Switch Gbe2c, Procurve 2810 and LeftHand

[INR]

Hi everybody.

My company has recently bought a complete HP platform: 14 HP BL460c blade servers, 2 procurve 2810 for networking and 2 lefthand nodes for storage.

The idea is having a total redundant network with the maximum BW possible and I need your help and suggestion:

This is the configuratio I propose:

· Each lefthand node has two NICs connected to each switch procurve. Lefthand nodes are configured in teaming mode and there is a wire that connect procurve_A and procurve_B.
· Blade server is Linux RedHat configured using bonding mode 4 (LACP).
· We have five uplink port from blade chasis to procurve and two VLANs, one for storage and one for service through switch blade GbE2c.
· For each VLAN, in GbE2c we use two ports configured in LACP mode disabing spaning tree.
· Each port is connected to one port on each procurve. So there is a wire between GbE2c_A (port 20) and procurve_A (port 1), a wire between GbE2cA (21) and procurve_B (port 1) and the same on the other side with GbE2c_B (port 20 -> port 2, port 21 -> port 2).
· With this, port 20 & 21 are configured in LACP and the same for port 1 & 2. All of them are VLAN tagged.

Is it correct? Is there a better way?

Thank you and best regards.

[Pieter 't Hart]

>>> For each VLAN, in GbE2c we use two ports configured in LACP mode disabing spaning tree. <<<

A two port trunk per vlan looks like going for reserved bandwith per vlan.
If you go for bandwidth, put as many ports in a LACP trunk as possible and run multiple VLANs accross the trunk.
(assuming peak bandwith of all VLANS comes not at the same time).

Attaching two ports of an LACP trunk / team to different switches will come down to failover operation, not load balancing, so less bandwith.
=> check if 2810 supports LACP trunk to span multiple switches for loadbalancing.
- If so I would suggest multiple wires between the 2810's (also LACP trunk).
- If not, for maximum bandwith, connect both lacp ports to the same switch.

[INR]

Thank you so much for your information.

Yes, you're right that the best way should be having HP switches with link aggregation between them but I fear that 2810 hasn't this feature.

So, I suppose that the maximum bandwith will never be higher than 2Gb..

So, I think that we're on the correct way taking in mind the limitations of this Hw.

Best regards.

[Pieter 't Hart]

>>> Yes, you're right that the best way should be having HP switches with link aggregation between them but I fear that 2810 hasn't this feature. <<<

from the 2810 mgmt-cfg-gde :

The switch supports six trunk groups of up to four ports each. (Using the Link
Aggregation Control Protocolâ LACPâ option, you can include standby trunked ports in addition to the maximum of four actively trunking ports.)

does this help?

[INR]

Hi again.

Yes, your information has been very helpfull.

So, If I don't misundestand, the best way could be (suppose these ports):

· Blade Switch A Port 20 connected to Procurve A Port 1.
· Blade Switch A Port 21 connected to Procurve B Port 1.
· Blade Switch B Port 20 connected to Procurve A Port 2.
· Blade Switch B Port 21 connected to Procurve B Port 2.
· LACP between ports 20-21 in both Blade Switches.
· LACP between ports 1-2 in both Procurves.
· Virtual Trunk 17-18 disabled on Blade Switches.
· Spanning Tree disabled in Blade Switches and Procurve??
· Teaming/Bonding in load balance on servers.
· VLAN tagging.

Is that correct? How about spanning tree? Is it necesary to be enabled?

Thank you so much and best regards.