[Info-vax] LAVC, AlphaStation255 & Cisco Switch

[Richard B. Gilbert]

Christoph Gartmann wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> we replaced an old switch with one from Cisco (C3560E). But an AlphaStation 255
> has problems booting (OpenVMS 7.3-2) via this switch. It boots, starts
> STARTUP.COM, mounts its local device for page- and swap-file, starts two
> processes and then tells something about the network setting (Fast Ethernet,
> Full Duplex) and crashes claiming that there were too many erros on device
> PEA0. On the switch side it is a fixed setting (speed 100, duplex full, no mdix
> auto). There is no problem neither with a 3COM-Switch nor with one from HP.
> Thus, I assume the setting on the VMS side is all-right. But what do I need
> to configure on the Cisco end? What is happending here?
> 
> Regards,
>    Christoph Gartmann
> 

The first thing to try is to set your Cisco switch to auto-negotiate and 
your Alphastation likewise.  You should try manual settings ONLY if the 
hardware/firmware is unable to auto-negotiate properly.  ISTR that the 
setting on the Alpha side has to be set in the firmware.

Back in the late twentieth century there was an ambiguity in the 
standard!  Cisco System interpreted it one way and other vendors, the 
other way.  Most of the affected hardware/firmware has been fixed or 
trashed but some still survives.