hi,

Your Catalyst can run either in Hybrid or Native modes. In the hybrid mode, two separate image files are managed by the two different operating systems. The CatOS images are stored on the Supervisor bootflash or flash cards (PCMCIA for Supervisor 1A and Supervisor 2, and Compact Flash for both the Supervisor Engine 32 and Supervisor Engine 720). The Cisco IOS image for the MSFC is stored on the MSFC bootflash.

As for the Native mode Cisco IOS Software requires the single image be present on a device local to the Supervisor because it is a bundled image for two processors and the SP boots first. The image can reside either on the Supervisor bootflash (sup-bootflash:) or the flash card (slot0: or disk0:); it cannot reside on the MSFC bootflash.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps708/products_tech_note09186a008070f124.shtml#dram

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps708/products_white_paper09186a00800c8441.shtml

For configuring VLANs:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps708/products_configuration_guide_chapter09186a008019f024.html

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps708/products_configuration_guide_chapter09186a0080160a7c.html

HTH,

Mohammed Mahmoud.

Hi Willem, In Mohammed's post and links is well explained and suggest go over those links.

Another quick way to determined if the switch is running hybrid or native you could do the following:

Connect to the switch through local console.. usually when the switch is running in hybrid the 1st device you connect is the switch engine and you can recongnize right away by the prompt.

e.g

swithc6509>enable

switch6509(enable)

you can issue "show version " and "show mod"

show module will provide modules installed, including the MSFC doughter card that is installed in the Sup1A blade being listed as modules 15 slot1 .. module 15 is your MSFC card router, you can connect to it from the switch by issuing " session 15 " command and connect to the router.. if you get this far it is crear you are running in hybrid.. to get back into the switch press ctrl-c several times to be back to switch engine.. if all these steps proves to be true you can assign or change port vlan assigments as :

switch6509(enable)set vlan 201 mod/port

or several ports from a single module

e.g

switch6509(enable)set vlan 201 3/1-10

also "show port" will list all ports and their vlan assigments.

If you don't get any of the above results and all your prompts indicate a router prompt that may be running in native issue following commands ..

in native mode all RJ45 ports can either be plain layer 2 port or routed ports and if so you will see ports configure as " switch port mode access " or no switchport mode access " and possibly with an IP address configured.

switch6509>enable

switch6509#show run

to assign/change vlans on a port

simply do as follows:

SW6509#config t

SW6509#interface fastethernet3/25

SW6509(config-if)#switchport mode access

SW6509(config-if)#switchport access vlan 201

HTH

Jorge