GbE2c Port Flapping

[stanley.chiu]

BladeSystem c7000 Enclosure
GbE2c Layer 2/3 Ethernet Blade Switch x 2
ProLiant BL460c G6 Servers x 16

We have several other similarly configured enclosures, but for this new installation, we're having issues where the ports on the GbE2c seem to be flapping continuously and randomly.

Example:
Jan 1 8:25:30 NOTICE system: link down on port 14
Jan 1 8:25:36 NOTICE system: link down on port 16
Jan 1 8:25:38 NOTICE system: link down on port 11
Jan 1 8:25:40 NOTICE system: link down on port 8
Jan 1 8:25:43 NOTICE system: link down on port 12
Jan 1 8:25:43 NOTICE system: link up on port 7
Jan 1 8:25:45 NOTICE system: link up on port 15
Jan 1 8:25:46 NOTICE system: link up on port 14
Jan 1 8:25:52 NOTICE system: link up on port 16
Jan 1 8:25:54 NOTICE system: link up on port 11
Jan 1 8:25:56 NOTICE system: link up on port 8
Jan 1 8:25:59 NOTICE system: link up on port 12
Jan 1 8:26:34 NOTICE system: link down on port 13
Jan 1 8:26:36 NOTICE system: link down on port 6
Jan 1 8:26:50 NOTICE system: link up on port 13
Jan 1 8:26:51 NOTICE system: link down on port 7
Jan 1 8:26:52 NOTICE system: link up on port 6
Jan 1 8:26:53 NOTICE system: link down on port 15
Jan 1 8:26:54 NOTICE system: link down on port 14
Jan 1 8:27:00 NOTICE system: link down on port 16
Jan 1 8:27:02 NOTICE system: link down on port 11
Jan 1 8:27:04 NOTICE system: link down on port 8
Jan 1 8:27:06 NOTICE system: link up on port 7

It does this on both Blade switches. Usually the ports go up and down together on the two switches, but not always.

Not every single port flaps though. It looks like 9 of the 16 do.

Please see the attached image.

Not sure if it's related, but I'm not able to update the firmware for iLO on any of these Blade servers. I can browse the iLO web GUI without any issues, but the firmware upload never works. I've upgraded the firmware on all the other enclosures with no problem.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[Lmm_1]

What is the firmware version on the switches?

boot/cur

Do you have an OS installed on the servers installed on the bays where interfaces are flapping? Is that the current time on switch, Jan 1st?.

iLO should not be related as it goes through the OA, not the blade switches.

[stanley.chiu]

I had upgraded the switch firmware to the latest version.

>> sw1 - Main# boot/cur
Currently set to boot software image1, active config block.
Current CLI mode set to BLADEOS-CLI with selectable prompt disabled.
Current FLASH software:
image1: version 5.1.3, downloaded 8:22:16 Sun Jan 1, 2006
NormalPanel
image2: version 2.0.4, downloaded 8:10:52 Sun Jan 1, 2006
NormalPanel
boot kernel: version 5.1.3

It doesn't seem to correlate with OS installs. Some of the ports flapping have nothing installed on the corresponding Blade.

I just set the time to be current, but no change in flapping behaviour.

[Lmm_1 · Accepted solution]

I would expect that on bays where the Servers doesnt have an OS. Are you seein the same on servers with OS? Is the link going down on the OS?

[stanley.chiu]

Thanks for the help, Lmm. You pointed me in the right direction. It was in fact the servers that were powered on that didn't have an OS installed that were behind the ports flapping. It was in a constant cycle of trying to do a network boot, failing, and restarting.

[stanley.chiu]

Found out why the ports were flapping.