GE Consumer & Industrial Multilin MultiLink ML1600/ML2400 Ethernet Communications Switch Quickstart Guide Firmware Revision 2.1x Manual P/N: 1601-9026-A2 Manual Order Code: GEK-113393A Copyright © 2008 GE Multilin Canada L6E 1B3 Tel: (905) 294-6222 Fax: (905) 201-2098 Internet: http://www.GEmultilin.
These instructions do not purport to cover all details or variations in equipment nor provide for every possible contingency to be met in connection with installation, operation, or maintenance. Should further information be desired or should particular problems arise which are not covered sufficiently for the purchaser’s purpose, the matter should be referred to the General Electric Company.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents INTRODUCTION TO TWISTED PAIR AND FIBER OPTIC ETHERNET LANS ............QS-1 ETHERNET PHYSICAL LAYER: TWISTED PAIR COPPER VS FIBER OPTIC ........................ QS-1 Twisted Pair copper cable ............................................................................. QS-2 Fiber ......................................................................................................................... QS-2 SUPPORTED NETWORK TOPOLOGIES ......................................
TABLE OF CONTENTS TOC–II MULTILINK ML1600/2400 ETHERNET COMMUNICATIONS SWITCH – QUICKSTART GUIDE
GE Consumer & Industrial Multilin Multilink ML1600/2400 Ethernet Communications Switch Quick Start Guide Quick Start Guide QS.1 Introduction to Twisted Pair and Fiber Optic Ethernet LANs This section will provide a brief review of modern Ethernet media before covering the steps to correctly configure the Multilink switch for typical protective relaying applications. For this discussion the range of IP addresses that will be used are within the range of 3.94.247.1 to 3.94.247.
QUICK START GUIDE Twisted Pair copper cable • Easy to Terminate • Low installation costs • Susceptible to noise interference • Limited by 100m distance • Either shielded or unshielded (UTP) Fiber • Longer distances possible, limited only by attenuation • Immune to electrical noise • More difficult termination and splicing • Slightly higher cost for cable • Two categories: • multi-mode • single-mode QS–2 MULTILINK ML1600/2400 ETHERNET COMMUNICATIONS SWITCH – QUICKSTART GUIDE
QUICK START GUIDE QS.1.2 Supported Network Topologies With either media supported topologies include: star, mesh and ring. The port that connects one switch to another is often called the uplink port and with many switches the uplink port can operate at much higher baud rates than the standard ports. The link formed by the connection of of several switches higher speed uplink ports is often referred to as a backbone.
QUICK START GUIDE QS.2 10BASE T and 100BaseT Media 10 Base T and 100 Base T are the two most common twisted pair copper media standards. There are also several popular fiber optic media standards which we will review later in this section. With respect to 10 or 100 Base T, the 10 or 100 designation indicates a baud rate of either 10 or 100 megabits per second. Base stands for baseband while the T stands for "twisted pair.
QUICK START GUIDE FIGURE QS–1: Pin Layout for a RJ45 Ethernet Straight-through Cable The cable itself consists of four pairs of wires terminated in RJ45 connectors. The maximum permitted cable length is 100 meters. The cable pin connections can be one of two configurations. The first is called a "straight-through" cable and the second is called either a "crossover" or a "patch" cable.
QUICK START GUIDE The pin and wire configuration of a patch or crossover cable used to connect or establish a point-to-point Ethernet LAN between two Ethernet devices is shown here.
QUICK START GUIDE QS.3 Hubs and Switches Two of the major Ethernet LAN components are "hubs" and "switches." There are many advantages of a switch over a hub. Hubs just transfer information from one port to all other ports. Since a hub has no way of handling media contention, collisions can occur requiring all segments connected to a hub to work in a half duplex mode. Switches on the other hand have the capability of buffering messages allowing full duplex operation.
QUICK START GUIDE QS.3.2 Single and Multi-mode cable Fiber Cable Cross Section and Physical Specifications Multi Mode 125µm CORE 62.5µm CLAD • 62.5/125 µm • 50/125 µm* Single Mode 125 µm CORE 8 µm CLAD • 9/125 µm * Will become more popular as baud rate goes up This is a scaled drawing of both a 62.5/ 125 μm multi mode fiber and 9/125 µm single mode fiber. The outer clad of both is 125 micrometers in diameter. The multi-mode core, at 62.
QUICK START GUIDE micrometer fiber is 8 microns in diameter (almost an eighth of that of the Multi-Mode fiber) surrounded by a second outer clad. This clad can pass a light signal, so for this reason the fiber is referred to as 9 by 125 micrometer fiber.
QUICK START GUIDE QS.4 Optical Power Budget Inevitably the question that arises is “What is the maximum practical communication distance when using a fiber optic cable?”. The answer isn’t straightforward, but must be calculated as follows: • First the "Optical Power Budget" is determined by subtracting the receiver’s rated sensitivity from the transmitter’s rated power, both of which are defined in decibels of light intensity.
QUICK START GUIDE Several styles of connector are used to terminate the attached to the end of the fiber cable. The ST and SC connectors shown below, are among the more popular. Ensures that the UR CPU, switch, and cable have compatible connectors. FIGURE QS–4: Common Fiber Optic Connectors QS.4.1 Assigning an IP address to the Multilin Switch DB9 Female to DB9 Female Cable Pin-out Pin 2 Pin 2 Pin 3 Pin 3 Pin 5 Pin 5 The easiest way to configure the switch is through the WEB interface.
QUICK START GUIDE connected together while pin 2 at one end is connected to pin 3 at the other end. Once you have obtained a cable with this pin configuration, connect one end to the computer’s serial port and the other to the Multilink switch port. The Hyperterminal utility application is a convenient standard firmware tool that will be used to configure the switch. This program is found on most windows based operating systems under programs > accessories > communications > Hyperterminal.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Select an icon and name to use for saving the new Hyperterminal configuration.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Select the computer’s serial port that is connected to the Multilink switch. Z Select OK. Z In the next window set the baud rate to 38400, data bits to 8, no parity, one stop bit and set the flow control to none. Z Left mouse click on the OK icon to attempt communication to the Multilink switch.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Press the Enter key until the message Hit to log into ML1600/2400 system is displayed. Z Press the Enter key one more time to get the login prompt. Z Enter the login name manager and the default password manager. Once you are successfully logged in, the prompt will change to the model number of the switch you are connected to, followed by the pound (#) sign, indicating a successful login.
QUICK START GUIDE In this example the switch that the computer is connected to is a Multilink ML1600. The instruction manual for the MultiLink provides a list of all instructions. A valid IP address and subnet mask can be programmed into the switch using the IP config command as follows: Z Type ipconfig ip=, then enter the IP address (in our example we will use a unique address between 3.94.244.1 and 3.94.244.254), followed by a space. Z Type mask= Z Enter the mask (in our example system we would use 255.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Select the Enter key. The switch will ask if you would like to reboot the switch. Z Select Y for yes and Y again to save the new settings. Z Once the switch has completed a reboot, the new IP and subnet mask will be in effect. Once the switch has rebooted you will need to log in again. To confirm that the IP address and subnet mask were saved correctly enter the command show setup followed by the Enter key.
QUICK START GUIDE QS.4.2 Assigning a static IP Address to a personnel computer In order to configure the switch using the web-based interface the computer must be assigned an IP address and subnet mask. If you are already familiar with this procedure you may skip this step. Z Obtain an IP address, subnet mask, and possibly a gateway address, from the LAN administrator. There are rules associated with the assignment of these numbers, which go well beyond this introduction.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Once the computer has booted up, right click on the icon labeled My Network Places followed by the Properties selection. Z Right mouse click on the Local Area Connections icon and select Properties.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Locate and click on the Ethernet card (it will have TCPIP Protocol as part of its name). The Ethernet card is typically referred to as an Ethernet adaptor. Z Select Use the following IP address then enter a unique IP address (from 3.94.247.001 to 3.94.247.254 if using our test network address range). Z Enter the subnet mask which, if using our test network, will be 255.255.252.0. Z Select OK, then OK again to exit the LOCAL AREA NETWORK PROPERTIES menu.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Select Run then enter CMD to start the DOS shell. Addresses now being used Once the DOS shell has launched, you will be presented with a DOS window. Z At the DOS prompt enter the command ipconfig followed by the Enter key. This is the command that will cause the Ethernet adaptor to immediately use the IP, and Subnet Mask addresses just programmed. An on-screen report will appear indicating which addresses are now being used by the adapter. The computer’s configuration is complete.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Next launch Internet Explorer and enter the IP address of the switch to go to the switch’s web page. Z At the Multilink login web page, enter the default Login name, which is manager. Z Enter the default login Password, which is again manager.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Left mouse click on the Login pushbutton to attempt to log in. If you have successfully logged in you will be presented with a graphic of the particular Multilink switch to which you are connected. QS.4.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Double click on the Switch Port icon to open the main port configuration screen. Z Select the Edit icon for port number one which has the name A1.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Ensure that the LINK LOSS ALTER feature is enabled on port A1. Z To save the change (if made) click on the Save icon. Z Repeat this procedure for the fiber optic port on the second switch..
QUICK START GUIDE Z Establish communication to one of the relays. Z Disconnect the normal port’s transmit or receive fiber. Z Note that communications to the relay aren’t disrupted, and check that Ethernet port diagnostics are enabled. The message - primarily Ethernet Fail - will be seen on the display. The relay has switched over to the alternate port.
QUICK START GUIDE QS.5 Tagged VLAN’s VLAN is short for "Virtual LAN." A VLAN creates separate network segments that can span multiple Multilink switches. A VLAN is a group of ports designated by the switch as belonging to the same broadcast domain. VLANs provide the capability of having multiple networks co-existing on the same switch. Two advantages of VLANs are the separation of traffic and security. VLANs can be port based or tag based.
QUICK START GUIDE QS.5.1 Configuring Tagged VLANs VLAN 1 VLAN 2 FIGURE QS–5: Tagged Virtual LANs Configuring a VLAN within the switch Z First determine which physical ports are to be part of the tagged based VLAN. Z Take note the names of the associated ports displayed on the Multilink home page. In our example we want the ports named C5 and C7 to be part of the VLAN.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Once the port names have been determined, open the main port configuration page by double clicking on one of the Port icons. In this page we can see that the port named C5 has been assigned port number 21 and the port named C7 has been assigned port number 23. We want to assign ports 21 and 23 to their own single VLAN.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Note these port numbers. Z Now open the VLANs menu and select the Type menu. Z In this menu set the VLAN type to tag. Z Select the Save icon.
QUICK START GUIDE We have now configured the switch to support tagged based VLANs. SAVE We can now proceed to the tagged based VLAN menu . From this menu we can see that all ports have been assigned to the default tag based VLAN 1.
QUICK START GUIDE Z To create a new tag based VLAN to which to assign ports 21 and 23, first click on the Add pushbutton. A screen will open that will allow you to configure a new tag based VLAN. Z Within this screen enter the new VLAN ID number (or tag) and the name of the VLAN. We will use a tag of 2 and a VLAN name of GOOSE2. Z Left mouse click on the check boxes corresponding to ports 21 and 23 to add them to this new VLAN. Z Select Save. Z OK to exit.
QUICK START GUIDE You will notice below, that the status of the VLAN named GOOSE2 is displayed as Pending.
QUICK START GUIDE To activate VLAN 2 proceed as follows. Z Select Status. Z Once in the Status menu, set the VLAN ID to 2 and the VLAN status to start.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Select OK to start VLAN 2. You will notice that VLAN 2 is now active, and ports 21 and 23 are part of this VLAN. Ports 21 and 23 have been removed from the default tagged based VLAN1. You can add ports 21 and 23 back into the default tagged based VLAN 1 if you wish, such that they are part of both VLAN 1 and VLAN 2. To do this, Z Select the configure icon for the default tagged based VLAN1.
QUICK START GUIDE CONFIGURE QS–36 MULTILINK ML1600/2400 ETHERNET COMMUNICATIONS SWITCH – QUICKSTART GUIDE
QUICK START GUIDE Z Add ports 21 and 23 to tagged based VLAN 1 by checking the corresponding boxes. SAVE Z Select the save icon at the top of the screen. Z Select OK to return to the main tag VLAN menu.
QUICK START GUIDE Note that ports 21 and 23 are now part of both VLAN1 and VLAN 2. You have now completed the exercise. QS.5.2 Configuring the Multilink switch for Ring Only Mode This feature can be only be used when the switches are connected to form a single ring topology which means that only two ports per switch are used to form the ring and all other ports will not be part of another ring. Note that RSTP and Ring-only mode support a maximum of 18 switches.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Determine which ports on each switch will be used to create the ring. In this example it has been determined that the port named C5 will be one of the ports forming the ring. Z Click on the port C5 to open the main port configuration screen. From this screen we can see that the port named C5 is actually port 21.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Note this port number. Z from the Administration menu open the Set menu. Z Open the STP type setting. Z Set STP to Rapid Spanning Tree (RSTP). Z Save the setting.
QUICK START GUIDE . Z From the configuration menu open the RSTP menu. Z Select Bridge RSTP. Note that the protocol is still set to normal RSTP. Z Select the Edit icon.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Once in Edit mode, change the Status to Enabled Z Once these settings have been completed Save the configuration. ...THEN SAVE ENABLE STATUS...
QUICK START GUIDE Z Once saved, select OK, then OK again to exit.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Select the Configuration > RSTP > RO Mode menu as shown above. Z Click the Edit button to configure RO Mode. Z Select the desired ports that are part of the ring, as shown below. Z Click OK to exit. Only 2 ports can be selected to Ring Only Mode.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Select the Enabled option for the Status setting as shown below. ...then Save Enable status... Z Change status to Enable. Z Save the configuration by clicking on the icon.
QUICK START GUIDE Z From the main port configuration menu, left mouse click on the Configuration icon for port 21. Z Within port 21’s configuration screen set the Link Loss Alert to Disabled. Z Save the settings.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Repeat this procedure for the other port on this and the rest of the switches that form the ring.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Once this procedure has been completed for all ports forming the ring, connect the configured ports into the ring topology as shown below. FIGURE QS–6: Configuration of the MultiLink ring Only mode You have completed the exercise.
QUICK START GUIDE QS.6 ML1600/2400 Firmware Updates QS.6.1 Updating MultiLink Firmware This section describesthe process for upgrading the firmware on a GE Multilink Ethernet switch. The methods describe updating the Multilink firmware either locally using the console port or remotely over the network using FTP or TFTP. The following equipment and software are required for loading the Multilink Ethernet switch with the new firmware version. 1. A female-to-female null modem cable.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Login at the manager level with the proper password. It is recommended that you save the current switch configuration before upgrading the firmware. Z If the current firmware is older than 1.7.3, use the saveconf command as shown below: Z If the current firmware is 1.7.3 or above, enter the xmodem command as shown below: Z Click on the Transfer menu item and choose the Receive File option.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Enter the path to the folder in which the configuration file will be stored Z Select Xmodem as the receiving protocol. Z Enter a name for the configuration file. Z Click OK. The configuration file will be stored at the specified location. Z Verify that the configuration file has been created and stored correctly. This completes the Save (original) Configuration procedure. The following procedure describes how to upgrade the firmware: Z If the current firmware is older than 1.7.
QUICK START GUIDE Do you wish to upgrade the image? [Y or N] Y Z Select the Transfer menu item and choose the Send File option Z Enter the location of the firmware file that has to be loaded into the switch. Z Select Xmodem as the protocol. Z Click on the Send button. The file will start to load as shown below. Z Once the file transfer is complete, reboot the switch using the Reboot command, or by switching the power off then on.
QUICK START GUIDE ML1600/2400# reboot Proceed on rebooting the switch? [Y or N] Y Rebooting now... Z Login to the switch and use the show version command to verify the version. ML1600/2400# show version Z If necessary, upload the configuration file using the following commands. If the current firmware is older than 1.7.3, use the loadconf command as shown below: Z If the current firmware is older than 1.7.
QUICK START GUIDE Z Select the Transfer menu item and choose the Send File option. Z Enter the location of the configuration file and select Xmodem for the protocol. Z Click on the Send button. The file will start to load as shown below: Z Once the transfer is complete, the switch will have to be rebooted either by entering Reboot or by switching the power off then on. ML1600/2400# reboot Proceed on rebooting the switch? [Y or N] Y Rebooting now...
QUICK START GUIDE Z Ensure that you have an FTP or TFTP server installed and running on your computer. If you are using FTP, make sure you have the FTP login name and password information ready. Z Select the switch to upgrade. Ensure you have system administration rights and privileges available on that switch. Z Open a SWM session with the switch by typing in the following URL: https:// Using FTP It is always a good idea to save the configuration before an upgrade.
QUICK START GUIDE As the file is being loaded, you will see the file transfer in progress window. Z Once the transfer is complete, the switch needs to be restarted. After reboot, the new version of the Multilink firmware is ready for use. Using TFTP It is always a good idea to save the configuration before an upgrade. GE Multilin recommends a two-step update: first save the configuration to the ftp server, then load the new image and restart the switch. Z Load the new firmware as shown below.
QUICK START GUIDE As the file is being loaded, you will see the file transfer in progress window. Z Reboot the switch when the transfer is complete. After reboot, the new version of the Multilink firmware is ready for use.
QUICK START GUIDE QS–58 MULTILINK ML1600/2400 ETHERNET COMMUNICATIONS SWITCH – QUICKSTART GUIDE
