Quick Reference Guide

28 | Getting Started
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Setting up a Management Connection to the Switch
You have a choice of methods to manage the switch. You can access the SFTOS command line interface
(CLI) through either the console port on the switch or through an out-of-band method such as Telnet or
SSH. To use any method other than the console port (VT100 emulation), you must first configure a
management IP address on the switch. This chapter includes the procedures that connect you to the console
and to set up a management IP address:
• Console connection (VT100 interface): See Connecting to the Console Port on page 29.
• Management IP address: See Setting the Management IP Address on page 39. See also Showing
Network Settings on page 34.
After setting up the management IP address, you can use one of the following connection methods:
• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP): For details on setting up SNMP, see Setting
SNMP Read/Write Access on page 37 and Setting up SNMP Management on page 71.
• Telnet: See Enabling Telnet to the Switch on page 39. To use SSH to enable secure access over Telnet,
see Enabling SSH on page 142.
Note: The Dell Force10 Management System (FTMS) is a graphical network management
software product that provides a global view of your complete Dell Force10 network. FTMS
includes Node Manager, which not only provides GUI-based device management, it also includes
the ability to execute CLI commands, either individually from Node Manager or by having Node
Manager open a Telnet window to the device.
Note: You can also use a configuration script to set up the switch. The maximum number of
configuration file command lines is 2000. See Using Configuration Scripts on page 60.