🚀 go-pugleaf

Greg Satz <satz@cisco.com> writes:
> I recall that the protocol that Bridge/3com devices use to boot from can
> only be bridged. Unfortunately I do not recall what protocol it is. Maybe
> someone else on this list can help out?  If you have some sort of ethernet
> monitor you can easily determine what protocol the devices emit when they
> try to boot. This requires that you have the bridging software option in
> your cisco routers.

The only Bridge/3com devices I know about are their older (cs1/cs200/cs210)
terminal server product line, although I am pretty sure that the majority
of their product line is the same.  They use XNS to boot.  If you are running
the NCS/AT version 2.0 or greater, then they use XNS to boot a loader, which
then uses something they call an 802.3 SLP loader, which uses 802.3 format
packets.  So, not only do you have to bridge XNS, but you also have to
bridge 802.3 as well (since cisco's hybrige software only allows you to
filter on the length fields of an 802.3 packet).  A trick we are using
here to avoid bridging 802.3 is to tell the NCS/AT that the bootstrap
loader is the actual image itself.  This means that the image for the
terminal server gets loaded instead of the 802.3 bootstrap loader.  It
works fine.

I've had a number of rounds of discussions with Bridge/3com folks about
this issue and they think it is a feature, or maybe a reason to buy Bridge
routers.  Don't expect to see any changes soon.

Hope this clears things up a little.

Dale Smith, Acting Director of Network Services
University of Oregon		Internet: dsmith@oregon.uoregon.edu
Computing Center		BITNET: dsmith@oregon.bitnet
Eugene, OR  97403-1212		Voice: (503)346-4394