FTOS Architecture & Configuration

This 4 day course builds the practical skills necessary to install, configure, optimize and support Force10 E-Series, C-Series and S-Series switch/routers in homogeneous and non-homogeneous networks. The architecture and operation class is an intermediate-level class assuring efficiency and success in configuration, operation, and troubleshooting. In addition, this course provides a review of common protocols, including MSTP, OSPF, BGP, and Quality of Service (QoS).

The course combines both lecture and labs, with significant time allocated for hands-on experience in the lab.

Dell offers this course exclusively, the information posted here suuports the Dell learning initiatives. To register for this course, go to learn.dell.com

The goal of this course is to provide an understanding of:

• General Force10 Product Architectures
• Force 10 Operating System (FTOS) concepts and navigation
• System Installation and Initial Configuration
• Basic configuration steps for various Protocols/Features
• Basic troubleshooting steps related to configuration tasks

Upon completion of the class, students will be able to:

• Define Force10 products, architecture and Force10 Operating System (FTOS) and software release and features
• Identify the Force10 CLI, its structure and core commands
• Be able to configure the following for basic operations

1. Interfaces
2. Spanning Tree protocols
3. OSPF
4. BGP
5. VRRP
6. PIM-SM
7. QoS
8. Access Control Lists

Network engineers, technical support personnel and others responsible for implementing and/or maintaining the Force10 Networks products and features covered in this course.

This course benefits individuals responsible for implementing, monitoring, and troubleshooting Force10 S, C and E-Series products.

Day 1

Mod 01: Force10 Technical Overview

• Force10 Product Lines
• E-Series Technical Overview
• C-Series Technical Overview
• S-Series Technical Overview
• Route Processor Module (RPM)
• RPMs Differences
• Switch Fabric Modules (SFM)
• The Switch Fabric Architecture
• Packet Walk-Through of Control Traffic Destined for CPUs - TeraScale
• Packet Walk Through of Transit Traffic Being Forwarded - TeraScale
• Packet Walk Through – Switching Between Local Ports
• Packet Walk Through – Fabric Switching
• Packet Walk Through – Multicast Forwarding
• Packet Walk Through – Multicast Between Local Ports
• Packet Walk Through – Multicast Fabric Switching
• Packet Walk Through of Control Traffic Destined for CPUs
• Packet Flow of IPC Messages
• Buffering
• Serial Console Port
• Hardware Functionality
• Packet Queuing Points
• Hardware Block Diagram
• Where Is the Bottleneck?
• L2 Learning
• Bi-Directional Stacking Ports

Mod 02: FTOS Command Line Interface Basics

• Accessing the CLI
• Useful & Timesaving CLI Tools
• Resetting Configuration Commands
• Resetting Configuration Commands
• Understanding CLI feedback
• Command-history Buffer
• Areas of Memory and Relevant Files
• Manipulating Flash Directory Contents
• Configuration Files
• Saving Configuration Changes
• Boot Variables
• Steps for Changing the Boot Variables
• Software Upgrade via Streamlined COPY Process
• Dual RPMs must use HA Compatible FTOS Versions
• System Defaults
• Initial Security Steps
• Configuring the Host Name

Mod 03A: Physical & Virtual Interface Configuration

• Interface Types
• Interface Configuration Mode
• Physical Interfaces
• Configuring An Interface for Layer 2 Mode
• Viewing Interface Information
• Configuring An Interface for Layer 3 Mode
• Simultaneously Configuring More Than One Interface
• Interface Range Macro
• Show Interface Commands
• Out of Band Management Interface
• Management InterfaceRoute Table (RIB)
• Management Route Table Example
• Steps to Configure a Management Interface
• Loopback Interfaces
• Null Interface

Mod 03B: Port-Channel Interface Configuration

• Interface Types
• A Port Channel Interface is a Link Aggregation Group (LAG)
• Configuring a STATIC Port Channel Interface
• Other Port-channel Commands
• Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) IEEE 802.1AX
• Steps to Configure A DYNAMIC Port Channel Interface (LACP)
• Port-Channel/LAG Load Balancing
• Shared LAG State Tracking Within a Chassis
• State Diagram for LAG Groups
• Shared LAG State Tracking Within a Chassis
• Hitless LACP Configuration

Mod 03C: VLAN Interface Configuration

• What is a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN)?
• What is a VLAN Interface?
• VLAN Interface Configuration
• VLAN Interfaces
• Steps for creating a VLAN
• Native VLAN Support
• Make a Port a Hybrid
• Related Native VLAN Commands
• GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP)
• GVRP Configuration
• Verification: show gvrp
• Verification: show gvrp statistics
• GVRP Troubleshooting
• IEEE 802.1X Guest-Vlan & Auth-Fail Vlan
• Verification: show dot1x interface
• VLAN Stack Port Now Supports 3 Frame Types
• FTOS 8.2 Enhancements
• FTOS 8.3.1 Enhancements

Day 2

Mod 04: Basic Troubleshooting Tools

• Methods of Troubleshooting
• Troubleshooting Items To Check
• More on Basic Physical & Interface Connections
• Check Basic Accessibility and Protocol Configuration
• The Troubleshooting Toolbox
• More on Interface UP/DOWN
• Clear Counters Resets Interface Statistics
• Show Arp
• ARP Update
• Show Running-Config Interface
• Terminal Monitoring
• Test the Link by Shutting Down an Interface
• The Debugging Utility

Mod 05: Using iSupport

• Force10 Networks Web Site
• iSupport – HOME
• iSupport – SERVICE REQUEST
• How to Create a New Service Request

viSupport – SOFTWARE CENTER

• Unified Search Capabilities
• Tools - BugTrack
• Tools – Error Message Decoder
• Unified Search with EMD
• iSupport – Documents
• Hardware Troubleshooting Guides
• S Series Product Support
• Find Step-by-Step Configurations for the S Series
• iSupport – Support Programs

Mod 06: Spanning Tree Implementation & Configuration

• Layer-2 Spanning Tree Protocols
• Spanning Tree Protocol
• STP Default Values
• STP Configuration
• Layer-2 Protocols
• Rapid Spanning-Tree Protocol
• RSTP Port Roles
• RSTP Configuration
• RSTP Debugging
• Layer-2 Protocols
• Multiple Spanning-Tree Protocol (802.1s)
• MSTP: Basic Configuration Steps
• Show spanning-tree msti [instance]
• Show spanning-tree mstp [instance]
• Hitless xSTP Configuration
• FTOS 8.2 Enhancements
• FTOS 8.3.1 Enhancements

Mod 07: FTOS Security

• Authentication, Authorization, Accounting (AAA)
• Authentication via Method Lists
• How to Configure Method Lists
• Local Authentication Methods
• Remote Authentication: RADIUS
• Remote Authentication: TACACS+
• Authorization: Privilege Levels
• Configuring Privilege Levels
• Authorization: Method Lists
• AAA Authorization Config
• Access Control Lists (ACLs)
• MAC ACLs
• SNMP ACLs
• Loopback ACLs
• Terascale ACL Agent RPM
• Secure Shell (SSH) andSecure Copy (SCP)
• Other SSH and SCP Commands
• 32K Ingress Layer 3 ACLs CAM Profile
• Verification of new Cam Profile
• SSH IPv6 Inbound and Outbound
• ip ssh version command to Disable SSH v1

Day 3

Mod 08: FTOS Management Tools

• SNMP
• Configuring SNMP
• IP Helper Address
• Configuring IP Helper Address
• Force10 Service Agent (FTSA)
• Force10 Service Agent Diagnostics
• FTSA Policy and Lists
• FTSA configuration
• sFlow Overview
• sFlow Implementation
• sFlow Configuration Commands
• sFlow Show Commands
• Egress sFlow Sampling Packet Walk
• sFlow Egress Linecard Processing

• * Mod 09: VRRP Implementation, Configuration & Troubleshooting **
• VRRP Overview
• VRRP Platform Support
• VRRP Implementation in FTOS
• VRRP Configuration Commands
• VRRP Show Commands
• VRRP Troubleshooting
• VRRP Comparison to Cisco

Day 4

Mod 10: OSPF Implementation Configuration & Troubleshooting

• OSPF Review
• OSPF Concepts
• OSPF Implementation in FTOS
• Basic OSPF Configuration Steps
• OSPF Graceful Restart
• OSPF Hitless Feature
• OSPF Authentication Options
• OSPF Show Commands
• show ip ospf route
• Problems with Default Routes
• Advertise defaults
• Redistribution
• OSPF Fast Convergence

Mod 11: BGP Implementation Configuration & Troubleshooting

• BGP Overview
• BGP Implementation in FTOS
• Basic BGP Configuration Commands
• Configuring iBGP vs eBGP
• BGP Peer Groups
• Configuring BGP Peer Groups
• Route Maps
• Configuring Route Reflectors and Confederations
• Configuring BGP Filters Using Prefix Lists
• Configuring an IP Prefix-List
• Additional BGP Configuration Options
• BGP Graceful-Restart Feature
• When R3 fails-over…
• Useful Debug Commands
• Troubleshooting: BGP
• FTOS 8.3.1 Enhancements

Mod 12: FTOS Quality of ServiceConfiguration

• What is Quality of Service?
• The Quality of Service Process
• Various Quality of Service Models
• L2 and L3 Priority Values in the Frame
• Sample DiffServ Network
• IP Precedence versus DSCP Values in the IPv4 ToS Octet
• Expedited (EF) and Assured Forwarding (AF)
• Port-Based Quality of Service
• How to Configure Port-based QoS
• Policy-Based Quality of Service
• INCOMING Traffic QoS Options
• OUTGOING Traffic QoS Options
• Flow-Based DSCP Marking
• QoS-Policy-INPUT Commands
• QoS-Policy-OUTPUT Commands
• Weighted Random Early Detection (WRED)
• What is a Service-Policy?
• Verifying QoS-Policy Behavior
• Strict Priority Queue
• Architecture Differences of E-Series, C-Series & S-Series
• Storm-Control
• Storm-Control CLI Commands
• 8.3.1 FTOS Enhancements

Attendees of all technical education courses will benefit by having a solid understanding of the following topics:

• LAN/WAN concepts and topologies
• TCP/IP Concepts
• 802.1d Bridging and Spanning Tree
• 802.1q VLANs
• Operational characteristics of common protocols including RIPv3, OSPFv2, BGP4+

All courses are available as open-enrollment Classroom events, instructor-led Live Virtual Classes, REAL-ILT™ or as custom Onsite Training for up to 12 students.