Extreme Switches

Extreme Networks switches include ERS (Ethernet Routing Switch), VSP (Virtual Services Platform), and EXOS-based platforms. VSP and ERS switches support SPB-m (Shortest Path Bridging - MAC) fabric deployments for enterprise campus and data center networks.

Supported Models

ERS (Ethernet Routing Switch)

VSP (Virtual Services Platform)

EXOS (ExtremeXOS)

Features Supported

Prerequisites

Firmware Requirements

Network Requirements

• Management IP connectivity to rXg
• SSH access (TCP port 22) for ERS and VSP
• HTTP/HTTPS access for EXOS JSON-RPC API
• SNMP access (UDP port 161)
• RADIUS connectivity (UDP ports 1812, 1813)
• TFTP access from switch to rXg (UDP port 69) for config scripts (ERS/VSP)

Onboarding Process

ERS Bootstrap

The ERS bootstrap process configures SPB-m fabric, management IP, SSH, SNMP, and user credentials. Bootstrap scripts are generated from the rXg admin console.

Phase 1 - Enable SPB-m (requires reboot):

enable
config terminal
spbm
y
! Switch will reboot now

Phase 2 - Configure remaining settings (after reboot):

enable
config terminal
terminal length 0
no autosave enable

! Enable SSH
no ssh
ssh timeout 120
ssh

! SNMP configuration
snmp-server community ro
<community_string>
<community_string>
snmp-server name "<system_name>"
snmp-server enable

! User credentials
no password security
username RW password
<password>
<password>

vlan configcontrol flexible

! SPB-m configuration
spbm ethertype 0x8100
router isis
spbm 1
spbm 1 nick-name <nickname>
exit

! Loopback for IS-IS source
interface loopback 1
ip address <loopback_ip> 255.255.255.255
exit

! NTP configuration
ntp server <rxg_ip>
ntp

! Management IP configuration
no ip address
y
no ip netmask
y
no ip default-gateway
y

vlan create <mgmt_vlan> type port
vlan mgmt <mgmt_vlan>
ip address <ip>/<mask> default-gateway <gateway>

! B-VLAN configuration
vlan create <bvlan1> type spbm-bvlan
vlan create <bvlan2> type spbm-bvlan

! IS-IS routing configuration
router isis
ip-source-address <loopback_ip>
spbm 1 b-vid <bvlan1>,<bvlan2> primary <bvlan1>
is-type l1
manual-area <area_id>
exit

router isis enable

router isis
redistribute direct
redistribute direct enable
exit
isis apply redistribute direct

! NNI port configuration (for each NNI port)
vlan members remove 1 <nni_port>
interface ethernet <nni_port>
isis
isis spbm 1
isis enable
no spanning-tree stp 1
no shutdown
exit

! Management I-SID mapping
vlan i-sid <mgmt_vlan> <mgmt_isid>

exit
write mem

VSP Bootstrap

VSP switches use SFTP for configuration script delivery. Bootstrap configuration is generated from the Switch Fabric management interface.

Bootstrap configuration includes: - SSH enable with algorithm support - Password change from factory defaults - SPB-m fabric configuration (B-VLANs, IS-IS, nicknames) - NNI port configuration for fabric interconnects - Management VLAN and I-SID configuration - NTP server configuration - SNMP community setup

enable
configure terminal

! SSH configuration
ssh timeout 120
ssh

! SPB-m configuration
spbm
spbm ethertype 0x8100
router isis
spbm 1
spbm 1 nick-name <nickname>
spbm 1 b-vid <bvlan1>,<bvlan2> primary <bvlan1>
exit

! Loopback for IS-IS
interface loopback 1
ip address <loopback_ip>/32
exit

! IS-IS configuration
router isis
ip-source-address <loopback_ip>
is-type l1
manual-area <area_id>
redistribute direct
redistribute direct enable
exit

router isis enable

! NNI port configuration
interface GigabitEthernet <nni_port>
isis
isis spbm 1
isis enable
no shutdown
exit

save config

EXOS Bootstrap

EXOS switches use JSON-RPC API over HTTP/HTTPS for configuration. Bootstrap generates management configuration.

# Management IP configuration
configure vlan Default ipaddress <ip>/<mask>
configure iproute add default <gateway>

# DNS configuration
configure dns-client add name-server <dns_ip>
configure dns-client default-domain <domain>

# SNMP configuration
configure snmp sysName "<system_name>"
configure snmpv3 add community <community_string> name <community_name> user v1v2c_ro
enable snmp access

# SSH configuration
enable ssh2

# Change admin password
configure account admin password <password>

# NTP configuration
configure ntp server add <ntp_ip>
enable ntp

Configuration

Connection Settings

ERS/VSP (SSH)

The rXg connects via SSH using RubyExpect for CLI automation. Legacy SSH algorithms are enabled for compatibility with older firmware versions.

SSH algorithms enabled: - Key Exchange: diffie-hellman-group14-sha1 - Host Key: ssh-rsa

CLI prompts recognized: - Password prompt: password: - Enabled prompt: # - Disabled prompt: > - Config prompt: (config)# - Interface prompt: (config-if)#

EXOS (JSON-RPC)

The rXg connects via JSON-RPC API over HTTP or HTTPS.

API endpoint: http(s)://<host>:<port>/jsonrpc

Request format: json { "method": "cli", "id": "10", "jsonrpc": "2.0", "params": ["<command>"] }

RADIUS / AAA Configuration

ERS RADIUS Configuration

802.1X and MAB authentication configuration is managed via config sync:

radius-server host <rxg_ip> key <shared_secret>
radius-server host <rxg_ip> auth-port 1812
radius-server host <rxg_ip> acct-port 1813

aaa authentication dot1x default radius
aaa authentication mac default radius

VSP RADIUS Configuration

radius-server host <rxg_ip> key <shared_secret>
radius server host <rxg_ip> used-by dot1x
radius server host <rxg_ip> used-by non-eap-mac

authentication mode multi-host

EXOS RADIUS/Netlogin Configuration

EXOS uses netlogin with policy-based VLAN authorization:

# Configure RADIUS server
configure radius netlogin primary server <rxg_ip> client-ip <switch_ip> vr VR-Default
configure radius netlogin primary shared-secret <shared_secret>

# Enable netlogin authentication modes
enable netlogin dot1x
enable netlogin mac

# Configure policy for VLAN assignment (created automatically by rXg)
create policy profile <profile_name> port-vlan <vlan_id>

SPB-m Fabric Configuration

For ERS and VSP switches participating in an SPB-m fabric:

B-VLAN Configuration

B-VLANs carry fabric traffic between switches:

# ERS
vlan create <bvlan_id> type spbm-bvlan

# VSP
vlan create <bvlan_id> type spbm-bvlan

I-SID to VLAN Mappings

Service Instance Identifiers map VLANs across the fabric:

# ERS - Flex-UNI mapping
i-sid <isid> vlan <vlan_id> port <port>

# VSP - L2 VSN mapping
i-sid <isid> vlan <vlan_id>

NNI Port Configuration

Network-to-Network Interface ports carry fabric traffic:

# Enable ISIS on NNI ports
interface ethernet <port>
isis
isis spbm 1
isis enable
no shutdown
exit

SNMP Configuration

ERS/VSP

snmp-server community ro
<community_string>
snmp-server enable

EXOS

configure snmpv3 add community <community_string> name <name> user v1v2c_ro
enable snmp access

Monitoring Capabilities

Monitored Port Types

• Ethernet ports (physical interfaces)
• LAG interfaces (Link Aggregation Groups)
• NNI ports (fabric backbone)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

SSH Connection Failures (ERS/VSP)

Symptom: Unable to establish SSH connection Resolution: - Verify SSH is enabled on the switch - Check firewall rules allow TCP port 22 - Verify SSH key algorithms are compatible (legacy algorithms may be required) - Check for IP lockout after failed login attempts (60 second timeout)

JSON-RPC Connection Failures (EXOS)

Symptom: HTTP connection refused or authentication errors Resolution: - Verify web server is enabled: enable web http or enable web https - Check credentials are correct for admin user - Verify REST API is enabled in EXOS configuration

SPB-m Fabric Not Synchronizing

Symptom: Config sync reports fabric not enabled Resolution: 1. Verify SPB-m is enabled: show spbm should show "enabled" 2. Verify IS-IS is running: show isis or show isis interface 3. Check NNI ports are up and ISIS-enabled 4. Verify B-VLAN configuration matches fabric settings

I-SID Mappings Not Applied

Symptom: VLAN traffic not forwarding across fabric Resolution: - Verify I-SID is created and mapped to correct VLAN - Check port is member of the VLAN - Verify ISIS adjacency is established on NNI ports

Diagnostic Commands

ERS

show spbm                          # SPB-m global status
show isis                          # IS-IS protocol status
show isis interface                # IS-IS enabled interfaces
show isis spbm                     # SPB-m instance details
show i-sid                         # I-SID to VLAN mappings
show vlan members                  # VLAN membership
show running-config                # Current configuration
show interfaces loopback           # Loopback IP configuration
show lldp neighbor-mgmt-addr       # LLDP neighbors

VSP

show spbm                          # SPB-m status
show isis interface                # IS-IS interfaces
show isis spbm                     # SPB-m instance info
show vlan i-sid                    # I-SID mappings
show vlan members                  # VLAN membership
show running-config                # Current configuration
show lldp neighbor                 # LLDP neighbors

EXOS

show switch                        # System information
show vlan                          # VLAN configuration
show netlogin                      # Netlogin/authentication status
show radius                        # RADIUS server configuration
show policy profile all            # Policy profiles
show lldp neighbors                # LLDP neighbors

Known Limitations

• SPB-m fabric only supported on VSP and ERS platforms (not EXOS)
• EXOS switches use JSON-RPC API (not SSH CLI)
• ERS requires reboot to enable/disable SPB-m mode
• Configuration script execution via TFTP requires rXg TFTP service enabled
• Maximum script execution timeout is 120 seconds for large configurations

Operational Caveats

• ERS SPB-m Mode: Enabling or disabling SPB-m requires a switch reboot. Plan maintenance windows accordingly.
• IS-IS Source IP: The loopback interface IP is used as IS-IS source address. Changing it requires temporary workaround with secondary loopback.
• VLAN Tagging Modes: ERS supports tagAll, unTagPvidOnly, and filter-untagged-frame modes per port.
• Config Script Delivery: ERS/VSP use TFTP/SFTP for config scripts. Ensure rXg is accessible from switch management network.
• NNI Port Changes: Modifying NNI ports affects fabric topology. IS-IS will reconverge.

External References

• Extreme Networks Documentation
• VSP VOSS Configuration Guide
• ERS Configuration Guide
• EXOS User Guide
• SPB-m Fabric Configuration Guide