port/ether channel between access to distribution switch

[m.venkatesa]

Hello,

I need a guidance to add a port channel between access switches to distribution switch in production without service disturbance.

here is the requirement...

The access switch has redundant links  one goes to distribution 1 and another one goes to distribution 2, now I need to add another new link to distribution 1 and distribution 2 and bundle the links going to distribution  1 and distribution 2 using port channel….

Please guide me how we can do this without service disturbance…

    Distribution switch 1                                  distribution switch 2

                         |_____                    __________|                  

                                    |                  |

                                  Access switch

thanks

[InayathUlla Sharieff]

Venkatesh,

I would suggest not to take the chance during the production traffic . I would suggest either do this activity in MW ( atleast 30  min) or out of business hours.

1- Create Port-Channel first on Access and Distribution switch.

2- Configure the required parameters on the Port-channel.

3- Shutdwon the new port before you connect the cable between the access and distribution to avoid the STP.

4- configure the individual ports with teh port-channel configuration.

5- bring the port back up by doing no shutdown.

Regards

Inayath

[Joseph W. Doherty]

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Posting

I don't believe it's possible without some disturbance, although disturbance might be minimal.

How you might implement the change would be impacted by whether redundancy needs to be available/maintained during the migration.

If you don't need to maintain redundancy, STP block a link between access and a distribution switch, then convert that link to port-channel (which you need to insure STP will continue to block).

When done, make the port-channel the non-blocked path and insure the other access<>distribution link blocks.  Then upgrade it to port-channel too.

If you need to maintain active redundancy, you still work on an access<>distribution link that's STP blocked, but you enable just one link on the new port-channel (also configured to block).  Then you migrated the existing link to the port-channel (which is still blocked).  After that, you repeat for the other, as above, after you get it STP blocked.

The service disturbance would be when shifting from an active link to another link.  If running rapid STP (or MST) that should go pretty quickly.