OK, So I'm doing a lot of reading lately on Nexus as we are about to get into the 7k/5k game and of course a lot of the marketing revolves around VPC. Every time I see it referenced, I keep remembering a reasonably reliable Nortel implementation called Split MLT (Multi Link Trunk). Is there something fancy here that I'm missing in the docs or am I wrong in equating the two? Isn't VPC just S/MLT? It's just that Cisco has shown up 8 years late and is trying to hype it up to compensate?
vpc/vlt/mlag/s/mlt
Wow. A fellow greybeard. OK. That's what I needed to know. I'm trying to understand if VPC has any more recent enhancements that weren't around for some older multi-chassis channel methods but I don't see anything specific in the docs other than some FHRP (HSRP only it appears) and PIM tweaks. If anyone has some really deep docs on VPC I'd appreciate the links. Thanks.
-Hammer-
"I was a normal American nerd"
-Jack Herer
These two docs provide a lot of details:
vPC fundamental concepts:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps9670/C07-572835-00_NX-OS_vPC_DG.pdf
"Data Center Access Design with Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches and 2000 Series Fabric Extenders and Virtual PortChannels Updated to Cisco NX-OS Software Release 5.1(3)N1(1):
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps9670/C07-572829-01_Design_N5K_N2K_vPC_DG.pdf
-Charles
Charles E. Spurgeon / UTnet
UT Austin ITS / Networking
c.spurgeon@its.utexas.edu / 512.475.9265
I am using the Brocade version, Multi Chassis Trunking (MCT), and it really does make things a lot nicer.
Thanks Charles. Good stuff.
-Hammer-
"I was a normal American nerd"
-Jack Herer
Charles,
The first link references "chapter 3". I found chapter 5 as well but I can't find the full index. Do you have that link by any chance?
-Hammer-
"I was a normal American nerd"
-Jack Herer
I don't have a link to a full index. The links I sent are from a set
of Nexus design and operation chapters I've found. Each chapter is a
guide to a specific aspect of Nexus and vPC operation and DC design.
The set doesn't appear to have been turned into standard Cisco docs
with indexes etc.
Here are the links that I've been able to find:
Chapter 1: Data Center Design with Cisco Nexus Switches and Virtual PortChannel: Overview
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps9670/C07-572831-00_Dsgn_Nexus_vPC_DG.pdf
Chapter 2: Cisco NX-OS Software Command-Line Interface Primer
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps9670/C07-572833-00_NX-OS_CLI.pdf
Chapter 3: Cisco NX-OS Software Virtual PortChannel: Fundamental Concepts
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps9670/C07-572835-00_NX-OS_vPC_DG.pdf
Chapter 4: Spanning Tree Design Guidelines for Cisco NX-OS Software and Virtual PortChannels
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps9670/C07-572834-00_STDG_NX-OS_vPC_DG.pdf
Chapter 5: Data Center Aggregation Layer Design and Configuration with
Cisco Nexus Switches and Virtual PortChannels
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps9670/C07-572830-00_Agg_Dsgn_Config_DG.pdf
Chapter 6 Data Center Access Design with Cisco Nexus 5000 Series
Switches and 2000 Series Fabric Extenders and Virtual PortChannels
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps9670/C07-572829-01_Design_N5K_N2K_vPC_DG.pdf
Chapter 7 10 Gigabit Ethernet Connectivity with Microsoft Windows Servers
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps9670/C07-572828-00_10Gb_Conn_Win_DG.pdf
Chapter 8 Data Center Design with VMware ESX 4.0 and Cisco Nexus 5000
and 1000V Series Switches 4.0(4)SV1(1) and 2000 Series Fabric
Extenders
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps9670/C07-572832-00_VMware_ESX4_Nexus_DG.pdf
-Charles
Charles E. Spurgeon / UTnet
UT Austin ITS / Networking
c.spurgeon@its.utexas.edu / 512.475.9265
Thanks Charles. It's a start.
-Hammer-
"I was a normal American nerd"
-Jack Herer
vpc has a long list of unclear and/or seemingly contradictory caveats
(spread across multiple cisco docs/webpages). when it doesn't work
(as expected), it can be challenging to find someone with tac who can
actually tell you why (or how to fix it properly). if your needs are
fairly basic, are all cisco, follow their dc3.0 verbatim, and don't
mind the lack of features on the nexus platform, then it isn't a bad
box (if rather expensive for the lack of features...like ipv6 for
is-is). also, be prepared to keep spanning-tree around and keep
bugging your cisco se/am about trill support (as opposed to
fabricpath...see tdp vs ldp)
if you *might* want to involve the n7k in routing at all, then
http://bradhedlund.com/2010/12/16/routing-over-nexus-7000-vpc-peer-link-yes-and-no/
offers a much clearer explanation than cisco.com about what works and
what doesn't (and whether-or-not tac might try to help)
hth
/joshua
Found them all on the same page. Not exactly what I was looking for but it's worth sharing.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9670/products_implementation_design_guides_list.html
-Hammer-
"I was a normal American nerd"
-Jack Herer
Nice link. Thanks Joshua.
-Hammer-
"I was a normal American nerd"
-Jack Herer