Cisco WS-C2980G-A Software Guide - Page 46

Understanding How Automatic IP Configuration Works Chapter 3 Configuring the Switch IP Address and Default Gateway When you configure the IP address, subnet mask, and broadcast address (and when you configure VLAN membership on the sc0 interface) of the sc0 or me1 interface, you can access the switch through Telnet or SNMP. When you configure the SLIP (sl0) interface, you can open a point-to-point connection to the switch through the console port from a workstation. All IP traffic that is generated by the switch (for example, a Telnet session that is opened from the switch to a host) is forwarded according to the entries in the switch IP routing table. For intersubnetwork communication to occur, you must configure at least one default gateway for the sc0 or me1 interface. The switch IP routing table is used to forward traffic originating on the switch only, not for forwarding traffic sent by devices that are connected to the switch. Because sc0 and me1 are two distinct interfaces, they potentially can have duplicate IP addresses or overlapping subnets. Therefore, when you enter a command that causes sc0 and me1 to have the same IP address or occupy the same subnet, the switch software brings one of the interfaces down. In most cases, the switch software brings down the sc0 interface after you confirm the change. However, when the switch boots with the IP address 0.0.0.0 configured on both the sc0 and me1 interfaces, the me1 interface is brought down to allow BOOTP and RARP requests to broadcast out the sc0 interface. Note When the switch boots with the IP address 0.0.0.0 configured on both the sc0 and me1 interfaces, the me1 interface is automatically brought down by the switch software. You are not asked to confirm the change, and no console messages or traps are generated in this case. Duplicate IP addresses and equal subnets are allowed on the sc0 and me1 interfaces if one of the interfaces is configured down. Non-equal subnets are not allowed (for example, sc0 with IP address 10.1.1.1 and subnet mask 255.0.0.0 and me1 with IP address 10.1.1.2 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0). Understanding How Automatic IP Configuration Works These sections describe how the switch can obtain its IP configuration automatically: • Automatic IP Configuration Overview, page 3-2 • Understanding DHCP, page 3-3 • Understanding RARP, page 3-4 Automatic IP Configuration Overview The switch can obtain its IP configuration automatically using one of the following protocols: • Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) • Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) The switch makes DHCP and RARP requests only if the sc0 interface IP address is set to 0.0.0.0 when the switch boots up. This address is the default for a new switch or a switch whose configuration file has been cleared using the clear config all command. DHCP and RARP requests are only broadcast out the sc0 interface. Note If the CONFIG_FILE environment variable is set, all configuration files are processed before the switch determines whether to broadcast DHCP and RARP requests. For more information about the CONFIG_FILE environment variable, see Chapter 32, "Modifying the Switch Boot Configuration." Catalyst 4500 Series, Catalyst 2948G, Catalyst 2980G Switches Software Configuration Guide-Release 8.1 3-2 78-15486-01