Frequently Asked Questions for Intel® Gigabit Ethernet Switch AXXSW1GB

Documentation

Install & Setup

000007248

12/04/2023

The product is no longer available for purchase. See the Intel® Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module AXXSW1GB product discontinuance.

Click or the topic for details:

Why do I get a Component Unfit error after installing a second switch? Error: Component Unfit An active admin link between two switches can cause this error.
Where is the ARP cache? The ARP cache is under the switch Advanced Configuration - Layer 2 – Address table – Dynamic Addresses. You can find more information on page 74 (87 of 220) of the Intel® Gigabit Ethernet Switch AXXSW1GB Ethernet switch user guide.
Is there a Fibre Channel option? We currently offer Ethernet switches only.
What is the benefit of two Ethernet switches? A second Ethernet switch can connect the servers to two separate physical networks. Separate VLANS or NIC teaming/bonding are recommended.
Do I have to add a mezzanine card to each compute module? One Dual Gigabit Ethernet I/O Expansion Mezzanine Card AXXGBIOMEZ is required for each compute module that needs to access the second switch.
What kinds of teaming are supported? Adapter Fault Tolerance and Adaptive Load Balancing are supported with a single switch. Switch Fault Tolerance is supported with dual switches and a mezzanine card and set via Device Manager* or the NIC driver.
Can I aggregate NICs 1 and 2 as well as 3 and 4? No, you can only use Switch Fault Tolerance to team NIC1 or NIC2, with NIC3 or NIC4.
Are there any security issues running multiple tenants, multiple domains, or multiple NATs? No, the networking subsystem is specifically designed to treat each Compute Module as a unique entity.
Can I create a Link Aggregation Group (LAG) on the internal ports?You can only create LAG on the external switch ports.
Can the switch configuration be saved, exported, or imported? Yes. Use the Intel® Modular Server Advanced Management Pack, available with firmware 6.5. The Advanced Management Pack allows saving and exporting the existing Intel® Modular Server configuration, including the switch settings.
Are there external 10Gb ports? The external ports are 1Gb. The internal 10Gb connections are not physically accessible.
How do I assign external port traffic, to a specific compute module?

Use VLAN membership, and put the external and the internal ports on a separate VLAN from the default:

  1. Dashboard
  2. Chassis Back
  3. Switches
  4. Advanced Configuration
  5. Layer2
  6. Interface
  7. VLAN
​For further information on setting up VLANs, check How to create and use VLANs on the Intel® Modular Server.
Can dual ESMs be configured into one large switch for VLANs? You cannot create an Inter-switch trunk using ports from ESM1 and ports from ESM2.
Does Spanning Tree need to be disabled when the switch has a LAG configured? No, you can enable Spanning Tree by port or LAG.
Can both NICs be assigned to a VLAN? Yes.
With a Mezzanine card, can 4 NICs be teamed or interconnected into a VLAN? Although you cannot aggregate all 4 NICs into a single trunk, you can enable fault tolerance between two NIC groups: NIC 1 and 2, and NIC 3 and 4.