SMLT & SERVER

[fabianoboscatto]

Hi there....
I have 2 Passport´s 8600 and 1 server with 2 NIC´s. I would like to connect 1 NIC in one passport and the second NIC in the other passport. I´m talking about redundancy, the passport´s are talking VRRP and i´m trying to do a SMLT but it does not work.
Thanx...

 

[RuthBritsch]

Hi,
it can't work because SMLT works in a different way. If your Server would be able to bridge between the NICs and would be able to channel both NIC to a MLT, you could work with SMLT, but this isn't the way Server NICs are working.

Normally you install a virtual adapter over your physical NICs. The virtual adapter switches virtual MAC & IP, if one of the NICs fails.

For SMLT you have to remember, that Spanning Tree BPDUs aren't transported over an IST-Link, if STP is globally enabled on both Passports. So your redundance protocol can't use BPDUs in that case.

 

[Wookie27]

Just to add to this thread... at present SMLT is a propriety protocol to Nortel.. Therefore you can only run SMLT between two Nortel switches which support it.

However MLT is a standards based protocol (though it goes by different names.. Cisco call it EtherChannel I belive) which you can use to aggregate your server NICs .. (again if they support it)

All you have to do is create a MLT group on the 8600, for redundancy you can use different ports on different cards.. configure MLT on the NIC's and you should be OK.

You have VRRP running so you do have some level of redundancy

 

[riot6]

Upgrade to 3.5, this version allows something called SSMLT. In other words, Single Port SMLT which will do what you are requesting. Hope this helps.

 

[WillyHe]

Load IMG version 3.5, configure IST between the two passports and configure SMLT in the port setup with identical MLT ID's on both passports.
Your server NIC's must support 802.3ad port aggregation (Nortel cals this MLT Multi Link Trunking).