Your software release might not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest feature information and caveats, see the release notes for your platform and software release.

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This guide covers the following topics:

The purpose of this interface is to allow users to perform management tasks on the router; it is basically an interface that should not and often cannot forward network traffic but can otherwise access the router, often via Telnet and SSH, and perform most management tasks on the router. The interface is most useful before a router has begun routing, or in troubleshooting scenarios when the SPA interfaces are inactive.

The following aspects of the Management Ethernet interface should be noted:

• IPv4, IPv6, and ARP are the only routed protocols supported for the interface.
• The Ethernet Management Interface cannot be used as a Lawful Intercept MD source interface.
• The Management Ethernet interface is part of its own VRF. This is discussed in more detail in the Gigabit Ethernet Management Interface VRF.

The Gigabit Ethernet Management port is always GigabitEthernet0.

The port can be accessed in configuration mode like any other port on the Cisco 8500 Series Catalyst Edge Platform:

Router#config t
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
Router(config)#interface gigabitethernet0
Router(config-if)#

On the Cisco 8500 Series Catalyst Edge Platform, IP addresses can be configured in ROMmon (the IP_ADDRESS= and IP_SUBNET_MASK= commands) and through the use of the IOS command-line interface (the ip address command in interface configuration mode).

Assuming the IOS process has not begun running on the Cisco 8500 Series Catalyst Edge Platform, the IP address that was set in ROMmon acts as the IP address of the Management Ethernet interface. In cases where the IOS process is running and has taken control of the Management Ethernet interface, the IP address specified when configuring the Gigabit Ethernet 0 interface in the IOS CLI becomes the IP address of the Management Ethernet interface. The ROMmon-defined IP address is only used as the interface address when the IOS process is inactive.

For this reason, the IP addresses specified in ROMmon and in the IOS CLI can be identical and the Management Ethernet interface will function properly in single RP configurations.

The Gigabit Ethernet Management interface is automatically part of its own VRF. This VRF, which is named “Mgmt-intf,” is automatically configured on the Cisco 8500 Series Catalyst Edge Platform and is dedicated to the Management Ethernet interface; no other interfaces can join this VRF. Therefore, this VRF does not participate in the MPLS VPN VRF or any other network-wide VRF. The Mgmt-intf VRF supports loopback interface.

Placing the management ethernet interface in its own VRF has the following effects on the Management Ethernet interface:

• Many features must be configured or used inside the VRF, so the CLI may be different for certain Management Ethernet functions on the Cisco 8500 Series Catalyst Edge Platform than on Management Ethernet interfaces on other routers.
• Prevents transit traffic from traversing the router. Because all built-in portd and the Management Ethernet interface are automatically in different VRFs, no transit traffic can enter the Management Ethernet interface and leave a built-in port, or vice versa.
• Improved security of the interface. Because the Mgmt-intf VRF has its own routing table as a result of being in its own VRF, routes can only be added to the routing table of the Management Ethernet interface if explicitly entered by a user.

The Management Ethernet interface VRF supports both IPv4 and IPv6 address families.

Because users can perform most tasks on a router through the Management Ethernet interface, many tasks can be done by accessing the router through the Management Ethernet interface.

This section documents tasks that might be common or slightly tricky on the Cisco 8500 Series Catalyst Edge Platform. It is not intended as a comprehensive list of all tasks that can be done using the Management Ethernet interface.

This section covers the following processes: