunity 10.11.131.185 .1.3.6.1.2.1.17.7.1.4.3.1.2.1107787786 x "40
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00"
.1.3.6.1.2.1.17.7.1.4.3.1.4.1107787786 x "00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00"

00
00
00
00

SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.17.7.1.4.3.1.2.1107787786 = Hex-STRING: 40 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.17.7.1.4.3.1.4.1107787786 = Hex-STRING: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00

Managing Overload on Startup
If you are running IS-IS, you can set a specific amount of time to prevent ingress traffic from being
received after a reload and allow the routing protocol upgrade process to complete.
Use the following command to prevent ingress traffic on a router while the IS reload is implemented:
Task

Command

Set the amount of time after an IS-IS
reload is performed before ingress traffic is
allowed at startup.

set-overload-bit on-startup isis

The following OIDs are configurable through the snmpset command.
The node OID is 1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.18
F10-ISIS-MIB::f10IsisSysOloadSetOverload
F10-ISIS-MIB::f10IsisSysOloadSetOloadOnStartupUntil
F10-ISIS-MIB::f10IsisSysOloadWaitForBgp
F10-ISIS-MIB::f10IsisSysOloadV6SetOverload
F10-ISIS-MIB::f10IsisSysOloadV6SetOloadOnStartupUntil
F10-ISIS-MIB::f10IsisSysOloadV6WaitForBgp

To enable overload bit for IPv4 set 1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.18.1.1 and IPv6 set
1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.18.1.4
To set time to wait set 1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.18.1.2 and 1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.18.1.5
respectively
To set time to wait till bgp session are up set 1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.18.1.3 and
1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.18.1.6

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) | 965

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Enable and Disable a Port using SNMP
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Create an SNMP community on the Dell Force10
system.

snmp-server community

CONFIGURATION

2

From the Dell Force10 system, identify the interface
index of the port for which you want to change the admin
status. Or, from the management system, use the
snmpwwalk command to identify the interface index.

show interface

EXEC Privilege

3

Enter the command snmpset to change the admin status using either the object descriptor or the OID. Choose
integer 1 to change the admin status to Up, or 2 to change the admin status to Down.
snmpset with descriptor: snmpset -v version -c community agent-ip ifAdminStatus.ifindex i {1 | 2}
snmpset with OID: snmpset -v version -c community agent-ip .1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.7.ifindex i {1 | 2}

Fetch Dynamic MAC Entries using SNMP
Dell Force10 supports the RFC 1493 dot1d table for the default VLAN and the dot1q table for all other
VLANs.
Note: The 802.1q Q-BRIDGE MIB defines VLANs with regard to 802.1d, as 802.1d itself does not define
them. As a switchport must belong a VLAN (the default VLAN or a configured VLAN), all MAC address
learned on a switchport are associated with a VLAN. For this reason, the Q-Bridge MIB is used for MAC
address query. Moreover, specific to MAC address query, dot1dTpFdbTable is indexed by MAC address
only for a single forwarding database, while dot1qTpFdbTable has two indices —VLAN ID and MAC
address —to allow for multiple forwarding databases and considering that the same MAC address is
learned on multiple VLANs. The VLAN ID is added as the first index so that MAC addresses can be read
by VLAN, sorted lexicographically. The MAC address is are part of the OID instance, so in this case,
lexicographic order is according to the most significant octet.
Table 47-6.

MIB Objects for Fetching Dynamic MAC Entries in the Forwarding Database

MIB Object

OID

dot1dTpFdbTable .1.3.6.1.2.1.17.4.3

Description

MIB

List the learned unicast MAC addresses on the
default VLAN.

Q-BRIDGE MIB

dot1qTpFdbTable .1.3.6.1.2.1.17.7.1.2. List the learned unicast MAC addresses on
2
non-default VLANs.
dot3aCurAggFdb
Table

.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.2. List the learned MAC addresses of aggregated
1.1.5
links (LAG).

F10-LINK-AGGREGATION
-MIB

In Figure 47-23, R1 has one dynamic MAC address, learned off of port GigabitEthernet 1/21, which a
member of the default VLAN, VLAN 1. The SNMP walk returns the values for dot1dTpFdbAddress,
dot1dTpFdbPort, and dot1dTpFdbStatus.

966

|

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Each object is comprised an OID concatenated with an instance number. In the case of these objects, the
instance number is the decimal equivalent of the MAC address; derive the instance number by converting
each hex pair to its decimal equivalent. For example, the decimal equivalent of E8 is 232, and so the
instance number for MAC address 00:01:e8:06:95:ac is.0.1.232.6.149.172.
The value of dot1dTpFdbPort is the port number of the port off which the system learns the MAC address.
In this case, of GigabitEthernet 1/21, the manager returns the integer 118. The maximum line card port
density on the E-Series is 96 ports, and line card numbering begins with 0; GigabitEthernet 1/21 is the 21st
port on Line Card 1, and 96 + 21 yields 118.
Figure 47-23.

Fetching Dynamic MAC Addresses on the Default VLAN

-----------------------------MAC Addresses on Force10 System------------------------------R1_E600#show mac-address-table
VlanId
1

Mac Address
00:01:e8:06:95:ac

Type

Interface

Dynamic Gi 1/21

State
Active

------------------------------Query from Management Station------------------------------->snmpwalk -v 2c -c techpubs 10.11.131.162 .1.3.6.1.2.1.17.4.3.1
SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.17.4.3.1.1.0.1.232.6.149.172 = Hex-STRING: 00 01 E8 06 95 AC

In Figure 47-24, GigabitEthernet 1/21 is moved to VLAN 1000, a non-default VLAN. Use the objects
dot1qTpFdbTable to fetch the MAC addresses learned on non-default VLANs. The instance number is the
VLAN number concatenated with the decimal conversion of the MAC address.
Figure 47-24.

Fetching Dynamic MAC Addresses on Non-default VLANs

-----------------------------MAC Addresses on Force10 System------------------------------R1_E600#show mac-address-table
VlanId

Mac Address

1000

00:01:e8:06:95:ac

Type

Interface

Dynamic Gi 1/21

State
Active

------------------------------Query from Management Station------------------------------->snmpwalk -v 2c -c techpubs 10.11.131.162 .1.3.6.1.2.1.17.7.1.2.2.1

Use dot3aCurAggFdbTable to fetch the learned MAC address of a port-channel. The instance number is
the decimal conversion of the MAC address concatenated with the port-channel number.
Figure 47-25.

Fetching Dynamic MAC Addresses on the Default VLAN

-----------------------------MAC Addresses on Force10 System------------------------------R1_E600(conf)#do show mac-address-table
VlanId

Mac Address

1000

00:01:e8:06:95:ac

Type

Interface

Dynamic Po 1

State
Active

------------------------------Query from Management Station------------------------------->snmpwalk -v 2c -c techpubs 10.11.131.162 .1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.2.1.1.5
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.5.1.1.1000.0.1.232.6.149.172.1 = INTEGER: 1000
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.5.1.2.1000.0.1.232.6.149.172.1 = Hex-STRING: 00 01 E8
06 95 AC
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.5.1.3.1000.0.1.232.6.149.172.1 = INTEGER: 1
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.5.1.4.1000.0.1.232.6.149.172.1 = INTEGER: 1

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) | 967

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Deriving Interface Indices
FTOS assigns an interface number to each (configured or unconfigured) physical and logical interface.
Display the interface index number using the command show interface from EXEC Privilege mode, as
shown in Figure 47-26.
Figure 47-26.

Display the Interface Index Number

FTOS#show interface gig 1/21
GigabitEthernet 1/21 is up, line protocol is up
Hardware is Force10Eth, address is 00:01:e8:0d:b7:4e
Current address is 00:01:e8:0d:b7:4e
Interface index is 72925242
[output omitted]

The interface index is a binary number with bits that indicate the slot number, port number, interface type,
and card type of the interface. FTOS converts this binary index number to decimal, and displays it in the
output of the show interface command.
Figure 47-27.

1 bit

Interface Index Binary Calculations

1 bit

5 bits

Unused P/L Flag Slot Number

7 bits

4 bits

Port Number

Interface Type

14 bits
Card Type

Starting from the least significant bit (LSB):
•
•
•
•
•
•

the first 14 bits represent the card type
the next 4 bits represent the interface type
the next 7 bits represent the port number
the next 5 bits represent the slot number
the next 1 bit is 0 for a physical interface and 1 for a logical interface
the next 1 bit is unused

For example, the index 72925242 is 100010110001100000000111010 in binary. The binary interface index
for GigabitEthernet 1/21 of a 48-port 10/100/1000Base-T line card with RJ-45 interface is shown in
Figure 47-28. Notice that the physical/logical bit and the final, unused bit are not given. The interface is
physical, so this must be represented by a 0 bit, and the unused bit is always 0. These two bits are not given
because they are the most significant bits, and leading zeros are often omitted.

968

|

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Figure 47-28.

Binary Representation of Interface Index

For interface indexing, slot and port numbering begins with the binary one. If the Dell Force10 system
begins slot and port numbering from 0, then the binary 1 represents slot and port 0. For example, the index
number in Figure 47-28 gives the binary 2 for the slot number, though interface GigabitEthernet 1/21
belongs to Slot 1. This is because the port for this example is on an E-Series which begins numbering slots
from 0. You must subtract 1 from the slot number 2, which yields 1, the correct slot number for interface 1/
21.
Note that the interface index does not change if the interface reloads or fails over. On the S-Series, if the
unit is renumbered (for any reason) the interface index will change during a reload.

Monitor Port-channels
To check the status of a Layer 2 port-channel, use f10LinkAggMib (.1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.2). Below, Po 1 is a
switchport and Po 2 is in Layer 3 mode.
[senthilnathan@lithium ~]$ snmpwalk -v 2c -c public 10.11.1.1 .1.3.6.1.4.1.6027.3.2.1.1
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.1.1.1.1 = INTEGER: 1
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.1.1.1.2 = INTEGER: 2
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.1.1.2.1 = Hex-STRING: 00 01 E8 13 A5 C7
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.1.1.2.2 = Hex-STRING: 00 01 E8 13 A5 C8
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.1.1.3.1 = INTEGER: 1107755009
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.1.1.3.2 = INTEGER: 1107755010
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.1.1.4.1 = INTEGER: 1
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.1.1.4.2 = INTEGER: 1
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.1.1.5.1 = Hex-STRING: 00 00
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.1.1.5.2 = Hex-STRING: 00 00
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.1.1.6.1 = STRING: "Gi 5/84 " << Channel member for Po1
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.1.1.6.2 = STRING: "Gi 5/85 " << Channel member for Po2
dot3aCommonAggFdbIndex
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.6.1.1.1107755009.1 = INTEGER: 1107755009
dot3aCommonAggFdbVlanId
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.6.1.2.1107755009.1 = INTEGER: 1
dot3aCommonAggFdbTagConfig
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.6.1.3.1107755009.1 = INTEGER: 2 (Tagged 1 or Untagged 2)
dot3aCommonAggFdbStatus

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) | 969

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.6.1.4.1107755009.1 = INTEGER: 1 << Status active, 2 – status inactive

If we learn MAC addresses for the LAG, status will be shown for those as well.
dot3aCurAggVlanId
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.4.1.1.1.0.0.0.0.0.1.1 = INTEGER: 1
dot3aCurAggMacAddr
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.4.1.2.1.0.0.0.0.0.1.1 = Hex-STRING: 00 00 00 00 00 01
dot3aCurAggIndex
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.4.1.3.1.0.0.0.0.0.1.1 = INTEGER: 1
dot3aCurAggStatus
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.2.1.1.4.1.4.1.0.0.0.0.0.1.1 = INTEGER: 1 << Status active, 2 – status
inactive

Layer 3 LAG does not include this support.
SNMP trap works fine for the Layer 2 / Layer 3 / default mode LAG
SNMPv2-MIB::sysUpTime.0 = Timeticks: (8500842) 23:36:48.42
SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0 = OID: IF-MIB::linkDown
IF-MIB::ifIndex.33865785 = INTEGER: 33865785
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.1.1.4.1.2 = STRING: "OSTATE_DN: Changed interface state to down: Gi 0/0"
2010-02-10 14:22:39 10.16.130.4 [10.16.130.4]:
SNMPv2-MIB::sysUpTime.0 = Timeticks: (8500842) 23:36:48.42
SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0 = OID: IF-MIB::linkDown
IF-MIB::ifIndex.1107755009 = INTEGER: 1107755009
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.1.1.4.1.2 = STRING: "OSTATE_DN: Changed interface state to down: Po 1"
2010-02-10 14:22:40 10.16.130.4 [10.16.130.4]:
SNMPv2-MIB::sysUpTime.0 = Timeticks: (8500932) 23:36:49.32
IF-MIB::linkUp IF-MIB::ifIndex.33865785 = INTEGER: 33865785
STRING: "OSTATE_UP: Changed interface state to up: Gi 0/0"

SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0 = OID:
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.1.1.4.1.2 =

2010-02-10 14:22:40 10.16.130.4 [10.16.130.4]:
SNMPv2-MIB::sysUpTime.0 = Timeticks: (8500934) 23:36:49.34
SNMPv2-MIB::snmpTrapOID.0 = OID:
IF-MIB::linkUp IF-MIB::ifIndex.1107755009 = INTEGER: 1107755009
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6027.3.1.1.4.1.2 = STRING: "OSTATE_UP: Changed interface state to up: Po 1"

Troubleshooting SNMP Operation
When you use SNMP to retrieve management data from an SNMP agent on a Dell Force10 router, take
into account the following behavior:
•

•

•

970

|

When you query an IPv4 icmpMsgStatsInPkts object in the ICMP table by using the snmpwalk
command, the output for echo replies may be incorrectly displayed. Use the show ip traffic command to
correctly display this information under ICMP statistics.
When you query an icmpStatsInErrors object in the icmpStats table by using the snmpget or snmpwalk
command, the output for IPv4 addresses may be incorrectly displayed. Use the show ip traffic
command to correctly display this information under IP and ICMP statistics.
When you query an IPv4 icmpMsgStatsInPkts object in the ICMP table by using the snmpwalk
command, the echo response output may not be displayed. Use the show ip traffic command to
correctly display ICMP statistics, such as echo response.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

48
Stacking
Stacking is supported on the following platforms:

s (S50/S25),

Stacking is supported on the S4810 platform with FTOS version 8.3.7.1, version 8.3.10.2 and newer.
Note: The S4810 commands accept Unit ID numbers 0-11, though the S4810 supports stacking up to 3
units only with FTOS version 8.3.7.1 and version 8.3.10.2. The S4810 supports stacking up to 6 units on
FTOS version 8.3.12.0. The S55 supports stacking up to 8 units.

Using the FTOS stacking feature, multiple S-Series switch units can be interconnected with dedicated
stacking ports or front end user ports. (The S50, S55, and S60 use dedicated stacking ports; the S4810 uses
front end user ports for stacking.) The stack becomes manageable as a single switch through the stack
management unit.
Note: Stacking S55 and S60 units with other devices is not supported.

This chapter contains the following sections:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

S-Series Stacking Overview
Stack Management Roles
Stack Master Election
Stack Group/Port Numbers
High Availability on S-Series Stacks
Important Points to Remember - S4810 Stacking
S-Series Stacking Configuration Tasks
Troubleshoot an S-Series Stack
Removing Units or Front End Ports from a Stack

S-Series Stacking Overview
An S-Series stack is analogous to an E-Series or C-Series system with redundant RPMs and multiple line
cards. FTOS elects a management (master) unit, a standby unit, and all other units are member units.

Stacking | 971

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

FTOS presents all of the units like line cards; for example, to access GigabitEthernet Port 1 on Stack Unit
0, enter interface gigabitethernet 0/1 from CONFIGURATION mode.

Stack Management Roles
The stack elects the management units for the stack management:
•
•
•
•

Stack master: The primary management unit, also called the master unit.
Standby: The secondary management unit.
Stack units: Also called stack members, these are the remaining units in the stack. The system
supports up to four S4810 stack units.
Stack group: On the S4810, each set of 4 10G ports or each individual 40G port correspond to a
stack-group. The CLI is used to configure the front ports on the S4810 to be stacking-ports.

The master holds the control plane and the other units maintain a local copy of the forwarding databases.
From the stack master you can configure:
•
•

System-level features that apply to all stack members.
Interface-level features for each stack member.

The master synchronizes the following information with the standby unit:
•
•
•

Stack unit topology
Stack running configuration (which includes ACL, LACP, STP, SPAN, etc.)
Logs

The master switch maintains stack operation with minimal impact in the event of:
•
•
•
•

Switch failure
Inter-switch stacking link failure
Switch insertion
Switch removal

If the master switch goes off line, the standby replaces it as the new master and the switch with the next
highest priority or MAC address becomes standby.

Stack Master Election
The stack elects a master and standby unit at bootup time based on two criteria:
•

972

|

Stacking

Unit priority: User-configurable. Range is from 1 to 14. A higher value (14) means a higher priority.
Default: 1. By removing the stack-unit priority using the no stack-unit priority command, you can set
the priority back to the default value of zero. The unit with the highest priority is elected the master
management unit; the unit with the second highest priority is elected the standby unit.

•

MAC address (in case of priority tie): The unit with the higher MAC value becomes the master unit.
The stack takes the MAC address of the master unit and retains it unless it is reloaded.

To view which switch is the stack master, enter the show system command. Figure 48-1 shows sample
output from an established stack.
A change in the stack master occurs when:
•
•
•

You power down the stack master or bring the master switch offline.
A failover of the master switch occurs.
You disconnect the master switch from the stack.

When a stack reloads and all the units come up at the same time, for example, when all units boot up from
flash, all units participate in the election and the master and standby are chosen based on the priority or
MAC address. When the units do not boot up at the same time, such as when some units are powered down
just after reloading and powered up later to join the stack, they do not participate in the election process
even though the units that boot up late may have a higher priority configured. This happens because the
master and standby have already been elected, hence the unit that boots up late joins only as a member.
When an up and running standalone unit or stack is merged with another stack, based on election, the
losing stack reloads and the master unit of the winning stack becomes the master of the merged stack. For
more details, see sections “Add Units to an Existing S-Series Stack on page 985” and “Remove a Unit
from an S-Series Stack on page 995”. It is possible to reset individual units to force them to give up the
management role or reload the whole stack from the CLI to ensure a fully synchronized bootup.
Figure 48-1.

Displaying the Stack Master

FTOS#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:8c:53:32
Reload Type : normal-reload [Next boot : normal-reload]
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
---------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Member
not present
1
Management
online
S4810
S4810
4810-8-3-12-1447 64
2
Standby
online
S4810
S4810
4810-8-3-12-1447 64
3
Member
online
S4810
S4810
4810-8-3-12-1447 64
4
Member
online
S4810
S4810
4810-8-3-12-1447 64
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present
8
Member
not present
9
Member
not present
10
Member
not present

Virtual IP
The stack can be managed using a single IP, known as a virtual IP, that is retained in the stack even after a
failover. The virtual IP address is used to log in to the current master unit of the stack. Both IPv4 and IPv6
addresses are supported as virtual IPs.

Stacking | 973

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Failover Roles
If the stack master fails (e.g., is powered off), it is removed from the stack topology. The standby unit
detects the loss of peering communication and takes ownership of the stack management, switching from
the standby role to the master role. The distributed forwarding tables are retained during the failover, as is
the stack MAC address. The lack of a standby unit triggers an election within the remaining units for a
standby role.
Once the former master switch recovers, despite having a higher priority or MAC address, it will not
recover its master role but instead takes the next available role.
To view failover details, use the show redundancy command.

MAC Addressing on S-Series Stacks
The S-Series has three MAC addresses: the chassis MAC, interface MAC, and null interface MAC. All
interfaces in the stack use the interface MAC address of the management unit, and the chassis MAC for the
stack is the master’s chassis MAC. The stack continues to use the master’s chassis MAC address even after
a failover. The MAC address is not refreshed until the stack is reloaded and a different unit becomes the
stack manager.
Note: If the removed management unit is brought up as a standalone unit or as part of a different stack,
there is a possibility of MAC address collisions.

In Figure 48-2 and Figure 48-3, a standalone is added to a stack. The standalone and the master unit have
the same priority, but the standalone has a lower MAC address, so the standalone reboots. In Figure 48-3, a
standalone is added to a stack. The standalone has a higher priority than the stack, so the stack (excluding
the new unit) reloads.

974

|

Stacking

Figure 48-2.

Adding a Standalone with a Lower MAC Address to a Stack— Before (S50-type)

-------------------------------STANDALONE BEFORE CONNECTION---------------------------------Standalone#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:d5:ef:81
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Management
online
S50V
S50V
7.8.1.0
52
1
Member
not present
2
Member
not present
3
Member
not present
4
Member
not present
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present
[output omitted]
Standalone#show system | grep priority
Master priority : 0
------------------------------------STACK BEFORE CONNECTION---------------------------------Stack#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:d5:f9:6f
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Standby
online
S50V
S50V
7.8.1.0
52
1
Management
online
S50N
S50N
7.8.1.0
52
2
Member
not present
3
Member
not present
4
Member
not present
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present
[output omitted]
Stack#show system stack-unit 0 | grep priority
Master priority : 0
Stack#show system stack-unit 1 | grep priority
Master priority : 0

Stacking | 975

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 48-3.

Adding a Standalone with a Lower MAC Address and Equal Priority to a Stack—After

-------------------------------STANDALONE AFTER CONNECTION---------------------------------Standalone#%STKUNIT0-M:CP %POLLMGR-2-ALT_STACK_UNIT_STATE: Alternate Stack-unit is present
00:20:20: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %CHMGR-5-STACKUNITDETECTED: Stack unit 1 present
00:20:22: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %CHMGR-5-STACKUNITDETECTED: Stack unit 2 present
Going for reboot. Reason is Stack merge
[bootup messages omitted]
------------------------------------STACK AFTER CONNECTION---------------------------------Stack# 3w1d14h: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-STACKUNITDETECTED: Stack unit 2 present
3w1d14h: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-2-STACKUNIT_DOWN: Stack unit 2 down - card removed
3w1d14h: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-STACKUNITDETECTED: Stack unit 2 present
3w1d14h: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-CHECKIN: Checkin from Stack unit 2 (type S50V, 52 ports)
3w1d14h: %S50V:2 %CHMGR-0-PS_UP: Power supply 0 in unit 2 is up
3w1d14h: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-STACKUNITUP: Stack unit 2 is up
Stack#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:d5:f9:6f
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Standby
online
S50V
S50V
7.8.1.0
52
1
Management
online
S50N
S50N
7.8.1.0
52
2
Member
online
S50V
S50V
7.8.1.0
52
3
Member
not present
4
Member
not present
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present

Stacking LAG
When multiple links are used between stack units, FTOS automatically bundles them in a stacking LAG to
provide aggregated throughput and redundancy. The stacking LAG is established automatically and
transparently by FTOS (without user configuration) once peering is detected and behaves as follows:
•
•

The stacking LAG dynamically aggregates; it can lose link members or gain new links.
Shortest path selection inside the stack: If multiple paths exist between two units in the stack, the
shortest path is used.

Supported Stacking Topologies
The S4810 supports stacking in a ring or a daisy chain topology. Dell Force10 recommends the ring
topology when stacking S4810 switches to provide redundant connectivity.

976

|

Stacking

Figure 48-4.

S4810 supported stacking topologies

High Availability on S-Series Stacks
S-Series stacks have master and standby management units analogous to Dell Force10 Route Processor
Modules (Figure 48-5). The master unit synchronizes the running configuration and protocol states so that
the system fails over in the event of a hardware or software fault on the master unit. In such an event, or
when the master unit is removed, the standby unit becomes the stack manager and FTOS elects a new
standby unit. FTOS resets the failed master unit: once online, it becomes a member unit; the remaining
members remain online.

Stacking | 977

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 48-5.

S-Series Stack Manager Redundancy (S50-type system)

Stack#show redundancy
-- Stack-unit Status ------------------------------------------------Mgmt ID:
0
Stack-unit ID:
1
Stack-unit Redundancy Role:
Primary
Stack-unit State:
Active
Stack-unit SW Version:
7.8.1.0
Link to Peer:
Up
-- PEER Stack-unit Status ------------------------------------------------Stack-unit State:
Standby
Peer stack-unit ID:
2
Stack-unit SW Version:
7.8.1.0
-- Stack-unit Redundancy Configuration ------------------------------------------------Primary Stack-unit:
mgmt-id
0
Auto Data Sync:
Full
Failover Type:
Hot Failover
Auto reboot Stack-unit:
Enabled
Auto failover limit:
3 times in 60 minutes
-- Stack-unit Failover Record ------------------------------------------------Failover Count:
0
Last failover timestamp:
None
Last failover Reason:
None
Last failover type:
None
--Last Data Block Sync Record: ------------------------------------------------Stack Unit Config: succeeded Mar 24 2009 20:35:14
Start-up Config: failed Mar 24 2009 20:35:14
Runtime Event Log: succeeded Mar 24 2009 20:35:14
Running Config: succeeded Mar 24 2009 20:35:14
ACL Mgr: succeeded Mar 24 2009 20:35:14
LACP:
no block sync done
STP:
no block sync done
SPAN:
no block sync done

Management Access on S-Series Stacks
You can access the stack via the console port or VTY line.
•

•

978

|

Stacking

Console access: You may access the stack through the console port of the master unit (stack manager)
only. Like a standby RPM, the console port of the standby unit does not provide management
capability; only a limited number of commands are available. Member units provide a severely limited
set of commands, as shown in Figure 48-6.
Remote access: You may access the master unit and standby unit in a stack through the dedicated
management ethernet interfaces with SNMP, SSH, or via Telnet.

Figure 48-6.

Accessing Non-Master Units on a Stack via the Console Port

-------------------------------CONSOLE ACCESS ON THE STANDBY---------------------------------2-unit-stack(standby)#?
cd
Change current directory
clear
Reset functions
copy
Copy from one file to another
delete
Delete a file
dir
List files on a filesystem
disable
Turn off privileged commands
enable
Turn on privileged commands
exit
Exit from the EXEC
format
Format a filesystem
package
automation package related commands
pwd
Display current working directory
rename
Rename a file
reset
Reset selected card
show
Show running system information
ssh-peer-stack-unit
Open a SSH connection to the peer Stack-unit
start
Start shell
telnet-peer-stack-unit
Open a telnet connection to the peer Stack-unit
terminal
Set terminal line parameters
upload
Upload file
-------------------------------CONSOLE ACCESS ON A MEMBER------------------------------------Stack(stack-member-0)#?
reset-self
Reset this unit alone
show
Show running system information

Stacking Cable Redundancy
You can connect two units with two or more stacking cables in case of a stacking port or cable failure.
Removal of only one of the cables does not trigger a reset.

Important Points to Remember - S4810 Stacking
•
•
•
•
•

•
•
•
•

For S4810 stacking using 40GE ports, any remaining 40 GE ports should not be configured as
quad-mode.
You may stack up to six S4810 systems
The S4810 cannot be stacked with other system types.
Stacking and Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) cannot be enabled simultaneously on the S4810.
Data ports are configured as stacking ports in predefined groups of 4-10G ports called stack-groups.
When using the 40G ports, a single port can be configured as a stack port; each 40G port is a
stack-group.
All the ports in a stack-group are placed in stacking mode. Unused ports in that group cannot be used
as data ports.
The stack-group must contain only ports of the same type (all 10G or all 40G).
• Stacking with 1G interfaces is not supported.
Stacking on the S4810 is accomplished through front end user ports on the chassis
All stack units must have the same version of FTOS.

Stacking | 979

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

S-Series Stacking Installation Tasks
•
•
•
•

Create an S-Series Stack
Add Units to an Existing S-Series Stack
Remove a Unit from an S-Series Stack
Split an S-Series Stack

Create an S-Series Stack
Stacking is enabled on the S4810 using the front end ports. No configuration is allowed on front end ports
used for stacking. Stacking can be made between 10G ports of two units or 40G ports of two units. The
stack links between the two units will be grouped into a single LAG.

Stack Group/Port Numbers
By default, each unit in standalone mode is numbered stack-unit 0. A maximum of eight 10G stack links or
two 40G stack links can be made between two units in a stack. The front end ports are divided into 16 stack
groups, each with 40G of bandwidth. Stack groups 0 through 11 correspond to 10G stack groups with four
ports each. Stack groups 12 to 15 are one 40G port each.
The front end ports accommodate SFP, SFP+ and QSFP+.
•

Ports are divided into 16 stack-groups (0 to 15) as shown in the following example. The stack groups
must be of a single speed - either all 10G or all 40G.
• stack-group 0 corresponds to ports 0-3, stack-group 1 corresponds to ports 4-7, so on through
stack-group 11
• stack-group 12 corresponds to the 40G port 48, stack-group 13 corresponds to port 52, so on
through stack group 15.

Figure 48-7.

S4810 Stack-group assignments

You can connect the units while they are powered down or up. Stacking ports are bi-directional.

980

|

Stacking

With FTOS 8.3.12.0, when a unit is added to a stack, the management unit performs a system check on the
new unit to ensure the hardware type is compatible. A similar check is performed on the FTOS version. If
the stack is running 8.3.12.0 and the new unit is running an earlier software version, the new unit is put into
a card problem state.
•
•

If the unit is running version 8.3.10.x, it is upgraded to use the same FTOS version as the stack,
rebooted and join the stack.
If the new unit is running an FTOS version prior to 8.3.10.x, the unit is put into a card problem state,
FTOS is not upgraded, and a syslog message is raised. The unit must be upgraded to FTOS 8.3.12.0
before you can proceed.

Syslog messages are generated by the management unit:
•
•
•

•

before the management unit downloads its FTOS version (FTOS 8.3.12.0 or later) to the new unit. The
syslog includes the unit number, previous version and version being downloaded.
when the firmware synchronization is complete.
if the system check fails, a message such as a hardware incompatibility message or incompatible uboot
version is generated. If the unit is placed in a card problem state, the management unit also generates
an SNMP trap.
if the software version of the new unit predates FTOS 8.3.12.0, the management unit puts the new unit
into a card problem state and generates a syslog that identifies the unit, its FTOS version, and its
incompatibility for firmware synchronization.
Note: You must enter the stack-unit stack-unit stack-group stack-group command when adding units to a
stack to ensure the units are assigned to the correct groups.

Note: Any scripts used to streamline the stacking configuration process must be updated to reflect the
Command Mode change from EXEC to CONFIGURATION to allow the scripts to work correctly.

Enable Front End Port Stacking
To enable the front ports on an S4810 unit for stacking, use the following procedure.
Note: Once a port has been allocated for stacking, it can only be used for stacking. If stack-group 0 is
allocated for stacking, then ports 0, 1, 2, and 3 can be used for stacking but not for Ethernet anymore. If
only port 0 is used for stacking, ports 1, 2, and 3 are just spare; they cannot be used for Ethernet.

One a

After the front ports are enabled, use the show system stack-unit command to view the port assignments,
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Assign a stack group for each unit. Begin with the first port
on the management unit. Next, configure both ports on
each subsequent unit. Finally, return to the management
unit and configure the last port. (See the example below.)
Range: 0-15

stack-unit id stack-group id

CONFIGURATION

Stacking | 981

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Save the stacking configuration on the ports.

write memory

EXEC Privilege

Reload the switch. FTOS automatically assigns a number
to the new unit and adds it as member switch in the stack.
The new unit synchronizes its running and startup
configurations with the stack.

reload

EXEC Privilege

After the units are reloaded, the system reboots. The units come up in a stack after the reboot completes.

Creating a New Stack
Prior to creating a stack, know which unit will be the management unit and which will be the standby unit.
You must also enable the front ports of the units for stacking. For more information, see “Enable Front End
Port Stacking” on page 981.
To create a new stack:
Step

982

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Power up all units in the stack

2

Verify that each unit has the same FTOS version
prior to stacking them together.

show version

EXEC Privilege

3

Manually configure unit numbers for each unit,
so that the stacking is deterministic upon boot up.
Renumbering will cause the unit to reboot. The
stack-unit default for all new units is stack-unit 0.

stack-unit 0 renumber

EXEC Privilege

Stacking

Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

4

Configure the switch priority for each unit to
make management unit selection deterministic.

stack-unit priority

CONFIGURATION

5

Assign a stack group for each unit. Begin with the
first port on the management unit. Next,
configure both ports on each subsequent unit.
Finally, return to the management unit and
configure the last port. (See the example below.)
Range: 0 to 15

stack-unit id stack-group id

CONFIGURATION

6

Connect the units using stacking cables.
Note: The S4810 does not require special stacking cables. The cables used to connect the data ports are
sufficient.

7

Reload the stack one unit at a time. Start with the
management unit, then the standby, followed by
each of the members in order of their assigned
stack number (or the position in the stack you
want each unit to take). Allow each unit to
completely boot, and verify that the unit is
detected by the stack manager, and then power
the next unit.

show system brief

EXEC Privilege

In the following example, stack unit 1 will be the master management unit, stack unit 2 will be the standby
unit. The cables are connected to each unit.

Configure the stack groups on the units in the following order:

Stacking | 983

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configure the first stack group on unit 1:
stack-unit 1 stack-group 13

Configure the stack groups on unit 2:
stack-unit 2 stack-group 14
stack-unit 2 stack-group 15

Configure the stack groups on unit 3:
stack-unit 3 stack-group 12
stack-unit 3 stack-group 13

Configure the stack groups on unit 4:
stack-unit 4 stack-group 13
stack-unit 4 stack-group 14

Configure the final stack-group on unit 1 to complete the stack.
stack-unit 1 stack-group 12

When the stack-group configuration is complete, the system will print a syslog for reload, as shown below.
FTOS#configure
FTOS(conf)#stack-unit 4 stack-group 13
FTOS(conf)#02:39:12: %STKUNIT4-M:CP %IFMGR-6-STACK_PORTS_ADDED: Ports Fo 4/52
stacking ports. Please save and reload for config to take effect
FTOS(conf)#stack-unit 4 stack-group 14
FTOS(conf)#02:39:15: %STKUNIT4-M:CP %IFMGR-6-STACK_PORTS_ADDED: Ports Fo 4/56
stacking ports. Please save and reload for config to take effect
FTOS(conf)#
FTOS#02:39:18: %STKUNIT4-M:CP %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console

have been configured as

have been configured as

Reload each unit in the stack. After the reload is complete, the four units will come up as a stack with unit
1 as the management unit, unit 2 as the standby unit, and the remaining units as stack-members as shown in
the following example. All units in the stack can be accessed from the management unit.
FTOS#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:8c:53:32
Reload Type : normal-reload [Next boot : normal-reload]
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
---------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Member
not present
1
Management
online
S4810
S4810
4810-8-3-12-1447 64
2
Standby
online
S4810
S4810
4810-8-3-12-1447 64
3
Member
online
S4810
S4810
4810-8-3-12-1447 64
4
Member
online
S4810
S4810
4810-8-3-12-1447 64
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present
8
Member
not present

984

|

Stacking

9
10

Member
Member

not present
not present

-- Power Supplies -Unit
Bay
Status
Type
FanStatus
---------------------------------------------------------------------------1
0
absent
absent
1
1
up
AC
up
2
0
down
UNKNOWN down
2
1
up
AC
up
3
0
absent
absent
3
1
up
AC
up
4
0
absent
absent
4
1
up
AC
up
-- Fan Status -Unit Bay
TrayStatus Fan0
Speed
Fan1
Speed
---------------------------------------------------------------------------1
0
up
up
9360
up
9360
1
1
up
up
9360
up
9360
2
0
up
up
7680
up
7680
2
1
up
up
7920
up
7680
3
0
up
up
9360
up
9360
3
1
up
up
9360
up
9360
4
0
up
up
9120
up
9120
4
1
up
up
9120
up
9360
Speed in RPM

The following example shows how to configure two new S4810 switches for stacking using 10G ports.
S4810-1(conf)#stack-unit 0 stack-group 0
Setting ports Te 0/0 Te 0/1 Te 0/2 Te 0/3
a reload.
[confirm yes/no]:yes

as stack group will make their interface configs obsolete after

S4810-2(conf)#stack-unit 0 stack-group 0
Setting ports Te 0/0 Te 0/1 Te 0/2 Te 0/3
a reload.
[confirm yes/no]:yes

as stack group will make their interface configs obsolete after

S4810-1#show system stack-ports
Topology: Ring
Interface Connection
Link Speed
Admin
Link
Trunk
(Gb/s)
Status
Status
Group
-----------------------------------------------------------------0/0
1/0
10
up
up
0/1
1/1
10
up
up
0/2
1/2
10
up
up
0/3
1/3
10
up
up

S4810-1#

Add Units to an Existing S-Series Stack
Units can be added to an existing stack in one of three ways:
•
•

by manually assigning a new un-configured unit a position in an existing stack.
by adding a configured unit to an existing stack.

Stacking | 985

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

by merging two stacks.

If you are adding units to an existing stack, you can either:
•
•

allow FTOS to automatically assign the new unit a position in the stack, or
manually determine each units position in the stack by configuring each unit to correspond with the
stack before connecting it.
If you add a unit that has a stack number that conflicts with the stack, the stack assigns the first
available stack number, as shown in the examples below.
If the stack has a provision for the stack-number that will be assigned to the new unit, the provision
must match the unit type, or FTOS generates a type mismatch error, as shown in Figure 48-10 and
Figure 48-11.

•
•

After the new unit loads, it synchronizes its running and startup configurations with the stack.

Manually Assign a New Unit to an Existing Stack
To manually assign a new unit a position in an existing stack, use the following steps.
Note: For an S50 system, install stacking modules in the new unit while the unit is unpowered.

Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

On the stack, determine the next available stack-unit
number, and the management prioritity of the
management unit.

show system brief
show system stack-unit

EXEC Privilege

2

On the new unit, number it the next available stack-unit
number.

stack-unit renumber

EXEC Privilege

3

(OPTIONAL) On the new unit, assign a management
priority based on whether you want the new unit to be
the stack manager.

stack-unit priority

CONFIGURATION

4

Assign a stack group to each unit.

stack-unit id stack-group id

CONFIGURATION

5

Connect the new unit to the stack using stacking cables.
Figure 48-8.

Adding an S4810 Stack Unit with a Conflicting Stack Number—Before

FTOS#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:8a:df:e6
Reload Type : normal-reload
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Management
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-7-13
64
1
Member
not present
2
Member
not present
3
Standby
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-7-13
64

986

|

Stacking

4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member

not
not
not
not
not
not
not
not

Figure 48-9.

present
present
present
present
present
present
present
present

Adding an S4810 Stack Unit with a Conflicting Stack Number—After

FTOS#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:8a:df:e6
Reload Type : normal-reload
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Management
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-7-13
64
1
Member
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-7-13
64
2
Member
not present
3
Standby
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-7-13
64
4
Member
not present
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present
8
Member
not present
9
Member
not present
10
Member
not present
11
Member
not present

Add a Configured Unit to an Existing Stack
To add a configured unit to an existing stack use the following steps.
If a stack unit goes down and is removed from the stack, the logical provisioning configured for that
stack-unit number is saved on the master and standby units. When a new unit is added to the stack, if a
stack group configuration conflict occurs between the new unit and the provisioned stack unit, the
configuration of the new unit takes precedence.
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Add the configured unit to the top or bottom of the stack.

2

Power on the switch.

3

Attach cables to connect ports on the added switch to one or more existing switches in the stack.

4

Logon to the CLI and enter global configuration
mode.

Login: username
Password: *****
FTOS> enable
FTOS# configure

Stacking | 987

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

5

Configure the ports on the added switch for
stacking, where:
stack-unit 0 defines the default ID unit-number
in the initial configuration of a switch.
stack-group group-number configures a port for
stacking.

stack-unit 0 stack-group
group-number

CONFIGURATION

6

Save the stacking configuration on the ports.

write memory

EXEC Privilege

7

Reload the switch. FTOS automatically assigns a
number to the new unit and adds it as member
switch in the stack. The new unit synchronizes its
running and startup configurations with the stack.

reload

EXEC Privilege

If a standalone switch already has stack groups configured.
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

8

Attach cables to connect the ports already configured as stack groups on the switch to one or more switches in the
stack.

9

FTOS automatically assigns a number to the new unit and adds it as member switch in the stack. The new unit
synchronizes its running and startup configurations with the stack.

FTOS Behavior: When you add a new switch to a stack:
• If the new unit has been configured with a stack number that is already assigned to a stack member,
the stack avoids a numbering conflict by assigning the new switch the first available stack number.
• If the stack has been provisioned for the stack number that is assigned to the new unit, the
pre-configured provisioning must match the switch type. If there is a conflict between the provisioned
switch type and the new unit, a mismatch error message is displayed.

Merge Two S-Series Stacks
You may merge two stacks while they are powered and online. To merge two stacks, connect one stack to
the other using user port cables from the front end user port.
•
•
•
•

988

|

Stacking

FTOS selects a master stack manager from the two existing managers based on the priority of the
stack.
FTOS resets all the units in the losing stack; they all become stack members.
If there is no unit numbering conflict, the stack members retain their previous unit numbers.
Otherwise, the stack manager assigns new unit numbers, based on the order that they come online.
The stack manager overwrites the startup and running config on the losing stack members with its own
to synchronize the configuration on the new stack members.

Split an S-Series Stack
To split a stack, unplug the desired stacking cables.You may do this at any time, whether the stack is
powered or unpowered, and the units are online or offline. Each portion of the split stack retains the startup
and running configuration of the original stack.
For a parent stack that is split into two child stacks, A and B, each with multiple units:
•
•
•
•

If one of the new stacks receives the master and the standby management units, it is unaffected by the
split.
If one of the new stacks receives only the master unit, that unit remains the stack manager, and FTOS
elects a new standby management unit.
If one of the new stacks receives only the standby unit, it becomes the master unit of the new stack, and
FTOS elects a new standby unit.
If one of the new stacks receives neither the master nor the standby management unit, the stack is reset
so that a new election can take place.

S-Series Stacking Configuration Tasks
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Assign Unit Numbers to Units in an S-Series Stack
Create a Virtual Stack Unit on an S-Series Stack
Display Information about an S-Series Stack
Influence Management Unit Selection on an S-Series Stack
Manage Redundancy on an S-Series Stack
Reset a Unit on an S-Series Stack
Recover from Stack Link Flaps

Assign Unit Numbers to Units in an S-Series Stack
Each unit in the stack has a stack number that is either assigned by you or FTOS. Units are numbered from
0 to 11, however, only six (6) S4810 units can be stacked. Stack numbers are stored in NVRAM and are
preserved upon reload.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Assign a stack-number to a unit.

stack-unit renumber

EXEC Privilege

Note: Renumbering the stack manager triggers the whole stack to reload as indicated in Message 1.
When the stack comes back online, the master unit remains the management unit.

Stacking | 989

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Message 1 Renumbering the Stack Manager
Renumbering master unit will reload the stack.
WARNING: Interface configuration for current unit will be lost!
Proceed to renumber [confirm yes/no]: yes

Create a Virtual Stack Unit on an S-Series Stack
Use virtual stack units to configure ports on the stack before adding a new unit.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Create a virtual stack unit.

stack-unit provision

CONFIGURATION

Display Information about an S-Series Stack
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Display for stack-identity, status, and
hardware information on every unit in a
stack. See the example below.

show system

EXEC Privilege

Display most of the information in show
system, but in a more convenient tabular

show system brief

EXEC Privilege

show system stack-unit

EXEC Privilege

show system stack-ports [status | topology]

EXEC Privilege

form. See the example below.
Display the same information in show
system, but only for the specified unit. See
the example below.
Display topology and stack link status for
the entire stack. The available options
separate the show system stack-port
output into topology information from link
status information. See the example below.

Display information about an S4810 stack using the show system command.
Force10#show system
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:8a:df:e6
Reload Type : normal-reload
-- Unit 0 -Unit Type
: Management Unit
Status
: online
Next Boot
: online
Required Type
: S4810 - 52-port GE/TE/FG (SE)
Current Type
: S4810 - 52-port GE/TE/FG (SE)
Master priority : 0
Hardware Rev
: 3.0
Num Ports
: 64
Up Time
: 57 min, 0 sec
FTOS Version
: 8-3-7-13
Jumbo Capable
: yes
POE Capable
: no

990

|

Stacking

Burned In MAC
No Of MACs

: 00:01:e8:8a:df:e6
: 3

-- Power Supplies -Unit
Bay
Status
Type
FanStatus
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
0
absent
absent
0
1
up
AC
up
-- Fan Status -Unit Bay
TrayStatus Fan0
Speed
Fan1
Speed
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------0
0
up
up
6960
up
6960
0
1
up
up
6720
up
6720
Speed in RPM
-- Unit 1 -Unit Type
Status
Required Type

: Member Unit
: not present
: S4810 - 52-port GE/TE/FG (SE)

-- Unit 2 -Unit Type
Status

: Member Unit
: not present

-- Unit 3 -Unit Type
Status
Next Boot
Required Type
Current Type
Master priority
Hardware Rev
Num Ports
Up Time
FTOS Version
Jumbo Capable
POE Capable
Burned In MAC
No Of MACs

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

Standby Unit
online
online
S4810 - 52-port GE/TE/FG (SE)
S4810 - 52-port GE/TE/FG (SE)
0
3.0
64
57 min, 3 sec
8-3-7-13
yes
no
00:01:e8:8a:df:bf
3

-----output truncated-----

Display information about an S4810 stack using the show system brief command
FTOS#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:8a:de:48
Reload Type : normal-reload
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Member
not present
1
Member
not present
2
Member
not present
3
Management
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-12-13
64
4
Member
not present
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present

Stacking | 991

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

8
9
10
11

Member
Member
Member
Member

not
not
not
not

present
present
present
present

Display information about an S4810 stack using the show system stack-ports command.
FTOS#show system stack-ports
Topology: Ring
Interface Connection
Link Speed
Admin
Link
Trunk
(Gb/s)
Status
Status
Group
-----------------------------------------------------------------0/56
3/56
40
up
up
0/60
3/60
40
up
up
3/48
40
up
down
3/52
40
up
down
3/56
0/56
40
up
up
3/60
0/60
40
up
up

Influence Management Unit Selection on an S-Series Stack
Stack Priority is the system variable that FTOS uses to determine which units in the stack will be the
master and standby management units. If multiple units tie for highest priority, the unit with the highest
MAC address prevails.
If management was determined by priority only, a change in management occurs when:
•
•

the management unit is powered down or a failover occurs
you disconnect the management unit from the stack

When the management unit fails, the unit disappears from the stack topology. At that time, the standby unit
detects the communication loss and switches from the standby unit role to the management unit role in the
stack. From the remaining units in the stack, the system selects a new standby unit based on the unit
priority using the same algorithm used when the stack was initially created. When the failed unit recovers,
it takes the next available role, usually that of a stack member.

992

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Influence the selection of the stack management units. The unit with the
numerically highest priority is elected the master management unit, and
the unit with the second highest priority is the standby unit.
Default: 0
Range: 1-14

stack-unit priority

CONFIGURATION

Stacking

Manage Redundancy on an S-Series Stack
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Reset the current management unit, and make
the standby unit the new master unit. A new
standby is elected. When the former stack
master comes back online, it becomes a
member unit.

redundancy force-failover stack-unit

EXEC Privilege

Prevent the stack master from rebooting after a
failover. This command does not affect a
forced failover, manual reset, or a stack-link
disconnect.

redundancy disable-auto-reboot stack-unit

CONFIGURATION

Display redundancy information.

show redundancy

EXEC Privilege

Reset a Unit on an S-Series Stack
You may reset any stack unit except for the master management unit (Message 2).
Message 2 Master Reset Disallowed
% Error: Reset of master unit is not allowed.

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Reload a stack-unit

reset stack-unit

EXEC Privilege

Reload a member unit, from the unit itself

reset-self

EXEC Privilege

Reset a stack-unit when the unit is in a problem state.

reset stack-unit {hard}

EXEC Privilege

Verifying a Stack Configuration
LED Status Indicators on an S4810 Stack
The light of the LED status indicator on the front panel identifies the unit’s role in the stack.
•
•
•

Off indicates the unit is a stack member.
Blinking Green indicates the unit is the stack standby.
Solid Green indicates the unit is the stack master (management unit)

Stacking | 993

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Display Status of Stacking Ports
To display the status of the stacking ports, including the topology:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Display the stacking ports.

show system stack-ports

EXEC Privilege

The following example shows four switches stacked together with two 40G links in a ring topology.
FTOS#show system stack-ports
Topology: Ring
Interface Connection
Link Speed
Admin
Link
Trunk
(Gb/s)
Status
Status
Group
-----------------------------------------------------------------1/48
7/56
40
up
up
1/52
5/60
40
up
up
2/56
6/52
40
up
up
2/60
4/52
40
up
up
3/48
7/52
40
up
up
3/52
5/56
40
up
up
4/52
6/48
40
up
up
4/56
4/48
40
up
up
FTOS#

The following example shows the parameters for the management unit in the stack.
FTOS#show system stack-unit 1
-- Unit 1 -Unit Type
Status
Next Boot
Required Type
Current Type
Master priority
Hardware Rev
Num Ports
Up Time
FTOS Version
Jumbo Capable
POE Capable
Boot Flash
Memory Size
Temperature
Voltage
Serial Number
Part Number
Vendor Id
Date Code
Country Code
Piece Part ID
PPID Revision
Service Tag
Expr Svc Code
Auto Reboot
Burned In MAC
No Of MACs

994

|

Stacking

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

Management Unit
online
online
S4810 - 52-port GE/TE/FG (SE)
S4810 - 52-port GE/TE/FG (SE)
0
3.0
64
1 min, 14 sec
4810-8-3-12-1447
yes
no
1.2.0.2
2147483648 bytes
44C
ok
H1DL104400018
Rev

N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
disabled
00:01:e8:8c:53:32
3

-- Power Supplies -Unit
Bay
Status
Type
FanStatus
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Unit
Bay
Status
Type
FanStatus
---------------------------------------------------------------------------1
0
absent
absent
1
1
up
AC
up
-- Fan Status -Unit Bay
TrayStatus Fan0
Speed
Fan1
Speed
---------------------------------------------------------------------------1
0
up
up
7200
up
7200
1
1
up
up
7200
up
7440
Speed in RPM

The following example shows three switches stacked together in a daisy chain topology.
stack-2#show system stack-ports
Topology: Daisy chain
Interface Connection
Link Speed
Admin
Link
Trunk
(Gb/s)
Status
Status
Group
-----------------------------------------------------------------0/36
1/36
10
up
up
0/37
1/37
10
up
up
0/38
1/38
10
up
up
0/39
1/39
10
up
up
0/44
2/36
10
up
up
0/45
2/37
10
up
up
0/46
2/38
10
up
up
0/47
2/39
10
up
up
1/36
0/36
10
up
up
1/37
0/37
10
up
up
1/38
0/38
10
up
up
1/39
0/39
10
up
up
2/36
0/44
10
up
up
2/37
0/45
10
up
up
2/38
0/46
10
up
up
2/39
0/47
10
up
up
stack-2#

Removing Units or Front End Ports from a Stack
•
•

Remove a Unit from an S-Series Stack
Remove Front End Port Stacking

Remove a Unit from an S-Series Stack
The running-configuration and startup-configuration are synchronized on all stack units. A stack member
that is disconnected from the stack maintains this configuration.

Stacking | 995

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To remove a stack member from the stack, disconnect the stacking cables from the unit. You may do this at
any time, whether the unit is powered or unpowered, online or offline. Note that if you remove a unit in the
middle of the daisy chain stack, the stack will be split into multiple parts and each will form a new stack
according to the stacking algorithm described throughout this chapter.
Figure 48-10.

Removing an S4810 Stack Member—Before

Force10#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:8a:df:e6
Reload Type : normal-reload
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Management
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-7-13
64
1
Member
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-7-13
64
2
Member
not present
3
Standby
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-7-13
64

Figure 48-11.

Removing an S4810 Stack Member—After

Force10#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:8a:df:e6
Reload Type : normal-reload
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Management
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-7-13
64
1
Member
not present
S4810
2
Member
not present
3
Standby
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-7-13
64
4
Member
not present
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present
8
Member
not present
9
Member
not present
10
Member
not present
11
Member
not present

Remove Front End Port Stacking
To remove the configuration on the front end ports used for stacking, use the following procedure.

996

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Remove the stack group configuration that are configured.

no stack-unit id stack-group
id

CONFIGURATION

Save the stacking configuration on the ports.

write memory

EXEC Privilege

Reload the switch.

reload

EXEC Privilege

Stacking

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

After the units are reloaded, the system reboots. The units come up as standalone units after the reboot completes.

Troubleshoot an S-Series Stack
•
•
•

Recover from Stack Link Flaps
Recover from a Card Problem State on an S-Series Stack
Recover from a Card Mismatch State on an S-Series Stack

Recover from Stack Link Flaps
S-Series Stack Link Integrity Monitoring enables units to monitor their own stack ports and disable any
stack port that flaps five times within 10 seconds. FTOS displays console messages the local and remote
members of a flapping link, and on the primary (master) and standby management units as KERN-2-INT
messages if the flapping port belongs to either of these units.
In the following example, a stack-port on the master flaps. The remote member, Member 2, displays a
console message, and the master and standby display KERN-2-INT messages.
To re-enable the downed stack-port, power cycle the offending unit.
--------------------------------------MANAGMENT UNIT----------------------------------------Error: Stack Port 50 has flapped 5 times within 10 seconds.Shutting down this st
ack port now.
Error: Please check the stack cable/module and power-cycle the stack.
10:55:20: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %KERN-2-INT: Error: Stack Port 50 has flapped 5 times w
ithin 10 seconds.Shutting down this stack port now.
10:55:20: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %KERN-2-INT: Error: Please check the stack cable/module
and power-cycle the stack.
---------------------------------------STANDBY UNIT-----------------------------------------10:55:18: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %KERN-2-INT: Error: Stack Port 50 has flapped 5 times within 10
seonds.Shutting down this stack port now.
10:55:18: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %KERN-2-INT: Error: Please check the stack cable/module
and power-cycle the stack.
----------------------------------------MEMBER 2--------------------------------------------Error: Stack Port 51 has flapped 5 times within 10 seconds.Shutting down this stack port now.
Error: Please check the stack cable/module and power-cycle the stack.

Recover from a Card Problem State on an S-Series Stack
If a unit added to a stack has a different FTOS version, the unit does not come online and FTOS cites a card
problem error, as shown in Figure 48-12. To recover, disconnect the new unit from the stack, change the
FTOS version to match the stack, and then reconnect it to the stack, as shown in Figure 48-13.
Figure 48-12.

Card Problem Error on an S-Series Stack - Different FTOS Versions

stack-1#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:8a:fd:6e

Stacking | 997

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Reload Type : normal-reload [Next boot : normal-reload]
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Standby
card problem
S4810
unknown
64
1
Management
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-10-223 64
2
Member
not present
3
Member
not present
4
Member
not present
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present
8
Member
not present
9
Member
not present
10
Member
not present
11
Member
not present
-- Power Supplies -Unit
Bay
Status
Type
FanStatus
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
0
down
DC
down
0
1
up
DC
up
1
0
absent
absent
1
1
up
AC
up
-- Fan Status -Unit Bay
TrayStatus Fan0
Speed
Fan1
Speed
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------0
0
up
up
9360
up
9360
0
1
up
up
9600
up
9360
1
0
up
up
6720
up
6720
1
1
up
up
6960
up
6720
Speed in RPM
stack-1#

Figure 48-13.

Card Problem Error on an S-Series Stack - Different FTOS Versions

stack-1#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:8a:fd:6e
Reload Type : normal-reload [Next boot : normal-reload]
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Standby
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-10-223 64
1
Management
online
S4810
S4810
8-3-10-223 64
2
Member
not present
3
Member
not present
4
Member
not present
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present
8
Member
not present
9
Member
not present
10
Member
not present
11
Member
not present
-- Power Supplies -Unit
Bay
Status
Type
FanStatus
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

998

|

Stacking

0
0
1
1

0
1
0
1

down
up
absent
up

DC
DC
AC

down
up
absent
up

-- Fan Status -Unit Bay
TrayStatus Fan0
Speed
Fan1
Speed
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------0
0
up
up
6960
up
6720
0
1
up
up
6720
up
6720
1
0
up
up
6960
up
6720
1
1
up
up
6720
up
6720
Speed in RPM
stack-1#

Recover from a Card Mismatch State on an S-Series Stack
A card mismatch occurs if the stack has a provision for the lowest available stack number which does not
match the model of a newly added unit. See the following example. To recover, disconnect the new unit.
Then, either:
•
•

remove the provision from the stack, then reconnect the standalone unit, or
renumber the standalone unit with another available stack number on the stack.

Figure 48-14.

Recovering from a Card Mismatch State on an S-Series Stack (S50N and S25N)

-----------------------------------STANDALONE UNIT BEFORE-----------------------------------Standalone#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:d5:ef:81
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Management
online
S50V
S50V
7.8.1.0
52
1
Member
not present
S50N
2
Member
not present
S50V
3
Member
not present
S50V
4
Member
not present
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present
---------------------------------------STACK BEFORE-----------------------------------------Stack#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:d5:f9:6f
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Member
not present
S25N
1
Management
online
S50N
S50N
7.8.1.0
52
2
Standby
online
S50V
S50V
7.8.1.0
52
3
Member
not present
4
Member
not present
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present
-----------------------------------STANDALONE UNIT AFTER-----------------------------------01:38:34: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %POLLMGR-2-ALT_STACK_UNIT_STATE: Alternate Stack-unit is present
01:38:34: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %CHMGR-5-STACKUNITDETECTED: Stack unit 1 present
Going for reboot. Reason is Stack merge

Stacking | 999

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
1000

01:38:34: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %CHMGR-5-STACKUNITDETECTED: Stack unit 2 present
----------------------------------------STACK AFTER-----------------------------------------23:11:25: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-STACKUNITDETECTED: Stack unit 0 present
23:11:40: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-2-STACKUNIT_DOWN: Stack unit 0 down - card removed
23:12:25: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-STACKUNITDETECTED: Stack unit 0 present
23:12:34: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-5-CHECKIN: Checkin from Stack unit 0 (type S50V, 52 ports)
23:12:34: %STKUNIT1-M:CP %CHMGR-3-STACKUNIT_MISMATCH: Mismatch: Stack unit 0 is type S50V - type S25N
required
Stack#show system brief
Stack MAC : 00:01:e8:d5:f9:6f
-- Stack Info -Unit UnitType
Status
ReqTyp
CurTyp
Version
Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------0
Member
type mismatch S25N
S50V
7.8.1.0
52
1
Management
online
S50N
S50N
7.8.1.0
52
2
Standby
online
S50V
S50V
7.8.1.0
52
3
Member
not present
4
Member
not present
5
Member
not present
6
Member
not present
7
Member
not present

|

Stacking

49
Storm Control
ecsz
Storm Control for Multicast is supported on platforms: c s z
Storm Control is supported on platforms:

The storm control feature enables you to control unknown-unicast and broadcast traffic on Layer 2 and
Layer 3 physical interfaces.
FTOS Behavior: On the E-Series, FTOS supports broadcast control for Layer 3 traffic only. To control Layer 2
broadcast traffic use the command storm-control unknown-unicast. On the C-Series and S-Series, FTOS supports
broadcast control (command storm-control broadcast ) for Layer 2 and Layer 3 traffic.

FTOS Behavior: On E-Series, bi-directional traffic (unknown unicast and broadcast) along with egress storm
control causes the configured traffic rates to be split between the involved ports. The percentage of traffic that each
port receives after the split is not predictable. These ports can be in the same/different port-pipes or on the same/
different line cards.

FTOS Behavior: The minimum number of packets per second (PPS) that storm control can limit on the S4810 is 2.

Configure Storm Control
Storm control is supported in INTERFACE mode and CONFIGURATION mode

Configure storm control from INTERFACE mode
Configure storm control from INTERFACE mode using the command storm control. From INTERFACE
mode:
•
•
•

You can only on configure storm control for ingress traffic.
If you configure storm control from both INTERFACE and CONFIGURATION mode, the
INTERFACE mode configurations override the CONFIGURATION mode configurations.
The percentage of storm control is calculated based on the advertised rate of the line card, not by the
speed setting.

Storm Control | 1001

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Configure storm control from CONFIGURATION mode

1002

Configure storm control from CONFIGURATION mode using the command storm control. From
CONFIGURATION mode you can configure storm control for ingress and egress traffic.
Do not apply per-VLAN QoS on an interface that has storm-control enabled (either on an interface or
globally)
•

|

On the E-Series, when broadcast storm-control is enabled on an interface or globally on the ingress and
DSCP marking for a DSCP value 1 is configured for the data traffic, the traffic goes to queue 1 instead
of queue 0. Similarly, if unicast storm-control is enabled on an interface or globally on the ingress, and
DSCP marking for a DSCP value 2 is configured for the data traffic, the traffic goes to queue 2 instead
of queue 0.

Storm Control

50
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is supported on platforms: e c s z

Protocol Overview
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is a Layer 2 protocol—specified by IEEE 802.1d—that eliminates loops in a
bridged topology by enabling only a single path through the network. By eliminating loops, the protocol
improves scalability in a large network and enables you to implement redundant paths, which can be
activated upon the failure of active paths. Layer 2 loops, which can occur in a network due to poor network
design and without enabling protocols like xSTP, can cause unnecessarily high switch CPU utilization and
memory consumption.
FTOS supports three other variations of Spanning Tree, as shown here:
Table 50-1.

FTOS Supported Spanning Tree Protocols

Dell Force10 Term

IEEE Specification

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

802.1d

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol
(RSTP)

802.1w

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol
(MSTP)

802.1s

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus
(PVST+)

Third Party

Configuring Spanning Tree
Configuring Spanning Tree is a two-step process:
1. Configuring Interfaces for Layer 2 Mode.
2. Enabling Spanning Tree Protocol Globally.

Related Configuration Tasks
•

Adding an Interface to the Spanning Tree Group

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) | 1003

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Removing an Interface from the Spanning Tree Group
Modifying Global Parameters
Modifying Interface STP Parameters
Enabling PortFast
Preventing Network Disruptions with BPDU Guard
STP Root Selection
SNMP Traps for Root Elections and Topology Changes
Configuring Spanning Trees as Hitless

Important Points to Remember
•
•
•
•
•

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is disabled by default.
FTOS supports only one Spanning Tree instance (0). For multiple instances, you must enable MSTP, or
PVST+. You may only enable one flavor of Spanning Tree at any one time.
All ports in VLANs and all enabled interfaces in Layer 2 mode are automatically added to the
Spanning Tree topology at the time you enable the protocol.
To add interfaces to the Spanning Tree topology after STP is enabled, enable the port and configure it
for Layer 2 using the command switchport.
The IEEE Standard 802.1D allows eight bits for port ID and eight bits for priority. However, the eight
bits for port ID provide port IDs for only 256 ports and the C-Series can contain 336 ports. To
accommodate the increased number of ports, FTOS uses four bits from priority field in the port ID
field.This implementation affects the Bridge MIB (RFC 1493), and you must interpret objects such as
dot1dStpPortDesignatedPort object by using the first four bits as the priority and the last 12 bits as the
port ID.

Configuring Interfaces for Layer 2 Mode
All interfaces on all switches that will participate in Spanning Tree must be in Layer 2 mode and enabled.

1004

|

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

Figure 50-1.

Example of Configuring Interfaces for Layer 2 Mode

R1
R1(conf)# int range gi 1/1 - 4
R1(conf-if-gi-1/1-4)# switchport
R1(conf-if-gi-1/1-4)# no shutdown
R1(conf-if-gi-1/1-4)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/2
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/3
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/4
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown

R2
1/3

2/1

1/4

2/2

1/1

1/2

3/1

3/2 3/3

2/3

2/4

3/4

R3

To configure the interfaces for Layer 2 and then enable them:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

If the interface has been assigned an IP address,
remove it.

no ip address

INTERFACE

2

Place the interface in Layer 2 mode.

switchport

INTERFACE

3

Enable the interface.

no shutdown

INTERFACE

Verify that an interface is in Layer 2 mode and enabled using the show config command from INTERFACE
mode.
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) | 1005

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Enabling Spanning Tree Protocol Globally
Spanning Tree Protocol must be enabled globally; it is not enabled by default.
To enable Spanning Tree globally for all Layer 2 interfaces:
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Enter the PROTOCOL SPANNING TREE mode.

protocol spanning-tree 0

CONFIGURATION

2

Enable Spanning Tree.

no disable

PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE

Note: To disable STP globally for all Layer 2 interfaces, enter the disable command from PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE mode.

Verify that Spanning Tree is enabled using the show config command from PROTOCOL SPANNING TREE
mode.
FTOS(conf)#protocol spanning-tree 0
FTOS(config-span)#show config
!
protocol spanning-tree 0
no disable
FTOS#

When you enable Spanning Tree, all physical, VLAN, and port-channel interfaces that are enabled and in
Layer 2 mode are automatically part of the Spanning Tree topology.
•
•

1006

|

Only one path from any bridge to any other bridge participating in STP is enabled.
Bridges block a redundant path by disabling one of the link ports.

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

Figure 50-2.

Spanning Tree Enabled Globally

root
R1

R2
1/3

Forwarding

2/1

1/4

Blocking

2/2

1/1

1/2

3/1

3/2 3/3
3/4

R3

2/3

2/4

Port 290 (GigabitEthernet 2/4) is Blocking
Port path cost 4, Port priority 8, Port Identifier 8.290
Designated root has priority 32768, address 0001.e80d.2462
Designated bridge has priority 32768, address 0001.e80d.2462
Designated port id is 8.497, designated path cost 0
Timers: message age 1, forward delay 0, hold 0
Number of transitions to forwarding state 1
BPDU: sent 21, received 486
The port is not in the portfast mode

View the Spanning Tree configuration and the interfaces that are participating in STP using the show
spanning-tree 0 command from EXEC privilege mode. If a physical interface is part of a port channel, only
the port channel is listed in the command output.
R2#show spanning-tree 0
Executing IEEE compatible Spanning Tree Protocol
Bridge Identifier has priority 32768, address 0001.e826.ddb7
Configured hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15
Current root has priority 32768, address 0001.e80d.2462
Root Port is 289 (GigabitEthernet 2/1), cost of root path is 4
Topology change flag not set, detected flag not set
Number of topology changes 3 last change occurred 0:16:11 ago
from GigabitEthernet 2/3
Timers: hold 1, topology change 35
hello 2, max age 20, forward delay 15
Times: hello 0, topology change 0, notification 0, aging Normal
Port 289 (GigabitEthernet 2/1) is Forwarding
Port path cost 4, Port priority 8, Port Identifier 8.289
Designated root has priority 32768, address 0001.e80d.2462
Designated bridge has priority 32768, address 0001.e80d.2462
Designated port id is 8.496, designated path cost 0
Timers: message age 1, forward delay 0, hold 0
Number of transitions to forwarding state 1
BPDU: sent 21, received 486
The port is not in the portfast mode
Port 290 (GigabitEthernet 2/2) is Blocking
Port path cost 4, Port priority 8, Port Identifier 8.290
--More-Timers: message age 1, forward delay 0, hold 0
Number of transitions to forwarding state 1
BPDU: sent 21, received 486
The port is not in the portfast mode

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) | 1007

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Confirm that a port is participating in Spanning Tree using the show spanning-tree 0 brief command from
EXEC privilege mode.
FTOS#show spanning-tree 0 brief
Executing IEEE compatible Spanning Tree Protocol
Root ID Priority 32768, Address 0001.e80d.2462
We are the root of the spanning tree
Root Bridge hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15
Bridge ID Priority 32768, Address 0001.e80d.2462
Configured hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15
Interface
Designated
Name
PortID Prio Cost Sts Cost
Bridge ID
-------------- ------ ---- ---- --- --------------------Gi 1/1
8.496
8
4 DIS
0
32768 0001.e80d.2462
Gi 1/2
8.497
8
4 DIS
0
32768 0001.e80d.2462
Gi 1/3
8.513
8
4 FWD
0
32768 0001.e80d.2462
Gi 1/4
8.514
8
4 FWD
0
32768 0001.e80d.2462
FTOS#

PortID
-----8.496
8.497
8.513
8.514

Adding an Interface to the Spanning Tree Group
To add a Layer 2 interface to the Spanning Tree topology:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable Spanning Tree on a Layer 2 interface.

spanning-tree 0

INTERFACE

Removing an Interface from the Spanning Tree Group
To remove a Layer 2 interface from the Spanning Tree topology:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable Spanning Tree on a Layer 2 interface.

no spanning-tree 0

INTERFACE

FTOS Behavior: In FTOS versions prior to 7.6.1.0, the command no spanning tree disables Spanning Tree on the
interface, however, BPDUs are still forwarded to the RPM, where they are dropped. Beginning in FTOS version
7.6.1.0, the command no spanning tree disables Spanning Tree on the interface, and incoming BPDUs are dropped
at the line card instead of at the RPM, which frees processing resources. This behavior is called Layer 2 BPDU
filtering and is available for STP, RSTP, PVST+, and MSTP.

1008

|

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

Modifying Global Parameters
You can modify Spanning Tree parameters. The root bridge sets the values for forward-delay, hello-time,
and max-age and overwrites the values set on other bridges participating in Spanning Tree.
Note: Dell Force10 recommends that only experienced network administrators change the Spanning Tree
parameters. Poorly planned modification of the Spanning Tree parameters can negatively impact network
performance.

Table 50-2 displays the default values for Spanning Tree.
Table 50-2.

STP Default Values

STP Parameter

Default Value

Forward Delay

15 seconds

Hello Time

2 seconds

Max Age

20 seconds

Port Cost

100-Mb/s Ethernet interfaces

19

1-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

4

10-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

2

Port Channel with 100 Mb/s Ethernet interfaces

18

Port Channel with 1-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

3

Port Channel with 10-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

1

Port Priority

8

To change STP global parameters:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the forward-delay parameter (the wait time before the
interface enters the forwarding state).
• Range: 4 to 30
• Default: 15 seconds

forward-delay seconds

PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE

Change the hello-time parameter (the BPDU transmission interval).
Note: With large configurations (especially those with more
ports) Dell Force10 recommends that you increase the
hello-time.
Range: 1 to 10
Default: 2 seconds

hello-time seconds

PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE

Change the max-age parameter (the refresh interval for configuration
information that is generated by recomputing the Spanning Tree
topology).
Range: 6 to 40
Default: 20 seconds

max-age seconds

PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) | 1009

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

View the current values for global parameters using the show spanning-tree 0 command from EXEC
privilege mode. Refer to the second example in Enabling Spanning Tree Protocol Globally.

Modifying Interface STP Parameters
You can set the port cost and port priority values of interfaces in Layer 2 mode.
•
•

Port cost is a value that is based on the interface type. The greater the port cost, the less likely the port
will be selected to be a forwarding port.
Port priority influences the likelihood that a port will be selected to be a forwarding port in case that
several ports have the same port cost.

The default values are listed in Table 50-2.
To change the port cost or priority of an interface:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the port cost of an interface.
Range: 0 to 65535
Default: see Table 50-2.

spanning-tree 0 cost cost

INTERFACE

Change the port priority of an interface.
Range: 0 to 15
Default: 8

spanning-tree 0 priority
priority-value

INTERFACE

View the current values for interface parameters using the show spanning-tree 0 command from EXEC
privilege mode.Refer to the second example in Enabling Spanning Tree Protocol Globally.

Enabling PortFast
The PortFast feature enables interfaces to begin forwarding traffic approximately 30 seconds sooner.
Interfaces forward frames by default until they receive a BPDU that indicates that they should behave
otherwise; they do not go through the Learning and Listening states. The bpduguard shutdown-on-violation
option causes the interface hardware to be shutdown when it receives a BPDU. When only bpduguard is
implemented, although the interface is placed in an Error Disabled state when receiving the BPDU, the
physical interface remains up and spanning-tree will drop packets in the hardware after a BPDU violation.
BPDUs are dropped in the software after receiving the BPDU violation.
Caution: Enable PortFast only on links connecting to an end station. PortFast can cause loops if it is enabled on an
interface connected to a network.

1010

|

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

To enable PortFast on an interface:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable PortFast on an interface.

spanning-tree stp-id portfast [bpduguard |
[shutdown-on-violation]]

INTERFACE

Verify that PortFast is enabled on a port using the show spanning-tree command from the EXEC privilege
mode or the show config command from INTERFACE mode; Dell Force10 recommends using the show
config command, as shown in Figure 50-3.
Figure 50-3.

PortFast Enabled on Interface

FTOS#(conf-if-gi-1/1)#show conf
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
no ip address
switchport
spanning-tree 0 portfast
no shutdown
FTOS#(conf-if-gi-1/1)#

Indicates that the interface is in PortFast mode

Preventing Network Disruptions with BPDU Guard
The Portfast (and Edgeport, in the case of RSTP, PVST+, and MSTP) feature should be configured on
ports that connect to end stations. End stations do not generate BPDUs, so ports configured with Portfast/
Edgport (edgeports) do not expect to receive BDPUs. If an edgeport does receive a BPDU, it likely means
that it is connected to another part of the network, which can negatively effect the STP topology. The
BPDU Guard feature blocks an edgeport upon receiving a BPDU to prevent network disruptions, and
FTOS displays Message 1. Enable BPDU Guard using the option bpduguard when enabling PortFast or
EdgePort. The bpduguard shutdown-on-violation option causes the interface hardware to be shutdown when it
receives a BPDU. Otherwise, although the interface is placed in an Error Disabled state when receiving the
BPDU, the physical interface remains up and spanning-tree will only drop packets after a BPDU violation.
Figure 50-4 shows a scenario in which an edgeport might unintentionally receive a BPDU. The port on the
Dell Force10 system is configured with Portfast. If the switch is connected to the hub, the BPDUs that the
switch generates might trigger an undesirable topology change. If BPDU Guard is enabled, when the edge
port receives the BPDU, the BPDU will be dropped, the port will be blocked, and a console message will
be generated.
Message 1 BPDU Guard Error
3w3d0h: %RPM0-P:RP2 %SPANMGR-5-BPDU_GUARD_RX_ERROR: Received Spanning Tree BPDU on
BPDU guard port. Disable GigabitEthernet 3/41.

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) | 1011

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Note: Unless the shutdown-on-violation option is enabled, spanning-tree only drops packets after a BPDU
violation; the physical interface remains up, as shown below.
FTOS(conf-if-gi-0/7)#do show spanning-tree rstp brief
Executing IEEE compatible Spanning Tree Protocol
Root ID
Priority 32768, Address 0001.e805.fb07
Root Bridge hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15
Bridge ID
Priority 32768, Address 0001.e85d.0e90
Configured hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15
Interface
Name
---------Gi 0/6
Gi 0/7

PortID
-------128.263
128.264

Prio
---128
128

Cost
------20000
20000

Sts
--FWD
EDS

Designated
Cost
Bridge ID
PortID
------- -------------------- -------20000
32768 0001.e805.fb07 128.653
20000
32768 0001.e85d.0e90 128.264

Interface
Name
Role
PortID
Prio Cost
Sts Cost
---------- ------ -------- ---- ------- --- ------Gi 0/6
Root
128.263 128 20000
FWD 20000
Gi 0/7
ErrDis 128.264 128 20000
EDS 20000
FTOS(conf-if-gi-0/7)#do show ip int br gi 0/7
Interface
IP-Address
OK Method
GigabitEthernet 0/7
unassigned
YES Manual

Link-type
--------P2P
P2P
Status
up

Edge
---No
No
Protocol
up

FTOS Behavior: Regarding bpduguard shutdown-on-violation behavior:
1 If the interface to be shutdown is a port channel then all the member ports are disabled in the hardware.
2 When a physical port is added to a port channel already in error disable state, the new member port will also be disabled in
the hardware.
3 When a physical port is removed from a port channel in error disable state, the error disabled state is cleared on this
physical port (the physical port will be enabled in the hardware).
4 The reset linecard command does not clear the error disabled state of the port or the hardware disabled state. The interface
continues to be disables in the hardware.
The error disabled state can be cleared with any of the following methods:
•Perform an shutdown command on the interface.
•Disable the shutdown-on-violation command on the interface (no spanning-tree stp-id portfast [bpduguard |
[shutdown-on-violation]]).
•Disable spanning tree on the interface (no spanning-tree in INTERFACE mode).
•Disabling global spanning tree (no spanning-tree in CONFIGURATION mode).

1012

|

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

Figure 50-4.

Enabling BPDU Guard
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/41)# spanning-tree 0 portfast bpduguard shutdown-on-violation
FTOS(conf-if-gi-3/41)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/41
no ip address
switchport
spanning-tree 0 portfast bpduguard shutdown-on-violation
no shutdown

3/41
Hub

Switch with Spanning Tree Enabled
FTOS Behavior: BPDU Guard and BPDU filtering (refer to Removing an Interface from the Spanning Tree Group)
both block BPDUs, but are two separate features.
BPDU Guard:
• is used on edgeports and blocks all traffic on edgeport if it receives a BPDU
• drops the BPDU after it reaches the RPM and generates a console message
BPDU Filtering:
• disables Spanning Tree on an interface
• drops all BPDUs at the line card without generating a console message

STP Root Selection
The Spanning Tree Protocol determines the root bridge, but you can assign one bridge a lower priority to
increase the likelihood that it will be selected as the root bridge. You can also specify that a bridge is the
root or the secondary root.
To change the bridge priority or specify that a bridge is the root or secondary root:

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) | 1013

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Assign a number as the bridge priority or designate it as the
root or secondary root.
priority-value range: 0 to 65535. The lower the number
assigned, the more likely this bridge will become the root
bridge. The default is 32768.
• The primary option specifies a bridge priority of 8192.
• The secondary option specifies a bridge priority of 16384.

bridge-priority {priority-value |
primary | secondary}

PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE

View only the root information using the show spanning-tree root command (see Figure 50-5) from EXEC
privilege mode.
Figure 50-5.

show spanning-tree root Command Example

FTOS#show spanning-tree 0 root
Root ID Priority 32768, Address 0001.e80d.2462
We are the root of the spanning tree
Root Bridge hello time 2, max age 20, forward delay 15
FTOS#

STP Root Guard
STP Root Guard is supported only on platforms: c e s
Use the STP Root Guard feature in a Layer 2 network to avoid bridging loops. In STP, the switch in the
network with the lowest priority (as determined by STP or set with the bridge-priority command) is selected
as the root bridge. If two switches have the same priority, the switch with the lower MAC address is
selected as the root. All other switches in the network use the root bridge as the reference used to calculate
the shortest forwarding path.
Because any switch in an STP network with a lower priority can become the root bridge, the forwarding
topology may not be stable. The location of the root bridge can change, resulting in unpredictable network
behavior. The STP root guard feature ensures that the position of the root bridge does not change.

Root Guard Scenario
For example, in Figure 50-6 (STP topology 1 upper left) Switch A is the root bridge in the network core.
Switch C functions as an access switch connected to an external device. The link between Switch C and
Switch B is in a blocking state. The flow of STP BPDUs is shown in the illustration.
In STP topology 2 (Figure 50-6 upper right), STP is enabled on device D on which a software bridge
application is started to connect to the network. Because the priority of the bridge in device D is lower than
the root bridge in Switch A, device D is elected as root, causing the link between Switches A and B to enter
a blocking state. Network traffic then begins to flow in the directions indicated by the BPDU arrows in the
topology. If the links between Switches C and A or Switches C and B cannot handle the increased traffic
flow, frames may be dropped.

1014

|

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

In STP topology 3 (Figure 50-6 lower middle), if the root guard feature is enabled on the STP port on
Switch C that connects to device D, and device D sends a superior BPDU that would trigger the election of
device D as the new root bridge, the BPDU is ignored and the port on Switch C transitions from a
forwarding to a root-inconsistent state (shown by the green X icon). As a result, Switch A becomes the root
bridge.
All incoming and outgoing traffic is blocked on an STP port in a root-inconsistent state. After the timeout
period, the Switch C port automatically transitions to a forwarding state as soon as device D stops sending
BPDUs that advertise a lower priority.
If you enable a root guard on all STP ports on the links where the root bridge should not appear, you can
ensure a stable STP network topology and avoid bridging loops.
Figure 50-6.

STP Root Guard Prevents Bridging Loops

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) | 1015

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Root Guard Configuration
You enable STP root guard on a per-port or per-port-channel basis.
FTOS Behavior: The following conditions apply to a port enabled with STP root guard:
• Root guard is supported on any STP-enabled port or port-channel interface except when used as a stacking port.
• Root guard is supported on a port in any Spanning Tree mode:
•
•
•
•

•
•

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)
Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)
Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+)

When enabled on a port, root guard applies to all VLANs configured on the port.
Root guard and loop guard cannot be enabled at the same time on an STP port. For example, if you configure root guard on
a port on which loop guard is already configured, the following error message is displayed:

• % Error: LoopGuard is configured. Cannot configure RootGuard.

•

When used in an MSTP network, if root guard blocks a boundary port in the CIST, the port is also blocked in all other MST
instances.

To enable the root guard on an STP-enabled port or port-channel interface in instance 0, enter the
spanning-tree 0 rootguard command:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable root guard on a port or port-channel interface.
0: Enables root guard on an STP-enabled port assigned to
instance 0.
mstp: Enables root guard on an MSTP-enabled port.
rstp: Enables root guard on an RSTP-enabled port.
pvst: Enables root guard on a PVST-enabled port.

spanning-tree {0 | mstp | rstp |
pvst} rootguard

INTERFACE
INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

To disable STP root guard on a port or port-channel interface, enter the no spanning-tree 0 rootguard
command in an interface configuration mode.
To verify the STP root guard configuration on a port or port-channel interface, enter the show
spanning-tree 0 guard [interface interface] command in global configuration mode.

SNMP Traps for Root Elections and Topology Changes
•
•

1016

|

Enable SNMP traps for Spanning Tree state changes using the command snmp-server enable traps stp.
Enable SNMP traps for RSTP, MSTP, and PVST+ collectively using the command snmp-server enable
traps xstp.

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

Configuring Spanning Trees as Hitless
Configuring Spanning Trees as Hitless is supported only on platforms: c e
You can configure Spanning Tree (STP), Rapid Spanning Tree (RSTP), Multiple Spanning Tree (MSTP),
and Per-Vlan Spanning Tree (PVST+) to be hitless (all or none must be configured as hitless). When
configured as hitless, critical protocol state information is synchronized between RPMs so that RPM
failover is seamless and no topology change is triggered.
Configure LACP to be hitless using the command redundancy protocol lacp. Configure all Spanning Tree
types to be hitless using the command redundancy protocol xstp from CONFIGURATION mode, as shown in
Figure 50-7.
Figure 50-7.

Configuring all Spanning Tree Types to be Hitless

FTOS(conf)#redundancy protocol xstp
FTOS#show running-config redundancy
!
redundancy protocol xstp
FTOS#

STP Loop Guard
STP Loop Guard is supported only on platforms: c e s

Loop Guard Scenario
The STP Loop Guard feature provides protection against Layer 2 forwarding loops (STP loops) caused by
a hardware failure, such as a cable failure or an interface fault. When a cable or interface fails, a
participating STP link may become unidirectional (STP requires links to be bidirectional) and an STP port
does not receive BPDUs. When an STP blocking port does not receive BPDUs, it transitions to a
forwarding state. This condition can create a loop in the network.
For example, in Figure 50-8 (STP topology 1 - upper left), Switch A is the root switch and Switch B
normally transmits BPDUs to Switch C. The link between Switch C and Switch B is in a blocking state.
However, if there is a unidirectional link failure (STP topology 1 - lower left), Switch C does not receive
BPDUs from Switch B. When the max-age timer expires, the STP port on Switch C becomes unblocked
and transitions to forwarding state. A loop is created as both Switch A and Switch C transmit traffic to
Switch B.
Note that in Figure 50-8 (STP topology 2 - upper right), a loop can also be created if the forwarding port on
Switch B becomes busy and does not forward BPDUs within the configured forward-delay time. As a
result, the blocking port on Switch C transitions to a forwarding state, and both Switch A and Switch C
transmit traffic to Switch B (STP topology 2 - lower right).

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) | 1017

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

As shown in STP topology 3 (Figure 50-8 bottom middle), after you enable loop guard on an STP port or
port-channel on Switch C, if no BPDUs are received and the max-age timer expires, the port transitions
from a blocked state to a loop-inconsistent state (instead of to a forwarding state). Loop guard blocks the
STP port so that no traffic is transmitted and no loop is created.

1018

As soon as a BPDU is received on an STP port in a loop-inconsistent state, the port returns to a blocking
state. If you disable STP loop guard on a port in a loop-inconsistent state, the port transitions to an STP
blocking state and restarts the max-age timer.

|

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

Figure 50-8.

STP Loop Guard Prevents Forwarding Loops

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) | 1019

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Loop Guard Configuration
You enable STP loop guard on a per-port or per-port channel basis.
FTOS Behavior: The following conditions apply to a port enabled with loop guard:
• Loop guard is supported on any STP-enabled port or port-channel interface.
• Loop guard is supported on a port or port-channel in any Spanning Tree mode:
•Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
•Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)
•Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)
•Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+)

•

Root guard and loop guard cannot be enabled at the same time on an STP port. For example, if you configure loop guard on
a port on which root guard is already configured, the following error message is displayed:
% Error: RootGuard is configured. Cannot configure LoopGuard.

•
•

•

C-Series and E-Series only: Loop guard is supported on a C-Series or E-Series switch configured for hitless STP (see
Configuring Spanning Trees as Hitless).
Enabling Portfast BPDU guard and loop guard at the same time on a port results in a port that remains in a blocking state
and prevents traffic from flowing through it. For example, when Portfast BPDU guard and loop guard are both configured:
- If a BPDU is received from a remote device, BPDU guard places the port in an err-disabled blocking state and
no traffic is forwarded on the port.
- If no BPDU is received from a remote device, loop guard places the port in a loop-inconsistent blocking state
and no traffic is forwarded on the port.
When used in a PVST+ network, STP loop guard is performed per-port or per-port channel at a VLAN level. If no BPDUs
are received on a VLAN interface, the port or port-channel transitions to a loop-inconsistent (blocking) state only for this
VLAN.

To enable a loop guard on an STP-enabled port or port-channel interface, enter the spanning-tree 0
loopguard command:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Enable loop guard on a port or port-channel interface.
0: Enables loop guard on an STP-enabled port assigned to
instance 0.
mstp: Enables loop guard on an MSTP-enabled port.
rstp: Enables loop guard on an RSTP-enabled port.
pvst: Enables loop guard on a PVST-enabled port.

spanning-tree {0 | mstp | rstp |
pvst} loopguard

INTERFACE
INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

To disable STP loop guard on a port or port-channel interface, enter the no spanning-tree 0 loopguard
command in an INTERFACE configuration mode.
To verify the STP loop guard configuration on a port or port-channel interface, enter the show
spanning-tree 0 guard [interface interface] command in global configuration mode.

1020

|

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

Displaying STP Guard Configuration
To verify the STP guard configured on port or port-channel interfaces, enter the show spanning-tree 0 guard
[interface interface] command.
The example below shows an STP network (instance 0) in which:
•
•
•

Root guard is enabled on a port that is in a root-inconsistent state.
Loop guard is enabled on a port that is in a listening state.
BPDU guard is enabled on a port that is shut down (Error Disabled state) after receiving a BPDU.

FTOS#show spanning-tree 0 guard
Interface
Name
Instance
Sts
--------- ---------------Gi 0/1
0
INCON(Root)
Gi 0/2
0
LIS
Gi 0/3
0
EDS (Shut)

Guard type
---------Rootguard
Loopguard
Bpduguard

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) | 1021

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
1022

|

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

51
System Time and Date
System Time and Date settings and Network Time Protocol are supported on platforms:

ecsz
System times and dates can be set and maintained through the Network Time Protocol (NTP). They are
also set through FTOS CLIs and hardware settings.
This chapter includes the following sections:
•

•

Network Time Protocol
• Protocol Overview
• Implementation Information
• Configuring Network Time Protocol
FTOS Time and Date
• Configuring time and date settings
• Set daylight saving time

Network Time Protocol
Network Time Protocol (NTP) synchronizes timekeeping among a set of distributed time servers and
clients. The protocol also coordinates time distribution in a large, diverse network with a variety of
interfaces. In NTP, servers maintain the time and NTP clients synchronize with a time-serving host. NTP
clients choose from among several NTP servers to determine which offers the best available source of time
and the most reliable transmission of information.
NTP is a fault-tolerant protocol that will automatically select the best of several available time sources to
synchronize to. Multiple candidates can be combined to minimize the accumulated error. Temporarily or
permanently insane time sources will be detected and avoided.
Dell Force10 recommends configuring NTP for the most accurate time. In FTOS, other time sources can
be configured (the hardware clock and the software clock).
NTP is designed to produce three products: clock offset, roundtrip delay, and dispersion, all of which are
relative to a selected reference clock.
•

Clock offset represents the amount to adjust the local clock to bring it into correspondence with the
reference clock.

System Time and Date | 1023

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•

Roundtrip delay provides the capability to launch a message to arrive at the reference clock at a
specified time.
Dispersion represents the maximum error of the local clock relative to the reference clock.

Since most host time servers will synchronize via another peer time server, there are two components in
each of these three products, those determined by the peer relative to the primary reference source of
standard time and those measured by the host relative to the peer.
Each of these components are maintained separately in the protocol in order to facilitate error control and
management of the subnet itself. They provide not only precision measurements of offset and delay, but
also definitive maximum error bounds, so that the user interface can determine not only the time, but the
quality of the time as well.
In what may be the most common client/server model a client sends an NTP message to one or more
servers and processes the replies as received. The server interchanges addresses and ports, overwrites
certain fields in the message, recalculates the checksum and returns the message immediately. Information
included in the NTP message allows the client to determine the server time with respect to local time and
adjust the local clock accordingly. In addition, the message includes information to calculate the expected
timekeeping accuracy and reliability, as well as select the best from possibly several servers.
Following conventions established by the telephone industry [BEL86], the accuracy of each server is
defined by a number called the stratum, with the topmost level (primary servers) assigned as one and each
level downwards (secondary servers) in the hierarchy assigned as one greater than the preceding level.
FTOS synchronizes with a time-serving host to get the correct time. You can set FTOS to poll specific NTP
time-serving hosts for the current time. From those time-serving hosts, the system chooses one NTP host
with which to synchronize and serve as a client to the NTP host. As soon as a host-client relationship is
established, the networking device propagates the time information throughout its local network.

Protocol Overview
NTP message to one or more servers and processes the replies as received. The server interchanges
addresses and ports, fills in or overwrites certain fields in the message, recalculates the checksum and
returns it immediately. Information included in the NTP message allows each client/server peer to
determine the timekeeping characteristics of its other peers, including the expected accuracies of their
clocks. Using this information each peer is able to select the best time from possibly several other clocks,
update the local clock and estimate its accuracy.

1024

|

System Time and Date

Figure 51-1.

NTP Fields
Source Port
(123)

Destination Port
(123)

Length

NTP Packet Payload

Checksum

Range: +32 to -32

Status

Leap
Indicator

Code: 00: No Warning
01: +1 second
10: -1 second
11: reserved

Type

Precision

Est. Error

Est. Drift Rate

Reference
Clock ID

Reference
Timestamp

Originate
Timestamp

Recieve
Timestamp

Transmit
Timestamp

Range: 0-4
Code: 0: unspecified
1: primary reference clock
2: secondary reference clock via NTP
3: secondary reference via some other host/protocol
4: eyeball-and-wristwatch

Range: 0-4
Code: 0: clock operating correctly
1: carrier loss
2: synch loss
3: format error
4: interface/link failure

Implementation Information
•

Dell Force10 systems can only be an NTP client.

Configuring Network Time Protocol
Configuring NTP is a one-step process:
1. Enable NTP. See page 1026.

Related Configuration Tasks
•
•
•
•
•

Configure NTP broadcasts on page 1027
Set the Hardware Clock with the Time Derived from NTP on page 1026
Set the Hardware Clock with the Time Derived from NTP on page 1026
Disable NTP on an interface on page 1027
Configure a source IP address for NTP packets on page 1027 (optional)

System Time and Date | 1025

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Enable NTP
NTP is disabled by default. To enable it, specify an NTP server to which the Dell Force10 system will
synchronize. Enter the command multiple times to specify multiple servers. You may specify an unlimited
number of servers at the expense of CPU resources.
Task

Command

Command Mode

Specify the NTP server to which the Dell Force10 system will
synchronize.

ntp server ip-address

CONFIGURATION

Display the system clock state with respect to NTP using the command show ntp status from EXEC
Privilege mode, as shown in Figure 51-2.
Figure 51-2.

Displaying the System Clock State with respect to NTP

R6_E300(conf)#do show ntp status
Clock is synchronized, stratum 2, reference is 192.168.1.1
frequency is -369.623 ppm, stability is 53.319 ppm, precision is 4294967279
reference time is CD63BCC2.0CBBD000 (16:54:26.049 UTC Thu Mar 12 2009)
clock offset is 997.529984 msec, root delay is 0.00098 sec
root dispersion is 10.04271 sec, peer dispersion is 10032.715 msec
peer mode is client

Display the calculated NTP synchronization variables received from the server that the system will use to
synchronize its clock using the command show ntp associations from EXEC Privilege mode, as shown in
Figure 51-3.
Figure 51-3.

Displaying the Calculated NTP Synchronization Variables

R6_E300(conf)#do show ntp associations
remote
ref clock
st when poll reach
delay
offset
disp
==========================================================================
#192.168.1.1
.LOCL.
1
16
16
76
0.98
-2.470 879.23
* master (synced), # master (unsynced), + selected, - candidate

Set the Hardware Clock with the Time Derived from NTP

1026

|

Task

Command

Command Mode

Periodically update the system hardware clock with the time
value derived from NTP.

ntp update-calendar

CONFIGURATION

System Time and Date

Figure 51-4.

Displaying the Calculated NTP Synchronization Variables

R5/R8(conf)#do show calendar
06:31:02 UTC Mon Mar 13 1989
R5/R8(conf)#ntp update-calendar 1
R5/R8(conf)#do show calendar
06:31:26 UTC Mon Mar 13 1989
R5/R8(conf)#do show calendar
12:24:11 UTC Thu Mar 12 2009

Configure NTP broadcasts
With FTOS, you can receive broadcasts of time information. You can set interfaces within the system to
receive NTP information through broadcast.
To configure an interface to receive NTP broadcasts, use the following commands in the INTERFACE
mode:
Task

Command

Command

Set the interface to receive NTP packets.

ntp broadcast client

INTERFACE

Table 51-1.
2w1d11h : NTP: Maximum Slew:-0.000470, Remainder = -0.496884

Disable NTP on an interface
By default, NTP is enabled on all active interfaces. If you disable NTP on an interface, FTOS drops any
NTP packets sent to that interface.
To disable NTP on an interface, use the following command in the INTERFACE mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ntp disable

INTERFACE

Disable NTP on the interface.

To view whether NTP is configured on the interface, use the show config command in the INTERFACE
mode. If ntp disable is not listed in the show config command output, then NTP is enabled. (The show
config command displays only non-default configuration information.)

Configure a source IP address for NTP packets
By default, the source address of NTP packets is the IP address of the interface used to reach the network.
You can configure one interface’s IP address to be included in all NTP packets.

System Time and Date | 1027

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To configure an IP address as the source address of NTP packets, use the following command in the
CONFIGURATION mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ntp source interface

CONFIGURATION

Enter the following keywords and slot/port or number information:
• For a 1-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
GigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a loopback interface, enter the keyword loopback followed by a
number between 0 and 16383.
• For a port channel interface, enter the keyword lag followed by a
number from 1 to 255 for TeraScale and ExaScale, 1 to 32 for
EtherScale.
• For a SONET interface, enter the keyword sonet followed by the
slot/port information.
• For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword
TenGigabitEthernet followed by the slot/port information.
• For a VLAN interface, enter the keyword vlan followed by a number
from 1 to 4094.
• For a 40-Gigabit Ethernet interface, enter the keyword fortyGigE
followed by the slot/port information.

To view the configuration, use the show running-config ntp command (Figure 38) in the EXEC privilege
mode.

Configure NTP authentication
NTP authentication and the corresponding trusted key provide a reliable means of exchanging NTP
packets with trusted time sources. NTP authentication begins when the first NTP packet is created
following the configuration of keys. NTP authentication in FTOS uses the MD5 algorithm and the key is
embedded in the synchronization packet that is sent to an NTP time source.
FTOS Behavior: FTOS versions 8.2.1.0 and later use an encryption algorithm to store the authentication key that
is different from previous FTOS versions; beginning in version 8.2.1.0, FTOS uses DES encryption to store the key
in the startup-config when you enter the command ntp authentication-key. Therefore, if your system boots with a
startup-configuration from an FTOS versions prior to 8.2.1.0 in which you have configured ntp authentication-key, the
system cannot correctly decrypt the key, and cannot authenticate NTP packets. In this case you must re-enter this
command and save the running-config to the startup-config.

To configure NTP authentication, use these commands in the following sequence in the
CONFIGURATION mode:
Step
1

1028

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ntp authenticate

CONFIGURATION

Enable NTP authentication.

System Time and Date

Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

2

ntp authentication-key number md5 key

CONFIGURATION

Set an authentication key. Configure the
following parameters:
number: Range 1 to 4294967295. This
number must be the same as the number in
the ntp trusted-key command.
key: Enter a text string. This text string is
encrypted.

3

ntp trusted-key number

CONFIGURATION

Define a trusted key. Configure a number
from 1 to 4294967295.
The number must be the same as the
number used in the ntp
authentication-key command.

To view the NTP configuration, use the show running-config ntp command (Figure 40) in the EXEC
privilege mode. Figure 51-5 shows an encrypted authentication key. All keys are encrypted.
Figure 51-5.

show running-config ntp Command Example

FTOS#show running ntp
!
ntp authenticate
ntp authentication-key 345 md5 5A60910F3D211F02
ntp server 11.1.1.1 version 3
ntp trusted-key 345
FTOS#

encrypted key

System Time and Date | 1029

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ntp server ip-address [key keyid] [prefer]
[version number]

CONFIGURATION

Configure an NTP server. Configure the IP
address of a server and the following optional
parameters:
• key keyid: Configure a text string as the key
exchanged between the NTP server and
client.
• prefer: Enter the keyword to set this NTP
server as the preferred server.
• version number: Enter a number 1 to 3 as the
NTP version.

R6_E300(conf)#1w6d23h : NTP: xmit packet to 192.168.1.1:
leap 0, mode 3, version 3, stratum 2, ppoll 1024
rtdel 0219 (8.193970), rtdsp AF928 (10973.266602), refid C0A80101 (192.168.1.1)
ref CD7F4F63.6BE8F000 (14:51:15.421 UTC Thu Apr 2 2009)
org CD7F4F63.68000000 (14:51:15.406 UTC Thu Apr 2 2009)
rec CD7F4F63.6BE8F000 (14:51:15.421 UTC Thu Apr 2 2009)
xmt CD7F5368.D0535000 (15:8:24.813 UTC Thu Apr 2 2009)
1w6d23h : NTP: rcv packet from 192.168.1.1
leap 0, mode 4, version 3, stratum 1, ppoll 1024
rtdel 0000 (0.000000), rtdsp AF587 (10959.090820), refid 4C4F434C (76.79.67.76)
ref CD7E14FD.43F7CED9 (16:29:49.265 UTC Wed Apr 1 2009)
org CD7F5368.D0535000 (15:8:24.813 UTC Thu Apr 2 2009)
rec CD7F5368.D0000000 (15:8:24.812 UTC Thu Apr 2 2009)
xmt CD7F5368.D0000000 (15:8:24.812 UTC Thu Apr 2 2009)
inp CD7F5368.D1974000 (15:8:24.818 UTC Thu Apr 2 2009)
rtdel-root delay
rtdsp - round trip dispersion
refid - reference id
org rec - (last?) receive timestamp
xmt - transmit timestamp
mode - 3 client, 4 server
stratum - 1 primary reference clock, 2 secondary reference clock (via NTP)
version - NTP version 3
leap -

•

•
•

1030

|

Leap Indicator (sys.leap, peer.leap, pkt.leap): This is a two-bit code warning of an impending leap
second to be inserted in the NTP time scale. The bits are set before 23:59 on the day of insertion and
reset after 00:00 on the following day. This causes the number of seconds (rollover interval) in the day
of insertion to be increased or decreased by one. In the case of primary servers the bits are set by
operator intervention, while in the case of secondary servers the bits are set by the protocol. The two
bits, bit 0 and bit 1, respectively, are coded as follows:
Poll Interval: integer indicating the minimum interval between transmitted messages, in seconds as a
power of two. For instance, a value of six indicates a minimum interval of 64 seconds.
Precision: integer indicating the precision of the various clocks, in seconds to the nearest power of two.
The value must be rounded to the next larger power of two; for instance, a 50-Hz (20 ms) or 60-Hz
(16.67ms) power-frequency clock would be assigned the value -5 (31.25 ms), while a 1000-Hz (1 ms)
crystal-controlled clock would be assigned the value -9 (1.95 ms).

System Time and Date

•

•

•

•

•
•
•
•

Root Delay (sys.rootdelay, peer.rootdelay, pkt.rootdelay): This is a signed fixed-point number
indicating the total roundtrip delay to the primary reference source at the root of the synchronization
subnet, in seconds. Note that this variable can take on both positive and negative values, depending on
clock precision and skew.
Root Dispersion (sys.rootdispersion, peer.rootdispersion, pkt.rootdispersion): This is a signed
fixed-point number indicating the maximum error relative to the primary reference source at the root
of the synchronization subnet, in seconds. Only positive values greater than zero are possible.
Reference Clock Identifier (sys.refid, peer.refid, pkt.refid): This is a 32-bit code identifying the
particular reference clock. In the case of stratum 0 (unspecified) or stratum 1 (primary reference
source), this is a four-octet, left-justified, zero-padded ASCII string, for example: the case of stratum 2
and greater (secondary reference) this is the four-octet Internet address of the peer selected for
synchronization.
Reference Timestamp (sys.reftime, peer.reftime, pkt.reftime): This is the local time, in timestamp
format, when the local clock was last updated. If the local clock has never been synchronized, the
value is zero.
Originate Timestamp: The departure time on the server of its last NTP message. If the server
becomes unreachable, the value is set to zero.
Receive Timestamp: The arrival time on the client of the last NTP message from the server. If the
server becomes unreachable, the value is set to zero.
Transmit Timestamp: The departure time on the server of the current NTP message from the sender.
Filter dispersion is the error in calculating the minimum delay from a set of sample data from a peer.

FTOS Time and Date
The time and date can be set using the FTOS CLI.

Configuring time and date settings
The following list includes the configuration tasks for setting the system time:
•
•
•
•

Set the time and date for the switch hardware clock
Set the time and date for the switch software clock
Set the timezone
Set daylight saving time
• Set Daylight Saving Time Once
• Set Recurring Daylight Saving Time

System Time and Date | 1031

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Set the time and date for the switch hardware clock
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

calendar set time month day year

EXEC Privilege

Set the hardware clock to the current time and date.
time: Enter the time in hours:minutes:seconds. For the
hour variable, use the 24-hour format, for example,
17:15:00 is 5:15 pm.

month: Enter the name of one of the 12 months in
English.
You can enter the name of a day to change the order of the
display to time day month year.
day: Enter the number of the day.
Range: 1 to 31.
You can enter the name of a month to change the order of
the display to time day month year

year: Enter a four-digit number as the year.
Range: 1993 to 2035.
FTOS#calendar set 08:55:00 september 18 2009
FTOS#

1032

|

System Time and Date

Set the time and date for the switch software clock
You can change the order of the month and day parameters to enter the time and date as time day month
year. You cannot delete the software clock.
The software clock runs only when the software is up. The clock restarts, based on the hardware clock,
when the switch reboots.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

clock set time month day year

EXEC Privilege

Set the system software clock to the current time and date.
time: Enter the time in hours:minutes:seconds. For the hour
variable, use the 24-hour format, for example, 17:15:00 is 5:15 pm.

month: Enter the name of one of the 12 months in English.
You can enter the name of a day to change the order of the display to
time day month year.
day: Enter the number of the day.
Range: 1 to 31.
You can enter the name of a month to change the order of the display
to time day month year
year: Enter a four-digit number as the year.
Range: 1993 to 2035.
FTOS#clock set 16:20:00 19 september 2009
FTOS#

Set the timezone
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the time standard based on the International Atomic Time standard,
commonly known as Greenwich Mean time. When determining system time, you must include the
differentiator between UTC and your local timezone. For example, San Jose, CA is the Pacific Timezone
with a UTC offset of -8.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

clock timezone timezone-name offset

CONFIGURATION

Set the clock to the appropriate timezone.
timezone-name: Enter the name of the timezone. Do
not use spaces.

offset: Enter one of the following:
•
•

a number from 1 to 23 as the number of hours in
addition to UTC for the timezone.
a minus sign (-) followed by a number from 1 to 23 as
the number of hours

System Time and Date | 1033

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
1034

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

FTOS#conf
FTOS(conf)#clock timezone Pacific -8
FTOS(conf)#01:40:19: %RPM0-P:CP %CLOCK-6-TIME CHANGE: Timezone
configuration changed from "UTC 0 hrs 0 mins" to "Pacific -8 hrs 0
mins"
FTOS#

Set daylight saving time
FTOS supports setting the system to daylight saving time once or on a recurring basis every year.

|

System Time and Date

Set Daylight Saving Time Once
Set a date (and time zone) on which to convert the switch to daylight saving time on a one-time basis.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

clock summer-time
time-zone date
start-month start-day
start-year start-time
end-month end-day
end-year end-time
[offset]

CONFIGURATION

Set the clock to the appropriate timezone and daylight saving time.
time-zone: Enter the three-letter name for the time zone. This name is
displayed in the show clock output.
start-month: Enter the name of one of the 12 months in English.
You can enter the name of a day to change the order of the display to time day

month year
start-day: Enter the number of the day.
Range: 1 to 31.
You can enter the name of a month to change the order of the display to time
day month year.

start-year: Enter a four-digit number as the year.
Range: 1993 to 2035

start-time: Enter the time in hours:minutes. For the hour variable, use the
24-hour format, example, 17:15 is 5:15 pm.
end-month: Enter the name of one of the 12 months in English.
You can enter the name of a day to change the order of the display to time day
month year.

end-day: Enter the number of the day.
Range: 1 to 31.
You can enter the name of a month to change the order of the display to time
day month year.

end-year: Enter a four-digit number as the year.
Range: 1993 to 2035.

end-time: Enter the time in hours:minutes. For the hour variable, use the
24-hour format, example, 17:15 is 5:15 pm.
offset: (OPTIONAL) Enter the number of minutes to add during the
summer-time period.
Range: 1 to1440.
Default: 60 minutes
FTOS(conf)#clock summer-time pacific date Mar 14 2009 00:00 Nov 7 2009 00:00
FTOS(conf)#02:02:13: %RPM0-P:CP %CLOCK-6-TIME CHANGE: Summertime configuration changed from
"none" to "Summer time starts 00:00:00 Pacific Sat Mar 14 2009;Summer time ends 00:00:00 pacific
Sat Nov 7 2009"

System Time and Date | 1035

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Set Recurring Daylight Saving Time
Set a date (and time zone) on which to convert the switch to daylight saving time on a specific day every
year.
If you have already set daylight saving for a one-time setting, you can set that date and time as the
recurring setting with the clock summer-time time-zone recurring command.
Command Syntax
clock summer-time
time-zone recurring
start-week start-day
start-month start-time
end-week end-day
end-month end-time
[offset]

Command Mode

Purpose

CONFIGURATION

Set the clock to the appropriate timezone and adjust to
daylight saving time every year.
time-zone: Enter the three-letter name for the time
zone. This name is displayed in the show clock output.
start-week: (OPTIONAL) Enter one of the following as the
week that daylight saving begins and then enter values for

start-day through end-time:
• week-number: Enter a number from 1-4 as the number
•
•

of the week in the month to start daylight saving time.
first: Enter this keyword to start daylight saving time in the
first week of the month.
last: Enter this keyword to start daylight saving time in the
last week of the month.

start-month: Enter the name of one of the 12 months in
English.
You can enter the name of a day to change the order of the
display to time day month year
start-day: Enter the number of the day.
Range: 1 to 31.
You can enter the name of a month to change the order of the
display to time day month year.

1036

|

System Time and Date

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose
start-year: Enter a four-digit number as the year.
Range: 1993 to 2035
start-time: Enter the time in hours:minutes. For the hour
variable, use the 24-hour format, example, 17:15 is 5:15 pm.
end-week: If you entered a start-week, Enter the one of
the following as the week that daylight saving ends:
•
•
•

week-number: enter a number from 1-4 as the number of
the week to end daylight saving time.
first: enter the keyword first to end daylight saving time in
the first week of the month.
last: enter the keyword last to end daylight saving time in
the last week of the month.

end-month: Enter the name of one of the 12 months in
English.
You can enter the name of a day to change the order of the
display to time day month year.
end-day: Enter the number of the day.
Range: 1 to 31.
You can enter the name of a month to change the order of the
display to time day month year.
end-year: Enter a four-digit number as the year.
Range: 1993 to 2035.
end-time: Enter the time in hours:minutes. For the hour
variable, use the 24-hour format, example, 17:15 is 5:15 pm.
offset: (OPTIONAL) Enter the number of minutes to add
during the summer-time period.
Range: 1 to1440.
Default: 60 minutes
FTOS(conf)#clock summer-time pacific recurring Mar 14 2009 00:00 Nov 7 2009 00:00 ?
FTOS(conf)#02:02:13: %RPM0-P:CP %CLOCK-6-TIME CHANGE: Summertime configuration changed from
"none" to "Summer time starts 00:00:00 Pacific Sat Mar 14 2009;Summer time ends 00:00:00 pacific
Sat Nov 7 2009"

Note: If you enter  after entering the recurring command parameter, and you have already set a one-time daylight
saving time/date, the system will use that time and date as the recurring setting.

System Time and Date | 1037

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
1038

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

FTOS(conf)#clock summer-time pacific recurring ?
<1-4>

Week number to start

first

Week number to start

last

Week number to start


FTOS(conf)#clock summer-time pacific recurring
FTOS(conf)#02:10:57: %RPM0-P:CP %CLOCK-6-TIME CHANGE: Summertime configuration changed from
"Summer time starts 00:00:00 Pacific Sat Mar 14 2009 ; Summer time ends 00:00:00 pacific Sat Nov
7 2009" to "Summer time starts 02:00:00 Pacific Sun Mar 8 2009;Summer time ends 02:00:00 pacific
Sun Nov 1 2009"

|

System Time and Date

52
Uplink Failure Detection (UFD)
Uplink Failure Detection (UFD) is supported on the following platforms:

s (S50 only), MXL,

Feature Description
Uplink Failure Detection (UFD) provides detection of the loss of upstream connectivity and, if used with
NIC teaming, automatic recovery from a failed link.
A switch provides upstream connectivity for devices, such as servers. If a switch loses its upstream
connectivity, downstream devices also lose their connectivity. However, the devices do not receive a direct
indication that upstream connectivity is lost since connectivity to the switch is still operational.
UFD allows a switch to associate downstream interfaces with upstream interfaces. When upstream
connectivity fails, the switch disables the downstream links. Failures on the downstream links allow
downstream devices to recognize the loss of upstream connectivity.
For example, in Figure 52-2 Switches S1 and S2 both have upstream connectivity to Router R1 and
downstream connectivity to the server. UFD operation is shown in Steps A through C:
•
•

•

In Step A, the server configuration uses the connection to S1 as the primary path. Network traffic flows
from the server to S1 and then upstream to R1.
In Step B, the upstream link between S1 and R1 fails. The server continues to use the link to S1 for its
network traffic, but the traffic is not successfully switched through S1 because the upstream link is
down.
In Step C, UFD on S1 disables the link to the server. The server then stops using the link to S1 and
switches to using its link to S2 to send traffic upstream to R1.

Uplink Failure Detection (UFD) | 1039

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 52-1.

Uplink Failure Detection

How Uplink Failure Detection Works
UFD creates an association between upstream and downstream interfaces. The association of uplink and
downlink interfaces is called an uplink-state group. An interface in an uplink-state group can be a physical
interface or a port-channel (LAG) aggregation of physical interfaces.
An enabled uplink-state group tracks the state of all assigned upstream interfaces. Failure on an upstream
interface results in the automatic disabling of downstream interfaces in the uplink-state group. As a result,
downstream devices can execute the protection or recovery procedures they have in place to establish
alternate connectivity paths as shown in Figure 52-2.

1040

|

Uplink Failure Detection (UFD)

Figure 52-2.

Uplink Failure Detection Example

If only one of the upstream interfaces in an uplink-state group goes down, a specified number of
downstream ports associated with the upstream interface are put into a link-down state. This number is
user-configurable and is calculated by the ratio of upstream port bandwidth to downstream port bandwidth
in the same uplink-state group. This calculation ensures that there are no traffic drops due to insufficient
bandwidth on the upstream links to the routers/switches.
By default, if all upstream interfaces in an uplink-state group go down, all downstream interfaces in the
same uplink-state group are put into a link-down state.
Using UFD, you can configure the automatic recovery of downstream ports in an uplink-state group when
the link status of an upstream port changes. The tracking of upstream link status does not have a major
impact on CPU usage.

UFD and NIC Teaming
Uplink Failure Detection on a switch can be used with network adapter teaming on a server (see NIC
Teaming on page 626) to implement a rapid failover solution. For example, in Figure 52-2 the switch/
router with UFD detects the uplink failure and automatically disables the associated downstream link port
to the server. The server with NIC teaming detects the disabled link and automatically switches over to the
backup link in order to continue to transmit traffic upstream.

Uplink Failure Detection (UFD) | 1041

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Important Points to Remember
When you configure Uplink Failure Detection, the following conditions apply:
•

You can configure up to sixteen uplink-state groups. By default, no uplink-state groups are created.
An uplink-state group is considered to be operationally up if it has at least one upstream interface in
the link-up state.
An uplink-state group is considered to be operationally down if it has no upstream interfaces in the
link-up state. No uplink-state tracking is performed when a group is disabled or in an operationally
down state.

•

You can assign physical port or port-channel interfaces to an uplink-state group.
You can assign an interface to only one uplink-state group. Each interface assigned to an uplink-state
group must be configured as either an upstream or downstream interface, but not both.
You can assign individual member ports of a port channel to the group. An uplink-state group can
contain either the member ports of a port channel or the port channel itself, but not both.
If you assign a port channel as an upstream interface, the port channel interface enters a link-down
state when the number of port-channel member interfaces in a link-up state drops below the configured
Minimum Number of Members parameter.

•

If one of the upstream interfaces in an uplink-state group goes down, either a user-configurable set of
downstream ports or all the downstream ports in the group are put in an operationally down state with
an UFD Disabled error. The order in which downstream ports are disabled is from the lowest
numbered port to the highest.
If one of the upstream interfaces in an uplink-state group that was down comes up, the set of
UFD-disabled downstream ports (which were previously disabled due to this upstream port going
down) are brought up and the UFD Disabled error is cleared.

•

If an uplink-state group is disabled, the downstream interfaces are not disabled regardless of the state
of the upstream interfaces.
If an uplink-state group has no upstream interfaces assigned, downstream interfaces cannot be disabled
when an upstream link goes down.

•

To enable the debug messages for events related to a specified uplink-state group or all groups, enter
the debug uplink-state-group [group-id] command, where group-id is 1 to 16.
To turn off debugging event messages, enter the no debug uplink-state-group [group-id] command.
For an example of debug log messages, see Message 1.

1042

|

Uplink Failure Detection (UFD)

Configuring Uplink Failure Detection
To configure Uplink Failure Detection, follow these steps:
Step
1

Command Syntax and Mode

Description

uplink-state-group group-id

Creates an uplink-state group and enabling the tracking of
upstream links on the switch/router.
Valid group-id values are 1 to 16.
To delete an uplink-state group, enter the no uplink-state-group
group-id command.

Command Mode: CONFIGURATION

2

{upstream | downstream} interface

Command Mode:
UPLINK-STATE-GROUP

Assigns a port or port-channel to the uplink-state group as an
upstream or downstream interface.
For interface, enter one of the following interface types:
Fast Ethernet: fastethernet {slot/port | slot/port-range}
1-Gigabit Ethernet: gigabitethernet {slot/port |slot/port-range}
10-Gigabit Ethernet:
tengigabitethernet {slot/port |slot/port-range}
Port channel: port-channel {1-512 | port-channel-range}
Where port-range and port-channel-range specify a range of ports
separated by a dash (-) and/or individual ports/port channels in any
order; for example:
upstream gigabitethernet 1/1-2,5,9,11-12
downstream port-channel 1-3,5

A comma is required to separate each port and port-range entry.
To delete an interface from the group, enter the no {upstream |
downstream} interface command.
3

downstream disable links
{number | all}

Command Mode:
UPLINK-STATE-GROUP

4

downstream auto-recover

Command Mode:
UPLINK-STATE-GROUP

Configures the number of downstream links in the uplink-state
group that will be disabled (Oper Down state) if one upstream link
in the group goes down.
number specifies the number of downstream links to be brought
down. Range: 1 to 1024.
all brings down all downstream links in the group.
Default: No downstream links are disabled when an upstream link
goes down.
Note: Downstream interfaces in an uplink-state group are put into a
link-down state with an UFD-Disabled error message only when all
upstream interfaces in the group go down.
To revert to the default setting, enter the no downstream
disable links command.
(Optional) Enables auto-recovery so that UFD-disabled
downstream ports in the uplink-state group come up when a
disabled upstream port in the group comes back up.
Default: Auto-recovery of UFD-disabled downstream ports is
enabled.
To disable auto-recovery, enter the no downstream
auto-recover command.

Uplink Failure Detection (UFD) | 1043

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Step
5

Command Syntax and Mode

Description

description text

(Optional) Enters a text description of the uplink-state group.
Maximum length: 80 alphanumeric characters.

Command Mode:
UPLINK-STATE-GROUP
6

no enable

Command Mode:
UPLINK-STATE-GROUP

(Optional) Disables upstream-link tracking without deleting the
uplink-state group.
Default: Upstream-link tracking is automatically enabled in an
uplink-state group.
To re-enable upstream-link tracking, enter the enable command.

Clearing a UFD-Disabled Interface
You can manually bring up a downstream interface in an uplink-state group that has been disabled by UFD
and is in a UFD-disabled error state. To re-enable one or more disabled downstream interfaces and clear
the UFD-disabled error state, enter the following command:
Command Syntax

Description

clear ufd-disable {interface interface |
uplink-state-group group-id }

Re-enables a downstream interface on the switch/router that is in a
UFD-disabled error state so that it can send and receive traffic.
For interface, enter one of the following interface types:
Fast Ethernet: fastethernet {slot/port | slot/port-range}
1-Gigabit Ethernet: gigabitethernet {slot/port | slot/port-range}
10-Gigabit Ethernet:
tengigabitethernet {slot/port | slot/port-range}
Port channel: port-channel {1-512 | port-channel-range}
Where port-range and port-channel-rangee specify a range of ports
separated by a dash (-) and/or individual ports/port channels in any
order; for example:

Command Mode: EXEC

gigabitethernet 1/1-2,5,9,11-12
port-channel 1-3,5

A comma is required to separate each port and port-range entry.
clear ufd-disable {interface interface | uplink-state-group group-id}
re-enables all UFD-disabled downstream interfaces in the group.
Range: 1 to 16.

1044

|

Uplink Failure Detection (UFD)

Message 1 shows the Syslog messages displayed when you clear the UFD-disabled state from all disabled
downstream interfaces in an uplink-state group by entering the clear ufd-disable uplink-state-group
group-id command. All downstream interfaces return to an operationally up state.
Message 1 Syslog Messages before and after entering clear ufd-disable uplink-state-group Command (S50)
02:36:43: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-ASTATE_DN: Changed interface Admin state to down: Te 0/
46
02:36:43: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface
02:36:43: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Downstream interface set
02:36:43: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Downstream interface set
02:36:43: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Downstream interface set
02:36:43: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Downstream interface set
02:36:43: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface
02:36:43: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface
02:36:43: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface
02:36:43: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface

state
to UFD
to UFD
to UFD
to UFD
state
state
state
state

to down: Te 0/46
error-disabled: Fo
error-disabled: Fo
error-disabled: Fo
error-disabled: Fo
to down: Fo 13/0
to down: Fo 13/1
to down: Fo 13/3
to down: Fo 13/5

13/0
13/1
13/3
13/5

02:37:29: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-ASTATE_DN: Changed interface Admin state to down: Te 0/
47
02:37:29: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface state to down: Te 0/47
02:37:29 : UFD: Group:3, UplinkState: DOWN
02:37:29: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed uplink state group state to down: Group 3
02:37:29: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Downstream interface set to UFD error-disabled: Fo 13/6
02:37:29: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface state to down: Fo 13/6

02:38:31 : UFD: Group:3, UplinkState: UP
02:38:31: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Changed uplink state group state to up: Group 3
02:38:53: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Downstream interface cleared from UFD error-disabled: Fo 13/0
02:38:53: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Downstream interface cleared from UFD error-disabled: Fo 13/1
02:38:53: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Downstream interface cleared from UFD error-disabled: Fo 13/3
02:38:53: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Downstream interface cleared from UFD error-disabled: Fo 13/5
02:38:53: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Downstream interface cleared from UFD error-disabled: Fo 13/6
02:38:53: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Changed interface state to up: Fo 13/0
02:38:53: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Changed interface state to up: Fo 13/1
02:38:53: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Changed interface state to up: Fo 13/3
02:38:53: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Changed interface state to up: Fo 13/5
02:38:53: %RPM0-P:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_UP: Changed interface state to up: Fo 13/6

Uplink Failure Detection (UFD) | 1045

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
1046

Displaying Uplink Failure Detection
To display information on the Uplink Failure Detection feature, enter any of the following show
commands:

|

Show Command Syntax

Description

show uplink-state-group [group-id] [detail]
Command Mode: EXEC

Displays status information on a specified uplink-state group or all
groups. Valid group-id values are 1 to 16.
detail displays additional status information on the upstream and
downstream interfaces in each group (see Figure 52-3).

show interfaces interface
Command Mode: EXEC

Displays the current status of a port or port-channel interface assigned
to an uplink-state group.
interface specifies one of the following interface types:
Fast Ethernet: Enter fastethernet slot/port.
1-Gigabit Ethernet: Enter gigabitethernet slot/port.
10-Gigabit Ethernet: Enter tengigabitethernet slot/port.
Port channel: Enter port-channel {1-512}.
If a downstream interface in an uplink-state group has been disabled
(Oper Down state) by uplink-state tracking because an upstream port
went down, the message error-disabled[UFD] is displayed in the
output (see Figure 52-4).

show running-config uplink-state-group
[group-id]
Command Mode: EXEC
Or
show configuration
Command Mode: UPLINK-STATE-GROUP

Displays the current configuration of all uplink-state groups
(Figure 52-5) or a specified group (Figure 52-6).
Valid group-id values are 1 to 16.

Uplink Failure Detection (UFD)

Figure 52-3. show uplink-state-group Command Output (S50)
FTOS# show uplink-state-group
Uplink
Uplink
Uplink
Uplink
Uplink
Uplink

State
State
State
State
State
State

Group:
Group:
Group:
Group:
Group:
Group:

1
3
5
6
7
16

Status:
Status:
Status:
Status:
Status:
Status:

Enabled, Up
Enabled, Up
Enabled, Down
Enabled, Up
Enabled, Up
Disabled, Up

FTOS# show uplink-state-group 16
Uplink State Group: 16 Status: Disabled, Up

FTOS#show uplink-state-group detail
(Up): Interface up
(Dwn): Interface down
Uplink State Group
: 1
Upstream Interfaces
:
Downstream Interfaces :

(Dis): Interface disabled

Status: Enabled, Up

Uplink State Group
: 3
Status: Enabled, Up
Upstream Interfaces
: Gi 0/46(Up) Gi 0/47(Up)
Downstream Interfaces : Te 13/0(Up) Te 13/1(Up) Te 13/3(Up) Te 13/5(Up) Te 13/6(Up)
Uplink State Group
: 5
Status: Enabled, Down
Upstream Interfaces
: Gi 0/0(Dwn) Gi 0/3(Dwn) Gi 0/5(Dwn)
Downstream Interfaces : Te 13/2(Dis) Te 13/4(Dis) Te 13/11(Dis) Te 13/12(Dis) Te 13/13(Dis)
Te 13/14(Dis) Te 13/15(Dis)
Uplink State Group
: 6
Upstream Interfaces
:
Downstream Interfaces :

Status: Enabled, Up

Uplink State Group
: 7
Upstream Interfaces
:
Downstream Interfaces :

Status: Enabled, Up

Uplink State Group
: 16
Status: Disabled, Up
Upstream Interfaces
: Gi 0/41(Dwn) Po 8(Dwn)
Downstream Interfaces : Gi 0/40(Dwn)

Uplink Failure Detection (UFD) | 1047

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 52-4. show interfaces Command: UFD Output (S50)
FTOS#show interfaces gigabitethernet 7/45
GigabitEthernet 7/45 is up, line protocol is down (error-disabled[UFD])
Hardware is Force10Eth, address is 00:01:e8:32:7a:47
Current address is 00:01:e8:32:7a:47
Interface index is 280544512
Internet address is not set
MTU 1554 bytes, IP MTU 1500 bytes
LineSpeed 1000 Mbit, Mode auto
Flowcontrol rx off tx off
ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00
Last clearing of "show interface" counters 00:25:46
Queueing strategy: fifo
Input Statistics:
0 packets, 0 bytes
0 64-byte pkts, 0 over 64-byte pkts, 0 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
0 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts
0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
0 CRC, 0 overrun, 0 discarded
Output Statistics:
0 packets, 0 bytes, 0 underruns
0 64-byte pkts, 0 over 64-byte pkts, 0 over 127-byte pkts
0 over 255-byte pkts, 0 over 511-byte pkts, 0 over 1023-byte pkts
0 Multicasts, 0 Broadcasts, 0 Unicasts
0 throttles, 0 discarded, 0 collisions
Rate info (interval 299 seconds):
Input 00.00 Mbits/sec,
0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
Output 00.00 Mbits/sec,
0 packets/sec, 0.00% of line-rate
Time since last interface status change: 00:01:23

Figure 52-5. show running-config uplink-state-group Command: UFD Output (S50)
FTOS#show running-config uplink-state-group
!
no enable
uplink state track 1
downstream GigabitEthernet 0/2, 4, 6, 11-19
upstream TengigabitEthernet 0/48, 52
upstream PortChannel 1
!
uplink state track 2
downstream GigabitEthernet 0/1, 3, 5, 7-10
upstream TengigabitEthernet 0/56, 60

Figure 52-6. show configuration Command: UFD Output (S50)
FTOS(conf-uplink-state-group-16)# show configuration
!
uplink-state-group 16
no enable
description test
downstream disable links all
downstream GigabitEthernet 0/40
upstream GigabitEthernet 0/41
upstream Port-channel 8

1048

|

Uplink Failure Detection (UFD)

Sample Configuration: Uplink Failure Detection
Figure 52-7 shows a sample configuration of Uplink Failure Detection on a switch/router in which you:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Configure uplink-state group 3.
Add downstream links Gigabitethernet 0/1, 0/2, 0/5, 0/9, 0/11, and 0/12.
Configure two downstream links to be disabled if an upstream link fails.
Add upstream links Gigabitethernet 0/3 and 0/4.
Add a text description for the group.
Verify the configuration with various show commands.

Figure 52-7.

Configuring Uplink Failure Detection (S50)

FTOS(conf)# uplink-state-group 3
00:08:11: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %IFMGR-5-ASTATE_UP: Changed uplink state group Admin state to up:
Group 3
FTOS(conf-uplink-state-group-3)# downstream gigabitethernet 0/1-2,5,9,11-12
FTOS(conf-uplink-state-group-3)# downstream disable links 2
FTOS(conf-uplink-state-group-3)# upstream gigabitethernet 0/3-4
00:10:00: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Downstream interface set to UFD error-disabled:
Gi 0/1
FTOS#
00:10:00: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %IFMGR-5-OSTATE_DN: Changed interface state to down: Gi 0/1
FTOS(conf-uplink-state-group-3)# description Testing UFD feature

FTOS(conf-uplink-state-group-3)# show config
!
uplink-state-group 3
description Testing UFD feature
downstream disable links 2
downstream GigabitEthernet 0/1-2,5,9,11-12
upstream GigabitEthernet 0/3-4
FTOS(conf-uplink-state-group-3)#
FTOS(conf-uplink-state-group-3)#exit
FTOS(conf)#exit
FTOS#
00:13:06: %STKUNIT0-M:CP %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by

console

FTOS# show running-config uplink-state-group
!
uplink-state-group 3
description Testing UFD feature
downstream disable links 2
downstream GigabitEthernet 0/1-2,5,9,11-12
upstream GigabitEthernet 0/3-4

FTOS# show uplink-state-group 3
Uplink State Group: 3

Status: Enabled, Up

FTOS# show uplink-state-group detail
(Up): Interface up
(Dwn): Interface down
(Dis): Interface disabled
Uplink State Group
: 3
Status: Enabled, Up
Upstream Interfaces
: Gi 0/3(Up) Gi 0/4(Dwn)
Downstream Interfaces : Gi 0/1(Dis) Gi 0/2(Dwn) Gi 0/5(Dwn) Gi 0/9(Dwn) Gi 0/11(Dwn)
Gi 0/12(Dwn)

Uplink Failure Detection (UFD) | 1049

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
1050

|

Uplink Failure Detection (UFD)

53
Upgrade Procedures
Find the upgrade procedures
Go to the FTOS Release Notes for your system type to see all the requirements to upgrade to the desired
FTOS version. Follow the procedures in the FTOS Release Notes for the software version you wish to
upgrade to.

Get Help with upgrades
Direct any questions or concerns about FTOS Upgrade Procedures to the Dell Force10 Technical Support
Center. You can reach Technical Support:
•
•
•

On the Web: www.force10networks.com/support/
By email: support@force10networks.com
By phone: US and Canada: 866.965.5800, International: 408.965.5800

Upgrade Procedures | 1051

1052

|

Upgrade Procedures

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

54
Virtual LANs (VLAN)
Virtual LANs (VLAN) are supported on platforms:

ecsz

This section contains the following subsections:
•
•
•
•
•

Default VLAN
Port-Based VLANs
VLANs and Port Tagging
Configuration Task List for VLANs
Enable Null VLAN as the Default VLAN

Virtual LANs, or VLANs, are a logical broadcast domain or logical grouping of interfaces in a LAN in
which all data received is kept locally and broadcast to all members of the group. When in Layer 2 mode,
VLANs move traffic at wire speed and can span multiple devices. FTOS supports up to 4093 port-based
VLANs and 1 Default VLAN, as specified in IEEE 802.1Q.
VLANs provide the following benefits:
•
•

Improved security because you can isolate groups of users into different VLANs
Ability to create one VLAN across multiple devices

For more information on VLANs, refer to IEEE Standard 802.1Q Virtual Bridged Local Area Networks.
In this guide, see also:
•
•

Bulk Configuration in Chapter 23, Interfaces
VLAN Stacking

For a complete listing of all commands related to FTOS VLANs, see these FTOS Command Reference
chapters:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Interfaces chapter
Port Authentication (802.1x) section in the Security chapter
Chapter 20, GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP).
Chapter 45, Service Provider Bridging
Chapter 38, Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+).
For E-Series, see also the ACL VLAN Group and Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol chapters.

Virtual LANs (VLAN) | 1053

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Table 54-1 displays the defaults for VLANs in FTOS.
Table 54-1.

VLAN Defaults on FTOS

Feature

Default

Spanning Tree group ID

All VLANs are part of Spanning Tree group 0

Mode

Layer 2 (no IP address is assigned)

Default VLAN ID

VLAN 1

Default VLAN
When interfaces are configured for Layer 2 mode, they are automatically placed in the Default VLAN as
untagged interfaces. Only untagged interfaces can belong to the Default VLAN.
Figure 54-1 displays the outcome of placing an interface in Layer 2 mode. To configure an interface for
Layer 2 mode, use the switchport command. In Step 1, the switchport command places the interface in
Layer 2 mode.
In Step 2, the show vlan command in EXEC privilege mode indicates that the interface is now part of the
Default VLAN (VLAN 1).
Figure 54-1.

Interfaces and the Default VLAN Example

FTOS(conf)#int gi 3/2
FTOS(conf-if)#no shut
FTOS(conf-if)#switchport
FTOS(conf-if)#show config
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/2
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if)#end
FTOS#show vlan
Codes: * - Default VLAN, G - GVRP VLANs

*

NUM
1
2

Status
Active
Active

Q
U
T
T

Ports
Gi 3/2
Po1(So 0/0-1)
Gi 3/0

Step 1—the switchport command
places the interface in Layer 2 mode

Step 2—the show vlan command
indicates that the interface is now
assigned to VLAN 1 (the * indicates
the Default VLAN)

FTOS#

By default, VLAN 1 is the Default VLAN. To change that designation, use the default vlan-id command in
the CONFIGURATION mode. You cannot delete the Default VLAN.
Note: An IP address cannot be assigned to the Default VLAN. To assign an IP address to a VLAN that is
currently the Default VLAN, create another VLAN and assign it to be the Default VLAN. For details on
assigning IP addresses, see Assign an IP address to a VLAN.

1054

|

Virtual LANs (VLAN)

Untagged interfaces must be part of a VLAN. To remove an untagged interface from the Default VLAN,
you must create another VLAN and place the interface into that VLAN. Alternatively, enter the no
switchport command, and FTOS removes the interface from the Default VLAN.
A tagged interface requires an additional step to remove it from Layer 2 mode. Since tagged interfaces can
belong to multiple VLANs, you must remove the tagged interface from all VLANs, using the no tagged
interface command. Only after the interface is untagged and a member of the Default VLAN can you use
the no switchport command to remove the interface from Layer 2 mode. For more information, see VLANs
and Port Tagging.

Port-Based VLANs
Port-based VLANs are a broadcast domain defined by different ports or interfaces. In FTOS, a port-based
VLAN can contain interfaces from different line cards within the chassis. FTOS supports 4094 port-based
VLANs.
Note: E-Series ExaScale platforms support 4094 VLANs with FTOS version 8.2.1.0 and later. Earlier
ExaScale supports 2094 VLANS.

Port-based VLANs offer increased security for traffic, conserve bandwidth, and allow switch
segmentation. Interfaces in different VLANs do not communicate with each other, adding some security to
the traffic on those interfaces. Different VLANs can communicate between each other by means of IP
routing. Because traffic is only broadcast or flooded to the interfaces within a VLAN, the VLAN conserves
bandwidth. Finally, you can have multiple VLANs configured on one switch, thus segmenting the device.
Interfaces within a port-based VLAN must be in Layer 2 mode and can be tagged or untagged in the
VLAN ID.

VLANs and Port Tagging
To add an interface to a VLAN, it must be in Layer 2 mode. After you place an interface in Layer 2 mode,
it is automatically placed in the Default VLAN. FTOS supports IEEE 802.1Q tagging at the interface level
to filter traffic. When tagging is enabled, a tag header is added to the frame after the destination and source
MAC addresses. That information is preserved as the frame moves through the network. Figure 54-2
illustrates the structure of a frame with a tag header. The VLAN ID is inserted in the tag header.
Figure 54-2.

Tagged Frame Format

Ethernet
Preamble

Source
Address

Tag
Header

Protocol
Type

Data

6 octets

6 octets

4 octets

2 octets

45 - 1500 octets

Frame
Check
Sequence
4 octets

FN00001B

Destination
Address

The tag header contains some key information used by FTOS:

Virtual LANs (VLAN) | 1055

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•

The VLAN protocol identifier identifies the frame as tagged according to the IEEE 802.1Q
specifications (2 bytes).
Tag Control Information (TCI) includes the VLAN ID (2 bytes total). The VLAN ID can have 4,096
values, but 2 are reserved.

Note: The insertion of the tag header into the Ethernet frame increases the size of the frame to more than
the 1518 bytes specified in the IEEE 802.3 standard. Some devices that are not compliant with IEEE 802.3
may not support the larger frame size.

Information contained in the tag header allows the system to prioritize traffic and to forward information to
ports associated with a specific VLAN ID. Tagged interfaces can belong to multiple VLANs, while
untagged interfaces can belong only to one VLAN.

Configuration Task List for VLANs
This section contains the following VLAN configuration tasks:
•
•
•
•

Create a port-based VLAN (mandatory)
Assign interfaces to a VLAN (optional)
Assign an IP address to a VLAN (optional)
Enable Null VLAN as the Default VLAN

Create a port-based VLAN
The Default VLAN as VLAN 1 is part of the system startup configuration and does not require
configuration. To configure a port-based VLAN, you must create the VLAN and then add physical
interfaces or port channel (LAG) interfaces to the VLAN.
To create a port-based VLAN, use the following command in the CONFIGURATION mode:

1056

|

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

interface vlan vlan-id

CONFIGURATION

Configure a port-based VLAN (if the vlan-id is different
from the Default VLAN ID) and enter INTERFACE
VLAN mode.
After you create a VLAN, you must assign interfaces in
Layer 2 mode to the VLAN to activate the VLAN.

Virtual LANs (VLAN)

Use the show vlan command (Figure 54-3) in the EXEC privilege mode to view the configured VLANs.
Figure 54-3.

show vlan Command Example

FTOS#show vlan
Codes: * - Default VLAN, G - GVRP VLANs

*

NUM
1
2
3
4
5
6

Status
Inactive
Active
Active
Active
Active
Active

Q
U
U
U
T
U
U
U

Ports
So 9/4-11
Gi 0/1,18
Gi 0/2,19
Gi 0/3,20
Po 1
Gi 0/12
So 9/0

FTOS#

A VLAN is active only if the VLAN contains interfaces and those interfaces are operationally up. In
Figure 54-3, VLAN 1 is inactive because it contains the interfaces that are not active. The other VLANs
listed in the Figure 54-3 contain enabled interfaces and are active.
Note: In a VLAN, the shutdown command stops Layer 3 (routed) traffic only. Layer 2 traffic continues to
pass through the VLAN. If the VLAN is not a routed VLAN (that is, configured with an IP address), the
shutdown command has no affect on VLAN traffic.

When you delete a VLAN (using the no interface vlan vlan-id command), any interfaces assigned to that
VLAN are assigned to the Default VLAN as untagged interfaces.

Assign interfaces to a VLAN
Only interfaces in Layer 2 mode can be assigned to a VLAN using the tagged and untagged commands.
Use the switchport command to place an interface in Layer 2 mode.
These Layer 2 interfaces can further be designated as tagged or untagged. For more information, refer to
the Interfaces chapter and Configure Layer 2 (Data Link) Mode. When an interface is placed in Layer 2
mode by the switchport command, the interface is automatically designated untagged and placed in the
Default VLAN.
To view which interfaces are tagged or untagged and to which VLAN they belong, use the show vlan
command. For example, Figure 54-3 shows that six VLANs are configured, and two interfaces are
assigned to VLAN 2. The Q column in the show vlan command example notes whether the interface is
tagged (T) or untagged (U). For more information on this command, see the command statement in the
Layer 2 chapter of the FTOS Command Reference.
To view just the interfaces that are in Layer 2 mode, enter the show interfaces switchport command in the
EXEC privilege mode or EXEC mode.

Virtual LANs (VLAN) | 1057

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

To tag frames leaving an interface in Layer 2 mode, you must assign that interface to a port-based VLAN
to tag it with that VLAN ID. To tag interfaces, use these commands in the following sequence:
Step

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

1

interface vlan vlan-id

CONFIGURATION

Access the INTERFACE VLAN mode of the VLAN
to which you want to assign the interface.

tagged interface

INTERFACE

Enable an interface to include the IEEE 802.1Q tag
header.

2

Figure 54-4 shows the steps to add a tagged interface (in this case, port channel 1) to VLAN 4.
Figure 54-4.

Example of Adding an Interface to Another VLAN

FTOS#show vlan
Codes: * - Default VLAN, G - GVRP VLANs

*

NUM
1
2

Status
Inactive
Active

3

Active

Q Ports
T
T
T
T

Po1(So 0/0-1)
Gi 3/0
Po1(So 0/0-1)
Gi 3/1

FTOS#config
FTOS(conf)#int vlan 4
FTOS(conf-if-vlan)#tagged po 1
FTOS(conf-if-vlan)#show conf
!
interface Vlan 4
no ip address
tagged Port-channel 1
FTOS(conf-if-vlan)#end
FTOS#show vlan

Use the show vlan command to
view the interface’s status.
Interface (po 1) is tagged and in
VLAN 2 and 3

In a port-based VLAN, use the
tagged command to add the
interface to another VLAN.

Codes: * - Default VLAN, G - GVRP VLANs
NUM
1
2

Status
Inactive
Active

3

Active

4
FTOS#

Active

*

Q Ports
T
T
T
T
T

Po1(So 0/0-1)
Gi 3/0
Po1(So 0/0-1)
Gi 3/1
Po1(So 0/0-1)

The show vlan command
output displays the interface’s
(po 1) changed status.

Except for hybrid ports, only a tagged interface can be a member of multiple VLANs. Hybrid ports can be
assigned to two VLANs if the port is untagged in one VLAN and tagged in all others.
When you remove a tagged interface from a VLAN (using the no tagged interface command), it will remain
tagged only if it is a tagged interface in another VLAN. If the tagged interface is removed from the only
VLAN to which it belongs, the interface is placed in the Default VLAN as an untagged interface.

1058

|

Virtual LANs (VLAN)

Use the untagged command to move untagged interfaces from the Default VLAN to another VLAN:
Step
1

2

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

interface vlan vlan-id

CONFIGURATION

Access the INTERFACE VLAN mode of the VLAN
to which you want to assign the interface.

untagged interface

INTERFACE

Configure an interface as untagged.
This command is available only in VLAN interfaces.

The no untagged interface command removes the untagged interface from a port-based VLAN and places
the interface in the Default VLAN. You cannot use the no untagged interface command in the Default
VLAN. Figure 54-5 illustrates the steps and commands to move an untagged interface from the Default
VLAN to another VLAN.
Figure 54-5.

Example of Moving an Untagged Interface to Another VLAN

FTOS#show vlan
Codes: * - Default VLAN, G - GVRP VLANs

*

NUM
1
2

Status
Active
Active

3

Active

Q
U
T
T
T
T

Ports
Gi 3/2
Po1(So 0/0-1)
Gi 3/0
Po1(So 0/0-1)
Gi 3/1

4
Inactive
FTOS#conf
FTOS(conf)#int vlan 4
FTOS(conf-if-vlan)#untagged gi 3/2
FTOS(conf-if-vlan)#show config
!
interface Vlan 4
no ip address
untagged GigabitEthernet 3/2
FTOS(conf-if-vlan)#end
FTOS#show vlan

Use the show vlan command to determine interface
status. Interface (gi 3/2) is untagged and in the
Default VLAN (vlan 1).

In a port-based VLAN (vlan 4), use the untagged
command to add the interface to that VLAN.

Codes: * - Default VLAN, G - GVRP VLANs
NUM
1
2

Status
Inactive
Active

3

Active

4
FTOS#

Active

*

Q Ports
T
T
T
T
U

Po1(So 0/0-1)
Gi 3/0
Po1(So 0/0-1)
Gi 3/1
Gi 3/2

The show vlan command output displays the
interface’s changed status (gi 3/2). Since the Default
VLAN no longer contains any interfaces, it is listed as
inactive.

The only way to remove an interface from the Default VLAN is to place the interface in Default mode by
entering the no switchport command in the INTERFACE mode.

Virtual LANs (VLAN) | 1059

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Assign an IP address to a VLAN
VLANs are a Layer 2 feature. For two physical interfaces on different VLANs to communicate, you must
assign an IP address to the VLANs to route traffic between the two interfaces.
The shutdown command in INTERFACE mode does not affect Layer 2 traffic on the interface; the
shutdown command only prevents Layer 3 traffic from traversing over the interface.
Note: An IP address cannot be assigned to the Default VLAN, which, by default, is VLAN 1. To assign
another VLAN ID to the Default VLAN, use the default vlan-id vlan-id command.

To assign an IP address, use the following command in INTERFACE mode:
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

ip address ip-address mask [secondary]

INTERFACE

Configure an IP address and mask on the interface.
• ip-address mask — Enter an address in
dotted-decimal format (A.B.C.D) and the mask
must be in slash format (/24).
• secondary — This is the interface’s backup IP
address. You can configure up to eight secondary
IP addresses.

In FTOS, VLANs and other logical interfaces can be placed in Layer 3 mode to receive and send routed
traffic. For details, see Bulk Configuration.

VLAN Interface Counters
VLAN counters can be enabled for either Ingress packets, egress packets, or both. VLAN counters are
disabled by default, and are supported on E-Series ExaScale exonly.
Command Syntax

Command Mode

Purpose

enable vlan-counter [ingress | egress |
all]

CONFIGURATION

Configure ingress, egress or both counters for VLAN
interfaces.

To return to the default without any VLAN counters, enter no enable vlan-counter.
Note: VLAN output counters may show higher than expected values because source-suppression drops
are counted.

1060

|

Virtual LANs (VLAN)

Native VLANs
Traditionally, ports can be either untagged for membership to one VLAN or tagged for membership to
multiple VLANs. An untagged port must be connected to a VLAN-unaware station (one that does not
understand VLAN tags), and a tagged port must be connected to a VLAN-aware station (one that generates
and understands VLAN tags).
Native VLAN support breaks this barrier so that a port can be connected to both VLAN-aware and
VLAN-unaware stations. Such ports are referred to as hybrid ports. Physical and port-channel interfaces
may be hybrid ports.
Native VLAN is useful in deployments where a Layer 2 port can receive both tagged and untagged traffic
on the same physical port. The classic example is connecting a VOIP phone and a PC to the same port of
the switch. The VOIP phone is configured to generate tagged packets (with VLAN = VOICE VLAN), and
the attached PC generates untagged packets.
To configure a port so that it can be a member of an untagged and tagged VLANs:
Step

Task

Command

Command Mode

1

Remove any Layer 2 or Layer 3 configurations from the interface.

INTERFACE

2

Configure the interface for hybrid mode.

portmode hybrid

INTERFACE

3

Configure the interface for switchport mode.

switchport

INTERFACE

4

Add the interface to a tagged or untagged VLAN.

[tagged | untagged]

VLAN INTERFACE

Note: An existing switchport or port channel interface cannot be configured for Native VLAN. Interfaces
must have no other Layer 2 or Layer 3 configurations when entering the command portmode hybrid or a
message like Message 1 is displayed.
Message 1 Native VLAN Error
% Error: Port is in Layer-2 mode Gi 5/6.

Virtual LANs (VLAN) | 1061

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
1062

Enable Null VLAN as the Default VLAN
In a Carrier Ethernet for Metro Service environment, service providers who perform frequent
reconfigurations for customers with changing requirements occasionally enable multiple interfaces, each
connected to a different customer, before the interfaces are fully configured. This presents a vulnerability
because both interfaces are initially placed in the native VLAN, VLAN 1, and for that period customers are
able to access each other's networks. FTOS has a Null VLAN to eliminate this vulnerability. When you
enable the Null VLAN, all ports are placed into by it default, so that even if you activate the physical ports
of multiple customers, no traffic is allowed to traverse the links until each port is place in another VLAN.

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Disable the default VLAN, so that all ports belong to
the Null VLAN until configured as a member of another
VLAN.

default-vlan disable

CONFIGURATION

Virtual LANs (VLAN)

Default: the default VLAN is enabled
(no default-vlan disable).

55
Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)
Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) is supported on platforms

z

Overview
Virtual link trunking (VLT) allows physical links between two chassis to appear as a single virtual link to
the network core. VLT reduces the role of Spanning Tree protocols by allowing LAG terminations on two
separate distribution or core switches, and by supporting a loop free topology. (A Spanning Tree protocol
is still needed to prevent the initial loop that may occur prior to VLT being established. After VLT is
established, RSTP may be used to prevent loops from forming with new links that are incorrectly
connected and outside the VLT domain.)VLT provides Layer 2 multipathing, creating redundancy through
increased bandwidth, enabling multiple parallel paths between nodes and load-balancing traffic where
alternative paths exist.
As shown in Figure 55-1, VLT presents a single logical Layer 2 domain from the perspective of attached
devices that have a virtual link trunk terminating on separate chassis in the VLT domain. However, the two
VLT chassis are independent L2/L3 switches for devices in the upstream network. L2/L3 control plane
protocols and system management features function normally in VLT mode. Features such as VRRP and
IGMP Snooping require state information to be coordinated between the two VLT chassis.

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1063

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 55-1.

Virtual Link Trunking

Management
Network
Backup
Link

Backup
Link
S4810
Chassiss

S4810
Chassis

VLT Domain

Virtual Link
Trunk
Interconnect

Virtual Link Trunk

Switch or Server that supports LACP (802.1ad)

VLT peer devices have independent management planes. A chassis interconnect trunk between the VLT
chassis maintains synchronization of L2/L3 control planes across the two VLT peers. The chassis
interconnect trunk uses 10GE or 40GE user ports on the chassis.
A separate backup link maintains heartbeat messages across an out-of-band management network. The
backup link ensures that node failure conditions are correctly detected and are not confused with failures of
the chassis interconnect trunk. VLT ensures that local traffic on a chassis does not traverse the chassis
interconnect trunk and takes the shortest path to the destination via directly attached links.
Virtual link trunking offers the following benefits:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

1064

|

Allows a single device to use a LAG across two upstream devices
Provides a loop-free topology
Uses all available uplink bandwidth
Provides fast convergence if either the link or a device fails
Optimized forwarding with VRRP
Provides link-level resiliency
Assures high availability

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

Enhanced VLT
An enhanced VLT (eVLT) configuration creates a port channel between two VLT domains by allowing
two different VLT domains, using different VLT Domain ID numbers, connected by a standard LACP
LAG to form a loop-free Layer 2 topology in the aggregation layer. This configuration supports a
maximum of four (4) nodes per eVLT domain, increasing the number of available ports and allowing for
dual redundancy of the VLT.
Additionally, a VLT domain that is a member of one eVLT can be used in another eVLT configuration
with a different VLT domain. Routing protocols such as OSPF are not compatible with eVLT; however,
VLT domains can be used for routing. A separate Layer 3 router is not required for inter-VLAN
communication.
The following figure shows how the core/aggregation port density in the Layer 2 topology is increased
using eVLT. For inter-VLAN routing and other Layer 3 routing, a separate Layer 3 router is required.

VLT Concepts Terminology
The following are some key VLT terms.
Virtual link trunk (VLT) - The combined port channel between an attached device and the VLT peer
switches.
VLT backup link - The backup link monitors the vitality of a VLT peer switch. The backup link sends
configurable, periodic keep alive messages between VLT peer switches.
VLT interconnect (VLTi) - The link used to synchronize states between the VLT peer switches. Both
ends must be on 10Gor 40G interfaces.

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1065

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

VLT domain - This domain includes both VLT peer devices, the VLT interconnect, and all of the port
channels in the VLT connected to the attached devices. It is also associated to the configuration mode that
must be used to assign VLT global parameters.
VLT peer device - One of a pair of devices that are connected with the special port channel known as the
VLT interconnect (VLTi).

Configuring Virtual Link Trunking
VLT requires that you enable the feature and then configure the VLT domain, backup link, and VLT
interconnect on both peer switches.

Important Points to Remember
•
•
•
•
•

VLT port channel interfaces must be switch ports.
If RSTP is included on the system, it must be configured before VLT. See RSTP Configuration.
Dell Force10 strongly recommends that the VLTi (VLT interconnect) must be a static LAG and that
LACP should be disabled on the VLTi.
The spanning tree root bridge should be at the Aggregation layer. If RSTP is enabled on the VLT
device, refer to RSTP and VLT for guidelines to avoid traffic loss.
If both VLT peers are rebooted in BMP mode and VLT LAGs are static, the DHCP server reply to the
DHCP discover offer may not be forwarded by the ToR to the correct node. To avoid this scenario,
configure the VLT LAGs to the ToR and the ToR port channel to the VLT peers with LACP. If
supported by the ToR, enable the lacp-ungroup feature on the ToR using the command lacp ungroup
member-independent port-channel.

•
•
•

•
•

•

1066

|

If the lacp-ungroup feature is not supported on the ToR, VLT peers should be rebooted one at a time.
After rebooting, verify that VLTi (ICL) is active before attempting DHCP connectivity.
When IGMP snooping is enabled on the VLT peers, ensure the value of the delay-restore command is
not less than the query interval.
When Layer 3 routing protocols are enabled on VLT peers, make sure the delay-restore timer is set to a
value that allows sufficient time for all routes to establish adjacency and exchange all the L3 routes
between the VLT peers before the VLT ports are enabled.
The lacp ungroup member-independent command should only be used if the system connects to nodes
using BMP to upgrade or boot from the network.
Ensure all port channels where LACP ungroup is applicable are configured as hybrid ports and as
untagged members of a VLAN. BMP uses untagged DHCP packets to communicate with the DHCP
server.
If the DHCP server is located on the ToR and the VLTi (ICL) is down due to a failed link when a VLT
node is rebooted in BMP mode, it will not be able to reach the DHCP server, resulting in BMP failure.

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

Configuration Notes
When you configure VLT, the following conditions apply:
•

•

VLT domain:
• A VLT domain supports two chassis members, which appear as a single logical device to network
access devices connected to VLT ports through a port channel.
• A VLT domain consists of the two core chassis, the interconnect trunk, backup link, and the LAG
members connected to attached devices. The domain ID can be from 1 to 1000.
• Each VLT domain has a a unique MAC address that is created automatically by VLT or
user-configured.
• ARP tables are synchronized between the VLT peer nodes.
• VLT peer switches operate as separate chassis with independent control and data planes for
devices attached on non-VLT ports.
• One chassis in the VLT domain is assigned a primary role; the other chassis takes the secondary
role. The primary and secondary roles are required for scenarios when connectivity between the
chassis is lost. VLT assigns the primary chassis role according to the lowest MAC address. The
primary role is also user-configurable.
• In a VLT domain, the peer switches must run the same FTOS software version.
• You must separately configure each VLT peer switch with the same VLT domain ID and the VLT
version. If the system detects mismatches between VLT peer switches in the VLT domain ID or
VLT version, the VLT Interconnect (VLTi) will not activate. To find the reason for the VLTi
being down, use the show vlt statistics command to verify there are mismatch errors, then use the
show vlt brief command on each VLT peer to view the VLT version on the peer switch. If the VLT
version is more than one release different from the current version in use, the VLTi will not
activate.
• The chassis members in a VLT domain support connection to orphan hosts and switches that are
not connected to both switches in the VLT core.
VLT interconnect (VLTi):
• The interconnect must consist of either 10G or 40G ports. A maximum of eight 10G or four 40G
ports is supported. A combination of 10G or 40G ports is not supported.
• A VLT interconnect over 1G ports is not supported.
• The port channel must be in default mode (not switchport) to be recognized by VLTi.
• The system will automatically include required VLANs in VLTi. You do not need to manually
select VLANs.
• VLT peer switches operate as separate chassis with independent control and data planes for
devices attached on non-VLT ports.
• Port-channel link aggregation (LAG) across the ports in the VLT interconnect is required;
individual ports are not supported. Dell Force10 strongly recommends configuring a static LAG
for VLTi.
• IGMP state information is synchronized between the VLT chassis over the VLT interconnect.
• The traffic transmitted over VLT interconnect is prioritized, and allows you to configure the traffic
class-to-queue assignment.
• The VLT interconnect synchronizes L2 and L3 control-plane information across the two chassis.

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1067

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•

•
•

•
•
•

The VLT interconnect is used for data traffic only when there is a link failure that requires the
VLTi to be used in order for data packets to reach their final destination.
Unknown, multicast and broadcast traffic can be flooded across the VLT interconnect.
MAC addresses for VLANs configured across VLT peer chassis are synchronized over the VLT
interconnect on an egress port such as a VLT LAG. MAC addresses are the same on both VLT
peer nodes.
ARP entries configured across the VLTi are the same on both VLT peer nodes.
If you shut down the port channel used in the VLT interconnect on a peer switch in a VLT domain
in which no backup link is configured, the switch’s role is displayed in show vlt brief command
output as Primary instead of Standalone.
When you change the default VLAN ID on a VLT peer switch, the VLT interconnect may flap.
In a VLT domain, the following software features are supported on VLTi: LLDP, flow control,
port monitoring, jumbo frames, DCB.
When the VLTi link is enabled, the link between the VLT peer switches is established if the
following configured information is true on both peer switches:
— the VLT system MAC address matches.
— the VLT unit-id is not identical.

Note: If the VLT system MAC address or VLT unit-id is configured on only one of the VLT peer switches,
the link between the VLT peer switches will be not be established. Each VLT peer switch must be
correctly configured to establish the link between the peers.

•

•

1068

|

If the link between the VLT peer switches is established, changing the VLT system MAC address
or the VLT unit-id will not cause the link between the VLT peer switches to become disabled.
However, removing the VLT system MAC address or the VLT unit-id may cause the VLT ports to
be disabled if the unit ID or system MAC address happens to be configured on only one VLT peer
at any time.
• If the link between VLT peer switches is established, any change to the VLT system MAC address
or unit-id will fail if the changes made create a mismatch by causing the VLT unit-ID to be the
same on both peers and/or the VLT system MAC address does not match on both peers.
• If you replace a VLT peer node, pre-configure the switch with the VLT system MAC address,
unit-id, and other VLT parameters before connecting it to the existing VLT peer switch using the
VLTi connection.
• If the size of the MTU for VLTi members is less than 1496 bytes, MAC addresses may not be
synced. Dell Force10 recommends retaining the default MTU allocation (1554 bytes) for VLTi
members.
VLT Backup link:
• In the backup link between peer switches, heartbeat messages are exchanged between the two
chassis for health checks. The default time interval between heartbeat messages over the backup
link is 1 second. This interval is user-configurable; range: 1 to 5 seconds. DSCP marking on
heartbeat messages is CS6.
• In order that the chassis backup link does not share the same physical path as the interconnect
trunk, it is recommended that you use the management ports on the chassis and traverse an
out-of-band management network. The backup link can use user ports, but not the same ports as
used by the interconnect trunk.

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

•

•

The chassis backup link does not carry control plane information or data traffic. Its use is restricted
to health checks only.
Virtual link trunks (VLTs) between access devices and VLT peer switches:
• To connect servers and access switches with VLT peer switches, you use a VLT port channel (see
Figure 55-1). Up to 48 port-channels are supported; up to 8 member links are supported in each
port channel between the VLT domain and an access device.
• The ID number of the port channel that connects an access device and a VLT switch is
automatically generated by the discovery protocol running between VLT peers. The discovery
protocol uses LACP properties to identify connectivity to a common client device and
automatically generate a VLT number for port channels on VLT peers that connect to the device.
The discovery protocol requires that an attached device should always run LACP over the
port-channel interface.
• VLT provides a loop-free topology for port channels with endpoints on different chassis in the
VLT domain.
• VLT uses shortest path routing so that traffic destined to hosts via directly attached links on a
chassis does not traverse the chassis-interconnect link.
• VLT allows multiple active parallel paths from access switches to VLT chassis.
• VLT supports port-channel links with LACP between access switches and VLT peer switches. Dell
Force10 recommends that you use static port channels on VLTi.
• If VLTi connectivity with a peer is lost but the VLT backup connectivity indicates the peer is still
alive, the VLT ports on the Secondary peer are orphaned and will be shut down.
In one possible topology, a switch uses the BMP feature to receive its IP address, configuration
files, and boot image from a DHCP server that connects to the switch through the VLT domain. In
the port-channel used by the switch to connect to the VLT domain, you must configure the port
interfaces on each VLT peer as hybrid ports before adding them to the port channel (see Connect
a VLT domain to an attached access device (switch or server)). To configure a port in hybrid
mode so that it can carry untagged, single-tagged, and double-tagged traffic, enter the portmode
hybrid command in interface configuration mode as described in Native VLANs.

•

•

For example, if the DHCP server is located on the ToR and VLTi (ICL) is down (due to either an
unavailable peer or a link failure), whether the VLT LAG is configured as static or LACP, when a
single VLT peer is rebooted in BMP mode, it will not be able to reach the DHCP server, resulting
in BMP failure.
Software features supported on VLT port-channels:
• In a VLT domain, the following software features are supported on VLT port-channels: 802.1p,
designated router functionality of PIM Sparse-Mode, VRRP, Layer 3 VLANs, LLDP, flow
control, port monitoring, jumbo frames, IGMP Snooping, sFlow, ingress and egress ACLs, and
Layer 2 control protocols RSTP only).
Note: PVST+ passthrough is supported in a VLT domain. PVST+ BPDUs will not result in an interface
shutdown. PVST+ BPDUs for a non-default VLAN will be flooded out as any other L2 multicast packet. On
a default VLAN, RTSP will be part of the PVST+ topology in that specific VLAN (default VLAN).

•
•

Refer to VLT and VRRP interoperability: for detailed information on how to use VRRP in a VLT
domain.
Refer to VLT and IGMP Snooping for information on configuring IGMP Snooping in a VLT
domain.

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1069

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•

•

•

•

•

1070

|

All system management protocols are supported on VLT ports, including SNMP, RMON, AAA,
ACL, DNS, FTP, SSH, Syslog, NTP, RADIUS, SCP, TACACS+, Telnet, and LLDP.
• Layer 3 VLAN connectivity VLT peers is enabled by configuring a VLAN network interface for
the same VLAN on both switches.
• IGMP snooping is supported over VLT ports. The multicast forwarding state is synchronized on
both VLT peer switches. The IGMP snooping process on a VLT peer shares the learned group
information with the other VLT peer over the chassis interconnect trunk.
Software features supported on VLT physical ports:
• In a VLT domain, the following software features are supported on VLT physical ports: 802.1p,
LLDP, flow control, port monitoring, jumbo frames.
Software features not supported with VLT:
• In a VLT domain, the following software features are supported on non-VLT ports: 802.1x, ingress
and egress ACLs, BGP, DHCP relay, DHCP Snooping, FRRP, IS-IS, IPv6 dynamic routing, OSPF,
Active-Active PIM-SM, PIM-SSM, ingress and egress QOS, sFlow, and all protocols currently
supported in FTOS.
VLT and VRRP interoperability:
• In a VLT domain, VRRP inter-operates with virtual link trunks that carry traffic to and from access
devices (see Figure 55-1). The VLT peers belong to the same VRRP group and are assigned master
and backup roles. Each peer actively forwards L3 traffic, reducing the traffic flow over the VLT
interconnect.
• VRRP elects the router with the highest priority as the master in the VRRP group. To ensure
VRRP operation in a VLT domain, you must configure VRRP group priority on each VLT peer so
that a peer is either the master or backup for all VRRP groups configured on its interfaces. See Set
VRRP Group (Virtual Router) Priority for more information.
• To verify that a VLT peer is consistently configured for either the master or backup role in all
VRRP groups, enter the show vrrp command on each peer.
• You must also configure the same L3 routing (static and dynamic) on each peer so that L3
reachability and routing tables are identical on both VLT peers. Both the VRRP master and backup
peers should be able to locally forward L3 traffic in the same way.
• In a VLT domain, although both VLT peers actively participate in L3 forwarding as the VRRP
master or backup router, the show vrrp command output displays one peer as master and the other
peer as backup.
Failure scenarios:
• On a link failover, when a VLT port channel fails, the traffic destined for that VLT port channel is
re-directed to the VLTi to avoid flooding.
• When a VLT switch determines that a VLT member port has failed (and that no other local
member ports are available), the peer with the failed member port notifies the remote peer that it
no longer has an active member port for a link. The remote peer then enables data forwarding
across the VLT interconnect for packets that would otherwise have been forwarded over the failed
member port. This mechanism ensures reachability and provides loop management.
• If all ports in the chassis interconnect trunk fail, or if the messaging infrastructure fails to
communicate across the interconnect trunk, the VLT management system uses the backup link
interface to determine whether the failure is a link-level failure or whether in fact the remote peer
has failed entirely. If the remote peer is still alive (heartbeat messages are still being received), the
VLT secondary switch disables its VLT port channels. If keepalive messages from the peer are not
being received, the peer continues to forward traffic, assuming that it is the last device available in

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

•

•

the network. In either case, upon recovery of the peer link or reestablishment of message
forwarding across the interconnect trunk, the two VLT peers resynchronize any MAC addresses
learned while communication was interrupted, and the VLT system continues normal data
forwarding.
If the primary chassis is rebooted, the secondary chassis takes on the operational role of the
primary. When operation of the original, primary chassis is restored, it takes on the operational
role of the secondary chassis.

The SNMP MIB reports VLT statistics.

RSTP and VLT
VLT provides loop-free redundant topologies and does not require rapid spanning tree protocol (RSTP).
RSTP can cause temporary port state blocking and may cause topology changes after link or node failures.
Spanning tree topology changes are distributed to the entire layer 2 network, which can cause a
network-wide flush of learned MAC and ARP addresses, requiring these addresses to be re-learned.
However, enabling RSTP can detect potential loops caused by non-system issues such as cabling errors or
incorrect configurations. RSTP is useful for potential loop detection but should be configured using the
specifications below to minimize possible topology changes after link or node failure.
The following recommendations will help you avoid these issues and the associated traffic loss caused by
using rapid spanning trees when VLT is enabled on both VLT peers:
•

•

•

Any ports at the edge of the spanning tree's operating domain should be configured as edge ports,
which are directly connected to end stations or server racks. Ports connected directly to layer 3-only
routers not running STP should have RSTP disabled or be configured as edge ports.
Ensure the primary VLT node is the root bridge and the secondary VLT peer node has the second-best
bridge ID in the network. If the primary VLT peer node fails, the secondary VLT peer node becomes
the root bridge, avoiding problems with spanning tree port state changes that occur when a VLT node
fails or recovers.
Even with this configuration, if the node has non-VLT ports using RSTP that are not configured as
edge ports and are connected to other layer 2 switches, spanning tree topology changes can still be
detected after VLT node recovery. To avoid this scenario, ensure that any non-VLT ports are
configured as edge ports or have RSTP disabled.

VLT Bandwidth Monitoring
When bandwidth usage of the VLTi (ICL) exceeds 80%, a syslog error message (Message 1) and an
SNMP trap are generated.
Message 1 VLTi Bandwidth Usage Exceeding Threshold Value Error
%STKUNIT0-M:CP %VLTMGR-6-VLT-LAG-ICL: Overall Bandwidth utilization of VLT-ICL-LAG (port-channel 25)
crosses threshold. Bandwidth usage (80% )

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1071

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

When the bandwidth usage drops below the 80% threshold, the system generates another syslog message
(Message 2) and an SNMP trap.
Message 2 Excessive VLTi Bandwidth Usage Drops Below Threshold Value Error
%STKUNIT0-M:CP %VLTMGR-6-VLT-LAG-ICL: Overall Bandwidth utilization of VLT-ICL-LAG (port-channel 25)
reaches below threshold. Bandwidth usage (74% )VLT show remote port channel status

VLT and IGMP Snooping
When configuring IGMP Snooping with VLT, you must ensure the configurations on both sides of the
VLT trunk are identical to get the same behavior on both sides of the trunk. When IGMP Snooping is
configured on a VLT node, the dynamically learned groups and multicast router ports are automatically
learned on the VLT peer node.

VLT Port Delayed Restoration
With FTOS Release 8.3.12.0, when a VLT node boots up, if the VLT ports have been previously saved in
the start-up configuration, they will not be immediately enabled. To ensure MAC and ARP entries from the
VLT per node are downloaded to the newly enabled VLT node, the system allows time for the VLT ports
on the new node to be enabled and begin receiving traffic.
The delay-restore feature waits for all saved configurations to be applied, then starts a configurable timer.
After the timer expires, the VLT ports are enabled one-by-one in a controlled manner. The delay between
bringing up each VLT port-channel is proportional to the number of physical members in the port-channel.
Use the delay-restore command to change the duration of the configurable timer; the default is 90 seconds.
If IGMP Snooping is enabled, IGMP queries are also sent out on the VLT ports at this time allowing any
receivers to respond to the queries and update the multicast table on the new node.
This delay in bringing up the VLT ports also applies when the VLTi link recovers from a failure that
caused the VLT ports on the secondary VLT peer node to be disabled.

1072

|

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

PIM-Sparse Mode Support on VLT
The Designated Router functionality of the PIM Sparse-Mode multicast protocol is supported on VLT peer
switches for multicast sources and receivers that are connected to VLT ports. The VLT peer switches can
act as a last-hop router for IGMP receivers and as a first-hop router for multicast sources.

On each VLAN where the VLT peer nodes act as the first hop or last hop routers, one of the VLT peer
nodes will be elected as the PIM Designated Router. If IGMP Snooping is configured along with PIM on
the VLT VLANs, then VLTi must be configured as the static multicast router port on both VLT peer
switches. This allows multicast traffic originating from the source connected to the VLT ports to reach the
PIM router that has downstream neighbors.
The VLT peer nodes can also act as normal PIM routers on Layer 3 ports and on VLANS that do not have
any VLT port members. In addition to being first-hop or last-hop routers, the peer node can also act as an
intermediate router.
To route traffic to and from the multicast source and receiver that are connected to VLT ports, enable
PIM-Sparse mode on the VLANs to which the VLT ports belong using the ip pim sparse-mode command.
If IGMP Snooping is configured on these VLANs, the VLTi must be configured as a static multicast router
port on both VLT peers.
Use the show ip pim neighbor, show ip igmp snooping mrouter, and show running config commands to
verify the PIM neighbors on the VLT VLAN and on the multicast port:
VLT peer nodes cannot be configured rendezvous points, PIM routers cannot be connected to VLT ports;
you must use a different port.

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1073

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

If the VLT node elected as the designated router fails, traffic loss will occur until another VLT node is
elected the designated router.

RSTP Configuration
The RSTP Spanning Tree protocol is supported in a VLT domain. Before you configure VLT on peer
switches, you must configure the Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) in the network if it will be
included in your configuration. RSTP is required for initial loop prevention during the VLT startup phase.
RSTP may also be used for loop prevention in the network outside of the VLT port channel. For
information on how to configure RSTP, see Chapter 42, Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP).
RSTP must be running on both VLT peer switches. The primary VLT peer controls RSTP states, such as
forwarding and blocking, on both the primary and secondary peers. It is recommended that you configure
the primary VLT peer as the RSTP primary root device and configure the secondary VLT peer as the RSTP
secondary root device.
BPDUs use the MAC address of the primary VLT peer as the RSTP bridge ID in the designated bridge ID
field. The primary VLT peer sends these BPDUs on VLT interfaces connected to access devices. The
MAC address for a VLT domain is automatically selected on the peer switches when you create the
domain.
You must configure both ends of the VLT interconnect trunk with identical RSTP configurations. When
VLT is enabled, the show spanning-tree rstp brief command output displays VLT information.

Preventing Forwarding Loops in a VLT Domain
During the bootup of VLT peer switches, a forwarding loop may occur until the VLT configurations are
applied on each switch and the primary/secondary roles are determined. To prevent the interfaces in the
VLT interconnect trunk and RSTP-enabled VLT ports from entering a forwarding state and creating a
traffic loop in a VLT domain, you must take the following steps:
Step

1074

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Configure RSTP in the core network and on each peer switch as described in Chapter 42, Rapid Spanning Tree
Protocol (RSTP). Disabling RSTP on one VLT peer may result in a VLT domain failure.

2

Enable RSTP on each peer switch.

no disable

PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE
RSTP

3

Configure each peer switch with a unique bridge
priority.

bridge-priority

PROTOCOL
SPANNING TREE
RSTP

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

Sample RSTP Configuration
Using Figure 55-1 as a sample VLT topology, the primary VLT switch will send BPDUs to an access
device (switch or server) with its own RSTP bridge ID. BPDUs generated by an RSTP-enabled access
device are only processed by the primary VLT switch. The secondary VLT switch tunnels the BPDUs that
it receives to the primary VLT switch over the VLT interconnect. Only the primary VLT switch
determines the RSTP roles and states on VLT ports, and ensures that the VLT interconnect link is never
blocked.
In case of a primary VLT switch failure, the secondary switch starts sending BPDUs with its own bridge
ID and inherits all the port states from the last synchronization with the primary switch. An access device
never detects the change in primary/secondary roles and does not see it as a topology change.
The following figures show an example of the RSTP configuration that you must perform on each peer
switch to prevent forwarding loops.
Figure 55-2.

Configuring RSTP on VLT Peers to Prevent Forwarding Loops (VLT Peer 1)

FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf)#protocol spanning-tree rstp
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-rstp)#no disable
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-rstp)#bridge-priority 4096

Figure 55-3.

Configuring RSTP on VLT Peers to Prevent Forwarding Loops (VLT Peer 2)

FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf)#protocol spanning-tree rstp
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-rstp)#no disable
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-rstp)#bridge-priority 0

VLT Configuration Procedure
To configure virtual link trunking and create a VLT domain in which two S4810 or Z9000 switches are
physically connected and treated as a single port channel by access devices, you must configure the
following settings on each VLT peer device:
Prerequisite: Before you begin, make sure that both VLT peer switches are running the same FTOS
version and are configured for RSTP as described in Chapter 42, Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP).
For VRRP operation, ensure that VRRP groups and L3 routing on each VLT peer are configured as
described in Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP).
1. Configure the VLT interconnect for the VLT domain. The primary and secondary switch roles in the
VLT domain are automatically assigned after both sides of the VLTi are configured.
Note: If a third-party ToR unit is used, Dell Force10 recommends using static LAGs on the VLTi between
VLT peers to avoid potential problems if the VLT peers are rebooted.

2. Enable VLT and create a VLT domain ID. VLT automatically selects a system MAC address.
3. Configure a backup link for the VLT domain.

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1075

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

4. (Optional) Manually reconfigure default VLT settings, such as MAC address and VLT primary/
secondary roles.
5. Connect the peer switches in a VLT domain to an attached access device (switch or server).
Configure a VLT interconnect
Step
1

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure the port channel to be used for the VLT
interconnect on a VLT switch and enter interface
configuration mode.
Enter the same port-channel number configured with the
peer-link port-channel command.

interface port-channel
id-number

CONFIGURATION

Note: To be included in the VLTi, the port channel must be in default mode (no switchport or VLAN
assigned).
2

Remove an IP address from the interface.

no ip address

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

3

Add one or more port interfaces to the port channel.
interface specifies one of the following interface types:
1-Gigabit Ethernet: Enter gigabitethernet slot/port.
10-Gigabit Ethernet: Enter tengigabitethernet slot/port.

channel-member interface

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

4

Ensure that the port channel is active.

no shutdown

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

5

Repeat Steps 1 to 4 on the VLT peer switch to configure the VLT interconnect.

Configure a VLT backup link
Step

1076

|

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Specify the management interface to be used for the
backup link through an out-of-band management
network. Enter the slot (0-1) and the port (0).

interface
managementethernet slot/
port

CONFIGURATION

2

Configure an IPv4 address (A.B.C.D) or IPv6 address
(X:X:X:X::X) and mask (/x) on the interface.
This is the IP address to be configured on the VLT peer
with the back-up destination command.

{ip address ipv4-address/
mask |

MANAGEMENT
INTERFACE

ipv6 address ipv6-address/
mask}

3

Ensure that the interface is active.

no shutdown

4

Repeat Steps 1 to 3 on the VLT peer switch.

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

MANAGEMENT
INTERFACE

Use the delay-restore command at any time to set an amount of time, in seconds, to delay the system from
restoring the VLT port. Refer to VLT Port Delayed Restoration for more information.
Configure a VLT port delay period
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Enter VLT-domain configuration mode for a specified
VLT domain.
Range of domain IDs: 1 to 1000.

vlt domain domain-id

CONFIGURATION

2

Enter an amount of time, in seconds, to delay the
restoration of the VLT ports after the system is rebooted.
Range: 1-1200
Default: 90 seconds

delay-restore
delay-restore-time

CONFIGURATION

(Optional) Reconfigure default VLT settings
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Enter VLT-domain configuration mode for a specified
VLT domain.
Range of domain IDs: 1 to 1000.

vlt domain domain-id

CONFIGURATION

2

(Optional) After you configure the VLT domain on each
peer switch on both sides of the interconnect trunk, by
default, the FTOS software elects a primary and
secondary VLT peer device.
Use the primary-priority command to reconfigure the
primary role of VLT peer switches. To configure the
primary role on a VLT peer, enter a lower value than the
priority value of the remote peer.
Priority values are from 1 to 65535. Default: 32768.

primary-priority value

VLT DOMAIN
CONFIGURATION

3

(Optional) When you create a VLT domain on a switch,
the FTOS software automatically creates a VLT-system
MAC address used for internal system operations.
Use the system-mac command to explicitly configure
the default MAC address for the domain by entering a
new MAC address in the format: aaaa.bbbb.cccc.
You must also reconfigure the same MAC address on
the VLT peer switch.
Use this command to minimize the time required for the
VLT system to synchronize the default MAC address of
the VLT domain on both peer switches when one peer
switch reboots.

system-mac mac-address

VLT DOMAIN
CONFIGURATION

mac-address

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1077

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

(Optional) Reconfigure default VLT settings
Step
4

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

(Optional) When you create a VLT domain on a switch,
the FTOS software automatically assigns a unique unit
ID (0 or 1) to each peer switch. The unit IDs are used for
internal system operations.
Use the unit-id command to explicitly configure the
default values on each peer switch.
You must configure a different unit ID (0 or 1) on each
peer switch.
Use this command to minimize the time required for the
VLT system to determine the unit ID assigned to each
peer switch when one peer switch reboots.

unit-id {0 | 1}

VLT DOMAIN
CONFIGURATION

Connect a VLT domain to an attached access device (switch or server)
Step

Task

Command Syntax Command Mode

On a VLT peer switch: Configure the same port channel ID number on each peer switch in the VLT domain to
connect to an attached device as follows:
Configure the same port channel to be used to connect to
an attached device and enter interface configuration
mode.

interface port-channel

2

Remove an IP address from the interface.

no ip address

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

3

Place the interface in Layer 2 mode.

switchport

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

4

Add one or more port interfaces to the port channel.
interface specifies one of the following interface types:
1-Gigabit Ethernet: Enter gigabitethernet slot/port.
10-Gigabit Ethernet: Enter tengigabitethernet slot/port.

channel-member interface

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

5

Ensure that the port channel is active.

no shutdown

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

6

Associate the port channel to the corresponding port
channel in the VLT peer for the VLT connection to an
attached device.
Valid port-channel ID numbers are from 1 to 128.

vlt-peer-lag port-channel
id-number

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

7

Repeat Steps 1 to 6 on the VLT peer switch to configure the same port channel as part of the VLT domain.

8

On an attached switch or server: Configure a port channel to connect to the VLT domain and add port channels
to it. Figure 55-12 shows how to verify the port-channel configuration.

1

1078

|

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

CONFIGURATION

id-number

Use the peer-down-vlan parameter to configure the VLAN where a VLT peer will forward received packets
over the VLTi from an adjacent VLT peer that is down. When a VLT peer with BMP reboots, untagged
DHCP discover packets are sent to the peer over the VLTi. Using this configuration ensures the DHCP
discover packets are forwarded to the VLAN that has the DHCP server.
(Optional) Configure a VLT VLAN peer-down
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Enter VLT-domain configuration mode for a specified
VLT domain.
Range of domain IDs: 1 to 1000.

vlt domain domain-id

CONFIGURATION

2

Enter the port-channel number that will act as the
interconnect trunk.
Range: 1 to 128.

peer-link port-channel
id-number

VLT DOMAIN
CONFIGURATION

3

Enter the VLAN ID number of the VLAN where the
VLT forwards packets received on the VLTi from an
adjacent peer that is down.
Range: 1 to 4094.

peer-link port-channel
id-number peer-down-vlan
vlan interface number

VLT DOMAIN
CONFIGURATION

Use the following procedure to configure enhanced VLT between two VLT domains on your network.
Refer to eVLT Configuration Example for a sample configuration.
(Optional) Configure Enhanced VLT (eVLT)
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Set up the VLT domain.
1

Configure the port channel to be used for the VLT
interconnect on a VLT switch and enter interface
configuration mode.
Enter the same port-channel number configured with the
peer-link port-channel command.

interface port-channel
id-number

CONFIGURATION

2

Add one or more port interfaces to the port channel.
interface specifies one of the following interface types:
1-Gigabit Ethernet: Enter gigabitethernet slot/port.
10-Gigabit Ethernet: Enter tengigabitethernet slot/port.

channel-member interface

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

3

Enter VLT-domain configuration mode for a specified
VLT domain.
Range of domain IDs: 1 to 1000.

vlt domain domain-id

CONFIGURATION

4

Enter the port-channel number that will act as the
interconnect trunk.
Range: 1 to 128.

peer-link port-channel
id-number

VLT DOMAIN
CONFIGURATION

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1079

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

(Optional) Configure Enhanced VLT (eVLT)
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

5

Configure the IP address of the management interface
on the remote VLT peer to be used as the endpoint of the
VLT backup link for sending out-of-band hello
messages.
You can optionally specify the time interval used to
send hello messages. Range: 1 to 5 seconds.

back-up destination
ip-address [interval seconds]

VLT DOMAIN
CONFIGURATION

6

When you create a VLT domain on a switch, the FTOS
software automatically creates a VLT-system MAC
address used for internal system operations.
Use the system-mac command to explicitly configure
the default MAC address for the domain by entering a
new MAC address in the format: aaaa.bbbb.cccc.
You must also reconfigure the same MAC address on
the VLT peer switch.
Use this command to minimize the time required for the
VLT system to synchronize the default MAC address of
the VLT domain on both peer switches when one peer
switch reboots.

system-mac mac-address

VLT DOMAIN
CONFIGURATION

When you create a VLT domain on a switch, the FTOS
software automatically assigns a unique unit ID (0 or 1)
to each peer switch. The unit IDs are used for internal
system operations.
Use the unit-id command to explicitly configure the
default values on each peer switch.
You must configure a different unit ID (0 or 1) on each
peer switch.
Use this command to minimize the time required for the
VLT system to determine the unit ID assigned to each
peer switch when one peer switch reboots.

unit-id {0 | 1}

VLT DOMAIN
CONFIGURATION

7

mac-address

Configure enhanced VLT.

1080

|

8

Configure the port channel to be used for the VLT
interconnect on a VLT switch and enter interface
configuration mode.
Enter the same port-channel number configured with the
peer-link port-channel command.

interface port-channel
id-number

CONFIGURATION

9

Place the interface in Layer 2 mode.

switchport

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

10

Associate the port channel to the corresponding port
channel in the VLT peer for the VLT connection to an
attached device.
Valid port-channel ID numbers are from 1 to 128.

vlt-peer-lag port-channel
id-number

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

(Optional) Configure Enhanced VLT (eVLT)
Step
11

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Ensure that the port channel is active.

no shutdown

INTERFACE
PORT-CHANNEL

interface range

CONFIGURATION

Add links to the eVLT port.
12

Configure a range of interfaces to bulk configure.

{port-channel id}

13

Enable LACP on the LAN port.

port-channel-protocol
lacp

INTERFACE

14

Configure the LACP port channel mode.

port-channel number mode
[active]

INTERFACE

15

Ensure that the interface is active.

no shutdown

MANAGEMENT
INTERFACE

16

Repeat steps 1 through 15 for the VLT peer node in Domain 1.

17

Repeat steps 1 through 15 for the first VLT node in Domain 2.

18

Repeat steps 1 through 15 for the VLT peer node in Domain 2.

To verify the configuration of a VLT domain, enter any of the show commands described in Verifying a
VLT Configuration.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1.

vlt domain domain id

VLT DOMAIN

Configure the VLT domain with
the same ID in VLT peer 1 and
VLT peer 2

Configure the VLTi between VLT peer 1 and VLT peer 2.
2.

LACP/Static LAG can be configured between the peer units (not
shown).

interface port-channel port-channel id

CONFIGURATION

Note: To benefit from the protocol negotiations, Dell Force10 recommends VLTs used as facing hosts/switches are
configured with LACP. Both peers should use the same port channel ID.

3.

Configure the peer-link port-channel in the VLT domains of each
peer unit.

channel-member

INTERFACE PORTCHANNEL

Configure the backup link between the VLT peer units.
4.

Configure the peer 2 management
ip/ interface ip for which connectivity is present in VLT peer 1.

show running-config vlt

EXEC Privilege

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1081

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

5.

show interfaces interface

EXEC
EXEC Privilege

Configure the peer 1 management
ip/ interface ip for which connectivity is present in VLT peer 1.

Configure the VLT links between VLT peer 1 and VLT peer 2 to the top of rack unit.
6.

Configure the static LAG/LACP
between ports connected from
VLT peer 1 and VLT peer 2 to the
top of rack unit.

show running-config entity

EXEC Privilege

7.

Configure the VLT peer link port
channel id in VLT peer 1 and VLT
peer 2.

show interfaces interface

EXEC
EXEC Privilege

8.

In the top of rack unit, configure
LACP in the physical ports

show running-config entity

EXEC Privilege

9.

Verify VLT is running.

show vlt brief

EXEC

show vlt detail

EXEC

show interfaces interface

EXEC
EXEC Privilege

10. Verify the VLT LAG is running in
both VLT peer units.

In the following sample VLT configuration steps, VLT peer 1 is S4810-2, VLT peer 2 is S4810-4, and the
ToR is S60-1:
Note: If a third-party ToR unit is used, Dell Force10 recommends using static LAGs with VLT peers to
avoid potential problems if the VLT peers are rebooted.

Configure the VLT domain with the same ID in VLT peer 1 and VLT peer 2
s4810-2(conf)#vlt domain 5
s4810-2(conf-vlt-domain)#
s4810-4(conf)#vlt domain 5
s4810-4(conf-vlt-domain)#

Configure the VLTi between VLT peer 1 and VLT peer 2:
1.
2.

LACP/Static LAG can be configured between the peer units (not shown)
Configure the peer-link port-channel in the VLT domains of each peer unit.

s4810-2(conf)#interface port-channel 1
s4810-2(conf-if-po-1)#channel-member TenGigabitEthernet 0/4-7
s4810-2(conf)#no shutdown
s4810-4(conf)#interface port-channel 1
s4810-4(conf-if-po-1)#channel-member TenGigabitEthernet 0/4-7
s4810-4(conf)#no shutdown

1082

|

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

Configure the backup link between the VLT peer units.
1.
2.

Configure the peer 2 management ip/ interface ip for which connectivity is present in VLT peer 1.
Configure the peer 1 management ip/ interface ip for which connectivity is present in VLT peer 2.

s4810-2#show running-config vlt
!
vlt domain 5
peer-link port-channel 1
back-up destination 10.11.206.58
s4810-2#
s4810-2#show interfaces managementethernet 0/0
Internet address is 10.11.206.43/16
s4810-4#show running-config vlt
!
vlt domain 5
peer-link port-channel 1
back-up destination 10.11.206.43
s4810-4#
s4810-4#show running-config interface managementethernet 0/0
ip address 10.11.206.58/16
no shutdown

Configure the VLT links between VLT peer 1 and VLT peer 2 to the top of rack unit. In the following example,

port Te 0/40 in VLT peer 1 is connected to Te 0/48 of TOR and port Te 0/18 in VLT peer 2 is connected to
Te 0/50 of TOR.
1.
2.
3.

Configure the static LAG/LACP between ports connected from VLT peer 1 and VLT peer 2 to the top
of rack unit.
Configure the VLT peer link port channel id in VLT peer 1 and VLT peer 2.
In the top of rack unit, configure LACP in the physical ports (shown for VLT peer 1 only. Repeat steps
for VLT peer 2. The highlighted vlt-peer-lag port-channel 2 indicates that port-channel 2 is the
port-channel id configured in VLT peer 2).

s4810-2#show running-config interface tengigabitethernet 0/40
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/40
no ip address
!
port-channel-protocol LACP
port-channel 2 mode active
no shutdown
s4810-2#
configuring VLT peer lag in VLT
s4810-2#show running-config interface port-channel 2
!
interface Port-channel 2
no ip address
switchport
vlt-peer-lag port-channel 2
no shutdown
s4810-2#
s4810-2#show interfaces port-channel 2 brief
Codes: L - LACP Port-channel
LAG Mode
L
2
L2L3
s4810-2#

Status
up

Uptime
03:33:14

Ports
Te 0/40

(Up)

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1083

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

s4810-4#show running-config interface tengigabitethernet 0/40
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/40
no ip address
!
port-channel-protocol LACP
port-channel 2 mode active
no shutdown
s4810-4#
configuring VLT peer lag in VLT
s4810-4#show running-config interface port-channel 2
!
interface Port-channel 2
no ip address
switchport
vlt-peer-lag port-channel 2
no shutdown
s4810-4#
s4810-4#show interfaces port-channel 2 brief
Codes: L - LACP Port-channel
LAG Mode Status
Uptime
Ports
L
2
L2L3 up
03:33:14
Te 0/40
(Up)
s4810-4#

In the ToR unit, configure LACP on the physical ports.
s60-1#show running-config interface tengigabitethernet 0/48
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/48
no ip address
!
port-channel-protocol LACP
port-channel 100 mode active
no shutdown
s60-1#show running-config interface tengigabitethernet 0/50
!
interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/50
no ip address
!
port-channel-protocol LACP
port-channel 100 mode active
no shutdown
s60-1#
s60-1#show running-config interface port-channel 100
!
interface Port-channel 100
no ip address
switchport
no shutdown
s60-1#
s60-1#show interfaces port-channel 100 brief
Codes: L - LACP Port-channel

L

LAG Mode
100 L2

Status
up

Uptime
03:33:48

Ports
Te 0/48
Te 0/50

(Up)
(Up)

s60-1#

Verify VLT is up. Verify that the VLTi (ICL) link, backup link connectivity (heartbeat status) and VLT
peer link (peer chassis) are all up:

1084

|

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

FTOS(conf)#show vlt brief
VLT Domain Brief
-----------------Domain ID:
Role:
Role Priority:
ICL Link Status:
HeartBeat Status:
VLT Peer Status:
Version:
Local System MAC address:
Remote System MAC address:
Remote system version:
Delay-Restore timer:

10
Primary
32768
Up
Not Established
Up
5(1)
00:01:e8:8b:14:3c
00:01:e8:8b:15:20
5 (1)
90 seconds

FTOS#FTOS(conf-if-vl-100)#show vlt detail
Local LAG Id Peer LAG Id Local Status
Peer Status
------------ ----------- ------------ -----------10
10
UP
UP

Active VLANs
------------100, 200, 300, 400,

Verify the VLT LAG is up in both VLT peer units.
s4810-2#show interfaces port-channel 2 brief
Codes: L - LACP Port-channel
LAG Mode Status
Uptime
Ports
L
2
L2L3 up
03:43:24
Te 0/40
s4810-2#
s4810-4#show interfaces port-channel 2 brief
Codes: L - LACP Port-channel
LAG Mode
L
2
L2L3
s4810-4#

Status
up

Uptime
03:33:31

Ports
Te 0/18

(Up)

(Up)

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1085

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

eVLT Configuration Example
The following example demonstrates the steps to configure enhanced VLT (eVLT) in a network. In this
example there are two domains being configured. Domain 1 consists of Peer 1 and Peer 2; Domain 2
consists of Peer 3 and Peer 4 as shown below.

In Domain 1, configure Peer 1 first, then configure Peer 2. When that is complete, perform the same steps
for the peer nodes in Domain 2. The interface used in this example is TenGigabitEthernet.
In Domain 1, configure the VLT domain and VLTi on Peer 1:
Domain_1_Peer1#configure
Domain_1_Peer1(conf)#interface port-channel 1
Domain_1_Peer1(conf-if-po-1)#channel-member TenGigabitEthernet 0/8-9
Domain_1_Peer1#no shutdown
Domain_1_Peer1(conf)#vlt domain 1000
Domain_1_Peer1(conf-vlt-domain)#peer-link port-channel 1
Domain_1_Peer1(conf-vlt-domain)#back-up destination 10.16.130.11
Domain_1_Peer1(conf-vlt-domain)#system-mac mac-address 00:0a:00:0a:00:0a
Domain_1_Peer1(conf-vlt-domain)#unit-id 0

Configure eVLT on Peer 1:
Domain_1_Peer1(conf)#interface port-channel 100
Domain_1_Peer1(conf-if-po-100)#switchport
Domain_1_Peer1(conf-if-po-100)#vlt-peer-lag port-channel 100
Domain_1_Peer1(conf-if-po-100)#no shutdown

Add links to the eVLT port-channel on Peer 1:
Domain_1_Peer1(conf)#interface range tengigabitethernet 0/16 - 17
Domain_1_Peer1(conf-if-range-te-0/16-17)#port-channel-protocol LACP
Domain_1_Peer1(conf-if-range-te-0/16-17)#port-channel 100 mode active

1086

|

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

Domain_1_Peer1(conf-if-range-te-0/16-17)#no shutdown

Next, configure the VLT domain and VLTi on Peer 2:
Domain_1_Peer2#configure
Domain_1_Peer2(conf)#interface port-channel 1
Domain_1_Peer2(conf-if-po-1)#channel-member TenGigabitEthernet 0/8-9
Domain_1_Peer2#no shutdown
Domain_1_Peer2(conf)#vlt domain 200
Domain_1_Peer2(conf-vlt-domain)#peer-link port-channel 1
Domain_1_Peer2(conf-vlt-domain)#back-up destination 10.16.130.12
Domain_1_Peer2(conf-vlt-domain)#system-mac mac-address 00:0a:00:0a:00:0a
Domain_1_Peer2(conf-vlt-domain)#unit-id 1

Configure eVLT on Peer 2:
Domain_1_Peer2(conf)#interface port-channel 100
Domain_1_Peer2(conf-if-po-100)#switchport
Domain_1_Peer2(conf-if-po-100)#vlt-peer-lag port-channel 100
Domain_1_Peer2(conf-if-po-100)#no shutdown

Add links to the eVLT port-channel on Peer 2:
Domain_1_Peer2(conf)#interface range tengigabitethernet 0/28 - 29
Domain_1_Peer2(conf-if-range-te-0/16-17)#port-channel-protocol LACP
Domain_1_Peer2(conf-if-range-te-0/16-17)#port-channel 100 mode active
Domain_1_Peer2(conf-if-range-te-0/16-17)#no shutdown

In Domain 2, configure the VLT domain and VLTi on Peer 3:
Domain_2_Peer3#configure
Domain_2_Peer3(conf)#interface port-channel 1
Domain_2_Peer3(conf-if-po-1)#channel-member TenGigabitEthernet 0/8-9
Domain_1_Peer3#no shutdown
Domain_2_Peer3(conf)#vlt domain 200
Domain_2_Peer3(conf-vlt-domain)#peer-link port-channel 1
Domain_2_Peer3(conf-vlt-domain)#back-up destination 10.18.130.11
Domain_2_Peer3(conf-vlt-domain)#system-mac mac-address 00:0b:00:0b:00:0b
Domain_2_Peer3(conf-vlt-domain)#unit-id 0

Configure eVLT on Peer 3:
Domain_2_Peer3(conf)#interface port-channel 100
Domain_2_Peer3(conf-if-po-100)#switchport
Domain_2_Peer3(conf-if-po-100)#vlt-peer-lag port-channel 100
Domain_2_Peer3(conf-if-po-100)#no shutdown

Add links to the eVLT port-channel on Peer 3:
Domain_2_Peer3(conf)#interface range tengigabitethernet 0/19 - 20
Domain_2_Peer3(conf-if-range-te-0/16-17)#port-channel-protocol LACP
Domain_2_Peer3(conf-if-range-te-0/16-17)#port-channel 100 mode active
Domain_2_Peer3(conf-if-range-te-0/16-17)#no shutdown

Next, configure the VLT domain and VLTi on Peer 4:
Domain_2_Peer4#configure
Domain_2_Peer4(conf)#interface port-channel 1
Domain_2_Peer4(conf-if-po-1)#channel-member TenGigabitEthernet 0/8-9
Domain_1_Peer4#no shutdown

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1087

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Domain_2_Peer4(conf)#vlt domain 200
Domain_2_Peer4(conf-vlt-domain)#peer-link port-channel 1
Domain_2_Peer4(conf-vlt-domain)#back-up destination 10.18.130.12
Domain_2_Peer4(conf-vlt-domain)#system-mac mac-address 00:0b:00:0b:00:0b
Domain_2_Peer4(conf-vlt-domain)#unit-id 1

Configure eVLT on Peer 4:
Domain_2_Peer4(conf)#interface port-channel 100
Domain_2_Peer4(conf-if-po-100)#switchport
Domain_2_Peer4(conf-if-po-100)#vlt-peer-lag port-channel 100
Domain_2_Peer4(conf-if-po-100)#no shutdown

Add links to the eVLT port-channel on Peer 4:
Domain_2_Peer4(conf)#interface range tengigabitethernet 0/31 - 32
Domain_2_Peer4(conf-if-range-te-0/16-17)#port-channel-protocol LACP
Domain_2_Peer4(conf-if-range-te-0/16-17)#port-channel 100 mode active
Domain_2_Peer4(conf-if-range-te-0/16-17)#no shutdown

PIM-Sparse Mode Configuration Example
The sample configuration below shows how to configure the PIM Sparse mode designated router
functionality on the VLT domain with two VLT port-channels that are members of VLAN 4001. Refer to
the figure in PIM-Sparse Mode Support on VLT.
Enable PIM Multicast Routing on the VLT node globally
VLT_Peer1(conf)#ip multicast-routing

Enable PIM on the VLT port VLANs
VLT_Peer1(conf)#interface vlan 4001
VLT_Peer1(conf-if-vl-4001)#ip address 140.0.0.1/24
VLT_Peer1(conf-if-vl-4001)#ip pim sparse-mode
VLT_Peer1(conf-if-vl-4001)#tagged port-channel 101
VLT_Peer1(conf-if-vl-4001)#tagged port-channel 102
VLT_Peer1(conf-if-vl-4001)#no shutdown
VLT_Peer1(conf-if-vl-4001)#exit

Configure the VLTi port as a Static Multicast Router port for the VLAN
VLT_Peer1(conf)#interface vlan 4001
VLT_Peer1(conf-if-vl-4001)#ip igmp snooping mrouter interface port-channel 128
VLT_Peer1(conf-if-vl-4001)#exit
VLT_Peer1(conf)#end

Repeat these steps on VLT Peer Node 2
VLT_Peer2(conf)#ip multicast-routing
VLT_Peer2(conf)#interface vlan 4001
VLT_Peer2(conf-if-vl-4001)#ip address 140.0.0.2/24
VLT_Peer2(conf-if-vl-4001)#ip pim sparse-mode
VLT_Peer2(conf-if-vl-4001)#tagged port-channel 101
VLT_Peer2(conf-if-vl-4001)#tagged port-channel 102
VLT_Peer2(conf-if-vl-4001)#no shutdown
VLT_Peer2(conf-if-vl-4001)#ip igmp snooping mrouter interface port-channel 128
VLT_Peer2(conf-if-vl-4001)#exit
VLT_Peer2(conf)#end

1088

|

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

Verifying a VLT Configuration
To monitor the operation or verify the configuration of a VLT domain, enter any of the following show
commands on the primary and secondary VLT switches:
Show Command Syntax

Description

show vlt backup-link
Command Mode: EXEC

Displays information on backup link operation (see Figure 55-4).

show vlt brief
Command Mode: EXEC

Displays general status information about VLT domains currently
configured on the switch (see Figure 55-5).

show vlt detail
Command Mode: EXEC

Displays detailed information about the VLT-domain configuration,
including local and peer port-channel IDs, local and peer VLT switch
status, and number of active VLANs on each port channel (see
Figure 55-6).

show vlt role
Command Mode: EXEC

Displays the VLT peer status, role of the local VLT switch, VLT
system MAC address and system priority, and the MAC address and
priority of the locally-attached VLT device (see Figure 55-7).

show running-config vlt [domain-id]
Command Mode: EXEC

Display the current configuration of all VLT domains (Figure 55-8) or
a specified group on the switch.
Valid domain-id values are 1 to 1000.

show vlt statistics
Command Mode: EXEC

Displays statistics on VLT operation (see Figure 55-9).

show interfaces interface
Command Mode: EXEC

Displays the current status of a port or port-channel interface used in
the VLT domain.
interface specifies one of the following interface types:
Fast Ethernet: Enter fastethernet slot/port.
1-Gigabit Ethernet: Enter gigabitethernet slot/port.
10-Gigabit Ethernet: Enter tengigabitethernet slot/port.
Port channel: Enter port-channel {1-128}.

Figure 55-4. show vlt backup-link Command Output on VLT peer switches
FTOS#VLTpeer1#show vlt backup-link
VLT Backup Link
----------------Destination:
Peer HeartBeat status:
HeartBeat Timer Interval:
HeartBeat Timeout:
UDP Port:
HeartBeat Messages Sent:
HeartBeat Messages Received:

10.11.200.18
Up
1
3
34998
1026
1025

FTOS#VLTpeer2#show vlt backup-link
VLT Backup Link
-----------------

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1089

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Destination:
Peer HeartBeat status:
HeartBeat Timer Interval:
HeartBeat Timeout:
UDP Port:
HeartBeat Messages Sent:
HeartBeat Messages Received:

10.11.200.20
Up
1
3
34998
1030
1014

Figure 55-5. show vlt brief Command Output on VLT peer switches
FTOS(conf)#show vlt brief
VLT Domain Brief
-----------------Domain ID:
Role:
Role Priority:
ICL Link Status:
HeartBeat Status:
VLT Peer Status:
Version:
Local System MAC address:
Remote System MAC address:
Remote system version:
Delay-Restore timer:

10
Primary
32768
Up
Not Established
Up
5(1)
00:01:e8:8b:14:3c
00:01:e8:8b:15:20
5 (1)
90 seconds

Figure 55-6. show vlt detail Command Output
FTOS#FTOS(conf-if-vl-100)#show vlt detail
Local LAG Id Peer LAG Id Local Status
Peer Status
------------ ----------- ------------ -----------10
10
UP
UP

Active VLANs
------------100, 200, 300, 400,

Figure 55-7. show vlt role Command Output on VLT peer switches
FTOS#VLTpeer1#show vlt role
VLT Role
---------VLT Role:
System MAC address:
System Role Priority:
Local System MAC address:
Local System Role Priority:

Primary
00:01:e8:8a:df:bc
32768
00:01:e8:8a:df:bc
32768

FTOS#VLTpeer2#show vlt role
VLT Role
---------VLT Role:
System MAC address:
System Role Priority:
Local System MAC address:
Local System Role Priority:

1090

|

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

Secondary
00:01:e8:8a:df:bc
32768
00:01:e8:8a:df:e6
32768

Figure 55-8. show running-config vlt Command Output on VLT peer switches
FTOS#VLTpeer1#show running-config vlt
!
vlt domain 30
peer-link port-channel 60
back-up destination 10.11.200.18

FTOS#VLTpeer2#show running-config vlt
!
vlt domain 30
peer-link port-channel 60
back-up destination 10.11.200.20

Figure 55-9.

show vlt statistics Command Output on VLT peer switches

FTOS_VLTpeer1#show vlt statistics
VLT Statistics
---------------HeartBeat Messages Sent:
930
HeartBeat Messages Received:
909
ICL Hello's Sent:
927
ICL Hello's Received:
910
Domain Mismatch Errors:
0
Version Mismatch Errors:
0
Config Mismatch Errors:
0

Sample Configuration: Virtual Link Trunking
To configure virtual link trunking, you must create a VLT domain, configure a backup link and
interconnect trunk, and connect the peer switches in a VLT domain to an attached access device (switch or
server).
Figure 55-10 and Figure 55-11 show a sample configuration of virtual link trunking on each VLT peer
switch.
Figure 55-12 shows how to verify the connection to a VLT domain from an attached switch.

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1091

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 55-10.

Configuring Virtual Link Trunking (VLT Peer 1)

FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf)#vlt domain 999
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-vlt-domain)#peer-link port-channel 100
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-vlt-domain)#back-up destination 10.11.206.35
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-vlt-domain)#exit
Enable VLT and create a VLT domain

with a backup-link and interconnect
(VLTi)

FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf)#interface ManagementEthernet 0/0
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-if-ma-0/0)#ip address 10.11.206.23/16
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-if-ma-0/0)#no shutdown
Configure the backup link
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-if-ma-0/0)#exit

FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf)#interface port-channel 100
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-if-po-100)#no ip address
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-if-po-100)#channel-member fortyGigE 0/56,60
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-if-po-100)#no shutdown
Configure the VLT interconnect (VLTi)
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-if-po-100)#exit

FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf)#interface port-channel 110
Configure the port channel to an
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-if-po-110)#no ip address
attached device
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-if-po-110)#switchport
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-if-po-110)#channel-member fortyGigE 0/52
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-if-po-110)#no shutdown
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-if-po-110)#vlt-peer-lag port-channel 110
FTOS_VLTpeer1(conf-if-po-110)#end

FTOS_VLTpeer1#show vlan id 10
Codes: * - Default VLAN, G - GVRP VLANs, R - Remote Port Mirroring VLANs, P - Primary, C
- Community, I - Isolated

Verify that the port channels used in th

Q: U
x
G
i
NUM
10

1092

|

-

Untagged, T - Tagged
VLT domain are assigned to the same
Dot1x untagged, X - Dot1x tagged
VLAN
GVRP tagged, M - Vlan-stack
Internal untagged, I - Internal tagged, v - VLT untagged, V - VLT tagged
Status
Description
Q Ports
Active
T Po100(Fo 0/56,60)
V Po110(Fo 0/52)

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

Figure 55-11.

Configuring Virtual Link Trunking (VLT Peer 2)

FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf)#vlt domain 999
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-vlt-domain)#peer-link port-channel 100
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-vlt-domain)#back-up destination 10.11.206.23
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-vlt-domain)#exit
Enable VLT and create a VLT domain

with a backup-link VLT interconnect
(VLTi)
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf)#interface ManagementEthernet 0/0
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-if-ma-0/0)#ip address 10.11.206.35/16
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-if-ma-0/0)#no shutdown
Configure the backup link
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-if-ma-0/0)#exit

FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf)#interface port-channel 100
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-if-po-100)#no ip address
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-if-po-100)#channel-member fortyGigE 0/46,50
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-if-po-100)#no shutdown
Configure the VLT interconnect (VLTi)
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-if-po-100)#exit

FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf)#interface port-channel 110
Configure the port channel to an
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-if-po-110)#no ip address
attached device
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-if-po-110)#switchport
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-if-po-110)#channel-member fortyGigE 0/48
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-if-po-110)#no shutdown
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-if-po-110)#vlt-peer-lag port-channel 110
FTOS_VLTpeer2(conf-if-po-110)#end

FTOS_VLTpeer2#show vlan id 10
Codes: * - Default VLAN, G - GVRP VLANs, R - Remote Port Mirroring VLANs, P Primary, C - Community, I - Isolated
Verify that the port channels used in the
Q: U - Untagged, T - Tagged
VLT domain are assigned to the same VLAN
x - Dot1x untagged, X - Dot1x tagged
G - GVRP tagged, M - Vlan-stack
i - Internal untagged, I - Internal tagged, v - VLT untagged, V - VLT tagged
NUM
10

Figure 55-12.
Switch)

Status
Active

Description

Q Ports
T Po100(Fo 0/46,50)
V Po110(Fo 0/48)

Verifying a Port-Channel Connection to a VLT Domain (From an Attached Access

FTOS_TORswitch(conf)#show running-config interface port-channel 11
!
interface Port-channel 11
On an access device, verify the
no ip address
port-channel connection to a VLT
switchport
domain
channel-member fortyGigE 1/18,22
no shutdown

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1093

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Troubleshooting VLT
Use the following information to help troubleshoot different VLT issues that may occur.
Note: For information on VLT failure mode timing and its impact, contact your Dell Force10
representative.

Description

|

Behavior During Run
Time

Action to Take

Bandwidth monitoring

A syslog error message
and an SNMP trap is
generated when the VLTi
bandwidth usage goes
above the 80% threshold
and when it drops below
80%.

A syslog error message
and an SNMP trap is
generated when the VLTi
bandwidth usage goes
above its threshold.

Domain ID mismatch

The VLT peer does not
boot up. The VLTi is forced
to a down state.
A syslog error message
and an SNMP trap are
generated.

The VLT peer does not
Verify that the domain ID
boot up. The VLTi is forced matches on both VLT
to a down state.
peers.
A syslog error message
and an SNMP trap are
generated.

FTOS Version mismatch

A syslog error message is
generated.

A syslog error message is
generated.

Follow correct upgrade
procedure for unit with
mismatched FTOS
version.

Remote VLT port
channel status

N/A

N/A

Use the show vlt detail and
show vlt brief commands
to view VLT port channel
status information.

Spanning tree mismatch All VLT port channels go
at global level
down on both VLT peers.
A syslog error message is
generated.

No traffic is passed on the
port channels.
A one-time informational
syslog message is
generated.

During run time, a loop
may occur as long as the
mismatch lasts.
To resolve, enable RSTP
on both VLT peers.

Spanning tree mismatch A syslog error message is
at port level
generated.

A one-time informational
syslog message is
generated.

Correct the spanning tree
configuration on the ports.

A syslog error message
and an SNMP trap are
generated.

Verify that the unit ID of
VLT peers is not the same
on both units and that the
MAC address is the same
on both units.

System MAC mismatch

1094

Behavior at Peer Up

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

A syslog error message
and an SNMP trap are
generated.
The VLT domain will not
be formed. The VLTi will
be in a down state.

Depending on the traffic
that is received, the traffic
can be offloaded inVLTi.

Description

Behavior at Peer Up

Behavior During Run
Time

Action to Take

Unit ID mismatch

The VLT peer does not
boot up. The VLTi is forced
to a down state.
The VLT domain will not
be formed. The VLTi will
be in a down state.
A syslog error message is
generated.

The VLT peer does not
boot up. The VLTi is forced
to a down state.
A syslog error message is
generated.

Verify the unit ID is correct
on both VLT peers. Unit ID
numbers must be
sequential on peer units;
i.e., if Peer 1 is unit ID “0”,
Peer 2 unit ID must be “1’.

Version ID mismatch

A syslog error message
and an SNMP trap are
generated.

A syslog error message
and an SNMP trap are
generated.

Verify the FTOS software
versions on the VLT peers
is compatible. For more
information, see the
Release Notes for this
release.

VLT LAG ID is not
configured on one VLT
peer

A syslog error message is
generated. The peer with
the VLT configured
remains active.

The peer with the VLT
Verify the VLT LAG ID is
configured remains active. configured correctly on
both VLT peers.

VLT LAG ID mismatch

The VLT port channel is
brought down.
A syslog error message is
generated.

The VLT port channel is
brought down.
A syslog error message is
generated.

Perform a mismatch check
after the VLT peer is
established.

VLT LAG VLAN
mismatch

A syslog error message is
generated.

A syslog error message is
generated.

Verify that the VLAN
configuration is same for
the VLT lags on both
peers.

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) | 1095

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
1096

|

Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

56
Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)
Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) is supported on platforms:

e cs z
This chapter covers the following information:
•
•
•
•
•

VRRP Overview
VRRP Benefits
VRRP Implementation
VRRP Configuration
Sample Configurations

VRRP Overview
Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) is designed to eliminate a single point of failure in a
statically routed network.
VRRP specifies a MASTER router that owns the next hop IP and MAC address for end stations on a LAN.
The MASTER router is chosen from the virtual routers by an election process and forwards packets sent to
the next hop IP address. If the MASTER router fails, VRRP begins the election process to choose a new
MASTER router and that new MASTER continues routing traffic.
VRRP uses the Virtual Router Identifier (VRID) to identify each virtual router configured The IP address
of the MASTER router is used as the next hop address for all end stations on the LAN. The other routers
represented by IP addresses are BACKUP routers.
VRRP packets are transmitted with the virtual router MAC address as the source MAC address. The MAC
address is in the following format: 00-00-5E-00-01-{VRID}. The first three octets are unchangeable. The
next two octets (00-01) indicate the address block assigned to the VRRP protocol, and are unchangeable.
The final octet changes depending on the VRRP Virtual Router Identifier and allows for up to 255 VRRP
routers on a network.
Figure 56-1 shows a typical network configuration using VRRP. Instead of configuring the hosts on the
network 10.10.10.0 with the IP address of either Router A or Router B as their default router; their default
router is the IP Address configured on the virtual router. When any host on the LAN segment wants to
access the Internet, it sends packets to the IP address of the virtual router.

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) | 1097

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

In Figure 56-1 below, Router A is configured as the MASTER router. It is configured with the IP address
of the virtual router and sends any packets addressed to the virtual router through interface GigabitEthernet
1/1 to the Internet. As the BACKUP router, Router B is also configured with the IP address of the virtual
router. If for any reason Router A becomes unavailable, VRRP elects a new MASTER Router. Router B
assumes the duties of Router A and becomes the MASTER router. At that time, Router B responds to the
packets sent to the virtual IP address.
All workstations continue to use the IP address of the virtual router to address packets destined to the
Internet. Router B receives and forwards them on interface GigabitEthernet 10/1. Until Router A resumes
operation, VRRP allows Router B to provide uninterrupted service to the users on the LAN segment
accessing the Internet.
Figure 56-1.

Basic VRRP Configuration

INTERNET

Router A
Master Router
Virtual IP 10.10.10.3
Priority 255

Interface gi 1/1
63.62.154.23

Interface gi 1/0
10.10.10.1

Interface gi 10/1
204.1.78.37

Virtual Router

Router B
Backup Router
Virtual IP 10.10.10.3
Priority 100
Interface gi 10/0
10.10.10.2

Virtual IP Address
10.10.10.3

FN0001_lp

10.10.10.0/24
LAN Segment

IP Addresses
Default Gateway

10.10.10.4
10.10.10.3

10.10.10.5
10.10.10.3

10.10.10.6
10.10.10.3

For more detailed information on VRRP, refer to RFC 2338, Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol.

1098

|

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

VRRP Benefits
With VRRP configured on a network, end-station connectivity to the network is not subject to a single
point-of-failure. End-station connections to the network are redundant and they are not dependent on IGP
protocols to converge or update routing tables.

VRRP Implementation
E-Series supports an unlimited total number of VRRP groups on the switch while supporting up to 255
VRRP groups on a single interface (Table 56-1).
C-Series supports a total of 128 VRRP groups on the switch with varying number of maximum VRRP
groups per interface (Table 56-1).
S25/S50 supports a total of 120 VRRP groups on a switch with FTOS or a total of 20 VRRP groups when
using SFTOS. The S-Series supports varying number of maximum VRRP groups per interface
(Table 56-1).
The S55 and S60 support a total of 2000 VRRP groups on a switch and up to 100 VRRP groups per
interface (Table 56-2).
The S4810 supports a total of 2000 VRRP groups on a switch and 512 VRRP groups per interface
(Table 56-2).
Note: If you have a stacked S4810 system, Dell Force10 recommends that you configure the
mac-address-table station-move refresh-arp command on the stack to prevent VRRP from being affected in
case of a stack system failover.

Within a single VRRP group, up to 12 virtual IP addresses are supported. Virtual IP addresses can belong
to the primary or secondary IP address’ subnet configured on the interface. You can ping all the virtual IP
addresses configured on the Master VRRP router from anywhere in the local subnet.

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) | 1099

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Though FTOS on E-Series supports unlimited VRRP groups, default VRRP settings may affect the
maximum number of groups that can be configured and work efficiently, as a result of hardware throttling
VRRP advertisement packets reaching the RP2 processor on the E-Series, the CP on the C-Series, S4810,
S55, and S60, or the FP on the S25/S50. To avoid throttling VRRP advertisement packets, Dell Force10
recommends you to increase the VRRP advertisement interval to a value higher than the default value of 1
second. The recommendations are as follows:
Table 56-1.

Recommended VRRP Advertise Intervals
Recommended Advertise Interval

Total VRRP Groups

E-Series

S-Series
(S25, S50)

C-Series

Groups/Interface
E-Series
ExaScale

E-Series
TeraScale

C-Series

S-Series
(S25, S50)

Less than 250

1 second

1 second

1 second

512

255

12

12

Between 250 and 450

2 seconds

2 - 3 seconds

2 - 3 seconds

512

255

24

24

Between 450 and 600

3 seconds

4 seconds

3 - 4 seconds

512

255

36

36

Between 600 and 800

4 seconds

5 seconds

4 seconds

512

255

48

48

Between 800 and 1000

5 seconds

5 seconds

5 seconds

512

255

84

84

Between 1000 and 1200

7 seconds

7 seconds

7 seconds

512

255

100

100

Between 1200 and 1500

8 seconds

8 seconds

8 seconds

512

255

120

120

Table 56-2.

Recommended VRRP Advertise Intervals on the S4810, S55, S60
Recommended Advertise Interval

Total VRRP Groups
Less than 250

S4810

S55

Groups/Interface
S60

S4810

S55

S60

1 second

1 second

1 second

512

100

100

Between 250 and 450

2 - 3 seconds

2 - 3 seconds

2 - 3 seconds

512

100

100

Between 450 and 600

3 - 4 seconds

3 - 4 seconds

3 - 4 seconds

512

100

100

Between 600 and 800

4 seconds

4 seconds

4 seconds

512

100

100

Between 800 and 1000

5 seconds

5 seconds

5 seconds

512

100

100

Between 1000 and 1200

7 seconds

7 seconds

7 seconds

512

100

100

Between 1200 and 1500

8 seconds

8 seconds

8 seconds

512

100

100

The recommendations in Table 56-1 may vary depending on various factors like ARP broadcasts, IP
broadcasts, or STP before changing the advertisement interval. When the number of packets processed by
RP2/CP/FP processor increases or decreases based on the dynamics of the network, the advertisement
intervals in may increase or decrease accordingly.
CAUTION: Increasing the advertisement interval increases the VRRP Master dead interval, resulting in an
increased failover time for Master/Backup election. Take extra caution when increasing the advertisement
interval, as the increased dead interval may cause packets to be dropped during that switch-over time.

1100

|

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

VRRP Configuration
By default, VRRP is not configured.

Configuration Task List for VRRP
The following list specifies the configuration tasks for VRRP:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Create a Virtual Router (mandatory)
Assign Virtual IP addresses (mandatory)
Set VRRP Group (Virtual Router) Priority (optional)
Configure VRRP Authentication (optional)
Disable Preempt (optional)
Change the Advertisement interval (optional)
Track an Interface or Object (optional)
VRRP initialization delay

For a complete listing of all commands related to VRRP, refer to FTOS Command Line Interface.

Create a Virtual Router
To enable VRRP, you must create a Virtual Router. In FTOS, a VRRP Group is identified by the Virtual
Router Identifier (VRID).
To enable a Virtual Router, use the following command in the INTERFACE mode. To delete a VRRP
group, use the no vrrp-group vrid command in the INTERFACE mode.
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Create a virtual router for that interface
with a VRID.

vrrp-group vrid

INTERFACE

VRID Range: 1-255
Note: The interface must already have a Primary IP Address defined, and
be enabled.

Figure 56-2.

Command Example: vrrp-group

FTOS(conf)#int gi 1/1
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#vrrp-group 111
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#

Virtual Router ID
and VRRP Group identifier

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) | 1101

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 56-3.

Command Example Display: show config for the Interface

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#show conf
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
ip address 10.10.10.1/24
!
vrrp-group 111
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#

Note that the interface
has an IP Address and is enabled

Assign Virtual IP addresses
Virtual routers contain virtual IP addresses configured for that VRRP Group (VRID). A VRRP group does
not transmit VRRP packets until you assign the Virtual IP address to the VRRP group.
E-Series supports an unlimited total number of VRRP Groups on the router while supporting up to 255
VRRP groups on a single interface (Table 56-1).
C-Series supports a total of 128 VRRP groups on the switch with varying number of maximum VRRP
groups per interface (Table 56-1).
S-Series supports a total of 120 VRRP groups on a switch with FTOS or a total of 20 VRRP groups when
using SFTOS. The S-Series supports varying number of maximum VRRP groups per interface
(Table 56-1).
To activate a VRRP Group on an interface (so that VRRP group starts transmitting VRRP packets),
configure at least one Virtual IP address in a VRRP group. The Virtual IP address is the IP address of the
Virtual Router and does not require the IP address mask.
You can configure up to 12 Virtual IP addresses on a single VRRP Group (VRID).
The following rules apply to virtual IP addresses:
•

•

•

1102

|

The virtual IP addresses must be in the same subnet as the primary or secondary IP addresses
configured on the interface. Though a single VRRP group can contain virtual IP addresses belonging
to multiple IP subnets configured on the interface, Dell Force10 recommends you configure virtual IP
addresses belonging to the same IP subnet for any one VRRP group.
For example, an interface (on which VRRP is to be enabled) contains a primary IP address of 50.1.1.1/
24 and a secondary IP address of 60.1.1.1/24. The VRRP Group (VRID 1) must contain virtual
addresses belonging to either subnet 50.1.1.0/24 or subnet 60.1.1.0/24, but not from both subnets
(though FTOS allows the same).
If the virtual IP address and the interface’s primary/secondary IP address are the same, the priority on
that VRRP group MUST be set to 255. The interface then becomes the OWNER router of the VRRP
group and the interface’s physical MAC address is changed to that of the owner VRRP group’s MAC
address.
If multiple VRRP groups are configured on an interface, only one of the VRRP Groups can contain the
interface primary or secondary IP address.

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

Configure a Virtual IP address with these commands in the following sequence in the INTERFACE mode.
Step

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

1

Configure a VRRP group.

vrrp-group vrrp-id
VRID Range: 1-255

INTERFACE

2

Configure virtual IP addresses
for this VRID.

virtual-address ip-address1 [...ip-address12]
Range: up to 12 addresses

INTERFACE -VRID

Figure 56-4.

Command Example: virtual-address

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#virtual-address 10.10.10.1
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#virtual-address 10.10.10.2
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#virtual-address 10.10.10.3
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#

Figure 56-5.

Command Example Display: show config for the Interface

Note that the Primary IP address and the Virtual IP addresses are on the same subnet in the following
example.
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#show conf
!
interface GigabitEthernet 1/1
ip address 10.10.10.1/24
!
vrrp-group 111
priority 255
virtual-address 10.10.10.1
virtual-address 10.10.10.2
virtual-address 10.10.10.3
!
vrrp-group 222
no shutdown
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#

Figure 56-6 shows the same VRRP group (VRID 111) configured on multiple interfaces on different
subnets.

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) | 1103

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 56-6.

Command Example Display: show vrrp

FTOSshow vrrp
-----------------GigabitEthernet 1/1, VRID: 111, Net: 10.10.10.1
State: Master, Priority: 255, Master: 10.10.10.1 (local)
Hold Down: 0 sec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 1 sec
Adv rcvd: 0, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 1768, Gratuitous ARP sent: 5
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:01:6f
Virtual IP address:
10.10.10.1 10.10.10.2 10.10.10.3 10.10.10.10
Authentication: (none)
-----------------GigabitEthernet 1/2, VRID: 111, Net: 10.10.2.1
State: Master, Priority: 100, Master: 10.10.2.1 (local)
Hold Down: 0 sec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 1 sec
Adv rcvd: 0, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 27, Gratuitous ARP sent: 2
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:01:6f
Virtual IP address:
10.10.2.2 10.10.2.3
Authentication: (none)
FTOS

When the VRRP process completes its initialization, the State field contains either Master or Backup.

Set VRRP Group (Virtual Router) Priority
Setting a Virtual Router priority to 255 ensures that router is the “owner” virtual router for the VRRP
group. VRRP elects the MASTER router by choosing the router with the highest priority. THe default
priority for a Virtual Router is 100. The higher the number, the higher the priority. If the MASTER router
fails, VRRP begins the election process to choose a new MASTER router based on the next-highest
priority.
If two routers in a VRRP group come up at the same time and have the same priority value, the interface’s
physical IP addresses are used as tie-breakers to decide which is MASTER. The router with the higher IP
address will become MASTER.
Configure the VRRP Group’s priority with the following command in the VRRP mode:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure the priority for the VRRP
group.

INTERFACE -VRID

priority priority

Range: 1 to 255
Default: 100
Figure 56-7.

Command Example: priority in Interface VRRP mode

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/2)#vrrp-group 111
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/2-vrid-111)#priority 125

1104

|

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

Figure 56-8.

Command Example Display: show vrrp

FTOSshow vrrp
-----------------GigabitEthernet 1/1, VRID: 111, Net: 10.10.10.1
State: Master, Priority: 255, Master: 10.10.10.1 (local)
Hold Down: 0 sec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 1 sec
Adv rcvd: 0, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 2343, Gratuitous ARP sent: 5
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:01:6f
Virtual IP address:
10.10.10.1 10.10.10.2 10.10.10.3 10.10.10.10
Authentication: (none)
-----------------GigabitEthernet 1/2, VRID: 111, Net: 10.10.2.1
State: Master, Priority: 125, Master: 10.10.2.1 (local)
Hold Down: 0 sec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 1 sec
Adv rcvd: 0, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 601, Gratuitous ARP sent: 2
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:01:6f
Virtual IP address:
10.10.2.2 10.10.2.3
Authentication: (none)
FTOS(conf)#

Configure VRRP Authentication
Simple authentication of VRRP packets ensures that only trusted routers participate in VRRP processes.
When authentication is enabled, FTOS includes the password in its VRRP transmission, and the receiving
router uses that password to verify the transmission.
Note: All virtual routers in the VRRP group must be configured the same: authentication must be enabled
with the same password or authentication is disabled.

Configure simple authentication with the following command in the VRRP mode:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Configure a simple text password.

authentication-type simple
[encryption-type] password

INTERFACE-VRID

Parameters:
encryption-type: 0 indicates unencrypted; 7
indicates encrypted
password: plain text

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) | 1105

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 56-9.

Command Example: authentication-type

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#authentication-type ?
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#authentication-type simple 7 force10

Encryption type
(encrypted)

Figure 56-10.

Password

Command Example: show config in VRID mode with a Simple Password Configured

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#show conf
!
vrrp-group 111
authentication-type simple 7 387a7f2df5969da4
priority 255
virtual-address 10.10.10.1
virtual-address 10.10.10.2
virtual-address 10.10.10.3
virtual-address 10.10.10.10
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#

Encrypted password

Disable Preempt
The preempt command is enabled by default, and it forces the system to change the MASTER router if
another router with a higher priority comes online.
Prevent the BACKUP router with the higher priority from becoming the MASTER router by disabling
preempt.
Note: All virtual routers in the VRRP group must be configured the same: all configured with preempt
enabled or configured with preempt disabled.

Since preempt is enabled by default, disable the preempt function with the following command in the
VRRP mode. Re-enable preempt by entering the preempt command. When preempt is enabled, it does not
display in the show commands, because it is a default setting.,
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Prevent any BACKUP router with a higher priority
from becoming the MASTER router.

no preempt

INTERFACE-VRID

Figure 56-11.

Command Example: no preempt

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#vrrp-group 111
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#no preempt
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#show conf

1106

|

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

Figure 56-12.

Command Example Display: show config in VRID mode

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#show conf
!
vrrp-group 111
authentication-type simple 7 387a7f2df5969da4
no preempt
priority 255
virtual-address 10.10.10.1
virtual-address 10.10.10.2
virtual-address 10.10.10.3
virtual-address 10.10.10.10
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#

Change the Advertisement interval
By default, the MASTER router transmits a VRRP advertisement to all members of the VRRP group every
1 second, indicating it is operational and is the MASTER router. If the VRRP group misses 3 consecutive
advertisements, then the election process begins and the BACKUP virtual router with the highest priority
transitions to MASTER.
Note: Dell Force10 recommends you to increase the VRRP advertisement interval to a value
higher than the default value of 1 second to avoid throttling VRRP advertisement packets. If you do
change the time interval between VRRP advertisements on one router, you must change it on all
participating routers.

Change that advertisement interval with the following command in the VRRP mode:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Change the advertisement interval
setting.

advertise-interval seconds
Range: 1-255 seconds
Default: 1 second

INTERFACE-VRID

Figure 56-13.

Command Example: advertise-interval

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#vrrp-group 111
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#advertise-interval 10
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) | 1107

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 56-14.

Command Example Display: advertise-interval in VRID mode

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#show conf
!
vrrp-group 111
advertise-interval 10
authentication-type simple 7 387a7f2df5969da4
no preempt
priority 255
virtual-address 10.10.10.1
virtual-address 10.10.10.2
virtual-address 10.10.10.3
virtual-address 10.10.10.10
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#

Track an Interface or Object
Set FTOS to monitor the state of any interface according to the Virtual group. Each VRRP group can track
up to 12 interfaces, which may affect the priority of the VRRP group. If the tracked interface goes down,
the VRRP group’s priority is decreased by a default value of 10 (also known as cost). If the tracked
interface’s state goes up, the VRRP group’s priority is increased by 10.
Each VRRP group can track changes in the status of up to 12 interfaces and up to 20 additional objects,
which may affect the priority of the VRRP group. If a tracked interface or object goes down, the VRRP
group’s priority is decreased by a default value of 10 (also known as cost). If the state of a tracked interface
or object goes up, the VRRP group’s priority is increased by 10.
The lowered priority of the VRRP group may trigger an election. As the Master/Backup VRRP routers are
selected based on the VRRP group’s priority, tracking features ensure that the best VRRP router is the
Master for that group. The sum of all the costs of all the tracked interfaces must be less than the configured
priority on the VRRP group. If the VRRP group is configured as Owner router (priority 255), tracking for
that group is disabled, irrespective of the state of the tracked interfaces. The priority of the owner group
always remains at 255.
For a virtual group, you can track the line-protocol state or the routing status of any of the following
interfaces with the interface interface parameter:
•
•
•

•
•

1-Gigabit Ethernet: Enter gigabitethernet slot/port in the track interface command (see Step 1 below).
10-Gigabit Ethernet: Enter tengigabitethernet slot/port.
Port channel: Enter port-channel number, where valid port-channel numbers are:
• For the C-Series and S-Series, 1 to 128
• For the E-Series: 1 to 32 for EtherScale, 1 to 255 for TeraScale, and 1 to 512 for ExaScale
SONET: Enter sonet slot/port.
VLAN: Enter vlan vlan-id, where valid VLAN IDs are from 1 to 4094.

For a virtual group, you can also track the status of a configured object (track object-id command) by
entering its object number.

1108

|

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

Note that you can configure a tracked object for a VRRP group (using the track object-id command in
INTERFACE-VRID mode) before you actually create the tracked object (using a track object-id command
in CONFIGURATION mode). However, no changes in the VRRP group’s priority will occur until the
tracked object is defined and determined to be down.
In addition, if you configure a VRRP group on an interface that belongs to a VRF instance and later
configure object tracking on an interface for the VRRP group, the tracked interface must belong to the
VRF instance.
To track an interface, use the following command in the VRRP mode:
Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Monitor an interface and, optionally, set a value
to be subtracted from the interface’s VRRP
group priority.

track interface [priority-cost cost]
Cost Range: 1-254
Default: 10

INTERFACE-VRID

(Optional) Display the configuration and UP or
DOWN state of tracked objects, including the
client (VRRP group) that is tracking an object’s
state.

show track

EXEC
EXEC Privilege

(Optional) Display the configuration and UP or
DOWN state of tracked interfaces and objects
in VRRP groups, including the time since the
last change in an object’s state.

show vrrp

EXEC
EXEC Privilege

(Optional) Display the configuration of tracked
objects in VRRP groups on a specified
interface.

show running-config interface

EXEC
EXEC Privilege

interface

The sum of all the costs for all tracked interfaces must be less than the configured priority of the VRRP

group.
Figure 56-15.

Command Example: track

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1)#vrrp-group 111
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#track gigabitethernet 1/2
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) | 1109

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 56-16.

Command Example Display: track in VRID mode

FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#show conf
!
vrrp-group 111
advertise-interval 10
authentication-type simple 7 387a7f2df5969da4
no preempt
priority 255
track GigabitEthernet 1/2
virtual-address 10.10.10.1
virtual-address 10.10.10.2
virtual-address 10.10.10.3
virtual-address 10.10.10.10
FTOS(conf-if-gi-1/1-vrid-111)#

Figure 56-17.

Command Example: show track

FTOS#show track
Track 2
IPv6 route 2040::/64 metric threshold
Metric threshold is Up (STATIC/0/0)
5 changes, last change 00:02:16
Metric threshold down 255 up 254
First-hop interface is GigabitEthernet 13/2
Tracked by:
VRRP GigabitEthernet 7/30 IPv6 VRID 1
Track 3
IPv6 route 2050::/64 reachability
Reachability is Up (STATIC)
5 changes, last change 00:02:16
First-hop interface is GigabitEthernet 13/2
Tracked by:
VRRP GigabitEthernet 7/30 IPv6 VRID 1

Figure 56-18.

Command Example: show vrrp

FTOS#show vrrp
-----------------GigabitEthernet 7/30, IPv6 VRID: 1, Version: 3, Net: fe80::201:e8ff:fe01:95cc
VRF: 0 default-vrf
State: Master, Priority: 100, Master: fe80::201:e8ff:fe01:95cc (local)
Hold Down: 0 centisec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 100 centisec
Accept Mode: FALSE, Master AdvInt: 100 centisec
Adv rcvd: 0, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 310
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:02:01
Virtual IP address:
2007::1 fe80::1
Tracking states for 2 resource Ids:
2 - Up IPv6 route, 2040::/64, priority-cost 20, 00:02:11
3 - Up IPv6 route, 2050::/64, priority-cost 30, 00:02:11

1110

|

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

Figure 56-19.

Command Example: show running-config interface

FTOS#show running-config interface gigabitethernet 7/30
interface GigabitEthernet 7/30
no ip address
ipv6 address 2007::30/64
vrrp-ipv6-group 1
track 2 priority-cost 20
track 3 priority-cost 30
virtual-address 2007::1
virtual-address fe80::1
no shutdown

VRRP initialization delay
VRRP initialization delay is supported on the

only.

When configured, VRRP is enabled immediately upon system reload or boot. VRRP initialization can be
delayed to allow IGP and EGP protocols to be enabled prior to selecting the VRRP Master. This delay
ensures that VRRP initializes with no errors or conflicts. The delay can be configured for up to 15 minutes,
after which VRRP enables normally.
The delay timer is set on individual interfaces and is supported on all physical interfaces, VLANS and
LAGs.
When both CLIs are configured, the later timer rules the VRRP enabling. For example, if vrrp delay reload
600 and vrrp delay minimum 300, the following behavior occurs:
•
•

When the system reloads, VRRP waits 600 seconds (10 minutes) to bring up VRRP on all interfaces
that are up and configured for vrrp.
When an interface comes up and becomes operational, the system waits 300 seconds (5 minutes) to
bring up VRRP on that interface.

Task

Command Syntax

Command Mode

Set the delay time for VRRP initialization on an
individual interface. This is the gap between an
interface coming up and being operational, and
VRRP enabling.

vrrp delay minimum seconds

INTERFACE

Set the delay time for VRRP initialization on all
the interfaces in the system configured for
VRRP. This is the gap between system boot up
completion and VRRP enabling.

vrrp delay reload seconds

Seconds range: 0-900
Default: 0
INTERFACE

Seconds range: 0-900
Default: 0

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) | 1111

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Sample Configurations
VRRP for IPv4 Configuration
The configuration in Figure 56-20 shows how to enable IPv4 VRRP. This example does not contain
comprehensive directions and is intended to provide guidance for only a typical VRRP configuration. You
can copy and paste from the example to your CLI. Be sure you make the necessary changes to support your
own IP addresses, interfaces, names, etc. Figure 56-20 shows the VRRP topology created with the CLI
configuration in Figure 56-22.
Figure 56-20.

VRRP for IPv4 Topology

State Master: R2 was the first
interface configured with VRRP

Virtual MAC is automatically
assigned and is the same on
both Routers

State Backup: R3 was the second
interface configured with VRRP

R2#show vrrp
-----------------GigabitEthernet 2/31, VRID: 99, Net: 10.1.1.1
State: Master, Priority: 100, Master: 10.1.1.1 (local)
Hold Down: 0 sec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 1 sec
Adv rcvd: 0, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 661, Gratuitous ARP sent: 1
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:01:63
Virtual IP address:
10.1.1.3
Authentication: (none)
R2#

R3#show vrrp
-----------------GigabitEthernet 3/21, VRID: 99, Net: 10.1.1.1
State: Backup, Priority: 100, Master: 10.1.1.1 (local)
Hold Down: 0 sec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 1 sec
Adv rcvd: 331, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 0, Gratuitous ARP sent: 0
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:01:63
Virtual IP address:
10.1.1.3
Authentication: (none)
R3#

10.1.1.2

10.1.1.1

GigE 2/31

GigE 3/21

R2

VRID 99 10.1.1.3

Internet

1112

|

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

R3

Figure 56-21.

Configure VRRP for IPv4 Router 2

R2(conf)#int gi 2/31
R2(conf-if-gi-2/31)#ip address 10.1.1.1/24
R2(conf-if-gi-2/31)#vrrp-group 99
R2(conf-if-gi-2/31-vrid-99)#priority 200
R2(conf-if-gi-2/31-vrid-99)#virtual 10.1.1.3
R2(conf-if-gi-2/31-vrid-99)#no shut
R2(conf-if-gi-2/31)#show conf
!
interface GigabitEthernet 2/31
ip address 10.1.1.1/24
!
vrrp-group 99
priority 200
virtual-address 10.1.1.3
no shutdown
R2(conf-if-gi-2/31)#end
R2#show vrrp
-----------------GigabitEthernet 2/31, VRID: 99, Net: 10.1.1.1
State: Master, Priority: 200, Master: 10.1.1.1 (local)
Hold Down: 0 sec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 1 sec
Adv rcvd: 0, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 817, Gratuitous ARP sent: 1
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:01:63
Virtual IP address:
10.1.1.3
Authentication: (none)
R2#
Router 3
R3(conf)#int gi 3/21
R3(conf-if-gi-3/21)#ip address 10.1.1.2/24
R3(conf-if-gi-3/21)#vrrp-group 99
R3(conf-if-gi-3/21-vrid-99)#virtual 10.1.1.3
R3(conf-if-gi-3/21-vrid-99)#no shut
R3(conf-if-gi-3/21)#show conf
!
interface GigabitEthernet 3/21
ip address 10.1.1.1/24
!
vrrp-group 99
virtual-address 10.1.1.3
no shutdown
R3(conf-if-gi-3/21)#end
R3#show vrrp
-----------------GigabitEthernet 3/21, VRID: 99, Net: 10.1.1.2
State: Backup, Priority: 100, Master: 10.1.1.1
Hold Down: 0 sec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 1 sec
Adv rcvd: 698, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 0, Gratuitous ARP sent: 0
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:01:63
Virtual IP address:
10.1.1.3
Authentication: (none)

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) | 1113

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

VRRP for IPv6 Configuration
Figure 56-22 shows an example of a VRRP for IPv6 configuration in which the IPv6 VRRP group consists
of two routers. This example does not contain comprehensive directions and is intended to provide
guidance for only a typical VRRP configuration. You can copy and paste from the example to your CLI.
Be sure you make the necessary changes to support your own IP addresses, interfaces, names, etc.
Figure 56-22 shows the VRRP for IPv6 topology with the CLI configuration.
Figure 56-22.

Configure VRRP for IPv6

Master State: Although both R2 and
R3 have the same priority (100),
R2 is the master in the VRRP group
because the R2 interface has a
higher IPv6 address.
Virtual MAC is automatically
assigned and is the same on
both Routers
You must configure
both a virtual IPv6 address and a
virtual link local (fe80) address for
an IPv6 VRRP group

Backup State: R3 is the backup in
the VRRP group because the R3
interface has a lower IPv6 address.
Virtual MAC is automatically
assigned and is the same on
both Routers
You must configure
both a virtual IPv6 address and a
virtual link local (fe80) address for
an IPv6 VRRP group

R2#show vrrp
-----------------GigabitEthernet 0/0, IPv6 VRID: 10, Net: fe80::201:e8ff:fe6a:c59f
VRF: 0 default-vrf
State: Master, Priority: 100, Master: fe80::201:e8ff:fe6a:c59f (local)
Hold Down: 0 centisec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 100 centisec
Accept Mode: FALSE, Master AdvInt: 100 centisec
Adv rcvd: 0, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 135
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:02:0a
Virtual IP address:
1::10 fe80::10
R2#

R3#show vrrp
-----------------GigabitEthernet 1/0, IPv6 VRID: 10, Net: fe80::201:e8ff:fe6b:1845
VRF: 0 default-vrf
State: BackupPriority: 100, Master: fe80::201:e8ff:fe6a:c59f
Hold Down: 0 centisec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 100 centisec
Accept Mode: FALSE, Master AdvInt: 100 centisec
Adv rcvd: 0, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 135
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:02:0a
Virtual IP address:
1::10 fe80::10
R2#

GigE 0/0 fe80::201:e8ff:fe6a:c59f

R2

VRID 10

GigE 1/0 fe80::201:e8ff:fe6b:1845

1::10 fe80::10

R3

Internet

Note: In a VRRP or VRRPv3 group, if two routers come up with the same priority and another router
already has MASTER status, the router with master status continues to be master even if one of two routers has a higher IP or IPv6 address.

1114

|

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

Figure 56-23.

Configure VRRP for IPv6

Router 2
R2(conf)#interface gigabitethernet 0/0
R2(conf-if-gi-0/0)#no ip address
R2(conf-if-gi-0/0)#ipv6 address 1::1/64
R2(conf-if-gi-0/0)#vrrp-group 10
R2(conf-if-gi-0/0-vrid-10)#virtual-address fe80::10
R2(conf-if-gi-0/0-vrid-10)#virtual-address 1::10
R2(conf-if-gi-0/0-vrid-10)#no shutdown
R2(conf-if-gi-0/0)#show config
interface GigabitEthernet 0/0
ipv6 address 1::1/64
vrrp-group 10
priority 100
virtual-address fe80::10
virtual-address 1::10
no shutdown
R2(conf-if-gi-0/0)#end

You must configure a virtual link local (fe80)
address for each VRRPv3 group created for
an interface. The VRRPv3 group becomes
active as soon as you configure the link local
address. Afterwards, you can configure the
group’s virtual IPv6 address.
The virtual IPv6 address you configure
should be the same as the IPv6 subnet to
which the interface belongs.

R2#show vrrp
-----------------GigabitEthernet 0/0, IPv6 VRID: 10, Version: 3, Net:fe80::201:e8ff:fe6a:c59f
VRF: 0 default-vrf
State: Master, Priority: 100, Master: fe80::201:e8ff:fe6a:c59f (local)
Hold Down: 0 centisec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 100 centisec
Accept Mode: FALSE, Master AdvInt: 100 centisec
Adv rcvd: 0, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 135
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:02:0a
Virtual IP address:
1::10 fe80::10
Although R2 and R3 have the same default

Router 3
R3(conf)#interface gigabitethernet 1/0
R3(conf-if-gi-1/0)#no ipv6 address
R3(conf-if-gi-1/0)#ipv6 address 1::2/64
R3(conf-if-gi-1/0)#vrrp-group 10
R2(conf-if-gi-1/0-vrid-10)#virtual-address fe80::10
R2(conf-if-gi-1/0-vrid-10)#virtual-address 1::10
R3(conf-if-gi-1/0-vrid-10)#no shutdown
R3(conf-if-gi-1/0)#show config
interface GigabitEthernet 1/0
ipv6 address 1::2/64
vrrp-group 10
priority 100
virtual-address fe80::10
virtual-address 1::10
no shutdown
R3(conf-if-gi-1/0)#end

priority (100), R2 is elected master in the
.VRRPv3 group because the GigE 0/0
interface has a higher IPv6 address than
the GigE 1/0 interface on R3.

R3#show vrrp
-----------------GigabitEthernet 1/0, IPv6 VRID: 10, Version: 3, Net:
fe80::201:e8ff:fe6b:1845
VRF: 0 default-vrf
State: Backup, Priority: 100, Master: fe80::201:e8ff:fe6a:c59f
Hold Down: 0 centisec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 100 centisec
Accept Mode: FALSE, Master AdvInt: 100 centisec
Adv rcvd: 11, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 0
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:02:0a

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) | 1115

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

VRRP in VRF Configuration
The example in this section shows how to enable VRRP operation in a VRF virtualized network for the
following scenarios:
•
•

Multiple VRFs on physical interfaces running VRRP
Multiple VRFs on VLAN interfaces running VRRP

To view a VRRP in VRF configuration, use the show commands described in Displaying a VRRP in VRF
Configuration on page 1121.

Non-VLAN Scenario
Figure 56-24.

VRRP in VRF: Non-VLAN Example

Switch-1
VRID 11
Node IP 10.10.1.5
Virtual IP 10.10.1.2

Switch-2
VRID 11
Node IP 10.10.1.2
Virtual IP 10.10.1.2

VRID 11
Node IP 10.10.1.6
Virtual IP 10.10.1.2

VRID 11
Node IP 10.10.1.2
Virtual IP 10.10.1.2

VRID 15
Node IP 20.1.1.5
Virtual IP 20.1.1.5

VRID 15
Node IP 20.1.1.6
Virtual IP 20.1.1.5

Figure 56-24 shows a typical use case in which three virtualized overlay networks are created by
configuring three VRFs in two E-Series switches. The default gateway to reach the internet in each VRF is
a static route with the next hop being the virtual IP address configured in VRRP. In this scenario, a single
VLAN is associated with each VRF.

1116

|

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

Both Switch-1 and Switch-2 have three VRF instances defined: VRF-1, VRF-2, and VRF-3. Each VRF has
a separate physical interface to a LAN switch and an upstream VPN interface to connect to the Internet.
Both Switch-1 and Switch-2 use VRRP groups on each VRF instance in order that there is one master and
one backup router for each VRF. In VRF-1 and VRF-2, Switch-2 serves as owner-master of the VRRP
group and Switch-1 serves as the backup. On VRF-3, Switch-1 is the owner-master and Switch-2 is the
backup.
Note that in VRF-1 and VRF-2 on Switch-2, the virtual IP and node IP address, subnet, and VRRP group
are the same. On Switch-1, the virtual IP address, subnet, and VRRP group are the same in VRF-1 and
VRF-2, but the IP address of the node interface is unique. There is no requirement for the virtual IP and
node IP addresses to be the same in VRF-1 and VRF-2; similarly, there is no requirement for the IP
addresses to be different. In VRF-3, the node IP addresses and subnet are unique.
Figure 56-25.

VRRP in VRF: Switch-1 Non-VLAN Configuration

Switch-1
S1(conf)#ip vrf default-vrf 0
!
S1(conf)#ip vrf VRF-1 1
!
S1(conf)#ip vrf VRF-2 2
!
S1(conf)#ip vrf VRF-3 3
!
S1(conf)#interface GigabitEthernet 12/1
S1(conf-if-gi-12/1)#ip vrf forwarding VRF-1
S1(conf-if-gi-12/1)#ip address 10.10.1.5/24
S1(conf-if-gi-12/1)#vrrp-group 11
% Info: The VRID used by the VRRP group 11 in VRF 1 will be 177.
S1(conf-if-gi-12/1-vrid-101)#priority 100
S1(conf-if-gi-12/1-vrid-101)#virtual-address 10.10.1.2
S1(conf-if-gi-12/1)#no shutdown
!
S1(conf)#interface GigabitEthernet 12/2
S1(conf-if-gi-12/2)#ip vrf forwarding VRF-2
S1(conf-if-gi-12/2)#ip address 10.10.1.6/24
S1(conf-if-gi-12/2)#vrrp-group 11
% Info: The VRID used by the VRRP group 11 in VRF 2 will be 178.
S1(conf-if-gi-12/2-vrid-101)#priority 100
S1(conf-if-gi-12/2-vrid-101)#virtual-address 10.10.1.2
S1(conf-if-gi-12/2)#no shutdown
!
S1(conf)#interface GigabitEthernet 12/3
S1(conf-if-gi-12/3)#ip vrf forwarding VRF-3
S1(conf-if-gi-12/3)#ip address 20.1.1.5/24
S1(conf-if-gi-12/3)#vrrp-group 15
% Info: The VRID used by the VRRP group 15 in VRF 3 will be 243.
S1(conf-if-gi-12/3-vrid-105)#priority 255
S1(conf-if-gi-12/3-vrid-105)#virtual-address 20.1.1.5
S1(conf-if-gi-12/3)#no shutdown

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) | 1117

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 56-26.

VRRP in VRF: Switch-2 Non-VLAN Configuration

Switch-2
S2(conf)#ip vrf default-vrf 0
!
S2(conf)#ip vrf VRF-1 1
!
S2(conf)#ip vrf VRF-2 2
!
S2(conf)#ip vrf VRF-3 3
!
S2(conf)#interface GigabitEthernet 12/1
S2(conf-if-gi-12/1)#ip vrf forwarding VRF-1
S2(conf-if-gi-12/1)#ip address 10.10.1.2/24
S2(conf-if-gi-12/1)#vrrp-group 11
% Info: The VRID used by the VRRP group 11 in VRF 1 will be 177.
S2(conf-if-gi-12/1-vrid-101)#priority 255
S2(conf-if-gi-12/1-vrid-101)#virtual-address 10.10.1.2
S2(conf-if-gi-12/1)#no shutdown
!
S2(conf)#interface GigabitEthernet 12/2
S2(conf-if-gi-12/2)#ip vrf forwarding VRF-2
S2(conf-if-gi-12/2)#ip address 10.10.1.2/24
S2(conf-if-gi-12/2)#vrrp-group 11
% Info: The VRID used by the VRRP group 11 in VRF 2 will be 178.
S2(conf-if-gi-12/2-vrid-101)#priority 255
S2(conf-if-gi-12/2-vrid-101)#virtual-address 10.10.1.2
S2(conf-if-gi-12/2)#no shutdown
!
S2(conf)#interface GigabitEthernet 12/3
S2(conf-if-gi-12/3)#ip vrf forwarding VRF-3
S2(conf-if-gi-12/3)#ip address 20.1.1.6/24
S2(conf-if-gi-12/3)#vrrp-group 15
% Info: The VRID used by the VRRP group 15 in VRF 3 will be 243.
S2(conf-if-gi-12/3-vrid-105)#priority 100
S2(conf-if-gi-12/3-vrid-105)#virtual-address 20.1.1.5
S2(conf-if-gi-12/3)#no shutdown

VLAN Scenario
In another scenario, VRF-1, VRF-2, and VRF-3 use a single physical interface with multiple tagged
VLANS (instead of separate physical interfaces) to connect to the LAN. In this case, three VLANs are
configured: VLAN-100, VLAN-200, and VLAN-300. Each VLAN is a member of one VRF. A physical
interface (gigabitethernet 0/1) attaches to the LAN and is configured as a tagged interface in VLAN-100,
VLAN-200, and VLAN-300. The rest of this user case is the same as the non-VLAN scenario.
This VLAN scenario often occurs in a service-provider network in which VLAN tags are configured for
traffic from multiple customers on customer-premises equipment (CPE), and separate VRF instances
associated with each VLAN are configured on the provider edge (PE) router in the point-of-presence
(POP).

1118

|

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

Figure 56-27.

VRRP in VRF: Switch-1 VLAN Configuration

Switch-1
S1(conf)#ip vrf VRF-1 1
!
S1(conf)#ip vrf VRF-2 2
!
S1(conf)#ip vrf VRF-3 3
!
S1(conf)#interface GigabitEthernet 12/4
S1(conf-if-gi-12/4)#no ip address
S1(conf-if-gi-12/4)#switchport
S1(conf-if-gi-12/4)#no shutdown
!
S1(conf-if-gi-12/4)#interface vlan 100
S1(conf-if-vl-100)#ip vrf forwarding VRF-1
S1(conf-if-vl-100)#ip address 10.10.1.5/24
S1(conf-if-vl-100)#tagged gigabitethernet 12/4
S1(conf-if-vl-100)#vrrp-group 11
% Info: The VRID used by the VRRP group 11 in VRF 1 will be 177.
S1(conf-if-vl-100-vrid-101)#priority 100
S1(conf-if-vl-100-vrid-101)#virtual-address 10.10.1.2
S1(conf-if-vl-100)#no shutdown
!
S1(conf-if-gi-12/4)#interface vlan 200
S1(conf-if-vl-200)#ip vrf forwarding VRF-2
S1(conf-if-vl-200)#ip address 10.10.1.6/24
S1(conf-if-vl-200)#tagged gigabitethernet 12/4
S1(conf-if-vl-200)#vrrp-group 11
% Info: The VRID used by the VRRP group 11 in VRF 2 will be 178.
S1(conf-if-vl-200-vrid-101)#priority 100
S1(conf-if-vl-200-vrid-101)#virtual-address 10.10.1.2
S1(conf-if-vl-200)#no shutdown
!
S1(conf-if-gi-12/4)#interface vlan 300
S1(conf-if-vl-300)#ip vrf forwarding VRF-3
S1(conf-if-vl-300)#ip address 20.1.1.5/24
S1(conf-if-vl-300)#tagged gigabitethernet 12/4
S1(conf-if-vl-300)#vrrp-group 15
% Info: The VRID used by the VRRP group 15 in VRF 3 will be 243.
S1(conf-if-vl-300-vrid-101)#priority 255
S1(conf-if-vl-300-vrid-101)#virtual-address 20.1.1.5
S1(conf-if-vl-300)#no shutdown

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) | 1119

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Figure 56-28.

1120

VRRP in VRF: Switch-2 VLAN Configuration

Switch-2
S2(conf)#ip vrf VRF-1 1
!
S2(conf)#ip vrf VRF-2 2
!
S2(conf)#ip vrf VRF-3 3
!
S2(conf)#interface GigabitEthernet 12/4
S2(conf-if-gi-12/4)#no ip address
S2(conf-if-gi-12/4)#switchport
S2(conf-if-gi-12/4)#no shutdown
!
S2(conf-if-gi-12/4)#interface vlan 100
S2(conf-if-vl-100)#ip vrf forwarding VRF-1
S2(conf-if-vl-100)#ip address 10.10.1.2/24
S2(conf-if-vl-100)#tagged gigabitethernet 12/4
S2(conf-if-vl-100)#vrrp-group 11
% Info: The VRID used by the VRRP group 11 in VRF 1 will be 177.
S2(conf-if-vl-100-vrid-101)#priority 255
S2(conf-if-vl-100-vrid-101)#virtual-address 10.10.1.2
S2(conf-if-vl-100)#no shutdown
!
S2(conf-if-gi-12/4)#interface vlan 200
S2(conf-if-vl-200)#ip vrf forwarding VRF-2
S2(conf-if-vl-200)#ip address 10.10.1.2/24
S2(conf-if-vl-200)#tagged gigabitethernet 12/4
S2(conf-if-vl-200)#vrrp-group 11
% Info: The VRID used by the VRRP group 11 in VRF 2 will be 178.
S2(conf-if-vl-200-vrid-101)#priority 255
S2(conf-if-vl-200-vrid-101)#virtual-address 10.10.1.2
S2(conf-if-vl-200)#no shutdown
!
S2(conf-if-gi-12/4)#interface vlan 300
S2(conf-if-vl-300)#ip vrf forwarding VRF-3
S2(conf-if-vl-300)#ip address 20.1.1.6/24
S2(conf-if-vl-300)#tagged gigabitethernet 12/4
S2(conf-if-vl-300)#vrrp-group 15
% Info: The VRID used by the VRRP group 15 in VRF 3 will be 243.
S2(conf-if-vl-300-vrid-101)#priority 100
S2(conf-if-vl-300-vrid-101)#virtual-address 20.1.1.5
S2(conf-if-vl-300)#no shutdown

|

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

Displaying a VRRP in VRF Configuration
To display information on a VRRP group that is configured on an interface that belongs to a VRF instance,
enter the show running-config track [interface interface] command:
Figure 56-29.

Command Example: show running-config track interface

FTOS#show running-config interface gigabitethernet 13/4
interface GigabitEthernet 13/4
ip vrf forwarding red
ip address 192.168.0.1/24
vrrp-group 4
virtual-address 192.168.0.254
no shutdown

To display information on the VRRP groups configured on interfaces that belong to a VRF instance, enter
the show vrrp vrf [vrf instance] command:
Figure 56-30.

Command Example: show vrrp vrf

FTOS#show vrrp vrf red
-----------------GigabitEthernet 13/4, IPv4 Vrrp-group: 4, VRID: 65, Version: 2, Net: 192.168.0.1
VRF: 1 red
State: Master, Priority: 100, Master: 192.168.0.1 (local)
Hold Down: 0 sec, Preempt: TRUE, AdvInt: 1 sec
Adv rcvd: 0, Bad pkts rcvd: 0, Adv sent: 9, Gratuitous ARP sent: 1
Virtual MAC address:
00:00:5e:00:01:41
Virtual IP address:
192.168.0.254
Authentication: (none)

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) | 1121

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
1122

|

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

57
Standards Compliance
This appendix contains the following sections:
•
•
•

IEEE Compliance
RFC and I-D Compliance
MIB Location
Note: Unless noted, when a standard cited here is listed as supported by FTOS, FTOS also supports
predecessor standards. One way to search for predecessor standards is to use the http://tools.ietf.org/
website. Click on “Browse and search IETF documents”, enter an RFC number, and inspect the top of
the resulting document for obsolescence citations to related RFCs.

IEEE Compliance
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

802.1AB — LLDP
802.1D — Bridging, STP
802.1p — L2 Prioritization
802.1Q — VLAN Tagging, Double VLAN Tagging, GVRP
802.1s — MSTP
802.1w — RSTP
802.1X — Network Access Control (Port Authentication)
802.3ab — Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T)
802.3ac — Frame Extensions for VLAN Tagging
802.3ad — Link Aggregation with LACP
802.3ae — 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GBASE-W, 10GBASE-X)
802.3af — Power over Ethernet
802.3ak — 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GBASE-CX4)
802.3i — Ethernet (10BASE-T)
802.3u — Fast Ethernet (100BASE-FX, 100BASE-TX)
802.3x — Flow Control
802.3z — Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-X)
ANSI/TIA-1057— LLDP-MED
Force10 — FRRP (Force10 Redundant Ring Protocol)

Standards Compliance | 1123

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

•
•
•

Force10 — PVST+
SFF-8431 — SFP+ Direct Attach Cable (10GSFP+Cu)
MTU — 9,252 bytes

RFC and I-D Compliance
The following standards are supported by FTOS, and are grouped by related protocol. The columns
showing support by platform indicate which version of FTOS first supports the standard.
Note: Checkmarks () in the E-Series column indicate that FTOS support was added before FTOS
version 7.5.1.

General Internet Protocols
FTOS support, per platform
RFC#

Full Name

s

c et ex z

768

User Datagram Protocol

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

793

Transmission Control Protocol

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

854

Telnet Protocol Specification

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

959

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1321

The MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1350

The TFTP Protocol (Revision 2)

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1661

The Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)



1989

PPP Link Quality Monitoring



1990

The PPP Multilink Protocol (MP)



1994

PPP Challenge Handshake Authentication
Protocol (CHAP)



2474

Definition of the Differentiated Services Field (DS
Field) in the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers

2615

PPP over SONET/SDH



2615

PPP over SONET/SDH



2698

A Two Rate Three Color Marker



8.1.1

3164

The BSD syslog Protocol

7.5.1



8.1.1

7.6.1



8.1.1

draft-ietf-bf Bidirectional Forwarding Detection
d-base-03

1124

|

Standards Compliance

7.7.1

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

General IPv4 Protocols
FTOS support, per platform
RFC#

Full Name

s

c et ex z

791

Internet Protocol

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

792

Internet Control Message Protocol

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

826

An Ethernet Address Resolution Protocol

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1027

Using ARP to Implement Transparent Subnet
Gateways

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1035

Domain N ames- Implementation and
Specification (client)

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1042

A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams
over IEEE 802 Networks

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1191

Path MTU Discovery

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1305

Network Time Protocol (Version 3) Specification,
Implementation and Analysis

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1519

Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR): an
Address Assignment and Aggregation Strategy

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1542

Clarifications and Extensions for the Bootstrap
Protocol

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1812

Requirements for IP Version 4 Routers

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2131

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2338

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

3021

Using 31-Bit Prefixes on IPv4 Point-to-Point
Links

7.7.1

7.7.1

7.7.1

8.1.1

3046

DHCP Relay Agent Information Option

7.8.1

7.8.1

3069

VLAN Aggregation for Efficient IP Address
Allocation

7.8.1

7.8.1

3128

Protection Against a Variant of the Tiny Fragment
Attack

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

General IPv6 Protocols
FTOS support, per platform
RFC#

Full Name

s

c et ex z

1886

DNS Extensions to support IP version 6

7.8.1

7.8.1



8.2.1

1981
(Partial)

Path MTU Discovery for IP version 6

7.8.1

7.8.1



8.2.1

9.1(0.0) 8.3.12.1

Standards Compliance | 1125

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

General IPv6 Protocols
2460

Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification

7.8.1

7.8.1



8.2.1

2461
(Partial)

Neighbor Discovery for IP Version 6 (IPv6)

7.8.1

7.8.1



8.2.1

2462
(Partial)

IPv6 Stateless Address Autoconfiguration

7.8.1

7.8.1



8.2.1

2463

Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMPv6) for
the Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)
Specification

7.8.1

7.8.1



8.2.1

2464

Transmission of IPv6 Packets over Ethernet
Networks

7.8.1

7.8.1



8.2.1

2675

IPv6 Jumbograms

7.8.1

7.8.1



8.2.1

2740

OSPF for IPv6

3587

IPv6 Global Unicast Address Format

7.8.1

7.8.1



8.2.1

4291

Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Addressing
Architecture

7.8.1

7.8.1



8.2.1

9.1

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
FTOS support, per platform

1126

|

RFC#

Full Name

s

c et ex z

1997

BGP Communities Attribute

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

2385

Protection of BGP Sessions via the TCP MD5 Signature
Option

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

2439

BGP Route Flap Damping

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

2545

Use of BGP-4 Multiprotocol Extensions for IPv6
Inter-Domain Routing

7.8.1



8.2.1

2796

BGP Route Reflection: An Alternative to Full Mesh
Internal BGP (IBGP)

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

2842

Capabilities Advertisement with BGP-4

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

2858

Multiprotocol Extensions for BGP-4

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

2918

Route Refresh Capability for BGP-4

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

3065

Autonomous System Confederations for BGP

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

4360

BGP Extended Communities Attribute

7.8.1

7.7.1

7.6.1

8.1.1

4893

BGP Support for Four-octet AS Number Space

7.8.1

7.7.1

7.7.1

8.1.1

5396

Textual Representation of Autonomous System (AS)
Numbers

8.1.2

8.1.2

8.1.2

8.2.1

Standards Compliance

9.1

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
draft-ietf-idr A Border Gateway Protocol 4 (BGP-4)
-bgp4-20

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

draft-ietf-idr
-restart-06

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

Graceful Restart Mechanism for BGP

Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
FTOS support, per platform
RFC#

Full Name

s

c et ex z

1587

The OSPF Not-So-Stubby Area (NSSA) Option

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2154

OSPF with Digital Signatures

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2328

OSPF Version 2

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2370

The OSPF Opaque LSA Option

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2740

OSPF for IPv6

7.8.1



8.2.1

3623

Graceful OSPF Restart

7.8.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

4222

Prioritized Treatment of Specific OSPF Version 2
Packets and Congestion Avoidance

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS)
FTOS support, per platform

s

c et ex z

RFC#

Full Name

1142

OSI IS-IS Intra-Domain Routing Protocol (ISO DP
10589)



8.1.1

1195

Use of OSI IS-IS for Routing in TCP/IP and Dual
Environments



8.1.1

2763

Dynamic Hostname Exchange Mechanism for IS-IS



8.1.1

2966

Domain-wide Prefix Distribution with Two-Level IS-IS



8.1.1

3373

Three-Way Handshake for Intermediate System to
Intermediate System (IS-IS) Point-to-Point Adjacencies



8.1.1

3567

IS-IS Cryptographic Authentication



8.1.1

3784

Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS)
Extensions in Support of Generalized Multi-Protocol
Label Switching (GMPLS)



8.1.1

5120

M-ISIS: Multi Topology (MT) Routing in Intermediate
System to Intermediate Systems (IS-ISs)

7.8.1

8.2.1

Standards Compliance | 1127

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS)
5306

Restart Signaling for IS-IS

draft-ietf-isis Point-to-point operation over LAN in link-state routing
-igp-p2p-ove protocols
r-lan-06
draft-ietf-isis Routing IPv6 with IS-IS
-ipv6-06
draft-kaplan- Extended Ethernet Frame Size Support
isis-ext-eth02

8.3.1

8.3.1



8.1.1

7.5.1

8.2.1



8.1.1

Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
FTOS support, per platform
RFC#

Full Name

s

c et ex z

1058

Routing Information Protocol

7.8.1

7.6.1



8.1.1

2453

RIP Version 2

7.8.1

7.6.1



8.1.1

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
FTOS support, per platform

1128

|

s

c et ex z

RFC#

Full Name

2702

Requirements for Traffic Engineering Over MPLS

8.3.1

3031

Multiprotocol Label Switching Architecture

8.3.1

3032

MPLS Label Stack Encoding

8.3.1

3209

RSVP-TE: Extensions to RSVP for LSP Tunnels

8.3.1

3630

Traffic Engineering (TE) Extensions to OSPF Version 2

8.3.1

3784

Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS)
Extensions for Traffic Engineering (TE)

8.3.1

3812

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Traffic
Engineering (TE) Management Information Base (MIB)

8.3.1

3813

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Label
Switching Router (LSR) Management Information Base
(MIB)

8.3.1

4090

Fast Reroute Extensions to RSVP-TE for LSP Tunnels

8.3.1

4379

Detecting Multi-Protocol Label Switched Data Plane
Failures (MPLS TE/LDP Ping & Traceroute

8.3.1

Standards Compliance

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
5036

LDP Specification

8.3.1

5063

Extensions to GMPLS Resource Reservation Protocol
(RSVP) Graceful Restart

8.3.1

Multicast
FTOS support, per platform
RFC#

Full Name

s

c et ex z

1112

Host Extensions for IP Multicasting

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

2236

Internet Group Management Protocol, Version 2

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

2710

Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD) for IPv6



8.2.1

3376

Internet Group Management Protocol, Version 3

3569

An Overview of Source-Specific Multicast (SSM)

3618

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

7.8.1
SSM for
IPv4

7.7.1
SSM for
IPv4

7.5.1
SSM for
IPv4/
IPv6

8.2.1
SSM for
IPv4

Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)



8.1.1

3810

Multicast Listener Discovery Version 2 (MLDv2) for
IPv6



8.2.1

3973

Protocol Independent Multicast - Dense Mode
(PIM-DM): Protocol Specification (Revised)



4541

Considerations for Internet Group Management
Protocol (IGMP) and Multicast Listener Discovery
(MLD) Snooping Switches

7.6.1
(IGMPv
1/v2)

draft-ietf-pi
m-sm-v2-ne
w-05

Protocol Independent Multicast - Sparse Mode
(PIM-SM): Protocol Specification (Revised)

7.8.1
PIM-SM
for IPv4

8.2.1
7.6.1

(IGMPv IGMPv1 IGMPv1
/v2/v3,
1/v2)
/v2/v3,
MLDv1 MLDv1
Snoopin Snoopin
g
g
7.7.1


IPv4/
IPv6

8.2.1
PIM-SM
for IPv4/
IPv6

Standards Compliance | 1129

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
1130

Network Management
FTOS support, per platform

|

s

c et ex z

Structure and Identification of Management Information
for TCP/IP-based Internets

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1156

Management Information Base for Network
Management of TCP/IP-based internets

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1157

A Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1212

Concise MIB Definitions

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1215

A Convention for Defining Traps for use with the
SNMP

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1493

Definitions of Managed Objects for Bridges [except for
the dot1dTpLearnedEntryDiscards object]

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1724

RIP Version 2 MIB Extension

7.5.1



8.1.1

1850

OSPF Version 2 Management Information Base

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

1901

Introduction to Community-based SNMPv2

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2011

SNMPv2 Management Information Base for the
Internet Protocol using SMIv2

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2012

SNMPv2 Management Information Base for the
Transmission Control Protocol using SMIv2

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2013

SNMPv2 Management Information Base for the User
Datagram Protocol using SMIv2

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2024

Definitions of Managed Objects for Data Link
Switching using SMIv2

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2096

IP Forwarding Table MIB

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2558

Definitions of Managed Objects for the Synchronous
Optical Network/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy
(SONET/SDH) Interface Type

2570

Introduction and Applicability Statements for Internet
Standard Management Framework

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2571

An Architecture for Describing Simple Network
Management Protocol (SNMP) Management
Frameworks

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2572

Message Processing and Dispatching for the Simple
Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2574

User-based Security Model (USM) for version 3 of the
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMPv3)

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2575

View-based Access Control Model (VACM) for the
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

RFC#

Full Name

1155

Standards Compliance



Network Management (continued)
FTOS support, per platform

s

c et ex z

Coexistence Between Version 1, Version 2, and Version
3 of the Internet-standard Network Management
Framework

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2578

Structure of Management Information Version 2
(SMIv2)

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2579

Textual Conventions for SMIv2

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2580

Conformance Statements for SMIv2

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2618

RADIUS Authentication Client MIB, except the
following four counters:
radiusAuthClientInvalidServerAddresses
radiusAuthClientMalformedAccessResponses
radiusAuthClientUnknownTypes
radiusAuthClientPacketsDropped

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2665

Definitions of Managed Objects for the Ethernet-like
Interface Types

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2674

Definitions of Managed Objects for Bridges with
Traffic Classes, Multicast Filtering and Virtual LAN
Extensions

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2787

Definitions of Managed Objects for the Virtual Router
Redundancy Protocol

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2819

Remote Network Monitoring Management Information
Base: Ethernet Statistics Table, Ethernet History
Control Table, Ethernet History Table, Alarm Table,
Event Table, Log Table

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2863

The Interfaces Group MIB

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

2865

Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS)

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

3273

Remote Network Monitoring Management Information
Base for High Capacity Networks (64 bits): Ethernet
Statistics High-Capacity Table, Ethernet History
High-Capacity Table

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

3416

Version 2 of the Protocol Operations for the Simple
Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

3418

Management Information Base (MIB) for the Simple
Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

3434

Remote Monitoring MIB Extensions for High Capacity
Alarms, High-Capacity Alarm Table (64 bits)

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

3580

IEEE 802.1X Remote Authentication Dial In User
Service (RADIUS) Usage Guidelines

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

3815

Definitions of Managed Objects for the Multiprotocol
Label Switching (MPLS), Label Distribution Protocol
(LDP)

RFC#

Full Name

2576

8.3.1

Standards Compliance | 1131

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Network Management (continued)
FTOS support, per platform
RFC#

Full Name

s

c et ex z

5060

Protocol Independent Multicast MIB

7.8.1

7.8.1

7.7.1

8.1.1

ANSI/
TIA-1057

The LLDP Management Information Base extension
module for TIA-TR41.4 Media Endpoint Discovery
information

7.7.1

7.6.1

7.6.1

8.1.1

draft-grant-t
acacs-02

The TACACS+ Protocol

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1



8.1.1

draft-ietf-idr Definitions of Managed Objects for the Fourth Version
-bgp4-mib-0 of the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP-4) using SMIv2
6
draft-ietf-isis Management Information Base for Intermediate System
-wg-mib-16 to Intermediate System (IS-IS):
isisSysObject (top level scalar objects)
isisISAdjTable
isisISAdjAreaAddrTable
isisISAdjIPAddrTable
isisISAdjProtSuppTable
IEEE
802.1AB

Management Information Base module for LLDP
configuration, statistics, local system data and remote
systems data components.

7.7.1

7.6.1

7.6.1

8.1.1

IEEE
802.1AB

The LLDP Management Information Base extension
module for IEEE 802.1 organizationally defined
discovery information.
(LLDP DOT1 MIB and LLDP DOT3 MIB)

7.7.1

7.6.1

7.6.1

8.1.1

IEEE
802.1AB

The LLDP Management Information Base extension
module for IEEE 802.3 organizationally defined
discovery information.
(LLDP DOT1 MIB and LLDP DOT3 MIB)

7.7.1

7.6.1

7.6.1

8.1.1

ruzin-mstpmib-02
(Traps)

Definitions of Managed Objects for Bridges with
Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol

7.6.1

7.6.1

7.6.1

8.1.1

sFlow.org

sFlow Version 5

7.7.1

7.6.1



8.1.1

sFlow.org

sFlow Version 5 MIB

7.7.1

7.6.1



8.1.1

7.8.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

7.6.1

8.1.1

FORCE10-B Dell Force10 BGP MIB (draft-ietf-idr-bgp4-mibv2-05)
GP4-V2-MI
B
FORCE10-F Dell Force10 CIDR Multipath Routes MIB (The IP
IB-MIB
Forwarding Table provides information that you can use
to determine the egress port of an IP packet and
troubleshoot an IP reachability issue. It reports the
autonomous system of the next hop, multiple next hop
support, and policy routing support)

1132

|

Standards Compliance

Network Management (continued)
FTOS support, per platform
RFC#

Full Name

s

FORCE10-C Dell Force10 C-Series Enterprise Chassis MIB
S-CHASSIS
-MIB

c et ex z
7.5.1

FORCE10-I Dell Force10Enterprise IF Extension MIB (extends the
F-EXTENSI Interfaces portion of the MIB-2 (RFC 1213) by
ON-MIB
providing proprietary SNMP OIDs for other counters
displayed in the "show interfaces" output)

7.6.1

7.6.1

7.6.1

8.1.1

FORCE10-L Dell Force10 Enterprise Link Aggregation MIB
INKAGG-M
IB

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1



8.1.1

FORCE10-C Dell Force10 E-Series Enterprise Chassis MIB
HASSIS-MI
B
FORCE10-C Dell Force10 File Copy MIB (supporting SNMP SET
OPY-CONFI operation)
G-MIB

7.7.1

7.7.1



8.1.1

FORCE10MON-MIB

Dell Force10 Monitoring MIB

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

FORCE10-P Dell Force10 Product Object Identifier MIB
RODUCTSMIB

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

FORCE10-S Dell Force10 S-Series Enterprise Chassis MIB
S-CHASSIS
-MIB

7.6.1

FORCE10-S Dell Force10 Structure of Management Information
MI

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

FORCE10-S Dell Force10 System Component MIB (enables the user
YSTEM-CO to view CAM usage information)
MPONENTMIB

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

FORCE10-T Dell Force10 Textual Convention
C-MIB

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

FORCE10-T Dell Force10 Trap Alarm MIB
RAP-ALAR
M-MIB

7.6.1

7.5.1



8.1.1

Standards Compliance | 1133

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

MIB Location
Dell Force10 MIBs are under the Force10 MIBs subhead on the Documentation page of iSupport:
https://www.force10networks.com/csportal20/KnowledgeBase/Documentation.aspx
You also can obtain a list of selected MIBs and their OIDs at the following URL:
https://www.force10networks.com/csportal20/MIBs/MIB_OIDs.aspx
Some pages of iSupport require a login. To request an iSupport account, go to:
https://www.force10networks.com/CSPortal20/Support/AccountRequest.aspx
If you have forgotten or lost your account information, contact Dell Force10 TAC for assistance.

1134

|

Standards Compliance

Index
Numerics
10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet line card, auto
negotiation 508
100/1000 Ethernet interfaces
port channels 482
4-Byte AS Numbers 186
802.1AB 1123
802.1D 1123
802.1p 1123
802.1p/Q 1123
802.1Q 1123
802.1s 1123
802.1w 1123
802.1X 1123
802.3ab 1123
802.3ac 1123
802.3ad 1123
802.3ae 1123
802.3af 1123
802.3ak 1123
802.3i 1123
802.3u 1123
802.3x 1123
802.3z 1123

A
AAA (Accounting, Authentication, and Authorization)
security model 877
AAA Accounting 877
command 878
suppress null-username command 878
AAA Authentication
authentication and authorization, local by default 883
command 882
configuring 881
enable 882
enable command 882
enable method 881
line method 881
local method 881
none method 881
radius method 881
tacacs+ 881
AAA Authorization
AAA new-model enabled by default 883
ABR
definition 739
access-class 896
ACL
definition 101

IP ACL definition 101
RADIUS 889
ANSI/TIA-1057 643
Applying an ACL to Loopback 119
Area Border Router. See ABR.
AS 172
support 194
AS-PATH ACL
"permit all routes" statement 227
configuring 213
AS_PATH attribute
using 212
Authentication
implementation 880
TACACS+ 895
VTY 910
Authorization
TACACS+ 895
VTY 910
auto negotiation 508
auto negotiation, line card 508
Auto-command 890

B
Balancing, load 489
Bare Metal Provisioning 251
prerequisites 252
Base VLAN 794
BGP 172
Attributes 177
Autonomous Systems 172
best path criteria 177
changing COMMUNITY numbers in a path 220
changing how MED attribute is used 222
changing LOCAL_PREF default value 222
changing the LOCAL_PREF default values for routes on
a router 222
clearing route dampening information 232
Communities 177
configuring a route reflector 227
configuring an AS-PATH ACL 213
configuring an IP community list 217
configuring BGP confederations 229
configuring BGP timers 233
configuring route flap dampening 230
configuring the router as next hop 223
creating a peer group 201, 202
default 193, 219
Distance defaults 193

Index | 1135

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
1136

enabling a peer group 203
establishing BGP process 195
External BGP requirements 195
Fast External Fallover 193
filtering routes based on AS-PATH 226
filtering routes using a route map 226
filtering routes using IP Community list 219
filtering routes using prefix lists 225
graceful restart tasks 210
graceful restart, default role 210
graceful restart, default setting 193
graceful restart, enabling 211, 746
graceful restart, hot failover actions 210
graceful restart, implementing by neighbor or BGP
peer-group 211
Implementing with FTOS 184
inbound and outbound policies 224
Internal BGP requirements 195
KEEPALIVE messages 194
LOCAL_PREF default value 193
MULTI_EXIT_DISC default value 193
Neighbor Adjacency changes 193
neighbors 194
resetting a BGP neighbor 232
route dampening information 229
Route Flap Damping Parameters 193
Route Reflectors 176
route reflectors 227
sending the COMMUNITY attribute 219
Sessions and Peers 174
specifying next hop address 223, 224
Timers defaults 193
timers negotiation 233
viewing all BGP path attributes 212
viewing the BGP configuration 196
viewing the status of BGP neighbors 197
viewing the status of peer groups 203
BPDU 869
Bridge MIB
STP implementation 1004
Bridge Protocol Data Units. See BPDU.

CLI Modes
LINE 30
COMMUNITY attribute
changing in a path 220
default 219
NO_ADVERTISE 217, 220
NO_EXPORT 217, 220
NO_EXPORT_SUBCONFED 217, 220
Community list
configuring 217
community port 794
community VLAN 793
Console terminal line 63
Control Plane Policing (CoPP) 291
coredumps 371
crypto key generate 899
C-Series and S-Series load-balancing 491
CSNP 574

D
debug ip ssh 899
Default VLAN
changing the VLAN id 1054
implementation 1054
Layer 2 mode 1054
remove interface 1059
remove untagged interface 1055
untagged interfaces 1054, 1057
default-information originate (OSPF IPv6)
directed broadcast 520
disable-on-sfm failure 500
display parameter 38
distribution algorithms 488
DNS 521
Document conventions 27
dynamic hostname exchange 573

758

E
ECMP
link bundle monitoring
extended IP ACL 102

397

C

F

CAM Profiling, When to Use
cam-acl 550
cam-profile 548
CLI
case sensitivity 35
editing commands 35
partial keywords 35

Fast Convergence after MSTP-Triggered Topology
Changes 468
fast-convergence
OSPF 742
File Transfer Protocol. See FTP.
flowcontrol 505
Force 10 Resilient Ring Protocol 419

|

Index

276

forward delay 870, 1009
FRRP 419
FRRP Master Node 419
FRRP Transit Node 419
FTOS 727
FTP 61
configuring client parameters 62
configuring server parameters 62
enabling server 61
using VLANs 61

G
GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP)
grep option 37
grep pipe option 800
GVRP (GARP VLAN Registration Protocol)

431
431

H
Hash algorithm 491
hash algorithm, LAG 484, 486, 488
hashing algorithms for flows and fragments
hello time 870, 1009
host port 794
Hot Lock ACL 102
Hybrid ports 1058
hybrid ports 1061

488

I
I-D (Internet Draft) Compliance 1124
Idle Time 889
IEEE 802.1q 431
IEEE 802.1Q tag 1055
IEEE Compliance 1123
IEEE Standard 802.3ad 481
IGMP
viewing which interfaces are IGMP-enabled
implicit deny 101
Interface modes
Layer 2 473
Layer 3 473
Interface Range Macros 495
Interface types
100/1000 Ethernet 474
10-Gigabit Ethernet 474
1-Gigabit Ethernet 474
Ethernet 469
Loopback 474
management 474
Management Ethernet interface 473
Port Channel 474

463

SONET 469
VLAN 474
interface types
null interface 474
interfaces
auto negotiation setting 508
clearing counters 514
commands allowed when part of a port channel 484
configuring secondary IP addresses 517
determining configuration 475
member of port channel 486
viewing Layer 3 interfaces 471
viewing only Layer 2 interfaces 511
Inter-VLAN routing 479
considerations 479
IP ACLs
applying ACL for loopback 119
applying IP ACL to interface 115
configuring extended IP ACL 111
configuring extended IP ACL for TCP 112
configuring extended IP ACL for UDP 112
configuring filter without sequence number 113
configuring standard IP ACL 108, 110
deleting a filter 109, 110
extended IP ACLs 102, 111
standard IP ACL 102
types 102
viewing configuration 109
IP addresses
assigning IP address to interface 475
assigning to interface 517
assigning to port channel 488
assigning to VLAN 1060
composition 515
configuring static routes 518
IP fragmentation 503
IP hashing scheme 491
ip local-proxy-arp command 800
IP MTU
configuring 506
maximum size 503
IP prefix lists
"permit all" statement 122
applying to OSPF routes 124
applying to RIP routes 124
configuring filter 121
configuring filters without seq command 122
definition 120
deleting filter 122, 123
implementation 121

Index | 1137

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

permit default route only 122
rules 121, 225
using the le and ge parameters 120
IP routing
VLANs 1055
ip scp topdir 899
ip ssh authentication-retries 899
ip ssh connection-rate-limit 899
ip ssh hostbased-authentication enable 900
ip ssh password-authentication enable 900
ip ssh pub-key-file 900
ip ssh rhostsfile 900
ip ssh rsa-authentication 900
ip ssh rsa-authentication enable 900
ip ssh server command 898
IP traffic load balancing 491
IP version 4 515
IPsec 762
IS-IS
area address 570
defaults 574
dynamic hostname exchange 573
Intermediate System to Intermediate System
Level 1 570
Level 1-2 570
Level 2 570
NET 570
N-selector 570
system address 570
ISIS
graceful-restart 579
redistribute OSPF 215, 589, 590
IS-IS TLVs 573
ISO/IEC 10589 571
isolated port 794
Isolated VLAN 794

J
Jumpstart mode
default in BMP 2.0

256

L
LAG hash algorithm 484, 486, 488
LAG. See Port Channels.
Layer 2 mode
configuring 474
Layer 2 protocols
configuring 474
Layer 3 mode
enable traffic 475
Layer 3 protocols

1138

|

Index

569

configuring 475
Level 1
definition 570
using NET 570
Level 1-2
definition 570
Level 2
definition 570
using NET 570
line card, auto negotiation 508
Link Aggregation Group 481
link debounce interface 499
Link Debounce Timer 500, 503
Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)
link MTU
configuring 506
maximum size 503
Link State Advertisements. See LSAs.
Link State PDUs. See LSPs.
LLDP 639
LLDP-MED 643
load balancing 488
load-balance
command combinations 490
criteria 488
hash algorithm 488
LOCAL_PREF attribute
changing default value 222
changing value for a router 222
logging
changing settings 57
consolidating messages 60
including timestamp 60
UNIX system logging facility 58
Loopback interface
configuring 480
defaults 474
definition 480
deleting interface 480
viewing configuration 480
Loopback, Configuring ACLs to 119
LSAs 720
AS Boundary 727
AS External 728
Network 727
Network Summary 727
NSSA External 728
Opaque Area-local 727
Opaque Link-local 728
Router 727
types supported 727

639

LSPs

570

M
MAC hashing scheme 491
management interface 474
accessing 477
configuring a management interface 477
configuring IP address 477
definition 476
IP address consideration 477
management interface, switch 473
max age 870, 1009
MBGP 236
Member VLAN (FRRP) 421
MIB Location 1134
minimum oper up links in a port channel 487
mirror, port 785, 1039
remote port mirroring 1040
monitor interfaces 496
MSDP 663
MT IS-IS 571
MT IS-IS TLVs 573
MTU
configuring MTU values for Port Channels 506
configuring MTU values for VLANs 506
definition 503
IP MTU
configuring 506
maximum size 503
link MTU
configuring 506
maximum size 503
MTU Size, Configuring on an Interface 506
MULTI_EXIT_DISC attribute
changing 222
default value 193
Multi-Topology IS-IS 571

N
NET 570
area address 570
length 570
N-selector 570
system address 570
Network Entity Title. See NET.
NIC teaming 626
no-more 38
no-more parameter 38
NSAP addresses 570
NTP
configuring authentication 1028

configuring source address
null 474
null interface
available command 480
definition 480
entering the interface 480
information 474

1028

O
Open Shortest Path First 720
OSFP Adjacency with Cisco Routers 731
OSPF 720
backbone area 736
changing authentication parameters 745
changing interface parameters 744
configuring a passive interface 741
configuring a stub area 739
configuring a stub-router advertisement 740
configuring network command 736
configuring virtual links 748
debugging OSPF 752, 773
default 732
disabling OSPF 734, 736
enabling routing 733
maximum metric in LSAs 740
redistributing routes 749
restarting OSPF 734, 736
router ID 737
using loopback interfaces 738
using prefix lists 749
viewing configuration of neighboring router 751, 772
viewing interface areas 737
viewing virtual link configuration 748
OSPFv23
redistribute routes 758
OSPFv3
authentication 762
configuration 754
configure a passive interface 757
default route 758
graceful restart 759
viewing configuration of graceful restart 760
Output of show interfaces switchport 918

P
packet-based hashing 488
passwords
configuring password 884
PDU 570
port channel

Index | 1139

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
1140

definition 481
port channel (LAG), configure 483
port channel, minimum oper up links 487
Port Channels
configuring MTU values 506
member of VLANs 1056
Port channels
benefits 481
defaults 474
port channels
adding physical interface 484
assigning IP address 488
commands allowed on individual interfaces 484
configuring 483
containing 100/1000 and GE interfaces 482
IP routing 488
placing in Layer 2 mode 483
reassigning interfaces 486
port cost 870, 1009
port mirror 785, 1039
remote 1040
Port Monitoring Commands
Important Points to Remember 785
port priority 870, 1009
port types (private VLAN) 794
port-based VLANs 1055
assigning IP address 1060
benefits 1055
creating VLAN 1056
definition 1055
deleting VLAN 1057
enabling tagging 1058
interface requirements 1055
IP routing 1055
number supported 1055
remove interface 1059
remove tagged interface 1058
tag frames 1058
tagged interface
member of multiple VLANs 1058
Portfast 871, 1010
PPP 473
Prefix list. See IP Prefix list.
Primary VLAN 794
Private VLAN (PVLAN) 793
private-vlan mapping secondary-vlan command 795
Privilege Level 890
privilege levels
and CLI commands 884
definition 883
number of levels available 883

|

Index

privilege level 0 definition 883
privilege level 1 definition 883
privilege level 15 definition 883
promiscuous port 794
Protocol Data Units. See PDU.
Proxy ARP
default 524

Q
QoS
dot1p queue numbers 818
dot1p-priority values 818
purpose of input policies 826
rate limit outgoing traffic 821
QoS (Quality of Service) chapter
QSFP port splitting 498
Quality of Service (QoS) chapter

815
815

R
RADIUS
changing an optional parameter 892
configuration requirements 888
configuring global communication parameter 892
debugging RADIUS transactions 893, 895
definition 888
deleting a server host 892
specifying a server host 891, 896
viewing RADIUS configuration 893
RADIUS authentication 883
RADIUS Authentication and Authorization 889
radius-server host command 882
rate-interval command 511
redistribute
ROUTER ISIS 215, 589, 590
remote port mirroring 1040
RFC 1058 841
RFC 1493 1004
RFC 1858 897
RFC 2138 888
RFC 2338 1098
RFC 2453 841
RFC 3128 897
RFC 791 515, 516
RFC 959 61
RFC Compliance 1124
RIP
adding routes 845
auto summarization default 842
changing RIP version 846
configuring interfaces to run RIP 844

debugging RIP 850
default values 842
default version 843
disabling RIP 844
ECMP paths supported 842
enabling RIP 843
route information 845
setting route metrics 849
summarizing routes 849
timer values 842
version 1 description 841
version default on interfaces 842
RIP routes, maximum 842
RIPv1 841
RIPv2 842
root bridge 869, 1009
route maps
configuring match commands 131
configuring set commands 133
creating 129
creating multiple instances 129
default action 129
definition 128
deleting 129, 130
implementation 128
implicit deny 128
redistributing routes 133
tagging routes 134
RSA 900

S
Scalabilty
PVST+
Layer 2 804
SCP 897, 898
SCP/SSH server 898
searching show commands 38
display 38
grep 38
Secondary VLAN 794
secondary VLAN 794
Secure Shell (SSH) 897
show accounting command 879
show arp command 801
show crypto 900
show hardware commands (S60) 357
show interfaces command 511
show interfaces switchport command 511
show interfaces switchport Sample Output 918
show ip protocols command 851, 853

show ip rip database command 851, 853
show ip route command 851, 853
show ip ssh client-pub-keys 900
show ip ssh command 898
show ip ssh rsa-authentication 900
show vlan command 801
Spanning Tree group. See STG.
Splitting QSFP ports 498
SSH 897
connection 900
debug 899
display 898
host-keys 900
ssh command 898
ssh-peer-rpm 900
SSHv2 server 900
standard IP ACL 102
static route 518
STG
changing parameters 870, 1009
default 870, 1009
port cost 870, 1009
root bridge 869, 1009
STP
benefits 1003
bridge priority 872, 1013
default 870, 1009
definition 1003
disabling STP 866, 1006
forward delay 870, 1009
hello time 870, 1009
interfaces 866, 1006
max age 870, 1009
port cost 870, 1010
port ID 1004
port priority 870, 1009, 1010
Portfast 871, 1010
root bridge 872, 1013
switchport mode private-vlan command 796

T
TACACS+ 893
authentication 895
authorization 895
deleting a server host 897
selecting TACACS+ as a login authentication
method 894
servers and access classes 895
tacacs-server host command 882
Tag Control Information 1056

Index | 1141

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Tag Header 1055
definition 1055
Ethernet frame 1056
tagged interfaces
member of multiple VLANs 1058
TCP Tiny and Overlapping Fragment Attack, Protection
Against 897
TDR (Time Domain Reflectometer) 497
Telnet 896
Telnet Daemon, Enabling and Disabling 903
Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) 497
Time to Live (TTL) 655
Trace list 904
Trace lists
configuring a trace list 905
configuring filter without sequence number 907
configuring trace list for TCP 905
configuring trace list for UDP 906
trunk port 794
TTL 655

U
user level
definition 883
user name
configuring user name 884
username command 886

V
virtual IP addresses 1102
Virtual LANs. See VLAN.
Virtual Router Identifier. See VRID.
Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol. See VRRP.
virtual-ip
Important Things to Remember 477
VLAN
isolated 794
primary 794
private
base 794
secondary
community 794
isolated 794
VLAN configuration, automatic 431
VLAN Protocol Identifier 1056
VLAN types 793
VLAN types (private VLAN) 793
VLANs 474, 1053
adding a port channel 487
adding interface 1055
assigning IP address 1060

1142

|

Index

benefits 1053
configuring MTU values 506
defaults 1054
definition 1053
enabling tagging 1058
FTP 61, 1060
hybrid ports 1058
IP routing 479, 1055
Layer 2 interfaces 1057
port-based 1055
removing a port channel 487
removing tagged interface 1055, 1058
SNMP 1060
tagged interfaces 1056, 1057
TFTP 1060
untagged interfaces 1057
viewing configured 1057
VLSM 515
VLSM (Variable Length Subnet Masks) 841
VLT
ports
orphan 1069
VRRP 1097
advertisement interval 1107
benefits 1099
changing advertisement interval 1107
configuring priority 1104
configuring simple authentication 1105
definition 1097
disabling preempt 1106
MAC address 1097
monitoring interface 1109
simple authentication 1105
transmitting VRRP packets 1102
virtual IP addresses 1102
virtual router 1101
VRID 1097, 1101
VTY lines
access class configuration 910
access classes and TACACS+ servers 895
assigning access classes by username 910
deny all, deny incoming subnet access-class
application 911
deny10 ACLs, support for remote authentication and
authorization 896
line authentication, support for 911
local authentication and authorization 910
local authentication and authorization, local database
source of access class 910
radius authentication, support for 911

remote authentication and authorization 895
remote authentication and authorization, 10.0.0.0 subnets
remote authentication and local authorization 911
TACACS+ authentication, support for local authorization

896
911

W
When to Use CAM Profiling

276

Index | 1143

1144

|

Index

www.dell.com | support.dell.com



Navigation menu