IP: re: WinXP falls over old Cisco bug (fwd)

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 13:51:35 -0700
> From: "Ed Lazowska" <lazowska () cs washington edu>
> To: "Dave Farber (E-mail)" <farber () cis upenn edu>
>
>
> Dave --
>
> Can't really blame Microsoft for this one ... it's a flaming Cisco bug.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Terry Gray [mailto:gray () washington edu]
> Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2001 1:47 PM
> To: Ed Lazowska
> Cc: Jan Sanslo; David Richardson
> Subject: WinXP falls over old Cisco bug (fwd)
>
>
> Here's a bit more detail.
>
> -teg
>
> ---------------
>
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/18239.html
>
> WinXP falls over old Cisco bug
> By: John Leyden
> Posted: 11/04/2001 at 11:45 GMT
>
>
> Major network outages at Xerox, after staff installed beta versions of
> Microsoft XP, have been linked to a well-known bug in Cisco's most
> widely
> deployed Lan switch.
>
> As previously reported, Xerox has warned all its 50,000 US employees not
> to install Windows XP beta on company computers after the firm's
> networks
> suffered three network outages which were directly linked to use of the
> operating system. Any installed versions of XP was to be removed
> immediately, staff were advised in a company wide email.
>
> Xerox said the problem was hardware-related but wouldn't say which of
> its
> suppliers was involved.
>
> However emails from Register readers and sources in Redmond have
> revealed
> that Xerox's Windows XP installation almost certainly fell foul of a bug
> involving Cisco's Catalyst 5000 family of Lan switches.
>
> Windows XP, unlike Windows 2000, leaves 802.1p/802.1q tagging enabled by
> default. This is an issue because CatOS software prior to 6.2.1 for the
> Catalyst 5000/5500 will forward 802.1x frames on all ports including
> spanning tree blocking ports, resulting in a layer 2 multicast storm.
>
> The upshot of this is that a user can bring down an entire switch
> network
> by just connecting a Windows XP (Whistler) workstation to their network,
> if a 5000 series Lan switch is in place.
>
> The issue does not arise in any other Cisco Lan switches (including
> Catalyst 2900XL, 3500XL, 2948G, 4000 or 6000 switches) because theses
> devices will drop the frame when it arrives at a blocked port.
>
> There are technical workarounds to the issue (including updating
> software
> on the Cisco switch), which are discussed in greater detail here.
> However
> this misses the wider point that Xerox experienced its network failure
> because of a rather obvious problem involving the next version of the
> world's most widely used operating system and the planet's most deployed
> Lan switch.
>
> Is there any wonder why people get cynical about IT? ®
>
> Related stories
> Xerox bans Windows XP beta after 'major network outages'
> MS hobbling WinXP Server, pushing users to Advanced version?
> New WinXP file system breaks disk utilities. Again. Oops.
> WinXP - the screenshots



For archives see: http://www.interesting-people.org/