Saturday, April 13, 2013

Configuring vPC (Virtual Port Channel) with Cisco Nexus


In this scenario, I have two Cisco Nexus 5548s, two Cisco Nexus 2248 FEXes, and a Windows Server with 4 Ethernet interfaces where two interfaces connect to FEX 100 and the other two connect to FEX 101. I want to configure Virtual Port Channels in such a way that if there is a loss of connectivity from either 5K, the two FEXes will still service clients.



To start, I'll configure the management interface address (10.2.8.13 and .14), and default gateways for both 5Ks (N5K-1 is shown).

N5K-1# conf t
N5K-1(config)# interface mgmt0
N5K-1(config-if)# ip address 10.2.8.13/24
N5K-1(config-if)# exit
N5K-1(config)# ip route 0.0.0.0/0 10.2.8.1

Note that the management interface is in the management VRF. I will use the management network as the keep-alive management link for the vPCs I'll create.

N5K-1(config)# show vrf
VRF-Name                           VRF-ID State   Reason                        
default                                 1 Up      --                            
management                              2 Up      --                            
N5K-1(config)# ping 10.2.8.1 vrf management count 2
PING 10.2.8.1 (10.2.8.1): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 10.2.8.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=254 time=0.969 ms
64 bytes from 10.2.8.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=254 time=0.667 ms

--- 10.2.8.1 ping statistics ---
2 packets transmitted, 2 packets received, 0.00% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max = 0.667/0.817/0.969 ms
N5K-1(config)# 

Now I'll create uplink trunks to the core network for access to VLAN 930 for both N5Ks (N5K-1 is shown).

N5K-1(config)# interface e1/15-16
N5K-1(config-if-range)# no shut
N5K-1(config-if-range)# switchport mode trunk
N5K-1(config-if-range)# switchport trunk allowed vlan 1,930
N5K-1(config-if-range)# vlan 930
N5K-1(config-vlan)# sh vlan b

VLAN Name                             Status    Ports
---- -------------------------------- --------- -------------------------------
1    default                          active    Eth1/1, Eth1/2, Eth1/3, Eth1/4
                                                Eth1/5, Eth1/6, Eth1/7, Eth1/8
                                                Eth1/9, Eth1/10, Eth1/11
                                                Eth1/12, Eth1/13, Eth1/14
                                                Eth1/15, Eth1/16, Eth1/17
                                                Eth1/18, Eth1/19, Eth1/20
                                                Eth1/21, Eth1/22, Eth1/23
                                                Eth1/24, Eth1/25, Eth1/26
                                                Eth1/27, Eth1/28, Eth1/29
                                                Eth1/30, Eth1/31, Eth1/32
930  VLAN0930                         active    Eth1/15, Eth1/16

N5K-1(config-vlan)# show interface trunk 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Port          Native  Status        Port
              Vlan                  Channel
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eth1/15       1       trunking      --
Eth1/16       1       trunking      --

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Port          Vlans Allowed on Trunk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eth1/15       1,930
Eth1/16       1,930

(...output omitted...)
N5K-1(config)# 

Each N5K will have two links to each FEX which I will configure as port-channels. I'll enable the features for fex and lacp for both 5Ks (N5K-1 is shown).

N5K-1(config)# show feature | in enabled|fex|lacp|vpc
fex                   1         disabled
lacp                  1         disabled
lldp                  1         enabled 
sshServer             1         enabled 
vmfex                 1         disabled
vpc                   1         disabled
N5K-1(config)# 
N5K-1(config)# feature fex
N5K-1(config)# feature lacp
N5K-1(config)# 
N5K-1(config)# show feature | in enabled
fex                   1         enabled 
lacp                  1         enabled 
lldp                  1         enabled 
sshServer             1         enabled 
vpc                   1         enabled
N5K-1(config)# 

Now I'll stage connectivity to the two FEX units; 100, and 101 for each 5K. Since I will be creating port-channels afterward, the FEX associations will only require 1 link for pinning. (N5K-1 is shown).

N5K-1(config)# fex 100
N5K-1(config-fex)# pinning max-links 1
Change in Max-links will cause traffic disruption.
N5K-1(config-fex)#
N5K-1(config-fex)# fex 101
N5K-1(config-fex)# pinning max-links 1
Change in Max-links will cause traffic disruption.
N5K-1(config-fex)#

Now I'll create port-channels 78 and 91 (N5K-1 is shown).

N5K-1(config-fex)# interface e1/7-8
N5K-1(config-if-range)# channel-group 78
N5K-1(config-if-range)# no shut
N5K-1(config-if-range)#
N5K-1(config-if-range)# interface e1/9-10
N5K-1(config-if-range)# channel-group 91
N5K-1(config-if-range)# no shut
N5K-1(config-if-range)#

At this point, I should be able to see that the two FEXes have been discovered (N5K-1 is shown)

N5K-1(config-if-range)# show fex
  FEX         FEX           FEX                       FEX               
Number    Description      State            Model            Serial     
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---       --------            Discovered     N2K-C2248TP-1GE   SSI141904QR
---       --------            Discovered     N2K-C2248TP-1GE   SSI14250839
N5K-1(config-if-range)#

Now I'll associate the port-channel interfaces with their respective FEXes (N5K-1 is shown).

N5K-1(config-if-range)# int po78
N5K-1(config-if)# switchport mode fex-fabric
N5K-1(config-if)# fex associate 100
N5K-1(config-if)# 
N5K-1(config-if)# int po91
N5K-1(config-if)# switchport mode fex-fabric 
N5K-1(config-if)# fex associate 101
N5K-1(config-if)# exit
N5K-1(config)#

From N5K-1 I see the two FEXes online (since I configured this one before N5K-2), but for N5K-2, I see them as "offline". This should change once I complete the vPC configuration.

N5K-1(config-if)# show fex
  FEX         FEX           FEX                       FEX               
Number    Description      State            Model            Serial     
------------------------------------------------------------------------
100        FEX0100                Online     N2K-C2248TP-1GE   SSI14250839
101        FEX0101                Online     N2K-C2248TP-1GE   SSI141904QR
N5K-1(config-if)# 


N5K-2# sho fex
  FEX         FEX           FEX                       FEX               
Number    Description      State            Model            Serial     
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---       --------               Offline     N2K-C2248TP-1GE   SSI14310232
---       --------               Offline     N2K-C2248TP-1GE   SSI14270CLA
N5K-2# 

Since the FEXes are online for N5K-1, I should be able to see all interfaces available on both FEXes.

N5K-1(config-if)# show interface brief

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethernet      VLAN    Type Mode   Status  Reason                   Speed     Por
t
Interface                                                                    Ch 
#
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(...output omitted...)

Eth1/7        1       eth  fabric up      none                        10G(D) 78
Eth1/8        1       eth  fabric up      none                        10G(D) 78
Eth1/9        1       eth  fabric up      none                        10G(D) 91
Eth1/10       1       eth  fabric up      none                        10G(D) 91

(...output omitted...)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Port-channel VLAN    Type Mode   Status  Reason                    Speed   Proto
col
Interface                                                                  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Po78         1       eth  fabric up      none                       a-10G(D)  no
ne
Po91         1       eth  fabric up      none                       a-10G(D)  no
ne

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Port   VRF          Status IP Address                              Speed    MTU
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mgmt0  --           up     10.2.8.53                               1000     1500

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethernet      VLAN    Type Mode   Status  Reason                   Speed     Por
t
Interface                                                                    Ch 
#
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eth100/1/1    1       eth  access down    Administratively down      auto(D) --
Eth100/1/2    1       eth  access down    Administratively down      auto(D) --
Eth100/1/3    1       eth  access down    Administratively down      auto(D) --

(...output omitted...)

Eth100/1/1    1       eth  access down    Administratively down      auto(D) --
Eth100/1/2    1       eth  access down    Administratively down      auto(D) --

(...output omitted...)

Now I'll establish the vPC configuration. I'll create vPC domain 55, and use the management network for the peer-keepalives. I'll then create a port-channel between the N5Ks, and enable that for vPC peer-linking.

N5K-1(config)# vpc domain 55
N5K-1(config-vpc-domain)# peer-keepalive destination 10.2.8.14
Note: 
 --------:: Management VRF will be used as the default VRF ::--------
N5K-1(config-vpc-domain)# exit
N5K-1(config)# 
N5K-1(config)# int e1/17-18
N5K-1(config-if-range)# channel-group 1718 mode active
N5K-1(config-if-range)# interface po1718
N5K-1(config-if)# switchport mode trunk
N5K-1(config-if)# switchport trunk allow vlan all
N5K-1(config-if)# vpc peer-link
Please note that spanning tree port type is changed to "network" port type on vPC peer-link.
This will enable spanning tree Bridge Assurance on vPC peer-link provided the STP Bridge Assurance
(which is enabled by default) is not disabled.
N5K-1(config-if)# 

Now I'll verify that the vPC is operational.

N5K-1(config-if-range)# sh vpc brief
Legend:
                (*) - local vPC is down, forwarding via vPC peer-link

vPC domain id                   : 55  
Peer status                     : peer adjacency formed ok      
vPC keep-alive status           : peer is alive                 
Configuration consistency status: success 
Per-vlan consistency status     : success                       
Type-2 consistency status       : success 
vPC role                        : secondary                     
Number of vPCs configured       : 0   
Peer Gateway                    : Disabled
Dual-active excluded VLANs      : -
Graceful Consistency Check      : Enabled

vPC Peer-link status
---------------------------------------------------------------------
id   Port   Status Active vlans    
--   ----   ------ --------------------------------------------------
1    Po1718 up     1,930        
N5K-1(config-if-range)# exit
N5K-1(config)# 

On both N5Ks, I'll create port-channel 78 and 91, and create vPC 78 and 91.

N5K-1(config-if)# int po78
N5K-1(config-if)# vpc 78
N5K-1(config-if)# int po91
N5K-1(config-if)# vpc 91
N5K-1(config-if)# 
N5K-1(config-if)# show fex
  FEX         FEX           FEX                       FEX               
Number    Description      State            Model            Serial     
------------------------------------------------------------------------
100        FEX0100                Online     N2K-C2248TP-1GE   SSI14270CLA
101        FEX0101                Online     N2K-C2248TP-1GE   SSI14310232
N5K-1(config-if)# 


N5K-2(config-if)# 
N5K-2(config-if)# show fex
  FEX         FEX           FEX                       FEX               
Number    Description      State            Model            Serial     
------------------------------------------------------------------------
100        FEX0100                Online     N2K-C2248TP-1GE   SSI14270CLA
101        FEX0101                Online     N2K-C2248TP-1GE   SSI14310232
N5K-2(config-if)# 

At this point, I'll enable the access ports for both FEXes to the server. (N5K-1 is shown).

N5K-1(config)# int e100/1/1-2 , e101/1/1-2
N5K-1(config-if-range)# switchport mode access
N5K-1(config-if-range)# switchport access vlan 930
N5K-1(config-if-range)# no shut
N5K-1(config-if-range)# 
N5K-1(config-if-range)# show interface brief

(...output omitted...)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethernet      VLAN    Type Mode   Status  Reason                   Speed     Por
t
Interface                                                                    Ch 
#
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eth100/1/1    930     eth  access up      none                       1000(D) --
Eth100/1/2    930     eth  access up      none                       1000(D) --

(...output omitted...)

Eth101/1/1    930     eth  access up      none                       1000(D) --
Eth101/1/2    930     eth  access up      none                       1000(D) --

On the server, I have an Intel Quad port card which I've teamed together.


I've assigned the address of 100.1.1.7/24.


 I'll test connectivity by pinging 10.1.1.21. This is a machine in the core network on VLAN 930.


Note that although the ports are teamed, I've left the adapter in fault tolerance mode. This means that one port will be active, and the rest will remain in standby. 


I'll set a continuous ping, and then reload N5K-1.

N5K-1# copy run start
[########################################] 100%
Copy complete, now saving to disk (please wait)...
N5K-1# reload
WARNING: This command will reboot the system
Do you want to continue? (y/n) [n] y

Note that a ping packet was lost, but the adapter remained the same. This means that FEX 100 was able to continue providing access to the server through the vPC through N5K-2.



25 comments:

  1. QQ- when the traffic gets distributed on the uplinks from the FEX to Switch1 and Switch2 how does it get to its default gateway?

    Let's assume we use the 3:1 oversubscribed module in the 5548 wouldn't ~50% of the traffic go to Switch2 and then have to cross over the VPC link between the 5548s to get to Switch1 where the HSRP/VRRP MAC/IP pair of the active default gateway was residing?

    This seems like it is sub-optimal and will cause significant traffic loss.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Alan,

      vPC configurations are optimized to help ensure that traffic is symmetric. For example, a flow reaching a Nexus switch from the core is forwarded toward the access layer without traversing the peer Nexus switch. Similarly, traffic from the server directed to the core is forwarded so that the Nexus routes this traffic directly to the core without unnecessarily passing it to the peer device. This process occurs regardless of which Cisco Nexus device is the primary HSRP device for a given VLAN.

      Here are a couple of links to documentation that elaborates much more on the subjects:

      Cisco NX-OS Virtual PortChannel: Fundamental DesignConcepts with NXOS 5.0
      http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps9670/design_guide_c07-625857.pdf

      Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS Unicast Routing Configuration Guide, Release 5.x - (FHRP - Configuration Guide)
      http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/switches/datacenter/sw/5_x/nx-os/unicast/configuration/guide/l3_glbp.html

      I hope this helps!

      Delete
  2. From the core to access I agree with you. The flow will go from 'the network' to Switch1 and assuming you are running L3 on the N5k and the ARP cache is populated it will direct the traffic to the appropriate host regardless of whether the traffic from the network gees to switch1 or Switch2. (The assumption that the ARP cache is populated can cause a lot of flooding if CAM ages and ARP is still populated btw)

    However I don't think the reverse path is correct - Traffic from your host that goes to FEX1 will then choose to go to either Switch1 or Switch2 based on a hashing algorithm. If you are running GLBP as your config guide indicates GLBP will 'salt and pepper' ARP responses so that some hosts direct their traffic to MAC1 and some MAC2 for the default gateway. (MAC1 is on Switch1 and MAC2 is on Switch2 to keep it simple) Since the EtherChannel hash is not aware of which MAC is active on which N5k in any fashion 50% of the traffic going 'up' will go to Switch1 and 50% will go to Switch2, however 50% of the traffic arriving at Switch1 will be destined for the MAC served on Switch2 and vice versa. This will have to be carried across the VPC spine link between the two N5ks causing ~50% of the traffic going 'up' to cross the VPC link - I think you'd need to plan for 16x10Gb x-linked for this design to work marginally well in production.

    Now the ARP table in the N5k is only capable of 8k entries to the best of my understanding, so I would be VERY VERY careful about ever running this config on VMware - as each vNIC takes a MAC/IP pair in the IP hosts table. If these fill up it will be packets everywhere and they are already 3:1 oversubscribed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello again - Alan Harris, I presume? Your name now shows as "Unknown"

      Alan, I agree with your GLBP assessment. However, when I linked the documentation for you, GLBP just happened to be at the top of the FHRP list. In my response, I addressed HSRP, as you indicated in your initial response. GLBP doesn't appear have the same interoperability with vPCs as HSRP/VRRP. At any rate, vPC configurations will ensure traffic does not unnecessarily traverse the peer-link with HSRP/VRRP. In that regard, the reverse path is indeed correct.

      Regarding your understanding of the MAC address table, the Cisco Nexus 5548P, which is what I had access to in my lab, provides an address table for 32,000 MAC addresses. That doesn’t mean one wouldn't still be VERY VERY careful about ever running this config on VMware, but then again, aren't we all VERY VERY careful about ever running anything in production? What I mean is; any investment in technology is driven by the return the business expects. Situations vary, and some technologies are better suited for some scenarios, and other technologies are better suited for other scenarios. The business need is going to drive what design I deploy in the real world.

      If you read this post or any of the other posts I've done, you'll find that I'm not selling something. I'm documenting the hands on configurations of scenarios I come up with. Why? http://www.stupidroutertricks.com/p/about.html <- My about page :)

      That being said, I hope you can agree that vPC is still a viable technology that combines the benefits of hardware redundancy with the benefits of port-channel loop management, and faster failure recovery than STP.

      Delete
  3. The other thing to think about here is the sheer amount of oversubscription this design introduces and how will you measure and monitor the oversubscription to know if you are creating congestion scenarios that are negatively affecting overall network and application performance.

    With the new Intel servers we are deploying all 10Gb to the server now, so I would assume this would be a FEX 2232 in practice. Then those connect to a Nexus 5548 with Integrated L3 and those uplink to a N7k in the core, also running L3.

    Thinking through this:
    The FEX can be configurable oversubscribed bu best case is 32 ports facing hosts and 8 ports uplinked: 4:1 oversubscribed.
    The Nexus 5548 is wirespeed, albeit a bit low on buffers for real world applications, but it has a 3:1 oversubscribed L3 module meaning I can use max 16 uplinks. So another 3:1 oversubscribed here.
    The Nexus 7000 has only 80gb per slot on the 10Gb L3 modules that have decent buffering and routing table sizes (M1 modules) so those are either 64 ports wirespeed (meaning only 8 5548s can be wired up, or 4:1 oversubscribed if you use all 32 ports.

    4:1 * 3:1 * 4:1 = 48:1 oversubscribed.

    So given 48:1 oversubscription how would we determine what is dropping, what is causing drops, what applications are being impacted by congestion? It seems easier to reduce the FEX oversubscription with a real switch, and use a wirespeed box like a Nexus 3064 or Arista 7050 for the mid-tier and eliminate the management headache. You'd still have to deal with oversubscription between boxes based on links, but at least then we'd have the intelligence in the network to know what was being dropped.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To answer your question of how one would determine what is dropping, what's causing drops, what applications are being impacted? Hmm... "I'll take network management for $200, Alex!"

      Joking of course!! :)

      I agree that it's difficult to glean that kind information from CAM tables and ASICs, but you'll probably agree that using management tools is the best method to begin determining issues on how network and applications are performing on a network.

      Valid as you may be in a particular situation, see my response to your last comment design points.

      Thank you for your comments.

      Delete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello.

    Excuse my English.

    If i change the port vlan on nexus 2000 in N5K-1 also going to have to change the configuration in the N5K-2 too?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Francisco,

      Your English is fine :)

      You are correct. The port on the FEX that links to the two N5Ks should be configured the same on each N5K.

      Delete
  6. I want to have Nexus home lab with VPC capable.
    ?
    1. can I just use 2x Nexus 5k without FEX
    2. any cheaper alternative other than 5k for VPC
    3. can 1x 5k doing like VRF, so I don't have to buy 2x 5k
    tq

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello.

    Excuse my English.

    If i change the port vlan on nexus 2000 in N5K-1 also going to have to change the configuration in the N5K-2 too? access router

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Configuring Virtual Port Channel (vPC) on Cisco Nexus switches involves creating a mechanism that allows a device to use a Port Channel across two switches, providing redundancy and increasing bandwidth. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to configure vPC on Cisco Nexus switches:


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      Prerequisites:
      Before configuring vPC, ensure the following prerequisites are met:

      Nexus Switches: Ensure your Cisco Nexus switches are configured and connected correctly.
      Compatibility: Verify that the Nexus switches support vPC and are running a compatible NX-OS version.
      Network Topology: Understand your network topology and ensure all physical connections are correctly established.
      Configuration Steps:
      1. Configure vPC Domain:
      Define a unique vPC domain number that will be used across the vPC peers (Nexus switches).
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      bash
      Copy code
      config t
      vpc domain 10

      Delete

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