Cabletron Systems 2H28-08R, User Manual

Page: 16 / 152

Chapter 1: Introduction
1-4 2H28-08R SmartSwitch 2208 User’s Guide
1.3.4 SmartTrunk
SmartTrunk, also referred to as SmartTrunking, is Cabletron Systems’
terminology for load balancing or load sharing. SmartTrunk technology
provides an easy-to-implement mechanism to group, or aggregate,
multiple physical links together to scale the backbone bandwidth beyond
the limitations of a single link. All links are user-configurable so
administrators can scale the backbone bandwidth by adding SmartTrunk
links. The SmartTrunk benefits are as follows:
• All purchased bandwidth is used.
• Distributed, resilient links increase reliability and performance.
• Multiple technologies are supported within a single trunk for
maximum flexibility.
For more information about SmartTrunk, refer to the Cabletron Systems
SmartTrunk User’s Guide .
1.3.5 Runtime IP Address Discovery
This feature enables the 2H28-08R to automatically accept an IP address
from a Bootstrap Protocol (BootP) server on the network into NVRAM
without requiring a user to enter an IP address through Local
Management.
When the 2H28-08R is connected to the network and powered up,
Runtime IP Address Discovery (RAD) checks the 2H28-08R for an IP
address. If one has not been assigned (2H28-08R default IP address set to
0.0.0.0), RAD checks to see if any of the 2H28-08R interfaces have a link.
If so, RAD sends out Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) and
BootP requests to obtain an IP address from a BootP server on the
network.
The RAD requests start out at an interval of 1 second. The interval then
doubles after every transmission until an interval of 300 seconds is
reached. At this point, the interval remains at 300 seconds. The RAD
requests continue until an IP address is received from a BootP server, or
an IP address is entered using Local Management.