Link Aggregation between Meraki MS425-16 and Avaya Switches

[Dinner]

Hi everyboby,

I am having some troubles trying to connect and do some Link Agregation between cisco meraki MS425-16 an Avaya switches, in some cases I have the same configuration and works very good but in others I have the same config but I get one of the links working and the other with error of port disable because of LACP.

Does someone something about it ?

Thanks

Dinner

[PhilipDAth]

I doubt it will make any different, but if you swap the cables around does it work - or does the issue follow a specific cable?

I assume the ports are running the same speed/duplex settings?

[Dinner]

Hi Philip,

thanks for answering and sorry for the delay to reply but I did not have more time in my window to continue testing because the customer wanted to stop. I could not try your advise but it was happening in one of the two phisical interfaces of the aggregate, I think I will open a case with Meraki.

Thanks again !!

Dinner

[GIdenJoe]

Hey, you have not provided the exact config that is on your Avaya switches which makes it a bit hard to help troubleshoot.

If you would paste each individual port config, the port channel interface config and some port channel verification command outputs on the avaya switch we could rule out any typical errors before it's a suspected bug or something.

[Dinner]

Hi ,

this is some if the config I have in one of the Avaya Stack Switches, the mlt is confgured en ports: 1/23 and 5/24 and one if them is working good, Thanks.

ip default-gateway 10.1.128.10
ip address stack 10.1.128.103
ip address unit 1 10.1.128.21
ip address unit 2 10.1.128.22
ip address unit 3 10.1.128.23
ip address unit 4 10.1.128.24
ip address unit 5 10.1.128.25
!
! *** IP Manager ***
!
!
! *** ASSET ID ***
!
!
! *** System Logging ***
!
!
! *** STACK ***
!
!
! *** Custom Banner ***
!
!
! *** SSH ***
!
!
! *** SSL ***
!
!
! *** SSHC ***
!
!
! *** STP (Phase 1) ***
!
!
! *** VLAN ***
!
vlan create 128,172 type port
vlan create 180 type port voice-vlan
vlan create 185,187,190-191,196 type port
vlan name 128 "Mgmt-128"
vlan name 172 "Wireless-172"
vlan name 180 "VoIP1-180"
vlan name 185 "Datos1-185"
vlan name 187 "Datos-MaYYYY"
vlan name 190 "Camaras1-190"
vlan name 191 "Camaras2-191"
vlan name 196 "VOIP"
vlan ports 1/1-19,1/21 tagging unTagPvidOnly
vlan ports 1/23 tagging tagAll
vlan ports 1/24 tagging tagAll filter-untagged-frame enable
vlan ports 2/1-12,2/14-16,2/18-24,3/1 tagging unTagPvidOnly
vlan ports 3/3 tagging unTagPvidOnly filter-unregistered-frames disable
vlan ports 3/4-24,4/5,4/7,4/12,4/15-24,5/1-18,5/20,5/22 tagging unTagPvidOnly
vlan ports 5/23-24 tagging tagAll
vlan configcontrol flexible
vlan members 1 NONE
vlan members 128 1/23-24,5/23-24
vlan members 172 1/20,1/23-24,2/5-7,2/17-18,3/1-2,3/6,3/14-17,4/1-2,4/4,4/24,5/
23-24
vlan members 180 1/11,1/20,1/23-24,2/5-9,2/13,3/1,3/6,3/15-18,4/1-4,4/6,4/8-14,
4/24,5/17,5/19,5/21,5/23-24
vlan members 185 1/1,1/23-24,3/7-8,4/24,5/23-24
vlan members 187 1/1-19,1/21-24,2/1-4,2/7-16,2/18-24,3/2-5,3/7-14,3/18-24,4/5,4
/7,4/12,4/15-23,5/1-18,5/20,5/22-24
vlan members 190 1/23-24,2/5-7,3/1,3/6,3/15-17,4/1-4,4/6,4/8-14,4/24,5/17,5/19,
5/21,5/23-24
vlan members 191 1/20,2/5-7,3/1,3/6,3/15-17,4/1-4,4/6,4/8-14,4/24,5/17,5/19,5/2
1
vlan members 196 1/1-19,1/21-24,2/1-4,2/8-16,2/18-24,3/2-5,3/8-14,3/18-24,4/5,4
/7,4/12,4/15-23,5/1-18,5/20,5/22-24
vlan ports 1/1-19 pvid 187
vlan ports 1/20 pvid 172
vlan ports 1/21 pvid 187
vlan ports 1/22 pvid 196
vlan ports 1/23-24 pvid 128
vlan ports 2/1-4 pvid 187
vlan ports 2/5-6 pvid 172
vlan ports 2/7-8 pvid 187
vlan ports 2/9 pvid 196
vlan ports 2/10-12 pvid 187
vlan ports 2/13 pvid 196
vlan ports 2/14-16 pvid 187
vlan ports 2/17 pvid 172
vlan ports 2/18-24 pvid 187
vlan ports 3/1-2 pvid 172
vlan ports 3/3-5 pvid 187
vlan ports 3/6 pvid 172
vlan ports 3/7 pvid 185
vlan ports 3/8-13 pvid 187
vlan ports 3/14-17 pvid 172
vlan ports 3/18-24 pvid 187
vlan ports 4/1-2 pvid 172
vlan ports 4/3 pvid 180
vlan ports 4/4 pvid 172
vlan ports 4/5 pvid 187
vlan ports 4/6 pvid 190
vlan ports 4/7 pvid 187
vlan ports 4/8-11 pvid 190
vlan ports 4/12 pvid 187
vlan ports 4/13-14 pvid 190
vlan ports 4/15-19 pvid 187
vlan ports 4/20 pvid 196
vlan ports 4/21-23 pvid 187
vlan ports 4/24 pvid 172
vlan ports 5/1-12 pvid 187
vlan ports 5/13 pvid 196
vlan ports 5/14-18 pvid 187
vlan ports 5/19 pvid 190
vlan ports 5/20 pvid 187
vlan ports 5/21 pvid 190
vlan ports 5/22 pvid 187
vlan ports 5/23-24 pvid 128
no auto-pvid
!
! *** EAP ***
!
!
! *** EAP Guest VLAN ***
!
!
! *** EAP Fail Open VLAN ***
!
!
! *** EAP Voip VLAN ***
!
!
! *** 802.1ab ***
!

!
! *** 802.1ab vendor-specific Avaya TLVs config ***
!
!
! *** 802.1AB MED Voice Network Policies ***
!
!
! *** QOS ***
!
!
! *** RMON ***
!
!
! *** Interface ***
!
interface FastEthernet ALL
shutdown port 4/19,4/23
name port 1/13 "tactil 319"
name port 2/20 "324 tactil"
name port 2/22 "Tactil 326"
name port 3/7 Lantronix
name port 3/8 "room 306Tactil"
name port 3/14 "tactil 338"
name port 3/19 "TELEFONO PASILLOS 720 2 PISO"
name port 4/7 "room 300 tactill"
name port 4/23 "Inalambrico 319 A44"
exit
!
! *** Rate-Limit ***
!
!
! *** MLT (Phase 1) ***
!
mlt 1 name "Trunk 1" disable member NONE
mlt 2 name "Link-To-Core" enable member 1/23,5/24
!
! *** MAC-Based Security ***
!
!
! *** LACP ***
!
interface fastEthernet ALL
lacp key port 1/23 2
lacp key port 5/23 5
lacp key port 5/24 2
lacp timeout-time port 1/23,5/23-24 short
exit
!
! *** ADAC ***
!
!
! *** STP (Phase 2) ***
!
spanning-tree port-mode normal
interface FastEthernet ALL
spanning-tree port 1/1-22 learning fast
spanning-tree port 2/ALL learning fast
spanning-tree port 3/ALL learning fast
spanning-tree port 4/ALL learning fast
spanning-tree port 5/1-21 learning fast
spanning-tree bpdu-filtering port 1/1-22 enable timeout 0
spanning-tree bpdu-filtering port 1/23 timeout 0
spanning-tree bpdu-filtering port 2/ALL enable timeout 0
spanning-tree bpdu-filtering port 3/ALL enable timeout 0
spanning-tree bpdu-filtering port 4/ALL enable timeout 0
spanning-tree bpdu-filtering port 5/1-22 enable timeout 0
spanning-tree bpdu-filtering port 5/23 timeout 0
spanning-tree port 1/23-24 learning disable
spanning-tree port 5/22-24 learning disable
exit
!
! *** Port Mirroring ***
!
!
! *** VLAN Phase 2***
!
vlan mgmt 128
!
! *** MLT (Phase 2) ***
!
mlt 2 learning disable
!
! *** PoE ***
!
!
! *** RTC ***
!
!
! *** AUR ***
!
!
! *** AAUR ***
!
!
! *** L3 ***
!
!
! *** IPV6 ***
!
!
! *** VLACP ***
!
vlacp macaddress 180.c200.f
interface FastEthernet ALL
vlacp port 1/23-24,5/23-24 timeout short
vlacp port 1/23-24,5/24 timeout-scale 5
vlacp port 1/23,5/24 enable
exit
!
! *** DHCP Relay ***
!
!
! *** L3 Protocols ***
!

! --- IP Directed Broadcast ---

! --- Proxy ARP ---

! --- UDP Broadcast Forwarding ---

!
! *** DHCP SNOOPING ***
!
!
! *** ARP INSPECTION ***
!
!
! *** IP SOURCE GUARD ***
!
!
! *** IGMP ***
!
!
! *** STACK MONITOR ***
!
!
! *** DHCP Server ***
!
!
! *** SLAMON ***
!
!
! *** STORM CONTROL ***
!
interface FastEthernet all
exit

[GIdenJoe]

Ok, I won't be configuring any Avaya switches willingly any time soon.  God that CLI is butt-ugly to look at.
Sorry... I have issues with switches where ports are configured under VLANs instead of VLANs in the ports 🙂

Anyway after looking and trying to understand the logic of that CLI I have come up with a Cisco variant that I could understand:

Trunks on 1/23 and 5/24
switchport mode trunk
switchport native vlan 128
switchport trunk allowed vlan 128,172,180,185,187,190,196
(global command)vlan dot1q tag native

Etherchannel
Po2 ports: 1/23, 5/24
Po2 enabled as multichassis etherchannel with a shared MAC address containing 180c.200f

Following Avaya commands make me suspect that switch is running Fast LACPDU's (1s)
lacp timeout-time port 1/23,5/23-24 short
vlacp port 1/23-24,5/23-24 timeout short
vlacp port 1/23-24,5/24 timeout-scale 5
vlacp port 1/23,5/24 enable

Cisco switches themselves default to Slow LACPDU's (30s)
Not sure about Meraki, I'll have to run a capture but I believe I saw a capture once where it said slow LACPDU's.

So that could be the issue that the LACP is timing out too soon on the Avaya switches.
Maybe if you could change it slow LACPDU's (timeout long I guess)...

[GIdenJoe]

Yep, as suspected.
Meraki switches do the slow version once every 30 seconds.
So I believe your Avaya's are timing out the channel and therefor you get a regular blocked link or issue due to the lacp mismatch.

Since this is non-configurable on Meraki you'll have to change it on the avaya.

[Dinner]

Thanks,

I am waiting for a new window from the customer to test because it is in production; the strange is why it works in one of the ports of the channel, lacp should block both, but just in case I want to try disabling this.

Thanks a lot !!

Dinner

[Dinner · Accepted solution]

Hi @PhilipDAth , @GIdenJoe , @cmr 

First at all, thanks a lot for your comments and recommendations, after to many different configs and trying everything, I decided to do a very new config in to different ports and now all is working good in both sides, I only changed from the Avaya side like this:

lacp key port 2/23,4/23 10

lacp mode port 2/23, 4/23 passive

lacp aggregation port 2/23, 4/23 enable

Thanks

Dinner

[PhilipDAth]

lacp-fastrate is meant to be a negotiated parameter between the two switches.  Never mind.  I suspect removing these type of commands will solve the issue.

lacp timeout-time port 1/23,5/23-24 short
vlacp port 1/23-24,5/23-24 timeout short
vlacp port 1/23-24,5/24 timeout-scale 5

[Dinner]

Thanks,

I am waiting for a new window from the customer to test because it is in production; the strange is why it works in one of the ports of the channel, lacp should block both, but just in case I want to try disabling this.

Thanks !!

Dinner

[cmr]

You also have different spanning-tree bpdu-filtering settings, you have 1/23 and 5/23 the same, not 5/24

[Dinner]

Hi cmr,

I have bpdu-filtering disable on those ports, but thanks !!

Dinner