LAG management

You can create link aggregation groups (LAGs) from the Edge Links view. The system supports the creation of LAGs that include multiple ports on a single leaf node, and also multi-home LAGs (MH-LAGs) that include ports on multiple leaf nodes. For MH-LAGS, the ports should be located on leaf nodes within the same fabric.

Note: LAG configuration is not supported on the initial version of a fabric intent. To configure a LAG, you must first save and deploy Version 1.0 of the fabric intent, and then create a new version of the intent. You can configure LAGs for Version 2.0 and greater of a fabric intent.

Creating LAGs

You can create a collection of LAGs as a single action. The Fabric Services System allows you to create a pattern LAGs which you can then apply to one or more racks.
Note: LAG configuration is not supported on the initial version of a fabric intent. To configure a LAG, you must first save and deploy Version 1.0 of the fabric intent, and then create a new version of the intent. You can configure LAGs for Version 2.0 and greater of a fabric intent.
  1. Click the menu.
  2. Select Fabric Intents.
  3. Use the Region Selector at the top of the page to select the region that includes the fabric intent.
  4. To open a specific fabric intent from the list, do one of the following:
    • Double-click the row for that fabric intent.
    • Select a row, click the icon at the right edge of that row, and select Open from the displayed action list.
  5. Click the View drop-down list and select Edge-Links.
  6. Click + CREATE and select Single LAG to begin creating a LAG from the available interfaces.
  7. In the LAG Details view, define basic properties for the LAG:

    • Name

    • LAG Type: either LACP or Static.
    • MultiHoming: enable or disable the ability to include ports from different nodes in the same LAG.
    • If you enabled MultiHoming, select a LAG mode. This can be either All Active, Single Active, or Port Active:
      • All Active: the default selection, this option leaves all links participating in the LAG active.
      • Single Active: optionally enable Single Active to keep a single link in the LAG active while the other is in standby mode.
        Note: In Single active mode, the physical interfaces within the same LAG all remain operationally up. However each sub-interface associated with a network-instance has its operational state up or down based on whether it is selected to be the active or standby sub-interface.

        After you enable Single Active, the Preferred Active drop-down list displays. After you add edge link interfaces in the LAG as described in step 8, you can use this drop-down to select a participating link within the LAG to be active.

        Enable the Revertive option if you want traffic that has been switched to the standby link to return to the preferred active link after the fault is resolved.

      • Port Active: optionally enable Port Active to keep a single link active while the other is in standby mode. If Single Active is disabled, both links are active.
        Note: In Port Active mode, the active and standby function is handled at the interface level. Standby interfaces are operationally down and only forward traffic to the active interface.

        After you enable Port Active, the Preferred Active drop-down list displays. After you add edge link interfaces in the LAG as described in step 8, you can use this drop-down to select a participating link within the LAG to be active.

        Enable the Revertive option if you want traffic that has been switched to the standby link to return to the preferred active link after the fault is resolved.

    • Lag Speed

      Note: The system supports the configuration of LAG members with speeds of 10M, 100M, 1G, 10G, 25G, 40G, 50G, 100G, or 400G. Note that the 50G speed is supported only for IXR-D3 nodes.
      Note: The system does not validate that the ports you select as part of the LAG can support the speed you select here. If the configuration is invalid, the system notifies you (and informs you of the reason for failure) when you try to deploy the fabric intent.
    • Optionally configure Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) settings:
      • LACP Interval: choose either Fast or Slow LACP internal modes.
      • LACP Fallback: enable to LACP Fallback to allow one or more designated links of an LACP-controlled LAG to go into forwarding mode if LACP is not operational after a configured timeout period.

        When enabled, the additional fields below are available.

      • LACP Fallback Timeout: Specify a timeout value in seconds after which the forwarding mode will be triggered.
      • LACP Fallback Preferred Interface: Select one interface within the LAG to become active if LACP fallback is triggered.
        Note: You must add a set of edge links to this LAG before you can select one of them in this field.
  8. Add the edge link interfaces to constitute the LAG:
    1. Click + ADD EDGE LINK INTERFACES.
    2. Select any number of edge link interfaces by checking the box at the left edge of the downlink interface's row.
      Note: If you did not enable MultiHoming, all of the interfaces you select must be located on the same node.
    3. When you have selected the participating edge link interfaces, click ADD.
      The system returns you to the LAG Details overlay, and the downlink interfaces you selected are now displayed in the Edge Link Interfaces panel.
  9. Click SAVE.
    Note: You do not need to configure anything in the Local LAG IDs panel. That list updates automatically to show previously configured LAGs.
    The system returns you to the Edge Links view, and the LAG you created is now displayed in the list as an additional edge link.
  10. You can return to the Fabric Design view or open another view by making the corresponding selection from the View drop-down list.

Automatically creating LAGs

To facilitate the automatic creation of LAGs, you can create a set of abstracted LAG patterns. Each LAG pattern represents a set of interfaces across the nodes in one rack that constitute a single LAG. You can then apply those patterns to, and create corresponding LAGs on, any number of racks.

  • Each LAG pattern represents a set of interfaces participating in one LAG.

  • Each LAG pattern can include up to eight interfaces on any node, and up to eight such nodes on a single rack.

  • As part of this operation, you can create any number of such LAG patterns.

  • You can then assign all of the LAG patterns you created to one or more selected racks. LAGs are created on each rack according to all of the LAG patterns you created during this operation.
Note: Multihoming is enabled by default for all LAGs you create using this procedure.
Note: Not all LAG options are supported during automatic LAG creation. To configure LAGs with LACP Fallback Timeout or LACP Fallback Preferred Interface settings, edit individual LAGs after creating these LAGs.
  1. Click the menu.
  2. Select Fabric Intents.
  3. Use the Region Selector at the top of the page to select the region that includes the fabric intent.
  4. To open a specific fabric intent from the list, do one of the following:
    • Double-click the row for that fabric intent.
    • Select a row, click the icon at the right edge of that row, and select Open from the displayed action list.
  5. Click the View drop-down list and select Edge-Links.
  6. Click + CREATE and select LAG Pattern to begin creating a set of LAGs.
  7. In the Basic Properties section of the LAG Details window, enter a LAG Name Prefix.
  8. In the LAG Definition section, define basic properties for the LAG:
    • LAG Type: either LACP or Static.
    • LAG Mode: either All Active, Single Active, or Port Active.

    • Lag Speed

      Note: The system does not validate that the ports you select as part of the LAG can support the speed you select here. If the configuration is invalid, the system notifies you (and informs you of the reason for failure) when you try to deploy the fabric intent.
    • LACP Interval: choose either Fast or Slow LACP internal modes.
  9. In the LAG Patterns area:
    1. Click +ADD.
      The LAG Pattern window displays, showing eight columns (one for each node in a rack, from 1 to 8) and eight rows (allowing you to identify up to eight interfaces for each node). These are the interfaces that will participate in a single LAG defined by this pattern).
    2. In the first column of the LAG Pattern window, enter the names of up to eight interfaces on the first node that will participate in the LAG. Enter one interface per row. For example: ethernet 1/8.
    3. Repeat sub-step b for each of the remaining columns. Each column corresponds to an additional node in the same rack.
    4. When you have finished identifying all of the participating interfaces for this LAG, click ADD.
  10. Repeat step 9 as necessary to create additional LAG patterns. Each pattern represents one additional LAG on the same, abstracted eight-node rack.
  11. In the Pattern Assignment area, select any number of racks to which to assign the patterns you created.
    Note: All of the LAG patterns you created will be assigned to all of the racks you select here. You cannot choose to apply only some of the patterns, or assign a different set of patterns to each rack.
  12. Click CREATE.
    The system returns you to the Edge Links view, and the LAGs you created now display in the list as an additional edge link.