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Table of Contents

Configuring the Supervisor Engine Software

Configuring the Supervisor Engine Software

This chapter describes how to configure the Catalyst  5000 series supervisor engine software, including IP address and subnet mask assignment, default gateway configuration, and redundant supervisor engine operation.


Note For complete information on installing Catalyst 5000 series supervisor engine modules, refer to the Catalyst 5000 Series Supervisor Engine Installation Guide.

Note For complete syntax and usage information for the commands used in this chapter, refer to the Catalyst  5000 Series Command Reference publication.

This chapter consists of these sections:


Note Supervisor Engines I and II have two Fast Ethernet uplink ports. The Supervisor Engine  III  FSX and FLX models have fixed-configuration Gigabit Ethernet uplinks. Supervisor Engine III support a variety of uplink modules with Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet uplink ports. For information on configuring Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet switching, refer to "Configuring Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet Switching."

Default Supervisor Engine Configuration

Table 3-1 shows the default supervisor engine configuration. For information on the default configuration for supervisor engine Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet uplinks, refer to "Configuring Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet Switching."


Table 3-1: Supervisor Engine Default Configuration
Feature Default Value

Administrative connection

Normal mode

Global system information

  • No value for system name

  • No value for system contact

  • No value for location

System clock

No value for system clock time

Passwords

No passwords configured for normal mode or enable mode (press Return key)

System prompt

Console>

In-band (sc0) interface

  • IP address, subnet mask, and broadcast address set to 0.0.0.0

  • Assigned to VLAN1 1

Default gateway address

Set to 0.0.0.0 with a metric of 0

SLIP2 (sl0) interface

  • IP address and SLIP destination address set to 0.0.0.0

  • SLIP for the console port is not active (set to detach)

1VLAN=virtual LAN
2SLIP=Serial Line Internet Protocol

Configuring the Supervisor Engine

These sections describe how to configure the supervisor engine software on the Catalyst  5000 series switches:


Note For additional supervisor engine configuration tasks, including setting the system clock and specifying global system information, refer to "Administering the Switch."

Preparing to Configure the Switch

You can configure the switch using the set, show, and clear commands. Enter set commands to change switch parameters. Enter show commands to verify the configuration. Use clear commands (or, in some cases, set commands) to overwrite or erase configuration parameters.

Before you configure the supervisor engine software, obtain the following information:

Establishing a Console Port Connection


Note For information on connecting a terminal to the supervisor engine console port, refer to the Catalyst  5000 Series Supervisor Engine Installation Guide.

Make sure the terminal is connected to the switch and that the switch and terminal are ON. Perform this task to establish a console port connection to the switch.
Task Command

Step 1 Access the switch command-line interface (CLI) using the appropriate commands on the terminal (for example, using the tip command on a UNIX system).

Step 2 At the Enter password: prompt, press Return.

Step 3 Enter privileged mode.

enable

Step 4 At the Enter password: prompt, press Return.

This example shows the bootup display of a Catalyst 5000 series switch with a Supervisor Engine  II (the display on your switch might be slightly different):

ATE0
ATS0=1
 
Catalyst  5000 Power Up Diagnostics
 
Init NVRAM Log 
LED Test 
ROM CHKSUM 
DUAL PORT RAM r/w 
RAM r/w 
RAM address test 
Byte/Word Enable test 
RAM r/w 55aa 
RAM r/w aa55 
EARL test 
BOOTROM Version 2.1, Dated Apr  6 1998 16:49:40
BOOT date: 00/00/00 BOOT time: 03:18:57
SIMM RAM address test 
SIMM Ram r/w 55aa 
SIMM Ram r/w aa55 
Start to Uncompress Image ...
IP address for Catalyst not configured
BOOTP will commence after the ports are online
Ports are coming online ...
Cisco Systems Console
Enter password:
Mon Apr 06 1998  03:20:41    Module 1 is online
 
Enter Password: 
Mon Apr 06 1998  03:20:41    Module 2 is online
 
Enter Password: 
Sending RARP request with address 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending bootp request with address: 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending RARP request with address 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending bootp request with address: 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending RARP request with address 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending bootp request with address: 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending RARP request with address 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending bootp request with address: 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending RARP request with address 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending bootp request with address: 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending RARP request with address 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending bootp request with address: 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending RARP request with address 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending bootp request with address: 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending RARP request with address 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending bootp request with address: 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending RARP request with address 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending bootp request with address: 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending RARP request with address 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Sending bootp request with address: 00:40:0b:6c:2b:ff
Console> enable
Enter password:
Console> (enable)

Note The system only initiates a BOOTP or Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) request when the sc0 interface is set to 0.0.0.0, or after you enter the command clear config all.

This example shows the bootup display of a Catalyst 5000 series switch with a Supervisor Engine  III. (The Supervisor Engine III FSX and FLX bootup display is similar; the display on your switch might be slightly different):

System Power On Diagnostics
NVRAM Size..............................128KB
LED Test................................Done
ID Prom Test............................Passed
DPRAM Size..............................16KB
DPRAM Data 0x55 Test....................Passed
DPRAM Data 0xaa Test....................Passed
DPRAM Address Test......................Passed
Clearing DPRAM..........................Done
System DRAM Memory Size.................16MB
DRAM Data 0x55 Test.....................Passed
DRAM Data 0xaa Test.....................Passed
DRAM Address Test.......................Passed
Clearing DRAM...........................Done
EARL++..................................Present
EARL RAM Test...........................Passed
EARL Serial Prom Test...................Passed
Level2 Cache............................Present
Level2 Cache test.......................Passed

Setting the Switch IP Address

Before you can Telnet to the switch or use Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to manage the switch, you must assign an IP address to the in-band (sc0) logical interface.

To set the switch IP address, perform this task in privileged mode:
Task Command

Step 1 Assign an IP address and subnet mask to the in-band (sc0) interface.

set interface sc0 [ip_addr [netmask]]

Step 2 Assign the in-band interface to the proper VLAN (make sure the VLAN is associated with the network to which the IP address belongs).

set interface sc0 [vlan]

Step 3 If necessary, bring the interface up.

set interface sc0 up

Step 4 Verify the interface configuration.

show interface

This example shows how to assign an IP address, subnet mask, and VLAN to the in-band (sc0) interface and how to verify the interface configuration:

Console> (enable) set interface sc0 10.1.1.100 255.0.0.0
Interface sc0 IP address and netmask set.
Console> (enable) set interface sc0 10
Interface sc0 vlan set.
Console> (enable) show interface
sl0: flags=51<UP,POINTOPOINT,RUNNING>
        slip 0.0.0.0 dest 128.96.3.240
sc0: flags=63<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING>
        vlan 10 inet 10.1.1.100 netmask 255.0.0.0 broadcast 10.255.255.255
Console> (enable)

Configuring Default Gateways

The supervisor engine sends IP packets with unresolved destination IP addresses to the default gateway (typically a router).

You can define up to three default IP gateways in Catalyst  5000 series software release  4.1 and later. Use the primary keyword to give a default IP gateway higher priority than other default gateways. If no primary default gateway is specified, the first gateway configured is the primary gateway. If more than one gateway is designated as primary, the last primary gateway configured is the primary default gateway.

Defining multiple default gateways provides redundancy; if the primary default gateway fails, the Catalyst  5000 series switch uses the secondary default gateways in the order in which they were configured.

To specify one or more default gateways, perform this task in privileged mode:
Task Command

Step 1 Configure a default IP gateway address for the switch.

set ip route default gateway [metric] [primary]

Step 2 (Optional) Configure additional default gateways for the switch.

set ip route default gateway [metric] [primary]

Step 3 Verify that the default gateways appear correctly in the IP routing table.

show ip route

This example shows how to configure three default gateways on the switch and how to verify the default gateway configuration:

Console> (enable) set ip route default 10.1.1.1 primary
Route added.
Console> (enable) set ip route default 10.1.1.10
Route added.
Console> (enable) set ip route default 10.1.1.20
Route added.
Console> (enable) show ip route
Fragmentation   Redirect   Unreachable
-------------   --------   -----------
enabled         enabled    enabled
The primary gateway: 10.1.1.1
Destination             Gateway                 Flags   Use         Interface
----------------------- ----------------------- ------  ----------  ---------
default                 10.1.1.20               G                0  sc0
default                 10.1.1.10               G                0  sc0
default                 10.1.1.1                UG              12  sc0
10.0.0.0                10.1.1.100              U                0  sc0
default                 default                 UH               0  sl0
Console> (enable)

Configuring Static Routes

If your Telnet station or SNMP network management workstation is on a different network from the switch and there is no router available, you might need to add a static routing table entry for the network where your end station is located.

To configure a static route, perform this task in privileged mode:
Task Command

Step 1 Configure a static route to the remote network.

set ip route destination gateway [metric]

Step 2 Verify that the static route appears correctly in the IP routing table.

show ip route

This example shows how to configure a static route on the switch and how to verify that the route is configured properly in the routing table:

Console> (enable) set ip route 172.16.0.0 10.1.1.20
Route added.
Console> (enable) show ip route
Fragmentation   Redirect   Unreachable
-------------   --------   -----------
enabled         enabled    enabled
The primary gateway: 10.1.1.1
Destination             Gateway                 Flags   Use         Interface
----------------------- ----------------------- ------  ----------  ---------
172.16.0.0              10.1.1.20               UG               0  sc0
default                 10.1.1.1                UG              18  sc0
10.0.0.0                10.1.1.100              U                0  sc0
default                 default                 UH               0  sl0
Console> (enable)

Configuring SLIP on the Console Port

Use the SLIP (sl0) interface for point-to-point SLIP connections between the switch and an IP host.

Caution You must use the console port for the SLIP connection. When the SLIP connection is enabled and SLIP is attached on the console port, an EIA/TIA-232 terminal cannot connect via the console port. If you are connected to the switch CLI through the console port and you enter the slip attach command, you will lose the console port connection. Use Telnet to access the switch, enter privileged mode, and enter the slip detach command to restore the console port connection.

To enable and attach SLIP on the console port, perform this task:
Task Command

Step 1 Access the switch from a remote host with Telnet.

telnet {host_name | ip_addr}

Step 2 Enter privileged mode on the switch.

enable

Step 3 Set the console port SLIP address and the destination address of the attached host.

set interface sl0 slip_addr dest_addr

Step 4 Enable SLIP for the console port.

slip attach

Step 5 Verify the SLIP interface configuration.

show interface

This example shows how to configure SLIP on the console port and verify the configuration:

sparc20% telnet 172.20.52.71
Trying 172.20.52.71 ...
Connected to 172.20.52.71.
Escape character is '^]'.
 
Cisco Systems Console
Enter password:
Console> enable
Enter password:
Console> (enable) set interface sl0 10.1.1.1 10.1.1.2
Interface sl0 slip and destination address set.
Console> (enable) slip attach
Console Port now running SLIP.
Console> (enable) show interface
sl0: flags=51<UP,POINTOPOINT,RUNNING>
        slip 10.1.1.1 dest 10.1.1.2
sc0: flags=63<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING>
        vlan 523 inet 172.20.52.71 netmask 255.255.255.224 broadcast 172.20.52.95
Console> (enable)

Configuring a BOOTP Server on a UNIX Workstation

You can set IP address information for Catalyst 5000 series switches using the Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP). When you configure a BOOTP server with the Media Access Control (MAC) and IP addresses of the switch, the switch retrieves its IP address from the BOOTP server automatically.

The switch makes a BOOTP request only if you set the switch IP address to 0.0.0.0. This address is the default for a new switch or a switch whose configuration file has been cleared using the clear config all command.

To configure a workstation as a BOOTP server, you must determine the MAC address of the switch and add that MAC address to the BOOTP configuration file on the server.

To create a BOOTP server on a UNIX workstation, perform this task:
Task Command

Step 1 Make sure you have BOOTP server code installed correctly on the workstation.

Step 2 Obtain the first address in the MAC address range for VLAN 1 in module 1 (the supervisor engine). Choose the last address in the range on the first line under the MAC-Address(es) heading.

show module

Step 3 Add an entry in the BOOTP configuration file (usually /usr/etc/bootptab) for each Catalyst  5000 series switch. Press Return after each entry to create a blank line between each entry.

Step 4 Set the switch IP address to 0.0.0.0.

set interface sc0 0.0.0.0

Step 5 Confirm that the switch IP address is set correctly.

show interface

Setting Passwords

To set the user mode and privileged mode passwords, perform this task in privileged mode:
Task Command

Step 1 Set the password for normal mode. Enter your old password (press Return on a switch with no password configured), enter your new password, and reenter your new password.

set password

Step 2 Set the password for privileged mode. Enter your old password, enter your new password, and reenter your new password.

set enablepass

This example shows how to set the passwords on the switch:

Catalyst 5000> (enable) set password
Enter old password:
Enter new password:
Retype new password:
Password changed.
Catalyst 5000> (enable) set enablepass
Enter old password:
Enter new password:
Retype new password:
Password changed.
Catalyst 5000> (enable)

Modifying the Supervisor Engine  III Startup Configuration

These sections describe how the startup configuration works on the Catalyst 5000 series Supervisor
Engine III (including the Supervisor Engine III FSX and FLX models) and how to modify the configuration register and BOOT variable:

Understanding the Supervisor Engine III Boot Configuration

These sections describe how the boot configuration works on the Catalyst 5000 series Supervisor Engine III:

Understanding the Supervisor Engine III Boot Process

The Supervisor Engine  III boot process involves two software images: ROM monitor and supervisor engine system code. When the switch is powered up or reset, the ROM-monitor code is executed. Depending on the nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM) configuration, the Supervisor Engine  III either stays in ROM-monitor mode or loads the supervisor engine system code.

Two user-configurable parameters determine how the switch boots: the configuration register and the BOOT environment variable. The configuration register is described in the "Understanding the Configuration Register" section. The BOOT environment variable is described in "Understanding the BOOT Environment Variable" section.

Understanding the ROM Monitor

The ROM monitor executes upon switch power-up, reset, or when a fatal exception occurs. The system enters ROM-monitor mode if the switch does not find a valid system image, if the NVRAM configuration is corrupted, or if the configuration register is set to enter ROM-monitor mode. From ROM-monitor mode, you can manually load a system image from Flash memory, from a network server file, or from bootflash.


Note For complete syntax and usage information for the ROM monitor commands, refer to the Catalyst 5000 Series Command Reference publication.

You can also enter ROM-monitor mode by restarting the switch and then pressing the Break key during the first 60 seconds of startup. If you are connected through a terminal server, you can escape to the Telnet prompt and enter the send break command to enter ROM-monitor mode.


Note The Break key is always enabled for 60 seconds after rebooting the system, regardless of whether the configuration-register setting has the Break key disabled.

The following functionality is built into the ROM monitor:

Understanding the Configuration Register

The configuration register determines whether the switch loads an operating system image and where the system image is stored. The configuration register boot field determines if and how the ROM monitor loads a supervisor engine system image at startup. You can modify the boot field to force the switch to boot a particular system image at startup instead of using the default system image.

The lowest four bits (bits 3, 2, 1, and 0) of the 16-bit configuration register form the boot field. The default boot field value is 0x10F. The possible configuration register boot field settings are as follows:

The function of other bits in the configuration register are as follows:

Understanding the BOOT Environment Variable

The BOOT environment variable specifies a list of image files on various devices from which the switch can boot at startup.

You can add several images to the BOOT environment variable to provide a fail-safe boot configuration. If the first file fails to boot the switch, subsequent images specified in the BOOT variable are tried until the switch boots or there are no additional images to attempt to boot. If there is no valid image to boot, the system enters ROM-monitor mode where you can manually specify an image to boot.

The system stores and executes images in the order in which you added them to the BOOT variable. If you want to change the order in which images are tried at startup, you can either prepend and clear images from the BOOT variable to attain the desired order or you can clear the entire BOOT environment variable and then redefine the list in the desired order.

Default Supervisor Engine III Boot Configuration

Table 3-2 shows the default Supervisor Engine III boot configuration.


Table 3-2: Default Supervisor Engine III Boot Configuration
Feature Default Configuration

Configuration register value

0x10f

Boot method

System boots from the image specified in the BOOT environment variable

ROM monitor console port baud rate

9600 baud

ignore-config parameter

Disabled

BOOT environment variable

Empty

Setting the Configuration Register and BOOT Environment Variable


Note Configuration register and BOOT environment variable settings are not copied automatically to a redundant supervisor engine (if present). You must set these parameters separately for each supervisor engine in the switch.

The following sections describe how to modify the configuration register and BOOT environment variable on the Catalyst 5000 series Supervisor Engine III:

Setting the Boot Field in the Configuration Register

You can determine the boot method the switch will use at the next startup by setting the boot field in the configuration register. This command affects only the configuration register bits that control the boot field and leaves the remaining bits unaltered. The following boot methods are supported:


Note We recommend that you use only the rommon and system options to the set boot config-register boot command.

To set the configuration register boot field, perform this task in privileged mode:
Task Command

Specify the boot field in the configuration register

set boot config-register boot {rommon | bootflash | system} [mod_num]

This example shows how to force the switch to enter ROM-monitor mode at the next startup:

Console> (enable) set boot config-register boot rommon
Configuration register is 0x140
ignore-config: enabled
console baud: 9600
boot: the ROM monitor
Console> (enable)

Setting the ROM-Monitor Console Port Baud Rate

You can change the console port baud rate used by the ROM monitor. The new baud rate is used the next time the switch is restarted. This command affects only the configuration register bits that control the baud rate and leaves the remaining bits unaltered.


Note The baud rate specified in the configuration register is used by the ROM monitor only and is different from the baud rate specified by the set system baud command.

To change the ROM-monitor console port baud rate in the configuration register, perform this task in privileged mode:
Task Command

Change the ROM-monitor console port baud rate in the configuration register.

set boot config-register baud {1200 | 2400 | 4800 | 9600} [mod_num]

This example shows how to change the ROM-monitor console port baud rate in the configuration register to 2400:

Console> (enable) set boot config-register baud 2400
Configuration register is 0x190f
ignore-config: disabled
console baud: 2400
boot: image specified by the boot system commands
Console> (enable)

Setting the Switch to Ignore the NVRAM Configuration

You can cause the system software to ignore the configuration information stored in NVRAM the next time the switch is restarted. This command affects only the configuration register bits that control whether the switch ignores the NVRAM configuration and leaves the remaining bits unaltered. This command affects the next system restart only.

Caution Enabling the ignore-config parameter is the same as entering the clear config all command; that is, it clears the entire configuration stored in NVRAM the next time the switch is restarted.

To set the switch to ignore the NVRAM configuration at the next startup, perform this task in privileged mode:
Task Command

Set the switch to ignore the contents of NVRAM at startup.

set boot config-register ignore-config enable

This example shows how to set the switch to ignore the NVRAM configuration at the next startup:

Console> (enable) set boot config-register ignore-config enable
Configuration register is 0x14f
ignore-config: enabled
console baud: 9600
boot: image specified by the boot system commands
Console> (enable)

Setting the Complete Configuration Register Value

To set the entire configuration register value, perform this task in privileged mode:
Task Command

Set the configuration register.

set boot config-register 0xvalue [mod_num]

This example shows how to set the configuration register value to 0x90f:

Console> (enable) set boot config-register 0x90f
Configuration register is 0x90f
ignore-config: disabled
console baud: 4800
boot: image specified by the boot system commands
Console> (enable)

Setting the BOOT Environment Variable

To set the BOOT environment variable, perform this task in privileged mode:
Task Command

Specify a system image to add to the BOOT environment variable.

set boot system flash device:[filename] [prepend] [mod_num]

This example shows how to add system images to the BOOT environment variable:

Console> (enable) set boot system flash bootflash:cat5000-sup3.3-2-1b.bin
BOOT variable = bootflash:cat5000-sup3.3-2-1b.bin,1;
Console> (enable) set boot system flash bootflash:cat5000-sup3.4-1-2.bin
BOOT variable = bootflash:cat5000-sup3.3-2-1b.bin,1;bootflash:cat5000-sup3.4-1
-2.bin,1;
Console> (enable) set boot system flash slot0:cat5000-sup3.4-2-1.bin prepend
BOOT variable = slot0:cat5000-sup3.4-2-1.bin,1;bootflash:cat5000-sup3.3-2-1b.
bin,1;bootflash:cat5000-sup3.4-1-2.bin,1;
Console> (enable)

Displaying the Supervisor Engine III Boot Configuration

To display the current configuration register and BOOT environment variable settings, perform this task:
Task Command

Display the current configuration register and BOOT environment variable settings.

show boot [mod_num]

This example shows how to display the current configuration register and BOOT environment variable settings:

Console> (enable) show boot
BOOT variable = slot0:cat5000-sup3.4-2-1.bin,1;bootflash:cat5000-sup3.3-2-1b.
bin,1;bootflash:cat5000-sup3.4-1-2.bin,1;
Configuration register is 0x10f
ignore-config: disabled
console baud: 9600
boot: image specified by the boot system commands
 
Console> (enable)

Clearing the BOOT Environment Variable Settings

To clear entries from the BOOT environment variable, perform one of these tasks in privileged mode:
Task Command

  • Clear a specific image from the BOOT environment variable.

clear boot system flash device:[filename] [mod_num]

  • Clear the entire BOOT environment variable.

clear boot system all [mod_num]

This example shows how to clear a specific entry from the BOOT environment variable:

Console> (enable) clear boot system flash bootflash:cat5000-sup3.3-2-1b.bin
BOOT variable = slot0:cat5000-sup3.4-2-1.bin,1;bootflash:cat5000-sup3.4-1-2.bin,1;
Console> (enable)

This example shows how to clear the entire BOOT environment variable:

Console> (enable) clear boot system all
BOOT variable =
Console> (enable)

Using Redundant Supervisor Engines

The redundant supervisor engine operation feature allows you to install a second supervisor engine module in a Catalyst  5505, 5509, or  5500 switch. The second supervisor engine takes over if the active supervisor engine fails. No software commands are needed to enable this functionality.

This section discusses the following topics:

Understanding How Supervisor Engine Redundancy Works

When you install two supervisor engine modules in the Catalyst  5505, 5509, or 5500 switch, the first supervisor engine module to come online becomes the active module; the second supervisor engine module goes into standby mode. All administrative and network management functions, such as SNMP, CLI console, Telnet, Spanning-Tree Protocol, Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP), and VLAN Trunk Protocol (VTP) are processed on the active supervisor engine module.

The console port on the standby supervisor engine module is inactive and the module status for the standby supervisor engine shows as "standby." However, status for the uplink ports on the standby supervisor is shown normally.

You must install redundant supervisor engine modules in slots 1 and 2 of the chassis. Redundant supervisor engine modules are hot swappable. The system continues to operate with the same configuration after switching over to the redundant supervisor engine. For more information, refer to the Catalyst  5000 Series Supervisor Engine Installation Guide.


Note A redundant supervisor engine configuration in the Catalyst  5505, 5509, and 5500 switches requires that both the active and standby supervisors be the same type, either both Supervisor Engines  II or both Supervisor Engines III. In addition, Enhanced Address Recognition Logic (EARL) daughter cards must be the same type, either both EARL+ cards, both
NetFlow Feature Cards (NFFCs), or both NFFC IIs.

At power-up, both supervisor engine modules run initial module-level diagnostics. Assuming both modules pass this level of diagnostics, the two modules communicate over the backplane, allowing them to cooperate during switching-bus diagnostics. The supervisor in slot 1 becomes active, and the supervisor in slot 2 enters standby mode. At this point, if the software versions of the two supervisors are different, or if the NVRAM configuration of the two supervisors is different, the active supervisor engine automatically downloads its software image and configuration to the standby supervisor engine.

If the background diagnostics on the active supervisor engine detect a major problem or an exception occurs, the active supervisor engine resets. The standby supervisor engine detects that the active supervisor engine is no longer running and becomes active. The standby supervisor engine can detect if the active supervisor engine is not functioning and can force a reset, if necessary. If the reset supervisor engine comes online again, it enters standby mode.

If you hot-insert a second supervisor engine module, the second module communicates with the active supervisor engine after completing its initial module-level diagnostics. Because the active supervisor engine is already switching traffic on the backplane, no switching-bus diagnostics are run for the second supervisor engine because running diagnostics can disrupt normal traffic. The second supervisor engine immediately enters standby mode. The active supervisor engine downloads the software image and configuration to the standby supervisor engine, if necessary.


Note The switchover time from active to standby supervisor engine does not include spanning-tree convergence time.

Understanding How Supervisor Redundancy Works on the Supervisor Engine III

The Supervisor Engine  III modules use two Flash images: the boot image and the runtime image. The boot image filename is specified in the BOOT environment variable, which is stored in NVRAM. The runtime image is the boot image that the ROM monitor uses to boot the Supervisor Engine  III module. After the system boots, the runtime image resides in dynamic RAM (DRAM).

When you power up or reset a Catalyst  5505, Catalyst 5509, or Catalyst  5500 switch with redundant Supervisor Engine  III modules, synchronization occurs to ensure that the runtime and boot images on the standby supervisor engine are the same as the images on the active supervisor engine.

The Supervisor Engine  III modules can have different runtime and boot images. If the boot image and the runtime image are the same, and you change the BOOT environment variable or overwrite or destroy the current boot image on the Flash device that was used to boot the system, the runtime and boot images will differ. Whenever you reconfigure the boot image, the active supervisor engine synchronizes its current boot image with the standby supervisor engine.

Supervisor Engine  II modules use 8-MB onboard Flash memory to store a single boot image, and only one boot image can be stored at a time. The Supervisor Engine  III, III FSX, and III FLX modules do not have memory dedicated to storing the boot image. Instead, a Flash file system is implemented and the boot image is read directly into the file system. You can perform operations (such as copy, delete, undelete, and so on) on files stored on Flash memory devices, and you can store the boot image of the active supervisor engine in the standby supervisor engine boot Flash.

The Supervisor Engine III FSX and FLX models have only the onboard Flash memory (bootflash:). The Supervisor Engine III module has two Flash PC card (PCMCIA) slots (slot0: and slot1:) in addition to the onboard Flash memory; these slots can hold Flash PC cards that can store additional boot images.


Note Throughout this publication, the term Flash PC card is used in place of the term PCMCIA card.

Since you can store multiple boot images on the Supervisor Engine  III, III FSX, and III FLX modules, the modules need to know the name of the boot file image and the location of the image file in the Flash file system in order to boot and synchronize properly.

In the synchronization process, the active supervisor engine checks the standby supervisor engine runtime image to make sure it matches its own runtime image. The active supervisor engine checks three conditions:

The following section describes the conditions that can initiate Flash synchronization. For examples of how the system synchronizes the Supervisor Engine  III (including the FSX and FLX models) Flash images with various configurations, see the "Supervisor Engine III Synchronization Examples" section.

Synchronization Process Initiation

These conditions initiate the synchronization of the runtime and boot images on the active and standby Supervisor Engine  III modules:

Redundant Supervisor Configuration Guidelines and Restrictions

The following conditions and events can cause the synchronization of images between redundant Supervisor Engine  III modules to fail or to produce unexpected results:

When you download a new image to the active supervisor engine, it is copied to a file system (in boot Flash or on one of the Flash PC cards in the Flash PC card slots). Since you may or may not have configured this image as the boot image, the newly downloaded image is not copied to the standby supervisor engine automatically.
To initiate the synchronization function between the active and standby supervisor engines, you must configure this newly downloaded image as the boot image on the active supervisor engine. Synchronization occurs when you change the boot variable. To run the new image, you must reset the system.
If the active supervisor is unable to find the current runtime image on any of the Flash devices, it signals an error condition. In this case, if the standby supervisor is inserted or reset, Flash synchronization does not occur. In addition, the STATUS LED on the standby supervisor engine turns red and the system generates a syslog error message.
If you have a Supervisor Engine  II and a Supervisor Engine  III installed as the active and standby supervisor engines in the same chassis, their boot images do not synchronize because their images are in different formats. Supervisor engine redundancy is supported only with supervisor engines of the same type.
When the active supervisor engine is in slot  2, the standby supervisor engine is in slot  1. If you change the configuration to specify a new boot image and then reset the system, the supervisor engine in slot  1 becomes the active supervisor and loads its default boot image, canceling the configuration changes you have just made. To avoid this problem, the system prompts you for Flash synchronization as soon as you change the boot file configuration.

Verifying Standby Supervisor Status

You can verify the status of the standby supervisor engine using a number of CLI commands.


Note On the Supervisor Engine  III modules, the show module output provides information about installed daughter cards and uplink modules. The show test command provides information about onboard ASICs not present on the Supervisor Engine  II module.

To verify the status of the standby supervisor engine, perform one or more of these tasks:
Task Command

  • Show the status of the standby supervisor engine.

show module [mod_num]

  • Show the state of the standby supervisor engine uplink ports.

show port [mod_num[/port_num]]

  • Show diagnostic test results for both the standby supervisor engine.

show test [mod_num]

This example shows how to check the status of the standby supervisor engine using the show module, show port, and show test commands:

Console> show module
Mod Module-Name          Ports Module-Type           Model    Serial-Num  Status
--- -------------------- ----- -------------------   -------- ----------  ------
 1  Supervisor           2     100BaseTX Supervisor  WS-X5509  001040409  ok
 2  Supervisor           2     100BaseTX Supervisor  WS-X5509  001040410  standby
 5  Management           12    100BaseFX Ethernet    WS-X5111  000023012  ok
 8  Marketing            24    10BaseT Ethernet      WS-X5010  012304930  ok
12  ATM BackBone         1     MM OC-3 ATM           WS-X5155  000459238  ok
Mod MAC-Address(es)                           Hw      Fw     Sw   
--- ----------------------------------------  ------  ------ -------------
 1  00-40-0b-90-00-24 thru 00-40-0b-90-04-23  1.3     1.4    3.1(1)
 2  00-40-0b-90-00-24 thru 00-40-0b-90-04-23  1.3     1.4    3.1(1)
 5  00-40-0b-92-9e-04 thru 00-40-0b-92-9e-0f  1.1     1.1    3.1(1)
 8  00-40-0b-92-9e-fc thru 00-40-0b-92-9f-13  1.0     1.1    3.1(1)
13  00-40-0b-05-01-48                         1.7     2.1    3.2(3)
Console> show port
Port Name                 Status   Vlan       Level  Duplex Speed  Type
---- -------------------- -------- ---------- ------ ------ -----  ------------
1/1  Management Port      connect  1000       high     full   100  100 BASE-TX
1/2  InterSwitchLink      connect  trunk      high     full   100  100 BASE-TX
2/1  Management Port      connect  1000       high     full   100  100 BASE-TX
2/2  InterSwitchLink      connect  1000       high     full   100  100 BASE-TX
<...output truncated...>
Console> (enable) show test 2
Network Management Processor (NMP) Status: (. = Pass, F = Fail, U = Unknown)
  ROM:  .   RAM:  .   DUART: .   Flash-EEPROM: .   Ser-EEPROM: .   NVRAM: .
  FAN:  .   Temperature: .
  PS (3.3V)  .     PS (12V): .   PS (24V): .
 
8051 Diag Status for Module 2(. = Pass, F = Fail, N = N/A)
 CPU         : .    Ext Ram 0: .    Ext Ram 1: .    Ext Ram 2: N
 DPRAM       : .    LTL Ram 0: .    LTL Ram 1: N    LTL Ram 2: N
 BootChecksum: .    CBL Ram 0: .    CBL Ram 1: N    CBL Ram 2: N
 Saints      : .    Pkt Bufs : .    Repeaters: N    Sprom    : .
SAINT Status :
  Ports 1  2  3
  --------------
        .  .  .
 Packet Buffer Status :
  Ports 1  2  3
  --------------
        .  .  .
System Diagnostic Status : (. = Pass, F = Fail, N = N/A)
 Module 2: MCP
 EARL Status :
        NewLearnTest:         .
        IndexLearnTest:       .
        DontForwardTest:      .
        MonitorTest           .
        DontLearn:            .
        FlushPacket:          .
        ConditionalLearn:     .
        EarlLearnDiscard:     .
 PMD Loopback Status :
  Ports 1  2  3 
  --------------
        .  .  . 
Console> (enable) 

Forcing a Switchover to the Standby Supervisor

You can switch over to the standby supervisor engine module by resetting the active supervisor engine.


Note Resetting the active supervisor engine module disconnects any open Telnet sessions.

To force a switchover to the standby supervisor engine, perform this task in privileged mode:
Task Command

Reset the active supervisor engine module (where mod_num is the number of the active supervisor).

reset mod_num

You can also switch to the standby supervisor engine module by setting the CISCO-STACK-MIB moduleAction variable to reset(2) on the active supervisor engine module.When the switchover occurs, the system sends a standard SNMP warm-start trap to the configured trap receivers.

This example shows how to force a switchover to the standby supervisor engine:

Console> (enable) reset 1
This command will force a switch-over to the standby supervisor module
and disconnect your telnet session.
Do you want to continue (y/n) [n]? y
Connection closed by foreign host.
host%

Supervisor Engine III Synchronization Examples

The following examples show what happens when the synchronization function encounters certain conditions. These examples apply to the Supervisor Engine III, III FSX, and III FLX models. These examples are not intended to cover every possible condition.


Note In the following examples, the number 1 following the filename in the bootstring (for example, bootflash:f1,1) indicates the number of Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) boot retries that are attempted. However, Supervisor Engine  III does not support TFTP booting. The number is included in these examples to be consistent with Cisco IOS conventions.

Synchronizing the Runtime Image with the Bootstring

This section contains four examples in which the active supervisor engine runtime image is synchronized with the standby supervisor engine.

Example 1: Runtime image not synchronized

The configuration for example  1 is as follows:

Example 2: File copied, bootstring changed, standby supervisor reset

The configuration for example  2 is as follows:

Example 3: File not copied, bootstring changed, standby supervisor reset

The configuration for example  3 is as follows:

Example 4: Oldest bootflash file deleted, bootflash squeezed

The configuration for example  4 is as follows:

Synchronizing the Boot Images on the Active and Standby Supervisor Engine  III Modules

This section contains four examples in which the bootstrings on the active and standby Supervisor Engine  III modules are synchronized.

Example 1: Unable to allocate the boot image

The configuration for this example is as follows:

Example 2: File copied, bootflash modified, standby supervisor not reset

The configuration for this example is as follows:

Example 3: File not copied, bootstring modified, standby supervisor not reset

The configuration for this example is as follows:

Example 4: File copied, oldest file deleted, bootflash squeezed, bootstring modified, standby supervisor not reset

The configuration for this example is as follows:


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