Redundant Routing using 2910 and 2920 switches

[Renne]

We currently have 1x 2910 in our Data Centre and this switch is doing the routing for us. We need some redundancy in the DC so that if the switch dies the DC does not also die!

We are looking at purchasing a 2920 to sit next to the 2910 but want to know if we can have HSRP or something similar running on the switches as they are acting as the gateway?

We will be having dual teamed nics in our servers so that if one switch goes down the servers carry on working. We are also looking at having a 2nd connection to our ISP so that we can have 1 connection into each switch (2910 and 2920). Would we use spanningtree to stop loops in the network when connecting both of our switches into our ISP?

What would be the best way to get this solution to work? Can HP switches do this or should we be using a pair of Cisco routers with HSRP and the switches connected to them?

Any advise greatly appreciated before we buy a 2920.

[Richard Litchfield]

The standards-based equivalent of HSRP is VRRP. Unfortunately the 2920 doesn't support that level of L3 functionality - you would need to move to the 3800 or 5400 range for that.

However, if you have the 2 x 2920s linked with a stacking module and cable, you can provide similar functionality even with basic L3 routing. Connect the key systems to both switches with an LACP aggregated link, and if one switch dies, the other will keep on working, and without any of the complexity of VRRP!