| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 3735.1 | Free, $$, $$$$ | JULIET::yosmte::HARRIS_MA | Sales Executive II | Mon Jul 22 1996 23:33 | 12 |
| The only change required to make an DECbridge900MX work like a
DECswitch900EF as shipped from the factory is the Nameplate plastic
bezel... The same firmware for switching can be loaded in each.
To add ROUTING to either of these products, you need to sell them the
DECswitch900EF Routing upgrade firmware. There is SWITCHING-only
firmware (free) and there is Switching+IP Routing ($), and there is
Switching+MultiProtocol Routing ($).
Order away...
Mark
|
| 3735.2 | The same (tho different ROM ID etc.) | 34937::DANZAK | | Tue Jul 23 1996 10:39 | 8 |
| (tho, there is some ROM information that does cause the product to ID
itself differently - that way the Multichassis manager can report it as
a DECbridge 900MX versus a DECbridge 900EF....) But it's functionally
da same...
Reards,
j
|
| 3735.3 | | NPSS::RAUHALA | | Fri Jul 26 1996 19:38 | 3 |
| actually, the "rom" is the same also.
it's the hardware rev that is different.
but everything else is the same.
|
| 3735.4 | A "DECbridge" in the field can never become a "DECswitch"... | NETCAD::BATTERSBY | Don't use time/words carelessly | Fri Jul 26 1996 20:06 | 14 |
| Actually, what happened when we changed the bezel is a bit
more convoluted than just changing the bezel.
We changed the bezel, and at the same time the internal
processor board was re-spun with a new etch rev (fixing a
bunch of minor circuit problems, upgrading the fan circuit etc.)
Simultaneous to this set of changes, the rom rev was changed from
.2 to .4 providing for a larger landing pad in the packet memory,
and other sundry optimizations in the rom code.
To date, backwards operability of current switch images in DECbridge
900MX's has been maintained, but the customer's DECbridges will
continue to ID as a "DECbridge" even with current rev firmware because
they have an older rom rev.
Bob
|
| 3735.5 | | NPSS::RAUHALA | | Fri Jul 26 1996 21:20 | 2 |
| yes, but if you put the new 900EF rom into an older 900MX it would
still identify itself as a 900MX because it looks at the board rev.
|
| 3735.6 | It's all "rev"elant... :-) | NETCAD::BATTERSBY | Don't use time/words carelessly | Fri Jul 26 1996 21:48 | 15 |
| That's very true Ken. I only mentioned the other stuff to point
out why simply putting on a different bezel isn't going to make
a DECbridge turn into a DECSwitch. The re-spin of the processor
board is what forced the hardware rev of the processor board
to go from 0/ to 1/
For those who may not know, the numbers in the hardware rev X/Y
X = hardware rev of the internal processor board
Y = hardware rev of the internal I/O board
The I/O board has all the connectors on it and other neat stuff,
and the Processor board has all the engines, memory, other glue
logic, and other neat stuff.
Bob
|
| 3735.7 | 8-) | JULIET::yosmte::HARRIS_MA | Sales Executive II | Wed Jul 31 1996 17:08 | 12 |
| 8-)
Ok, so you just change the bezel, and the motherboard, and perhaps a
few of the internal cables and connectors, a rom and a few memory
chips. BUT, the rest is the same. 8-)
Seriously, We are beating this dead horse, but a few replies back, the
key words were "we have maintained code compatiblity" across the several
variations of the product. To the outside world, they are all the same,
just identified as different named products.
Mark
|
| 3735.8 | ... You got it ... | NETCAD::BATTERSBY | Don't use time/words carelessly | Wed Jul 31 1996 21:22 | 7 |
| >key words were "we have maintained code compatiblity" across the several
>variations of the product.
Bingo! Borrowing from another fictional world...that was the
"Prime Directive".
Bob
|
| 3735.9 | Rev. Level 2? | NQOS01::nqsrv106.nqo.dec.com::LOVE | Are we having fun yet? | Thu Sep 05 1996 11:48 | 10 |
| This is all interesting but when the customer read the specs. for the routing
it says the DECswitch 900EF has to be at rev. level 2. What does this mean?
Does it mean he only has to upgrade the firmware using ClearVISN (HubWatch) to
the current level and then he can install the routing code, or does he have to
make a hardware change as well?
The customer is concerned because he got two of the first ten sold to the
public, of the DECbridge 900MXs.
Norm
|
| 3735.10 | No such thing required as "rev level 2".... | NETCAD::BATTERSBY | | Thu Sep 05 1996 14:03 | 21 |
| >This is all interesting but when the customer read the specs. for the
>routing it says the DECswitch 900EF has to be at rev. level 2.
>What does this mean?
You should go back to your customer and verify what they read, where
they read that. There is no "rev. level 2" requirement that I know
of. Perhaps what the customer was reading was a statement in the
DECswitch 900EF Router Release Notes about the Hardware requirements.
All revisions of the Router Release Notes since the code was first
released state that the minimum hardware revision level required
is DECswitch 900EF version V1/2 or DECbridge 900MX version V0/1.
So I'd suggest finding out a couple of things, first what is the
hardware rev of the DECbridges the customer currently has, what rev
of Router firmware is being installed. There should be no problem
with installing routing code to a DECbridge of hardware rev of V0/1.
Also there are no hardware changes required to install router code.
If there is some document somewhere (hardcopy or on our web page),
that says something about a "rev level 2", I'd like to know about it,
so I can have it corrected.
Bob
|