Aruba S3500 Ethernet switches

Aruba S3500 Mobility Access switches are cool:

• Dual power supply
• Decent free firmware access
• Good POE support
• Reasonably quiet
• Stackable
• 2x 10Gbits/sec SFP+ ports available after stacking
• Generic fs.com DACs work splendidly
• Nifty profile-based configuration
• Takes Cisco pinout console cables
• 48 1000baseT ports (no robbing the modular connector ports to make the SFP ports go)
• Fully featured OS that doesn't require licensing of nifty features
• Dedicated management network interface located at rear of chassis.

Less than perfect, but totally livable things about these switches:

• It's not a whitebox switch. Must run factory firmware. (Maybe next time. Maybe...)
• Stacking is not super amaze balls fast between switches at 2x 10Gbits/sec, full duplex. That should not be a problem as the idea is more that this extends the 10 and 40 Gbits/sec network core out to 1000baseT land. So hopefully not a huge issue.

I got a brand new switch. How do get access?

https://community.arubanetworks.com/t5/Wireless-Access/Aruba-S3500-password-recovery/td-p/31922 says to do this on the console:

User:password
Password:forgetme!
(aruba) >enable
Password:enable
(aruba) #configure terminal
Enter Configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z
(aruba) (config) #mgmt-user admin root Password: TheNewAdminPassw0rd
Re-Type password:TheNewAdminPassw0rd
(aruba) (config) #exit
(aruba) #exit
(aruba) >exit

User:admin
Password:TheNewAdminPassw0rd
(aruba) >enable
Password:enable
(aruba) #configure terminal
Enter Configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z
(aruba) (config) #enable secret
Password:TheNewEnableSecr3t
Re-Type password:TheNewEnableSecr3t
(aruba) (config) #exit
(aruba) #write memory
(aruba) #

(It very correctly does not work over the network. Serial console port only. It's in the back.)

It is also possible to wipe the switch's config using the front panel menus.

Yay! I'm in. How do I wipe the config?

It's not hard, I promise.

User: admin
Password: *******
(foo) >enable
Password:******
(foo) #write erasecmp: /mswitch/commands/corvina.cfg: No such file or directory

All the configuration will be deleted. Press 'y' to proceed :y
Write Erase successful

(foo) #

"Corvina" seems to be the internal product name for this model. Reboot the switch and it will mostly be cleared of any config that has been set. If that is not wiped enough, try

(foo) #write erase all cmp: /mswitch/commands/corvina.cfg: No such file or directory

Switch configuration and databases will be erased. The stacking database will not be erased, use
'restore factory_default stacking' for full factory default. Press 'y' to proceed :y
Write Erase successful

(foo) #

And if there's stacking config that needs to be wiped, too, bring in the 8 inch gun:

(foo) #restore factory_default stacking  

All configuration and stack settings will be restored to
factory default on this member after reload.
Press 'y' to proceed with reload: [y/n]: y
System will now restart

And wait for it to start again. Stacking and all other config will have been wiped when it starts up again.

Default credentials and stuffs

Default management user is admin with a password of admin123. The default enable secret is enable.

I'm completely defaulted, fresh and clean, and ready to start the day. What do we do next?

Let's get network manageable! Network manageable! Let's get into network manageable!

(Olivia Newton John song) The twisted pair copper Ethernet port on the back of the switch is know as "MGMT" in the switch OS. Configuration is not too surprising:

(ArubaS3500-48P-US) #configure terminal 
Enter Configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z

(ArubaS3500-48P-US) (config) #interface mgmt 
(ArubaS3500-48P-US) (mgmt) #ip address 172.16.0.72 255.255.255.0
(ArubaS3500-48P-US) (mgmt) #exit
(ArubaS3500-48P-US) (config) #exit
(ArubaS3500-48P-US) #write memory
Saving Configuration...

Save failed: Admin password same as default password
Use "mgmt-user admin" command in configuration mode to change the admin password.

(ArubaS3500-48P-US) #

Denied! Admin user's password must be changed before config can be saved. So...

Changing admin user's password

(ArubaS3500-48P-US) (config) #mgmt-user admin root 
Password:********
Re-Type password:********
(ArubaS3500-48P-US) (config) #exit
(ArubaS3500-48P-US) #write memory 
Saving Configuration...


Configuration Saved.

(ArubaS3500-48P-US) #

Network managability. Take two.

The twisted pair copper Ethernet port on the back of the switch is known as "MGMT" in the switch OS. Configuration is not too surprising:

(ArubaS3500-48P-US) #configure terminal 
Enter Configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z

(ArubaS3500-48P-US) (config) #interface mgmt 

(ArubaS3500-48P-US) (mgmt) #ip address 172.16.0.72 255.255.255.0 
(ArubaS3500-48P-US) (mgmt) #exit
(ArubaS3500-48P-US) (config) #exit
(ArubaS3500-48P-US) #write memory 
(ArubaS3500-48P-US) #

And now an SSH client can connect to 172.16.0.72 as user admin with the password set above. Note that there is no route to another IPv4 subnet. So, must be inside the same address space.

And there's a web UI, too

Point browser to MGMT's IP address and enjoy the loveli lakes, the wonderful telephone system, mani interesting furry animals, the majestic moose...

Sorry. Enjoy the better than average web interface.

Set the switch's name

(ArubaS3500-48P-US) #configure terminal 
Enter Configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z

(ArubaS3500-48P-US) (config) #hostname aruba-s3500-48p-0
(aruba-s3500-48p-0) (config) #
(aruba-s3500-48p-0) #write memory 
Saving Configuration...


Configuration Saved.

(aruba-s3500-48p-0) #

See the nifty change of prompt there?