This is part 2 of “Configuring LACP on VMware ESXi”, If you did not yet read part 1, we highly suggest doing so.
In the previous post, we made a step by step approach on how to configure the LAG on VMware vCenter. In this blog, we will be continue our configuration on the physical switch and show validation and troubleshooting tools.
Configuring LACP on a physical switch
In our lab we are currently using an Avaya ERS 5520-48T. All commands we are using in this blog, could be different depending on the vendor and model of your switch. Please consult your model specific documentation for the corresponding commands that we used.
The steps we need to perform:
- Assigning the port members to the LAG (LAG id: 2)
- Set the LACPDUs timeout timer to slow (This is the default keep alive value)
- Change the LACP mode to active (Enables LACP unconditionally)
- Enable LACP on the port members
! ! *** LACP *** ! interface fastEthernet ALL lacp key port 13-14 2 lacp timeout-time port 13-14 long lacp mode port 13-14 active lacp aggregation port 13-14 enable
Validating LACP on the ESXi
- Request LACP configuration of the DVS
esxcli network vswitch dvs vmware lacp config get DVS Name LAG Name LAG ID NICs Enabled Mode Load balance -------- -------- ---------- --------------------------- ------- ------ -------------------------- DSwitch LACP2 2941898462 vmnic0,vmnic1,vmnic2,vmnic3 true Active Src and dst ip, port, vlan
- Request LACP status of the DVS
esxcli network vswitch dvs vmware lacp status get DSwitch DVSwitch: DSwitch Flags: S - Device is sending Slow LACPDUs, F - Device is sending fast LACPDUs, A - Device is in active mode, P - Device is in passive mode LAGID: -1353068834 Mode: Active Nic List: Local Information: Admin Key: 9 Flags: SA Oper Key: 9 Port Number: 32768 Port Priority: 255 Port State: ACT,AGG,SYN,COL,DIST, Nic: vmnic0 Partner Information: Age: 00:00:28 Device ID: 00:18:b0:2e:34:00 Flags: SA Oper Key: 12292 Port Number: 18 Port Priority: 32768 Port State: ACT,AGG,SYN,COL,DIST, State: Bundled Local Information: Admin Key: 9 Flags: SA Oper Key: 9 Port Number: 32769 Port Priority: 255 Port State: ACT,AGG,SYN,COL,DIST, Nic: vmnic1 Partner Information: Age: 00:00:28 Device ID: 00:18:b0:2e:34:00 Flags: SA Oper Key: 12292 Port Number: 17 Port Priority: 32768 Port State: ACT,AGG,SYN,COL,DIST, State: Bundled
Flag status:
- S – Device is sending Slow LACPDUs
- F – Device is sending fast LACPDUs
- A – Device is in active mode
- P – Device is in passive mode
If the State is bundled it means that LACP is successfully configured and established.
- Request LACPDU Statistics
esxcli network vswitch dvs vmware lacp stats get DVSwitch LAGID NIC Rx Errors Rx LACPDUs Tx Errors Tx LACPDUs -------- ---------- ------ --------- ---------- --------- ---------- DSwitch 2941898462 vmnic0 0 17663 0 17645 DSwitch 2941898462 vmnic1 0 17663 0 17645
Validating LACP on the Switch
- Display LACP configuration info for ports 13 & 14
show lacp port 13-14 Admin Oper Trunk Partner Port Priority Lacp A/I Timeout Key Key AggId Id Port Status ---- -------- ------- --- ------- ----- ----- ----- ----- ------- ------- 13 32768 Active A Long 4 12292 8216 24 32769 Active 14 32768 Active A Long 4 12292 8216 24 32768 Active
- Display detailed information for LACP bundle with ID 8216
show lacp aggr 8216 Aggr ID: 8216 Trunk: 24 Status : Enabled Type : LA Actor Lag ID : 8000-0018B02E3400-3009 Partner Lag ID : FFFF-D4AE52CA1C97-0009 Members : 13-14 Standby Members: NONE
In a nutshell, we started with the configuration of a LAG on the VMware vCenter Server, attached physical NICs from a host to the LAG and configured the physical switch to negotiate LACP. To finish off, we explained some interesting commands to validate LACP on both ends.
Sources:
Source: https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1001938
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_aggregation
Source: https://kb.vmware.com/articleview?docid=1004048