E3Switch DS3 Owner's manual

PPPoE Ethernet to
Single/Dual DS3/E3
Network Extender
March 1st, 2015
Operating Information

Legal Preface:
COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS
Copyright © 2007-201 E3Switch LLC. All Rights Reserved.
All other product names mentioned in this manual may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies.
LIMITED WARRANTY
E3Switch LLC (E3Switch) guarantees that every unit is free from physical defects in material and
workmanship under normal use for one year from the date of purchase, when used within the limits set forth
in the Specifications section of this User Guide. If the product proves defective during the warranty period,
contact E3Switch Technical Support in order to obtain a return authorization number. When returning a
product from outside of the United States of America, clearly state “NOT A SALE. RETURNED FOR
REPAIR” on the commercial invoice; and failing to do so, the customer will be responsible for imposed
duties and taxes. All customers are responsible for shipping and handling charges for returned items.
IN NO EVENT SHALL E3SWITCH'S LIABILITY EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE PRODUCT
FROM DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOST PROFITS) RESULTING FROM THE
USE OF THE PRODUCT OR ITS DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF E3SWITCH HAS BEEN ADVISED
OF, KNOWN, OR SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. E3Switch
makes no warranty or representation, expressed, implied, or statutory, with respect to its products or the
contents or use of this documentation and specifically disclaims its quality, performance, merchantability, or
fitness for any particular purpose. E3Switch reserves the right to revise or update its products or
documentation without obligation to notify any individual or entity. Please direct all inquiries to:
E3Switch LLC
412 N Main St Ste 100
Buffalo, WY 82834 U.S.A.
http://www.ds3switch.com, [e-mail]
TEL: [phone]
FCC STATEMENT
This device complies with Part 1 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful interference.
2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,
pursuant to Part 1 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment
generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy, and if it is not installed and used in accordance with
the instruction manual, it may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this
equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be
required to correct the interference at his own expense.
INDUSTRY CANADA NOTICE
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus
set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.
Le present appareil numerique n'emet pas de bruits radioelectriques depassant les limites applicables aux
appareils numeriques de la class A prescrites dans le Reglement sur le brouillage radioelectrique edicte par
le ministere des Communications du Canada
EUROPEAN UNION (EU) STATEMENT
This product is in conformity with the protection requirements of EU Council Directive 89/336/EEC on the
approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to electromagnetic compatibility. The
manufacturer cannot accept responsibility for any failure to satisfy the protection requirements resulting
from a non-recommended modification of the product.
This product has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class A Information Technology
Equipment according to CISPR 22/European Standard EN 022. The limits for Class A equipment were
2

derived for commercial and industrial environments to provide reasonable protection against interference
with licensed communication equipment.
Attention:
This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment this product may cause radio interference in which
case the user may be required to take adequate measures.
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Statement
3

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAP ER 1: DESCRIP ION AND REQUIREMEN S .............................................................................................. 6
CHAP ER 2: QUICK SE -UP .............................................................................................................................. 6
CHAP ER 3: FRON PANEL ............................................................................................................................... 8
FRONT PANEL INDICATORS ............................................................................................................................8
CHAP ER 4: REMO E MANAGEMEN H P AND SNMP ............................................................................... 8
UNIT'S IP/MAC ADDRESS .............................................................................................................................8
Automatic Link-Local IP Address.........................................................................................................9
Initial Numeric IP Address....................................................................................................................9
Unknown IP Address Recovery............................................................................................................9
MANAGEMENT PASSWORDS ...........................................................................................................................9
SECURITY ....................................................................................................................................................10
HTTP Interface Security.....................................................................................................................10
SNMP Security....................................................................................................................................10
HTTP MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................................10
Event Log File.....................................................................................................................................11
Resetting..............................................................................................................................................11
SNMP ........................................................................................................................................................11
UPGRADING FIRMWARE ...............................................................................................................................11
FEATURE ACTIVATION/UPGRADE .................................................................................................................11
CHAP ER 5: OPERA ING MODES AND CONFIGURA ION ................................................................................. 12
TELECOM ....................................................................................................................................................12
Clock Source.......................................................................................................................................12
DS3 Circuit ID PMDL........................................................................................................................12
PACKET FLOW .............................................................................................................................................13
PORT TO PORT PACKET FLOW .....................................................................................................................13
LAN-to-LAN.......................................................................................................................................13
Forwarding..........................................................................................................................................13
Loopback.............................................................................................................................................13
LAN PORT SETTINGS ..................................................................................................................................13
LAN Port Speed..................................................................................................................................13
Autonegotiation Problems...................................................................................................................14
SFP Second LAN Port........................................................................................................................14
Dedicated Management/PPPoE-Data LAN Ports...............................................................................14
VLAN ........................................................................................................................................................14
VOIP / VIDEO OR HIGH-COS PRIORITY FRAMES ..........................................................................................14
PORT AUTO-DISABLE AND RETURN-TO-SERVICE DELAY ..............................................................................14
DS3/E3 Return to Service delay..........................................................................................................1
LAN Auto-Disable..............................................................................................................................1
CHAP ER 6: IN EROPERABILI Y ..................................................................................................................... 15
LAN ..........................................................................................................................................................1
Autonegotiation problems...................................................................................................................1
SFP LAN Port 1..................................................................................................................................1
Pause Frames.......................................................................................................................................16
VoIP / Video or High-CoS Priority Frames........................................................................................16
TELECOM/WAN .........................................................................................................................................16
FIBER/COPPER MEDIA CONVERTERS ............................................................................................................16
ROUTERS AND SWITCHES .............................................................................................................................16
CHAP ER 7: ELECOM CONNEC IONS ............................................................................................................ 16
FRAMING AND PHYSICAL LINK ....................................................................................................................16
TELECOM CABLING .....................................................................................................................................16
CHAP ER 8: LAN CONNEC IONS AND PERFORMANCE ................................................................................... 17
LAN PORTS ................................................................................................................................................17
AUTONEGOTIATION ......................................................................................................................................17
LAN CABLING ............................................................................................................................................17
4

LAN BUFFERING, LOADING AND FLOW CONTROL ........................................................................................17
LAN PACKET PRIORITY ..............................................................................................................................18
TCP/IP AND GENERAL PERFORMANCE TUNING ...........................................................................................18
CHAP ER 9: DS3 PACKE S AND LINK OPOLOGY ......................................................................................... 18
LINK BIT-ERRORS .......................................................................................................................................18
CHAP ER 10: ROUBLESHOO ING .................................................................................................................. 18
GENERAL ....................................................................................................................................................18
LOOPBACK OF DS3 .....................................................................................................................................19
Terminology........................................................................................................................................19
Limitations...........................................................................................................................................19
Alternatives to Loopback....................................................................................................................20
Initiating Loopback.............................................................................................................................20
PERFORMANCE ............................................................................................................................................21
INTEROPERABILITY ......................................................................................................................................21
LABORATORY TESTING ................................................................................................................................21
PINGING ......................................................................................................................................................21
STEP-BY-STEP DIAGNOSIS ...........................................................................................................................22
CHAP ER 11: HIRD PAR Y COPYRIGH NO ICES ........................................................................................ 24
ECOS LICENSE .............................................................................................................................................24
THE FREEBSD COPYRIGHT .........................................................................................................................24
THE NET-SNMP COPYRIGHT ......................................................................................................................24
THE APACHE LICENSE .................................................................................................................................2
THE SHA2 COPYRIGHT ...............................................................................................................................26
THE BZIP2 LICENSE ...................................................................................................................................27
THE ATHTTPD LICENSE ............................................................................................................................27
CHAP ER 12: ECHNICAL SPECIFICA IONS AND S ANDARDS ......................................................................... 28

Chapter 1: Description and Requirements
Chapter 1: Description and Re uirements
The E3Switch converters described herein are used individually to connect a customer's Ethernet LAN to an
ISP offering PPP over full or fractional/subrate DS3. The LAN interface is PPPoE RJ4 100/1000BaseTX
copper or SFP 1000BaseX fiber optic. The telecom link must be point-to-point and may support either
framed or unframed data. For point-to-point links without the overhead of PPPoE, consult our other
product documentation.
For ease of installation, the converter requires only minimal configuration setup via HTTP – typically
setting the CRC-length and scrambling state – and will then work immediately upon connection of LAN and
telecom cables.
The hot-swappable converter card draws a minimal amount of power and may be purchased in a variety of
chassis. Standalone, single units ship in high-reliability, fan-free 1U chassis with rackmount brackets and
are available in a 100-240VAC or a ±3 -7 volt DC models. NEBS-III, redundant-power multicard chassis
are available in 6-slot/1U and 20-slot/3U versions.
The converter contains both an 8P8C(RJ4 ) LAN port and an SFP LAN port, allowing either optical or
copper LAN connectivity and HTTP or SNMP management of the converter either in-band or out-of-band.
Remote firmware upgrade to a converter is possible through either the LAN or DS3/E3.
The converter will buffer data, and implements flow-control and quality-of-service mechanisms to eliminate
data loss.
The converter can generate its own DS3/E3 transmit clock or use the incoming DS3/E3 received clock.
The converter will pass all PPPoE error-free packets unaltered which do not exceed 9600 bytes in length.
This included stacked-VLAN, QinQ frames and all modern router protocols.
The converter has been designed with attention paid to maximum throughput, minimum latency and
minimal packet loss. The converter is often both a cost-effective and bandwidth-efficient alternative to
routers. Even when connected to a LAN port from a router, eliminating a router telecom card can free up
expensive, limited, router backplane bandwidth .
The converter is plug-and-play and can often be installed in several minutes. Network topologies and
configuration settings of equipment connected to the converter can be complex, however, so additional time
should be allocated to achieve a properly functioning system.
Chapter 2: Quick Set-up
•Attach E3Switch converter to DS3 BNC cable from ISP.
•Set CRC-length, scrambling-on/off, framing-type, DS3-rate via the HTTP LAN interface.
•Connect the PPPoE LAN-port of your equipment to either LAN port of the converter.
A connection from your PPPoE equipment to the ISP via username/password login with a blank session
name should now be possible.
In detail:
Attach the converter to a power source. The front panel lights should illuminate. Green is normal; orange
indicates an error.
6

Chapter 2: Quick Set-up
Attach an Ethernet UTP cable from the PPPoE LAN port on your equipment to the RJ-4 LAN Port 2 of
the converter. The converter can perform automatic cross-over vs straight-through cable adaptation. The
LAN 2 light will change from orange to green if a properly negotiated Ethernet link has been established,
but does not indicate PPPoE connection status. he network equipment attached to the LAN port of the
converter should be set for autonegotiation mode in order to allow the converter to negotiate a
100Mbit full-duplex connection. Disabling autonegotiation or using old LAN equipment may result in the
attached LAN equipment configuring to half-duplex mode, resulting in CRC errors and packet loss. Refer
to the interoperability section of this document for more information. o support PPPoE packets greater
than 1500-bytes, the LAN connection must be GbE/GigE/1000Base X rate.
Typically, set the PPPoE LAN port speed to GigE 1000Mbit/s to allow packet-lengths greater than 1 00-
bytes and up to 9600 bytes. Set the management LAN port speed to 100BASE- X to avoid DMA
underflow/overflow errors of the converter.
Attach two 7 -ohm coaxial cables from either the Port 1 or Port 2 BNC connectors of the converter to the
input and output connectors of your E3 or DS3 link. Once each converter is receiving a valid signal from
the remote partner, the DS3/E3 Port LED will change from orange to green. This indicates that the
converter has achieved proper sync lock with the remote ISP, but does not indicate PPP session status or
proper settings of CRC-length or scrambling or framing.
Log in to the HTTP interface of the unit and set the CRC-length, scrambling, framing-type for the DS3 link.
Refer to the management chapter of this manual for HTTP connection instructions. If these values have not
been provided by the ISP, simply trying different combinations and monitoring the HTTP or SNMP error
status counters of the unit will typically suffice.
At the bottom of the administration page, decide which LAN ports you intend for PPPoE data and which for
HTTP/SNMP management of the converter and set appropriately. This is not mandatory, but you will see
some management packets on the PPPoE LAN if that LAN port is not set for PPPoE only.
Connect the PPPoE LAN port of your local host or router to the E3Switch converter. The user-name and
password for your PPPoE are provided by the ISP and are not relevant to the converter; however the
session-name for the PPPoE connection must be blank or empty.
The HTTP status screen of the converter will indicate whether the PPPoE connection is active or
unconnected. PPPoE packet exchange is indicated in the log found at the bottom of the HTTP settings
screen. If the packet exchange appears valid but the link is terminated shortly thereafter, ensure that your
PPPoE equipment's setting for username, password and IP address (fixed vs. DHCP) are correct. All can
terminate a PPPoE session shortly after initiation. A valid PPPoE connection handshake appears as follows:
Event age, most recent first...
days h:m:s event
Age 0d 0:00:02> DS3/E3 Ports O
Age 0d 0:00:03> PPP is UP - session ID 0xa1b5
Age 0d 0:00:03> Sending PADS session confirmation
Age 0d 0:00:03> PPP PADR msg received from 00:13:46:88:09:3e
Age 0d 0:00:03> Sending PADO offer on 8P8C LAN Port2
Age 0d 0:00:03> PPP PADI msg received from 00:13:46:88:09:3e
Age 0d 0:00:03> SFP LAN Port1: UP
Age 0d 0:00:04> 8P8C LAN Port2: UP
Refer to the management chapter of this manual if HTTP or SNMP operating statistics are desired or to
change the default administrator password. Changing the default password is highly recommended to
allow ongoing configuration changes. When the password has not been changed from default,
configuration changes are prohibited for security reasons after 5 minutes after any new power cycle.
Simply power cycle again to change the password – if the unit is still in your possession and the link is
not passing important data.
There is no further configuration or setup required for the converter.
7

Chapter 3: Front Panel
Chapter 3: Front Panel
Front Panel Indicators
All Indicators: Green indicates normal operation.
Orange indicates an error condition.
Black indicates a disabled port.
DS3/E3 1/2: Green if the unit has synchronized to a valid carrier signal pattern from the remote unit and data can
be transferred on the link. Does not indicate PPP or PPPoE session status.
Flashes black each time a packet is received on this port.
Orange indicates no valid connection or loss of receive sync with remote unit.
Flashes orange/green if incoming signal is OK but either looped back or PPP session down..
Flashes orange/black if link is OK but waiting in a configured return-to-service delay period.
BER: Green if OK.
Orange flash for each BPV bit error.
Orange steady for absence of DS3/E3 receive signal, loss of frame lock onto receive bit-stream,
drive-level fault on transmit cable, or excessive receive bit errors.
Note: In a dual DS3/E3 unit, the BER will reflect the status of the operational link if one fails.
LAN1/2: Green when a properly negotiated 100/1000BaseTX Full-Duplex or SFP LAN connection exists.
Does not indicate PPPoE session status.
Flashes black each time a packet is received on this port.
Orange indicates no valid connection.
Flashes orange/black if in a configured “down if telecom down” mode.
Chapter 4: Remote Management HTTP and SNMP
Unit's IP/MAC Address
The source Ethernet MAC address of E3Switch converters is 00: 0:C2:6F:xx:xx. The converter's current
IP and MAC addresses are always both shown at the HTTP management screen.
The unit's management interface can be initially contacted at either its automatic link-local IP address
e3switch.local as described below or at its initial numeric IP address described below. Note that after initial
setup, an operator may have changed the contact IP address to a new value and the initial addresses below
may not work. Prior to operator reconfiguration the unit will respond to HTTP, SNMP and ping requests to
its initial IP address.
For initial communication with the converter, it may be necessary to set the network address of the host port
communicating with the converter to 169.2 4.xxx.xxx with subnet mask 2 .2 .0.0. For security, routers
are advised not to forward packets with these link-local IP addresses, so a direct connection is advised.
Once initial contact has been established with the HTTP management interface of the converter, the
converter's IP address can be set to a new, static value if desired.
If a unit's operator-configured IP address is lost or forgotten, it can be recovered as described later in this
chapter.
8

Chapter 4: Remote Management HTTP and SNMP
Other than the e3switch.local addresses described below, all IP addresses used within the converter's
management interface must be in xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx numeric format rather than a human-readable DNS-
resolvable hostname.
Automatic Link-Local IP Address
E3Switch converters are shipped with an initial IP address that conforms to recent zero-configuration link-
local standards. This allows multiple E3Switch converters on the same IP network to initialize with unique
IP addresses without conflict and allows simple ping/HTTP/SNMP access to the converters using
hostnames e3switch.local or e3switch-2.local,... provided that the free ZeroConf mDNS software has been
installed on the machine attempting to communicate with the converter. Do not prefix www. prior to
e3switch.local. www.e3switch.local will not work.
The converters negotiate between themselves to determine which converter is assigned name e3switch.local
and which receives e3switch-2.local and so on. Since the assigned name will not necessarily be fixed to a
particular converter after power cycles, the system manager will probably want to use/set the converter's
numeric IP address sometime during or after initial installation.
Web descriptions are available for ZeroConf mDNS and Link-local IPV4LL ip addresses. Free ZeroConf
software such as Bonjour for Windows or Avahi is available for Windows/Linux/Unix machines.
Initial Numeric IP Address
When received from the factory, the converter can also be contacted at its initial default IP numeric address
which always takes the form 169.2 4.aa.bbb. Units can be initially contacted at this IP address where
aa.bbb matches the serial number listed on the front label.
The converter's current IP and MAC addresses are both shown at the HTTP management screen.
Unknown IP Address Recovery
The following methods may be used to determine a converter's IP address if lost or forgotten. Note that
once determined, management communication may only be possible from the same IP network if the
converter's default router address is invalid.
Unplug all LAN and BNC cables from the converter and power cycle the unit. 30 seconds after power-up,
the converter will begin blinking out its IP address on the leftmost LED. Each digit is counted up as an
orange blink with a pause between digits and a short blink for a 0. A decimal in the IP address is indicated
with a green blink. For example, <orange><orange><pause><short-orange><pause><green>... would be
an IP address that begins “20.”
For those with access to packet sniffers, upon power-up, the converter will broadcast several gratuitous
ARP packets on its network ports which can be examined with a sniffer or packet monitoring software to
determine a unit's IP address. The source Ethernet MAC address of such packets and E3Switch converters
is 00: 0:C2:6F:xx:xx. Tcpdump or Wireshark are two readily available software packages to examine
network packets.
Additionally, examination of the MAC address table of an attached LAN switch or router may provide the
IP address if the E3Switch MAC address prefix (00: 0:C2:6F:xx:xx) can be located.
Management Passwords
The HTTP management statistics page is initially accessible without a password. The HTTP settings page
is initially accessible within the first several minutes after power-up with username admin and no password.
If the unit has not had its default password changed, after several minutes the settings page will be locked
for security reasons. It is desirable to change the default password of the unit. For security reasons,
changing the default password of the unit must be done within the first several minutes of power-up. If the
HTTP management password is lost or forgotten, it may be reset by accessing the HTTP management
settings within the first minute after power-up and with no BNC cables attached to the unit.
9

Chapter 4: Remote Management HTTP and SNMP
SNMP statistics may initially be accessed using the read-only community name public. Write-community
names and variable access authorization may be set through the HTTP management interface.
Security
Please also refer to the password section above.
HTTP Interface Security
Access to the HTTP management interface statistics and settings pages can be selectively limited to users
knowing the HTTP management password, which is transmitted securely on the network using MD
encoding. New values of management settings, or modifications of the administrator password are not
encrypted and are visible to users monitoring network packets, as is statistical data requested by an MD
authorized user or any information visible on a HTTP page.
When logging out from any secure webpage, the browser window should always be closed! Browsers
typically continue to send administrator credentials continuously even after apparent logout.
SNMP Security
The converter implements SNMPv2c, which is inherently an insecure protocol; however, the converter
enhances security by implementing view-based access management (VACM), which can restrict read or
write access to specific management settings and statistics. When shipped, the converter allows read access
to “safe” SNMP statistics and prohibits read and write access to statistics and settings which could allow
determination of network topology or interfere with normal link traffic. The VACM configuration can be
updated through the HTTP management interface to meet the user's needs, and most SNMP variables can
also be set through the HTTP management interface in a more secure manner than SNMP allows.
– SNMP VACM Security Warning –
As shipped, the default “safe_ro_view” is secure but not private.
View based access model VACM for SNMPv2c provides good restriction
of access to only specified statistics but no data privacy and
minimal user authentication. When a specific variable is enabled
for reading or writing, from a security perspective it should
be considered either public for reading or public for writing.
Alternatively, most configuration parameters can be set through
the HTTP password-protected interface which is secure.
Viewing snmpd.conf exposes it and community names to visibility by
3rd party network sniffers. All SNMPv2c data on the network
is visible. All community names can be "guessed" and, when used,
become visible to sniffers. Source IP addresses of requests
can be forged. Enabling a write community should be considered
insecure with respect to the specific view variables enabled.
Variables in the groups: interface, ds3, dot3 & mau, control the
link datapath; allowing write access allows disabling the link.
Specific variables disabled for all write users are secure.
Specific statistics disabled for all read users are invisible
and secure.
HTTP Management
The converter contains a comprehensive, user-friendly HTTP management interface which allows a
manager to monitor bit-error-rates on the DS3/E3 link, lost packets, and user-friendly status messages at a
single, color-coded HTTP screen. A screenshot is available at www.e3switch.com. Most settings that can
be modified via SNMP can also be set through the HTTP interface in a more user-friendly manner.
Refer to the configuration section of this document for guidance on specific settings.
10