Troubleshooting Cisco Catalyst Switches to NIC Compatibility Issues Document ID: 17053 Introduction Prerequisites Requirements Components Used Conventions Background Information Purpose Why Do Autonegotiation and Compatibility Issues Exist? General Troubleshooting for 10/100/1000 Mbps NICs Autonegotiation Valid Configuration Table EtherChannel and Trunking Between Catalyst Switches and NICs Verifying Physical Connection and Link Verifying Switch Port Configuration Maintaining Link (Link Up/Down Situations)
Components Used This document is not restricted to specific software and hardware versions. Conventions Refer to Cisco Technical Tips Conventions for more information on document conventions.
performance−related issues. The most common problems with NIC issues deal with speed and duplex configuration. Table 1 summarizes all possible settings of speed and duplex for FastEthernet NICs and switch ports. Note: This section is only applicable for 10/100/1000 Mbps (1000BASE−T) NICs, and not 1000BASE−X NICs.
100 Mbps, Full−duplex AUTO 100 Mbps, Full−duplex 100 Mbps, Half−duplex 10 Mbps, Half−duplex 10 Mbps, Half−duplex AUTO AUTO 1 100 Mbps, Full−duplex 100 Mbps, Half−duplex Duplex Mismatch 1 100 Mbps, Full−duplex 100 Mbps, Half−duplex 100 Mbps, Full−duplex Duplex Mismatch 1 100 Mbps, Full−duplex 100 Mbps, Full−duplex 100 Mbps, Full−duplex AUTO 100 Mbps, Half−duplex 100 Mbps, Half−duplex AUTO 100 Mbps, Half−duplex 100 Mbps, Half−duplex 10 Mbps, Half−duplex 10 Mbps, Half−duplex No Link 1
2 Some third−party NIC cards can fall back to half−duplex operation mode, even though both the switchport and NIC configuration are manually configured for 100 Mbps, full−duplex. This is because NIC autonegotiation link detection still operates when the NIC is manually configured. This causes duplex inconsistency between the switchport and the NIC. Symptoms include poor port performance and frame check sequence (FCS) errors that increment on the switchport.
Example for Cisco IOS Software on the Switch − Catalyst 2900XL, 3500XL, 2948G−L3, and 6000 that Run Cisco IOS Software • show interfaces type Switch# show interfaces fastethernet 0/1 FastEthernet0/1 is down, line protocol is down States other than connected and line protocol is up indicate a physical connectivity issue. Complete these steps in order to troubleshoot physical connectivity: 1. Set speed and duplex of both the NIC and switch at 10 Mbps, full−duplex.
This is an example: %PAGP−5−PORTFROMSTP:Port 3/3 left bridge port 3/3 %PAGP−5−PORTTOSTP:Port 3/3 joined bridge port 3/3 • For Cisco IOS Software−based switches, these messages appear for link up/down situations: %LINK−3−UPDOWN: Interface interface, changed state to up %LINK−3−UPDOWN: Interface interface, changed state to down This is an example: %LINK−3−UPDOWN: Interface FastEthernet0/1, changed state to up %LINK−3−UPDOWN: Interface FastEthernet0/1, changed state to down In order to resolve these issues,
collisions are normal. Generally, a one percent ratio of errors to total traffic is acceptable for half−duplex connections. If the ratio of errors to input packets is greater than two or three percent, performance degradation can be noticed. In half−duplex environments, it is possible for both the switch and the connected device to sense the wire and transmit at exactly the same time and result in a collision.
64−byte transmit time occurs. They are only detected during transmissions of packets longer than 64 bytes. Its detection is exactly the same as it is for a normal collision; it just happens later than it does for a normal collision. Excessive Collisions Carrier Sense Runts Giants Excessive collisions are the number of frames that are dropped after 16 attempts to send the packet resulted in 16 collisions.
Multiple Collisions Late Collisions Excessive Collisions Carrier Sense Runts Giants This is an indication of a half−duplex configuration. This is an indication of faulty hardware (NIC, cable, or switch port) or a duplex mismatch. This is an indication of overutilization of the switch port at half−duplex or duplex mismatch. This is an indication of faulty hardware (NIC, cable, or switch port). This is an indication of the result of collisions, duplex mismatch, IEEE 802.
2 In−Discard and Lrn−Discard do not exist on all Catalyst platforms. Table 5Possible Causes for Incrementing CatOS Counters Counter Possible Cause Delay Exced Severe problem with the switch. Create a service request with Cisco Technical Support. Verify ISL and dot1q configurations. Verify MTU−Exced another switch or router does not inject frame over maximum transmission unit (MTU) into the switch network.
Teaming of Network Interface Cards Teaming of Network Interface Cards, or NIC Teaming, can cause instability in the networks. Such setups can introduce disruptions to the Spanning tree and can make it undergo frequent recomputations. If intermittent loss of connectivity to NIC teamed servers occurs for devices or hosts in the same VLAN, try to disable NIC teaming. If the connectivity stabilizes, refer to the NIC vendor documentation in order to tune the NIC teaming configuration.
Cisco Catalyst Switch Compatibility and Operation−Specific Issues These sections deal with specific Cisco Catalyst switch issues that can affect performance, compatibility, and interoperation of certain NICs. Catalyst 8510 and 8540 CSR In the campus switch router (CSR) Cisco IOS Software Release 12.0(5)W5(13), autonegotiation for speed and duplex are enabled by default. In earlier releases, autonegotiation is not supported by default.
after an autonegotiation failure. For detailed information on Cisco bug IDs, refer to the Bug Toolkit ( registered customers only) . Refer to Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches Release Notes for more Catalyst 6000 and 6500 documented bug fixes. Catalyst 5000 and 5500 Switches This table lists several known issues found on the Catalyst 5000 and 5500 switches.
WS−X5225R) can result in speed or duplex mismatches under certain conditions. The problem typically occurs after the module is reset or the switch port is disabled and reenabled. The workaround is to disconnect and reconnect the cable that connects the workstation to the switch port. CSCdk32984 3.2(2), 4.1(3) Under heavy traffic conditions, ports 1 through 24 (or ports 25 through 48) of the 48−port, 10BASE−T Ethernet module (WS−X5012) can stop transmitting frames.
day to once a month. This issue can reoccur even after the switch is power cycled. The purpose of this Cisco bug ID is to combine several software reworks, fixes that resolve and reduce the loss of connectivity issues, and additional troubleshooting checks in software. CSCdr37645 ( registered customers only) CSCdm38405 ( registered customers only) CSCdm51653 ( registered customers only) CSCdt80707 ( registered customers only) 4.5(8), 5.5(2), 6.
CSCds89148 ( registered customers only) 5.5.6, 6.2.1 Xmit−Err counter increments on unconnected ports for unexplained reasons. The bug also resolves an issue of high−CPU utilization conditions that can be caused by unconnected ports that are configured as host ports. For detailed information on Cisco bug IDs, refer to the Bug Toolkit ( registered customers only) . Refer to Catalyst 4500 Series Release Notes for more Catalyst 2948G, 2980G, and 4000 documented bug fixes.
For detailed information on Cisco bug IDs, refer to the Bug Toolkit ( registered customers only) . NIC Compatibility and Operation Issues Disclaimer: Use this table as a guide in order to troubleshoot NIC issues. Consult the NIC vendor for verification and proper resolution of the issue. Table 11 NIC Model/Manufacture Apple Macintosh G3 Symptom Intermittently loses network services when the built−in Ethernet interface is used.
AsantéFast 10/100 PCI Adapter AsantéFast 10/100 PCI Adapter AsantéFast 10/100 PCI Adapter Asanté GigaNIC 1064SX PCI Card−Macintosh Asanté GigaNIC 1064SX PCI Card−Macintosh 3Com 3C574/575 PCMCIA 10/100 3Com 3C595 See technical document TID1084 at Asanté support website. Slow login or fails to log in to server. Numerous CRC and FCS errors reported on switch when connected to Power Macintosh 9500. See technical document TID1109 at Asanté support website. Slow network throughput after Macintosh OS 8.
traffic. 3Com 3C905/3C905B 3Com 3C905/3C905B 3Com 3C905B 3Com 3C905C 3C905CX−TX−M 3Com 3C980 Intermittent DHCP issues. Despite the proper configuration of Catalyst switch ports, workstations still Upgrade to driver version experience some 4.01b or later, which intermittent DHCP resolves DHCP issues. issues. Despite the proper configuration of Unable to log in to Catalyst switch ports, Novell Internetwork workstations still Packet Exchange experience (IPX) network.
1.0.33921641.2241835. 3Com 3Com 3C985/3C985B 3Com 3C985/3C985B 3Com 3C905C or 3C920 integrated NIC on Dell Dimension XPS Compaq Netflex−3 Model NIC Adapters Dell Optiplex GX200 Dell Precision 420/530/620 3C985/3C985B Novell 5.0 issues Clients are unable to log in or browse server, but pings work correctly. Refer to 3Com technical support reference 2.0.4428387.2305072. Packets larger than Ethernet MTU (1518 bytes) are generated. These packets are noted as giants on Catalyst switches.
fails. The motherboards were manufactured with an Intel Chipset that are incompatible with Cisco switches and Netgear hubs. IBM 10/100 EtherJet CardBus Adapter IBM ThinClient Workstations Intel Pro/100 Extremely slow performance when operating at 10 Mbps. Certain 10/100 switches implement automatic correction for polarity−reversed cables that are not completely compatible with the same correction provided by the IBM 10/100 EtherJet CardBus Adapter.
can see poor network connections or excessive numbers of dropped packets. The interoperability issue arises when a module with a ten bit interface (TBI) transmits an odd byte packet to a receiver with a Gigabit media−independent interface (GMII). Sun Microsystems QFE Card Sun Microsystems v1.1 Gigabit Cards Xircom CreditCard Ethernet 10/100 CE3B−100 Xircom CreditCard Ethernet 10/100 CE3B−100 Carrier Extension is detailed in subsection 35.2.3.5 in the IEEE 802.3 specification.
type keyword can be set to Auto Detect or 10BASE−T/100BaseTX. The related port on the attached hub or switch must also be set to 10Mbps, full−duplex. Xircom RealPort2 CardBus Ethernet 10/100 Adapter (R2BE/RBE/CBE) Models Xircom RealPort2 CardBus Ethernet 10/100 Adapter (R2BE/RBE/CBE) Models Xircom RealPort2 CardBus Ethernet 10/100 Adapter (R2BE/RBE/CBE) Models Extremely slow performance when operating at 10 Mbps.
manufacturer patches and utility software are installed. Xircom XE2000 PCMCIA NIC Known limitation of Does not NIC only XE2000 NIC. Refer to autonegotiate to 100 autonegotiates to 100 the XE2000 release Mbps, full−duplex. Mbps, half−duplex. notes. Appendix A: Information to Gather Before Creating a Service Request If the troubleshooting procedure outlined in this document does not resolve your issue, you need to create a service request with Cisco Technical Support.
0.14 1 = loopback mode switched on Loopback 0 = loopback mode switched off 0.6 0.13 0.13 Rate Selection (least−significant bit [LSB]) 1 1 reserved 1 0 1000 Mbps 0 1 100 Mbps 0 0 10 Mbps 0.12 1 = autonegotiaton enabled Autonegotiation Enable 0 = autonegotiation disabled 0.11 1 = power down Power Down 0 = normal down 0.10 Isolated 1 = PHY electrically isolated from media−independent interface (MII) 0 = normal mode 0.
partner and defaults to half−duplex. As described in Appendix B: Understanding How Autonegotiation Works, pulses within the FLP are used to derive code words that exchange link partner capabilities. The first code word exchanged is referred to as the base page. It informs each link partner of the message type, IEEE 802.3 or IEEE 802.9a, and a technology ability field. This technology ability field is encoded to exchange the maximum operational speed and duplex of each link partner.
