vPC or Virtual Port Channel is an enhancement to port channels as we know them. There are other chassis virtualization techniques, like Stackwise and VSS or Virtual Switching System. Both of which aggregate 2 switches to appear as one. The drawback to those 2 techniques is the data plane and control plane are not separated. vPC separates the control and data plane from each other.
Once operational, vPC makes two Nexus switches appear as a single device. There are some prerequisites, enable the feature first. Then define the vPC domain, define the peer keepalive. The interfaces that are used as the peer keepalive need to be placed into a VRF. The next is the peer link, which is setup over a port-channel. If the peer keepalive IPs can reach each other, the peer keepalive will be up and operational.
The peers sync control plane over the peer link for MAC address propagation.
The interfaces facing the downstream switches are configured appropriately, like an access port or trunk link. The interfaces setup as a port channel. The port channel is then setup as a vpc and a number.
The downstream switch is setup as a port channel facing the upstream switches.
N9K3
feature vpc
!
vrf context VPC
!
interface Ethernet1/5
no switchport
vrf member VPC
ip address 10.1.1.3/24
!
vpc domain 10
peer-keepalive destination 10.1.1.4 source 10.1.1.3 vrf VPC
!
interface port-channel34
vpc peer-link
!
interface Ethernet1/8
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 10 mode active
interface Ethernet1/10
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 11 mode active
!
interface port-channel10
switchport mode trunk
vpc 10
!
interface port-channel11
switchport mode trunk
vpc 11
N9K4
feature vpc
!
vrf context VPC
!
interface Ethernet1/5
no switchport
vrf member VPC
ip address 10.1.1.4/24
no shutdown
!
vpc domain 10
peer-keepalive destination 10.1.1.3 source 10.1.1.4 vrf VPC
!
interface port-channel34
vpc peer-link
!
interface Ethernet1/8
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 10 mode active
!
interface Ethernet1/10
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 11 mode active
!
interface port-channel10
switchport mode trunk
vpc 10
!
interface port-channel11
switchport mode trunk
vpc 11
N9K20
feature lacp
interface Ethernet1/1
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 10 mode active
!
interface Ethernet1/2
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 10 mode active
N9K22
feature lacp
interface Ethernet1/1
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 11 mode active
!
interface Ethernet1/2
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 11 mode active
N9K3# show vpc
Legend:
(*) - local vPC is down, forwarding via vPC peer-link
vPC domain id : 10
Peer status : peer adjacency formed ok
vPC keep-alive status : peer is alive
Configuration consistency status : success
Per-vlan consistency status : success
Type-2 consistency status : success
vPC role : primary
Number of vPCs configured : 2
Peer Gateway : Disabled
Dual-active excluded VLANs : -
Graceful Consistency Check : Enabled
Auto-recovery status : Disabled
Delay-restore status : Timer is off.(timeout = 30s)
Delay-restore SVI status : Timer is off.(timeout = 10s)
Operational Layer3 Peer-router : Disabled
vPC Peer-link status
---------------------------------------------------------------------
id Port Status Active vlans
-- ---- ------ -------------------------------------------------
1 Po34 up 1,10
vPC status
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Id Port Status Consistency Reason Active vlans
-- ------------ ------ ----------- ------ ---------------
10 Po10 up success success 1,10
11 Po11 up success success 1,10
N9K4# show vpc
Legend:
(*) - local vPC is down, forwarding via vPC peer-link
vPC domain id : 10
Peer status : peer adjacency formed ok
vPC keep-alive status : peer is alive
Configuration consistency status : success
Per-vlan consistency status : success
Type-2 consistency status : success
vPC role : secondary
Number of vPCs configured : 2
Peer Gateway : Disabled
Dual-active excluded VLANs : -
Graceful Consistency Check : Enabled
Auto-recovery status : Disabled
Delay-restore status : Timer is off.(timeout = 30s)
Delay-restore SVI status : Timer is off.(timeout = 10s)
Operational Layer3 Peer-router : Disabled
vPC Peer-link status
---------------------------------------------------------------------
id Port Status Active vlans
-- ---- ------ -------------------------------------------------
1 Po34 up 1,10
vPC status
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Id Port Status Consistency Reason Active vlans
-- ------------ ------ ----------- ------ ---------------
10 Po10 up success success 1,10
11 Po11 up success success 1,10
R9#ping 10.1.10.13
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 10.1.10.13, timeout is 2 seconds:
!!!!!
Success rate is 100 percent (5/5), round-trip min/avg/max = 75/109/142 ms
Once operational, vPC makes two Nexus switches appear as a single device. There are some prerequisites, enable the feature first. Then define the vPC domain, define the peer keepalive. The interfaces that are used as the peer keepalive need to be placed into a VRF. The next is the peer link, which is setup over a port-channel. If the peer keepalive IPs can reach each other, the peer keepalive will be up and operational.
The peers sync control plane over the peer link for MAC address propagation.
The interfaces facing the downstream switches are configured appropriately, like an access port or trunk link. The interfaces setup as a port channel. The port channel is then setup as a vpc and a number.
The downstream switch is setup as a port channel facing the upstream switches.
N9K3
feature vpc
!
vrf context VPC
!
interface Ethernet1/5
no switchport
vrf member VPC
ip address 10.1.1.3/24
!
vpc domain 10
peer-keepalive destination 10.1.1.4 source 10.1.1.3 vrf VPC
!
interface port-channel34
vpc peer-link
!
interface Ethernet1/8
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 10 mode active
interface Ethernet1/10
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 11 mode active
!
interface port-channel10
switchport mode trunk
vpc 10
!
interface port-channel11
switchport mode trunk
vpc 11
N9K4
feature vpc
!
vrf context VPC
!
interface Ethernet1/5
no switchport
vrf member VPC
ip address 10.1.1.4/24
no shutdown
!
vpc domain 10
peer-keepalive destination 10.1.1.3 source 10.1.1.4 vrf VPC
!
interface port-channel34
vpc peer-link
!
interface Ethernet1/8
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 10 mode active
!
interface Ethernet1/10
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 11 mode active
!
interface port-channel10
switchport mode trunk
vpc 10
!
interface port-channel11
switchport mode trunk
vpc 11
N9K20
feature lacp
interface Ethernet1/1
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 10 mode active
!
interface Ethernet1/2
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 10 mode active
N9K22
feature lacp
interface Ethernet1/1
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 11 mode active
!
interface Ethernet1/2
switchport mode trunk
channel-group 11 mode active
N9K3# show vpc
Legend:
(*) - local vPC is down, forwarding via vPC peer-link
vPC domain id : 10
Peer status : peer adjacency formed ok
vPC keep-alive status : peer is alive
Configuration consistency status : success
Per-vlan consistency status : success
Type-2 consistency status : success
vPC role : primary
Number of vPCs configured : 2
Peer Gateway : Disabled
Dual-active excluded VLANs : -
Graceful Consistency Check : Enabled
Auto-recovery status : Disabled
Delay-restore status : Timer is off.(timeout = 30s)
Delay-restore SVI status : Timer is off.(timeout = 10s)
Operational Layer3 Peer-router : Disabled
vPC Peer-link status
---------------------------------------------------------------------
id Port Status Active vlans
-- ---- ------ -------------------------------------------------
1 Po34 up 1,10
vPC status
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Id Port Status Consistency Reason Active vlans
-- ------------ ------ ----------- ------ ---------------
10 Po10 up success success 1,10
11 Po11 up success success 1,10
N9K4# show vpc
Legend:
(*) - local vPC is down, forwarding via vPC peer-link
vPC domain id : 10
Peer status : peer adjacency formed ok
vPC keep-alive status : peer is alive
Configuration consistency status : success
Per-vlan consistency status : success
Type-2 consistency status : success
vPC role : secondary
Number of vPCs configured : 2
Peer Gateway : Disabled
Dual-active excluded VLANs : -
Graceful Consistency Check : Enabled
Auto-recovery status : Disabled
Delay-restore status : Timer is off.(timeout = 30s)
Delay-restore SVI status : Timer is off.(timeout = 10s)
Operational Layer3 Peer-router : Disabled
vPC Peer-link status
---------------------------------------------------------------------
id Port Status Active vlans
-- ---- ------ -------------------------------------------------
1 Po34 up 1,10
vPC status
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Id Port Status Consistency Reason Active vlans
-- ------------ ------ ----------- ------ ---------------
10 Po10 up success success 1,10
11 Po11 up success success 1,10
R9#ping 10.1.10.13
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 10.1.10.13, timeout is 2 seconds:
!!!!!
Success rate is 100 percent (5/5), round-trip min/avg/max = 75/109/142 ms
