Dell EMC SmartFabric Services User Guide

Release 10.5.3

December 2021
Rev. A02
Notes, cautions, and warnings

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.

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 Contents

Chapter 1: About this guide........................................................................................................... 5

Text and Syntax Conventions.......................................................................................................................................... 5
Related Documents.............................................................................................................................................................5
Documentation Feedback..................................................................................................................................................6
Acronyms............................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Chapter 2: Change history.............................................................................................................7

Chapter 3: SFS fundamentals........................................................................................................8

SFS overview........................................................................................................................................................................8
SFS GUI............................................................................................................................................................................9
Supported network topologies......................................................................................................................................... 9
SFS supported platforms...................................................................................................................................................9
SFS and supported solutions............................................................................................................................................ 9
Creating a network fabric................................................................................................................................................ 10
Server discovery and onboarding...................................................................................................................................10
Dynamic server onboarding....................................................................................................................................... 10
Static server onboarding............................................................................................................................................. 11
Server profile and server interface profile............................................................................................................. 12
Fabric back up and restore.............................................................................................................................................. 12

Chapter 4: Setting up SFS........................................................................................................... 14

Prerequisites........................................................................................................................................................................14
SFS configuration notes................................................................................................................................................... 14
Configure SFS.....................................................................................................................................................................16
Enable SFS on PowerSwitches.................................................................................................................................16
Verify the switch operating mode............................................................................................................................19
Disable SFS using CLI.................................................................................................................................................20
Complete the fabric setup........................................................................................................................................ 20

Chapter 5: Deploying and managing a fabric................................................................................ 21

Access fabric setup options............................................................................................................................................ 21
SmartFabric overview ............................................................................................................................................... 22
View fabric topology................................................................................................................................................... 23
Manage switches in a fabric..................................................................................................................................... 23
Configure server interface profile........................................................................................................................... 26
Configure and manage uplinks................................................................................................................................. 28
Configure networks and routing configuration.................................................................................................... 35
Configure global settings for SmartFabric............................................................................................................. 41
Restore fabric configuration..................................................................................................................................... 44
View fabric compliance status..................................................................................................................................44

Chapter 6: SFS with VxRail......................................................................................................... 45

Supported network topologies.......................................................................................................................................45

Contents 3
 Hardware and software requirements......................................................................................................................... 45
Supported switches.................................................................................................................................................... 46
SFS personalities............................................................................................................................................................... 46
Support matrix................................................................................................................................................................... 47
Fabric operations and life cycle management............................................................................................................ 47

Chapter 7: SFS with PowerEdge MX............................................................................................48

Chapter 8: SFS for Isilon/PowerScale back-end fabric................................................................ 49

Supported network topologies.......................................................................................................................................49
Hardware and software requirements......................................................................................................................... 49
Supported switches.................................................................................................................................................... 49
PowerScale requirements............................................................................................................................................... 50
Support matrix................................................................................................................................................................... 50

Chapter 9: SmartFabric commands.............................................................................................. 51

smartfabric l3fabric enable.............................................................................................................................................. 51
smartfabric vlti...................................................................................................................................................................52
show logging smartfabric ...............................................................................................................................................52
show smartfabric cluster.................................................................................................................................................53
show smartfabric cluster member................................................................................................................................ 53
show smartfabric configured-server............................................................................................................................ 54
show smartfabric configured-server configured-server-interface....................................................................... 55
show smartfabric details................................................................................................................................................. 56
show smartfabric discovered-server............................................................................................................................56
show smartfabric discovered-server discovered-server-interface.......................................................................57
show smartfabric networks............................................................................................................................................ 57
show smartfabric nodes.................................................................................................................................................. 58
show smartfabric personality......................................................................................................................................... 59
show smartfabric uplinks.................................................................................................................................................60
show smartfabric upgrade-status..................................................................................................................................61
show smartfabric validation-errors............................................................................................................................... 62
show switch-operating-mode........................................................................................................................................ 63

Chapter 10: Best Practices.......................................................................................................... 64

Recommended upgrade sequence for SFS and solution deployments .................................................. 64
Upgrade sequence in deployments with OMNI .......................................................................................... 64
Upgrade sequence in deployments without OMNI ................................................................................... 64
Frequently asked questions............................................................................................................................................ 64

Chapter 11: Appendix................................................................................................................... 66

REST_USER account.......................................................................................................................................................66
Internal fabric components and networks...................................................................................................................66
MSTP Support on L3 personality.................................................................................................................................. 68
Networks.............................................................................................................................................................................69
Uplinks..................................................................................................................................................................................70
Routing profiles............................................................................................................................................................ 70
Uplink bonding options................................................................................................................................................ 71

4 Contents
 1
About this guide
This guide provides information regarding the integration of SmartFabric Services (SFS) with Dell EMC VxRail, Dell EMC
PowerEdge MX, Dell EMC Isilon/Dell EMC PowerScale devices, and other supported solutions. It covers the following details:
● SFS concepts and its components for leaf and spine deployment
● Description, configuration information, limitations, and restrictions of SFS for each solution
● Command reference for all the SFS commands
To use this guide, you must have a good knowledge of Layer 2 (L2) and Layer 3 (L3) networking technologies, and data center
deployments.
This document may contain language that is not consistent with current guidelines of Dell Technologies. There are plans to
update this document over subsequent releases to revise the language accordingly.

Text and Syntax Conventions

This guide uses the following conventions to describe text and command syntax.

Bold text UI elements that you click or select

> (right angle Hierarchy of menu selections
bracket)
Keyword Keywords are in Courier (a monospaced font) and must be entered in the CLI as listed
parameter Parameters are in italics and require a number or word to be entered in the CLI
{X} Keywords and parameters within braces must be entered in the CLI
[X] Keywords and parameters within brackets are optional
x|y Keywords and parameters separated by a bar require you to choose one option

Related Documents
Use the following documentation in addition to this guide to get complete information about the SmartFabric NVMe Controller
capabilities:

Table 1. Related Documents

Related Documentation Link
● Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10 User Guide SmartFabric OS10 Documentation
● Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10 Installation, Upgrade, and
Downgrade Guide
Dell Technologies VxRail Documentation Dell Technologies VxRail Networking Solutions
Networking Solutions Support Matrix Support Matrix
PowerEdge MX Documentation PowerEdge MX Manuals and Documents
PowerScale/Isilon Documentation PowerScale OneFS Info Hub
OpenManage Network Integration Documentation OMNI Documentation

About this guide 5

Dell EMC Demo Center
The Dell EMC Demo Center is a scalable, cloud-based service that provides 24/7 self-service access to virtual labs, hardware
labs, and interactive product simulations. Several interactive demos are available on the Demo Center. Contact your Dell account
team to get access to the Demo Center.

Documentation Feedback
Dell Technologies strives to provide accurate and comprehensive documentation and welcomes your suggestions and
comments. You can provide feedback in the following ways:
● Online feedback form—Rate the documentation or provide your feedback on any of product documentation pages at
www.dell.com/support.
● Email—Send your feedback to [email protected]. Include the document title, release number, chapter title,
and section title of the text corresponding to the feedback.
To get answers to your questions related to Dell Networking Solutions through email, chat, or call, go to Dell Technologies
Technical Support page.

Acronyms
The following acronyms are used throughout this guide:

Table 2. Acronyms
Acronym Expansion
API Application Programmable Interface
BGP Border Gateway Protocol
CLI Command-Line interface
GUI Graphical User Interface
ICL Interchassis link
ISL Interswitch link
IOM Input/Output Module
LACP Link Aggregation Control Protocol
LAG Link aggregation group
L2 Layer 2
L3 Layer 3
RPVST+ Rapid Per-VLAN Spanning-Tree Plus
SFS SmartFabric Services
STP Spanning-Tree Protocol
VLAN Virtual LAN
VLTi Virtual Link Trunking interconnect
VXLAN Virtual extensible LAN
VTEP VXLAN tunnel endpoint

6 About this guide

 2
Change history
The following table provides an overview of the changes to this guide from a previous release to the 10.5.3.0 release. For more
information about the new features, see the respective sections.

Table 3. New in 10.5.3.0

Revision Date Feature Description
A00 2021–10-12 Disable VxRail manager integration SFS allows you to onboard VxRail nodes
manually on to the fabric.
Configure spine switch as a leader SFS allows you to set the Preferred Leader flag
for a spine switch in addition to the existing
support for leaf switch.
Enhanced SFS GUI SFS GUI is enhanced to provide the following
features:
● Enhanced SFS GUI design
● SFS summary view
● Fabric compliance information
● Switch management
Dynamic discovery of storage devices SFS dynamically discovers the storage devices
and configures the discovered interfaces as
untagged members of VLAN 4091.
Configure IPv6 parameters for VXLAN SFS allows you to configure L3 VXLAN network
networks with IPv6 details.
Configure BFD SFS allows you to configure BFD as part of
BGP configuration.
Configure multisite fabric interconnect SFS allows you to configure multisite fabric
interconnect between the fabrics.

Change history 7
 3
SFS fundamentals
This chapter provides information about the fundamentals of SFS including overview, supported topologies and platforms,
network fabric formation, and its supported solutions.

SFS overview
SFS is a SmartFabric OS10 feature that provides network fabric automation and API-based programming capabilities. SFS
has different personalities that can be integrated with systems including VxRail, PowerScale, generic PowerEdge servers,
PowerStore, storage, and MX servers. SFS integrated with these solution-specific deployments delivers autonomous fabric
deployment, expansion, and life cycle management.
SFS has two types: SFS for PowerEdge MX and SFS for leaf and spine. The following sections focus on concepts that are
related to SFS for leaf and spine:
SFS for leaf and spine is supported on S-series and Z-series Dell EMC PowerSwitches. See Supported platforms for a complete
list of supported platforms. SFS for leaf and spine has two personalities:
L2 single rack personality

NOTE: This personality is not available for deployments after OS10.5.0.5 release. All single rack and multirack deployments
from 10.5.0.5 release and later use the L3 personality.
SFS deployments on OS10 releases from 10.4.1.4 to OS10.5.0.5 support only L2 single rack.
● Provide fabric automation for a single pair of leaf switches.
● SFS deployment is limited to a single rack and cannot be expanded to a multirack deployment.
NOTE: When you upgrade switches with this personality enabled, they operate in the L2 single rack personality only.
● SFS L2 single rack personality is enabled by running a Python script in the OS10 Linux shell. See Enable L2 personality for
more information.
L3 multi rack personality

All SFS deployments using OS10.5.0.5 and later releases support SFS L3 personality and the capabilities are as follows:
● Provides fabric automation for leaf and spine.
● Allows SFS deployment in a single rack and expand to multirack as required.
● Allows you to enable SFS using CLI, API, or GUI.
NOTE: The support to enable SFS using GUI is not available from 10.5.3.0 release.
NOTE: In an MX-based deployment, the fabric is configured using OpenManage Enterprise-Modular (OME-M) UI, see Dell
EMC OpenManage Enterprise-Modular Editions User Guide available in PowerEdge MX Documentation.

8 SFS fundamentals
See the Solutions Support Matrix for a complete list of solutions that can be onboarded onto the fabric.
This guide covers the following SFS qualified solutions:
● SFS deployment with VxRail
● SFS deployment with PowerEdge MX
● SFS deployment with Isilon/PowerScale

SFS terminology
The terms master and leader are used interchangeably in this document. Leader is the same as master.

SFS GUI
OS10 has support for SFS GUI to set up the initial SFS configurations in a L3 leaf and spine topology. You access the SFS GUI
using the latest version of the following browsers:
● Google Chrome
● Mozilla Firefox
● Microsoft Edge
For more information about SFS GUI, see Access fabric setup configuration.

Supported network topologies

Following are the supported network topologies for SFS L3 multirack deployment:
● One leaf switch pair without spine switch
● Multiple leaf switch pairs with a two or more spine switches

SFS supported platforms

SFS is supported on the selected S-series and Z-series PowerSwitches for leaf and spine deployments. The platform support
varies depending on the solutions such as VxRail, PowerScale, and so on. The supported platforms are listed in Supported
Switches section under respective solution chapters.

SFS and supported solutions

SFS has different levels of integration with the following qualified solutions. See the Solutions Support Matrix for the latest
supported versions for all the qualified solutions.

Table 4. SFS and supported solutions

Qualified solutions Dynamic discovery Onboarding type
VxRail Yes Dynamic or Import from Fabric
NOTE: Use Import from Fabric
option to manually onboard the
VxRail nodes.

PowerStore X/T Yes Import from Fabric

PowerMax Yes Import from Fabric
Other third-party devices Yes ● Import from Fabric, if NIC supports
LLDP.
● Static, if NIC does not support LLDP.
PowerEdge MX NA NA

SFS fundamentals 9
 NOTE: Any third-party device that supports standard Ethernet ports and protocols can be onboarded onto the solution
using the onboarding procedure, see Onboard a server.

NOTE: In PowerEdge MX, the servers are discovered and onboarded through OME-Modular.

Dynamic Discovery—Devices that support dynamic discovery send an LLDP TLV. Devices that do not send the LLDP TLV
must be manually added to the fabric.
Onboarding—Onboarding is the process of adding devices to the fabric through the server interface profiles creation.
Supported devices are automatically populated in the SFS GUI and OMNI by MAC address, switch, and switch port number
for onboarding to the fabric. For VxRail, the SFS and VxRail Manager automates the onboarding process. You can also manually
onboard the VxRail using Import from Fabric option. PowerStore systems support dynamic discovery and you can onboard the
server using the Import from Fabric feature in SFS and OMNI, see Import SmartFabric discovered server interfaces. Hosts
running ESXi may be onboarded using the Import from fabric option only if the hosts are already connected to vCenter. Other
devices are manually onboarded by specifying the switch and switch port number for each interface, see Create server interface
profile.

Creating a network fabric

When you enable SFS on the switches in leaf and spine architecture, a single network fabric is built with all the discovered
switches using industry-standard L2 and L3 protocols. SFS supports the following automation capabilities in a leaf and spine
topology:
● Elects one switch from the fabric as the leader switch. From 10.5.3.0 release, spine switch is also part of the SFS leader
election and you can also set the spine switch as the Preferred Leader.
● Creates the infrastructure VLANs on the nodes.
● Allocates all the necessary internal IP addresses for leaf and spine configurations.
● Autoconfigures necessary BGP for all the relevant leaf and spine switches.
● Enables leaf and spine for underlay and overlay.
● Provides workload orchestration of server discovery and binding server profiles to networks.
See Internal components and entities for more information about infrastructure networks and fabrics that are created by SFS.
Also, you can use SFS show commands to view and verify fabric-related configuration.
After the fabric is created, you can configure uplinks, jump host, and onboard servers to the fabric using the SFS GUI.

Server discovery and onboarding

SFS discovers and onboards a server based on the LLDP from the server when connected to the fabric.
Onboarding a server involves creating a server profile and assigning the networks (VLANs) to a specific switch port connected
to the server NIC port.
You can onboard a server in the following ways:
● Dynamic onboarding
● Static onboarding

Dynamic server onboarding

When the servers are connected to the fabric, SFS discovers the servers automatically.
From 10.5.3.0 release, SFS dynamically discovers PowerMax devices using the LLDP TLV received from these devices and
configures the discovered interfaces as the untagged member of the VLAN 4091—default client management network.

NOTE: This feature is applicable only for L3 personality.

SFS discovers a host as a known server TLV in LLDPDUs sent through the connected ports. Following are the list of known
servers discovered by SFS:
● VxRail

10 SFS fundamentals
 NOTE: By default, SFS discovers and onboards the VxRail server automatically. From 10.5.3.0 release, SFS provides an
option to onboard the VxRail servers manually by disabling the VxRail Manager Integration option. For more information,
see Edit default fabric settings. This option is applicable only for SFS L3 personality.
● PowerStore X
● PowerStore T
● PowerMax
When a known server is discovered on the server-facing port, SFS applies the server profiles or server interface profile
configurations.

Dynamic discovery of unknown servers

With OS10.5.2.2 and later releases, SFS dynamically discovers unknown servers using the standard LLDPDUs sent out through
the connected ports. Unknown server is a host that does not send a Dell custom TLV in LLDP frame. Upon discovery, the client
management network is configured by default.
NOTE: If the LLDP TLVs are advertised with both bridge and routing capabilities, SFS considers that the interface is
connected to a switch or router. Hence, the client management network, VLAN 4091, is not configured on that interface.
For dynamic discovery, the Port-id TLV in LLDP packet is mandatory. SFS matches the port-ID TLV value in the LLDP packet
against the Interface field in the server interface profile to onboard the unknown server. After the server interface profile is
configured, the onboard criteria for unknown server is same as onboarding a known server.

NOTE: Ensure that the LLDP port-ID TLV value of the unknown server is unique to avoid misconfiguration.

● If both known and unknown LLDP neighbors exist on the same interface, SFS discovers these servers as known and
unknown servers. During onboarding, if the server profile matches with both the known and unknown discovered servers on
the same physical interface or with the same server interface profile, the order of onboarding is as follows:
○ Known discovered server
○ Unknown discovered server
If you offboard the known server, SFS checks for the unknown server and onboards it if available.
● If both known and unknown LLDP neighbors exist with the same port ID, SFS discovers both the known and unknown
servers. During the onboard process, the order of onboarding is as follows:
○ Known discovered server
○ Unknown discovered server
If you offboard the known server, SFS checks for the unknown server and onboards the server if available.
● If there is a static onboarding server profile that is configured on an interface where the known and unknown LLDP
neighbors exist, SFS discovers both the LLDP neighbors. During onboarding if there are conflicts on the physical interface or
server interface profiles, the priority order of onboarding is as follows:
○ Static onboarding
○ Known discovered server
○ Unknown discovered server
If you offboard the statically onboarded server, SFS checks the known servers list first and then the unknown server list to
onboard the device based on the priority order.

Static server onboarding

SFS supports static onboarding of server on assigned ports instead of LLDP-based discovery. This option is used for onboarding
servers that are not discovered by SFS.
To statically onboard a server, you must assign an interface of the leaf switch to which the server is onboarded. See Onboard
nondiscovered server interfaces section in Onboard a Server for more information about static onboarding using GUI.
Configuration notes:
● STP is disabled on the server-connected ports.
● The bonding can be static or LACP.
● All existing bonding modes are supported on a statically onboarded server.

SFS fundamentals 11
● VXLAN does not support STP on access ports and it is not applicable for L3 Fabric. For the VXLAN type of network, you
cannot configure STP; the network topology must remain loop free.
● All existing network types are allowed to be onboarded on statically onboarded servers.
● Since onboarding is static, when server is moved there is no support for moving the configurations along with the server.
● The port-role for the statically onboarded server is EndHost or GenericEndHost.
● When the server profile or server interface profile is deleted, all the impacted interfaces are brought to default configuration.

Server profile and server interface profile

Server profile and server interface profiles are logical entities of SFS. You configure these entities when onboarding a server to
the fabric.
Server interface profile represents the server NIC ports that are connected to the leaf switches. For a server interface profile,
a server interface ID must be configured using the MAC address of the server NIC port. SFS uses the server interface ID to
identify the server NIC port and configure the required networks on the server NIC ports.
Server profile is a list of server interface profiles with a common bonding type. Supported bonding types are AutoDetect and
LACP. You can configure a server profile using SFS GUI, see Server onboarding.

Bonding technology and NIC bonding

Bonding technology or type is a property of server profile and the supported bonding types are Autodetect and LACP. NIC
bonding is a server interface profile property that determines whether the server interface profile to be in LAG or normal.
The table describes the behavior of SFS depending on the option of Bonding type and NIC bonding selected when configuring
the server interface profile:

Table 5. SFS behavior for bonding type and NIC bonding

Bonding technology or type NIC bonding SFS behavior
AutoDetect Disable The VLAN is added to the physical
interface when LACP PDUs are not
received. After the LACP PDUs are
received, the VLAN is applied to LAG.
AutoDetect Enable The system waits for LACP PDUs and
after the LACP PDUs are received, the
VLAN is applied to LAG.
LACP Disable The VLAN is added to the physical
interface.
LACP Enable The system waits for LACP PDUs and
adds the VLAN only on the LAG after it
receives the LACP PDUs.

By default, the bonding type setting is AutoDetect and NIC bonding is disabled. Dell Technologies recommends that when you
configure the bonding type for a server profile as LACP, you must enable NIC bonding.

Fabric back up and restore

You can backup the SFS configuration to an external device, and restore the fabric to a good state using the backed-up
configuration during a failure or error.
The backup functionality allows you to backup all the user configuration to a text file in JSON format. The REST endpoints are
available that returns a text file containing all the user configuration that was done through the REST interfaces.
The restore functionality allows you to restore the fabric to a last known good configuration. The REST endpoint is available that
enables you to stream the backed-up configuration. The restore action wipes the data completely and restores the configuration
on the switches from the backup file. The restore functionality is followed by leadership switchover. For the successful restore
operation to occur, the restore activity should be applied to the same set of switches in the fabric. Also, the SFS personality
should be the same when the backup was performed.

12 SFS fundamentals
The backup and restore endpoints are accessible only for the users with sysadmin role. The REST payload is encrypted using
the SSL protocol.
You can also restore the configuration for a fabric from SFS UI, see Restore.

Table 6. HTTP Methods

Functionality HTTP Method URL Payload
Backup GET https://<ip-address>/ Output is a text as stream and
redfish/v1/Dnv/Backup Content-Type is application or
octet-stream.
Restore POST https://<ip-address>/ Content-Type: application or
redfish/v1/Dnv/Restore octet-stream and payload
contains the backup file.

SFS fundamentals 13
 4
Setting up SFS
This chapter explains the workflow to setup SFS including initializing SFS and enabling it on leaf and spine switches.

Prerequisites
Ensure that the following are met before enabling SFS on the switches:
● Configure the Out-of-band (OOB) management network on the leaf switches. OOB management network enables
connections to the SFS GUI. Dell EMC PowerSwitch S3048-ON or N3248TE-ON can function as an OOB management
switch with the OS10 factory default configuration. For more information about OOB management topology and connection
details, see the respective Solution Deployment Guides.
● Verify the SmartFabric OS10 version on the leaf and spine switches and update them with recommended version listed in the
Support Matrix.

SFS configuration notes

This section lists important behaviors, considerations, and recommendations you must know before deploying SFS:

Recommendations
See Internal components and networks for more information about the SFS components and networks that are created by SFS.
Recommendations and notes regarding the SFS components are:
● Dell Technologies recommends that you do not change or disable the STP settings on switches in SmartFabric mode. Any
change to the STP settings results in reboot of all the switches in the fabric and disabling STP settings cause loops.
● Dell Technologies recommends using uplinks from a leaf pair as a best practice. Uplinks from leaf switches to external
switches can be L2 or L3. All uplinks from spine switches to external switches must be L3.
● Except for Isilon/PowerScale back-end deployment, breakout feature is not supported on the leaf switches for the ICL
(VLTi) or ISL (leaf and spine) connections. Use the default speed cables of the leaf switch when creating the ISL or ICL
connections in a L3 fabric.
○ ISL example—If the default speed on the leaf switch port is 100G and spine switch port is 400G, use 100G cable for ISL
connection. Since autobreakout feature is enabled on the spine switch, the port speed of the spine switch is set to 100G
automatically.
○ ICL example—If the default speed of the leaf switches is 100G, use 100G cable for the ICL connection.
● Ensure that the Preferred Leader flag is set for the leaf or spine switches in the existing fabric before expanding the
fabric to prevent the configuration loss. Once a leader is elected, it initiates all applications to automatically build the
network fabric, and leader virtual IP address is advertised for applications to automatically discover the fabric through inband
networks.
● If you want to breakout the ports to configure uplinks or jump hosts, ensure that the breakout ports are configured on the
switch before creating and configuring these entities. You can configure breakout ports using SFS GUI.
● Ensure that the default networks that are created by SFS do not conflict with any networks in the existing deployment. If so,
change the default networks using the instructions that are provided in Edit fabric settings.
● When you want to reboot any of the border leaf switch having L3 uplink with eBGP peer configuration that is connected to
the external switch, Dell Technologies recommends shutting down the interface of the external switch that is the connected
to that leaf switch before rebooting. After reboot and the BGP session is established within the fabric, bring up the interface
of the external switch.
● Dell technologies recommends not to flap the admin status of the server connected ports using the SFS UI, OMNI UI and
REST API in order to avoid traffic loss on those ports after switch reboot.
● In SmartFabric mode, you can create VLAN using the interface vlan command through OS10 CLI, but you cannot
delete the VLAN from the CLI. Therefore, Dell Technologies recommends you to use the SFS GUI to create, edit, or delete a
VLAN.

14 Setting up SFS
Default settings
● SFS creates VLANs from 4000 to 4094 for internal use. Do not use these VLANs for general use.
● SFS creates 172.16.0.0/16 and 172.30.0.0/16 networks for the leaf and spine network configuration for the default domain ID
100.
● By default, autobreakout feature is enabled on the spine switches in SmartFabric mode. Autobreakout works only with DAC
and AOC cables.
● In SFS, all network QoS priorities are set to Iron by default and it cannot be changed.

SFS behavior
SFS elects one switch from the fabric as a leader switch and designates the remaining switches as the backup switches. In
the event of a leader reload or failure, a new leader is elected from the backup switches using the keepalive information. The
switches that are configured as Preferred leader have a higher priority to become the leader switch. If none of the switches are
configured as the preferred leader, any switch can become the leader.
When you expand the fabric, the newly added switches may come up and form a fabric among themselves, and elect a leader
before they are connected to the existing fabric. When the new fabric merges with the existing fabric, SFS elects a new leader
switch for the combined fabric. If one of the new switches becomes the leader, it may overwrite the configuration in the
existing fabric.

Preferred Leader behavior

Starting from OS10.5.3.0 release, you can also manually set the Preferred Leader flag for each switch (leaf and spine) in the
fabric using SFS GUI. If there are spine switches in the fabric, Dell Technologies recommends you to set the Preferred Leader
flag for all spine switches in the fabric for optimal performance. For more information about how to set the Preferred Leader,
see switches.
NOTE: Before upgrading to OS10.5.3.0 version, ensure that the Management IP address is configured on all spine switches
in the fabric.
● Before OS10.5.3.0 version, the Preferred Leader flag is set automatically on all the leaf switches when you create an uplink
using SFS GUI.
● From OS10.5.3.0 version:
○ If the Preferred Leader flag is not set in any of the switches in the fabric, SFS sets the Preferred Leader flag
automatically on all the spine switches when you create an uplink in the SFS GUI. If there are no spine switches in
the fabric, the Preferred Leader flag is automatically set on the leaf switches when an uplink is created.
○ If any switches are already set as Preferred Leader, SFS does not change the Preferred Leader flag status of the
individual switches.

Spanning tree considerations

● To avoid loops, SFS does not allow you to configure the same network on multiple uplinks.
● SFS supports RPVST+ and MSTP. The default spanning tree mode in SFS is RPVST+. Once the fabric is created, you can
change the STP mode using SFS GUI, see Edit default settings.
NOTE: When you change the mode using GUI, the whole fabric goes through a reboot and the new mode is set to
MSTP. The reboot action impacts the traffic flow in the cluster.
● By default, RPVST+ is enabled on the uplink interfaces for L3 VLAN networks. When RPVST+ is enabled on the uplink, the
total number of Port VLANs (PV) supported is 400.

BFD support
From OS10.5.3.0, SFS provides an option enable or disable Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) for external BGP peer
routes. You can enable or disable BFD for a eBGP peer route policy when configuring uplinks, server interface profiles, and
routing profiles. By default, BFD is disabled.
NOTE: You cannot modify the BFD timers in SFS:
● For the S4100-ON series platform, the BFD interval is set to 500 ms with multiplier of 3 by default.

Setting up SFS 15
 ● For other platform switches, the BFD interval is set to 300 ms with a multiplier of 3 by default.
If you want to edit the BFD configuration for a routing policy, you must delete the existing routing policy and create a policy with
the respective BFD configuration.

Configure SFS
By default, PowerSwitches boot in Full Switch mode when you power them up with SmartFabric OS10. This information explains
how to setup a fabric.
1. Enable SFS and set roles on the switches.
2. Connect to SFS GUI and complete the relevant fabric configurations to setup the fabric. See SFS GUI for more information
regarding login procedure and fabric configurations.
For SFS with Isilon/PowerScale deployment, you only have to enable SFS with roles on all the switches using CLI. All other SFS
initial deployment operations using UI are not required. For more information regarding PowerScale deployments, see the related
documents available in PowerScale Info Hubs.

Enable SFS on PowerSwitches

You can enable SFS on PowerSwitches through CLI, GUI, or REST API from OS10.5.0.5 and later versions. This option is
applicable only for SFS L3 leaf and spine personality.
NOTE: The support to enable SFS using GUI is not available from 10.5.3.0 release.

After you enable SFS on all the switches in a leaf and spine deployment, a network fabric is created automatically with the
default fabric settings. See Internal fabric component and networks for more information about the default settings.

Enable SFS using CLI

To enable SFS on a switch using CLI, run the smartfabric l3fabric enable command and set a role. For more
information, see smartfabric l3fabric enable.
After you enable SFS on the switches and set a role, the system prompts for a confirmation to reload and boots in the
SmartFabric mode. Enter Yes to continue. In SmartFabric mode, the CLI is restricted to global switch management features and
monitoring. Using this command, enable SFS on all the switches with the corresponding role to create a fabric.
The following example shows how you can enable SFS on switches and set roles:
● Enable SFS on a switch with a spine role in CONFIGURATION mode.

OS10(config)# smartfabric l3fabric enable role SPINE

Reboot to change the personality? [yes/no]: yes

● Enable SFS on a switch with a leaf role in CONFIGURATION mode.

OS10(config)# smartfabric l3fabric enable role LEAF vlti ethernet 1/1/4-1/1/5

Reboot to change the personality? [yes/no]: yes

In SFS, the two leaf switches are automatically configured as a VLT pair. The Ethernet interfaces 1/1/4 and 1/1/5 are the
VLTi interfaces.
If the VLTi interfaces are not contiguous, use the following syntax to enable VLT:

smartfabric l3fabric enable role LEAF vlti ethernet 1/1/25,1/1/29

● (Optional) Enter the domain ID for the SFS fabric in CONFIGURATION mode.

OS10(config)# smartfabric l3fabric enable role LEAF vlti ethernet 1/1/4-1/1/5 domain
101

OS10(config)# smartfabric l3fabric enable role SPINE domain 101

16 Setting up SFS
 By default, domain ID is set to 100. You can edit the domain ID from SFS GUI. See Edit default fabric settings.
In Isilon or PowerScale back-end deployments, when enabling SFS in a leaf and spine topology, no VLTi configuration is required
for the leaf switch. To set the leaf role for a switch, use the smartfabric l3fabric enable role LEAF command
without the VLTi parameters.

Related Videos
Enable SFS on PowerSwitches using a CLI command:
Enable SFS using a CLI command

Enable SFS using RESTCONF API

You can enable SFS on OS10 switches using the RESTCONF API. For more information regarding general RESTCONF API
operations, see Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10 User Guide.

Description Enables SFS on the switches with leaf and spine roles.
RESTCONF /restconf/data/dell-smart-fabric:config-personality
endpoint
JSON content
(spine) {
"dell-smart-fabric:config-personality": {
"service-enable":true,
"role": "SPINE",
}
}

Example
curl -k -u admin:admin -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -i -X POST
-d \
'{"dell-smart-fabric:config-personality":
{"service-enable":true,
"role":"SPINE"}
}'
https://100.104.26.104/restconf/data/dell-smart-fabric:config-personality

The following example shows how to enable SFS on a leaf switch with an IP address (100.104.26.104) and ICL interfaces as
1/1/5 and 1/1/6.

JSON content
(leaf) {
"dell-smart-fabric:config-personality": {
"service-enable":true,
"mode": "L3 Fabric",
"role": "LEAF",
"icl": [
"ethernet1/1/5",
"ethernet1/1/6"
]
}
}

Example
curl -k -u admin:admin -H 'Content-Type:
application/json' -i -X POST -d \
'{"dell-smart-fabric:config-personality":{"service-
enable":true,"role":"LEAF",
"icl": [
"ethernet1/1/5",
"ethernet1/1/6"
]
}
}'
https://100.104.26.104/restconf/data/dell-smart-fabric:config-personality

Setting up SFS 17
Example—Usage of curl command on a linux server is as shown:

Enable SmartFabric Services L2 personality using script

In SFS L2 personality, you can enable SFS only using API. All deployments from SmartFabric OS10.4.1.4 to OS10.5.0.x version
support only the single rack network fabric.
NOTE: The L2 personality is not available for new deployments after 10.5.0.5 release.

A python script is used to enable SFS. For more information about L2 personality commands and information, see VMware
Integration for VxRail Fabric Automation SmartFabric User Guide, Release 1.1 available in OMNI Documentation page.

Enable SFS using GUI

Starting from OS10.5.3.0 release, the option to enable SFS mode using GUI is not available. You can use the GUI to enable SFS
in versions prior to 10.5.3.0.
To enable SFS using the GUI, following the instructions:
1. Enable RESTCONF API on the switch using the OS10 CLI.
To enable RESTCONF API, use rest api restconf command in CONFIGURATION mode. See Dell EMC SmartFabric
OS10 User Guide for more information about RESTCONF API.
2. Open a browser session, go to https:// switch-mgmt-ip-address .
3. Log in to a switch using the credentials that are created to access an OS10 switch. The default username and password is
admin.
4. Enable SFS on the switch using the Edit option that appears in the upper-right side of the page.

5. Enter the role of the switch and click OK to enable SFS.

18 Setting up SFS
 Spine:

Leaf:

After you enable SFS on a switch, the system reloads to apply the configuration.
6. Repeat the steps 1 to 4 on all the remaining switches to enable SFS and set role. All switches reload and forms a fabric.

Verify the switch operating mode

To verify that the switches are in SmartFabric mode, run the show switch-operating-mode command on each switch.

OS10# show switch-operating-mode

Switch-Operating-Mode : SmartFabric Mode

For more information regarding the CLI, see the show switch-operating-mode command.

Setting up SFS 19
Disable SFS using CLI
To delete the existing switch configuration and go back to Full Switch mode, run the no smartfabric l3fabric command
on each switch.
The no smartfabric l3fabric command disables the L3 fabric personality. After you disable the L3 fabric in the switch,
the system prompts for confirmation and reboots in Full Switch mode.

OS10(config)# no smartfabric l3fabric

Reboot to change the personality? [yes/no]: yes

Complete the fabric setup

After enabling SFS, you must configure logical entities to complete the SFS setup.
1. Log in to SFS GUI. For more information, see Deploy and manage a fabric.
2. Configure unique names for SFS components. For more information, see Update fabric names and descriptions.
3. (Optional) Configure breakout switch ports based on the deployment requirements. For more information, see Breakout
ports.
4. Configure uplinks for connectivity. For more information, see Create uplinks.
5. Configure Jump host for client management based on the requirement. For more information, see Configure Jump host.
6. Onboarding a server by applying server interface profile. For more information, see Server onboarding.
SFS GUI also provides additional features that can be configured if needed. For more information, see Access fabric setup
options.

20 Setting up SFS
 5
Deploying and managing a fabric
You can use SFS GUI to set up a fabric in a leaf and spine topology. The SFS GUI helps you with the SFS deployment operations
and management of the switches in a fabric.

Access fabric setup options

Follow the instructions to access fabric setup options:
You can launch the SFS GUI directly using the leader IP address. To get the IP address of the leader switch in the L3 fabric, use
the show smartfabric cluster command. For more information, see SFS commands.
If you logged in to a switch in a fabric that is not the leader, the page displays only the fabric mode of switch and the IP address
of the leader along with the link to the leader switch. Click the link to log in to the leader switch. All fabric configuration can be
performed only from the SFS leader switch.

1. Log in to SmartFabric Services GUI using the management IP address of any switch.
2. Enter the credentials that are created to access an OS10 switch from the console or through a network connection.
The default username and password is admin. You can also use any user-configured accounts as credentials.

Click Logout button at the upper right of the GUI to terminate the login session.
Upon successful login, the GUI displays the summary information.

Deploying and managing a fabric 21

SmartFabric overview
Starting from 10.5.3.0 release, SFS GUI displays a consolidated view of key metrics such as device status, device health, and the
latest fabric compliance errors for the fabric. The Overview dashboard displays the following metrics:
Device Status—Displays the status of the all the switches that are deployed in the SmartFabric instances along with the
number of switches in each status.
● Green—Indicates that the device is online.
● Red—Indicates that the device is offline.
Device Health—Displays the overall health of all the devices in the fabric.
Fabric Compliance—Displays the misconfiguration and compliance violations identified in the SmartFabric instance.
● Module—Name of the module in which the misconfiguration or compliance errors occurred.
● Status—Compliance status of each module in the fabric.
● Error Count—Number of errors in each module.
You can view the detailed list of all compliance errors in the SmartFabric instance from Serviceability page.

View node details

From SFS Summary page, you can view the switch details in the fabric.
From Summary > Fabric Nodes, you can view the list of spine and leaf nodes that are deployed in the fabric.
Click the Fabric IDs to view the detailed information of the spine and leaf switches connected in the fabric. The details include:
● Switch name
● Switch model
● OS10 version
● Switch role
● IP address of the switch
● Status of the switch (online or offline)
Click Domain at any time to update the fabric details.

22 Deploying and managing a fabric

View fabric topology
The Topology tab displays the graphical topology of the network fabric for the selected SmartFabric instance. You can also
view the details of the switch in the fabric.
The L3 leaf and spine topology view that is created after you enable SFS. The topology view displays the switch icons with the
hostname and the service tag information under each node and the link connectivity between the switches. Mouse over a fabric
to see the detailed information about the leaf and spine switches, and the link connectivity.

Manage switches in a fabric

You can manage the spine and leaf switches available in a fabric.

Set Preferred Leader

Dell Technologies recommends you to set a spine switch as the Preferred Leader for optimal performance. You can identify the
switch that is set as the leader switch from SFS GUI. You can set the leaf or spine switches as a Preferred Leader from SFS
GUI:
1. Click Switches.
2. Click the toggle switch to set the Preferred Leader for the leaf or spine switch. The system prompts for confirmation.

3. Click Ok to confirm.
You can disable the Preferred Leader for any switch using the toggle switch. After confirmation, the Preferred Leader is
disabled.

Deploying and managing a fabric 23

Change port configuration on a switch
Change the port configuration such as auto negotiation or MTU of a port or multiple ports on a leaf or spine switch:
CAUTION: Changing the interface configurations can potentially cause a disruption in service. Ensure that you
are aware of the network settings and the remote-peers connected to the interfaces before changing the MTU,
auto negotiation, admin status. If the configuration does not match the connected peer switch, it can lead to
connectivity issues.

Edit a port configuration

1. Select Switches.
2. Select the spine or leaf switch by clicking the arrow to view more information.
3. Select a category (All Ports or Unused Ports).
4. Select a port from the category.
5. Click Edit.
6. Edit the following details:
● (Optional) Name
● (Optional) Description
● Admin status
● MTU
7. Click Edit.

Configure auto negotiation status

You can enable or disable the auto negotiation on a single port or multiple ports. Auto negotiation option is not applicable for
port channel interfaces. If the selected list has a port channel interface when configuring auto negotiation, the system displays a
warning to clear the port channel interfaces from the selected list. Clear the port channel interface selection and try again.
To enable auto negotiation:
1. From All Ports, select a port or multiple ports.
2. Click Enable Auto Neg. The system displays a warning message.
3. Click Yes to confirm.
The system displays the stage-wise progress of the interface status.

To disable auto negotiation:

1. From All Ports, select a port or multiple ports.
2. Click Disable Auto Neg. The system displays a warning message.
3. Click Yes to confirm.
The system displays the stage-wise progress of the interface status.

Set MTU value

Set maximum transmitting unit (MTU) for the port:
1. Select a port or multiple ports and click Set MTU.
2. Enter the MTU value and click Set. By default, the SFS value is set to 9216.
3. Click Yes to confirm.
The system displays the action success or failure message.

Enable switch ports

You can view and manage the unused ports in the switches. To enable or disable unused ports:
1. From Switches tab, select Unused Ports category to view the list of unused ports available in the leaf or spine switch.
2. Select a port or multiple ports from the list.

24 Deploying and managing a fabric

3. Click Enable Admin Status.
To disable the ports, select a port or multiple ports, and click Disable Admin Status. The system displays the change status
and update success message on completion.

Dell Technologies recommends to:

● Enable the port status to operationally up before adding any devices to the port, if the port is disabled using the GUI.
NOTE: Devices that are connected to the disabled port are not discovered.
● Ensure that the ports are UP before adding any switches, when you expand the leaf and spine fabric deployments.
● Ensure that the switch port is in UP, when onboarding a server to a leaf switch.

Breakout switch ports

You can configure breakouts for the Ethernet ports or port-group only on the leaf switches to connect to the external device or
jump host. Use the following procedure to breakout switch ports:
NOTE: By default, the auto breakout feature is enabled in SmartFabric spine switches. SFS GUI does not provide an option
to breakout ports in spine switches.
1. From Switches tab, click Leaf Switches.
2. Select a leaf switch from the list for which you want to breakout.
3. Click Breakout Port & Jump Port category.
4. Select a port that you want to breakout and click Breakout Port.
NOTE: The existing configuration of the port is reset to default when you configure a breakout port.
5. Select the appropriate breakout option for the port from the list.
6. Click Submit. To view the details of the breakout ports, select a port to view the properties of the port.
The system displays breakout port configured successful or failure message.

When configuring breakout on any switch port that is already onboarded with server interface profile and associated with
networks, follow the procedure:

Table 7. Breakout procedure

Steps Action How to
1 Delete the server interface profile from 1. Click the Server Interface tab, and
the fabric to delete the networks select the server interface profile
associated with the service interface from the list.
profile. 2. Click Delete.
2 Disable admin status of all the ports 1. From Switches tab, select the
associated with the switch port-group. respective leaf switch > Unused
Ports.
2. Select all the ports associated with
the port-group and click Disable
Admin Status.
3 Configure breakout mode for the port. 1. From Switches tab, select
respective leaf switch > Breakout
Port & Jump Port.
2. Select the interface and click
Breakout Port.
3. Select the breakout mode and click
Submit.

Deploying and managing a fabric 25

Configure jump host
A jump host is a designated port to which an external device such as a laptop can be connected. You can configure only one
port in a leaf switch port as a jump host for the external device to connect to L3 fabric. Select any available port that is not part
of an uplink, ICL, and port connected to a server in fabric.
In VxRail deployment, a jump host is primarily used to bring up a VxRail cluster. By default, all VxRail nodes are placed in the
client control and client management networks. In VxRail deployment, the jump host port is placed in the client management
network in order to reach the default VxRail Manager VM.
Use the following procedure to configure jump host:
1. From Leaf Switches, select the leaf switch from the list.
2. Select the Breakout Ports & Jump Port category.
3. Select the switch to view the properties and click Jump Port.
4. Enter the name for the jump host.
5. Select an interface of the leaf switch as the jump host.
6. Associate an untagged network with the jump host and click Ok.
Delete jump port
1. Select the leaf switch for which you want to delete the configured jump port.
2. Select the Jump port and click Delete.
The system displays jump port deletion success message.

Configure server interface profile

See Server discovery and onboarding for more information about server onboarding and its types. You can onboard a server
statically or dynamically.

Onboard a server onto the fabric

For more information about server onboarding types, see Server discovery and onboarding. You can onboard a server statically
or dynamically.

Onboard discovered interfaces

Use the following procedure to dynamically onboard a discovered server:
1. From Server Interface tab, click Create.
2. Enter the server interface ID.
NOTE: The server interface ID must be unique. Dell Technologies recommends using the MAC address of the onboarded
server interface without ":" .
3. Select the server profile. The template changes based on the server profile selection.
● Existing server profile—Select the server profile ID from the list.
● New server profile—Create a profile ID. Enter the unique string for the server profile ID and the bonding type.
4. Select one or multiple networks for tagged and untagged networks.
5. Select No for static onboarding.
6. Select Enable or Disable for NIC bonding.
7. Click Create.

Onboard nondiscovered server interfaces

Use the following procedure to onboard the server statically for nondiscovered server interfaces:
1. From Server Interface tab, click Create.
2. Enter the server interface ID.
NOTE: The server interface ID must be unique. Dell Technologies recommends using the MAC address of the onboarded
server interface without ":" .

26 Deploying and managing a fabric

3. Select the server profile. The template changes based on the server profile selection.
● Existing server profile—Select the server profile ID from the list.
● New server profile—Create a profile ID. Enter the unique string for the server profile ID and the bonding type.
4. Select one or multiple networks that needs be tagged and untagged.
5. Select Enable or Disable for NIC bonding.
6. Select Yes for static onboarding.
7. Select the leaf switch and the interface on which the server is connected.
8. Select the routing protocol. The template changes based on the routing protocol.
● None
● eBGP—Enter the routing policy name, peer interface IP address, peer ASN, description (optional), and BFD
configuration.
● Static Route—Enter the routing policy name, network address, prefix length, next hop IP address, and description
(optional).
9. Click Create.

Import SmartFabric discovered server interfaces

Automate onboarding of server interface profile by importing profiles that are discovered by SFS. From 10.5.3.0 release, this
option Import from Fabric is available from SFS GUI to import and onboard the discovered server interfaces to the fabric.
When known servers are connected to the fabric, SFS discovers the servers automatically and onboards the discovered servers
as part of this workflow. SFS discovers the hosts or servers as known using the originator field in the Dell custom LLDP TLV
sent by the servers. From OS10.5.2.2 release, SFS discovers unknown servers and you can onboard the unknown servers using
the Import from Fabric option. Onboarding unknown servers is applicable for the SFS L3 leaf and spine personality. Use this
feature to onboard a known or unknown server.
● Known server—A known server is a host that sends a valid originator in Dell-specific (custom) TLV in LLDP frame that is
recognized by SFS.
● Unknown server—An unknown server is a host that sends LLDP frames that do not include the Dell-specific TLV.
1. Click Server Interface.
2. Click Import from Fabric. Discovered Server Interface window appears with the list of discovered interfaces.
NOTE: The interface that is already associated with a server interface profile is not listed in the discovery table.
3. (Optional) Select Edit icon at the end of each row to edit the server profile information of each interface. You can edit the
following:
● NIC bonding configuration
● Static onboarding configuration
4. (Optional) Add server interface networks for the discovered server interface profiles if needed. For more information about
adding networks, see Add networks section.
NOTE: This action overwrites the existing networks of all the server interface profiles.
5. (Optional) Add the server profile for the interface if needed. For more information about adding server profile, see Add to
Server Profile section.
6. Select one or multiple discovered interfaces and click Update.
Add interfaces to Server Profile
To add the discovered interfaces to a new or existing server profile:
1. Select one or more discovered interfaces, and click Add to Server Profile.
2. Select the server profile to which you want to add the discovered server interfaces.
● Select Existing Server Profile—Select the Server Profile Id to associate the interface with the existing server profile,
and click Associate.
● Select New Server Profile—Enter the Server Profile Id and Bonding Type to associate the interface with the new
server profile, and click Associate.
3. The system displays the server interface profile association success message.
Add Networks
To add the networks to the discovered interfaces:
1. Select one or more interfaces from the list, and click Add Networks.
2. Associate the networks with the discovered interfaces, and click Add.
● Select one or multiple networks for Tagged Networks.

Deploying and managing a fabric 27

 ● Select a single network for Untagged Network.
NOTE: Add networks overwrite the existing networks of all the server interface profiles.
3. The system displays the server interface networks addition success message.
Remove from server profile
To remove the interface from the server profile, select one or more interfaces from the list, and click Remove from Server
Profile.

Edit networks and ports in a server interface profile

You can edit the network and port configuration in a server interface profile. You can also view the detailed information of a
server interface profile.
Select a server interface ID to view the properties of the profile on the right.
Edit networks on a server interface profile
1. Select the server interface ID from the list to view the detailed information.
2. Click Edit Networks.
3. Edit the Untagged Network and the Network configuration for the profile.
4. Click Edit.
The system displays the server interface profile update success message.

Edit ports on a server interface profile

1. Select the server interface ID from the list, and click Edit Ports.
2. Edit the Static Onboarding Option and the NIC Bonding configuration for the profile.
3. Click Edit.
The system displays the server interface profile update success message.

Configure and manage uplinks

Uplinks enable the network fabric to communicate with the external network. Before creating an uplink, ensure that the external
network is configured with the L2 or L3 setup. Any ports available on the leaf switches may be used as uplinks, provided they
are compatible with the corresponding ports on the external switches.
SFS supports eBGP and static routes profiles and LACP and static for uplink bonding. For more information, see Uplinks section.

Configure L2 Uplink
Follow the instructions to create a L2 uplink:
1. Click Uplink > Create.
2. Enter the uplink details:
● Select the uplink port type as L2.
● Enter the name and description (optional) for the L2 uplink.
3. Click Next.
4. Configure the port:
● Select a rack in which you want to create the uplink.
● Select one or more interfaces from each of the leaf switches to associate to the uplinks. If you want to split a port speed,
breakout the interface first before associating the interface to the uplinks. See Breakout Ports to configure breakout the
ports from SFS GUI.
● Select the LAG mode based on the configuration setup in the external network, and click Next. To form a LAG on the
leaf switches, select an interface or interfaces that are of the same speed.
NOTE: Ensure that the corresponding ports on the external switches are configured with the same LAG mode.
5. Associate the networks with the selected interfaces:
● If the network is already configured, select the untagged networks from the list.

28 Deploying and managing a fabric

 ● If the network is not available, create a network using the Create Network—Enter the name, description, and VLAN ID.
Networks that are created using this wizard are created on the fabric as general purpose networks. For more information
about different types of network in SFS, see Networks.
● Select Yes or No appropriately to integrate the networks that are created automatically in the fabric through vCenter on
this uplink.
When you select Yes, the uplink is created with the type Default and the networks from the vCenter are automatically
appended to the L2 uplink during vCenter integration. For more information, see OpenManage Network Integration for
SmartFabric Services User Guide.
6. Click Finish.
The system displays user uplink creation success message.

Configure L3 VLAN uplink

Use the following procedure to create a L3 VLAN uplink:
1. Click Uplink > Create.
2. Enter the uplink details:
● Select the uplink type as Layer 3.
● Select the L3 type as L3 VLAN.
● Enter the name and description (optional) for the L3 VLAN uplink.
3. Click Next.
NOTE: You can create L3 uplinks on both leaf and spine switches.
4. Associate the interfaces of the spine or leaf switches with the L3 uplink:
● Select the switch group.
○ Spine—Select a spine switch and an interface or multiple interfaces of the spine switch to be associated with the
uplink.
○ Leaf—Select a leaf switch from the rack, and an interface or multiple interfaces of the leaf switch to be associated
with the uplink.
● Select the static or dynamic LAG based on the configuration setup in the external network.
5. Click Next.
6. Associate the networks with the selected interfaces:
● Select if the network is a tagged or an untagged network.
● Enter the name, description (optional), VLAN ID, IP addresses, and prefix length.
7. Define a routing policy to associate with the uplink based on the external network connectivity setup.
● Static Route—A route policy template that contains a policy name, description (optional), the network address, prefix
length, and next hop IP address.
● eBGP—A routing policy template that contains a policy name, description (optional), the BGP peer IP address, the peer
ASN, and BFD configuration.
NOTE: The network configurations reflect in the switch only after associating the network with an uplink or server
profile.
8. Click Finish.
The system displays uplink creation success message.

Configure L3 Routed uplink

Use the following procedure to create a L3 routed uplink:
1. Click Uplink > Create.
2. Enter the uplink details:
● Select the uplink port type as Layer 3.
● Select the L3 type as L3 Routed Interface.
● Enter the name and description (optional) for the L3 routed uplink.
3. Click Next.
4. Associate an interface from the spine or leaf switch with the L3 Routed uplink.
● Select the switch group.
○ Spine—Select a spine switch and an interface from the spine to associate with the uplink.

Deploying and managing a fabric 29

 ○ Leaf—Select the rack, switch, and an interface from the leaf switch to associate with the uplink.
NOTE: You can select only one interface from the spine or leaf switch for L3 Routed uplink.
5. Click Next.
6. Associate the networks with the selected interfaces by providing a name, description (optional), interface IP address, and
prefix length.
NOTE: You cannot associate a L3 Routed network with more than one uplink or server profile.
7. Define a routing policy to associate with the uplink based on the external network connectivity setup.
● Static Route—A route policy template that contains a network prefix and the next hop IP address.
● eBGP—A routing policy template that contains BGP peer IP address, peer AS number, and BFD configuration.
● Select the Fabric Interconnect checkbox, if you are creating the uplink for multisite fabric interconnect purpose. See
Multisite fabric interconnect.
8. Click Finish.
The system displays uplink creation success message.

Edit networks and ports for an uplink

Select the uplink from the displayed list to view the details of the uplink on the right. Edit the network and port configuration for
an uplink using the following instructions:
Edit networks
1. Select the uplink from the list, and click Edit Networks.
2. Edit the untagged network that is associated with the uplink.
3. Click Update.
The system displays the uplink network edit success message.

Edit ports
1. Select the fabric uplink from the list and click Edit Ports.
2. Edit the ports that are associated with uplink interfaces.
3. Click Update.
The system displays the uplink interface edit success message.

Delete an uplink
You can delete a user-created uplink:
1. Select the uplink from the list and click Delete.
2. Click Delete to confirm.
NOTE: When you delete an uplink, the network and route profile that are associated with the uplink are not deleted.

The system displays the uplink interface edit success message.

Multisite fabric interconnect

From 10.5.3.0 release, SFS allows you to configure fabric interconnect to connect fabrics across different sites. Using this
feature, you can configure the uplink, L3 routed network, IPv4 BGP peer policy, and BGP EVPN policy to interconnect the SFS
fabric connected through a direct link or an external network. You can configure multisite fabric interconnect using Configure
Multi-Site Fabric Interconnect wizard or you can individually create uplink, L3 routed network, and IPv4 BGP peer and BGP
EVPN policies for the fabrics in different sites depending on the requirement.
SFS provides two options (direct and external) to configure multisite fabric interconnect depending on the interconnect
link between the SFS fabrics. You can configure fabric interconnect using Multi-Site Fabric Interconnect option for the
supported fabric interconnect links:
1. Direct—Following image is an example of direct interconnect between the multisite SFS fabrics.

30 Deploying and managing a fabric

 ● Direct link between the leaf switches across two sites:

● Direct link between the spine switches across two sites:

2. External link—Following image is an example of external network interconnect between the multisite SFS fabrics.

Deploying and managing a fabric 31

● External link between the leaf switches across two sites:

● External link between the spine switches across two sites:

You must configure fabric interconnect configurations individually using Workflow 2:

● When you want to configure the multisite fabric interconnect for leaf and spine switches different from the supported fabric
interconnect links.
● When you want to customize the hop-count when creating fabric interconnect.

Prerequisites to setup multisite fabric interconnect

Ensure that the following requirements are met before configuring multisite fabric interconnect:
● Verify the physical connections on the fabric interconnect. SFS supports the fabric interconnects links (direct or external)
between leaf switches and spine switches.
● Ensure that the domain IDs of the fabrics are different.
● Ensure that the ASNs of the switches are different.

32 Deploying and managing a fabric

● Launch the SFS GUI of both the fabrics (Site 1 and Site 2) to collect the following information that you have to enter during
the fabric interconnect setup:
○ Domain IDs of the Site 1 and Site 2 fabrics—From SFS GUI, click Global Settings > Fabric Settings to view the domain
ID.
○ BGP ASN numbers of the switches deployed in the Site 1 and Site 2 fabrics—From SFS GUI, click Global Settings >
Fabric Settings to view the ASN details.
○ Loopback address of the switches deployed in the Site 1 and Site 2 fabrics—From SFS GUI, click Global Settings >
Fabric Interconnect Details to view the loopback address of each switch in the fabric.

Procedure to configure multisite fabric interconnect

Following instructions provides the high-level procedure to configure fabric interconnect:
1. Provide the domain ID for the SFS fabrics in Site 1 and Site 2. You can do any of the following:
● Enable SFS L3 personality on the leaf and spine switches with the domain ID. Domain ID is an optional parameter. If you
do not provide the domain ID when enabling SFS, it is set to default domain ID 100. For more information, see smartfabric
l3fabric enable. Ensure that the VxRail Manager Integration option is set to Disable.
● Edit the domain ID for the SFS fabric if necessary. Domain ID ranges from 100 to 107.
NOTE: Editing the domain ID reloads all the switches in the fabric.

If you edit the domain ID, the following values are autogenerated after reload based on SFS recommendations:
○ Leaf and spine ASN
○ Fabric BGP subnet and mask
○ Fabric VTEP subnet and mask
○ VxRail Manager Integration option is set to Disable
2. Configure uplink, L3 routed network, IPv4 BGP peer policy, and BGP EVPN policy in the Site 1 fabric using Multi-Site
Fabric Interconnect option or individually.
3. Configure uplink, L3 routed network, IPv4 BGP peer policy, and BGP EVPN policy in the Site 2 fabric using Multi-Site
Fabric Interconnect option or individually.

Workflow 1—Configure multisite fabric interconnect

You can configure the uplink, L3 routed network, IPv4 BGP peer route policy, and BGP EVPN policy to interconnect the SFS
fabric connected through a direct link or an external network. Use the following instructions to configure the multisite fabric
interconnect:

Configure multisite fabric interconnect—Site 1 fabric

When configuring the peer details for Site 1, provide the switch details of Site 2 fabric as the peer configuration.
1. Click Uplink > Multi-Site Fabric Interconnect.
2. Click Configure Multi-Site Fabric Interconnect.
3. Select the switch group (Leaf or Spine). The template changes based on the selected switch group.
4. If you select the switch group as Leaf, select the rack from the list. The local fabric domain ID, local hostname, local BGP
ASN, local loopback address are autopopulated.
5. Select the Fabric Interconnect Link (Direct or External). The template changes based on the selected link type.
6. Enter the domain ID of the peer fabric (Site 2). The system autopopulates the peer BGP ASN number based on the peer
domain ID.
NOTE: The domain ID of the peer fabric (Site 2) must be different.
7. Enter the following information:
● Select the uplink interface of the switches that are connected to the respective peer-site switch interfaces.
● Configure a Layer 3 routed network for the uplink.
○ Local IP Address—Enter the IP address for the selected interface.
○ Local Prefix Length—Enter the prefix details.
● Configure the BGP peer policy for Site 1 fabric.
If the link is Direct:
○ Peer BGP ASN—Verify the peer BGP ASN number . The system autopopulates the peer BGP ASN number based
on the peer domain ID. If the BGP ASN number is different from the autopopulated number, change the ASN number
accordingly.
○ Peer Interface IP—Enter the peer interface IP address.

Deploying and managing a fabric 33

 ○ BFD—Select the BFD configuration. By default, BFD is disabled.
If the link is External:
○ Peer BGP ASN—Verify the peer BGP ASN number . The system autopopulates the peer BGP ASN number based
on the peer domain ID. If the BGP ASN number is different from the autopopulated number, change the ASN number
accordingly.
○ Peer Interface IP—Enter the peer interface IP address.
○ BFD—Select the BFD configuration. By default, BFD is disabled.
○ External ASN—Enter the ASN number of the external device.
○ External Interface IP—Enter the interface IP address of the external device.
● Configure the BGP EVPN policy for Site 1 fabric.
○ Peer Loopback—Enter the peer loopback address.
○ You can add up to two BGP EVPN policies for each switch. Click + to add a second loopback address.
NOTE: If the switch group is Leaf, you must enter all the relevant details for the listed leaf switches.

8. Click Submit.
After submitting the configuration, SFS configures the following:
● Enables fabric interconnect
● Disables VxRail Manager Integration
● Creates a L3 routed network uplink
● Creates a BGP peer route policy
● If the link is direct, it creates a BGP EVPN policy with the hop count set to 3
● If the link is external, it creates a BGP EVPN policy with the hop count set to 4
You cannot change the hop count in this workflow (Workflow 1). If you want to customize the hop count, use Workflow 2.
The uplink, network, the eBGP peer route, and BGP EVPN policies are created, and their names are appended with the prefix
Fabric_Interconnect. To verify the configurations, you can go to the respective configuration menus to view the list of uplinks,
L3 routed networks, BGP peer route policy, and BGP EVPN policy that are created using this wizard.

Configure multisite fabric interconnect—Site 2 fabric

To configure multisite fabric interconnect on Site 2 fabric, follow the same steps to configure the L3 routed network, IPv4 BGP
peer route policy, and BGP EVPN policy. While configuring, provide the switch details of Site 1 fabric as the peer configuration.

34 Deploying and managing a fabric

Workflow 2—Configure uplinks, L3 routed networks, and BGP peer and EVPN policies
Alternative to the Workflow 1—Configure multisite fabric interconnect, you can also configure multisite fabric interconnect
by creating the configurations individually. Use this workflow to configure the multisite fabric interconnect for leaf and spine
switches that are different from the supported fabric interconnect links:
1. Disable VxRail Manager Integration option, see Edit fabric settings.
2. Create L3 routed interface uplink with eBGP peer route policy configuration, see Uplink. Ensure that you select the Fabric
Interconnect checkbox when creating the L3 routed uplink.
NOTE: You can also create eBGP peer route policy individually and associate with the uplink. Ensure that you select the
Fabric interconnect checkbox when creating the eBGP peer configuration.
3. Create BGP EVPN configuration, see Configure BGP EVPN. Ensure that you provide the appropriate Hop Count.

Configure networks and routing configuration

You can configure networks and routing configuration.

Configure networks
You can configure the following types of networks:
● General purpose network
● L3 routed interfaces (for L3 profiles only)
● Multi rack L3 VLAN
● VLAN networks (for L2 and L3 profiles)
● VXLAN networks (for L2 and L3 profiles)
For detailed information about these network types, see Networks.

Configure general purpose networks

When you create a general purpose network, SFS creates a VLAN network along with the VXLAN virtual network.
In general purpose network, VXLAN network identifier (VNI) and VLAN ID are same and you can associate one VLAN with the
VNI across the fabric. If you delete a VLAN network, it automatically deletes the associated VXLAN network.
For example, if you create a general purpose network with VLAN ID 50, SFS creates a VLAN 50 and associated VXLAN network
with VNI 50 in the SmartFabric. When you delete the VLAN network, both VLAN 50 and VXLAN VNI 50 are deleted.

Create general purpose network

To create a general purpose network:
1. Click Network > Networks > General Purpose Networks. The page displays the list of the general purpose networks that
are already configured in the SmartFabric.
2. Click Create to create a Layer 2 general purpose network.
3. Enter the following details:
● Network ID
● Network name
● VLAN ID. The number ranges from 1—3999 (excluding 3939)
● (Optional) Description
4. Click Create. The system displays virtual network creation successful message.
View general purpose network
The general purpose networks display the VLAN details of the specific network including network ID, network name, VLAN
ID, QoS priority, and network type. Portgroups that are created on the vCenter are displayed under General Purpose
Networks.

Edit general purpose network

You can edit the configuration of the Layer 2 general purpose network and change it to Layer 3 general purpose network.
1. Select a network from the list and click Edit.

Deploying and managing a fabric 35

2. Modify the Network Type.
3. Enter the Prefix, Gateway IP Address, IP address.
4. Click Edit. The system displays virtual network edits success message.

Delete general purpose network

When you delete a general purpose network, both the VLAN and the VXLAN networks are deleted. To remove a general purpose
network configuration:
1. Select the general purpose network, and click Delete. The system displays the list of the server interface profiles associated
with the network.
2. Click Delete to confirm. The system displays network deletion success message.

Configure L3 routed interfaces

This information explains how to create, edit, and delete Layer 3 routed interfaces.

Create L3 routed interface

Use the following procedure to create an L3 routed interface:
1. Click Network.
2. Select Networks > Layer 3 Routed Interfaces.
3. Click Create.
4. Enter the following details:
● Network ID
● Network name
● (Optional) Description
● IP Address
● Prefix length
5. Click Create.
The system displays network creation success message.

Select any network from the list to view the detailed information of the routed interface network.
Edit network
1. Select the Network ID from the list and click Edit.
2. Edit the configuration as required.
3. Click Edit.
The system displays edit network success message.

Delete network
1. Select the network ID to remove and click Delete. The system displays the list of uplinks associated with the network.
2. Click Delete to confirm.
The system displays network deletion success message.

Configure multirack L3 VLAN

Starting from 10.5.3.0 release, from SFS GUI, you can configure L3 VLAN network for the racks to which the servers are
connected. Using this feature, you can create a L3 VLAN network for each VLT pair (rack) with a different subnet. This network
is used for NSX-T overlay to create VTEP networks. Create, edit, and delete multirack L3 VLAN networks from SFS GUI. You
can specify IP address for each switch in a rack when creating a multirack L3 VLAN.

Create multirack L3 VLAN

1. Click Network.
2. Click Networks > Multi-Rack L3 Networks.
3. Click Create.

36 Deploying and managing a fabric

4. Enter the following details:
● Network ID
● Network name
● VLAN ID
● (Optional) Description
● Select the Specific IP Addresses checkbox to specify the IP address for each switch.
● IP addresses
● Prefix length
● Gateway IP address
● Helper IP address
5. Click Create.
The system displays VLAN network creation success message.

Select any network from the list to view the detailed information.

Edit multirack L3 VLAN configuration

1. Select a network ID you want to edit and click Edit.
2. Edit the details and configuration as necessary.
3. Click Edit.
The system displays edit network success message.

Delete multirack L3 VLAN configuration

1. Select the VLAN network to remove and click Delete.
2. Click Delete to confirm.
The system displays network deletion success message.

Configure VLAN networks

Create, edit, and delete L2 or L3 VLAN networks for SmartFabric.

Create L2 VLAN
VLAN networks for L2 profile:
1. Click Network.
2. Select Networks > VLAN Networks.
3. Click Create.
4. Select the network type as Layer 2 VLAN Network.
5. Enter the following details:
● Network ID
● Network name
● VLAN ID
● (Optional) Description
6. Click Create. The system displays VLAN network creation success message.
VLAN networks for L3 profile:
1. Click Network.
2. Select Networks > VLAN Networks.
3. Click Create.
4. Select the network type as Layer 3 VLAN Network.
5. Enter the following details:
● Network ID
● Network name
● VLAN ID
● (Optional) Description

Deploying and managing a fabric 37

 ● IP addresses
● Prefix length
● Gateway IP address
● Helper IP addresses
6. Click Create.
The system displays VLAN network creation success message.

Edit network
You can edit any changes to the existing configuration. Using this option, you can also change the network types such as from
L2 to L3 or L3 to L2.
1. Select a network ID from the list and click Edit.
2. Modify the configuration as necessary.
3. Click Edit.
The system displays edit network success message.

Delete network
1. Select the VLAN network to remove and click Delete.
2. Click Delete to confirm.
The system displays network deletion success message.

Configure VxLAN network

Create, edit, and delete L2 and L3 profile VXLAN network configurations through SFS GUI. The purpose of VXLAN network is to
associate multiple L2 or L3 VLAN networks to a single VXLAN network. Whereas a general purpose network does not have the
flexibility to extend the VXLAN network.

Create VxLAN network

Virtual network for L2 profile:
1. Click Network.
2. Select Networks > VxLAN Networks. The page displays the list of the VXLAN networks that are configured in the
SmartFabric instance.
3. Click Create.
4. Select Layer 2 as the virtual network type.
5. Enter the following details:
● Virtual network name
● VxLAN VNI
● VLT VLAN ID
● (Optional) Description
6. Click Create.
The system displays virtual network creation successful message.

Virtual network for L3 profile:

From 10.5.3.0 release, you can configure the IPv6 virtual networks.
1. Select Networks > VxLAN Networks. The page displays the list of the VXLAN networks that are configured in the
SmartFabric instance.
2. Click Create.
3. Select Layer 3 as the Virtual Network Type.
4. Enter the following:
● Virtual network name
● VxLAN VNI
● VLT VLAN ID
● Select IPv4 checkbox to provide the IPv4 address, prefix, gateway IP address, and helper addresses.

38 Deploying and managing a fabric

 ● Select IPv6 checkbox to provide the IPv6 address, prefix, gateway IP address, and helper addresses.
5. Click Create.
View VxLAN network details
The VxLAN networks display a list of mapped VLANs. Select a VxLAN network to view details pertaining to that specific
network including network ID, VLAN ID, and network name.
Associate multiple VLANs to a VxLAN network
Using the following steps, you can map multiple VLANs to a single VxLAN network:
1. Select a VxLAN network.
2. Click Create option available after the VxLAN details.
3. Enter the required details for the VLAN configuration.
4. Click Create.

Edit VxLAN network

You can edit the configuration of VXLAN network configuration. You can also change the network type such as from L2 to L3 or
L3 to L2.
1. Select a virtual network from the list and click Edit.
2. Modify the network type.
3. Enter the relevant details.
4. Click Edit.
The system displays virtual network edits success message.

Delete VxLAN network

To delete a VXLAN network, first delete the mapped VLAN or VLANs if associated, and delete the virtual network.
1. Select the Virtual Network Name, select the Network to remove, then click Delete.
2. Click Delete to confirm.
The system displays network deletion success message.

Configure Routes
You can configure static routes, eBGP peer routes, and BGP EVPN configuration for a network.
When you create a route policy, the system configures the route policy name as the policy ID. In SFS, the route policy ID must
be unique and hence it does not allow you to create more than one policy with the same name. You can create multiple route
policies with the same configuration by providing different route policy name.
You can create and delete any routing policy configuration, but you cannot edit any routing policy. To modify an existing routing
policy, you must delete the policy and create a policy with the relevant configuration.

Configure static routes

Configure static routes and associate the route to the switch.

Create static route

1. Click Network > Routing Configuration.
2. Select Static Routes.
3. Click Create to add a new static route.
4. Enter the following details:
● Policy name
● Network address
● Prefix length
● Next hop IP address
● (Optional) Description

Deploying and managing a fabric 39

5. Click Create.
The system displays static route creation is successful.

Add route to switch

You can add the routing policy to the switch:
1. Select a static route that must be added to the switch.
2. Click Add Route to Switch.
3. Select the switch to map to this route.
4. Click Add.
The system displays the route added success message.

The static route details display a list of mapped routes. Select a static route to view details pertaining to that specific route
including the switch ID.
Delete route from switch
1. Select the route to delete, and click Delete Route.
2. Click Delete to confirm the removal of the route from the switch.
The system displays route policy deletion success message.

Delete static route

1. Select the static route to delete and click Delete.
2. Click Delete to confirm.
The system displays static route deletion is successful.

Configure eBGP peer route

You can configure eBGP peer routes for a network.

Create eBGP route

1. Click Network > Routing Configuration.
2. Select eBGP Peer Configuration.
3. Click Create.
4. Enter the following details:
● Policy name
● Peer interface IP address
● Peer ASN
● (Optional) Description
● BFD configuration
● Select the Fabric Interconnect checkbox, if you are creating the uplink for multisite fabric interconnect purpose. See
Multisite fabric interconnect.
5. Click Create. The system displays eBGP peer route creation is successful.
The eBGP peer details display a list of mapped routes. Select an eBGP route to view details pertaining to that specific route
including the switch ID.
Delete eBGP route
1. Select the eBGP route policy to delete and click Delete.
2. Click Delete to confirm. The system displays route policy deletion success message.

Add eBGP route to switch

1. Select an eBGP route policy from the list.
2. Click Add Route to Switch.
3. Select the switch to which you want to add the route.
4. Click Add. The system displays the route to switch addition success message.

40 Deploying and managing a fabric

Delete eBGP route from switch
1. Select an eBGP route, then click Delete Route.
2. Click Delete to remove the route from the switch. The system displays route deletion success message.

Configure BGP EVPN

Follow the instructions to configure a BGP EVPN routing policy:

Create BGP EVPN configuration

1. Click Network > Routing Configuration.
2. Click BGP EVPN Configuration.
3. Click Create.
4. Enter the following details:
● BGP EVPN policy name
● Peer loopback address
● Peer ASN
● Hop count
● (Optional) Description
5. Click Create. The system displays eBGP peer route creation is successful.
Delete BGP EVPN configuration
1. Select a BGP EVPN configuration and click Delete.
2. Click Delete to remove the route from the switch. The system displays route deletion success message.

Add BGP EVPN route to switch

1. Select a BGP EVPN route policy from the list.
2. Click Add Route to Switch.
3. Select the switch to which you want to add the route.
4. Click Add. The system displays the route to switch addition success message.
Delete eBGP route from switch
1. Select a eBGP route and click Delete Route.
2. Click Delete to remove the route from the switch. The system displays route deletion success message.

Configure global settings for SmartFabric

Starting from 10.5.3.0 release, you can configure SmartFabric switch services settings using SFS GUI.
You can configure the following services on the SmartFabric switches:
● NTP
● DNS
● Syslog
● SNMP
NOTE: This feature is supported from SmartFabric OS10.5.2.2 and later versions, and applicable for SFS L3 leaf and spine
personality.

Configure NTP server

To configure an NTP server:
1. Click Global Settings > NTP.
2. Click Add to configure an NTP server.
3. Enter the IP address or hostname of the NTP server and click Add.
The system displays the configuration success message.

Deploying and managing a fabric 41

To delete an NTP server, select an entry from the list and click Delete.

Configure DNS server

To configure one or more DNS servers:
1. Click Global Settings > DNS.
2. Click Add to configure one or more DNS servers.
3. Enter the IP address of the DNS server to configure a single DNS server setting. You can use the + button to add more DNS
servers.
4. Click Add.
The system displays the configuration success message.

To delete the configured servers, select the server from the list and click Delete All. This action deletes all the configured DNS
servers that are available in the system.

Configure SNMP server

To configure or edit an SNMP server:
1. Click Global Settings > SNMP.
2. Click Add to configure an SNMP server.
3. Enter the following details:
● Server IP address
● Community
● SNMP version
● Provide the Security details for SNMP v3.
4. Click Add.
The system displays the configuration success message.

To delete the configured servers, select a server from the list and click Delete.

Configure syslog server

To configure and edit a syslog server:
1. Click Global Settings > Syslog.
2. Click Add to configure syslog server.
3. Enter the IP address of the syslog server and log level.
4. Click Add.
The system displays the configuration success message.
Edit syslog server
You can edit the log level for the syslog server.
1. Select the server from the list and click Edit.
2. Edit the log level of the server and click Update.
To delete the configured servers, select the server from the list and click Delete.

Edit default fabric settings

Use the following procedure to edit the default fabric settings:
1. Click Global Settings > Fabric Settings.
2. Click Edit.
3. Change the following values of the default settings as required:
● Domain ID
● Leaf and spine ASN

42 Deploying and managing a fabric

 ● Fabric BGP subnet and mask
● Fabric VTEP subnet and mask
● Client control VLAN
● Client management VLAN
● STP mode between MST and Rapid PVST
● VxRail Manager Integration
4. Click Submit. The changed settings are applied only after a reboot. The system prompts for confirmation to continue. After
you click Ok, all the switches in the network fabric reload to apply the changes.
When you edit the domain ID:
1. The fabric settings, multisite fabric interconnect configuration, and fabric name are changed after reload.
2. The interface breakout, networks, server profiles, and uplink configurations and its association are retained after reload.
3. You must reconfigure BGP policy details for the external peer connectivity configurations such as multisite fabric
interconnect links, external router, NSX-T based on the changed ASN.
To manually onboard the VxRail node onto the fabric:
1. Click Global Settings > Fabric Settings.
2. Click Edit.
3. Select Disable for VxRail Manager Integration.

4. Click Ok.

Deploying and managing a fabric 43

 NOTE: The VxRail Manager Integration setting change does not reload the switches, and the change is applied to the
latest selection immediately.
After disabling the VxRail Manager Integration, you can onboard the VxRail server to the fabric manually. If you want to
dynamically onboard the new VxRail nodes, you can enable the VxRail Manager Integration option.

Update default fabric, switch names, and descriptions

SFS assigns unique names for the network fabric, racks, and switches automatically. Use the following instructions to change
the names and descriptions of the network fabric, racks, and switches:
1. Click Global Settings > Set Fabric & Switch Name.
2. Change the name and description of the network fabric, and click Next.
3. Change the name and description of the rack or VLT fabric, and click Next.
4. Change the name and description of the switches, and click Finish.
NOTE: If you change the switch name in the GUI, the hostname on the switch CLI is updated.

View fabric interconnect details

View the fabric interconnect details:
Click Global Settings > Fabric Interconnect details. This page displays the hostname of the switches and the respective
loopback address of the switches in the fabric. You can use this page to view the loopback address when configuring multisite
fabric interconnect.

Restore fabric configuration

Restore the SFS configurations on a fabric to a known good configuration with the backup configuration file stored on your
external device. Use the following procedure to restore:
1. Click Life Cycle Management > Restore.
2. Click Choose File.
3. Select the backup configuration json file that is stored externally
4. Click Ok.
5. Select the check box to agree.
CAUTION: This action reboots all the switches in the fabric to apply the new configuration that cause
traffic disruption and connectivity. Dell Technologies recommends you to use the restore operation during a
downtime window.
6. Click OK to confirm. The switches are restored with the configuration in the JSON file.

View fabric compliance status

From 10.5.3.0, you can view the fabric compliance status from SFS GUI. SFS validates the health of the cluster, topology role,
underlay, overlay, network, server appliance discovery, uplink, policy, and VLT. SFS monitors the health in both the switch and
the whole fabric levels. SFS retrieves the fabric compliance status for the SFS instance and displays the noncompliance events
with details. SFS also provides recommended actions to eliminate the compliance violations or misconfigurations.
This feature is applicable for SFS L3 leaf and spine personality.
To view the fabric compliance errors:
1. Click Serviceability > Fabric Compliance to view the latest compliance errors. The table lists the latest compliance events
with detailed information including switch name, service tag of the switch, status, error code, and the recommended action.
2. Click the information icon to view the recommended action for each compliance error.
3. Click Refresh to update the data and display the new compliance errors.
4. Click Download to download all the compliance errors. The downloaded zip file contains the fabric compliance errors in
CSV format.
You can also view the fabric compliance errors in the SmartFabric instance overview dashboard. Select Summary > Overview
to view the overview of fabric compliance status. The fabric compliance errors are grouped under different categories.

44 Deploying and managing a fabric

 6
SFS with VxRail
SFS, used in leaf and spine network, creates a fully integrated solution between the fabric and a hyperconverged domain
infrastructure such as VxRail. When integrated with VxRail, SFS automates network setup, simplifying and accelerating the
deployment. Switches are automatically configured. When additional VxRail nodes are connected, the fabric identifies them as
VxRail nodes and automatically onboards the nodes to the required networks.

For more information regarding VxRail deployment-related documents, see Dell Technologies VxRail Networking Solutions.

Supported network topologies

See Supported topologies section for information regarding the topologies of SFS with VxRail deployments.

Hardware and software requirements

The requirements to deploy VxRail with SFS are as follows:
Hardware components
● VxRail nodes
● Dell EMC PowerSwitches
Software components

SFS with VxRail 45

● SmartFabric OS10
● OMNI
● VxRail Manager
● VMware vCenter
For more information regarding detailed deployment requirements, see the Deployment Guides for respective releases.

Supported switches
Following is the Dell EMC PowerSwitch typical roles in SFS with VxRail deployment.

Table 8. Switch roles in SFS

SmartFabric Switch role (leaf or spine) VxRail node connectivity options
Switches
● S4112F-ON Leaf (top of rack) or spine 10GbE
● S4112T-ON
● S4128F-ON
● S4128T-ON
● S4148F-ON
● S4148T-ON
● S5212F-ON 10GbE or 25GbE
● S5224F-ON
● S5248F-ON
● S5296F-ON
S5232F-ON Spine Can be used as a leaf switch with ports that are
connected to VxRail nodes broken out to 10GbE
or 25GbE
● Z9264F-ON Spine —
● Z9432F-ON

In VxRail deployment, any combination of the leaf and spine switches is possible with the exception that you must deploy
leaf switches in pairs. Each leaf switch in the pair must be the same model due to VLT requirements. SFS supports up to 20
switches and eight racks in the fabric.

SFS personalities
In SFS-enabled network, VxRail deployment option include L2 single rack or L3 multirack personalities. The table lists the
comparison between L2 and L3 fabric personalities:

Table 9. SFS personalities

L2 Single Rack personality L3 multi rack personality
Single rack network fabric is supported for VxRail clusters. Multi rack data center network fabric is supported that starts
For new SFS deployments, use the L3 leaf and spine fabric with a L3 single rack (L3 fabric profile) and which you can
personality as the SFS L2 personality is deprecated. expand to a multi rack solution based on the demand.
Network fabric has two leaf switches in a single rack which Network fabric has up to 20 switches in a leaf and spine
you cannot expand. design that starts with a single rack which you can expand up
to eight racks.
All VxRail with SFS deployments from SmartFabric release All SmartFabric deployments with SmartFabric OS10.5.0.5 or
OS10.4.1.4 to OS10.5.0.5 support configuration with a single later.
pair of leaf switches for VxRail clusters.
Default uplink and jump host port are created as part of a You can create uplinks and jump host port through SFS GUI or
fabric initialization, which you cannot modify after enabling OMNI after initial deployment.
SFS.

46 SFS with VxRail

Table 9. SFS personalities (continued)
L2 Single Rack personality L3 multi rack personality
Enabled SFS by running a Python script in the OS10 Linux Enable SFS using CLI, API, or UI.
shell.
Existing deployments when upgraded to SmartFabric Dell Technologies recommends that you enable all new
OS10.5.0.5 continue to run in the L2 fabric profile and L3 deployments with L3 leaf and spine fabric personality. You
fabric capabilities are not available. If you upgrade switches cannot upgrade VxRail with SFS deployments to the new L3
with L2 personality to OS10.5.0.5, SFS operates with the leaf and spine fabric personality automatically.
VxRail L2 single rack personality.

Support matrix
See Networking Solutions Support Matrix regarding support matrices for SFS with VxRail across various releases.

Fabric operations and life cycle management

Dell EMC OpenManage Network Integration (OMNI) enables you to configure and manage SFS-enabled PowerSwitches in
different deployments. You can use OMNI application to manage and operate one or more SFS instances either directly using
the OMNI UI through a web browser or through a vCenter plug-in. After initial deployments, Dell Technologies recommends that
you use OMNI UI to perform all fabric management and life cycle management activities.
For more information about OMNI, see OMNI Documentation.

SFS with VxRail 47

 7
SFS with PowerEdge MX
Dell EMC PowerEdge MX is a unified, high-performance data center infrastructure providing the agility, resiliency, and efficiency
to optimize a wide variety of traditional and new emerging data center workloads and applications. In a Dell EMC PowerEdge
MX7000 infrastructure, the MX9116n fabric engine and MX5108n Ethernet switch support SFS.
For more information about the SFS and PowerEdge MX including architecture, deployment, configuration, operations and
troubleshooting, see the Dell EMC PowerEdge MX Networking Deployment Guide.

48 SFS with PowerEdge MX

 8
SFS for Isilon/PowerScale back-end fabric
Dell EMC PowerScale is a scale-out network-attached storage (NAS) platform that supports unstructured data workloads.
All PowerScale models are powered by the OneFS operating system. PowerScale uses Dell EMC PowerSwitches to provide
the network. SmartFabric OS10 with SFS, for PowerScale back-end fabric automates onboarding and network configuration
of PowerScale devices on a L3 leaf and spine fabric. Isilon OneFS interacts with back-end fabric formed by SFS. For more
information, see PowerScale Info Hub.

Supported network topologies

See Supported topologies section for information regarding the topologies of SFS. Only L3 personality is supported when
deploying SFS with PowerScale nodes.

Hardware and software requirements

The requirements to deploy PowerScale with SFS are as follows:
Hardware components
● PowerScale devices
● Dell EMC PowerSwitches
Software components
● Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10
● Isilon OneFS

Supported switches
The following PowerSwitches are supported in PowerScale deployment:
● S4112F-ON
● S4148F-ON
● S5232F-ON
● Z9264F-ON
● Z9100-ON

SFS for Isilon/PowerScale back-end fabric 49

PowerScale requirements
Requirements specific to SFS with PowerScale deployment are as follows :
● By default, all PowerSwitches for PowerScale deployment are shipped with factory-loaded OS10.
NOTE: Dell EMC PowerSwitches must be running SmartFabric OS10.5.0.5 or later software releases that support the
PowerScale with SFS deployment.
● In SFS with PowerScale deployment, the leaf nodes are not connected as a VLT pair. On the leaf switch, no ICL
configuration is required while enabling SFS. For more information, see Enable SFS using CLI.
● You only have to enable SFS on the switches to setup a fabric. All other fabric operations are managed by Isilon OneFS.
● The switches are connected in a leaf and spine topology with BGP EVPN setup between the leaf switches.
● Leaf and spine switches belong to different autonomous systems (AS).
● PowerScale data traffic is forwarded on an untagged VXLAN network 4091.
● PowerScale appliances are detected through LLDP.
● All ports on which the PowerScale appliance is detected are added as untagged VXLAN access interfaces.
● All load balancing is achieved through BGP ECMP.
● By default, autobreakout feature is enabled on the leaf and spine switches.

Support matrix
See Networking Solutions Support Matrix regarding support matrices for SFS with PowerScale across various releases.

50 SFS for Isilon/PowerScale back-end fabric

 9
SmartFabric commands
You can run show commands specific to SFS from the CLI to view fabric configuration information. The command output varies
depending on the SFS deployment.

smartfabric l3fabric enable

Enables SFS on the switches and creates a L3 network fabric.

Syntax smartfabric l3fabric enable role {LEAF [vlti ethernet node/slot/port] |

SPINE} [domain domain-ID]
Parameters role—Enter the role of the switch in the L3 fabric:
● LEAF [vlti ethernet node/slot/port]—Specify the role as LEAF for top of rack switches
and specify the VLTi ports that interconnect the leaf switches.
NOTE: Option to specify VLTi ports are not applicable for Isilon/PowerScale deployment.
● SPINE—Specify the role as SPINE for the switch that connects the leaf switches.
● [domain domain-ID]—Specify the domain ID of the switch. The domain ID can range from 100 to
107. By default, domain ID is set to 100.
Default None
Command Mode CONFIGURATION
Usage After you enable the L3 fabric and set a role, the system prompts for confirmation to reboot to apply the
Information mode change. If you type Yes, the switch reboots in SmartFabric mode and a network fabric is created
automatically with default fabric settings. From 10.5.3.0 release, you can enable the L3 fabric along with
domain. The leaf and spine ASN and subnet prefixes is autogenerated based on the domain ID.
The no smartfabric l3fabric command disables the L3 fabric personality. After you disable the L3
fabric in the switch, the system reboots to change the personality after confirmation.
This command is accessible to users with sysadmin and netadmin roles.

Example (Spine)
OS10(config)# smartfabric l3fabric enable role SPINE domain 101

Reboot to change the personality? [yes/no]: yes

Example (Leaf)
OS10(config)# smartfabric l3fabric enable role LEAF vlti
ethernet 1/1/4-1/1/5 domain 101

Reboot to change the personality? [yes/no]: yes

Example (disable
SFS on both leaf OS10(config)# no smartfabric l3fabric
and spine)
Reboot to change the personality? [yes/no]: yes

Supported 10.5.0.3 or later

Releases

SmartFabric commands 51
smartfabric vlti
Updates the VLTi ports after SFS is enabled.

Syntax smartfabric vlti ethernet ports

Parameters ethernet ports—Specify the VLTi Ethernet ports which must be updated.
Default None
Command Mode CONFIGURATION
Usage Use this command to configure or update the VLTi information after SFS is enabled on the switch. The
Information system reloads with the configured VLTi ports.
This command can be used only if the switch should already be in L3 fabric mode. If not, enable the L3
fabric personality first and run this command.
If you use any of the existing ports for the VLTi, those ports should also be specified as part of the VLTi
configuration using the SmartFabric Services commands.

Example
OS10(config)#smartfabric vlti ethernet 1/1/31-1/1/32

Warning:The system will be reloaded now, for the personality changes to

take effect

Supported 10.5.0.3 or later

Releases

show logging smartfabric

Displays important logs that are related to SFS modules.

NOTE: You must have access to sysadmin, secadmin, or netadmin roles to run this command.

Syntax show logging smartfabric

Parameters <1-65535>—Number of recent messages to be displayed.
Default Not applicable
Command Mode EXEC
Usage You can run this command on all switches in SmartFabric mode and are provided with a high-level view
Information of the events happening in the SFS module. When you run this command on an active switch, the system
displays complete cluster-related logs. The logs include events that are related to cluster formation and
update, configuration changes, and on boarding events along with switch-specific information. When you
run this command on a backup switch, the system displays only the switch-specific logs.

Example
MX9116N-B2# show logging smartfabric 100 | grep CAGT
2020-03-29 10:09:35.334 MX9116N-B2 [DNV-CAGT] [chassis.get_lead_chassis]
lead chassis not in chassis_data
2020-03-29 10:09:35.335 MX9116N-B2 [DNV-CAGT] [chassis.get_lead_chassis]
not receive mdns from lead MSM yet
2020-03-29 10:09:56.881 MX9116N-B2 [DNV-CAGT]
[app.process_cps_cluster_sync_event] received sync state 2
2020-03-29 10:09:56.881 MX9116N-B2 [DNV-CAGT] [ka.clr_priority]
2020-03-29 10:09:56.885 MX9116N-B2 [DNV-CAGT] [ka.set_priority] new 100
old 0
2020-03-29 10:09:58.014 MX9116N-B2 [DNV-CAGT] [ka.soft_reload_ka]
reloading ka...

Supported 10.5.2.3 or later

Releases

52 SmartFabric commands
show smartfabric cluster
Displays the basic cluster information of the switch or IOM.

Syntax show smartfabric cluster

Parameters None
Default None
Command Mode EXEC
Usage This command is supported in both Full Switch and SmartFabric modes.
Information
Example (IOM)
MX9116N-A1# show smartfabric cluster

----------------------------------------------------------
CLUSTER DOMAIN ID : 119
VIP : fde1:53ba:e9a0:de14:0:5eff:fe00:1119
ROLE : BACKUP
SERVICE-TAG : 3GB1XC2
MASTER-IPV4 : 10.11.105.15
----------------------------------------------------------

Example (VxRail -
L2 fabric) OS10# show smartfabric cluster

----------------------------------------------------------
CLUSTER DOMAIN ID : 100
VIP : fde2:53ba:e9a0:cccc:0:5eff:fe00:1100
ROLE : MASTER
SERVICE-TAG : B37HXC2
MASTER-IPV4 : 10.11.106.27
PREFERRED-MASTER :
----------------------------------------------------------

Example (VxRail -
L3 fabric) OS10# show smartfabric cluster

----------------------------------------------------------
CLUSTER DOMAIN ID : 100
VIP : fde2:53ba:e9a0:cccc:0:5eff:fe00:1100
ROLE : MASTER
SERVICE-TAG : B37HXC2
MASTER-IPV4 : 10.11.106.27
PREFERRED-MASTER : true
----------------------------------------------------------

Supported ● MX9116n and MX5108n—10.5.0.1 or later

Releases ● SFS-supported OS10 switches—10.5.0.3 or later

show smartfabric cluster member

Displays information about the switch in a cluster. Information includes service tag, IP address, status, role, switch type and
chassis model, and chassis service tag where the switch is connected.

Syntax show smartfabric cluster member

Parameters None
Default None
Command Mode EXEC
Usage When you run this command on a switch, the output that is displayed varies depending on the switch
Information role. For example, if you run this command on the master switch, the output shows both the master

SmartFabric commands 53
 and backup switch information. If you run this command on a backup switch, the output shows only the
master switch information.
This command is supported in both Full Switch and SFS modes.

Example (IOM)
MX9116N-A1# show smartfabric cluster member
Service-tag IP Address Status
Role Type Chassis-Service-Tag Chassis-Slot
-------------------------------------------------------------
9GB1XC3 fde1:53ba:e9a0:de14:e6f0:4ff:fe3e:45dd ONLINE
MASTER MX9116n SKY002L B1

Example (VxRail)
OS10# show smartfabric cluster member
Service-tag IP Address Status
Role Type Chassis-Service-Tag Chassis-Slot
-----------------------------------------------------------
3Z4ZZP2 fde2:53ba:e9a0:cccc:54bf:64ff:fee6:e462 ONLINE
BACKUP
3Z4ZZP1 fde2:53ba:e9a0:cccc:54bf:64ff:fee6:e463 ONLINE
BACKUP
BR2ZZP2 fde2:53ba:e9a0:cccc:3c2c:30ff:fe49:2585 ONLINE
BACKUP
B37HXC2 fde2:53ba:e9a0:cccc:e4f0:4ff:feb6:fdc3 ONLINE
MASTER
G17HXC2 fde2:53ba:e9a0:cccc:e4f0:4ff:feb6:e1c3 ONLINE
BACKUP

Supported ● MX9116n and MX5108n—10.5.0.1 or later

Releases ● SFS-supported OS10 switches—10.5.0.3 or later

show smartfabric configured-server

Displays list of all configured servers information in a fabric. Information includes ID, model type, slot, chassis model and service
tag, bonding technology, list of existing bond members, and server status.

Syntax show smartfabric configured-server

Parameters None
Default None
Command Mode EXEC
Usage This command is supported in both Full Switch and SFS modes.
Information
Example (IOM)
MX9116N-B1# show smartfabric configured-server
----------------------------------------------------------
Service-Tag : 00FWX20
Server-Model : PowerEdge MX740c
Chassis-Slot : 1
Chassis-Model : POWEREDGE MX7000
Chassis-Service-Tag : SKY002L
Is-Discovered : TRUE
Is-Onboarded : TRUE
Is-Configured : TRUE
**********************************************************
Bonding Technology : LACP
BondMembers:
Nic-Id : Switch-Interface
----------------------------------------------------------
NIC.Mezzanine.1A-1-1 3GB1XC2:ethernet1/1/1
NIC.Mezzanine.1A-2-1 9A2HEM3:port-channel1
----------------------------------------------------------

54 SmartFabric commands
Supported 10.5.1.0 or later
Releases

show smartfabric configured-server configured-

server-interface
Displays interface-level information of the configured servers. Information includes server ID, port ID, onboarded interface,
server status, fabric ID, native VLAN, network profiles, and bandwidth partition details.

Syntax show smartfabric configured-server configured-server-interface server-id

Parameters server-id—Enter a configured server ID information.
Default None
Command Mode EXEC
Usage This command is supported in both Full Switch and SmartFabric modes.
Information
Example
MX5108N-B1# show smartfabric configured-server configured-server-
interface 004YX20 | no-more
----------------------------------------------------------
Server-Id : 004YX20
----------------------------------------------------------
Port-Id : NIC.Mezzanine.1B-2-1
Onboard-Interface :
Fabric-id :
Is-Discovered : FALSE
Is-Onboarded : FALSE
Is-Configured : TRUE
NicBonded : FALSE
Native-vlan : 0
Networks : c56d6202-0ec1-4fcd-b119-6abc761a1268
----------------------------------------------------------
Port-Id : NIC.Mezzanine.1A-2-1
Onboard-Interface : 1G86XC2:ethernet1/1/3
Fabric-id :
Is-Discovered : TRUE
Is-Onboarded : FALSE
Is-Configured : TRUE
NicBonded : FALSE
Native-vlan : 0
Networks : c56d6202-0ec1-4fcd-b119-6abc761a1268
----------------------------------------------------------
Port-Id : NIC.Mezzanine.1B-1-1
Onboard-Interface : 2J86XC2:ethernet1/1/3
Fabric-id :
Is-Discovered : TRUE
Is-Onboarded : FALSE
Is-Configured : TRUE
NicBonded : FALSE
Native-vlan : 0
Networks : c56d6202-0ec1-4fcd-b119-6abc761a1268
----------------------------------------------------------
Port-Id : NIC.Mezzanine.1A-1-1
Onboard-Interface :
Fabric-id :
Is-Discovered : FALSE
Is-Onboarded : FALSE
Is-Configured : TRUE
NicBonded : FALSE
Native-vlan : 0
Networks : c56d6202-0ec1-4fcd-b119-6abc761a1268

Supported 10.5.1.0 or later

Releases

SmartFabric commands 55
show smartfabric details
Displays all details specific to the fabric. Details include name, description, ID, nodes that are part of the fabric, design type
associated with the fabric, and status detail of a fabric.

Syntax show smartfabric details

Parameters None
Default None
Command Mode EXEC
Usage This command is supported in both Full Switch and SFS modes.
Information
Example (IOM)
MX9116N-A1# show smartfabric details
----------------------------------------------------------
Name : A1-A2
Description :
ID : fc6c9051-f499-4816-a54a-25ef6fef2e33
DesignType : 2xMX9116n_Fabric_Switching_Engines_in_same_chassis
Validation Status: VALID
VLTi Status : VALID
Placement Status : VALID
Nodes : 3GB1XC2, 9A2HEM3
----------------------------------------------------------

Example (VxRail)
OS10# show smartfabric details
----------------------------------------------------------
Name : AutoFab-08ee685b-d6d6-5d0c-99d2-ae78f800d4b7
Description : Auto-Fabric Generator
ID : 08ee685b-d6d6-5d0c-99d2-ae78f800d4b7
DesignType : AutoFabricDesign--1
Validation Status: VALID
VLTi Status : VALID
Placement Status : VALID
Nodes : CAC00N2, AZY1234
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
Name : AutoFab-100
Description : Auto-Fabric Generator
ID : 100
DesignType :
Validation Status: VALID
VLTi Status : VALID
Placement Status : VALID
Nodes : AZY1234, CAC00N2, 9GTWNK2, FHTWNK2
----------------------------------------------------------

Supported ● MX9116n and MX5108n—10.5.0.1 or later

Releases ● SFS-supported OS10 switches—10.5.0.3 or later

show smartfabric discovered-server

Displays information about all the discovered servers. Information includes server tag, model, slot, chassis model, and chassis
service tag.

Syntax show smartfabric discovered-server

Parameters None
Default None
Command Mode EXEC

56 SmartFabric commands
Usage This command is supported in both Full Switch and SmartFabric modes.
Information
Example
MX5108N-B1# show smartfabric discovered-server
----------------------------------------------------------
Server-Tag : 004YX20
Server-Model : PowerEdge MX740c
Server-Slot : 1
Chassis-Model : POWEREDGE MX7000
Chassis-Service-Tag : SKY002R
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
Server-Tag : 0002X20
Server-Model : PowerEdge MX740c
Server-Slot : 1
Chassis-Model : POWEREDGE MX7000
Chassis-Service-Tag : SKY0044
----------------------------------------------------------

Supported 10.5.1.0 or later

Releases

show smartfabric discovered-server discovered-

server-interface
Displays interface-level information of all the discovered servers. Information includes port ID and switch interfaces on which
the server is onboarded.

Syntax show smartfabric discovered-server discovered-server-interface server-id

Parameters server-id—Enter a discovered server ID information.
Default None
Command Mode EXEC
Usage This command is supported in both Full Switch and SmartFabric modes.
Information
Example
MX9116N-B1# show smartfabric discovered-server discovered-server-
interface 00FWX
20
Nic-Id : Switch-Interface
------------------------------------------------------
NIC.Mezzanine.1A-1-1 3GB1XC2:ethernet1/1/1
NIC.Mezzanine.1A-2-1 9A2HEM3:ethernet1/1/1

Supported 10.5.1.0 or later

Releases

show smartfabric networks

Displays detailed description of the configured network profiles. Description includes network name, type, network ID, QoS
priority type, and VLAN.

Syntax show smartfabric networks

Parameters None
Default None
Command Mode EXEC

SmartFabric commands 57
Usage This command is supported in both Full Switch and SmartFabric modes.
Information
Example (IOM)
MX9116N-A1# show smartfabric networks
Name Type QosPriority
NetworkId Vlan
---------------------------------------------------
v5 GENERAL_PURPOSE BRONZE
8f018a8c-c355-4d81-9bee-85cfedcf8d2a 5
network100-105 GENERAL_PURPOSE BRONZE
deb0886c-4a9b-47f2-8220-55afcb1f1756 100 - 105
fcor STORAGE_FCOE PLATINUM
d1de8f16-ebd0-4b1a-9689-a802d23b2b26 777
VLAN 1 GENERAL_PURPOSE SILVER
4bb446a3-702c-4a0f-abdd-07dd0c14775a 1
v1 GENERAL_PURPOSE BRONZE
9f2bed94-9148-46d8-9df6-3b606c83a472 500

Example (VxRail)
OS10# show smartfabric networks
Name Type QosPriority
NetworkId Vlan
--------------------------------------------
Client_Control_Network VXLAN IRON
Client_Control_Network 3939
Client_Management_Network VXLAN IRON
Client_Management_Network 4091

Supported ● MX9116n and MX5108n—10.5.0.1 or later

Releases ● SFS-supported OS10 switches—10.5.0.3 or later

show smartfabric nodes

Displays detailed inventory information about all the nodes in the fabric. Information includes service tag, type, status, mode,
fabric ID associated with the node, chassis service-tag, and chassis-slot.

Syntax show smartfabric nodes node-id node-id

Parameters node-id node-id—Specify the service tag of a switch to view detailed information of that switch.
Default None
Command Mode EXEC
Usage This command is supported in both Full Switch and SmartFabric modes.
Information
Example (IOM)
MX9116N-A1# show smartfabric nodes
Service-Tag Type Status Mode
Chassis-Service-Tag Chassis-Slot FabricId
---------------------------------------------------
3GB1XC2 MX9116n ONLINE FABRIC
SKY002L A1
9GB1XC3 MX9116n ONLINE FULL-SWITCH
SKY002L B1
9A2HEM3 MX9116n ONLINE FABRIC
SKY002L A2

Example (VxRail)
OS10# show smartfabric nodes
Service-Tag Type Status Mode
Chassis-Service-Tag Chassis-Slot FabricId
-------------------------------------------------
GGVQG02 S5232F-ON ONLINE FABRIC
7222c224-223c-5fa4-a244-
cd3ca1685550 (Name-Rack)
AZY1234 S5232F-ON ONLINE FABRIC

58 SmartFabric commands
 7222c224-223c-5fa4-a244-
cd3ca1685550 (Name-Rack)

Example (VxRail)
OS10# show smartfabric nodes node-id GGVQG02
----------------------------------------------------------
Node Name : Name-Leaf-2
Node Id : GGVQG02
Node Type : S5232F-ON
Node Status : ONLINE
Node Mode : FABRIC
Node Ready : true
Node Model : S5232F-ON
Replacement Node Id :
Chassis service tag :
Chassis slot :
Fabric : 7222c224-223c-5fa4-a244-cd3ca1685550 (Name-Rack)
Fabric node status : OPERATIONAL
Software Version : 10.5.2.xMRDEV
Hardware Version : X01
Serial Number : CN01WJVTCES0085G0037
----------------------------------------------------------

Supported ● MX9116n and MX5108n—10.5.0.1 or later

Releases ● SFS-supported OS10 switches—10.5.0.3 or later

show smartfabric personality

Displays the personality of the SFS cluster.

Syntax show smartfabric personality

Parameters None
Default None
Command Mode EXEC
Usage Use this command to identify the fabric personality of the SFS cluster. The output varies depending on
Information the mode and roles of the switch, and personality. When this command is run on a switch, the system
displays the personality and the roles of the switch. In VxRail deployment, if vxrail is displayed as
personality it means a L2 fabric.
This command is supported in both Full Switch and SmartFabric modes.

Example (IOM)
MX9116N-A1# show smartfabric personality

Personality :None
Role :
ICL :

Example (VxRail) Full Switch mode:

OS10# show smartfabric personality

Personality :None
Role :
ICL :

SmartFabric Services mode:

TOR1# show smartfabric personality

Personality :vxrail

SmartFabric commands 59
 Role :
ICL :ethernet1/1/29, ethernet1/1/30

OS10# show smartfabric personality

Personality :L3 Fabric

Role :LEAF
ICL :ethernet1/1/5, ethernet1/1/6
Leaf1#

OS10# show smartfabric personality

Personality :L3 Fabric

Role :SPINE
ICL :

Supported ● MX9116n and MX5108n—10.5.0.1 or later

Releases ● SFS-supported OS10 switches—10.5.0.3 or later

show smartfabric uplinks

Displays all uplink-related information in the SFS. Information includes uplink name, description, ID, media type, native VLAN,
configured interfaces, and the network profile associated with the uplink.

Syntax show smartfabric uplinks

Parameters None
Default None
Command Mode EXEC
Usage This command is supported both in Full Switch and SmartFabric modes.
Information
Example (IOM)
MX9116N-A1# show smartfabric uplinks
----------------------------------------------------------
Name : uplink to b1
Description :
ID : 2725707d-886a-41c6-9d0d-38c4115788ff
Media Type : ETHERNET
Native Vlan : 1
Untagged-network :
Networks : deb0886c-4a9b-47f2-8220-55afcb1f1756,
9f2bed94-9148-46d8-9df6-3b606c83a472
Configured-Interfaces : 9A2HEM3:ethernet1/1/42, 3GB1XC2:ethernet1/1/42
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
Name : u1
Description :
ID : e1c8169e-00dd-4a72-9e42-54485c049591
Media Type : FC
Native Vlan : 0
Untagged-network :
Networks : d1de8f16-ebd0-4b1a-9689-a802d23b2b26
Configured-Interfaces : 3GB1XC2:fibrechannel1/1/44:1
----------------------------------------------------------

Example (VxRail)
OS10# show smartfabric uplinks
----------------------------------------------------------
Name : FABRICUPLINKNew
Description : L3VxLAN780 Uplink
ID : L3VxLANUplink-780
Media Type : ETHERNET
Native Vlan : 0

60 SmartFabric commands
 Untagged-network :
Networks : Network780
Configured-Interfaces : CAC00N2:ethernet1/1/22:2
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
Name : L3VLANUplink
Description : Uplink On L3VLAN Network800
ID : L3VLANUplink-800
Media Type : ETHERNET
Native Vlan : 0
Untagged-network :
Networks : Network800
Configured-Interfaces : CAC00N2:ethernet1/1/22:1
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
Name : L2VxLANUplink
Description : Uplink On L2VxLAN Network770
ID : L2VxLANUplink-770
Media Type : ETHERNET
Native Vlan : 0
Untagged-network :
Networks : Network770
Configured-Interfaces : CAC00N2:ethernet1/1/22:3
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
Name : L2VxLANUplink
Description : Uplink On L2VxLAN Network771
ID : L2VxLANUplink-771
Media Type : ETHERNET
Native Vlan : 0
Untagged-network : Network771
Networks :
Configured-Interfaces : CAC00N2:ethernet1/1/22:4
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
Name : L3Uplink
Description : Uplink On L3 Network600
ID : L3RUplink-600
Media Type : ETHERNET
Native Vlan : 0
Untagged-network : Network600
Networks :
Configured-Interfaces : AZY1234:ethernet1/1/21:2
----------------------------------------------------------

Supported ● MX9116n and MX5108n—10.5.0.1 or later

Releases ● SFS-supported OS10 switches—10.5.0.3 or later

show smartfabric upgrade-status

Displays all the information about the upgrade status.

Syntax show smartfabric upgrade-status

NOTE: This command is accessible to users with sysadmin, secadmin, or netadmin roles.

Parameters None
Default Not applicable
Command Mode EXEC
Usage You can run this command on all the switches in the fabric. The output remains the same on all the switches.
Information
Example
MX9116N-A1# show smartfabric upgrade-status

Opaque-id : ea89b7c4-de00-4fc9-ad54-9ed5bf61e300

SmartFabric commands 61
 Upgrade Protocol : PUSH
Upgrade start time : 2021-02-12 01:51:29.261000
Status : SUCCESS
Nodes to Upgrade : SVC009F, SVC009A, 7H92Q03, SVC009C, 8PQXV23, 34HQXC2,
8PTXV23, D6RRNK2, BWGQXC2, 9KK1W23, 9J45W23, 8Q52W23
Reboot Sequence : 7H92Q03,SVC009C,9KK1W23,SVC009F,8Q52W23,8PTXV23,D6RRNK2,
BWGQXC2,SVC009A,34HQXC2,5WQQXC2,9J45W23,8PQXV23

Node Current Curent Status-Message

-Action -Status
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SVC009C DOWNLOAD SUCCESS Skipping ONIE update for the node SVC009C since
ONIE is already installed with latest firmware.
SVC009F DOWNLOAD SUCCESS Skipping ONIE update for the node SVC009F since
ONIE is already installed with latest firmware.
SVC009A DOWNLOAD SUCCESS Skipping ONIE update for the node SVC009A since
ONIE is already installed with latest firmware.
8Q52W23 DOWNLOAD SUCCESS Skipping ONIE update for the node 8Q52W23 since
ONIE is already installed with latest firmware.
34HQXC2 DOWNLOAD SUCCESS Skipping ONIE update for the node 34HQXC2 since
ONIE is already installed with latest firmware.
BWGQXC2 DOWNLOAD SUCCESS Skipping ONIE update for the node BWGQXC2 since
ONIE is already installed with latest firmware.
9J45W23 DOWNLOAD SUCCESS Skipping ONIE update for the node 9J45W23 since
ONIE is already installed with latest firmware.
7H92Q03 DOWNLOAD SUCCESS Skipping ONIE update for the node 7H92Q03 since
ONIE is already installed with latest firmware.
9KK1W23 DOWNLOAD SUCCESS Skipping ONIE update for the node 9KK1W23 since
ONIE is already installed with latest firmware.
8PQXV23 DOWNLOAD SUCCESS Skipping ONIE update for the node 8PQXV23 since
ONIE is already installed with latest firmware.
D6RRNK2 ONIE-INSTALL SUCCESS [Action: REBOOT] Successfully rebooted.
8PTXV23 DOWNLOAD SUCCESS Skipping ONIE update for the node 8PTXV23 since
ONIE is already installed with latest firmware.

Supported 10.5.2.4 or Later

Releases

show smartfabric validation-errors

Displays validation-error information of the topology. Information includes error category, subcategory, description,
recommended action, severity, timestamp, EEMI, problem, and recommendation for each error.

Syntax show smartfabric validation-errors

Parameters None
Default None
Command Mode EXEC
Usage Use this command to view a list of topology validation errors with detailed description about each error.
Information This command can be run on any IOM deployed in the same cluster.
This command is supported both in Full Switch and SmartFabric modes.

Example
OS10# show smartfabric validation-errors
----------------------------------------------------------
ErrorKey : d77d0133-f8c8-4cd7-82b5-83266e5361eb-ISL-
[ICL-3_REVERSE]-NotFound-Issue
MessageID :
Description : Unable to validate the SmartFabric because
the VLTi cable for link ICL-3_REVERSE is not connected as per
fabric design 2xMX9116n_Fabric_Switching_Engines_in_same_chassis.
EEMI : NFAB0012
Category : FABRIC_ERROR
Subcategory : ISL_ERROR
Severity : SEVERITY_1

62 SmartFabric commands
 Recommended Action:Make sure that the VLTi cables are connected
to the correct ports as per the selected fabric design.
Timestamp : 1587488570
Problem Link
SourceNode :HRA0028
SourceInterface :HRA0028:ethernet1/1/38
DestinatioNode :HRA0027
DestinationInterface:
Recommended Link
SourceNode :HRA0028
SourceInterface :HRA0028:ethernet1/1/38
DestinatioNode :HRA0027
DestinationInterface:HRA0027:ethernet1/1/38
----------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------
ErrorKey : 8ca24343-c819-4d0b-ab12-2b9d99a36079-ISL-
[ICL-2_REVERSE]-NotFound-Issue
MessageID :
Description : Unable to validate the SmartFabric because
the VLTi cable for link ICL-2_REVERSE is not connected as per
fabric design 2xMX5108n_Ethernet_Switches_in_same_chassis.
EEMI : NFAB0012
Category : FABRIC_ERROR
Subcategory : ISL_ERROR
Severity : SEVERITY_1
Recommended Action:Make sure that the VLTi cables are connected
to the correct ports as per the selected fabric design.
Timestamp : 1587490907
Problem Link
SourceNode :HRA0038
SourceInterface :HRA0038:ethernet1/1/9
DestinatioNode :HRA0037
DestinationInterface:
Recommended Link
SourceNode :HRA0038
SourceInterface :HRA0038:ethernet1/1/9
DestinatioNode :HRA0037
DestinationInterface:HRA0037:ethernet1/1/9
----------------------------------------------------------

Supported ● MX9116n and MX5108n—10.5.0.1 or later

Releases ● SFS-supported OS10 switches—10.5.0.3 or later

show switch-operating-mode
Displays the current operating mode of a switch.

Syntax show switch-operating-mode

Parameters None
Command Mode EXEC
Usage Some OS10 switches operate in both Full Switch and SFS modes. Use this command to view or verify the
Information operating mode of a switch that is deployed in the SFS environment.
Example
OS10# show switch-operating-mode
Switch-Operating-Mode : SmartFabric Mode

Supported 10.4.0E(R3S) or later

Releases

SmartFabric commands 63
 10
Best Practices
This chapter provides you a list of the best practices for SFS deployments with various solutions.

Recommended upgrade sequence for SFS and

solution deployments
This section covers the recommended upgrade sequence for SFS and its supported solution deployments. This recommended
order of upgrade is applicable for all SFS deployments.
Prerequisites
Ensure that you follow the prerequisites before proceeding with the upgrade.
● Check the release notes of each product for the version you are upgrading to for any caveats or upgrade sequence
requirements.
● Verify if all the product version that you are upgrading to are compatible with the solutions support matrix, see Dell EMC
Networking Solutions Support Matrix.

Upgrade sequence in deployments with OMNI

This recommended order of upgrade is applicable for all SFS deployments with OMNI.
1. Upgrade OMNI. Follow the instructions provided in the OMNI User Guide and the OMNI Release Notes.
2. Upgrade OS10 using OMNI.
a. Before upgrading OS10, check the OS10 release notes of the respective OS10 version and the Dell EMC SmartFabric
OS10 Installation, Upgrade, and Downgrade Guide available in SmartFabric OS documentation for any additional
requirements.
b. Follow the SmartFabric OS upgrade procedure in the OMNI User Guide.
NOTE: The switches in the SmartFabric must be at the same version of OS10 when upgrading using OMNI. If not,
upgrade process may fail. If you want to upgrade the switches that have different OS10 versions installed, upgrade each
switch manually.
3. If needed, upgrade the solutions deployed with SFS such as VxRail, ESXi, and so on. See the respective solution
documentation for upgrade instructions.

Upgrade sequence in deployments without OMNI

This recommended order of upgrade is applicable for all SFS deployments that do not include OMNI.
1. Upgrade OS10 on the switches, see Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10 Installation, Upgrade, and Downgrade Guide available on
the SmartFabric OS10 documentation support page. Check the OS10 release notes of the respective OS10 version for any
additional requirements.
2. If needed, upgrade the solutions deployed with SFS such as VxRail, ESXi, and so on. See the respective solution
documentation for upgrade instructions.

Frequently asked questions

This chapter provides answers to frequently asked questions about SFS.
● Can I use different platforms in the same VLT leaf pair in a fabric?

64 Best Practices
 No, both leaf switches in the same VLT pair must be the same platforms in SFS deployments. See Networking Solutions
Support Matrix for the list of supported switches and typical roles in SFS deployments.
● Can I use the different switch port profiles available on S4148F-ON in SmartFabric mode?
Yes, all six profiles available on S4148F-ON can be used in SmartFabric mode as follows:
1. Set the appropriate port profile for the switch in Full-Switch mode.
CAUTION: Changing the switch port profile resets the system defaults and overwrites the existing switch
configuration. You must reconfigure the setting on a switch manually after applying the new port profile.
2. Reload the switch to apply the new port profile.
3. Enable SFS on the switch to change the switch mode to SmartFabric. After enabling SFS, the switch reboots in
SmartFabric mode and uses the set port profile.
NOTE: For more information about port profiles, see Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10 User Guide. This procedure
is applicable only on S4148F-ON platform as S4148FE-ON and S4148U-ON switches are not supported in SFS
deployments.
● How do I change the OS10 admin password in SmartFabric mode?
By default, admin is the username and password to log in to the OS10 CLI. The default OS10 admin password should be
changed on each switch after the first login. The procedure is the same for a switch as in Full Switch mode or SmartFabric
mode. For more information about changing the password, see Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10 User Guide. The admin password
does not have to be the same password on all switches in a SFS deployment. When logging in to the SFS GUI, so use the
credentials of the leader switch. The leader switch may change and use the command show smartfabric cluster at
any switch in the SmartFabric to see the details of the leader switch.
● How can I upgrade firmware for a SFS-enabled switch?
The firmware can be upgraded using the image install command. For more information about installing firmware
upgrade, see Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10 User Guide.
● Can I have a peer switch with multiple BGP devices?
Yes, you can peer SFS switches with multiple BGP devices.
● Is OSPF supported for SFS?
No. OSPF is not supported in SFS with leaf and spine deployments.
● How many jump ports can I configure?
You can configure one jump port per leaf switch in a fabric.
● Can I change the VLT interface after SFS has been enabled?
There is no option to change the VLTi interface in SmartFabric mode. If you want to change the VLTi interfaces, the
leaf switches must be changed from SmartFabric mode to Full-Switch mode using the no smartfabric l3fabric
command. This command deletes all the existing configuration on the switches. Enable SmartFabric mode back on the
leaf switches and specify the new VLTi interfaces with the smartfabric l3fabric enable role LEAF vlti
ethernet command, see here.

Best Practices 65
 11
Appendix
This chapter covers additional information that can support you with the fabric configuration tasks.

REST_USER account
When the fabric is formed, the SFS REST service is started on the leader node. Applications that are integrated with SFS use
the REST service for fabric operations. Communication is performed with the fabric using the IPv6 VIP assigned to the SFS
leader, or using the IPv4 out-of-band Management IP of the leader.
A default REST_USER account is created to authenticate all REST queries. OMNI communicates with SmartFabric REST
Services through REST_USER account only. The default password is admin, and Dell Technologies recommends changing the
password through VxRail Manager or OMNI. For more information about how to change the REST_USER account password
from OMNI, see OpenManage Network Integration for SmartFabric Services User guide.

Internal fabric components and networks

SFS automatically creates the following components and networks:

Internal SFS components

SFS creates a VLT fabric automatically in the leaf and spine environment. VLT fabric is autoassigned with a fabric-ID, a
universally unique identifier (UUID). When a VLT fabric is created, the management IP addresses of the VLT peers are used
automatically to set up the VLT backup link. If the management IP address of the peers is changed after the fabric is created,
the VLT backup link is updated automatically.
SFS creates a network fabric with the leaf and spine switches automatically. The network fabric is autoassigned with a
fabric-ID, a name, and description. The fabric name and description are automatically assigned, but can be changed through the
SFS GUI. For more information, see Update fabric name and description.
Fabric links create a connection between the switches in a network fabric. ISL is a link formed between a leaf and spine switch.
All parallel links with same connectivity are grouped to form a LAG interface. ICL or VLT interconnect (VLTi) is a link formed
between the two leaf switches in a same rack.

Internal virtual networks

The internal virtual networks created by SFS are:

VLAN 4000 for SFS automatically configures VLAN 4000 on all the switches that are discovered in a fabric, and uses the
SFS cluster network for all internal fabric operations. When a leaf or spine switch is discovered, the ICL or ISL ports
control are automatically added as tagged members.
VLAN 4001 SFS automatically configures the leaf and spine network using eBGP as the underlay routing protocol.
to 4079 for SFS uses the reserved VLAN range from 4001 to 4079 with automatic IP addressing to set up the peer
leaf and spine connections. When SFS detects an ISL connection on either a leaf or spine switch, it assigns the ISL to
connections the untagged member of this VLAN. IP address from reserved range is used for this VLAN, and an eBGP
session is started on the VLAN interface.
VLAN 4080 for SFS automatically configures VXLAN overlay networks with EVPN to extend networks between racks in
Global untagged a multirack deployment. VLAN 4080 with automatic IP addresses from the reserved range is used for ICL
VXLAN links. VXLAN requires one VLAN to be assigned globally for untagged port-scoped VLAN (Port, VLAN)
pairs.

66 Appendix
VLAN 4089— In SmartFabric mode, VLAN 4089 is the default VLAN and is reserved for OS10 internal use.
OS10 internal use
VLAN 4090— SFS automatically configures iBGP peering between a pair of leaf switches directly connected over ICL
iBGP peering links. VLAN 4090 is created automatically with IP addresses from reserved range for enabling iBGP
between leaf sessions between the VLT peer switches.
switches
VLAN 4094—VLT SFS automatically creates VLAN 4094 on all leaf switches. This VLAN is used for all VLT control traffic
control VLAN between two VLT peer switches and is added on the VLT ICL ports on leaf switches.
VLAN 4091— SFS automatically configures an overlay network that is called a client_Management_Network.
Default client When a device is automatically onboarded on to the network fabric, the device uses the VLAN mapped to
management this overlay network. This network is a native VLAN unless there is a policy specifying a different native
network VLAN. VLAN 4091 is used as the default client management VLAN for the VXLAN network.
NOTE: You can change this VLAN to a specified VLAN through SFS GUI.

VLAN 3939— SFS configures a second overlay network that is called Client_Control_Network for SFS-
Default client integrated solutions. When a device such as VxRail is discovered, it is automatically added as a
control network tagged member of this network. SFS enables leader advertisement and fabric discovery by integrated
solutions. The SFS leader virtual IP address for VXLAN network is advertised. The VIP address
fde1:53ba:e9a0:cccc:0:5eff:fe00:1100 is fixed and not user configurable.
VLAN 3939 is used as the default client control VLAN for this VXLAN network for SFS-integrated
solutions including VxRail and PowerScale solutions. Although you can change the VLAN associated with
the default client management and control networks, Dell Technologies recommends not to change the
VLANs for VxRail deployments.

NOTE: For more information about other internal general networks created by SFS, see Networks.

To check the networks that are created in SFS-integrated deployment, use show virtual-network command. Following is
the example output :

OS10# show virtual-network

Codes: DP - MAC-learn Dataplane, CP - MAC-learn Controlplane, UUD - Unknown-Unicast-Drop
Un-tagged VLAN: 4080
Virtual Network: 3939
Description: In-band SmartFabric Services discovery network
VLTi-VLAN: 3939
Members:
VLAN 3939: port-channel1000, ethernet1/1/12, ethernet1/1/13
VxLAN Virtual Network Identifier: 3939
Source Interface: loopback2(172.30.0.0)
Remote-VTEPs (flood-list): 172.30.0.1(CP)

Virtual Network: 4091

Description: Default untagged network for client onboarding
VLTi-VLAN: 4091
Members:
Untagged: ethernet1/1/12, ethernet1/1/13
VLAN 4091: port-channel1000
VxLAN Virtual Network Identifier: 4091
Source Interface: loopback2(172.30.0.0)
Remote-VTEPs (flood-list): 172.30.0.1(CP)

Reserved networks
SFS uses the 172.16.0.0/16 and 172.30.0.0/16 networks internally for the leaf and spine network configuration. If these networks
conflict with any networks in the existing deployment, change the default networks using the instructions that are provided in
Edit Default Fabric Settings.

Domain ID and ASN mapping

d

Appendix 67
After you enable the SFS on the switches, SFS:
● Associates domain ID for the cluster if it is not assigned when enabling SFS. By default, the domain ID is set to 100.
● Autogenerates ASN for the leaf and spine switches in the fabric.
● Autogenerates subnet with prefix from domain ID.
NOTE: You can edit the domain ID from Fabric Settings page. Any change to the domain ID changes the ASN for leaf and
spine switches, and the subnet details.
The following table lists the ASN and BGP subnet and VTEP subnet mapped with the domain ID:

Table 10. Domain ID to ASN mapping

Domain ID Leaf ASN Spine ASN Fabric BGP subnet Fabric VTEP subnet
and mask and mask
100 65011 65012 172.16.0.0/16 172.30.0.0/16
101 65015 65016 172.18.0.0/16 172.32.0.0/16
102 65017 65018 172.19.0.0/16 172.33.0.0/16
103 65019 65020 172.20.0.0/16 172.34.0.0/16
104 65021 65022 172.21.0.0/16 172.35.0.0/16
105 65023 65024 172.22.0.0/16 172.36.0.0/16
106 65025 65026 172.23.0.0/16 172.37.0.0/16
107 65027 65028 172.24.0.0/16 172.38.0.0/16

MSTP Support on L3 personality

The default spanning tree mode in SFS is RPVST+. On Dell EMC PowerSwitches in SFS mode, RPVST+ is enabled globally and
automatically configured.
In L3 personality, STP is enabled on:
● SFS cluster control VLAN (VLAN 4000). The spine switches are configured to take over the STP root role.
● All user created VLANs.
In L3 personality, STP is disabled on:
● All inter leaf-spine VLANs and leaf-leaf VLANs (4001-4091).
● All server facing ports.
NOTE: Do not modify STP settings on switches in SFS L3 personality.

If you must interoperate switches that are controlled by SFS to external switches which are running RSTP or MSTP, SFS has an
API to change the global fabric STP mode to MSTP. SFS creates 2 reserved MSTIs:
● MST with instance id 63: Cluster control VLAN 4000 is part of this instance. Spine switches are configured to take over as
STP root for this MSTI.
● MST with instance id 62: All the SFS reserved VLANs (4001-4091) are part of this configuration. On this MSTI, spanning tree
is disabled.
● All user created VLANs are part of CST (default MST instance), which interoperates with RSTP. STP is enabled for this
MSTI.
You can change the mode to MSTP once the fabric is created. When you change the mode, the whole fabric goes through a
reboot cycle and the new mode is set to MSTP.

NOTE: Changing the STP mode impact the traffic flow in the cluster.

When the mode is changed, MSTI is created and VLANS are assigned to the MSTI. The CST is configured with STP priority such
that SFS-controlled switches have lower priority to become a root bridge.
There is no change on existing STP behavior for SFS-controlled entities because of this change. All other STP behaviors such as
disabling STP on server facing ports still holds good.

68 Appendix
You can enable MSTP or revert to RPVST using the Edit Default Fabric Settings option available in the SFS UI. Select STP
Mode as MST or Rapid PVST For more information, see Edit Default Fabric Settings.
NOTE: The default spanning-tree priority value that is configured on a SFS-enabled switch for VLANs or instance 0 is:
default priority for RPVST is 32769 and instance 0 priority for MSTP is 61440.

Networks
This section describes the following type of networks that you can create and associate these networks with the entities
present in a fabric:
● General purpose networks
● VXLAN networks
● L3 VLAN networks
● L3 Routed networks
● Multirack L3 VLAN network
NOTE: Prior to 10.5.3.0 release, you cannot configure this network using SFS GUI. This network template is applicable
for NSX-T deployment and you can configure this network using OMNI UI. For more information about this network
type, see OpenManage Network Integration for SmartFabric Services User Guide, Release 2.0.
You can create these networks using SFS GUI and then associated these networks with servers profiles, uplinks, or interfaces
for traffic flow. For more information, see Create a network.
General purpose networks
General purpose networks can be categorized as L2 VLAN networks in SFS L2 personality and L2 VXLAN networks in SFS L3
personality. In L3 personality, when you create a general purpose network, SFS automatically creates a virtual network (VXLAN)
corresponding to a VLAN network. This virtual network has one-to-one mapping with the network, for each VLAN there exists
a virtual network with VNI same as the VLAN ID. If you delete a VLAN network, it automatically deletes the associated VXLAN
network.
For example, if you create a L2 general purpose network with VLAN ID 50, SFS creates a VXLAN network with VNI 50 and
associates to VLAN 50.
VXLAN networks
VXLAN network extends L2 connectivity over an underlay L3 connected network. Association of VXLAN network to interface
creates a binding and associates this interface to VXLAN bridge. L3 VXLAN network supports asymmetric-IRB. Create a virtual
network template and a network template, and associate the virtual network template to network template.
● The virtual network template defines the VNET-ID.
● Network template defines the VLAN ID.
L3 VXLAN network is a VXLAN type of network that contains a list of IP addresses and an anycast IP address. Optionally,
you can specify DHCP relay addresses. L3 VXLAN network can be configured over a leaf switch. L3 VXLAN network can be
attached to an uplink. Each VLTi uplink interface contains an IP address that is allocated from the list of IP addresses that are
configured on the L3 VXLAN network.
L3 VLAN network
L3 VLAN network is used for L3 VLAN underlay. Specify:
● VLAN ID
● Pair of IP addresses to be assigned to the VLT pair
● VRRP gateway IP address for VIP
L3 VLAN network contains a list of IP addresses and a gateway IP address. Optionally, you can specify DHCP relay addresses.
You can configure and attach a L3 VLAN network to an uplink. Each VLTi uplink interface contains an IP address that is
allocated from the list of IP addresses that are configured on the L3 VLAN network.

NOTE: You must assign a L3 VLAN only to the server interface profile configured in a single rack.

L3 Routed network
L3 routed network is used to assign IP address on a single interface. L3 routed network contains a list of IP addresses and a
gateway IP address. Optionally, you can specify DHCP relay addresses. L3 routed network can be configured on a leaf or a spine
switch. L3 routed network can be attached to an uplink. Each uplink interface contains an IP address that is allocated from the
list of IP addresses that are configured on the L3 routed network. An LACP port channel cannot be the remote end for these

Appendix 69
uplinks. If gateway IP address is specified, then VRRP is enabled and the switches configure this IP address as the gateway IP
address. Attach this network to any uplink that has a single interface. This network can only be attached to a single entity.
Multirack L3 VLAN network
Multirack L3 VLAN network is a template that contains rack-specific IP configurations for a L3 VLAN. You can configure IPv4
attributes for each rack in an NSX-T deployment consisting of multirack leaf and spine topology. A rack holds a pair of switches
that are configured with VLT. The rack identifier is the same as the fabric ID. A rack containing a single switch without VLT does
not support multirack L3 VLAN network.
In an NSX-T topology that is connected to an SFS cluster, you can create a multi rack L3 VLAN network. Specify the network
identifier, L3 VLAN ID, and list of rack-specific IPv4 configurations for this network. Attach the created network as untagged or
tagged on any uplink or server interface of the rack. After you attach the network, SFS automatically creates a L3 VLAN and
applies the rack-specific IP configurations to the respective rack within the topology. You can modify the IPv4 configuration for
a specific rack in the multi rack L3 VLAN network.
NOTE: For faster traffic convergence, Dell Technologies recommends you to set the BGP keepalive timer to 1 second
and hold-time to 3 seconds on the NSX-T tier-0 node when the BFD configuration is disabled or not supported. If BFD is
enabled, BFD timer setting is used. For more information, see BFD support information in SFS configuration notes.

Uplinks
This information explains the types of uplinks that you can create in a fabric.

L2 uplinks
You can configure L2 uplinks only on the leaf switches in a fabric. L2 uplinks are a set of user-selected ports that belong to same
VLT leaf switches in which the L2 network is applied. The L2 uplink from the leaf switches is either an LACP or a static LAG.
SFS creates a VLT LAG for connected ports. If the ports are from a single device, the VLT LAG is a single armed VLT LAG. In
case these ports exist on multiple switches, a VLT or LAG is formed across these ports. This LAG can be made as an access
point for a VXLAN L2 network.

L3 uplinks
You can configure L3 uplinks on a leaf or spine switch. SFS supports L3 routed or L3 VLAN uplinks.
With L3 routed uplinks, point-to-point links are required between the switches with L3 uplinks and the external switches. With
L3 VLAN, all uplinks are in a LAG, and an IP address is assigned to the VLAN containing the LAG. Point-to-point IP networks
and addresses must be planned for each physical link in the L3 uplink. Each leaf switch in the fabric needs an IP address on the
external Management VLAN, and an anycast gateway address on the same VLAN. The virtual router or anycast gateway address
is shared by all leaf switches in the fabric.

Routing profiles
SFS supports eBGP and static routing profiles. You can create and delete the routing profiles, but you cannot edit any routing
policy. To modify, you must delete the existing routing policy and create a policy with the relevant configuration.
Static route—A static route profile is a routing template that contains a network prefix and the next hop IP address. During
uplink configuration, you can associate this profile to the uplinks created on one or more switches in the fabric. When this profile
is created, a route with the specified prefix and next hop IP address is configured on the switch.
eBGP route—An eBGP peer routing profile is a routing template that contains BGP remote addresses and the remote AS
number. A remote address can be an interface address or a loopback address. During uplink creation, you can associate this
policy to uplink created on one or more switches in a fabric. When this policy is created, a BGP session is configured on the
switch.
NOTE: SFS does not support OSPF or routing protocols other than eBGP.

70 Appendix
Uplink bonding options
Following are the uplink bonding types supported:
● LACP
● Static bonding
LACP
In LACP uplink bonding, SFS configure the LACP LAG for the uplink using the LACP PDUs received from the remote device.
Networks that are attached to the uplink are associated with the LACP LAG that is created.
Static bonding
In static bonding, SFS configures a static LAG for the uplink and the networks that are attached on the uplink are associated
with the LAG that is created.

Appendix 71