Dell Powerconnect 8164f Manual

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Managing the standby unit 
If the Master unit fails or is taken offline, a Standby unit automatically takes place as Master.  During 
this time there is no more than a 50 ms interruption in unicast connectivity.   
The commands below are used to manage your Standy unit. 
Command-line interface method 
To find out which unit is currently in Standby status, run the show switch command. 
 
console#show switch 
 
    Management Standby   Preconfig  Plugged-in    Switch     Code 
SW  Status     Status    Model ID   Model ID      Status     Version 
--- ---------- --------- ---------- ------------- ---------- --------- 
1   Mgmt Sw       PCT8164F   PCT8164F      OK         5.0.0.3 
2   Stack Mbr  Oper Stby PCT8132F   PCT8132F      OK         5.0.0.3 
3   Stack Mbr            PCT8132F   PCT8132F      OK         5.0.0.3 
 
The Standby Status column shows which unit is in Standby mode.  There are two standby modes:  Oper 
Stby and Cfg Stby.   Oper Stby is selected automatically by the Master during stack creation.  If the 
administrator decides to select a different unit to be Standby, then it is labeled Cfg Stby.  Both 
Standby modes work identically.   
In this example, unit 2 is the stack standby for the Master unit. To change the standby to a different 
unit, use the standby x command.  Verify the change with the show switch command. 
 
console(config-stack)#standby 3 
 
console#show switch 
 
    Management Standby   Preconfig  Plugged-in    Switch     Code 
SW  Status     Status    Model ID   Model ID      Status     Version 
--- ---------- --------- ---------- ------------- ---------- --------- 
1   Mgmt Sw       PCT8164F   PCT8164F      OK         5.0.0.3 
2   Stack Mbr            PCT8132F   PCT8132F      OK         5.0.0.3 
3   Stack Mbr  Oper Stby PCT8132F   PCT8132F      OK         5.0.0.3 
 
This method cannot be used to assign the current Stack Master to the Standby role and results in an 
error. In the event there is a need to change the role of the Master or make the Standby the Master, 
use the initiate failover command from the Command Line Interface.  This command results in a 
warm restart of the stack Master, triggering the Standby unit to take over as a new Master switch.  
 
console(config)#stack 
 
console(config-stack)#initiate failover 
 
The system has unsaved changes.  
						

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Would you like to save them now? (y/n) y 
 
Configuration Saved!   Management unit will be reloaded. 
Are you sure you want to failover to the backup unit? (y/n) y 
 
If using the CLI through the console port, the session will no longer be valid.  The console port on the 
new Master switch will now be activated for management.  The IP and MAC addresses of the stack will 
remain the same with the new Master.  If using a telnet session, log in using the same IP address as 
before. 
Web interface method 
In case the Master unit fails, a Standby unit is automatically configured to take place as Master.  To 
find out which unit is currently in Standby status, go to the System > Stack Management > Stack 
Summary screen.  The Standby Status column shows which unit is in Standby mode.  There are two 
standby modes:  Oper Stby and Cfg Stby.   Oper Stby is selected automatically by the Master during 
stack creation.  If the administrator decides to select a different unit to be Standby, then it is labeled 
Cfg Stby.  Both Standby modes work identically.   
  
In this example, unit 3 is the stack standby for the Master unit. To change the standby to a different 
unit, go to the System > Stack Management > Unit Configuration screen.      
						

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Select the Switch ID to be assigned as the Standby.  Use the Unit Type drop-down menu and select 
Configured Standby.   
 Note:  Assigning the current Stack Master to the Standby role is not allowed using this method 
and results in an error.  Instead, use the initiate failover method described below. 
Click Apply.  Copying the running-configuration to the startup-configuration is not required.  This 
setting will be persistent after a reload. Verify the new Standby switch from the Stack Summary 
screen.  
  
    
						

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If there is a need to change the role of the Master or make the Standby the Master, use the initiate 
failover command from the Command Line Interface.  This command results in a warm restart of the 
stack Master, triggering the Standby unit to take over as a new Master switch.  
console(config)#stack 
 
console(config-stack)#initiate failover 
 
The system has unsaved changes. 
Would you like to save them now? (y/n) y 
 
Configuration Saved!   Management unit will be reloaded. 
Are you sure you want to failover to the backup unit? (y/n) y 
 
Connection to host lost.   This message is seen in telnet sessions.   
 
If using the CLI through the console port, the session will no longer be valid.  The console port on the 
new Master switch will now be activated for management.  The IP and MAC addresses of the stack 
remains the same with the new Master.  If using a telnet session, log in using the same IP address as 
before. 
   
						

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Appendix A – Commands used in this document 
 
All CLI commands used in this document, along with a brief description, are listed below in order of 
appearance.  Some commands are used multiple times in the document. 
 
Command Definition 
show run Shows running configuration 
show switch Shows all stack members and roles 
show system Shows MAC address 
hardware profile portmode 4x10g (from config-if) Changes a QSFP+ port to 4x10G 
boot auto-copy-sw (from config#) Allows for automatic firmware updates 
show switch stack-ports Shows available ports for stacking 
show switch stack-ports | include Stack Shows only ports in stack mode 
stack (from config#) Stack configuration mode 
stack-port fortygigabitether 1/1/1 stack (from config-
stack#) 
Turns on stacking on a port 
copy running-config startup-config Backs up the running configuration 
show version m Shows firmware and CPU versions on units 
copy tftp://10.10.1.10/PC8100v5.0.0.3.stk backup Example of firmware download using tftp 
boot system backup Activates the backup image to be active 
reload Reloads the stack 
locate switch 2 Blinks the locate LED on rear of switch 
no member 5 (from config-stack#) Removes a unit from the stack config 
switch 4 renumber 3 (from config#) Renumbers a unit in the stack 
standby 3 (from config-stack#) Changes the standby to another unit 
initiate failover (from config-stack#) Causes Master to failover to the standby 
 
 
Appendix B - Network switch versions 
Version information for the network switches used in creating this document are as follows:  
Network switch Dell PowerConnect 8100 
Software version 5.0.0.3,  5.0.0.4,  5.1.0.0 
 
 
 
 
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