Users Guide

NOTE: You cannot select the ports, and the connection topology is enforced by SmartFabric Services.
NOTE: VLT is supported only on Ethernet and not on FCoE. Physically separate uplinks for LAN and FCoE traffic are
required for MX5108n and MX9116n switches.
Upstream network switch requirements
It is recommended, but not required, that PowerEdge MX switches are connected to a pair of redundant upstream switches.
When you are connecting a pair of switches in Fabric mode to an upstream switch pair, ensure that:
1. Both upstream switches must be connected to each other using technologies such as VLT or VPC.
2. The upstream switch ports must be in a port channel using LACP.
NOTE: The LACP option is supported on Ethernet uplinks only.
3. A compatible Spanning Tree Protocol is configured. For more information, see the section, Spanning Tree Protocol.
Spanning Tree Protocol
OpenManage Modular v1.20.00 and OS10 versions later than 10.5.0.5 include a new Ethernet uplink type that does not require
STP. The No STP Ethernet uplink is now the recommended uplink type for all SmartFabric installations. See the PowerEdge MX
SmartFabric Configuration and Troubleshooting Guide for upstream switch configuration instructions.
The legacy Ethernet uplink type that does require STP is still supported. If you are creating a legacy Ethernet uplink, ensure that
the correct STP type is selected.
OS10 defaults to RPVST+ as the Spanning Tree protocol. To change STP modes, use the spanning-tree mode command. Use
the spanning-tree mode command to change STP modes. For steps, see the OS10 Enterprise Edition User Guide.
NOTE:
If the upstream network is running RSTP, change from RPVST+ to RSTP before physically connecting the switches
to the upstream network. Failure to do so may cause a network outage.
For more information about SmartFabric uplinks, see the PowerEdge MX SmartFabric Configuration and Troubleshooting Guide.
NIC teaming restrictions
NIC teaming is suggested for redundancy unless a particular implementation recommends against it. There are two main kinds of
NIC teaming:
1. Switch Dependent—Also referred to as 802.3ad or Dynamic Link Aggregation. The switch-dependent teaming method uses
the LACP protocol to understand the teaming topology. This teaming method provides Active-Active teaming and requires
the switch to support LACP teaming.
2. Switch Independent—This method uses the operating system and NIC device drivers on the server to team the NICs. Each
NIC vendor may provide slightly different implementations with different pros and cons.
NIC Partitioning (NPAR) can impact how NIC teaming operates. Based on restrictions that are implemented by NIC vendors that
are related to NIC partitioning, certain configurations preclude certain types of teaming.
The following restrictions are applicable to both Full Switch and SmartFabric modes:
SmartFabric Services
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