Cat 3550 Questions

I just purchased 2 L3 3550's from eBay so that I can start building a lab for myself and I am already running into a problem. I'm really hoping that you experienced CCIE's can assist me. When I fire the two switches up, it seems that they boot fine; but when I connect a cable from SW1 Fa 0/48 to SW2 Fa 0/48 I don't get any switchport lights. I tried using both a Straight and Reverse cable and still nothing. If I connect a cable from my Netgear home wireless router I get an amber light. Can you not interconnect two layer 3 switches? Also, when the two switches boot up, it always says that The Password-Recovery Mechanism is enabled.

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Turgon

Santucci4 wrote: »

I just purchased 2 L3 3550's from eBay so that I can start building a lab for myself and I am already running into a problem. I'm really hoping that you experienced CCIE's can assist me. When I fire the two switches up, it seems that they boot fine; but when I connect a cable from SW1 Fa 0/48 to SW2 Fa 0/48 I don't get any switchport lights. I tried using both a Straight and Reverse cable and still nothing. If I connect a cable from my Netgear home wireless router I get an amber light. Can you not interconnect two layer 3 switches? Also, when the two switches boot up, it always says that The Password-Recovery Mechanism is enabled.

Cisco.com has the password recovery procedures. The confreg settings may need changing using console connection.

Santucci4

I thought that the 3550 Cat Switches don't have the confreg command because they are all set to a standard reg that can't be modifyied like a router?

kryolla

can you login and have you did anything else besides looking at the LEDs LOL

Sorry I had to, you posted in CCIE forum, if you had posted in NA then I would of been more easy on you

Santucci4

Yes, I was able to configure ports 0/47 on both switches as a trunk with the encapsulation dot1q and I've even done a no shut on both of them. when I do a sh ip int brief, it still show down/down with the cable connected between them. If I plug a cable from my netgear home wireless router into port 0/47 I do however get an amber light. I just don't know why the port light isn't lighting up when I connect a cable between the two. Do you think that The Password-Recovery Mechanism is enabled could be affecting the switch somehow? Also, I know that the switches were a SMI and the eBay describtion says that it now has the EMI image. I just really want to get these things working so I can finish my exams. Thanks, and I am CCNA and BSCI certified, I am working on my BCMSN.

kryolla

is it a known good cross over cable and not a roll over or straight cable

Santucci4

Yes, I made the cable myself and used my cable tester to make sure that the cable pairs were made properly. My cable tester would tell me if the cable wasn't right.

Santucci4

Okay, I now type this with very shaky hands; but it appears that I need a new cable tester....GULP. I connected a different cross-over and son of a B*^%h it worked. If anyone can feel like more of an ass, I love to know that person. On another note, is there anyway to get rid of the switches from being in that Password-Recovery Mechanism?

Turgon

Santucci4 wrote: »

I thought that the 3550 Cat Switches don't have the confreg command because they are all set to a standard reg that can't be modifyied like a router?

Im just using a colloquial term there

Try out the procedures here to overcome your password recovery mechanism problems.

Cisco Catalyst Fixed Configuration Layer 2 and Layer 3 Switches - Cisco Systems

Look like you have overcome your cable hassles.

Santucci4

Yes, thank god, I overcame the cable issue. Thanks for all of your help and I'll use the link you provided to overcome my next issue. Thanks again.

Kaminsky

3550 doesn't have confreg for boot. You have to boot/reset with the button pressed in untill port 1 goes out. Then check which variable to modify from the text files in flash.
Boot back the normal way

Turgon

Yep press that button and work with those files. It's all in that link.

mzinz

Looks like you got the cable issue figured out already, but yeah, no light between 3550's will normally mean bad crossover cable.

As a side note, the GBIC ports auto-detect the cable type, and will accept either type of cable.

josunin75

I had the same problem with the cable.
I was connecting 2950 with 3550.

You aren't the only one, so don't feel too bad! ^^;;

mzinz

Also, if you are too lazy to make cables (I am!), you can pick up 10 3' crossover cables at monoprice.com for like .75 a piece.