XKL DarkStar User manual

DarkStar®
Lighting the path to network independence
Release Notes
v3.5.0

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Notices
Please note the following before using DarkStar equipment.
Trademark
DarkStar® is a registered trademark of XKL®, LLC.
Copyright
Copyright © 2006-2017 XKL, LLC
This document contains information that is protected by copyright. All rights are reserved. Reproduction, adaptation, or
translation without prior written permission is prohibited, except as allowed under the copyright laws.
All material contained herein is proprietary to XKL, LLC.
Warranty
The information in this publication is subject to change without notice. The information contained herein should not be
construed as a commitment by XKL, LLC.
XKL, LLC shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the
furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
U.S. Government Restricted Rights
The Computer Software is delivered as “Commercial Computer Software” as defined in DFARS 48 CFR 252.227-7014.
All Computer Software and Computer Software Documentation acquired by or for the U.S. Government is provided with
Restricted Rights. Use, duplication or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to the restrictions described in FAR 48 CFR
52.227-14 or DFARS 48 CFR 252.227-7014, as applicable.
Technical Data acquired by or for the U.S. Government, if any, is provided with Limited Rights.
Use, duplication or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to the restrictions described in FAR 48 CFR 52.227-14 or DFARS
48 CFR 252.227-7013, as applicable.

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Class A Compliance
DarkStar equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part 15 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 not
accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area may cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be required to
correct the interference at his own expense.
Danger
DarkStar products use hazard level 1M laser radiation, which presents a danger to human health.
Do not stare into the lasers or view with non-attenuating optical instruments. Doing so may lead to severe eye damage.
Software Copyright
The software copyright notices are contained in the file located at /CopyrightAndNotices.txt on your DarkStar system.

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Table of Contents
Release Notes.................................................................................................................................... 1
1 New Features............................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 DarkStar DMD-A System.................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 DarkStar DLA System.......................................................................................................................... 1
1.3 Software Managed Amplifier Setting ........................................................................................... 1
1.4 Optical Path Protection...................................................................................................................... 1
2 Caveats in v3.5.0 ..................................................................................................................................... 2
2.1 AAA Administration ............................................................................................................................ 2
2.1.1 Persistent Username/Password Prompt..................................................................................... 2
2.1.2 AAA Authorization, Enable Mode, and Console Login ............................................................ 2
2.1.3 AAA Authentication Login Default None Already Enabled..................................................... 2
2.1.4 Repeated Login Attempts ............................................................................................................ 2
2.1.5 AAA authentication....................................................................................................................... 2
2.2 Amplifiers................................................................................................................................................ 2
2.2.1 Wrong EDFAs Settings when a 4-band or 6-band filter is used in DMD-A............................ 2
2.2.2 Clear Amplifier EDFA Command May Trigger False Pump Bias Current Alarm .................... 3
2.3 Boot........................................................................................................................................................... 3
2.3.1 Interrupting Boot........................................................................................................................... 3
2.3.2 Infinite Loop ................................................................................................................................... 3
2.4 Client, Trunk, OSC Interfaces, and Management Ethernet.................................................... 3
2.4.1 Inconsistent OSC Status Possible After Connecting External Fiber ....................................... 3
2.4.2 Clear Counters Command Does Not Reliably Clear All Counters........................................... 3
2.4.3 Show Version Verbose Falsely Indicates "Running-config has not been modified"............ 4
2.4.4 IPv4 Address Persists Following “no ip address” Command ................................................... 4
2.4.5 Management Ethernet Address Change with RIP Configured Requires Warm Reload...... 4
2.4.6 RIP Configuration Changes Take Effect upon End or Exit Command .................................... 4
2.4.7 Reported Sensor Temperature .................................................................................................... 4
2.4.8 Duplicate Management Interface IP Address ........................................................................... 4
2.4.9 Removing Management Interface IP Address .......................................................................... 5
2.4.10 Use of Default Routes ................................................................................................................. 5
2.4.11 Multiple Routes to a Destination .............................................................................................. 5
2.5 Management Access........................................................................................................................... 5
2.5.1 Re-create Static Routes Following Management IPv4 Address Change............................... 5
2.5.2 Some SSH Connections May Hang ............................................................................................. 5
2.5.3 Disabling Telnet May Block Future Telnet Connection Attempts........................................... 5
2.5.4 Console Output.............................................................................................................................. 5
2.5.5 SSH Sessions and System Performance ..................................................................................... 6

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2.5.6 SSH Message .................................................................................................................................. 6
2.5.7 Command History Retention....................................................................................................... 6
2.6 Monitoring.............................................................................................................................................. 6
2.6.1 Debug Reporting Errors ............................................................................................................... 6
2.7 SNMP ........................................................................................................................................................ 6
2.7.1 SNMP Trap Indicates "Down" when EDFA Case Temp is High................................................. 6
2.7.2 Loopback Reporting ..................................................................................................................... 6
2.7.3 SNMP Trap Logging....................................................................................................................... 6
2.7.4 iflnUnknownProtos SNMP Metric ............................................................................................... 7
2.7.5 SNMP Diagnostic Queries ............................................................................................................ 7
2.8 Duplicate IP Address Warning ......................................................................................................... 7
3 Hardware...................................................................................................................................................... 7
3.1 OSC Module Hot Swap (Removal/Insertion) not Noted in Syslog...................................... 7
3.2 Power Supply Message ...................................................................................................................... 7

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Release Notes
This documentation highlights release information for v3.5.0 DarkStar products.
1 New Features
The following features have been added in v3.5.0.
1.1 DarkStar DMD-A System
Version 3.5.0 introduces support for DarkStar DMD-A filtered amplifier systems. DMD-A systems include support for up to four
(4) erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA), optical path protection, and a variety of DWDM mux/demux filter configurations in
1RU or 2RU chassis.
1.2 DarkStar DLA System
Version 3.5.0 also introduces support for DarkStar DLA mid-span amplifier systems in a 2RU chassis. DLA systems provide
support for up to four (4) EDFAs.
Refer to the DarkStar Systems Guide V3.5 for further information about DarkStar DLA and DMD-A systems.
1.3 Software Managed Amplifier Setting
Version 3.5.0 introduces software-managed amplifier settings to control the amplifier by adjusting gain or power as necessary,
using two new commands -- the configure mode path command, and the CONF-AMP mode control managed
command.
1.4 Optical Path Protection
Version 3.5.0 introduces software support and monitoring for optical path protection switching in DMD-A systems equipped
with optical switch hardware. The configure-mode protection command is used to configure path protection.
Refer to the DarkStar Systems Guide V3.5 and the DarkStar Command Reference V3.5 for further information about managed
amplifier and path protection settings.

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Caveats in v3.5.0
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2 Caveats in v3.5.0
The following caveats relate to v3.5.0 behavior.
2.1 AAA Administration
The following caveats relate to AAA behavior.
2.1.1 Persistent Username/Password Prompt
When either aaa authentication login default or aaa authentication enable default are set to
"none", the DarkStar will continue to prompt for a username and password. Dismiss the prompts by pressing the Enter key.
2.1.2 AAA Authorization, Enable Mode, and Console Login
When TACACS+ database users with enable privileges log into a system via a console configured for aaa authentication and
authorization, they are not immediately enabled. After login, it is necessary to type "enable". When prompted for the
password, don't type anything: press the <Enter> key to continue.
2.1.3 AAA Authentication Login Default None Already Enabled
Typically, AAA authentication commands are enabled by issuing the command aaa new-model. However, aaa
authentication login default none will function without being specifically enabled, exposing your DarkStar to
unauthorized access.
2.1.4 Repeated Login Attempts
Repeated login attempts may cause RADIUS accounting packets to be missing the relevant user id.
2.1.5 AAA authentication
When AAA authentication is not required, username and password prompts still appear; however, authentication is not
performed.
2.2 Amplifiers
The following caveat relates to amplifier behavior.
2.2.1 Wrong EDFAs Settings when a 4-band or 6-band filter is used in DMD-A
In v3.5.0 for a DMD-A system, the input EDFA(s) will not be set to the correct output power value if a 4-band or 6-band filter is
installed in the system. DXMOS incorrectly uses the 96-channel filter insertion loss numbers in calculating the EDFA power
settings. This results in a setting for the input EDFA(s) that is too high. Note: The insertion loss for the 4-band and 6-band filter
is much less than that of the 96-channel filter.
The work-around for this issue is to manually set the input EDFA(s) in the DMD-A rather than using the path input
channel-count command. In other words, use the control output power command instead of the aforementioned
path command. Contact XKL Customer Support for details on what the optimal power setting should be for your system.
Note: The optical power setting is dependent on the number of DWDM channels in your system.

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Caveats in v3.5.0
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2.2.2 Clear Amplifier EDFA Command May Trigger False Pump Bias Current Alarm
Issuing a clear amplifier edfa command may sometimes trigger a high pump bias current alarm. The alarm clears
itself, then recurs intermittently. It is safe to disregard this alarm. Additional clear amplifier edfa commands
typically clear the high pump bias current alarm.
2.3 Boot
The following caveats relate to boot behavior.
2.3.1 Interrupting Boot
While it is possible to interrupt Boot it is recommended you don't do so. If Boot is unintentionally interrupted by typing
CTRL+C before it announces itself ready, Boot will not be able to load any programs. The reinitialize command is
useful to restore Boot to competency following a premature interruption to Boot.
2.3.2 Infinite Loop
If a DarkStar system is configured exclusively with invalid boot targets that are then saved to startup-config using the write
memory command or which are present in the remote configuration acquired through DHCP and TFTP, the bootloader
software enters an infinite loop of failed boot attempts. When this happens, messages such as the following display:
Boot has exhausted its collection of executable images.
[Delaying AUTO-BOOT for 600. seconds.]
[Type Ctrl-C to abort or any other key to boot now.]
To interrupt the reboot cycle, press CTRL+C, then enter a boot command at the Boot> prompt.
2.4 Client, Trunk, OSC Interfaces, and Management Ethernet
The following caveats relate to client, trunk, management Ethernet and OSC interface behavior.
2.4.1 Inconsistent OSC Status Possible After Connecting External Fiber
When external fiber connections are made on a DarkStar system equipped with OSC transceiver modules, the optical signal
reaching the OSC may become temporarily unstable until the fiber connection is properly seated. The instability may confuse
DXMOS into reporting inconsistent OSC states. Typically,“show” commands report the OSC up, but the OSC is functionally
down and not responding to Ethernet traffic. This condition can be cleared by issuing laser shutdown followed by no
laser shutdown while in CONF-MOD-OSC mode.
2.4.2 Clear Counters Command Does Not Reliably Clear All Counters
The clear counters management ethernet ncommand does not reliably clear all counters. One way to work
around this problem is to issue a show management command for that particular interface before issuing the clear
counters command.

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2.4.3 Show Version Verbose Falsely Indicates "Running-config has not been modified"
When DXMOS running configuration changes are made on a DarkStar system, the running configuration differs from the
startup configuration stored in /dxmos/config.dat until a write memory command has been successfully issued. Regardless,
output from the show version verbose command will always indicate that the running configuration has not been modified.
DXMOS will indicate differences between the current running configuration and content in /dxmos/config.dat when either a
reload or a reboot command is issued:
localhost# reload
Running configuration differs from startup configuration.
If you are unsure the consequences of these differences, answer NO to the
following prompt and carefully review the current running configuration.
Are you sure? [yes/NO]
2.4.4 IPv4 Address Persists Following “no ip address” Command
While in CONF-MGMT-ETH[n]# mode, if an IPv4 address is added, removed, then followed with an exit command, the
added IPv4 address persists in the running configuration. To correct this condition, return to CONF-MGMT-ETH[n]# mode,
issue the no ip address command once again, then issue exit.
2.4.5 Management Ethernet Address Change with RIP Configured Requires Warm Reload
On DarkStar systems that are configured for RIP routing, changes to management Ethernet addresses on which RIP routes are
advertised requires a DXMOS reboot before IP traffic will be routed.
2.4.6 RIP Configuration Changes Take Effect upon End or Exit Command
If no RIP configuration is present, the effects of various CONF-RIP mode commands are not evident from the output of CONF-
RIP# do show running-config rip or CONF-RIP# show rip. Changes to the RIP configuration are not applied
to the DarkStar running configuration until you enter exit or end while in CONF-RIP mode.
2.4.7 Reported Sensor Temperature
The command show environment temperature reports the current working temperature, various threshold
temperature settings, and a fan control threshold temperature for every temperature sensor within a DarkStar system.
Different systems support different sets of sensors and will display different output.
DarkStar systems control the fan speed to maintain temperatures below their threshold value. If one or more temperatures
exceed their fan control threshold for an extended period of time, the fan will run at maximum speed. Sensors which are not
used to control the fan speed will display a target value of "none".
2.4.8 Duplicate Management Interface IP Address
When DXMOS detects the same IP address being assigned to a second enabled management interface, that conflict must be
resolved and DXMOS rebooted to gain access to the affected interface.

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Caveats in v3.5.0
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2.4.9 Removing Management Interface IP Address
Removing the IP address of a management interface by means of the command no ip address leaves the unusable direct
or connected route visible in the show ip route command. It is more effective to use the command no management
ethernet nwhile an IP address is associated with the interface: that will remove the entire entry from the show ip
route command’s database.
2.4.10 Use of Default Routes
You can link DXMs together in a routing table via the configure-mode ip route commands. If there is only a default route
(IPv4: subnet mask /0) to an interface, and you have not defined a more specific route, then routing can fail to that interface
following CONF-MGMT-ETH[n]# shutdown and no shutdown commands. The problem occurs only if there are three
or more DXMs in the route; for example, ping commands may fail between the first and last DXMs in the table. The issue is
avoided by using only specific routes in the CONF# ip route command.
2.4.11 Multiple Routes to a Destination
When configuring IP routes, multiple routes to a destination must be input with the smallest metric first. Subsequently, adding
further routes to the destination with a metric smaller than or equal to that of existing routes is not allowed. Routes must be
single-path; multi-path routing is not supported.
2.5 Management Access
The following caveats relate to management network access.
2.5.1 Re-create Static Routes Following Management IPv4 Address Change
When the IPv4 address assigned to a management network interface is modified, DXMOS may ignore static route entries. To
resolve this, remove and re-create any static route entries associated with the management network interface. Alternatively,
re-starting DXMOS after saving the running configuration will re-create the static routes associated with each interface.
2.5.2 Some SSH Connections May Hang
When an SSH client is connected to a DarkStar system via a long network route, it may hang or disconnect when you execute a
command that generates a large amount of output (for example, show version verbose). If you experience such problems, try
an alternate SSH client and/or modify your client settings.
2.5.3 Disabling Telnet May Block Future Telnet Connection Attempts
If an active Telnet session is present when the CONF-VTY mode no transport input all command is issued, future
attempts to connect through Telenet are refused. This condition persists even if a CONF-VTY mode transport input
all or transport input telnet command is subsequently issued. The only way to clear this condition is to reboot
DXMOS.
2.5.4 Console Output
After commands that print large amounts of text to the console, it is possible that the system prompt will not be fully
displayed upon completion. Pressing <Enter> will refresh the prompt to its normal state.

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Caveats in v3.5.0
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2.5.5 SSH Sessions and System Performance
An active SSH session may impact system performance. The impact may also increase in proportion to the number of active
sessions. For time-consuming operations, such as TFTP transfers of large files, minimizing the number of active SSH sessions
may improve system performance.
2.5.6 SSH Message
During SSH connections, the message server_request_session: channel_new failed or the message VTY
allocation request failed on channel 0 may be printed to the console. They can safely be ignored.
2.5.7 Command History Retention
If a user issues enable mode commands, and then exits enable mode but does not exit the console session, the enable mode
command history may be visible for a period at the console. Explicitly exiting the console session removes the command
history. You can explicitly exit the console session with an exit, logout, or do logout command.
2.6 Monitoring
The following caveats relate to monitoring DarkStar systems and networks.
2.6.1 Debug Reporting Errors
Enabling debug output in scenarios that generate large amounts of debug output may result in messages containing many
dropped characters after a saturation level to the output buffer is reached. Turning off debug modes with undebug all will
return the system to normal.
2.7 SNMP
The following caveats relate to SNMP behavior.
2.7.1 SNMP Trap Indicates "Down" when EDFA Case Temp is High
In the unlikely situation where an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) case temperature is sufficiently elevated, an SNMP trap
may be generated indicating that the EDFA is down. Elevated case temperature alone is not sufficient to cause an EDFA to
shutdown, so it is likely the case that the EDFA remains up and functioning.
The cause of the high temperature should be investigated. Possible causes include elevated ambient operating conditions,
cooling fan failure, and so forth..
2.7.2 Loopback Reporting
The loopback interface is not reported by SNMP.
2.7.3 SNMP Trap Logging
During system start up, SNMP traps and syslog messages may not be received because the network routes required to send
the traps are not yet initialized.

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2.7.4 iflnUnknownProtos SNMP Metric
The SNMP metric ifInUnknownProtos is not currently reliable in counting layer 3 packets that DarkStar systems do not support.
2.7.5 SNMP Diagnostic Queries
Although infrequent, SNMP queries used to gather diagnostic information may report incorrect data for certain OID values. For
this reason, it is preferable to use the command line to gather critical diagnostic information. However, in general, SNMP
results are still useful for determining long-term system patterns and trends.
2.8 Duplicate IP Address Warning
Under some circumstances, DXMOS may not issue a warning if a duplicate IPv6 address is assigned to an ethernet port.
3 Hardware
The following caveats relate to hardware on DarkStar systems and networks.
3.1 OSC Module Hot Swap (Removal/Insertion) not Noted in Syslog
When an OSC module is removed or inserted, messages display on the console. However, the event is not clearly recorded in
the syslog. Instead, the event is recorded as either“Link Up” or “Link Down”.
3.2 Power Supply Message
It is possible when unplugging the power supplies to see the Power Supply n has no power message twice in rapid
succession.