Cluster and Active-active cisco

[dhikra-marghli8]

Hello

VSS is a clustering technology, and we also have another type of load balancing in the network: Active-Active

1++ why the cluster is preferred by active-active design in the network ? difference ?

2++what are the advantages and disadvantages of clustering by active-active in the network ?

I wait a answer from expert  network

Thanks

[dhikra-marghli8]

some one can answer me 

thanks

[M02@rt37 · Accepted solution]

Hello @dhikra-marghli8 

Active-Active refers to a scenario where both devices or paths are actively participating in the traffic forwarding or processing simultaneously. In the context of load balancing, it often involves distributing traffic across multiple paths or devices to utilize all available resources efficiently.

Active-Active can also be implemented in various network components, such as firewalls, load balancers, and links.

On the other hand, clustering, like VSS in Cisco devices, involves combining multiple physical devices into a logical cluster or virtual entity.

VSS, for example, allows two physical Cisco switches to operate as a single logical switch. Clustering is often used for high availability and resiliency, where if one device fails, the other can take over seamlessly.

Active-Active design allows for efficient use of network resources by distributing traffic across multiple paths or devices.

Clustering can provide scalability by allowing additional devices to be added to the cluster.

In other words, clustering provides redundancy and failover capabilities, while an active-ative design ensures that all available resources are actively utilized.

[dhikra-marghli8]

Thanks

VSS, for example, allows two physical Cisco switches to operate as a single logical switch. Clustering is often used for high availability and resiliency, where if one device fails, the other can take over seamlessly.

First  question :You say this sentence  mean VSS use SSO between device ?

Why  more company prefer use cluster then actice-active ?

I want to know if data  and other paramter in cluster are same in all device  ? contrary to Active-Active ?

I wait a reply

Thanks in advance

[M02@rt37 · Accepted solution]

@dhikra-marghli8 

VSS does use SSO between devices. SSO is a mechanism that ensures a fast and stateful switch over to the standby switch in case of a failure, minimizing downtime. As for why some companies prefer clustering over active-active ??? I say, sorry, that it depends on the specific requirements of the network and the goals of the organization. 

Clustering often presents a single logical entity to the network, making management and configuration simpler. Active-active setups may require more complex configurations to distribute traffic across devices.

Clustering solutions may offer a simplified configuration approach where all devices in the cluster share the same configuration, reducing the chances of misconfigurations.

To go further, in clustering, devices usually maintain consistent state. Changes made on one device are quickly synchronized with others in the cluster. In active-active setups, achieving consistency may involve more complex synchronization mechanisms.

Regarding data and other parameters in a cluster, it depends on the specific implementation. In some clustering scenarios, all devices in the cluster maintain synchronized data and configurations. This ensures that any device in the cluster can seamlessly take over if another fails (and may depend/differ of vendor equipement).

In an active-active scenario, where devices are handling separate portions of the traffic, data consistency may be more challenging to achieve, and synchronization mechanisms need to be carefully designed.

Ultimately, the choice between clustering and active-active configurations depends on factors such as network design and the specific features offered by the chosen technology of the compagny.

[bo chen · Accepted solution]

Answer 1:

Firstly, traditional HSRP and VRRP belong to two control planes, and configuration and maintenance require logging in to two devices separately, and load sharing also requires both devices to manually configure instead of dynamically load sharing. Secondly, traditional HSRP and VRRP architectures need to consider which device the root of the generation tree is set on, which greatly increases maintenance costs and efficiency.

However, for the VSS and SVL architectures, the first step is to virtualize two physical devices into one logical switch with only one control plane, without the need to configure dual gateways such as HSRP and VRRP, nor to specify which device the root of the spanning tree is on. Secondly, the data is forwarded on both devices instead of manually determining which device to forward which traffic, greatly reducing operational costs. And when one of the physical devices fails, the control plane is not affected and still carries traffic for forwarding. The forwarding capability of this logical switch is the sum of the forwarding capabilities of two physical switches.

Answer 2:

advantage

1. A control plane for easy configuration management

2. The forwarding performance of a logical switch is the sum of two switches

3. If one of the devices fails, the business will not be interrupted and the control plane is controllable, provided that the two physical switches are properly connected to the port channel.

4. No need for HSRP and VRRP, a single SVI is sufficient.

Disadvantages:

Advantage license is required, and the cost is higher.

[dhikra-marghli8]

thanks all expert network