This post underlines some tips on identifying the indicators on fixed switches [All About Switches - Maintenance Tips]. Please have a look below.
You may have encountered such questions as what types of indicators a fixed switch provides and how to distinguish them, or why an indicator turns red after a switch is powered on and what action should be taken in this situation.
Don't worry. I will share with you the basic knowledge about indicators on fixed switches.
Question 1: What types of indicators does a fixed switch provide?
Let me elaborate on indicators on a fixed switch from two dimensions.
- In terms of locations, indicators include those on the chassis panels, cards, power modules, and fan modules.
- In terms of types, indicators include port indicators and status indicators.
Indicator Location | Port Indicator | Status Indicator |
Chassis panel | ● Service port indicator (electrical/optical port) ● Indicator for other ports (USB port/ETH management port/console port/Mini USB port) | ● Power status indicator (PWR) ● System status indicator (SYS) ● Mode indicator (STAT/SPEED/STACK/PoE mode) |
Card | Service port indicator (electrical/optical port) | Card status indicator (STAT) |
Power module | None | ● Power status indicator (STATUS) ● Input/output power indicator (INPUT/OUTPUT) |
Fan module | None | Fan status indicator (STATUS) |
Not all switches or modules have all the listed indicators. Only the service port indicator, power status indicator, and system status indicator are present on every switch model. They are also the most frequently used indicators.
Question 2: How can I identify each type of indicators?
The indicators on cards, power modules, and fan modules can be easily identified. The indicators on a chassis panel are described here.
Status Indicators
On switches of versions earlier than V200R001, the power status indicator and the system status indicator have separate silkscreens. The SPEED, PoE, and STACK mode indicators are integrated into one (these modes are identified by color). You can press the mode switch button to switch between these modes.
On switches of V200R001 and later versions, each status indicator is independent and has its own silkscreen. You still need to press the mode switch button to switch between the SPED, STCK, and PoE modes. (Unlike the earlier versions, these modes are separate and do not need to be identified by color. When a mode is selected, the corresponding indicator turns green.)
If a switch uses a built-in power module, the power status indicator is named PWR. If a switch uses two pluggable power modules, the power status indicators are named PWR1 and PWR2.
A service port indicator shows different meanings in different modes. For example, when the STAT mode (default mode) is selected, a service port indicator shows the connection and data transmission status of this port. When the SPED mode is selected, the service port indicator shows the speed of this port.
Service Port Indicators
Service ports include electrical and optical ports, each having an independent indicator.
Service port indicators fall into the following three types:
- First type: Each port has a single-color indicator (The indicator is green. In default mode, the steady on state indicates connection and the fast blinking state indicates data transmission). These service port indicators may be located in different positions:
− Above ports
You can determine the mapping between indicators and ports by the silkscreen.
− On ports
- Second type: Each port has two single-color indicators. One is green (in default mode, the steady on state indicates connection) and the other one is yellow (in default mode, the fast blinking state indicates data transmission).
- Third type: Each port has a two-color indicator (green and yellow). Only PoE devices have such indicators (in default mode, the steady green state indicates connection and the fast blinking green state indicates data transmission. In PoE mode, the green or yellow state indicates the PoE power supply situation. For example, the steady green state indicates that the port is supplying power to a PD and the blinking yellow state indicates that the port has stopped PoE power supply).
Question 3: What are the colors and states of indicators?
The indicators can be red, yellow, green, or blue.
Color | Meaning | Description |
Red | Fault/alarm | Attention and immediate action are required. |
Yellow | Minor alarm/critical state | The situation has changed or is going to change. (The situation needs to be determined based on the specific indicator). |
Green | Normal | The situation is normal or the current process is permitted. |
Blue | Specified meaning | Some switches have an ID indicator to help field engineers find them easily. |
The following table lists possible states of indicators.
Indicator Status | Description |
Off | The indicator is off. |
Steady on | The indicator is on and maintains the same color. |
Slow blinking | The indicator is on and blinks at a frequency of 0.5 Hz (blinks one time every 2 seconds). |
Blinking quickly | The indicator is on and blinks at a frequency of 4 Hz (blinks four times every 1 second). |
Question 4: How can I determine whether a switch is successfully powered on from its indicators?
You can determine the status of a switch that is powered on by checking the color of status indicators (PWR/SYS) and determine subsequent operations.
PWR Indicator | SYS Indicator | Operation Suggestions |
Green | Green | The switch is successfully powered on. |
Off | Off | The switch is not powered on. You need to check whether it is correctly connected to an external power source and whether there is power input. |
Yellow | - | ● For a switch that uses a built-in power module, if the PWR indicator is yellow, the built-in power module is faulty and the switch is using the external redundant power system (RPS). ● For a switch that uses two pluggable power modules, if a PWR indicator is yellow (red in versions earlier than V200R001), the corresponding power module is faulty. You need to check whether the power switch on the power module is in the ON position and whether it is connected to an external power source. If so, the power module itself is faulty. |
- | Red | If the SYS indicator is red, fan or temperature alarms may have been generated. If a fan module is used, check whether the indicator on the fan module is normal (slow blinking green) and then check whether the switch overheats because of a high environment temperature. If they are normal, the switch is faulty. |
For more information about indicators on fixed switches, refer to the hardware description manual of your product. Stay tuned for the next issue.
