New to MS? Start here!

[RafaelM]

Hello! Are you new to the world of the cloud-managed MS switches? If so, we've got a few resources to help introduce you to the solution.

Getting Started

MS Family Datasheet - MS Family Features and Specs

MS Installation Guides - Model specific Product Diagrams and Installation steps

MS Quick Start - Quickly get your MS online and talking to Meraki

MS Best Practices - Best practice configurations across the majority of MS features

MS Fundamental Implementation Training - Self-paced online training to learn how to onboard, deploy, and configure an MS Switch

General Info

Basic Features

Virtual Stacking - Configure a single port or thousands of ports through our industry-first Virtual Stacking technology.

Layer 7 visibility - See how the network is being used and by which client devices

Network Topology - A graphic overview of the logical network topology and the status of any devices

Layer 3 Switching - Layer 3 routing capabilities are available on most Cisco Meraki switches

Quality of Service (QoS) - Prioritize and reliably deliver certain types of data

Spanning Tree Protocol   - Build a loop-free network

LAN Redundancy features

Physical Stacking - Get physical redundancy in the deployments that need it

Link Aggregation - Bundle switch ports to increase throughput  and provide redundancy

LAN Security features

Port schedules - Schedule activation of switch ports to add security and save power

Access Policies (802.1x) - Prevent unauthorized devices from connecting to the network

Switch ACL - Limit what traffic is permitted through the switch

Please note, this is not an exhaustive list of all MS documentation or features. More advanced documentation beyond the basic features can be found at documentation.meraki.com!

If you're interested in learning about Meraki's training offerings, be sure to check out The Meraki Learning Hub! There you'll find tons of great information about Meraki led training like CMNA and ECMS.

[DarrenOC]

oh that elusive ECMS training......

[ZeeBoussaid]

seriously.. im still on the wait list for the ECMS2 training.. but i believe im skipping the training all together and head straight to the  500-220 Engineering Cisco Meraki Solutions (ECMS) exam.

[GIdenJoe]

As requested:  Here are some beginner tips (especially aimed at CLI pro's) to succesfully get an MS switch or Catalyst Meraki managed switch online into dashboard.

1. Default switchport configuration:
   On a factory default MS switch every port has the following configuration:
   switchport mode trunk
   switchport trunk native vlan 1
   switchport trunk allowed vlan all
   
   All VLANs are created by default so the ports can receive any traffic from any port.
   
   On a factory default Catalyst switch that has been placed into Meraki management mode the ports have the same configuration but since the TCAM space is configured differently all VLANs cannot be created.  So all ports get VLANs 1-995.  This part is important if you like to have your management VLAN above 995.
   
   When you connect your brand new or factory defaulted switch to an upstream device keep this default configuration in mind so you can manipulate the downstream port on your existing device to easily get the switch online.  You don't even have to worry about a temporary native VLAN mismatch.  The tip I usually give here is to set the desired switch management VLAN as native on the downstream port on the existing device.
   
   
2. It is recommended to have your switch configuration already in place in dashboard before even connecting the new switch.  The configuration of the upstream switchport and the management IP are of importance here.  This way the moment the switch grabs it's configuration it will already be in the final state to keep being connected to dashboard.
   
   You can set the default switch management VLAN on the Switching -> Switch Settings page.
   

   If you like to use fixed IP addresses on your switches then it is also recommended to set this on the individual switch configuration page.

   

   And of course reflect the desired config on your uplink port

   
3. Even if you will eventually have a fixed IP address on your switch it is highly recommended to have a small DHCP pool in the switch management VLAN where your switch can automatically grab an IP address, connect to dashboard and then move over to it's fixed IP address configured in dashboard.
   
   In below screenshot you will see that the largest part of the VLAN is reserved for fixed IP addresses but the DHCP server will assign IP addresses from .201 to .254.
   
4. Final tip:  This has more to do with the day-1 and beyond configuration of the switch.
   
   On the Switching -> Switchports page you see every individual switchport for the entire network independent of the switch they are on.  This feature is imho the most powerful feature of the switching side in dashboard and has been my personal favorite since first working with dashboard in 2017.
   
   At the top you have the ability to adjust visible colums and slide those colums in the order you like.
   Click on the wrench
   

   and make sure you enable the tags column

   

   
   And then make sure you give meaningful tags to each switchport because the you can easily select ports based on their tag.  Tags can also be used for other functions like alerting but in this example the tags are important for selecting and having a consistent configuration over your entire network.

   

   In my personal preference I place an ACCESS tag on access ports and a TRUNK tag on trunk ports.  But I also add the VLAN descriptor in case of access ports or a function in case of a trunk port like AP, FW, SRV etc.  You can add multiple tags and each tag can be used for selection.
   
   In the search field at the top of the page you can type tag:yourtag and it will then only show the ports with that tag.

   

   Note: partial matches also work so avoid using the same letter sequence in another tag.  For example: if you had a tag INTUNE-PC and ADMIN-PC then you could erroneously select both if you type tag:PC.
   
   By clicking the checkbox left and above the entire list you select all the switchports visible on the screen at once and you can edit them all at once.  This does not work on multiple pages so you need to go to each page and click the top tickbox again to also select the ports on that page.
   
   You can track your selection at the top.

   

   
   I hope this was informative of you and like to that you for reading 🙂