Console

Connects the serial cable to a terminal device. You establish a serial connection to a terminal emulation program for console access to the Setup Wizard and the Core CLI.

Primary (PRI)

Connects Core to a VLAN switch through which you can connect to the Management Console and the Core CLI. You typically use this port for communication with Edges.

Auxiliary (AUX)

Connects the Core to the management VLAN. You can connect a computer directly to the appliance with a crossover cable, enabling you to access the CLI or Management Console.

eth0_0 to eth0_3

Connects the eth0_0, eth0_1, eth0_2, and eth0_3 ports of Core to a LAN switch using a straight-through cable. You can use the ports either for iSCSI SAN connectivity or failover interfaces when you configure Core for high availability (HA) with another Core. In an HA deployment, failover interfaces are usually connected directly between Core peers using crossover cables.

If you deploy the Core between two switches, all ports must be connected with straight-through cables.

eth1_0 onwards

Cores have four gigabit Ethernet ports (eth0_0 to eth0_3) by default. For additional connectivity, you can install optional NICs in PCIe slots within the Core. These slots are numbered 1 to 5. Supported NICs can be either 1 Gb or 10 Gb depending on connectivity requirements. The NIC ports are automatically recognized by the Core, following a reboot. The ports are identified by the system as ethX_Y where X corresponds to the PCIe slot number and Y corresponds to the port on the NIC. For example, a two-port NIC in PCIe slot 1 is displayed as having ports eth1_0 and eth1_1.

Connect the ports to LAN switches or other devices using the same principles as the other product network ports.

eth1_0 to eth1_3

Connects the eth1_0, eth1_1, eth1_2, and eth1_3 ports of Core to a LAN switch using a straight-through cable. You can use the ports either for iSCSI SAN connectivity or failover interfaces when you configure Core for high availability (HA) with another Core. In an HA deployment, failover interfaces are usually connected directly between Core peers using crossover cables.

If you deploy the Core between two switches, all ports must be connected with straight-through cables.

eth2_0 onwards

Cores have four gigabit Ethernet ports (eth1_0 to eth1_3) by default. For additional connectivity, you can install optional NICs in PCIe slots within the Core. These slots are numbered 2 to 6. Supported NICs can be either 1 Gb or 10 Gb depending on connectivity requirements. The NIC ports are automatically recognized by the Core, following a reboot. The ports are identified by the system as ethX_Y where X corresponds to the PCIe slot number and Y corresponds to the port on the NIC. For example, a two-port NIC in PCIe slot 2 is displayed as having ports eth2_0 and eth2_1.

Connect the ports to LAN switches or other devices using the same principles as the other product network ports.

For more details about installing optional NICs, see the Riverbed Hardware Platforms Guide. For more information about the configuration of network ports, see the Core user guide.