• FCoE initiation protocol (FIP) snooping.
• Hybrid ports: Ports are administratively up and auto-configured to operate as hybrid ports to transmit
tagged and untagged VLAN traffic.
• Internet small computer system interface (iSCSI) optimization.
• Internet group management protocol (IGMP) snooping.
• Jumbo frames: Ports are set to a maximum transmission unit (MTU) of 12,000 bytes.
• Link aggregation: All uplink ports are configured in a single link aggregation group (LAG) (LAG 128).
• Link layer discovery protocol (LLDP): Enabled on all ports.
• Link tracking: Enables server-facing links to be brought up only if the uplink LAG is operationally up.
Data Center Bridging Support
To eliminate packet loss and provision links with required bandwidth, DCB enhancements for data center
networks are supported.
The aggregator provides zero-touch configuration for DCB. The aggregator auto-configures DCBX port
roles to match the DCBX configuration in the switches to which it connects through its uplink ports.
FCoE Connectivity
Many data centers use Fiber Channel (FC) in storage area networks (SANs). FCoE encapsulates Fiber
Channel frames over Ethernet networks.
On an aggregator, the internal ports support FCoE connectivity and connects to the converged network
adapter (CNA) in servers. FCoE allows Fiber Channel to use 10-Gigabit Ethernet networks while
preserving the Fiber Channel protocol.
The aggregator also provides zero-touch configuration for FCoE connectivity. The aggregator auto-
configures to match the FCoE settings used in the switches to which it connects through its uplink ports.
iSCSI Operation
Support for iSCSI traffic is turned on by default when the aggregator powers up. No configuration is
required.
When an aggregator powers up, it monitors known TCP ports for iSCSI storage devices on all interfaces.
When a session is detected, an entry is created and monitored as long as the session is active.
The aggregator also detects iSCSI storage devices on all interfaces and auto-configures to optimize
performance. Performance optimization operations, such as Jumbo frame size support and disabling
storm control on interfaces connected to an iSCSI equallogic (EQL) storage device, are applied
automatically.
Link Aggregation
All uplink ports are configured in a single LAG (LAG 128). Server-facing ports are auto-configured as part
of link aggregation groups if you configure the corresponding server for LACP-based network interface
controller (NIC) teaming. Static LAGs are not supported.
NOTE: The recommended LACP timeout is Long-Timeout mode.
Link Tracking
By default, all server-facing ports are tracked by the operational status of the uplink LAG. If the uplink LAG
goes down, the aggregator loses its connectivity and is no longer operational; all server-facing ports are
20
Installing and Configuring the Aggregator
