6500 ISDM-2 powerdown question

[csthomas]

The IDSM-2 module documentation warns (frequently!) about properly shutting down the blade before removing it from the 6500. (Since the Linux version running on the box predates EXT3, the box runs non-journaled file systems which are subject to corruption if not shut down properly.)

However, nowhere do I see discussed what happens if one looses power to the 6500, or if one intentionally powers down the 6500. I can't do much (besides UPS, which I have) for the first case, but do I need to take precautions (ie, quiesce the IDSM) if I'm going to power down the 6500?

/Chris Thomas, UCLA

[ywadhavk]

Hi Chris,

As with any operating system, if the system is brought down "always" in an ungracefull manner, there are chances of these corruption. How likely is this situation in a data center?

Anyway, to powerdown the system properly, use the "reset powerdown" command.

The reset command shuts down the applications running on the sensor and reboots it. If the powerdown option is included, the sensor will be powered off if possible or left in a state where the power can be turned off.

Hope this helps. Also, there is always a maintenence partition to revert back to to resurrect the IDS if this does happen.

Thanks,

yatin

[scothrel · Accepted solution]

Chris,

As of the 4.1(1) update, IDSM2 will have EXT3 for the filesystem. The update should be posted for download from CCO sometime next week. As with any Linux based system, a proper shutdown is always advised...and I can speak from experience that it is possible to munge the file system to the point that EXT3 cannot recover it. EXT3 is additional protection, but not a guarantee.

Scott Cothrell

Cisco Austin