For more information.......................................................................................................................... 29
Abstract
This HOWTO provides best practice guidelines and configuration examples for installation of the
ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch into a Cisco-based network. This guide is meant to be a
tool to help direct decisions in planning, optimization, and securing the GbE2 Interconnect Switch
environment. While the best practices and configurations examples in this document could be used in
real world environments, they are to be used only as guidelines. This HOWTO does not serve as a
replacement for the GbE2 Interconnect Switch user guides; rather it is meant to serve as a supplement
to this documentation.
The intended audience for this paper includes engineers and system administrators familiar with the
ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch. For readers not familiar with GbE2 Interconnect Switch,
please see the ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch Overview white paper as well as the user
documentation that shipped with the GbE2 Interconnect Switch. To obtain these documents, go to the
HP website (http://www.hp.com/support
), and search for GbE2.
Introduction
This HOWTO identifies best practice guidelines and configuration examples for installation of the
ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch into a Cisco-based network consisting of redundant
Catalyst 6509 switches with the Catalyst switch operating system (CatOS). However, the examples in
this document can be used as general guidelines appropriate for network infrastructures consisting of
other Cisco switches, with the CatOS or Internetwork Operating System Software (IOS), and network
devices from other vendors including Nortel, Extreme, Foundry, 3Com, etc.
The GbE2 Interconnect Switch is intended for applications that require up to 1000 megabits per
second (Mb/s) Gigabit Ethernet network adapter (NIC) consolidation, advanced network feature
support (including future planned options for layer 3 and 4-7 switching), server blade Fibre Channel
pass-through, and future upgradeability for 10 Gigabit Ethernet bandwidth connectivity to the
network. For additional information on the GbE2 Interconnect Switch, please see the ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch Overview white paper.
For best practice guidelines for the entire p-Class system, see the HP ProLiant BL System Best Practices Guide and the HP ProLiant BL System Common Procedures Guide.
Terminology
The terminology that differs between the Cisco Catalyst 6509 switch and the GbE2 Interconnect
Switch documentation is identified in Table 1.
Table 1. Network terminology cross reference
HP ProLiant GbE2 Interconnect Switch Cisco Catalyst 6509 Switch
VLAN tagging, 802.1Q tagging trunking, VLAN or 802.1Q encapsulation
port VLAN identification (PVID) VLAN identification (VLANID)
link aggregation, multi-link trunking (MLT) EtherChannel, channeling
spanning tree protocol group (STG) spanning tree instance
IEEE 802.1d, Spanning Tree Protocol per VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+)
3
Typographical conventions
The following table describes the switch command typographic styles used in this guide:
Table 2. Switch command typographical conventions
HP typeface
AaBbCc123
<AaBbCc12
3>
To distinguish between ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch and Catalyst 6509 commands,
each command will be preceded by a GbE2>> and 6509#, respectively.
MeaningExample
This type displays in command examples and
shows text that must be typed in exactly as shown.
This italicized type displays in command examples
as a parameter placeholder. Replace the
indicated text with the appropriate real name or
value when using the command. Do not type the
brackets.
/cfg/vlan
/cfg/vlan <vlan number>
Critical features for successful deployment
Understanding VLANs and VLAN tagging (VLAN trunking), spanning tree protocol, and multi-link
trunking (channeling) is critical to the successful deployment of the GbE2 Interconnect switch. Each of
these topics is covered providing a high-level primer inclusive of GbE2 Interconnect Switch command
introduction and general configuration guidelines. Specific commands and configuration steps follow
in the section titled “Common topological examples”. For additional information, refer to the HP ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch Application Guide.
Virtual local area network
A virtual local area network (VLAN) is a network topology configured according to a logical scheme
rather than the physical layout. VLANs are used to logically segment traffic into different broadcast
domains allowing packets to be forwarded only between ports within the VLAN. This enhances
performance by conserving bandwidth and improves security by limiting traffic to specific domains.
The standard practice of configuring VLANs on an Ethernet switch is by assigning each port to a
specific VLAN. In this port-based VLAN implementation, the switch identifies the specific VLAN
membership of a packet per the port on which it was received. Individual VLANs are defined via a
configurable VLAN number. The VLAN number is known as port VLAN identification (PVID) on GbE2
Interconnect Switches and VLAN identification (VLANID) on Cisco Catalyst switches. The GbE2
Interconnect Switch allows any PVID value from 2 to 4095 with PVID 1 reserved as the default VLAN.
The default GbE2 Interconnect switch configuration has all ports assigned to PVID 1.
The IEEE industry standard for VLANs is 802.1Q. Each GbE2 Interconnect Switch supports 255
port-based IEEE 802.1Q VLANs. The GbE2 Interconnect Switch VLAN menu can be found under:
GbE2>> /cfg/vlan <vlan number>
VLAN tagging
VLAN tagging (often called VLAN trunking or encapsulation by Cisco) is the process of inserting into
a data frame a tag identifying its VLAN membership. VLAN tagging allows each switch port to
belong to multiple VLANs and provides the information switches need to create VLANs across the
network.
Switch ports may be configured as tagged or untagged. A tagged port may receive tagged or
untagged frames and is capable of forwarding the frames appropriately. When a VLAN tagged
frame arrives at a tagged port, the switch looks at the PVID in the tag to determine its VLAN
4
membership before switching the packet to the correct port. If an untagged frame arrives on a tagged
port, the switch will tag the frame with the PVID of that port. If a frame exits the switch via a tagged
port, any tag will remain on the frame unchanged as it exits.
An untagged port is only capable of switching untagged frames. Therefore, an untagged port will
only see and accept incoming untagged frames. Frames received by the untagged port will be
forwarded without any changes to the frame. For frames exiting the switch via an untagged port, any
tag will be stripped from the frame before its forwarded.
GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports may be individually configured as tagged or untagged using the
following command:
GbE2>> /cfg/port <port number>/tag ena
When implementing VLAN tagging on the GbE2 Interconnect Switch, the PVID values must be
established correctly between devices communicating in the VLAN. This option is found under:
GbE2>> /cfg/port <port number>/pvid <PVID number>
IP management interface
The IP management interface provides management access to the GbE2 Interconnect Switch over an
IP network. By default, the IP management interface is configured to request its IP address from a
bootstrap protocol (BOOTP) server, but the IP address may also be assigned manually resulting in
BOOTP being disabled.
Carefully consider how VLANs are configured within the GbE2 Interconnect Switch to ensure remote
communication to the switch remains possible. In order to access the GbE2 Interconnect Switch for
remote configuration, SNMP trap messages, and other remote management functions, confirm at least
one IP management interface on the switch has a VLAN defined.
It is possible to inadvertently disable access to management functions if the port associated with the IP
management interface is excluded from VLAN membership. Likewise, if all IP interfaces remain within
the default VLAN (VLAN 1) and all ports are configured for a different VLAN, such as VLAN 2, then
GbE2 Interconnect Switch management features are effectively disabled. To avoid these situations, it
is suggested that all ports used for remote GbE2 Interconnect Switch management remain on the
default VLAN and that an IP management interface be assigned to the default VLAN.
On the GbE2 Interconnect Switch, assign the IP management interface to a VLAN using the
commands:
Spanning tree protocol (STP) is used to ensure that redundant paths within a layer 2 network do not
result in broadcast loops. For a layer 2 Ethernet network to function correctly, only one active path
may forward frames between any two switches at a given time.
Redundant connections between network switches can create loops or multiple forwarding paths. In
layer 2 networks, these loops cause duplicate packets to be forwarded to the same destination over
and over again until the network is completely saturated, which in turn prevents valid traffic from
traversing the network. STP configures the network by allowing a switch to use the most efficient path
while forcing the remaining redundant paths into a standby (blocked) state. If the forwarding path
fails, STP automatically activates a standby path to sustain network operations.
Spanning tree groups
STP examines the network topology and defines a tree structure spanning all switches in a given layer
2 network domain. These layer 2 network domains are called spanning tree groups (STG). STGs are
5
created by assigning a group of layer 2 switches to be part of a separate layer 2 network domain.
When STP examines the network topology it only considers eliminating loops within a single STG.
Within a layer 2 domain, there may be multiple STGs each operating its own individual STP
algorithm to eliminate layer 2 loops.
The IEEE industry standard for STP is defined in 802.1D. The GbE2 Interconnect Switch meets the IEEE
802.1D standard and further provides interoperability with Cisco’s Per VLAN Spanning Tree Plus
(PVST+) via the use of STGs; refer to the “Multiple spanning tree groups” section for more information
on PVST+.
NOTE: The GbE2 Interconnect Switch does not support Cisco’s Per VLAN Spanning Tree (PVST),
only Per VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+). Interoperability with Cisco’s proprietary
MSTP/RSTP implementation is not supported.
Bridging protocol data unit
All network devices that are members of a spanning tree send out packets called bridging protocol
data units (BPDU). A BPDU is a 64-byte packet sent by all switches participating in the spanning tree
protocol providing information about each other. The BPDU includes information known as switch or
bridge priority, port cost, and port priority used to establish a spanning tree root switch and which
paths to designate as forwarding and blocking.
Root bridge
The STP root switch (or root bridge) is the base of the spanning tree topology much like the roots of a
tree. All redundant paths to the root bridge within the spanning tree network are placed in the
blocked mode. The root bridge is chosen by all the switches based on the results of the BPDU
exchange process.
Bridge priority
The bridge priority is used to determine what switch is the root bridge. Bridge priority is a numerical
value that may be configured on a switch. The lower a bridges priority value, the greater the chance
it has of becoming the root bridge. If all switches are configured with the same default bridge priority
setting, the switch with the lowest MAC address in the STP network becomes the root switch. Bridge
priority is automatically assigned by the STP process, or may be manually configured on the GbE2
Interconnect Switch using the following command:
The port cost is a value assigned to each switch port. The port cost information is exchanged within
the BPDU to help determine the lowest cost path to the root switch. The port with the lowest cost path
is used as the forwarding port between two segments in the STG. All remaining paths within each
segment are placed in a blocked state.
The objective is to use the fastest links ensuring the route with the lowest cost is chosen. The spanning
tree protocol assigns lower values to high-bandwidth ports, such as Gigabit Ethernet, to encourage
their use. The cost of a port also depends on whether the port operates at full-duplex (lower cost) or
half-duplex (higher cost). For example, a 100-Mb/s (Fast Ethernet) link has a STP assigned “cost” of
10 in half-duplex mode, and a cost of 5 in full-duplex mode. Port cost is automatically assigned by the
STP process, or manually set on the GbE2 Interconnect Switch using the following command:
The port priority is yet another STP value assigned to each switch port. In case of identical port costs,
the port priority is used as a tie breaker to determine the lowest path cost to the root switch and the
resulting forwarding port for each segment. Therefore, in a network topology segment that has
multiple paths with the same port cost, the port with the lowest port priority becomes the designated
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port for the segment. It is also possible for the ports to have identical port priorities. If this is the case,
the port number becomes the final decision criteria. Port priority is automatically assigned by the STP
process, or manually set on the GbE2 Interconnect Switch using the following command:
The IEEE 802.1D standard considers the network topology of all the switches participating in the
spanning tree network as one broadcast domain or one spanning tree group (STG). It does not
consider the logical VLAN implementation. Ports within different VLANs are logically separated
broadcast domains. With the 802.1D implementation, paths that form physical loops within the
network may be placed in a blocking state even though the VLAN topology would have not caused a
layer 2 broadcast storm.
To prevent this, the IEEE standard 802.1s was adopted as an extension to the original 802.1D
standard. It allows multiple STGs within a network switch taking into consideration the VLAN logical
topology. Forwarding and blocking decisions are now made according to the BPDU information
within its own broadcast domain. IEEE 802.1s utilizes the 802.1Q VLAN tagging method in its
implementation. Prior to the adoption of 802.1s, Cisco developed a similar protocol known as Per
VLAN Spanning Tree (PVST). PVST uses the Cisco proprietary Intra Switch Link (ISL) method of VLAN
tagging. A more recent update to the protocol known as PVST+ provides the same functionality as
PVST, but utilizes the 802.1Q VLAN tagging method.
The GbE2 Interconnect Switch integrates into a PVST+ environment through the use of STGs. In the
GbE2 implementation, an administrator creates an STG and then assigns a VLAN to it. This differs
from the Cisco implementation where an administrator creates a VLAN and then a spanning tree
instance (i.e. STG) is automatically assigned to it. The PVST+ interoperability feature on the GbE2
Interconnect Switch includes the following:
• Tagged ports may belong to more than one STG, but untagged ports can belong to only one STG.
• When a tagged port belongs to more than one STG, egress BPDUs are tagged to identify their STG
membership.
• An untagged port cannot span multiple STGs.
• Sixteen STGs are supported per GbE2 Interconnect Switch.
• The default STG 1 can hold multiple VLANs, all other STGs (groups 2–16) can hold one VLAN.
On each GbE2 Interconnect Switch, the six external ports (ports19-24) and the crosslink ports (ports
17-18) are by default in STG 1. The STG can be changed for each port using the following
command:
GbE2>> /cfg/stp <stg number>/port <port number>
VLAN and STG configuration guidelines
When creating a VLAN on the GbE2 Interconnect Switch, that VLAN automatically belongs to the
default STG 1. To add the VLAN in another STG, it must be assigned to another STG. Keep the
following rules in mind when creating VLANs and assigning STGs:
• The default VLAN (VLAN 1) cannot be removed from the default STG 1.
• VLANs must be contained within a single STG; a VLAN cannot span multiple STGs.
• When a VLAN spans multiple switches, the VLAN must be within the same STG (have the same STG
ID) across all the switches.
• If ports are tagged, all trunked ports can belong to multiple STGs.
• A port that is not a member of any VLAN cannot be added to a STG. The port must be added to a
VLAN, and that VLAN added to the desired STG.
7
• Tagged ports can belong to more than one STG, but untagged ports can belong to only one STG.
• When a tagged port belongs to more than one STG, the egress BPDUs are tagged to distinguish the
BPDUs of one STG from those of another STG.
• An untagged port cannot span multiple STGs.
• When a port is removed from a VLAN that belongs to an STG, that port will also be removed from
the STG. However, if that port belongs to another VLAN in the same STG, the port remains in the
STG.
• An STG cannot be deleted, only disabled. If you disable the STG while it contains VLAN members,
STP will be off on all ports belonging to that VLAN.
• If any port in a trunk is set to forwarding (STP), the remaining ports in the trunk will also be set to
forwarding.
Multi-link trunking
Multi-link trunking (MLT), also know as link aggregation and port trunking (and EtherChannel by
Cisco), combines multiple physical switch ports into a single logical port called a trunk. The
bandwidth of the trunk is the multiple of the bandwidth of the individual links. An algorithm
automatically applies load balancing to the ports in the trunk. A port failure within the group causes
the network traffic to be directed to the remaining ports. Load balancing is maintained whenever a
link in a trunk is lost or returned to service.
The industry standard for multi-link trunking is IEEE 802.3ad. Cisco has developed a similar multi-link
trunking method known as EtherChannel. The GbE2 Interconnect Switch supports twelve IEEE
802.3ad (without LACP
two to six ports providing a 12-Gbps aggregate throughput full duplex.
1
) trunks per switch interoperable with EtherChannel. Each trunk may contain
Load balancing
Within the trunk, the load distribution is determined by information embedded within the data frame.
For traffic that does not contain IP information, the GbE2 Interconnect Switch elects the port with the
lowest port number in the trunk to be the designated port for forwarding traffic. For traffic that
contains IP addresses, the GbE2 Interconnect Switch will calculate the designated trunk port for
forwarding traffic by using the statistical load balancing algorithm that considers the packet's source
and destination IP addresses.
Multi-link trunking and spanning tree
A typical network is designed with multiple links between switches to provide increased bandwidth
and redundant connections. In layer 2 networks, redundant links between switches create loops or
multiple forwarding paths resulting in broadcast storms. The spanning tree protocol will identify these
loops and place ports in a blocked state to eliminate the possibly of multiple forwarding paths.
However, this defeats the purpose of using multiple connects between switches for increased
bandwidth. MLT can be used to provide redundant links while ensuring that STP does not block this
redundancy. Within a multi-link trunk, all the individual ports are seen as one logical by the spanning
tree protocol.
1
Link aggregation control protocol (LACP) is an enhancement over EtherChannel and other static multi-link trunking methods. LACP dynamically
learns about the link status and makes decisions on which links to use for load balancing and failback in case of link failure. As a result, IEEE
802.3ad with LACP is often called dynamic trunking.
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Multi-link trunking configuration guidelines
When creating trunks, consider the following configuration rules that determine how a trunk reacts in
the network topology.
• Confirm the GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports to be trunked are set to enabled.
• All trunks must originate from one device, and lead to one destination device. For example, it is not
possible to combine a port from two different switches into one trunk.
• Any physical switch port can belong to only one trunk.
• Trunking from non-HP devices must comply with Cisco EtherChannel technology.
• All ports within a trunk (trunk members) must be assigned to the same VLAN configuration before
the trunk can be enabled.
• All ports within the trunk must be configured to full duplex.
• If the VLAN settings of any one trunk member are modified, the change cannot be applied until the
VLAN settings of all trunk members are modified.
• When an active GbE2 Interconnect Switch port is configured in a trunk, the port becomes a trunk
member using the following trunk command:
The spanning tree parameters for the port will change to reflect the new trunk settings.
• All trunk members must be in the same STG. If all ports are tagged, then all the ports within trunk
can belong to multiple STGs; otherwise, only one STG membership is allowed.
• When a trunk is enabled, the spanning tree participation setting of the trunk takes precedence over
that of any individual trunk member.
• If the spanning tree protocol participation of any trunk member is changed to enabled or disabled,
the spanning tree participation of all members of that trunk changes similarly.
• A trunk member cannot be a monitoring port in a port mirroring configuration.
• Trunks act as a single logical port, but cannot be monitored by a monitor port; however, individual
trunk members can.
• The port speeds of each trunk member must be the same.
Uplink Failure Detection
Uplink Failure Detection (UFD) is designed to provide High Availability in “straight-through”
topologies. A straight through topology is one that does not provide any redundancy either through
STP or Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP). Uplink Failure detection is designed to work with
Network Adapter Teaming on HP server blades.
For details about Network Adapter Teaming on HP ProLiant server blades, refer to the white paper at
the following location:
The main components of UFD are as follows:
• Uplinks (external ports)
• Downlinks (internal ports)
• Server network adapters (NICs)
When UFD is configured, it enables the switch to monitor uplink ports. Once the switch detects an
uplink failure or state change to blocking, it automatically disables the corresponding downlink ports.
The Network Adaptor Teaming driver detects that the downlink port has been disabled and triggers a
network-adaptor failover to another port on the switch, or another switch in the chassis. This provides
an alternate path for the traffic.
The switch automatically enables the disabled downlink port/s when the failed or blocked uplink
returns to service.
You must first configure a Failure Detection Pair and then turn on UFD. A Failure Detection Pair
consists of the following groups of ports:
• Link to Monitor (LtM)
The Link to Monitor group consists of one uplink port (19-24), or one trunk group that contains only
uplink ports. The switch monitors the LtM for link failure.
• Link to Disable (LtD)
The Link to Disable group consists of one or more downlink ports (1-16) and trunk groups that
contain only downlink ports. When the switch detects a link failure on the LtM, it automatically
disables all ports in the LtD.
When the LtM returns to service, the switch automatically enables all ports in the LtD.
Spanning Tree Protocol with UFD
If Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is enabled on ports in the LtM, then the switch monitors the STP state
and the link status on ports in the LtM. The switch automatically disables the ports in the LtD when it
detects a link failure or STP Blocking state.
When the switch determines that ports in the LtM are in STP Forwarding State, then it automatically
enables the ports in the LtD, to fall back to normal operation.
UFD configuration guidelines
This section provides important information about configuring UFD:
• UFD is required only when uplink-path redundancy is not available on the blade switches.
• Only one Failure Detection pair (one group of Links to Monitor and one group of Links to Disable) is
supported on each switch (all VLANs and Spanning Tree Groups).
• A LtM can be either one uplink port or one Multi-Link trunk group of uplink ports.
• Ports that are already members of a trunk group are not allowed to be assigned to an LtM.
• A trunk group configured as an LtM can contain multiple uplink ports (19-24), but no downlink ports
(1-16) or crossconnect ports (17-18).
• A trunk group configured as an LtD can contain multiple downlink ports (1-16), but no uplink ports
(19-24) or crossconnect ports (17-18).
• An uplink port cannot be added to a trunk group if it already belongs to an LtM.
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Common topological examples
Three common topological configurations are provided that highlight the main requirements for a
successful configuration of the GbE2 Interconnect Switch into a Cisco Catalyst 6509 network
environment. Actual deployment scenarios may differ from the provided examples. Configuration
guidelines and configuration settings for VLAN, spanning tree, multi-link trunking, and the port
configuration are provided for each topology.
The provided configuration steps are not the complete set necessary for a fully functioning system. Use
these examples as guidelines when deploying the GbE2 Interconnect Switch in any specific
environment. This information is intended to supplement the user documentation included with the
GbE2 Interconnect Switch and the Catalyst 6509 switches.
The configuration steps assume the GbE2 Interconnect Switch configuration is set to factory default.
For a list of GbE2 Interconnect Switch default settings, see the ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch User Guide. To set the GbE2 Interconnect Switch configuration settings to the factory default,
use the following procedure:
1. Select the configuration block per the command:
GbE2>> /boot/conf
2. The system indicates which configuration block is currently set to be loaded at the next reset and
prompts you to enter a new choice. Enter “factory” as the configuration block.
3. To make the new configuration block changes active, the GbE2 Interconnect Switch must be reset
per the command:
GbE2>> /boot/reset
You are then prompted to confirm your request.
CAUTION: Prior to changing the configuration block, it is recommended any desired changes to
the current configuration block be saved. See the HP ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2
Interconnect Switch Command Reference Guide for more information.
NOTE: Resetting the GbE2 Interconnect Switch causes the spanning tree protocol to restart.
This process can be lengthy depending on the topology of the network.
All topologies assume a p-Class server blade enclosure with enhanced backplane components, eight
ProLiant BL20p G3 servers, and two GbE2 Interconnect Switches operating at layer 2. The two GbE2
Interconnect Switches are connected to two Cisco Catalyst 6509 switches creating a redundant
architecture. The Catalyst 6509 switches are in turn connected to each other operating at layer 3.
Each layer 2 configuration requires use of the default VLAN (VLAN 1) for data. To avoid layer 2
loops and to interoperate with Cisco’s PVST+, a STG for each VLAN is configured for the topologies,
requiring the use of spanning tree. For redundancy, EtherChannel compatible multi-link trunking is
configured on each topology where multiple links exist between switches.
The configuration of each topology provides tradeoffs in the areas of performance, availability,
design complexity, and the need for spanning tree (Table 3). Each topology utilizes all four exterior
Gigabit Ethernet ports (uplinks ports 19-22), but in a different design configuration. The front panel
Gigabit Ethernet ports (ports 23 and 24) are not connected to the Cisco-based network and are
available for local switch management, port analysis, and other administration tasks, and as
additional uplinks. Each topology could be modified by connecting these front panel ports to the
network increased bandwidth, added availability, creation of a remote port diagnostic network, etc.
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Table 3. Topology overview
Topology Benefits Drawbacks
1
2 • Near fully meshed providing a high level of
3 • Good level of availability, service maintained after a
• Fully meshed design optimizing availability:
− Maximum resiliency even with a dual link or dual
non-like switch failure.
− Loss of up to eight physical links without an
interruption in service.
availability
– Service maintained after a dual link failure.
– Single switch failure maintains connectivity to two
other switches.
• Less complex configuration as compared to topology
1 decreasing support requirements.
dual link failure.
• Optimal throughput between the GbE2 Interconnect
Switches and the Cisco network.
• Spanning tree protocol is not required.
• Topology simplification decreasing support
requirements.
• From any single GbE2 Interconnect Switch uplink,
communicate to all ProLiant BL server NICs and
manage both switches.
• Requires spanning tree protocol and its
resulting convergence time delays.
• Design complexity creates potential for
added support.
• Non-optimal throughput from GbE2
Interconnect Switches to the Catalyst 6509
switches.
• Requires spanning tree protocol and its
resulting convergence time delays.
• Non-optimal availability.
• Configuration is still reasonably complex.
• Non-optimal throughput from GbE2
Interconnect Switches to the Catalyst 6509
switches.
• Reduced availability:
– Greater possibility of certain failures
causing partial to total loss of service.
– Loss of a switch results in all traffic
converging through surviving switch,
potentially causing performance issues.
Topology 1: Fully meshed with BL20p G2 Blade Server
Topology 1 is a fully meshed configuration designed for maximum fault resiliency (Figure 1). It
optimizes system availability by utilizing multiple links to ensure no single switch failure or even
multiple dissimilar switch failures will result in an outage. However, this configuration requires the use
of the spanning tree protocol. A pair of links between the GbE2 Interconnect Switch and Catalyst
6509 switches must be placed in an STP blocking state reducing overall throughput. Additionally, the
design complexity of this configuration creates the potential for added support.
Topology 1 is ideal for network administrators who desire maximum availability at the expense of
complexity, some throughput, and the management and potential convergence delays of STP.
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Figure 1. Topology 1: Fully meshed architecture with BL20p G2 Blade Server
Cisco Network
Layer
3
Layer
2
10/100/1000T por ts
(ports 23 & 24
2423
Front panel
)
VLAN 1
VLAN 2
VLAN 3
Uplinks
10/100 /1000T or 1000S X
(ports 19 - 22
)
2423
= ST P blocking
= Multi-link trunk
6509 S witch A
22 21 20 1919 20 21 22
GbE2
Switch A
18
17
10/100/1000
Cross link ports
(ports 17 & 18)
NI C
NI C2NI C3NI C
1
PXE
BL20p G2
6509 S witch B
18
17
4
iL O
GbE2
Switch B
10/100/1000
Downlinks
(ports 1 - 16)
VLAN configuration
Per Figure 1, this configuration utilizes two VLANs for GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports and ports
connecting the GbE2 switches to the 6509 switches: the default VLAN (VLAN 1) for data and a
second VLAN that will be created (VLAN 2) for management. Any remaining Catalyst 6509 ports
must be separate from VLANs 1 and 2 and are collectively represented in Figure 1 as VLAN 3.
NOTE: VLAN tagging (trunking) must be enabled on all ports within VLANs 1 and 2.
To configure the VLANs on the switches, perform the following:
1. On both Cisco 6509 switches, set the preferred VLAN trunk protocol mode:
6509# set vtp mode <mode>
2. On both Cisco 6509 switches, configure both VLANs (VLAN 1 and 2) per the command:
6509# set vlan 1-2
3. On both Cisco 6509 switches, enable 802.1Q tagging (VLAN trunking) on all ports connected to
both GbE2 Interconnect Switches per the command:
6509# set trunk <module number>/<port number> nonegotiate dot1q 1-2
4. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches (GbE2 Switch A and GbE2 Switch B), enable tagging
(VLAN encapsulation) on the four uplink ports (19-22) and the two crosslink ports (17-18) per the
command:
GbE2>> /cfg/port <number>/tag ena
5. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches, create the management VLAN 2 per the command:
GbE2>> /cfg/vlan 2/ena
13
6. On the GbE2 Switch A, add PXE NIC ports to VLAN 2. This includes the GbE2 Switch A ports 1,
3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15. Use the following command to add the ports to VLAN 2:
GbE2>> /cfg/vlan 2/add <port number>
7. On the GbE2 Switch B, add iLO ports to VLAN 2. This includes the GbE2 Switch B ports 1, 3, 5,
7, 9, 11, 13, and 15. Use the following command to add the ports to VLAN 2:
GbE2>> /cfg/vlan 2/add <port number>
8. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches, add ports 17-18 and 19-22 to VLAN 2 using the command
identified in step 5.
Spanning tree configuration
To eliminate the physical loops in this topology, STP is required on the ports connecting the GbE2
Interconnect Switches and the Cisco Catalyst 6509 switches and on the GbE2 Interconnect Switch
crosslink ports. This configuration also utilizes two STGs to separate the logical loops. To configure
the STP on the switches, perform the following:
1. On the 6509 Switch A, set the bridge priority to 0 for both VLANs 1 and 2, per the commands:
6509# set spantree priority 0 1
6509# set spantree priority 0 2
2. On 6509 Switch B, set the bridge priority to a slightly higher value than 6509 Switch A to ensure
that if the primary root bridge fails, this second Catalyst 6509 switch becomes the root bridge.
This allows the Catalyst 6509 switches to control the network and centralizes the administration.
Use the following commands:
6509# set spantree priority 4096 1
6509# set spantree priority 4096 2
NOTE: Do not alter the default bridge priority for either GbE2 Interconnect Switch. This will
ensure that one of the Catalyst 6509 switches always becomes the root bridge.
3. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches create a second STG (STG2) and add VLAN 2 to it. To
perform these tasks, use the following command:
GbE2>> /cfg/stp 2/on/add 2
NOTE: When adding a port to a VLAN that belongs to an STG, the port is also added to the
STG. However, if the port being added to the VLAN is untagged and already a member
of another STG, that port will not be added to an additional STG because an untagged
port cannot belong to more than one STG.
4. Modify the port cost to 100 on GbE2 Switch B, ports 17, 18, 21 and 22 using the command:
GbE2>> /cfg/stp 2/port <port number>/cost 100
This ensures that STP will behave in a predictable manner by blocking the GbE2 Switch B
crosslink ports 17 and 18 and the uplink ports 21 and 22, and by placing all uplinks on GbE2
Switch A in a forwarding state.
14
Port configuration
Configure the ports on the Cisco and HP blade switches by performing the steps listed below.
1. On both Cisco Catalyst 6509 switches, configure the port speed and negotiation settings on all
ports connected to the GbE2 Interconnect Switches per the commands:
6509# set port speed <module_number>/<port_number> auto
6509# set port negotiation <module_number>/<port_number> enable
2. Configure the port speed and negotiation for GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports 19-22 (on both
GbE2 Interconnect Switches), per the commands:
GbE2>> /cfg/port <port number>/gig/auto on
GbE2>> / cfg/port <port number>/gig/mode full
NOTE: This step is only necessary if the GbE2 Interconnect Switch default configuration has been
modified.
5. Utilizing Figure 1 as a reference, connect:
− GbE2 Switch A ports 21 and 22 to 6509 Switch A
− GbE2 Switch A ports 19 and 20 to 6509 Switch B
− GbE2 Switch B ports 21 and 22 to 6509 Switch B
− GbE2 Switch B ports 19 and 20 to 6509 Switch A
NOTE: Ports 17 and 18 on each GbE2 Interconnect Switch are already connected across the
server blade enclosure backplane and do not require any further physical connectivity.
Multi-link trunking and EtherChannel
This topology requires the creation of two trunks on each GbE2 Interconnect Switch and three
EtherChannel groups on each the Catalyst 6509 switch. Additionally, a default preconfigured trunk
(trunk 1) exists for the crosslink ports between the GbE2 Interconnect Switches. Other trunks may also
be present, as shown for VLAN 3 in Figure 1.
NOTE: For this topology, GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports 19 and 20 represent trunk 2 and ports 21
and 22 represent trunk 3.
1. On both Cisco Catalyst 6509 switches, configure EtherChannel on the ports connected to both
GbE2 Interconnect Switches per the command:
6509# set port channel <module number>/<port number> mode on
2. Configure trunk 2 on each GbE2 Interconnect Switch per the commands:
3. On each GbE2 Interconnect Switch repeat the above steps, but for trunk 3 using ports 21 and
22.
NOTE: It should not be necessary to configure trunk 1 as it is part of the GbE2 Interconnect
Switch default configuration. However, if the default configuration has been modified,
configure trunk 1 using ports 17 and 18.
Topology 1: Fully meshed with BL20p G3 Blade Server
Topology 1 is a fully meshed configuration designed for maximum fault resiliency (Figure 2). It
optimizes system availability by utilizing multiple links to ensure no single switch failure or even
multiple dissimilar switch failures will result in an outage. However, this configuration requires the use
of the spanning tree protocol. A pair of links between the GbE2 Interconnect Switch and Catalyst
15
6509 switches must be placed in an STP blocking state reducing overall throughput. Additionally, the
design complexity of this configuration creates the potential for added support.
Topology 1 is ideal for network administrators who desire maximum availability at the expense of
complexity, some throughput, and the management and potential convergence delays of STP.
Figure 2. Topology 1: Fully meshed architecture with BL20p G3 Blade Server
Cisco Network
Layer
3
Layer
2
10/100/1000T po rts
(p orts 23 & 24
2423
Front panel
)
VLAN 1
VLAN 2
VLAN 3
Uplinks
10/100/1000T or 1000S X
(ports 19 - 22
)
2423
= ST P blocking
= Multi- link trunk
6509 S witch A
18
17
10/100/1000
Crosslink ports
(port s 17 & 18)
NIC
NIC2NIC3NIC
1
PXE
BL20p G3
4
22 21 20 1919 20 21 22
GbE2
Switch A
6509 S witc h B
18
17
NIC
iL O
GbE2
Switch B
To iLO Switch
On Backplane
10/100/1000
Downlinks
(ports 1 - 16)
VLAN configuration
Per Figure 2, this configuration utilizes two VLANs for GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports and ports
connecting the GbE2 switches to the 6509 switches: the default VLAN (VLAN 1) for data and a
second VLAN that will be created (VLAN 2) for management. Any remaining Catalyst 6509 ports
must be separate from VLANs 1 and 2 and are collectively represented in Figure 2 as VLAN 3.
NOTE: VLAN tagging (trunking) must be enabled on all ports within VLANs 1 and 2.
To configure the VLANs on the switches, perform the following:
1. On both Cisco 6509 switches, set the preferred VLAN trunk protocol mode:
6509# set vtp mode <mode>
2. On both Cisco 6509 switches, configure both VLANs (VLAN 1 and 2) per the command:
6509# set vlan 1-2
3. On both Cisco 6509 switches, enable 802.1Q tagging (VLAN trunking) on all ports connected to
both GbE2 Interconnect Switches per the command:
6509# set trunk <module number>/<port number> nonegotiate dot1q 1-2
4. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches (GbE2 Switch A and GbE2 Switch B), enable tagging
(VLAN encapsulation) on the four uplink ports (19-22) and the two crosslink ports (17-18) per the
command:
GbE2>> /cfg/port <number>/tag ena
16
5. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches, create the management VLAN 2 per the command:
GbE2>> /cfg/vlan 2/ena
6. On the GbE2 Switch B, add PXE NIC ports to VLAN 2. This includes the GbE2 Switch A ports 1,
3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15. Use the following command to add the ports to VLAN 2:
GbE2>> /cfg/vlan 2/add <port number>
7. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches, add ports 17-18 and 19-22 to VLAN 2 using the command
identified in step 5.
Spanning tree configuration
To eliminate the physical loops in this topology, STP is required on the ports connecting the GbE2
Interconnect Switches and the Cisco Catalyst 6509 switches and on the GbE2 Interconnect Switch
crosslink ports. This configuration also utilizes two STGs to separate the logical loops. To configure
the STP on the switches, perform the following:
1. On the 6509 Switch A, set the bridge priority to 0 for both VLANs 1 and 2, per the commands:
6509# set spantree priority 0 1
6509# set spantree priority 0 2
2. On 6509 Switch B, set the bridge priority to a slightly higher value than 6509 Switch A to ensure
that if the primary root bridge fails, this second Catalyst 6509 switch becomes the root bridge.
This allows the Catalyst 6509 switches to control the network and centralizes the administration.
Use the following commands:
6509# set spantree priority 4096 1
6509# set spantree priority 4096 2
NOTE: Do not alter the default bridge priority for either GbE2 Interconnect Switch. This will
ensure that one of the Catalyst 6509 switches always becomes the root bridge.
3. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches create a second STG (STG2) and add VLAN 2 to it. To
perform these tasks, use the following command:
GbE2>> /cfg/stp 2/on/add 2
NOTE: When adding a port to a VLAN that belongs to an STG, the port is also added to the
STG. However, if the port being added to the VLAN is untagged and already a member
of another STG, that port will not be added to an additional STG because an untagged
port cannot belong to more than one STG.
4. Modify the port cost to 100 on GbE2 Switch B, ports 17, 18, 21 and 22 using the command:
GbE2>> /cfg/stp 2/port <port number>/cost 100
This ensures that STP will behave in a predictable manner by blocking the GbE2 Switch B
crosslink ports 17 and 18 and the uplink ports 21 and 22, and by placing all uplinks on GbE2
Switch A in a forwarding state.
17
Port configuration
Configure the ports on the Cisco and HP blade switches by performing the steps listed below.
1. On both Cisco Catalyst 6509 switches, configure the port speed and negotiation settings on all
ports connected to the GbE2 Interconnect Switches per the commands:
6509# set port speed <module_number>/<port_number> auto
6509# set port negotiation <module_number>/<port_number> enable
2. Configure the port speed and negotiation for GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports 19-22 (on both
GbE2 Interconnect Switches), per the commands:
GbE2>> /cfg/port <port number>/gig/auto on
GbE2>> / cfg/port <port number>/gig/mode full
NOTE: This step is only necessary if the GbE2 Interconnect Switch default configuration has been
modified.
3. Utilizing Figure 2 as a reference, connect:
− GbE2 Switch A ports 21 and 22 to 6509 Switch A
− GbE2 Switch A ports 19 and 20 to 6509 Switch B
− GbE2 Switch B ports 21 and 22 to 6509 Switch B
− GbE2 Switch B ports 19 and 20 to 6509 Switch A
NOTE: Ports 17 and 18 on each GbE2 Interconnect Switch are already connected across the
server blade enclosure backplane and do not require any further physical connectivity.
Multi-link trunking and EtherChannel
This topology requires the creation of two trunks on each GbE2 Interconnect Switch and three
EtherChannel groups on each the Catalyst 6509 switch. Additionally, a default preconfigured trunk
(trunk 1) exists for the crosslink ports between the GbE2 Interconnect Switches. Other trunks may also
be present, as shown for VLAN 3 in Figure 2.
NOTE: For this topology, GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports 19 and 20 represent trunk 2 and ports 21
and 22 represent trunk 3.
1. On both Cisco Catalyst 6509 switches, configure EtherChannel on the ports connected to both
GbE2 Interconnect Switches per the command:
6509# set port channel <module number>/<port number> mode on
2. Configure trunk 2 on each GbE2 Interconnect Switch per the commands:
3. On each GbE2 Interconnect Switch repeat the above steps, but for trunk 3 using ports 21 and
22.
NOTE: It should not be necessary to configure trunk 1 as it is part of the GbE2 Interconnect
Switch default configuration. However, if the default configuration has been modified,
configure trunk 1 using ports 17 and 18.
18
Topology 2: Partial mesh
Topology 2 is very similar in design to topology 1 except the GbE2 Interconnect Switch crosslink ports
are manually disabled (Figure 3). This configuration maintains a high level of availability to ensure the
loss of up multiple physical links without an interruption in service. The removal of the crosslink ports
or switch-to-switch links between the GbE2 Interconnect Switches decreases availability to some
degree. However, it has the added positive effect of a less complex configuration as compared to
topology 1 thereby decreasing support requirements.
Topology 2 is ideal for network administrators who need to maintain a high level of availability while
minimizing some design complexity.
Figure 3. Topology 2: Partial mesh architecture with BL20p G3 Blade Server
Cisco Network
Layer
3
Layer
2
10/100/1000T port s
(ports 23 & 24
2423
Front panel
)
VLAN 1
VLAN 2
VLAN 3
Uplinks
10/100/1000T or 1000S X
(ports 19 - 22
)
2423
= ST P blocking
= Multi-link trunk
6509 S witch A
22 21 20 1919 20 21 22
GbE2
Switch A
6509 S witch B
18
17
NI C
NI C2NI C3NI C
1
PXE
BL20p G3
18
17
NI C
4
iL O
GbE2
Switch B
To iLO Switch
On Backplane
10/100/1000
Downlinks
(ports 1 - 16)
VLAN configuration
Like topology 1, this configuration utilizes the default VLAN and management VLAN 2 for GbE2
Interconnect Switch ports and ports connecting the GbE2 switches to the 6509 switches. Any
remaining Catalyst 6509 ports must be separate from VLANs 1 and 2 and are collectively
represented in Figure 3 as VLAN 3.
NOTE: VLAN tagging (trunking) must be enabled on all ports within VLANs 1 and 2.
To configure the VLANs on the switches, perform the following:
1. On both Cisco 6509 switches, set the preferred VLAN trunk protocol mode:
6509# set vtp mode <mode>
2. On both Cisco switches, configure both VLANs (VLANs 1 and 2) per the command:
6509# set vlan 1-2
19
3. On both Cisco switches, enable 802.1Q tagging (VLAN trunking) on all ports connected to both
of the GbE2 Interconnect Switches per the command:
6509# set trunk <module number>/<port number> nonegotiate dot1q 1-2
4. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches (GbE2 Switch A and GbE2 Switch B), enable tagging
(VLAN encapsulation) on the four uplink ports (19-22) per the command:
GbE2>> /cfg/port <port number>/tag ena
5. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches, create the management VLAN 2 per the command:
GbE2>> /cfg/vlan 2/ena
6. On the GbE2 Switch B, add PXE NIC ports to VLAN 2. This includes the GbE2 Switch B ports 1,
3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15. Use the following command to add the ports to VLAN 2:
GbE2>> /cfg/vlan 2/add <port number>
7. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches, add ports 19-22 to VLAN 2 using the command identified
in step 5.
Spanning tree configuration
To eliminate the physical loops in this topology, STP is required on the ports connecting the GbE2
Interconnect Switches and the Cisco Catalyst 6509 switches. This configuration also utilizes two STGs
to separate the logical loops. To configure the STP on the switches, perform the following:
1. On the 6509 switch A, set the bridge priority to 0 for VLANs 1and 2, per the commands:
6509# set spantree priority 0 1
6509# set spantree priority 0 2
2. On 6509 Switch B, set the bridge priority to a slightly higher value than 6509 Switch A to ensure
that if the primary root bridge fails, this second Catalyst 6509 switch becomes the root bridge.
This allows the Catalyst 6509 switches to control the network and centralizes the administration.
Use the following commands:
6509# set spantree priority 4096 1
6509# set spantree priority 4096 2
NOTE: Do not alter the default bridge priority for either GbE2 Interconnect Switch. This will
ensure that one of the Catalyst 6509 switches always becomes the root bridge.
3. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches create a second STG (STG2) and add VLAN 2 to it. To
perform these tasks, use the following command:
GbE2>> /cfg/stp 2/on/add 2
NOTE: When adding a port to a VLAN that belongs to an STG, the port is also added to the
STG. However, if the port being added to the VLAN is untagged and already a member
of another STG, that port will not be added to an additional STG because an untagged
port cannot belong to more than one STG.
4. Modify the port cost to 100 on GbE2 Switch B, ports 21 and 22 using the command:
GbE2>> /cfg/stp 2/port <port number>/cost 100
This ensures that STP will behave in a predictable manner by blocking the GbE2 Switch B uplink
ports 21 and 22 and by placing all uplinks on GbE2 Switch A in a forwarding state.
Port configuration
Configure the ports on the Cisco and HP blade switches by performing the steps listed below.
20
1. On both Cisco Catalyst 6509 switches, configure the port speed and negotiation settings on all
ports connected to the GbE2 Interconnect Switches per the commands:
6509# set port speed <module_number>/<port_number> auto
6509# set port negotiation <module_number>/<port_number> enable
2. Configure the port speed and negotiation for GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports 19-22 (on both
GbE2 Interconnect Switches), per the commands:
GbE2>> /cfg/port <port number>/gig/auto on
GbE2>> / cfg/port <port number>/gig/mode full
NOTE: This step is only necessary if the GbE2 Interconnect Switch default configuration has been
modified.
3. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches, disable ports 17 and 18 per the command:
GbE2>> /cfg/port <port_number>/disable
GbE2>> apply
GbE2>> save
4. Utilizing Figure 3 as a reference, connect:
− GbE2 Switch A ports 21 and 22 to 6509 Switch A
− GbE2 Switch A ports 19 and 20 to 6509 Switch B
− GbE2 Switch B ports 21 and 22 to 6509 Switch B
− GbE2 Switch B ports 19 and 20 to 6509 Switch B
Multi-link trunking and EtherChannel
This topology requires the creation of two trunks on each GbE2 Interconnect Switch and three
EtherChannel groups on each the Catalyst 6509 switch. Other trunks may also be present, as shown
for VLAN 3 in Figure 3.
NOTE: For this topology, GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports 19 and 20 represent trunk 2 and ports 21
and 22 represent trunk 3.
1. On both Cisco Catalyst 6509 switches, configure EtherChannel on the ports connected to both
GbE2 Interconnect Switches per the command:
6509# set port channel <module number>/<port number> mode on
2. Configure trunk 2 on each GbE2 Interconnect Switch per the commands:
3. On each GbE2 Interconnect Switch repeat the above steps, but for trunk 3 using ports 21 and
22.
21
Topology 3: Straight-through
Topology 3 is a “straight-through” design providing a simplified architecture with maximum
throughput (Figure 4). Spanning tree protocol is not required further simplifying this configuration.
However, this topology has reduced availability; certain failures can cause partial to total loss of
service with the greater possibility of a performance bottleneck.
The GbE2 Interconnect switch crosslinks are enabled in this configuration. These Gigabit Ethernet links
permit management of both switches and access to all ProLiant BL server NICs from any single GbE2
Interconnect Switch uplink. The crosslinks may be disabled in this configuration, but it is not advised.
In this case, a failure of any one switch (whether GbE2 Interconnect Switch or Catalyst 6509) would
cause the loss of service to one half the NICs on each ProLiant server.
Topology 3 is ideal for network administrators who desire a simplified architecture that provides high
levels of performance at the expense of some availability.
Figure 4. Topology 3: Straight-through architecture with BL20p G3 Blade Server
Cisco Network
Layer
3
Layer
2
Front panel
10/100/1000T ports
(ports 23 & 24
2423
)
VLAN 1
VLAN 2
VLAN 3
Uplinks
10/100/1000T or 1000S X
(ports 19 - 22
)
2423
= Multi-link trunk
6509 S witch A
22 21 20 1919 20 21 22
GbE2
Switch A
18
17
10/100/1000
Cross link ports
(port s 17 & 18)
NI C
NI C2NI C3NI C
1
PXE
BL20p G3
6509 Switch B
18
17
NI C
4
iL O
GbE2
Switch B
To iLO Switch
On Backplane
10/100/1000
Downlinks
(port s 1 - 16)
VLAN configuration
Consistent with the other two topologies, this configuration utilizes the default VLAN and management
VLAN 2 for GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports and ports connecting the GbE2 switches to the 6509
switches. Any remaining Catalyst 6509 ports must be separate from VLANs 1 and 2 and are
collectively represented in Figure 4 as VLAN 3.
NOTE: VLAN tagging (trunking) must be enabled on all ports within VLANs 1 and 2.
To configure the VLANs on the switches, perform the following:
1. On both Cisco 6509 switches, set the preferred VLAN trunk protocol mode:
6509# set vtp mode <mode>
22
2. On both Cisco switches, configure both VLANs (VLAN 1 and 2) per the command:
6509# set vlan 1-2
3. On both Cisco switches, enable 802.1Q tagging (VLAN trunking) on all ports connected to both
of the GbE2 Interconnect Switches per the command:
6509# set trunk <module number>/<port number> nonegotiate dot1q 1-2
4. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches (GbE2 Switch A and GbE2 Switch B), enable tagging
(VLAN encapsulation) on the four uplink ports (19-22) per the command:
GbE2>> /cfg/port <port number>/tag ena
5. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches, create the management VLAN 2 per the command:
GbE2>> /cfg/vlan 2/ena
6. On the GbE2 Switch B, add PXE NIC ports to VLAN 2. This includes the GbE2 Switch B ports 1,
3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15. Use the following command to add the ports to VLAN 2:
GbE2>> /cfg/vlan 2/add <port number>
7. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches, add ports 19-22 to VLAN 2 using the command identified
in step 5.
Spanning tree configuration
This topology does not require spanning tree to be enabled as, by design, no loops are present.
On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches, disable spanning tree, per the commands:
GbE2>> /cfg/stp 1/off
GbE2>> save
CAUTION: If the GbE2 Interconnect Switches are already connected to the Cisco network, perform
step 3 in the “Port configuration” section before disabling spanning tree.
Port configuration
Configure the ports on the Cisco and HP blade switches by performing the steps listed below.
1. On both Cisco Catalyst 6509 switches, configure the port speed and negotiation settings on all
ports connected to the GbE2 Interconnect Switches per the commands:
6509# set port speed <module_number>/<port_number> auto
6509# set port negotiation <module_number>/<port_number> enable
2. Configure the port speed and negotiation for GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports 19-22 (on both
GbE2 Interconnect Switches), per the commands:
GbE2>> /cfg/port <port number>/gig/auto on
GbE2>> / cfg/port <port number>/gig/mode full
NOTE: This step is only necessary if the GbE2 Interconnect Switch default configuration has been
modified.
3. On both GbE2 Interconnect Switches, enable ports 17 and 18 per the command:
GbE2>> /cfg/port <port_number>/enable
GbE2>> apply
GbE2>> save
4. Utilizing Figure 4 as a reference, connect:
− GbE2 Switch A ports 19, 20, 21 and 22 to 6509 Switch A
− GbE2 Switch B ports 19, 20, 21 and 22 to 6509 Switch B
23
Multi-link trunking and EtherChannel
This topology requires the creation of one trunk on each GbE2 Interconnect Switch and two
EtherChannel groups on each the Catalyst 6509 switches. Additionally, a default preconfigured trunk
(trunk 1) exists for the crosslink ports between the GbE2 Interconnect Switches. Other trunks may also
be present, as shown for VLAN 3 in Figure 4.
NOTE: For this topology, GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports 19-22 represent trunk 2.
1. On both Cisco Catalyst 6509 switches, configure EtherChannel on the ports connected to both
GbE2 Interconnect Switches per the command:
6509# set port channel <module number>/<port number> mode on
2. Configure trunk 2 on each GbE2 Interconnect Switch per the commands:
When a link failure or Spanning Tree blocking occurs on trunk group 2, Switch A disables port 1
and port 2.
Topology summary
In summary, the three provided topologies differ primarily in their data throughput, the need for
spanning tree, design complexity, and level of availability (Table 4).
24
Table 4. Topology summary
Topology
1 2 3
Level of availability Optimal High Good
GbE2 Interconnect Kit total uplink throughput (full duplex)
Separate VLAN for isolating iLO management traffic Yes Yes Yes
Manage both GbE2 Interconnect Switches from any of its uplink ports No No Yes
Communicate to all NICs from any GbE2 Interconnect Switch uplink port No No Yes
* May be increased by an additional 8 Gbps full duplex by utilizing the Gigabit Ethernet ports on the front of each GbE2
Interconnect Switch
High
(12 Gbps)*
High
(12 Gbps)*
Optimal
(16 Gbps)*
Securing the GbE2 Interconnect Switch
HP recommends a variety of best practices to ensure the security of the network is maintained when
deploying GbE2 Interconnect Switches. The suggestions provided here are applicable to the GbE2
Interconnect Switch independent of specific vendor used for the network infrastructure components.
Management interfaces
The GbE2 Interconnect Switch provides many standard management access features, some of which
provide potential security risks within a given network environment. There are several recommended
practices that can be applied to decrease exposure and increase security.
Command line interface
The GbE2 Interconnect Switch command line interface (CLI) allows switch management locally via the
serial port or remotely via Telnet and SSH. Since Telnet transmits data in clear text, HP recommends
using only secure shell (SSH) for remote CLI management, unless the end-to-end path has no external
access and there are no known means by which this traffic can be monitored.
It is recommended the default Telnet TCP port 23 be changed using the commands:
GbE2>> /cfg/sys/tnport <TCP port number>
Additionally, HP recommends modifying the default CLI idle timeout setting of five minutes to a value
consistent with network security practices, per the command:
GbE2>> /cfg/sys/idle <idle time in minutes>
Browser-based interface
The GbE2 Interconnect Switch browser-based interface (BBI) allows remote switch management via a
web console. Like Telnet, the HTTP interface can be vulnerable to security attacks. HP recommends the
BBI only be used when the integrity and security of the connection cannot be compromised.
Additionally it is recommended that the default TCP connection port of 80 be changed using the
command:
GbE2>> /cfg/sys/wport <TCP connection port number>
25
Setting source IP address range
To limit management access to the GbE2 Interconnect Switch without having to configure filters for
each switch port, HP recommends the source IP address range be configured using the commands:
GbE2>> /cfg/sys/mnet <management network, such as 192.192.192.0>
GbE2>> /cfg/sts/mmask <management mask, such as 255.255.255.128>
For the above example management network and mask addresses, any packet is discarded that is
addressed to a GbE2 Interconnect Switch IP interface with a source IP address outside the range of
192.192.192.1 to 192.192.192.127.
SNMP management
The GbE2 Interconnect Switch software provides simple network management protocol (SNMP) v1.0
support for access through network management software, such as HP OpenView and HP Systems
Insight Manager. For improved security, HP recommends the default read and write community
strings (public and private, respectively) and the trap host community strings be changed using the
commands:
GbE2>> /cfg/snmp/rcomm <SNMP read community string>
GbE2>> /cfg/snmp/wcomm <SNMP write community string>
GbE2>> /cfg/snmp/t1comm <1st trap host community string>
GbE2>> /cfg/snmp/t2comm <2nd trap host community string>
RADIUS
The GbE2 Interconnect Switch, acting as the RADIUS client, communicates to the RADIUS server to
authenticate and authorize a remote administrator using the protocol definitions specified in RFC
2138 and 2866. The use of RADIUS is highly recommended as it allows for accounting and auditing
of connections that the GbE2 Interconnect Switch does not natively posses. For configuration
procedures, refer to the HP ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch Application Guide and the
HP ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch Command Reference Guide.
Passwords
HP recommends all GbE2 Interconnect Switch default passwords be changed at initial configuration
and as regularly as required under the network security policies.
•To change the user, operator, and administrator management passwords, see the HP ProLiant BL p-
Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch Command Reference Guide.
• To change the SCP administrator password, see the HP ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect
Switch Application Guide.
Additional best practices
Additional steps are recommended to ensure that the GbE2 Interconnect Switch is easily serviceable
and readily available within the network environment. The suggestions provided here are applicable
to the GbE2 Interconnect Switch independent of specific vendor used for the network infrastructure
components.
• Record the GbE2 Interconnect Switch MAC address located on the exterior switch label.
• Save a copy of the switch configuration setting by performing one or both of the following methods.
1. Capture the configuration file a terminal screen using the dump command:
GbE2 >> /cfg/dump
This will print the text to the console screen which can be saved to a text file.
26
2. Save the configuration to a using TFTP or SCP using one of the following commands:
GbE2>> /cfg/ptcfg <TFTP server IP address> <config. file name>
GbE2>> scp <switch IP address>:getcfg <local file name>
NOTE: The output file is formatted with line-breaks, but no carriage returns. The file cannot be
viewed with editors that require carriage returns (such as Microsoft Notepad).
• Install a second version of the operating system firmware. The GbE2 Interconnect Switch includes
two flash regions to store firmware. For more information, refer to the HP ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch Command Reference Guide.
•Configure redundant syslog servers. For more information, refer to the HP ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2
Interconnect Switch Command Reference Guide.
• To avoid compromising security, configure the interconnect switches and then physically connect
them to the network infrastructure. Alternately, use the HP Diagnostic Station to configure the
switches outside the rack environment prior to installation.
• Simplify GbE2 Interconnect Switch deployment. Given that most implementations will be similar
between the two GbE2 Interconnect Switches within a ProLiant p-Class server blade enclosure, it is
possible to configure one switch, download the existing configuration via TFTP or SCP, or capture
the screen text from a /cfg/dump, and then modify the configuration for the other switch. When
performing this action, consider the following for the switch the new configuration is being applied:
1. Modify the VLAN settings as needed for items such as individual server VLAN requirements
and the differences between the type of NIC port (iLO versus data).
2. Verify spanning tree settings including STGs, especially if the configuration includes tagging
(trunking) different VLANs between the GbE2 Interconnect switches.
3. Change the management interface to avoid an IP conflict.
CAUTION: The Cutting and pasting of configuration settings can sometimes result in lost
information due to the limited buffer size on some consoles. The recommended
method is to use TFTP or SCP whenever possible.
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Appendix A: GbE2 Interconnect Switch architecture
Two GbE2 Interconnect Switches are packaged into a GbE2 Interconnect Kit providing an end-to-end,
fully redundant architecture that maximizes network availability. Redundant network adapters (NICs)
are routed from each server blade bay to each hot-swappable interconnect switch (four NICs total per
server bay) creating a fully meshed topology to the external Ethernet network (Figure 5). For more
information about the network design within the server blade enclosure, see the ProLiant BL p-Class Networking Overview white paper.
The GbE2 Interconnect Switch supports all ProLiant BL p-Class server blades in mix and match
combinations. Depending on the type and number of server blades installed in the server blade
enclosure, not all GbE2 Interconnect Switch ports may be utilized. Also, the individual labeling of
each NIC on the server blades is dependant on the server, the server operating system, and the NICs
that are enabled on the server. To verify connectivity to a specific NIC from a GbE2 Interconnect
Switch port, use the switch ping command:
GbE2>> ping <NIC IP address>
To get detailed information about the default settings for the GbE2 Interconnect Switch, refer to the
ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch User Guide, available at http://www.hp.com/support
.
For more information
For additional information, refer to the resources detailed below. To obtain these guides, go to the HP
website (http://www.hp.com/support), and search for GbE2.
• ProLiant BL p-Class GbE2 Interconnect Switch home page
Catalyst, Cisco, Cisco Systems, EtherChannel, and IOS are registered trademarks of
Cisco Systems, Inc. Notepad is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned in this document are the
property of their respective owners.
404190-001 August 2005
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