The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product. Learn more about how Cisco is using Inclusive Language.
This chapter describes how to manage virtual device contexts (VDCs) on Cisco NX-OS devices.
Your software release might not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest caveats and feature information, see the Bug Search Tool at https://tools.cisco.com/bugsearch/ and the release notes for your software release. To find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the "New and Changed Information"chapter or the Feature History table in this chapter.
After you create a VDC, you can change the interface allocation, VDC resource limits, and the single-supervisor and dual-supervisor high availability (HA) policies. You can also save the running configuration of all VDCs on the physical device to the startup configuration.
Note | Ports on F3 modules may increment L1 and/or L2 errors (symbol errors, FCS errors, CRC errors, and so on) in the following instances: a) Link goes up and then down (errors will increment during link down and link up; errors will stop incrementing if the link is fully up) b) Link is down but optics and cable are still plugged in. Workaround: Administratively shut down any unused ports. In case, any of these errors are incrementing during traffic transmission, there may be genuine issue with optics and/or cable or F3 hardware and these cases need to be investigated by Cisco TAC. |
The following VDC type support is available in Cisco NX-OS Release 7.3(0)DX(1) and Cisco NX-OS Release 7.3(1)D1(1):
VDC Type |
Layer 2 |
Layer 3 |
Fabric Path |
VxLAN |
FEX |
MPLS |
OTV |
LISP |
GTP |
L2 Gateways |
Table Sizes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
M3 |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
M3 size |
F3+M3 |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
F3 size |
Note | See the Cisco NX-OS FCoE Configuration Guide for Cisco Nexus 7000 and Cisco MDS 9500 Guide for information on allocating interfaces for storage VDCs and FCoE. |
When you create a VDC, you can allocate I/O interfaces to the VDC. Later, the deployment of your physical device might change, and you can reallocate the interfaces as necessary.
Note | Beginning with Cisco NX-OS Release 5.2(1) for Nexus 7000 Series devices, all members of a port group are automatically allocated to the VDC when you allocate an interface. |
The following Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Ethernet modules have the following number of port groups and interfaces:
N7K-M202CF-22L (1 interface x 2 port groups = 2 interfaces)—There are no restrictions on the interface allocation between VDCs.
N7K-M206FQ-23L (1 interface x 6 port groups = 6 interfaces)—There are no restrictions on the interface allocation between VDCs.
N7K-M224XP-23L (1 interface x 24 port groups = 24 interfaces)—There are no restrictions on the interface allocation between VDCs.
N7K-M108X2-12L (1 interface x 8 port groups = 8 interfaces)—There are no restrictions on the interface allocation between VDCs.
N7K-M148GS-11 (12 interfaces x 4 port groups = 48 interfaces), N7K-M148GS-11L, N7K-M148GT-11, N7K-M148GT-11L (same as non-L M148) (1interface x 48 port groups = 48 interfaces) —There are no restrictions on the interface allocation between VDCs, but we recommend that interfaces that belong to the same port group be in a single VDC.
N7K-M132XP-12 (4 interfaces x 8 port groups = 32 interfaces) and N7K-M132XP-12L (same as non-L M132) (1 interface x 8 port groups = 8 interfaces)—All M132 cards require allocation in groups of 4 ports and you can configure 8 port groups. Interfaces belonging to the same port group must belong to the same VDC. See the example for this module in the figure below.
Port Group |
Port Numbers |
---|---|
Group 1 |
1, 3, 5, 7 |
Group 2 |
2, 4, 6, 8 |
Group 3 |
9, 11, 13, 15 |
Group 4 |
10, 12, 14, 16 |
Group 5 |
17, 19, 21, 23 |
Group 6 |
18, 20, 22, 24 |
Group 7 |
25, 27, 29, 31 |
Group 8 |
26, 28, 30, 32 |
On the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 32-port, 10-Gbps Ethernet module N7K-F132XP-15, you must allocate the interfaces on your physical device in the specified combination. This module has 16 port groups that consist of 2 ports each (2 interfaces x 16 port groups = 32 interfaces). Interfaces that belong to the same port group must belong to the same VDC
Note | You can configure the limit-resource module-type command only from the VDC configuration mode and not from a VDC resource template. |
The table below shows the port numbering for the port groups.
Port Group |
Port Numbers |
---|---|
Group 1 |
1 and 2 |
Group 2 |
3 and 4 |
Group 3 |
5 and 6 |
Group 4 |
7 and 8 |
Group 5 |
9 and 10 |
Group 6 |
11 and 12 |
Group 7 |
13 and 14 |
Group 8 |
15 and 16 |
Group 9 |
17 and 18 |
Group 10 |
19 and 20 |
Group 11 |
21 and 22 |
Group 12 |
23 and 24 |
Group 13 |
25 and 26 |
Group 14 |
27 and 28 |
Group 15 |
29 and 30 |
Group 16 |
31 and 32 |
On the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 48-port, 10-Gbps Ethernet modules N7K-F248XP-25[E] and N7K-F248XT-25[E], you must allocate the interfaces on your physical device in the specified combination. These modules have 12 port groups that consist of 4 ports each (4 interfaces x 12 port groups = 48 interfaces). Interfaces that belong to the same port group must belong to the same VDC.
The table below shows the port numbering for the port groups.
Port Group |
Port Numbers |
---|---|
Group 1 |
1, 2, 3, 4 |
Group 2 |
5, 6, 7, 8 |
Group 3 |
9, 10, 11, 12 |
Group 4 |
13, 14, 15, 16 |
Group 5 |
17, 18, 19, 20 |
Group 6 |
21, 22, 23, 24 |
Group 7 |
25, 26, 27, 28 |
Group 8 |
29, 30, 31, 32 |
Group 9 |
33, 34, 35, 36 |
Group 10 |
37, 38, 39, 40 |
Group 11 |
41, 42, 43, 44 |
Group 12 |
45, 46, 47, 48 |
For more information about port groups on the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 10-Gbps Ethernet modules, see the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Hardware Installation and Reference Guide.
Note | When you add or delete interfaces, the Cisco NX-OS software removes the configuration and disables the interfaces. |
When interfaces in different VDCs share the same port ASIC, reloading the VDC (with the reload vdc command) or provisioning interfaces to the VDC (with the allocate interface command) might cause short traffic disruptions (of 1 to 2 seconds) for these interfaces. If such behavior is undesirable, make sure to allocate all interfaces on the same port ASIC to the same VDC.
# slot slot_number show hardware internal dev-port-map +--------------------------------------------------------------+ +-----------+++FRONT PANEL PORT TO ASIC INSTANCE MAP+++--------+ +--------------------------------------------------------------+ FP port|PHYS |SECUR |MAC_0 |RWR_0 |L2LKP |L3LKP |QUEUE |SWICHF 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 15 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 16 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 17 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0
The interface number is listed in the FP port column, and the port ASIC number is listed in the MAC_0 column, which means that in the above example, interfaces 1 through 12 share the same port ASIC (0).
You can change the resource limits for your VDC individually or by applying a VDC resource template as your needs change. You can change the following limits for the following resources:
The HA policy determines the action that the physical device takes when the VDC encounters an unrecoverable error. You can change the HA policy for the VDC that was specified when you created the VDC.
Note | You cannot change the HA policies for the default VDC. |
From the VDC, a user with the vdc-admin or network-admin role can save the VDC configuration to the startup configuration. However, you might want to save the configuration of all VDCs to the startup configuration from the default VDC.
Users with the network-admin role can suspend and resume a nondefault VDC. You must save the VDC running configuration to the startup configuration before suspending the VDC. Otherwise, you will lose the changes to the running configuration when you resume the VDC. You cannot remove interfaces allocated to a suspended VDC. All other resources in use by the VDC are released while the VDC is suspended.
Note | You cannot perform an in-service software upgrade (ISSU) when a VDC is suspended. |
Note | You cannot suspend the default VDC. |
Caution | Suspending a VDC disrupts all traffic on the VDC. |
You can reload an active nondefault VDC that is in any state. The impact of reloading a nondefault VDC is similar to reloading a physical device. The VDC reloads using the startup configuration.
Note | You cannot reload the default or admin VDC. |
Caution | Reloading a VDC disrupts all traffic on the VDC. |
The default VDC has a management MAC address. Beginning with Cisco NX-OS Release 5.2(1) for the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series devices, subsequent nondefault VDCs that you create are assigned MAC addresses automatically as part of the bootup process.
You will see a syslog message if there are not sufficient MAC addresses to supply all the VDCs on the device.
You can specify the boot order for the VDCs on the Cisco NX-OS device. By default, all VDCs start in parallel with no guarantee as to which VDC completes starting first. Using the boot order value, the Cisco NX-OS software starts the VDCs in a predictable sequence. The boot order feature has the following characteristics:
More than one VDC can have the same boot order value. By default, all VDCs have the boot order value of 1.
VDCs with the lowest boot order value boot first.
The Cisco NX-OS software starts all VDCs with the same boot order value followed by the VDCs with the next highest boot order value.
The Cisco NX-OS software starts VDCs that have the same boot order value in parallel.
You cannot change the boot order for the default VDC or admin VDC; you can change the boot order only for nondefault VDCs.
Without a license, the following restrictions will prevent you from creating additional VDCs:
Only the default VDC can exist and no other VDC can be created.
On all supported Supervisor modules, if you enable the default VDC as an admin VDC, you can only enable one nondefault VDC.
Supervisor Modules |
No. of VDCs |
License Requirement |
---|---|---|
Supervisor 1 modules |
3 nondefault VDCs and 1 default VDC or four nondefault VDCs and 1 admin VDC |
You can use the Advanced Services Package License and the VDC License interchangeably on Supervisor 1 modules. If VDC1 is the default VDC, you can create up to three nondefault VDCs on Supervisor 1 modules. If VDC1 is the admin VDC, you can create up to four nondefault VDCs. |
Supervisor 2 modules |
4 nondefault VDCs and 1 admin VDC |
You can use the Advanced Services Package License and the VDC License interchangeably on Supervisor 2 modules. You can create up to four nondefault VDCs and 1 admin VDC on Supervisor 2 modules. If VDC1 is the default VDC, you can create three nondefault VDCs. |
Supervisor 2e modules |
8 nondefault VDCs and 1 admin VDC |
You can use up to two VDC Licenses on Supervisor 2e modules. Each count of VDC License covers four VDCs. You can create up to eight nondefault VDCs and one admin VDC on Supervisor 2e modules. If VDC1 is the default VDC, you can create seven nondefault VDCs. For a complete explanation of the Cisco NX-OS licensing scheme and how to obtain and apply licenses, see the Cisco Nexus 7000 Verified Scalability Guide and Cisco NX-OS Licensing Guide. |
VDC management has the following prerequisites:
VDC management has the following configuration guidelines and limitations:
Only users with the network-admin user role can manage VDCs.
You can change VDCs only from the default or admin VDC.
If sufficient MAC addresses to program the management port of all the nondefault VDCs are unavailable, do not program the MAC address in any of the nondefault VDCs.
A syslog message is generated if sufficient MAC addresses are unavailable to program the management port in all VDCs.
When a hardware issue occurs, syslog messages are sent to all VDCs.
When you have back-to-back connected interfaces in two different virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) instances within the same VDC, the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) fails to complete and packet drops occur because the VRFs obtain their own source MAC addresses. If you need two interfaces on the same VDC with different VRFs, assign a static MAC address to the VRF interfaces.
When you replace an I/O module by another I/O module in the same slot of a Cisco Nexus 7000/7700 Series switch and power up the switch, the new I/O module is powered down and the following syslog message is displayed: Slot-<x> has failed to boot up because of service "Im SAP" due to module insertion failure. To resume normal operations, power up the I/O module after all the VDCs are online. The following syslog message is then displayed: IM-1-IM_LC_INCOMPATIBLE_COPY_R_S: Module <x> inserted is not compatible with previous module in this slot. To ensure correct operation, do <copy run start vdc-all> to purge the previous module's configuration. After the I/O module is online, use the copy run start vdc-all command and perform the required configurations.
The following rules will be enforced for M line modules:
M2 interfaces can coexist with M3 or M2 interfaces in same VDC. However, F2E and M3 interfaces cannot coexist.
No interface from M2 module working with M3 interface can be allocated to other VDC.
M2 module must be in M2-M3 interop mode, if M3 interface exists in same VDC.
M2 module must be in M2-F2E mode, if F2E interface exists in same VDC.
M2 LC must be in M2-M3 mode, if its ports must work in/be allocated to a M2-M3 VDC.
Note | This is applicable even if M3 ports exists or not. |
M2 LC must be in M2-F2E mode(default mode), to operate in other VDC.
You must configure interop mode, before applying the ASCII configuration. This avoids applying port related configuration while LC reboots. For information about M2-M3 VDC and Interoperability mode, see M2-M3 VDC and Interoperability mode.
If the topology configuration consists of any VDC type M2 M3 with ports allocated from a M2 module to this VDC, performing a write-erase+reload+ascii configuration replay may result in port allocation errors during the configuration replay.
Save the running configuration to the bootflash.
Verify the configuration to contain system interop-mode m2-m3 module x.
Perform write-erase and reload the configuration.
Bring up the switch and verify all the modules are online.
Configure the interop mode using the commands in the saved configuration.
Type Yes when prompted to reload the modules.
Wait until all the modules are Online.
Apply the saved ASCII configuration.
If you reload configuration using reload ascii command, port allocation errors may occur during the configuration replay. Perform the following procedure to troubleshoot.
Save the running configuration to bootflash.
Perform reload ascii.
Wait until all modules and VDCs are online.
Apply the saved ASCII configuration from bootflash.
Along with the above mentioned guidelines and restrictions, the following are applicable from Cisco Nexus 7000 NX-OS Release 7.3(0)DX(1).
Cisco Nexus 7700 series had the following types of M3 module:
The 48 port 10G module has two sockets of 24 X 10G ASIC.
The 24 port 40G module has four sockets of 6 X 40G ASIC.
The port group mappings are per ASIC.
Interface allocation is done on the port group boundaries. The interfaces align ASIC resources to VDCs.
The port group size varies depending on the module type.
The following VDC type support is available in Cisco NX-OS Release 7.3(0)DX(1):
VDC Type |
M3 support |
M3 + F3 Suport |
---|---|---|
Layer 2 |
Yes |
Yes |
Layer 3 |
Yes |
Yes |
Fabric Path |
No |
No |
VxLAN |
Yes |
Yes |
FEX |
Yes |
Yes |
MPLS |
Yes |
Yes |
OTV |
Yes |
Yes |
LISP |
Yes |
Yes |
GTP |
Yes |
No |
Layer 2 Gateways |
Yes |
No |
Table Size |
M3 Size |
F3 Size |
Managing VDCs
You can change the format of the CLI prompt for nondefault VDCs. By default, the prompt format is a combination of the default VDC name and the nondefault VDC name. You can change the prompt to only contain the nondefault VDC name.
Log in to the default or admin VDC with a username that has the network-admin user role.
Note | See the Cisco NX-OS FCoE Configuration Guide for Cisco Nexus 7000 and Cisco MDS 9500 for information on allocating interfaces to storage VDCs for Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE). |
You can allocate one or more interfaces to a VDC. When you allocate an interface, you move it from one VDC to another VDC. The interfaces are in the down state after you move them.
Note | When you allocate an interface, all configuration on the interface is lost. |
Note | Beginning with Cisco NX-OS Release 5.2(1) for Nexus 7000 Series devices, all members of a port group are automatically allocated to the VDC when you allocate an interface. |
Log in to the default or admin VDC with a username that has the network-admin user role.
You can change the VDC resource limits by applying a new VDC resource template. Changes to the limits take effect immediately except for the IPv4 and IPv6 route memory limits, which take effect after the next VDC reset, physical device reload, or physical device stateful switchover.
Command or Action | Purpose | |
---|---|---|
Step 1 | switch# configure terminal |
Enters global configuration mode. |
Step 2 | switch# show vdc resource detail |
Displays the resource information for all VDCs. |
Step 3 | switch(config)# vdc vdc-name |
Specifies a VDC and enters VDC configuration mode. |
Step 4 | switch(config-vdc)# template template-name |
Applies a new resource template for the VDC. |
Step 5 | switch(config-vdc)# exit |
Exits VDC configuration mode. |
Step 6 | switch(config)# show vdc vdc-name resource | (Optional)
Displays the resource information for a specific VDC. |
Step 7 | switch(config)# copy running-config startup-config | (Optional)
Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration. |
You can change the limits on the VDC resources. Changes to the limits take effect immediately except for the IPv4 and IPv6 routing table memory limits, which take effect after the next VDC reset, physical device reload, or physical device stateful switchover.
Note | You can set only one value for the multicast and unicast route memory resources maximum and minimum limits. If you specify a minimum limit, that is the value for both the minimum and maximum limits and the maximum limit is ignored. If you specify only a maximum limit, that is the value for both the minimum and maximum limits. |
Beginning with Cisco NX-OS Release 6.1, CPU shares are used to control the CPU resources among the VDCs by allowing you to prioritize VDC access to the CPU during CPU contention. CPU shares are supported on Supervisor 2/2e modules only. You can also configure the number of CPU shares on a VDC. For example, a VDC with 10 CPU shares gets twice the CPU time compared to a VDC that has 5 CPU shares.
Some features require that all modules in a chassis be of a certain type. Beginning with Cisco NX-OS Release 6.1(3), you can apply the switchwide VDC mode to prevent accidental insertion of a module or to restrict certain line cards from powering on in the system. For example, the result bundle hashing (RBH) modulo feature does not operate with M Series modules in the system. Use the system module-type command to apply the switchwide VDC mode. This command controls which line cards are allowed in the chassis (see the table below). Otherwise, widespread disruption is caused within a VDC.
The modules that you do not enable must not be powered on after you configure this feature and enter yes. An error message forces you to manually disable these modules before proceeding, which prevents major disruptions and service issues within a VDC.
Beginning with Cisco NX-OS Release 6.2(2), the F2e Series module can be enabled on the chassis, which now allows interoperability with the M Series modules. For a chassis with only F2e Series modules, the default VDC will be created using an F2e Series module as a supported module unless you apply your own configuration. F2 Series modules are only compatible with F2e Series modules on the chassis. The F2e and F2 Series modules cannot exist with the F1 Series module in the same VDCs. Currently, only F1, F2, and F2e Series modules are supported by storage VDCs. While Supervisor 1 supports only F1 Series modules in a storage VDC, Supervisor 2/2e supports all these types. The rules of mixing module types in a storage VDC is the same as in an ethernet VDC.
Note | When using the system module-type command to apply the switchwide VDC mode, there are no restrictions on the module types that can be mixed |
Modules |
F1 |
F2 |
F3 |
---|---|---|---|
F1 with Supervisor 1 only |
Yes |
No |
No |
F2 with Supervisor 2/2e |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
F2 / F2e with Supervisor 2/2e |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Note | For Cisco NX-OS Release 6.1 only, because F2e Series modules are supported as F2 Series modules, F2e Series modules follow the same mixing rules as F2 Series modules. |
Note | Storage VDCs in Cisco NX-OS Release 6.2(6) do not support F3 Series modules. |
Module |
M1 |
F1 |
M1XL |
M2XL |
F2 |
F2e |
F3 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
M1 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
F1 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
M1XL |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
M2XL |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
F2 |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
F2e |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
F3 |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Note | F3 F2E M2XL cannot coexist in the same VDC (although any two of them can coexist). |
Cisco NX-OS Release |
All Line Cards Present in Chassis |
Default Module Type Support for Default VDC (without user configuration) |
||
---|---|---|---|---|
5.1 |
M (any) and/or F1 |
M1 F1 |
||
6.0 |
F2 M* and/or F1 (and any other combination) |
F2 M1 F1 |
||
6.1 |
F2 and/or F2e
|
F2 |
||
6.2 |
F2 F2e F2 F2e F3 F2e F3 Other combinations
|
F2 F2e F2e F2 F2e F3 F3 F2e M1 M1XL M2XL F2e |
Note | The Cisco Nexus 7710 switch and Cisco Nexus 7718 switch supports F2e and F3 Series module types in both an Ethernet VDC and Storage VDC. F3 Series modules do not support storage VDCs in Cisco NX-OS Release 6.2(6). |
To support the coexistence of an F2e Series module with an M Series module in the same VDC, the F2e Series module operates in a proxy mode so that all Layer 3 traffic is sent to an M Series module in the same VDC. For F2e proxy mode, having routing adjacencies connected through F2e interfaces with an M1 Series module is not supported. However, routing adjacencies connected through F2e interfaces with an M2 Series module is supported.
You cannot allocate F2e ports as shared interfaces in the storage VDC if the F2e port is in proxy mode in the Ethernet VDC.
switch(config-vdc)# limit-resource module-type m1 m1xl m2xl f2e This will cause all ports of unallowed types to be removed from this vdc. Continue (y/n)? [yes] Note: rebind interface is needed for proper system operation. Please backup the running-configuration for interface by redirecting the output of "show running-config interface". Reapply the interface configuration after the "rebind interface" command switch(config)# vdc vdc2 switch(config-vdc)# rebind interfaces All interfaces' configurations of the current vdc will be lost during interface rebind. Please back up the configurations of the current vdc. Do you want to proceed (y/n)? [no] yes switch(config-vdc)#
Note | If an interface rebind is required, users are displayed with a yes/no prompt on Cisco NX-OS Release 6.2(8) and later, as opposed to entering the rebind interface command manually in earlier releases. |
The table below shows the VDC type changes that require the rebind interface command:
Old VDC Type |
New VDC Type |
Rebind Required |
Description |
Impact |
---|---|---|---|---|
F2,F2e |
M,F2e |
Yes |
Changes F2e from Layer 3 to proxy mode. |
You will lose the F2,F2e configuration during the rebinding of the interface. F2 configuration loss should not have much impact because F2 ports are not part of the new VDC. |
M,F2e |
F2,F2e |
Yes |
Changes F2e from proxy to Layer 3 mode. |
You will lose the M,F2e configuration during the rebinding of the interface. M configuration loss should not have much impact because M ports are not part of the new VDC. |
F2e |
M,F2e |
Yes |
Changes F2e from Layer 3 to proxy mode. |
You will lose only the F2e configuration. |
M,F2e |
F2e |
Yes |
Changes F2e from proxy to Layer 3 mode. |
You will lose the M,F2e configuration during the rebinding of the interface. M configuration loss should not have much impact because M ports are not part of the new VDC. |
F2,F2e |
F2e |
Yes |
Enables F2e-only capabilities like SVI statistics. |
You will lose the F2,F2e configuration during the rebinding of the interface. F2 configuration loss should not have much impact because F2 ports are not part of the new VDC. |
F2e |
F2,F2e |
Yes |
Disables F2e-only capabilities like SVI statistics. |
You will lose only the F2e configuration. |
F3 |
F3,F2e |
No |
N/A |
N/A |
F3,F2e |
F3 |
No |
N/A |
N/A |
F3 |
F3,M2XL |
No |
N/A |
N/A |
F3,M2XL |
F3 |
No |
N/A |
N/A |
F3,F2,F2e |
F3 |
Yes |
Changes LCD to F3. |
You will lose the F3 configuration. |
F3 |
F3,F2,F2e |
Yes |
Changes F3 to LCD. |
You will lose the F3 configuration. |
F3,F2 |
F3 |
Yes |
Changes LCD to F3. |
You will lose the F3 configuration. |
F3 |
F3,F2 |
Yes |
Changes F3 to LCD. |
You will lose the F3 configuration. |
In Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches, the M2 line module packet supports both M2-F2E and M2-M3 interop header formats. By default, the M2 module operates in the M2-F2E mode. M3 line module supports M2-M3 interop header only. M2 and F3/F2E modules supports both modes of operation.
If M2 and M3 modules operates in the same VDC, M2 module must be changed to M2-M3 interop mode. When M2 module works with M2 or F2E module in proxy mode, M2 module must be in M2-F2E mode.
M2 LC must be in M2-M3 mode, if its ports must work in/be allocated to a M2-M3 VDC.
Note | This is applicable even if M3 ports exists or not. |
M2 LC must be in M2-F2E mode(default mode), to operate in other VDC.
To change the M2 module mode,
To change M2 module to M2-M3 interop mode, use the system interop-mode m2-m3 module command.
Enter Y when prompted to reload the module.
To change M2 module to M2-F2E mode, you must unallocate any M2 interfaces from the M2-M3 VDC.
Use the no system interop-mode m2-m3 module command.
Enter Y when prompted to reload the module.
Note | Ensure that all the interfaces from the same M2 module working with the M3 module must be in the same VDC. |
Note | You can insert a maximum of ten 24-port 40-Gigabit Ethernet QSFP+ (N7K-M324FQ-25L) I/O modules in the Cisco Nexus 7018 switch. This I/O module uses 96 VQI per slot. The maximum VQI of a Cisco Nexus 7018 switch is 1024 and a total of eleven 24-port 40-Gigabit Ethernet QSFP+ I/0 modules will require 1056 VQI. In such a scenario, the eleventh I/O module will attempt to come online 3 times and then will get powered down. During reload of a switch with eleven 24-port 40-Gigabit Ethernet QSFP+ I/0 modules, the I/O module that comes up last will be powered down. |
Command or Action | Purpose | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Step 1 | switch# configure terminal |
Enters global configuration mode. | ||||
Step 2 | switch(config)# [no] system module-type module-type | (Optional)
Enters switchwide VDC mode and specifies which modules can be enabled on a chassis. You can enable a mix of F1, F2, F2e, M1, M1XL, and M2 Series modules. There are no restrictions on the type of mix allowed for the system module-type command.
The no form of this command resets the configuration mode to allow all modules. | ||||
Step 3 | switch(config)# show vdc | (Optional)
Displays which modules are enabled in the chassis. | ||||
Step 4 | switch(config)# show vdc resource detail | (Optional)
Displays the resource information for all VDCs. | ||||
Step 5 | switch(config)# vdc vdc-name |
Specifies a VDC and enters VDC configuration mode. | ||||
Step 6 | switch(config-vdc)# limit-resource m4route-mem [minimum min-value] maximum max-value |
Specifies the limits for IPv4 multicast route memory in megabytes. The range is from 1 to 90. | ||||
Step 7 | switch(config-vdc)# limit-resource m6route-mem [minimum min-value] maximum max-value |
Specifies the limits for IPv6 multicast route memory in megabytes. The range is from 1 to 20. | ||||
Step 8 | switch(config-vdc)# limit-resource monitor-session minimum min-value maximum {max-value | equal-to-min} |
Configures the SPAN monitor session resource limits. The range is from 0 to 2. The equal-to-min keyword automatically sets the maximum limit equal to the minimum limit.
| ||||
Step 9 | switch(config-vdc)# limit-resource monitor-session-erspan-dst minimum min-value maximum {max-value | equal-to-min} |
Configures the ERSPAN monitor session resource limits. The range is from 0 to 23. The equal-to-min keyword automatically sets the maximum limit equal to the minimum limit. | ||||
Step 10 | switch(config-vdc)# limit-resource port-channel minimum min-value maximum {max-value | equal-to-min} |
Specifies the limits for port channels. The default minimum value is 0. The default maximum value is 768. The range is from 0 to 768. The equal-to-min keyword automatically sets the maximum limit equal to the minimum limit. | ||||
Step 11 | switch(config-vdc)# limit-resource u4route-mem [minimum min-value] maximum max-value |
Specifies the minimum and maximum limits for IPv4 unicast route memory in megabytes. The range is from 1 to 350. | ||||
Step 12 | switch(config-vdc)# limit-resource u6route-mem [minimum min-value] maximum max-value |
Specifies the minimum and maximum limits for IPv6 unicast route memory in megabytes. The range is from 1 to 100. | ||||
Step 13 | switch(config-vdc)# limit-resource vlan minimum min-value maximum {max-value | equal-to-min} |
Configures the VLAN resource limits. The range is from 16 to 4094. The equal-to-min keyword automatically sets the maximum limit equal to the minimum limit. | ||||
Step 14 | switch(config-vdc)# limit-resource vrf minimum min-value maximum {max-value | equal-to-min} |
Specifies the limits for VRF. The range is from 2 to 1000. The equal-to-min keyword automatically sets the maximum limit equal to the minimum limit. | ||||
Step 15 | switch(config-vdc)# limit-resource module-type module type |
Configures the specified line card type. VDCs support the F1, F2, F2e, M1, M1XL, and M2XL Series module types.
| ||||
Step 16 | switch(config-vdc)# cpu-shares shares |
Sets the number of CPU shares on a VDC. The range is from 1 to 10. For example, a VDC with 10 CPU shares gets twice the CPU time compared to a VDC that has 5 CPU shares. | ||||
Step 17 | switch(config-vdc)# show vdc detail | (Optional)
Displays the VDC status information. | ||||
Step 18 | switch(config-vdc)# exit |
Exits VDC template configuration mode. | ||||
Step 19 | switch(config)# show vdc vdc-name resource | (Optional)
Displays VDC template configuration information. | ||||
Step 20 | switch(config)# copy running-config startup-config | (Optional)
Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration. |
switch# show vdc detail vdc id: 1 vdc name: switch vdc state: active vdc mac address: 00:26:51:cb:bf:41 vdc ha policy: RELOAD vdc dual-sup ha policy: SWITCHOVER vdc boot Order: 1 CPU Share: 5 CPU Share Percentage: 22% vdc create time: Wed Jul 18 18:08:15 2012 vdc reload count: 0 vdc restart count: 0 vdc type: Admin vdc supported linecards: None vdc id: 2 vdc name: vdc2 vdc state: active vdc mac address: 00:26:51:cb:bf:42 vdc ha policy: RESTART vdc dual-sup ha policy: SWITCHOVER vdc boot Order: 1 CPU Share: 10 CPU Share Percentage: 45% vdc create time: Wed Jul 18 18:17:14 2012 vdc reload count: 0 vdc restart count: 0 vdc type: Ethernet vdc supported linecards: m1 f1 m1xl m2xl vdc id: 3 vdc name: new-vdc vdc state: active vdc mac address: 00:26:51:cb:bf:43 vdc ha policy: RESTART vdc dual-sup ha policy: SWITCHOVER vdc boot Order: 1 CPU Share: 7 CPU Share Percentage: 31% vdc create time: Wed Jul 18 18:29:51 2012 vdc reload count: 0 vdc restart count: 0 vdc type: Ethernet vdc supported linecards: m1 f1 m1xl m2xl switch#
You can change the HA policies for a VDC. The VDC HA policies are as follows:
Bringdown—Puts the VDC in the failed state.
Restart—Restarts the VDC. This process includes shutting down all the interfaces within that VDC and stopping all the virtualized services processes. The Cisco NX-OS software restarts all the virtualized services saved in the startup configuration and brings the interfaces back up with the configuration saved in the startup configuration. Any configuration that you did not save in the startup configuration prior to the restart is lost.
Switchover—Initiates a supervisor module switchover.
Single supervisor modules:
Bringdown—Puts the VDC in the failed state.
Caution | With the reload action, any configuration that you did not save in the startup configuration prior to the reload is lost. |
Note | The reload action affects all interfaces and all VDCs on the physical device. |
Restart—Restarts the VDC. This process includes shutting down all the interfaces within that VDC and stopping all the virtualized services processes. The Cisco NX-OS software restarts all the virtualized services saved in the startup configuration and brings the interfaces back up with the configuration saved in the startup configuration. Any configuration that you did not save in the startup configuration prior to the restart is lost.
Caution | With the reload action, any configuration that you did not save in the startup configuration prior to the reload is lost. |
Note | You cannot change the HA policies for the default or admin VDC. |
Log in to the default or admin VDC with a username that has the network-admin user role.
Command or Action | Purpose | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Step 1 | switch# configure terminal |
Enters global configuration mode. | ||
Step 2 | switch(config)# vdc vdc-name | Specifies a VDC and enters VDC configuration mode. | ||
Step 3 | switch(config-vdc)# ha-policy {dual-sup {bringdown | restart | switchover} | single-sup {bringdown | reload | restart}} |
| ||
Step 4 | switch(config-vdc)# exit |
Exits VDC configuration mode. | ||
Step 5 | switch(config)# show vdc detail | (Optional) Displays VDC status information. | ||
Step 6 | switch(config)# copy running-config startup-config | (Optional)
Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration. |
You can save the configuration of all the VDCs on the physical device to the startup configuration.
Log in to the default or admin VDC with a username that has the network-admin user role.
Command or Action | Purpose | |
---|---|---|
Step 1 | switch# switchto vdc vdc-name |
Switches to the nondefault VDC. |
Step 2 | switch-TestVDC# copy running-config startup-config | (Optional)
Copies the running configuration for the VDC to the startup configuration. |
Step 3 | switch-TestVDC# switchback | Switches back to the default or admin VDC. |
Step 4 | switch# copy running-config startup-config vdc-all | (Optional)
Copies the running configuration for all the VDCs to the startup configuration. |
You can suspend an active nondefault VDC. You must save the VDC running configuration to the startup configuration before suspending the VDC. Otherwise, you will lose the changes to the running configuration.
Note | You cannot suspend the default and admin VDC. |
Caution | Suspending a VDC disrupts all traffic on the VDC. |
Log in to the default or admin VDC with a username that has the network-admin user role.
Command or Action | Purpose |
---|
You can resume a nondefault VDC from the suspended state. The VDC resumes with the configuration saved in the startup configuration.
Log in to the default or admin VDC with a username that has the network-admin user role.
Command or Action | Purpose |
---|
You can reload a nondefault VDC that is in a failed state. The VDC reloads using the startup configuration.
Note | Use the reload command to reload the default or admin VDC. Reloading the default or admin VDC reloads all VDCs on the Cisco NX-OS device. |
Caution | Reloading a VDC disrupts all traffic on the VDC. |
Log in to the nondefault VDC with a username that has the vdc-admin user role or use the switchto vdc command from the default or admin VDC to access the nondefault VDC.
Command or Action | Purpose |
---|
You can configure the boot order for the VDCs on your Cisco NX-OS device.
Note | You cannot change the boot order of the default or admin VDC. |
Log in to the default or admin VDC with a username that has the network-admin user role.
Command or Action | Purpose | |
---|---|---|
Step 1 | switch# configure terminal |
Enters global configuration mode. |
Step 2 | switch(config)# vdc vdc-name | Specifies a VDC and enters VDC configuration mode. |
Step 3 | switch(config-vdc)# boot-order number | Configures the boot order value for the VDC. The range for the number argument is from 1 to 4 on a Supervisor 2 module and from 1 to 8 on a Supervisor 2e module. The VDC starts from the lowest to the highest boot order value. You cannot change the boot order for the default VDC. |
Step 4 | switch(config-vdc)# exit | Exits VDC configuration mode. |
Step 5 | switch(config)# show vdc detail | (Optional) Displays VDC status information. |
Step 6 | switch(config)# copy running-config startup-config vdc-all | (Optional)
Copies the running configuration for all the VDCs to the startup configuration. |
When you delete a VDC, the ports on the VDC are moved to unallocated interfaces.
Note | You cannot delete the default VDC (VDC 1) and the admin VDC. |
Caution | Deleting a VDC disrupts all traffic on the VDC. |
Log in to the default or admin VDC with a username that has the network-admin user role.
Command or Action | Purpose | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Step 1 | switch# configure terminal |
Enters global configuration mode. | ||
Step 2 | switch(config)# no vdc vdc-name |
Removes the VDC.
| ||
Step 3 | switch(config)# exit |
Exits VDC configuration mode. | ||
Step 4 | switch# show vdc | (Optional)
Displays VDC configuration information. | ||
Step 5 | switch# copy running-config startup-config | (Optional)
Copies the running configuration to the startup configuration. |
To display the VDC configuration, perform one of the following tasks:
Command |
Purpose |
---|---|
show running-config {vdc | vdc-all} | Displays the VDC information in the running configuration. |
show vdc [vdc-name] | Displays the VDC configuration information. |
show vdc detail | Displays the detailed information about many VDC parameters. |
show vdc current-vdc | Displays the current VDC number. |
show vdc membership [status] | Displays the VDC interface membership information. |
show vdc resource template | Displays the VDC template configuration. |
show resource | Displays the VDC resource configuration for the current VDC. |
show vdc [vdc-name] resource [resource-name] | Displays the VDC resource configuration for all VDCs. |
show mac vdc {vdc-id} | Displays the MAC address for a specific VDC. |
For detailed information about the fields in the output from these commands, see the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS Virtual Device Context Command Reference.
This example shows how to allocate interfaces between VDCs for port groups on a Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 32-port, 10-Gbps Ethernet module:
Note | VDC-A is the default VDC. |
config t hostname VDC-A vdc VDC-B ! Port group 2 allocate interfaces ethernet 2/2, ethernet 2/4, ethernet 2/6, ethernet 2/8 ! Port group 3 allocate interfaces ethernet 2/9, ethernet 2/11, ethernet 2/13, ethernet 2/15 vdc VDC-C ! Port group 4 allocate interfaces ethernet 2/10, ethernet 2/12, ethernet 2/14, ethernet 2/16 ! Port group 5 allocate interfaces ethernet 2/17, ethernet 2/19, ethernet 2/21, ethernet 2/23 vdc VDC-D ! Port group 6 allocate interfaces ethernet 2/18, ethernet 2/20, ethernet 2/22, ethernet 2/24 ! Port group 7 allocate interfaces ethernet 2/25, ethernet 2/27, ethernet 2/29, ethernet 2/30
Related Topic |
Document Title |
---|---|
Cisco NX-OS licensing |
Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS Unicast Routing Command Reference |
Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 32-port 10-Gbps Ethernet modules |
Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Hardware Installation and Reference Guide |
VDC commands |
Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS Virtual Device Context Command Reference |
FCoE commands |
Cisco NX-OS FCoE Command Reference for Cisco Nexus 7000 and Cisco MDS 9500 |
This table includes only the updates for those releases that have resulted in additions or changes to the feature.
Feature Name | Release | Feature Information |
---|---|---|
M3 Module |
7.3(0)DX(1) |
Added guidelines and limitations for support of M3 Series module. |
F3 Series module |
6.2(6) |
Added support for the F3 Series module. |
Cisco Nexus 7710 switch and Cisco Nexus 7718 switch |
6.2(2) |
Added support for the Cisco Nexus 7710 switch and the Cisco Nexus 7718 switch on the Supervisor 2e module. |
Admin VDC on Supervisor 1 module |
6.2(2) |
Added support for admin VDCs on the Supervisor 1 module. |
F2e Series module |
6.2(2) |
Added the ability to enable the F2e Series module (a new configurable VDC module type, independent from and separate to the F2 VDC module type) on the chassis. |
F2e proxy mode |
6.2(2) |
Introduced this feature to support the coexistence of an F2e Series module with an M Series module in the same VDC. |
Switchwide VDC mode |
6.1(3) |
Added the ability to enable specific line cards in the chassis and prevent others from powering on. |
Support for F2e Series modules |
6.1(2) |
Added support for F2e Series modules as part of the F2 Series modules. |
Support for Supervisor 2 and M2 Series modules. |
6.1(1) |
Added support for Supervisor 2 and M2 Series modules. |
CPU shares |
6.1(1) |
Added support for CPU shares on a VDC. |
VDC resource limits |
6.0(1) |
Added support for F2 Series modules. |
MAC addresses |
5.2(1) |
The default VDC has a MAC address, and subsequent nondefault VDCs that are created are assigned MAC addresses. |
VDC resource limits |
5.2(1) |
Added support for M1XL Series modules. |
N7K-F132XP-15 module |
5.1(1) |
Added support for the N7K-F132XP-15 module. |
VDC resource limits |
5.1(1) |
Added the ability to configure ERSPAN monitor session resource limits. |
VDC resource limits |
5.0(2) |
The range for the minimum and maximum values changed for the limit-resource m4route-mem, limit-resource m6route-mem, limit-resource u4route-mem, limit-resource u6route-mem, and limit-resource vrf commands. |
Restarting VDCs |
4.2(4) |
The vdc restart command was replaced by the reload vdc command. |
Suspending and resuming VDCs |
4.2(1) |
You can suspend and resume nondefault VDCs. |
Restarting VDCs |
4.2(1) |
You can restart active nondefault VDCs and nondefault VDCs in the failed state. |
Reloading VDCs |
4.2(1) |
You can reload nondefault VDCs. |
VDC prompt format |
4.2(1) |
You can change the format of the CLI prompt for nondefault VDCs. |
VDC boot order |
4.2(1) |
You can configure the boot order for nondefault VDCs. |
IPv4 unicast route memory resource |
4.1(2) |
Changed the default maximum value from 256 to 8. |
IPv6 unicast route memory resource |
4.1(2) |
Changed the default maximum value from 256 to 4. |
Multicast route memory resources |
4.1(2) |
Added IPv4 and IPv6 multicast route memory resources. |
Port channel resources |
4.1(2) |
Changed the default maximum value from 256 to 768. |
IPv4 unicast route memory resource |
4.0(2) |
Changed the default maximum value from 256 to 320. |
IPv6 unicast route memory resource |
4.0(2) |
Changed the default maximum value from 256 to 192. |