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VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

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  • 1.  VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Jan 03, 2020 01:21 PM
      |   view attached

    Greetings!

     

    We're kicking off 2020 by releasing our latest best practices guide — this time, we're covering VSF deployment and maintenance on the Aruba CX 6300 switch family. Deploy, maintain, and troubleshoot 6300 VSF stacks using either the Aruba CX mobile app or switch CLI.

     

    As always, feel free to provide feedback or suggestions in this thread!

    Attachment(s)



  • 2.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Jan 06, 2020 06:50 AM

    Hi,

     

    Thanks Matthew !

     

    (the link on ASP don't work... redirect to HPE Internal Web site : https://asp.arubanetworks.com/downloads/documents/RmlsZTpkZjUxY2E5MC0yZDgyLTExZWEtOTBjNS03NzgwYTEwNTMzODM%3D )



  • 3.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Jan 07, 2020 12:03 PM

    Should it be possible to stack switches with copper cables? At least the mobile app doesn't seem to recognize other member if I use 1Gbps ethernet from ports 23 -> 24 and 24 -> 23.

     

    Asking as I haven't received the proper DAC cables yet but would like to try VSF



  • 4.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Jan 07, 2020 12:17 PM

    Only the SFP56 ports can be used for VSF links.



  • 5.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Jan 07, 2020 12:22 PM

    Is there a 'unsupported-transceiver' command for 6300F :)? 



  • 6.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Feb 20, 2020 10:01 AM

    Contacted today with our presales engineer and the answer is "not yet"



  • 7.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Feb 20, 2020 11:02 PM

    Hi Matt

     

    Am I reading it right that these new products do not have a method for an 'in service' or fast software upgrade when the switches are stacked in pair..  or am I missing something in the documentation/oversight in the documentation?

     

    Thanks



  • 8.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Feb 21, 2020 07:20 AM

    Yes no ISSU or fast software upgrade on 6300



  • 9.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Feb 21, 2020 06:43 PM

    My experience with 6300M VSF:

    - Configure everything either manually or using the Mobile App

    - Everything is working

    - Remove power from the switches.

    - Connect the switches to power

    - Wait

    - Only master works; all others get stuck on boot.

     

     



  • 10.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Feb 22, 2020 05:14 AM

    What release ?



  • 11.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Feb 22, 2020 06:32 AM

    FL.10.04.0030



  • 12.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Feb 22, 2020 03:01 PM

    do you have open a cases to TAC ?



  • 13.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Feb 24, 2020 04:28 AM

    no need for TAC.



  • 14.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Feb 24, 2020 09:28 AM

    Cli:

    write memory

    App:

    Copy running to startup

     

    Tried both methods.

    And as told, Master does have configuration. Hostname is set, vsf links are set, etc.

    It's only the Slaves that do not keep the config. They get stuck on boot. If I CTRL+C the boot proceeds, but the switch config is empy.

    Only way to recover the switches is to wipe to factory defaults (erase zeroise).



  • 15.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Feb 24, 2020 09:40 AM

    ok, thank you for such clarification.

    Then, indeed, a case must be opened.



  • 16.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Feb 24, 2020 04:27 AM
      |   view attached

    You need to do a "copy running startup" before power-off.

    This  is achieved on the CX mobile app here attached.

     

     



  • 17.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Feb 24, 2020 06:26 AM

    Yes, the configuration is saved.

    Master config is intact after power-down / power-up.

    Only secondary and slaves get stuck.



  • 18.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Feb 24, 2020 07:29 AM

    How did you save configuration before power-off ?



  • 19.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Jan 22, 2021 07:13 PM
    Edited by Greg_W Mar 30, 2023 11:04 AM
    Has any progress been made with the app for VSF?  10.05.0030 and still not able to stack two new switches, using the SFP56 DAC interconnects.  As Ricardo said nearly a year ago, the configuration appears to work up until commit time.  Then the member switch times out and a failure message is presented.

    After manually rebooting (power off/on), the secondary joins, but attempting to login using its console puts the admin in "member02" low-level console, rather than backup.  Rebooting with the DAC link disconnected results in the secondary not being able to complete the boot.

    Stacking at the CLI seems to work as intended.

    I've seen the same behaviour using the app with the 6200, and have configured them at the CLI successfully.

    Feels like a TAC call coming on...

    Solved - needed to define a secondary/standby.  Did that and things worked well.  Missed the checkbox in the app.  Can do this from the app by editing the member and checking the box, or using the CLI to declare which member is the standby member.

    ------------------------------
    Timothy Leadbetter
    ------------------------------



  • 20.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Jan 26, 2021 07:08 AM
    do you have commit the config ? (may be better to open a new topic) and do you have configure a secondary switch ?

    ------------------------------
    PowerArubaSW : Powershell Module to use Aruba Switch API for Vlan, VlanPorts, LACP, LLDP...

    PowerArubaCP: Powershell Module to use ClearPass API (create NAD, Guest...)

    PowerArubaCX: Powershell Module to use ArubaCX API (get interface/vlan/ports info)..

    ACEP / ACMX #107 / ACDX #1281
    ------------------------------



  • 21.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Jul 09, 2020 05:17 PM

    Hi,

     

    It was confirmed on this thread that the copper ports on the 6300 devices cannot be used to form the VSF link as the SFP56 ports are the only ones supported for such feature, however I would like to know if this restriction applies to the 6300M JL658A  (use any of the SFP+ ports for VSF link).

    Also, is it still recommended to have a "chain" topology in a 2 member VSF (I can inherit it from the guide "If the stack will contain more than two members, configure VSF link 2 as well:", however it is not specifically indicated).

     

    Thanks.

     



  • 22.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Jul 25, 2020 01:33 PM

    What is the best way to form a two switch stack of CX6300?

     

    This works:

    vsf member 1

    link 1 1/1/49-1/1/50

    vsf member 2

    link 1 1/149-1/1/50

     

    This doesn't work:

    vsf member 1

    link 1 1/1/49

    link 2 1/1/50

    vsf member 2

    link 1 1/1/50

    link 2 1/1/49

     

    We would like to use the second form for two reasons, it makes it easier to add additional switches to the stack. Also, the SHOW VSF TOPO command will show all the interconnects.

     

    How do we get the second form of stacking working for two switches?

    We are using the latest firmware (10.04.3011) on the switches.

     

    Thanks

     

     



  • 23.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Jul 26, 2020 09:55 PM
    @tony.mcmillan wrote: We would like to use the second form for two reasons, it makes it easier to add additional switches to the stack. Also, the SHOW VSF TOPO command will show all the interconnects.

    Hi, why do you think it will be easier to add additional switches to a VSF Stack made of a pair connected with two VSF Links (remember that the rule about the amount of VSF Links is: one VSF Link if you're dealing with a 2 members stack, two VSF Links if you're dealing with more than 2 members stack).

     

    With a two VSF Members stack the correct way to go is (as example):

     

    vsf member 1
    link 1 1/1/49-1/1/50
    vsf member 2
    link 1 1/1/49-1/1/50

     

    because you're dealing with a chain (a single link chain where the single logical VSF Link - link 1 - is made of two physical interfaces).

     

    vsf.png

     

    Please refer to the ArubaOS-CX Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) Guide for Aruba CX 6200, 6300 Switch Series available here and also to the VSF Best Practices Guide for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series available here.

     

    AFAIK the vsf show topology command (try also show vsf link) will show the interconnects correctly when you're dealing with just a single VSF Link too (2 members VSF Stack).



  • 24.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Jul 28, 2020 03:48 AM

    First, coming from the Cisco world, I have implemented a ring topology with just two switches for a couple of decades. It was not apparent that I couldn't do this with the CX line. 

     

    Due to this requirement, when it comes to adding the third switch, I must reconfigure the first two switches by disabling a port and removing it from link 1 on each switch. Then add the port to link 2 and enable the port on each switch. It's not hard but, it is a number of steps.

     

    If a ring topology were supported with two switches, I'd merely have to configure two links on the new (third switch) and insert it in the ring. 

     

    Since I am new to the Aruba line, please correct me where I am mistaken on this topic.

     

    Best,

     

    Tony

     

     

     

     



  • 25.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Jul 28, 2020 04:25 PM

    Yes, i confirm Tony

     

    (and Yes, it will be better to have directly ring with 2 switches..)



  • 26.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series

    Posted Dec 30, 2021 04:22 PM
    vsf member 1
    link 1 1/1/49-1/1/50
    vsf member 2
    link 1 1/1/49-1/1/50

    That is a lot of manual configuration.  Can I simply not add/define the VSF members on the Primary Switch and then connect the links however I want?  Defining links like this is necessary?



    ------------------------------
    Mohammad Ali
    ------------------------------



  • 27.  RE: VSF Best Practices for the Aruba CX 6300 Switch Series