ARP MAD - Can I use the management interface?

[chrismarget]

I'm working with some Moonshot 45Gc switches running Comware 7. They're deployed as two-member IRFs.

Several times now, I've had IRFs go multi-active (split brain), so I want to deploy a MAD scheme.

The physical geography of the Moonshot system is proving to be a challenge. These switches each have:

• forty-five 1gig interfaces connecting to server nodes
• six SFP+ interfaces using a modular SFP+ carrier
• a single management interface connecting to an unmanaged intra-chassis Ethernet bus
• zero switch-to-switch links provided by the enclosure (unlike, say, a C7000 chasssis)

The IRF link uses redundant twinax cables between ports in the SFP+ carrier belonging to each switch. They're about 1 foot away from each other and I'm using half-meter cables.

Each incident has involved across-the-board failure of comms through the six-port SFP+ carrier. Given that all extra-chassis interfaces fail together, theres seems to be little point in attempting any of the MAD schemes via these interfaces.

I'm not currently using the M-GigabitEthernet0/0/0 ports (in-band management) and wonder about the possibility of using these guys for ARP MAD. These interfaces can see each other via the intra-chassis Ethernet.

The "mad arp enable" command is available is available in interface context, but a Comware TAC guy advised me (without explanation) not to use the managmeent port that way.

My backup plan involves running ARP MAD through a software-based bridge running on a server in the enclosure. Yuck.

[chrismarget]

I've enabled the `mad arp` feature on the management interface. No surprises so far. When I pulled the IRF cables, one of the switches recognized the problem and killed all of its interfaces. The configuration seems to even support binding the management interface to a vpn-instance.

[Som77]

HPE does not recommend Management interface to have ARP MAD command Enabled, as its not best practice in

And none of IRF configuration document says the management Port can be used for this purpose, its good to leave the management port for it's pre-defined purpose.

https://support.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c03962883