Recent content by dfector

Thanks again @oneplane! Some amazing insights on that Quanta switch.

@oneplane interesting. So do you know if the licensing is absolutely locked to a specific set of models, making it impossible for them to sell? Or is this just a matter of policy with Quanta?

@oneplane so with Quanta, they sell the same switches under different part numbers? A BMS version and a QNOS version? The hardware is identical, just priced based on whether it has an OS? It's strange that they don't have any kind of cross-licensing option, to take a BMS switch and load it with...

@Serverking yeah. I went in just trying to avoid Cisco (great products, nightmarish licensing). The QCT switches were really well reviewed. And the “bare metal” aspect seemed appealing; I liked the idea of choosing an OS. Unfortunately, Cumulus is the only choice. The stuff at fs.com looks...

I sure wish I’d discovered this forum before purchasing these QCT switches.

@oneplane wow! So is FastIron also a variant of ICOS? Would it be possible to run a FastIron binary made for a similar Brocade switch? It would have to match on CPU, ASIC and bootloader?

@oneplane what software would the "reference design" switch run on? Just curious.

Yeah. I’m not feeling all that bad about the idea of tinkering with the licensing mechanism. I’ve offered QCT my business, trying to do the right thing, and they’ve refused it. So I’m stuck with three very heavy doorstops. Two of mine came in sealed boxes, one was from Walmart Labs (same...

Sadly, I have two LB9 switches set up exactly the way I want, using the latest QNOS software; but QCT refuses to sell me licenses. So in 60 days, it all stops working. Does anyone have any "used" licenses they'd like to sell? Thanks again to everyone here. I'm getting a real education on this...

@fohdeesha @RTM yeah, that HA feature is what I'm looking for. Different switch software calls it different things. QNOS uses the term MLAG. But it looks like FastIron calls it MCT. So you're saying that all the Brocade models are capable of MCT, as long as the software is available?

@expressadmin that’s cool that you got ONL running. After a little bit of reading, my understanding is that you have to install an additional package within ONL; and that software interacts with the switching ASICS. I saw mention of OF-DPA and OpenNSL as choices, but it sounded too involved for...

@RTM thank you so much for all the amazing insight! You really saved me from another mistake. I almost bought four of the Mikrotik switches, but I didn't realize the MLAG feature wasn't in the stable firmware. The switches will replace Cisco SG200s. They're used in a single rack colo...

Is MikroTik a viable option? Or even Ubiquiti for that matter? They both make 48 port switches (with additional SFP+ ports). And they both have perpetual software licenses included with the hardware. The MikroTik even has redundant (albeit non-removable) PSUs and supports MLAG. BUT... I...

@expressadmin does that installation of ONL work for you? I keep reading posts about folks installing ONL, only to find that packet forwarding requires additional software. The documentation is a little sparse. But I’m willing to give it a try. The ONL site lists the LB9 as a compatible switch.

:D Touché! I did see that Brocade thread. But I was wondering what the catch was. Are they not locked with a license key? And how difficult is it to obtain keys?