8 of 12 Brocade VDX 6720 QuickStart Guide
Publication Number: 53-1002085-02
Setting the switch IP address
You can configure the Brocade VDX 6720 with a static IP address, or you can use a DHCP (Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol) server to set the IP address of the switch. DHCP is enabled by default. The Brocade VDX
6720 supports both IPv4 and IPv6 format addresses. For information about setting static IP addresses and
stateless IPv6 addresses, please see the Brocade Network OS Administrator’s Guide.

Using DHCP to set the IP address

When using DHCP, the Brocade VDX 6720 obtains its IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway address from
the DHCP server. The DHCP client can only connect to a DHCP server that is on the same subnet as the switch. If
your DHCP server is not on the same subnet as the Brocade VDX 6720, use a static IP address.
To set an IPv4 IP address using DHCP use the following commands:
1. Log into the switch using the admin account.
2. Use the ip address command:
switch(config)# interface Management 1/0
switch(config-Management-1/0)# ip address dhcp
To set an IPv4 IP address using DHCP use the following commands:
Enabling and disabling Brocade VCS mode
Enable or disable a single switch for VCS™ mode as soon as passwords have been assigned and an IP address has
been set. Enabling VCS mode is disruptive since a reboot is required once the mode has been enabled. Enabling or
disabling VCS mode also causes the default configuration file for that mode to be applied.
The basic configuration tasks include enabling or disabling VCS mode explicitly, setting VCS parameter s, and
applying the default configuration. If you disable VCS mode, you do not have to set the other parameters. For more
details about enabling VCS mode and setting VCS parameters, please see the Brocade Network OS Administrator’s
Guide and the Brocade Network OS Command Reference Guide.

Enabling VCS mode

Perform the following steps to enable VCS mode.
1. Log in to the switch using an account that has the admin role.
2. Enter the vcs enable command, including the RBridge parameter, as in the example below.
vcs rbridgeid 1 enable
3. The switch reboots when you confirm that you want to enable VCS mode.
When the switch comes back up, if it is connected to other VCS-enabled switches the negotiation protocols
begin, determining which switch in the fabric is the principal switch and making sure that all domain IDs, and
therefore RBridge IDs, are unique. Should the insistent domain ID not be unique, you can change it. Once the
domain IDs are determined to be unique, they are equated to the RBridge IDs.
The switch with the lowest World Wide Name (WWN) becomes the principal switch, primarily for purposes of
determining the uniqueness of the ID of the other switches in the fabric. The WWN is a unique identifier burned
into the switch at the factory.