Contents

• New and Changed Information
• About a Switch RMA with the Cisco Nexus Fabric Manager
• New Switch Preparation
• Performing a Switch RMA with the Cisco Nexus Fabric Manager

First Published: August 22, 2016

New and Changed Information

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The following table provides an overview of the significant changes to this guide up to this current release. The table does not provide an exhaustive list of all changes made to the guide or of the new features up to this release.

Table 1 New and Changed Information

Cisco Nexus Fabric Manager	Feature	Description
Release 1.1(2)	--	This article was created.

About a Switch RMA with the Cisco Nexus Fabric Manager

Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) is the process by which a defective piece of equipment is returned to Cisco and a replacement is sent to the user. This document describes the steps necessary to integrate the replacement switch into the Cisco Nexus Fabric Manager fabric.

New Switch Preparation

The new switch must be initially configured with the same username, password, and management IP address as the switch it is replacing. This basic configuration can be completed through the new switch initial configuration dialog on the console of the switch within Cisco NX-OS. The NFM requires the new switch to have the same management IP address as the switch it is replacing. This is the mechanism by which the NFM determines that a switch RMA action might be in progress. The NFM generates a fault with remedial action options one of which is the RMA process.

Note	Auto Fabric Provisioning (AFP) cannot be used to initialize the new switch for RMA purposes.

Performing a Switch RMA with the Cisco Nexus Fabric Manager

When the NFM discovers the new switch to be used in the RMA process, an error message is displayed in the Switch summary pane. The message states that a switch has been discovered with a different serial number than the serial number of a failed switch, however having the same management IP address.

The error message that begins the RMA process, is the following:

The current serial number serial-number-1 for the switch is different from the stored serial number serial-number-2.

Before You Begin

The following are the prerequisites for a switch Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA):

• The replacement switch requires the following:

  • Must be the same model.

  • Must have an NFM compatible software version. It does not have to be the same version as the RMA'd switch.

  • Must be cabled in the same fashion as the switch it is replacing.

Procedure

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Step 1	Click in the error message. The Serial number mismatch dialog box opens.
Step 2	Click the Remedial actions button. The REMEDIAL ACTIONS dialog box opens.
Step 3	Click the Take action button associated with the following text: The new serial number belongs to a switch that’s replacing the previous switch (RMA process). As part of the RMA process, the NFM will update the switch configuration, and ensure the image running on the new switch matches the previous switch. Accept the new serial number and perform the RMA process.
Step 4	Click OK. The replacement switch is reconfigured, upgraded if necessary, and rebooted. The switch shows as unreachable in the NFM user interface until this process completes and the switch appears as a managed switch.

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