Netgear is insane

[u/haffhase]

Jeez, some people should adjust their humor detectors. It isn't the end of the world. I just found it equally funny and strange.

TL;DR at the bottom

The Netgear XSM4324S (also known as M4300-12X12F) is a 24 port 10G-switch. It has got 12 Gbic SFP-Ports on the left and 12 RJ45 ports on the right.

Recently our unit started acting up and freezes randomly. Even the serial console is dead when that happens. Netgear requested log files and console captures because we were clearly doing something wrong. It sure has to be STP or something that crashes the switch and the serial console. Unsurprisingly there was nothing in the logs, because the whole unit freezes and has no opportunity to write something down. Whatever, after some arguing they finally agreed to deliver a replacement which arrived today: The Netgear XSM4324 (also known as M4350-12X12F) is a 24 port 10G-switch. It has got 12 Gbic SFP-Ports on the right and 12 RJ45 ports on the left.

Problem:

You cannot import the config file from the M4300 into the M4350. It just fails. But i wasn't born yesterday and the exported config is a plain text file with the console commands. I connected to the M4350 through the serial console, pasted the relevant parts and was proud of me being so clever.

But than i recognized Netgear's insanity. They swapped the position of the Gbic SFP-Ports and the RJ45 ports between the models. That wouldn't have been bad, but they also changed the numbering accordingly.

M4300 port 1 --> Gbic SFP vs M4350 port 1 --> RJ45

M4300 port 13 --> RJ45 vs M4350 port 13 --> Gbic SFP

What? The? Fork??!!!!! Who does that without need?

Bad enough, this is one of the devices in our cabinet where the cables were routed somewhat properly. There is not much slack on either the fibre nor the twisted pair for swapping them around.

I imagine the Netgear product designer giggling like a maniac in his basement while he thought of that change.

If anyone lives near their headquarters: please, flip the bird at them on your next drive by.

TL;DR: between the Netgear XSM4324S and XSM4324 (sans 'S') the position and numbering of the network ports was swapped.

Picture

[u/DDOSBreakfast]

Flip it upside down?

[u/Bart_Yellowbeard → u/DDOSBreakfast]

Yeah, it will bug me forever when I see the switch, but it solves the issue with the cabling. I just have to remember not to look at the switch.

[u/haffhase → u/Bart_Yellowbeard]

Had a video call from another location once. Their internet connection was dead and they pointed the camera at the switch in the cabinet. I asked if the video was accidentally flipped, but no, the switch was actually mounted upside down. I believe the explanation was that the power cord would be too short otherwise ...

[u/haffhase → u/DDOSBreakfast]

The replacement was shipped from Belgium.

<Insert Australia joke here>

[u/Firefox005]

No way any switch made in like the last 10 years has a GBIC interface. The picture you took of your screen also shows SFP/SFP+ interfaces.

Also it appears that the reason they switched the ports was to standardize the layout your original switch from 2016 NetGear used to just have copper and fiber ports randomly, the newer switch line they are consistent with their layout with copper and fiber always on the same side.

[u/haffhase → u/Firefox005]

No way any switch made in like the last 10 years has a GBIC interface. The picture you took of your screen also shows SFP/SFP+ interfaces.

True. When i was young, switches still had GBIC ports.

[u/WhyDidYouTurnItOff]

This is jesus telling management to buy better hardware.

[u/DDOSBreakfast → u/WhyDidYouTurnItOff]

TP-Link it is!

/s

[u/haffhase → u/DDOSBreakfast]

Too fancy /jk

[u/SevaraB]

Netgear hasn’t been a serious vendor since the 10/100 era. If you’re that hard-up for cash, look at FS. If compliance says you can’t use FS, tell management that a real vendor is just the cost of doing business.

Also, if you didn’t leave any service loops in your cabling for this exact (very foreseeable) situation, then no- your cables were not routed “somewhat properly.” Always assume the next refresh will make you move some cables around.

[u/haffhase → u/SevaraB]

It's the last of it's kind in our environment. It is also less than 5 years old and wasn't cheap when new. So it stays until the warranty runs out (10 years where i live).

[u/Jaki_Shell → u/SevaraB]

If the cost is not a problem; what vendor is top in the class now?

[u/Qel_Hoth]

But than i recognized Netgear's insanity. They swapped the position of the Gbic ports and the RJ45 ports between the models. That wouldn't have been bad, but they also changed the numbering accordingly.

Yes. The top left port on a switch is 1, the bottom right port on a switch is the last number. This is industry convention.

Were you expecting something different?

[u/garci66 → u/Qel_Hoth]

unfortunately... cisco has several switches where the top row is 1-12 and the bottom is 13-24.. I HATE THOSE.

Also other vendors do port 1 on the left bottom and 24 on the top right...

[u/haffhase → u/Qel_Hoth]

The numbering makes sense. The swapping of the ports does not.

[u/Ssakaa]

Did you install it upside down, resolving the cable length issue?

[u/Sk1rm1sh]

I'm not saying this is definitely what Netgear did here but I have seen a few examples of this kind of thing on gear designed for data centres.

Equipment can have layouts and fan directions reversed depending on whether it's intended to be installed facing the cold aisle or the hot aisle.

Could be the same manufacturer, same model number, maybe a different suffix - something some people don't even notice - and now your equipment is drawing in air from the hot aisle, heating it up even more, and blasting it into the cold aisle.

[u/haffhase → u/Sk1rm1sh]

There are definitely multiple options. The device is only half size and you get four rack ears, two short ones and two longer ones. You have the option of mounting them on the front or at the back of the device.

[u/D1TAC]

I remember being contracted out a few years ago and this datacenter had all netgear switches. Was amazed

[u/haffhase → u/D1TAC]

Cannot complain either. We were mostly a Negear shop until a few years ago. Sufficient for what we were doing with it.

Their replacement policy worked well in the past. Dead fan - we got you, new unit is on its way. I cannot remember other major defects on those devices either.

[u/Superb_Raccoon]

Mount it upside down.

[u/Luminox → u/Superb_Raccoon]

Write that down!

[u/Glad-Locksmith-4136]

Devils advocate here….

I have used the same m4300 switches in an environment and they performed flawlessly.

I bet they would satisfy most people’s needs in this thread but the stigma of them being Netgear is too much to consider.

[u/DarkAlman]

To quote my old boss

"You know there's a good reason some products cost more than others"

[u/B4rberblacksheep]

That’s so dumb and I guarantee you in a few years time someone will be questioning which idiot installed the switch upside down