Cisco Catalyst 2900 and 2900XL/3500XL Series switches FAQ

Introduction      Requirements      Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)           How would I know the port administratively disabled?           What are the proper cables for Cat2900 and Cat3500XL Switches?           How do I enable the port module?           How do I determine if an IP address is configured on the switch?           How do I configure an IP address?           How do I check the subnet mask on the switch and reconfigure it?           Is there a default route on the switch?           How do I set a default route on the switch?           How do I disable auto-negotiation and change the speed and/or duplex settings?           What is the procedure so I can retrieve the configuration file from the switch through SNMP?           What results if a Catalyst switch drops the tagged frames or blocks tagged traffic?           How would I check what VLAN is assigned to a particular port?           How do I assign VLAN to the port?      Related Information

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Introduction

This document provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the Cisco Catalyst 2900 and 2900XL/3500XL Series switches.

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Requirements

You do not need to provide any additional equipment to complete this procedure.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How would I know the port administratively disabled?

For Cat2900 Switches:

If the Link LED is orange, and does not flash, the port is administratively disabled or the port is disabled due to error situations found by the switch. In order to determine which cause set the LED to orange, issue the show port command on the switch. A port status of disabled means the port is administratively shut down. A port status of errDisable means that the port is shut down due to errors.

For Cat3500XL Switches:

Make sure that the "Port Mode" LED indicates STAT mode. If it does not, use the Mode button to cycle through the modes, and set the mode to STAT. If the "Port Status" LED is now amber (does not flash or alternate with green), the port is not forwarding and it could be disabled.

• In order to verify that the port is administratively disabled from the Cisco IOS® command-line interface, use the show interfaces f0/[y] command, where y is the port number. If the first line of output that begins FastEthernet0/[y] is administratively down, the port is administratively disabled.

• In order to verify that the port is administratively disabled with Switch Manager, click the image of the problem port on the Basic System Configuration page. This displays the Port Management page. For the problem port, check the "Status: Admin/Actual" column. If the Enable box is not checked and it says ADMINDOWN, the port is administratively disabled.

What are the proper cables for Cat2900 and Cat3500XL Switches?

These are the proper cables for Cat2900 Switches:

• 10BaseT port—straight through RJ-45 cable to a router or workstation, or rolled RJ-45 cable to a hub or another switch (Category 3, 4, or 5 UTP)

• 100BaseFX port—multimode fiber with a MIC connector for connections up to 2 km long, or singlemode fiber with an ST connector for connections longer than 2 km

• 100BaseTX—straight through RJ-45 cable to a router or workstation, or rolled RJ-45 cable to a hub or another switch (Category 5 UTP)

• MII —see the Catalyst 2900 User Guide Cabling Instructions

These are the proper cables for Cat3500XL Switches:

• 10/100 port - straight through the RJ-45 cable to a router or workstation, or an Ethernet crossover RJ-45 cable to a hub or another switch (Category 5 UTP).

• 100BaseFX port - multimode fiber with a MIC connector (for connections up to 2 km long), or singlemode fiber with an ST connector (for connections longer than 2 km).

How do I enable the port module?

For Cat2900 Switches:

Issue the set port enable [mod_num]/[port_num] command, where mod_num is the module number and port_num is the port number.

For Cat3500XL Switches:

• If you use the Cisco IOS command-line interface, use the no shutdown command in interface configuration mode.

• If you use Switch Manager, click the image of the problem port on the Basic System Configuration page. This displays the Port Management page. For the problem port, check the Enable box in the "Status: Admin/Actual" column.

How do I determine if an IP address is configured on the switch?

For Cat2900 Switches:

Issue the show interface command and check the settings of inet, netmask, and broadcast for the interface named sc0. If they are all set to 0.0.0.0, the IP address is not set.

For Cat3500XL Switches:

From the Cisco IOS command-line interface, do this:

1. Use the enable command to enter privileged EXEC mode.

2. Use the show running-config command.

3. The current IP address for the domain is on the line that begins "ip address" (right under the line that reads "interface VLAN1").

From the Switch Manager, the current IP address for the domain of the switch is the URL in your browser (everything after "http://").

How do I configure an IP address?

For Cat2900 Switches:

Issue the set interface sc0 [IP address] [subnet mask] command.

For Cat3500XL Switches:

You could not change the IP address in Switch Manager.

1. From the command line, use the enable command to enter privileged EXEC mode.

2. Use the configure terminal to enter configuration mode.

3. Enter interface vlan1 to choose the switch interface for configuration.

4. Use the ip address [ip_address] [subnet_mask] command.

How do I check the subnet mask on the switch and reconfigure it?

For Cat2900 Switches:

Complete these steps:

1. Issue the show interface command. Look for a netmask [subnet mask] entry in order to check the subnet mask on the switch.

2. Issue the set interface sc0 [IP address] [subnet mask] command in order to reconfigure the subnet mask.

For Cat3500XL Switches:

If you use Switch Manager to check the subnet mask on the switch, follow this:

From the Main menu, choose IP, and the IP Management page displays. The "IP Mask" field contains the current IP subnet mask.

If you use the Cisco IOS line interface, use the enable command to enter privileged EXEC mode. Use the show running-config command to check the subnet mask.

If you use Switch Manager to configure the subnet mask on the switch, enter the subnet mask in the "IP Mask" field. If you use the Cisco IOS line interface, use the configure terminal command to enter configuration mode. Type "interface vlan1" to choose the switch interface for configuration. Use the ip address [ip_address] [subnet_mask] command .

Is there a default route on the switch?

For Cat2900 Switches:

Issue the show ip route command in order to display the ip route table. Check the table for a default route:

!--- This is with no default route for sc0.
SW1> (enable) show ip route
Fragmentation   Redirect   Unreachable
-------------   --------   -----------
enabled         enabled    enabled 

Destination             Gateway                 Flags   Use         Interface
----------------------- ----------------------- ------  ----------  ---------
172.16.84.0             172.16.84.20            U              867  sc0
default                 default                 UH               0  sl

For Cat3500XL Switches:

If you use the Cisco IOS command-line interface, use the enable command to enter privileged EXEC mode. Then use the show running-config command and check for a line that begins "ip default-gateway." If you use Switch Manager, choose IP at the Main Menu. The default gateway is shown on the IP Management screen.

How do I set a default route on the switch?

For Cat2900 Switches:

Issue the set ip route default [gateway] [metric] command.

!--- Make sure the default gateway is available.

SW1> (enable) ping 172.16.84.1
172.16.84.1 is alive

!--- Add the default route for sc0.

SW1> (enable) set ip route default 172.16.84.1
Route added.

!--- Verify that the route is added.

SW1> (enable) show ip route
Fragmentation   Redirect   Unreachable
-------------   --------   -----------
enabled         enabled    enabled 

Destination             Gateway                 Flags   Use         Interface

----------------------- ----------------------- ------  ----------  ---------
default                 172.16.84.1             UG               0  sc0
172.16.84.0             172.16.84.20            U              868  sc0
default                 default                 UH               0  sl0
cat5k_84.20 (enable)

For Cat3500 XL Switches:

If you use the Cisco IOS command-line interface, use the ip default-gateway [ip_address] command. If you use Switch Manager, choose IP at the Main Menu. You can configure the default gateway on the IP Management screen.

How do I disable auto-negotiation and change the speed and/or duplex settings?

For Cat2900 Switches:

Complete these steps:

1. In order to change the port speed of a 100BaseTX port on the 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet Switching module, issue the set port speed [module#]/[port#] [speed] command, where speed is either 10, 100, or auto.

2. In order to change the transmission type of a port, issue the set port duplex [module#]/[port#] command.

3. Verify that the speed and/or transmission type of a port is set correctly with the show port [module#]/[port#] command.

For Cat3500XL Switches:

1. If you use Switch Manager, choose PORT from the Main menu to display the Port Management page. You can set the speed and duplex for each port with the pull-down lists in the "Speed" and "Duplex" columns.

2. If you use the Cisco IOS line interface, use the configure terminal command to enter configuration mode. Use the interface [interface] command to choose the switch interface for configuration. In order to set the port speed, use the speed [#] command, where "#" is either "10", "100", or "auto." In order to set the duplex parameter, use the duplex [type] command, where "type" is either "full", "half", or "auto."

What is the procedure so I can retrieve the configuration file from the switch through SNMP?

The only way to retrieve the config file from the switch is to use the Password Recovery procedure. The Cat2900 and 3500XL Series switches does not support the procedure to retrieve the configuration through SNMP.

What results if a Catalyst switch drops the tagged frames or blocks tagged traffic?

The Catalyst 3550 switch does not normally accept 802.1Q tagged frames on access ports. You have to enable features that require these frames to be forwarded, such as QinQ (IEEE 802.1ad or VLAN double tagging or IEEE 802.1q tunneling) or a voice VLAN.

The Catalyst 3750/3560/2970/2960 switches are also normally configured to drop priority tagged frames that are received on access ports unless the QinQ or voice VLAN is configured.

How would I check what VLAN is assigned to a particular port?

For Cat2900 Switches:

Issue the show vlan command in order to view assign ports to VLANs.

For Cat3500XL Switches:

• If you use Switch Manager, choose VLAN and VLAN Membership page. This page displays assign ports to VLANs.

• If you use the Cisco IOS line interface, use the enable command to enter privileged EXEC mode. Use the show vlan command to view assign ports to VLANs.

How do I assign VLAN to the port?

For Cat2900 Switches:

Issue the set vlan [vlan] [module/port] how vlan command in order to set ports into VLANs.

For Cat3500XL Switches:

• If you use Switch Manager, choose VLAN from the Main menu to display the Management VLAN page. You can set Vlan to a port in the poll-down lists.

• If you use the Cisco IOS line interface, use the configure terminal command to enter configuration mode. Use the interface [interface] command to choose the switch interface for configuration. In order to assign Vlan to the port, Issue switchport access vlan [vlan_num] command.

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Related Information

• Site Survey
• Cable Descriptions
• Create a HyperTerminal Connection
• Configure a Catalyst Switch with Cisco Network Assistant