Technical white paper
HP Smart Rate
multi-gigabit ports
Table of contents
What is HP Smart Rate?........................................................................................................................................................2
Which HP Networking Switch products support Smart Rate? .........................................................................................2
Which switch software version(s) support HP Smart Rate? ............................................................................................2
What are the configuration options for Smart Rate ports? .............................................................................................2
How to get Smart Rate port diagnostic information? ......................................................................................................4
HP Smart Rate port LEDs .....................................................................................................................................................6
Cabling considerations for HP Smart Rate links ................................................................................................................6
Best practices and configuration notes for Smart Rate links ..........................................................................................6
Appendix A: ............................................................................................................................................................................7
Smart Rate—High quality link .........................................................................................................................................7
Appendix B .............................................................................................................................................................................8
Smart Rate—Challenging link .........................................................................................................................................8
Technical white paper | HP Smart Rate multi-gigabit ports
What is HP Smart Rate?
HP Smart Rate is a new type of twisted-pair Ethernet network interface that provides higher bandwidth connectivity and
PoE+ power for next generation 802.11ac devices utilizing existing cabling infrastructure. HP Smart Rate ports support
auto-negotiated speeds of 1, 2.5, 5, and 10GbE with PoE+ and operate over existing Category 5e, 6, and 6A cabling.
Which HP Networking Switch products support Smart Rate?
HP Smart Rate is supported on the following modules for the HP 5400R zl2 chassis switch:
Chassis module
Model
Number of Smart Rate ports
HP 20p PoE+ / 4p 1/2.5/5/XGT v3 zl2 Module
J9991A
4
HP 8p 1/ 2.5/5/XGT PoE+ v3 zl2 Module
J9995A
4
Note:
HP Smart Rate is only supported on the v3 zl2 modules as noted above; it is not supported on any v2 modules.
Which switch software version(s) support HP Smart Rate?
HP Smart Rate support began with the introduction of the v3 zl2 modules for the HP 5400R zl2 chassis products. HP Smart
Rate is supported on the following software version(s):
KB.15.17.0003
or greater
What are the configuration options for Smart Rate ports?
Like other ports on HP Networking ProVision products, speed settings are configurable away from the default port setting of
“auto”. Note: HP Smart Rate ports do not support speeds lower than 1 Gbps (e.g. 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps) and use autonegotiation to advertise the supported modes during link. Forced speed and duplexity are not supported.
2
Technical white paper | HP Smart Rate multi-gigabit ports
The configuration options for HP Smart Rate ports:
Setting
Link speed(s) advertised during auto-negotiation
Number of Smart Rate ports
Auto
1, 2.5, 5, and 10 Gbps
Full-duplex
Auto-1000
1 Gbps
Full-duplex
Auto-2500
2.5 Gbps
Full-duplex
Auto-5000
5 Gbps
Full-duplex
Auto-2500-5000
2.5 and 5 Gbps
Full-duplex
Auto-1000-2500
1 and 2.5 Gbps
Full-duplex
Auto-1000-2500-5000
1, 2.5, and 5 Gbps
Full-duplex
Auto-10G
10 Gbps
Full-duplex
The following is the output of the HP Smart Rate port configuration options from the Command Line Interface (CLI) of the
HP ProVision switch:
Smart_Rate(eth-A1)# speed-duplex
10-half
10 Mbps only, half duplex.
100-half
100 Mbps only, half duplex.
10-full
10 Mbps only, full duplex.
100-full
100 Mbps only, full duplex.
1000-full
1000 Mbps only, full duplex.
auto
Auto-negotiate link parameters.
auto-10
10 Mbps only, auto-negotiate link parameters.
auto-100
100 Mbps only, auto-negotiate link parameters.
auto-2500
2500 Mbps only, auto-negotiate link parameters.
auto-5000
5000 Mbps only, auto-negotiate link parameters.
auto-2500-5000
2500 or 5000 Mbps only, auto-negotiate link parameters.
auto-1000
1000 Mbps only, auto-negotiate link parameters.
auto-10-100
10 or 100 Mbps only, auto-negotiate link parameters.
auto-1000-2500
1000 or 2500 Mbps only, auto-negotiate link parameters.
auto-1000-2500-5000
1000, 2500, or 5000 Mbps only, auto-negotiate link
parameters.
auto-10g
10 Gbps only, auto-negotiate link parameters.
Note:
The output shown above represents all port configuration options for the switch. Therefore, the following settings are not
supported on HP Smart Rate ports: 10-half, 10-full, 100-half, 100-full, auto-10, auto-100, and auto -10-100. In addition,
the 1000-full setting is also not supported since HP Smart Rate ports require auto-negotiation to be configured.
3
Technical white paper | HP Smart Rate multi-gigabit ports
How to get Smart Rate port diagnostic information?
To show port configuration settings:
Smart_Rate(config)# show interfaces config
Port Settings
Port
-----A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
A6
A7
A8
Type
---------10GbE-T
10GbE-T
10GbE-T
10GbE-T
10GbE-T
10GbE-T
10GbE-T
10GbE-T
|
+
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Enabled
------Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Mode
-----------Auto-2500
Auto-5000
Auto
Auto
Auto-1000
Auto
Auto
Auto-10g
Flow Ctrl
--------Disable
Disable
Disable
Disable
Disable
Disable
Disable
Disable
MDI
---Auto
Auto
Auto
Auto
Auto
Auto
Auto
Auto
To show the current port status:
Smart_Rate(config)# show interfaces brief
Status and Counters - Port Status
Port
-----A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
A6
A7
A8
Type
---------10GbE-T
10GbE-T
10GbE-T
10GbE-T
10GbE-T
10GbE-T
10GbE-T
10GbE-T
|
|
+
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Intrusion
Alert
--------No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Enabled
------Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Status
-----Down
Down
Down
Up
Down
Down
Up
Down
Mode
---------2500FDx
5000FDx
10GigFD
10GigFD
1000FDx
10GigFD
10GigFD
10GigFD
MDI
Mode
---NA
NA
NA
MDIX
Auto
NA
MDI
Auto
Flow
Ctrl
---off
off
off
off
off
off
off
off
Bcast
Limit
----0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
To view diagnostic information for a Smart Rate port:
Smart_Rate(eth-B1)# show interfaces b4 smartrate
Status and Counters - Smart Rate information for Port B4
Model
Chip
Firmware
Firmware
Firmware
Firmware
(major)
(minor)
(candidate)
(provision)
0x03a1
0xb4b3
0x0002
0x0004
0x0002
0x0001
Section A
Current SNR |
Chan1
5.5000
Chan2
5.0000
Chan3
5.3000
Chan4 (in db)
5.3000
Minimum SNR |
Chan1
5.4000
Chan2
5.0000
Chan3
5.2000
Chan4 (in db)
5.2000
CRC8
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
4
:
:
:
:
:
:
errors
errors
1 iteration
2 iteration
3 iteration
4 iteration
5 iteration
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
0
0
84286934
13070587
1
0
0
Section C
Section B
Technical white paper | HP Smart Rate multi-gigabit ports
LDPC 6 iteration
LDPC 7 iteration
LDPC 8 iteration
0
0
0
0
0
|
|
|
|
|
: 0
: 0
: 0
Number of fast retrains requested by local port.
Number of fast retrains requested by link partner.
Accumulated time (ms) spent in fast retrain since last AN.
Number of RFI Training Link Recovery Events since last AN.
Number of Link Recover Events since last AN.
Established link speed
: 10Gbps
Number of attempts to establish link
: 1
Uptime since link was last established : 642 seconds
Local port advertised speeds
1000Mbps | 2500Mbps | 5000Mbps | 10Gbps
Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
Link partner speed capability
1000Mbps | 2500Mbps | 5000Mbps | 10Gbps
Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
Link partner matching vendor : Yes
Section D
Section E
Section F
The output of this command provides informational and diagnostic information about the Smart Rate port connection:
Section A
Informational; hardware and firmware version information of the port; useful for support.
Section B
Diagnostic; signal quality indicator for each channel of the twisted-pair cable; higher indicates more
operating margin (range -12.7dB to +12.7dB). Current values are at the time of executing the command.
Minimum values indicate the lowest recorded values for the duration of the established link.
Section C
Diagnostic; error correction code information on the link; increased non-zero LDPC iterations indicate a
more challenging cabling environment. Retraining and Link Recovery values greater than zero indicate
attempts to re-optimize link parameters to maintain link and are indicators of the presence of alien noise
in the cabling environment
Section D
Informational; reports current established link speed. Higher number of attempts to establish link indicate
a more challenging cabling environment. Link uptime in seconds.
Section E
Informational; Reports local advertised link speeds as defined by the configuration of the Smart Rate port.
Reports link partner speed capabilities received by the Smart Rate port.
Section F
Informational; Yes indicates port is connected to another HP Smart Rate port (or compatible vendor multigigabit Ethernet port)
5
Technical white paper | HP Smart Rate multi-gigabit ports
HP Smart Rate port LEDs
HP Smart Rate ports include per-port link and mode LEDs to communicate port status information.
The LED mode is selected by the mode button on the 5400R Management Module. The LED mode that you selected is
indicated by the following five LEDs that are located near the LED mode selection button.
Network ports
mode LED display
Description
LED behavior
Act
Activity
Transmit or receive traffic present
FDx
Full duplex
Full duplex mode of operation
Spd
Indicates that the port LEDs are
displaying the connection
speed at which each port is
operating.
If the Mode LED is slow-flashing, the port is operating at 1 Gbps.
If the Mode LED is double-flashing, the port is operating at 2.5 Gbps.
If the Mode LED is triple-flashing, the port is operating at 5 Gbps.
PoE
Power over Ethernet
If the Mode LED is on, the port is providing PoE power.
If the Mode LED is off, the port is not providing PoE power.
If the Link LED is on, the port is enabled for PoE.
If the Link LED is off, the port is disabled for PoE.
If the Link LED is flashing, the port has an error or the port is denied
power due to insufficient power.
Usr
Reserved
If the Mode LED is continuously on, the port is operating at 10 Gbps.
Cabling considerations for HP Smart Rate links
Maximizing HP Smart Rate ports speeds requires a good, quality cabling plant that minimizes alien noise. The following
guidelines are recommended by HP Networking for Smart Rate connections:
Mode of operation
Cabling
Link distances
1Gbps (1000BASE-T)
CAT5e / Class D
Up to 100 m
2.5 Gbps
CAT5e / Class D
Up to 100 m
5 Gbps
CAT5e / Class D
Up to 55 m
in high alien noise environment
CAT5e / Class D
Up to 100 m
in low alien noise environment
CAT6 / Class E
Up to 100 m
CAT6 / Class E
Up to 55 m
CAT6 / Class EA
Up to 100 m
10 Gbps (10GBASE-T)
Best practices and configuration notes for Smart Rate links
• Fully compatible with 1 Gbps and 10 Gbps with Standards-based equipment.
• 30 W PoE support at all four speeds and fully compliant to IEEE 802.3 at PoE+.
• General rule: Configure port speed at the highest recommended rate for your cabling and distance requirements to avoid
unnecessary auto negotiation cycles. For example, if your cable plant is Cat 5e, configure port to auto-2500 setting. 2.5
Gbps is a safe default operating point for mixed cabling environments.
• All other capabilities are identical to any other 10/100/1000BASE-T PoE+ ports.
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Technical white paper | HP Smart Rate multi-gigabit ports
Appendix A:
Smart Rate—High quality link
The following output illustrates a good Smart Rate link at 10 Gbps as evidenced by:
• High SNR value and low LDPC iterations
Smart_Rate(eth-B1)# show interfaces b4 smartrate
Status and Counters - Smart Rate information for Port B4
Model
Chip
Firmware
Firmware
Firmware
Firmware
:
:
:
:
:
:
(major)
(minor)
(candidate)
(provision)
0x03a1
0xb4b3
0x0002
0x0004
0x0002
0x0001
Current SNR |
Chan1
5.5000
Chan2
5.0000
Chan3
5.3000
Chan4 (in db)
5.3000
Minimum SNR |
Chan1
5.4000
Chan2
5.0000
Chan3
5.2000
Chan4 (in db)
5.2000
CRC8
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
0
0
0
0
0
errors
errors
1 iteration
2 iteration
3 iteration
4 iteration
5 iteration
6 iteration
7 iteration
8 iteration
|
|
|
|
|
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
0
0
84286934
13070587
1
0
0
0
0
0
Number of fast retrains requested by local port.
Number of fast retrains requested by link partner.
Accumulated time (ms) spent in fast retrain since last AN.
Number of RFI Training Link Recovery Events since last AN.
Number of Link Recover Events since last AN.
Established link speed
: 10Gbps
Number of attempts to establish link
: 1
Uptime since link was last established : 642 seconds
Local port advertised speeds
1000Mbps | 2500Mbps | 5000Mbps | 10Gbps
Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
Link partner speed capability
1000Mbps | 2500Mbps | 5000Mbps | 10Gbps
Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
Link partner matching vendor : Yes
7
Technical white paper | HP Smart Rate multi-gigabit ports
Appendix B
Smart Rate—Challenging link
The following output illustrates a challenging Smart Rate link at 5.0 Gbps as evidenced by:
• Low SNR value and increased LDPC iterations
Smart_Rate(eth-B1)# show interfaces b4 smartrate
Status and Counters - Smart Rate information for Port B4
Model
Chip
Firmware
Firmware
Firmware
Firmware
(major)
(minor)
(candidate)
(provision)
:
:
:
:
:
:
0x03a1
0xb4b3
0x0002
0x0004
0x0002
0x0001
Current SNR |
Chan1
0.5000
Chan2
0.1000
Chan3
0.3000
Chan4 (in db)
0.3000
Minimum SNR |
Chan1
0.1000
Chan2
0.0000
Chan3
0.2000
Chan4 (in db)
0.0000
CRC8
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
LDPC
0
0
0
0
0
errors
: 0
errors
: 0
1 iteration
: 1
2 iteration
: 3793865
3 iteration
: 68546147
4 iteration
: 13642187
5 iteration
: 134317
6 iteration
: 604
7 iteration
: 66
8 iteration
: 5
| Number of fast retrains requested by local port.
| Number of fast retrains requested by link partner.
| Accumulated time (ms) spent in fast retrain since last AN.
| Number of RFI Training Link Recovery Events since last AN.
| Number of Link Recover Events since last AN.
Established link speed
: 5000Mbps
Number of attempts to establish link
: 5
Uptime since link was last established : 642 seconds
Local port advertised speeds
1000Mbps | 2500Mbps | 5000Mbps | 10Gbps
Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
Link partner speed capability
1000Mbps | 2500Mbps | 5000Mbps | 10Gbps
Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
Link partner matching vendor : Yes
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© Copyright 2015 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for
HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as
constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
4AA6-1338ENW, September 2015