Switches


Overview

We currently have two switches in the lab. One is a simple Ethernet switch that interconnects the management network and the other is an OpenFlow switch that is used for experiments.

The management switch is off-limits for lab users. It should not be touched.

The OpenFlow switch is used for experiments.

 

NoviFlow OpenFlow Switch

The OpenFlow switch is made by NoviFlow and its model is NoviKit 250.

The switch fully supports the OpenFlow protocol of version 1.3 and will be updated to support future versions.

It has 4 x 1Gbps copper ports, 4 x 1Gbps optical ports (SFP) and 4 x 10Gbps optical ports (SFP+).

The network processor is made by EZChip (release notes).

Also, it has a TCAM of 125K to 1M entries (depending on the width of entry) and it supports up to 150 flow_mod commands per second.

 

Connecting to Switch Management Console

Use SSH from any of the servers to connect to the switch using the superuser:

ssh superuser@10.0.0.5

 

User Manual

Download

 

Important Note

When working and configuring the OpenFlow switch you are requested to take extreme care and avoid irreversible settings.

It is suggested that you only use the following command families, unless otherwise is really necessary:

set config controller *

show *

 

Mellanox Switch

The Mellanox switch has 48x10G ports (?), uses their own cables that have the transceivers built in them.

It supports OpenFlow but by default is set for standard L2 forwarding to allow 10G connectivity between servers.

 

If you change this setting you must return it back when you are done.

 

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