Conference netcad::hub_mgnt

2036.0. "DEChub/Hubwatch configuration problems" by SWAM2::JACOMB_SC (I know enough to be dangerous!!) Tue Feb 21 1995 15:49

    I have a customer has migrated from a thickwire backbone with multiple
    DEChub 90's to a switched network using fiber to each of the DEChub
    90's. 
    
    He has a DEChub 900 with 2 DECswitch 900 EF's and a DECconcentrator 900
    MX. Each of the AUI ports on the EF is fitted with a DEFLM. The DEFLM
    is ported to a DECrepeater 90 FA in each of the DEChub 90's. There is a
    DECagent in one of the DEChub 90's, the other DEChub 90's contain a
    DECbridge 90 as the hub master. All DEChub 90's also contain 2-3 
    DECrepeater 90T's and a DECserver 90 L+.
    
    Performance appears much better in this configuration than in the
    thickwire backbone configuration and the customer is very happy.
    
    Management via Hubwatch is a major problem in this configuration. When
    He click on one of the DECRepeater 90 modules, in a 90 hub, hubwatch
    either takes forever to find the stations on the hub and returns the
    addresses of all of the stations on the network (including those on the
    other side of the EF) or hubwatch hangs.
    
    I know that when the EF first comes up, it will forward traffic to all
    port until it learns what ports contain what addresses. After that time
    it should only pass traffic to the port that contains the MAC address
    in the packet. The DECbridge 90's will inititally see all of the
    addresses on the network when the EF first comes up, but should Age and
    only contain the addresses that really belong to that hub.
    
    If the customer runs the fiber into another DEFLM connected to the DB90
    and not the FA, everything works OK. Is this not the same as having two
    bridges back to back? Shouldn't the EF to FA work OK?
    
    Also if he invokes the find addres function within hubwatch, the
    address that he tries to find shows up in multiple hubs on multiple
    ports. Most of the time it show up in slot 7 port 1, which is the FA's
    fiber port. The community names that hubwatch shows is also messed up.
    Hubwatch will not even show the address in the community in which it
    belongs, but in most of the other communities. Each DEChub 90 is a
    different community.
    
    A new building is just about complete and we need to get these problems
    resolved before we can bid on the network extension to the new
    building.
    
    Any help would be greatly welcomed.
    
    	-Scott

    What platform are you running HUBwatch on?

    Windows 3.1