BLADEOS™ Release Notes 1/10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter® Version 6.3 Part Number: BMD00178, April 2010 2350 Mission College Blvd. Suite 600 Santa Clara, CA 95054 www.bladenetwork.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Copyright © 2010 BLADE Network Technologies, Inc., 2350 Mission College Blvd. Suite 600, Santa Clara, California, 95054, USA. All rights reserved. Reference number: BMD00178 This document is protected by copyright and distributed under licenses restricting its use, copying, distribution, and decompilation. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form by any means without prior written authorization of BLADE Network Technologies, Inc.
Release Notes The 1/10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module (GbESM) is one of up to four switch modules that can be installed in the IBM BladeCenter chassis. These release notes provide the latest information regarding BLADEOS 6.3 for the 1/10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module. This supplement modifies information found in the complete documentation: BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide for the 1/10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter BLADEOS 6.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Hardware Support BLADEOS 6.3 software is supported only on the 1/10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter. The 1/10Gb Uplink ESM (GbESM) shown in Figure 1 is a high performance Layer 2-3 embedded network switch that features tight integration with IBM BladeCenter management modules.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide The GbESM contains three 10 Gigabit Small Form-factor, Pluggable (SFP+) slots. The 10Gb SFP+ slots can accept 1Gb copper transceivers, 10Gb optical transceivers, or Direct Attach Cables (DAC). Note – If a DAC is not programmed to meet MSA specifications (including length identifier), the switch disables the port and generates a syslog message indicating that the DAC is not approved. The GbESM does not disable the SFP+ ports when using MSA-compliant DAC cables.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Updating the Switch Software Image The switch software image is the executable code running on the GbESM. A version of the image ships with the switch, and comes pre-installed on the device. As new versions of the image are released, you can upgrade the software running on your switch. To get the latest version of software available for your GbESM, go to: http://www.ibm.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide When the software requirements are met, use one of the following procedures to download the new software to your switch. You can use the BLADEOS CLI, the ISCLI, or the BBI to download and activate new software. Using the BLADEOS CLI 1. At the Boot Options# prompt, enter: Boot Options# gtimg 2. Enter the name of the switch software to be replaced: Enter name of switch software image to be replaced ["image1"/"image2"/"boot"]: 3.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Using the ISCLI 1. In Privileged EXEC mode, enter the following command: Router# copy {tftp|ftp} {image1|image2|boot-image} 2. Enter the hostname or IP address of the FTP or TFTP server. Address or name of remote host: 3. Enter the name of the new software file on the server. Source file name: The exact form of the name will vary by server. However, the file location is normally relative to the FTP or TFTP directory (usually tftpboot). 4.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Using the BBI You can use the Browser-Based Interface to load software onto the GbESM. The software image to load can reside in one of the following locations: FTP server TFTP server Local computer After you log onto the BBI, perform the following steps to load a software image: 1. Click the Configure context tab in the toolbar. 2. In the Navigation Window, select System > Config/Image Control. The Switch Image and Configuration Management page appears. 3.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Using the Boot Management Menu The Boot Management menu allows you to switch the software image, reset the switch to factory defaults, or to recover from a failed software download. You can interrupt the boot process and enter the Boot Management menu from the serial console port. When the system displays Memory Test, press . The Boot Management menu appears. Resetting the System ... Memory Test ................................
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide 3. Boot the switch and access the Boot Management menu by pressing while the Memory Test is in progress and the dots are being displayed. 4. Select 3 for Xmodem download. When you see the following message, change the Serial Port characteristics to 115200 bps: ## Switch baudrate to 115200 bps and press ENTER ... 5. Press to set the system into download accept mode.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide 7. When you see the following message, change the Serial Port characteristics to 9600 bps: ## Switch baudrate to 9600 bps and press ESC ... 8. Press the Escape key () to re-display the Boot Management menu. 9. Select 3 to start a new XModem Download. When you see the following message, change the Serial Port characteristics to 115200 bps: ## Switch baudrate to 115200 bps and press ENTER ... 10. Press to continue the download. 11. Select the OS Image to download.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide New and Updated Features BLADEOS 6.3 for 1/10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module (GbESM) has been updated to include new and enhanced features in support of Virtualization and Fibre Channel over Ethernet. The list of features below summarizes the updated features. For more detailed information about configuring GbESM features and capabilities, refer to the complete BLADEOS 6.3 documentation as listed on page 3.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Stacking Limitations The GbESM with BLADEOS 6.3 can operate in one of two modes: Default mode, which is the regular stand-alone (or non-stacked) mode. Stacking mode, in which multiple physical switches aggregate functions as a single switching device.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide VMready The switch’s VMready software makes it virtualization aware. Servers that run hypervisor software with multiple instances of one or more operating systems can present each as an independent virtual machine (VM) with its own applications.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide VLAN Maps A VLAN map (VMAP) is an Access Control List (ACL) that can be assigned to a VLAN rather than to a switch port as with regular ACLs. In a virtualized environment, VMAPs allow you to create traffic filtering and metering policies that are associated with a VM group VLAN, allowing ACLs to follow VMs as they migrate between hypervisors. VMAPs are configured from the ACL menu, available with the following CLI command: # /cfg/acl/vmap <1-128> BLADEOS 6.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide OSPFv3 BLADEOS supports the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) version 2 and version 3 routing protocols. The OSPFv3implementation conforms to the OSPF version 2 specifications detailed in Internet RFC 1583, and OSPF version 3 specifications in RFC 2328 Appendix G.2 and RFC 2740. OSPF version 3 is based on OSPF version 2, but has been modified to support IPv6 addressing.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Active MultiPath Protocol Active MultiPath Protocol (AMP) allows you to connect three switches in a loop topology, and load-balance traffic across all uplinks (no blocking). When an AMP link fails, upstream communication continues over the remaining AMP link. Once the failed AMP link re-establishes connectivity, communication resumes to its original flow pattern. Each AMP group contains two aggregator switches and one access switch.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide SM IPv4 and IPv4 Configuration Extensions BLADEOS 6.3 supports EIPAA extensions to the chassis’ Advanced Management Module (AMM) that provide more IP address configuration options.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide IGMP Group Capacity BLADEOS 6.3 supports IGMP groups differently than earlier releases: The GbESM now supports a maximum of 2048 IGMP entries, on a maximum of 1024 VLANs. When the switch is in stacking mode, one IGMP entry is allocated for each unique join request, based on the combination of the port, VLAN, and IGMP group address. If multiple ports join the same IGMP group, they require separate IGMP entries, even if using the same VLAN.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Supplemental Information This section provides additional information about configuring and operating the GbESM and BLADEOS. Management Module The “Fast POST=Disabled/Enabled” inside the IBM management module Web interface “I/O Module Admin Power/Restart” does not apply to the GbESM. Solution: To boot with Fast or Extended POST, go to the “I/O Module Admin/Power/Restart” window.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Management Module/GbESM Connectivity Currently, the IBM management module is designed to provide one-way control of the GbESM. As a result, the GbESM may lose connectivity to the management module via the management port under the following conditions: If new IP attributes are pushed from the management module to the GbESM while the IP Routing table is full, the new attributes will not be applied.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Secure Management Network The following GbESM attributes are reserved to provide secure management access to and from the IBM management module: MGT1 (port 15) and MGT2 (port 16) VLAN 4095 IP interface 128 Gateway 4 STG 128 For more information about remotely managing the GbESM through the external ports, see “Accessing the Switch” in the BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide. Note – The external uplink ports (EXTx) cannot be members of management VLANs.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Spanning Tree Configuration Tips To ensure proper operation with switches that use Cisco Per VLAN Spanning Tree (PVST+), you must do one of the following: Create a separate Spanning Tree Group for each VLAN. Manually add all associated VLANs into a single Spanning Tree Group. When using Layer 2 Trunk Failover, disable Spanning Tree Protocol on external ports.
BLADEOS 6.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide BPDU Guard BLADEOS 6.3, BPDU Guard is now configured on a per-port basis, rather than globally.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Known Issues This section describes known issues for BLADEOS 6.3 on the 1/10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module. Software Upgrade Issues Some time zones are different compared to release 6.1.2 and prior. After upgrading to release 6.3 or later, it is recommended that the administrator review the configured time zone and make any appropriate changes. (ID:29778) The STG port priority value is different compared to release 5.x and prior. In release 5.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Interoperability with Older Hubs The command-line interface might display link up and link down messages continuously for an external port that is connected to certain older hub models configured for 100 Mbps half-duplex. The display might show link up erroneously.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Static Mrouter If a port has a static multicast router (Mrouter) configured, and you move the port to a different VLAN, the static Mrouter appears in the /info/l3/igmp/mrouter/dump output for the original VLAN. Solution: When you move the port to a new VLAN, remove the static Mrouter from the port, and add it again.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide Trunk and Link Loop When you create a trunk or link loop between the GbESM and another switch, packets might loop infinitely at line rate within the related links. When this problem occurs, the GbESM continuously displays the following messages at the console: WARNING: packet_sent u: 0, dv_active: tx ring full packet_sent dcnt=114, public1=110, vcnt=1025 Solution: Remove the loop to resolve this misconfiguration.
BLADEOS 6.3 Application Guide vCenter Synchronization When applying distributed VM group configuration changes, the switch will attempt to synchronize settings with the VMware vCenter for virtualization management. If the vCenter is unavailable, an error message will be displayed on the switch. Be sure to evaluate all error message and take the appropriate actions to ensure the expected changes are properly applied.
BLADEOS 6.
