Dell Networking SONiC MC-LAG Will Get Affected When Keepalive Session Status Gets Down

Summary: This article explains how MC-LAG is affected when the keepalive session status goes down in SONiC.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.

Symptoms

MC-LAG is affected when the keepalive session status goes down in SONiC.
The following MC-LAG status is seen at the time of the keepalive session down: 
SONIC-1# show mclag brief
 
Domain ID            : 1
Role                 : active
Session Status       : down
Peer Link Status     : up
Source Address       : 192.168.2.1
Peer Address         : 192.168.2.2
Peer Link            : PortChannel100
Keepalive Interval   : 1 secs
Session Timeout      : 30 secs
Delay Restore        : 300 secs
System Mac           : XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
Mclag System Mac     : 00:00:00:00:00:01
 
 
Number of MLAG Interfaces:1
-----------------------------------------------------------
MLAG Interface       Local/Remote Status 
-----------------------------------------------------------
PortChannel1             up/unknown

Cause

MC-LAG gets affected when the keepalive session status goes down in SONiC. The keepalive in SONiC is configured with IPv4 L3 communication similar to the backup-link in OS9 and OS10, which usually is not affecting VLT-Portchannel status. The peer-link status in OS9 and OS10 is going to affect VLT-Portchannel status instead. However, in SONiC, the keepalive session status has to be up in order to MC-LAG to be up. For the keepalive link, carries periodic heartbeat between MC-LAG peer devices and is also used to synchronize the state between MC-LAG peer devices. As opposed to SONiC, OS9 and OS10 use the peer-link to synchronize state between VLT peer devices.

MCLAG Terminologies description

Once the keepalive session link gets down, MC-LAG status on both of the MC-LAG peer devices becomes up/unknown because of the synchronization failure between both peer devices.

Synchronization failure between both peer devices

In Normal State
SONIC-1#show version 
 
Software Version  : 4.1.0-Enterprise_Base
Product           : Enterprise SONiC Distribution by Dell Technologies
Distribution      : Debian 10.13
Kernel            : 5.10.0-8-2-amd64
Config DB Version : version_4_1_1
Build Commit      : 93589a15db
Build Date        : Tue Apr 18 17:56:48 UTC 2023
Built By          : sonicbld@sonic-lvn-csg-001
Platform          : x86_64-kvm_x86_64-r0
HwSKU             : DellEMC-S5248f-P-25G-DPB

SONIC-1# show ip interfaces 
Flags: U-Unnumbered interface, A-Anycast IP
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interface            IP address/mask                              VRF                 Admin/Oper     Flags          
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PortChannel200       192.168.2.1/24                                                   up/up                         
Vlan636              172.16.0.1/24                                                    up/up                         
SONIC-1# 
SONIC-1# 
SONIC-1# show PortChannel summary 
Flags(oper-status):  D - Down U - Up (portchannel) P - Up in portchannel (members)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group               PortChannel                   Type                Protocol          Member Ports
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1                   PortChannel1   (U)            Eth                 LACP                 Eth1/1(P)
100                 PortChannel100 (U)            Eth                 NONE                 Eth1/8(P)
                                                                                           Eth1/9(P)
200                 PortChannel200 (U)            Eth                 LACP                 Eth1/5(P)
                                                                                           Eth1/6(P)
SONIC-1# 
SONIC-1# 
SONIC-1# show mclag brief
 
Domain ID            : 1
Role                 : active
Session Status       : up
Peer Link Status     : up
Source Address       : 192.168.2.1
Peer Address         : 192.168.2.2
Peer Link            : PortChannel100
Keepalive Interval   : 1 secs
Session Timeout      : 30 secs
Delay Restore        : 300 secs
System Mac           : XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
Mclag System Mac     : 00:00:00:00:00:01
 
 
Number of MLAG Interfaces:1
-----------------------------------------------------------
MLAG Interface       Local/Remote Status 
-----------------------------------------------------------
PortChannel1             up/up
SONIC-1# 
SONIC-1# 
SONIC-1# show running-configuration interface PortChannel 1
!
interface PortChannel1 mode active
 switchport trunk allowed Vlan 636
 no shutdown
 mclag 1
SONIC-1# show running-configuration interface PortChannel 100
!
interface PortChannel100 mode on
 switchport trunk allowed Vlan 1-4094
 no shutdown
SONIC-1# show running-configuration interface PortChannel 200
!
interface PortChannel200 mode active
 no shutdown
 ip address 192.168.2.1/24
SONIC-1# 
SONIC-1# 
SONIC-1# ping 172.16.0.3  //IP address assigned to VLAN636 on uplink SW.
PING 172.16.0.3 (172.16.0.3) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 172.16.0.3: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=3.26 ms
64 bytes from 172.16.0.3: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=3.47 ms
64 bytes from 172.16.0.3: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=3.21 ms
64 bytes from 172.16.0.3: icmp_seq=4 ttl=64 time=2.84 ms
64 bytes from 172.16.0.3: icmp_seq=5 ttl=64 time=11.1 ms
^C
SONIC-1# 
SONIC-2#show version 
 
Software Version  : 4.1.0-Enterprise_Base
Product           : Enterprise SONiC Distribution by Dell Technologies
Distribution      : Debian 10.13
Kernel            : 5.10.0-8-2-amd64
Config DB Version : version_4_1_1
Build Commit      : 93589a15db
Build Date        : Tue Apr 18 17:56:48 UTC 2023
Built By          : sonicbld@sonic-lvn-csg-001
Platform          : x86_64-kvm_x86_64-r0
HwSKU             : DellEMC-S5248f-P-25G-DPB

SONIC-2# show ip interfaces 
Flags: U-Unnumbered interface, A-Anycast IP
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interface            IP address/mask                              VRF                 Admin/Oper     Flags          
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PortChannel200       192.168.2.2/24                                                   up/up                         
Vlan636              172.16.0.2/24                                                    up/up                         
SONIC-2# 
SONIC-2# 
SONIC-2# show PortChannel summary 
Flags(oper-status):  D - Down U - Up (portchannel) P - Up in portchannel (members)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group               PortChannel                   Type                Protocol          Member Ports
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1                   PortChannel1   (U)            Eth                 LACP                 Eth1/1(P)
100                 PortChannel100 (U)            Eth                 NONE                 Eth1/8(P)
                                                                                           Eth1/9(P)
200                 PortChannel200 (U)            Eth                 LACP                 Eth1/5(P)
                                                                                           Eth1/6(P)
SONIC-2# 
SONIC-2# 
SONIC-2# show mclag brief
 
Domain ID            : 1
Role                 : standby
Session Status       : up
Peer Link Status     : up
Source Address       : 192.168.2.2
Peer Address         : 192.168.2.1
Peer Link            : PortChannel100
Keepalive Interval   : 1 secs
Session Timeout      : 30 secs
Delay Restore        : 300 secs
System Mac           : XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
Mclag System Mac     : 00:00:00:00:00:01
 
 
Number of MLAG Interfaces:1
-----------------------------------------------------------
MLAG Interface       Local/Remote Status 
-----------------------------------------------------------
PortChannel1             up/up
SONIC-2# 
SONIC-2# 
SONIC-2# 
SONIC-2# 
SONIC-2# show running-configuration interface PortChannel 1
!
interface PortChannel1 mode active
 switchport trunk allowed Vlan 636
 no shutdown
 mclag 1
SONIC-2# show running-configuration interface PortChannel 100
!
interface PortChannel100 mode on
 switchport trunk allowed Vlan 1-4094
 no shutdown
SONIC-2# show running-configuration interface PortChannel 200
!
interface PortChannel200 mode active
 no shutdown
 ip address 192.168.2.2/24
SONIC-2# 
SONIC-2# 
SONIC-2# ping 172.16.0.3
PING 172.16.0.3 (172.16.0.3) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 172.16.0.3: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=3.48 ms
64 bytes from 172.16.0.3: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=2.94 ms
^CSONIC-2# 


In Problem State (Keepalive-link Status Down by Shutting Down Po200 Member Ports)
SONIC-1# show mclag brief
 
Domain ID            : 1
Role                 : active
Session Status       : down
Peer Link Status     : up
Source Address       : 192.168.2.1
Peer Address         : 192.168.2.2
Peer Link            : PortChannel100
Keepalive Interval   : 1 secs
Session Timeout      : 30 secs
Delay Restore        : 300 secs
System Mac           : XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
Mclag System Mac     : 00:00:00:00:00:01
 
 
Number of MLAG Interfaces:1
-----------------------------------------------------------
MLAG Interface       Local/Remote Status 
-----------------------------------------------------------
PortChannel1             up/unknown
SONIC-1# 
SONIC-1# 
SONIC-1# ping 172.16.0.3
PING 172.16.0.3 (172.16.0.3) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 172.16.0.3: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=8.00 ms
64 bytes from 172.16.0.3: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=3.08 ms
64 bytes from 172.16.0.3: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=2.99 ms
64 bytes from 172.16.0.3: icmp_seq=4 ttl=64 time=2.92 ms
64 bytes from 172.16.0.3: icmp_seq=5 ttl=64 time=3.07 ms
^C
SONIC-1#
SONIC-2# show PortChannel summary 
Flags(oper-status):  D - Down U - Up (portchannel) P - Up in portchannel (members)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group               PortChannel                   Type                Protocol          Member Ports
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1                   PortChannel1   (U)            Eth                 LACP                 Eth1/1(P)
100                 PortChannel100 (U)            Eth                 NONE                 Eth1/8(P)
                                                                                           Eth1/9(P)
200                 PortChannel200 (D)            Eth                 LACP                 Eth1/5(D)
                                                                                          Eth1/6(D)
SONIC-2# show mclag brief
 
Domain ID            : 1
Role                 : standby
Session Status       : down
Peer Link Status     : up
Source Address       : 192.168.2.2
Peer Address         : 192.168.2.1
Peer Link            : PortChannel100
Keepalive Interval   : 1 secs
Session Timeout      : 30 secs
Delay Restore        : 300 secs
System Mac           : XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
Mclag System Mac     : 00:00:00:00:00:01
 
 
Number of MLAG Interfaces:1
-----------------------------------------------------------
MLAG Interface       Local/Remote Status 
-----------------------------------------------------------
PortChannel1             up/unknown
SONIC-2# 
SONIC-2# ping 172.16.0.3
PING 172.16.0.3 (172.16.0.3) 56(84) bytes of data.
From 172.16.0.2 icmp_seq=1 Destination Host Unreachable
From 172.16.0.2 icmp_seq=1 Destination Host Unreachable
From 172.16.0.2 icmp_seq=1 Destination Host Unreachable
From 172.16.0.2 icmp_seq=1 Destination Host Unreachable
^C
 
 

Resolution

In order for MC-LAG to keep up and running without any issue, the keepalive link status also must keep up and running. Management port is normally used for the keepalive link, but port channel with IP address assigned to it can be used for the keepalive link for redundancy purposes. The behavior (that MC-LAG will be affected when the keepalive link status gets down) described in this KB article is expected in all the versions at least until SONiC version 4.2.0.

Affected Products

Enterprise SONiC Distribution, Dell EMC Networking N3200-ON, PowerSwitch S5212F-ON, PowerSwitch S5224F-ON, PowerSwitch S5232F-ON, PowerSwitch S5248F-ON, PowerSwitch S5296F-ON, PowerSwitch Z9100-ON, PowerSwitch Z9264F-ON, PowerSwitch Z9332F-ON
Article Properties
Article Number: 000213968
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 23 Jan 2024
Version:  3
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