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

[arglebargle]

If anyone's in the market for one of the little 6450-C12 switches I've been watching one on eBay for a bit: No bids yet, 16hrs left, starting at $105 --

Brocade ICX6450-C12-PD 12-Port 1 GBE Switch 4 PoE Ports 42111710614 | eBay

I'd take it myself but I've got six switches and no money left in the toys budget for a bit. It didn't seem deals forum worthy since it's a single unit and an auction to boot. Anyway, good luck to anyone interested.

Note: This is the L3 version of the C12 switch, the L2's go for ~$100 all the time, the L3's not so much.

 

[fohdeesha]

Issues with PoE boards on this switch seem to be rather common not sure the cause of this be it design issue or just a common failure in used switches in general but perhaps this portion can be added to the main post to assist some others in step by step process of knowing you are getting some where in your troubleshooting lol.

I wouldn't say common, but PoE failures certainly happen more than any other failure type with switches connected to devices outdoors and in the weather (security cams etc).

What's strange is we went a good 9 months in this thread with only a single report of a bad PoE board, now in the last 3 weeks I've seen 5 or 6. I'm thinking a seller or IT recycler got a bad batch of them and is either selling them directly, or they got distributed out to the major resellers on ebay and that's why they're suddenly popping up. never seen this many bad PoE boards in one go, and I've bought a LOT of these

 

[SuperServer]

I wouldn't say common, but PoE failures certainly happen more than any other failure type with switches connected to devices outdoors and in the weather (security cams etc).

What's strange is we went a good 9 months in this thread with only a single report of a bad PoE board, now in the last 3 weeks I've seen 5 or 6. I'm thinking a seller or IT recycler got a bad batch of them and is either selling them directly, or they got distributed out to the major resellers on ebay and that's why they're suddenly popping up. never seen this many bad PoE boards in one go, and I've bought a LOT of these

Purchased my first one thru G-electronics or whatever on ebay. Packed like crazy no issues with box unwrap and the 10g ports have a massive dent in the corner got it to work dropped me $40 and said sorry. Got this guy looks typical used item but the poe board is bad and the wrong power supply sent them a message yesterday (saturday) will see what becomes of it. Would highly advise not to purchase through them unless you are willing to take risks.

The only issue i am having with this board now is that it hits 100% complete on the firmware poe update and then from then on out i can never write mem again lol. Makes literally no sense at all. Is there a way to see the poe firmware some where?

 

[arglebargle]

Purchased my first one thru G-electronics or whatever on ebay. Packed like crazy no issues with box unwrap and the 10g ports have a massive dent in the corner got it to work dropped me $40 and said sorry. Got this guy looks typical used item but the poe board is bad and the wrong power supply sent them a message yesterday (saturday) will see what becomes of it. Would highly advise not to purchase through them unless you are willing to take risks.

The only issue i am having with this board now is that it hits 100% complete on the firmware poe update and then from then on out i can never write mem again lol. Makes literally no sense at all. Is there a way to see the poe firmware some where?

Man, you need to get friendly with the eBay return system the next time this happens. Any time you get something from an eBay seller that isn't *exactly* as described/shown in the auction pictures reach out and ask for a price adjustment or just start a return right then and there. You have *all* of the leverage in this negotiation thanks to eBay's policies. If the item doesn't arrive _exactly as described/pictured and undamaged in transit you can file for a refund through ebay and the seller is on the hook not just for your refund but for return shipping too.

I've had a couple of things arrived packed badly and damaged in shipping and in every case I've negotiated at least the cost of the repair parts from the seller, if not an extra $20-30 for my time spent replacing parts. I had one guy try to dick me over and run the 30 day return clock down on me (he kept telling me he needed to get authorization to refund the damage cost) but as soon as I filed for a return he pivoted and I got a partial refund the same day.

Shipping on a lot of the things we're buying is 25-50% the cost of the auction, being able to dangle a 25-50% loss on top of the refund over sellers who ship badly will get you what you want and fast. Remember, they have to re-sell the item again, this time damaged and at a lower price, as well.

Also, if something arrives damaged (like bent rack ears that need to be replaced) you can pocket the partial refund and then DIY a repair for your own use (I've fixed rack ears with a crowbar and a bolt before.) The goods lost resale value due to the damage, don't just eat it yourself.

Obviously none of this applies (except shipping damage!) if you're buying "As-Is, for parts" equipment.

 

[SuperServer]

Man, you need to get friendly with the eBay return system the next time this happens. Any time you get something from an eBay seller that isn't *exactly* as described/shown in the auction pictures reach out and ask for a price adjustment or just start a return right then and there. You have *all* of the leverage in this negotiation thanks to eBay's policies. If the item doesn't arrive _exactly as described/pictured and undamaged in transit you can file for a refund through ebay and the seller is on the hook not just for your refund but for return shipping too.

I've had a couple of things arrived packed badly and damaged in shipping and in every case I've negotiated at least the cost of the repair parts from the seller, if not an extra $20-30 for my time spent replacing parts. I had one guy try to dick me over and run the 30 day return clock down on me (he kept telling me he needed to get authorization to refund the damage cost) but as soon as I filed for a return he pivoted and I got a partial refund the same day.

Shipping on a lot of the things we're buying is 25-50% the cost of the auction, being able to dangle a 25-50% loss on top of the refund over sellers who ship badly will get you what you want and fast. Remember, they have to re-sell the item again, this time damaged and at a lower price, as well.

Also, if something arrives damaged (like bent rack ears that need to be replaced) you can pocket the partial refund and then DIY a repair for your own use (I've fixed rack ears with a crowbar and a bolt before.) The goods lost resale value due to the damage, don't just eat it yourself.

Obviously none of this applies (except shipping damage!) if you're buying "As-Is, for parts" equipment.

Oh i am aware the corner was just bent but everything worked so after the rebate i got 6610 for basically 160 which i though was a steal at honestly anything less than 500 really when i first started looking at 10g+ switches. This one was just a complete bust i cant (last i looked) find a poe board for sale but i have heard of the seller sending one. But i already have one from a bad switch before so dont really need it honestly the PSU i was bummed about bcuz its literally useless from my understanding you need 2 of the 1000 watts to be able to run full max poe power which i never will anyways but still. A hefty refund im sure will come from this one... i hope...

 

[arglebargle]

Oh i am aware the corner was just bent but everything worked so after the rebate i got 6610 for basically 160 which i though was a steal at honestly anything less than 500 really when i first started looking at 10g+ switches. This one was just a complete bust i cant (last i looked) find a poe board for sale but i have heard of the seller sending one. But i already have one from a bad switch before so dont really need it honestly the PSU i was bummed about bcuz its literally useless from my understanding you need 2 of the 1000 watts to be able to run full max poe power which i never will anyways but still. A hefty refund im sure will come from this one... i hope...

Yeah, I'd definitely negotiate a partial refund. If the PoE board is dead and they shipped the wrong PSU that's like ... basically you need another entire switch to cannibalize to get yours up to speed. Those 1KW PSUs sell for around $120-150 too, so it's not like that's a $20 fix.

 

[SuperServer]

Yeah, I'd definitely negotiate a partial refund. If the PoE board is dead and they shipped the wrong PSU that's like ... basically you need another entire switch to cannibalize to get yours up to speed. Those 1KW PSUs sell for around $120-150 too, so it's not like that's a $20 fix.

It honestly is just cheaper to buy a new one and just have spare parts or sell them at the price some of these are going for but i also dont want to take it back out ship and wait for another they ship ground and it takes a week so 2 weeks down and i already set this guy up with the network lol. Even though by this point i can set up my own network in a very short time frame with a litlle cut and paste cheat sheet i made lol. But its honestly just the time and hassle to be honest.

 

[Blue)(Fusion]

G-electronics had atleast 2 ICX6450-24s with bad PoE boards, and likely more. I give them a good rating, however. They were happy to ship me another unit to try with return label. They refunded my money promptly when the second switch had the same issue. I also got the QSFP-SFP+ breakout cables from them and they are brand new as described. They just got a bad batch. I'd buy from them again.

 

[fohdeesha]

not PoE related, but g-electronic is the only seller that has sent me quite badly bent/beat up switches. the ICX6650 I got from them was so bad I couldn't remove one of the power supplies without a vice

 

[arglebargle]

Hey, quick question about the ICX6610 breakout ports. Can I run MPO from a QSFP optic to something like a Commscope MPO <> LC cassette to do the breakout? I don't have my eBay link handy but I think I was seeing those for around $10/ea and it would be super convenient to run the loud switch down in my basement and just run MPO up to my office so I've got 4 extra ports up here (plus I can cross link all of my machines to both switches that way.) If I do this are just the first 4 pairs in the MPO active?

 

[arglebargle]

not PoE related, but g-electronic is the only seller that has sent me quite badly bent/beat up switches. the ICX6650 I got from them was so bad I couldn't remove one of the power supplies without a vice

I'm feeling exceedingly lucky at the moment. Of the four switches I've purchased the only damage I've seen is one switch with a jacked up rack ear and rack rash on that corner, everything else has been in excellent condition (sans some scratches on the top covers.)

 

[fohdeesha]

yes it'll work but you'll need to re-arrange the fiber pairs in the cassette, they're basically never configured for 10gb breakout (which pairs the first and last MPO fibers into a pair, then the second to last and second, etc), they usually just go in order, so first LC port is fibers 1 and 2, etc. it's not a huge hassle but it'll need to be done

 

[arglebargle]

yes it'll work but you'll need to re-arrange the fiber pairs in the cassette, they're basically never configured for 10gb breakout (which pairs the first and last MPO fibers into a pair, then the second to last and second, etc), they usually just go in order, so first LC port is fibers 1 and 2, etc. it's not a huge hassle but it'll need to be done

OK, that should be easy enough to do. Does everything just snap in/out with normal tools?

 

[fohdeesha]

there's always a chance one will be different but all the cassettes I've dealt with, the LC ports are just plate mounted LC couplers, so inside it's just regular LC individual fibers snapped into the rear of the coupler so you can just remove them with your bare fingers: http://www.passivefiberoptic.com/ph...o_mtp_cassette_with_om3_lc_duplex_adapter.jpg

This is the best image I could find and used to sort out where should go to what, this assumes you're using key up to key down fiber going from the optic in the switch to the breakout module (key up to key down is by far the most popular and easy to find): https://i.imgur.com/SjWWcMy.png

so you can see inside the cassette for LC port #1 you need to feed it tx #1 and rx#1, which would be blue and aqua

 

[arglebargle]

there's always a chance one will be different but all the cassettes I've dealt with, the LC ports are just plate mounted LC couplers, so inside it's just regular LC individual fibers snapped into the rear of the coupler so you can just remove them with your bare fingers: http://www.passivefiberoptic.com/ph...o_mtp_cassette_with_om3_lc_duplex_adapter.jpg

This is the best image I could find and used to sort out where should go to what, this assumes you're using key up to key down fiber going from the optic in the switch to the breakout module (key up to key down is by far the most popular and easy to find): https://i.imgur.com/SjWWcMy.png

so you can see inside the cassette for LC port #1 you need to feed it tx #1 and rx#1, which would be blue and aqua

Ok, that's about what I expected and looks straightforward. I'll do some research and make sure I'm ordering parts that will work, it looks like the crazy deal I was tracking on the Commscope cassettes went "poof" last week anyway so there's no rush atm. I need to check to make sure that these Commscope cassettes can be opened too, they're entirely encased in a snap-on plastic housing.

For my use case it might actually make more sense to use a fanout cable at the switch and two cassettes, then trunk two more SFP ports up the same MPO cable to the office. I'll noodle on it for a bit, if that $10 deal on cassettes shows up again I'll probably go for it.

Thanks, by the way! It's refreshing to be able to ask questions about new things and have constructive discussion without the usual "why didn't you read the discussion at page 492 of this 1200 page thread, are you stupid?"

 

[J0hn]

G-electronics had atleast 2 ICX6450-24s with bad PoE boards, and likely more. I give them a good rating, however. They were happy to ship me another unit to try with return label. They refunded my money promptly when the second switch had the same issue. I also got the QSFP-SFP+ breakout cables from them and they are brand new as described. They just got a bad batch. I'd buy from them again.

Make that at least 3 switches with bad POE boards from G-electronics

I purchased a ICX6450-24p from them on the 2nd. Started seeing errors the first time it booted:

PoE Error: Device 0 failed to start on PoE module.
PoE Error: Device 1 failed to start on PoE module.

I was able to flash the bootrom and the primary but after it reset, it would just hang on a POE error. Per fohdeesha, I took it apart and sure enough one of the chips had a hole burned in it:



I will give them credit - they immediately granted a return (sending the pic helped) and I ordered another one at the same price ($150 with free shipping) because I didn't want to wait to have them receive the bad one before they sent the second one. Besides, I wasn't worried about it because I used my credit card and eBay is pretty good about returns when you have problems like this.

Both switches were packaged decently and both switches were physically in good shape. The second one appears to be working great so far. They claim they are 'tested', but I don't think so. G-electronics actually appears to be 'EDM Recycling' in Chino. The business is listed at the address where I shipped the bad one back. Also, it was kind of unusual that the package was shipped using a UPS account under the name of 'National Auto Glass Direct' in El Monte??

This is the serial to the one I sent back with the bad POE daughtercard:
Serial #: BZR3228K03A

 

[fitzpattywagon]

forgot to turn off windows firewall. The flash is proceeding normally now.

I'm a dumb dumb. I read this. and only turned off one profile and not all profiles. Got it working.

 

[BThunderW]

Not sure if it was mentioned on this thread or not. I'm looking to connect two of these boxes via SFP to Ethernet 10GBaseT modules in order to utilize Cat-6 already in the house. Can anyone recommend some decent bang-for-the-buck transceivers?

 

[Thorzeen]

I bought a ICX6610-P from G-electronics. It arrived last Friday They sent it with a 250 PSU when i asked them about it they replied.
Dear Buyer,
thank you for contacting us and I apologize for this issue. the PoE is off, you need to turn them back on by going into the console.

Commands

switch #:show inline power
switch #:configure terminal
switch #:interface ethernet 1/1/1

please let us know if this help. sorry for any inconvenience.

I laughed to myself as i am reading this thread i just issued a return with ebay

 

[Churchill]

Yeah those switches come with minimum 1000W PSU's in order for POE to function....ridiculous.