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GBIC problem on 6509

jmspiers2006
Level 1
Level 1

I have an interesting problem. I have a 6509 that I'm trying to swap the GBIC on. The switch is already using a GLC-SX-MM GBIC and it is up/up and passing traffic, but we are getting some errors and suspect it may be faulty.

I went to replace the GBIC with one of the identical model - a GLC-SX-MM. It was brand new, never been opened. When the new GBIC is plugged in the link light on the switch goes completely off (not amber) and the port goes into a down/down (notconnect) state. There are no messages in the logs at all. It's like it doesn't even see it. If you plug the old GBIC back in then the link comes back up. I tried a different port with the same results.

Thinking that the new GBIC may be faulty (even though it was brand new) I tried a second GLX-SX-MM, also new. That one does the same thing.

At that point I thought there might be a problem with that switch, so I tried the GBICs on the other 6509 in that pair. The other 6509 is running the same hardware and software. The GBICs will not work there either. If you move the old, suspected faulty GBIC from 6509-2 to 6509-1 then that it works.

The solution would seem to be that I have two faulty GBICs, but I'm having trouble persuading myself that I have two new ones, straight out of the package, that are both bad. Are there any other things anyone can think to check on the switch? Here's the pertinent information:

switch#show ver

Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-ADVIPSERVICESK9_WAN-M), Version 12.2(33)SXI3, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc2)

<snip>

cisco WS-C6509-E (R7000) processor (revision 1.3) with 458720K/65536K bytes of memory.

Processor board ID SMG1109N3BK

SR71000 CPU at 600Mhz, Implementation 0x504, Rev 1.2, 512KB L2 Cache

Last reset from s/w reset

27 Virtual Ethernet interfaces

248 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces

1 Ten Gigabit Ethernet interface

1917K bytes of non-volatile configuration memory.

8192K bytes of packet buffer memory.


switch#show module

Mod Ports Card Type                              Model              Serial No.

--- ----- -------------------------------------- ------------------ -----------

  1   48  CEF720 48 port 10/100/1000mb Ethernet  WS-X6748-GE-TX    

  2   48  CEF720 48 port 10/100/1000mb Ethernet  WS-X6748-GE-TX    

  3   48  CEF720 48 port 10/100/1000mb Ethernet  WS-X6748-GE-TX    

  4   48  CEF720 48 port 10/100/1000mb Ethernet  WS-X6748-GE-TX    

  5    2  Supervisor Engine 720 (Active)         WS-SUP720-3B      

  6    6  Firewall Module                        WS-SVC-FWM-1      

  7    1  Application Control Engine Module      ACE20-MOD-K9      

  8   48  CEF720 48 port 10/100/1000mb Ethernet  WS-X6748-GE-TX    

Thanks,

Josh

15 Replies 15

Reza Sharifi
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame

Josh,

Did you purchased the optic from a 3rd party vender?  Some 3rd party vender's optic are not compatible with Cisco device.  I don't think you have two bad GBICs.  I think it is compatible issue.  Some venders are not in the approved list of provider for Cisco devices and even if it works, TAC will not support them.

HTH

Did you purchased the optic from a 3rd party vender?  Some 3rd party vender's optic are not compatible with Cisco device.  I don't think you have two bad GBICs.  I think it is compatible issue.  Some venders are not in the approved list of provider for Cisco devices and even if it works, TAC will not support them.

Reza,

Thanks for the reply. No, both of these came straight from Cisco.

I actually tried one from an F5 as well, but it wasn't compatible. The switch detected it but put the port into a down/down (faulty) state.

Josh

Wow, so you actually may have multiple faulty GBICs.

Well, there is one other reason that I don't think they're faulty...they work in a 3750. I forgot to mention that in my original post. I popped them into a spare 3750 and the links went up/up immediately. So if they're faulty then it's in a very strange way =/

Unfortunately these 6509s aren't under contract right now so I can't open a TAC case either.

Justin DeVaughn
Level 1
Level 1

Josh,

I just had an issue with GBIC's myself and I discovered that the problem lay in the bandwidth rating.  For instance getting a 1G GBIC connected to a 10G GBIC caused them to not form a routing adjacency, (down/down).

If the two GBIC's you recently purchased work when connected to each other, then maybe the existing GBIC's are a different bandwidth than the new ones.

As far as platforms go, it's incompatible to plug a 1G GBIC into a 10G sup engine port.  Since it isn't "less bandwidth" compatible. 

SImilarly, it's incompatible to plug a 10G GBIC into a 10/100/1000 port.

Regards,

Justin

Josh,

I just had an issue with GBIC's myself and I discovered that the problem lay in the bandwidth rating.  For instance getting a 1G GBIC connected to a 10G GBIC caused them to not form a routing adjacency, they didn't even see it each other (down/down).

If the two GBIC's you recently purchased work when connected to each other, then maybe the existing GBIC's are a different bandwidth than the new ones.

Regards,

Justin

Justin, I am testing them connected to each other in the 3750, so you do raise an interesting possibility. However, both of the new GBICs are the same type of GBIC (same product # and vendor) that the 6509 is currently using, so if the problem is that the other end is not compatible then I would think that it would not be working at all. The other end of the link is controlled by a different group so I can't easily check the product # on their GBIC, but I do know that it is 1 gig.

Thanks,

Josh

Josh,

Q1-are you using a MM fiber patch?

Q2-when connecting it to the 6500, can you try switching the fiber strands?

With SC type of connector, it is easy to switch them around.

Q1-are you using a MM fiber patch?

Q2-when connecting it to the 6500, can you try switching the fiber strands?

With SC type of connector, it is easy to switch them around.

1. Yes

2. I probably could switch them, but in this case I'm confident that they're connected properly (mainly because it's working with the same model GBIC).

Thanks,

Josh

Josh,

Did you happen to find the solution?

If not, any new updates along the troubleshooting process?

Josh,

Did you happen to find the solution?

If not, any new updates along the troubleshooting process?

No, I haven't found a solution yet. Our service contracts came in last week for these so I'm going to open a TAC case with Cisco about it. When I find the solution I'll try to remember to update this thread.

Thanks,

Josh

Hi,

have you tried to tweak the settings on interface that is down/down ? (speed nonegotiate, if available). I had similar issue with 3560G uplink to 45xx wihile GBIC replacement.

Thx

MS

Hi,

have you tried to tweak the settings on interface that is down/down ? (speed nonegotiate, if available). I had similar issue with 3560G uplink to 45xx wihile GBIC replacement.

Thx

MS

MS, I didn't try speed nonegotiate. I'll give that a shot next time I'm down there. I did try to configure the media type, but the command was not present with the new GBICs connected. It is present with the old GBIC connected. I'm assuming the Cisco cannot even see that media is connected so it won't let you tweak it.

Thanks,

Josh

dynamitec1
Level 1
Level 1

I ran into this issue just yesterday, was finally able to bring up the port on my 6509.


Here's what I was doing when it happened.


I was moving a few connections from a media converter directly to GBIC.  The port I was trying to move into was previously being used.  In addition, I was just doing a "cleanup" of a few connections (moving SFPs around), so consecutive ports are used instead of having connections all over the module.  All of a sudden, the port I was trying to use lost the any light, amber or green.


I removed all the configs on that particular port, shut/no-shut..but, it didnt work.  However, I removed the SFP and performed the same steps...the port came back up! 

 
I have a very good feeling that the old SFP on the port was MM, and we started using SM. Yes, the SFP we are using are made by Cisco.


Old thread, but I hope it helps.

Thanks for your comments Adam, I'm glad you got your problem sorted out.

I had forgotten about this thread, but I figured I'd go ahead and update it with my solution.

To explain the scenario, the 6509 that I was working with was connected up to a patch panel in a datacenter, then there was a fiber run going over to another patch panel in a locked wiring closet, then it was connecting to another 6509. I controlled our 6509, another group controlled the fiber in the datacenter, and a third group controlled the 6509 and fiber in a wiring closet.

After my last post on this thread, Cisco shipped a replacement sup. When that didn't work we got the group that controlled the 6509 in the wiring closet to physically show up during one of our maintenance windows and troubleshoot with us. (That sounds like a simple process, but the reason it took so long to do was because of the size of our company combined with the fact that no one thought the symptoms pointed to a problem with the fiber, including Cisco).

Long story short, the problem ended up being a faulty port on one of the patch panels. Kind of embarassing that something that simple took so long to discover. If one group controlled the entire run then we definitely would have tried it before then, but it took a long time to persuade the other group that they needed to show up in person and look at their side instead of just looking at it remotely.

It was a strange problem, and the people I was working with at Cisco said they had never seen a faulty patch panel cause the symptoms that we had. The one thing that still doesn't make any sense to me is the fact that no new GBICs would work but the old one would. They were the same part #, but for some reason the existing GBIC would work with the very weak signal that it was getting and the new GBICs would not.

Thanks to everyone on the thread for your help.

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