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Conference netcad::hub_mgnt

Title:DEChub/HUBwatch/PROBEwatch CONFERENCE
Notice:Firmware -2, Doc -3, Power -4, HW kits -5, firm load -6&7
Moderator:NETCAD::COLELLADT
Created:Wed Nov 13 1991
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:4455
Total number of notes:16761

4317.0. "Inband IP disappears" by SALEM::BARLOW () Thu Mar 27 1997 12:48

    We are having a problem where our DECHub 900 multiswitch is unable to
    retain it's inband IP address. We have many HUBs where this is working
    so I doubt this is operator error.
    
    The problem we are having when we set the inband IP address and then
    power cycle the HUB the inband IP address appears the first time as the
    display cycles through but then disappears.  This makes it impossible
    to configure the HUB via HUBwatch.
    
    We have changed every module including the DECswitch 900EF.  We
    currently only have the DECswitch 900EF in slot 8.  We have changed out
    the back plane and 900 multiswitch electronics separately and the
    problem still exists.
    
    The original rev of the DECHubh multiswitch was 4.1.1 and the new rev
    of the DECHub multiswitch is 4.2.0.
    
    Please respons ASAP since manufacturing production is affected.
    
    Craig Barlow
    dtn 285-2416
    salem::barlow
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
4317.1NETCAD::MILLBRANDTanswer mamThu Mar 27 1997 13:075
Have you swapped out the MAM module itself?  Can you give
us the full contents of the Error Log?  If you assign an
out-of-band IP address, does it also disappear?

	Dotsie
4317.2more detailed explanationSALEM::BARLOWThu Mar 27 1997 13:359
    We did swap the MAM separately which is the electronics module on the
    top section of the HUB with the HUB display as part of the module. We
    did not try to set the out of band since we have on intention of using
    out of band.  How would I go about getting an error log?
    
    We can connect to the HUB via HUBwatch, but the only module we see is
    the DECswitch 900EF and the rest of the HUBwatch screen is blank (does
    not even show the back plane connectors.  When we select the module it
    will not allow us to control the LAN connections to the HUB back plane.
4317.3NETCAD::MILLBRANDTanswer mamThu Mar 27 1997 20:0320
I'm wondering if your MAM hardware is bad, or if you keep crashing and
the Stop Thrash Protection feature is kicking in.

A scenario where the IP address (all MAM IP addresses, and anything else
you've configured) would disappear is if the MAM firmware has crashed repeatedly 
in a short amount of time - a cycle of starting up and crashing called 'thrashing'.
Since a thrashing hub is not very useful, the firmware has a thrashing trigger -
if you've crashed 6 times in 45 minutes (or something like that), the firmware
will erase all non-volatile memory.  This erases anything you've set through
the setup port, and any LAN Interconnect configuration data.  The idea behind this
Stop Thrash Protection is that maybe there is something in non-volatile memory 
that is causing the crash, such as incompatible LAN Interconnect settings. 

To dump the Error Log, go to the setup port console for the hub.  Select
menu item 5, "Dump Error Log".  It contains info about the last six hub
crashes (or upgrades).  Write all of it down and post here.

Thanks,
	Dotsie
4317.4NETCAD::MILLBRANDTanswer mamThu Mar 27 1997 20:0610
>    We can connect to the HUB via HUBwatch, but the only module we see is
>    the DECswitch 900EF and the rest of the HUBwatch screen is blank (does
>    not even show the back plane connectors.  When we select the module it
>    will not allow us to control the LAN connections to the HUB back plane.


This is what you'd see if you invoked HUBwatch with the DECswitch900EF's
own IP address, not the MAM's address.  

	Dotsie
4317.5Problem solvedSALEM::BARLOWFri Mar 28 1997 12:488
    The problem was operator error.  When we tried to assign the MAM the
    same address as one of the modules the MAM would display it one time
    then the IP address would disappear.  Some times it's the simple things
    that are the hardest to figure out.
    
    Thanks for the help Dotsie,
    
    Craig