Configuring peer-keepalive links

Distributed trunking uses UDP-based peer-keepalive messages to determine if an ISC link failure is at the link level or the peer has completely failed. The following operating rules must be followed to use peer-keepalive links:

  • An IP address must be configured for a peer-keepalive VLAN interface and the same IP address must be configured as a peer-keepalive destination on the peer DT switch.

  • There must be logical Layer 3 connectivity between the two IP addresses configured for the peer-keepalive VLAN interface.

  • Only peer-keepalive messages are sent over the peer-keepalive VLAN (Layer 3 link.) These messages indicate that the DT switch from which the message originates is up and running. No data or synchronization traffic is sent over the peer-keepalive VLAN.

  • STP cannot run on peer-keepalive links.

  • The peer-keepalive VLAN can have only one member port. If you attempt to assign a second member port to this VLAN, or if you attempt to configure a VLAN that has more than one member port as a peer-keepalive VLAN, this message displays:

    A keepalive VLAN can only have one member port.

  • A port cannot be a member of a regular VLAN and a peer-keepalive VLAN. An error message displays:

    A port cannot simultaneously be a member of a keepalive and a non-keepalive VLAN.

  • The DEFAULT VLAN cannot be a peer-keepalive VLAN. An error message displays:

    The default VLAN cannot be configured as a keepalive VLAN.

NOTE:

If you are upgrading your software from a version prior to K.15.05.xxxxx with a configuration that violates any of the above operating rules, the following message displays:

DT: Keepalive mis-configuration detected. Reconfigure the keepalive VLAN.

You must then manually correct the configuration.

DT switches have an operational role that depends on the system MAC address. The bridge with the lowest system MAC address acts as the DT primary device; the other device is the DT secondary device. These roles are used to determine which device forwards traffic when the ISC link is down.

Peer-keepalive messages are sent by both the DT switches as soon as the switches detect that the ISC link is down. Peer-keepalive message transmission (sending and receiving) is suspended until the peer-keepalive hold timer expires. When the hold timer expires, the DT switches begin sending peer-keepalive messages periodically while receiving peer-keepalive messages from the peer switch. If the DT switch fails to receive any peer-keepalive messages for the timeout period, it continues to forward traffic, assuming that the DT peer switch has completely failed.

Conversely, if the failure is because the ISC link went down and the secondary DT switch receives even one peer-keepalive message from the primary peer, the secondary switch disables all its DT ports. The primary switch always forwards the traffic on its DT ports even if it receives peer-keepalive messages from the secondary DT switch.

In both situations, if the ISC link or the DT switch becomes operational, both the DT peers sync the MAC addresses learned during the failover and continue to forward traffic normally. The peer-keepalive timers and operation is halted.