Hot Swapping a Switching Module
Page 3-7

Hot Swapping a Switching Module

You may remove and insert switching modules while the switch is running. This technique is
referred to as “hot swapping.” When you hot swap, you must replace the module with the
same module type as the one you removed. For example, if you remove an ESX switching
module you must replace it with another ESX switching module.
♦ Note ♦
You cannot hot swap a module into a previously
empty slot. To use an empty slot, you must power
down your chassis.
Perform the following steps to safely hot swap a switching module. (You cannot hot swap a
primary MPX module.) Since this procedure could possibly disrupt the network, it is best to
hot swap during network down times.
1. At the system prompt, enter
swap on <minutes>
where minutes is the number of minutes you want the switch to be in swap mode (the
default is 5 minutes). A message similar to the following will be displayed.
Swap is ON for 5 minutes
The swap mode must be enabled (ON) to insert a switching module. If not, the system
may halt or restart. (See Chapter 6, “Configuring Management Processor Modules,” for
more information on the swap command.)
♦ Caution ♦
Modules can only be reset and hot-swapped when the
MPX’s OK2 light is in its normal flashing green state.
2. Enter reset, followed by the slot number of the switching module you want to hot swap,
then followed by the word disable. (See Chapter 36, “Running Hardware Diagnostics,” for
more information on the reset command.) For example, if you want to hot swap the
switching module in slot 4, you would enter
reset 4 disable
at the system prompt. Next, the switch will prompt you to confirm the reset. The follow-
ing is an example of the display for an ESX module. The display for other types of switch-
ing modules will be similar.
Resetting slot of type F-Ether/M may crash system
Attempt reset anyway {Y/N}? (N) :
Press y and then press <Enter>. If the switching module is in slot 4, a message similar to
the following will be displayed.
resetting slot 4 to disable
3. The MPX’s OK2 LED will flash amber 1 or 2 times, then return to normal flashing green.
The switching module’s OK1 LED will turn amber and the OK2 LED will not be illumi-
nated. Remove all cables attached to ports on the switching module that you are going to
swap out.