Issue: Links remain down after upgrading to Cumulus Linux 3.x

An issue may appear in Cumulus Linux 3.0 environments, where links remain down after upgrading. The consequences of this issue are:

• All interfaces except eth0 remain down and are not recognized.

• ifup outputs the following error:

  cumulus@switch:~$ sudo ifup swp47
  error: swp47: cmd 'ethtool -s swp47 speed 10000 duplex full' failed: returned 255 (Cannot set new settings: No such process
  not setting speed
  not setting duplex
  )

Environment

• Cumulus Linux 3.x

Root Cause

The main cause of this issue is an improvement that removed the need to reboot after licensing the switch in Cumulus Linux 3.x. This created a scenario where switch port network devices were present on unlicensed Cumulus Linux 3.x switches.

Info: Unlicensed switches do not run switchd</>, the central daemon for Cumulus Linux. This daemon communicates between the switch, Cumulus Linux, and all applications running on the Cumulus Linux instance. Interfaces cannot be brought up if switchd is not running.

Diagnosis

• Unlicensed Cumulus Linux 3.x switches display the following content in the "Message of the Day" upon login:

  *****************************************************************
  This installation of Cumulus Linux is not licensed.  The front
  panel ports will not operate.  To obtain a license, contact
  Cumulus Networks: http://cumulusnetworks.com/
  *****************************************************************

• Confirm if switchd is running with the systemctl command. If switchd is not running, the license condition will not be met:

  cumulus@switch:~$  systemctl status switchd
  ● switchd.service - Cumulus Linux Switch Daemon
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/switchd.service; enabled)
    Drop-In: /etc/systemd/system/switchd.service.d
             └─override.conf
     Active: inactive (dead)
             start condition failed at Sat 2016-09-03 05:01:41 UTC; 3 days ago
             ConditionPathExistsGlob=/etc/cumulus/.license* was not met

Resolution

To solve this issue, license the switch using the following command:

cumulus@switch:~$ cl-license -i license_file

Note: For more information regarding licensing Cumulus Linux switches, refer to the Cumulus Linux Quick Start Guide.