Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switch CLI Software Configuration Guide (OL-16597-01, July 2009)

CHAPTER 10
Configuring Virtual Port Channels
This chapter describes how to configure virtual port channels (vPCs) on Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switches.
It contains the following sections:
• Information About vPCs, page 123
• vPC Guidelines and Limitations, page 134
• Configuring vPCs, page 135
• Verifying the vPC Configuration, page 144
• vPC Example Configurations, page 145
• vPC Default Settings, page 148
Information About vPCs
vPC Overview
A virtual port channel (vPC) allows links that are physically connected to two different Cisco Nexus 5000
Series switches or Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders to appear as a single port channel by a third
device (see the following figure). The third device can be a switch, server, or any other networking device.
Beginning with Cisco NX-OS Release 4.1(3)N1(1), you can configure vPCs in topologies that include Cisco
Nexus 5000 Series switches connected to the Fabric Extender. A vPC can provide multipathing, which allows
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