FCoE Converged Network

[Mike1295]

Hello,

I'm looking at running one of my Synergy enclosures using a converged FCoE network but am running into a configuration issue.

I believe that my Cisco Nexus switches are configured correctly so I'd like to focus on the Synergy Interconnects.

Configuring the uplink ports as "Ethernet / FCoE" seems easy enough.  I am using 2 vlans/vsans from the switch, let's call them 401 and 402.  The connection to the interconnect in slot 3 is on vlan 401 and the interconnect in slot 6 is on vlan 402.

The cisco switch shows LACP traffic incrementing and the flogi database shows id's in the 402 vsan so it looks like that configuraton is ok.

How do I configure the interconnect to allow IP traffic?  If I create a network named "Server Management" and gave it a vlan of 120, how do I add that IP traffic to both interconnects?  I can add it to one, but not both.  On the switch, I can allow that vlan so that seems to be ok, too.

Obviously I'm missing something but I'm not sure what?  I cannot seem to locate any documentation on this so I'm thinking that the terms that I am searching aren't bringing up the results that I need, so I must not be asking the correct questions.

Any help is appreciated.

-Mike

[ChrisLynch]

You add the new network to the same Uplink Set. It supports more than a single network due to the fact the port is an 802.1q and DCBX config.

[Mike1295]

Thanks for the input, Chris.  It is appreciated.

Are you saying that I only need to apply the vlan 120 to one of the interconnects?

Will that configuration "float" over to the other interconnect if I ever lost the first interconnect connection?

My switch is trunked with the appropriate vlans, but this part on the interconnect I'm not sure about.

Thanks!

-Mike

[ChrisLynch]

Uplink Sets are the resource within either a logical interconnect group or logical interconnect. You add tagged networks (802.1q) to them so the uplink port(s) pass that traffic to the adjacent switch. Uplink sets are documented here: https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=sd00002016en_us&page=s_logical-switch-templates-about-uplinksets-cic.html

[Mike1295]

I think that I didn't ask the question correctly, or that I'm missing something fundamental.

I have 2 interconnects, 3 and 6.

I have 2 fiber channel over ethernet networks 401 and 402.  They are both ethernet + fcoe.  They are each mapped to the uplink sets on their respective interconnects.

FC 401 is mapped to interconnect 3.

FC 402 is mapped to interconnect 6

I now create a new ethernet network.called Server Manament and it resides on a tagged network vlan of 120.

I can create a network set named Management.

When I attempt to add this new Managment vlan to the uplink ports I find that I cannot add it to both.  I can add it to one or the other Interconnect but not both.

How do I do that?  One vlan cannot be added to 2 different logical interconnects.  At least I don't see how it can.

If it can be added to both interconnects, how is that done?

-Mike

[DanCernese · Accepted solution]

Correct-- you don't add it to both.  You cannot have the same network "on both" -- you let Virtual Connect handle it; it is defined only once in one uplink set as Chris explained.  

It's been years since I defined FCoE networks, but I think for a redundant LI you need 3 uplink sets??  One for management, one for FCoE-A and one for FCoE-B:

[ChrisLynch]

FC 401 is mapped to interconnect 3.

FC 402 is mapped to interconnect 6

I now create a new ethernet network.called Server Manament and it resides on a tagged network vlan of 120.

Ah, I see now.  You cannot add the same network to two Uplink Sets on the same Logical Interconnect.  This is not possible, as Synergy Virtual Connect does not provide VLAN translation.  Unlike c-Class Virtual Connect did.  So, you either combine your FCoE networks to the same Uplink Set, consolidate to a singular FCoE Network, or you use different uplink ports with a new uplink set for your standard Ethernet network.

[Mike1295]

Thank you both for chiming in!

We will break these connections out so that I actually utilize 3 connections; 2 for fibre channel and 1 for the IP based vlans.

Thanks again.

-Mike