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This chapter provides information about using TrueView Catalyst 1600 Manager to configure source routing and Spanning Tree parameters on the Catalyst 1600.
You can configure source-routing parameters that affect the Catalyst 1600, and each port on the Catalyst 1600. The parameters also enable you to implement broadcast control features that help to minimise the amount of traffic on the network.
You can enable and disable source routing and configure the bridge number for the Catalyst 1600. When you enable source routing, configure the parameters in the Source Routing Information dialog box for each port.
To configure source routing for a Catalyst 1600:
Step 1 Double-click on a Catalyst 1600 icon, or double-click on an entry in the Catalyst 1600 Manager Table.
The Catalyst 1600 dialog box is displayed.
Step 2 Click on the Source Routing button on the toolbar.
The Source Routing Information dialog box is displayed.
You can enable and disable source routing for each port, and configure the ring number, hop count, maximum frame size and station type for each port. You can also view the status of each port (see the section "Understanding the Source Routing Status").
To configure source routing for a port:
Step 1 Double-click on a Catalyst 1600 icon, or double-click on an entry in the Catalyst 1600 Manager Table.
The Catalyst 1600 dialog box is displayed.
Step 2 Move the mouse pointer over a port.
The pointer changes to indicate the number of the port that is highlighted.
Step 3 Right-click on the port.
A pop-up menu is displayed.
Step 4 Click on the Source Routing command on the pop-up menu.
The Source Routing Information dialog box is displayed.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Ring number | The number of the ring that is connected to the port. The ring number is a three-digit hexadecimal number in the range 001 through FFF. |
| Source routing | Whether source routing is enabled for the port. |
| Cut through | The cut through feature is available for devices with run-time microcode version 1.17 or later. It enables or disables cut-through switching by the port. If you disable cut-through switching, the port performs store-and-forward switching instead. Disabling cut-through switching adversely affects the performance of the Catalyst 1600. |
| RPS | The Ring Parameter Server (RPS) feature is available for devices with run-time microcode version 1.30 or later, when source routing is enabled. The feature enables the Catalyst 1600 to act as the RPS and supply information such as the local ring number to other devices.
For example, a Controlled Access Unit (CAU) that is on the same ring as a Token Ring port can request information about the ring after a reset. |
| Hop count | The total number of hops a broadcast frame is allowed to make. The Catalyst 1600 does not forward frames that have exceeded the hop count limit. The hop count is a decimal number in the range 1 through 7. |
| Max frame size | The maximum frame size that the Catalyst 1600 forwards. If you have installed a FDDI line card, and have applications that use the Routing Information Field (RIF) to determine the maximum size to use, you may need to reduce the maximum frame size. |
| Station type | The types of stations that are attached to the ring that is connected to the Catalyst 1600 port (see the section "Configuring Broadcast Parameters" later in this chapter.) |
| Adapter status | The status of the Token Ring port (see the section "Understanding the Adapter Status" in Chapter 4, "Managing Ports"). |
| Source routing | The source routing status (see the section "Understanding the Source Routing Status" earlier in this chapter). |
The source routing status provides source routing and bridge test messages for the Token Ring port. If the port fails the bridge test, the field describes the reason the port failed. If the port passes the bridge test, the field provides information about the source routing status.
The open status applies to ports that have 'Adapter is open' status. If the port is disabled, beaconing, unknown, opening, or closed, the source routing status is always 'N/A'.
| Message | Description |
|---|---|
| N/A | The port is disabled, beaconing, unknown, opening or closed |
Port passed bridge test: | |
| Disabled | The port interface is enabled, but source routing is disabled. |
| Forwarding | The port forwards source routed frames. |
| Bridge test is running | The bridge test for the port is running. |
Bridge test failed: | |
| Ports on same ring | The bridge test for the port has failed. Two Token Ring ports are connected to the same ring. |
| Duplicate bridge | The bridge test for the port has failed. A device with the same bridge number as the Catalyst 1600 is connected in parallel with the Catalyst 1600. |
| Unknown | Catalyst 1600 Manager cannot determine the source routing status. |
Viewing Source Routing Statistics
You can view information about all frames, non-broadcast frames, All Routes Explorer (ARE) frames and Spanning Tree Explorer (STE) frames that are received and transmitted by the Catalyst 1600 on each port. You can also view information about the number of frames that the Catalyst 1600 discards.
To view source-routing statistics for a Token Ring port:
Step 1 Double-click on a Catalyst 1600 icon, or double-click on an entry in the Catalyst 1600 Manager Table.
The Catalyst 1600 dialog box is displayed.
Step 2 Move the mouse pointer over a port.
The pointer changes to indicate the number of the port that is highlighted.
Step 3 Right-click on the port.
The pop-up menu is displayed.
Step 4 Click on the Statistics command on the pop-up menu.
The Source Routing Statistics dialog box for the port is displayed.
You can configure RIP/SAP suppression and All Routes Explorer (ARE) conversion features that help the Catalyst 1600 to minimise broadcast traffic. You can also set the type of station that is attached to each port. On IPX and NetBIOS networks, the Catalyst 1600 uses information about the station type to block broadcast frames originating on workstation-only rings.
If the Catalyst 1600 uses microcode version 1.17 or later, you can use RIP/SAP suppression and All Routes Explorer (ARE) conversion to control broadcast frames.
To configure broadcast control features:
Step 1 Double-click on a Catalyst 1600 icon, or double-click on an entry in the Catalyst 1600 Manager Table.
The Catalyst 1600 dialog box is displayed.
Step 2 Click on the Source Routing button on the toolbar.
The Source Routing Information dialog box is displayed.
Step 3 Configure RIP/SAP suppression.
RIP/SAP suppression determines whether the Catalyst 1600 attempts to suppress IPX RIP and SAP frames on ports that do not have an IPX router or server attached. The default RIP/SAP suppression setting is disabled.
If RIP/SAP suppression is enabled, the Catalyst 1600 forwards Broadcast DA Response and Broadcast DA Request frames only on ports that have been the source of Broadcast DA Response frames.
If a Token Ring port fails to receive a Broadcast DA Response frame for five minutes, the Catalyst 1600 determines that only IPX workstations are attached to that port and no longer sends out Broadcast DA Response frames or Broadcast DA Request frames on the port.
Step 4 Configure ARE conversion.
ARE conversion determines whether the Catalyst 1600 converts ARE frames into STE frames. The default ARE conversion setting is Disable.
Step 5 Click on the OK button.
To reduce unnecessary broadcast traffic, you can define the type of stations that are connected to each Catalyst 1600 port. On IPX and NetBIOS networks, the Catalyst 1600 uses information about the type of station to block broadcast frames originating on workstation-only rings and destined for other workstation-only rings.
The Catalyst 1600 performs port-to-port blocking on all IPX and NetBIOS all-routes broadcast and single-route broadcast frames, except for ADD_NAME_QUERY and ADD_GROUP_NAME_QUERY NetBIOS frames.
To configure the station type for a port:
Step 1 Double-click on a Catalyst 1600 icon, or double-click on an entry in the Catalyst 1600 Manager Table.
The Catalyst 1600 dialog box is displayed.
Step 2 Move the mouse pointer over a port.
The pointer changes to indicate the number of the port that is highlighted.
Step 3 Right-click on the port.
The pop-up menu is displayed.
Step 4 Click on the Source Routing command on the pop-up menu.
The Source Routing Information dialog box is displayed.
Step 5 Configure the station type as:
Step 6 Click on the OK button.
You can specify that the Catalyst 1600 communicates with source-routing bridges on the network using either the IBM or IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree protocol. The spanning-tree parameters you set for the Catalyst 1600 and ports apply when you enable source routing, and define how the Catalyst 1600 and bridges on the network establish the best route to forward spanning-tree explorer (STE) frames.
You can configure the spanning-tree parameters that apply when the Catalyst 1600 is acting as the root bridge, and view the values that the Catalyst 1600 is currently using. If the Catalyst 1600 is acting as the root bridge, the values are identical.
To configure spanning-tree parameters for a Catalyst 1600:
Step 1 Double-click on a Catalyst 1600 icon, or double-click on an entry in the Catalyst 1600 Manager Table.
The Catalyst 1600 dialog box is displayed.
Step 2 Click on the Spanning Tree button on the toolbar.
The Spanning Tree Information dialog box is displayed.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Bridge priority | The bridge priority number is a decimal number in the range 0 through 65535 that determines which device becomes the root bridge, when the spanning mode is Automatic. The default bridge priority number is 32768.
To increase the priority of the Catalyst 1600, and the probability that the Catalyst 1600 will become the root bridge, set a lower bridge priority number. |
| Bridge max age | The max age value that all bridges use when the Catalyst 1600 is acting as the root bridge. The value determines the maximum age of Spanning Tree information that the Catalyst 1600 learns from the network on any port before it is discarded. The value is measured in hundredths of a second. |
| Bridge hello time | The hello time value that all bridges use when the Catalyst 1600 is acting as the root bridge. The value determines the frequency with which the Catalyst 1600 sends configuration bridge PDUs when it is the root of the spanning tree, or trying to become the root. The value is measured in hundredths of a second. |
| Bridge forward delay | The forward delay value that all bridges use when the Catalyst 1600 is acting as the root bridge. The value determines the frequency with which a port changes its forwarding status when moving towards the forwarding state. The value determines how long each port remains in the Listening and Learning states, which precede the Forwarding state (see "Configuring Spanning Tree Parameters"). |
| Designated root | The bridge identifier of the root of the spanning tree as determined by the spanning-tree protocol. |
| Root cost | The cost of the path from the Catalyst 1600 to the root. |
| Root port | The port number of the port that offers the lowest cost path from the Catalyst 1600 to the root bridge. |
| Max age | The max age value that the Catalyst 1600 is using. |
| Hello time | The hello time value that the Catalyst 1600 is using. |
| Forward delay | The forward delay value that the Catalyst 1600 is using. |
You can configure the spanning-tree parameters for each Token Ring port, and view information about the Spanning Tree status of each port.
When the requested mode for a port is Automatic, the Catalyst 1600 determines whether to forward Spanning Tree Explorer (STE) frames by communicating with source routing bridges using either the IBM or IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree protocol.
When the spanning-tree mode for two ports is Manual and enabled, the Catalyst 1600 always forwards STE frames between the ports. When the spanning-tree mode for a port is Manual and disabled, the Catalyst 1600 discards all STE frames that it receives on the port, and does not transmit STE frames to the port.
To configure spanning-tree information for a Token Ring port:
Step 1 Double-click on a Catalyst 1600 icon, or double-click on an entry in the Catalyst 1600 Manager Table.
The Catalyst 1600 dialog box is displayed.
Step 2 Move the mouse pointer over a port.
The pointer changes to indicate the number of the port that is highlighted.
Step 3 Right-click on the port.
The pop-up menu is displayed.
Step 4 Click on the Spanning Tree command on the pop-up menu.
The Spanning Tree Information dialog box for the port is displayed.
| Field | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Ring number | Displays the number of the ring that is connected to the port. You can set the ring number in the Source Routing Information dialog box (see the section "Configuring Source Routing for Ports" earlier in this chapter). | |
| Port priority | The port priority does not affect the operation of the spanning-tree algorithm. You do not need to configure a value for the ports on the Catalyst 1600. | |
| Port path cost | A decimal number in the range 0 through 65535. When the spanning mode is set to Automatic, the port path cost determines the most efficient path between token rings, when more than one path is possible. | |
| Requested | The requested spanning-tree mode. The default mode is Automatic. | |
Indicates whether the port is forwarding STE frames. | ||
| Disabled: | The port does not forward STE frames because either the user disabled the spanning-tree mode, the user disabled source routing, or the Catalyst 1600 is starting up. | |
| Blocking: | The port forwards All Routes Explorer (ARE) frames and specifically-routed frames, but does not forward STE frames because of the spanning-tree algorithm. | |
| Broken: | The port does not forward STE frames because either the Catalyst 1600 failed the bridge test, the user disabled the port interface, or the port closed unexpectedly. | |
| Listening: | The port is forwarding ARE frames and specifically-routed frames, and is preparing to forward STE frames. | |
| Learning: | The port is preparing to forward STE frames. | |
| Forwarding: | The port forwards STE frames. | |
| Designated root | The bridge identifier of the bridge that is recorded as the root in the configuration BPDUs that are transmitted by the designated bridge for the segment to which the port is attached. | |
| Designated bridge | The bridge identifier of the designated bridge for the segment to which the port is attached. | |
| Designated cost | The path cost of the designated port of the segment connected to the port. | |
| Designated port | The port identifier of the port on the designated bridge for the segment to which the port is attached. | |
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