Interesting 10mbps half duplex connection issue

[dan.letkeman]

I have a number of security panels that have an Ethernet port which is a 10mbps half duplex connection.  I have started to replace my old 3560G switches with 3560X and 2960s switches.  I have noticed that these security panels will connect to the switch at 10mbps half duplex just as they did before on the 3560G switches, but I will get sporadic communications, and ping tests will drop half of the packets.

However in one case where I was getting this sporadic connection from a security panel to a 3560X switch, I moved the connection to a 2960S switch and it worked fine!.  In another case where I was getting the sporadic connection on a 3560X I moved it to a 2960s switch and it didn't work, unless I used a GLC-T sfp.  And yet in another case I have the same model security panel connected to a 3560X and it works fine.  All of the 3560X switches are running 15.0(2)SE10a, and all of the 2960s switches are running 15.2(2)E6.

Has anyone come across this sort of sporadic behavior with devices like this?  I don't have any other issues with all of my switches, except for these devices.

Thanks,

Dan.

[Julio E. Moisa]

Hi

I have not experienced similar problems, is there any way to force the security panels to work as full duplex?

[dan.letkeman]

Unfortunately these panels are built for 10 half only.  The newer model does 100 full.

Dan.

[Julio E. Moisa]

Thank you Dan,

Have you configured the switchports as:

duplex auto
speed auto

[dan.letkeman]

I have.  I have also tried manually setting the speed and duplex.  I have tried multiple different switches and multiple panels.  Each seem to have a different response if they connect at all.

I always get a link.  I have no errors on the port.  It just doesn't seem to properly pass traffic to and from the device.

If I connect these panels to an older 2960 or 3560 it works perfectly.  I am leaning towards a bug with the switches, but I also think that the panels are not all the same hardware revision because they all act differently.

Dan.

[acampbell]

Hi,

Have a read at the release notes for your IOS 15.0.2SE & Later...
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/lan/catalyst3750x_3560x/software/release/15-0_2_se/release/notes/OL25302.html

Do a search in the doc for "half" you will find a couple of bugs

CSCec74610 - to do with half duplex "inter packet gap"
CSCsh04301 - Unable to receive packets with Auto/Auto and 10/Half

You will have to read the bug tool info re work-a-rounds etc

Regards
Alex

[Julio E. Moisa]

Hi Dan

It could be a bug, as it was mentioned previously by acampbell, you could open a ticket with the Cisco TAC.

Could you please provide an output of show interface <interface> once connected the security panel to the switch?

Thank you

[dan.letkeman]

GigabitEthernet0/48 is up, line protocol is up (connected)
Hardware is Gigabit Ethernet, address is 1cde.a7d9.86b0 (bia 1cde.a7d9.86b0)
MTU 1500 bytes, BW 10000 Kbit/sec, DLY 1000 usec,
reliability 255/255, txload 1/255, rxload 1/255
Encapsulation ARPA, loopback not set
Keepalive set (10 sec)
Half-duplex, 10Mb/s, media type is 10/100/1000BaseTX
input flow-control is off, output flow-control is unsupported
ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00
Last input never, output 00:00:00, output hang never
Last clearing of "show interface" counters never
Input queue: 0/75/0/0 (size/max/drops/flushes); Total output drops: 0
Queueing strategy: fifo
Output queue: 0/40 (size/max)
5 minute input rate 0 bits/sec, 0 packets/sec
5 minute output rate 1000 bits/sec, 1 packets/sec
24437 packets input, 2163885 bytes, 0 no buffer
Received 393 broadcasts (0 multicasts)
0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
1 input errors, 1 CRC, 0 frame, 0 overrun, 0 ignored
0 watchdog, 0 multicast, 0 pause input
0 input packets with dribble condition detected
365584 packets output, 29529958 bytes, 0 underruns
0 output errors, 1 collisions, 1 interface resets
0 unknown protocol drops
0 babbles, 0 late collision, 0 deferred
0 lost carrier, 0 no carrier, 0 pause output
0 output buffer failures, 0 output buffers swapped out

[chrihussey]

Long shot here. I had something of a similar issue where the interface would come up momentarily and then drop with a particular environmental panel. After testing the cable, trying different speed and duplex settings, ports, etc., I disabled POE and it came right up. The interesting thing was that the device didn't even need the POE.

Not sure if this will be of any help, but just passing it on.

[dan.letkeman]

I had this thought yesterday as well.  I tried it this morning and it did not work.

[Joseph W. Doherty]

Just as an aside, besides using Cisco, we also use Brand X.  Some of later Brand X equipment didn't even allow enabling 10/half although it allows 10/full, but we too have some very old equipment that uses 10/half.

I suspect, vendors have started to think no one any longer uses 10/half, and therefore new equipment no longer needs to support it or they don't bother testing it much.

[dan.letkeman]

Upgraded the IOS on the 3560x to 15.2(2)E3 and it solved the issue.

[chrihussey]

Thanks for the update. Glad it is fixed.

[Julio E. Moisa]

Thanks for the update.