Configure Etherchannel with STP.

[Hafiz_HR]

Hi all,

I have a few questions for network configuration on Nexus 93108TC-48. currently we are hosting private cloud for our customers and recently I have been tasked to do network hardening. I still new in handling network devices on production, afraid that it will impact our customers. so I need some clarification for impact if I adding new configurations. 

Below is what I need to configure on our Nexus 93108TC.

Enable STP:-

1. spanning-tree portfast bpduguard default
2. spanning-tree guard root
3. spanning-tree loopguard default

So my question is:-

1. is it really best practice for our production network to configure STP? because we are currently using etherchannel (active-passive) to perform redundant link with vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS). I afraid that if we configure STP, one port will enter blocking state and affect our production.

Please advise.

Thanks,

Hafiz

[Kasun Bandara]

hi, when you configure etherchannel, switch will consider only about newly created port channel as interface. so STP process using port channel interface as a STP interface and not underlying physical ports. it will not block any physical ports in channel. check below thread for some good explanations.

https://community.cisco.com/t5/switching/etherchannel-and-stp/td-p/1543214

[sidshas03]

Regarding your concern about STP blocking one of the EtherChannel links and affecting production, EtherChannel (also known as Link Aggregation) and STP are designed to work together. STP treats the entire EtherChannel bundle as a single logical link and will not block any individual port within the bundle. Therefore, you can configure STP without affecting the redundant links provided by EtherChannel.

In short, configuring STP is a best practice and will not impact your EtherChannel redundant links. It will provide additional protection against network loops.

[Hafiz_HR]

Hi all,

Thanks for replied to my post.

Do I need network downtime or maintenance window for this kind of configuration changes? I presume NO right?

Thanks,

Hafiz

[sidshas03 · Accepted solution]

Enabling STP and configuring its parameters on the Nexus 93108TC should not require any network downtime or maintenance window. These changes can typically be made without impacting network connectivity.

However, as with any network configuration changes, it is important to test the changes in a lab environment before implementing them in production. Additionally, it is recommended to schedule the changes during a low-traffic period, such as outside of business hours, to minimize the risk of any potential issues that may arise.

[Kasun Bandara · Accepted solution]

STP changes will not need any downtime. but if your network have big STP domain, better to have maintenance time.