Reference Guide

Before You Start | 9
The Aggregator supports DCB only in standalone mode and not in the stacking mode.
FCoE Connectivity
Many data centers use Fibre Channel (FC) in storage area networks (SANs). Fibre Channel over
Ethernet (FCoE) encapsulates Fibre Channel frames over Ethernet networks.
On an Aggregator, the internal ports support FCoE connectivity and connect to the converged network
adapter (CNA) in blade servers. FCoE allows Fibre Channel to use 10-Gigabit Ethernet networks while
preserving the Fibre Channel protocol.
The Aggregator also provides zero-touch configuration for FCoE configuration. The Aggregator
auto-configures to match the FCoE settings used in the ToR switches to which it connects through its
uplink ports.
iSCSI Operation
Support for iSCSI traffic is turned on by default when the Aggregator powers up. No configuration is
required.
When the Aggregator powers up, it monitors known TCP ports for iSCSI storage devices on all
interfaces. When a session is detected, an entry is created and monitored as long as the session is
active.
The Aggregator also detects iSCSI storage devices on all interfaces and auto-configures to optimize
performance. Performance optimization operations, such as Jumbo frame size support, STP port-state
fast, and disabling of storm control on interfaces connected to an iSCSI storage device, are applied
automatically.
CLI configuration is necessary only when the configuration includes iSCSI storage devices that cannot
be automatically detected and when non-default QoS handling is required.
Link Aggregation
In Standalone, VLT, and Stacking modes, all uplink ports are configured in a single LAG (LAG 128).
There can be multiple uplink LAGs in programmable-mux mode. Server-facing ports are
auto-configured as part of link aggregation groups if the corresponding server is configured for
LACP-based NIC teaming. Static LAGs are supported in PUX mode.
Tip: The recommended LACP timeout is long-timeout mode.
Link Tracking
By default, all server-facing ports are tracked by the operational status of the uplink LAG. If the uplink
LAG goes down, the Aggregator loses its connectivity and is no longer operational; all server-facing
ports are brought down.
Tip: If installed servers do not have connectivity to a ToR switch, check the Link Status LED of uplink
ports on the Aggregator. If all LEDs are ON, check the LACP configuration on the ToR switch that is
connected to the Aggregator to ensure the LACP is correctly configured.