New Training: Explain Virtual Port-Channels
In this 7-video skill, CBT Nuggets trainer Jeff Kish explores virtual port-channel technology, how it’s used in the data center, and the topologies we can build with them. Watch this new Cisco training.
Learn Cisco with one of these courses:
Cisco CCNP Data Center
This training includes:
7 videos
51 minutes of training
You’ll learn these topics in this skill:
Intro
Standard Port-Channels
Introducing VPCs
VPC Architecture and Traffic Flow
VPC and STP
VPC Topologies
Review and Quiz
What is a Virtual Port-Channel (vPC)?
A Virtual Port-Channel (vPC) is a Cisco-proprietary protocol that functions on the company's Nexus switches. Known also as a multi-chassis EtherChannel (MEC), a vPC lets you configure a Port-Channel across multiple switches.
A vPC is similar in concept to the Virtual Switch System (VSS) that operates on Cisco's Catalyst chasses. The difference between the two is that while a VSS establishes a single logical switch, along with a single control plane for both management and configuration, with a vPC, you must configure and manage each switch independently. As a consequence of this, you must create and allow your virtual LANs (VLANs) on both switches.
A vPC consists of the following components:
A vPC Domain
A vPC Peer Switch
vPC Member Ports
A vPC Peer-Keepalive Link
A vPC Peer Link
An Orphan Port
Once you've set up a vPC, you can check its status by issuing the following command: show vpc brief.
