Reference Guide

• Internet small computer system interface (iSCSI)optimization.
• Internet group management protocol (IGMP) snooping.
• Jumbo frames: Ports are set to a maximum MTU of 12,000 bytes by default.
• Link tracking: Uplink-state group 1 is automatically configured. In uplink state-group 1, server-facing
ports auto-configure as downstream interfaces; the uplink port-channel (LAG 128) auto-configures as
an upstream interface. Server-facing links are auto-configured to be brought up only if the uplink
port-channel is up.
• In stacking mode, base module ports are automatically configured as stack ports.
• In VLT mode, port 9 is automatically configured as VLT interconnect ports.
Data Center Bridging Support
To eliminate packet loss and provision links with required bandwidth, Data Center Bridging (DCB)
enhancements for data center networks are supported.
The aggregator provides zero-touch configuration for DCB. The aggregator auto-configures DCBX port
roles as follows:
• Server-facing ports are configured as auto-downstream interfaces.
• Uplink ports are configured as auto-upstream interfaces.
In operation, DCBx auto-configures uplink ports to match the DCB configuration in the ToR switches to
which they connect.
The Aggregator supports DCB only in standalone mode.
FCoE Connectivity and FIP Snooping
Many data centers use Fiber Channel (FC) in storage area networks (SANs). Fiber Channel over Ethernet
(FCoE) encapsulates Fiber Channel frames over Ethernet networks.
On an Aggregator, the internal ports support FCoE connectivity and connects to the converged network
adapter (CNA) in servers. FCoE allows Fiber Channel to use 10-Gigabit Ethernet networks while
preserving the Fiber Channel protocol.
The Aggregator also provides zero-touch configuration for FCoE connectivity. The Aggregator auto-
configures to match the FCoE settings used in the switches to which it connects through its uplink ports.
FIP snooping is automatically configured on an Aggregator. The auto-configured port channel (LAG 128)
operates in FCF port mode.
iSCSI Operation
Support for iSCSI traffic is turned on by default when the aggregator powers up. No configuration is
required.
When an 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.
Before You Start
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