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

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Koop

Well-Known Member
Jan 24, 2024
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I blew up one of those PoE chips on that daughter board that powers a bank of 8 ports when I connected my cable modem to a switch port on my 7250-48P. Switch power cycled itself and everything but to my absolute shock it only took out that PoE chip and everything else was fine. I just lost the ability to use PoE on 8 ports. I went in there after and removed that pin header feeding that chip and I've seen no ill effects.
Interesting. Do you think doing this would bring down the overall power draw? I would guess maybe yes? I actually don't need PoE out of this particular switch so I'm wondering if I can lower power cost, heat, etc by removing it.

I may give it a boot with the whole PoE board removed and see how it goes. If it blows up I'll let you guys know.

Someone stop me if I'm going to blow my shit up please lol
 

frameshift18

Member
Jan 9, 2019
44
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18
I'd think you'd eliminate the idle power draw of those PoE chips but thats probably not all that much, maybe 1 to 3 watts. I'd at least unplug one of the 3 fans if not using PoE, that would save you more.

I've not removed the PoE daughterboard myself so not sure what consequences that will bring.
 

Koop

Well-Known Member
Jan 24, 2024
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I'd think you'd eliminate the idle power draw of those PoE chips but thats probably not all that much, maybe 1 to 3 watts. I'd at least unplug one of the 3 fans if not using PoE, that would save you more.

I've not removed the PoE daughterboard myself so not sure what consequences that will bring.
Ah I see, so I guess PoE power draw only really kicks in when you actually have a device connected and using it. Makes sense in retrospect.
 

gregsachs

Active Member
Aug 14, 2018
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I'm pretty sure I did just that--I definitely did not start over from scratch. The only thing that I remember being different is the version of Fastiron on the 7250 no longer uses dual-mode--you can just set a port to have an untagged vlan and then any number of tagged vlans. But even that didn't trip up my config restore as far as I can remember.
Cool, thanks! So basically set different VE IP for the switch management, copy config file, get firmware to 8.0.90, get firmware to 9.x, then profit?
 

TeleFragger

Active Member
Oct 26, 2016
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Wow got my switch in and during initial power on for like 5-10 minutes it was like a jet fighter throttling up!!!! so loud... but it chilled after and I can live with that... waiting on the console cable to get to the next phase.
 

Aidzer0

New Member
Mar 7, 2024
2
1
3
Hey Folks, I searched in this thread but I could not find any info about my question, I am about to pull the trigger on a ICX7250 but it is branded Ruckus, I know that Ruckus owns Brocade now, will the process that fohdeesha posted work on the Ruckus branded switches too or is it just for the Brocade models?
Thanks!
 
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Koop

Well-Known Member
Jan 24, 2024
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I used the RoachCoach mod and it worked for me


So I was able to boot my switch with the entire PoE header/board/whatever removed and the broadcom chip with new thermal paste. The top is off so I don't expect the temp to be good.

Bash:
ICX7250#show chassis
The stack unit 1 chassis info:

Power supply 1 (AC - Regular) present, status ok
Power supply 2 not present

Fan 1 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2
Fan 2 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2

Fan controlled temperature: 71.3 deg-C

Fan speed switching temperature thresholds:
                Speed 1: NM<----->98       deg-C
                Speed 2:       67<----->105 deg-C (shutdown)

Fan 1 Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back
Fan 2 Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back
Slot 1 Current Temperature: 71.3 deg-C (Sensor 1)
Slot 2 Current Temperature: NA
        Warning level.......: 102.0 deg-C
        Shutdown level......: 105.0 deg-C
I'm not sure why Fan 3 is just.... not there? Comparing it to @Andydude's output is interesting.

edit: Ah I get it.. without the PoE board it thinks it's the ICX7250-48 non-POE model which apparently only has two fans.

1709859186865.jpeg
 
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kpfleming

Active Member
Dec 28, 2021
421
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Pelham NY USA
Hey Folks, I searched in this thread but I could not find any info about my question, I am about to pull the trigger on a ICX7250 but it is branded Ruckus, I know that Ruckus owns Brocade now, will the process that fohdeesha posted work on the Ruckus branded switches too or is it just for the Brocade models?
Thanks!
Most of us have Ruckus-branded units, and all of the firmware files and manuals come from the Ruckus website, so... yes.

The ownership situation is much more complex... Ruckus is a brand owned by CommScope.
 
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Aidzer0

New Member
Mar 7, 2024
2
1
3
Most of us have Ruckus-branded units, and all of the firmware files and manuals come from the Ruckus website, so... yes.

The ownership situation is much more complex... Ruckus is a brand owned by CommScope.
Fair enough, thanks for the response! I just wanted to make sure the process would work on them. I figured that was the case but I was not sure if Ruckus Firmware would support it, I barely know anything about these switches.
 

Finbester

Member
Aug 28, 2022
42
21
8
Interesting. Do you think doing this would bring down the overall power draw? I would guess maybe yes? I actually don't need PoE out of this particular switch so I'm wondering if I can lower power cost, heat, etc by removing it.

I may give it a boot with the whole PoE board removed and see how it goes. If it blows up I'll let you guys know.

Someone stop me if I'm going to blow my shit up please lol
I tried this, dropped 7 watts from 63w to 56w. Hasn't blown up yet. As you observed, mine also recognizes itself as a -48.
 

TonyArrr

Active Member
Sep 22, 2021
143
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Straylia
What fans are you using?
First mod was:
2x EFB0412VHD-F00 (Digikey link)
1x MB6010M12B-RSR (Digikey link)

Second mod is:
2x MR4020X12B1-RSR (Digikey link)
1x EFB0612MA (Digikey link)

SSH@ICX7250-24P Router>show chassis <--- just a random point in time taken now
Code:
The stack unit 1 chassis info:

Power supply 1 (AC - PoE) present, status ok
Power supply 2 not present

Fan 1 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2
Fan 2 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2

Fan controlled temperature:
    Rule 1/2 (MGMT THERMAL PLANE): 69.5 deg-C
    Rule 2/2 (AIR OUTLET NEAR PSU): 45.0 deg-C

Fan speed switching temperature thresholds:
    Rule 1/2 (MGMT THERMAL PLANE):
        Speed 1: NM<-----> 93       deg-C
        Speed 2:        82<----->105 deg-C (shutdown)
    Rule 2/2 (AIR OUTLET NEAR PSU):
        Speed 1: NM<-----> 58       deg-C
        Speed 2:        49<----->105 deg-C (shutdown)

Fan 1 Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back
Fan 2 Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back
Slot 1 Current Temperature: 70.0 deg-C (Sensor 1), 45.0 deg-C (Sensor 2)
The more airflow you can guarantee you're moving past the switch, the lower cfm you can afford to go, to a point.
Mine is in a small rack cabinet in the top of a cupboard, with two 7x3cm holes in the roof behind them, so all the hot air can disappear out there into the roof cavity. Before I added that, we typically hung out around 80 and 55-60 respectively, and it still ran fine.

I should mention, when deciding on how comfortable I was with the noise, I was doing that with the cupboard and cabinet doors open and me standing a meter in front of it, since it is in the guest bedroom and I didn't want to keep guests awake all visit :p
 

crab

New Member
Mar 9, 2024
1
1
3
Some info for those looking for quiet fans for their ICX 6450-48P: I've been running three Noctua NF-A4x20 FLX in my Brocade for over a year and haven't run into any problems. I believe the only modification I had to make to the fans was to move the pins in the connector since the Brocade fan header uses a nonstandard pinout.
Code:
The stack unit 1 chassis info:

Power supply 1 (NA - AC - PoE) present, status ok
Power supply 2 not present
Power supply 3 not present

Fan 1 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2
Fan 2 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2
Fan 3 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2

Fan controlled temperature: 59.5 deg-C

Fan speed switching temperature thresholds:
        Speed 1: NM<----->65       deg-C
        Speed 2:       56<-----> 79 deg-C (shutdown)

Sensor B Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 54.0 deg-C
Sensor A Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 59.5 deg-C
    Warning level.......: 69.0 deg-C
    Shutdown level......: 79.0 deg-C
Boot Prom MAC : cc4e.2475.bd80
Management MAC: cc4e.2475.bd80
 
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TeleFragger

Active Member
Oct 26, 2016
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I am excited... just got mine in and i know nothing about switches..
just plugged one machine into it and BOOM 10gb already!!!! sweet!!!
going out with the wife to see a local play... so no play time for me.

1710017353673.png

I havent done anything lol... yes I need to follow instructions from step 1 and through to update firmware, set IP, etc...

Here is what i have so far:

Code:
Chandler_MDF_Sw4>show version
  Copyright (c) 1996-2016 Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
    UNIT 1: compiled on May 19 2016 at 01:22:26 labeled as SPS08030h
      (28713156 bytes) from Primary SPS08030h.bin
        SW: Version 08.0.30hT211
      Compressed Boot-Monitor Image size = 786944, Version:10.1.06T215 (spz10106)
  HW: Stackable ICX7250-48-HPOE
==========================================================================
UNIT 1: SL 1: ICX7250-48P POE 48-port Management Module
      Serial  #:DUK3828P11B
      License: BASE_SOFT_PACKAGE   (LID: fwmINHNrGGd)
      P-ASIC  0: type B344, rev 01  Chip BCM56344_A0
==========================================================================
UNIT 1: SL 2: ICX7250-SFP-Plus 8-port 80G Module
==========================================================================
 1000 MHz ARM processor ARMv7 88 MHz bus
 8192 KB boot flash memory
 2048 MB code flash memory
 2048 MB DRAM
STACKID 1  system uptime is 17 minute(s) 34 second(s)
The system : started=cold start
My stack unit ID = 1, bootup role = alone
 

TeleFragger

Active Member
Oct 26, 2016
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Some info for those looking for quiet fans for their ICX 6450-48P: I've been running three Noctua NF-A4x20 FLX in my Brocade for over a year and haven't run into any problems. I believe the only modification I had to make to the fans was to move the pins in the connector since the Brocade fan header uses a nonstandard pinout.
Code:
The stack unit 1 chassis info:

Power supply 1 (NA - AC - PoE) present, status ok
Power supply 2 not present
Power supply 3 not present

Fan 1 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2
Fan 2 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2
Fan 3 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2

Fan controlled temperature: 59.5 deg-C

Fan speed switching temperature thresholds:
        Speed 1: NM<----->65       deg-C
        Speed 2:       56<-----> 79 deg-C (shutdown)

Sensor B Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 54.0 deg-C
Sensor A Temperature Readings:
    Current temperature : 59.5 deg-C
    Warning level.......: 69.0 deg-C
    Shutdown level......: 79.0 deg-C
Boot Prom MAC : cc4e.2475.bd80
Management MAC: cc4e.2475.bd80
here is where my stock just came in...

Code:
The stack unit 1 chassis info:

Power supply 1 (NA - AC - PoE) present, status ok
Power supply 1 Fan Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back
Power supply 2 not present
Power supply 3 not present

Fan 1 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2
Fan 2 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2
Fan 3 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2

Fan controlled temperature:
        Rule 1/2 (MGMT THERMAL PLANE): 63.5 deg-C
        Rule 2/2 (PoE THERMAL PLANE): 25.5 deg-C

Fan speed switching temperature thresholds:
        Rule 1/2 (MGMT THERMAL PLANE):
                Speed 1: NM<----->95       deg-C
                Speed 2:       85<----->105 deg-C (shutdown)
        Rule 2/2 (PoE THERMAL PLANE):
                Speed 1: NM<----->41       deg-C
                Speed 2:       34<----->105 deg-C (shutdown)

Fan 1 Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back
Fan 2 Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back
Fan 3 Air Flow Direction:  Front to Back
Slot 1 Current Temperature: 64.0 deg-C (Sensor 1), 25.5 deg-C (Sensor 2)
Slot 2 Current Temperature: NA
        Warning level.......: 100.0 deg-C
        Shutdown level......: 105.0 deg-C
 

TeleFragger

Active Member
Oct 26, 2016
264
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Need some help here...
I am at the part where I will load the latest UFI image... but I cannot even ping back to the tftp.

I even moved the rj45 for the machine running tftp to the brocade and still cant ping..

1710021362245.png
 

Koop

Well-Known Member
Jan 24, 2024
368
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63
Has anyone has experience with replacing push-pins on the broadcom heatsink at all? I've noticed I am able to get my temps to drop just by pushing a bit on the middle of the heatsink for a while. A decent amount too, dropped like 10C. Was thinking if I could use shorter pins or maybe ones with tenser springs? Or any ideas on how to have the heatsink sit tighter in general.

Also I noticed the large sponge-like thermal pad on the underside of the chip. Any clue as to similar or potentially adding bigger or additional pads on the underside of the board perhaps? Under other places maybe?

I noticed also it specifically states "Fan # Air Flow Direction: Front to Back" - Is there any way or reason to somehow do back to front? I only ask since it specifies it.

Just thinking of anything I can do to ensure temps stay in a good place before I reassemble everything and rack it :)
 

itronin

Well-Known Member
Nov 24, 2018
1,312
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Denver, Colorado
I noticed also it specifically states "Fan # Air Flow Direction: Front to Back" - Is there any way or reason to somehow do back to front? I only ask since it specifies it.

hot aisle.jpg

yes. data centers with hot and cold aisles. Many, many servers have their I/O on the back. shortest cable path using a switch that is front facing to the back of the rack. so the hot aisle would be at the back of the rack.

-- edit pic added

Pic is from the hot aisle at a colo in the middle of nowhere. Pair of ICX6610-24's with back to front airflow.
 
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Koop

Well-Known Member
Jan 24, 2024
368
264
63
View attachment 35272

yes. data centers with hot and cold aisles. Many, many servers have their I/O on the back. shortest cable path using a switch that is front facing to the back of the rack. so the hot aisle would be at the back of the rack.

-- edit pic added

Pic is from the hot aisle at a colo in the middle of nowhere. Pair of ICX6610-24's with back to front airflow.
My main question, I suppose, is if it's worded this way because it's something you can change in the actual config? Can I say "actually I want to do back to front" and swap the fan direction and tell the switch I've made that physical change so the CLI output reflects that? I was curious why they specify it specifically in the CLI.

I guess you'd just reverse the switch orientation. And they specify so that you know the fan airflow direction and isn't something you can actually change.

In all my time mounting switches for scale out NAS systems we would always put the switches back facing for ease of cabling to the back of each chassis node. Those were all unmanaged infiniband switches though. I don't even recall it they had fans.

This is just the first time I feel like I've ever seen it specifically specified somewhere in a switch CLI. Not that I've been in many. I was just curious why it's specified in the CLI itself.
 
Last edited:

itronin

Well-Known Member
Nov 24, 2018
1,312
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Denver, Colorado
My main question, I suppose, is if it's worded this way because it's something you can change in the actual config? Can I say "actually I want to do back to front" and swap the fan direction and tell the switch I've made that physical change so the CLI output reflects that? I was curious why they specify it specifically in the CLI.
probably nothing so exotic.

guessing - but most likely common codebase that has continued to be used through the various product lines. I believe there are some 7xxx series (7650 for example) that can have back to front airflow (like the ICX6610 can). I mean the output *is* correct for the 7250 which is only front to back (officially) so the code may default to state front to back and change from that based on sensor input from the psu and fans.