N9300-N9500 eVPC support and Dual home FEX with Nexus 9000

[ankjain2]

We have 2 Nexus 9504 in the core as vPC peers. Questions:

1.) If we use 2 x Nexus9300 at access, as I understand they cannot be deployed as vpc peers due to lack of enhanced vpc support. Please confirm this is true. If yes, is this planned for a future release and for when?

2.) When is the FEX dual-homed feature for connectivity to a Nexus 9500 is expected to release?

Thanks.

[InayathUlla Sharieff]

1- You can use VPC between 9300 and 9504. Please find the link below which explain the same:-

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/nexus-9000-series-switches/guide-c07-730115.html

2- Dual-homing a FEX to multiple Nexus 9K devices is not supported.  This is
documented here:

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/nexus-9000-series-switches/guide
-c07-730115.html#_Toc387967222

Note particularly this paragraph:

"Nexus 9000 Series Switches do not support vPC active-active or two-layer vPC (eVPC)
designes. The rest of the network topology and design does not change. Figure 10 shows the
new topology."

The basics for configuring the FEX on Nexus 9K can be found here:

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus2000/sw/configuration/guide/
n9k_rel_612I24/b_Cisco_Nexus_2000_Series_NX-OS_Fabric_Extender_Configuration_Guide_for_Cis
co_Nexus_9000_Series_Switches_Release_6x/b_Cisco_Nexus_2000_Series_NX-OS_Fabric_Extender_C
onfiguration_Guide_for_Cisco_Nexus_9000_Series_Switches_Release_6x_chapter_011.html

Release date:- NA.

HTH

REgards

Inayath

[ankjain2]

Thanks Inayah.

1.) I am aware of this link, my question was around enhanced vpc - i.e. 9500 at core are vpc peers with 9300 at access (NX-OS mode). The server then dual-homed to the 9300 on a vpc. I believe that is not supported as the 9300 too need to be vpc peers for this to work. 

2.) The question was whether Dual-homing a FEX to multiple Nexus 9K devices will be supported in future releases? If yes, when is it expected?

Regards,
AJ

[InayathUlla Sharieff]

1- YEs you are correct.

2- I cannot answer when this is expected. You can open a case and ask the account team to get in touch the concern team and they can get you the answer.

Regards

Inayath

[egilles123]

My question is what platform is a dual homed FEX design supported on? 

[InayathUlla Sharieff]

I think Nexus 5K supports dual homes FEX.

HTH

Regards

Inayath

[egilles123]

Also, in a single home configuration or also called straight through where both FEX's have the same #. How do you know which one is which. For example, interface eth 100/1/1 is configured for both FEX's.

[bahmaconsrb]

Answer to the number 2 question has been answered.  Read this article!

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus2000/sw/configuration/guide/n9k_rel_703I11/b_Cisco_Nexus_2000_Series_NX-OS_Fabric_Extender_Configuration_Guide_for_Cisco_Nexus_9000_Series_Switches_Release_7x/b_Cisco_Nexus_2000_Series_NX-...

[jlefko]

Of course Cisco doesn't mention the 9500 in this release.  Does it support FEX VPC?  Doubtful, can't we just make one cohesive support system for Nexus 9ks instead of this patch work solution.  Very frustrating.

[emresumengen]

So, anyone have any information on the latest situation/support?

I'm looking for a Dual 9500 "core" VPC peer, with FEX dual-homed to these cores. Servers will be single-homed (either through single links or multiple-link port-channels) on the same FEX.

Is this supported or not?

The document looks like it is, but Nexus story nowadays has been nothing but a mess when it comes to which device supports what... I've never seen Cisco so distracted and disconnected, both from itself and from it's documentation :(

[jkilleda]

Hello Ankur,

N9300-N9500 eVPC support and Dual home FEX with Nexus 9000

You can connect it to straight trough FEX but not dual homed .

 https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus9000/hw/interoperability/fexmatrix/fextables.html

[sbhadrav@cisco.com]

Assuming you're talking about Nexus 9000 in "stand-alone" (NX-OS) mode, there is no support for dual-homed, or active-active FEX, as of the latest release NX-OS 7.0(3)I2(1).

As per the FEX section in the Unsupported Features  part of the release notes:

"FEX vPC is not supported between any model of FEX and the Nexus9300 (TOR) and 9500 Switches (EOR) as the parent switches"

Also from the Classic Network Design Using Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches design guide:

"The vPC design remains the same as described in a vPC design guide with the exception that the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series does not support vPC active-active FEX or two-layer vPC (eVPC)."

and

"An existing Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switch can be replaced with a Cisco Nexus 9500 platform switch with one exception: Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches do not support vPC active-active or two-layer vPC (eVPC) designes. [sic

[sbhadrav@cisco.com]

Assuming you're talking about Nexus 9000 in "stand-alone" (NX-OS) mode, there is no support for dual-homed, or active-active FEX, as of the latest release NX-OS 7.0(3)I2(1).

As per the FEX section in the Unsupported Features  part of the release notes:

"FEX vPC is not supported between any model of FEX and the Nexus9300 (TOR) and 9500 Switches (EOR) as the parent switches"

Also from the Classic Network Design Using Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches design guide:

"The vPC design remains the same as described in a vPC design guide with the exception that the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series does not support vPC active-active FEX or two-layer vPC (eVPC)."

and

"An existing Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switch can be replaced with a Cisco Nexus 9500 platform switch with one exception: Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches do not support vPC active-active or two-layer vPC (eVPC) designes. [sic]"

[Alipio.Gobaton]

Hi,

You can refer to below link for FEX supported/unsupported topologies.

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/switches/nexus-2000-series-fabric-extenders/200363-nexus-2000-fabric-extenders-supported-un.html

Thanks!

Al

[jcamposo]

Team,

I hope you are doing great!

Seems like dual homed is now supported in newer codes as you can see in the following link:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus9000/hw/interoperability/fexmatrix/fextables.html

Beginning with Cisco NX-OS Release 7.0(3)I7(3), the Cisco Nexus N9K-C93180YC-FX supports straight-through FEX with N2K-C2232PP and N2K-C2248TP FEX models in NX-OS Mode.

Dual-homed FEX is added in Cisco NX-OS Release 9.2(1). FCoE Over FEX is not supported with Nexus N9K-C93180YC-FX in NX-OS Release 7.0(3)I7(3).

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus9000/sw/9-x/release/notes/921_9000_nxos_rn.html

Please feel free to check out and if you have any other query let me know and I will be more than glad to clarify it for you.

Josue Campos

Data Center Routing and Switching Cisco TAC

Email: jcamposo@cisco.com

Phone: +1 919 9971299