Users Guide

44 Dell EMC PowerEdge MX SmartFabric Configuration Guide with Cisco ACI
4.3.2 LLDP setting for SmartFabric
Cisco ACI uses Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) to discover and build the network topology that
includes the Distributed Virtual Switch (DVS) hosted in the hypervisor. To enable this functionality, click the
checkbox next to Include Fabric Management Address in LLDP Messages on the Create Fabric screen,
as shown in Figure 37, during deployment.
Note: Without the Include Fabric Management Address in LLDP Messages feature enabled, the ACI fabric
will not be able to discover the complete network topology.
Enabling LLDP in SmartFabric
After creating the SmartFabric in section 4.3.3 and creating the uplink in section 4.3.4, the VMs display in the
APIC under the Tenants tab after configuring vCenter. Select the Tenant and click Networking to view the
network topology.
Note: If VMs are not present in APIC after creating the SmartFabric with this feature enabled, bring down the
MX9116n downlink ports going to the VMs and then bring them back up.
4.3.3 Create the SmartFabric
To create a SmartFabric using the OME-M console, perform the following steps in Section 4.3 - Create the
SmartFabric of the Dell EMC PowerEdge MX SmartFabric Configuration and Troubleshooting Guide.
The SmartFabric deployment takes several minutes to complete. During this time, the related IOMs reload,
the operating mode of the IOMs change to SmartFabric, and the SmartFabric is created.