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Cisco NX-OS data centre lab 7 of 15

vPC with one port-channel to two Nexus switches

Pair two Nexus switches as a vPC domain so a dual-homed server runs one LACP port-channel to both. Add a shared gateway, then fail the member link, the peer link and the keepalive, and see why each one matters.

Run this lab

It needs Standard: its 4 nodes are set to 6 vCPU and 13,312 MB in total.

In your workspace: Shared, then Cisco Nexus NX-OS data centre guided labs, then 07 - vPC with one port-channel to two Nexus switches

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 6 vCPU and 13,312 MB together. Every lab plan includes every guided lab.

Level
Advanced
Time
About 80 minutes
Nodes need
6 vCPU, 13,312 MB
Smallest plan
Standard

The scenario

H1 is a tenant's database server with one cable to each Nexus switch, because neither switch may be a single point of failure. A port-channel can't normally span two switches. With a virtual port-channel (vPC), N1 and N2 look like one switch to H1, so both cables forward at once in a single LACP channel. H2 was cabled to N2 only, which makes it an orphan, and you'll see what that means. H1's bond is ready, and N1 and N2 have only their names and management addresses.

ItemN1N2
mgmt0 (keepalive)192.168.100.1192.168.100.2
vPC domain 1, role priority100 (primary)200
Peer linkPo1, Ethernet1/3-4Po1, Ethernet1/3-4
vPC 10 to H1Po10, Ethernet1/5Po10, Ethernet1/5
Vlan10 address, HSRP priority10.10.10.2, 11010.10.10.3, 100
Orphan hostnoneH2 on Ethernet1/6, VLAN 10

HSRP group 10, version 2, virtual IP 10.10.10.1. H1 is 10.10.10.11 and H2 is 10.10.10.12, both with gateway .1.

What you’ll practise

  • Build a vPC domain: keepalive, peer link and vPC member ports
  • Explain what peer-switch and peer-gateway are for
  • Read the vPC role and the consistency checks
  • Predict what happens when a member, the peer link or the keepalive fails
  • Find orphan ports and explain the risk they carry

The tasks

  1. Start the lab
  2. The domain and the keepalive
  3. The peer link
  4. The vPC to H1
  5. A shared gateway
  6. Fail things on purpose
  7. Consistency checks

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 vPC with one port-channel to two Nexus switches4 nodes and 1 network, 7 links. Every link is listed as text below the diagram.N1N2H1H2MGMTe6eth0e0e0e5eth0e5eth1e3e3e4e4
4 nodes and 1 network, with the interface names each link uses. On a narrow screen, scroll the diagram sideways.
Every link, as text
  • N1 e3 to N2 e3
  • N1 e4 to N2 e4
  • N1 e5 to H1 eth0
  • N2 e5 to H1 eth1
  • N2 e6 to H2 eth0
  • N1 e0 to MGMT (network)
  • N2 e0 to MGMT (network)
Nodes in vPC with one port-channel to two Nexus switches, with the image each runs and the vCPU and RAM it’s set to
NodeDeviceImage in Add NodeSet to
N1Cisco Nexus 9000vnxosv9k-9300v-9.3.102 vCPU, 6,144 MB
N2Cisco Nexus 9000vnxosv9k-9300v-9.3.102 vCPU, 6,144 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 Cisco Nexus NX-OS data centre guided labs.

  3. Open 07 - vPC with one port-channel to two Nexus switches 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.

More Cisco NX-OS data centre labs

All Cisco NX-OS data centre labs

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CloudLabBox is independent of Cisco. The lab follows exam topics and isn’t vendor training material; vendor names identify the exams and the images in the workspace.