What are the common hardware failures of industrial switches?

Affected by the power supply, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, electromagnetic interference, static electricity and other computer room environments, the more common hardware problems of industrial switches mainly refer to the failure of industrial switch power supplies, backplanes, modules, ports and other components. Specifically, they can be divided into the following Several categories.

(1) Power failure:

The power supply is damaged or the fan stops due to unstable external power supply, aging power line or lightning, and then it cannot work normally. Damage to other components in the industrial switch due to power supply also often occurs.

If the POWER indicator light on the panel is green, it means it is normal; if the indicator light is off, it means that the industrial switch does not have normal power supply. This kind of problem is very easy to detect, it is also very easy to deal with, and it is also very easy to prevent.

For this kind of failure, first of all, the supply of external power supply must be done well. Usually, an independent power line is introduced to provide an independent power supply, and a voltage stabilizer is added to avoid instantaneous high-voltage or low-voltage conditions. If conditions permit, UPS (uninterruptible power supply) can also be added to ensure the stable power supply of industrial switches. Some UPSs provide voltage stabilization functions, while others do not. Pay attention when choosing. Set up professional lightning protection measures in the computer room to avoid lightning damage to industrial switches. Now there are many professional companies doing lightning protection engineering projects, which can be considered when performing network wiring.

(2) Port failure:

This is a relatively common hardware problem. Whether it is an optical fiber port or a twisted-pair RJ-45 port, you must be careful when plugging and unplugging the connector. If the optical fiber plug is accidentally dirty, it may cause contamination of the optical fiber port and cause normal communication. We often see that many people like to plug and unplug connectors with power. In theory, there is no problem, but this also inadvertently increases the failure rate of the port. Inadvertent shipping may also cause physical damage to the port. If the size of the purchased crystal head is too large, it is easy to damage the port when it is inserted into an industrial switch. In addition, if a section of the twisted pair connected to the port is exposed to the outside, if this cable is struck by lightning, it will cause all industrial switch ports to be damaged, or cause even more unpredictable damage. damage.

Usually, a port failure is caused by the damage of one or several ports. Therefore, after eliminating the failure of the computer connected to the port, it can be determined whether it is damaged by replacing the connected port. In the event of such failures, you can also clean the port with an alcohol swab after the power is turned off. If the port is indeed damaged, the only option is to replace the port.

(3) Module failure:

Industrial switches are composed of many modules, such as stacking modules, management modules (also called control modules), expansion modules, etc. The possibility of failure of such modules is very small, but once a problem occurs, it will suffer very large economic losses. Such failures may occur if the module is accidentally inserted or removed, or the industrial switch is bumped when transported, or the power supply is unstable.

Naturally, the three modules mentioned above all have external interfaces, which are easy to identify, and some of them can also identify faults through the indicator lights on the modules. For example: there is a flat ladder port on the stacking module, or a USB-like interface on some industrial switches. There is a CONSOLE port on the management module, which is used to establish contact with the network management computer for easy management. If the expansion module is connected by optical fiber, there will be a pair of optical fiber interfaces.

When troubleshooting this type of fault, first ensure the normal power supply of the industrial switch and modules, then check whether each module is plugged into a reasonable position, and finally check whether there is any problem with the cables connecting the modules. When connecting the management module, it is also necessary to consider whether it chooses the specified connection rate, whether there is a parity check, whether there is data flow manipulation and other factors. When connecting an expansion module, it is necessary to check whether it matches the communication mode, for example: apply full-duplex mode or half-duplex mode. Of course, if you determine that the module is faulty, there is only one solution, and that is to contact the supplier in time for a replacement.

(4) Backplane failure:

Each module of the industrial switch is plugged into the backplane. If the environment is humid and cold, the circuit board is damp and short-circuited, or the components are damaged due to various factors such as high temperature and lightning, the circuit board will not operate normally. For example: poor heat dissipation performance or high ambient temperature cause the temperature of the fuselage to rise, resulting in the burning of components.

In the case of normal external power supply, if each internal module of the industrial switch is difficult to operate normally, then the backplane may be broken. In this case, even electrical maintenance engineers may not be able to do anything, the top priority Just replace the backplane.

(5) Cable failure:

In fact, this kind of fault does not belong to the fault of the industrial switch itself in theory, but in practical applications, cable faults often cause the industrial switch system or port to fail to operate normally, so this fault is also attributed to the industrial switch hardware here. question. For example, the connectors are not firmly inserted, the order of the cable is not correct or not in compliance with the regulations, the cable should be connected with a crossover cable but a straight cable is used, the two optical fibers in the cable are connected in an interlaced manner, and the wrong line connection causes network loops etc.