Dell PowerEdge FX2 Quick reference guide

A Dell EMC Deployment and Configuration Guide
PowerEdge FX2 –FN I/O Module –VLT
Deployment Guide
Configuring, testing and validating VLT on a pair of FN410S I/O Modules in a
PowerEdge FX2 chassis (v2.2)
A Dell Deployment Guide
Dell Networking Solutions Engineering
August 2016

2 PowerEdge FX2 –FN I/O Module –VLT Deployment Guide | Version 2.2
Revisions
Date
Description
Authors
August 2016
V2.2 DNOS updates
DNSE: EB, SJC
July 2016
V2.1 EMC Integration changes
DNSE: EB
September 2015
V2.0 Added DNOS version 9.9 configuration
information. Added FN IOM modes section
DNSE: NB, KL, MMF, KL
July 2015
V1.2 Added additional SMUX configuration.
Removed redundant sections.
DNSE: CB, KL, MMF, JCS
May 2015
v1.1 Fixed Paragraph
DNSE: KL
December 2014
Initial Document Release
DNSE: CB, KL MMF, LC
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3 PowerEdge FX2 –FN I/O Module –VLT Deployment Guide | Version 2.2
Table of contents
Revisions.............................................................................................................................................................................2
1Introduction...................................................................................................................................................................5
2The Dell FX2 and FN I/O Modules...............................................................................................................................7
2.1 FN I/O Modules description................................................................................................................................9
2.2 Networking Block FN Series Operational Modes ...............................................................................................9
3Initial out-of-box connectivity check and default settings...........................................................................................11
4VLT and the example environments ..........................................................................................................................12
4.1 Benefits of VLT.................................................................................................................................................13
4.2 Typographical conventions and common abbreviations ..................................................................................15
5FN IOM Dell Blade I/O manager and internal port mapping features ........................................................................15
5.1 FN IOM Dell Blade I/O manager GUI...............................................................................................................15
5.2 FN IOM internal port mapping -- detailed overview..........................................................................................18
6Environment One: Basic VLT deployment with VLT mode........................................................................................22
6.1 Environment One: VLT mode configuration .....................................................................................................23
6.2 Testing VLT functionality..................................................................................................................................29
7Environment Two: Dell Networking switches with mVLT and IOM in Full Switch mode............................................32
7.1 Environment Two: IOM Full Switch mode configuration ..................................................................................33
7.1.1 Configuring the IOM for Full Switch mode........................................................................................................34
7.1.2 Configuring the VLTi peer link..........................................................................................................................35
7.2 Environment Two: Configuring the Dell Networking S4810 .............................................................................39
7.3 Verifying VLT Connectivity ...............................................................................................................................42
8Environment Three: Dell Networking switches with mVLT and FN IOM in programmable MUX mode. ...................51
8.1 Environment Three: FN IOM configuration.......................................................................................................52
8.1.1 Configuring the FN IOM for programmable MUX mode...................................................................................53
8.1.2 Configuring VLT on the FN IOM.......................................................................................................................54
8.2 Environment Three: Configuring the Dell Networking S4810...........................................................................58
8.3 Environment Three: Verifying VLT Connectivity...............................................................................................61
9Environment Four: VLT interoperability with Cisco vPC ............................................................................................70
9.1 Environment Four: FN IOM configuration.........................................................................................................71
9.1.1 Configuring the FN IOM for programmable MUX mode...................................................................................71
9.1.2 Configuring VLT on the FN IOM.......................................................................................................................72

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9.2 Environment Four: Cisco Nexus 5000 Series vPC configuration.....................................................................76
9.3 Environment Four: Verify VLT connectivity ......................................................................................................83
9.4 Environment Four: Verify VPC connectivity .....................................................................................................84
AReferences.................................................................................................................................................................90
BComponents...............................................................................................................................................................90
CTerminology................................................................................................................................................................91
DReset FN IOM to Default Factory Configuration ........................................................................................................94
EFN IOM initial out-of-box configuration and default settings ....................................................................................100
E.1 Configure interfaces and the port channel on the upstream switch ...............................................................101
E.2 Verify the configuration...................................................................................................................................104
FSupport and feedback ..............................................................................................................................................106

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1Introduction
Dell Networking provides customers with the most efficient use of current networking equipment at the
lowest cost, while still providing today’s great new technologies focused around the explosive data
growth in the industry. The various application demands have driven the need for increased
bandwidth, lower latency infrastructures in today’s networks. Dell EMC’s portfolio covers all these key
areas to provide the best in service and customer experience.
Today’s businesses find it difficult to keep pace with the changing networking and enterprise
landscape. With limited resources, they must support a variety of devices that provide key business
functions, deliver IT services that are reliable and flexible, and provide discernible cost savings.
Remote
Data Centers
Dell
Servers
Dell
Storage
Data Center
Dell Network
Controllers
and Security
Campus
Remote/Branch
Office
VRTX
Dell Campus
Networking
Internet
Dell Data Center
Networking
Public Cloud
Storage
Network
WAN
Networking architecture overview
The Dell PowerEdge FX architecture is a revolutionary approach to shared infrastructure for Enterprise
Computing. It combines the density and innovative agility of hyper-scale computing with the ease of
use and efficiency of advanced management technologies. The FX2 provides a straightforward,
modular approach to infrastructure, and introduces a more practical way to manage the complex IT
needs of businesses.

6 PowerEdge FX2 –FN I/O Module –VLT Deployment Guide | Version 2.2
Remo te
Da ta Ce nter s
De ll Servers
De ll Sto ra ge
Data Ce nter
De ll Ne tw ork
Con trol lers
and S ecur ity
Ca mp us
Remote/Branch
Offi ce
V RTX
D el l Campus N etwor king
Intern et
D el l Data Ce nt er N e twork ing
Pu blic C l oud
Storag e
Netw or
k
WA N
Dell
Servers
Dell Storage
Data Center
Dell Network
Controllers and
Security
Storage
Network
Dell Data Center
Networking
Zooming in to focus on the data center and storage networking
This deployment guide will provide a step-by-step configuration in the data center utilizing the FN I/O
Module, the PowerEdge FN410S. In this deployment guide, the two FN410S’s installed in the rear of
the FX2 chassis are configured as a virtual link trunk (VLT) pair of switches. This provides the
functionality for the pair of switches to perform as one logical switch
What is VLT?
VLT allows physical links between two switching devices to appear as a single virtual link to other
networking devices. VLT reduces the role of spanning tree protocols (STPs) by allowing link
aggregation group (LAG) terminations on two separate distribution or core switches, and by supporting
a loop-free topology. VLT provides Layer 2 multipathing, creating redundancy through increased
bandwidth, enabling multiple parallel paths between nodes and load-balancing traffic where alternative
paths exist.

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2The Dell FX2 and FN I/O Modules
Introducing the Dell FX Architecture, a great way to bring optimized workloads, maximize efficiency
and simplify complexity in today’s data center.
Dell PowerEdge FX2
The Dell FX2 enclosure is unique in its modular capabilities that come in a compact 2U size. This
innovative design combines the density and efficiency of blade servers with the simplicity and cost
benefits of the smaller rack-based server systems.
FX2 chassis with FN IOM (FN410S)

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FX2 compute and networking modules
FX2 module descriptions

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2.1 FN I/O Modules description
The PowerEdge FX2 is a chassis capable of housing compute, network and storage modules. The
network modules, referred to as one of three FN I/O Modules (FN IOMs), behave as traditional
network switches that are housed in the rear of the FX2 chassis. All three FN IOMs offer network
services for both the Ethernet and storage fabrics in a data center. While the FN410S is used in this
deployment guide, Dell EMC offers three options of FN IOMs providing plug-and-play Ethernet as well
as LAN/SAN convergence with iSCSI and FCoE. In addition to these features, the third model also
offers native Fibre Channel traffic using NPIV Proxy Gateway mode (NPG mode).
8 x 10GbE KR Internal Facing
4 x 10GbE SFP+ External Facing
USB Console
USB Storage
FN410S
4-port SFP+ I/O Module
Provides 4 ports of SFP+ 10GbE
connectivity. Supports optical and
DAC cable media.
8 x 10GbE KR Internal Facing
4 x 10GBASE-T External Facing
USB Console
USB Storage
FN410T
4-port 10GBASE-T I/O Module
Provides 4 ports of 10GBASE-T
connectivity. Supports cost
effective copper media up to 100
meters.
8 x 10GbE KR Internal Facing
2 x 2-,4-,8-Gbit/s FC SFP+
2 x 10GbE SFP+
USB Console
USB Storage
FN2210S
4-port Combo FC/Ethernet I/O
Module
Delivers up to 2 ports of 2, 4, or
8Gbit/s Fiber Channel in NPG
mode. Ethernet is provided by 2
ports of SFP+ 10GbE connectivity.
Supports optical and DAC cable
media.
2.2 Networking Block FN Series Operational Modes
The FN IOM supports five operational modes: Standalone (SMUX), VLT, Stacking, Programmable
MUX (PMUX) and Full-switch. See Table 1 for detailed descriptions of each mode. To enable a new
operational mode the command stack-unit 0 iom-mode <IOM_Mode>is issued in configuration
mode. After enabling a new operational mode, the switch must be reloaded.

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Standalone Mode
(Default mode)
Stacking
Mode
VLT Mode
PMUX
Mode
Automated mode
No Customization
I/O Aggregation
I/O Aggregation
Offers Active-Active
multi-path for servers
Semi-customization
Full-switch
Mode
I/O Aggregation
Creates a stack up to 6
units
Semi-customization
I/O Aggregation
Offers custom
configurations using CLI
Moderate customization
L2/L3 switching
Everything needs to be
configured using CLI
Full customizations
FN410S FN410T
FN2210S
FN Series operational modes
IOM modes and descriptions
IOM mode
Description
Standalone mode (SMUX)
This is the factory default mode for the IOM. SMUX is a fully
automated, zero-touch mode that allows VLAN memberships to be
defined on the server-facing ports while all upstream ports are
configured in port channel 128 and cannot be modified.
VLT mode
In this low-touch mode, all configurations except VLAN membership
are automated. Port 9 is dedicated to the VLT interconnect in this
mode.
Programmable MUX mode
(PMUX)
PMUX mode provides operational flexibility by allowing the
administrator to create multiple LAGs, configure VLANs on uplinks
and to configure DCB parameters on the server-facing ports.
Stacking mode
In Stacking mode, multiple switches can be combined to make a
single logical switch, which is managed by a designated master unit in
the stack. This mode can be useful because it simplifies management
and redundant configurations.
Full Switch mode
In Full Switch mode, all switch features are made available. This mode
requires the most configuration, but allows for the most flexibility and
customization.

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3Initial out-of-box connectivity check and default settings
The environments documented within this guide cover configuring Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) in
various topologies; however, many times there will be a need to simply bring up a single networking
connection in the data center without VLT. This will be connecting a single link from the FN IOM to the
ToR switch without configuration on the FN IOM side to show that basic network connections work.
Out of the box, the FN IOM will come in Standalone mode with the applicable default settings this
mode has in place. This applies to FN 410S, FN 410T, and FN 2210S (applicable to ports in Ethernet
mode only).
Three easy steps cover this process:
1. Ensure the FN IOM is in Standalone Mode
2. Create an LACP LAG on the upstream top-of-rack (ToR) switch
3. Verify the connection
More detail on these steps can be found in Appendix E.
Note: Default settings on the FN IOM will have the server facing network ports shut down until the
uplink port channel is operational to the ToR (top of rack) switch. This is due to a feature called
Uplink Failure Detection whereby, when upstream connectivity fails, the FN IOM disables the
downstream links. This feature is essential for fail-over between two ports on the same CNA/NIC
adapter.
For more information on Uplink Failure Detection and all other configuration settings, see the Dell
PowerEdge FN I/O Module Configuration Guide.

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4VLT and the example environments
The rest of this guide illustrates configuring two FN410S FN I/O Modules in a PowerEdge FX2 chassis
to use the VLT protocol for redundant, load-balanced connections. The initial configuration from the
default Standalone mode to VLT, Full Switch and Programmable Mux mode can be performed either
via the Dell Blade I/O Manager GUI or via standard CLI. This configuration works with the FN410S,
FN410T and FN2210S (applicable to ports in Ethernet mode only).
This document describes four VLT environments in a step-by-step manner:
Environment 1 - a basic VLT deployment using low-touch mode is presented.
Environment 2 - an example of multi-Virtual Link Trunking (mVLT) using Full Switch mode
configuration.
Environment 3 - an example of mVLT using Programmable MUX (PMUX) mode configuration.
Environment 4 - the FN IOMs are incorporated into a Cisco Nexus environment utilizing virtual
Port Channel (vPC) to create a fully redundant layer 2 topology.
Note: In order to utilize the new Dell Blade I/O Manager GUI, as well as the new Full Switch mode
feature, the FN IOM Switching modules will need to be upgraded to Dell Networking Operating
System (DNOS) 9.10 firmware. Please refer to the DNOS release notes included with the 9.10
firmware for the FN IOM upgrade procedure.

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4.1 Benefits of VLT
In a non-Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) environment utilizing spanning tree protocol, as in Figure 8,
redundancy involves idle equipment and increased costs with no added value in the event of a device
failure. On the other hand, in a VLT environment (Figure 9), all paths are active, utilizing all available
links and switches to their fullest potential. This doubles the throughput, thus increasing performance
and adding immediate value.
Non-VLT
Environment
Active Path
Idle
Non-VLT Environment with Active/Passive (Standby)
VLT
Environment
Active Path
VLT Active-Active Environment
VLT also takes advantage of teamed Network Interface Cards (NICs) and switch pairs, causing them
to appear as a single switch to devices outside the VLT domain. The physical versus logical
connectivity, using a pair of FN IOMs in a PowerEdge FX2 chassis, is illustrated below in Figure 10
and Figure 11.

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NIC Port 1
NIC Port 2
TEAM
Internal
Connections
Te0/1
Te0/1
Blade Server 1
FN410S-A1
FN410S-A2
PowerEdge FX2
Chassis
Internal interfaces
participating in VLT
VLT member/
interfaces
VLTi / ICL peer link
Physical Connectivity in a PowerEdge FX2 Chassis Using IOMs
NIC1
NIC2
TEAM Virtual
Interface
PowerEdge FX2
Chassis
Logical view of Teamed Virtual
Interface connected to two IOMs as
one logical switch
Logical Connectivity in a PowerEdge FX2 Chassis Using IOMs

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4.2 Typographical conventions and common abbreviations
The following conventions are used in the command line examples in this document:
Monospace
Text
CLI (Command Line Interface) examples
Italic
Monospace
Text
Variables in CLI examples
Bold
monospace
Text
Commands entered at the CLI prompt
5FN IOM Dell Blade I/O manager and internal port
mapping features
5.1 FN IOM Dell Blade I/O manager GUI
In previous versions of the Dell Networking Operation System (DNOS) 9.x, the FN410S, FN410T and
FN2210S FX2 switching modules were only configurable via CLI. Now, with DNOS 9.10 these FX2
switching modules can be configured for most common deployments with an easy to use GUI
application. The new “Dell Blade I/O Manager” GUI application allows IT administrators to configure
features such as:
Configuring modes, combo ports, account credentials, SNMP parameters, uplink failure
detection and NTP through the Initial Setup Wizard
Viewing logs and alerts and configuring settings for viewing logs and alerts
Viewing port settings and configuring port settings, uplink ports, uplink failure detection, and
combo port settings
Assigning VLANs, Configuring LAGs, IGMP, Port Mirroring, Fibre Channel, iSCSI, and DCB
Configuring TACACS+, RADIUS, AAA
Configuring FN IOM users and passwords
Configuring Broadcast Storm Control
Configuring Auto LAG
Configuring the default VLAN
Configuring NTP servers
Rebooting the FN IOM
The features listed above allow IT administrators to quickly deploy the FX2 FN IOMs in most data
center environments. The Dell Blade I/O Manager is typically launched from the FX2 CMC > I/O

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Module Overview section, but it can also be launched by typing the management IP address of the
FN IOM into a browser with a port number of 8081, i.e. 172.25.189.209:8081
The FX2 CMC I/O Module Overview page (Figure 12) is the preferred method to launch the FN IOM
Dell Blade I/O Manager GUI. When the Launch I/O Module GUI button is clicked the login page
(Figure 13) will allow authorized users access to this feature-rich application.
FX2 CMC I/O module overview

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FX2 FN IOM Dell Blade IO manager login screen
When the correct account credentials (default is root/calvin) are entered into the Dell Blade I/O
Manager Login page, the initial Dashboard view will be presented (Figure 14).
Dell Blade I/O manager dashboard

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The Dell Blade I/O Manager Dashboard page allows an overall configuration view of the FN IOM,
which includes:
FN IOM Mode
Management IP address
Recently logged activity
Bandwidth utilization
Detailed Port view
Detailed mode view (Standalone, VLT, Stacked, Programmable Mux, Full Switch)
The menu choices on the left include logging information, Port configuration (both internal and
external), Switching, Security, and Settings. As can be seen from this brief overview, the FN IOM Dell
Blade I/O Manager can provide much of the functionality that is typically relegated to the CLI.
5.2 FN IOM internal port mapping -- detailed overview
Quarter-height slots - dual-port CNAs
In quarter-height slots configured with dual-port CNAs, the servers map to a single port on each of the
two IOAs.
The naming convention for quarter-height slots are different from the naming conventions for the half-
height and full-height slots. As shown in Figure 1514, the first row of the quarter-height slots are
designated 1a through 1d, and the second row 3a through 3d. Figure 15 and Table 2 present the port
mapping for quarter-height slots with dual-port CNAs.
Note: Quad-port CNAs are not available for quarter-height servers.

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FN2210S IOA A1 (Top)
Internal Ports
5 6
3
7
4
8
2
FN2210S IOA A2 (Bottom)
Internal Ports
1b
3a 3b
1c 1d
3c 3d
5 6
3
7
4
8
21
1
1a
Quarter-height slots with dual-port CNAs
Half-height slots with dual-port CNAs
Slot
IOA A1 port
numbers
(top)
IOA A2 port
numbers
(bottom)
1a
1
1
1b
2
2
1c
3
3
1d
4
4
3a
5
5
3b
6
6
3c
7
7
3d
8
8

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Half-height slots –dual-port CNAs
In half-height slots with dual-port CNAs installed in the server blades, the servers map to a single port
on each of the two IOAs. Figure 16 and Table 3 present the port mapping for half-height slots with
dual-port CNAs.
Note: Ports 2, 4, 6 and 8 are not used when using half-height blades with dual-port adapters.
Slot 2
Slot 3 Slot 4
FN2210S IOA A1 (Top)
Internal Ports
5 6
3
7
4
8
21
FN2210S IOA A2 (Bottom)
Internal Ports
5 6
3
7
4
8
1
Slot 1
2
IOA Port mapping half-height slots with dual-port CNAs
Half-height slots with dual-port CNAs
Slot
IOA A1
port
numbers
(top)
IOA A2 port
numbers
(bottom)
1
1
1
2
3
3
3
5
5
4
7
7