[f-nsp] Brocade RX-4 to Cisco - Light but no link

[Derek Maxwell]

While this isn’t the first time that we’ve seen this issue, it is the first time that I’ve posted to try to resolve it rather than work around it.

We have a Brocade/Foundry RX-4 with (2) 24 port fiber cards (RX-BI-24F) and (2) 24 port copper cards (RX-BI-24C). One of our transit providers is NTT, with whom we have a single GigE circuit delivered over single mode fiber. It is a multi-km run, from 800 South Hope to One Wilshire, then on to 900 North Alameda in LA, but well within normal LX transceiver range. While we see light (neg 11 received)  in optical monitoring, we cannot get a link to establish. No combination of auto-negotiate / manual speed settings on our side or NTT’s has been able to get a link up.

If we use the same optic in a FESX424, the link comes up immediately. In fact, any non generic optic works in the FESX424, but will not generate a link on the RX. Other links come up without a problem on the RX, including over SMF and MMF, and using the same optic. The link also fails to come up in a CES2048F.

We previously had the same issue on a Cogent circuit in Phoenix using a CER2024F-RT and on a Cogent circuit in Philadelphia using a RX-4. Like NTT, they were running Cisco on their end. In each of those cases, we had to work around the issue by inserting a basic Layer 2 Cisco device in between and doing either a MMF or copper connection between. This, however, is not really a solution.

Does anyone have any insight as to what we can do here? NTT is running Champion One optics. While we asked them to try switching out optics, they only had optics from the same manufacturer, so it didn’t help. We’ve tried using genuine Brocade, Approved Optics coded to Brocade, and Finisair on our end. None of them have made any difference at all. The next effort will be to try to find some optics of the same manufacturer as NTT (Champion One), though this shouldn’t be necessary unless I am missing something.

Thanks!
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://puck.nether.net/pipermail/foundry-nsp/attachments/20170906/4fffcf20/attachment-0001.html>