Interoperation and Replacement Guide for Link Aggregation on Huawei and Cisco Switches

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• Overview of Ethernet Link Aggregation
  

• Comparison Between Implementations of Link Aggregation on Huawei and Cisco Switches
  

• Interoperation and Replacement Solution for Link Aggregation
  

• Interoperation and Replacement Solution 1: Link Aggregation in Manual Mode
  

• Interoperation and Replacement Solution 2: Link Aggregation in LACP Mode
  

Overview of Ethernet Link Aggregation

Definition

Ethernet link aggregation, also called Eth-Trunk, bundles multiple physical links to form a logical link to increase link bandwidth. The bundled links back up each other, increasing reliability.

Purpose

As the network scale expands increasingly, users propose increasingly high requirements on Ethernet backbone network bandwidth and reliability. Originally, to increase the bandwidth, users use high-speed cards or devices supporting high-speed interface cards to replace old interface cards or devices. This solution, however, is costly and inflexible.

Link aggregation helps increase bandwidth by bundling a group of physical interfaces into a single logical interface, without upgrading the hardware. In addition, link aggregation provides link backup, greatly improving link reliability.

Link aggregation has the following advantages:

• Increased bandwidth

  The bandwidth of the link aggregation interface is the sum of bandwidth of member interfaces.

• Improved reliability

  When an active link fails, traffic on this active link is switched to another active link, improving reliability of the link aggregation interface.

• Load balancing

  In a link aggregation group (LAG), traffic is load balanced among active links of member interfaces.

Classification of Link Aggregation

Link aggregation can work in manual load balancing mode or LACP mode depending on whether the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) is used.

• Manual load balancing mode: You must manually create an Eth-Trunk and add member interfaces to the Eth-Trunk. In this mode, LACP is not required. This mode applies to the scenario where a high link bandwidth between two directly connected devices is required but the remote device does not support the LACP protocol.

• LACP mode: In LACP mode, you also need to manually create an Eth-Trunk and add member interfaces to the Eth-Trunk. Active member interfaces are selected by sending LACP Data Units (LACPDUs) in LACP mode, which is different from the implementation in manual loading balancing mode. When a group of interfaces are added to an Eth-Trunk, they are classified into active and inactive ones by using LACPDUs. The LACP mode is also called the M:N mode, which implements both load balancing and link backup. M active links in the link aggregation group are responsible for forwarding and load balancing data, while the other N inactive links are backup ones and do not forward data. If an active link becomes faulty, the system selects the link with the highest priority from N inactive links. The inactive link becomes active and starts to forward data.

The implementation mechanisms of link aggregation in manual load balancing mode and LACP mode provided by different vendors are similar, and only commands and default settings are different.

Comparison Between Implementations of Link Aggregation on Huawei and Cisco Switches

Overview

The implementation mechanism of link aggregation in manual load balancing mode and LACP mode on Huawei switches is similar to that on Cisco switches, but commands and default settings are different.

Comparison Between Default Settings

Table 2-114 compares default settings of link aggregation on Huawei switches and Cisco switches.

Table 2-114  Comparison between default settings

Command Comparison

Table 2-115 compares link aggregation commands on Huawei switches and Cisco switches.

Table 2-115  Command comparison

Interoperation and Replacement Solution for Link Aggregation

Overview of the Interoperation and Replacement Solution

The link aggregation mode determines two interworking and replacement solutions.

• A Huawei S series switch interworks with and replaces a Cisco switch using link aggregation in manual mode.

• A Huawei S series switch interworks with and replaces a Cisco switch using link aggregation in static LACP mode.

Applicable Models and Versions

This example applies to all switch models of all versions.

Interoperation Analysis

The implementation mechanism of link aggregation in manual mode and LACP mode on Huawei switches is similar to that on Cisco switches, so a Huawei S series switch can simply interwork with and replace a Cisco switch.

Interoperation and Replacement Solution 1: Link Aggregation in Manual Mode

Topic contents:

• Overview

• Configuration Notes

• Networking Requirements

• Configuration Roadmap

• Procedure

Overview

A Huawei S series switch and a Cisco switch are configured with link aggregation in manual mode for interworking.

Configuration Notes

This example applies to Huawei switches of all versions.

Networking Requirements

In Figure 2-94, The Cisco switch and Huawei S series switch are configured with the LAG in manual mode to improve bandwidth and reliability between them.

Figure 2-94  Networking of interworking and replacement using link aggregation in manual mode 

Configuration Roadmap

• Configuration logic for link aggregation in manual mode on Cisco switches:

1. Create a port channel and add member interfaces, and configure a link aggregation mode.

2. Configure a load balancing mode.

Configuration logic for link aggregation in manual mode on Huawei switches:

1. Create an Eth-Trunk and add interfaces to the Eth-Trunk.

2. Configure a load balancing mode.

Procedure

1. Configure link aggregation in manual mode on the Cisco switch.

   
   

   # Create a port channel and add member interfaces, and configure a link aggregation mode on the Cisco switch.

   Switch# configure terminal Switch(config)# hostname Cisco Cisco(config)# interface range GigabitEthernet 0/1 -3 Cisco(config-if-range)# channel-group 2 mode on Cisco(config-if-range)# end 
   

   # Configure a load balancing mode of the port channel.

   Cisco# configure terminal Cisco(config)# port-channel load-balance src-dst-mac Cisco(config)# end
   

   
   

2. Configure link aggregation in manual mode on the Huawei S series switch.

   
   

   # Create an Eth-Trunk on the Huawei S series switch and add member interfaces to the Eth-Trunk. By default, Huawei switches are connected using link aggregation in manual mode. Therefore, you do not need to configure the link aggregation mode.

   <HUAWEI> system-view [HUAWEI] sysname Huawei [Huawei] interface eth-trunk 1 [Huawei-Eth-Trunk1] trunkport gigabitethernet 0/0/1 to 0/0/3 [Huawei-Eth-Trunk1] quit
   

   # Configure the load balancing mode of Eth-Trunk 1.

   [Huawei] interface eth-trunk 1 [Huawei-Eth-Trunk1] load-balance src-dst-mac [Huawei-Eth-Trunk1] quit 
   

   
   

3. Verify the configuration.

   
   

   
   

• Run the display eth-trunk [ trunk-id [ interface interface-type interface-number | verbose ] ] command to check the link aggregation configuration on the Huawei S series switch.

• Run the show interfaces interface-type interface-number etherchannel command to check link aggregation parameters and status information of corresponding interfaces on the Cisco switch.

• Run the show etherchannel load-balance command to check the load balancing mode of link aggregation on the Cisco switch.

Interoperation and Replacement Solution 2: Link Aggregation in LACP Mode

Topic contents:

• Overview

• Configuration Notes

• Networking Requirements

• Configuration Roadmap

• Procedure

Overview

A Huawei S series switch and a Cisco switch are configured with link aggregation in LACP mode for interworking.

Configuration Notes

This example applies to Huawei switches of all versions.

Networking Requirements

In Figure 2-95, SwitchA (Cisco switch) and SwitchB (Huawei S series switch) are configured with the LAG in LACP mode to improve bandwidth and reliability between them. The LAG is composed of three links, two of which are active links and load balance data. The third link is a backup link. When an active link fails, the backup link replaces the faulty link to ensure the reliability of data transmission. SwitchB is the Actor.

Figure 2-95  Networking of interworking and replacement using link aggregation in LACP mode 

Configuration Roadmap

• The configuration roadmap for link aggregation in LACP mode on Cisco switches is as follows:

1. Create a port channel and add member interfaces, and configure a link aggregation mode.

2. Configure a load balancing mode.

The configuration roadmap for link aggregation in LACP mode on Huawei switches is as follows:

1. Create an Eth-Trunk and add member interfaces, and configure the Eth-Trunk to work in LACP mode.

2. Configure a load balancing mode.

3. Set the LACP system priority to determine the Actor. Set the upper threshold for the number of active interfaces based on interfaces of the Actor to improve network reliability with bandwidth guarantee.

4. Set interface priorities and determine active interfaces so that interfaces with higher priorities are selected as active interfaces.

Procedure

1. Configure link aggregation in LACP mode on the Cisco switch.

   
   

   # Create a port channel and add member interfaces, and configure a link aggregation mode on SwitchA.

   Switch# configure terminal Switch(config)# hostname SwitchA SwitchA(config)# interface range GigabitEthernet 0/1 -3 SwitchA(config-if-range)# channel-group 2 mode passive SwitchA(config-if-range)# end 
   

   # Configure a load balancing mode of the port channel.

   SwitchA# configure terminal SwitchA(config)# port-channel load-balance src-dst-mac SwitchA(config)# end
   

   
   

2. Configure link aggregation in LACP mode on the Huawei S series switch.

   
   

   # Create an Eth-Trunk on the Huawei S series switch, configure the Eth-Trunk to work in LACP mode, and add member interfaces to the Eth-Trunk.

   <HUAWEI> system-view [HUAWEI] sysname SwitchB [SwitchB] interface eth-trunk 1 [SwitchB-Eth-Trunk1] mode lacp [SwitchB-Eth-Trunk1] trunkport gigabitethernet 0/0/1 to 0/0/3 
   

   # Configure a load balancing mode on Eth-Trunk 1 of the Huawei S series switch.

   [SwitchB-Eth-Trunk1] load-balance src-dst-mac [SwitchB-Eth-Trunk1] quit 
   

   # Set the system priority of Huawei S series switch to 100 so that it can become the LACP Actor. (The LACP system priority of the Cisco switch uses the default value 32768, so the Huawei S series switch with LACP system priority 100 becomes the Actor.) Then set the upper threshold for the number of active interfaces.

   [SwitchB] lacp priority 100 [SwitchB] interface eth-trunk 1 [SwitchB-Eth-Trunk1] max active-linknumber 2 [SwitchB-Eth-Trunk1] quit
   

   # Set the interface priority to determine active links.

   [SwitchB] interface gigabitethernet 0/0/1 [SwitchB-GigabitEthernet0/0/1] lacp priority 100 [SwitchB-GigabitEthernet0/0/1] quit [SwitchB] interface gigabitethernet 0/0/2 [SwitchB-GigabitEthernet0/0/2] lacp priority 100 [SwitchB-GigabitEthernet0/0/2] quit 
   

   
   

3. Verify the configuration.

   
   

   
   

• Run the display eth-trunk [ trunk-id [ interface interface-type interface-number | verbose ] ] command to check the link aggregation configuration on the Huawei S series switch.

• Run the show interfaces interface-type interface-number etherchannel command to check link aggregation parameters and status information of corresponding interfaces on the Cisco switch.

• Run the show etherchannel load-balance command to check the load balancing mode of link aggregation on the Cisco switch.

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https://support.huawei.com/enterprise/en/doc/EDOC1000069520/9aadccc0/comprehensive-configuration-examples