topic Re: RFS7000 Multi-link trunk - load balance in ExtremeWireless (WiNG)

RFS7000 Multi-link trunk - load balance

Phil_storey — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 13:55:50 GMT

We have two RFS7K - currently it is set to tunnel , so all wifi traffic comes back to the controller, is it possible to channel bond or create an MLT into the network stack so the throughput is increased

There is only one port connected on the RFS which is GE1

Re: RFS7000 Multi-link trunk - load balance

vanelm — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 16:59:15 GMT

Hello,

Is it 4.x or 5.x ?

Re: RFS7000 Multi-link trunk - load balance

Phil_storey — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 17:11:33 GMT

I assume you mean Wing Version ? 5.8.5

Just seeing if the throughput can be increased until such time as we move to the VX, 32 AP,s of which 2 are acting as a WIFI bridge between two buildings. then drop the tunnelled to locally bridged

Re: RFS7000 Multi-link trunk - load balance

vanelm — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 18:27:41 GMT

Hi,

In that case I would recommend consider a local bridging first - perhaps switches support VLANs. After that done, consider RFS7k replacement with VX9000 and WiNG upgrade to the latest-what-is supported-by-aps, like 5.9.5 - this brings security fixes (like KRACK) and some useful features.

Finally yes, RFS7k support port channels and LACP

#self

interface port-channel 1

port-channel load-balance src-dst-mac

switchport mode trunk

switchport trunk allowed vlan 1,20-120

interface ge 1

channel-group 1

interface ge 2

channel-group 1

Regards,

Misha

Re: RFS7000 Multi-link trunk - load balance

Phil_storey — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 20:26:27 GMT

Hi Misha

Many thanks for the reply

are there any caveats to this ? i.e if you have a primary and backup unit ? is it better in your opinion to use IP or MAC for the destination of the network switch ?

The rfs is into a Nortel stack of 4 switches, So I’m think of using a ports from different switches in the same stack, that way if we loose a switch it will keep running

regards

Phil

Re: RFS7000 Multi-link trunk - load balance

Christopher_Fra — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 01:34:53 GMT

I use source-destination IP address for port aggregation/EtherChannels with Wing switch and Cisco L2, with no issues. I would definitely have the 2 RFS controllers physically connected into different L2 switches for redundancy purposes. The RFS7 has 4 ge ports that are on their own back plane, allowing a total of 4GB of aggregated throughput.

We strongly advise configuring WLANs bridging mode local and carry the VLANs on the L2 switches that the APs are physically plugged into and the on the APs. The RFS would only have the management/adoption VLANs. This would mitigate any bottleneck concerns at the RFS.

Re: RFS7000 Multi-link trunk - load balance

vanelm — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 16:22:51 GMT

Hello Phil,

Load balancing strategy depends on traffic profile. In case of single default gateway in particular VLAN - mac method should be relevant. The idea here is to keep a single flow path unchanged.
Regarding balancing RFS units - please keep in mind that tunneled VLANs is anyway balanced in the cluster by default - i.e. half of VLANs are bridged on every cluster node (in your case). This apparently means that user traffic also tunneled between nodes to reach the target bridge or DIS depending on there AP adoption tunnel landed (please see “sh mint dis detail”). This basically means that communication between nodes is also important and should be effectively organised. Like using mentioned stack of switches.
Stack is totally good as long as it appear as a single unit and support LACP

port-channel load-balance src-dst-?
src-dst-ip Source and Destination IP address based load balancing
src-dst-mac Source and Destination Mac address based load balancing

Regards,

Misha

Re: RFS7000 Multi-link trunk - load balance

Phil_storey — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 17:45:57 GMT

Thankyou both very much for your input, @Christopher Frazee " We strongly advise configuring WLANs bridging mode local " I Did try flipping the WLANS over to locally bridged, setting the AP GE port to be a trunk , but wasn't sure if you still need to keep the virtual adapters for the wlan to vlan MAP.

Would it still work oK till such time as we do flip from tunnelled to locally bridged ?

Phil

Re: RFS7000 Multi-link trunk - load balance

vanelm — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 22:46:02 GMT

Hello,

Please be advised that having same set of VLANs accessible as tunneled and available on AP interface will create traffic loops. Keep in mind that tunneled VLAN is a regular bridge so AP will pick any broadcast frame that belongs to particular VLAN from it’s LAN trunk and send it back to controller.

And yes, since .11n distributed bridging considered as primary method keeping controller outside of traffic flow. Starting with .11ac access point are capable enough to perform also DPI onboard making controller-based firewalls useless. Nowadays controllers can be effectively used in following scenarios:
1. As a tunnel gateways as a part of corporate WAN infrastructure
2. Servicing tunneled hotspots - i.e. non-critical low-volume traffic
3. in a flat, legacy, rented LAN
4. When staff too lazy to provision VLANs

Misha

Re: RFS7000 Multi-link trunk - load balance

Phil_storey — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 22:58:40 GMT

Hi Misha

we have VLAN’s, When I tried the flip from tunnelled to locally bridged it was applied to the AP profile, so I powered the AP’s off at the POE network switch, then 1 by 1 powered them on again so they would pick up the new profile, The network seemed to be unaffected by the flip, but MU’s could not get an IP, but they could / can when set to tunnelled. So with locally bridged they way understand is that the RFS / VX would become a policy enforcer for the AP’s, but if the controller ( RFS ) went offline it affects nothing except any new device that has not been setup

Phil

Re: RFS7000 Multi-link trunk - load balance

Phil_storey — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 16:01:32 GMT

Hi Misha

this is the output from the RFS

rfs7000-Primary*#sh mint dis detail
1 vlan links on 70.81.BE.8E:
link vlan-1 at level 1, DIS 70.38.0A.F9, hello-interval 4, adj-hold-time 13
2 extended-vlans on 70.81.BE.8E:
extended-vlan 1, EVIS 70.38.0A.F9, extvlan-interval 4, evis-hold-time 13
extended-vlan 10, EVIS 70.81.BE.8E (self), extvlan-interval 4, evis-hold-time 13
rfs7000-Primary*#

I’m not sure if I should create the Load balance of the RFS first or set the LACP up on the Nortel 5520 first, Would it have an impact doing the RFS first ?

Phil

Re: RFS7000 Multi-link trunk - load balance

Phil_storey — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 21:05:16 GMT

I have created the LACP on the Nortel units and done the

self

interface port-channel 1

port-channel load-balance src-dst-IP

switchport mode trunk

switchport trunk allowed vlan 1,10-11

interface ge 1

channel-group 1

interface ge 2

channel-group 1

But the network didn’t like it, is the above for when in locally bridge mode only ?