How to Install a Switch

English 393
Erin Shields
18 April 2024
How to Install a Switch
High-speed communication is made possible by interconnected devices. One of
these is a switch. Switches have numerous ports that support communication within a
network. Without switches, modern telecommunication is not possible. Every ethernet
jack in offices and dorm rooms alike can be connected to a network switch sitting in a
nearby closet. Network switches are responsible for forwarding data towards its
destination. They are the metaphorical backbone of any computer network.
Technology advances at a rapid pace, and networking hardware is not immune to
this fact. As devices become more powerful, the network that provides connectivity
needs to measure up. The devices that average technology consumers use are called
end devices. Examples of these include computers, smart speakers, security cameras,
and cell phones. Switches that serve an enterprise network typically have 48 ports.
There may be multiple switches on each floor of any given building depending on user
needs. Switch upgrades and additions become necessary as the number of devices
increase.
Switch upgrades may increase how secure a network is. Cyberattacks happen
frequently and the network needs to be as secure as possible. Security standards are
ever-changing and older devices are unable to abide by newer policies. Certain software
versions are not compatible with older switch models. Every organization, especially
governmental organizations, need to ensure that their communication is confidential.
Additionally, older switch models may not have the same power capabilities as
newer models. For example, thirty years ago phones did not need to be powered
through an ethernet connection. There were dedicated phone lines that are currently
outdated. Now, VoIP (Voice-over Internet Protocol) phones need to be connected to a
switch that doubles as an electricity source. Outside of power requirements, eventually
network switches that used to be cutting edge are now end of life devices. They need to
be phased out and replaced.
Another drawback of older switches is the inefficient energy use. Deploying
newer switches not only addresses this issue but also decreases electricity costs and
contributes to environmental sustainability. Overall, newer switches provide many
benefits for IT professionals and network users alike. These upgrades allow for
increased security, flexibility, and adaptability. Understanding how to install a switch is
integral to any networking job. These instructions will make any switch install easy and
straightforward.

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Materials Needed for Installation
● Switch
● Power supplies and power cables x2
● Rack mount ears and screw
● Screwdriver
● Fiber cables of different types (at least one side should have an LC connector) x4
● SFP modules x2
● Fiber light
● Laptop
● Console cable
● Power and data stacking cables (if necessary)
1. Preparing for Installation
Wiping the Switch
1. Power on the switch in the office by plugging it into an outlet.
2. Console into the switch.
a. To do this, use the console cable to plug the USB-A end into the laptop and the
ethernet end to the console port
3. Type en to switch into privileged-exec mode.
4. Run the following commands:
conf t
crypto key zeroize
y
no crypto pki cert pool
y
no crypto pki certificate pool
yes
no crypto pki trustpoint pnplabel
yes
no pnp profile pnp-zero-touch
yes
end
delete /force flash:vlan.dat
delete /force flash:pnp*
delete /force nvram:*.cer
delete /force nvram:pnp*
wr erase
Reload
If you encounter an error try running the commands one at a time.
5. Type “no” when asked about saving the configuration.
6. Confirm the reload by hitting enter.

WARNING: From this point on let the switch reload and DO NOT type anything into the switch.
Any keystrokes sent to the switch after it reboots will suspend the ZTP service and require it to
be restarted.

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2. Physical Installation
Mounting the Switch to the Rack
1. Once you’re in the network closet, remove the rack ears from the mounting kit
and use the short, flathead phillips screws to attach the ears to the side of the
switch. One ear will go on each side of the switch closer towards the switch’s
face.
2. Insert the power supplies into the back of the switch and
insert the power cable
3. Using the larger Phillips screws from
the mounting kit, screw the switch into
the rack by running the screws
through the front of the ears and
screwing them into the screw holes on
the side of the rack. This usually
requires two people since one will
hold the switch in
place while the other screws it into
the rack. Figure 1. Switch ear placement diagram
4. Make sure that the switch is level. It is ideal to have at least 1U of space between
the switch and any other device in the rack.

3. Connecting Data Links

Establishing a fiber link between the switch and the router

Figure 2. LC FIber Connector Figure 3. Fiber LIU Panel

Once the switch is mounted, all of the cables are connected, and the switch is powered
on, we will need to establish a fiber link to the building router.
1. Check the LIU in the room to determine what type of fiber optic cable you will
need. The end going into the device will always be LC.
2. Plug one end of the cable into the LIU and plug the fiber light into the LC end and
turn it on.

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 3. Go to the closet where the router is and open up the LIU. If there is a direct fiber
connection between the two rooms you should see the fiber light shining through
one of the LIU ports when the cap is removed. Connect another fiber cable to the
port on the LIU that the light is shining through.

WARNING: Do not look directly into the fiber light, it will damage your eyes

REMINDER: Sometimes fiber will be run to an intermediate room before it goes to the
room where the building router is. In this case you must track the fiber path through
each room and patch it along the way to the building router.
4. While still in the room with the building router, plug the other end of the fiber
cable into the correct SFP module and insert that module into the building router.
Take note of the port that the fiber cable is plugged into.
5. Return to the closet where the switch is and remove the fiber light from the end
of the cable. Take that end and plug it into another SFP module. Insert this
module into the switch you are installing.
6. If done correctly, the port indicator light where you inserted the module will begin
to glow green. This indicates that the link is working properly and is passing
traffic.
7. Reach out to a full time network engineer or technician with DHCP access once a
link is established.
8. Remember to send the switch serial number to someone with DHCP access.

Switching Ethernet Links Over

If the switch is replacing an older one, the current links
must be switched over. After ensuring that the port
configurations match the previous configurations
switch the physical links over.
1. Unplug the ethernet cable from the old switch
and replug it into the new one.
a. Repeat this process on 5 ports at a time
2. Check for link lights after each interval of 5
ports. Figure 4. An ethernet port with link lights
3. Once every link light comes on, continue with the next 5 ports until all of the old
links are connected to the new switch.

Dismounting the Old Switch

1. Unplug the power cables from the outlet and the back of the switch.
2. With someone else holding the switch up, use the phillips head screwdriver to
unscrew the switch from the rack

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4. Switch Configurations
Putting the Switch on the Management Network
1. Log into MCP and use either nslookup or freeips to find an available IP address on
the building management network.
2. Open PuTTY on the laptop and SSH into dhcp.noc.umbc.edu.
3. Create A and PTR DNS records for the switch. The desired format for the host
name is: building-room#-s#.net.umbc.edu.
4. Open up the DHCP file in a text editor sudo nano /etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf.
5. Search for the VLAN definition of the switch management VLAN and uncomment
the range statement.
6. Type “Ctrl+X” to exit and save the file.
7. Restart the DHCP server with sudo /UMBC_NOC/dhcp_scripts/Dhcp_restart.pl.

Configuring the trunk ports

1. Once the switch has finished provisioning SSH into it.
2. Enter interface configuration mode for the trunk interface.
3. Enter the following commands from interface configuration mode:
desc link to {building name}-gw
sw mode trunk
ip dhcp snooping trust
end
wr
4. SSH into the building router.
5. Enter interface configuration mode for the interface that connects to the switch
you installed.
6. Enter the following commands from interface configuration mode:
desc link to {switch name}
sw mode trunk
end
Wr

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Glossary
Term Definition

ZTP (Zero provisioning mechanism which allows unconfigured

Touch devices to automatically load deployment files upon
Provisioning) power-on, including system software, patch and
configuration files.

SFP (Small form-factor A small transceiver that plugs into the SFP port of a
pluggable) network switch and connects to Fibre Channel and
Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) optical fiber cables at the other
end.

LIU (Line a device used for managing and controlling the

Interface Unit) transmission of data over fiber optic cables.

DHCP (Dynamic a network management protocol used for automatically

Host assigning IP addresses and other communication
Configuration parameters to devices connected to the network using
Protocol) a client–server architecture.

Patch An established connection between two electronic or

optical devices.

Link light LED indicator showing network connection status.

Provisioning an early stage in the deployment of servers,

applications, network components, storage, edge
devices, and more.

Trunk Port Interface on network devices carrying traffic for

multiple VLANs.

DNS (Domain Name hierarchical and distributed naming system that

System) translates domain names to IP addresses so browsers
can load Internet resources.

PTR DNS (Pointer Domain DNS record mapping IP addresses to domain names in
Name System) reverse.

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 Work Cited
Admin, Arista. “7010 Series 1RU - Rack Mounting the Switch - Arista.” Arista Networks,

23 Feb. 2024,

www.arista.com/en/qsg-7010-series-1ru/7010-series-1ru-rack-mounting-the-swit

ch.

“OS2 LC LC Indoor/Outdoor Duplex SM Fiber Patch Cable 9/125 Singlemode.”

Fibercablesdirect.com,

fibercablesdirect.com/os2-singlemode/261-os2-lc-lc-indooroutdoor-9125-single

mode-dx-fiber-cable.html.

LIU. aeconnect.co.in/LIU.

Gee, Tech. “Routing and Switching: Network Traffic Properties | Network+ N10-007 |

1.3a.” Technology Gee, 26 July 2022,

www.technologygee.com/routing-switching-network-traffic-properties-network-n

10-007-1-3a.