Reference Configuration for the Avaya S8720 or S8730

Server using Software Duplication

Abstract

This document describes the Software Duplication feature for a communications system
controlled by duplicated Avaya S8720 or S8730 Servers. Specifically, this document addresses
a “reference” configuration designed to simulate separated servers with the memory
duplication data transmitted over an enterprise IP network. The behavior of the Software
Duplication feature was observed when various levels of packet delay and packet loss were
inserted in the duplication link. The test results indicate that the Software Duplication feature
gives satisfactory results for configurations that can guarantee a duplication link with 1 Gbps
or higher capacity, less than 8 ms packet delay, and less than 0.1% packet loss.

NOTE: The Software Duplication feature is not optimized for use with SIP endpoints. If SIP
endpoints are controlled by S8720 or S8730 Servers using Software Duplication, the
duplication link could become saturated. If SIP endpoints are used, Avaya strongly
recommends the hardware duplication method using the fiber-connected DAL cards.

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1. Overview
This document describes the Software Duplication feature for a communications system
controlled by duplicated Avaya S8720 or S8730 Servers (subsequently referred to as S87xx
Servers). The document includes descriptions of the Software Duplication feature, its
implementation, and a “reference” configuration for server separation. The reference
configuration simulates separated servers with the duplication link on a shared, routed network
such as an enterprise intranet.

As with hardware duplication, software duplication allows separation of the S87xx servers to
increase system survivability in the event of a catastrophic failure. However, separating the
servers reduces the system reliability to some degree because additional points of failure might
be added to accomplish the separation.

2. About the Software Duplication feature

Before release 3.1 of Communication Manager, hardware duplication was the only memory
duplication option available for the S8700 and S8710 Servers. In the hardware duplication mode,
the server’s memory data is processed by the DAL1 or DAL2 card (subsequently referred to as
DAL card) in the active server and transmitted to the DAL card in the standby server over a
fiber-optic cable.

Starting with release 3.1 of Communication Manager, memory duplication on S87xx Server pairs
can be implemented in either hardware or software duplication mode. The Software Duplication
feature provides memory synchronization between the active and standby servers without the
need for DAL cards or the limitation of fiber-optic cabling. With software duplication, memory
data is processed by the S87xx CPU and transmitted over a standard Ethernet link.

Because of the additional demands on the duplication link and the processor, the capacity and
performance of an S87xx-based system using software duplication is less than the same S87xx-
based system using hardware duplication. The busy hour call completion (BHCC) performance
for an S87xx-based communication system using Software Duplication is lower than the BHCC
performance of the same system using hardware duplication. However, when upgrading from an
S8710 with hardware duplication to an S8720 or S8730 with Software Duplication, the reduction
in BHCC performance is at least partially offset by the increased processing power of the S8720
or S8730.

The Software Duplication feature is not optimized for SIP endpoints and is not recommended for
systems that support SIP endpoints.

3. Administering Software Duplication

The Software Duplication feature is administered on the Avaya Integrated Management web
pages, either manually or using the Avaya Installation Wizard.

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To administer Software Duplication, open the Maintenance Web Interface and complete the
following steps on the Configure Server > Set Identities web page:
1. In the Set Identities section, enter the appropriate host names and ID numbers for the
S87xx Servers
2. In the Select Server Duplication section, select This is a duplicated server using software-
based duplication.
3. In the Select NIC Usage section,
• set “Sever Duplication Link” to Ethernet 0
• set “Services Port” to Ethernet 1
• set “Control Network A” to Ethernet 2
• set “Control Network B” to Ethernet 3 for a duplicated control network or to UNUSED
for a simplex control network
• set “Corporate LAN” to Ethernet 2 for a non-dedicated control network or to
Ethernet 4 for a dedicated control network
4. Click Continue.

NOTE: If the servers are separated, and the duplication link is on a routed IP network, static
routes must be administered.

The duplication mode, hardware or software, is not controlled by the S87xx Server license. If
Software Duplication mode is administered on a system with DAL hardware duplication cards
installed, the DAL cards are ignored.

Figures 1 and 2 on page 4 show the S87xx Server pair with cabling for software duplication.
These are typical Ethernet port assignments. Ports Eth2, Eth3, and Eth4 can be assigned
differently but on the S8720, the duplication link must be assigned to Eth0 for software
duplication.

Figure notes
1. Crossover duplication link cable between 1 Gb NICs. (Eth0)
NOTE: For separated servers, these ports are connected to an IP network.
2. Control network A. Also used for the LAN connection for non-dedicated control
networks. (Eth2)
3. Control network B. (Eth3)
4. LAN, if dedicated control network. (Eth4)

■ Eth1 is used for connection to the Services laptop.

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 Figure 1: Cabling the S8730 for software duplication

2
4

3
1

PCIe 2 PCIe 1 ILO 2 UID

1
5

2
1
3
1

PCIe 2 PCIe 1 ILO 2 UID

3 hw8730s2 LAO 081607

Figure 2: Cabling the S8720 for software duplication

3
3
100 MGz

2
2
100 MGz
iLO
2
2 1
1
133 MGz

VDCI UID

1
3
3
100 MGz

2
2
100 MGz
iLO 1
2 1
1
133 MGz

VDCI UID

3 h3df87s2 LAO 122206

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For Software Duplication on the S8720, the duplication link must be connected to Eth0 because
this is the only port that has a 1 Gb capacity. Control networks A and B, connected to Eth2 and
Eth3 respectively, are on the Quad NIC. For hardware duplication, control network A is typically
assigned to Eth0 and the duplication link to Eth2.

For Software Duplication on the S8730, Eth0 and the ports on the two dual NICs all have 1 Gb
capacity, so any of these ports could be used for the duplication link.

For separated servers, the duplication cable shown in Figure 1 is replaced with a dedicated or
shared enterprise network. If the duplication link is on a shared network, the duplication link
capacity, delay, and loss requirements must be met for the Software Duplication feature to
operate properly.

4. Duplication Link requirements

The duplication link includes a data link and a signaling link. These links use Transport Layer
Security (TLS) and TCP/IP to provide a secure, reliable connection. The signaling link provides
information about the link status and the status of the memory synchronization between the
active and standby servers. The data link carries data from the active server to the standby server
to keep the servers synchronized.

During normal steady state operations, just the current memory changes are copied from the
active server to the standby server. When the system is restarted or when memory
synchronization is lost due to unrecoverable data errors or data losses, all of the memory content
is copied from the active server to the standby server. This is an infrequent occurrence but when
it does occur, there is a large demand on the active server’s CPU and a requirement for a large
amount of bandwidth on the duplication link.

There are two potential issues for systems using the Software Duplication feature:

1. For software duplication, the active server CPU handles the transmission of memory data
to the standby server as well as taking care of call processing. When the active server
CPU occupancy is very high, 65% for example, the high demand for CPU resources
could adversely affect system performance.

2. If the servers are separated, and the duplication link is on a shared, routed network, the
duplication link must be maintained at a high level of quality to prevent degradation of
system performance. The duplication link must have an end-to-end total capacity of at
least 1 Gbps, and limited levels of transmission delay and packet loss. If one or more of
these parameter limits is not maintained, system performance and system availability
could be degraded.

The first issue applies regardless of whether the servers are collocated or separated. The second
issue typically applies only to separated servers with the duplication link on a shared, routed

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network. Transmission delays and packet loss increase with transmission distance, the volume of
traffic, and the number of hops in a packet-switched network.

To prevent adverse performance effects on a system using software duplication, Avaya

recommends the following limit values for the duplication link parameters:

ƒ 1 Gbps total capacity, or greater

ƒ 8 ms round-trip delay, or less
ƒ 0.1% round-trip packet loss, or less

To achieve and maintain these limit values when the duplication link is on a shared, routed
network, some method of reserving bandwidth on the duplication link, such as VLAN or
priority queuing, must be utilized. Avaya recommends 50 Mbps of reserved bandwidth for
duplication data. In addition, CPU occupancy on the active server must be less than 65% during
a refresh.

The values of delay, loss, reserved bandwidth, and server occupancy have a joint impact on
system performance. Acceptable performance might be maintained if the value of one parameter
is raised or lowered while another is changed in the opposite direction. However, Avaya
recommends maintaining all values within the indicated limits.

5. Server Separation Distance

With hardware duplication, the duplication link is implemented over dedicated fiber-optic cables
connecting the DAL cards in each server. In this configuration, the separation distance is limited
to 10 km.

With Software Duplication, the server separation distance is limited by transmission delay and
packet loss over the duplication link. This distance might be more or less than the 10 km limit for
hardware duplication, depending on the values of these duplication link parameters. Because of
the restrictions imposed by these parameters, the maximum separation distance for Software
Duplication will typically be on the order of Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) distances.

6. Testing Software Duplication

As with all Avaya offerings, the Software Duplication feature was extensively tested by the
Avaya Solutions Verification group. The testing has shown that the recommended limit values
for the duplication link parameters give good results with software duplication.

Software duplication was tested extensively for collocated S8720 Servers. Additional tests were
completed for configurations that simulated server separation with the duplication link on a
shared, routed network. These configurations were simulated by adding the following devices in
the duplication link:

1. A PacketStorm IP Network emulator to insert transmission delay and packet loss.

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 2. Two layer-3 switches and a Smartbits traffic emulator to simulate a routed network with
background data traffic.

The duplication link was configured with a 1 Gbps end-to-end total capacity for all test
configurations. Tests were conducted to measure parameters associated with the memory
synchronization on the standby server for various levels of transmission delay, packet loss, active
server CPU occupancy, and reserved bandwidth.

Tests were conducted with just the PacketStorm emulator in the duplication link to determine
system sensitivity to transmission delay, packet loss, and processor occupancy. The memory-
synchronization status of the standby server was observed for various levels of transmission
delay only, packet loss only, and packet delay and loss together. The processor occupancy on the
S8720 Server was maintained at 30 - 40%.

With this configuration it was observed that the Software Duplication feature can operate
normally for a fairly wide range of transmission delay levels when there is no packet loss. The
tolerable level of delay is reduced when low levels of packet loss are added to the duplication
link.

Additional tests were conducted with the Extreme Networks Alpine L3 switches in the
duplication link to determine the level of reserved bandwidth required for normal operation. The
Smartbits data traffic emulator was used to flood the duplication link with a full 1 Gbps of data
traffic and the duplication data were prioritized to provide various levels of guaranteed
bandwidth on the duplication link.

For this configuration, the system performed well when priority queuing provided from 10 Mbps
to 50 Mbps of reserved bandwidth for the duplication data. The recommended values for delay,
packet loss, and active server CPU occupancy were maintained during the tests.

7. Conclusions
The Software Duplication feature is not recommended for systems with SIP endpoints.

An Avaya S87xx-based communications system can be configured using the reduced-cost

Software Duplication feature with the duplication link on an IP network. The servers can be
collocated or separated and the IP network used for the duplication link can be dedicated or
shared, and it can be routed, as long as the duplication link is maintained within the following
recommended limits:

• At least 1 Gbps end-to-end total capacity with 50 Mbps reserved bandwidth for duplication
data
• Less than 8 ms packet delay
• Less than 0.1% packet loss

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Avaya testing has shown that a communications system configured with software duplication
performed well when the duplication link was maintained within these recommended limits. The
active server CPU occupancy was 30% to 40% during the tests.

If the S87xx servers using software duplication are collocated and use a dedicated Ethernet cable
or IP network for the duplication link, the recommended parameter limits should be met
automatically. If the servers are separated and the duplication link is shared and routed, the
system is much more complex and should operate normally as long as the recommended
parameter limits are maintained.

If desired, the duplication data can be configured with a firewall, as long as the recommended
parameter limits are maintained.

If a firewall is used on the duplication link, the following ports need to be open:

Port Protocol Used by

1332 UDP/IP Interarbiter
12080 TCP/IP Duplication Manager control link
21873 and 21874 TCP/IP Filesync
5098 TCP/IP TLS connection

Customers with separated servers and a shared duplication link should consult with Avaya
network engineers or the Avaya Technology and Consulting (ATAC) group for help with issues
not covered in this paper.

8. Additional References
Quick Start for Hardware Installation: Avaya S8700-series Servers, 555-245-703.

Installing and Configuring the Avaya S8700-series Server, 03-300145.

Job Aid: Server and CSS Separation—Avaya S8700-Series Servers, 555-245-766.

Application Notes for Extreme Networks Alpine, BlackDiamond, and Summit Series Switches
with Avaya Communication Manager, November, 2004

Application Notes for Extreme Networks Switches Using Gigabit Ethernet Modules with Avaya
S8700 Servers and Avaya G600 Media Gateways Controlling Avaya G700 Media Gateways,
March 2004.

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©2006 Avaya Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Avaya and the Avaya Logo are trademarks of Avaya Inc. All trademarks identified by ® and ™
are registered trademarks or trademarks, respectively, of Avaya Inc. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners. The information provided in these Application Notes is
subject to change without notice. The configurations, technical data, and recommendations
provided in these Application Notes are believed to be accurate and dependable, but are
presented without express or implied warranty. Users are responsible for their application of any
products specified in these Application Notes.

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