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Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................. 4
vPC Description and Terminology ............................................................................................................................ 5
Benefits of vPC ........................................................................................................................................................ 5
NX-OS Version Requirement for vPC ...................................................................................................................... 6
NX-OS License Requirement for vPC ...................................................................................................................... 6
Components of vPC ................................................................................................................................................. 6
vPC Data-Plane Loop Avoidance............................................................................................................................. 7
vPC Deployment Scenarios ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Single-Sided vPC ..................................................................................................................................................... 8
Double-Sided vPC.................................................................................................................................................. 10
Multilayer vPC for Aggregation and DCI ................................................................................................................ 11
Best Practices for Building a vPC Domain ............................................................................................................. 12
Building a vPC Domain .......................................................................................................................................... 12
vPC Domain Identifier ............................................................................................................................................ 13
vPC System-Mac and vPC Local System-Mac ...................................................................................................... 13
Cisco Fabric Services (CFS) Protocol.................................................................................................................... 19
Checking vPC Configuration Consistency When You Build a vPC Domain .......................................................... 20
Configuration Parameters That Must Be Identical (Type-1 Consistency Check) ................................................... 21
Configuration Parameters That Should Be Identical (Type-2 Consistency Check) ............................................... 23
Building a vPC Domain: Guidelines and Restrictions ............................................................................................ 24
Best Practices for vPC Components Configuration .............................................................................................. 25
Recommendation for vPC VLAN Configuration ..................................................................................................... 25
Recommendations for vPC Peer-Keepalive Link Configuration ............................................................................ 25
vPC Peer-Keepalive Link Using mgmt0 Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Pairs with Dual Supervisors Each ................. 28
vPC Peer-Keepalive Link and VRF ........................................................................................................................ 28
Recommendations for vPC Peer-Link Configuration ............................................................................................. 29
vPC Systems Behavior When a vPC Peer-Link Goes Down ................................................................................. 32
Recommendations for vPC Peer-Link Configuration with Systems Containing Only One M1 10-Gbps Module ... 33
vPC Object Tracking .............................................................................................................................................. 33
Recommendations for vPC Member Port Configuration ........................................................................................ 34
Best Practices for vPC in Mixed Chassis Mode (M1/F1 Ports in Same System or VDC) ................................... 36
Layer 3 Internal Proxy Routing............................................................................................................................... 37
vPC in Mixed Chassis Mode .................................................................................................................................. 38
vPC Mixed Chassis Mode with Peer-Link on F1 and Only One M1 Line Card ...................................................... 40
Best Practices for Attaching a Device to vPC Domain .......................................................................................... 41
How to Attach Devices to a vPC Domain ............................................................................................................... 41
Access Device Dual-Attached to vPC Domain....................................................................................................... 42
Single-Sided vPC with 16-Way Port-Channel ........................................................................................................ 43
Double-Sided vPC with 32-Way Port-Channel....................................................................................................... 44
Access Device Single-Attached to vPC Domain .................................................................................................... 49
Best Practices for Data Center Interconnect and Encryption .............................................................................. 53
Multilayer vPC for Aggregation and DCI ................................................................................................................ 53
Dual Layer 2 /Layer 3 pod Interconnect ................................................................................................................. 56
Best Practices for Spanning Tree Protocol Interoperability ................................................................................. 58
About Spanning Tree Protocol Interoperability with vPC ....................................................................................... 58
Role of Spanning Tree Protocol within vPC Domain.............................................................................................. 58
Recommended Spanning Tree Protocol Configuration with vPC .......................................................................... 59
STP Interoperability with vPC - Blueprint Diagram ................................................................................................ 60
vPC and Spanning Tree Protocol Bridge Protocol Data Units ............................................................................... 61
vPC Peer-Switch .................................................................................................................................................... 63
Bridge Assurance and vPC .................................................................................................................................... 68
NX-OS and IOS Internal VLAN Range Allocation .................................................................................................. 69
Best Practices for Layer 3 and vPC ........................................................................................................................ 70
About Layer 3 and vPC .......................................................................................................................................... 70
Layer 3 and vPC: Guidelines and Restrictions....................................................................................................... 71
Layer 3 and vPC Interactions: Supported Designs ................................................................................................ 72