Brocade ICX Series (cheap & powerful 10gbE/40gbE switching)

[tinfoil3d]

They're not reading this eh

 

[fohdeesha]

Heh if they are who cares, they're the one opening themselves up to litigation by gatekeeping GPL source (and a LOT of it - I know busybox takes this quite seriously as well, and ruckus uses busybox in every single product: BusyBox )

 

[tinfoil3d]

I wanna get source for unrelated product from unrelated company they say they dont have it. Obviously linux though. Very likely with bb too. Show me who DOESN'T use bb in embedded linux.

 

[infoMatt]

they're the one opening themselves up to litigation by gatekeeping GPL source

As if they were the only ones doing that...

I've yet to see a vendor fully releasing its source code in compliance with the GPL license...

 

[pinkypie]

Looking to buy one of these Brocade switches but I can't seem to find documentation on how to configure it. Is there a document that details how to set these up? L3, VLANs, etc....

 

[fohdeesha]

lmao

 

[LodeRunner]

"I'm just going to jump into this 320+ page thread with thousands of posts and not bother reading the OP." - Too Many People.

 

[tinfoil3d]

"I'm just going to jump into this 320+ page thread with thousands of posts and not bother reading the OP." - Too Many People.

On the serious note, it's a pretty serious issue. @fohdeesha sure did A LOT of work to update the first post and make awesome documentation to avoid this but it's true this thread is pretty difficult to follow even with the search results with so many people in between question and answer asking and answering something else.

 

[klui]

Every time I see posts like this I always think of that plant in Beetlejuice. "Feed Me!"

EDIT: ah shit wrong movie. Little Shop of Horrors!

 

[pinkypie]

"I'm just going to jump into this 320+ page thread with thousands of posts and not bother reading the OP." - Too Many People.

I read the OP and this and know how to set up the device via TFTP. I dont see where any config guide is listed on how to set up L3, VLANs, etc. I checked Resources --> Getting Started, --> How-to Guides, --> Reference Materials and dont see any config guide.

Anyway, thanks for the help.

On the serious note, it's a pretty serious issue. @fohdeesha sure did A LOT of work to update the first post and make awesome documentation to avoid this but it's true this thread is pretty difficult to follow even with the search results with so many people in between question and answer asking and answering something else.

Serious question, where is the documentation?? Asking after spending much time trying to find it first. If there is a document that I can read and follow, I'll spend the time doing it. If it is between 320 pages of back and forth forum posts, no one has that kind of time, Brocade is not for me and I'll keep it moving.

 

[sth]

All the ruckus switch manuals are on the manufacturers website, for example Technical Documents | Ruckus Wireless Support
This thread handily condenses some of those technical documents into an easily digestible OP that deals with initial config.

 

[klui]

Literally the first post, linked at "Setup / Config / Licensing Guide v2"

Master ZIP (Firmware, Manuals, Licenses)​

Honestly it's not for you. Get a Netgear or something that's plug and play.

 

[LodeRunner]

I read the OP and this and know how to set up the device via TFTP. I dont see where any config guide is listed on how to set up L3, VLANs, etc. I checked Resources --> Getting Started, --> How-to Guides, --> Reference Materials and dont see any config guide.

Anyway, thanks for the help.



Serious question, where is the documentation?? Asking after spending much time trying to find it first. If there is a document that I can read and follow, I'll spend the time doing it. If it is between 320 pages of back and forth forum posts, no one has that kind of time, Brocade is not for me and I'll keep it moving.

OK, to be fair, I did just go back and check that "Advanced" section of the docs and VLANS and Inter-VLAN routing are both "Coming soon" placeholders. As klui notes, the manual in Fohdeesha's master ZIP file are comprehensive.

Brocade is like HPE in that you define a VLAN, then enter the VLAN and tag or untag ports to it. This is the opposite of Cisco, where you define a VLAN, then enter the port and add your VLANs there

Brocade example:

SSH@core(config)#vlan 100
SSH@core(config-vlan-100)#tag ethernet 1/1/39

This can be ... annoying if you have a lot of ports that are trunks as you have to enter each VLAN individually and tag the ports. You can tag a range or list of interfaces, but you cannot edit a range of VLANs.
Edit: I am wrong, just double checked and the syntax for a VLAN range selection is:

SSH@core(config)#vlan 1 4 6 10
SSH@core(config-mvlan-1*10)#

or

SSH@core(config)#vlan 1 to 10
SSH@core(config-mvlan-1-10)#

The * appears to indicate a non-contiguous range, vs the dash in the second example.
Brocade indexing starts at 1, so the notation for 1/1/39 is: Stack Unit 1, Module 1, Port 39. Even unstacked, it will always be this notation.

Cisco example:

core-40g#conf t
core-40g(config)#vlan 100
core-40g(config-vlan-100)#name Test
core-40g(config-vlan-100)#interface int range gi 1/0/1-22
core-40g(config-if-range)#switchport mode trunk
core-40g(config-if-range)#switchport trunk allowed vlan 2,4-6,100

Above may not be exact given differences in iOS versions and switches, but should be close enough.
In this example, I am able to grab a range of interfaces and tag all the necessary VLANs to them in one shot.

Inter-VLAN routing: The Short Version
Image I knocked together for another post related:

Spoiler

And here are some absolutely barebones L3 inter-VLAN routing config with DCHP helper statements. May or may not work, I have been too busy to lab this out and validate it completely, but it's incredibly similar to a config I had on a Cisco switch before I flattened my network:

Modify a VLAN and define a VE:

conf t
VLAN 1
router-interface ve 1
int ve 1
ip address 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0
end

To set the default route for the switch:

conf t
ip route 0.0.0.0/0 172.31.255.1
end

Assumes one DHCP server managing multiple subnets:

conf t
int ve 1
ip helper-address 1 172.31.255.1
int ve 2
ip helper-address 1 172.31.255.1
< ... and so on ... >
end

If you have things on your network that depend on mDNS, uPNP (SSDP), or other broadcast/discovery protocols, these are typically NOT routable and you will have to proxy them or live with those services not being available outside of their respective subnets. If you do any gaming (PC or console) be aware that many games use uPNP for setting firewall rules for peering and you may break things. uPNP/SSDP can be handled if the switch supports multicast routing, but I haven't dug into Brocade to see if it does that.

If you've never configured an enterprise grade switch before, then this will be an experience because VLANs and routing (ignoring even fancier stuff like iBGP or OSPF) are potential headscratchers when starting from nothing ("Wait, was that interface tagged or untagged? Is the client device tagging a VLAN? Did I forget to include that VLAN in my trunk? Is my subnet prefix the correct size? Did I set the wrong prefix in the route?") The manuals from the Rucksu/Commscope site or packaged in Fohdeesha's ZIP assume that you have a passing familiarity with the concepts. The manufacturer's documentation is not going to have a full "here's how you go from first start to routed VLAN" example; it's mostly a command reference that will have specific, basic examples of a given command.

 

[fohdeesha]

I read the OP and this and know how to set up the device via TFTP. I dont see where any config guide is listed on how to set up L3, VLANs, etc. I checked Resources --> Getting Started, --> How-to Guides, --> Reference Materials and dont see any config guide.

Anyway, thanks for the help.



Serious question, where is the documentation?? Asking after spending much time trying to find it first. If there is a document that I can read and follow, I'll spend the time doing it. If it is between 320 pages of back and forth forum posts, no one has that kind of time, Brocade is not for me and I'll keep it moving.

You literally linked to my page with the zip of all brocade manuals lol

 

[klui]

OK, to be fair, I did just go back and check that "Advanced" section of the docs and VLANS and Inter-VLAN routing are both "Coming soon" placeholders.

I don't know man.

Still in the first post

Useful Posts:

Tutorial videos for the FastIron OS​

covers VLAN basics, inter-VLAN routing, LACP, ACLs.

People want a one-stop shop of all docs, the master ZIP contains documentation straight from Brocade/Ruckus/Commscope. "Oh, it's too detailed, can someone summarize for me?" Terry Henry's videos do that. "I want a summarized document, not a short video." Can't win.

 

[klui]

The manuals from the Rucksu/Commscope site or pacakged in Fohdeesha's ZIP assume that you have a passing familiarity with the concepts. The manufacturer's documentation is not going to have a full "here's how you go form first start to routed VLAN" example; it's mostly a command reference that will have specific, basic examples of a given command.

There is literally a PDF titled "fastiron-*-l3guide.pdf / Layer 3 Routing Configuration Guide." It starts with ARP and ends with Multi-VRF. The command reference is just one among many documents.

Honestly a lot of that is out of my comfort zone but it serves as a great starting point. The documents provide a good starting foundation. Isn't this what "homelab" is all about? Self learning and initiative? If someone wants to be spoonfed they can get a support contract and ask the vendor directly. Otherwise it's slogging through threads like this one.

Sorry for sounding like an asshole.

 

[LodeRunner]

@klui: I haven't re-read the OP or the checked the ZIP since before his big V2 update, so my bad. That is an extremely comprehensive doc set (just downloaded it).

And no, you don't sound like an asshole, at least to me. I did read this whole thread back when I first encountered it, took a few days (I think it was sub 200 pages when I first found it?) and I was wanting to get into 10G networking and retire my Cisco 2960S.

That L3 guide (I scrolled through the IPv4 and IPv4 Static Routing sections) should give anyone with a basic understanding of routing and subnetting enough information to piece together a working config, at least on the switch side.

The most common error I see in setting up routed VLANs is that people forget to put reverse routes on the firewall/router upstream and wonder why the internet doesn't work.

 

[pinkypie]

Literally the first post, linked at "Setup / Config / Licensing Guide v2"

Master ZIP (Firmware, Manuals, Licenses)

Honestly it's not for you. Get a Netgear or something that's plug and play.

My eyes totally skipped over that. FML

There is literally a PDF titled "fastiron-*-l3guide.pdf / Layer 3 Routing Configuration Guide." It starts with ARP and ends with Multi-VRF. The command reference is just one among many documents.

Honestly a lot of that is out of my comfort zone but it serves as a great starting point. The documents provide a good starting foundation. Isn't this what "homelab" is all about? Self learning and initiative? If someone wants to be spoonfed they can get a support contract and ask the vendor directly. Otherwise it's slogging through threads like this one.

Sorry for sounding like an asshole.

All good brother. I am looking at that one right now. "fastiron-08030mb-l3guide.pdf"

 

[pinkypie]

Brocade is like HPE in that you define a VLAN, then enter the VLAN and tag or untag ports to it. This is the opposite of Cisco, where you define a VLAN, then enter the port and add your VLANs there

Very helpful post. Thank you LR.

 

[fohdeesha]

we just a big ole happy switching family