Ciena 8700 Packetwave POST failure on startup: Diagnose & Fix

By Sai Kiran Pandrala · reviewed by Sai Kiran Pandrala, Editor Last verified: 2026-05-30

What this guide covers

Diagnose and recover from POST failure on startup on a Ciena 8700 Packetwave.

The repair

1. Note the exact POST failure code from the console.
2. Look up the code in the vendor hardware install guide.
3. Common: memory test fail (RMA RAM / motherboard), FPGA fail (RMA mainboard).
4. Open a Ciena TAC case with the POST log and the device serial.

CLI / commands

# Verify hardware state
software show
chassis show inventory
chassis show fans temperature

# Collect for Ciena TAC
show diagnostics

When to RMA

• Repeated failure after re-seat and power-cycle
• Visible burn, scorching, or physical damage
• POST or memory diagnostic failure
• Hardware crashinfo without a software workaround

Frequently asked questions

Will this work on my specific SAOS (Service-Aware OS) / Blue Planet version?

The procedure reflects current SAOS (Service-Aware OS) / Blue Planet behaviour. Older releases may need minor syntax adjustments: use the CLI help (? or tab-completion) to verify.

Should I open a Ciena TAC case immediately?

Open one if you suspect hardware failure or the symptom persists after a maintenance-window reload. Make sure your support entitlement is active first.

Where can I find the Ciena official documentation?

https://www.ciena.com/insights/knowledge-base, search the product family + feature name.

Is this procedure safe in production?

Test in a lab or maintenance window first. Capture pre-change state so you can roll back.

Related guides

• All Ciena fix guides → /ciena/
• All vendor guides → /vendors/

References

• Ciena support portal: https://www.ciena.com/services/support/
• Ciena knowledge base: https://www.ciena.com/insights/knowledge-base
• Ciena security advisories: https://www.ciena.com/services/support/security-advisories
• Open a case: https://www.ciena.com/services/support/contact-support

Reference material, not professional advice. Validate against your specific SAOS (Service-Aware OS) / Blue Planet version and test in a non-production environment before applying.

What changed recently?

Fault diagnosis on a Ciena device goes faster when you map the symptom to a recent change:

• Did firmware update in the last 7 days?
• Did the network (router, ISP, VPN) change?
• Was the device moved physically?
• Did paired devices (phone, hub, app) update?
• Were any accessories swapped in or out?

The answer narrows the root cause to a manageable subset.

Why it happens

A few things to confirm so the Ciena device fix goes cleanly:

• Latest firmware downloaded if you're going to update.
• Warranty + support contract status checked. opening sealed parts may void it.
• Backup of current configuration (where applicable) taken.
• Spare parts on hand if you anticipate replacement.
• Adequate workspace, lighting, and time, rushing causes regressions.

Verification checks

On a Ciena device, the test is rarely "reboot and see". Use this list:

• Active reproduction: trigger the original failure path on purpose.
• Indirect reproduction: do an activity that would expose the same subsystem.
• Status indicator review: every LED / display / app status should be green.
• 24-hour soak: leave the device under normal load overnight; check the next morning.
• Telemetry check: review the device or app's diagnostic log for new error entries.

When to call Ciena support instead

Escalate if:

• The same symptom returns within 24 hours of a clean fix.
• You see physical damage (burn marks, swollen battery, cracked PCB).
• The device is in warranty and a hardware replacement is the cheaper outcome.
• Repair requires specialised tools you don't own (alignment jigs, calibration software).
• Following the official path keeps the warranty intact, which matters more than the time spent.

More frequently asked questions

Can I roll this back if something breaks?

Yes for software-level changes (firmware rollback, config rollback). Hardware changes are usually one-way. Always back up settings before starting.

Are there safer alternatives for non-technical users?

Yes: the manufacturer's self-service troubleshooter (HP Smart, LG ThinQ, Samsung Members, similar) usually walks through the same steps in a guided UI. Use that first if you're not comfortable with menu paths.

What if my model isn't exactly the same revision?

Cross-check the model code on the rating plate against the manufacturer support page. Major firmware generations sometimes shift the menu path; the option is usually under a similarly-named section.

Is it safe to apply during business hours?

If the device is in production use, apply during a scheduled maintenance window. Most procedures need 2-15 minutes of downtime. Capture pre-change state so you can roll back if needed.

How long does this fix usually take?

Most users complete the steps in 20-45 minutes the first time, and 5-10 minutes on subsequent runs once the menu paths are familiar.

Field notes from real incidents on Ciena

When I work on Ciena 8700 Packetwave POST failure on startup: Diagnose & Fix the rhythm I lean on is the one I have built over years of these tickets, not a stack of generic advice. Show tech-support is the artifact TAC will ask for first, capture it before you change anything so the pre-change state is preserved. Most spanning-tree storms I have walked into started with a user-side switch that nobody documented; topology audits pay off the day the loop forms.

Half the BGP weirdness I have triaged was a route-map that someone copied from a template without reading what it actually filtered. Counters lie if you do not clear them; clear counters, reproduce, and read the deltas, not the cumulative numbers.

Tools I actually reach for

For Ciena 8700 Packetwave POST failure on startup: Diagnose & Fix on Ciena the cheapest signal I can land usually comes from a known order of operations, not a kitchen-sink approach. I start with ping vrf <vrf> <target> because it is the lowest-friction way to confirm the failure is real and reproducible. If that returns ambiguous data, I escalate to show tech-support (capture for TAC), show platform hardware capacity, show logging last 200, traceroute vrf <vrf> <target>, and finally to show interfaces counters errors only when the cheaper tools cannot reach the layer the failure lives in. That ordering matches the failure surfaces I have actually seen on Ciena units over the last few years, not an abstract taxonomy. The cheap signals gate the expensive ones so the investigation does not balloon into a multi-hour exercise.

Verification I run before I close the ticket

Before I mark Ciena 8700 Packetwave POST failure on startup: Diagnose & Fix resolved on a Ciena unit, the verification loop below is what I actually run. Each step proves a different layer is green, and the order matters - the cheap checks gate the more expensive ones so I never burn an hour on a deep test that a shallow one would have failed in seconds.

show bgp summary  # confirm session state after route changes

If that one comes back clean, move to the next check. If it does not, stop and dig in there before layering more verification on top of a red signal.

show logging | include %LINK|%LINEPROTO|%BGP|%OSPF

If that one comes back clean, move to the next check. If it does not, stop and dig in there before layering more verification on top of a red signal.

show ip route <prefix>  # confirm best path post-change

If that one comes back clean, move to the next check. If it does not, stop and dig in there before layering more verification on top of a red signal.

show spanning-tree summary  # confirm topology stability

If that one comes back clean, move to the next check. If it does not, stop and dig in there before layering more verification on top of a red signal.

show interfaces <int> | include errors|drops|CRC

Only when every line above runs clean do I close the ticket and update the runbook with the timestamps. A green verification that nobody can reproduce is not a fix, it is luck waiting to regress.

Where I check first when the docs disagree

When two sources contradict each other on a Ciena detail, the disambiguation order I lean on is stable across products and across years. RFCs for the protocol in question (rfc-editor.org) is where I start for the ground-truth view. vendor release notes for the running software version is where I start for the ground-truth view. vendor official command reference (Cisco DocCD, Arista EOS Central, Juniper TechLibrary, etc.) is where I start for the ground-truth view. Random blog posts and reseller wikis are signal, not ground truth, and I treat them as such until the references above either confirm or contradict the claim. The cost of trusting an unauthoritative source on Ciena 8700 Packetwave POST failure on startup: Diagnose & Fix is rarely worth the time it saved.

Pitfalls I have walked into on this exact path

The shortcuts that look smart on Ciena 8700 Packetwave POST failure on startup: Diagnose & Fix have a habit of biting back. The pitfalls below are the ones I have personally walked into on a Ciena unit, not things I read about. Show tech-support is the artifact TAC will ask for first. capture it before you change anything so the pre-change state is preserved. Half the BGP weirdness I have triaged was a route-map that someone copied from a template without reading what it actually filtered. Most spanning-tree storms I have walked into started with a user-side switch that nobody documented; topology audits pay off the day the loop forms. When in doubt I revert to the slower path that the manual prescribes - the time I save by skipping it is always smaller than the time I spend cleaning up afterwards.

What I tell the next on-call

When I hand Ciena 8700 Packetwave POST failure on startup: Diagnose & Fix off to the next person on rotation, the three lines I leave in the runbook are these. First, the symptom signature on Ciena - not a paraphrase, the exact string that surfaces in logs or on the screen. Second, the diagnostic that gave the highest signal in the least time. Third, the exact verification command whose green output justified closing the ticket. That trio is what turns a one-off fix into a runbook entry the next engineer can use without paging me at three in the morning.

I also add a one-line note on the cost of getting this wrong. For Ciena 8700 Packetwave POST failure on startup: Diagnose & Fix on a Ciena unit, the cost is rarely the replacement part or the patch itself. It is the downtime, the second site visit, and the trust deficit you spend with whoever owns the asset when the fix does not hold. That framing keeps the next on-call from choosing the cheap-looking shortcut that ends up costing the most in elapsed hours and goodwill.

Related fixes

Related guides worth a look while you sort this one out:

• Ciena 5170 Service Aggregation POST failure on startup: Diagnose & Fix
• Ciena 5171 Service Aggregation Service Edge POST failure on startup: Diagnose & Fix
• Ciena 6500 Packet-Optical POST failure on startup: Diagnose & Fix
• Ciena 8700 Packetwave all ports dead: Diagnose & Fix
• Ciena 8700 Packetwave: How to back up configs nightly to a Git repo
• Ciena 8700 Packetwave: How to deploy with a Python script (paramiko / netmiko / native API)