Spinfab - Brocade Communications Systems Brocade 8/12c Command Reference Manual

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spinFab

spinFab
Runs functional test of interswitch link (ISL) cabling and trunk group operation.
SYNOPSIS
spinfab
[-nmegs count]
[-framesize bytes]
[-ports itemlist]
[-setfail mode]
[-fports flag]
DESCRIPTION
Use this command to verify the intended functional operation of interswitch links (ISLs) at the maximum
speed by setting up the routing hardware so that test frames received by each E_Port are retransmitted
on the same E_Port. Several frames are subsequently sent to the neighbor port attached to each active
E_Port specified. Because the default action for such frames is to route them back to the sender, which
never occurs during normal traffic, the frames circulate until the test terminates.
The frames are continuously transmitted and received in all ports in parallel. The port LEDs flicker green
rapidly while the test is running.
M->N/M->M loopback ports are tested as well, using the same algorithm, if loopback cables or loopback
plugs are present in the switch.
While the frames are circulating, the RX frame count and port CRC and encoder error statistics are
monitored. If a port stops or a low-level error occurs, the test generates an error message. Every one
million frames, the circulating frames are captured to verify that they are still circulating and in the
appropriate order. In this manner, the test can verify the entire path to the remote switch as well as the
proper in-order delivery operation of any trunk groups present.
The switch remains in normal operation while this test is running. However, some performance
degradation may occur due to the ISLs being saturated with test frames. For this reason, use caution
when running this test on live fabrics. Consider testing only one trunk group or ISL at a time, and do not
run the tests for extended periods of time.
Combine this test with portLoopBackTest for ISL link failure isolation. If spinFab fails, replace the cable
with a loopback plug and run portLoopBackTest to verify the local switch and media. If these pass, the
fault lies in the cable, the remote switch, or media.
The frame size depends on the amount of buffer credit available on the port. There are eight possible
frames that can be sent. Especially with trunking groups, all eight possible frames are used unless there
is extensive traffic running on the link. The payload sizes of those eight frames are 1024, 12, 8,1024,
512, 1024, 12, and 1024.
NOTES
On switches running Fabric OS v6.4.0 and later, you can use spinFab to test ports that previously
caused nonspecific test results or were skipped by spinFab. The following port types support the
spinFab diagnostics.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
940
Loopback ports
E_Ports
Trunk master ports
Ports with index numbers greater than 255.
Ports with swapped areas.
Ports in logical switches.
Ports in Base Switches.
Trunk Slave ports.
Fabric OS Command Reference
53-1001764-01