In regular mode, a standalone ICX 7150, ICX 7250, or ICX 7450 unit behaves like a
normal routing or switching device. In Provisional-PE or PE mode, the device operates
differently and has different commands available to it.
Provisional-PE Mode
Provisional-PE mode allows a regular ICX 7150, ICX 7250, or ICX 7450 router to configure
PE mode without affecting any router configuration. Typically, a unit boots up in
regular mode and operates like a regular device. An ICX 7150, ICX 7250, or ICX 7450
unit enters Provisional-PE mode after the user configures the
spx pe-enable command but has not reloaded the unit. The unit still acts like a regular switch
or router. Most commands, including configuration commands, are blocked as they are
in PE mode.
A unit in Provisional-PE mode cannot send or receive stacking packets such as topology
probes. It cannot perform secure setup or unit replacement.
A unit in Provisional-PE mode has the same user interfaces as a unit in PE mode. For
example, a unit in Provisional-PE mode still does MAC learning or runs OSPF protocols;
however, the user cannot execute the
show mac or
show ip route commands. The
show running-config command shows the PE configuration only.
A unit in Provisional-PE mode can enter regular mode immediately when the
no spx pe-enable command is entered. Any previous runtime configuration is restored as if nothing
has happened. The
show running-config command shows the restored configuration.
When a unit enters Provisional-PE mode the first time, the
show running-config command displays the unit as spx unit 1 with the default configuration. The user
can execute the
spx-port,
spx-lag, and
pe-name commands. Changing from regular mode to Provisional-PE mode after the first time
restores the previous PE configuration.
PE Mode
A unit boots up in PE mode and operates as a dummy device. It does not parse the startup-config
file when it boots up. The unit runs protocols, such as LLDP, available to a PE unit.
It does not perform local switching. Most commands, including configuration commands,
are blocked.
After a PE receives its assigned ID, it cannot run the
configure terminal command. If the unit is in configuration mode, it exits configuration mode. The
configure terminal command is unblocked when the PE unit is no longer joined to a CB. This state is
indicated by an "spx-port/lag down" status or by CB keep-alive aging.
The runtime configuration displayed by the
show running-config command differs in regular mode and PE mode. The
show running-config command shows the PE configuration only.
Note: A unit in regular mode can never reload to PE mode, for example, after you execute
a reload or after a power failure occurs. Only Provisional-PE mode can reload a unit
to PE mode.
PE mode cannot change to Provisional-PE mode or regular mode. There are several ways
to recover a PE unit to regular mode:
If the PE is not managed by the CB, disable SPX with the
no spx-enable command and then enter the
write memory command followed by the
reload command.
If the PE is managed by the CB, on the CB, enter the
spx unconfigureunit-idid command to reload the PE to standalone mode. Here,
id is the PE ID for the unit.
If a group of PEs is managed by the CB, on the CB, enter the
spx unconfigureunit-idid command and specify a range of IDs, a series, or both. Use no spaces in the ID string.
For example,
spx unconfigureunit-id23-27,30,35,40-43 returns PE units 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 35, 40, 41, 42, and 43 to regular mode.
Issue the
spx unconfigure me command on the PE unit.
Note: Starting with release 08.0.80, when a PE joins a SPX system, its local console automatically
executes an
rconsole to the CB. This is reflected in the device prompt (for example, rconsole-17@ICX7450-48F
Router#). When a PE unit has been successfully redirected to the CB, you can manage
the Campus Fabric from the PE unit if necessary. If the PE loses connection to the
CB, it returns to the PE unit's local console. The PE unit's local console has limited
configuration and reload capabilities as shown in the following table.
Unit Operating Mode Comparison
The following table describes differences in capabilities for an ICX 7150, ICX 7250,
or ICX 7450 unit in regular, Provisional-PE, and PE modes.
Differences in Operating Modes
Prompt or Command
Regular Mode
Provisional-PE Mode
PE Mode
Device prompt
Device_type-role#
For example,
ICX7450-48F Router#
[Provisional-PE]ICX7450-48F Router#
[PE]ICX7450-48F Router#
Commands available
All permitted commands are available, including stacking commands when stacking is
enabled.
These commands are available:
configure terminal, SPX unit configuration options,
write memory,
reload,
spx unconfigure,
show configuration, and
show startup-config.
When a PE joins an SPX system, its local console is automatically redirected to the
CB console. These commands are available only if a PE is not managed by the CB (you
must press CTRL-Shift-X to exit the CB console):
configure terminal, SPX unit configuration options,
write memory,
reload,
spx unconfigure,
show configuration, and
show startup-config
.
write memory
The
write memory
command writes to the startup configuration file for regular mode. If this unit has
any attached PE units, it sends a message to all of them to write to the PE startup
file.
The
write memory command writes to the PE startup file. It gives a warning message if the configuration
contains no SPX ports or SPX LAGs.
The
write memory command writes to the PE startup file if the PE unit has not joined a CB. Once the
PE unit joins a CB, the
write memory command is blocked. When the CB executes the
write memory command, the PE unit writes to the PE startup file.
reload
In regular mode, the switch or router can only reload to switch or router mode. A
reload can occur intentionally when the user enters the
reload command, or unintentionally, for example, following a power drop.
A provisional PE can only reload PE mode. When the
reload command is executed on a provisional PE, the system does two things:
It checks whether the PE startup file has
spx pe-enable configured. If the file does not exist or
spx pe-enable is not configured in the file, the system blocks the command:
[Provisional-PE]ICX7450-48F Router# reload
Error! provisional PE can only reload to PE mode, but boot file has no "spx pe-enable".
Please do "write memory" and try again, or "no spx pe-enable" to go back to switch/router
mode.
It compares the current configuration and the startup file. If they are different,
the system prints the following message:
[Provisional-PE]ICX7450-48F Router# reload
Are you sure? (enter 'y' or 'n'):
y
Running Config data has been changed. Do you want to continue the reload without
saving the running config? (enter 'y' or 'n'):
n
Please save the running config and try reload again
If you change the device back to router mode with the
no spx pe-enable command, the system immediately removes the
spx pe-enable configuration from the PE startup file. Other contents in the file are kept. This
is to prevent a router from accidentally reloading as a PE.
A unit in PE mode can reload to PE mode or router mode depending whether it has
spx pe-enable
configured in the PE startup file. There are two ways to reload a PE to switch or
router mode locally from the console of a PE not controlled by a CB:
After removing the
spx pe-enable configuration in PE mode, the user can execute the
write memory command and then the
reload command. The system still retains the PE startup file, which contains other information,
such as the SPX port and LAG configuration. If the user wants to change from router
mode to Provisional-PE mode by entering the
spx pe-enable command, all the SPX port and LAG configuration is restored.
The
spx unconfigure command can be entered from the CB or the PE unit to remove the PE startup file and
reload the PE unit as a router. The command removes all SPX port and LAG information.
rconsole
The
rconsole command can be used to access a PE unit. (Not applicable for a standalone unit.)
The
rconsole command is not available.
When a PE joins an SPX system, its console is re-directed to the CB. When a PE loses
the CB, its console returns to local. From the redirected CB console, the
rconsole command can be used to access the local PE console.
show configuration
The
show configuration command shows the startup-configuration file used in regular mode bootup.
The
show configuration command shows the PE startup file used in PE mode bootup.
The
show configuration command shows the PE startup file used in PE mode bootup.
show running-config
The
show running-config command shows the current running configuration.
The
show running-config command shows the running configuration the unit would have if it were reloaded and
operating in PE mode.
The
show running-config command shows the current running configuration.
show startup-configuration
Command not available.
The
show startup-configuration command shows the startup-configuration file used in regular mode bootup.
The
show startup-configuration command shows the startup-configuration file used in regular mode bootup.
spx unconfigure me
The
spx unconfigure command can be used from the CB to unconfigure a PE unit; however,
spx unconfigure me is not available from the CB.
The
spx unconfigure me command removes the PE startup file, but the unit does not reload.
The
spx unconfigure me command removes the PE startup file. The user is prompted to confirm the command
before it is run. The command removes the PE startup file and reloads the unit as
a standalone device.