Teamed networkcards conencted to different switches, impact on the switch

[vancampdax]

I'm investigating what the impact will be on the switch processing if I connect multiple NIC's configured as a single teamed interfaces to different switches.

Have a look at my picture for the setup we are trying to achieve.

4 NICs on server 1 will be teamed together as a single interface and connected to 2 different switches with 2 NICs on each switch

8 NICs on server 2 will be teamed together as a single interface and connected to 2 different switches with 4 NICs on each switch

Both switches are linked together directly and through a backbone switch ( bullets indicate spanning-tree blocked ports )

[Freihafener]

Suppose that this would not affect the switches if it works on layer 2. Every NIC has an own MAC-Adress, even if you team up the nics. My 2 cents.

[vancampdax]

Not exactely true.

I've checked the CAM table and the same MAC address is found on both the switch interfaces as on the port-channel interface.

I'm allmost sure that Ill see mac address flapping errors when I activate this setup...

[Freihafener]

To make this clear: do you have an switch side port-channel, or do you have a software based nic teaming on the server?

[Jon Marshall]

Can i just clarify your terminology.

When you say team into a single NIC do you mean the Cisco equivalent of etherchannel ? If so unless your switches are -

1) 3750 stacked

2) 6500 VSS

3) Nexus VPC

you will not be able to run this because you cannot spread an etherchannel across separate switches even if they are interconnected.

Jon

[hobbe]

Hi

Not realy, it depends on what switches you have and how you have set up the switches.

if it is normal switches then yes you should get errors and stuff, but if it is nexus switches there is a way to do etherchannels to two different nexus switches so that you can use both of them at the same time.

Nice experiment !

this is cool stuff !

good luck

HTH

[vancampdax]

Unfortunately this setting isn't available on the C4506-E chassis/supervisor (yet).

I attended some seminaries of this during last year's Cisco LIVE event and saw some advantages for our infrastructure.