Eth-Trunk, iStack, and CSS

Contents

1 Network Reliability Requirements

2 Principle and Configuration of Link Aggregation

3 Overview of iStack and CSS

Page 3 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Network Reliability
• Network reliability refers to the capability of ensuring nonstop network services when a single
point or multiple points of failure occur on a device or link.
• Network reliability can be implemented at the card, device, and link levels.

Highly reliable network

iStack

Link Link
Network A aggregation Network B
aggregation

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 Card Reliability (1)
MPU • A modular switch consists of a chassis, power modules, fan
modules, main processing units (MPUs), switch fabric units
LPU (SFUs), and line processing units (LPUs).

• Chassis
SFU • Power module

• Fan module
LPU
• MPU，Main Processing Unit

• SFU，Switch Fabric Unit

Mounting • LPU，Line Processing Unit

bracket
Power module

Front view of the S12700E-8 chassis

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 Card Reliability (2)
The failure of a single
MPU does not affect the
normal operation of the
control platform.
MPU
If some SFUs are faulty,
the data plane can still • For example, the S12700E-8 provides eight LPU
LPU
forward data properly.
slots, four SFU slots, two MPU slots, six power
module slots, and four fan module slots.
SFU
• A modular switch can be configured with multiple
MPUs and SFUs to ensure device reliability. If an
LPU SFU or MPU in a single slot is faulty, the switch
can still run properly.
If the LPU is faulty,
the interfaces on the • After an LPU of a modular switch is damaged,
LPU are affected.
interfaces on the LPU cannot forward data.

Front view of the S12700E-8 chassis

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 Device Reliability
No backup Master/Backup mode

R Root Port
Network Network
A Alternative Port

If the aggregation switch

Aggregation is faulty, traffic from the Aggregation When the root port
switch downstream switch switch fails, the alternative
port continues to
cannot be forwarded. forward packets.
R A

Access switch Access switch STP

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 Link Reliability

STP STP

Aggregation Aggregation
switch switch To improve link reliability, a
new link will be added. This
link is blocked by STP and
functions as a backup link.

Access switch Access switch

Page 8 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Contents

1 Network Reliability Requirements

2 Principle and Configuration of Link Aggregation

• Principle
• Manual Mode
• LACP Mode
• Typical Application Scenarios
• Configuration Example

3 Overview of iStack and CSS

Page 9 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Increasing Link Bandwidth
• When multiple links exist between devices, traffic is forwarded on only one link due to STP. In this
case, the inter-device link bandwidth remains unchanged.

SW1 SW2
F F

STP F B
root
bridge F B

F B

F Interface that forwards traffic

B Interface blocked due to STP

Page 10 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Eth-Trunk
• Ethernet link aggregation, also called Eth-Trunk, bundles multiple physical links into a logical link to
increase link bandwidth, without having to upgrade hardware.

SW1 SW2
F F

F F

F F

F F

Eth-Trunk

F Traffic forwarding interface

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 Basic Concepts of Eth-Trunk

Eth-Trunk
SW1 interface • Link Aggregation Group，LAG
S S U U
• Member interface and member link
Member
• Active interface and active link
link
Member • Inactive interface and inactive link
interface LAG
• Link aggregation mode:manual mode and LACP mode

• Other concepts: upper and lower thresholds for the

S S U U
SW2 Eth-Trunk number of active interfaces
interface

S Active interface U Inactive interface

Page 12 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Contents

1 Network Reliability Requirements

2 Principle and Configuration of Link Aggregation

• Principle
• Manual Mode
• LACP Mode
• Typical Application Scenarios
• Conf iguration Example

3 Overview of iStack and CSS

Page 13 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Manual Mode
路由器
SW1 SW2
S S

S S

S S

S S

Eth-Trunk

S Active interface LACP-incapable old or low-end devices

• Manual mode: An Eth-Trunk is manually created, and its member interfaces are manually configured. LACP is not
used for negotiation between the two systems.
• In most cases, all links are active links. In this mode, all active links forward data and evenly share traffic. If an
active link is faulty, the LAG automatically evenly shares traffic among the remaining active links.
• If one of the devices at both ends of an LAG does not support LACP, you can use the manual mode.

Page 14 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Defects of the Manual Mode (1)

SW1 SW2
S S

Eth-Trunk
Eth-Trunk
S S

interface
interface
S S

S
Eth-Trunk in
manual mode

S Active interface
SW3

• To ensure that the Eth-Trunk works properly, ensure that the peer interfaces of all member interfaces in the Eth-Trunk meet the
following requirements:
▫ The peer interfaces reside on the same device.
▫ The peer interfaces are added to the same Eth-Trunk.
• In manual mode, devices do not exchange packets. Therefore, the configuration needs to be manually confirmed.

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 Defects of the Manual Mode (2)

SW1 SW2
S S

S S

S S

S F

Eth-Trunk
Interface in Up state but
failing to forward packets
S Active interface

F Faulty interface

In manual mode, the device can determine whether the peer interface is working properly based
only on the physical layer status.

Page 16 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Contents

1 Network Reliability Requirements

2 Principle and Configuration of Link Aggregation

• Principle
• Manual Mode
• LACP Mode
• Typical Application Scenarios
• Conf iguration Example

3 Overview of iStack and CSS

Page 17 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 LACPDU
SW1 SW2

Eth-Trunk interface
S S
Eth-Trunk in LACP mode

Eth-Trunk
interface
S S

S S

S S

LACPDU
Device priority LACPDU
MAC address
Interface priority
Interface number
...

• LACP mode: A link aggregation mode that uses the LACP protocol. Devices exchange Link Aggregation Control
Protocol Data Units (LACPDUs) to ensure that the peer interfaces are member interfaces that belong to the same
Eth-Trunk and are on the same device.
• An LACPDU contains the device priority, MAC address, interface priority, and interface number.

Page 18 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 System Priority
• In LACP mode, the number of active interfaces selected by devices at both ends must be consistent;
otherwise, the Eth-Trunk cannot be set up. In this case, configure one end as the Actor. Then the
other end selects active interfaces according to the Actor.
• The Actor is determined based on the LACP system priority. A smaller value indicates a higher
priority.
SW1 Eth-Trunk in LACP mode SW2
S S
Eth-Trunk
interface

Eth-Trunk
S S

interface
S S

S S

LACPDU By default, the LACP system priority is 32768. A

S Active interface Device priority smaller value indicates a higher priority.
MAC address Generally, the default value is used. When the
LACPDU
priorities are the same, LACP selects the Actor
Interface priority
by comparing the MAC addresses. A smaller
Interface number
MAC address indicates a higher priority.
...

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 Interface Priority
• After the Actor is selected, both devices select active interfaces based on the interface priorities of the
Actor. A smaller LACP interface priority value indicates a higher priority.

SW1 Eth-Trunk in LACP mode SW2

S S
Eth-Trunk

Eth-Trunk
interface

interface
S S

S S

S S

LACPDU By default, the LACP interface priority of an

S Active interface Device priority interface is 32768. A smaller value indicates
a higher priority. Generally, the default
MAC address
LACPDU value is used. When the priorities are the
Interface priority same, LACP selects active interfaces based
Interface number on interface numbers. A smaller interface
... number indicates a higher priority.

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 Maximum Number of Active Interfaces (1)
• In LACP mode, the maximum number of active interfaces can be configured. When the number of member
interfaces exceeds the maximum number of active interfaces, the interfaces with higher priorities and smaller
interface numbers are selected as active interfaces, and the other interfaces function as backup interfaces (inactive
interfaces). In addition, the links corresponding to active interfaces become active links, and the links corresponding
to inactive interfaces become inactive links. The switch sends and receives packets only through active interfaces.

SW1 Eth-Trunk in LACP mode SW2

1 1

Eth-Trunk
Eth-Trunk
interface

interface
2 2

3 3

4 4

Active interface Active link

Inactive interface Inactive link

Page 21 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Maximum Number of Active Interfaces (2)
• If an active link fails, an inactive link with the highest priority (based on the interface priority and
interface number) is selected to replace the faulty link. This ensures that the overall bandwidth does
not change and services are not interrupted.

SW1 Eth-Trunk in LACP mode SW2

Eth-Trunk 1 1
interface

Eth-Trunk
interface
2 2

3 3

4 4

Active link
Active interface
Inactive link
Inactive interface
Faulty link

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 Active Link Election (1)

Bridge MAC: Bridge MAC:

4c1f-cc58-6d64 4c1f-cc58-6d65
• An Eth-Trunk in LACP mode is set up between
SW1 SW2
1 1 SW1 and SW2. The maximum number of active
2 2
interfaces is set to 2 on SW1 and SW2.
3 3
• SW1 with a higher priority is elected as the
4 4
Actor through LACPDUs.

LACPDU

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 Active Link Election (2)

Bridge MAC: Bridge MAC:

4c1f-cc58-6d64 4c1f-cc58-6d65
SW1 SW2 • SW1 compares the interface priorities and
1 1
interface numbers to select active interfaces.
2 2
Under the same interface priority, interfaces 1
3 3
and 2 have smaller interface numbers and are
4 4
elected as active interfaces.

Active interface
Inactive interface

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 Active Link Election (3)

Bridge MAC: Bridge MAC:

4c1f-cc58-6d64 4c1f-cc58-6d65
SW1 SW2
1 1

2 2 • SW1 notifies the peer end of the elected

3 3 active interfaces through LACPDUs.
4 4

LACPDU Active interface

Inactive interface

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 Active Link Election (4)

Bridge MAC: Bridge MAC:

4c1f-cc58-6d64 4c1f-cc58-6d65
SW1 SW2
1 1 • SW2 determines the local active interfaces based on
2 2 the election result of SW1 and the corresponding
3 3
links become active links.
4 4
• In this way, the election of active links is complete.

LACPDU Active interface Active link

Inactive interface Inactive link

Page 26 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Load Balancing

Per-packet load balancing Per-flow load balancing

S Active interface S Active interface

SW1 SW2 SW1 SW2

S 1 S S S
4 3 2 1 S 2 S 3 1 2 4
S S
S 4 S
S S
S 3 S
S S
Eth-Trunk Eth-Trunk

Page 27 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Load Balancing Mode
• An Eth-Trunk can load balance traffic based on IP addresses or MAC addresses of packets. You can configure different load
balancing modes (valid locally only for outgoing packets) to distribute data flows to different member interfaces.

• Traffic can be load balanced based on: source IP address, source MAC address, destination IP address, destination MAC address,
source and destination IP addresses, and source and destination MAC addresses.

Proper load balancing algorithm Improper load balancing algorithm

SW1 SW2 SW1 SW2

S S S S

S S S S

S S S S
Same source and destination S S Same source and destination S S
MAC addresses but different MAC addresses but different
source and destination IP Eth-Trunk source and destination IP Eth-Trunk
addresses addresses
Source and destination IP address Source and destination MAC address
mode mode

Page 28 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Contents

1 Network Reliability Requirements

2 Principle and Configuration of Link Aggregation

• Principle
• Manual Mode
• LACP Mode
• Typical Application Scenarios
• Configuration Example

3 Overview of iStack and CSS

Page 29 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Typical Application Scenario (1)

Between switches Between the switch and server

Core switch
Network

Eth-Trunk

Aggregation Access switch

switch
Eth-Trunk Eth-Trunk

Access switch Server

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 Typical Application Scenario (2)

Between a switch and stack Heartbeat link of firewalls in hot standby mode

Stacking cable
Aggregation
switch

Eth-Trunk
Eth-Trunk

Access switch

Hot
standby

Page 31 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Contents

1 Network Reliability Requirements

2 Principle and Configuration of Link Aggregation

• Principle
• Manual Mode
• LACP Mode
• Typical Application Scenarios
• Configuration Example

3 Overview of iStack and CSS

Page 32 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Configuration Commands (1)
1. Create an Eth-Trunk.

[Huawei] interface eth-trunk trunk-id

An Eth-Trunk interface is created, and the Eth-Trunk interface view is displayed.

2. Configure a link aggregation mode.

[Huawei-Eth-Trunk1] mode {lacp | manual load-balance }

To enable the LACP mode, run mode lacp. To enable the manual mode, run mode manual load-balance.
Note: The link aggregation modes at both ends must be the same.

3. Add an interface to the Eth-Trunk (Ethernet interface view).

[Huawei-GigabitEthernet0/0/1] eth-trunk trunk-id

In the interface view, the interface is added to the Eth-Trunk.

Page 33 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Configuration Commands (2)

4. Add an interface to the Eth-Trunk (Eth-Trunk view).

[Huawei-Eth-Trunk1] trunkport interface-type { interface-number}

In the Eth-Trunk view, the interface is added to the Eth-Trunk. You can use either of the preceding commands
to add an interface to an Eth-Trunk.
5. Enable interfaces at different rates to join the same Eth-Trunk interface.

[Huawei-Eth-Trunk1] mixed-rate link enable

By default, interfaces at different rates are not allowed to join the same Eth-Trunk, and only interfaces at the
same rate can be added to the same Eth-Trunk.

6. Configure the LACP system priority.

[Huawei] lacp priority priority

A smaller priority value indicates a higher LACP system priority. By default, the LACP priority is 32768.

Page 34 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Configuration Commands (3)
7. Configure the LACP interface priority.

[Huawei-GigabitEthernet0/0/1] lacp priority priority

The LACP interface priority is set in the interface view. By default, the LACP interface priority is 32768. A smaller priority value
indicates a higher LACP interface priority.
You can run this command only after an interface is added to the Eth-Trunk.
8. Configure the maximum number of active interfaces.
[Huawei-Eth-Trunk1] max active-linknumber {number}
Ensure that the maximum number of active interfaces on the local end is the same as that on the peer end. The maximum
number of active interfaces can be configured only in LACP mode.

9. Configure the minimum number of active interfaces.

[Huawei-Eth-Trunk1] least active-linknumber {number}
The minimum number of active interfaces can be different on the local end and peer end and can be configured in both manual
and LACP modes.
The minimum number of active interfaces is configured to ensure the minimum bandwidth. When the number of active links is
smaller than the lower threshold, the Eth-Trunk interface goes down.

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 Example for Configuring an Eth-Trunk in Manual Mode

SW1 configuration:
Eth-Trunk [SW1] interface eth-trunk 1
GE0/0/1 GE0/0/1 [SW1-Eth-Trunk1] trunkport gigabitethernet 0/0/1 to 0/0/2
GE0/0/2 GE0/0/2
[SW1-Eth-Trunk1] port link-type trunk
SW1 SW2 [SW1-Eth-Trunk1] port trunk allow-pass vlan 10 20

• Requirement description:
▫ SW1 and SW2 are connected to the networks of VLAN 10 SW2 configuration:
and VLAN 20.
[SW2] interface eth-trunk 1
▫ SW1 and SW2 are connected through two Ethernet links. To
[SW2-Eth-Trunk1] trunkport gigabitethernet 0/0/1 to 0/0/2
provide link redundancy and enhance transmission reliability,
[SW2-Eth-Trunk1] port link-type trunk
configure an Eth-Trunk in manual mode between SW1 and
SW2. [SW2-Eth-Trunk1] port trunk allow-pass vlan 10 20

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 Example for Configuring an Eth-Trunk in LACP Mode (1)

Eth-Trunk SW1 configuration:

GE0/0/1 GE0/0/1
GE0/0/2 GE0/0/2 [SW1] interface eth-trunk 1
GE0/0/3 GE0/0/3
[SW1-Eth-Trunk1] mode lacp
SW1 SW2
[SW1-Eth-Trunk1] max active-linknumber 2
• Requirement description: [SW1-Eth-Trunk1] trunkport gigabitethernet 0/0/1 to 0/0/3
▫ SW1 and SW2 are connected to the networks of VLAN 10 [SW1-Eth-Trunk1] port link-type trunk
and VLAN 20. [SW1-Eth-Trunk1] port trunk allow-pass vlan 10 20
▫ SW1 and SW2 are connected through three Ethernet links. [SW1-Eth-Trunk1] quit
To provide link redundancy and enhance transmission
[SW1] lacp priority 30000
reliability, configure an Eth-Trunk in LACP mode between
SW1 and SW2, manually adjust the priority to configure
SW1 as the Actor, and set the maximum number of active
interfaces to 2. The other link functions as the backup link.

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 Example for Configuring an Eth-Trunk in LACP Mode (2)

Eth-Trunk SW1 configuration:

GE0/0/1 GE0/0/1
GE0/0/2 GE0/0/2 [SW2] interface eth-trunk 1
GE0/0/3 GE0/0/3
[SW2-Eth-Trunk1] mode lacp
SW1 SW2
[SW2-Eth-Trunk1] max active-linknumber 2
• Requirement description: [SW2-Eth-Trunk1] trunkport gigabitethernet 0/0/1 to 0/0/3

▫ SW1 and SW2 are connected to the networks of VLAN 10 [SW2-Eth-Trunk1] port link-type trunk
and VLAN 20. [SW2-Eth-Trunk1] port trunk allow-pass vlan 10 20
▫ SW1 and SW2 are connected through three Ethernet links. [SW2-Eth-Trunk1] quit
To provide link redundancy and enhance transmission
reliability, configure an Eth-Trunk in LACP mode between
SW1 and SW2, manually adjust the priority to configure
SW1 as the Actor, and set the maximum number of active
interfaces to 2. The other link functions as the backup link.

Page 38 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Contents

1 Network Reliability Requirements

2 Principle and Configuration of Link Aggregation

3 Overview of iStack and CSS

Page 39 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Introduction to iStack and CSS
iStack CSS

Stacking cable Stack CSS Link

CSS

Equivalent to Link
Link Equivalent to aggregation
aggregation

• iStack: Multiple iStack-capable switches are connected using stacking cables to form a logical switch that
participates in data forwarding.

• Cluster switch system (CSS): Two CSS-capable switches are bundled into one logical switch.

• A CSS consists of only two switches. Generally, modular switches support CSS, and fixed switches support iStack.

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 Advantages of iStack and CSS

Eth-Trunk • One logical device simplifies

O&M and facilitates
management.
• If a physical device fails, the
other device can take over
the forwarding and control
CSS functions, preventing single
points of failure.

Equivalent to
• Inter-device link aggregation
is implemented on a loop-
free physical network, so
STP does not need to be
iStack deployed.
• All links in the Eth-Trunk are
Physical forms of CSS and iStack Logical forms of CSS and iStack used, and the link usage is
100%.

Page 41 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Application (1)
Extending the bandwidth and implementing
Extending the port quantity redundancy backup

iStack Link iStack Link Eth-Trunk

Aggregation
layer

Access
layer iStack
Access
layer
iStack

Page 42 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Application (2)
CSS Link Eth-Trunk

MSTP+VRRP
CSS
Aggregation
layer

Access layer

• Two devices form a CSS and are virtualized into a single logical device. This simplified network does not require
Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) or Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), so network configuration
is much simpler. Additionally, inter-device link aggregation speeds up network convergence and improves network
reliability.

Page 43 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Recommended Architecture
Network

iStack、CSS Link Core layer

Eth-Trunk
• Core switches set up a CSS and use Eth-Trunks to connect to uplink
CSS
and downlink devices, building a highly reliable and loop-free network.

Aggregation layer
• Aggregation switches set up an iStack and use Eth-Trunks to connect

iStack to uplink and downlink devices, building a highly reliable loop-free

network.

Access layer
• Access devices that are geographically close to each other (such as
access switches in a building) are virtualized into one logical device using
iStack. This adds interfaces and simplifies management.
iStack iStack • An Eth-Trunk is used to connect to the aggregation layer. The logical
network architecture is simple, and STP and VRRP are not required. This
networking offers high reliability, high uplink bandwidth, and fast
convergence.

Page 44 Copyright © 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Summary
• Link aggregation can be classified into static and LACP aggregation based on the
aggregation mode.

• LACP uses packet negotiation to implement backup for active links. When a link
fails, the backup link is elected as the active link to forward packets.

• To ensure the sequence in which packets arrive, link aggregation uses per-flow
load balancing.

• iStack and CSS simplify network management and network structure, and improve
network reliability.

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