BROCADE IP PRIMER

Chapter 6: The Brocade CLIThis switch, as the command reveals, is a Brocade FastIron Edge Switch (FES)4802. It is running the Brocade OS (for the FES) version 03.3.01e. The “Tc1”following the version number is for tracking within Brocade. The “c” indicates ahardware type, and the “1” indicates a software platform. For the end user,you need only concern yourself with the version number.Notice that the next line tells you that the compiled binary was labeled as“FES03301e.” Brocade names their software images deliberately. The firstthree letters (in this case “FES”) will describe the type of software compiled. Inthis example, “FES” should be interpreted as “FastIron Edge Switch” code,specifically “Switch Code.” Base Layer-3 code for this particular switch wouldbe labeled “FEL,” and Full Router Code would be labeled as “FER.”Not all models are this straight forward. A chassis, for instance, has its own(but consistent) naming schema for the first three letters. Switch code wouldbe “B2S.” Base Layer-3 would be “BL3.” Full Router Code would be “B2R.”As the product lines continue to evolve, your safest bet for determining thetype of code can be found in the release notes for your particular device's software.These can be obtained from the Brocade web site (http://www.brocade.com/).There is one more trick that you should be aware of. If a switch is runningeither Base Layer-3 or Full Router code, there will be an additional few lettersto the prompt. For example, if you are running switch code, you would see thisprompt:Switch#If you were to install and run Base Layer-3 or Full Router code, the promptwould look like this:BR-Switch#Notice the addition of the prefix “BR-” to the switch's name. This is an indicatorto the user that they are using some form of Layer 3 code on the switch.The show version command also reveals other useful bits of information. Youcan see the switch's serial number (the actual number was removed from thepublished output), the switch's uptime (how long it's been since the last boot),and the cause of the last boot (in this example, an administrator typed reload).Now, where is the software stored? We already know that the switches containflash memory, and that the config is stored there. This is also where the OS isstored.128 Brocade IP Primer