Replacing one core switch with two new core switches

[mitkojankuloski]

I will have to replace our old core Cisco switch C4506-E with two new core switches C9500 that will be located in two different server rooms. Currently there is one server room and our current core switch is connected to few ESXi hosts, storage, 2 firewalls, 2 VPN routers, and 10 uplinks to another switches in the network. The VLANs are created on the firewalls. What is the process for this migration with minimum downtime, what should i do step by step, in order not to fail the migration.

Thank you in advance.

[marce1000]

 =  You may have asked this question on the forum, but as far as such mission critical operations are concerned I advise to plan . revise and implement together with your re seller or CISCO because the in-depth knowledge needed of the current Intranet can't be fully elaborated here.

 M.

[balaji.bandi]

As suggest another post, this required someone to understand your network and required stage level migration.

If you looking to move the Kit to 2 Physical rooms require rebalancing and Copper and Fibre availability, many other things you need to consider.

If you still looking to deploy your self a challenge and understand the facts, start with HLD and LLD diagram and migration approach and various issues keeping in mind and post-migration tests.

[mitkojankuloski]

Thank you for the answer. I would like to ask you one more question or maybe opinion from you about my steps. As a beginning, it will be enough for me to know how to change the old core switch with one new core switch in the same server room. In accordance with this, i was thinking to do the following steps: 

- Label both ends of every cable connected to the old core switch (printed the new port numbers of the new core switches to the other end of these cables)

- Build the new core switch into the rack and power on

- Build a trunk between the old core switch and the new one

- Copy the config from the old core switch into notepad, do pre-configuration for the new core switch, and apply the new configuration to the new core switch

- Plug all cables out of the old core switch

- Plug the cables into the new core switch according to the label info

- Shut down the SVI's  on the old core switch and bring them up at the new core switch

What's you opinion about this, is it correct like this or maybe i miss something with the migration procedure?

[balaji.bandi · Accepted solution]

yes if you like to build yourself understanding the risk and environment you are most welcome to build one.

I would do the below steps :

1. Build a new switch offline with the latest IOS - which has all features supported for your environment.

2. Map the ports and config same like Old config, and put the ports in shutdown mode,

3. If you are not VTP enabled you are somehow good. check the spanning tree if you have one in the network.

4. make sure the new switch has a new higher spanning tree (so it will not become root bridge for VLANs).

5. connect New Switch to OLD Switch with Port-channel see there is no issue around.

6. select least affected services or test environment to connect to new switch and test all your test make sure the new kit able to support all features (like Voice / Data / Wif so on) with QoS if any.

7. Move the one of the Live services stack/access/user port to new switch and test it. - i would suggest a move 20% device to the new switch and monitor for a week or so, if all good keep migrating all devices and SVI agreed maintenance window to the new switch. (with the backup plan in case anything not working you can still go back to old switch to restore the services as quick as possible)

make sure you have proper test plans with other departments who can able to test their application and servers all expected as before. this is high level (make sure you make some visio of HDL and LLD for the purpose to meet),

Hope to make sense?

[mitkojankuloski]

Yes, it make sense to me. Thank you for your opinion, i will follow your steps in this process and will let you know what will happen or maybe ask you some additional question. The new switches are already ordered and i except them to arrive in one to two weeks from now, so i will write to you in the following few weeks once i do something with my task about this migration.