LACP configuration for standalone Server

[Zbyszek84]

Hey,

we just bought FlexPod and are in the process of installation. Unfortunetly we are not able to find answer to our issue.

We have a Windows 2012 (no-hyper-v) installed on B200M3 with VIC1240 + expander. After making a TEAM from 2 links (1 link fabric A 2nd link fabric B) and choosing LACP the status of team is "Fault".

How we should configure LACP? Do we need to change something on FIs?

regards

Zbyszek

[Timo Scheller]

Hi,

question, why would you do this?

The FI will handle a failover, if you have choosen it correctly on the FI by itself. 

Will save you the trouble of teaming and stuff on the OS side.

We do this with our Linux-Hosts on B200-M3. Works quite well. The setup is easy, because of 

only one NIC on the OS. But we have the advantage of failover. Even while the OS didn't see it. 

Use the FI handling the whole failover and just use one NIC for that purpose.

Only one thing to consider would be, if you maybe need more then 10G.

Otherwise, use just another NIC and divide the traffic (vMotion and stuff).

HTH.

Best,

Timo

[Walter Dey]

Hi Zbyszek

There is no LACP support between server and FI, only between FI and North bound switches.

I would let the OS do the load balancing and failover, not FI like Timo suggests.

see also the discussions in

https://supportforums.cisco.com/discussion/12044856/nic-teaming-w2012

https://supportforums.cisco.com/discussion/11956156/w2012-nic-teaming-lbfo

Walter.

[Timo Scheller]

Hi Walter,

i see your point. It depends of course on the whole setup what you will do or will achieve.

My point here: Simplicity.

If you already have a failover setup which includes also North-Bound, of course, why bother with failover setup in the OS already?

Just to be clear. ;-)

But in the end, depends on the setup and what you need (or would) to achieve.

Best,

Timo

[Zbyszek84]

Hi,

thanks for fast replays! From what I can see it doesn't make big difference if I will use FI for failover or if I will do it under windows 2012.

So if I will do it on FIs I just need to pick the option "Enable Failover" instead of binding it to one of the Fabrics or I can have 2 vNICs each binded to separated Fabric and let do the Failover on System leavel but then it can only by Active standby - "Switch Independent" and I can't use any "LACP" method or "Static Teaming" right?

Regards

Zbyszek

[Walter Dey]

We call "enable failover" on the vnic in the service profile hardware failover. If you control it on the OS, it's called software failover.

Don't do both ! it can lead to problems (2 control loops, working against each other)

Your reasoning is correct ! active /stby, switch independent.

Windows 2012 R2 has functionality that requires Teaming setup. eg. you would like to have a vlan trunk entering your OS ? (the alternative would be to create as many interfaces as their are Vlans, and each vnic is assigned one vlan); in this case you have to create a team and the create subinterfaces, to split off the vlans.

Anyway, scalability is a argument against Hardware failover; FI has to do a lot of work (GARP handling); this is done by the control plane (CPU of the FI) for all blades ?

Now you can guess what I would do :-)

Cheers

Walter.