Foundry Networks NetIron MLX-4 Operator's manual

Foundry®NetIron MLX Series
Installation and Basic Configuration
Guide
NetIron MLX-4
NetIron MLX-8
NetIron MLX-16
NetIron MLX-32
Release 04.0.00
Release Date: December 17, 2008
Publish Date: December 31, 2008

Copyright © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, taping or storage in an information retrieval system – without prior written permission of the
copyright owner.
The trademarks, logos and service marks ("Marks") displayed herein are the property of Foundry® or other third
parties. You are not permitted to use these Marks without the prior written consent of Foundry or such appropriate third
party.
Foundry Networks, BigIron, Terathon, FastIron, IronView, JetCore, NetIron, SecureIron, ServerIron, Tu r b o I r o n ,
IronWare, EdgeIron, IronPoint, the Iron family of marks and the Foundry Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Foundry Networks, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
F-Secure is a trademark of F-Secure Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of
their respective owners.
Foundry Networks
4980 Great America Parkway
Santa Clara, CA 95054
Tel [phone]
www.foundrynetworks.com

December 2008 © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. -iii
Contents
CHAPTER 1
GETTING STARTED...................................................................................... 1-1
INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................................1-1
AUDIENCE ..................................................................................................................................................1-1
NOMENCLATURE .........................................................................................................................................1-1
UPDATES TO MANUALS ...............................................................................................................................1-1
HOW TO GET HELP OR REPORT ERRORS ....................................................................................................1-2
WEB ACCESS .......................................................................................................................................1-2
EMAIL ACCESS .....................................................................................................................................1-2
TELEPHONE ACCESS ............................................................................................................................1-2
WARRANTY COVERAGE ...............................................................................................................................1-2
CHAPTER 2
PRODUCT OVERVIEW .................................................................................. 2-1
PRODUCT OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................................................2-1
NETIRON MLX SERIES ROUTER APPLICATIONS ...........................................................................................2-2
HARDWARE FEATURES ...............................................................................................................................2-2
CHASSIS ..............................................................................................................................................2-2
NETIRON MLX-4 ........................................................................................................................... 2-6
NETIRON MLX-8 ........................................................................................................................... 2-6
NETIRON MLX-16 ......................................................................................................................... 2-6
NETIRON MLX-32 ......................................................................................................................... 2-7
MANAGEMENT MODULES ......................................................................................................................2-7
PCMCIA SLOTS............................................................................................................................ 2-8
CONSOLE PORT............................................................................................................................. 2-8
10/100/1000 ETHERNET PORT ...................................................................................................... 2-8
LEDS............................................................................................................................................ 2-9
INTERFACE MODULES .........................................................................................................................2-10
10 GIGABIT ETHERNET INTERFACE MODULES (2-PORT AND 4-PORT) ............................................. 2-10
FE/GBE (100/1000) ETHERNET INTERFACE MODULE (SFP)......................................................... 2-12
10/100/1000 ETHERNET INTERFACE MODULE (RJ-45) ................................................................. 2-14
1 GIGABIT X48-T MODULE .......................................................................................................... 2-14

Foundry NetIron MLX Series Installation and Basic Configuration Guide
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POS INTERFACE MODULES ................................................................................................................2-15
DUAL SPEED OC-12CAND OC-48C............................................................................................. 2-15
SINGLE-SPEED OC-192C............................................................................................................ 2-16
LED OPERATION ......................................................................................................................... 2-17
OC-12CAND OC-48CPORTS...................................................................................................... 2-18
OC-192CPORTS......................................................................................................................... 2-19
CLOCKING AND TIMING APOS INTERFACE MODULE...................................................................... 2-19
SWITCH FABRIC MODULE ...................................................................................................................2-20
POWER SUPPLIES ..............................................................................................................................2-22
BUILT-IN MOUNTING BRACKETS ..........................................................................................................2-23
COOLING SYSTEM ..............................................................................................................................2-23
RACK MOUNT KIT ..............................................................................................................................2-27
SUPPORTED SOFTWARE FEATURES ...........................................................................................................2-27
CHAPTER 3
INSTALLING ANETIRON MLX SERIES ROUTER ............................................ 3-1
INSTALLATION PRECAUTIONS ................................................................................................................3-1
GENERAL PRECAUTIONS ................................................................................................................ 3-1
POWER PRECAUTIONS .........................................................................................................................3-2
INSTALLING ANETIRON MLX-4 ROUTER ......................................................................................................3-4
PREPARING THE INSTALLATION SITE .....................................................................................................3-4
CABLING INFRASTRUCTURE ............................................................................................................ 3-4
INSTALLATION LOCATION................................................................................................................ 3-4
UNPACKING ANETIRON MLX-4 ROUTER ...............................................................................................3-4
CHASSIS LIFTING GUIDELINES FOR NETIRON MLX-4 ROUTERS ..............................................................3-5
INSTALLING ANETIRON MLX-4 CHASSIS IN ARACK ..............................................................................3-5
PREPARING TO MOUNT ANETIRON MLX-4 CHASSIS IN ARACK ...................................................... 3-5
REMOVING NETIRON MLX-4 EXTRA SHIPMENT SCREWS................................................................. 3-5
MOUNTING ANETIRON MLX-4 CHASSIS IN ARACK......................................................................... 3-5
REMOVING THE SLOT BLANKS........................................................................................................ 3-7
INSTALLING NETIRON MLX-4 MODULES ................................................................................................3-7
INSTALLING POWER SUPPLIES IN ANETIRON MLX-4 CHASSIS ...............................................................3-9
CONNECTING AC POWER TO ANETIRON MLX-4 CHASSIS .....................................................................3-9
CONNECTING DC POWER TO ANETIRON MLX-4 CHASSIS ..................................................................3-10
FINAL STEPS ......................................................................................................................................3-11
INSTALLING ANETIRON MLX-8 ROUTER ....................................................................................................3-12
PREPARING THE INSTALLATION SITE ...................................................................................................3-12
CABLING INFRASTRUCTURE .......................................................................................................... 3-12
INSTALLATION LOCATION.............................................................................................................. 3-12
UNPACKING ANETIRON MLX-8 ROUTER .............................................................................................3-12
CHASSIS LIFTING GUIDELINES FOR NETIRON MLX-8 ROUTERS ............................................................3-13
INSTALLING THE NETIRON MLX-8 CHASSIS IN ARACK .........................................................................3-13
PREPARING TO MOUNT ANETIRON MLX-8 CHASSIS IN ARACK .................................................... 3-13
REMOVING NETIRON MLX-8 EXTRA SHIPMENT SCREWS............................................................... 3-13
MOUNTING ANETIRON MLX-8 CHASSIS IN ARACK....................................................................... 3-13
REMOVING THE SLOT BLANKS...................................................................................................... 3-15
INSTALLING NETIRON MLX-8 MODULES ..............................................................................................3-15
INSTALLING POWER SUPPLIES IN THE NETIRON MLX-8 CHASSIS .........................................................3-17
CONNECTING AC POWER TO ANETIRON MLX-8 CHASSIS ...................................................................3-17

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December 2008 © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. -v
CONNECTING DC POWER TO ANETIRON MLX-8 CHASSIS ..................................................................3-18
FINAL STEPS ......................................................................................................................................3-19
INSTALLING ANETIRON MLX-16 ROUTER ..................................................................................................3-20
PREPARING THE INSTALLATION SITE ...................................................................................................3-20
CABLING INFRASTRUCTURE .......................................................................................................... 3-20
INSTALLATION LOCATION.............................................................................................................. 3-20
UNPACKING ANETIRON MLX-16 ROUTER ...........................................................................................3-20
CHASSIS LIFTING GUIDELINES FOR NETIRON MLX-16 ROUTERS ..........................................................3-21
INSTALLING ACHASSIS IN ARACK .......................................................................................................3-21
PREPARING TO MOUNT ANETIRON MLX-16 CHASSIS IN ARACK .................................................. 3-21
ATTACHING MOUNTING BRACKETS TO ANETIRON MLX-16 CHASSIS ............................................. 3-21
MOUNTING ANETIRON MLX-16 CHASSIS IN ARACK..................................................................... 3-22
REMOVING THE SLOT BLANKS...................................................................................................... 3-23
INSTALLING NETIRON MLX-16 MODULES ............................................................................................3-23
POPULATING ANETIRON MLX-16 CHASSIS .................................................................................. 3-25
RULES FOR POPULATING ANETIRON MLX-16 CHASSIS ................................................................ 3-25
INSTALLING POWER SUPPLIES IN ANETIRON MLX-16 CHASSIS ...........................................................3-25
CONNECTING AC POWER TO ANETIRON MLX-16 CHASSIS .................................................................3-26
CONNECTING DC POWER TO ANETIRON MLX-16 CHASSIS ................................................................3-27
FINAL STEPS ......................................................................................................................................3-28
INSTALLING ANETIRON MLX-32 ROUTER ..................................................................................................3-29
PREPARING THE INSTALLATION SITE ...................................................................................................3-29
CABLING INFRASTRUCTURE .......................................................................................................... 3-29
INSTALLATION LOCATION.............................................................................................................. 3-29
UNPACKING ANETIRON MLX-32 ROUTER ...........................................................................................3-29
UNCRATING THE NETIRON MLX-32 CHASSIS................................................................................ 3-30
INSTALLING ANETIRON MLX-32 CHASSIS IN ARACK ..........................................................................3-31
PREPARING TO MOUNT ANETIRON MLX-32 CHASSIS IN ARACK .................................................. 3-31
ATTACHING MOUNTING BRACKETS TO ANETIRON MLX-16 OR
NETIRON MLX-32 CHASSIS ............................................................................................ 3-31
MOUNTING ANETIRON MLX-32 CHASSIS IN ARACK..................................................................... 3-31
INSTALLING NETIRON MLX-32 MODULES ............................................................................................3-33
NETIRON MLX-32 MODULE INSTALLATION DETAILS ...................................................................... 3-34
USING THE INSERTION/EXTRACTION TOOL .................................................................................... 3-35
NETIRON MLX-32 CABLE MANAGEMENT .............................................................................................3-36
CABLE ROUTING FOR THE UPPER-LEFT QUADRANT....................................................................... 3-38
CABLE ROUTING FOR THE UPPER-RIGHT QUADRANT..................................................................... 3-40
CABLE ROUTING FOR THE LOWER-LEFT QUADRANT. ..................................................................... 3-42
CABLE ROUTING FOR THE LOWER-RIGHT QUADRANT. ................................................................... 3-44
INSTALLING POWER SUPPLIES IN ANETIRON MLX-32 CHASSIS .................................................................3-45
CONNECTING AC POWER TO ANETIRON MLX-32 CHASSIS .................................................................3-46
CONNECTING DC POWER TO ANETIRON MLX-32 CHASSIS ................................................................3-47
FINAL STEPS ......................................................................................................................................3-49
ATTACHING AMANAGEMENT STATION .......................................................................................................3-49
ATTACHING APC OR TERMINAL TO THE CONSOLE PORT OR ETHERNET PORT .....................................3-50
ATTACHING THE MANAGEMENT MODULE’SETHERNET PORT TO ANETWORK ........................................3-50
POWERING-ONTHE POWER SOURCE ........................................................................................................3-50
VERIFYING PROPER OPERATION ...............................................................................................................3-51
OBSERVING THE LEDS.......................................................................................................................3-51

Foundry NetIron MLX Series Installation and Basic Configuration Guide
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DISPLAYING THE MODULE STATUS ......................................................................................................3-57
CHAPTER 4
CONNECTING ANETIRON MLX SERIES ROUTER
TO ANETWORK DEVICE .............................................................................. 4-1
ASSIGNING PERMANENT PASSWORDS .........................................................................................................4-1
CONFIGURING IP ADDRESSES .....................................................................................................................4-2
SUPPORT OF SUB-NET MASKS .............................................................................................................4-3
ASSIGNING AN IP ADDRESS TO AMANAGEMENT INTERFACE ..................................................................4-3
ASSIGNING AN IP ADDRESS TO AN INTERFACE, VIRTUAL INTERFACE, OR LOOPBACK ...............................4-4
ENABLING AND DISABLING THE INTERFACES ..........................................................................................4-5
UNDERSTANDING HOW THE MANAGEMENT PORT FUNCTIONS .......................................................................4-5
CONNECTING ANETIRON MLX SERIES ROUTER .........................................................................................4-5
INSTALLING AFIBER-OPTIC MODULE .....................................................................................................4-5
CABLING AFIBER-OPTIC MODULE .........................................................................................................4-6
CLEANING FIBER-OPTIC MODULES ........................................................................................................4-6
TROUBLESHOOTING NETWORK CONNECTIONS .......................................................................................4-6
TESTING NETWORK CONNECTIVITY ..............................................................................................................4-8
PINGING AN IP ADDRESS ......................................................................................................................4-8
TRACING AROUTE ...............................................................................................................................4-8
CHAPTER 5
MANAGING THE NETIRON MLX SERIES
CHASSIS AND MODULES ............................................................................. 5-1
MANAGING THE NETIRON MLX SERIES CHASSIS .........................................................................................5-1
DISPLAYING CHASSIS STATUS AND TEMPERATURE READINGS ................................................................5-1
DISPLAYING THE SYSLOG CONFIGURATION AND STATIC AND DYNAMIC BUFFERS ....................................5-4
STATIC AND DYNAMIC BUFFERS ..................................................................................................... 5-5
MANAGING THE COOLING SYSTEM ..............................................................................................................5-6
CONFIGURING THE COOLING SYSTEM ...................................................................................................5-6
CHANGING TEMPERATURE THRESHOLDS FOR MODULES AND FAN SPEEDS...................................... 5-6
CHANGING THE TEMPERATURE POLLING INTERVAL ....................................................................... 5-11
MANUALLY SETTING THE FAN SPEED ..................................................................................................5-11
MONITORING THE COOLING SYSTEM ...................................................................................................5-12
DISPLAYING FAN TRAY STATUS AND SPEED ................................................................................. 5-12
DISPLAYING TEMPERATURE WARNINGS ....................................................................................... 5-12
TEMPERATURE LOG REDUCTION .........................................................................................................5-13
CONFIGURING TEMPERATURE LOGGING........................................................................................ 5-13
MANAGING THE INTERFACE MODULES .......................................................................................................5-13
CONFIGURING INTERFACE MODULE BOOT PARAMETERS ......................................................................5-14
SYNCHRONIZING THE INTERFACE MODULE’SMULTI-SERVICE IRONWARE IMAGES BETWEEN
MANAGEMENT AND INTERFACE MODULES ........................................................................ 5-14
CHANGING THE BOOT SOURCE .................................................................................................... 5-15
CHANGING PRIORITY OF CHASSIS SLOTS FOR INTERFACE MODULES ....................................................5-18
DISABLING AND REENABLING POWER TO THE INTERFACE MODULES .....................................................5-19
ENABLING AND DISABLING MANAGEMENT MODULE CPU USAGE CALCULATIONS .........................................5-19
DISPLAYING CPU USAGE ...................................................................................................................5-20

Contents
December 2008 © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. -vii
DISPLAYING MANAGEMENT MODULE CPU USAGE .....................................................................................5-21
ENABLING AND DISABLING PACKET LOGGING FOR MANAGEMENT AND INTERFACE MODULES .......................5-21
DISPLAYING APACKET LOG ................................................................................................................5-22
REMOVING MAC ADDRESS ENTRIES .........................................................................................................5-24
CHAPTER 6
MAINTAINING ANETIRON MLX SERIES ROUTER .......................................... 6-1
HARDWARE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE .........................................................................................................6-1
CLEANING THE FIBER-OPTIC CONNECTORS .................................................................................................6-2
REPLACING AMANAGEMENT MODULE .........................................................................................................6-2
REMOVING AMANAGEMENT MODULE ....................................................................................................6-2
INSTALLING ANEW MANAGEMENT MODULE ...........................................................................................6-3
REPLACING AN INTERFACE MODULE ............................................................................................................6-3
REMOVING AN INTERFACE MODULE .......................................................................................................6-4
INSTALLING ANEW INTERFACE MODULE ................................................................................................6-4
REPLACING ASWITCH FABRIC MODULE .......................................................................................................6-8
REMOVING ASWITCH FABRIC MODULE .................................................................................................6-8
INSTALLING ANEW SWITCH FABRIC MODULE ........................................................................................6-8
REPLACING AFIBER-OPTIC TRANSCEIVER ...................................................................................................6-9
REMOVING AFIBER-OPTIC TRANSCEIVER ..............................................................................................6-9
INSTALLING ANEW FIBER-OPTIC TRANSCEIVER .....................................................................................6-9
CABLING AFIBER-OPTIC TRANSCEIVER ...............................................................................................6-10
REPLACING APOWER SUPPLY ..................................................................................................................6-10
DETERMINING WHICH POWER SUPPLY FAILED ....................................................................................6-10
SETTING THE THRESHOLD FOR POWER SUPPLY MONITORING ..............................................................6-10
CLEARING POWER SUPPLY FAILURE TIMESTAMPS ...............................................................................6-11
DISPLAYING POWER SUPPLY MONITORING TIMESTAMPS ......................................................................6-11
ENABLING APOWER SUPPLY SHUTDOWN ............................................................................................6-11
POWERING ON THE POWER SUPPLY THROUGH THE CLI ......................................................................6-12
REPLACING APOWER SUPPLY ............................................................................................................6-12
REPLACING FAN ASSEMBLIES ....................................................................................................................6-14
REPLACING FAN ASSEMBLIES IN THE NETIRON MLX-32 ......................................................................6-14
REPLACING FAN ASSEMBLIES IN THE NETIRON MLX-16 ......................................................................6-15
REPLACING THE REAR FAN ASSEMBLIES IN THE NETIRON MLX-16 ............................................... 6-16
REPLACING THE FRONT FAN ASSEMBLY IN THE NETIRON MLX-16 ................................................ 6-17
REPLACING THE FAN TRAY ASSEMBLY IN THE NETIRON MLX-4 AND NETIRON MLX-8 ..........................6-17
REPLACING THE AIR FILTERS IN ANETIRON MLX SERIES ROUTER ......................................................6-19
REPLACING THE AIR FILTERS IN THE NETIRON MLX-32 ................................................................ 6-19
REPLACING THE AIR FILTER IN THE NETIRON MLX-16 .................................................................. 6-21
REPLACING THE AIR FILTER IN THE NETIRON MLX-4 OR NETIRON MLX-8..................................... 6-22
CHAPTER 7
UPGRADING SOFTWARE IMAGES AND CONFIGURATION FILES....................... 7-1
SNMP ON SYSTEMS WITH NI-MLX-1GX48-T MODULES ..............................................................................7-2
SOFTWARE IMAGES REQUIRED ....................................................................................................................7-2
IMAGES AND PROCEDURES REQUIRED ..................................................................................................7-3

Foundry NetIron MLX Series Installation and Basic Configuration Guide
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DESCRIPTION OF THE SOFTWARE IMAGES REQUIRED ............................................................................7-3
UPGRADING SOFTWARE IMAGES AS REQUIRED BY VERSION ..................................................................7-4
UPGRADING TO VERSION 03.5.00 (OR LATER) FROM APRE-03.5.00 VERSION ................................. 7-4
DOWNGRADING FROM VERSION 03.5.00 (OR LATER) TO APRE-03.5.00 VERSION ............................ 7-5
UPGRADING FROM VERSION 03.5.00 (OR LATER) TO ALATER VERSION........................................... 7-5
DISPLAYING FLASH MEMORY AND VERSION INFORMATION .....................................................................7-6
DISPLAYING FLASH INFORMATION ................................................................................................... 7-6
DISPLAYING VERSION INFORMATION ............................................................................................. 7-11
UPGRADING THE MANAGEMENT MODULE’SMONITOR AND BOOT IMAGES .............................................7-14
UPGRADING THE MANAGEMENT MODULE’SIRONWARE IMAGE .............................................................7-15
UPGRADING THE INTERFACE MODULE’SMONITOR AND BOOT IMAGES ..................................................7-17
UPGRADING THE INTERFACE MODULE’SIRONWARE IMAGE ..................................................................7-18
UPGRADING THE MANAGEMENT AND INTERFACE MODULE IRONWARE IMAGES TOGETHER ....................7-18
UPGRADING MBRIDGE FPGA ON THE MANAGEMENT MODULE ..........................................................7-19
OVERVIEW OF TASKS IN THE FPGA IMAGE UPGRADE PROCESS ................................................... 7-19
DETERMINING THE MBRIDGE IMAGE VERSIONS........................................................................... 7-19
UPGRADING THE MBRIDGE FPGA IMAGE................................................................................... 7-20
UPGRADING AN FPGA FOR AN INTERFACE MODULE ............................................................................7-20
OVERVIEW OF TASKS IN THE FPGA IMAGE UPGRADE PROCESS ................................................... 7-21
DETERMINING THE FPGA IMAGE VERSIONS.................................................................................. 7-21
UPGRADING ALL FPGA IMAGES FOR ALL INTERFACE MODULES AT THE SAME TIME ..............................7-24
UPGRADING ALL LP FPGA IMAGES AT THE SAME TIME ................................................................ 7-24
UPGRADING THE FPGA IMAGES ONE IMAGE AT ATIME................................................................. 7-24
REBOOTING THE MANAGEMENT MODULE ............................................................................................7-26
HITLESS OS UPGRADE .......................................................................................................................7-27
CONSIDERATIONS WHEN USING THE FEATURE .............................................................................. 7-28
THE HITLESS OS SOFTWARE PROCESS ....................................................................................... 7-29
PERFORMING AHITLESS OS SOFTWARE UPGRADE, ..................................................................... 7-31
LOADING THE MULTI-SERVICE IRONWARE SOFTWARE ONTO THE ROUTER..................................... 7-31
SETTING UP CONSOLES ............................................................................................................... 7-31
EXECUTING THE HITLESS UPGRADE COMMAND............................................................................. 7-31
LOADING AND SAVING CONFIGURATION FILES ............................................................................................7-31
CONFIGURING FILE SIZE FOR STARTUP AND RUNNING CONFIGURATION ...............................................7-32
REPLACING THE STARTUP CONFIGURATION WITH THE RUNNING CONFIGURATION .................................7-32
REPLACING THE RUNNING CONFIGURATION WITH THE STARTUP CONFIGURATION .................................7-32
COPYING ACONFIGURATION FILE TOOR FROM ATFTP SERVER ........................................................7-33
MAKING LOCAL COPIES OF THE STARTUP CONFIGURATION FILE ..........................................................7-33
DYNAMIC CONFIGURATION LOADING ..........................................................................................................7-33
USAGE CONSIDERATIONS............................................................................................................. 7-33
PREPARING THE CONFIGURATION FILE ......................................................................................... 7-34
LOADING THE CONFIGURATION INFORMATION INTO THE RUNNING-CONFIG ...........................................7-35
USING SNMP TO SAVE AND LOAD CONFIGURATION INFORMATION .............................................................7-35
ERASING IMAGE AND CONFIGURATION FILES ..............................................................................................7-36
FILE SYNCHRONIZATION ............................................................................................................................7-36
FILE SYNCHRONIZATION BETWEEN THE ACTIVE AND STANDBY MANAGEMENT MODULES .......................7-36
COMPARING AND SYNCHRONIZING FILES ...................................................................................... 7-37
SYNCHRONIZING FILES WITHOUT COMPARISON ............................................................................ 7-37
FILE SYNCHRONIZATION BETWEEN THE MANAGEMENT AND INTERFACE MODULES ................................7-37
SYNCHRONIZING THE INTERFACE MODULES IRONWARE IMAGES DURING BOOTUP ......................... 7-38

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December 2008 © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. -ix
SPECIFYING AN IMMEDIATE SYNCHRONIZATION ............................................................................. 7-38
SCHEDULING ASYSTEM RELOAD ...............................................................................................................7-38
RELOADING AT ASPECIFIC TIME .........................................................................................................7-38
RELOADING AFTER ASPECIFIC AMOUNT OF TIME ................................................................................7-38
DISPLAYING THE AMOUNT OF TIME REMAINING BEFORE ASCHEDULED RELOAD ...................................7-39
CANCELING ASCHEDULED RELOAD ....................................................................................................7-39
DIAGNOSTIC ERROR CODES AND REMEDIES FOR TFTP TRANSFERS ..........................................................7-39
CHAPTER 8
HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS....................................................................... 8-1
HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS .......................................................................................................................8-1
POWER SPECIFICATIONS ......................................................................................................................8-1
PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS .........................................................................................................................8-3
OPERATING ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................................................8-4
STORAGE ENVIRONMENT .....................................................................................................................8-4
SAFETY AGENCY APPROVALS ...............................................................................................................8-4
ELECTROMAGNETIC APPROVALS ...........................................................................................................8-4
PORT SPECIFICATIONS ................................................................................................................................8-5
CONSOLE PORT PIN ASSIGNMENTS ......................................................................................................8-5
MANAGEMENT PORT PIN ASSIGNMENTS ................................................................................................8-6
APPENDIX A
REGULATORY STATEMENTS ........................................................................A-1
U.S.A. ...................................................................................................................................................... A-1
INDUSTRY CANADA STATEMENT ................................................................................................................. A-1
EUROPE AND AUSTRALIA ........................................................................................................................... A-1
GERMANY ................................................................................................................................................. A-1
JAPAN ....................................................................................................................................................... A-2
KOREA ...................................................................................................................................................... A-2
APPENDIX B
CAUTIONS AND WARNINGS..........................................................................B-1
CAUTIONS ................................................................................................................................................. B-1
WARNINGS .............................................................................................................................................. B-11

Foundry NetIron MLX Series Installation and Basic Configuration Guide
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December 2008 © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. 1-1
Chapter 1
Getting Started
Introduction
This guide describes the NetIron MLX router from Foundry Networks. It provides procedures for installing modules
into the NetIron MLX Series chassis, cabling the Ethernet interface ports, and performing a basic configuration of
the software. This guide also explains how to perform tasks using the command line interface (CLI).
Audience
This guide is designed for network installers, system administrators, and resellers who will install and perform a
basic software configuration for the NetIron MLX Series router. This guide assumes a working knowledge of Layer
2 and Layer 3 switching and routing concepts.
Nomenclature
This guide uses the following typographical conventions to show information:
Italic highlights the title of another publication and occasionally emphasizes a word or phrase.
Bold highlights a CLI command.
Bold Italic highlights a term that is being defined.
NOTE: A note emphasizes an important fact or calls your attention to a dependency.
WARNING: A warning calls your attention to a possible hazard that can cause injury or death.
CAUTION: A caution calls your attention to a possible hazard that can damage equipment.
Updates to Manuals
Manuals for this product may be updated between releases. For the latest edition of manuals, check the Foundry
Knowledge Portal at kp.foundrynet.com.

Foundry NetIron MLX Series Installation and Basic Configuration Guide
1-2 © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. December 2008
How to Get Help or Report Errors
Foundry Networks is committed to ensuring that your investment in our products remains cost-effective. If you
need assistance, or find errors in the manuals, contact Foundry Networks using one of the following options:
Web Access
If you find errors in this document, please report the error by going to kp.foundrynet.com. After you login in, click
Cases > Create a New Ticket. Make sure you specify the document title in the ticket description.
Email Access
Send an e-mail to [e-mail].
Telephone Access
1.877.TURBOCALL (887.2622) United States
1.408.207.1600Outside the United States
Warranty Coverage
Contact Foundry Networks using any of the methods listed above for information about the standard and extended
warranties.

December 2008 © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. 2-1
Chapter 2
Product Overview
The NetIron MLX Series router provides high-performance routing for service providers, metro topologies, and
Internet Exchange Points. This chapter provides an overview of Foundry’s NetIron MLX Series routers. It provides
the following information:
• Overview of the benefits the NetIron MLX Series router offers
• Network topologies in which a NetIron MLX Series router will be commonly deployed
• The NetIron MLX Series router hardware and how each major hardware component functions
• Software features that the NetIron MLX Series router supports
• The NetIron MLX Series router’s architecture, how it differs from other Layer 3 router architectures, and how
you will benefit from the differences
Product Overview
The NetIron MLX Series router provides the following benefits:
• The ability of the 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports to process both inbound and outbound user packets at a full
10Gbps, thereby delivering true wire-speed performance
• IPv4 routing with very large hardware-based forwarding table and powerful hardware-based ACL and rate
limiting functions
• IPv6 routing with a rich feature set including hardware-based forwarding, and dual-stack support
• High availability (redundancy) of the following NetIron MLX Series router critical components:
• Management modules
• Fans
• Power supplies
• Switch fabric module
Each of these components, along with the interface modules, is hot swappable, which means you can remove
and replace them while the NetIron MLX Series chassis is powered on and running.
• Completely separate data and control planes, which results in uncompromised switching performance,
increased reliability of both planes, and increased security of the control plane in the event of a Denial of
Service attack (DoS) on the data plane
• Distributed data and control planes, which results in uncompromised wire-speed performance for the data
plane and faster and more efficient performance of management functions for the control plane

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• A management (10BaseT/100BaseTX/1000BaseTX Ethernet) port that can provide connectivity to your
existing management network
• Increased amount of TCAM on the interface modules, which accommodates the processing of more software
functions such as those related to routing protocols
• Increased amounts of processor RAM on the management and interface modules, which allows larger default
table sizes for the MAC address table, the IP route table, and so on
• Airflow that circulates from the front to the back of the NetIron MLX Series router chassis, which directs hot air
from the chassis away from other racks of equipment rather than toward them
NetIron MLX Series Router Applications
The NetIron MLX Series router is commonly deployed in the following situations:
• Layer 2 metro networks
• MPLS Layer-3 VPN service provider networks supporting multi-VRFs and RFC 2547bis
• MPLS Layer-2 VPN service provider networks supporting both VPLS and VLL
Hardware Features
This chapter covers the following major hardware components of NetIron MLX Series routers:
• “Chassis”
• “Management Modules”
• “Interface Modules”
• “Switch Fabric Module”
• “Power Supplies”
• “Cooling System”, which is composed of temperature sensors, fans, fan control modules, and an air filter
• “Rack Mount Kit”
The following sections provide more information about these components.
Chassis
The NetIron MLX Series chassis consists of the following four chassis:
• NetIron MLX-4: Provides 4 interface slots
• NetIron MLX-8: Provides 8 interface slots
• NetIron MLX-16: Provides 16 interface slots
• NetIron MLX-32: Provides 32 interface slots
The following figures illustrate the NetIron MLX Series chassis.

Product Overview
December 2008 © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. 2-3
Figure 2.1 NetIron MLX-4 Chassis
Figure 2.2 NetIron MLX-8 Chassis
Switch Fabric
Slot 3
Interface
Slot 1
Interface
Slot 2
Interface
Slot 3
Interface
Slot 4
Switch Fabric
Slot 1
Switch Fabric
Slot 2
Management
Slot 1 Management
Slot 2
ESD Connector
NetIron MLX 8
Interface
Slot 1 Interface
Slot 2
Interface
Slot 4
Switch
Fabric
Slot 1
Switch
Fabric
Slot 3
Interface
Slot 6
Interface
Slot 8
Management
Slot 2
Interface
Slot 3
Switch
Fabric
Slot 2
Interface
Slot 5
Interface
Slot 7
Management
Slot 1
Power Supply
Slot 1
Power Supply
Slot 2
Power Supply
Slot 3
Power Supply
Slot 4 ESD
Connector

Foundry NetIron MLX Series Installation and Basic Configuration Guide
2-4 © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. December 2008
Figure 2.3 NetIron MLX-16 Chassis
Management
Slot 1
Management
Slot 2
NetIron MLX 16
Interface
Slot 1 Interface Slot 3 Interface Slot 5 Interface Slot 7
Switch
Fabric
Slot 1
Switch
Fabric
Slot 3
Interface
Slot 9 Interface Slot 11 Interface
Slot 13 Interface Slot 15
Interface
Slot 2
Interface
Slot 4
Interface
Slot 6 Interface
Slot 8
Switch
Fabric
Slot 2 Switch
Fabric
Slot 4
Interface
Slot 10 Interface
Slot 12 Interface
Slot 14
Interface
Slot 16
ESD Connector

Product Overview
December 2008 © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. 2-5
Figure 2.4 NetIron MLX-32 Chassis
Pwr Active Pwr Active
Pwr Active Pwr Active
Pwr Active Pwr Active
Pwr Active Pwr Active
ACOK
DCOK
ALM
ACOK
DCOK
ALM
ACOK
DCOK
ALM
ACOK
DCOK
ALM
ACOK
DCOK
ALM
ACOK
DCOK
ALM
ACOK
DCOK
ALM
ACOK
DCOK
ALM
Switch
Fabric
Slot 1
Switch
Fabric
Slot 3
Interface
Slot 7
Interface
Slot 5
Interface
Slot 9 Interface
Slot 11
Power Supply 2 Power Supply 3
Power Supply 6 Power Supply 7
Interface Slot 3
Interface Slot 1
Switch Fabric Slot 2
Interface Slot 2
Interface Slot 4
Interface Slot 6
Interface Slot 8
ESD Strap Connector
Switch Fabric Slot 5
Interface Slot 23
Interface Slot 21
Interface Slot 19
Interface Slot 17
Switch Fabric Slot 6
Interface Slot 24
Interface Slot 22
Interface Slot 20
Interface Slot 18
Power Supply 1
Power Supply 5
Power Supply 4
Power Supply 8
Interface Slot 15
Interface Slot 13
Management Slot 1
Switch Fabric Slot 4
Interface Slot 16
Interface Slot 14
Interface Slot 12
Interface Slot 10
Switch Fabric Slot 7
Interface Slot 25
Interface Slot 27
Interface Slot 29
Interface Slot 31
Management Slot 2
Switch Fabric Slot 8
Interface Slot 26
Interface Slot 28
Interface Slot 30
Interface Slot 32
Captive Screws
Captive Screws

Foundry NetIron MLX Series Installation and Basic Configuration Guide
2-6 © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. December 2008
Upon shipment from the factory, the following components are installed in the four versions of the NetIron MLX
Series chassis as described:
NetIron MLX-4
• Two switch fabric modules.
• A slot blank in each interface module slot. The slot blank covers a slot that does not currently have a module
installed in it, ensuring proper airflow within the chassis.
• A fan tray assembly, which is located in the front right side of the chassis. For more information about the fans,
see “Cooling System” on page 2-23.
• One power supply (AC or DC).
In the slots of the chassis, you can install the following:
• Up to two management modules (one active and one redundant).
• Up to three switch fabric modules.
• Up to four interface modules.
• Up to three power supplies (AC or DC).
Before installing any modules or power supplies, you must remove the slot blank or blank power supply faceplate,
respectively.
NetIron MLX-8
• Two switch fabric modules.
• A slot blank in each interface module slot. The slot blank covers a slot that does not currently have a module
installed in it, ensuring proper airflow within the chassis.
• A fan tray assembly, which is located in the front right side of the chassis. For more information about the fans,
see “Cooling System” on page 2-23.
• Two power supplies (AC or DC).
In the slots of the chassis, you can install the following:
• Up to two management modules (one active and one redundant).
• Up to three switch fabric modules.
• Up to eight interface modules.
• Up to four power supplies (AC or DC).
Before installing any modules or power supplies, you must remove the slot blank or blank power supply faceplate,
respectively.
NetIron MLX-16
• Three switch fabric modules.
• A slot blank in each interface module slot. The slot blank covers a slot that does not currently have a module
installed in it, ensuring proper airflow within the chassis.
• A fan tray assembly located in the front right side of the chassis, and two fan assemblies located at the rear of
the chassis. For more information about the fans, see “Cooling System” on page 2-23.
• Four power supplies (AC or DC).
In the slots of the chassis, you can install the following:
• Up to two management modules (one active and one redundant).
• Up to four switch fabric modules.
• Up to sixteen interface modules.

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December 2008 © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. 2-7
• Up to eight power supplies (AC or DC).
NetIron MLX-32
• Empty chassis with backplane and card cage shipping panels, and ten fan assemblies located at the rear of
the chassis, four for the upper card cage, four for the lower card cage, and two for the power supplies.
• Eight switch fabric modules (shipped separately).
• One management module (shipped separately).
• A slot blank for each module slot (shipped separately). The slot blank covers a slot that does not currently
have a module installed in it, ensuring proper airflow within the chassis.
• Four AC power supplies.
In the slots of the chassis, you can install the following:
• Two management modules.
• Eight switch fabric modules.
• Up to 32 interface modules.
• Up to eight AC power supplies.
Before installing any modules or power supplies, you must remove the slot blank or blank power supply faceplate,
respectively (NetIron MLX-4, -8, and 16). On the NetIron MLX-32, before installing any modules, you must remove
the shipping panels covering the upper and lower card cages.
CAUTION: If you do not install a module in a slot, you must keep the slot blank in place. If you run the chassis
with an uncovered slot, the system may overheat.
Figure 2.1, Figure 2.2, Figure 2.3, and Figure 2.4 show the NetIron MLX Series chassis and the slots into which
you install the various modules. You must install the primary power supplies and the redundant power supplies as
described in the figures.
Figure 2.1, Figure 2.2, and Figure 2.3 and Figure 2.4 also show an electrostatic discharge (ESD) connector, into
which you can plug an ESD wrist strap to ground yourself while handling and installing modules.
WARNING: For safety reasons, the ESD wrist strap should contain a 1 meg ohm series resistor.
The NetIron MLX-16 and NetIron MLX-32 chassis versions also include a grounding lug connector, located on the
rear panel (left side).
Management Modules
The following management modules are available for NetIron MLX Series routers:
The management module controls the NetIron MLX Series hardware components, runs the networking protocols,
and provides the Real Time Operating System (RTOS).
Each NetIron MLX Series chassis requires one management module and can accept a second one for
redundancy. A redundant management module works along with the active management module. If the active
Part Number Description
NI-MLX-MR NetIron MLX Series management module, 1 GB SDRAM, dual PCMCIA slots,
EIA/TIA-232 and 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports for out-of-band management.
NI-MLX-32-MR NetIron MLX-32 management module, 1 GB SDRAM, dual PCMCIA slots,
EIA/TIA-232 and 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports for out-of-band management

Foundry NetIron MLX Series Installation and Basic Configuration Guide
2-8 © 2008 Foundry Networks, Inc. December 2008
module becomes unavailable, the redundant management module automatically takes over the system operation,
minimizing system downtime. For information about the redundancy feature, see the chapter titled "Using a
Redundant Management Module" in the "Foundry NetIron XMR/MLX Configuration Guide".
The NetIron MLX-32 chassis uses a different management module than any of the other Foundry Networks
products. You cannot use management modules designed for the NetIron MLX-32 in any of the other NetIron MLX
Series chassis or management modules in the NetIron MLX-32 chassis designed for the NetIron MLX-4, NetIron
MLX-8, or NetIron MLX-16.
You can install management modules in dedicated slots marked M1 and M2. By default, the system considers the
module installed in the slot marked M1 to be the active management module.
NOTE: The NetIron MLX Series management module is dedicated, which means that you must install it in the
NetIron MLX Series chassis only. If you attempt to install the NetIron MLX Series management module in another
Foundry chassis or a management module intended for another Foundry chassis in the NetIron MLX Series
chassis, the module will not boot up to become active.
Additionally, the NetIron MLX-32 chassis uses a different management module than any of the other NetIron MLX
Series chassis. You cannot use management modules designed for the NetIron MLX-32 in any other Foundry
device, because it will not function properly.
A management module is hot swappable, which allows you to remove and replace it without powering down the
system.
Figure 2.5 shows the management module’s front panel.
Figure 2.5 Management Module Front Panel
The front panel includes the following control features:
• Two PCMCIA slots
• A Console port
• A 10/100/1000 Ethernet port
• Six LEDs
PCMCIA Slots
The PCMCIA slots support a flash PC card. The flash PC card provides storage space in addition to the system’s
flash memory. A flash PC card can store system files, including Boot images, startup configuration files, running
configuration files, and so on. As a result, you can perform system management tasks, such as copying files
between flash PC cards, copying files between a flash PC card and flash memory, and so on.
Console Port
The Console port is a standard DB-9 serial connector through which you can attach a PC or terminal to configure
the NetIron MLX Series system using the CLI.
This port interfaces the control plane only and not the data plane.
10/100/1000 Ethernet Port
The front panel includes a 10BaseT/100BaseTX/1000BaseTX auto-sensing, auto-negotiating Ethernet port. This
port has an RJ-45 unshielded twisted pair (UTP) connector.
Typical uses of this port include but are not limited to the following:
• Connecting a PC through which you can access the system through a Telnet or SSHv2 connection and
Pwr
Active
10/100/1000
Port 1
Port 2
Console