Introduction

This chapter introduces the 3Com CoreBuilder^® 9000 Enterprise Switch, which is made up of the CoreBuilder 9000 chassis (including fans and power supplies), the Enterprise Management Engine (EME) module, the Enterprise Management Controller (EMC) module, switch fabric modules, and interface modules.

Before you proceed, make sure that you have properly installed your chassis in a rack, on a shelf, or on a table and that you have read the following documents:

• 7-Slot Chassis Quick Installation Guide for the CoreBuilder 9000 Enterprise Switch, or Chassis Quick Installation Guide for the CoreBuilder 9000 Enterprise Switch 8-slot chassis and 16-slot chassis, depending on which chassis you are using

• CoreBuilder 9000 Enterprise Switch Getting Started Guide

• Enterprise Management Engine Quick Start Guide for the CoreBuilder 9000 Enterprise Switch

• CoreBuilder 9000 Release Notes for Management Modules

• Enterprise Management Controller Quick Start Guide for the CoreBuilder 9000 Enterprise Switch

You install switch fabric modules, interface modules, and management modules into the CoreBuilder 9000 chassis. Before you begin to manage your CoreBuilder 9000 system, review the management-related information in this section.

The CoreBuilder 9000 system supports the following management interfaces:

• EME Management Console

  Use the EME Management Console to manage EME and EMC functions, such as login table management, IP connectivity, event and trap logs, and software downloads to all modules. The EME Management Console also manages chassis functions such as system inventory and power management features. This guide describes how to perform these tasks.

• Administration Console

  Use the Administration Console, which is a menu-driven, command line interface, to manage switch fabric modules, interface modules, and Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching modules. The Administration Console is embedded in the software for each module and provides module-specific menus and parameters.

  To learn about managing switch fabric modules, interface modules, and Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching modules using the Administration Console, see the CoreBuilder 9000 Implementation Guide and the multiplatform Command Reference Guide.

• ATM Local Management Application (LMA)

  Use the ATM LMA to manage the ATM Enterprise Switch, ATM Switch Fabric Module, and ATM interface modules. These modules contain an on-board network management agent to allow this direct management.

  ATM LMA management of ATM switch fabric modules and ATM interface modules is outside of the scope of this guide. To learn about managing the ATM Enterprise Switch and ATM modules using the ATM LMA, see the CoreBuilder 9000 ATM Enterprise Switch Management Guide.

  You cannot manage the EME using the ATM LMA, and you cannot manage ATM Switch Fabric Modules or ATM interface modules using the EME Management Console.

• Web Management Suite of Applications

  You can manage the EME over the Web using the CoreBuilder 9000 Web Management suite of applications.

• SNMP Protocols

  You can manage the EME using SNMP Protocols applications such as 3Com's Transcend^® Network Control Services application suite.

The CoreBuilder 9000 system uses separate channels for network traffic and management traffic:

• The private management LAN (MLAN) handles management traffic. Management traffic travels to and from the EME, which acts as the single point of contact for all management traffic in the chassis.

• Switch fabric backplane channels handle network traffic. Each interface module has one or two backplane ports that connect to the switch fabric backplane, allowing network traffic to pass through the CoreBuilder 9000 system.

Figure 1 illustrates the MLAN channel and the switch fabric backplane channels in a 16-slot chassis.

Figure 1 System Data Channels

The EME file system is a storage area on the EME that stores:

• The event log

• Software configuration files

The file system also acts as a temporary storage area for software images that are being downloaded through the EME to Gigabit Ethernet switch fabric modules and interface modules in the chassis.

The CoreBuilder 9000 7-slot chassis provides the following features:

• Bays for two power supplies to provide from 820 watts to 1860 watts, depending on the type and quantity of installed modules.

• Power fault-tolerant mode so that you can reserve the power of a single power supply to act as backup if one of the power supplies fails.

• Four exhaust fans (in one fan tray) to make sure that the chassis maintains the optimal temperature for operation.

• Two management module slots that do not take up space for switch fabric modules or interface modules.

• One switch fabric module slot above all the interface module slots to provide optimal network performance.

The CoreBuilder 9000 8-slot chassis provides the following features:

• Bays for three power supplies to provide from 820 watts to 2460 watts, depending on the type and quantity of installed modules.

• Power fault-tolerant mode so that you can reserve the power of a single power supply to act as backup if one of the power supplies fails.

• Six exhaust fans (in two fan trays) to make sure that the chassis maintains the optimal temperature for operation.

• Two management module slots that do not take up space for switch fabric modules or interface modules.

• Two switch fabric module slots to provide optimal network performance.

The CoreBuilder 9000 16-slot chassis provides the following features:

• Bays for four power supplies to provide from 820 watts to 3280 watts, depending on the type and quantity of installed modules.

• Power fault-tolerant mode so that you can reserve the power of a single power supply to act as backup if one of the other power supplies fail.

• Nine exhaust fans (three fan trays with three fans per tray) to make sure that the chassis maintains the optimal temperature for operation.

• Two management module slots that do not take up space for switch fabric modules or interface modules.

  You can fill the slots with an EME and an EMC or two EMEs, with one acting as hot standby support for the master EME.

• A single passive backplane that is capable of 70 redundant serial links and that enables the use of multiple networking technologies, defined by the type of switch fabric module that is installed.

• Two switch fabric module slots centered in the chassis to provide complete redundancy and optimal network performance.

You can manage the CoreBuilder 9000 system through a terminal interface (both in-band and out-of-band), through the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Web Management suite of applications, and through the 3Com Transcend^® Network Control Services. The EME is the primary communication mechanism into the chassis and modules. You can manage other intelligent modules within the chassis through the EME. The remainder of this section describes:

• EME Overview

• EME Components

• Management Functions

• EMC Overview

The EME is an SNMP-based network management module that manages and controls the 3Com CoreBuilder 9000 chassis and its modules. The EME has the following features:

• Chassis Management Architecture - Provides a cost-efficient management architecture that:

  • Provides a central point of contact for chassis management

  • Provides Enterprise Management Controller (EMC) functions, as well as EME functions

• Intelligent Power Management - Manages power use in the chassis by:

  • Preventing newly installed modules from receiving power when there is not enough power available

  • Allowing you to prioritize the order in which modules power off (if there is insufficient power available)

  • Allowing you to implement fault-tolerant power, which allows the chassis to reserve some of its power capacity to protect against a power supply failure

In the chassis:

• The EME exchanges information with all modules through the MLAN.

• Interface modules pass data through the switch fabric module. The data may get sent back out to other modules or sent out through a switch fabric module front panel port to another device.

• On some modules that include their own agent, the EME is used to "connect" to that module and then allow you to use the management system provided for that module. For example, you gain access to the Administration Console command interface of the switching modules through the EME.

The EME module consists of the following two components:

• System Management Component (SMC)

• System Controller Component (SCC)

Both components share the same in-rush current, clocks, and backplane interfaces. The remaining circuits in both components are separated and are controlled by two dedicated CPUs.

The four-character LED display on the EME front panel shows the status of the SMC component. The Active and Stndby (Standby) LEDs indicate the SCC status on the front panel also.

Management Functions

The EME provides the following management and control capabilities:

• Configurations - When you are logged in with administrator access, you can configure the EME and monitor the chassis environment.

• EME standby support - EMEs share configuration information, so that a standby EME has the same configuration as the active EME. This capability enables a standby EME to become functional if the active EME fails.

• Inventory - The EME provides an inventory of chassis contents, including fans and power supplies. The inventory lists current software revisions for all installed modules. The inventory system also supports a scratchpad feature so that you can add custom information to the EME display.

• Power management - With EME commands, you can manage how the chassis reacts to low power situations. The chassis can also provide fault-tolerant power, which protects the system against power supply failures.

• In-band and out-of-band software download - The EME provides both in-band and out-of-band software download capability. An in-band download uses TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) through a network connection. An out-of-band download uses XMODEM software and the RS-232 serial port on the front panel of the EME. The EME allows you to download software to multiple modules using a single command.

• SNMP support - Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a protocol that the Internet Engineering Task Force defined. The EME acts as an agent in an SNMP-managed environment. The agent responds to SNMP requests and generates SNMP traps.

• Telnet support - With the EME telnet command, you can connect an EME to any other Telnet device. The EME also supports incoming Telnet sessions so that you can manage an EME or another module from a workstation with Telnet support or from another EME.

• Web Management support - You can monitor and manage the EME through the CoreBuilder 9000 Web Management suite of applications.

• Transcend Network Control Services support - You can also monitor and manage the system through the 3Com Transcend Network Control Services applications.

The EMC module provides standby controller functions for an EME that is installed in a 7-slot chassis, 8-slot chassis, and 16-slot chassis. The EMC is installed in a slot adjacent to the EME in each chassis.