A5800 vmware nic teaming (link-aggregation) / only one port "S" - selected

[FN]

Hi

I have a few A5800 with IRF connected and all.

Now I am trying to configure an link-aggregation group with my vmware esx5i vswitch, but I am unsure that it is correctly configured:

A5800 ->

interface Bridge-Aggregation5

port link-type trunk

port trunk permit vlan 80

port trunk permit vlan 86

link-aggregation mode dynamic

]link-aggregation load-sharing mode source-ip

stp edged-port enable

interface GigabitEthernet1/0/45

port link-mode bridge

port link-type trunk

port trunk permit vlan 80

port trunk permit vlan 86

port link-aggregation group 5

interface GigabitEthernet2/0/45

port link-mode bridge

port link-type trunk

port trunk permit vlan 80

port trunk permit vlan 86

port link-aggregation group 5

vmware:

Added the two links, and teaming = "Route based on IP hash"

A5800 CLI:

display link-aggregation verbose b5

  GE2/0/48         S       32768    5         {ACDEFG}
  GE1/0/48         U       32768    5         {ACG}

So I only get one port "selected" if that right? - is both port actually used to handle traffic or only "failover"

Thanks

[Fredrik Lönnman]

VMware doesnt support LACP, so you'll have to deploy static link-aggregation or just let vmware handle it with multiple links and their vm-mac-pinning-feature.

[FN]

If I specify a static aggregation group, I dont get any traffic throug. Could you send me the config for that?

And in vmware I should just add the two links and specify "routed based on IP hash" or?

Thx

[Fredrik Lönnman]

I dont know vmware well enough to say how you're supposed to configure it, I just know they doesnt support LACP in the default vSwitch (the Cisco Nexus 1000v does though)

[FN]

Thanks, I think it is working with a static aggregation group now. Did from scratch and the vmware part first - with teaming and route based on IP hash.

[Paco_D]

Hey Fredrick,

That is the correct configuration. Just make sure that you dont have beacon probing turned on so that you dont experience any intermittent issues with performance. The hashing algorithm is the ticket here.

I have seen that happen with both SAN and VM traffic.

Best of luck.

P

[Michael A. McKenney]

I was reading an article today on using IRF and LACP with VmWare 5 with no issues.   IRF speeds VMWare performance was one of the areas of it.   Was this fixed in VMWare Esxi 5 over 4.x?

[FN]

what article was that?

I am using vmware esxi5.0 - I also read an related article, but it was based on "Virtual Connect" - and I guess that support LACP - like the Cisco Nexus virtual switch (I am guessing here :)

[Fredrik Lönnman]

To my knowledge there's still no support for LACP in vmware 5, without the nexus 1000v switch.

[Michael A. McKenney]

I googled VMWare ESXI 5 IRF.  I found a HP article

FlexNetwork Architecture Delivers Higher Speed, Lower Downtime with HP IRF technology. 

I am using an A5820 and two A5800-48G switches in IRF.  I wanted to find out the best method of using my ASA-5520 firewall as a secondary routing and use the 10 Gbps ports for primary routing.   The three switches will be in IRF.  It is the traffic going to the ASA-5520 that I was researching.   I did not need STP because the VLANs are separate going to each interface.  

Most of the articles I read only list LACP with two switch scenerio.  Once you get beyond two switches, you don't see LACP mentioned. 

My question would be VMware controls the switches, how would enabling LACP on the switches at the hardware level cause issues with VMWare?