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From: network@zeus.unomaha.edu
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Re: Confused Retix bridge?
Message-ID: <3660.272f667f@zeus.unomaha.edu>
Date: 1 Nov 90 06:04:14 GMT
References: <1990Oct30.210914.23429@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>
Lines: 30

In article <1990Oct30.210914.23429@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, tdd@convex.cl.msu.edu (Thomas D. Davis) writes:
> We have a number of Retix 2255M bridges on our campus ethernet (we have DEC
> and Crosscomm bridges as well) that seem to have intermittent problems.  The
> symptom that we've experienced which points to bridge trouble is basically
> the loss of connectivity (NFS block read errors, ping failures) to machines
> on the far side of the bridge.
<stuff deleted>
> Has anyone else had problems like this?  I know of no way to tell for sure
> that the bridge is to blame other than to swap it out with another and see
> if the problem recurs (yuck!).  How do other people debug such problems?

We don't have Retix bridges (have had a demo unit).  But we did have
this problem with our older Dec Fiber Bridge 100's.  Their address
entry tables would fill up and then do a poor job of cleaning out the
old entries and things would get weird at odd times.  Resetting them
all would fix the problem for a day or two.  Digital has upgrade
chips that fix this problem that we installed with no problems.

So yes, we have seen this problem, but not with Retix stuff.
Unless you have a network analyzer it's a real shadow of the ghost
type of problem to nail down.  If you can catch the problem
'as it happens' then try to reset the bridge(s) between the two
devices and see if it fixes it.  Also make sure that any
transceivers and transceiver cables connected to the retix bridges
are 802.3 stuff.

Steven Lendt
Network Manager
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Bitnet: NETWORK@UNOMA1        Internet: NETWORK@ZEUS.UNOMAHA.EDU