Operating rules

  • A meshed switch can have some ports in the meshed domain and other ports outside the meshed domain. That is, ports within the meshed domain must be configured for meshing, while ports outside the meshed domain must not be configured for meshing.

  • Meshed links must be point-to-point switch links.

  • On any switch, all meshed ports belong to the same mesh domain.

  • A switch can have up to 24 meshed ports.

  • A mesh domain can include up to 12 switches.

  • Up to five inter-switch, meshed hops are allowed in the path connecting two nodes through a switch mesh domain. A path of six or more meshed hops between two nodes is unusable. However, in most mesh topologies, there would normally be a shorter path available, and paths of five hops or fewer through the same mesh will continue to operate.

  • Other sources of traffic between meshed switch links are not allowed.

  • If the switch has multiple static VLANs and you configure a port for meshing, the port becomes a tagged member of all such VLANs . If you remove a port from meshing, it becomes an untagged member of only the default VLAN.

  • A port configured as a member of a static trunk (LACP or Trunk) cannot also be configured for meshing.

  • If a port belongs to a dynamic LACP trunk and you impose meshing on the port, it automatically ceases to be a member of the dynamic trunk.

  • Meshing is not supported on ports configured with 802.1X access control.

  • On a port configured for meshing, if you subsequently remove meshing from the port's configuration and reboot the switch, the port returns to its default configuration. (It does not revert to any nondefault configuration it had before being configured for meshing).

  • In a given mesh domain, switches in the same product family must run the same switch software version. HPE recommends that you always use the most recent software version available for the switches in your network.

  • The spanningtree configuration must be the same for all switches in the mesh (enabled or disabled). If spanning tree is enabled in the mesh, it must be the same version on all switches in the mesh: 802.1D, 802.1w, or 802.1s.

  • If a switch in the mesh has GVRP enabled, then all switches in the mesh must have GVRP enabled. Otherwise, traffic on a dynamic VLAN may not pass through the mesh.If a switch in the mesh has a particular static VLAN configured, then all switches in the mesh must have that static VLAN configured.

  • If a switch in the mesh has IGMP enabled, then all switches in the mesh must have IGMP enabled.

  • If a switch in the mesh has LLDP enabled, then all switches in the mesh must have LLDP enabled.

  • After adding or removing a port from the mesh, you must save the current configuration and reboot the switch in order for the change to take effect.

  • Dynamic IP Lockdown and Virus Throttling should not be activated on mesh ports. These are security features for edge ports and mesh ports are not edge ports.

  • DHCP Snooping and ARP protection are enabled through VLANs. Mesh ports belong to all VLANs, so if these security features are enabled on a switch that has mesh ports, the mesh ports must be configured as “trusted” ports because meshing may move the port of a MAC address in the mesh based on the least cost path.

  • Multiple meshed domains require separation by either a non-meshed switch or a non-meshed link. For example:
  • If GVRP is enabled, meshed ports in a switch become members of any dynamic VLANs created in the switch in the same way that they would if meshing was not configured in the switch.

NOTE:
  • A switch mesh domain cannot include either a switch that is not configured for meshing, or other sources of traffic.

  • Where a given pair of switches are linked with meshed ports, you must not also link the pair together through non-meshed ports unless you have also enabled STP, RSTP, or MSTP to prevent a loop from forming.
    An unsupported topology
  • The switch blocks traffic on a meshed port connected to a non-meshed port on another switch.

  • Switch meshing does not allow trunked links (LACP or Trunk) between meshed ports.

Linking a non-mesh device or port into the mesh causes the meshed switch ports connected to that device to shut down.