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Console cables - The console cables are not interchangeable between Brocade and Cisco.
Each vendor provides their console cable with each manageable unit it sells.
Passwords - Neither Cisco or Brocade have a default password for their systems. If a
password is lost, Brocade switches allow the passwords to be reset if there is physical
access to the unit and a console port connection.
Telnet Server - On a Brocade switch/router,
switch/router the Telnet server is enabled by default
default. Like the
system password, there is no default value. On Cisco devices the Telnet server must be
enabled through a VTY line.
HTTP server - The HTTP server on a Brocade switch/router is enabled by default. However, it
can only be accessed in read-only mode until a read-write password is configured. The
default state of the HTTP server on Cisco devices is platform dependent.
SSH - Secure Shell (SSH v2) access is available, but disabled by default on both Brocade
and Cisco switches and routers.
SNMP - On Brocade switches and routers, SNMP v1/v2c read-only access is enabled by
default with a community string of public. Read-write access is only permitted when an RW
community string is manually configured. Brocade supports SNMP versions 1, 2c and 3.
The status of SNMP access on Cisco devices is p
platform specific.
p
When SNMP read-onlyy
access is enabled by default, the RO community string is cisco.

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Enable Password - Both Brocade and Cisco use the enable command to access privileged
mode and neither have a default password.
Telnet Password - On Brocade devices Telnet is enabled by default with no password. The
password is configured with the enable telnet password <password> command.
On Cisco devices Telnet is disabled by default and requires the configuration of VTY lines
and an enable password.
Password Encryption - On Brocade layer 3 switches, all passwords are encrypted in the
running-config and startup-config files by default. Encryption can be disabled with the no
service password-encryption command. On Cisco devices, all passwords are
unencrypted by default.

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Levels of CLI Access - Brocade layer 3 switches provide 3 levels of CLI access:

Super-user This user has unlimited access to all levels of the CLI. This level is
generally reserved for system administration. The super user is also the only user that
can assign a password access level to another user
Port-config This user has the ability to configure interface parameters only. The user
can also use the show commands
Read-only A user with this password level is able to use only the show commands.
No configuration is allowed with this access type

Cisco switches
Ci
it h allow
ll ffour primary
i
modes
d off access, with
ith each
h mode
d allowing
ll i multiple
lti l
levels of capabilities.
Access Security - Brocade layer 3 switches have the ability to specify specific IP addresses
for stations allowed to access Telnet, HTTP and SNMP services. Additionally, administrators
have the ability to use Access Control Lists (ACLs) to limit accessibility to these services.
Cisco Layer 3 switches have separate areas in the running
running-config
config for VTY, auxiliary and
console lines, as well as HTTP. Additionally, administrators have the ability to use Access
Control Lists (ACLs) to limit accessibility to these services.
ACLs for Access Security - Both Brocade and Cisco have the ability to use ACLs to control
access to IP-related services. Brocade uses the access-group command to apply an
ACL for Telnet/SSH and HTTP access. Cisco uses the access-class command to apply
an ACL for VTY, SSH and HTTP access.
Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) - Both Brocade and Cisco support the
use of AAA. Each supports the use of local logins, local username/passwords,
TACACS/TACACS+, and RADIUS for AAA.

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Navigation - Both Brocade and Cisco use a very similar command structure for management
and configuration. Each switch/router starts in user mode, where a limited set of
commands are available. These primarily consist of show commands and testing tools, for
example ping and traceroute. The next level is privileged, or enable mode. At this level
administrators are allowed to view more system settings than user mode and can also
manipulate the switch or routers boot parameters or reset the unit. Configuration mode is
where administrators are allowed to define the functionality of the device.
device Here is where IP
addresses are assigned, protocols are configured and security policies are applied.
Help - Both Brocade and Cisco offer a very similar context sensitive help menu:
Typing a ? at the prompt will provide a list of available commands
Typing a character, or string of characters, followed by a ? will provide a list of commands
matching those characters
For example:
BRCD(config)# q?
qos
qos-tos
quit
it

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IPv4 ToS based QoS settings
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it t
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show, clear, and debug Commands - These commands operate in a very similar manner
between Brocade and Cisco.
The show command (with necessary arguments) displays output related to device
configuration and operation. Brocade allows show commands to be executed in
configuration mode. Cisco does not allow this functionality; show commands can only be
executed in User and Privileged modes.
The clear command allows you clear statistical information relating to interfaces,
protocols and security.
The debug command shows advanced level output related to how the switch/router is
processing and handling traffic.
traffic
File System - Brocade devices do not contain a FAT file system for managing files. The flash
on Brocade switch/router is divided in primarily into 4 locations:
Primary image location This is the default image location for booting the switch
Secondary image location This is an alternate image location and can be explicitly used
f booting
for
b ti g if necessary
Boot image location This area of flash is where the bootstrap code is located
Startup-config Similar to Cisco, this is where the operational configuration of the
switch/router is saved so configurations can be restored after a reboot
Cisco layer 3 switches use IOS File System (IFS), a DOS-type file system for managing files.
TFTP Backup - The commands for transferring files to/from an external TFTP server are very
similar between Brocade and Cisco. The differences are based on the fact that there is not
FAT file system on Brocade switches and routers.
Copying an image file from an TFTP server to the flash:
BRCD# copy tftp flash 192.22.33.4 test.img secondary
CSCO# copy tftp flash 192.22.33.4 test.img test.img
Copying an image from flash to a TCTP server
BRCD# copy flash tftp 192.22.33.4 test.img secondary
CSCO# copy flash tftp test.img 192.22.33.4 test.img

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Configuration Files - Both Brocade and Cisco use the startup-config and running-config
operation. The startup-config is the file referenced when the system boots. The runningconfig contains the current operational parameters of the switch/router. In order to maintain
the current configuration across reboots, the contents of the running-config must be copied
to the startup-config
startup config file.
file
Saving Configuration Files - On a brocade switch/router, the write memory command
copies the contents of the running-config to the startup-config file in flash. On a Brocade
device this command can be executed at any level, including configuration mode.
Cisco offers two ways of saving the current configuration:
write memory This command works identically as the Brocade equivalent.
equivalent However,
However
on a Cisco switch/router using IOS 12.2 or earlier, this command can only be run from
privileged (or enable) mode
copy running-config startup-config This command is equivalent to the
write memory command and contains the same restrictions in its usage
Delayed
y Reload - Both Brocade and Cisco support
pp the abilityy delayy a switch reload. Brocade
accomplishes this with the reload after <dd:hh:mm> command. On a Cisco switch
you can delay a reload with the reload at <hh:mm> [month day] command.

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Default Port Type - Ports on layer 3 switches can be defined as one of two types; switch
ports or router ports. A switch port is an interface that is part of an OSI layer 2
switched/broadcast domain where traffic is forwarded to/from other switch ports within the
same broadcast domain. A router port is an interface that is a separate broadcast domain
and traffic can only be routed, or forwarded at layer 3.
The default port type on a Brocade device is dependant on which product family it is a
member of. The default behavior for interfaces on all FastIron and ServerIron devices is a
switch port. On NetIron devices, the default behavior is a router port. In all cases the port
type can be changed to fit the need of the device in any network topology.
Link Aggregation (Trunking) - Both Brocade and Cisco support static trunks (EtherChannel
for Cisco) and dynamic trunks (802.3ad standard for both). Cisco also supports PAgP, a
proprietary trunking standard developed by Cisco.

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Router Ports - On both Brocade and Cisco, a default port type of switch can be modified to
behave as a router interface. Brocade uses the route-only command to accomplish
this. The route-only command be enabled globally, affecting all interfaces, or on
individual interfaces. On a Cisco layer 3 switch, the no switchport command is used
on each interface you want to change to a routed.
IP Addressing - When configuring IP addresses on Cisco and Brocade switches and routers
the subnet mask can be entered using IPs dotted-decimal notation. For example:
BRCD(config-if-e100-1)# ip address 192.168.30.1 255.255.255.0
Additionally,
y, on Brocade devices IP subnet masks can be assigned
g
with CIDR notation.
Cisco does not support this method of subnet mask specification. For example:
BRCD(config-if-e100-1)# ip address 192.168.30.1/24
Multinet Support - Brocade supports multinetting (assigning multiple IP addresses to the
same interface) and it is enabled by default.
Cisco supports multinetting but it is not enabled by default. On Cisco devices, sub
subinterfaces must be configured to support multiple IP addresses on a single interface.

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Footnote 1: The above example is for NetIron family of switches. In the future, all product will
use this configuration method. Examples provided in this course are for ALL product
families unless specifically called out with a footnote.
Note: The Brocade example above uses the concept of port members and one primary port.
The primary port and its configuration are used to apply identical setting to all member
ports. Any changes to ports in the lag are performed on the primary port and all member
ports will inherit them. In the Cisco example, ports are assigned to a channel-group, then
configurations are performed on the port-channel interface.

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Footnote 1: The above example is for the FastIron and ServerIron families. In the future, all
families will follow the configuration method described for the NetIron family described in
the previous slide.
Examples provided in this course are for ALL product families unless specifically called out
with a footnote.
Note: In the Brocade example above,
above ports are grouped together using the trunk
command. After the trunk is deployed, all changes to interface members of the trunk must
be performed on the interface with the lowest port number. This is similar to the primary
port concept explained on the previous slide. In the Cisco example, ports are assigned to a
channel-group, then configurations are performed on the port-channel interface.

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Footnote 1: The above example is for NetIron family of switches. In the future, all product will
use this configuration method. Examples provided in this course are for ALL product
families unless specifically called out with a footnote.
Note: The Brocade example above uses the concept of port members and one primary port.
The primary port and its configuration are used to apply identical setting to all member
ports. Any changes to ports in the lag are performed on the primary port and all member
ports will inherit them. In the Cisco example, ports are assigned to a channel-group, then
configurations are performed on the port-channel interface.

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Footnote 1: The above example is for FastIron and ServerIron families. In the future, all
families will follow the configuration method for the NetIron family described in the previous
slide.
Examples provided in this course are for ALL product families unless specifically called out
with a footnote.
Note - In the Brocade example above,
above ports are grouped together using the linklink
aggregate command. From this point, all changes to interface members of the trunk
must be performed on the interface with the lowest port number. This is similar to the
primary port concept explained on the previous slide. In the Cisco example, ports are
assigned to a channel-group, then configurations are performed on the port-channel
interface.

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Footnote 1: On a Cisco layer 2 switch it is possible to configure multiple IP interfaces. For

example an IP address can configured on each VLAN. However, it is only possible to
configure one default gateway IP address. The result of this is that each configured IP
address can only be reached from its respective VLAN, and only one VLAN is capable of
being accessed from a remote network.
Default VLAN - On both Brocade and Cisco layer 3 switches, all ports are in VLAN1 by
default.
VLAN Database - Cisco uses a LAN database (vlan.dat) for management of all configured
VLANs. Brocade does not keep a separate database for VLAN configurations.
Management IP Address - On Brocade layer 2 switches, the management IP address is
configured globally and is accessible from any configured VLAN, by default. On Cisco layer 2
switches IP addresses can be configured on any configured VLAN and are only accessible
switches,
from the assigned VLAN. Additionally, Cisco layer 2 switches can have IP addresses
assigned on all configured VLANs, but can only have one globally assigned default gateway
for routed management connectivity.

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Port/VLAN Assignments - On Brocade switches, interfaces are assigned to VLANs as either

tagged or untagged ports. On Cisco switches, VLANs are assigned to interfaces as trunk or
access ports. Examples for both switches are shown on the following slides.
Tagged Ports - On a Brocade switch,
switch VLANs must be explicitly assigned to 802
802.1Q
1Q tagged
ports. On a Cisco switch, all VLANs are assigned to 802.1Q tagged ports (trunk) by default.
Dual Mode (Native VLAN) - Both Brocade and Cisco support the ability to assign a VLAN for
forwarding of untagged frames on an 802.1Q tagged interface. Brocade calls this type of
interface a Dual Mode port, while Cisco calls it the Native VLAN.

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In both examples above, interfaces 1/13 and 1/14 are configured as untagged members of
VLAN 202. Cisco uses the term access to define this type of VLAN membership.

Note in the Brocade example the interface is assigned under the VLAN configuration. While
in the Cisco example the VLAN is assigned under the interface configuration.

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In both examples above, interfaces 1/13 and 1/14 are configured as 802.1Q tagged
members of VLAN 20. Cisco uses the term trunk to define an interface that has 802.1Q
enabled.

Note in the Brocade example the interface is assigned under the VLAN configuration. While
in the Cisco example the VLAN is assigned under the interface configuration.
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In the examples above, VLANs 10 and 20 are created on each switch. Also on each switch,
the 1/13 interface is configured as an 802.1Q tagged interface. In the final step, interface
1/13 will accept frames without an 802.1Q tag and place the traffic in VLAN 10.
Additionally, all VLAN 10 traffic which egresses interface 1/13 will have any 802.1Q tags
removed.
Note on the Brocade switch the interface must be explicitly tagged in each VLAN and the
dual-mode command is applied to the interface to permit the handling of untagged
frames.

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VLAN Routing - On Brocade switches, a routing interface (VE) must be created to allow layer
3 routing from a VLAN. The VE is created under the VLAN. Layer 3 addressing is then
configured under a VE interface. On Cisco switches, a VLAN interface is created when the
VLAN is configured. Layer 3 addressing is assigned at the VLAN interface. Examples for both
switches are shown on the following slides.

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In the example above, VLANs 20 and 30 are created and each is assigned an IP address.
On the Brocade switch, the IP address is assigned to the VE interface which was created
under the VLAN configuration.
On the Cisco switch the VLAN interface was created when the VLAN itself was created.

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Default Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) State - The default state for Brocade varies depending
one which image type is running. If the switch is running layer 2 switch code, Spanning Tree
is enabled by default. If the switch is running layer 3 code, Spanning Tree is disabled by
default. On all Cisco switches, Spanning Tree is enabled by default.
Default STP Version - Both Brocade and Cisco run 802.1D Spanning Tree by default.
Default STP Application - Both Brocade and Cisco run an instance of Spanning Tree for each
VLAN created on the switch.
Fast Edge Convergence - Both Brocade and Cisco have functionality to allow fast
convergence at edge ports for Spanning Tree. On Brocade switches the feature is called
Fast Port Mode and is enabled by default. Ciscos feature is called Portfast and is disabled
by default.
802.1w (RSTP) - Both Brocade and Cisco support the 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol.
On Brocade switches this feature is configured explicitly and separately from 802.1D STP.
On Cisco switches this feature uses the existing 802.1D STP configuration and is enabled
globally on the switch. (Example on following slide)

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Footnote 1: The comparisons provided are between the referred, most commonly
configured, router redundancy protocols; VRRPE (Brocade) and HSRP (Cisco).
Standards-based Protocols - Both Brocade and Cisco layer 3 switches support the Virtual
Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) as defined in RFC 2338.
Proprietary Protocols - In addition to VRRP, Brocade also supports and extended version of
VRRP, called VRRPE. VRRPE functions in a similar way to VRRP, but overcomes many of the
limitations of the standards-based protocol. Cisco also provides alternatives to the
standard-based protocol; Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP) and Gateway Load Balancing
Protocol (GLBP).
Preferred Redundancy Protocol - Both Brocade and Cisco recommend using a proprietary
protocol in order to overcome the limitations of VRRP (RFC 2338).
Configuration - On Brocade layer 3 switches, VRRPE must be enabled globally using the
router vrrp-extended command. Once enabled, all VRRPE virtual interface
parameters are configured under the IP interface. On Cisco switches, HSRP is enabled and
configured under the IP interface.
Track Port - Both Brocade and Cisco, using VRRPE and HSRP respectively, support the
configuration of a track port. A track port allows the layer 3 switch to change how it
participates in router redundancy based on the link state of another interface on the switch.
Track Priority - Both Brocade and Cisco
Cisco, using VRRPE and HSRP respectively
respectively, support the
ability to adjust the priority of a virtual interface based on the status of the track port.
Track Priority Usage - Both Brocade and Cisco, using VRRPE and HSRP respectively, will
subtract the track priority value from the current priority value if the track port is down.
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In the examples above, router redundancy is configured for the 172.16.30.0/24 network.
The virtual IP address, typically the default gateway for hosts on the subnet, is
172.16.30.254. Each router has the priority set to 110 and have interface 2/1 configured
as the track port. If the track port were to go down, the priority of the virtual IP address will
decrement by 11, to now equal 99. The default priority for both protocols is 100. In this
scenario, it could be assumed that each router would be the master until a track port
failure After decrementing the priority to 99,
failure.
99 another router configured with the default
values could take over a master.

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Administrative distances, used to select which route source takes precedence, are identical
on Brocade and Cisco layer 3 switches. The only exception is that Cisco also applies
administrative distances to proprietary protocols.

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Footnote 1: Protocols defined above are IPv4 routing protocols. The following IPv6 protocols
are also supported on Brocade layer 3 switches:
Routing Protocols - Both Brocade and Cisco support the following standards-based routing
protocols: RIP (v1 and v2), OSPF v2, IS-IS and BGP v4. Cisco also supports a proprietary
IP routing protocol called EIGRP.
Enabling RIP - On both Brocade and Cisco layer 3 switches,
switches routing protocols are enabled
in global configuration mode with the router rip command.
RIP Configuration - On both Brocade and Cisco layer 3 switches, RIP is enabled with the
router rip command. By default both Brocade and Cisco use version 1 of the protocol. On
Brocade devices, RIP messages are sent on interfaces where the RIP protocol is explicitly
enabled. Additionally, a Brocade layer 3 switch will advertise all connected IP networks by
default On a Cisco layer 3 switch
default.
switch, a network statement must be configured to allow
advertisement. Additionally, a Cisco device will, by default, send RIP updates on any IP
interface matching a network statement.

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Static routes can configured identically on Brocade and Cisco layer 3 switches. The only
variation to this is the optional ability to use CIDR notation for the subnet mask on Brocade
switches.
In the example above, a static route is being configured with an administrative distance
higher than EBGP, but lower than all other route sources. This static route will only be put
into the routing table if there is no identical route learned from an EBGP peer.

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On a Brocade layer 3 switch, all connected IP networks are advertised by default. RIP
update messages are only exchanged on interfaces where the ip rip <version>
command is configured.
On a Cisco switch, IP networks are only advertised when a network <IP network>
statement is added under the router rip configuration. In order to prevent the
exchanging of RIP routes on an interface, the passive-interface <interface>
command must be added under the router rip configuration.
In both examples above, RIP messages are only exchanged on the 192.168.50.1 interface.
The network advertisements will include the 172.16.31.0 network in updates (if up) but will
not exchange RIP messages on the 172.16.31.1 interface.

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OSPF Process ID - On Cisco layer 3 switches it is required to provide a process ID when

enabling the protocol. This is not required on Brocade layer 3 switches.
OSPF Interfaces - On a Brocade layer 3 switch, OSPF must be enabled globally and then
enabled at each interface that is to exchange OSPF LSAs. On Cisco layer 3 switches a
network statement is added under the router ospf <process ID> to allow the
exchange of OSPF LSAs.
Supported Area Types - Both Brocade and Cisco layer 3 switches support Stub, Totally
Stubby and NSSA area types. Cisco layer 3 switches also support the Totally NSSA area type
Passive Interfaces - Both Brocade and Cisco support the configuration of OSPF passive
interfaces. Passive interfaces are OSPF enabled interfaces, however they do not exchange
OSPF messages with neighbors on the interface
Virtual Links - Both Brocade and Cisco support the ability to create virtual links.

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In both examples above, OSPF is enabled on the 192.168.50.1 interface. This interface will
attempt to establish a OSPF neighbor adjacency with another OSPF router. Using route
redistribution, the 172.16.31.0 network will be advertised to any OSPF neighbors using an
OSPF Type 5 external LSA.

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Local AS - On Brocade layer 3 switches, the local AS number is defined with the localas <AS#> command under router bgp. On a Cisco layer 3 switch the local AS number
is defined in the router bgp <AS#> statement.
Defining BGP Neighbors - Both Brocade and Cisco define neighbors using the same
command: neighbor <IP address> remote-as <AS#>.
Advertising Prefixes - Both Brocade and Cisco use the same command to advertise network
prefixes into BGP: network <network prefix> <subnet mask>. Note that on a
Brocade layer 3 switch you can also use CIDR notation to define the subnet mask. For
example: network 172.16.45.0/24
Weight Attribute - Both Brocade and Cisco support the weight attribute, which overrides all
other BGP attributes for path selection.

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In each example above:

BGP is enabled on each router in AS# 10.
Each has an EBGP neighbor (172.16.20.2) and an iBGP neighbor (192.168.20.2)
configured.
BGP messages
g to the iBGP p
peer will be sent usingg the routers Loopback1
p
interface.
BGP prefixes advertised to the iBGP neighbor will have the next-hop attribute changed to
this routers Loopback1 address.
The 10.209.30.0/24 network will be originated and advertised to BGP peers.

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Standard and Extended ACLs - On both Brocade and Cisco layer 3 switches, ACLs can be
configured as standard or extended ACLs. A standard ACL permits or denies packets based
on source IP address. An extended ACL permits or denies packets based on source and
destination IP address and also based on IP protocol information.
Numbered and Named ACLs - On Brocade layer 3 switches standard numbered ACLs have
an idea of 1 99. Extended numbered ACLs are numbered 100 199. IDs for standard or
extended ACLs can be a character string,
string these types of ACLs are called named ACLs
(sometimes referred to as NACLs).
On Cisco layer 3 switches standard numbered ACLs have an idea of 1 99 and 1300
1999. Extended numbered ACLs are numbered 100 199 and 2000 2699. IDs for
standard or extended ACLs can be a character string, these types of ACLs are called named
ACLs (sometimes referred to as NACLs).
Mask Application - On Brocade layer 3 switches, the wildcard mask can be applied in dotted
dotteddecimal notation or in CIDR notation. In the case of CIDR notation, the bits represent the
zeroes in the mask. On Cisco layer 3 switches, the wildcard mask can only be applied in
dotted-decimal notation.
ACL Application - On both Brocade and Cisco, ACLs can only be applied once per interface in
each direction (in or out).
Note:
ote Numbered
u be ed ACLs
C s in the
t e ranges
a ges of
o 1-99
99 a
and
d 101-199
0 99 ca
can e
effectively
ect e y be copied
cop ed directly
d ect y
from a Cisco layer 3 switch to a Brocade switch. Copying from Brocade to Cisco is not
allowed due to the ability of the Brocade device to use CIDR notation.

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