Managing Forwarding Database

Overview

The Forwarding Database table is used primarily as a storage database that records the bindings of a port’s IP address and the matching device’s unique MAC address learned by the system, which works like a Matrix that compares and then links the 2 addresses together.

The table stores the locations of device(s) using the IP/ MAC address binding. Considering this association, the user can easily locate a defective or errant device (wherever attacks originate), anywhere on the network using the information in the Forwarding DB table.

The purpose of the Forwarding Database table is twofold:

1. to locate a specific device existent on the network and
2. to repair or remove a compromised device after locating it, thereby preventing any further snooping or unwanted attacks on the switch.

Using the Forwarding Database

The user can manage system data in the Forwarding DB table in the Switching view, designed to search, filter, sort, and save generated data.

Querying capabilities on the Forwarding DB table consist of entering one or more filters to generate the search mechanism to display IP/MAC address data using the specific Port AID number, MAC address and IP Address used to populate a set amount of data. Refer to "Filter Data" for more details.

Data generated in the Forwarding Database table can be saved as CSV file and then exported to an Excel spreadsheet or a database program. Refer to Save Displayed Data.

When new ports or devices are entered into the system, their address designations are stored in the database. The Forwarding DB table can be updated periodically and refreshed with fresh data.

Access Forwarding DB Table

To access and use the Forwarding Database table, do the following:

1. From the Application View Bar, select the Switching icon ().
2. In the Common Tree, select the desired OLT.
3. The Switching view appears with the Forwarding DB, VLAN Properties and VLAN Assignment tabs.
4. Click the Forwarding DB tab.
5. The entry fields, Port AID, MAC Address, IP Address and VLAN number, are displayed in the Filters section.
   
   
    
6. Enter the Port AID, MAC Address, IP Address and the known VLAN number in the Filters section. The filter entries query the database that will produce a defined quantity of data.
7. Click the Get button below the Filters section. The system extracts data from the database based on input query criteria in Step 6, which populates the table.

   Note:  Retrieving data from the EMS may take 30–40 seconds to complete.

   
    
8. Data obtained from the database appears in the table, depicted in the example, with a Forwarding data retrieved notes at the bottom right of the screen.
9. The Forwarding Database tab displays the following values:
   • Port AID
   • Port User Label
   • MAC Address
   • IP Address
   • VLAN
   • Sticky MAC (Y/N)
   • MAC Age
   • Lease Time
10. Click the Refresh button to update data in the Forwarding Database table.
11. Click either the Previous or Next button to display another page, if there are multiple pages to view. The following information relative to the Forwarding Database table is described in the Table below.
     

    Forwarding DB Fields/Attributes	Description
    Port AID contains	Displays the Port AID used for this port sub-string. Field length is limited to 32 alpha-numeric characters. Example: ETH1-1-2-2
    Port User Label contains	Displays the User Label used for this port sub-string. Field length is limited to 32 alpha-numeric characters. Example: OLT2
    MAC Address contains	Displays the MAC Address for this sub-string. Field length is limited to 32 alpha-numeric characters. Example: 60:00:02:C11:0A
    IP Address contains	Displays IP Address for this sub-string. Field length is limited to 32 alpha-numeric characters.. Example: 172.25.123.45 Note: There can be up to 4 IP address bindings per MAC address and is displayed a1s 4 entries. The IP address may be blank if no binding is learned by the system.
    VLAN is	Represents the VLAN identifier. Values range from 2 through 4094, with 10 VLANs reserved for internal use. To verify the reserved VLANs for this OLT, view the Reserved VLAN Mapping tab in the OLT properties dialog. For details, refer to Managing Internal Reserved VLANs.
    Get (Button)	Button used to obtain query results for values entered into the Filters section.
    Port AID	Displays the access identifier (AID) of the port. Example: ETH1-10-3-2-1.
    MAC Address	Displays the MAC address of the device associated with the port.
    VLAN	Identifies the VLAN number. Example: 2000
    Sticky MAC?	Indicates whether there is a Sticky MAC associated with the MAC Address (Y/N). Refer to Configure ACL Mode. Note: If there is a Sticky MAC, it dynamically associates the mac-address to the respective port.
    MAC Age	Indicates the age of the MAC address.
    Lease Time	Indicates the amount of time that DHCP snooping is allowed when DAI is used.

Search and Sort Data

Searching for a specific device identified by the MAC address uses sub-sets of the port’s AID, IP and MAC addresses and the VLAN number provides greater flexibility for managing existing data. Data can be sorted on each column, page by page, when the Forwarding DB table contains multiple pages.

Filter Data

Multiple filters appear in the Forwarding DB table, which are used to locate a specific device or port.

The user can set up one or more queries using sub-set filters, (i.e., a substring of the MAC address) to enhance search results.

Save Displayed Data

Data generated in the Forwarding DB table can be saved as CSV file for later analysis, exporting the data to an Excel spreadsheet or a database program.

To save data, click Save at the bottom of the GUI. In the following Save As window, provide the saved output as a CSV file, (e.g., textfile.csv).

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