Specifications

240 Implementing IBM System Networking 10Gb Ethernet Switches
6.1 Purpose of this implementation
This implementation shows how a mixed environment of both stand-alone and embedded
switches provide end-to-end communication in a data center, for servers that run different
operating systems and IP protocol versions (IPv4 and IPv6).
At the conclusion of this implementation, the Linux host installed in the BladeCenter H
chassis is able to communicate with the Windows host connected to the G8124 switches of a
Top-of-Rack implementation.
If you have the same (or equivalent) equipment that is used in the reference architecture, you
should be able to replicate the described configuration by following the steps presented in this
chapter, and arrive at the same result.
For Virtual Fabric 10Gb Switch Module operating in stand-alone mode, the topics described
in Chapter 5, “IBM System Networking RackSwitch implementation” on page 155 apply
as well.
To have a feature-rich implementation and configuration diversity, the VFSMs use a stacking
topology and integrate with the stand-alone equipment by using common features, such as
VLANs, trunking, Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), and basic IP routing.
Although stacking VFSMs adds many restrictions in terms of the remaining available software
features, it adds value to the reference architecture by presenting configuration aspects that
are not covered in the RackSwitch implementation.
When implementing stacking, many advanced IP features, such as OSPF, BGP, VRRP, IPv6,
and others, become unavailable. For stacking limitations, see 6.2, “Stacking” on page 240.
For that reason, Virtual Fabric 10Gb Switch Modules are implemented as access switches
and their configuration focus mainly on stacking and Layer 2 features, with no Layer 3
functions (performed at the aggregation layer).
The topics described in this chapter are:
򐂰 Stacking implementation: Overview, requirements, limitations, configuration, operation,
and redundancy
򐂰 Layer 1 implementation: Ports connection, configuration, and verification
򐂰 Layer 2 implementation: VLANs, tagging, trunking, STP, and QoS
򐂰 High availability: Stacking, Layer 2 Failover, trunking, Hot Links, and VRRP at the
aggregation layer
6.2 Stacking
If you decide to use stacking with Virtual Fabric 10Gb Switch Modules, then you must first
perform stack initialization and configuration.
Note: Do not configure anything on the switch before the stack is set up. Enabling and
configuring stacking forces the modules to reboot with the factory default configuration.
Ports are renumbered and the stand-alone configuration is no longer valid. Make sure you
back up your stand-alone configuration before proceeding to stack initialization.