[f-nsp] Centralized Load balancing via 802.1q?

[Will Lowe]

> Now, is this a scenario where we aren't using this device as the access
> switch? (we would generally just want to trunk it directly to our core
> Cisco 6500 switches) We use exclusively DSR for this reason..

Unless you're in DSR or source-nat mode, the SI will want to be in the
return layer2 path.  But (almost) none of our servers are plugged
directly into our big ServerIrons -- typically we hang small stackable
switches in each rack and home-run those back to the SIs.

Note that the 8.x code requires an eeprom upgrade to the standard mgmt
modules.  They've just released new management modules that might not,
but I don't have any experience with those at all.  The 8.x code turns
the unit into a full layer3 device as well (OSPF, RIP, etc.).

Now that I think back I think we got the XLs to do it also. Have you
tried just setting up the XL as you'd expect for a l2 device: make the
vlans, trunk them and set ports appropriately, set the mgmt ip,
etc. and then just making the "server virtual"s with the appropriate
IP addresses?  It "feels" wrong -- some of the virtual servers will be
in IP ranges other than the one actually configured on the switch --
but IIRC it works fine as long as the XL is physically in the path
between the source and the real servers.

You might have to set the router-ports.

-- 
					thanks,
		
					Will