Management port overview

The MAC address for the management port is derived from the base MAC address of the unit, plus the number of ports in the base module. For example, on a 48-port standalone device, the base MAC address is 0000.0034.2200. The management port MAC address for this device would be 0000.0034.2200 plus 0x30, or 0000.0034.2230. The 0x30 in this case equals the 48 ports on the base module.

The MAC address for the management port is derived as if the management port is the last port on the management module where it is located. For example, on a 2 X 10G management module, the MAC address of the management port is that of the third port on that module.

Only packets that are specifically addressed to the management port MAC address or the broadcast MAC address are processed by the Layer 2 switch or Layer 3 switch. All other packets are filtered out. No packet received on a management port is sent to any in-band ports, and no packets received on in-band ports are sent to a management port.

For ICX devices, all features that can be configured from the global configuration mode can also be configured from the interface level of the management port. Features that are configured through the management port take effect globally, not on the management port itself.

For switches, any in-band port may be used for management purposes. A router sends Layer 3 packets using the MAC address of the port as the source MAC address.

For stacking devices, each stack unit has one OOB management port. Only the management port on the active controller will actively send and receive packets. If a new active controller is elected, the new active controller management port will become the active management port. In this situation, the MAC address of the old active controller and the MAC address of the new controller will be different.