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Asked: 2014-07-19 01:37:33 +0800 CST

Cisco switch, white residue in switch ports

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I have 2 cisco small business switches, unknown age and provenance, both have developed a white residue on some of the switch ports as below image:

switch port residue switch port residue close up

Any ideas what causes this? It looks a little to me as if it could be capacitor gunk related?

hardware

1 Answers

  1. Some things come to mind:

    • Some form of dust/dirt (chalk, talc, cement, gypsum, flour, salt). Does it come off if you plug a cable in/out a couple of times ?
      Shouldn't effect operation, but check the fan's that they aren't clogged first. (Use an air-duster.)
    • Could be some form of corrosion (rust). If that is the case I would dispose of the switches. No telling what has happened to the electronics on the inside in that case.

    How to tell the difference: If it is dust/dirt it just sits on the surface. It can be stuck a bit (due to humidity) but you should be able to wipe it of fairly easily without leaving a trace.
    If it is corrosion it has chemically bonded with the metal: It will be harder to get of and usually it will leave a rough and/or discolored spot or even scratches behind.

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