Cisco Connected Grid Ethernet Switch Module Interface Card Software Configuration Guide

EtherChannel Overview

An EtherChannel consists of individual Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet links bundled into a single logical link as shown in Figure 15-1.

Figure 15-1 Typical EtherChannel Configuration

The EtherChannel provides full-duplex bandwidth of up to 800 Mbps between your switch module and another switch module or host for Fast EtherChannel on a switch module with 24 Fast Ethernet ports. For Gigabit EtherChannel, you can configure up to 8 Gbps (8 ports of 1 Gbps), depending on the number of supported Gigabit Ethernet interfaces.

Note Only network node interfaces (NNIs) and enhanced network interfaces (ENIs) support Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP). Use the port-type {eni | nni} interface configuration command to configure a port as an ENI or NNI. The switch module must be running the IP services image to allow configuring of more than four ports as NNIs.

Each EtherChannel can consist of up to eight compatibly configured Ethernet ports. All ports in each EtherChannel must be configured as either Layer 2 or Layer 3 ports. The number of EtherChannels is limited to 48. For more information, see the “EtherChannel Configuration Guidelines” section. The EtherChannel Layer 3 ports are made up of routed ports. Routed ports are physical ports configured to be in Layer 3 mode by using the no switchport interface configuration command. For more information, see Chapter8, “Interface Configuration”

You can configure an EtherChannel in one of these modes: Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) or On mode. LACP is available only on NNIs and ENIs. Configure both ends of the EtherChannel in the same mode:

• When you configure one end of an EtherChannel inr LACP mode, the system negotiates with the other end of the channel to determine which ports should become active. Incompatible ports are suspended.
• When you configure an EtherChannel in the on mode, no negotiations take place. The switch module forces all compatible ports to become active in the EtherChannel. The other end of the channel (on the other switch module) must also be configured in the on mode; otherwise, packet loss can occur.

The local port is put into an independent state and continues to carry data traffic as would any other single link. The port configuration does not change, but the port does not participate in the EtherChannel.

If a link within an EtherChannel fails, traffic previously carried over that failed link changes to the remaining links within the EtherChannel. A trap is sent for a failure, identifying the switch module, the EtherChannel, and the failed link. Inbound broadcast and multicast packets on one link in an EtherChannel are blocked from returning on any other link of the EtherChannel.

Port-Channel Interfaces

When you create an EtherChannel, a port-channel logical interface is involved:

• With Layer 2 ports, use the channel-group interface configuration command to dynamically create the port-channel logical interface.

You also can use the interface port-channel port-channel-number global configuration command to manually create the port-channel logical interface, but then you must use the channel-group channel-group-number command to bind the logical interface to a physical port. The channel-group-number can be the same as the port - channel-number, or you can use a new number. If you use a new number, the channel-group command dynamically creates a new port channel.

• With Layer 3 ports, you should manually create the logical interface by using the interface port-channel global configuration command followed by the no switchport interface configuration command. Then you manually assign an interface to the EtherChannel by using the channel-group interface configuration command.

For both Layer 2 and Layer 3 ports, the channel-group command binds the physical port and the logical interface together as shown in Figure 15-2.

Each EtherChannel has a port-channel logical interface numbered from 1 to 48. This port-channel interface number corresponds to the one specified with the channel-group interface configuration command.

Figure 15-2 Relationship of Physical Ports, Logical Port Channels, and Channel Groups

After you configure an EtherChannel, configuration changes applied to the port-channel interface apply to all the physical ports assigned to the port-channel interface. Configuration changes applied to the physical port affect only the port to which you apply the configuration. To change the parameters of all ports in an EtherChannel, apply the configuration commands to the port-channel interface.

Link Aggregation Control Protocol

The LACP is defined in IEEE 802.3ad standard and enables Cisco switches to manage Ethernet channels between switches that conform to the standard. LACP facilitates the automatic creation of EtherChannels by exchanging LACP packets between Ethernet ports.

Note LACP is available only on NNIs and ENIs.

By using LACP, the switch module learns the identity of partners capable of supporting LACP and the capabilities of each port. It then dynamically groups similarly configured port s into a single logical link (channel or aggregate port). Similarly configured ports are grouped based on hardware, administrative, and port parameter constraints. For example, LACP groups the ports with the same speed, duplex mode, native VLAN, VLAN range, and trunking status and type. After grouping the links into an EtherChannel, LACP adds the group to the spanning tree as a single switch module port.

LACP Modes

Table 15-1 shows the user-configurable EtherChannel LACP modes for the channel-group interface configuration command on an NNI or ENI.

Both the active and passive LACP modes enable ports to negotiate with partner ports to an EtherChannel based on criteria such as port speed and, for Layer 2 EtherChannels, trunking state and VLAN numbers.

Ports can form an EtherChannel when they are in different LACP modes as long as the modes are compatible. For example:

• A port in the active mode can form an EtherChannel with another port that is in the active or passive mode.
• A port in the passive mode cannot form an EtherChannel with another port that is also in the passive mode because neither port starts LACP negotiation.

LACP Interaction with Other Features

The CDP sends and receives packets over the physical ports in the EtherChannel. Trunk ports send and receive LACP PDUs on the lowest numbered VLAN.

In Layer 2 EtherChannels, the first port in the channel that comes up provides its MAC address to the EtherChannel. If this port is removed from the bundle, one of the remaining ports in the bundle provides its MAC address to the EtherChannel.

LACP sends and receives LACP PDUs only from ports that are up and have LACP enabled for the active or passive mode.

EtherChannel On Mode

EtherChannel on mode can be used to manually configure an EtherChannel. The on mode forces a port to join an EtherChannel without negotiations. It can be useful if the remote device does not support LACP. With the on mode, a usable EtherChannel exists only when both ends of the link are configured in the on mode.

Note For UNIs, the only available mode is on.

Ports that are configured in the on mode in the same channel group must have compatible port characteristics, such as speed and duplex. Ports that are not compatible are suspended, even though they are configured in the on mode.

Caution You should use care when using the on mode. This is a manual configuration, and ports on both ends of the EtherChannel must have the same configuration. If the group is misconfigured, packet loss or spanning-tree loops can occur.

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Load Balancing and Forwarding Methods

EtherChannel balances the traffic load across the links in a channel by reducing part of the binary pattern formed from the addresses in the frame to a numerical value that selects one of the links in the channel. EtherChannel load balancing can use MAC addresses or IP addresses, source or destination addresses, or both source and destination addresses. The selected mode applies to all EtherChannels configured on the switch module. You configure the load balancing and forwarding method by using the port-channel load-balance global configuration command.

With source-MAC address forwarding, when packets are forwarded to an EtherChannel, they are distributed across the ports in the channel based on the source-MAC address of the incoming packet. To provide load balancing, packets from different hosts use different ports in the channel, but packets from the same host use the same port in the channel.

With destination-MAC address forwarding, when packets are forwarded to an EtherChannel, they are distributed across the ports in the channel based on the destination-host MAC address of the incoming packet. Packets to the same destination are forwarded over the same port, and packets to a different destination are sent on a different port in the channel.

On the CGR 2010 ESM, load distribution based on the destination host MAC address supports only four ports per EtherChannel. When you configure EtherChannel destination-MAC address load balancing, the traffic is balanced only among four ports in the channel group.If you configure more than four ports in an EtherChannel with destination host MAC address load distribution, only four of the ports receive distributed traffic. This limitation does not apply to the other load distribution methods.

With source-and-destination MAC address forwarding, when packets are forwarded to an EtherChannel, they are distributed across the ports in the channel based on both the source and destination MAC addresses. This forwarding method, a combination source-MAC and destination-MAC address forwarding methods of load distribution, can be used if it is not clear whether source-MAC or destination-MAC address forwarding is better suited on a particular switch module. With source-and-destination MAC-address forwarding, packets sent from host A to host B, host A to host C, and host C to host B could all use different ports in the channel.

With source-IP-address-based forwarding, when packets are forwarded to an EtherChannel, they are distributed across the ports in the EtherChannel based on the source-IP address of the incoming packet. To provide load-balancing, packets from different IP addresses use different ports in the channel, but packets from the same IP address use the same port in the channel.

With destination-IP-address-based forwarding, when packets are forwarded to an EtherChannel, they are distributed across the ports in the EtherChannel based on the destination-IP address of the incoming packet. To provide load-balancing, packets from the same IP source address sent to different IP destination addresses could be sent on different ports in the channel. But packets sent from different source IP addresses to the same destination IP address are always sent on the same port in the channel.

With source-and-destination IP address-based forwarding, when packets are forwarded to an EtherChannel, they are distributed across the ports in the EtherChannel based on both the source and destination IP addresses of the incoming packet. This forwarding method, a combination of source-IP and destination-IP address-based forwarding, can be used if it is not clear whether source-IP or destination-IP address-based forwarding is better suited on a particular switch module. In this method, packets sent from the IP address A to IP address B, from IP address A to IP address C, and from IP address C to IP address B could all use different ports in the channel.

Different load-balancing methods have different advantages, and the choice of a particular load-balancing method should be based on the position of the switch module in the network and the kind of traffic that needs to be load-distributed. In Figure 15-3, an EtherChannel of four workstations communicates with a router. Because the router is a single-MAC-address device, source-based forwarding on the switch module EtherChannel ensures that the switch module uses all available bandwidth to the router. The router is configured for destination-based forwarding because the large number of workstations ensures that the traffic is evenly distributed from the router EtherChannel.

Use the option that provides the greatest variety in your configuration. For example, if the traffic on a channel is going only to a single MAC address, using the destination-MAC address always chooses the same link in the channel. Using source addresses or IP addresses might result in better load balancing.

Figure 15-3 Load Distribution and Forwarding Methods

Default EtherChannel Configuration

Table 15-2 shows the default EtherChannel configuration.

EtherChannel Configuration Guidelines

If improperly configured, some EtherChannel ports are automatically disabled to avoid network loops and other problems. Follow these guidelines to avoid configuration problems:

• Do not try to configure more than 48 EtherChannels on the switch module.
• Configure a LACP EtherChannel including only NNIs or only ENIs.
• Configure all ports in an EtherChannel to operate at the same speeds and duplex modes.
• All ports in an EtherChannel must be the same type, either UNI, NNI, or ENI. You cannot mix port types in an EtherChannel.
• On UNIs, the EtherChannel mode must always be configured to on.
• Enable all ports in an EtherChannel. A port in an EtherChannel that is disabled by using the shutdown interface configuration command is treated as a link failure, and its traffic is transferred to one of the remaining ports in the EtherChannel. UNIs and ENIs are disabled by default. NNIs are enabled by default.
• When a group is first created, all ports follow the parameters set for the first port to be added to the group. If you change the configuration of one of these parameters, you must also make the changes to all ports in the group:

– Allowed-VLAN list

– Spanning-tree path cost for each VLAN

– Spanning-tree port priority for each VLAN

– Spanning-tree Port Fast setting

Note Spanning Tree Protocol is only supported on NNIs or ENIs on which it has been specifically enabled.

• Do not configure a port to be a member of more than one EtherChannel group.
• Do not configure an EtherChannel in LACP mode. EtherChannel groups running LACP can coexist on the same switch module. Individual EtherChannel groups can run LACP, but they cannot interoperate.

Note LACP is only available on NNIs and ENIs.

• If the switch module is running the CGR 2010 LAN base image, you can have only four NNIs on the switch module at the same time; only four ports in an EtherChannel can support LACP at the same time.If the switch module is running the IP services image, there is no limit to the number of NNIs that can be configured on the switch module.
• Do not configure a Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN) destination port as part of an EtherChannel.
• Do not configure a secure port as part of an EtherChannel or the reverse.
• Do not configure a private-VLAN port as part of an EtherChannel.
• Do not configure a port that is an active or a not-yet-active member of an EtherChannel as an 802.1x port. If you try to enable 802.1x on an EtherChannel port, an error message appears, and 802.1x is not enabled.
• If EtherChannels are configured on switch module interfaces, remove the EtherChannel configuration from the interfaces before globally enabling 802.1x on a switch module by using the dot1x system-auth-control global configuration command.
• Do not enable link-state tracking on individual interfaces that will be part of a downstream Etherchannel interface.
• For Layer 2 EtherChannels:

– Assign all ports in the EtherChannel to the same VLAN, or configure them as trunks. Ports with different native VLANs cannot form an EtherChannel.

– If you configure an EtherChannel from trunk ports, verify that the trunking mode is the same on all the trunks. Inconsistent trunk modes on EtherChannel ports can have unexpected results.

– An EtherChannel supports the same allowed range of VLANs on all the ports in a trunking Layer 2 EtherChannel.

– NNIs or ENIs with different spanning-tree path costs can form an EtherChannel if they are otherwise compatibly configured. Setting different spanning-tree path costs does not, by itself, make ports incompatible for the formation of an EtherChannel.

• For Layer 3 EtherChannels, assign the Layer 3 address to the port-channel logical interface, not to the physical ports in the channel.

Configuring Layer 2 EtherChannels

You configure Layer 2 EtherChannels by assigning ports to a channel group with the channel-group interface configuration command. This command automatically creates the port-channel logical interface.

Beginning in privileged EXEC mode, follow these steps to assign a Layer 2 Ethernet port to a Layer 2 EtherChannel. This procedure is required.

To remove a port from the EtherChannel group, use the no channel-group interface configuration command.

This example shows how to configure an EtherChannel. It assigns two ports as static-access ports in VLAN 10 to channel 5 with the LACP mode active :

Configuring Layer 3 EtherChannels

To configure Layer 3 EtherChannels, you create the port-channel logical interface and then put the Ethernet ports into the port-channel as described in the next two sections.

Creating Port-Channel Logical Interfaces

When configuring Layer 3 EtherChannels, you should first manually create the port-channel logical interface by using the interface port-channel global configuration command. Then you put the logical interface into the channel group by using the channel-group interface configuration command.

Note To move an IP address from a physical port to an EtherChannel, you must delete the IP address from the physical port before configuring it on the port-channel interface.

Beginning in privileged EXEC mode, follow these steps to create a port-channel interface for a Layer 3 EtherChannel. This procedure is required.

To remove the port-channel, use the no interface port-channel port-channel-number global configuration command.

This example shows how to create the logical port channel 5 and assign 172.10.20.10 as its IP address:

Configuring the Physical Interfaces

Beginning in privileged EXEC mode, follow these steps to assign an Ethernet port to a Layer 3 EtherChannel. This procedure is required.

This example shows how to configure an EtherChannel. It assigns two ports to channel 5 with the LACP mode active :

Configuring EtherChannel Load Balancing

This section describes how to configure EtherChannel load balancing by using source-based or destination-based forwarding methods. For more information, see the “Load Balancing and Forwarding Methods” section.

Beginning in privileged EXEC mode, follow these steps to configure EtherChannel load balancing. This procedure is optional.

To return EtherChannel load balancing to the default configuration, use the no port-channel load-balance global configuration command.

Configuring LACP Hot-Standby Ports

When enabled, LACP tries to configure the maximum number of LACP-compatible ports in a channel, up to a maximum of 16 ports. Only eight LACP links can be active at one time. The software places any additional links in a hot-standby mode. If one of the active links becomes inactive, a link that is in the hot-standby mode becomes active in its place.

Note LACP is only available on NNIs and ENIs.

If you configure more than eight links for an EtherChannel group, the software automatically decides which of the hot-standby ports to make active based on the LACP priority. The software assigns to every link between systems that operate LACP a unique priority made up of these elements (in priority order):

• LACP system priority
• System ID (a combination of the LACP system priority and the switch module MAC address)
• LACP port priority
• Port number

In priority comparisons, numerically lower values have higher priority. The priority decides which ports should be put in standby mode when there is a hardware limitation that prevents all compatible ports from aggregating.

Ports are considered for active use in aggregation in link-priority order starting with the port attached to the highest priority link. Each port is selected for active use if the preceding higher priority selections can also be maintained. Otherwise, the port is selected for standby mode.

You can change the default values of the LACP system priority and the LACP port priority to affect how the software selects active and standby links. For more information, see the “Configuring the LACP System Priority” section and the “Configuring the LACP Port Priority” section.

Configuring the LACP System Priority

You can configure the system priority for all of the EtherChannels that are enabled for LACP by using the lacp system-priority global configuration command. You cannot configure a system priority for each LACP-configured channel. By changing this value from the default, you can affect how the software selects active and standby links.

You can use the show etherchannel summary privileged EXEC command to see which ports are in the hot-standby mode (denoted with an H port-state flag).

Beginning in privileged EXEC mode, follow these steps to configure the LACP system priority. This procedure is optional.

To return the LACP system priority to the default value, use the no lacp system-priority global configuration command.

Configuring the LACP Port Priority

By default, all ports use the same port priority. If the local system has a lower value for the system priority and the system ID than the remote system, you can affect which of the hot-standby links become active first by changing the port priority of LACP EtherChannel ports to a lower value than the default. The hot-standby ports that have lower port numbers become active in the channel first. You can use the show etherchannel summary privileged EXEC command to see which ports are in the hot-standby mode (denoted with an H port-state flag).

Note If LACP is not able to aggregate all the ports that are compatible (for example, the remote system might have more restrictive hardware limitations), all the ports that cannot be actively included in the EtherChannel are put in the hot-standby state and are used only if one of the channeled ports fails.

Beginning in privileged EXEC mode, follow these steps to configure the LACP port priority. This procedure is optional.

To return the LACP port priority to the default value, use the no lacp port-priority interface configuration command.

Default Link-State Tracking Configuration

There are no link-state groups defined, and link-state tracking is not enabled for any group.

Link-State Tracking Configuration Guidelines

• An interface that is defined as an upstream interface cannot also be defined as a downstream interface in the same or a different link-state group. The reverse is also true.
• An interface cannot be a member of more than one link-state group.
• You can configure only two link-state groups per switch module.

Configuring Link-State Tracking

Beginning in privileged EXEC mode, follow these steps to configure a link-state group and to assign an interface to a group:

This example shows how to create a link-state group and configure the interfaces:

To disable a link-state group, use the no link state track number global configuration command.