Smartports

Why use Smartports:

Essential procedures:

Advanced topics and procedures:

Tips on using this window:

  • Click the column headings to sort information.
  • Click Submit to save your changes.
  • Click Cancel to discard unsaved changes.

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What Is Smartports

The Smartports feature is a set of Cisco-recommended configurations for the switch ports. These configurations (referred to as port roles) optimize the switch connections and ensure security and transmission quality to traffic from the switch ports. They also prevent many problems caused by port misconfigurations.

Additional security and quality of service (QoS) features related to Smartports are available through Network Assistant.

Tip: Use Smartports immediately after initial setup. The ports are then correctly configured before they are connected to devices. The only prerequisite is to decide which switch port will be connected to which device type.

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Smartports Roles

The Smartports roles are based on the type of devices to be connected to the switch ports. For example, the Desktop port role is specifically for switch ports that will be connected to desktop and laptop PCs.

The switch provides these Smartports roles:

Apply this role to ports that will be connected to desktop devices, such as desktop PCs, workstations, notebook PCs, and other client-based hosts.

Notes:

  • Do not apply to ports that will be connected to switches, routers, or access points.
  • Do not apply to ports that will be connected to non-Cisco, non-desktop devices. Doing so disables the ports.

Apply this role to ports that will be connected to IP phones. A desktop device, such as a PC, can be connected to the IP phone. Both the IP phone and connected PC would have access to the network and the Internet through the switch port.

This role ensures quality of service to delay-sensitive voice traffic.

Apply this role to ports that will be connected to other switches.

Apply this role to non-Gigabit ports that will be connected to routers or Layer 3 switches with routing service capabilities. Use this role if the port will connect to devices that connect to the WAN or the Internet.

Apply this role to PoE ports that will be connected to PoE-capable devices and to non-PoE ports that will be connected to wireless access points (APs). The AP can provide network access to up to 30 mobile (wireless) users.

Apply this role to ports that will be connected to servers that provide network services, such as exchange servers, collaborative servers, terminal servers, file servers, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers, and so on. This role is for Gigabit or non-Gigabit ports, depending on the server type to be connected.

Apply this role to ports that will be connected to a printer, such as a network printer or an external print server.

Apply this role to ports that guests and visitors will use for temporary access to the Internet. This role prevents guests and visitors from accessing your internal network.

Apply this role to ports if you do not want to apply a specialized Smartports role on the port. This role can be used on connections to guest or visitor devices, printers, desktops, servers, and IP phones.

Note: Do not apply to ports that will be connected to switches, routers, or access points.

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Recommended Smartports Assignments

The recommended port role assignments depend on the switch model and the port type. These assignments reflect the type of device connections intended for the switch model. If you decide to use most of the switch ports with their intended port roles, accept the recommended port roles, and change only the ports that need a different port role.

Immediately after initial setup, a message asks if you want each port to be applied with a recommended port role.

  • If you click Yes, the recommended port roles are applied to the ports.
  • If you click No, the Other port role is applied to all ports.
  • If you close the message without selecting Yes or No, the Other port role is applied to all ports.
Model Port Number Port Type Recommended Port Role
WS-CE500-24TT Fa1 to Fa24 10/100 ports Desktop
  Gi1 to Gi2 10/100/1000 or SFP module ports Switch
WS-CE500-24LC Fa1 to Fa4 10/100 ports Access Point
  Fa5 to Fa24 10/100 ports Desktop
  Gi1 to Gi2 10/100/1000 or SFP module ports Switch
WS-CE500-24PC Fa1 to Fa24 10/100 ports IP Phone+Desktop
  Gi1 to Gi2 10/100/1000 or SFP module ports Switch
WS-CE500G-12TC Gi1 to Gi8 10/100/1000 ports Server
  Gi9 to Gi12 10/100/1000 or SFP module ports Switch

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Avoid Smartports Mismatches

A Smartports mismatch is when an attached device does not match the Smartports role applied to the switch port. Mismatches can have adverse effects on devices and your network. For example, mismatches

  • Affect the behavior of the attached device
  • Reduce the level of QoS on voice, wireless, switch, and router traffic
  • Reduce restrictions on guest access to the network
  • Reduce protection from denial of service (DoS) attacks on the network
  • Disable or shut down the port

We recommend always checking which Smartports role is applied to a port before attaching a device to the port or reconnecting devices that have been moved.

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Apply a Smartports Role

From the Smartports window, you can see which Smartports role is applied to each port. Move the pointer over a port to display its port number, Smartports role, and VLAN ID (VLAN membership).

You can apply a Smartports role to a specific port or to all ports on the switch.

Notes:

  • When you apply a Smartports role on a port, all existing settings on the port are removed.
  • We recommend that you do not change specific port settings after enabling a Smartports role on a port. Any port setting changes can alter the effectiveness of the Smartports role.
  • Do not apply the Desktop port role on ports that are connected to routers or to other switches.

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Apply a Smartports Role to a Single Port

To apply a Smartports role to a specific port:

  1. Choose a Smartports role from the Select a port role list.

  2. Click the port. The icon for the selected Smartports role appears on the port.

  3. Click Submit to save your changes. To discard unsaved changes, click Cancel.

To remove the Smartports role applied to a port:

  1. Choose Other from the Select a port role list.

  2. Click the port. The Other icon appears on the port.

  3. Click Submit to save your changes. To discard unsaved changes, click Cancel.

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Apply a Smartports Role to All Ports

To apply the selected Smartports role to all ports:

  1. Choose a Smartports role from the Select a port role list.

  2. Check the Apply the selected port role to all ports check box. The icon for the selected Smartports role appears on the ports.

  3. For any port that should not be applied with the selected port role:

    1. Choose another Smartports role from the Select a port role list.

    2. Click the port. The icon for the selected Smartports role appears on the port.

    3. Repeat Steps 1 to 3-C until all ports are applied with the desired port role.

  4. Click Submit to save your changes. To discard unsaved changes, click Cancel.

To remove the Smartports role applied to all ports:

  1. Choose Other from the Select a port role list.

  2. Check the Apply the selected port role for all ports check box. The Other icon appears on the ports.

  3. Click Submit to save your changes. To discard unsaved changes, click Cancel.

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Customize the Smartports Configuration on the Ports

Customizing (or refining) the Smartports configuration on a port involves changing VLAN memberships and changing the server-type priority. Click Customize from the Smartports window to display these advanced settings.

Note: Before changing VLAN memberships, you should understand what a VLAN is, its purpose, and how to create a VLAN. You should also understand the use of two special VLANs supported on the switch: Cisco-Guest and Cisco-Voice.

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Change VLAN Memberships

Each switch port is a member of a VLAN. Devices attached to switch ports that belong to the same VLAN share the same data broadcasts and system resources. Communication between VLANs requires a Layer 3 device (such as a router or a Layer 3 switch).

Depending on your network requirements, it might be sufficient to assign all ports to the default VLAN, which is named default. If additional VLANs have been created, you must decide which ports are best suited to which VLANs.

If the switch has only the default VLAN, ports applied with the Guest or IP Phone+Desktop port role can also belong to the default VLAN. However, if additional VLANs have been created:

• Ports applied with the Guest port role must belong to the Cisco-Guest VLAN.
• Ports applied with the IP Phone+Desktop port role must belong to the Cisco-Voice VLAN. You could also assign these ports to two VLANs: an access VLAN for regular data traffic and the Cisco-Voice VLAN for voice traffic.

Be sure to understand the considerations for assigning ports to the Cisco-Guest and Cisco-Voice VLANs.

To change a VLAN assignment:

  1. Click Customize from the Smartports window.

  2. Choose a VLAN for each port:

    • For ports applied with the Switch, Router, or AP port role, choose a VLAN from the Native VLAN list.
    • For ports applied with the Desktop, Phone, Server, Printer, Guest, or Other port role, choose a VLAN from the Access VLAN list.

  3. Click Done. To discard any unsaved changes, click Cancel.

  4. Click Submit to save your changes. To discard unsaved changes, click Cancel.

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Change the Server Priorities

For ports applied with the Server port role, you can classify the priority of servers based on the server traffic.

Server Type Description
Standard This server type is treated with the lowest priority as compared to other server types. An example of a standard server is a web server or print server.
Business

This server type receives higher priority than a standard server but less priority than a critical or trusted server. An example of a business server is a server where business records are kept.

This is the default server type.

Critical This server type typically provides the organization with more critical traffic than a business server and therefore has higher priority than business-type servers. An example of a critical server is a server for business transactions.
Trusted This server type is for use with a voice-over-IP server. All traffic from this server type receives voice-quality priority as well as the same priority given to critical-type servers. An example of a trusted server is Cisco Call Manager.

To change a server-type priority:

  1. For each server port, choose a server type from the Server Type list.

  2. Click Done. To discard any unsaved changes, click Cancel.

  3. Click Submit to save your changes. To discard unsaved changes, click Cancel.

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