Port channel LACP configuration on Firepower 2110 appliance

[Allybee]

Hi Everyone!

I'm doing a test drive for Firepower 2110 appliance. Unfortunately cannot really start it as my setup requires LACP port-channel uplink to core switches and then vlans on port-channel. Web interface doesn't have such option - only subinterface creation. I've found some examples on how to create a port-channel under FXOS, but whatever I try doing in CLI (create port-channel, create member-port) when I complete with commit-buffer, all I get is "Error: Changes not allowed. use: 'connect ftd' to make changes." But FTD has no commands for interface configuration and I'm stuck.

Help appreciated!

[Mikis Zafeiroudis · Accepted solution]

Hello,

Based on your description I understood that you are using the on-box manager (Firepower Device Manager AKA FDM) in order to manage your FTD logical device. 

Currently, FDM does not support Port-Channel creation:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/firepower/622/fdm/fptd-fdm-config-guide-622/fptd-fdm-interfaces.html 

In this case you need to install Firepower Management Center (FMC), register your FTD and from the FMC create the Port-Channel.

HTH

[Allybee]

This is indeed the only solution. However there are serious downsides to it:

- once you start managing the appliance with FMC you need to stick to it forever

- FMC requires additional licensing

- Virtual FMC is only available for VMware and KVM, which is a real pain in the back, as we are 100% Hyper-V for in-house virtual infrastructure. And AWS FMC is not a real option in you want to place it in the management network.

In that regard, huge dissapointment Cisco :(