Does any current switch hardware support IPX routing?

[imikem2]

We are replacing old Catalyst 6500 switches in one of our business units. The 6ks supported legacy IPX routing for data recovery operations, which is required in some cases for their work. I have been searching for any current info regarding this feature in order to provide a seamless transition. We purchased Nexus 93180s and Catalyst 9300 stacks but I do not see the feature in the OS for either platform.

Any info is appreciated. 

Michael Miller

[Harold Ritter]

Hi @imikem2 ,

IPX, wow! Some good memories from way back then.

IPX routing has been withdrawn from IOS many years ago. Are you sure you are using your 6500 for IPX routing. If so, you must be running very old code on them.

On the other hand, if you are only currently using the 6500 as a L2 device for IPX, this should not be a problem to do the same thing with the Cat9300.

Regards,

[imikem2]

It is indeed old code on the 6500s:

my6500sw#show ver | in bin
System image file is "sup-bootdisk:s72033-ipservicesk9-mz.122-18.SXF15a.bin"

I was thinking if nothing else avails, that we might try to find some 1U old switch model that would run that IOS code without keeping two mammoth power-hungry devices on for that single purpose.

[Harold Ritter]

Thanks for the additional information.

>I was thinking if nothing else avails

Nothing recent would support IPX routing for sure. 

> 1U old switch model that would run that IOS code

That is an option if you can find something that could still run older code, but just bear in mind that this would not be supported (just like you current C6500s are not supported because of the code level they are running).

Regards,

[imikem2]

Thank you, Harold. We will look at our options here. We were also thinking to address this by standing up a Netware VM to do the minimal necessary routing for this, but also having trouble with that, presumably due to the understandable decline in support overall.

Fwiw I got my real start in networking with Netware 4.0 in the mid 1990s, earning a Master CNE that wouldn't garner me a cup of coffee anymore.

MM

[Harold Ritter]

Hi @imikem2 ,

> earning a Master CNE

I have to raise my hat to you. This was the hot certification when I started in the networking field. I worked extensively with IPX at my first job. I then started to work for a Cisco partner and decided to go for the CCIE and IPX was still an important part of the CCIE certification.

Regards,