Old Cat3500XL Doesn't forward package until it's ping'ed

[wildenbergh]

Hi All :

I received an older (May 1999) Cat3500XL

Resetted it to factory defaults.

During testing I figured out that it was not forwarding packages until the switch was ping'ed from one of the connected computers.

After the ping switch works just fine...

until I plug one of the connected computers into another port, the switch stops working untilit is ping'ed...

Somebody who knows what is going on?

Thanks

Peter

[robphill]

Peter,

I have a couple of initial questions.

(1) How do you know the switch is not forwarding the packets? It is possible the switch is switching the traffic but whereever the traffic is going is not answering.

(2) What and where are you trying to send traffic to?

(3) What are you sending traffic from?

The switch should not need a ping to forward traffic. It uses layer-2 to forward traffic and the mac-address learning should be independent of ARP and L3. Have you looked at the mac-address-table to see if hardware addresses are in the table?

Lastly, what version of IOS is running on the 3500 XL?

Good Luck

-Robert

[wildenbergh]

Robert :

1. How do I know? I have set up a mini network with 2 PC's gave the switch IP 192.168.10.254/24 and the two PC's are 192.168.10.1 and 192.168.10.253.

Right after power cycling the switch I can't ping from .1 to .253 without first pinging the switch...

Show arp only gives me the MAC of the switch.

Version

IOS (tm) C3500XL Software (C3500XL-C3H2S-M), Version 12.0(5.4)WC(1)

Flacky hardware, I think...

Thanks.

Peter

[Kevin Dorrell]

Oops ... sorry about the previous edit of this posting if you read it ... engage brain .. 3500XL layer-2 only switch.

Could you post the config please? Is it really factory settings?

Did you wait 30 seconds before trying the ping? If not, you will want to set portfast on all the access ports.

Reading your initial posting again, I am inclined to agree ... flaky hardware. Did it pass its POST OK?

However, one point I would make ... if you ping from PC to PC, you would not normally expect to see the PC MAC addresses in the ARP cache of the switch. The switch does not need to know them. Only if they talk to the switch itself. Do the PCs contain the other's MAC address in the ARP cache? When pinging from PC to PC, do not look in the switch's ARP cache, look instead in the show mac-addr dynamic.

Kevin Dorrell

Luxembourg

[jean]

I would check to make sure this switch is not in the serial number range listed in this Field Notice. Switches in these ranges exhibit very odd to no odd behaviour during their lifespans.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps607/products_field_notice09186a00803278b7.shtml

[wildenbergh]

No it is not in the serial number range

(Mine is FAA033...)

I cleared the flash completely did a re-install

and now it is going all well.

I consider it a "case closed without evidence"

Thanks all for the help

Peter