Remote leaf switch failover provides pod redundancy in a Multi-Pod deployment. When a remote leaf switch loses connectivity to the spine switch in its associated pod, the switch can move to another pod to maintain connectivity. Remote leaf deployments also require supported fabric spine switches, remote leaf switch models, and software images.
Remote leaf switch failover is a redundancy mechanism that enables a remote leaf switch to reassociate with another pod when connectivity to the spine switch in its original pod is lost.
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Maintains traffic flow for endpoints connected to remote leaf switches during a loss of spine connectivity.
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Supports reassociation with the parent pod through optional redundancy preemption.
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Requires an external route reflector to establish BGP relationships across pods.
Remote leaf switch failover configuration and behavior
Beginning with Cisco APIC Release 4.2(2), remote leaf switches support pod redundancy. In a Multi-Pod deployment, a remote leaf switch that loses connectivity to the spine switch in its associated pod moves to another pod. Each remote leaf switch is associated, or pinned, to a pod, and the configuration determines the spine proxy path. When communication with the spine switch fails, the COOP sessions move to a pod on another spine switch.
Use an external route reflector and ensure that the remote leaf switches in the pod have BGP relationships with the other pods.
Moving a remote leaf switch from one pod to another can disrupt traffic for several seconds.
Supported fabric spine switches
The following spine switches are supported in the Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) main data center for connections to the WAN router:
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Fixed Cisco Nexus 9000 Series spine switches:
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N9K-C9332C
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N9K-C9364C
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All GX and GX2 switches
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For modular spine switches, only Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches with model names that end in -EX or identify a later generation are supported. For example, the N9K-X9732C-EX switch is supported.
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Older-generation spine switches, such as the fixed N9K-C9336PQ switch and modular spine switches that use the N9K-X9736PQ line card, are supported within the main data center. However, only next-generation spine switches are supported for connections to the WAN.
Supported remote leaf switches
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Only Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches with model names that end in -EX or identify a later generation are supported as remote leaf switches. For example, the N9K-C93180LC-EX switch is supported.
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Before discovery, each remote leaf switch must run switch image 13.1.x or later (aci-n9000-dk9.13.1.x.x.bin). You might need to manually upgrade the leaf switches to meet this requirement.