HP Mesh - Distributed Trunks

[LyonJT]

Dear all,

We currently have four core switches within our infrastructure, between these switches we have configured them in a mesh with a connection to each one.

We would like to link two the core switches (HP 5406) to a access switch to allow for redundancy. However when we currently add it using trunking the network starts to loop and become unstable.

Can anyone let me know how I would need to configure the access switches & core switches to allow for a access switch (HP 2650) to have dual cores with redundancy?

Normally we would only need to implement distributed trunks but as we are using a meshed design we aren't able to do this.

Thanks,

Lyon

[paulgear]

Hi Lyon,

To my knowledge, if you use meshing, the only alternative to distributed trunking is to configure spanning tree and allow one of the links to remain blocked.

[Chrisd131313]

To Confirm Paul's post, taken from the HP Management & Configuration Guide - K.15.07 for 5400 series switches, page 4-52...

Features not supported in conjunction with distributed trunking include:

• SVLANs in mixed mode on DT or ISC links.

• Meshing

• CDP

• GVRP

• UDLD

• Multicast routing

• IPv6 routing

• MLD/MLD snooping on DT VLAN

[Richard Litchfield]

K15.08 removes a lot of restrictions, and is definitely worth reading the release notes. You may want to revalidate the design; maybe meshing is better replaced by distributed trunking + routing?

[Chrisd131313]

Looking at K.15.10 release, it still does not allow Meshing and DTs. As Richard mentions, if DTs is something that you definately need to utilise then a rethink of your design may be in order.