Configuring multiple LACP port channels w failover

[SoulAssassin]

Hey-

So what we want to do is take 2 quad port gig cards, 4 ports from card 1 to switch A, 4 ports from card 2 to switch B. Configure both as LACP port channels, no problems so far...we've got that configured...what we then want to do is bond both of the port channels so we have failover. This will give us 4 active and 4 standby at any given time. Servers are Sun T5220's running Sol10 and HP DL380's running RHEL4 and 5. We are testing w the T5220 now. Getting the 2 4port port channels isn't a problem...it's how do we bond them and I think it's now at the OS layer. If I have 4 active and then pull those 4 cables the host becomes unreachable. Switches are 6509's.

Any suggestions? If there's a better way, let me know as well...VSS is not an option.

 

[spidey07]

You can't do cross chassis port channels unless your using VSS supervisors in your 6500s.

You can use Sun's multipathing or the NIC drivers on wintel to do the active/passive thing. You're right, it's an OS/driver thing at this point.

Oh, and move to VSS supervisors.

 

[SoulAssassin]

Oh, and move to VSS supervisors.

I'm a SAN guy so it's not my call but I've been told for like a million reasons we can't do it but I don't know one of them.

Any insight into how to configure it from the OS level?

 

[spidey07]

On wintel I'm used to intel NICs. You would create a two teams of four and then make them another team with a active/passive role.

On the VSS sups, the technology is a godsend. The only reason I could see is you'd need an upgrade fan tray and maybe power supplies. Some folks "lock" the fan tray in by running cables across it making replacing the fan tray a complete nightmare. If you're running a sup2 then you for sure need the upgraded fan tray.

I'm not sure because I haven't seen a non-E chassis but I "think" sup720 and VSS require one.

 

[SoulAssassin]

I've definitely seen the cabling run that way...poor design on Cisco's part.