BE7000 Port configuration for NIC Teaming and Port Channel

[kbyrd]

I have two customers that each have two UCS C22 servers that I set up a couple of years ago. I set them up with NIC teaming, however, I went into the servers recently and it looks like the NIC teaming settings on the ESXi hosts have been "adjusted".

At this installation guide:

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucm/BE7000/installationguide/10_51/CUCM_BK_BA7D341C_00_be7k-install-guide-106/CUCM_BK_BA7D341C_00_be7k-install-guide-1051_chapter_0101.html

This says that ROUTE BASED ON IP HASH should be set up on the dual NICs on the ESXi host.

What is the recommended corresponding port-channel configuration that should be used? I've seen both channel-group mode passive and channel-group mode on used. Passive seems to give me MAC flaps.....

Thanks for your responses.

Sample for on :

interface Port-channe21
switchport
switchport mode trunk
!
interface GigabitEthernet0/29
switchport
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 21 mode on

!
interface GigabitEthernet0/30
switchport
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 21 mode on

Sample for passive :

interface Port-channe21
switchport
switchport mode trunk
!
interface GigabitEthernet0/29
switchport
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 21 mode passive

!
interface GigabitEthernet0/30
switchport
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 21 mode passive

[Terry Cheema]

As far as I can remember - There is a limitation from VMware ESxi vswitch not supporting LACP for this algorithm.

So you will have to use static ether channels.

Refer:

https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1001938

https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2006129

-Terry

Please rate all helpful posts

[Shashank Mahajan]

You can configure EtherChannel with channel-group mode on:

http://matiiim.blogspot.in/2013/08/uc-cisco-vmware-etherchannel.html

Please note that LACP is supported in ESXi 5.5, but only on virtual distributed switches, not the standard vSwitch.
In order to use the virtual distributed switch, you must have the VMWare Enterprise Plus license.

Refer to the following links:
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2051307

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1010555

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2034277