VLAN Tagging

[Fred457]

I have a Star topology with 33 access switches (half PoE), and the environment is all Procurve with a 5406ZL at the core of the network and there is no redundancy. This is a data and Avaya VOIP environment. There are two main issues: 1) the Trunk command was used on all access switches as well as on the Core switch. (i.e. 2610 SWD1 - command: trunk 48 trk1 trunk and on the CORE Swirtch: (trunk A1 trk1 trunk). The configuration continues with all access SWDs and on the CORE the Trk# increments up to 33. There are 3 additional trunks that are LACP. At this point I am unable to add any additional switches to grow the enviroment because by invoking the Trunk Trunk config on the CORE a maximum of 36 trunks is acheivable. Avaya states that 802.1Q tagging is how the trunks should be configured. If not specifically configured for LACP does the trunk pass all VLAN traffic? and What Tag is applied to the traffic traversing the trunk if it is not specified?

My understanding is that I can reconfigure the trunks by simply removing the Trunk (port#) trk1 trunk commands on the access and CORE Switches and simply Tag the port in VLANs that will be the Trunk port for VLAN traffice to pass accross. Note: each access switch has multiple VLANs configured. On the Core Switch I can have up to 128 tagged ports to pass VLAN traffic minus the three aggregated (LACP) trunks (and ports) being used for other purposes. Can anyone verify?

[Fred457]

Trunk Group Operation Using the “Trunk” Option This method creates a trunk group that operates independently of specific trunking protocols and does not use a protocol exchange with the device on the other end of the trunk. With this choice, the switch simply uses the SA/DA method of distributing outbound traffic across the trunked ports without regard for how that traffic is handled by the device at the other end of the trunked links. Similarly, the switch handles incoming traffic from the trunked links as if it were from a trunked source. Use the Trunk option when you are trying to establish a trunk group between the switch and another device, but the other device’s trunking operation fails to interoperate properly with LACP trunking configured on the switch itself.

If configured on the CORE SW the same limitatin on the number of trunks applies. 36 is maximum on the 5406zl... That is how I understand this issue...

[parnassus]

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Fred457 wrote: 36 is maximum on the 5406zl... That is how I understand this issue...

Are you sure about that?

AFAIK HPE 5400 zl Switch Series should permit up to 144 Trunk Groups [*].

The sentence in HPE 5400 zl Switch Series' Datasheet is "Support up to 144 trunks, each with up to eight links (ports) per trunk"; in other terms (as per HPE ArubaOS-Switch Management and Configuration Guide K/KA/KB.16.02, November 2016 edition): "Up to 144 trunk groups are supported on the switches. The actual maximum depends on the number of ports available on the switch and the number of links in each trunk. Using the Link Aggregation Control Protocol - LACP - option, you can include Standby trunked ports in addition to the maximum of eight Actively trunking ports. The trunks groups do not have to be the same size: for example, 100 Two-port trunks and 11 Eight-port trunks are supported.".

So that limit also depends on the number of physical ports aggregated on each Trunk Group you're using on the HPE 5406 zl; that's a detail you haven't provided.

[*] No matters if Non Trunking Protocol (Trunk) or IEEE802.3ad Protocol (LACP) is used on those Trunk Groups (LAGs).

[Vince-Whirlwind]

It might be better to show us your config - not clear why you are encountering some kind of limit there.

Also you seem to be talking about both VLAN tagging as well as trunking. Best to concentrate on one thing at a time.