White Paper

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series

Virtual Switching System (VSS) 144

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Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching System 1440: An Overview .................................................. 3
Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching System 1440 Architecture..................................................... 3
Centralized Management .............................................................................................................................. 4
Router MAC Addresses ................................................................................................................................ 5
Virtual Switch Link ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Control-Plane Communication ...................................................................................................................... 7
Virtual Switch Link Initialization ..................................................................................................................... 8
Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching System 1440 Hardware Requirements ................................. 9
Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching System Hardware Deployment Recommendations ............ 12
Cisco EtherChannel Concepts .................................................................................................................... 14
Multichassis Cisco EtherChannel Links ...................................................................................................... 17
Multichassis Cisco EtherChannel Link Management Protocols ................................................................. 18
Virtual Switch Mode .................................................................................................................................... 18
Operational Management ........................................................................................................................... 23
Console Management ................................................................................................................................. 23
Interface Numbering.................................................................................................................................... 23
File-System Naming .................................................................................................................................... 24
Reloading the Cisco Virtual Switching System and Its Members ............................................................... 25
Systemwide PFC Mode............................................................................................................................... 26
Using the Cisco Network Analysis Module in a Cisco Virtual Switching System Environment .................. 26
Managing Cisco Virtual Switching System Using CiscoWorks LMS .......................................................... 29
CiscoView Chassis Management and Monitoring ...................................................................................... 29
High Availability ........................................................................................................................................... 30
Virtual Switch Priorities and Switch Preemption ......................................................................................... 32
First Hop Redundancy Protocols ................................................................................................................ 35
Failure Scenarios ........................................................................................................................................ 36
Detection Mechanisms and Configuration .................................................................................................. 42
Action upon Dual-Active Detection ............................................................................................................. 46
Recovery from Dual-Active Scenario .......................................................................................................... 47
Quality of Service ........................................................................................................................................ 48
VSL as a Congestion Point ......................................................................................................................... 48
Control Traffic over VSL .............................................................................................................................. 51
Using Supervisor Engine 720-10G VSS 10 Gigabit Ethernet Uplink Ports as VSL Interfaces ................... 51
Applying Policies ......................................................................................................................................... 52
Policing ........................................................................................................................................................ 52
Access Control Lists.................................................................................................................................... 54
Image and Patch Management ................................................................................................................... 57
Upgrading the Full Cisco IOS Software Image & Patch Upgrade Using Enhanced Fast
Software Upgrade (eFSU) .................................................................................................................... 69

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Introduction
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching System (VSS) 1440 is a new and exciting innovation on the Cisco®
Catalyst® 6500 Series switches that effectively allows the clustering of two or more physical chassis together into a
single, logical entity. This technology allows for new enhancements in all areas of network design, including high
availability, scalability, management, and maintenance.

This paper analyzes the Cisco VSS technology, including its benefits and requirements, and highlights potential
deployment caveats you should consider before deploying Cisco Virtual Switching System.

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching System 1440: An Overview

The initial release of Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching System (VSS) 1440 allows for the merging of two
physical Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches together into a single, logically managed entity. Figure 1 graphically
represents this concept, where you can manage two Cisco Catalyst 6509 chassis as a single, 18-slot chassis after
enabling Cisco Virtual Switching System.

Figure 1. Cisco Virtual Switching System

The key enabler of the Cisco Virtual Switching System technology is a special link that binds the two chassis
together, called a Virtual Switch Link (VSL). The VSL carries special control information and encapsulates every
frame with a header that passes across this link.

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching System 1440 Architecture

The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching System 1440 allows for the combination of two switches into a
single, logical network entity from the network control-plane and management perspectives. To the neighboring
devices, the Cisco Virtual Switching System appears as a single, logical switch or router.

Within the Cisco Virtual Switching System, one chassis is designated as the active virtual switch and the other is
designated as the standby virtual switch. All control-plane functions, including management (Simple Network
Management Protocol [SNMP], Telnet, Secure Shell [SSH] Protocol, etc.), Layer 2 protocols (bridge protocol data
units [BPDUs], protocol data units [PDUs], Link Aggregation Control Protocol [LACP], etc.), Layer 3 protocols (routing
protocols, etc.), and software data path are centrally managed by the active supervisor engine of the active virtual
switch chassis. The supervisor engine on the active virtual switch is also responsible for programming the hardware
forwarding information onto all the distributed forwarding cards (DFCs) across the entire Cisco Virtual Switching
System as well as the policy feature card (PFC) on the standby virtual switch supervisor engine.

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Figure 2. Components of Cisco Virtual Switching System

From data-plane and traffic-forwarding perspectives, both switches in the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual
Switching System 1440 actively forward traffic. The PFC on the active virtual switch supervisor engine performs
central forwarding lookups for all traffic that ingresses the active virtual switch, whereas the PFC on the standby
virtual switch supervisor engine performs central forwarding lookups for all traffic that ingresses the standby
virtual switch.

Additionally, all DFCs across the entire Cisco Virtual Switching System can also simultaneously perform packet
lookups. As a result, the Cisco Virtual Switching System in aggregate offers greater than 800 Mpps of IPv4 lookup
performance. Because the switch fabrics of both switches are also in an active state, the Cisco Virtual Switching
System in aggregate has the switch fabric capacity of 1440 Gbps, or 1.44 Tbps.

Centralized Management
The fundamental design of a Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching System 1440 allows for the centralized
management of all network and device resources, including Layer 3 protocols (Open Shortest Path First [OSPF],
Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol [EIGRP], Border Gateway Protocol [BGP], etc.) and Layer 2 protocols
(Spanning Tree Protocol, Unidirectional Link Detection Protocol [UDLD], Flow Control, LACP, etc.). A single
supervisor engine in the Cisco Virtual Switching System is elected as the central management point for the
entire system.

The chassis containing the supervisor engine acting as the single management point is referred to as the active
virtual switch. The peer chassis is referred to as the standby virtual switch. The single supervisor engine acting as the
single management point is referred to as the active supervisor engine, and the peer supervisor engine in the standby
virtual switch chassis is referred to as the hot-standby supervisor engine. You can verify this setup with the following
commands:

vss#show switch virtual

Switch mode : Virtual Switch
Virtual switch domain number : 200
Local switch number : 1
Local switch operational role: Virtual Switch Active
Peer switch number : 2
Peer switch operational role : Virtual Switch Standby

vss#show switch virtual redundancy

My Switch Id = 1
Peer Switch Id = 2
Last switchover reason = none
Configured Redundancy Mode = sso

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Operating Redundancy Mode = sso

Switch 1 Slot 5 Processor Information :

-----------------------------------------------
Current Software state = ACTIVE
Uptime in current state = 3 weeks, 4 days, 9 minutes
Image Version = Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-
ADVENTERPRISEK9_WAN_DBG-M), Version 12.2(SIERRA_INTEG_070502) INTERIM SOFTWARE
Synced to V122_32_8_11, 12.2(32.8.11)SR on rainier, Weekly 12.2(32.8.11)SX76
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Thu 03-May-07 09:46 by kchristi
BOOT = sup-bootdisk:s72033-adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-
mz.SIERRA_INTEG_070502,1;
CONFIG_FILE =
BOOTLDR =
Configuration register = 0x2102
Fabric State = ACTIVE
Control Plane State = ACTIVE
Switch 2 Slot 5 Processor Information :
-----------------------------------------------
Current Software state = STANDBY HOT (switchover target)
Uptime in current state = 3 weeks, 4 days, 8 minutes
Image Version = Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-
ADVENTERPRISEK9_WAN_DBG-M), Version 12.2(SIERRA_INTEG_070502) INTERIM SOFTWARE
Synced to V122_32_8_11, 12.2(32.8.11)SR on rainier, Weekly 12.2(32.8.11)SX76
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Thu 03-May-07 09:46 by kchristi
BOOT = sup-bootdisk:s72033-adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-
mz.SIERRA_INTEG_070502,1;
CONFIG_FILE =
BOOTLDR =
Configuration register = 0x2102
Fabric State = ACTIVE
Control Plane State = STANDBY

Router MAC Addresses

Router MAC addresses are assigned to Layer 3 interfaces (physical interfaces or VLANs). They are used primarily to
address the Layer 2 fields of the interface for communications, but are also fundamental for the device to perform a
Layer 3 lookup; Layer 3 lookups are initiated only if the destination MAC address of the frame is equal to the router
MAC address of the interface.

In a standalone Cisco Catalyst 6500, the router MAC address is derived from the MAC erasable electronic
programmable read only memory (EEPROM) that is embedded in each Cisco Catalyst 6500 chassis. In a Cisco
Virtual Switching System environment, because two physical chassis form the single, logical device, the router MAC
addresses must be consistent across both physical chassis. Therefore, the assignment of the router MAC address
varies in a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment.

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In a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment, the router MAC address assigned to the entire Cisco Virtual
Switching System is the router MAC address derived from the MAC EEPROM of the active virtual switch chassis
upon initial system activation. When the virtual switch transitions to active state, it assigns all its Layer 3 interfaces
with its own router MAC address local to its MAC EEPROM. When the standby virtual switch is brought online after
VSL activation, it also derives its router MAC addresses from the MAC EEPROM of the active virtual switch. From
this point onward, even if a switchover occurs between the virtual switches (causing a role change), the MAC address
remains consistent (Figure 3).

Figure 3. MAC Address Synchronization Across Cisco Virtual Switching System

If the entire Cisco Virtual Switching System is restarted and brought online again but the peer switch assumes the
active virtual switch role on activation, the router MAC address changes. In most environments, this change does not
represent a problem because gratuitous Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) frames advertising the new router MAC
addresses are transmitted upon interface initialization. If you have devices that do not interpret gratuitous ARP
frames in your network, you should configure a static router MAC address on the interface:

vss#conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
vss(config)#int te2/1/2
vss(config-if)#mac-address 000f.f8aa.9c00
vss(config-if)#^Z
vss-demo-1#
*Jul 12 06:49:56.441: %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by console

vss#sh int ten 2/1/2 | include address

Hardware is C6k 10000Mb 802.3, address is 000f.f8aa.9c00 (bia 000f.f8aa.9c00)

If you issue this command and save the configuration, the Cisco Virtual Switching System will always use the
manually configured address, regardless of the role it assumes.

In addition to the first two methods of specifying the router mac-address, we have introduced with 12.2(33)SXH2, a
method to select a router mac-address from a VSS reserved pool. The router-mac address will be derived from a
formula that uses the domain-id of the VSS pairs. This will make the router mac unique for a virtual switch domain
and will remain the same irrespective of which becomes active.

VSS(config-vs-domain)# switch virtual domain 100

VSS(config-vs-domain)# mac-address use-virtual

Configured Router mac address is different from operational value. Change will take effect after config is saved.

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Virtual Switch Link

The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching System 1440 consists initially of two Cisco Catalyst 6500 chassis.
In order to bond the two chassis together into a single, logical node, special signaling and control information must be
exchanged between the two chassis in a timely manner. To facilitate this information exchange, you need a special
link to transfer both data and control traffic between the peer chassis. This link is referred to as the virtual switch link
(VSL). (Refer to Figure 4.)

The VSL, formed as a Cisco EtherChannel® interface, can comprise links ranging from 1 to 8 physical member ports.
These links carry two types of traffic: the Cisco Virtual Switching System control traffic and normal data traffic. In
order to ensure that control traffic gets highest priority across the VSL, a special bit is set on all VSL control frames to
help ensure that these frames always get priority service from both ingress and egress hardware queues. From a
data-plane perspective, the VSL is used to extend the internal chassis data path to the neighboring chassis. Data
traffic sent on the VSL is load balanced using the regular Cisco EtherChannel load-balancing algorithms.

All frames that are sent across the VSL are encapsulated with a virtual switch header (VSH), which is appended to
the frame by the egress port application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and striped off on the other side of the VSL
by the ingress port ASIC. The VSH carries information such as the ingress port index, destination port index, VLAN,
class of service (CoS), etc. The size of the VSH is the same as that of the internal compact header used by the
Cisco Catalyst 6500; it is 32 bytes long. This header is placed after the Ethernet preamble and directly before the
Layer 2 header.

Figure 4. Virtual Switch Header

Because a VSH is appended onto every frame that is sent across the VSL, there are also new port ASIC
requirements to be able to form the VSL. The interfaces that can currently form the VSL are the 10 Gigabit Ethernet
uplink interfaces on the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720-10G VSS as well as those on the 8-port
10 Gigabit Ethernet line card (WS-X6708-10G-3C/XL).

The VSL is both the enabling technology of the Cisco Virtual Switching System and a critical link of the system.
Internal Cisco Catalyst 6500 control information that is usually retained within the chassis must now be exchanged
across the VSL to the peer switch, extending the backplane between the two switches. You should, therefore, always
provision the VSL to contain at least two member links, which should be deployed along different physical paths or
conduits. You should minimize data traffic use of the VSL wherever possible. Refer to the section “Cisco
EtherChannel Concepts” for more details.

Control-Plane Communication
The VSL is crucial for both CPUs in each supervisor engine to communicate with each other. It is also used to
determine which virtual switch becomes the active virtual switch and which becomes the standby virtual switch.
Because this determination affects the behavior of each switch, the roles must be negotiated very early during the
chassis bootup cycle. As a result, the system must bring the VSL and its associated ports online before initializing the
rest of the system.

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Communication between the two chassis is facilitated with internal messaging that is sent across the VSL. Because
the VSL is implemented as a Cisco EtherChannel interface, it is resilient to single-link failures. However, realistically
only a single link of the VSL is chosen as the control link at any given time because the hash algorithm of the Cisco
EtherChannel interface is based on the source and destination MAC addresses, which are always the same for
each CPU.

Virtual Switch Link Initialization

The system must bring the VSL online before activating the Cisco Virtual Switching System. The initialization
sequence consists of the following steps:

1. Link initialization
The VSL link initialization occurs very early in the system boot cycle—it actually occurs even before the configuration
file is parsed and the system is initialized. To determine which ports form members of the VSL, the configuration is
preparsed to extract the appropriate VSL commands and their associated interfaces, so that the modules containing
these interfaces can be powered up, diagnostics run, and VSL interfaces brought online.

The Link Management Protocol (LMP) operates on each link of the VSL and is part of the Virtual Switch Link Protocol
(VSLP). It performs the following functions:

● Identifies and rejects unidirectional links

● Exchanges switch IDs between the two chassis
● Exchanges other information required to establish communication between the two chassis

2. Role resolution
The role of each physical chassis is resolved by another protocol that forms part of VSLP—the Role Resolution
Protocol (RRP), which performs the following functions:

● Determines whether the hardware and software versions allow a Cisco Virtual Switching System to be formed
● Determines which chassis will become the active virtual switch and which will become the standby virtual
switch chassis from a control-plane perspective.

3. High-availability role determination

After the role resolution, the active and standby image versions and configurations are checked for compatibility,
helping ensure that the hardware and software versions are the same on both chassis supervisor engines. The
configuration check helps ensure that the VSL-related configurations on the two switches are compatible. If either of
the two checks fails, then the standby chassis comes up in route-processor redundancy (RPR), mode where all
modules are powered down, as opposed to Nonstop Forwarding/Stateful Switchover (NSF/SSO) mode, where the
standby chassis is fully initialized and can forward traffic.

An example of how configuration checking may force the system into RPR mode is provided in the following output:

*Jun 29 14:05:44.731: %VSLP-SW2_SP-5-RRP_ROLE_RESOLVED: Role resolved as ACTIVE by

VSLP
*Jun 29 14:05:44.735: %VSL-SW2_SP-5-VSL_CNTRL_LINK: vsl_new_control_link NEW VSL
Control Link 5/4

*Jun 29 14:05:44.735: %VSL-SW2_SP-2-VSL_STATUS: === VSL is UP

*Jun 29 14:08:22.294: %VS_PARSE-3-CONFIG_MISMATCH: The system:/running-config VSL

config comparison failed

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Switch 2 has the following configs that mismatch with Switch 1:

Interface TenGigabitEthernet1/5/4 shutdown

*Jun 29 14:08:22.210: SW2_SP: VS_PARSE_DBG_ERR: vs_redun_send_check_vs_config:

icc_req_resp_timeout_and_success: Failed
*Jun 29 14:08:22.210: SW2_SP: VS_PARSE_DBG: vs_redun_check_vs_config: running
config check on rp not ok
*Jun 29 14:08:22.218: %PFREDUN-SW2_SP-6-ACTIVE: Standby initializing for RPR mode

This output shows that the configuration consistency check failed because of a mismatch in the VSL configuration
between switch 1 and switch 2. In this case, switch 2 has an extra “shutdown” statement under one of its VSL
members, whereas switch 1 does not, forcing the standby virtual switch (in this case switch 1) into RPR mode.

In order to recover from this situation, make any necessary changes to the configuration, save the configuration, and
reload the standby chassis:

vss#conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
vss(config)#int te1/5/4
vss(config-if)#no shut
vss(config-if)#^Z
vss#wr
Building configuration...

*Jun 29 14:28:53.906: %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by console

*Jun 29 14:29:04.834: %PFINIT-SW2_SP-5-CONFIG_SYNC: Sync’ing the startup
configuration to the standby Router. [OK]
vss#redundancy reload shelf 1
Reload the entire remote shelf[confirm]
Preparing to reload remote shelf

Upon reload of switch 1, you should be able to observe that configurations are not synchronized and both switches
can enter into NSF/SSO mode:

*Jun 29 14:40:46.101: VS_PARSE_DBG: vsl_mgr_parse_config_file:

vsl_mgr_parse_config_file:Open Succeeded for running config system:/running-config
*Jun 29 14:40:46.029: SW2_SP: VS_PARSE_DBG: vs_redun_check_vs_config: running
config check on rp ok
*Jun 29 14:40:46.037: %PFREDUN-SW2_SP-6-ACTIVE: Standby initializing for SSO mode
*Jun 29 14:40:49.874: %PFINIT-SW2_SP-5-CONFIG_SYNC: Sync’ing the startup
configuration to the standby Router.

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching System 1440 Hardware Requirements
Specific hardware is required to enable the Cisco Virtual Switching System feature; it exists in the form of the
supervisor engine and system forwarding engines, the VSL-capable modules, and modules that may exist in a Cisco
Virtual Switching System-enabled system.

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Forwarding Engine
The forwarding engine of the Cisco Catalyst 6500 may exist in the form of a PFC on the supervisor engine or a DFC
that is installed on the individual line cards. These forwarding engines perform lookup functions for every frame that
enters into the system and can determine the ultimate destination of the packet as well as providing value-added
services such as security access control list (ACL) and quality of service (QoS) lookups.

A standalone Cisco Catalyst 6500 and a Cisco Virtual Switching System-enabled Cisco Catalyst 6500 have two
notable differences:

● Both the active and the hot-standby supervisor engine PFCs are active and are used to perform packet
lookups for centralized lookup on each chassis.
● All forwarding engines are required to cater for an increased amount of port index information to be able to
address a fully populated Cisco Virtual Switching System-enabled chassis. In the initial release of software,
this requirement generally indicates a requirement to address twice the number of physical ports.

As a result, a new system forwarding engine mode is required to enable the Cisco Virtual Switching System
capabilities. This new mode is the Policy Feature Card 3C (PFC3C) or Policy Feature Card 3CXL (PFC3CXL) mode.
You can verify the operating mode of the system with the following command:

vss#sh platform hardware pfc mode

PFC operating mode : PFC3C
Configured PFC operating mode : None

Because the system also operates in a lowest-common-denominator mode, it is important to ensure that all other
forwarding engines in the chassis are either at PFC3C mode or above (PFC3CXL). If a lower-mode module was
previously inserted into the chassis that forced the system mode of operation to PFC3A, PFC3B, or PFC3BXL mode,
then the Cisco Virtual Switching System function will not be enabled on the system. Likewise, if a module with a
lower-mode DFC is inserted into the chassis after conversion to Cisco Virtual Switching System mode, the system will
not grant power to the module.

Additionally, the supervisor engines of both chassis may prenegotiate their modes to be in PFC3CXL mode during
VSL initiation. If modules are installed in a system that contains a DFC3C, then the module may never be allowed to
power up. This example is further highlighted by the case where the VSL module itself is a DFC3C, but the supervisor
engine has a PFC3CXL. In this case, the VSL-enabled module may never power up. To avoid this situation, configure
the following global command if installation of a mix of PFC3C and PFC3CXL modules is possible:

vss(config)#platform hardware vsl pfc mode pfc3c

System EARL mode will be forced to PFC3C on next bootup

vss#sh platform hardware pfc mode

PFC operating mode : PFC3C
Configured PFC operating mode : PFC3C

Virtual Switch Link-Capable Interfaces

VSL-capable interfaces are required to create a VSL port channel. The current modules that support the formation of
a VSL port channel are the 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplink ports on the Supervisor Engine 720-10G (VS-S720-10G-
3C/XL), Cisco 8-Port 10 Gigabit Ethernet Switching Module (WS-X6708-10G-3C/XL), and Cisco 16-Port 10 Gigabit
Ethernet Switching Module (WS-X6716-10G-3C/XL). (Refer to Figure 5.)

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Note: The WS-X6716-10G-3C/XL can operate in two modes—Oversubscription and Performance Mode (only 1
port from each port-group can be used). For more information, please refer to this link:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps5718/ps708/qa_cisco_catalyst_6500_series_16port_10gigabit
_ethernet_module.html

Figure 5. VSL-capable Modules

These interfaces contain new port ASICs that allow the VSH to be encapsulated on each frame forwarded out of the
port and also support the ability to de-encapsulate VSH-tagged frames.

Supported Chassis
From a chassis perspective, both E-Series chassis and non E-Series chassis are supported within a Cisco Virtual
Switching System environment, with the exception of the Cisco Catalyst 6503 (non E-Series) and Cisco Catalyst
6509-NEB (non E-Series). Table 1 gives a complete list of the chassis supported with the initial release of Cisco
Virtual Switching System:

Table 1. Chassis Supported by Cisco Virtual Switching System

Model Number Description

WS-C6503-E E-Series 3-slot chassis

WS-C6504-E E-Series 4-slot chassis

WS-C6506 6-slot chassis

WS-C6506-E E-Series 6-slot chassis

WS-C6509 9-slot chassis

WS-C6509-E E-Series 9-slot chassis

WS-C6509-NEB-A 9-slot vertical Network Equipment Building Standards (NEBS) chassis

WS-C6509-V-E E-Series 9-slot vertical chassis

WS-C6513 13-slot chassis

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It should be noted that there is no requirement that the two members of the Cisco Virtual Switching System use the
same chassis type. The members consisting of the Cisco Virtual Switching System can be different chassis with
varying slot counts.

Additionally, note that no Cisco 7600 Series chassis will be supported after the system is converted to Cisco Virtual
Switching System mode.

Supervisor Engine
The supervisor engine that supports the Cisco Virtual Switching System feature is the Supervisor Engine 720-10G
VSS (VS-S720-10G-3C/XL). This supervisor engine has both the PFC3C/XL- as well as the VSL-capable interfaces
integrated on the module (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Supervisor Engine 720-10G VSS

The initial release of the Cisco Virtual Switching System supports only one Supervisor Engine 720-10G VSS per
chassis. A subsequent software release will allow for redundant supervisors to exist in a single physical chassis
within the VSS.

Other Supported Modules

You can use all other modules in the chassis to connect to other network nodes or devices, including interface
modules or integrated services modules.

Supported interface modules that can coexist within a Cisco Virtual Switching System-enabled chassis include all
CEF720 modules (WS-X6700 series). These modules can also support either a centralized forwarding card (CFC) or
a DFC. If a DFC is installed, it must either be DFC3C or DFC3CXL. A lower-mode DFC inserted in the module will be
denied system power until the system-wide PFC mode has been configured and the system is reloaded.

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching System Hardware Deployment Recommendations
You can deploy Cisco Virtual Switching System in your network in numerous ways. In order to maximize system
availability and capacity, note the following recommendations with their associated benefits and caveats.

Two-Port VSL Using Supervisor-Engine Uplinks

In this scenario, the two members of the Cisco Virtual Switching System are connected through a 2-port VSL
bundle. Figure 7 shows the VSL being formed out of the two 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplink ports on the Supervisor
Engine 720-10G VSS.

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Figure 7. VSL Formed out of Two 10 Gigabit Ethernet Uplink Ports

This deployment scenario allows for a redundant VSL connection and also depends on fewer hardware components.
However, if a VSL module fails (in this case, it is the supervisor engine), the entire VSL also will fail, potentially
resulting in a dual-active scenario. The effect is mitigated, however, because redundant supervisor engines are not
supported in the initial software release of Cisco Virtual Switching System. Note that this scenario does not allow for
future scaling of VSL bandwidth because no extra VSL-capable 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces are available.

Two-Port VSL Using Line Cards Only

Figure 8 shows the two members of the Cisco Virtual Switching System connected through a 2-port VSL bundle, but
takes full advantage of line cards instead of the supervisor-engine uplinks.

Figure 8. VSL Comprising of Interfaces on the Cisco 8-Port 10 Gigabit Ethernet Switching Module

This deployment scenario allows for a redundant VSL connection as well, but uses the two Cisco 8-port 10 Gigabit
Ethernet modules if the uplinks on the supervisor engine are already in use. As a result, the scenario depicted in
Figure 8 involves more hardware, but it is highly redundant: the VSL can survive both a physical link failure as well as
a complete VSL module failure. This solution also provides for future VSL bandwidth scalability.

Two-Port VSL Using Supervisor Engine and Line Card

Figure 9 shows the two members of the VSS connected through a 2-port VSL bundle; this scenario uses both
supervisor-engine uplinks and a single 8-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet line card for bandwidth and redundancy.

Figure 9. VSL Members Across Supervisor Engine Ports and 8-Port 10 Gigabit Ethernet Switching Module

This deployment scenario, which allows for a redundant VSL connection, may require more hardware than using a
single supervisor engine, but offers both link and line-card redundancy as well as the added benefit of future scaling
requirements if you need extra VSL bandwidth in the future.

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Multiple Cisco Virtual Switching System Domains

Multiple deployments of Cisco Virtual Switching System can exist in a given network design, adding to the availability
and scalability of the network. As a result, Cisco requires you use unique virtual switch domain identifiers for each
pair of VSS switches.

Figure 10 shows an example of multiple Cisco Virtual Switching System domains in a network design. The figure
shows three unique VSS domains, each with a unique domain ID. You can also deploy multichassis Cisco
EtherChannel links across other Cisco Virtual Switching Systems, removing the reliance on protocols such as
Spanning Tree Protocol.

Figure 10. Multiple Cisco Virtual Switching System Domains

Another example of multiple Cisco Virtual Switching System domains is in the area of Layer 2 adjacent WAN
deployments. It may be a requirement for the business or the applications that a routed Layer 3 WAN connection may
not be possible requiring a Layer 2 connection between two disparate geographic sites, yet still providing link
redundancy at the same time. This will ultimately require some form of Layer 2 redundancy protocol be implemented
(such as Spanning Tree Protocol), resulting in complex topologies as well as inefficient bandwidth utilization across
network links. By leveraging Cisco Virtual Switching System, such inefficiencies will be mitigated through the
formation of multichassis Cisco EtherChannel connections.

Cisco EtherChannel Concepts

Cisco EtherChannel interfaces on the Cisco Catalyst 6500 platform represent a grouping of one or more physical
ports into a single, logical port from the perspective of either a Layer 2 switching or Layer 3 routing environment.
Cisco EtherChannel interfaces allow for individual link resiliency as well as providing added bandwidth without the
necessity of complex protocols.

There are generally no restrictions with regard to which ports or modules can form members of a Cisco EtherChannel
link, except that the member interfaces need to be of the same speed and no more than 8 members can belong to a
single Cisco EtherChannel grouping. You can, therefore, extend members of the Cisco EtherChannel interface
across switching modules to allow for the maximum availability of the Cisco EtherChannel interface if either a single
link or module fails.

Traffic Distribution and Hashing

The distribution of traffic across the various members of the Cisco EtherChannel link is accomplished through
different hash schemes, each using a fixed set of fields within the frame to determine which Cisco EtherChannel
member is used to forward a particular traffic flow. With the PFC3C running Cisco IOS® Software Release
12.2(33)SXH, you can choose from 13 possible different hash schemes:

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vss(config)#port-channel load-balance ?
dst-ip Dst IP Addr
dst-mac Dst Mac Addr
dst-mixed-ip-port Dst IP Addr and TCP/UDP Port
dst-port Dst TCP/UDP Port
mpls Load Balancing for MPLS packets
src-dst-ip Src XOR Dst IP Addr
src-dst-mac Src XOR Dst Mac Addr
src-dst-mixed-ip-port Src XOR Dst IP Addr and TCP/UDP Port
src-dst-port Src XOR Dst TCP/UDP Port
src-ip Src IP Addr
src-mac Src Mac Addr
src-mixed-ip-port Src IP Addr and TCP/UDP Port
src-port Src TCP/UDP Port

Selection of the hash scheme of choice largely depends on the traffic mix through the Cisco EtherChannel interface,
noting that these hash schemes may be selected only on a global basis.

Determination of Hash Result

With the release of Cisco Virtual Switching System, a new mechanism has been implemented to allow you to
determine which physical link a given flow of traffic uses within a port-channel group. You provide inputs to the
command and the hashing algorithm computes the physical link that is selected for the traffic mix and algorithm.

vss#sh etherchannel load-balance hash-result ?

interface Port-channel interface
ip IP address
ipv6 IPv6
l4port Layer 4 port number
mac Mac address
mixed Mixed mode: IP address and Layer 4 port number
mpls MPLS

vss#sh etherchannel load-balance hash-result interface port-channel 120 ip

192.168.220.10 192.168.10.10
Computed RBH: 0x4
Would select Gi1/2/1 of Po120

Adaptive Load Balancing

The addition or removal of a member port from a Cisco EtherChannel interface has always led to a varied amount of
traffic loss for customers. The current generation of port ASICs uses a 3-bit Result Bundle Hash (RBH) value from the
PFC or DFC result to index into a load register to allow a packet to be transmitted if the corresponding bit is set.

When a new port is added or deleted, the load value is reset on all the ports. A new load is then distributed on all the
ports in the Cisco EtherChannel interface, including the new member, and reprogrammed into the port ASIC for each
port. This process causes packets to be dropped during the short outage window (approximately 200 to 300 ms), an
undesirable result for higher-speed interfaces such as 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections where a large amount of
traffic may be lost during this brief outage window.

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This problem has led to the development of an enhanced load-distribution mechanism such that when ports are
added or removed from a Cisco EtherChannel interface, the load result does not need to be reset on existing member
ports, resulting in better traffic recovery times.

You can implement this new algorithm either globally or on a per-port channel basis, where fixed is the current
default mode and adaptive uses the enhanced mode:

vss(config)#port-channel hash-distribution ?
adaptive selective distribution of the bndl_hash among port-channel members
fixed distribution of the bndl_hash among port-channel members

vss(config)#int port-channel 4
vss(config-if)#port-channel port hash-distribution ?
adaptive selective distribution of the bndl_hash among port-channel members
fixed fixed distribution of the bndl_hash among port-channel members

The algorithm selected with these commands is applied only at the next hash-distribution instance, which usually
occurs on a port-channel member link transition event.

vss#sh etherchannel 4 summary

Flags: D - down P - bundled in port-channel
I - stand-alone s - suspended
H - Hot-standby (LACP only)
R - Layer3 S - Layer2
U - in use N - not in use, no aggregation
f - failed to allocate aggregator

M - not in use, no aggregation due to minimum links not met

m - not in use, port not aggregated due to minimum links not
met
u - unsuitable for bundling
d - default port

w - waiting to be aggregated
Number of channel-groups in use: 9
Number of aggregators: 9

Group Port-channel Protocol Ports

------+-------------+-----------+------------------------------------
4 Po4(SU) PAgP Gi1/5/3(P) Gi2/5/3(P)

Last applied Hash Distribution Algorithm: Adaptive

Although this new load-distribution algorithm requires configuration for regular Cisco EtherChannel and multichassis
Cisco EtherChannel interfaces, it is the default load-distribution algorithm used on the virtual switch links.

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Multichassis Cisco EtherChannel Links

The multichassis Cisco EtherChannel interface spans more than a single physical switch (Figure 11). Cisco Virtual
Switching System allows for the formation of this multichassis Cisco EtherChannel link and allows all the dual-homed
connections to and from the upstream and downstream devices to be configured as Cisco EtherChannel links, as
opposed to individual links. As a result, multichassis Cisco EtherChannel links allow for implementation of new
network designs where true Layer 2 multipathing can be implemented without the reliance on Layer 2 redundancy
protocols such as Spanning Tree Protocol. With 12.2(33)SXI and above, VSS supports 512 etherchannels.

Figure 11. Multichassis Cisco EtherChannel Links

Like regular Cisco EtherChannel interfaces, all ports within the multichassis Cisco EtherChannel link have the same
source index regardless of the chassis in which they are physically present, making it possible to apply a single IP
address for Layer 3 Cisco EtherChannel links or for Spanning Tree Protocol to view such a Cisco EtherChannel
interface as a single, logical port.

One unique difference between multichassis Cisco EtherChannel and regular Cisco EtherChannel interfaces is the
way traffic is load balanced across the channel group members. A regular Cisco EtherChannel link selects the
appropriate channel group member to exit based purely on the hashing algorithm of choice. A multichassis Cisco
EtherChannel link, however, has some extra intelligence to reduce the amount of traffic that requires transmission
across the VSL. This optimization is accomplished by populating the index port only with the ports local to the
physical chassis, allowing the chassis to favor the local ports of the multichassis Cisco EtherChannel link over those
on the remote chassis.

For traffic that must be flooded on the VLAN (broadcasts, multicasts, and unknown unicasts), a copy is sent across
the VSL to be sent out any single-homed ports belonging to the VLAN. Because the first chassis will have sent a copy
out one of the multichassis Cisco EtherChannel ports, packets received from the VSL are not sent out of another
multichassis Cisco EtherChannel port. If all of the multichassis Cisco EtherChannel ports on a given chassis are
removed because of a failure, management control, etc., the Cisco EtherChannel link is no longer a multichassis
Cisco EtherChannel link, but a regular Cisco EtherChannel link, and hence flooded packets will be sent out of this
EtherChannel link from the VSL.

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Although the data traffic is spread across the two chassis, the active supervisor engine must terminate control traffic
for the multichassis Cisco EtherChannel link on the active virtual switch, including most of the Layer 2 protocols such
as Spanning Tree Protocol, Port Aggregation Protocol (PAgP), VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP), etc. All multichassis
Cisco EtherChannel links have their control protocols terminated on the active supervisor engine. Any control
protocols received by multichassis Cisco EtherChannel link ports on the standby virtual switch are redirected to the
active supervisor engine through the VSL. Because the Cisco EtherChannel link is terminated in one chassis,
PAgP and LACP have the same device identifier on all the member links, regardless of the chassis on which the
link resides.

Multichassis Cisco EtherChannel Link Management Protocols

Multichassis Cisco EtherChannel links support both the Cisco proprietary Port Aggregation Protocol (PAgP) and the
LACP, both of which run on the active supervisor engine on the active virtual switch. Protocol frames that the standby
virtual switch receives are relayed to the active supervisor engine on the active virtual switch through the VSL.

Virtual Switch Mode

With the first release of software supporting the Cisco Virtual Switching System, you can run the switches in either
standalone mode or virtual mode. The default configuration is for the individual chassis to operate in standalone
mode. In order to migrate to virtual mode, you must perform a conversion procedure, outlined as follows.

After the chassis reloads and is operating in virtual mode, it begins the VSL initialization sequence. Additionally, the
interface naming convention is changed to allow for the specification of a chassis identifier as part of the interface
name. Please refer to the section “Operational Management” for more information.

Switch Identifier
Each chassis within the Cisco Virtual Switching System is allocated a unique chassis identifier upon conversion to
virtual switch mode. This identifier is known as the switch identifier, or switch ID. This number is used as part of the
interface naming to ensure that the interface name remains the same regardless of the active or standby virtual
switch roles.

As mentioned previously, this variable is set during the conversion phase; if a replacement supervisor engine is
required, it is set with an enable-mode command-line interface (CLI) command. The variable that has been set is
stored as a variable in ROMmon, so it is locally significant to the individual supervisor engine. If you need to alter the
switch ID, use the following CLI:

VSS#switch set switch_num 1

Set rommon’s switch_num to 1

VSS#switch read switch_num

Read switch_num from rommon is 1

If there is a misconfiguration in switch IDs (when both switches have the same switch ID), the formation of the VSL
will fail on initialization. When the two chassis are being brought up as a single Cisco Virtual Switching System, the
VSL initialization handshake verifies that the switch IDs of the two chassis do not match. If the switch ID is found to
be in conflict, then the VSL will not become active. If this situation occurs, both chassis assume the role of active
virtual switch and you are informed of this conflict.

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Conversion to Virtual Switch Mode

This section details the steps required to convert a standalone system into virtual switch mode. The interfaces
forming the VSL should be connected prior to the conversion process to minimize the number of times the chassis is
reloaded. Additionally, you should begin the conversion process using a default configuration because the conversion
process removes any previous configuration that exists on the standalone chassis.

Refer to Figure 12 to reference the conversion process.

Figure 12. Cisco Virtual Switching System Conversion

Step 1. Configure virtual switch ID and domain.

On the two switches, configure the same virtual switch domain number (in this case it is 100), but unique switch IDs
using the following configuration mode commands:

VSS-sw1#conf t VSS-sw2#conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per Enter configuration commands, one per
line. End with CNTL/Z. line. End with CNTL/Z.

VSS-sw1(config)#switch virtual domain 100 VSS-sw2(config)#switch virtual domain 100

Domain ID 100 config will take effect Domain ID 100 config will take effect
only only
after the exec command ‘switch convert after the exec command ‘switch convert
mode virtual’ is issued mode virtual’ is issued

VSS-sw1(config-vs-domain)#switch 1 VSS-sw2(config-vs-domain)#switch 2
VSS-sw1(config-vs-domain)# VSS-sw2(config-vs-domain)#

Note that as a result of this command, the domain ID is retained in the configuration, but the switch ID is not; this
value is stored as a variable in ROMmon. It can be confirmed by issuing the following command on each switch:

VSS-sw1#switch read switch_num VSS-sw2#switch read switch_num

Read switch_num from rommon is 1 Read switch_num from rommon is 2

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Step 2. Configure the VSL port channel and member ports.

Choose unique port-channel IDs for each chassis to form the VSL and configure them with the corresponding switch
ID using the following commands:

VSS-sw1#conf t VSS-sw2#conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per Enter configuration commands, one per
line. End with CNTL/Z. line. End with CNTL/Z.

VSS-sw1(config)#interface port-channel 1 VSS-sw2(config)#interface port-channel 2

VSS-sw1(config-if)#switch virtual link 1 VSS-sw2(config-if)#switch virtual link 2
VSS-sw1(config-if)#no shut VSS-sw2(config-if)#no shut
VSS-sw1(config-if)# VSS-sw2(config-if)#

Now add the ports on each switch to the port channel that corresponds to the respective side of the VSL using the
following commands:

VSS-sw1(config)#interface range VSS-sw2(config)#interface range

tenGigabitEthernet 5/4 - 5 tenGigabitEthernet 5/4 - 5
VSS-sw1(config-if-range)#channel-group 1 VSS-sw2(config-if-range)#channel-group 2
mode on mode on
VSS-sw1(config-if-range)#no shut VSS-sw2(config-if-range)#no shut
VSS-sw1(config-if-range)#^Z VSS-sw2(config-if-range)#^Z
VSS-sw1# VSS-sw2#

Note that only the local port channels and their associated members need to be configured on each switch. Because
the switches are still in standalone mode, you do not need to configure the peer-switch ports.

Step 3. Convert to virtual switch mode.

Convert both switches to virtual switch mode using the following exec command:

VSS-sw1#switch convert mode virtual VSS-sw2#switch convert mode virtual

This command will convert all interface This command will convert all interface
names to naming convention “interface- names to naming convention “interface-
type switch-number/slot/port”, save the type switch-number/slot/port”, save the
running config to startup-config and running config to startup-config and
reload the switch. reload the switch.

Do you want to proceed? [yes/no]: yes Do you want to proceed? [yes/no]: yes
Converting interface names Converting interface names
Building configuration... Building configuration...
[OK] [OK]
Saving converted configurations to Saving converted configurations to
bootflash … bootflash…
[OK] [OK]

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Four actions occur when you issue this command:

● The running configuration of the individual switch is converted into a three-level virtual switch interface
notation. Two-level interface configurations (such as TenGigabitEthernet 5/4) are converted into three-level
interfaces (such as TenGigabitEthernet 1/5/4 in switch 1 and TenGigabitEthernet 2/5/4 in switch 2).
● The startup configuration is updated with the three-number notation.
● A copy of the original startup configuration converted to three-number notation is written to the multilayer
switch feature card (MSFC) bootflash of the respective switch.
● Both switches reload.

Note that the command switch convert mode virtual is not stored in the startup configuration because it is not a
configuration command. Instead, the following line is added to the startup configuration under the switch
virtual domain:

When the two switches are brought online, they proceed with VSL initialization and initialize their respective VSL
ports. The two switches communicate with each other and determine active and standby roles. This exchange of
information is evident through the following console messages:

VSS#sh run | begin switch virtual domain

switch virtual domain 100
switch mode virtual

When the two switches are brought online, they proceed with VSL initialization and initialize their respective VSL
ports. The two switches communicate with each other and determine active and standby roles. This exchange of
information is evident through the following console messages:

System detected Virtual Switch System detected Virtual Switch

configuration... configuration...
Interface TenGigabitEthernet 1/5/4 is Interface TenGigabitEthernet 2/5/4 is
member of PortChannel 1 member of PortChannel 2
Interface TenGigabitEthernet 1/5/5 is Interface TenGigabitEthernet 2/5/5 is
member of PortChannel 1 member of PortChannel 2

<snip> <snip>

00:00:26: %VSL_BRINGUP-6-MODULE_UP: VSL 00:00:26: %VSL_BRINGUP-6-MODULE_UP: VSL

module in slot 5 switch 1 brought up module in slot 5 switch 2 brought up
Initializing as Virtual Switch active Initializing as Virtual Switch standby

After the VSL is initialized and the Cisco Virtual Switching System becomes active, you may notice that the console is
active only for the active virtual switch and has been disabled for the standby virtual switch:

00:08:01: SW1_SP: Card inserted in 00:01:43: %CRYPTO-6-ISAKMP_ON_OFF: ISAKMP

Switch_number = 2 , is OFF
physical slot 3, 00:01:43: %CRYPTO-6-ISAKMP_ON_OFF: ISAKMP
interfaces are now online is OFF
VSS-sdby>
VSS > Standby console disabled
VSS>en
VSS#

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Although not required, it is possible to verify that all modules have been automatically provisioned and their module
types stored in the configuration by issuing the following command on the active virtual switch:

VSS#sh run | begin module provision

module provision switch 1
slot 1 slot-type 254 port-type 31 number 2 port-type 61 number 1 port-type 60
number 2 virtual-slot 17
slot 2 slot-type 148 port-type 60 number 4 virtual-slot 18
slot 3 slot-type 147 port-type 61 number 48 virtual-slot 19
!
module provision switch 2
slot 1 slot-type 254 port-type 31 number 2 port-type 61 number 1 port-type 60
number 2 virtual-slot 33
slot 2 slot-type 148 port-type 60 number 4 virtual-slot 34
slot 3 slot-type 147 port-type 61 number 48 virtual-slot 35

Modules are provisioned in the configuration to allow for parsing even if they are not present in the chassis. This
situation occurs when one of the member switches is not yet online but the configuration needs to be parsed.

With the following command you can determine that the Cisco Virtual Switching System is now operating and that the
two switches are acting as a single, logical network node. However, during the conversion process, the configuration
of the standby virtual switch (in this case, switch 2) is cleared, including the configuration of the two VSL interfaces on
the switch. Therefore, at this point, if the switch were to reload, it would not have the information available to it to
determine which interfaces to use for VSL communication. In order to facilitate this information to be repopulated
again, you must complete step 4.

VSS#show switch virtual

Switch mode : Virtual Switch
Virtual switch domain number : 100
Local switch number : 1
Local switch operational role: Virtual Switch Active
Peer switch number : 2
Peer switch operational role : Virtual Switch Standby

Step 4. Finalize the virtual switch configuration.

This final, critical step is applicable only for a first-time conversion. If the switch has been converted or partially
converted already, you cannot use this command.

When the standby virtual switch is in SSO hot mode, you must execute the following command to automatically
configure the standby virtual switch configuration on the active virtual switch:

VSS#switch accept mode virtual

This command will bring in all VSL configurations from the standby switch and
populate it into the running configuration.
In addition the startup configurations will be updated with the new merged
configurations.
Do you want proceed? [yes/no]: yes
Merging the standby VSL configuration. . .
Building configuration...
[OK]

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This command prompts you to accept all standby virtual switch VSL-related configurations and also updates the
startup configuration with the new merged configurations. Note that only VSL-related configurations are merged with
this step—all other configurations will be lost and require manual intervention.

Operational Management
Management of the system as a whole changed with the advent of the Cisco Virtual Switching System. The
fundamental concept of a switching system has evolved from a single physical entity managed separately to multiple
physical entities that are managed as a single system. The following section examines areas such as console
management, in-band (Telnet or SSH) management, SNMP and MIB changes, effects of NVRAM, NetFlow features,
Switch Port Analyzer (SPAN), Embedded Event Manager (EEM), and CiscoWorks LAN Management System (LMS)
management.

Console Management
After the two individual switches are converted into a Virtual Switching System, the console access is restricted to
only the active virtual switch. In this case you can handle all configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting under a
single interface. The console output into the standby virtual switch indicates that the console is disabled for general
administrative purposes.

Figure 13. Active and Standby Consoles

If a switchover occurs and switch 2 becomes the active virtual switch, the console becomes active on that
supervisor engine.

Interface Numbering
After conversion to a Virtual Switching System, the interface numbering changes from a traditional scheme:

<INTERFACE_TYPE> <MODULE>/<PORT>

To a new 3-number scheme:

<INTERFACE_TYPE> <SWITCH_ID>/<MODULE>/<PORT>

This new naming scheme allows a single configuration file to uniquely address the physical interfaces on both
chassis that are part of the same virtual switch domain.

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vss#sh ip interface brief

Interface IP-Address OK? Method Status Protocol
Vlan1 unassigned YES NVRAM administratively down down
Vlan10 192.168.10.1 YES NVRAM up up
Vlan20 192.168.20.1 YES NVRAM up up
Loopback0 3.3.3.3 YES NVRAM up up
Port-channel1 unassigned YES NVRAM up up
Port-channel2 unassigned YES NVRAM up up
Port-channel10 unassigned YES unset up up
Port-channel20 unassigned YES unset up up
Te1/1/1 unassigned YES unset up up
Te1/1/2 unassigned YES NVRAM administratively down down
Te1/1/3 unassigned YES NVRAM administratively down down
Te1/1/4 unassigned YES NVRAM administratively down down
Te1/1/5 unassigned YES NVRAM administratively down down

File-System Naming
To facilitate the ability to uniquely identify multiple file systems on each supervisor engine or module across the Cisco
Virtual Switching System, a new role-independent file-system naming scheme has been implemented.

SW<SWITCH_ID>-SLOT<MODULE>-<FILESYSTEM>:

This naming scheme allows all unique file systems to be addressed and identified across the entire virtual switch
domain, regardless of supervisor-engine redundancy state. It also allows for the expansion to two supported
supervisor engines per chassis in future software releases.

vss#dir sw1-slot?
sw1-slot1-dfc-bootflash: sw1-slot5-const_nvram: sw1-slot5-disk0:
sw1-slot5-nvram: sw1-slot5-sup-bootdisk: sw1-slot5-sup-
bootflash:
sw1-slot7-dfc-bootflash: sw1-slot8-dfc-bootflash:

vss#dir sw2-slot?
sw2-slot1-dfc-bootflash: sw2-slot5-bootflash: sw2-slot5-
const_nvram:
sw2-slot5-disk0: sw2-slot5-nvram: sw2-slot5-sup-
bootdisk:
sw2-slot5-sup-bootflash: sw2-slot7-dfc-bootflash: sw2-slot8-dfc-
bootflash:

You can still use the existing file-system naming scheme, but you need to determine the role of the switch (active or
standby) before you access the file systems.

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Reloading the Cisco Virtual Switching System and Its Members

It may sometimes be desirable to reload the entire system or to reset individual members of the Virtual Switching
System; you can perform these tasks through the console of the active virtual switch.

Reloading the Cisco Virtual Switching System

If you need to reload the entire Cisco Virtual Switching System (both active virtual switch and standby virtual switch),
the following command achieves this reload:

vss#reload
Proceed with reload? [confirm]

Reloading a Member of the Cisco Virtual Switching System

It may be more desirable to reload a member of the Cisco Virtual Switching System rather than the entire system.
You can accomplish this reloading in multiple ways.

You can reset the active virtual switch in two ways. First, you can issue the command redundancy force-
switchover, which essentially forces a SSO or RPR switchover from active to standby, reloading the previous active
virtual switch in the process:

vss#redundancy force-switchover
This will reload the active unit and force switchover to standby[confirm]
Preparing for switchover..

You can also use the redundancy reload shelf command, where either switch 1 or switch 2 can be specified:

vss#redundancy reload shelf 1

Reload this shelf [confirm]

You also have two options to reset the standby virtual switch. First, you can use the same command as before,
replacing the switch ID with the switch ID of the standby virtual switch:

vss#redundancy reload shelf 1

Reload the entire remote shelf[confirm]
Preparing to reload remote shelf

Alternatively, use the command redundancy reload peer to reload the standby virtual switch:

vss#redundancy reload peer

Reload peer [confirm]
Preparing to reload peer

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Systemwide PFC Mode

Although only PFC3C or PFC3CXL modes are supported with Cisco Virtual Switching System, you can mix these
modules to configure a lowest-common-denominator mode fallback.

In a standalone Cisco Catalyst 6500 system, the supervisor-engine module is the first module initiated in the system.
As a result, a combination of the PFC of the supervisor engine as well as the inserted modules in the chassis during
bootup determines the operational mode of the system. If you add a lower-revision module, the module will be
disabled until the system is reloaded.

In a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment, the system PFC mode is negotiated between the supervisor
engines much earlier in the system initiation process. Additionally, there may also be a discrepancy between PFCs
used on the supervisor engines and those used on the DFCs for other VSL modules. As a result, you may encounter
instances where a module configured to support VSL member links may not be brought up because of a PFC or
DFC mismatch.

To remedy this situation, a new command allows you to manually specify the systemwide PFC mode to PFC3C (from
PFC3CXL). This configuration follows:

vss#conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
vss(config)#platform hardware vsl pfc mode pfc3c
vss(config)#^Z

You must restart the system to activate this command. When the system is reloaded, you can verify the operational
mode of the system by issuing the following command:

vss#sh platform hardware pfc mode

PFC operating mode : PFC3C
Configured PFC operating mode : PFC3C

Using the Cisco Network Analysis Module in a Cisco Virtual Switching System Environment
The Cisco Network Analysis Modules (WS-SVC-NAM-1 and WS-SVC-NAM-2) are integrated and powerful traffic-
monitoring solutions for the Cisco Catalyst 6500 (Figure 14). Cisco NAMs combine a rich set of embedded data
collection and analysis capabilities with a remotely accessible, Web-based management console, all of which reside
on a single blade. The embedded Web-based Cisco Traffic Analyzer console offers quick access to configuration
menus and presents easy-to-read performance reports on data, voice, and video traffic. The Cisco NAM provides
both the ability to analyze packets and the ability to analyze them from within the switch or router itself, giving greater
insight into how the network is being used and how users experience the services on the network.

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Figure 14. Cisco Network Analysis Module

In order to use the network analysis module in a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment, the minimum version
must be Cisco Network Analysis Module Software 3.6(1a).

Administration of the Cisco NAM

The most direct change with Cisco NAM in a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment relates to the way you can
access or manage it. In a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment, a switch ID is required for many of the
commands used to administer the NAM. In the following example, the NAM is installed in switch 1, slot 3:

vss#sh module switch 1 slot 3

Switch Number: 1 Role: Virtual Switch Active
---------------------- -----------------------------
Mod Ports Card Type Model Serial No.
--- ----- ----------------------------- ------------------ -----------
3 8 Network Analysis Module WS-SVC-NAM-2 SAD101902NX

Mod MAC addresses Hw Fw Sw Status

--- ---------------------------------- ----- ------- ------- -------
3 0017.0ee1.c4ac to 0017.0ee1.c4b3 4.0 7.2(1) 3.6(1a) Ok

Mod Online Diag Status

---- -------------------
3 Bypass

As a result, you can access the NAM through a “session” directly to the module that also includes the switch ID:

vss#session switch 1 slot 3 processor 1

The default escape character is Ctrl-^, then x.
You can also type ‘exit’ at the remote prompt to end the session
Trying 127.0.0.31 ... Open

Cisco Network Analysis Module (WS-SVC-NAM-2)

Linux 2.6.10-nam (localhost.localdomain) (pts/2)

localhost.localdomain login: root

Password:
Last login: Thu Aug 9 14:24:38 2007 from 127.0.0.51 on pts/1

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 27 of 71
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Linux localhost.localdomain 2.6.10-nam #1 SMP Mon Jan 22 14:34:15

PST 2007 i686 GNU/Linux

Cisco Network Analysis Module (WS-SVC-NAM-2) Console, 3.6(1a)

Copyright (c) 1999-2007 by cisco Systems, Inc.

WARNING! Default password has not been changed!

[email protected]#

From this point onward, all configuration is performed directly on the NAM, it is identical to that performed in
standalone mode, and it can be operated or configured through the HTTP interface.

Figure 15. Cisco NAM Configuration and Monitoring

With 12.2(33)SXI, VSS supports four additional service modules. These include:

• WS-SVC-FWSM-1-K9 (4.0.4)

• ACE-10/ACE-20-6500-K9 (A2(1.2))

• WS-SVC-WISM-1K9 (6.0(2)E1)

• WS-SVC-IDSM2-K9 (3.2.171.6)

Service modules can be placed in either of the physical chassis that comprise a VSS system. VSS active and
standby roles are independent of the service module redundancy role. For more information, please refer to this
paper—Integrate Cisco Service Modules with Cisco 6500 VSS:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9336/products_tech_note09186a0080a7c72b.shtml

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 28 of 71
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Managing Cisco Virtual Switching System Using CiscoWorks LMS

The CiscoWorks LAN Management Solution (LMS) is a suite of powerful management tools that simplify the
configuration, administration, monitoring, and troubleshooting of Cisco networks. CiscoWorks LMS 3.0.1 adds
support for the management of a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment by supporting the following functions
(Figure 16):

● Conversion from standalone environment to Cisco Virtual Switching System environment

● Inventory collection and reporting
● Configuration collection and archive management
● Image upgrade and patch management
● CiscoView chassis management and monitoring

Figure 16. CiscoWorks LMS 3.0.1

The following section provides an overview of the supported features and functions.

CiscoView Chassis Management and Monitoring

CiscoView allows for a graphical management interface that gives you real-time views of networked devices. The
views displayed in CiscoView deliver a continuously updated physical picture of device configuration and
performance conditions.

From a Cisco Virtual Switching System perspective, both members of the VSS can be displayed individually when
you provide the IP address or host name of the system, both of which you can access under the Chassis View link
under the CiscoView section from the main CiscoWorks LMS 3.0.1 launch page. To display the active virtual switch
chassis, supply an IP address for the Cisco Virtual Switching System to be monitored (Figure 17).

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Figure 17. CiscoWorks LMS with CiscoView

You can also manage the standby chassis with the same IP address or host name as well as within the same view
by simply toggling between the active virtual switch and the standby virtual switch selector on the chassis itself
(Figure 18).

Figure 18. CiscoView with Active and Standby Switch Views

High Availability
Central to the high-availability model of a Cisco Virtual Switching System are the concepts of NSF/SSO and RPR.
The intricacies of these protocols are beyond the scope of this paper; you can find more information at:

● NSF/SSO: http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/lan/cat6000/122sx/swcg/nsfsso.htm
RPR: http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/lan/cat6000/122sx/swcg/redund.htm

The high-availability model of the system changes when you integrate two chassis together into a single network
entity. In order to take advantage of the existing innovations in NSF/SSO technologies, Cisco Virtual Switching
System has implemented a high-availability model that uses this redundancy framework for an interchassis
environment (Figure 19).

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Figure 19. Interchassis NSF/SSO in a Cisco Virtual Switching System Environment

In an SSO system, “high availability-aware” protocols and features may synchronize events and state information
from the active supervisor engine to the hot-standby supervisor engine. From a redundancy framework viewpoint, the
active supervisor engine acts as a server, whereas the standby supervisor engine acts as the client. Information that
is “high availability-aware” will be statefully synchronized between these entities such that in the event of a failover,
the standby supervisor engine does not need to re-learn this information, resulting in a minimal amount of outage
time.

As Figure 19 shows, the supervisor engine in the active virtual switch (switch 1 in the figure) assumes the role as the
active supervisor engine, whereas the supervisor engine in the standby virtual switch (switch 2) assumes the role as
the hot-standby supervisor engine. You can verify this situation with the following command:
VSS#sh switch virtual redundancy
My Switch Id = 1
Peer Switch Id = 2
Last switchover reason = none
Configured Redundancy Mode = sso
Operating Redundancy Mode = sso

Switch 1 Slot 1 Processor Information :

-----------------------------------------------
Current Software state = ACTIVE
Uptime in current state = 1 day, 19 hours, 30 minutes
Image Version = Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-
ADVENTERPRISEK9_WAN_DBG-VM), Version 12.2(SIERRA_INTEG_070530) INTERIM SOFTWARE
Synced to V122_32_8_11, 12.2(32.8.11)SR on rainier, Weekly 12.2(32.8.11)SX85
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Thu 31-May-07 02:23 by kchristi
BOOT = sup-bootdisk:s72033-adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-
vz.SIERRA_INTEG_070530,1;
CONFIG_FILE =
BOOTLDR =
Configuration register = 0x2102
Fabric State = ACTIVE
Control Plane State = ACTIVE

Switch 2 Slot 1 Processor Information :

-----------------------------------------------
Current Software state = STANDBY HOT (switchover target)
Uptime in current state = 1 day, 19 hours, 30 minutes
Image Version = Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-
ADVENTERPRISEK9_WAN_DBG-VM), Version 12.2(SIERRA_INTEG_070530) INTERIM SOFTWARE

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 White Paper

Synced to V122_32_8_11, 12.2(32.8.11)SR on rainier, Weekly 12.2(32.8.11)SX85

Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Thu 31-May-07 02:23 by kchristi
BOOT = sup-bootdisk:s72033-adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-
vz.SIERRA_INTEG_070530,1;
CONFIG_FILE =
BOOTLDR =
Configuration register = 0x2102
Fabric State = ACTIVE
Control Plane State = STANDBY

As this output indicates, if a failure occurs in the active supervisor engine or the active virtual switch, a SSO
switchover is invoked, and the hot-standby supervisor engine in switch 2 assumes the role as the active supervisor
engine for the Cisco Virtual Switching System. This switchover should take approximately 50 ms.

Intrachassis Availability
With the first release of Cisco Virtual Switching System, only single supervisors are supported per physical chassis.
Therefore, there is no intrachassis supervisor-engine redundancy. A subsequent software release will offer the ability
to add a second supervisor engine into each chassis.

Configuration Synchronization
When the redundancy-framework progression between the active supervisor engine and standby supervisor engine is
reached, the configuration is synchronized between active virtual switch and standby virtual switch. The configuration
file contains the configuration for the entire Cisco Virtual Switching System and overwrites the configuration that
exists on the standby virtual switch. Both the bulk configuration synchronization and the incremental configuration
synchronization are sent through internal control messages across the VSL. As a result, the configuration in the
standby virtual switch NVRAM is overwritten.

Virtual Switch Priorities and Switch Preemption

Because the Cisco Virtual Switching System consists of two chassis merged into a single entity, you can designate a
particular physical switch to prefer an active role while its peer prefers the standby role. This designation is usually
determined by the following by default:

● If switches are initiated at different times, then the switch that is initiated first becomes the active
virtual switch.
● If the switches are initiated simultaneously, the switch with the lower switch ID becomes the active
virtual switch.

You can alter the default behavior by using the Virtual Switch Priorities feature and the Switch Preemption function.

Virtual Switch Priorities

Virtual Switch Priorities are assigned to each member of the Cisco Virtual Switching System under the virtual switch
configuration mode. By influencing the weighting of the priorities of each switch, you can deterministically define
which physical switch will prefer the active virtual switch role or the standby virtual switch role.

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A sample configuration follows:

vss#conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
vss(config)#switch virtual domain 10
vss(config-vs-domain)#switch 1 priority 110
*Jul 7 08:59:11.913: %VSLP-SW1_SPSTBY-5-RRP_RT_CFG_CHANGE: Configured priority
value
is different from operational value.
Change will take effect after config is saved and switch is reloaded.
vss(config-vs-domain)#switch 2 priority 100
vss(config-vs-domain)#^Z
vss#

Notice from this configuration that the higher-priority value (110) assumes the active virtual switch role and the default
priority is set to 100 (Figure 20).

Figure 20. Virtual Switch Priorities

After you save the configuration, you can verify the roles of each virtual switch member with the following command:

vss#sh switch virtual role

Switch Switch Status Preempt Priority Role Session ID

Number Oper(Conf) Oper(Conf) Local Remote
------------------------------------------------------------------
LOCAL 1 UP FALSE(N) 110(110) ACTIVE 0 0
REMOTE 2 UP FALSE(N) 100(100) STANDBY 6179 1085

In dual-active recovery mode: No

Note that the switch priorities affect role determination if both virtual switches are initiated simultaneously. If either
switch (regardless of priority) is initiated prior to the subsequent switch, it always assumes the role of the active virtual
switch. This behavior changes only if the Switch Preemption feature is configured.

Switch Preemption
As mentioned previously, you can determine virtual switch roles by boot order, switch ID, and switch priorities.
However, after you determine the roles, you cannot change them without manual intervention. It may be desirable,
however, to always configure a particular physical switch to assume the active virtual switch role. You can achieve
this configuration with the Switch Preemption feature.

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Switch Preemption works by comparing the Virtual Switch Priorities of the two individual switches after they are both
brought online. If the virtual switch with the higher priority has the Switch Preemption feature configured and the
current role of the higher-priority virtual switch is in standby mode, then the current active virtual switch performs a
SSO switchover after a preconfigured period of time so that the virtual switch with the higher switch priority takes over
as the active virtual switch (Figure 21).

Figure 21. Virtual Switch Preemption

You should enable Switch Preemption only on the switch that has the higher switch priority. With the following
command you can enable this function under the virtual switch configuration mode. You can specify an optional timer
value from 5 to 20 minutes, where this number represents the number of minutes the current active virtual switch
waits after it establishes communication with the peer standby virtual switch through the VSL. The default and
minimum time is set to 5 minutes. This timer is important, because it takes a variable amount of time after VSL
initialization to initialize the remaining modules and establish network connectivity.

vss#conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
vss(config)#switch virtual domain 10
vss(config-vs-domain)#switch 2 preempt 7
vss(config-vs-domain)#^Z
vss#

Use the following command to verify the configuration:

vss#show switch virtual role

Switch Switch Status Preempt Priority Role Session ID

Number Oper(Conf) Oper(Conf) Local Remote
------------------------------------------------------------------
LOCAL 1 UP FALSE(N ) 100(100) ACTIVE 0 0
REMOTE 2 UP TRUE (Y*) 120(120) STANDBY 1170 1366

Standby operational preempt timer(switch 2): 7 minutes

Standby will takeover as active in approx. : 4 minutes

Standby configured preempt timer(switch 2): 7 minutes

In dual-active recovery mode: No

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Preemption should only be configured if there is a compelling requirement to do so. If preemption is enabled, the
convergence time will be longer due to the fact that the switch will experience an additional reload. This additional
reload is necessary in order for the new switch to go from an active to a standby state.

First Hop Redundancy Protocols

First Hop Redundancy Protocols (Hot Standby Router Protocol [HSRP], Gateway Load Balancing Protocol [GLBP],
and Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol [VRRP]) provide default gateway redundancy for devices when there are
two or more redundant routing nodes but the attached devices are not learning the network topology through Layer 3
routing protocols.

Typically, in a standalone environment, these First Hop Redundancy Protocols (FHRPs) are required to provide a
single default gateway that is both redundant and highly available. These protocols typically designate an active
forwarder for a given pair of Layer 3 interfaces by using respective hello protocols. Additionally, a separate instance
of these hello protocols is run for each pair of interfaces for which the FHRP is configured.

In a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment, the use of FHRPs to provide default gateway redundancy has been
obviated in most environments because a single interface and router MAC address are shared across both virtual
switches (Figure 22).

Figure 22. First Hop Redundancy Protocols

You can enable FHRP to another network device or Cisco Virtual Switching System with the FHRP frames redirected
to the route processor of the active virtual switch for processing.

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Failure Scenarios
This section assumes the topology shown in Figure 23.

Figure 23. Failure Scenarios

In the topology of Figure 23, the Cisco Virtual Switching System is deployed in the distribution layer of the network,
where we will examine the effects that different failures will have on this setup.

Active Supervisor Engine Failure

The standby supervisor engine can detect the failure of the active supervisor engine using one of the following
methods:

● Redundancy framework heartbeats sent across the VSL

● VSL Protocol (VSLP)
● Cisco Generic Online Diagnostics (GOLD) failure
● CDL-based hardware assistance
● Full VSL link down

Upon detecting the failure of the active supervisor, the hot-standby supervisor engine performs an SSO switchover
and assumes the role of the active supervisor. An online insertion and removal (OIR) removed event is simulated for
all modules in the previous active chassis to remove those cards from the running chassis inventory. If the failed
active supervisor engine can reboot after being reset, it now becomes the new hot-standby supervisor engine
(Figure 24).

Figure 24.

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The effect on the data path is that all the modules on the previous active virtual switch chassis are brought down,
resulting in a slight traffic disruption for those traffic flows that were destined to the active virtual switch. The duration
of disruption is determined by the time required to transition the role of the hot-standby supervisor engine to the
active supervisor engine and for the neighboring device to modify its path selection to the standby virtual switch. If the
vast majority of interfaces in the Cisco Virtual Switching System are multichassis Cisco EtherChannel links, this data
disruption should have minimal effect on the network. Packets that are handled in the software path, however, will
experience a slightly longer disruption. This failover should be similar to a typical SSO failure.

For the multichassis Cisco EtherChannel links, the remote endpoint of the link detects the failure of the active virtual
switch ports through LACP or PAgP or a physical link-down situation and uses the links connecting to the standby
virtual switch instead.

Availability is affected for approximately 50 to 200 ms for those traffic flows across the active virtual switch,
depending on the time it takes for the neighboring device to detect that the connected interfaces to the active virtual
switch have gone down and elect an alternate forwarding path. Traffic flows through standby virtual switch are not
affected. You can achieve faster convergence time by using the adaptive Cisco EtherChannel load-balancing
algorithm.

Hot-Standby Supervisor Engine Failure

You can detect the failure of the hot-standby supervisor engine in the following ways:

● Redundancy framework heartbeats sent across the VSL by the active supervisor
● Full VSL link-down situation
● Cisco GOLD

Upon detecting the failure of the hot-standby supervisor engine, the active supervisor engine simulates an OIR
removed event for all modules in the standby virtual switch. This simulation is performed because the modules on the
remote chassis have no connectivity because VSL communication to the modules is proxied by the local supervisor-
engine CPU (Figure 25).

Figure 25.

The effect on the data path is that all line cards on the standby virtual switch are brought down. Assuming that
adjacent devices are dual-homed to both the active virtual switch and standby virtual switch, only those flows being
forwarded through the standby virtual switch are affected, and the time to recovery depends on the mechanism used
to detect the link failure (Cisco EtherChannel technology, Layer 3 load balancing, or Spanning Tree Protocol). Upon
detecting that the interface connected to the standby virtual switch has failed, traffic resorts to using the link to the
active supervisor engine. Those data flows passing through the active virtual switch are not affected.

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The control plane is not affected because the control-plane functions remain on the active supervisor engine on the
active virtual switch. The control plane experiences a removal of all of the standby virtual switch interfaces.

If the hot-standby supervisor engine can reinitialize, it proceeds with VSL initialization and enters into NSF/SSO state
with all its interfaces becoming operational again.

Availability is affected for approximately 50 to 200 ms for those traffic flows across the standby virtual switch,
depending on the time it takes for the neighboring device to detect that the connected interfaces to the active virtual
switch have gone down and elect an alternate forwarding path. Traffic flows through the active virtual switch are not
affected. You can achieve faster convergence time by using the adaptive Cisco EtherChannel load-balancing
algorithm.

VSL Single-Link Failure

The failure of a single VSL link is discovered by the active supervisor engine, either through a link-down event or
through the failure of periodic VSLP messages sent across the link to check the VSL link state (Figure 26).

Figure 26.

The index values, RBH, and fabric programming for selecting the VSL link will need to be automatically updated to
reflect the removal of a link from the VSL. The active supervisor engine sends all of these messages.

Availability is not affected for those data flows that do not use the VSL. For those traffic flows that use the VSL, traffic
outage is estimated to be approximately 50 to 100 ms. Notice that the duration of time is slightly faster than that for
other multichassis Cisco EtherChannel links because VSL always takes advantage of the adaptive Cisco
EtherChannel load-balancing algorithm.

Single Link Failure Within a Multichassis Cisco EtherChannel Link

The failure of a single link within the multichassis Cisco EtherChannel link that is not the last link connecting to a
chassis is recognized by either the multichassis Cisco EtherChannel link control protocol (PAgP or LACP) or the link-
down event (Figure 27).

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Figure 27.

This link failure causes the RBH values to be redistributed among the remaining multichassis Cisco EtherChannel link
ports in the local chassis that is the same as a link failure in a standard Cisco EtherChannel link using a standalone
Cisco Catalyst 6500. The endpoint (host, switch, router, etc.) on the other end of the multichassis Cisco
EtherChannel link detects the link failure and adjusts its load-balancing algorithms to avoid the failed link.

Availability is not affected for those data flows that do not use the failed link. For those traffic flows that do use the
failed link, the effect consists of the time it takes to detect the link failure and reprogram the indices within the system,
estimated to be approximately 50 to 200 ms. You can achieve faster convergence time by using the adaptive Cisco
EtherChannel load-balancing algorithm.

All Links to a Single Chassis Within the Multichassis Cisco EtherChannel Link Fail
When all of the links connecting to a single chassis that is part of the same multichassis Cisco EtherChannel link fail,
the port bundle is converted from a multichassis Cisco EtherChannel link to a standard Cisco EtherChannel link and
is treated as a single-homed port. The links connecting to the peer chassis remain functional. From this point onward,
all traffic from the failed link chassis destined for the Cisco EtherChannel link are sent to the remote chassis through
the VSL (Figure 28).

Figure 28.

The control protocols managing the Cisco EtherChannel link (PAgP or LACP) continue to originate from the active
supervisor engine and are sent out of the standby virtual switch ports through the VSL. The endpoint (host, switch,
router, etc.) on the other end of the multichassis Cisco EtherChannel link detects the link failure and adjusts its load-
balancing algorithms to avoid the failed link.

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Availability is not affected for those data flows that do not use the failed link. For those traffic flows that do use the
failed link, the effect consists of the time it takes to detect the link failure and reprogram the indices within the system.
This time is estimated to be approximately 50 to 200 ms. You can achieve faster convergence time by using the
adaptive Cisco EtherChannel load-balancing algorithm.

Active Virtual Switch Chassis Failure

The failure of the active virtual switch chassis is handled and detected in the same manner as the failure of the active
supervisor engine (Figure 29).

Figure 29.

Availability is affected for approximately 50 to 200 ms for those traffic flows across the active virtual switch,
depending on the time it takes for the neighboring device to detect that the connected interfaces to the active virtual
switch have gone down and elect an alternate forwarding path. Traffic flows through the standby virtual switch are not
affected. You can achieve faster convergence time by using the adaptive Cisco EtherChannel load-balancing
algorithm.

Standby Virtual Switch Chassis Failure

The failure of the standby virtual switch chassis is handled and detected in the same manner as a failure of the hot-
standby supervisor engine (Figure 30).

Figure 30.

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Availability is affected for approximately 50 to 200 ms for those traffic flows across the standby virtual switch,
depending on the time it takes for the neighboring device to detect that the connected interfaces to the active virtual
switch have gone down and elect an alternate forwarding path. Traffic flows through the active virtual switch are not
affected. You can achieve faster convergence time by using the adaptive Cisco EtherChannel load-balancing
algorithm.

Complete VSL Failure (Dual Active)

The active supervisor engine discovers the failure of the VSL either through a link-down event or through the failure
of the periodic VSLP messages sent across the member links to check the VSL link status. From the perspective of
the active virtual switch chassis, the standby virtual switch is lost. The standby virtual switch chassis also views the
active virtual switch chassis as failed and transitions to active virtual switch state through an SSO switchover. This
scenario is known as a dual-active scenario (Figure 31).

Figure 31.

In this case, each virtual switch assumes the role as the active virtual switch and each virtual switch controls only its
local ports. However, there will most likely also be some global Layer 2 and Layer 3 configuration, and the interface
configuration for the multichassis Cisco EtherChannel links will be applied on both chassis. Duplication of this
configuration can possibly have adverse effects to the network topology and traffic.

At Layer 3, any virtual interfaces (for example, port channels, SVIs, loopbacks, etc.) are duplicated on both chassis,
causing duplicate IP addresses on the network. Any secure communications such as SSH and the cryptography
feature set have the same set of keys on both chassis. At Layer 2, the spanning tree has the same bridge ID in both
switches, possibly causing conflict. In general, this condition causes the same effect as when two routers or switches
within a network contain the same configuration file.

To avoid this disruptive scenario, you should configure the VSL as a multiple-link port channel and spread it across all
the available supervisor engines and modules within the chassis. You should also run the individual members of the
VSL across separate physical paths when possible.

In some circumstances this configuration may not be possible; Cisco Virtual Switching System has different
mechanisms to address this dual-active scenario:

● Configuration of the VSL failure-detection feature

● Detection of a dual-active scenario
● Action taken to resolve the situation
● Recovery behavior upon restoring the VSL

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Detection Mechanisms and Configuration

Because of the challenges to distinguish a remote chassis power failure and a VSL failure, each chassis attempts to
detect its peer chassis in order to avoid the dual-active scenario. In a dual-active scenario, we must assume that the
VSL links cannot be used in any way to detect the failure. The only remaining options are to use alternative paths that
may or may not exist between the two chassis.

Currently, there are currently three mechanisms for detecting a dual-active scenario.

• Enhanced PAgP

• Layer 3 BFD

• Fast-hello

Enhanced PAgP
With the introduction of Cisco Virtual Switching System in the first software release, an enhancement to the PAgP
protocol (Enhanced PAgP or PAgP+) has been implemented to assist in the dual-active detection. A list of all
software releases for respective switch platforms supporting Enhanced PAgP is included in Table 1 (Figure 32).

Figure 32. Dual-Active Detection Mechanisms

The result of this detection is that the standby virtual switch (switch 2) always transitions to become an active virtual
switch and the active virtual switch (switch 1) always enters into recovery mode.

Upon the detection of VSL going down on switch 2, the switch will immediately transmit a PAgP message on all port
channels enabled for Enhanced PAgP dual-active detection, with a Type-Length-Value (TLV) containing its own
Active ID = 2. When the access switch receives this PAgP message on any member of the port channel, it detects
that it has received a new active ID value and considers such a change as an indication that it should consider switch
2 to be the new active virtual switch. In turn, the access switch modifies its local active ID value to Active ID = 2 and
immediately sends a message to both virtual switches on all members of the port channel with the new Active ID = 2
to indicate that it now considers switch 2 to be the active virtual switch.

Form this point onward, the access switch sends TLVs containing Active ID = 2 to the virtual switches in all its
regularly scheduled PAgP messages.

Use the following commands to configure the Cisco Virtual Switching System to take advantage of dual-active
detection using Enhanced PAgP:

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vss#conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
vss(config)#switch virtual domain 10
vss(config-vs-domain)#dual-active detection pagp
vss(config-vs-domain)#dual-active trust channel-group 20
vss(config-vs-domain)#

To verify the configuration and ensure that Enhanced PAgP is compatible with its neighbors, issue the following
command:

vss#sh switch virtual dual-active pagp

PAgP dual-active detection enabled: Yes
PAgP dual-active version: 1.1

Channel group 10 dual-active detect capability w/nbrs

Dual-Active trusted group: No
Dual-Active Partner Partner Partner
Port Detect Capable Name Port Version
Gi1/8/1 No SAL0802SHG 5/2 N/A
Gi2/8/1 No SAL0802SHG 5/1 N/A

Channel group 20 dual-active detect capability w/nbrs

Dual-Active trusted group: Yes
Dual-Active Partner Partner Partner
Port Detect Capable Name Port Version
Te1/1/1 Yes vs-access-2 Te5/1 1.1
Te2/1/1 Yes vs-access-2 Te5/2 1.1

Layer 3 BFD
If no Enhanced PAgP neighbors are available to assist in dual-active detection, then another method is required to
perform this function; use of a dedicated Layer 3 direct link heartbeat mechanism between the virtual switches is an
inexpensive way to determine whether or not a dual-active scenario has occurred (Figure 33).

Figure 33. Dual-Active Detection Using IP-BFD

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Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) assists in the fast detection of a failed VSL, bringing in natively the benefits
that BFD offers, such as subsecond timers and pseudo-preemption. To take advantage of this feature, you must first
configure BFD on the selected interfaces that will be participating in IP-BFD dual-active detection, noting that these
interfaces must be directly connected to each other:

vss#conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
vss(config)#int gig 1/5/1
vss(config-if)#ip address 10.1.1.1 255.255.255.0
vss(config-if)#bfd interval 100 min_rx 100 multiplier 50
vss(config-if)#no shutdown

vss(config-if)#int gig 2/5/1

vss(config-if)#ip address 10.1.2.1 255.255.255.0
vss(config-if)#bfd interval 100 min_rx 100 multiplier 50
vss(config-if)#no shutdown
vss(config-if)#exit

Note that in a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment, both interfaces are seen to be Layer 3 routed interfaces
on the same logical router and hence require different network addresses even though they are directly connected
together.

To enable IP-BFD for dual-active detection, use the following configuration:

vss(config)#switch virtual domain 10

vss(config-vs-domain)#dual-active detection bfd
vss(config-vs-domain)#dual-active pair interface gig1/5/1 interface gig2/5/1 bfd
adding a static route 10.1.2.0 255.255.255.0 Gi1/5/1 for this dual-active pair
adding a static route 10.1.1.0 255.255.255.0 Gi2/5/1 for this dual-active pair

vss#show switch virtual dual-active bfd

Bfd dual-active detection enabled: Yes

Bfd dual-active interface pairs configured:

interface-1 Gi1/5/1 interface-2 Gi2/5/1

Note that by configuring these commands, static routes are automatically added for the remote addresses and are
installed in the Routing Information Base (RIB) only if a dual-active scenario occurs. As a result, no packets are
forwarded between the switches through the heartbeat interfaces until the VSL is brought down.

When the VSL does go down, a unique internal MAC address (selected from the pool of MAC addresses reserved for
the line card) is assigned for each of the local interfaces, and sending BFD heartbeat packets brings up BFD
neighbors. If the standby virtual switch has taken over as active, a BFD “adjacency-up” event is generated, indicating
that a dual-active situation has occurred.

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Fast-Hello Detection
With 12.2(33)SXI, a Fast-Hello detection mechanism was introduced. This is similar to IP-BFD, as it is a dedicated
direct link heartbeat between the VSS switches. However, Fast-Hello is a L2 connection and you can configure up to
4 non-VSL links. The two chassis will periodically exchange fast-hello heartbeat packets that contain the switch state.
When the VSL fails, the fast hello packets are no longer received on each switch, thus indicating that a dual-active
scenario has occurred (Figure 34).

Figure 34. Dual-Active Detection Using Fast-Hello

In order for fast-hello to operate, the interfaces must be enabled with this protocol. Unlike IP-BFD, that only
exchanges hello packets after the VSL fails, Fast-Hello exchanges heartbeat messages throughout the period that
the VSL remains up, thereby reducing the time it takes to detect the dual-active scenario.

vss(config)# interface fastethernet 1/2/40

vss(config-if)# dual-active fast-hello
WARNING: Interface FastEthernet1/2/40 placed in restricted config mode. All
extraneous configs removed!

Note: Up to four interfaces (directly connected) on each chassis can be configured. These interfaces must be
physical interfaces, no logical ports (i.e. SVI).

vss(config-if)# no shutdown
vss(config-if)# exit
vss(config)# exit
vss# show run interface fastethernet 1/2/40
interface FastEthernet1/2/40
no switchport
no ip address
dual-active fast-hello
end

Note: Once fast-hello has been configured, the existing configuration on the interface will be automatically
removed and will only be restricted for fast-hello configurations. Also, UDLD will be disabled on fast-hello pairs.

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vss(config)# switch virtual domain 10

vss(config-vs-domain)# dual-active detection fast-hello
vss(config-vs-domain)# exit

Action upon Dual-Active Detection

Upon detecting the dual-active condition, the original active chassis enters into recovery mode and brings down all of
its interfaces except the VSL and nominated management interfaces, effectively removing the device from the
network.

To nominate specific interfaces to be excluded from being brought down during dual-active detection recovery, use
the following commands:

vss(config)#switch virtual domain 10

vss(config-vs-domain)#dual-active exclude interface gigabitEthernet 1/5/3
WARNING: This interface should only be used for access to the switch when in
dual-active recovery mode and should not be configured for any other purpose

vss(config-vs-domain)#dual-active exclude interface gigabitEthernet 2/5/3

WARNING: This interface should only be used for access to the switch when in
dual-active recovery mode and should not be configured for any other purpose

vss(config-vs-domain)#

To verify this configuration is correct, issue the following commands:

vss#sh switch virtual dual-active summary

Pagp dual-active detection enabled: Yes
Ip bfd dual-active detection enabled: Yes

Interfaces excluded from shutdown in recovery mode:

Gi1/5/3
Gi2/5/3

In dual-active recovery mode: No

You will see the following messages on the active virtual switch to indicate that a dual-active scenario has occurred:

*Jun 26 16:06:36.157: %VSLP-SW2_SPSTBY-3-VSLP_LMP_FAIL_REASON: Port 5/4: Link down

*Jun 26 16:06:36.782: %VSLP-SW1_SP-3-VSLP_LMP_FAIL_REASON: Port 5/4: Link down
*Jun 26 16:06:36.838: %VSL-SW1_SP-5-VSL_CNTRL_LINK: vsl_new_control_link NEW VSL
Control Link 5/5

*Jun 26 16:06:37.037: %VSLP-SW1_SP-3-VSLP_LMP_FAIL_REASON: Port 5/5: Link down

*Jun 26 16:06:37.097: %VSL-SW1_SP-2-VSL_STATUS: -======== VSL is DOWN ========-

The following messages on the standby virtual switch console indicate that a dual-active scenario has occurred:

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*Jun 26 16:06:36.161: %VSL-SW2_SPSTBY-5-VSL_CNTRL_LINK: vsl_new_control_link NEW

VSL Control Link 5/5
*Jun 26 16:06:37.297: %VSLP-SW2_SPSTBY-3-VSLP_LMP_FAIL_REASON: Port 5/5: Link down
*Jun 26 16:06:37.297: %VSL-SW2_SPSTBY-2-VSL_STATUS: -======== VSL is DOWN
========-
*Jun 26 16:06:37.301: %PFREDUN-SW2_SPSTBY-6-ACTIVE: Initializing as Virtual Switch
ACTIVE processor
*Jun 26 16:06:37.353: %SYS-SW2_SPSTBY-3-LOGGER_FLUSHED: System was paused for
00:00:00 to ensure console debugging output.
*Jun 26 16:06:37.441: %DUALACTIVE-SP-1-VSL_DOWN: VSL is down - switchover, or
possible dual-active situation has occurred

Recovery from Dual-Active Scenario

You are notified of the situation through the CLI, syslog messages, etc., and it is your responsibility to restore the
original active virtual switch as part of the Cisco Virtual Switching System. You can restore it by reconnecting or
restoring the VSL.

If a VSL flap occurs, the system recovers automatically. Upon a link-up event from any of the VSL links, the previous
active supervisor engine that is now in recovery mode reloads itself, allowing it to initialize as the hot-standby
supervisor engine. If the peer chassis is not detected because the VSL is down again, the dual-active detection
mechanism determines whether or not the peer chassis is active. If the peer chassis is detected, this event is treated
as another VSL failure event and the chassis once again enters into recovery mode.

When the VSL is restored, the following messages are displayed on the console and the switch in recovery mode
(previous active virtual switch) reloads:

*Jun 26 16:23:34.877: %DUALACTIVE-1-VSL_RECOVERED: VSL has recovered during dual-

active situation: Reloading switch 1
*Jun 26 16:23:34.909: %SYS-5-RELOAD: Reload requested Reload Reason: Reload
Command.
<…snip…>

***
*** --- SHUTDOWN NOW ---
***

*Jun 26 16:23:42.012: %SYS-SW1_SP-5-RELOAD: Reload requested

*Jun 26 16:23:42.016: %OIR-SW1_SP-6-CONSOLE: Changing console ownership to switch
processor

*Jun 26 16:23:42.044: %SYS-SW1_SP-3-LOGGER_FLUSHED: System was paused for 00:00:00

to ensure console debugging output.

System Bootstrap, Version 8.5(1)

Copyright (c) 1994-2006 by cisco Systems, Inc.
<…snip…>

After the chassis reloads, it reinitializes and the supervisor engine enters into standby virtual switch mode. If
Switch Preemption is configured to prioritize this chassis to become active, it assumes this role after the preempt
timer expires.

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Quality of Service
Quality of service (QoS) handling on the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches can be separated into two distinct
areas of responsibility: port-based QoS features and forwarding-engine (PFC or DFC) features. Both areas operate
together to ensure differentiated servicing of traffic throughout the system.

In a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment, proper QoS handling becomes even more important because of the
following reasons:

● Control traffic between the two Cisco Virtual Switching System switches (active virtual switch and standby
virtual switch) should be prioritized and not be dropped.
● The existence of the VSL and also multichassis Cisco EtherChannel links represents potential points of
congestion that must be properly accounted for.

Additionally, the nature of dual-homing logical connections across different chassis and forwarding engines
represents a change in the way features such as policing and marking work; these features also need to be properly
accounted for.

VSL as a Congestion Point

In terms of a system-level perspective, the VSL can be viewed as a backplane connection that bonds the two virtual
switch chassis together into a single, logical entity. Although provisions have been made to Cisco EtherChannel and
Equal Cost Multipath (ECMP) hashing mechanisms (refer to the section “Cisco Etherchannel Concepts”), under
certain circumstances (in the case of single-homed connections whether by design or if failures occur) it may be
possible to oversubscribe the links that form the VSL.

VSL should always consist of at least 2 ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections, but because of hash inefficiencies it
may be possible to oversubscribe a single VSL member port. Therefore, correct prioritization needs to occur on
the VSL.

Correct prioritization is accomplished by always provisioning the VSL as a link that is in trust-CoS mode, provisioning
that not only maintains the internal differentiated services code point (DSCP) markings set by either ingress switch
but also sets up default receive and transmit queues and properly assigns the appropriate colored frames to the
correct queues (Figure 34).

Figure 35. Virtual Switch Link QoS

The following output shows that port channel 2 is configured as a VSL, and it has the QoS configuration of trust CoS
programmed by default. Also note that removing or modifying this trust command is not permitted:

interface Port-channel2
no switchport
no ip address
switch virtual link 2
mls qos trust cos
end

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vss#conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
vss(config)#int po2
vss(config-if)#no mls qos trust cos
HWIF-QOS: QoS configs are not allowed on VSL Portgroup

vss(config-if)#mls qos trust dscp

HWIF-QOS: QoS configs are not allowed on VSL Portgroup

The following output shows that for a member port of the VSL, the relevant CoS-queue mappings have already been
provisioned for both ingress and egress queues, even without QoS globally enabled:
vss#sh queueing int te2/5/4
Interface TenGigabitEthernet2/5/4 queueing strategy: Weighted Round-Robin
Port QoS is enabled
Trust state: trust COS
Extend trust state: not trusted [COS = 0]
Default COS is 0
Queueing Mode In Tx direction: mode-cos
Transmit queues [type = 1p3q4t]:
Queue Id Scheduling Num of thresholds
-----------------------------------------
01 WRR 04
02 WRR 04
03 WRR 04
04 Priority 01

WRR bandwidth ratios: 100[queue 1] 150[queue 2] 200[queue 3]

queue-limit ratios: 50[queue 1] 20[queue 2] 15[queue 3] 15[Pri Queue]

queue tail-drop-thresholds
--------------------------
1 70[1] 100[2] 100[3] 100[4]
2 70[1] 100[2] 100[3] 100[4]
3 100[1] 100[2] 100[3] 100[4]

queue random-detect-min-thresholds
----------------------------------
1 40[1] 70[2] 70[3] 70[4]
2 40[1] 70[2] 70[3] 70[4]
3 70[1] 70[2] 70[3] 70[4]

queue random-detect-max-thresholds
----------------------------------
1 70[1] 100[2] 100[3] 100[4]
2 70[1] 100[2] 100[3] 100[4]
3 100[1] 100[2] 100[3] 100[4]

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WRED disabled queues:

queue thresh cos-map

---------------------------------------
1 1 0
1 2 1
1 3
1 4
2 1 2
2 2 3 4
2 3
2 4
3 1 6 7
3 2
3 3
3 4
4 1 5

Queueing Mode In Rx direction: mode-cos

Receive queues [type = 2q4t]:
Queue Id Scheduling Num of thresholds
-----------------------------------------
01 WRR 04
02 WRR 04

WRR bandwidth ratios: 10[queue 1] 90[queue 2]

queue-limit ratios: 80[queue 1] 20[queue 2]

queue tail-drop-thresholds
--------------------------
1 70[1] 80[2] 90[3] 100[4]
2 100[1] 100[2] 100[3] 100[4]

queue random-detect-min-thresholds
----------------------------------
1 40[1] 40[2] 50[3] 50[4]
2 100[1] 100[2] 100[3] 100[4]

queue random-detect-max-thresholds
----------------------------------
1 70[1] 80[2] 90[3] 100[4]
2 100[1] 100[2] 100[3] 100[4]

WRED disabled queues: 2

queue thresh cos-map

---------------------------------------

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1 1 0 1
1 2 2 3
1 3 4
1 4 6 7
2 1 5
2 2
2 3
2 4

<…snip…>

A restriction has been imposed, however, that does not permit you to modify QoS settings on the VSL ports in the
initial release of software. Hence, you can modify only the default queue, drop threshold, and buffer depth settings.

vss(config)#int te2/5/4

vss(config-if)#priority-queue cos-map 1 2
HWIF-QOS: QoS configs are not allowed on VSL Portgroup

Additionally, policy maps used for classification or policing are also forbidden on the VSL and its respective members.
This feature will be addressed in future software releases.

Control Traffic over VSL

Multiple types of control traffic must be parsed between the two virtual switches, including VSLP and other inband
messages. These special control frames are tagged with a special bit internal to the system, indicating that they
require specialized treatment and are automatically assigned to the priority queue of the interface for expedited
delivery. As a result, no extra configuration is required.

The priority queue is always serviced first, prior to any other Deficit Weighted Round Robin (DWRR) queues.

Using Supervisor Engine 720-10G VSS 10 Gigabit Ethernet Uplink Ports as VSL Interfaces
You can use the 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplink ports on the Supervisor Engine 720-10G VSS to form a VSL. In addition
to the two 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplink ports, there are also three additional Gigabit Ethernet ports: two Small Form-
Factor Pluggable (SFP) interfaces and a 10/100/1000 RJ-45 interface. You cannot use these ports as VSL interfaces.

If you use only the 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, you can optimize the queue structure to take full advantage of an 8q4t
queue structure on receive and 1p7q4t queue structure on transmit. However, if you use both the Gigabit Ethernet
interfaces and 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces concurrently, then the 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces take on the queue
structure of the Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, which is 4q4t on receive and 1p3q4t on transmit.

If you want to use only the 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, you must shut down the Gigabit Ethernet ports and globally
configure an extra CLI on the system:

VSS(config)#mls qos 10g-only

Error: following ports have to be shut to enable 10g-only mode:
Gi1/5/1 Gi1/5/2 Gi1/5/3

Command Rejected!

VSS(config)#interface range gigabitEthernet 1/5/1 - 3

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VSS(config-if-range)#shut
VSS(config-if-range)#exit
VSS(config)#mls qos 10g-only
HWIF-QOS: Queuing qos cfg (wrr-queue/rcv-queue/priority-queue) will be reset to
default on Supervisor Slot 5 interfaces!
VSS(config)#

VSS#sh interfaces tenGigabitEthernet 1/5/4 capabilities | include QOS

QOS scheduling: rx-(8q4t), tx-(1p7q4t)
QOS queueing mode: rx-(cos,dscp), tx-(cos,dscp)

Applying Policies
Classification or policing policies are applied to the system through the Modular QoS CLI (MQC) mechanisms, which
use class maps and policy maps. Each policy map can use multiple class maps to make up a policy map, and you
can define these policy classes for different types of traffic flows.

On the Cisco Catalyst 6500, you can define up to 255 class maps per policy map, with a total of 1024 class maps per
system, implying that across the Virtual Switching System a maximum of 1024 class maps can be supported.

MQC in Cisco IOS Software allows the separation of class maps from policy maps and the separation of these maps
from the application on an interface. The initial release of software also has a limitation in that it allows for only a
limited number of interfaces to be indexed uniquely for QoS purposes. As a result, you can apply QoS policies only
on Layer 3 interfaces (SVIs, physical interfaces, port channels, etc.) and on Layer 2 Cisco EtherChannel links.

Note: In a Cisco Virtual Switching System, application of policies on physical Layer 2 interfaces is now supported
in 12.2(33)SXI and above.

Policing
Policing is the process of inspecting whether traffic on a given port or within a VLAN has exceeded a predefined rate.
If that traffic is out of profile (that is, the rate of the traffic stream exceeds the predefined rate), either excess data can
be dropped or its priority value marked down.

Two types of policers are supported on the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches: aggregate policers and microflow
policers. Although you can implement both types, they are subject to different caveats in a Cisco Virtual Switching
System environment. The next section addresses some of these caveats relating to policers.

Aggregate Policing
Aggregate policers limit the amount of traffic received or transmitted in or out a port. The aggregate policer applies to
all traffic on a port or VLAN that matches a specified QoS ACL. If the aggregate policer is applied to a single
interface, it counts all matching traffic (that matches the classifying ACL) coming into the interface toward the policer.
If the aggregate policer is applied to a VLAN, then all of the matching traffic coming in any of the ports in that VLAN is
counted toward the stated rate.

There are two forms of aggregate policers:

● Per-interface aggregate policers: These policers are applied to an individual interface using the police
command within a policy-map class. You can apply these map classes to multiple interfaces, but the policer
polices each interface separately.

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● Named aggregate policers or shared aggregate: These policers are applied to a group of ports and police
traffic across all interfaces cumulatively. Name aggregates are applied using the mls qos aggregate police
command.

The policing function is typically handled by the ingress forwarding engine (either PFC or DFC). A critical restriction to
implementing aggregate policers in a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment is the current lack of distributed
aggregate policing capabilities across different forwarding engines. That is, if a policer is required to span across
multiple forwarding engines, each forwarding engine keeps track of its own token-bucket quota and hence generally
results in the under-policing of traffic. This situation usually manifests itself when applying policers on the following
types of interfaces (Figure 35):

● VLAN interfaces that consist of member ports that belong to multiple forwarding engines
● Port-channel interfaces that consist of member ports that belong to multiple forwarding engines
● Shared aggregate policers that consist of member ports that belong to multiple forwarding engines

Figure 36. Aggregate Policing Within Cisco Virtual Switching System

Microflow Policing and User-Based Rate Limiting

Microflow policing allows you to police individual traffic flows at a given rate. Depending on the flow mask used
(whether it is a unique source or destination MAC address, source or destination IP address, or TCP/User Datagram
Protocol [UDP] port numbers), you can use microflow policing to limit the amount of data sent or received for that flow
on a port or VLAN basis. In the microflow definition, you can either drop packets that exceed the prescribed rate limit
or have their DSCP value marked down.

User Based Rate Limiting (UBRL) is a form of microflow policing that also supports the policing of individual flows.
The primary difference is that you can specify a source-only flow or destination-only flow rather than the full source or
destination address of the packet.

For both microflow policing and UBRL, the NetFlow table on either the PFC or DFC is used to track the individual
flows as well as maintain the flow statistics and—most importantly—track the rate of ingress traffic for each individual
flow by implementing a separate token bucket for each NetFlow entry. Cisco Virtual Switching System also has the

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restriction that each forwarding engine is responsible for the calculation of each flow independently and cannot be
synchronized across multiple forwarding engines.

As a result, only flows that always arrive on the same forwarding engine are policed correctly; otherwise they are
under-policed. Generally, this situation allows only the following flow masks for use on multichassis Cisco
EtherChannel link interfaces:

● Source and destination: Source and destination IP address

● Interface, source, and destination: Input interface, source, and destination IP address
● Full: Source, destination IP address, IP, and TCP/UDP source and destination ports if present
● Interface, full: Input interface, source, destination IP address, IP, and TCP/UDP source and destination ports
if present

As a result, UBRL does not yield the desired behavior if applied to multichassis Cisco EtherChannel link interfaces or
other distributed Cisco EtherChannel interfaces because they are source-only or destination-only by nature.

Access Control Lists

This section examines the way access lists are modified in the Cisco Virtual Switching System environment.
Essentially three types of ACLs are supported in a Cisco Catalyst 6500 system as of Cisco IOS Software Release
12.2(33)SXH (Figure 36):

● Router ACLs (RACLs)

● VLAN ACLs (VACLs)
● Port-based ACLs (PACLs)

Figure 37. Access-List Processing

All of these ACLs are compiled by the system and programmed into hardware-based ternary content addressable
memory (TCAM) on the system PFCs or DFCs. Within a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment, these ACLs
are compiled by the active route processor for the entire system (on the active virtual switch) and programmed to all
PFCs and DFCs in the system.

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Router ACLs
Router ACLs refers to all ACLs that are applied to interfaces that also have an IP address specified, including Layer 3
physical routed interfaces, Layer 3 SVIs, as well as port-channel interfaces. Directional by nature, RACLs apply only
to traffic that is routed through those specific interfaces.

In a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment, RACLs do not change significantly because they can be applied to
all Layer 3 interfaces across the entire system (on switch 1, switch 2, or both). Global TCAM show commands,
however, have been extended to account for the switch keyword. For example:

vss#sh tcam counts switch 1

Used Free Percent Used Reserved
---- ---- ------------ --------
Labels:(in) 4 4092 0
Labels:(eg) 2 4094 0

ACL_TCAM
--------
Masks: 77 4019 1 72
Entries: 49 32719 0 576

QOS_TCAM
--------
Masks: 22 4074 0 18
Entries: 22 32746 0 144

LOU: 0 128 0
ANDOR: 0 16 0
ORAND: 0 16 0
ADJ: 3 2045 0

vss#sh tcam counts switch 2

Used Free Percent Used Reserved
---- ---- ------------ --------
Labels:(in) 4 4092 0
Labels:(eg) 2 4094 0

ACL_TCAM
--------
Masks: 77 4019 1 72
Entries: 49 32719 0 576

QOS_TCAM
--------
Masks: 22 4074 0 18
Entries: 22 32746 0 144

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 White Paper

LOU: 0 128 0
ANDOR: 0 16 0
ORAND: 0 16 0
ADJ: 3 2045 0

VLAN ACLs
VACLs refers to all ACLs that are applied to Layer 2 VLANs directly and affect both traffic that is switched within the
VLAN for which the VACL is applied and traffic that is routed through the VLAN. VACLs are bidirectional.

In a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment, VACLs do not change significantly because they can be applied
across VLANs that are local to a particular virtual switch as well as across the entire Cisco Virtual Switching System.
Global TCAM show commands have also been extended to account for the switch keyword.

Port-Based ACLs
PACLs refers to those ACLs that are applied directly to a physical port that is also configured as a Layer 2 switchport.
Note that when an IP address is applied to such an interface, the ACL becomes a RACL. PACLs are directional by
nature, and only ingress PACLs are supported.

There are some changes made to the way PACLs are applied in a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment. They
relate to the current software restriction that does not allow the system to consecutively address more than 2000
ports from a Layer 2 ACL indexing perspective. This limitation implies that PACLs cannot be applied to physical
orphan ports—ports that exist on a single chassis only. You can apply PACLs only on Layer 2 Cisco EtherChannel
links or multichassis Cisco EtherChannel links. This behavior is evidenced by the CLI not being available on physical
Layer 2 interfaces:

vss(config)#int gig 1/5/2

vss(config-if)#switchport
vss(config-if)#ip ?
Interface IP configuration subcommands:
admission Apply Network Admission Control
arp Configure ARP features
auth-proxy Apply authenticaton proxy
<…snip…>

vss(config)#int port-channel 102

vss(config-if)#switchport
vss(config-if)#ip ?
Interface IP configuration subcommands:
access-group Specify access control for packets
admission Apply Network Admission Control
arp Configure ARP features
auth-proxy Apply authenticaton proxy
<…snip…>

PACLs on physical Layer 2 interfaces will be reintroduced with a future software release.

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 56 of 71
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Image and Patch Management

The operating system support for the Cisco Virtual Switching System technology is available in both Cisco IOS
Software as well as Cisco IOS Software Modularity. The following section describes the behavior of the Cisco Virtual
Switching System when a software change must be implemented on the system.

Upgrading the Full Cisco IOS Software Image Using Fast Software Upgrade
For the purposes of this discussion, the treatment of both Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS Software Modularity is
very similar and effectively involves a multistep process. Because the initial release of software supporting the Cisco
Virtual Switching System supports only single supervisor engines in each chassis, the supervisor-engine high-
availability relationship between the two member chassis of the Cisco Virtual Switching System is similar to that of
two supervisor engines within a standalone chassis today. Figure 37 illustrates the full image upgrade process using
Fast Software Upgrade (FSU).

Figure 38. Image Upgrade Using FSU

1. Copy or install the new image to the flash memory file system of both supervisor engines (active and hot
standby)

vss#dir sw1-slot5-sup-bootdisk:
Directory of sup-bootdisk:/

1 -rwx 33554496 Feb 16 2007 15:00:54 +00:00 sea_log.dat

2 drwx 0 Jun 14 2007 11:08:16 +00:00 sys
99 drwx 0 Aug 3 2007 12:59:34 +00:00 newsys

512106496 bytes total (108675072 bytes free)

vss#dir sw2-slot5-sup-bootdisk:
Directory of slavesup-bootdisk:/

1 drwx 0 Jun 14 2007 16:03:30 +00:00 sys

98 drwx 0 Aug 3 2007 13:33:58 +00:00 newsys
195 -rwx 33554496 Jan 10 2007 14:53:16 +00:00 sea_log.dat

512106496 bytes total (108675072 bytes free)

2. Modify the boot variable on switch 1 (active virtual switch) to point to the new image or file system and save the
configuration, thereby synchronizing the boot variable to switch 2 (standby virtual switch).

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vss(config)#install bind sup-bootdisk:/newsys

vss(config)#^Z
vss#
*Aug 16 10:28:53.696: %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by console

vss-demo#wr
Building configuration...

*Aug 16 10:29:11.335: %PFINIT-SW1_SP-5-CONFIG_SYNC: Sync’ing the startup

configuration to the standby Router. [OK]

vss-demo#sh bootvar
BOOT variable = sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033/base/s72033-adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-
vm,12;
CONFIG_FILE variable =
BOOTLDR variable =
Configuration register is 0x2102

Standby is up
Standby has 1048576K/8192K bytes of memory.

Standby BOOT variable = sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033/base/s72033

adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-vm,12;
Standby CONFIG_FILE variable =
Standby BOOTLDR variable =
Standby Configuration register is 0x2102

3. Schedule a change window and when possible, reload switch 2 (standby virtual switch).

vss#redundancy reload shelf 2

Reload the entire remote shelf[confirm]
Preparing to reload remote shelf

*Aug 16 10:31:51.395: %VSLP-SW1_SP-3-VSLP_LMP_FAIL_REASON: Port 5/5: Link down

*Aug 16 10:31:50.696: %VSLP-SW1_SP-3-VSLP_LMP_FAIL_REASON: Port 5/4: Link down
*Aug 16 10:31:50.816: %VSL-SW1_SP-2-VSL_STATUS: -======== VSL is DOWN ========-

*Aug 16 10:31:50.956: %PFREDUN-SW1_SP-6-ACTIVE: Standby processor removed or

reloaded, changing to Simplex mode

4. After successful bootup of the switch 2 (standby virtual switch) to the new image or file system, verify the peer
relationship between supervisor engines are in RPR state (cold standby). At this stage, the Cisco Virtual
Switching System will be operating at 50-percent capacity.

*Aug 16 10:34:19.067: %VSL-SW1_SP-2-VSL_STATUS: -======== VSL is UP ========-

*Aug 16 10:36:33.407: %PFREDUN-SW1_SP-4-VERSION_MISMATCH: Defaulting to RPR mode

(Different software versions)
*Aug 16 10:36:34.419: %PFREDUN-SW1_SP-6-ACTIVE: Standby initializing for RPR mode

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 58 of 71
 White Paper

*Aug 16 10:36:33.880: %PFINIT-SW1_SP-5-CONFIG_SYNC: Sync’ing the startup

configuration to the standby Router.

vss#sh switch virtual redundancy

My Switch Id = 1
Peer Switch Id = 2
Last switchover reason = none
Configured Redundancy Mode = sso
Operating Redundancy Mode = rpr

Switch 1 Slot 5 Processor Information :

-----------------------------------------------
Current Software state = ACTIVE
Uptime in current state = 21 minutes
Image Version = Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-
ADVENTERPRISEK9_WAN_DBG-VM), Version 12.2(SIERRA_INTEG_070611) INTERIM SOFTWARE
Synced to V122_32_8_11, 12.2(32.8.11)SR on rainier, Weekly 12.2(32.8.11)SX88
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Tue 12-Jun-07 02:07 by kchristi
BOOT = sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033/base/s72033-
adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-vm,12;
CONFIG_FILE =
BOOTLDR =
Configuration register = 0x2102
Fabric State = ACTIVE
Control Plane State = ACTIVE

Switch 2 Slot 5 Processor Information :

-----------------------------------------------
Current Software state = STANDBY COLD (switchover target)
Uptime in current state = 5 minutes
Image Version = Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-
ADVENTERPRISEK9_WAN_DBG-VM), Version 12.2(SIERRA_INTEG_070730) INTERIM SOFTWARE
Synced to V122_32_8_11, 12.2(32.8.11)SR on rainier, Weekly 12.2(32.8.11)SX101
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Tue 31-Jul-07 01:51 by kchristi
BOOT = sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033/base/s72033-
adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-vm,12;
CONFIG_FILE =
BOOTLDR =
Configuration register = 0x2102
Fabric State = ACTIVE
Control Plane State = STANDBY

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 59 of 71
 White Paper

5. When possible, perform a supervisor-engine or chassis switchover such that switch 2 (previous standby virtual
switch) now assumes the active role while switch 1 (previous active virtual switch) is reloaded. At this time, a
total Cisco Virtual Switching System outage is expected as switch 2 transitions from an RPR cold standby state
to the active state.

vss#redundancy force-switchover
This will reload the active unit and force switchover to standby [confirm]
Preparing for switchover..
*Aug 16 10:44:59.307: %SYS-SW1_SP-3-LOGGER_FLUSHING: System pausing to ensure
console debugging output.

*Aug 16 10:44:59.307: %OIR-SW1_SP-6-CONSOLE: Changing console ownership to switch

processor

<…snip…>

***
*** --- SHUTDOWN NOW ---
***

*Aug 16 10:45:43.263: %PFREDUN-SW1_SP-7-KPA_WARN: RF KPA messages have not been

heard for 54 seconds
*Aug 16 10:45:44.187: %SYS-SW1_SP-5-RELOAD: Reload requested
*Aug 16 10:45:44.191: %OIR-SW1_SP-6-CONSOLE: Changing console ownership to switch
processor

*Aug 16 10:45:44.231: %SYS-SW1_SP-3-LOGGER_FLUSHED: System was paused for 00:00:00

to ensure console debugging output.

System Bootstrap, Version 8.5(1)

Copyright (c) 1994-2006 by cisco Systems, Inc.

6. When switch 2 is completely online, it re-peers with its neighbors and forms any applicable relationships, and
traffic is forwarded through the Cisco Virtual Switching System again at 50-percent capacity while switch 1
continues to boot up with the new image or file system.

vss#sh switch virtual redundancy

My Switch Id = 2
Peer Switch Id = 1
Last switchover reason = active unit removed
Configured Redundancy Mode = sso
Operating Redundancy Mode = sso

Switch 2 Slot 5 Processor Information :

-----------------------------------------------
Current Software state = ACTIVE
Uptime in current state = 4 minutes

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 60 of 71
 White Paper

Image Version = Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-

ADVENTERPRISEK9_WAN_DBG-VM), Version 12.2(SIERRA_INTEG_070730) INTERIM SOFTWARE
Synced to V122_32_8_11, 12.2(32.8.11)SR on rainier, Weekly 12.2(32.8.11)SX101
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Tue 31-Jul-07 01:51 by kchristi
BOOT = sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033/base/s72033-
adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-vm,12;
CONFIG_FILE =
BOOTLDR =
Configuration register = 0x2102
Fabric State = ACTIVE
Control Plane State = ACTIVE

Peer information is not available because

it is in ‘DISABLED’ state

7. After switch 1 is completely brought back online and all interfaces are active, it enters into NSF/SSO state with
switch 2. At this stage, if the Switch Preemption feature is not configured, the system is completely operational
again with the new version of software installed on both virtual switches.

vss#sh switch virtual redundancy

My Switch Id = 2
Peer Switch Id = 1
Last switchover reason = active unit removed
Configured Redundancy Mode = sso
Operating Redundancy Mode = sso

Switch 2 Slot 5 Processor Information :

-----------------------------------------------
Current Software state = ACTIVE
Uptime in current state = 6 minutes
Image Version = Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-
ADVENTERPRISEK9_WAN_DBG-VM), Version 12.2(SIERRA_INTEG_070730) INTERIM SOFTWARE
Synced to V122_32_8_11, 12.2(32.8.11)SR on rainier, Weekly 12.2(32.8.11)SX101
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Tue 31-Jul-07 01:51 by kchristi
BOOT = sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033/base/s72033-
adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-vm,12;
CONFIG_FILE =
BOOTLDR =
Configuration register = 0x2102
Fabric State = ACTIVE
Control Plane State = ACTIVE

Switch 1 Slot 5 Processor Information :

-----------------------------------------------

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 61 of 71
 White Paper

Current Software state = STANDBY HOT (switchover target)

Uptime in current state = 3 minutes
Image Version = Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-
ADVENTERPRISEK9_WAN_DBG-VM), Version 12.2(SIERRA_INTEG_070730) INTERIM SOFTWARE
Synced to V122_32_8_11, 12.2(32.8.11)SR on rainier, Weekly 12.2(32.8.11)SX101
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Tue 31-Jul-07 01:51 by kchristi
BOOT = sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033/base/s72033-
adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-vm,12;
CONFIG_FILE =
BOOTLDR =
Configuration register = 0x2102
Fabric State = ACTIVE
Control Plane State = STANDBY

The relative traffic outage times for the Cisco Virtual Switching System as a whole in relation to these steps are
summarized in Figure 38:

Figure 39. Fast Switch Upgrade Traffic Disruption

Patching Cisco IOS Software Modularity with a Restartable Patch

Cisco IOS Software Modularity provides many benefits, including the ability to patch portions of the operating system
in real time without the need to upgrade the full system software. Restartable patches further increase the availability
of the system with the ability to patch the system and activate the patches without the need to bring down the
operating system.

With the Cisco Virtual Switching System technology, you should account for some additional considerations when
performing such an operation because the application of a patch under NSF/SSO renders the SSO relationship void,
resulting in the redundancy peer transitioning to an RPR state. As a result, Cisco recommends the following steps
when applying a restartable patch within a Cisco Virtual Switching System environment (Figure 39).

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 62 of 71
 White Paper

Figure 40. Cisco IOS Software Modularity Patching

1. Install the patch to be applied to both switch 1 (active virtual switch) and switch 2 (standby virtual switch) file
systems of the supervisor engine. Verify patches are in a pending install state on both supervisor engines by
issuing the show install running command:

vss#install file ftp: sup-bootdisk:/newsys

Address or name of remote host []? 172.26.196.25
Source filename []? s72033-Yakhurana-00.v122_33_sxh_throt
!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Verifying checksums of extracted files

Verifying installation compatibility

Gathering information for location s72033_rp - Switch 1 Slot 5
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The following Install changeset is currently pending for this location :

Pending Install : patch/patch-Yakhurana-00-cdp_n.so

Activation of the pending changes listed above will affect the following processes:
cdp2.iosproc

<…snip…>

Finalizing installation ...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Computing and verifying file checksums

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOTE: The newly added patch is not yet active.

Use ‘install activate’ to activate the patch
in the currently running system.

[DONE]

vss#install file ftp: slavesup-bootdisk:/newsys

Address or name of remote host []? 172.26.196.25
Source filename []? s72033-Yakhurana-00.v122_33_sxh_throt
!!!!!!!!!!!!!

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 63 of 71
 White Paper

Verifying checksums of extracted files

Verifying installation compatibility

Gathering information for location s72033_rp - Switch 2 Slot 5
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The following Install changeset is currently pending for this location :

Pending Install : patch/patch-Yakhurana-00-cdp_n.so

Activation of the pending changes listed above will affect the following processes:
cdp2.iosproc

<…snip…>

Finalizing installation ...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Computing and verifying file checksums

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOTE: The newly added patch is not yet active.

Use ‘install activate’ to activate the patch
in the currently running system.

[DONE]

vss#sh install running

B/P C State Filename

--- - -------- --------
Software running on card installed at location s72033_rp - Switch 2 Slot 5 :
B Active slavesup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033_rp/base/DRACO2_MP
P PendInst slavesup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033_rp/patch/patch-Yakhurana-00-
cdp_n.so

Software running on card installed at location s72033_rp - Switch 1 Slot 5 :

B Active sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033_rp/base/DRACO2_MP
P PendInst sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033_rp/patch/patch-Yakhurana-00-cdp_n.so

2. When possible, activate the patch on switch 1 (active virtual switch), a process that will also cause the standby
supervisor engine (switch 2) to reset, reducing total Cisco Virtual Switching System forwarding capacity to
50 percent.

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 64 of 71
 White Paper

vss#install activate sup-bootdisk:/newsys

Determining processes to restart at location s72033_rp - Switch 1 Slot 5
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The following Install changeset is currently pending for this location :

Pending Install : patch/patch-Yakhurana-00-cdp_n.so

The following processes will be restarted:

cdp2.iosproc

<…snip…>

NOTE : Activation will reset the Standby Supervisor.

Do you want to continue with activating this change set...? [yes/no]: yes
Proceeding with activation, writing installer meta-data ...
Resetting standby supervisor

Beginning process restarts ...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Aug 20 12:40:23.824: %SYSMGR-6-RESPAWN: Process cdp2.iosproc:1 has been respawned.

Affected processes restarted.

[DONE]

3. The standby supervisor engine (switch 2) is brought up and because of image inconsistencies (patch applied to
switch 1 and not switch 2), enters into RPR mode, where total system capacity still remains at 50 percent. Verify
that RPR mode is achieved. The system can operate in this mode while an evaluation phase may occur to
determine whether the patch applied is satisfactory. If so, you then can go to the next step.

vss#sh switch virtual redundancy

My Switch Id = 1
Peer Switch Id = 2
Last switchover reason = active unit removed
Configured Redundancy Mode = sso
Operating Redundancy Mode = rpr

Switch 1 Slot 5 Processor Information :

-----------------------------------------------
Current Software state = ACTIVE
Uptime in current state = 3 days, 19 hours, 47 minutes
Image Version = Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-
ADVENTERPRISEK9_WAN_DBG-VM), Version 12.2(SIERRA_INTEG_070730) INTERIM SOFTWARE
Synced to V122_32_8_11, 12.2(32.8.11)SR on rainier, Weekly 12.2(32.8.11)SX101
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 65 of 71
 White Paper

Compiled Tue 31-Jul-07 01:51 by kchristi

BOOT = sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033/base/s72033-
adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-vm,12;
CONFIG_FILE =
BOOTLDR =
Configuration register = 0x2102
Fabric State = ACTIVE
Control Plane State = ACTIVE

Switch 2 Slot 5 Processor Information :

-----------------------------------------------
Current Software state = STANDBY COLD (switchover target)
Uptime in current state = 8 minutes
Image Version = Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-
ADVENTERPRISEK9_WAN_DBG-VM), Version 12.2(SIERRA_INTEG_070730) INTERIM SOFTWARE
Synced to V122_32_8_11, 12.2(32.8.11)SR on rainier, Weekly 12.2(32.8.11)SX101
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Tue 31-Jul-07 01:51 by kchristi
BOOT = sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033/base/s72033-
adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-vm,12;
CONFIG_FILE =
BOOTLDR =
Configuration register = 0x2102
Fabric State = ACTIVE
Control Plane State = STANDBY

vss#sh install running

B/P C State Filename

--- - -------- --------

Software running on card installed at location s72033_rp - Switch 2 Slot 5 :

B Active slavesup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033_rp/base/DRACO2_MP
P PendInst slavesup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033_rp/patch/patch-Yakhurana-00-
cdp_n.so

Software running on card installed at location s72033_rp - Switch 1 Slot 5 :

B Active sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033_rp/base/DRACO2_MP
P Active sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033_rp/patch/patch-Yakhurana-00-cdp_n.so

4. If the patch applied to switch 1 was satisfactory, proceed to activate the same patch for switch 2. Doing so will
cause switch 2 (standby virtual switch) to be reset again such that the high-availability relationship between
switch 1 and switch 2 can be renegotiated.

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 66 of 71
 White Paper

vss#install activate slavesup-bootdisk:/newsys

Determining processes to restart at location s72033_rp - Switch 2 Slot 5
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The following Install changeset is currently pending for this location :

Pending Install : patch/patch-Yakhurana-00-cdp_n.so

The following processes will be restarted:

cdp2.iosproc

<…snip…>

NOTE : Activation will reset the Standby Supervisor.

Do you want to continue with activating this change set...? [yes/no]: yes
Proceeding with activation, writing installer meta-data ...
Resetting the Standby Supervisor

*Aug 20 13:01:14.491: %VSLP-SW1_SP-3-VSLP_LMP_FAIL_REASON: Te1/5/4: Disabled by

Peer Reload Request
*Aug 20 13:01:14.491: %VSLP-SW1_SP-3-VSLP_LMP_FAIL_REASON: Te1/5/5: Disabled by
Peer Reload Request
Updating more installer meta-data ...

Beginning process restarts ...

No processes to be restarted.

[DONE]

5. After switch 2 is brought up, it enters into NSF/SSO redundancy mode because both the base images and
patches are identical across the two virtual switches. At this point, the Cisco Virtual Switching System resumes
100-percent forwarding capacity.

vss#sh switch virtual redundancy

My Switch Id = 1
Peer Switch Id = 2
Last switchover reason = active unit removed
Configured Redundancy Mode = sso
Operating Redundancy Mode = sso

Switch 1 Slot 5 Processor Information :

-----------------------------------------------
Current Software state = ACTIVE
Uptime in current state = 3 days, 20 hours, 6 minutes
Image Version = Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-
ADVENTERPRISEK9_WAN_DBG-VM), Version 12.2(SIERRA_INTEG_070730) INTERIM SOFTWARE
Synced to V122_32_8_11, 12.2(32.8.11)SR on rainier, Weekly 12.2(32.8.11)SX101

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 67 of 71
 White Paper

Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport

Copyright (c) 1986-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Tue 31-Jul-07 01:51 by kchristi
BOOT = sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033/base/s72033-
adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-vm,12;
CONFIG_FILE =
BOOTLDR =
Configuration register = 0x2102
Fabric State = ACTIVE
Control Plane State = ACTIVE

Switch 2 Slot 5 Processor Information :

-----------------------------------------------
Current Software state = STANDBY HOT (switchover target)
Uptime in current state = 6 minutes
Image Version = Cisco IOS Software, s72033_rp Software (s72033_rp-
ADVENTERPRISEK9_WAN_DBG-VM), Version 12.2(SIERRA_INTEG_070730) INTERIM SOFTWARE
Synced to V122_32_8_11, 12.2(32.8.11)SR on rainier, Weekly 12.2(32.8.11)SX101
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2007 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Tue 31-Jul-07 01:51 by kchristi
BOOT = sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033/base/s72033-
adventerprisek9_wan_dbg-vm,12;
CONFIG_FILE =
BOOTLDR =
Configuration register = 0x2102
Fabric State = ACTIVE
Control Plane State = STANDBY

vss-demo#sh install running

B/P C State Filename

--- - -------- --------

Software running on card installed at location s72033_rp - Switch 2 Slot 5 :

B Active slavesup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033_rp/base/DRACO2_MP
P Active slavesup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033_rp/patch/patch-Yakhurana-00-
cdp_n.so

Software running on card installed at location s72033_rp - Switch 1 Slot 5 :

B Active sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033_rp/base/DRACO2_MP
P Active sup-bootdisk:/newsys/s72033_rp/patch/patch-Yakhurana-00-cdp_n.so

The relative traffic outage times for the Cisco Virtual Switching System as a whole in relation to these steps is
summarized in Figure 40:

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 68 of 71
 White Paper

Figure 41. Restartable Patch Traffic Disruption

Upgrading the Full Cisco IOS Software Image & Patch Upgrade Using Enhanced Fast Software
Upgrade (eFSU)
Starting with 12.2(33)SXI and later, eFSU (enhanced software upgrade) is supported for full IOS image and
patch upgrade.

Non-eFSU (FSU) software upgrades require system downtime, because a software version mismatch between the
active and the standby switch forces the system to boot in RPR redundancy mode, which is stateless and causes a
hard reset of the all modules.

eFSU enables an increase in network availability by reducing the downtime caused by software upgrades. eFSU
does this by bringing up the standby switch in SSO mode even when the active and the standby switch have different
software versions.

During an eFSU, new software is loaded onto the standby switch while the active switch continues to operate using
the previous software. As part of the upgrade, the standby switch processor reaches the SSO Standby Hot stage, a
switchover occurs, and the standby switch becomes active switch, running the new software. In previous releases a
switch running different software versions ran in the Route Processor Redundancy Mode (RPR).

You can continue with the upgrade to load the new software onto the other switch processor, or you can abort the
upgrade and resume operation with the old software.

With VSS and MEC, you gain the maximum amount of bandwidth available when an eFSU is done in comparison to a
non-eFSU (FSU) [Figure 42].

For more information and details on the eFSU process, please refer to this link:

Performing an Enhanced Fast Software Upgrade:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/switches/lan/catalyst6500/ios/12.2SX/configuration/guide/issu_efsu.html
#wpxref41569

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 69 of 71
 White Paper

Figure 42. Comparing available bandwidth for non-eFSU (FSU) and eFSU.

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 70 of 71
 White Paper

Printed in USA C11-429338-00 04/09

© 1992-2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 71 of 71