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6 Replies Last post: Oct 22, 2009 4:20 PM by habibalby  

Service Console - Active/Active vs. Active/Standby posted: Oct 9, 2009 1:00 PM

Click to view scott_k2003's profile Enthusiast
scott_k2003
110 posts since
May 16, 2008
What it the proper method configuration method to have redundant paths for the service console? I have two physical nic's connected to two different physical switches and need to ensure my failover of the service console is working as designed. I see some references that the service console nic's should be configured in an active/standby configuration but nothing 100% solid. What about an active/active configuration? Will that cause problems in a scenario where one of the physical switches reboots or fails?

Re: Service Console - Active/Active vs. Active/Standby

1. Oct 13, 2009 12:49 AM in response to: scott_k2003
Click to view AndreTheGiant's profile Guru
AndreTheGiant
7,666 posts since
Aug 28, 2008
One simple way is use a vswitch with 2 NICs for the COS (or Management) interface.
The default Teaming policy is fine.

This vSwitch could be shared with VMotion without big issue (cause COS will use 1 NIC and VMotion the second NIC).

But there are also other solutions, like use a second COS (for example).

Andre

Re: Service Console - Active/Active vs. Active/Standby

2. Oct 13, 2009 1:05 AM in response to: scott_k2003
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depping
3,205 posts since
Jan 17, 2005
Both active/active and active/standby would work in this situation. I like active/standby because you always know where the SC is running at the moment where with active/active it might be nic1 but it can be nic2, who knows...

Duncan
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Re: Service Console - Active/Active vs. Active/Standby

3. Oct 13, 2009 5:39 AM in response to: depping
Click to view scott_k2003's profile Enthusiast
scott_k2003
110 posts since
May 16, 2008
Okay thanks. I had one vswitch configured with two physical nic's with each nic going to a seperate physical switch. But in the past we had a problem where one of the physical switches restarted and I lost management access to 2 out of 6 hosts in the cluster which caused vm's on these servers to shutdown and restart on the other hosts in accordence with the defauly HA policy (which has now been changed by the way). My concern here however, is that I traced the cables and ensured that both nic's assigned to the management console were going to seperate physical switches.

Any idea on why the second nic in the team did not immediately take over operation?

Re: Service Console - Active/Active vs. Active/Standby

4. Oct 13, 2009 10:09 PM in response to: scott_k2003
Click to view AndreTheGiant's profile Guru
AndreTheGiant
7,666 posts since
Aug 28, 2008
You must check your physical switches configuration to optimize how they work together.
In some model you can use stacking... in other you can use ethernet link to connect them.
But in the last case some configuration must be done on the switches: RSTP, Flow Control, Link aggregation, and so on...

Also if the switch propagation in too slow you can increase the HA timeout value.
See:
http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2008/08/01/update-ha-advanced-options/

Andre

Re: Service Console - Active/Active vs. Active/Standby

5. Oct 18, 2009 2:16 PM in response to: scott_k2003
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mylvisaker
18 posts since
Oct 9, 2007
On the switches, do you have portfast enabled on those ports? If not, the hosts isolation response would kick in before the second nic can take over....

Re: Service Console - Active/Active vs. Active/Standby

6. Oct 22, 2009 4:20 PM in response to: scott_k2003
Click to view habibalby's profile Hot Shot
habibalby
265 posts since
Jan 6, 2006

hello,

Since you have 2 pNICs on vSwitch and you want to maintain S.C management and vMotion, in this case you have to;

  1. seprate the pNICs across 2 pSwitchs
  2. Create a vLAN
  3. Trunk the pSwitch Ports
  4. Tag the Ports "So you can specify the vLAN ID in the PortGroup"
  5. In the S.C and vMotion, Specify the correct vLAN ID and Gateway.
This should work without any issue.


Best Regards,

Hussain Al Sayed

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