8600 FDB/ARP issues?

[anthonyanderberg]

I've seen several of you mention FDB/ARP issues and that there is a new code release (4.1.8) coming. I'm on 4.1.5.4 and don't think I've seen anything, but am worried that I've missed something... what are you guys seeing?

We lived through the early R-series 4.0.0.0-4.0.5.0 releases, including several builds that were made specifically for us, and it is certainly nothing that I want to repeat.

 

[DaddyOfThree]

I would advise you to stay at 4.1.5.4 until 4.1.8 has been vetted and proven.

The problems are generally only seen if you are trying to run a cluster (two ERS8600s with IST/SMLT configurations).

http://blog.michaelfmcnamara.com/2008/07/ers-8600-software-4160-buggy/

Cheers!

 

[VOIPaintEASY]

concur. the issues are on dual (or more)8600 cores tied together with IST trunks. I have personally lived through it. Believe me, you would have it by now if you had dual cores and on a version susceptible if you had them running for more than 4-5 weeks. One way I confirmed it to engineers is we would have clients or servers not reachable and look in the ARP table in both cores and each would say the device is across the IST trunks on the other core. So, each thought the other had the path to the device. You can fix it manually without a reload by deleting the device out of the ARP table on each switch. Our problem was much larger as it was usually exacerbated by an SMLT link from a pair feeding a closet stack having gone down. Thus we would have 40-60 machines on a floor that could not be found and both cores thinking the other had a path to them. We then had a mess.

 

[anthonyanderberg]

Thanks for the info - I see on Daddy^3's blog that at least one person was told to downgrade to 4.1.5.4 so that's a good sign (for me at least.) I ran 4.0.6.0 from the day it was released (bugfix) until a month before its support was pulled so obviously I'm not in any hurry.

Thanks again guys.