IBM Support

How SEA behaves in a situation when ha_mode is set to standby on SEA while other SEA is standby or LIMBO?

General Page

Normally, ha_mode is set to auto or sharing mode. When the SEA needs to be failed over manually, ha_mode is set to standby on primary SEA to failover to backup SEA. This document describes the behavior when ha_mode is set to standby on both SEAs in a pair.

A. ha_mode=auto environment:

SEA has following configuration.

Environment - Screen Capture

Case A1:  When priority 1 SEA is PRIMARY and priority 2 SEA is BACKUP

VIOS1:

   SEA: ent3

   State: PRIMARY

   Bridge Mode: All

   High Availability Mode: Auto

   Priority: 1     Active: True

VIOS2:

   SEA ent3

   State: BACKUP

   Bridge Mode: None

   High Availability Mode:  Auto

   Priority: 2     Active: False

► Now ha_mode is set to standby on SEA on VIOS1 to manually failover to SEA on VIOS2

VIOS1:

   SEA: ent3

   State: BACKUP

   Bridge Mode: None

   High Availability Mode: Standby

   Priority: 1    Active: False

VIOS2:

   SEA: ent3

   State: PRIMARY

   Bridge Mode: All

   High Availability Mode: Auto

   Priority: 2    Active: True

► Now for some reason ha_mode=standby gets set on SEA on VIOS2

VIOS1:

   SEA: ent3

   State: BACKUP

   Bridge Mode: None

   High Availability Mode: Standby

   Priority: 1    Active: False

VIOS2:

   SEA: ent3

   State: PRIMARY

   Bridge Mode: All

   High Availability Mode: Standby

   Priority: 2    Active: True

Results:

Even though state of SEA on VIOS2 changes to Standby mode, it continue to bridge packets because SEA on VIOS1 is already in Standby mode.

Case A2: When priority 1 SEA is PRIMARY state and priority 2 SEA is LIMBO

VIOS1:

   SEA: ent3

   State: PRIMARY

   Bridge Mode: All

   High Availability Mode: Auto

   Priority: 1    Active: True

VIOS2:

   SEA: ent3

   State: LIMBO

   Bridge Mode: None

   High Availability Mode: Auto

   Priority: 2    Active: False

   Note: SEA state is LIMBO because link of the real adapter is down.

► Now for some reason ha_mode=standby gets set on SEA on VIOS1

VIOS1:

   SEA: ent3

   State: PRIMARY

   Bridge Mode: All

   High Availability Mode: Standby

   Priority: 1    Active: True

VIOS2:

   SEA: ent3

   State: LIMBO

   Bridge Mode: None

   High Availability Mode: Auto

   Priority: 2    Active: False

Results:

SEA on VIOS1 continues to bridge the packets because SEA on VIOS2 is in LIMBO state.

B. ha_mode=sharing environment:

SEA has following configuration.

image-20180904090723-1

Case B1: When priority 1 SEA is PRIMARY_SH and priority 2 SEA is BACKUP_SH

VIOS1:

   SEA: ent7

   State: PRIMARY_SH

   Bridge Mode: Partial

   High Availability Mode: Sharing

   Priority: 1

   VLAN IDs :

       ent1: 42 60 61 62 63 900   Active=True

       ent2: 136 138 152 154 156 910   Active=True

       ent3: 326 328 326 338 920   Active=True

       ent4: 991 930   Active: False

       ent5: 992 940   Active: False
     

VIOS2:

   SEA: ent7

   State: BACKUP_SH

   Bridge Mode: Partial

   High Availability Mode:  Sharing

   Priority: 2

   VLAN IDs :

       ent1: 42 60 61 62 63 900   Active=False

       ent2: 136 138 152 154 156 910   Active=False

       ent3: 326 328 326 338 920   Active=False

       ent4: 991 930   Active: True

       ent5: 992 940   Active: True

► Now ha_mode is set to standby on SEA on VIOS1 to manually failover to SEA on VIOS2

VIOS1:

   SEA: ent7

   State: BACKUP

   Bridge Mode: None

   High Availability Mode: Standby

   Priority: 1

   VLAN IDs :

       ent1: 42 60 61 62 63 900   Active=False

       ent2: 136 138 152 154 156 910   Active=False

       ent3: 326 328 326 338 920   Active=False

       ent4: 991 930   Active: False

       ent5: 992 940   Active: False

VIOS2:

   SEA: ent7

   State: PRIMARY

   Bridge Mode: All

   High Availability Mode:  Sharing

   Priority: 2

   VLAN IDs :

      ent1: 42 60 61 62 63 900   Active=True

      ent2: 136 138 152 154 156 910   Active=True

      ent3: 326 328 326 338 920   Active=True

      ent4: 991 930   Active: True

      ent5: 992 940   Active: True 

► Now for some reason ha_mode=standby gets set on SEA on VIOS2

VIOS1:

   SEA: ent7

   State: BACKUP

   Bridge Mode: None

   High Availability Mode: Standby

   Priority: 1

VLAN IDs :

       ent1: 42 60 61 62 63 900   Active=False

      ent2: 136 138 152 154 156 910   Active=False

      ent3: 326 328 326 338 920   Active=False

      ent4: 991 930   Active: False

     ent5: 992 940   Active: False

VIOS2:

   SEA: ent7

   State: PRIMARY

   Bridge Mode: All

   High Availability Mode:  Standby

   Priority: 2

VLAN IDs :

     ent1: 42 60 61 62 63 900   Active=True

     ent2: 136 138 152 154 156 910   Active=True

     ent3: 326 328 326 338 920   Active=True

     ent4: 991 930   Active: True

     ent5: 992 940   Active: True

Results:

Even though state of SEA on VIOS2 changes to Standby mode, it continue to bridge packets because SEA on VIOS1 is already in Standby mode.

Case B2: When priority 1 SEA is PRIMARY state and priority 2 SEA is LIMBO

VIOS1:

   SEA: ent7

   State: PRIMARY

   Bridge Mode: All

   High Availability Mode: Sharing

   Priority: 1

VLAN IDs :

     ent1: 42 60 61 62 63 900   Active=True

     ent2: 136 138 152 154 156 910   Active=True

     ent3: 326 328 326 338 920   Active=True

     ent4: 991 930   Active: True

     ent5: 992 940   Active: True

VIOS2:

   SEA: ent7

   State: LIMBO

   Bridge Mode: None

   High Availability Mode: Sharing

   Priority: 2

VLAN IDs :

     ent1: 42 60 61 62 63 900   Active=False

     ent2: 136 138 152 154 156 910   Active=False

     ent3: 326 328 326 338 920   Active=False

     ent4: 991 930   Active: False

     ent5: 992 940   Active: False

   Note: SEA state is LIMBO because link of the real adapter is down.

► Now for some reason ha_mode=standby gets set on SEA on VIOS1

VIOS1:

   SEA: ent7

   State: PRIMARY

   Bridge Mode: All

   High Availability Mode: Standby

   Priority: 1

VLAN IDs :

     ent1: 42 60 61 62 63 900   Active=True

     ent2: 136 138 152 154 156 910   Active=True

     ent3: 326 328 326 338 920   Active=True

     ent4: 991 930   Active: True

     ent5: 992 940   Active: True

VIOS2:

   SEA: ent7

   State: LIMBO

   Bridge Mode: None

   High Availability Mode: Sharing

   Priority: 2

VLAN IDs :

     ent1: 42 60 61 62 63 900   Active=False

     ent2: 136 138 152 154 156 910   Active=False

     ent3: 326 328 326 338 920   Active=False

     ent4: 991 930   Active: False

     ent5: 992 940   Active: False

Results:

SEA on VIOS1 continues to bridge the packets because SEA on VIOS2 is in LIMBO state.

Authors: Darshan Patel

Team: protocols

Operating System: VIOS

Hardware: Power

Feedback: aix_feedback@wwpdl.vnet.ibm.com

[{"Business Unit":{"code":"BU058","label":"IBM Infrastructure w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"SSPHKW","label":"PowerVM Virtual I\/O Server"},"Component":"","Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}],"Version":"All Versions","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB57","label":"Power"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
20 October 2021

UID

ibm10728189

Page Feedback