Mailing List Archive

E-series CLI look/feel feedback
Hi all,

I'm interested in potentially using Force10 switches, but I'd like some
feedback on the feel of the CLI and (if there is one) the GUI. I am
well versed in Cisco, both IOS and CatOS, and like IOS, hate CatOS..

Does anyone know of an open demo switch? Anything like that?

I think the E-series are the best fit for my needs.


Regards,

Sam Crooks




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E-series CLI look/feel feedback [ In reply to ]
Sam,

We're using an E1200 in production and we have an E-600 as a spare which
is also used for feature testing, etc. Our staff is mainly familiar
with IOS/CatOS as we're about 99% Cisco here (still run legacy protocols
e.g. appletalk/ipx). There is very little difference between IOS and
FTOS as far as look-and-feel, but a great deal of difference in
stability as there are far fewer bugs in FTOS. Bottom line - if you
like IOS then you should also like FTOS on the E-series equipment. I
don't know of any open demo equipment - perhaps someone at Force10 will
chime in.

Regards,

Mike
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael J. Bennett
Sr. Network Engineer
Lawrence Berkeley Lab


Sam Crooks wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>I'm interested in potentially using Force10 switches, but I'd like some
>feedback on the feel of the CLI and (if there is one) the GUI. I am
>well versed in Cisco, both IOS and CatOS, and like IOS, hate CatOS..
>
>Does anyone know of an open demo switch? Anything like that?
>
>I think the E-series are the best fit for my needs.
>
>
>Regards,
>
>Sam Crooks
>
>
>
>
>CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
>This message, and any attachments, are intended only for the lawful and specified use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you are STRICTLY PROHIBITED from disclosing, printing, storing, disseminating, distributing or copying this communication, or admitting to take any action relying thereon, and doing so may be unlawful. It should be noted that any use of this communication outside of the intended and specified use as designated by the sender, may be unlawful. If you have received this in error, please immediately notify us by return e-mail, fax and/or telephone, and destroy this original transmission and its attachments without reading or saving in any manner.
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>force10-nsp mailing list
>force10-nsp at puck.nether.net
>https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/force10-nsp
>
>
E-series CLI look/feel feedback [ In reply to ]
--On 08 September 2005 15:12 -0700 Sam Crooks <scrooks at ebocom.net> wrote:

> I'm interested in potentially using Force10 switches, but I'd like some
> feedback on the feel of the CLI and (if there is one) the GUI. I am
> well versed in Cisco, both IOS and CatOS, and like IOS, hate CatOS..

Very IOS like, though with some changes, and the parser is sometimes
inconsistent (like it can be sensitive to the spaces between Ethernet and
x/y) - which seems to be common with a lot to switches TBH.

Found that the SNMP IfIndex interface numbering is somewhat trippy:

interfaces.ifTable.ifEntry.ifDescr.33865786 = GigabitEthernet 0/0
interfaces.ifTable.ifEntry.ifDescr.34127930 = GigabitEthernet 0/1
interfaces.ifTable.ifEntry.ifDescr.34390074 = GigabitEthernet 0/2
interfaces.ifTable.ifEntry.ifDescr.34652218 = GigabitEthernet 0/3

They are predictable (separated by 2^18), if otherwise human unfriendly.

Some issues with terminal wrapping, so if there is a line wrap, the top
lines will scroll off the top in the pager - terminal length is supported,
but it can't seem to sense the terminal width.

If you've been used to Foundry, where everything is ethernet x/y, finding
you now have fastethernet x/y, gigabitethernet x/y, and tengigabitethernet
x/y a bit weird, especially when gigabitethernet x/y is a 100/1000 port -
ISTR there's no 10Mb/s support on the Gig Copper cards (if you're
interested in needing backward compatibility.

Load balancing seems to be a global setting for the entire system, and LACP
can be tricky to fire up, but it does work.

By default, all the ports are route only, and you have to tell them
"switchport", but ranged commands are supported :).

Cheers,
Mike
--
Mike Hughes Chief Technical Officer London Internet Exchange
mike at linx.net http://www.linx.net/
"Only one thing in life is certain: init is Process #1"
E-series CLI look/feel feedback [ In reply to ]
--On 08 September 2005 23:26 +0100 Mike Hughes <mike at linx.net> wrote:

> ISTR there's no 10Mb/s support on the Gig Copper cards (if you're
> interested in needing backward compatibility.

I mean 10Mb/s half-duplex is not supported - not that you would probably
want to use it anyway, but you never know when you might want to plug
something old and crusty in.

Cheers,
Mike
--
Mike Hughes Chief Technical Officer London Internet Exchange
mike at linx.net http://www.linx.net/
"Only one thing in life is certain: init is Process #1"