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If you see an issue where the MXL switch refuses to boot when placed in the M1000e chassis, be mindful that this may not be a hardware issue. the previous MXL firmware version, specifically version 8.3.16.1, does not support M1000e midplane version 1.0. This however, is resolved in the new revision 8.3.16.2. this is only relevant where you have midplane version 1.0 (check in CMC console via $getsysinfo)
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This is the Second of three posts on MXL blade switches. The first gave an overview of the switch, while the third gives configuration details for setting these up as iSCSI fabrics, within M1000e Blade Chassis. The posts can be accessed here:
- Overview, MXL switch for M1000e: https://hasanmansur.com/2012/10/17/force10-mxl-switch-for-m1000e-blade-chassis/
- iSCSI Fabric, M1000e: https://hasanmansur.com/2012/10/17/force10-mxl-configuration-iscsi-fabric-for-m1000e-blade-chassis/
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For this setup, please be advised that the switches are being used in slots A1 and A2 of the M1000e chassis. The data fabric is not stacked, thus both the switches A1 and A2 are standalone. both have individual uplinks to the upstream LAN switch stack (Cisco).
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| Stanzas | Mode/Prompt | Commands | Parameters | Comments |
| You can copy and paste columns C & D into the CLI. Make sure to edit the values in column D. | ||||
| Global | ||||
| FTOS# | conf | If uplinking to Cisco, use PVST to ensure compatibility. If uplinking to Powerconnect, or any other brand that does not support PVST, use RSTP. | ||
| FTOS(conf)# | protocol spanning-tree | pvst | ||
| FTOS(conf-rstp)# | no disable | |||
| FTOS(conf-rstp)# | edge-port bpdufilter default | |||
| FTOS(conf-rstp)# | exi | |||
| Ports | ||||
| FTOS(conf)# | int range tengigabitethernet | 0/1 – 32 | ||
| FTOS(conf-if-range-te-0/1-32,te-1/1-32)# | switchport | Define internal ports as Layer 2, portfast enabled. | ||
| FTOS(conf-if-range-te-0/1-32,te-1/1-32)# | spanning-tree pvst edge-port | |||
| FTOS(conf-if-range-te-0/1-32,te-1/1-32)# | no shut | |||
| FTOS(conf-if-range-te-0/1-32,te-1/1-32)# | exi | |||
| FTOS(conf)# | int tengigabitethernet | 0/52 | Define an individual uplink as layer 2. if multiple ports are to be configured, use the range command as shown in the syntax above. | |
| FTOS(conf-if-te-0/53)# | switchport | |||
| FTOS(conf-if-te-0/53)# | no shut | |||
| FTOS(conf-if-te-0/53)# | exi | |||
| VLAN | ||||
| FTOS(conf)# | interface vlan | 10 | Create any production/Data VLAN needed. Do not use VLAN 1. | |
| FTOS(conf-if-vl-10)# | name | Production | ||
| FTOS(conf-if-vl-10)# | no shutdown | |||
| Next, assign the port memberships under the VLAN. | ||||
| FTOS(conf-if-vl-10)# | untagged tengigabitethernet | 0/1-32 | passing a native (untagged) VLAN to internal blades | |
| FTOS(conf-if-vl-10)# | tagged tengigabitethernet | 49 | passing the same VLAN as tagged on the uplink to LAN/Core Switches. | |
| FTOS(conf-if-vl-10)# | exi | |||
| FTOS(conf)# | interface vlan | 20 | Create any other Data VLANs needed. | |
| FTOS(conf-if-vl-20)# | name | Prod_2 | ||
| FTOS(conf-if-vl-20)# | no shutdown | |||
| Next, assign the port memberships under the VLAN. | ||||
| FTOS(conf-if-vl-20)# | tagged tengigabitethernet | 0/1-32 | This time, we pass this second VLAN as tagged to blades. | |
| FTOS(conf-if-vl-20)# | tagged tengigabitethernet | 49 | Passing the VLAN as tagged on the uplink to LAN/Core Switches. | |
| FTOS(conf-if-vl-20)# | exi | |||
| Define as many VLAN/port memberships as needed, with the template above. | ||||
| OOB | ||||
| FTOS(conf)# | interface ManagementEthernet 0/0 | Define the OOB Management address. OOB connectivity is provided via the CMC, there is no dedicated port on the external plane. | ||
| FTOS(conf-if-ME-0/0)# | ip address | 192.168.0.10/24 | ||
| FTOS(conf-if-ME-0/0)# | no shutdown | |||
| FTOS(conf-if-ME-0/0)# | exi | |||
| FTOS(conf)# | management route | 0.0.0.0/0 192.168.0.1 | Using 192.168.0.10 and next hop 192.168.0.1 as example. | |
| VTY | ||||
| FTOS(conf)# | line vty 0 | Allow telnet connections to the switch with the deault authentication list | ||
| FTOS(config-line-vty)# | login authentication default | |||
| FTOS(config-line-vty)# | exi | |||
| FTOS(conf)# | username sample password sample priv 15 | |||
Hasan Mansur 
That’s an apt asnwer to an interesting question