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Multi-vendor troubleshooting lab 4 of 12

LACP between IOSvL2 EOS AOS-CX and RouterOS bonding

A Cisco distribution switch has three two-link bundles: to Arista, to Aruba and to a MikroTik router. None of them forms, and each fails for a reason that belongs to the vendor at the far end. Read LACP from both sides, fix each bundle and then the trunk it carries.

Run this lab

It needs Standard: its 6 nodes are set to 7 vCPU and 7,168 MB in total.

In your workspace: Shared, then Multi-vendor interoperability and troubleshooting guided labs, then 04 - LACP between IOSvL2 EOS AOS-CX and RouterOS bonding

Run it on Standard from £5 a day

The free demo can’t run it: it has 6 vCPU and 8 GB, and this lab’s nodes need 7 vCPU and 7,168 MB together. Every lab plan includes every guided lab.

Level
Intermediate
Time
About 70 minutes
Nodes need
7 vCPU, 7,168 MB
Smallest plan
Standard

The scenario

Larkfield's new Goole depot has a Cisco distribution switch, SW1, and each neighbouring device got a two-link bundle: Arista EOS1, Aruba CX1 and the MikroTik router CHR1. All the cables are in, and the interfaces are up. But H1 can't reach H2 or the MikroTik at 10.10.0.4, and the engineer who built it left for the weekend.

BundleSW1Far endMembers
1Port-channel1 (Gi0/0, Gi0/1)EOS1 Port-Channel1Ethernet1, Ethernet2
2Port-channel2 (Gi0/2, Gi0/3)CX1 lag 21/1/1, 1/1/2
3Port-channel3 (Gi1/0, Gi1/1)CHR1 bond1ether1, ether2
HostAddressAttached to
H110.10.0.101/24EOS1 Ethernet3, VLAN 10
H210.10.0.102/24CX1 1/1/3, VLAN 10
CHR110.10.0.4/24vlan10 on bond1

Design standard: every bundle uses LACP, at least one end active; every bundle is an 802.1Q trunk carrying VLANs 10 and 20, native VLAN 1.

What you’ll practise

  • Read LACP state on IOSvL2, EOS, AOS-CX and RouterOS
  • Explain active and passive LACP, and why passive at both ends never forms
  • Recognise a static LAG facing an LACP port
  • Set a RouterOS bond to 802.3ad, and read its partner
  • Decode the LACP partner flags to prove which device is on the far end
  • Check that a healthy bundle carries the right VLANs

The tasks

  1. Give the hosts their addresses
  2. Read each bundle from both ends
  3. Bundle 1, two polite ends
  4. Bundle 2, a static LAG facing LACP
  5. Bundle 3, a bond that isn't LACP
  6. Now the trunks

The Lab Tasks pane has the scenario, these tasks, the checks to run, hints and the full solution.

Topology and devices

The network as it opens in EVE-NG, drawn from the lab’s own canvas, and the image each node runs.

Topology of LACP between IOSvL2 EOS AOS-CX and RouterOS bonding6 nodes, 8 links. Every link is listed as text below the diagram.SW1EOS1CX1CHR1H1H2Ethernet3eth01/1/3eth0Gi1/0ether1Gi1/1ether2Gi0/0Ethernet1Gi0/1Ethernet2Gi0/21/1/1Gi0/31/1/2
6 nodes, with the interface names each link uses. On a narrow screen, scroll the diagram sideways.
Every link, as text
  • SW1 Gi0/0 to EOS1 Ethernet1
  • SW1 Gi0/1 to EOS1 Ethernet2
  • SW1 Gi0/2 to CX1 1/1/1
  • SW1 Gi0/3 to CX1 1/1/2
  • SW1 Gi1/0 to CHR1 ether1
  • SW1 Gi1/1 to CHR1 ether2
  • EOS1 Ethernet3 to H1 eth0
  • CX1 1/1/3 to H2 eth0
Nodes in LACP between IOSvL2 EOS AOS-CX and RouterOS bonding, with the image each runs and the vCPU and RAM it’s set to
NodeDeviceImage in Add NodeSet to
SW1Cisco IOSvL2viosl2-adventerprisek9-m.ssa.high_iron_202009291 vCPU, 768 MB
EOS1Arista vEOSveos-4.33.1.1F1 vCPU, 2,048 MB
CX1Aruba AOS-CX virtual switcharubacx-10.142 vCPU, 3,072 MB
CHR1MikroTik RouterOSmikrotik-7.14.21 vCPU, 256 MB
H1Alpine Linuxclbalpinebase-alpine-base-3-20-31 vCPU, 512 MB
H2Alpine Linuxclbalpinebase-alpine-base-3-20-31 vCPU, 512 MB

How to open this lab

  1. Sign in to your workspace at lab.cloudlabbox.com.

  2. In File Manager, open Shared, then the folder Multi-vendor interoperability and troubleshooting guided labs.

  3. Open 04 - LACP between IOSvL2 EOS AOS-CX and RouterOS bonding and start its nodes, then open Lab Tasks for the scenario and the steps.

The lab is read-only. You can start the nodes and configure the devices, but changes to the topology can’t be saved. To change it, rebuild it in your own folder.

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CloudLabBox is independent of Arista Networks, Cisco, CompTIA, Fortinet, HPE, Juniper Networks and MikroTik. The lab follows exam topics and isn’t vendor training material; vendor names identify the exams and the images in the workspace.