Support of Breakout Ports on an ICX Switch

A breakout port configuration allows you to increase the number of usable RUCKUS ICX switch ports without adding additional hardware. It does this by splitting a single high-bandwidth port into multiple lower-bandwidth ports, enabling the use of breakout cables to connect more devices.

Feature Overview

Beginning with SmartZone release 6.1.1, the controller has provided support for viewing RUCKUS ICX switch breakout ports (which had to be configured using the RUCKUS FastIron CLI). Beginning with SmartZone 7.1.1, the controller provides support for configuring switch breakout ports directly.

The ICX Breakout Port feature enables the logical division of a high-bandwidth port into multiple lower-bandwidth ports. This provides greater flexibility in port utilization by allowing a single physical port to support multiple connections. For example, a 40-Gbps QSFP+ physical interface can be divided into four 10-Gbps interfaces. This is particularly useful in network environments requiring flexible port configurations without hardware changes.

The breakout ports are displayed in the GUI as separate logical interfaces using four-tuple notation to clearly indicate the division of the high-bandwidth port into multiple lower-bandwidth ports. Specifically, the x/x/x:x syntax corresponds to the unit/slot/port:sub-port mapping for the device. These sub-ports are managed individually.

    Note:
  • If the RUCKUS ICX firmware is version 10.0.20b or later, the Breakout Port button is displayed on the right side of the Port Templates button.
  • If the RUCKUS ICX 7550-24ZP, 24F, 48ZP, or 48F switch models are not preconfigured with the required slot 2 uplink, the Breakout Port button will remain disabled, and an error message will appear when you attempt to select and apply a breakout port.

Requirements

The following requirements must be met to enable and configure the Breakout Port functionality using the controller:

  • RUCKUS ICX switches must be running FastIron firmware version 10.0.20b or later to take advantage of the dynamic breakout functionality introduced in that release. Dynamic breakout supports configuring individual sub-ports to run at different speeds and eliminates the forced switch reboot previously required for the breakout configuration to take effect.
  • SmartZone must be running version 7.1.1 or later.
  • RUCKUS ICX 7550 and ICX 7850 models support breakout port configuration.
  • On ICX 7550 models, breakout is supported only on module 2 (also referred to as slot 2) ports.
  • For ICX 7550 devices, breakout ports can be configured on standalone units only (meaning, stacking is not enabled).
  • For ICX 7850 devices, breakout is supported for standalone units and stacking configurations.

Considerations

Consider the following when configuring and using this feature:

  • For ICX 7550-24ZP, ICX 7550-24F, and ICX 7550-24XZP devices, the breakout configuration must be removed before disabling the module 2 40/100-Gbps uplink mode by running the no slot 2 uplink-40g or the no slot 2 uplink-100g command using the switch CLI Session function in the GUI.

Best Practices

Follow these best practices when using this feature.

  • Ensure the switch model and port support the breakout functionality.
  • Evaluate bandwidth requirements and identify high-traffic interfaces that can be split into multiple lower-bandwidth ports to optimize utilization. Ensure the selected interfaces support the necessary breakout configurations.
  • Always create a backup before making breakout changes to preserve the current working state.
  • Remove all breakout configurations before downgrading to an pre-10.0.20b FastIron firmware release.
  • Before configuring breakout ports, ensure that there are no existing configurations on the ports. Use the show running-config interface command to verify the current port configuration. Refer to the RUCKUS FastIron Command Reference Guide for more information.
  • Before configuring breakout ports, verify if the slot 2 uplink-40g or slot 2 uplink-100g commands are required for your configuration.
  • Clearly label the breakout ports to avoid confusion during troubleshooting and maintenance. This helps to quickly identify the correct ports.
  • Use appropriate breakout cables and ensure effective cable management to prevent physical damage and maintain signal integrity.
  • Always verify that connectors are properly inserted to prevent connectivity issues and potential damage to the ports.

Prerequisites

Ensure the following prerequisites are met.

  • For ICX 7550 models, slot 2 uplinks must be preconfigured by entering the appropriate command (slot 2 uplink-40g or slot 2 uplink-100g) using the switch CLI Session function in the GUI.
  • Appropriate breakout cables must be in place to support the desired breakout configuration. Refer to the RUCKUS ICX 7550 Switch Hardware Installation Guide and RUCKUS ICX 7850 Ethernet Switch Hardware Installation Guide for detailed information on breakout cables.

In this section:

  1. Enabling Switch Breakout Ports
    This task guides you through enabling breakout ports on supported RUCKUS ICX switches to prepare them for individual configuration and management. RUCKUS ICX switch models 7550 and 7850 support port breakout.
  2. Disabling Breakout Ports on the Controller
    This task guides you through disabling breakout ports on supported RUCKUS ICX switch models 7550 and 7850.
Parent topic: Port Level Configuration