Interface Configuration
7210 SAS M, T, X, R6, R12, Mxp Interface Configuration Guide Page 21
Port Modes
In 7210 SAS devices, port must be configured as either access, access uplink or network.
• Access ports — Configured for customer facing traffic on which services are configured. 
If a Service Access Port (SAP) is to be configured on the port, it must be configured as an 
access port. When a port is configured for access mode, the appropriate encapsulation 
type must be configured to distinguish the services on the port. Once a port has been 
configured for access mode, one or more services can be configured on the port depending 
on the encapsulation value. Access ports can be configured on all the 7210 platforms.
• Access-uplink ports — Access-uplink ports are used to provide native Ethernet 
connectivity in service provider transport or infrastructure network. This can be achieved 
by configuring port mode as access uplink. With this option, the encap-type can be 
configured to only qinq. Access-uplink SAPs, which are QinQ SAPs, can only be 
configured on an access uplink port to allow the operator to differentiate multiple services 
being carried over a single access uplink port. This is the default mode when a node is 
operating in access-uplink mode.
• Network ports — Configured for network facing traffic. These ports participate in the 
service provider transport or infrastructure network. Dot1q is supported on network ports. 
This is default for nodes operating in network mode. 
• Hybrid ports — Configured for access and network facing traffic. While the default mode 
of an Ethernet port remains network, the mode of a port cannot be changed between the 
access/network/hybrid values unless the port is shut down and the configured SAPs and/or 
interfaces are deleted. Hybrid ports allow a single port to operate in both access and 
network modes.  MTU of port in hybrid mode is the same as in network mode except for 
the 10/100 MDA. The default encap for hybrid port mode is dot1q, it also supports QinQ 
encapsulation on the port level. Null hybrid port mode is not supported. 
 
Once the port is changed to hybrid, the default MTU of the port is changed to match the 
value of 9212 bytes currently used in network mode (higher than an access port); this is to 
ensure that both SAP and network VLANs can be accommodated. The only exception is 
when the port is a 10/100 fast Ethernet. In those cases, the MTU in hybrid mode is set to 
1522 bytes, which corresponds to the default access MTU with QinQ, which is larger than 
the network dot1q MTU or access dot1q MTU for this type of Ethernet port. The 
configuration of all parameters in access and network contexts will continue to be done 
within the port using the same CLI hierarchy as in existing implementation. The 
difference is that a port configured in mode hybrid allows both ingress and egress contexts 
to be configured concurrently.
 
An Ethernet port configured in hybrid mode can have two values of encapsulation type: 
dot1q and QinQ. The NULL value is not supported since a single SAP is allowed, and can 
be achieved by configuring the port in the access mode, or a single network IP interface is 
allowed, which can be achieved by configuring the port in network mode. Hybrid mode 
can be enabled on a LAG port when the port is part of a single chassis LAG configuration.