Contents

• Configuring Port Channels
• Information About Port Channels
• Port Channels
• Compatibility Checks
• Load Balancing Using Port Channels
• LACP
• VEM Management of LACP
• Port Channel Modes
• LACP ID Parameters
• LACP Marker Responders
• LACP-Enabled and Static Port Channels Differences
• vPC Host Mode
• Subgroup Creation
• Static Pinning
• MAC Pinning
• MAC Pinning Relative
• Network State Tracking for vPC-HM
• High Availability
• Prerequisites for Port Channels
• Guidelines and Limitations
• Default Settings
• Configuring Port Channels
• Creating a Port Profile for a Port Channel
• Connecting to a Single Upstream Switch
• Connecting to Multiple Upstream Switches
• Manually Configuring Interface Subgroups
• Pinning a vEthernet Interface to a Subgroup
• Pinning a Control or Packet VLAN to a Subgroup
• Migrating a Channel Group to a Port Profile
• Migrating Port Profile Types in a Port Profile
• Configuring Network State Tracking for vPC-HM
• Configuring Static Pinning for an Interface
• Removing a Port Channel Group from a Port Profile
• Shutting Down and Restarting a Port Channel Interface
• Adding a Description to a Port Channel Interface
• Configuring Port Channel Load Balancing
• Configuring the Speed and Duplex Settings for a Port Channel Interface
• Restoring the Default Load-Balancing Method
• Configuring an LACP Port Channel
• Configuring VEM Management of LACP
• Verifying the Port Channel Configuration
• Monitoring Port Channels
• Configuration Examples for Port Channels
• Feature History for Port Channels

Configuring Port Channels

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This chapter contains the following sections:

• Information About Port Channels
• Port Channels
• Compatibility Checks
• Load Balancing Using Port Channels
• LACP
• vPC Host Mode
• Subgroup Creation
• Static Pinning
• MAC Pinning
• MAC Pinning Relative
• Network State Tracking for vPC-HM
• High Availability
• Prerequisites for Port Channels
• Guidelines and Limitations
• Default Settings
• Configuring Port Channels
• Verifying the Port Channel Configuration
• Monitoring Port Channels
• Configuration Examples for Port Channels
• Feature History for Port Channels

Information About Port Channels

A port channel is an aggregation of multiple physical interfaces that creates a logical interface. You can bundle up to eight individual active links into a port channel to provide increased bandwidth and redundancy. Port channeling also load balances traffic across these physical interfaces. The port channel stays operational as long as at least one physical interface within the port channel is operational.

You can use static port channels, with no associated aggregation protocol, for a simplified configuration.

Port Channels

A port channel bundles physical links into a channel group to create a single logical link that provides the aggregate bandwidth of up to eight physical links. If a member port within a port channel fails, the traffic previously carried over the failed link switches to the remaining member ports within the port channel.

You can bundle up to eight ports into a static port channel without using any aggregation protocol.

Note	The device does not support Port Aggregation Protocol (PAgP) for port channels.

Each port can be in only one port channel. All the ports in a port channel must be compatible; they must use the same speed and duplex mode. When you run static port channels with no aggregation protocol, the physical links are all in the on channel mode.

You can create port channels directly by creating the port channel interface, or you can create a channel group that acts to aggregate individual ports into a bundle. When you associate an interface with a channel group, the software creates a matching port channel automatically if the port channel does not already exist. In this instance, the port channel assumes the Layer 2 configuration of the first interface. You can also create the port channel first. In this instance, the Cisco Nexus 1000V creates an empty channel group with the same channel number as the port channel and takes the default Layer 2 configuration, as well as the compatibility configuration.

Note	The port channel is operationally up when at least one of the member ports is up and is in the channeling state. The port channel is operationally down when all member ports are operationally down.

Compatibility Checks

When you add an interface to a port channel group, the following compatibility checks are made before allowing the interface to participate in the port channel:

• Network layer
• (Link) speed capability
• Speed configuration
• Duplex capability
• Duplex configuration
• Port mode
• Access VLAN
• Trunk native VLAN
• Tagged or untagged
• Allowed VLAN list
• MTU size
• SPAN—cannot be a SPAN source or a destination port
• Storm control

To view the full list of compatibility checks performed by the Cisco Nexus 1000V, use the show port-channel compatibility-parameters.

You can only add interfaces configured with the channel mode set to on to static port channels. You can configure these attributes on an individual member port. If you configure a member port with an incompatible attribute, the Cisco Nexus 1000V suspends that port in the port channel.

Alternatively, you can force ports with incompatible parameters to join the port channel if the following parameters are the same:

• (Link) speed capability
• Speed configuration
• Duplex capability
• Duplex configuration

When the interface joins a port channel, some of its individual parameters are removed and replaced with the values on the port channel as follows:

• Bandwidth
• Delay
• Extended Authentication Protocol over UDP
• VRF
• IP address (v4 and v6)
• MAC address
• Spanning Tree Protocol
• NAC
• Service policy
• Quality of Service (QoS)
• Access control lists (ACLs)

The following interface parameters remain unaffected when the interface joins or leaves a port channel:

• Description
• CDP
• MDIX
• Rate mode
• Shutdown
• SNMP trap

Note	When you delete the port channel, the software sets all member interfaces as if they were removed from the port channel.

Load Balancing Using Port Channels

The Cisco Nexus 1000V load balances traffic across all operational interfaces in a port channel by hashing the addresses in the frame to a numerical value that selects one of the links in the channel. Port channels provide load balancing by default. Port channel load balancing uses MAC addresses, IP addresses, or Layer 4 port numbers to select the link. Port channel load balancing uses either source or destination addresses or ports, or both source and destination addresses or ports.

You can configure the load balancing mode to apply to all port channels that are configured on the entire device or on specified modules. The per-module configuration takes precedence over the load-balancing configuration for the entire device. You can configure one load balancing mode for the entire device, a different mode for specified modules, and another mode for the other specified modules. You cannot configure the load balancing method per port channel.

You can configure the type of load balancing algorithm used. You can choose the load balancing algorithm that determines which member port to select for egress traffic by looking at the fields in the frame.

Note	The default load balancing method uses source MAC addresses.

You can configure one of the following methods to load balance across the port channel:

• Destination MAC address
• Source MAC address
• Source and destination MAC addresses
• Destination IP address and VLAN
• Source IP address and VLAN
• Source and destination IP address and VLAN
• Destination TCP/UDP port number
• Source TCP/UDP port number
• Source and destination TCP/UDP port number
• Destination IP address and TCP/UDP port number
• Source IP address and TCP/UDP port number
• Source and destination IP address and TCP/UDP port number
• Destination IP address, TCP/UDP port number, and VLAN
• Source IP address, TCP/UDP port number, and VLAN
• Source and destination IP address, TCP/UDP port number, and VLAN
• Destination IP address
• Source IP address
• Source and destination IP addresses
• VLAN only
• Source virtual port ID

When you configure source IP address load balancing, the source MAC address is used to balance the traffic load. When you configure the destination MAC address load balancing method, the traffic load is balanced using the destination MAC address.

When you configure source IP address load balancing, the source MAC address is used to balance the traffic load. When you configure the destination MAC address load balancing method, the traffic load is balanced using the destination MAC address.

The load balancing methods that use port channels do not apply to multicast traffic. Regardless of the method configured, multicast traffic uses the following methods for load balancing with port channels:

• Multicast traffic with Layer 4 information—Source IP address, source port, destination IP address, and destination port
• Multicast traffic without Layer 4 information—Source IP address and destination IP address
• Non-IP multicast traffic—Source MAC address and destination MAC address

To configure port channel load balancing, see the “Configuring Port Channel Load Balancing” procedure on page 5-38.

LACP

The Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) allows you to configure up to 16 interfaces into a port channel. A maximum of eight interfaces can be active, and a maximum of eight interfaces can be placed in a standby state. The following figure shows how individual links can be combined into LACP port channels and channel groups as well as function as individual links.

Note	When you delete the port channel, the associated channel group is automatically deleted. All member interfaces revert to their original configuration. LACP port channels on Cisco virtual interface cards do not support more than two VNICs.

Figure 1. Individual Links Combined into a Port Channel

• VEM Management of LACP
• Port Channel Modes
• LACP ID Parameters
• LACP Marker Responders
• LACP-Enabled and Static Port Channels Differences

VEM Management of LACP

You can offload operation of the LACP from the Virtual Supervisor Module (VSM) to the Virtual Ethernet Ports (VEMs). To prevent a situation where the VSM cannot negotiate LACP with the upstream switch when the VEM is disconnected from the VSM (referred to as headless mode). VEM management of LACP allows it to reestablish port channels after the reboot of a headless VEM.

Port Channel Modes

Individual interfaces in port channels are configured with channel modes. When you run static port channels with no aggregation protocol, the channel mode is always set to on.

You enable LACP for each channel by setting the channel mode for each interface to active or passive. You can configure either channel mode for individual links in the LACP channel group when you are adding the links to the channel group.

The following table describes the channel modes.

Table 1 Channel Modes for Individual Links in a Port Channel

Channel Mode	Description
passive	LACP mode that places a port into a passive negotiating state in which the port responds to LACP packets that it receives but does not initiate LACP negotiation.
active	LACP mode that places a port into an active negotiating state in which the port initiates negotiations with other ports by sending LACP packets.
on	All static port channels (that are not running LACP) remain in this mode. If you attempt to change the channel mode to active or passive before enabling LACP, the device displays an error message. You enable LACP on each channel by configuring the interface in that channel for the channel mode as either active or passive. When an LACP attempts to negotiate with an interface in the on state, it does not receive any LACP packets and becomes an individual link with that interface; it does not join the LACP channel group. The default port channel mode is on.

Both the passive and active modes allow LACP to negotiate between ports to determine if they can form a port channel based on criteria such as the port speed and the trunking state. The passive mode is useful when you do not know whether the remote system, or partner, supports LACP.

Ports can form an LACP port channel when they are in different LACP modes if the modes are compatible as in these examples:

• A port in active mode can form a port channel successfully with another port that is in active mode.
• A port in active mode can form a port channel with another port in passive mode.
• A port in passive mode cannot form a port channel with another port that is also in passive mode, because neither port will initiate negotiation.
• A port in on mode is not running LACP and cannot form a port channel with another port that is in active or passive mode.

LACP ID Parameters

This section describes the LACP parameters.

LACP System Priority

Each system that runs LACP has an LACP system priority value. You can accept the default value of 32768 for this parameter, or you can configure a value between 1 and 65535. LACP uses the system priority with the MAC address to form the system ID and also uses the system priority during negotiation with other devices. A higher system priority value means a lower priority.

Note	The LACP system ID is the combination of the LACP system priority value and the MAC address.

LACP Port Priority

Each port that is configured to use LACP has an LACP port priority. You can accept the default value of 32768 for the LACP port priority, or you can configure a value between 1 and 65535. LACP uses the port priority with the port number to form the port identifier.

LACP uses the port priority to decide which ports should be put in standby mode when there is a limitation that prevents all compatible ports from aggregating and which ports should be put into active mode. A higher port priority value means a lower priority for LACP. You can configure the port priority so that specified ports have a lower priority for LACP and are most likely to be chosen as active links, rather than as hot-standby links.

LACP Administrative Key

LACP automatically configures an administrative key value that is equal to the channel-group number on each port configured to use LACP. The administrative key defines the ability of a port to aggregate with other ports. A port’s ability to aggregate with other ports is determined by these factors:

• Port physical characteristics, such as the data rate and the duplex capability
• Configuration restrictions that you establish

LACP Marker Responders

You can dynamically redistribute the data traffic by using port channels. This redistribution may result from a removed or added link or a change in the load-balancing scheme. Traffic redistribution that occurs in the middle of a traffic flow can cause misordered frames.

LACP uses the Marker Protocol to ensure that frames are not duplicated or reordered due to this redistribution. The Marker Protocol detects when all the frames of a given traffic flow are successfully received at the remote end. LACP sends Marker PDUs on each of the port-channel links. The remote system responds to the Marker PDU once it receives all the frames received on this link prior to the Marker PDU. The remote system then sends a Marker Responder. Once the Marker Responders are received by the local system on all member links of the port channel, the local system can redistribute the frames in the traffic flow with no chance of misordering. The software supports only Marker Responders.

LACP-Enabled and Static Port Channels Differences

The following table summarizes the major differences between port channels with LACP enabled and static port channels.

Table 2 Port Channels with LACP Enabled and Static Port Channels

Configurations	Port Channels with LACP Enabled	Static Port Channels
Protocol applied	Enable globally	Not applicable
Channel mode of links	Can be either: Active Passive	Can only be On
Maximum number of links in channel	16	8

vPC Host Mode

You use vPC-HM mode to create a port channel when the switch is connected to multiple upstream switches that are not clustered. In the Cisco Nexus 1000V, the port channel is divided into subgroups or logical smaller port channels, each representing one or more uplinks to one upstream physical switch.

Links that connect to the same physical switch are bundled in the same subgroup automatically by using information gathered from the Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) packets from the upstream switch. Interfaces can also be manually assigned a specific subgroup.

You use vPC-HM, each vEthernet interface on the VEM is mapped to one of two subgroups in a round-robin method. All traffic from the vEthernet interface uses the assigned subgroup unless it is unavailable, in which case the vEthernet interface fails over to the remaining subgroup. When the original subgroup becomes available again, traffic shifts back to it. Traffic from each vEthernet interface is then balanced based on the configured hashing algorithm.

When multiple uplinks are attached to the same subgroup, you must configure the upstream switch in a port channel with the links bundled together. The port channel must also be configured with the channel-group auto mode on (active and passive modes use LACP).

If the upstream switches do not support port channels, you can use MAC pinning to assign each Ethernet port member to a particular port channel subgroup.

Note	Do not configure vPC-HM on the Cisco Nexus 1000V when the upstream switch ports that connect to the VEMs have vPC configured. If vPC is configured, the connection can be interrupted or disabled.

The following figure shows how to use vPC-HM to assign member ports 1 and 2 to subgroup ID 0 and member ports 3 and 4 to subgroup ID 1.

Figure 2. Using vPC-HM to Connect a Port Channel to Multiple Upstream Switches

Subgroup Creation

If Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) is enabled on the upstream switches, then subgroups are automatically created using information gathered from the CDP packets. If not, you must manually create subgroups.

Static Pinning

Static pinning allows you to pin the virtual ports behind a VEM to a particular subgroup within the channel. Instead of allowing round robin dynamic assignment between the subgroups, you can assign (or pin) a static vEthernet interface, control VLAN, or packet VLAN to a specific port channel subgroup. With static pinning, traffic is forwarded only through the member ports in the specified subgroup.

You can also pin vEthernet interfaces to subgroups in interface configuration mode.

MAC Pinning

If you are connecting to multiple upstream switches that do not support port channels, then MAC pinning is the preferred configuration. MAC pinning divides the uplinks from your server into standalone links and pins the MAC addresses to those links in a round-robin method. This ensures that the MAC address of a virtual machine is never seen on multiple upstream switch interfaces. Therefore no upstream configuration is required to connect the VEM to upstream switches.

MAC pinning does not rely on any protocol to distinguish upstream switches so the configuration is independent of upstream hardware or design.

In case of a failure, the Cisco Nexus 1000V first sends a gratuitous ARP packet to the upstream switch indicating that the VEM MAC address will now be learned on a different link. It also allows for sub-second failover time.

The following figure shows each member port that is assigned to a specific port channel subgroup using MAC pinning.

Figure 3. Using MAC Pinning to Connect a Port Channel to Multiple Upstream Switches

MAC Pinning Relative

This feature modifies the existing algorithm for MAC pinning where the port-channel uses the port number (vmnic number) as the subgroup ID for an Ethernet member port.

The new algorithm assigns zero-based logical subgroup IDs to Ethernet member ports. The member port that has the lowest port number (vmnic number) is assigned subgroup ID 0.

The following figure shows each member port that is assigned to a specific port channel subgroup using MAC pinning relative.

Figure 4. Using MAC Pinning Relative to Connect a Port Channel to Multiple Upstream Switches

Network State Tracking for vPC-HM

Network state tracking for vPC-HM identifies link failures where other detection methods fail, and verifies Layer 2 connectivity between vPC-HM channel subgroups. It is not intended to detect network configuration problems.

Network state tracking selects one uplink interface in each sub group for broadcasting packets to a tracking VLAN. The tracking VLAN is usually the lowest forwarding VLAN for trunk ports and the primary VLAN for promiscuous access ports. The packets that are received back from the network on each subgroup are tracked as are the number of consecutively missed broadcasts. If the missed broadcasts for a sub group exceed the threshold, the port channel is considered to be in split mode. In split mode, the interfaces are marked as inactive, and traffic is pinned to active interfaces.

System messages indicate when a port channel enters or recovers from split mode; and interfaces are marked active or inactive.

High Availability

Port channels provide high availability by load balancing traffic across multiple ports. If a physical port fails, the port channel is still operational if there is an active member in the port channel.

Port channels support stateful and stateless restarts. A stateful restart occurs on a supervisor switchover. After the switchover, the Cisco Nexus 1000V applies the runtime configuration after the switchover.

Prerequisites for Port Channels

Port channeling has the following prerequisites:

• You are logged into the Cisco Nexus 1000V in EXEC mode.
• All ports for a single port channel must meet the compatibility requirements. See Compatibility Checks for more information about the compatibility requirements.
• You can use virtual vPC-HM to configure a port channel even when the physical ports are connected to two different switches.

Guidelines and Limitations

Port channeling has the following guidelines and restrictions:

• All ports in the port channel must be in the same Cisco Nexus 1000V module; you cannot configure port channels across Cisco Nexus 1000V modules.
• Port channels can be formed with multiple upstream links only when they satisfy the compatibility requirements and under the following conditions:
  • The uplinks from the host are going to the same upstream switch.
  • The uplinks from the host going to multiple upstream switches are configured with vPC-HM.
• You can configure multiple port channels on a device.
• After you configure a port channel, the configuration that you apply to the port channel interface affects the port channel member ports. The configuration that you apply to the member ports affects only the member port where you apply the configuration.
• You must remove the port security information from a port before you can add that port to a port channel. You cannot apply the port security configuration to a port that is a member of a channel group.
• You can configure ports that belong to a port channel group as PVLAN ports.
• Any configuration changes that you apply to the port channel is applied to every member interface of that port channel.
• Channel member ports cannot be source or destination SPAN ports.
• To support LACP when inband/AIPC are also carried over the link, you must configure the following commands on the ports connected to the ESX host:
  • spanning-tree portfast trunk
  • spanning-tree bpdufilter enable

  Note	If you have a separate dedicated NIC for control traffic, these settings are not required.

• There should be at least two links that connect two switches when inband/AIPC are also carried over the LACP channel.
• If you configure LACP and your upstream switch uses the LACP suspend feature, make sure this feature is disabled. For more information, see the documentation for your upstream switch.
• If you are connecting to an upstream switch or switches that do not support port channels, MAC pinning is the preferred configuration. MAC pinning divides the uplinks from your server into standalone links and pins the MAC addresses to those links in a round-robin method. The drawback is that you cannot leverage the load sharing performance that LACP provides.
• Once a port profile is created, you cannot change its type (Ethernet or vEthernet).
• The server administrator should not assign more than one uplink on the same VLAN without port channels. It is not supported to assign more than one uplink on the same host to a profile without port channels or port profiles that share one or more VLANs.

  Caution

  Disruption of connectivity might result if you configure vPC-HM on the Cisco Nexus 1000V when vPC is also configured on the ports of upstream switches that connect to its VEMs.

• You must have already configured the Cisco Nexus 1000Vsoftware using the setup routine. For information, see the Cisco Nexus 1000V Installation and Upgrade Guide.
• The Cisco Nexus 1000V must be connected to the SCVMM.
• You are logged in to the CLI in EXEC mode.
• When you create a port channel, an associated channel group is automatically created.
• If Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) support is required for the port channel, you must enable the LACP feature before you can configure it.
• Network State Tracking is only supported with HP Virtual Connect where one physical link from the Flex-10 fabric appears as four Flex-10 NICs (physical NICs) to the VMkernel.

Default Settings

Table 3 Default Settings for Port Channels

Parameters	Default
Port profile type	vEthernet
Port profile administrative state	All ports are disabled.
Port channel	Admin up
LACP	Disabled Note    If upgrading to Release 4.2(1)SV1(5.2) from a previous release, LACP offload is disabled by default.
Load balancing method for Layer 2 interfaces	Source and destination MAC address
Load balancing per module	Disabled
Channel mode	on
LACP offload (Offloading LACP management to VEMs)	Enabled Note    If upgrading to Release 4.2(1)SV1(5.2) from a previous release, LACP offload is disabled by default.
Network State Tracking: Broadcast interval	5 seconds
Network State Tracking: Split-network mode action	repin
Network State Tracking: Maximum threshold miss count	5 seconds
Network State Tracking: State	Disabled

Configuring Port Channels

Creating a Port Profile for a Port Channel

You can define a port channel in a port profile and, if needed, to configure and pin interface or VLAN subgroups.

Procedure

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Step 1	Connect to a single upstream switch. See Connecting to a Single Upstream Switch.
Step 2	Connect to multiple upstream switches. SeeConnecting to Multiple Upstream Switches.
Step 3	Manually configure interface subgroups. See Manually Configuring Interface Subgroups.
Step 4	Pin a vEthernet interface to a subgroup. See Pinning a vEthernet Interface to a Subgroup.
Step 5	Pin a control or packet VLAN to a subgroup. See Pinning a Control or Packet VLAN to a Subgroup.

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Connecting to a Single Upstream Switch

You can configure a port channel whose ports are connected to the same upstream switch. If the ports are connected to multiple upstream switches, see Connecting to Multiple Upstream Switches

.

Before You Begin

The channel group number assignment is made automatically when the port profile is assigned to the first interface.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# port-profile [ type {ethernet | vethernet}] name	Enters port profile configuration mode for the named port profile. name—Specifies the port profile name, which can be up to 80 characters and must be unique for each port profile on the Cisco Nexus 1000V. type—Specifies the port profile as an Ethernet or vEthernet type. Once configured, this setting cannot be changed. The default is the vEthernet type. For configuring port channels, specify the port profile as an Ethernet type. Defining a port profile as an Ethernet type allows the port profile to be used for physical (Ethernet) ports. In the vCenter Server, the corresponding port group can be selected and assigned to physical ports (PNICs). Note    If a port profile is configured as an Ethernet type, it cannot be used to configure VMware virtual ports.
Step 3	switch(config-port-prof)# channel-group auto [mode {on | active | passive}] [ mac-pinning [relative]]	Defines a port channel group in which a unique port channel is created and automatically assigned when the port profile is assigned to the first interface. Each additional interface that belongs to the same module is added to the same port channel. In VMware environments, a different port channel is created for each module. mode—Sets the port channel mode to on, active, or passive (active and passive use LACP). mac-pinning—Designates that one subgroup per Ethernet member port must be automatically assigned if the upstream switch does not support port channels. relative—Specifies that the subgroup numbering begins at zero and continues numbering the subgroups consecutively.
Step 4	switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile [brief | expand-interface | usage] [name profile-name]	(Optional) Displays the configuration for verification.
Step 5	switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config	(Optional) Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration.

This example shows how to configure a port channel that connects to one upstream switch:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# port-profile AccessProf
switch(config-port-prof)# channel-group auto mode on
switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile name AccessProf
port-profile AccessProf
  description: allaccess4
  status: disabled
capability l3control: no
  pinning control-vlan: -
  pinning packet-vlan: -
  system vlans: none
  port-group:
  max ports: 32
  inherit:
  config attributes:
    channel-group auto mode on
  evaluated config attributes:
    channel-group auto mode on
  assigned interfaces:
switch(config-port-prof)# 

Connecting to Multiple Upstream Switches

You can create a port channel that connects to multiple upstream switches.

Before You Begin

• Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.
• If the ports are connected to a single upstream switch, see Connecting to a Single Upstream Switch.
• Configure an uplink port profile to be used by the physical NICs in the VEM in virtual port channel-host mode (vPC-HM) when the ports connect to multiple upstream switches.
• If you are connecting to multiple upstream switches that do not support port channels, then MAC pinning is the preferred configuration. You can configure MAC pinning using this procedure.
• The channel group mode must be set to on (active and passive modes use LACP).
• You must know whether CDP is configured in the upstream switches.
  • If configured, CDP packets from the upstream switch are used to automatically create a subgroup for each upstream switch to manage its traffic separately.
  • If not configured, after completing this procedure, you must manually configure subgroups to manage the traffic flow on the separate switches. See Manually Configuring Interface Subgroups.

Caution

Connectivity may be disrupted for up to 60 seconds if the CDP timer is set to 60 seconds (the default).

Caution

The VMs behind the Cisco Nexus 1000V receive duplicate packets from the network for unknown unicasts, multicast floods, and broadcasts if vPC-HM is not configured when port channels connect to two different upstream switches.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# port-profile [type {ethernet | vethernet}] name	Enters port profile configuration mode for the named port profile. name—Specifies the port profile name, which can be up to 80 characters and must be unique for each port profile on the Cisco Nexus 1000V. type—Specifies the port profile as an Ethernet or vEthernet type. Once configured, this setting cannot be changed. The default is the vEthernet type. For configuring port channels, specify the port profile as an Ethernet type. Defining a port profile as an Ethernet type allows the port profile to be used for physical (Ethernet) ports. In the vCenter Server, the corresponding port group can be selected and assigned to physical ports (PNICs). Note    If a port profile is configured as an Ethernet type, it cannot be used to configure VMware virtual ports.
Step 3	switch(config-port-prof)# channel-group auto mode on [sub-group {cdp | manual }] [mac-pinning [ relative]]	Creates a unique asymmetric port channel (also known as vPC-HM) and automatically assigns it when the port profile is assigned to the first interface. Each additional interface that belongs to the same module is added to the same port channel. In VMware environments, a different port channel is created for each module. The following options are also defined: mode—Sets the port channel mode to on (active and passive use LACP) sub-group—Identifies this channel group as asymmetric, or connected to more than one switch. cdp—Specifies that CDP information is used to automatically create subgroups for managing the traffic flow. manual: Specifies that subgroups are configured manually. This option is used if CDP is not configured on the upstream switches. To configure subgroups, see Manually Configuring Interface Subgroups. mac-pinning—Specifies that Ethernet member ports are assigned to subgroups automatically, one subgroup per member port. This option is used if the upstream switch does not support port channels. relative—The subgroup numbering begins at zero and continues numbering the subgroups consecutively.
Step 4	switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile [ brief | expand-interface | usage] [name profile-name]	(Optional) Displays the configuration for verification.
Step 5	switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config	(Optional) Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration.

This example shows how to create a port channel that connects to multiple upstream switches that support CDP:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# port-profile UpLinkProfile2
switch(config-port-prof)# channel-group auto mode on sub-group cdp
switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile name UpLinkProfile2
port-profile UpLinkProfile2
  description:
  type: ethernet
  status: disabled
  capability l3control: no
  pinning control-vlan: -
  pinning packet-vlan: -
  system vlans: none
  port-group:
  max ports: 32
  inherit:
  config attributes:
    channel-group auto mode on sub-group cdp
  evaluated config attributes:
    channel-group auto mode on sub-group cdp
  assigned interfaces:
switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config

This example shows how to create a port channel that connects to multiple upstream switches that do not support CDP:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# port-profile UpLinkProfile3
switch(config-port-prof)# exit
switch(config)# interface ethernet3/2-3
switch(config-if)# sub-group-id 0
switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile name
switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile name UplinkProfile3
port-profile UplinkProfile3
  description:
  type: ethernet
  status: enabled
  capability l3control: no
  pinning control-vlan: -
  pinning packet-vlan: -
  system vlans: none
  port-group: UplinkProfile3
  max ports: -
  inherit:
  config attributes:
    channel-group auto mode on sub-group manual
  evaluated config attributes:
    channel-group auto mode on sub-group manual
  assigned interfaces:
switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config

This example shows how to create a port channel that connects to multiple upstream switches that do not support port channels:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# port-profile UpLinkProfile1
switch(config-port-prof)# channel-group auto mode on mac-pinning
switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile name UpLinkProfile1
port-profile UpLinkProfile1
  description:
  type: ethernet
  status: disabled
  capability l3control: no
  pinning control-vlan: -
  pinning packet-vlan: -
  system vlans: none
  port-group:
  max ports: 32
  inherit:
  config attributes:
    channel-group auto mode on mac-pinning
  evaluated config attributes:
    channel-group auto mode on mac-pinning
  assigned interfaces:
switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config

Manually Configuring Interface Subgroups

You can manually configure port channel subgroups to manage the traffic flow on multiple upstream switches. This action is required for a port channel that connects to multiple upstream switches where CDP is not configured.

Before You Begin

• Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.
• Configure the port profile for the port channel using the procedure in Connecting to Multiple Upstream Switches.
• Know the interface range and the subgroup IDs (0-31) for traffic to the upstream switches.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# interface ethernet range	Enters interface configuration mode for the specified interface range.
Step 3	switch(config-if)# sub-group id number	Manually configures a subgroup to manage traffic for the upstream switch. Allowable subgroup numbers are from 0 to 31.
Step 4	Repeat Step 2 and 3.	Perform this step for each port connected to an upstream switch where CDP is not configured.
Step 5	switch(config-if)# show interface ethernet range	(Optional) Displays the configuration for verification.
Step 6	switch(config-if)# copy running-config startup-config	(Optional) Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration.

This example shows how to manually configure port channel subgroups for a host in module 3 which has four physical ports. The upstream switches do not support CDP. Ethernet ports 3/2 and 3/3 connect to one upstream switch and the Ethernet ports 3/4 and 3/5 connect to another upstream switch.

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# int eth3/2
switch(config-if)# sub-group-id 0
switch(config-if)# int eth3/3
switch(config-if)# sub-group-id 0
switch(config-if)# int eth3/4
switch(config-if)# sub-group-id 1
switch(config-if)# int eth3/5
switch(config-if)# sub-group-id 1
switch(config-if)# copy running-config interface
. . .
interface Ethernet3/2
  inherit port-profile system-uplink-pvlan
  sub-group-id 0
interface Ethernet3/3
  inherit port-profile system-uplink-pvlan
  sub-group-id 0
interface Ethernet3/4
  inherit port-profile system-uplink-pvlan
  sub-group-id 1
interface Ethernet3/5
  inherit port-profile system-uplink-pvlan
  sub-group-id 1
switch(config-if)#

Pinning a vEthernet Interface to a Subgroup

You can pin a vEthernet interface to a specific port channel subgroup in the port profile configuration.

Note	You can also pin a subgroup to a vEthernet interface in the interface configuration. See Configuring Static Pinning for an Interface.

Before You Begin

• You are logged in to the CLI in EXEC mode.
• You know the subgroup ID (0 to 31) for the vEthernet interface.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# port-profile type vethernet name	Enters port profile configuration mode for the named port profile.
Step 3	switch(config-port-prof)# pinning id subgroup_id [ backup subgroup_id1...subgroup_id7 ]	For the named port profile, assigns (or pins) a vEthernet interface to a port channel subgroup (0–31) backup—To optionally specify an ordered list of backup subgroups for pinning to be used if the primary subgroup is not available.
Step 4	switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile [brief | expand-interface | usage] [name profile-name]	(Optional) Displays the configuration for verification.
Step 5	switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config	(Optional) Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration.

This example shows how to create a vEthernet port profile and pin it to port channel subgroup 3:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# port-profile type vethernet PortProfile1
switch(config-port-prof)# pinning id 3
switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile name PortProfile1
port-profile PortProfile1
  description:
  type: vethernet
  status: disabled
  capability l3control: no
  pinning control-vlan: -
  pinning packet-vlan: -
  system vlans: none
  port-group:
  max ports: 32
  inherit:
  config attributes:
    pinning id 3
  evaluated config attributes:
    pinning id 3
  assigned interfaces:
switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config

This example shows how to create a vEthernet port profile and pin it to port channel subgroup 3 and backup subgroups 4 and 6:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# port-profile type vethernet PortProfile1
switch(config-port-prof)# pinning id 3 backup 4 6
switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile name PortProfile1
port-profile PortProfile1
  description:
  type: vethernet
  status: disabled
  capability l3control: no
  pinning control-vlan: -
  pinning packet-vlan: -
  system vlans: none
  port-group:
  max ports: 32
  inherit:
  config attributes:
    pinning id 3 backup 4 6 
  evaluated config attributes:
    pinning id 3
  assigned interfaces:
switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config

Pinning a Control or Packet VLAN to a Subgroup

You can pin a control or packet VLAN to a specific subgroup.

Before You Begin

• Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.
• The existing port profile must be a system port profile.
• The port profile must be an Ethernet type.
• If you are pinning a control or packet VLAN, know that it must already be in the port profile.
• If you are pinning a control VLAN, know that the control VLAN must already be one of the system VLANs in the port profile.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# port-profile name	Enters port profile configuration mode for the named port profile.
Step 3	switch(config-port-prof)# pinning {control-vlan | packet-vlan} subgroup_id	Assigns (or pins) a control VLAN or packet VLAN to a port channel subgroup (0 to 31).
Step 4	switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile [brief | expand-interface | usage] [name profile-name]	(Optional) Displays the configuration for verification.
Step 5	switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config	(Optional) Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration.

This example shows how to configure static pinning on a control VLAN:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# port-profile SystemProfile1
switch(config-port-prof)# pinning control-vlan 3
switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile SystemProfile1
port-profile SystemProfile1
  description:
  type: ethernet
  status: disabled
  capability l3control: no
  pinning control-vlan: 3
  pinning packet-vlan: -
  system vlans: 1
  port-group: SystemProfile1
  max ports: -
  inherit:
  config attributes:
    switchport mode trunk
    switchport trunk allowed vlan 1-5
    no shutdown
  evaluated config attributes:
    switchport mode trunk
    switchport trunk allowed vlan 1-5
    no shutdown
  assigned interfaces:
switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config

This example shows how to configure static pinning on a packet VLAN:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# port-profile SystemProfile1
switch(config-port-prof)# pinning packet-vlan 0
switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile name SystemProfile1
port-profile SystemProfile1
  description:
  type: ethernet
  status: disabled
  capability l3control: no
  pinning control-vlan: -
  pinning packet-vlan: 0
  system vlans: 1
  port-group:
  max ports: -
  inherit:
  config attributes:
    switchport mode access
    switchport access vlan 1
    switchport trunk native vlan 1
    no shutdown
  evaluated config attributes:
    switchport mode access
    switchport access vlan 1
    switchport trunk native vlan 1
    no shutdown
assigned interfaces:
switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config

Migrating a Channel Group to a Port Profile

You can migrate a channel group to a port profile.

Before You Begin

Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.

Procedure

---

Step 1	Place the host in maintenance mode.
Step 2	Do one of the following: If distributed resource scheduling (DRS) is enabled, make sure to wait until the virtual machines are migrated to other host(s). Otherwise, manually migrate the virtual machines.
Step 3	When all the virtual machines are successfully migrated, from the Cisco Nexus 1000V CLI, create a new Ethernet type port profile for the uplink ports on this host. Enter one of the following commands: channel-group auto mode active | passive channel-group auto mode on mac-pinning Perform a CLI override on the existing port channels.
Step 4	Remove the port channel configuration from the uplink switches. Note    The new port channel has a new port channel ID.
Step 5	When all the port(s) are moved from the old port profile, use the following command from the Cisco Nexus 1000V CLI to delete the port channels with zero members:no interface port-channel id
Step 6	Bring the host out of maintenance mode.
Step 7	To save the running configuration persistently through reboots and restarts by copying it to the startup configuration, enter the following command: copy running-config startup-config
Step 8	Create the port channel type in the upstream switch. See Creating a Port Profile for a Port Channel.

---

Migrating Port Profile Types in a Port Profile

To move port profile types in a port profile, you tear down the existing port channel then recreate the port channel.

Before You Begin

Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.

Procedure

---

Step 1	Place the host in maintenance mode.
Step 2	Do one of the following: If distributed resource scheduling (DRS) is enabled, make sure to wait until the virtual machines are migrated to other host(s). Otherwise, manually migrate the virtual machines.
Step 3	When all the virtual machines are successfully migrated, from the Cisco Nexus 1000V CLI, create a new Ethernet type port profile for the uplink ports on this host. Enter one of the following commands: channel-group auto mode active | passive channel-group auto mode on mac-pinning Perform a CLI override on the existing port channels.
Step 4	Remove the port channel that you want to migrate in the upstream switch. See Removing a Port Channel Group from a Port Profile.
Step 5	Remove the port channel in the upstream switch.
Step 6	Manually configure subgroup IDs in the Cisco Nexus 1000V Ethernet interface. See Manually Configuring Interface Subgroups
Step 7	Change the port channel type in the Cisco Nexus 1000V port profile. See Migrating a Channel Group to a Port Profile
Step 8	Change the port channel type in the Cisco Nexus 1000V port profile. See Connecting to a Single Upstream Switch
Step 9	Bring the host out of maintenance mode.
Step 10	Migrate the virtual machines back to this host.
Step 11	To save the running configuration persistently through reboots and restarts by copying it to the startup configuration by entering the following command: copy running-config startup-config
Step 12	Create the port channel type that you want in the upstream switch. See Creating a Port Profile for a Port Channel.

---

Configuring Network State Tracking for vPC-HM

You can configure Network State Tracking to pinpoint link failures on port channels configured for vPC-HM.

Before You Begin

• Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.
• Once enabled, Network State Tracking is used on every VEM that is configured with a vPC-HM port profile.
• If you specify repinning (the default) and a split network is detected, know that Ethernet interfaces are inactivated, and the vEths are redistributed among all interfaces including the reactivated Ethernet interfaces. Restoration to the earlier pinned state is not guaranteed.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# track network-state enable	Enables Network State Tracking on all interfaces in vPC-HM port-channels.
Step 3	switch(config)# track network-state interval seconds	(Optional) Specifies the interval of time, from 1 to 10 seconds, between which tracking broadcasts are sent; and the interval for tracking packets. The default interval is 5 seconds between broadcasts.
Step 4	switch(config)# track network-state split action [repin | log-only]	(Optional) Specifies the action to be taken if a split network is detected. repin—Pins traffic to another uplink. (the default) no repin—Leaves vEthernet interfaces where they are
Step 5	switch(config)# track network-state threshold miss-count count	(Optional) Specifies the maximum number of broadcasts that can be missed successively (from 3 to 7) before a split network is declared. The default is 5 missed broadcasts.
Step 6	switch(config)# show network-state tracking config	(Optional) Displays the Network State Tracking configuration for verification.
Step 7	switch(config-if)# copy running-config startup-config	(Optional) Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration.

This example shows how to configure Network State Tracking with an 8 second interval between each sent broadcast, repinning traffic to another uplink if a split network is detected, and a maximum of 7 missed broadcasts before declaring a split network:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# track network-state enable
switch(config)# track network-state interval 8
switch(config)# track network-state split action repin
switch(config)# track network-state threshold miss-count 7
switch(config)# show network-state tracking config
Tracking mode        : enabled
Tracking Interval    : 8 sec
Miss count threshold : 7 pkts
Split-network action : repin
switch(config)#

Configuring Static Pinning for an Interface

You can configure static pinning on a vEthernet interface.

Note	You can also pin a subgroup to a vEthernet interface in the port profile configuration. See Pinning a vEthernet Interface to a Subgroup.

Before You Begin

Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# interface vethernet interface-number	Enters interface configuration mode for the specified interface (from 1 to 1048575).
Step 3	switch(config-if)# pinning id subgroup_id [ backup subgroup_id1...subgroup_id7 ]	Assigns (or pins) a vEthernet interface to a specific port channel subgroup (from 0 to 31). backup—To optionally specify an ordered list of backup subgroups for pinning to be used if the primary subgroup is not available.
Step 4	switch(config-if)# show running-config interface vethernet interface-number	(Optional) Displays the pinning configuration of the specified interface.
Step 5	switch(config-if)# module vem module_number execute vemcmd show pinning	(Optional) Displays the pinning configuration on the specified VEM.
Step 6	switch(config-if)# module vem module_number execute vemcmd show static pinning config	(Optional) Displays the VSM configured pinning subgroups.
Step 7	switch(config-if)# copy running-config startup-config	(Optional) Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration.

This example shows how to pin subgroup ID 0 to vEthernet interface 1:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# interface vethernet 1
switch(config-if)# pinning id 0
switch(config-if)# show running-config interface vethernet 1
version 4.0(4)SV1(2)

interface Vethernet3
  service-policy type qos input policy1
  pinning id 0

switch(config-if)# exit
switch(config)# exit
switch# module vem 3 execute vemcmd show pinning
  LTL    IfIndex  PC_LTL  VSM_SGID  VEM_SGID  Eff_SGID
   48   1b040000     304         0         0         0
switch#

The following example shows the output after configuring backup subgroups for pinning:

switch(config-if)# module vem 4 execute vemcmd show static pinning config
  LTL    IfIndex   VSM_SGID  Backup_SGID
   48   1c0000a0      0,          1,2
   50   1c000100      0,          1 

switch(config-if)# copy running-config startup-config

Removing a Port Channel Group from a Port Profile

You can remove a port channel group from a port profile.

Before You Begin

You are logged in to the CLI in EXEC mode.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# port-profile name	Specifies the port profile from which the port channel will be removed.
Step 3	switch(config-port-prof)# no channel-group auto	Removes the channel group configuration from all member interfaces in the specified port profile.
Step 4	switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile name	(Optional) Displays the configuration for verification.
Step 5	switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config	(Optional) Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration.

This example shows how to remove a port channel group from a port profile:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# port-profile testProf
switch(config-port-prof)# no channel-group auto
switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile testProf
switch(config-port-prof)# 

Shutting Down and Restarting a Port Channel Interface

You can shut down and restart a port channel interface.

Before You Begin

• Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.
• When you shut down a port channel interface, know that no traffic passes, and the interface is administratively down.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# interface port-channel channel-number	Enters interface configuration mode for the specified port channel interface.
Step 3	switch(config-if)# shutdown | no shutdown	The shutdownkeyword shuts down the interface. No traffic passes and the interface displays as administratively down. The default is no shutdown. Brings the interface back up. The interface displays as administratively up. If there are no operational problems, traffic passes. The default is no shutdown.
Step 4	switch(config-if)# show interface port-channel channel-number	(Optional) Displays interface information for the specified port channel.
Step 5	switch(config-if)# copy running-config startup-config	(Optional) Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration.

This following example shows how to bring up the interface for port channel 2:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# interface port-channel 2
switch(config-if)# no shutdown

Adding a Description to a Port Channel Interface

You can add a description to a port channel interface.

Before You Begin

Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# interface port-channel channel-number	Places you into interface configuration mode for the specified port channel interface. For the channel number, the range is from 1 to 4096. The port channel associated with this channel group is automatically created if the port channel does not already exist.
Step 3	switch(config-if)# description string	Adds a description to the port channel interface. For string, the description can be up to 80 alphanumeric characters. Note    You do not need to use quotations around descriptions that include spaces.
Step 4	switch(config-if)# show interface port-channel channel-number	(Optional) Displays interface information for the specified port channel.
Step 5	switch(config-if)# copy running-config startup-config	(Optional) Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration.

This example shows how to add a description to port channel 2:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# interface port-channel 2
switch(config-if)# description engineering

Configuring Port Channel Load Balancing

You can configure port channel load balancing.

Before You Begin

• Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.
• Configure port channel load balancing for the entire device or for a single module.
• Module-based load balancing takes precedence over device-based load balancing.
• The default load balancing method is the source MAC address.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# port-channel load-balance ethernet {dest-ip-port | dest-ip-port-vlan | destination-ip-vlan | destination-mac | destination-port | source-dest-ip-port | source-dest-ip-port-vlan | source-dest-ip-vlan | source-dest-mac | source-dest-port | source-ip-port | source-ip-port-vlan | source-ip-vlan | source-mac | source-port | source-virtual-port-id | vlan-only }	Configures the load balance method for the device or module. The range depends on the device. The default load balancing method uses the source MAC address.
Step 3	switch(config)# show interface port-channel load balance	(Optional) Displays the port channel load-balancing method.
Step 4	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.

This example shows how to configure the source IP load-balancing method for port channels on module 5:

switch# configure terminal 
switch# interface port channel 2
switch# port-channel load-balance ethernet source-ip module 5

Configuring the Speed and Duplex Settings for a Port Channel Interface

You can configure the speed and duplex settings for a port channel interface.

Before You Begin

• Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# interface port-channel channel-number	Specifies the port channel interface that you want to configure and enters the interface mode. Allowable channel numbers are from 1 to 4096.
Step 3	switch(config-if)# speed {10 | 100 | 1000 | auto}	Sets the speed for the port channel interface. The default is auto for autonegotiation.
Step 4	switch(config-if)# duplex {auto | full | half}	Sets the duplex mode for the port channel interface. The default is auto for autonegotiation.
Step 5	switch(config-if)# show interface port-channel channel-number	(Optional) Displays interface information for the specified port channel.
Step 6	switch(config-if)# copy running-config startup-config	(Optional) Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration.

This example shows how to set port channel 2 to 100 Mbps:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# interface port channel 2
switch(config-if)# speed 100

Restoring the Default Load-Balancing Method

You can restore the default load-balancing method.

Before You Begin

Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# no port-channel load-balance ethernet	Restores the default load-balancing method, which is the source MAC address.
Step 3	switch(config)# show interface port-channel load balance	(Optional) Displays the port channel load-balancing method.
Step 4	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.

This example shows how to restore the default load-balancing method:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# no port-channel load-balance ethernet
switch(config)# show port-channel load-balance

Configuring an LACP Port Channel

You can configure the following requirements for LACP:

• Enable LACP support for port channels.
• Configure the individual port channel links so that they are allowed to operate with LACP.
• Configure a system uplink port profile for LACP.

Before You Begin

• Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.
• The default port channel mode is on.
• Enable the LACP feature support before you configure LACP. This procedure has a step for enabling the LACP feature.
• When you configure port channels with no associated aggregation protocol, know that all interfaces on both sides of the link remain in the on channel mode.
• The LACP mode for individual links in an LACP port channel indicates that the link is allowed to operate with LACP.
• Define a native VLAN for the trunk port. Although it may not be used for data, the native VLAN is used for LACP negotiation. If you want traffic forwarded on the native VLAN of the trunk port, the native VLAN must be in the allowed VLAN list and system VLAN list.

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# feature lacp	Enables LACP support for port channels.
Step 3	switch(config-if)# port-profile [ type {ethernet | vethernet}] name	Enters port profile configuration mode for the named port profile. name—Specifies the port profile name, which can be up to 80 characters and must be unique for each port profile on the . type—(Optional) Specifies the port profile as an Ethernet or vEthernet type. Once configured, this setting cannot be changed. The default is the vEthernet type. For configuring port channels, specify the port profile as an Ethernet type. Defining a port profile as an Ethernet type allows the port profile to be used for physical (Ethernet) ports. In the vCenter Server, the corresponding port group can be selected and assigned to physical ports (PNICs). Note    If a port profile is configured as an Ethernet type, it cannot be used to configure VMware virtual ports.
Step 4	switch(config-port-prof)# vmware port-group [pg_name]	Designates the port profile as a VMware port group. The port profile is mapped to a VMware port group of the same name unless you specify a name here. When you connect the VSM to vCenter Server, the port group is distributed to the virtual switch on the vCenter Server.
Step 5	switch(config-port-prof)# switchport mode {access | private-vlan {host | promiscuous} | trunk}	Designates how the interfaces are to be used. Allowable port modes: access private-vlan host promiscuous trunk A trunk port transmits untagged packets for the native VLAN and transmits encapsulated, tagged packets for all other VLANs.
Step 6	switch(config-port-prof)# switchport trunk allowed vlan vlan-id-list	Designates the port profile as trunking and defines VLAN access to it as follows: allowed-vlans—Defines VLAN IDs that are allowed on the port. add—Lists VLAN IDs to add to the list of those allowed on the port. except—Lists VLAN IDs that are not allowed on the port. remove—Lists VLAN IDs whose access is to be removed from the port. all—Indicates that all VLAN IDs are allowed on the port, unless exceptions are also specified. none—Indicates that no VLAN IDs are allowed on the port. If you do not configure allowed VLANs, the default VLAN 1 is used as the allowed VLAN. If you want traffic forwarded on the native VLAN of the trunk port, the native VLAN must be in the allowed VLAN list.
Step 7	switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile name	(Optional) Displays the configuration for verification.
Step 8	switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config	(Optional) Saves the change persistently through reboots and restarts by copying the running configuration to the startup configuration.

This example shows how to remove a port channel group from a port profile:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# port-profile testProf
switch(config-port-prof)# no channel-group auto
switch(config-port-prof)# show port-profile testProf
switch(config-port-prof)# 

Configuring VEM Management of LACP

You can offload management of LACP from the VSM to the VEMs.

Before You Begin

• Log in to the CLI in EXEC mode.
• After offloading the management of LACP from the VSM to the VEM, you must preserve the running configuration in the startup configuration and reload the VSM before the offload takes effect. This procedure has steps for doing this.
• Offloading of LACP management to the VEMs is enabled by default on the VSM.

  Note	If you have upgraded from a previous release, offloading of LACP management to the VEMs is disabled by default. You can enable or disable the feature using the [no] lacp offload command

Procedure

	Command or Action	Purpose
Step 1	switch# configure terminal	Enters global configuration mode.
Step 2	switch(config)# lacp offload	(Optional) Offloads LACP management from the VSM to the VEMs. If enabling LACP offload, a message displays to let you know that a reload is required. Offload of LACP management to the VEMs is enabled by default. Note    If you upgraded from a previous release, offload of LACP management to the VEMs is disabled by default.
Step 3	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.
Step 4	switch(config)# show lacp offload status	(Optional) Displays the LACP offload status for verification. Note    The current status does not change to enabled until after a reload.
Step 5	switch(config)# reload	Reboots both the primary and secondary VSM.
Step 6	switch(config)# show lacp offload status	(Optional) Displays the LACP offload status for verification. Note    The current status does not change to enabled until after a reload.

This example shows how to offload management of LACP from the VSM to the VEMs:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# lacp offload
Please do a "copy running startup" to ensure the new setting takes effect on next reboot
LACP Offload Status can be verified using "show lacp offload status"
Change in LACP Offload Status takes effect only on the next VSM Reboot
This can potentially cause modules with LACP uplinks to flap

switch(config)# copy running-config startup-config
switch(config)# show lacp offload status
				Current Status        : Disabled
    Running Config Status : Enabled
    Saved Config Status   : Enabled
switch(config)# reload
This command will reboot the system. (y/n)?  [n] y
2010 Sep  3 11:33:35 n1000v %PLATFORM-2-PFM_SYSTEM_RESET: Manual system restart from Command Line Interface
n1000v(config)# show lacp offload status
Current Status        : Enabled
    Running Config Status : Enabled
    Saved Config Status   : Enabled
switch(config)#

Verifying the Port Channel Configuration

Use the following commands to verify the port channel configuration:

Command	Purpose
show feature	Displays the features available, and whether they are enabled.
show interface port-channel channel-number	Displays the status of a port channel interface.
show lacp port-channel [interface port-channel channel-number ]	Displays information about LACP port channels.
show lacp interface ethernet slot/port	Displays information about specific LACP interfaces.
show lacp offload status	Displays whether LACP management is offloaded to the VEMs. Enabled—LACP is managed by VEMs. Disabled—LACP is managed by the VSM.
show network-state tracking config	Displays the Network State Tracking configuration for verification.
show network-state tracking { module modID | interface channelID}	Displays the Network State Tracking status for a module or interface.
show port-channel compatibility-parameters	Displays the parameters that must be the same among the member ports in order to join a port channel.
show port-channel database [ interface port-channel channel-number ]	Displays the aggregation state for one or more port channel interfaces.
show port-channel load-balance	Displays the type of load balancing in use for port channels.
show port-channel summary	Displays a summary for the port channel interfaces.
show port-channel traffic	Displays the traffic statistics for port channels.
show port-channel usage	Displays the range of used and unused channel numbers.
show running-config interface ethernet port/slot	Displays information about the running configuration of the specified Ethernet interface.
show running-config interface port-channel channel-number	Displays information about the running configuration of the port channel.
show running-config interface vethernet interface-number	Displays information about the running configuration of the specified vEthernet interface.

Monitoring Port Channels

Use the following commands to monitor the port channel interface configuration:

Command	Purpose
clear counters interface port-channel channel-number	Clears the counters.
show interface counters [ module module ]	Displays input and output octets unicast packets, multicast packets, and broadcast packets.
show interface counters detailed [ all ]	Displays input packets, bytes, and multicast and output packets and bytes.
show interface counters errors [ module module ]	Displays information on the number of error packets.
show lacp counters [ interface port-channel channel-number ]	Displays information about LACP statistics.

Configuration Examples for Port Channels

Configuration Example: Create a Port Channel and Add Interfaces

This example shows how to create a port channel and add two Layer 2 interfaces to that port channel:

switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# interface port-channel 5
switch(config-if)# interface ethernet 1/4
switch(config-if)# switchport
switch(config-if)# channel-group 5 mode active
switch(config-if)# interface ethernet 1/7
switch(config-if)# switchport
switch(config-if)# channel-group 5 mode
switch(config-if)# 

Configuration Example: Create an LACP Port Channel

This example shows how to set the LACP-enabled interface to the active port channel mode for Ethernet interface 1/4 in channel group 5 and then configure an LACP port profile for the port channel:

switch# configure terminal 
switch(config)# feature lacp
switch(config)# interface ethernet 1/4
switch(config-if)# channel-group 5 mode active
switch(config-if)# port-profile type ethernet system-uplink
switch(config-port-prof)# vmware port-group lacp
switch(config-port-prof)# switchport mode trunk
switch(config-port-prof)# switchport trunk allowed vlan 1-100
switch(config-port-prof)# channel-group auto mode active
switch(config-port-prof)# system vlan 1,10,20
switch(config-port-prof)# state enabled
switch(config-port-prof)# show port-channel summary
switch(config-port-prof)# copy running-config startup-config

Configuration Example: Configuring Network State Tracking for vPC-HM

This example shows how to configure Network State Tracking with an 8-second interval between sent broadcasts, with a maximum of 7 missed broadcasts before declaring a split network, and how to repin traffic to another uplink if a split network is detected:

switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# track network-state enable
switch(config)# track network-state interval 8
switch(config)# track network-state split action repin
switch(config)# track network-state threshold miss-count 7
switch(config)# show network-state tracking config
Tracking mode        : enabled
Tracking Interval    : 8 sec
Miss count threshold : 7 pkts
Split-network action : repin
switch(config)#

Feature History for Port Channels

Feature Name	Releases	Feature Information
Backup subgroups	4.2(1)SV1(4a)	You can assign up to seven backup subgroups when pinning the primary subgroup.
Port channel relative numbering	4.2(1)SV1(4a)	The subgroup numbering begins at zero and is not tied to the vmnic number.
Port channel vPC-HM	4.2(1)SV1(4)	The interface sub-group cdp command is removed from the port channel vPC-HM configuration when connecting to multiple upstream switches.
Network State Tracking for vPC-HM port channels	4.2(1)SV1(4)	Pinpoints link failure on a port channel configured for vPC-HM.
VEM management of LACP	4.2(1)SV1(4)	Offloading management of LACP from the VSM to the VEMs.
Enabling the LACP port channel function	4.2(1)SV1(4)	The feature lacp command, is added to enable support of LACP port channels. Previously LACP was enabled automatically.
vPC-Host Mode	4.0(4)SV1(2)	Support for manual creation of subgroups.
Static Pinning	4.0(4)SV1(2)	Support for attaching (or pinning) a vEthernet interface to a specific port channel subgroup.
Port Channels	4.0(4)SV1(1)	This feature was introduced.