Blade Network Technologies BLADEOS RackSwitch G8124 User manual

2350 Mission College Blvd.
Suite 600
Santa Clara, CA 95054
www.bladenetwork.net
RackSwitch™G8124
Installation Guide
Part Number: BPP-00018-01, December 2009

RackSwitch G8124 Installation Guide
2BPP-00018-01, December 2009
Copyright © 2009 BLADE Network Technologies, Inc., 2350 Mission College Blvd., Suite 600,
Santa Clara, California, 95054, USA. All rights reserved. Part Number: BPP-00018-01.
This document is protected by copyright and distributed under licenses restricting its use, copying,
distribution, and decompilation. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form by any
means without prior written authorization of BLADE Network Technologies, Inc. Documentation is
provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including any kind of
implied or express warranty of non-infringement or the implied warranties of merchantability or
fitness for a particular purpose.
U.S. Government End Users: This document is provided with a “commercial item” as defined by FAR
2.101 (Oct. 1995) and contains “commercial technical data” and “commercial software
documentation” as those terms are used in FAR 12.211-12.212 (Oct. 1995). Government End Users
are authorized to use this documentation only in accordance with those rights and restrictions set forth
herein, consistent with FAR 12.211- 12.212 (Oct. 1995), DFARS 227.7202 (JUN 1995) and DFARS
252.227-7015 (Nov. 1995).
BLADE Network Technologies, Inc. reserves the right to change any products described herein at any
time, and without notice. BLADE Network Technologies, Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability
arising from the use of products described herein, except as expressly agreed to in writing by BLADE
Network Technologies, Inc. The use and purchase of this product does not convey a license under any
patent rights, trademark rights, or any other intellectual property rights of BLADE Network
Technologies, Inc.
BLADE Network Technologies, the BLADE logo, BLADEHarmony, BNT, NMotion, RackSwitch,
Rackonomics, RackSwitch Solution Partner, ServerMobility, SmartConnect and VMready are
trademarks of BLADE Network Technologies. All other names or marks are property of their
respective owners.
Originated in the USA.

BPP-00018-01, December 2009 3
Contents
Preface 5
Who Should Use This Book 5
Related Documentation 5
How to Get Help 6
Chapter 1: RackSwitch G8124 Description and Specifications 7
RackSwitch G8124 Features 7
Performance 7
Management Features 7
Software Features 8
Switch Components 9
Hardware Options 9
Switch Unit 9
Switch Ports 12
LEDs 15
Technical Specifications 17
Physical Characteristics 17
Environmental Specifications 17
Power Specifications 18
Ordering Information 19
Chapter 2: Installing the RackSwitch G8124 21
Required Tools 21
Package Contents 21
Environmental Requirements 22
Preventing Electric Shock 22
Preventing Electrostatic Discharge 23
Installing the RackSwitch G8124 in a Standard Equipment Rack 23
Installing the RackSwitch G8124 in an iDataPlex Rack 26
Installing the RackSwitch G8124 in a 4-post Rack 29

RackSwitch G8124 Installation Guide
4Contents BPP-00018-01, December 2009
Initializing the RackSwitch G8124 32
Default Configuration 33
Configuring an IP Interface 34
Using the Boot Management Menu 35
Installing an SFP or SFP+ Transceiver 36
SFP+ Optical Transceiver 36
SFP Copper Transceiver 37
Troubleshooting 38
System LEDs Do Not Light 38
Port link LED Does Not Light 38
Temperature Sensor Warning 38
Switch Does Not Initialize (Boot) 39
Appendix A: Safety and Compliance Statements 41
Safety Messages 41
Compliance Statements 46

BPP-00018-01, December 2009 5
Preface
This Installation Guide provides information and instructions to install a BLADE Network
Technologies RackSwitch G8124. For information about configuration and management of the
switch, refer to the Command Reference and the product release notes.
Who Should Use This Book
This Installation Guide is intended for network installers and system administrators engaged
in configuring and maintaining a network. It assumes that you are familiar with your
RackSwitch G8124, your Web browser, Ethernet concepts, IP addressing, the IEEE 802.1D
Spanning Tree Protocol, and SNMP configuration parameters.
Related Documentation
For documentation about configuring your switch, see the RackSwitch G8124 Application Guide
and Command Reference.
For details about the switch information, statistics, and configuration parameters, see the
RackSwitch G8124 Command Reference.

RackSwitch G8124 Installation Guide
6Preface BPP-00018-01, December 2009
How to Get Help
If you need help, service, or technical assistance, call Blade Network Technologies Technical
Support:
US toll free calls: 1-800-414-5268
International calls: 1-408-834-7871
You also can visit our web site at the following address:
http://www.bladenetwork.net
Click the Support tab.
The warranty card received with your product provides details for contacting a customer
support representative. If you are unable to locate this information, please contact your reseller.
Before you call, prepare the following information:
Serial number of the switch unit
Software release version number
Brief description of the problem and the steps you have already taken
Technical support dump information (# show tech-support)
Note – In case of any suspected hardware related defect, immediately call the BLADE
support line to get the issue resolved. There are no field serviceable parts inside the enclosure and
tampering with internal components in an attempt to diagnose hardware or fix defects will void the
warranty and the product will be repaired at the customer’s expense.

BPP-00018-01, December 2009 7
CHAPTER 1
RackSwitch G8124
Description and Specifications
The RackSwitch G8124 is an all 10Gb Ethernet rackable aggregation switch with unmatched
line-rate Layer 2 performance. The G8124 uses a wire-speed, non-blocking switching fabric that
provides simultaneous wire-speed transport of multiple packets at low latency on all ports.
The G8124 contains twenty-four 10Gb Small Form-factor, Pluggable (SFP+) slots and two
1Gb management ports. The 10Gb SFP+ slots can accept 1Gb copper transceivers,
10Gb optical transceivers, or Direct Attach Cables (DAC).
This 1U switch is rack mountable in either the horizontal or vertical direction, depending on your
application.
You can manage the switch through the console port, or through a network connection using Telnet,
a Web browser-based interface, or SNMP-based network management software.
RackSwitch G8124 Features
This section provides an overview of RackSwitch G8124 features.
Performance
240 Gbps throughput (full duplex), non-blocking switching architecture
100% line rate
Deterministic port-to-port latency under 300 nanoseconds with 64B packets
Management Features
Clients
Industry standard command-line interface (ISCLI)
Browser-based Interface (BBI)
BladeHarmony Manager

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Protocols
SNMP v1, v2, v3
Secondary NTP support
DHCP
Software upgrades
Dual software images
Upgrade via serial, browser, or FTP/TFTP
Software Features
Security
Secure interface login & password
RADIUS and TACACS+
SSH v1, v2
HTTPS Secure Browser-based interface
Wire-speed filtering with Access Control Lists (ACLs)
Layer 2
1024 VLANs (802.1Q), including Private VLANs
Multi-link trunking, compatible with Cisco EtherChannel
LACP (IEEE 802.3ad)
Spanning Tree (802.1D), Multiple Spanning Tree (802.1s),
Rapid Spanning Tree (802.1w), with Fast Uplink Convergence
16K forwarding database entries
Layer 3
128 configurable interfaces (static or DHCP)
IP forwarding
IGMP Snooping v1, v2, v3
4K ARP entries
RIP v1, v2
OSPF
Quality of Service
802.1p priority queues
Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) support
Availability
Layer 2 Failover
VRRP

RackSwitch G8124 Installation Guide
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Switch Components
This section describes the RackSwitch G8124 hardware components.
Hardware Options
The following list provides an overview of G8124 hardware:
Switch unit
Mounting hardware
Standard rack mounting brackets and screws
iDataPlex rack mounting brackets and screws
4-post rack mounting brackets and screws
Switch Unit
The RackSwitch G8124 switch unit is a 1U rack-mountable 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch.
You can mount the G8124 in either the horizontal or vertical direction.
The RackSwitch G8124 allows for flexible mounting of the switch, as follows:
RackSwitch G8124F provides front-to-rear airflow.
RackSwitch G8124R provides rear-to-front airflow.
DC powered RackSwitch G8124R provides front-to-rear airflow.
Ports
The switch unit contains twenty-four 10Gb SFP+ slots, plus two management ports,
and one serial console port:
24 SFP+ slots
2 RJ-45 management ports
1 RS-232 console port (mini-USB)

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10 Chapter 1: RackSwitch G8124 Description and Specifications BPP-00018-01, December 2009
Figure 1 RackSwitch G8124 Front Panel
Figure 2 RackSwitch G8124 Rear Panel (AC)
Figure 3 RackSwitch G8124 Rear Panel (DC)
910 11 125 6 7 8
Stacking
SP
L/A
MB
MS
17 18 19 2013 14 15 16 21 22 23 24 Mgmt
B
A
BLADE
Rackswitch G8124
1 2 3 4 10101 Reset
System status LEDs RS-232 port
RJ-45 ports
SFP+ slots
Reset
button
IEC 320
Power connector
IEC 320
Power connector
DC Power connector DC Power connector

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Reset Button
The Reset button is recessed within a hole on the front panel. Use a straightened paper clip or
similar object to press the Reset button. The Reset button allows technicians to reset the switch, as
follows:
Press Reset: The switch resets and reloads the configuration files.
Press and hold Reset for five seconds: The switch resets and configures all settings
to factory defaults.
Fans
Six internal fans cool the switch unit. If an individual fan fails, the other fans continue to run, and
the switch unit continues to operate normally. Fans are not customer replaceable.
Fan operation and internal temperatures are monitored. If the air temperature exceeds a desired
threshold, the environmental monitor displays warning messages.
Note – If a fan fails, the maximum operating temperature drops from +40ºC to +35ºC.
The Fan LED blinks if there is a failure of one or more fans.
AC Power Supply
The G8124 has two redundant 275W AC power supplies. Each internal power supply has an
individual IEC 320 power connector on the rear panel. The power cord attaches to a universal
grounded AC power source.
Each power supply can be connected to a separate AC circuit to mitigate the risk of down time
during a power failure. When used in a redundant configuration, the dual power supplies have a
load-sharing capability that allows each supply to operate at approximately 50 percent of full load.
Using redundant power can minimize the power disruption during a power supply failure and
extend the expected lifetime of each supply by operating normally in a conservative power mode.
There is no power switch on the G8124; the switch unit powers up when power is supplied through
the power cord(s).
The Power Supply LED indicates the status of the power supplies. The LED blinks when only one
power cord is connected or if one power supply fails. The LED lights steady when both power cords
are connected and operating.
Caution—To reduce the risk of electric shock, use only power cords that have a grounding path,
and always connect the power cord to a properly grounded power outlet.

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DC Power Supply
The DC Powered G8124 has two redundant 250W DC-DC power supplies, operating from
42V to 60V. Each internal power supply has a DC filter input on the rear panel. The DC power
sources are connected to the G8124 via the mating connector cable assemblies provided. One end of
the cable is connected to the G8124 and the three DC-input leads connect the DC-input power
supply to the site power source. The pigtail end of the cable is color coded, as follows:
Black: Negative (-48V)
Red: Positive (return)
Green: Ground
Each power supply can be connected to a separate DC power source to mitigate the risk of down
time during a power failure. When used in a redundant configuration, the dual power supplies have
a load-sharing capability that allows each supply to operate at approximately 50 percent of full load.
Using redundant power can minimize the power disruption during a power supply failure and
extend the expected lifetime of each supply by operating normally in a conservative power mode.
There is no power switch on the G8124; the switch unit powers up when power is supplied through
the DC power source.
The Power Supply LED indicates the status of the power supplies. The LED blinks when only one
DC power source is connected, and lights steady when both DC power sources are connected.
Switch Ports
The RackSwitch G8124 switch ports and port options are described below.
SFP+ Slots
24 Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP+) slots are located on the front panel. These slots accept
approved copper SFP transceivers, optical SFP+ transceivers, or Direct Attach Cables (DAC).
Warning—Only trained and qualified personnel can connect this equipment to the site
power source.

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Transceivers are not included with the G8124 switch unit. The following transceivers are available
from Blade Network Technologies:
The RackSwitch G8124 accepts any SFP+ Direct Attach Cable that complies to the MSA
specification.
10/100/1000Base-T Ports
Two 10/100/1000BaseT ports (RJ-45) are located on the front panel. These management ports
support in-line management and Control Plane Stacking.
The following table describes the RJ-45 connector pin assignments.
Table 1 Recommended SFP+ Transceiver
Part number Description
BN-CKM-SP-SR SFP+ 10GBase-SR Short Range Optical Fiber Transceiver
BN-CKM-SP-LR SFP+ 10GBase-LR Long Range Optical Fiber Transceiver
BN-CKM-S-T SFP 1000BASE-T Copper Transceiver
BN-CKM-S-SX SFP 1000BASE-T-SX Short Range Optical Transceiver
BN-CKM-S-LX SFP 1000BASE-LX Long Range Fiber Transceiver
Table 2 RJ-45 Port pin assignments
Pin number Signal Description
1 BI DA+ Bi-directional data pair A positive
2 BI DA- Bi-directional data pair A negative
3 BI DB+ Bi-directional data pair B positive
4 BI DC+ Bi-directional data pair C positive
5 BI DC- Bi-directional data pair C negative
6 BI DB- Bi-directional data pair B negative
7 BI DD+ Bi-directional data pair D positive
8 BI DD- Bi-directional data pair D negative

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Console Port
The RS-232 (mini-USB) serial console port is located on the front panel. An external cable is
required to convert to a D9 connector. The following table describes the pinouts for the
mini-USB port:
The following table describes the wiring of the console cable:
Table 3 Console Port pin assignments
Pin number Function
Pin 1 No connect
Pin 2 RS232_SIN
Pin 3 RS232_SOUT
Pin 4 No connect
Pin 5 Ground
Table 4 Console Cable pin assignments
D9
Pin number
Wire Mini-USB
Pin number
Pin 2 Black Pin 3
Pin 3 White Pin 2
Pin 5 Green Pin 5
Pin 1
D9 Pins 1, 4, and 6 are connected
Pin 4
Pin 6
Pin 7
D9 pin 7 is connected to D9 pin 8
Pin 8
Shell Braid Shell

RackSwitch G8124 Installation Guide
BPP-00018-01, December 2009 Chapter 1: RackSwitch G8124 Description and Specifications 15
LEDs
Two LED stacks provide system status and port link status. The system LEDs are described in the
following table:
The following table describes the system LED indications:
Power supplies and AC power input status
Fans status
Stacking master indicator
Stacking member indicator
Table 5 System LEDs Status
Function Power Fan Master Member
Total Power Failure Off Off Off Off
Service Required Blink Green Blink Green Blink Green Blink Green
Power Supplies OK Solid Green N/A N/A N/A
Power Supply Failure Blink Green N/A N/A N/A
Fans OK N/A Solid Green N/A N/A
Fan Failure N/A Blink Green N/A N/A
Stack Master N/A N/A On Off
Stack Backup/Member N/A N/A Off On
Stack Error N/A N/A On N/A
Non-Stack Member N/A N/A Off Off
MB
MS

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XGE Port LEDs
Figure 4 highlights the system LEDs and SFP+ port LEDs.
Figure 4 System Status LEDs and Port LEDs
Status and link LEDs for the data port slots are described in the following table.
RJ-45 LEDs
Status LEDs for the RJ-45 ports are described in the following table.
Stacking
SP
L/A
MB
MS
Rackswitch G8124
1 2 3 4
BLADE
Table 6 SFP+ LEDs Status
LED Solid Green Blink Green Off
SP:
Speed
10Gbps N/A 1Gbps
L/A:
Link/Activity
Valid Link/
No Activity
Activity No Link
Table 7 RJ-45 LEDs Status
LED Solid Green Blink Green Off
Link Valid Link Activity No Link
Speed 100/1000Mbps N/A 10Mbps

RackSwitch G8124 Installation Guide
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Technical Specifications
This section provides specifications for the RackSwitch G8124.
Physical Characteristics
Physical characteristics of the RackSwitch G8124F/G81240R switch unit are listed in the
following table.
Environmental Specifications
Environmental specifications for the RackSwitch G8124F/G8124R switch unit are listed in
the following table.
Table 8 Physical Characteristics
Specification G8124F G8124R
Dimensions (H x W x D) 1.73 x 17.3 x 15.0 in.
4.4 x 43.9 x 38.1 cm.
1.73 x 17.3 x 15.0 in.
4.4 x 43.9 x 38.1 cm.
Weight 6.4 kg. 6.4 kg.
Airflow Front-to-rear Rear-to-front
Table 9 Environmental Specifications
Specification Measurement
Temperature,
ambient operating
0ºC to +40ºC
Temperature (fan failure or power
supply failure), operating
0ºC to +35ºC
Temperature, storage -20ºC to +70ºC
Relative humidity
(non-condensing), operating
10 to 90%
Relative humidity
(non-condensing), storage
10 to 95%
Altitude, operating 3,050 m (10,000 feet)
Altitude, storage 4,573 m (15,000 feet)

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Power Specifications
Power specifications for the RackSwitch G8124F/G8124R switch unit are listed in
Table 10 and Table 11.
Acoustic noise less than 65dB
Heat dissipation 1100 BTU/hour (maximum)
Table 10 AC Power Specifications
Specification Measurement
Number of power supplies 2 (1+1 redundant)
AC-input frequency (universal) 50-60 Hz
AC-input voltage (universal) 100-240 VAC
AC-input current 2.75A (RMS) @ 100VAC
1.15A (RMS) @ 240VAC
AC-input fuse 5A (internal)
Power supply output power 275W each
System power dissipation 200W typical
DC-Output voltage 12V nominal
DC-Output current 15A (typical)
Table 11 DC Power Specifications
Specification Measurement
Number of power supplies 2 (1+1 redundant)
Input Voltage 42VDC-60VDC
48VDC Nominal
Input Current 5.2 A Maximum
Power supply output power 250W
Table 9 Environmental Specifications
Specification Measurement

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Ordering Information
The following table lists the parts that you can order for the RackSwitch G8124
product family.
Table 12 RackSwitch G8124 Ordering Information
Part number Description
Switch
BN-8124F-BDL G8124F 24-port GbE Switch (front-to-rear airflow)
BN-8124R-BDL G8124R 24-port GbE Switch (rear-to-front airflow)
BN-8124F-DC-BDL DC powered G8124R 24-port GbE Switch (front-to-rear airflow)
Pluggable Optics
BN-CKM-SP-SR SFP+ 10GBase-SR Short Range Optical Fiber Transceiver
BN-CKM-SP-LR SFP+ 10GBase-LR Long Range Optical Fiber Transceiver
BN-CKM-S-T SFP 1000BASE-T Copper Transceiver
BN-CKM-S-SX SFP 1000BASE-T-SX Short Range Optical Transceiver
BN-CKM-S-LX SFP 1000BASE-LX Long Range Fiber Transceiver
Rack Mounting Kits
BN-MNT-EARS RackSwitch 19” EIA 2-Post Rack Mounting Kit
BN-4POST-RLS RackSwitch 19” EIA 4-Post Rack Mounting Kit
BN-MNT-HZ-RLS RackSwitch 19” EIA 4-Post Rack Mounting Kit for e1350
BN-MNT-DPX-RLS RackSwitch iDataPlex Rack Mounting Kit

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20 Chapter 1: RackSwitch G8124 Description and Specifications BPP-00018-01, December 2009