CELLplex(TM) 7000 and CELLplex 7000HD Release Notes

Modified: 05/22/98

CELLplexTM 7000 and 7000HD

RELEASE NOTES

SW Release 3.20

DNA3700-0AAA14

About this SW version 3.20

Software version 3.20 is intended for use with the CELLplex 7000 (REV. C) and CELLplex 7000HD (REV E) switch engine. The SW version doesnt support CELLplex 7000 REV. B. modules.

Note: CELLplex 7000 switch engine has two HW versions, Rev. B and Rev. C. Rev B switch engines were the first switch engines that were released to the market. There are only about 30 boards in the market and all the others are Rev. C. switch engine.

Rev B. boards support SW releases through Release 3.1. If you need further support of new releases, please contact your 3Com Sales Representative for HW upgrading program.

This S/W version enables the user to work with the CELLplex/CELLplex HD with all the following cards: 4 ATM port cards, 8 ATM port cards 7200 Cards, 7400 and 7600 Cards. Any combination is available and S/W ver. 3.20 supports them all.

New software features and feature enhancements that are supported in Rel. 3.20 are described under the heading, New Features in SW Release 3.20. Limitations and major bug fixes are listed under the heading, CELLplex 7000/7000HD Software Bug Fixes.

SW Rel. 3.20 is compressed. When uploading this SW, be sure to follow the instructions in Upgrading CELLplex 7000 Software (DUA3700-0AAA4), and use the new tools (batch files).

All the features of SW ver. 3.1, 3.15 and 3.17 are supported in ver. 3.20 and described in the Release Notes for SW ver. 3.1, 3.15 and 3.17, DNA3700-0AAA11/ DNA3700-0AAA12 , DFA7000-0AAA2/ DFA70HD-0AAA3 and DNA3700-0AAA13.

If you use the redundant switch, you may need to upgrade EPROMs. See Upgrading CELLplex 7000 Software (DUA3700-0AAA4), for information. This applies to the CELLplex 7000 (2.5 Gbps) only.

General information and explanations to the Release Note:

The Release Note includes information on the new SW Release 3.20 and the effect of the new SW version on each of the interface modules. We can define two main categories of interface modules as follows:

Non Intelligent Interface modules Interface modules that include no Software on board and during boot. All the relevant SW is downloaded to the interface card from the switch engine.

The Non Intelligent Interface modules are 4 Port module, 8 Port module and partially the 7200 interface card.

Intelligent Interface modules Interface modules that include Software on module.

The Intelligent Interface modules are 7400 and 7600 modules and partially the 7200 modules.

Another classification can be according to the switch engine Interface module connectivity rate that the module was designed to work with. The classification is as follows:

CELLplex 7000 Interface modules 4 Port module and 7200 interface module work with 20Mhz clock.

CELLplex 7000HD Interface modules 8 Port module, 7400 and 7600 interface modules work with 40Mhz clock.

Note: all interface modules are designed to work with both switch engines, yet each interface module is optimized to work with only one of the switches.

The Release Note was written with reference to the above information, and this should help you understand the Release Note for SW Release 3.20.

NEW FEATURES in S/W Ver. 3.20

8 Port ATM OC-3c Interface card

Features

· S/W ver. 3.20 supports the 8 Port ATM Interface card in the CELLplex/CELLplex HD. All the following cards are supported also: 4 ATM ports, 7200 Cards, 7400 and 7600 Cards. Any combination of cards is available and S/W ver. 3.20 supports them all.

· With the support of 8 port modules , SW ver. 3.20 supports up to 32 ATM ports

Restrictions

· Disable, enable and restart of each port of the 8 port module separately are not supported.

· When the 8 port card is populated in the CELLplex 7000 as opposed to the CELLplex 7000HD, only the 4 fixed interfaces on board will be active. (Ports 1-4).

· The following table summarizes the 8 port card and switches combination:

Switch Revision	Features	Remarks
Switch Engine 7000	Supports 4 lower ATM ports (No. 1 to 4) Blocks 4 upper ports (No. 5 to 8).	Full functionality for lower ports. Software blocking.
Switch Engine 7000HD	Supports up to 8 ATM ports

7400 Module - 24 Ethernet ports card and 7600 Module - 16 Fast Ethernet ports

· SW Rel.3.20 fully supports the 7400 and 7600 interface card including NMS, LMA

Restrictions

The redundant switch engine capability is not supported in a CELLplex which is populated by 7600 or 7400 modules only. The CELLplex should house at least one 4-port module, 7200 module or 8 port card in order to support redundant switch capability. In order for the redundant switch engine to function properly, make sure that a 4-port module, or a 7200 module, or 8 port card is placed in the CELLplex. There is no restriction on the slot number that the interface modules must be placed in.

7200 Interface Module

Considerations

· When upgrading SW Rel. 3.00 or less for the CELLplex housing a 7200 module, you should first upgrade the software for the 7200 before you upgrade the switch engine software.

· In order to allow the download of a 7200 module without having to reset the CELLplex switch, you can set Ignore Slot for the duration of the loading process.

Menu: 1(SYS)\3(LOA)\5(SSI)\Slot Id & Status

General Interface modules restriction

· With the support of the 8 port modules and 7400 and 7600 modules, further notice should be placed and consideration should be made related to power consumption of the CELLplex. (Please refer to the document which explains the requirement and the power consumption for each card and for any combination of cards.)

Switch Engine - 7000 and 7000HD and Interfaces modules correlation

Note: There is a correlation between the switch engine and the interface modules that are populated in the CELLplex. This correlation affects the switch matrix clock, the interface modules performance, and the interface modules hot insertion feature.

CELLplex 7000

· Switch engine CELLplex 7000 (REV. C.) works with the 20Mhz clock. This enables a total switching capacity of 2.5Gbps for the switch.

· Interface modules that are placed in the CELLplex 7000 can utilize up to 640Mbps out of the switching capacity of the matrix.

Restrictions

· When the 8 port card is populated in the CELLplex 7000, only the 4 fixed interfaces on board will be active.

· The 7400 or 7600 modules that are inserted in the CELLplex 7000 work with a bandwidth of 640Mbps as access to the switch engine. This is not the maximum possible utilization.

CELLplex 7000HD

· Switch Engine 7000HD (REV. E) works with the 40Mhz clock when only 7400 or 7600, or 8 port cards are populated in the CELLplex 7000HD. This will enable a total switching of 5Gbps

· Interface modules placed in the CELLplex 7000HD can get up to 1.28Gbps switching capacity..

Restriction

· When at least one 7200 or 4 port cards are populated in the CELLplex HD - The switch matrix will revert to the 20Mhz clock. This will enable a total switching of 2.5Gbps.

· When the switch works with the 40Mhz clock, hot insertion for the 4 port card and the 7200 card is not supported. (The modules need the clock to revert to 20Mhz and this only happens at boot/reset time).

· When the CELLplex 7000HD doesnt include any interface module, the switch engine during boot lowers its clock to 20Mhz as default.

· There is no automatic changing of the clock rate during normal activation of the CELLplex. In order to change the clock rate from 40Mhz to 20Mhz, or vice versa, a RESET to the switch must be done. This is done to prevent problems with interface modules working while the interfaces are active.

· EFCI threshold is set to 50% and it is not configurable.

Switch Matrix Clock

The following table summarizes the clock rates and the switch engine combinations.

Note: Switch Engine Matrix works at either a 20 or 40MHz clock. An actual clock value is displayed on the Switch LMA screen.

Switch Revision	Interface modules upon Boot	Remarks
Switch Engine 7000 works with 20MHz 2.5Gb switching capacity	Any interfaces modules combination	Always
Switch Engine 7000HD works with 20MHz 2.5Gb switching capacity	Empty CP box At least one 4 Port module or 7200 modules are placed in the CELLplex (CELLplex 7000 modules)
Switch Engine 7000HD works with 40MHz 5Gb switching capacity	8 port or 7400 or 7600 modules or any combination of them are placed in the CELLplex (CELLplex 7000HD modules)	No 4 port or 7200 modules in the CELLplex

The following table summarizes the interface modules active ports in correlation with the switch engine type.

Interface module	CELLplex 7000HD Bandwidth to matrix/Number of Active Ports	CELLplex 7000 Bandwidth to matrix/Number of Active Ports
4 port	622Mbps/ 4	622Mbps/ 4
7200	622Mbps/ 3 ATM & 12 Ethernet	622Mbps/ 3 ATM & 12 Ethernet
7400	1.25Gbps/ 24 Ethernet	622Mbps/ 24 Ethernet
7600	1.25Gbps/ 16 Fast Ethernet	622Mbps/ 16 Fast Ethernet
8 port	1.25Gbps/ 8 ATM Ports	622Mbps/ 4 ATM Ports
No Modules	622Mbps	622Mbps

Interface Cards Hot Insertion

As a result of the above information, the following table summarizes the hot insertion issues that follows the switch clock restrictions and the interface module combinations.

Switch Revision	Restrictions for Hot Insertion	Remarks
Switch Engine 7000	None	CELLplex 7000HD modules will work at 622Mbps bandwidth.
Switch Engine 7000HD works with 20MHz 2.5Gb switching capacity	CELLplex 7000HD modules will work at 622Mbps bandwidth.	CELLplex 7000 modules are in the CELLplex 7000HD.
Switch Engine 7000HD works with 40MHz 5Gb switching capacity	4 port module and 7200 modules are not in the CELLplex 7000HD, the modules will not work. (CELLplex 7000 modules)	Reboot of the CELLplex will cause the CELLplex to come up with 2.5Gb switching capacity.

· It is recommended to hot insert the LAN I/F card and/or port board only when the slot containing the port is reported Free. Same applies in case of re-inserting an extracted port board.

· When hot inserting, few interface modules wait until the module is active and hot inserts another interface module.

Redundant Switch

· The redundant switch must be with the same SW version 3.20 as the active switch engine.

· When the redundant switch is Rev. E. (Switch 7000HD), all the ATM ports that were active will function after switching from active switch engine to the redundant switch engine.

· When the redundant switch is Rev. C. (Switch 7000) and 8 port module is populated in the CELLplex, then only the 4 ATM interfaces on board of the 8 port card will be active after switching from active switch engine to the redundant switch engine.

· Switching from active switch to the redundant switch has the same functionality as Boot, and this depends on the switch engine type. (See switch/interface module table)

· The following table summarizes the redundant switch issues.

Active Switch Revision	Redundant Switch Revision	Functionality upon Active-to-Redundant Swap
Switch Engine 7000 2.5Gb switching capacity	Switch Engine 7000 2.5Gb switching capacity	Full (when the 8 port card is in use only the 4 lower ports will be active)
Switch Engine 7000 2.5Gb switching capacity	Switch Engine 7000HD works with 40MHz 5Gb switching capacity	Full
Switch Engine 7000HD works with 40MHz. 5Gb switching capacity	Switch Engine 7000. 2.5Gb switching capacity	Partial - only 4 lower ports of the 8 port module will work after the switching
Switch Engine 7000HD works with 40MHz. 5Gb switching capacity	Switch Engine 7000HD works with 40MHz. 5Gb switching capacity	Full (See known bugs in SW 3.20)

Only for users that havent upgraded the switch EPROM until now.

· The redundant switch feature requires using EPROM with Bootstrap Rel. 3.3 in both switch engines as well as with HW rev. C. This applies to the 2.5 Gbps switch only; the 7000HD EPROM differs from the 7000 (2.5 Gbps) and runs with Rel. 4.0.

· A new EPROM causes:

- MAC address change.
- Change of the ATM user part of the default LES.
- Change of the default ELAN name.

Please note:

The LECS database has to be reconfigured. With multiple active LECS (for LECS redundancy), all active LECS in the network must be reconfigured if an ELAN name has been changed due to EPROM change.

· When one redundant switch engine is moved to another CELLplex, the switch engine should be reset to factory defaults.

· System parameters that are not transferred between the active and redundant switches consist of:

- LECs database
- Configured LES addresses
- User-network configuration for NNI ports (this is valid for Gateway mode only)
- Static addresses

· This indicates that for redundancy of LECS and LES, manual configuration of these parameters for both switch engines is required. This also indicates that if the LAN Emulation Clients have the non-default ELAN names configured, there will be no automatic redundancy; redundancy comes into effect if the LAN Emulation Clients have LES addresses or default ELAN names set in them.

· The redundant switch information that is transferred includes :

- IP Parameters
- Built-in LES addresses
- NNI/UNI port setup
- NNI max. hops
- Network Prefix
- LECS/LES enable/disable mode
- Resident LECS address

· When a redundant switch is deployed, no messages appear on the LMA screen while booting is taking place.

General new features and restrictions

Login and Password Length

When entering the configuration menu:

· Login Name string length is up to 5 characters. There is no option to use more than 5 characters as Login Name. (Admin, Read, Write)

· Password string length is up to 8 characters. There is no option to use more than 8 characters as Password. (A bug associated with this was fixed in this Release)

Serial EPROM

· Serial Eprom is supported in the switch 7000HD and the 8 port module.

· The Serial Eprom supports specific information which helps users to verify and to check the 8 port card and the Switch 7000HD HW version, Production date, serial number of the card and more information as follows.

· The access to the Serial Eprom is done via the LMA, RS232 connection.

· Access to the Serial Eprom of the Switch engine:

Login the CELLplex as Admin

Enter 1 - SYS

Enter 4 - Switch Modules

And you get: Active switch technical data

· Access to the Serial Eprom of the 8 port module:

Login the CELLplex as Admin

Enter 1 - SYS

Enter 5 - Interface cards

Chose the slot number which the 8 port module is in

Enter 6 - Read IFC technical information

Chose the slot number which the 8 port module is in

And you get: 8 port technical data

Example for the 8 Port module technical Data:

Explanation to parameters:

sep_struct_rev "8_PORT_A" (Card type)
reserved "FFFFFFFFFFFFF..."
board_name "ATM_8_PORT_BOARD_REV_B" (Card name)
assembly_no "503C0033-1B" (Manufacturing number)
assembly_rev "B3" (Manufacturing revision)
serial_no (Serial Number)
cpu_type "T400" (CPU type)
rx_fifo_size "4_K_BYTE" (Rx Fifo size)
tx_h_fifo_size "4_K_BYTE" (Tx Fifo size)
tx_l1_fifo_size "16_K_BYTE" (Tx Fifo size)
tx_l2_fifo_size "16_K_BYTE" (Tx Fifo size)
flash_size "128_K_BYTE" (Flash size)
flash_vendor "AMD" (Flash vendor)
production_site "NCD" (Manufacturing site)
production_date "SUN_JAN_6,_1997" (Manufacturing date)

VPI/VCI Bits Range

· Rel. 3.20 supports VPI length of 3 bits and VCI length of 9 bits.

ILMI

· Auto configuration of a port is enabled by default. This should help when there is an application with Auto config-compliant ATM devices. (Products as Super Stack 1000, SS2700, Oncore etc.)

· Be aware to check if the connected product supports also Auto configuration of the Port. In case that the remote product doesnt support Auto configuration, disable the Auto configuration and configure it manually.

· When working with the LANplex 2500 or the SBus connecting to the CELLplex, you have to set the configuration manually.

· LECS address through ILMI is disabled by default. Be sure to disable when connecting to a 3Com SBus Adapter. It can be enabled when connecting to devices requiring LECS address support via ILMI.

· On an NNI physical connection, Auto config is not operational and UNI information is not transferred; therefore, you must make sure UNI parameters are correctly set manually. For example, make sure the VPI/VCI ranges match or that both ends use UNI 3.0 or 3.1. This is especially important when connecting to non 3Com switches in Gateway mode.

Signaling

· The UNI default verion is UNI 3.0; however, it can be changed to run UNI 3.1 and both ends of a connection can be different UNI Releases - one side 3.0 and the other 3.1.

LAN Emulation Services

· Changing the LECS ATM address requires rebooting to enable LECS operation.

Management

Integrated Fast Setup

General

The CELLplex 7000 Switch local management (LMA) features an Integrated Fast Setup procedure which configures both the switch and all Interface Cards installed in it in one continuous dialog.

· The Integrated Fast Setup manager for all interface cards is supported in Rel. 3.20.

This feature enables users to configure the CELLplex with all the populated I/F

cards with an overall box management and not on a module by module basis.

Restriction

Fast setup configuration is permitted either from LMA or TFTP but not simultaneously from both of them.

Box-oriented setup

The Integrated Fast Setup procedure is based on a concept in which the CELLplex 7000 Switch together with its installed interface cards is viewed as integrated unit or box. The advantage of this concept is its simplicity: it is not necessary to remember into which slot each Interface Card is installed or even which type of Interface Card id installed. Rather, attention is focused on configuring the ports of the box. The procedure automatically determines the ports that are available in the unit and display them by type (Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, ATM) for configuration. The port location is displayed by the notation <slot id.port id>. For example <3.1> refers to slot #3,

port #1 (the port id of 8 port ATM module in slot number 4 are numbered 4.1, 4.2 ...4.8) - refer to Table 1.

Slot ID	Card Description
1.	Switch module
2.	Switch module
3.	I/F card - ATM, LAN
4.	I/F card - ATM, LAN
5.	I/F card - ATM, LAN
6.	I/F card - ATM, LAN

Table 1

Box-wide VLANs

With the Integrated Fast Setup, Virtual LANs (VLANs) are created box-wide. Each VLAN is defined for both the Switch and all the Interface Cards installed in the box. There is only one admin VLAN for the box.

VLANs are set up in two stages. First, in the LE Client section, a number of potential VLANs are created according to the requirement of the network. Next, in the Virtual Network Configuration section, the potential VLANs become actual VLANs by having ports assigned to them.

Setup Modes

The Integrated Fast Setup provides two setup modes: the Full setup mode and the Switch setup mode.

1. Full Setup Mode

The Full setup mode configures both the CELLplex 7000 Switch and the installed Interface Cards. It sets the required parameter values in all the installed Interface Cards and is the preferred setup mode for most users. Only those systems that require special parameter settings in one or more of the installed Interface Cards will need to use the Switch setup mode as described in the next section.

2. Switch Setup Mode

The Switch setup mode configures only the CELLplex 7000 Switch and

does not alter parameters in any of the installed Interface Cards. The

Switch setup mode is provided to allow the user to retain special settings in

a particular Interface Card if necessary.

Setup Mode Selection

The Full setup mode is executed automatically unless special parameter settings are detected in one or more of the installed Interface Cards. If any of the settings in the following list are present in any Interface Card, the operator is prompted to choose between the Switch and Full setup modes:

· A Subnet Mask, Default Gateway or NMS Address different from that of the CELLplex 7000 Switch

· A VLAN whose ATM connection is set to No

· The name of the ELAN that the default admin port (Port #1 in each slot) is attached to differs from the name admin

Note: The Integrated Fast setup Full setup mode may override any special configurations that have previously been carried out in any of the installed Interface Cards.

Setting Special Parameters

In case one or more individual Interface Cards requires special setup parameter values, the user will need to do one of the following:

· Use the Switch setup mode of the Integrated Fast Setup to set up the CELLplex 7000 Switch only and then use the Multi-context Fast Setup of each installed Interface Card separately

· Use the Full setup mode of the Integrated Fast Setup to configure the CELLplex 7000 Switch and all installed Interface Cards and then use the Multi-context Fast Setup for the particular Interface Card in order to restore its special parameter values

Integrated Fast Setup Operation

The Integrated Fast Setup is initiated from the LMA Main Menu of the CELLplex 7000. The CELLplex Main Menu appears as follows:

CP700 switch module - Main Menu:

(1) SYS: Platform config ->

(2) LEM: Lan Emulation ->

(3) CON: Connections ->

(4) STS: Statistics ->

(5) DIA: Testing and Diagnostics ->

(6) FTR: ATM features

(7) LOG: Logout

(8) VER: Version

(9) FST: Fast Setup

[ \ -Main, - -Back in menus]

[ =0 -To switch =n -To i/f card n (1-4)]

SNMP Agent

Rel. 3.20 supports the following MIBs in addition to the current supported MIBs.

LES MIB - LES configuration and LES - LEC tables

BUS MIB - BUS configuration and BUS statistics table

Management General

Restrictions

· In-band management through ATM is not supported.

· Downloading SW Rel. number lower than 3.20 (uploading SW Rel. 3.17, 3.15 etc.), after SW 3.20 is already loaded requires the user to erase the Flash and to configure again the switch.

· Setting illegal IP parameters (such as 0.0.0.0 IP subnet mask) may cause system failure.

When the redundant switch becomes active, an SNMP station on the Solaris Operating System may lose its connection with the CELLplex for 30 minutes. This is due to incompatibility of the Solaris Operating System with the IP standard. A way to work around this is to delete the ARP cache of the station and ping from the station to the CELLplex.

· The SNMP agent MIB partially supports: System MIB, ATM Layer MIB (part of I/F MIB), VC Status MIB, PVC setup, Private Chassis MIB, ELAN MIB, Connection Browse.

· During TFTP sessions:

- The CELLplex, does not respond to SNMP set requests.
- Hot insertion of modules is not allowed.

· Telnet may be sustained for only about 30 minutes if the redundant switch engine card becomes active. A way to work around this is to delete the ARP cache of the station and ping from the station to the CELLplex.

· The password for read mode is now read.

· Re-init/Disable of a DS-3 interface is missing and will be introduced in future releases.

· On I/F cards that include DS-3 and / or UTP-5 I/F, the different I/F types are not shown on the NMS. It shows DS-3 on all if DS-3 is on the board, UTP-5 if it has UTP-5 (and no DS-3). Fiber is shown only if neither of these is on the board.

· There is no NetCalc program support for setting PVCs automatically with LinkSwitch 2700TLI units.

CELLplex 7000/7000HD SOFTWARE BUG FIXES IN Rel. 3.20

The following bugs have been fixed in SW Release 3.20.

1. Problems with 7200 card keep alive messages was fixed.

The problem disabled the SW reset for the 7200 card.

2. PVC recreation problem after link failure was fixed.

The issue causes a situation that when a link fail and PVC connection was configured on this link, the user had to delete the PVC from the CELLplex data base and set it up again in order to use the PVC connection.

3. 7600/7400 cards and redundant switch engine functionality problems were improved.

3.1. The redundant switch engine capability was not supported in a CELLplex which is populated by 7600/7400 modules only. Using SW Rel. 3.20, the CELLplex has to house at least one 4-port module or 7200 or 8 port card module in order to support redundant switch capability. The improvement is that there is no meaning to the slot number and the card type.

3.2. While switching from the active switch to the redundant switch, the 7600 cards were stacked and the user had to reset the card in order to make it work. This was solved.

4. A bug in the DS-3 Idle Cell was fixed.

There was a bug in the DS-3 Idle Cell and this bug prevented the CELLplex to work with other vendors products via DS-3 interfaces.

5. LECS address is now transferred between the active switch and the redundant switch engine.

There was a bug which did not allow to transfer the address between the switches.

6. PVC connection with high priority is now working OK.

There was a bug with the PVC high priority connection that the product did not support high priorities PVC connections.

7. BUS counters on the statistic menu were fixed.

8. SysUp time counter which display the time since the system is up is now fixed.

9. Temperature sensor for the switch HD is now supported.

10. Problems with the hot swap of the 7X00 modules were fixed.

There was a bug in previous SW version and the CELLplex did not fully support the hot swap of the 7X00 modules.

Known Bugs in Release 3.20

1. EFCI display on the menus is wrong only 50% threshold is supported.

2. When switching from the active 7000HD switch to the redundant 7000HD switch the system is switched to work with 20MHz clock instead of 40MHz.

© 3Com Corporation