Problems with configuring VoIP QOS tags between Dell and Nortel.

[DaleWinn]

Hello, I am an IT administrator for a medical company. Currently we use a Nortel BCM 450 for our Telephony and it is connected into our Core switch a BayStack 5520-24t POE running FW:6.0.0.6 SW:6.1.0.006
We need the POE for our VoIP phones (obviously) and we were running out of ports to add more phones. A company that we had in giving us a hand with some server migration sold us a Dell PowerConnect 6224 POE and swore up and down that it would work.
Well, it does for a while, then the Dell seems to lose connectivity with the BayStack. Or the BayStack decides to boot the Dell. Could there be a setting I am missing or need to check to get Nortel to play with the Dell? I have been told before that Nortel is very volatile when it comes to connecting with non-Nortel equipment and just wonder how true it is.

Thanks for any input, if you need me to post certain settings just let me know.

[Dominik]

Hi DaleWinn and welcome to the forum,

in my expirience you can connect a ERS5520 with other vendors without any issues.
I am lucky and had never to work with a Dell switch personal. 

I am sure it is possible to connect the two switches toghether.

-how do you have connected the switches together ?
-how many links do you use ?
-how are the links between the two switches configured ?
-do you have spanning tree enabled ?

My first try would be investigating spanning tree.

Good Luck

[DaleWinn]

I wrote my first message when I was pretty tired so I clarified up my issue a little better.
We can get a Nortel VoIP phone to configure on a Dell PowerConnect 6224 switch that is connected to a Nortel BayStack 5520-24T POE switch, BUT the phone does not carry voice traffic in both directions. So if "Bob" calls "Frank", "Bob" can hear "Frank" but "Frank" can not hear "Bob". We believe this issue could be a problem with the QOS packet settings.. either on the Nortel side or the Dell side, not sure. Looking for someone who may have had this issue before and solved it? *fingers crossed* If you still need need me to check the Spanning Tree settings or anything else let me know. Sorry for any confusion.

To answer your questions however:
-The switches are connected via a single patch cable
-Links, we are not sure what you mean, but the Dell P/C goes right into the BayStack core switch
-What configuration are you looking for specifically? I mean, there is a lot of configurations, basic one 1000Mb connection.
-Spanning tree on the Nortel side? or the Dell side?

P.S. My colleague and I are in no way Nortel engineers and there is a lot that the Nortel Device Manager will let us do, and to be honest we don't understand some of the settings in DM. So I am terribly sorry if I mis-read anything someone may post.

[Jon Hurtt]

I wrote my first message when I was pretty tired so I clarified up my issue a little better.
We can get a Nortel VoIP phone to configure on a Dell PowerConnect 6224 switch that is connected to a Nortel BayStack 5520-24T POE switch, BUT the phone does not carry voice traffic in both directions. So if "Bob" calls "Frank", "Bob" can hear "Frank" but "Frank" can not hear "Bob". We believe this issue could be a problem with the QOS packet settings.. either on the Nortel side or the Dell side, not sure. Looking for someone who may have had this issue before and solved it? *fingers crossed* If you still need need me to check the Spanning Tree settings or anything else let me know. Sorry for any confusion.

DaleWinn,

So we can try to help you solve your problem, we have to make sure we know the problem. Your first post described a problem very different than your second post. I will focus on your second post....

1. So in your scenario with Bob and Frank. Where is Bob and Where is Frank (which switches are they connected to)?

2. Is VoIP traffic the only way of testing, have you tried pinging between two devices on both switches? How is the connectivity between the two switches?

3. Have you checked for errors on the ports that interconnect the switches?

4. I am also assuming the problem goes away when Bob and Frank are both connected to the Avaya Switch? or the Dell Switch?

This will help us help you solve your problem.

[DaleWinn]

I wrote my first message when I was pretty tired so I clarified up my issue a little better.
We can get a Nortel VoIP phone to configure on a Dell PowerConnect 6224 switch that is connected to a Nortel BayStack 5520-24T POE switch, BUT the phone does not carry voice traffic in both directions. So if "Bob" calls "Frank", "Bob" can hear "Frank" but "Frank" can not hear "Bob". We believe this issue could be a problem with the QOS packet settings.. either on the Nortel side or the Dell side, not sure. Looking for someone who may have had this issue before and solved it? *fingers crossed* If you still need need me to check the Spanning Tree settings or anything else let me know. Sorry for any confusion.

DaleWinn,

So we can try to help you solve your problem, we have to make sure we know the problem. Your first post described a problem very different than your second post. I will focus on your second post....

1. So in your scenario with Bob and Frank. Where is Bob and Where is Frank (which switches are they connected to)?

2. Is VoIP traffic the only way of testing, have you tried pinging between two devices on both switches? How is the connectivity between the two switches?

3. Have you checked for errors on the ports that interconnect the switches?

4. I am also assuming the problem goes away when Bob and Frank are both connected to the Avaya Switch? or the Dell Switch?

This will help us help you solve your problem.

Ok, to better solve my issue I will try and do a more battery of tests.
Just I know our main issue is VoIP, but we also have some data loss too. So I am trying to figure out why the Nortel just don't like Dell or vise-versa.

[Jon Hurtt]

Ok, to better solve my issue I will try and do a more battery of tests.
Just I know our main issue is VoIP, but we also have some data loss too. So I am trying to figure out why the Nortel just don't like Dell or vise-versa.

It could be as easy as a bad cable... Or mis-configuration on up-link ports? Make sure both sides are 802.1Q Tagged if you are running multiple VLANs....

Both Dell and Avaya/Nortel are very standards based, it should be an easy fix.

Good Luck.

[DaleWinn]

OK, thanks I will check it out.

BTW maybe you or anyone can answer me this. On my BCM450 unit there are 3 RJ45 ports an OAM and 2 LAN, I have the Core POE switch (the one that is out of ports) pluged into the first LAN port.. I have always wondered about just pluging in another POE say, the Dell, into the 2and.. but I am weary on bringing down the phone system.. anyone know if that would be bad, or good to do? Google-ing the info seems to be only PDF's from old Nortel sources that don't really give a clear answer one what it does (the 2and LAN port)

[Jon Hurtt]

OK, thanks I will check it out.

BTW maybe you or anyone can answer me this. On my BCM450 unit there are 3 RJ45 ports an OAM and 2 LAN, I have the Core POE switch (the one that is out of ports) pluged into the first LAN port.. I have always wondered about just pluging in another POE say, the Dell, into the 2and.. but I am weary on bringing down the phone system.. anyone know if that would be bad, or good to do? Google-ing the info seems to be only PDF's from old Nortel sources that don't really give a clear answer one what it does (the 2and LAN port)

I would be weary of creating a Layer 2 Loop since i am not sure how those two ports function

[DaleWinn]

Ok, so I am looking at the settings for the port on which my Dell is connected and under the "Spanning tree" menu I have this:
StgId: 1, Priority: 128, State: disabled, EnableStp: false, FastStart: False

[Dominik]

Hi Dale,

here are some checks you can do.

If I understand you right you use the JDM ti manage the ERS5520.

-Check for Ethernet Errors on the Uplink to the Dell switch
  >> mark to the port that is connected to the Dell switch >> graph >> ethernet errors
  are here any errors in the table ?

-Check the portconfig
 >> mark to the port that is connected to the Dell switch >> edit >> Interface
 here should be autonegotiate be enabled, check if on the Dell switch autoneg is enabled as well
 >> mark to the port that is connected to the Dell switch >> edit >> VLAN
 here should be all needed VLAN ID be shown and the Tagging set to tag All, if you use multiple VLANs.
 If you have only one VLAN it should be set to access.
 Do you have DiscardUntaggedFrames and FilterUnregisteredFrames enabled ?


Cheers