.edge - Network Settings

This topic describes how to configure the network settings for a processing blade.

Active Network Ports

Each blade is equipped with 8 network interfaces: 6 media + 2 management ports.

• The two management ports are always active: MGMT 1 & MGMT 2.
• The active media ports are defined by the operating mode: either SFP 1 to 4 for 25G (the default) or QSFP 1 & 2 for 100G (requires optional license).

Default Network Settings

By default, MGMT 1 and all media ports are configured for DHCP. MGMT 2 is assigned a static IP.

Resetting the Network Settings

The Call Home button (on the front of the processing blade) can be used to reset the two MGMT ports to their default network settings. To perform the reset, press and hold Call Home for more than 10 seconds. The Call Home reset does not affect the media ports.

If you wish to reset the network settings for all ports, management and media, then this can be achieved using the Factory -> Reset Network Settings option (in HOME's Advanced parameters).

Control Network Scheme

For the initial setup, it is recommended to connect the blade to the HOME network using MGMT 1 (as this will allow a control IP address to be assigned by HOME's DHCP server).

Alternatively, the MGMT 2 port can be used if you need to reach the processing blade via a known static IP. In this instance, it is important to check that there are no duplicate IP addresses on the network (e.g. from another MGMT 2 port with the same default IP).

Once a connection is established, .edge supports two possible control schemes:

• Out-of-band - control data arrives via the MGMT ports: 2 x 1GbE (via SFP). This scheme requires a dedicated management network. To achieve redundant control, you must use both interfaces.
• In-band - control data arrives via the media ports. This scheme can be used if there is no separate management network.

Media Network IPs

By default, the active media ports are configured for DHCP. This means that, once the port is connected to the media network, it is assigned a source IP address by HOME's DHCP server. If you wish to use static source IP addresses, then these must be manually configured.

Note that the active ports are defined by the  operating mode (either 4 x 25GbE or 2 x 100GbE).

Configuration via HOME

In HOME, there are two ways to edit the network settings for a processing blade: via the Network Ports tab or Advanced parameters. Here we describe the Network Ports tab, as this is the best/simplest method for most applications.

From the main "Devices" list, click on the processing blade label (to open the "Device Details" as described earlier). The Network Ports tab lists all of the active network ports.

Device → Network Ports

From here you can quickly check the status of all network ports or edit the IP settings of a port (as shown below). 

The table shows information about each network port including the link state, label, description, internal name, media interface, MAC address, IP address, IP assignment and subnet. Scroll to the right to view more information such as the link speed, switch name, etc.

In edit mode, you can change the IP Address Assignment, IP Address (for Static assignments), Network Mask, Gateway and Primary/Secondary Name Servers. If you need access to more technical parameters, then these can be reached from the Network Ports branch of the Advanced parameters (as shown below).