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Software User's Guide Version 3.4


Configuring IEEE 802.5 Token-Ring Network Interfaces

This chapter describes Token-Ring interfaces configuration and operational commands. It includes the following sections:


Accessing the Token-Ring Interface Configuration Process

To display the TKR config> prompt, enter the network command followed by the interface number of the Token-Ring interface. For example:

     Config>network 0
     Token-Ring interface configuration
     TKR Config>

Use the list devices command at the Config> prompt to display a list of interface numbers configured on the router.
Note:Whenever you change a parameter, you must restart the router for the changes to take effect.


Token-Ring Configuration Commands

This section describes the Token-Ring configuration commands. Enter the commands at the TKR config> prompt. Table 28 lists Token-Ring configuration commands.

Table 28. Token-Ring Configuration Command Summary
Command Function
? (Help) Displays all the commands available for this command level or lists the options for specific commands (if available). See "Getting Help".
 List   Displays the selected Token-Ring interface configuration. 
 LLC   Accesses the LLC configuration environment and subcommands. 
 Packet-size   Changes packet-size defaults for all Token-Ring networks. 
 Set   Sets the aging timer for the RIF cache and the physical (MAC) address. Also sets full or half-duplex operational modes. 
 Source-routing   Enables or disables source-routing on the interface. 
 Speed   Sets the interface speed in Mbps. 
Exit Returns you to the previous command level. See "Exiting a Lower Level Environment".

List

Use the list command to display the current configuration for the Token-Ring interface.
Note:If the MAC address is 0, the default station address is used.

Syntax:

list
 
Example:
list
Token-Ring configuration:
 
    Packet size (INFO field): 2052
 
Speed:                    16 Mb/sec
 RIF Aging Timer:          120
Source Routing:           Enabled
MAC Address:              000000000000

Packet size
Size of the Token-Ring packet.

Speed
Speed of the network.

RIF Aging Timer
Amount of time that the router holds the information contained in the Routing Information Field (RIF).

Source Routing
Status of the source-routing feature, enabled or disabled.

MAC Address
Configured MAC address that was set with the set physical-address command. If all zeros are displayed, the MAC address is the default address.

LLC

Use the LLC command to access the LLC configuration environment. See "LLC Configuration Commands" for an explanation of each of these commands.

Syntax:

llc
 
Note:If APPN is not included in your router software load, you will receive the following message if you try to use this command:
     LLC configuration is not available for this network.
The LLC configuration environment is only available if APPN is included in the software load.

Packet-Size

Use the packet-size command to change maximum packet-size for all Token-Ring networks. Enter the packet-size command followed by the desired number of bytes.

Syntax:

packet-size
bytes

Table 29. Token-Ring 4/16 Valid Packet Sizes
Network Data Speed Values (# of bytes)
4 Mbps 516 to 4498
Note:If a value greater than 4498 is defined for a 4 Mb TR then the software will set it to 4498. If the user does not specify a value, then the default is 2052.
16 Mbps 516 to 18144
Note:If you do not specify a value, then the default is 2052.
Note:If packet sizes are increased, buffer memory requirements will also increase.

Set

Use the set command to set the Routing Information Field (RIF) timer and the physical (MAC) address.

Syntax:

set
physical-address

 
rif-timer

physical-address
Indicates whether you want to define a locally administered address for the Token-Ring interface's MAC sublayer address, or use the default factory station address (indicated by all zeroes). The MAC sublayer address is the address that the Token-Ring interface uses to receive and transmit frames.
Note:Pressing Return leaves the value the same. Entering 0 and pressing Return causes the router to use the factory station address. The default is to use the factory station address.

Valid values: Any 12-digit hexadecimal address.

Default value: burned-in address (indicated by all zeroes).

Example:

set physical-address
MAC address in 00:00:00:00:00:00 form []?

rif-timer
Sets the maximum amount of time (in seconds) that the information in the RIF is maintained before it is refreshed. The default is 120.

Example:

set rif-timer
RIF aging timer value [120]?  120

Source-routing

Use the source-routing command to enable or disable end station source routing. Source routing is the process by which end stations determine the source route to use to cross source routing bridges. Source routing allows the IP, IPX, and AppleTalk Phase 2 protocols to reach nodes on the other side of the source routing bridge.

This switch is completely independent of whether this interface is providing source routing via the SRT forwarder. The default setting is enabled.

Some stations cannot properly receive frames with a Source Routing RIF on them. This is especially common among NetWare drivers. Disabling source routing in this situation will allow you to communicate with these stations.

Source routing should be enabled only if there are source-routing bridges on this ring that you want to bridge IP, IPX, and AppleTalk Phase 2 packets through. Source routing must also be enabled so LLC test response messages can be returned.

Syntax:

source-routing
enable

 
disable

Speed

Use the speed command to change data speed. The default speed is 4 Mbps. Enter the speed command followed by the speed-value (in Mbps).

Syntax:

speed
speed-value

speed-value
The speed to which you are setting the token-ring interface.

Valid values: 4 or 16 Mbps

Default value: 4 Mbps


Accessing the Interface Monitoring Process

To display the Token-Ring monitoring prompt (TKR>), enter the network command followed by the interface number of the Token-Ring interface. For example:

     +network 0
     TKR>

Use the list devices command at the Config> prompt to display a list of interface numbers configured on the router.

Follow the procedure described in "Accessing the Network Interface Configuration Process" to access the interface monitoring process for the interface described in this chapter. Once you have accessed the desired interface monitoring process, you can begin entering monitoring commands.


Token-Ring Interface Monitoring Commands

This section summarizes the Token-Ring monitoring commands. Enter commands at the TKR> monitoring prompt. Table 30 lists the monitoring commands.

Table 30. Token-Ring Monitoring Command Summary
Command Function
? (Help) Displays all the commands available for this command level or lists the options for specific commands (if available). See "Getting Help".
 Dump   Displays a dump of the RIF cache. 
 LLC   Displays the LLC monitoring prompt. 
Exit Returns you to the previous command level. See "Exiting a Lower Level Environment".

Dump

When source routing is enabled in the tkr config> process, you can use the dump command to request a dump of the RIF cache contents.

Syntax:

dump
 
Example:
dump
MAC address    State     Usage   RIF
0000C90B1A57   ON_RING   Yes     0220

MAC address
Displays the MAC address of the Token-Ring interface.

State
Displays one of the interface states:

On_ring - indicates that a RIF was found for a node on the ring.

Have_route - indicates that a RIF was found for a node on a remote ring.

No_route - is displayed for a brief period of time as an explorer frame is sent out and the router is waiting for a return.

Discovering - indicates that the router sent an explorer frame to rediscover the RIF.

St_route - indicates that a route obtained from a Spanning tree explorer.

Usage
Indicates that a RIF was used in a packet. The number is arbitrary and has no functional significance.

RIF
Displays a code that indicates the RIF in hexadecimal.
Note:The RIF is displayed only if Source Route Bridging is enabled on the Token-Ring interface.

LLC

Use the LLC command to access the LLC monitoring prompt. LLC commands are entered at this new prompt. See "LLC Monitoring Commands" for an explanation of each of these commands.

Syntax:

llc
 

Token-Ring Interfaces and the GWCON Interface Command

While Token-Ring interfaces have their own monitoring processes for monitoring purposes, the router also displays complete statistics for installed network interfaces when you use the interface command from the GWCON environment.

Statistics Displayed for 802.5 Token-Ring Interfaces

The following statistics display when you enter the interface <net#> command for a Token-Ring interface from the GWCON environment.

Nt Nt' Interface      CSR  Vec     Passed     Failed       Failed
 
0  0   TKR/0      6000000   1C          1          0            0
Token-Ring/802.5  MAC/data-link on IBM Token-Ring interface
Microcode version: 000VL00A0 (050394)
 
Physical address        000C90820C7
Network speed           16 Mbps
Max packet size (INFO)  2052
Handler state           Ring open
Ring status             SERR | CO
Interface Restarts      0
 
# times Signal lost     0          # times Beaconing  0
Hard errors             0          Lobe wire faults   0
Auto-removal errors     0          Removes received   0
Ring recovery actions   0
 
Line errors             0          Burst errors       0
ARI/FCI errors          0          Inputs dropped     0
Frame copy errors       0          Token errors       0
Lost frames             0
 
 

The following section describes general interface statistics:

Nt
Global interface number

Nt'
Applies only to dial circuits

Interface
Interface name and Number of this interface within interfaces of type "intrfc"

CSR
COMM and Status Registers address

Vec
Interrupt vector

Self-Test: Pass
Number of times self-test succeeded

Self-Test: Fail
Number of times self-test failed

Maint: Fail
Number of maintenance failures

The following section describes the statistics displayed that are specific to the Token-Ring interfaces:

Physical address
Specifies the physical address of the Token-Ring interface.

Network speed
Specifies the speed of the Token-Ring network that connects to the interface. The Network Speed counter displays the number of packets that the interface can pass per second.

Max packet size (info)
Displays the maximum packet size configured for that interface. The Max Packet Size counter displays the maximum length, in bytes, of a packet that the interface transmits or receives. This counter is user-defined.

Handler state
Displays the current state of the Token-Ring handler. The Handler state counter displays the state of the handler after the self-test runs.

Ring status
Last Ring Status of the Token Ring interface.

SIGL
SIGNAL_LOSS  The interface has detected a loss of signal on the ring.

HERR
HARD_ERROR  The interface is presently transmitting or receiving beacon frames on the ring.

SERR
SOFT_ERROR   The interface has transmitted a report error MAC frame.

BEAC
TRANSMIT_BEACON   The interface is transmitting beacon frames to or from the ring.

LWF
LOBE_WIRE_FAULT   The interface has detected an open or short circuit in the cable between the interface and the wiring concentrator. The interface is closed and is at the state following initialization.

ARMV
AUTO_REMOVAL_ERROR   The interface has failed the lobe wrap test, which resulted from the beacon auto-removal process, and has removed itself from the ring. The interface has closed and is at the state following initialization.

RMVD
REMOVED_RECEIVED   The interface has received a remove ring station MAC frame request and has removed itself from the ring. The interface is closed and is at the state following initialization.

CO
COUNTER_OVERFLOW   One of the following error counters has incremented from 254 to 255: Line, ARI/FCI, Frame Copy, Lost Frames, Burst, Lobe wire faults, Removes received. This display shows these error counters.

SSTA
SINGLE_STATION   The interface has sensed that it is the only station on the ring.

RR
RING_RECOVERY   The interface observes claim Token MAC frames on the ring. The interface may be transmitting the claim Token frames. This status remains until the interface transmits a ring purge frame.

Interface Restarts
Specifies the number of times the Token Ring chip timed out, or the Token Ring driver received a bad command from the handler. For information about why a restart occurred, see messages TKR.37, TKR.38, TKR.39, TKR.40, and TKR.41. in Event Logging System Messages Guide

# of times signal lost
Specifies the total number of times that the router was unable to transmit a packet due to loss of signal.

Hard errors
Displays the number of times the interface transmits or receives beacon frames from the network.

Auto-removal errors
Displays the number of times the interface, due to the beacon auto-removal process, fails the lobe wrap test and removes itself from the network.

Ring recovery actions
Displays the number of times the interface detects claim token medium access control (MAC) frames on the network.

Line errors
The Line Errors counter increments when a frame is repeated or copied and the Error Detected Indicator (EDI) is zero for the incoming frame:

One of the following conditions must also exist:

ARI/FCI errors
The ARI/FCI (Address Recognized Indicator/Frame Copied Indicator) Errors counter increments if the interface receives either of the following:

An Active Monitor Present (AMP) MAC frame with the ARI/FCI bits equal to zero and a Standby Monitor Present (SMP) MAC frame with the ARI/FCI bits equal to zero.

More than one SMP MAC frame with the ARI/FCI bits equal to zero, without an intervening AMP MAC frame.

This error indicates that the upstream neighbor copied the frame but is unable to set the ARI/FCI bits.

Frame copy errors
Displays the number of times the interface in receive/repeat mode recognizes a frame addressed to its specific address but finds the address recognize indicator (ARI) bits not equal to zero. This error indicates a possible line hit or duplicate address.

Lost frames
Displays the number of times the interface is in transmit mode (stripping) and fails to receive the end of a transmitted frame.

# times beaconing
Displays the number of times the interface transmits a beacon frame to the network.

Lobe wire faults
Displays the number of times the network detects an open or short circuit in the cable between the interface and the wiring concentrator.

Removes received
Displays the number of times the interface receives a remove ring station MAC frame request and removes itself from the network.

Burst errors
Displays the number of times the interface detects the absence of transitions for five half-bit times between the start delimiter (SDEL) and the end delimiter (EDEL) or between the EDEL and the SDEL.

Inputs dropped
Displays the number of times an interface in repeat mode recognizes a frame addressed to it but has no buffer space available to copy the frame.

Token errors
The token errors counter increments when the active monitor detects a token protocol with any of the following errors:

The MONITOR_COUNT bit of token with nonzero priority equals one.

The MONITOR_COUNT bit of a frame equals one. No token or frame is received within a 10-ms window.

The starting delimiter/token sequence has a code violation in an area where code violations must not exist.


Token-Ring Dynamic Reconfiguration Support

This section describes dynamic reconfiguration (DR) as it affects Talk 6 and Talk 5 commands.

CONFIG (Talk 6) Delete Interface

Token Ring supports the CONFIG (Talk 6) delete interface command with the following consideration:

When the interface is removed, the source routing record is deleted, and higher number records are renumberd.

GWCON (Talk 5) Activate Interface

Token Ring supports the GWCON (Talk 5) activate interface command with no restrictions.

All Token Ring interface-specific commands are supported by the GWCON (Talk 5) activate interface command.

GWCON (Talk 5) Reset Interface

Token Ring supports the GWCON (Talk 5) reset interface command with the following consideration:

If the maximum packet size has been set higher than the size for user data, the 2210 must be rebooted.

All Token Ring interface-specific commands are supported by the GWCON (Talk 5) reset interface command.


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