Advantech Switches - What are the software failures of the switches?

(1) System error:

A switch system is a combination of hardware and software. Inside the switch there is a refreshable read-only memory that holds the software system necessary for the switch. This kind of error is also the same as our common Windows and Linux, due to the design reasons at that time, there are some vulnerabilities, and when the conditions are right, it will lead to the occurrence of full load, packet loss, and wrong packet error on the switch. Therefore, the switch system provides methods such as Web, TFTP, etc. to download and update the system. Of course, when upgrading the system, errors can also occur.

For such problems, we need to get into the habit of frequently browsing the website of the device manufacturer, and update it in time if there is a new system launch or new patch.

(2) Improper configuration:

Beginners are not familiar with switches, or administrators often make configuration errors when configuring switches due to different configurations. For example, the network is not connected due to incorrect VLAN division, the port is incorrectly closed, and the mode configuration of the switch and NIC does not match. This type of fault is sometimes difficult to detect and requires a certain amount of experience. If you can't make sure that there is a problem with the user's configuration, restore the factory default configuration first, and then configure it step by step. Fortunately, before configuration, read the manual, which is also one of the habits that the network administrator should develop. Each switch has a detailed installation manual, user manual, and detailed explanation for each type of module. Since many switch manuals are written in English, users who are not good at English can consult with the vendor's engineers before making specific configurations.

(3) Password loss:

This is probably something that every admin has experienced at one time or another. Once you forget your password, you can recover or reset your system password through certain steps. Others are as simple as pressing a button on the switch. And some need to go through certain operation steps to solve.

This usually happens when data is lost due to human forgetfulness or a switch failure.

(4) External factors:

Due to viruses or hacker attacks, a host may send a large number of packets that do not comply with the encapsulation rules to the connected port, causing the switch processor to be overbusy, causing the packets to be forwarded in time, resulting in buffer overflow and packet loss. There is also a case of S broadcast storm, which will not only take up a lot of network bandwidth, but also will take up a lot of CPU processing time. If the network is occupied by a large number of broadcast packets for a long time, normal point-to-point communication cannot proceed normally, and the network speed will be slowed down or paralyzed.

If a NIC or port fails, a broadcast storm may occur. Since the switch can only divide the collision domain, but not the broadcast domain (without dividing the VLAN), when the number of broadcast packets accounts for 30% of the total communication, the transmission efficiency of the network will be significantly reduced.

In general, software failures should be more difficult to find than hardware failures, and solving them may not cost too much money and take more time. It's good to get into the habit of keeping a log in your daily work. Whenever a fault occurs, do a good job in the fault phenomenon recording, fault analysis process, fault solution, fault classification and summary in time to accumulate their own experience. For example, sometimes when configuring, for various reasons, there is no impact on the network or no problems are found at the time, but the problems may gradually become apparent after a few days. If there is logging, you can think of whether there was a mistake in the configuration from the previous few days. Because many times I ignore this, thinking that there is a problem in other aspects, when I take many detours, I find the problem. Therefore, it is necessary to keep logs and maintain information.

Advantech Switches - What are the software failures of the switches?

Advantech Switches - What are the software failures of the switches?

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