Configuring northbound connectivity to upstream switches

Cisco recommends using Nexus 5K/7K switches for Fabric Interconnect northbound network connectivity because of the features such as virtual PortChannel (vPC). It is, however, possible to connect Fabric Interconnect to other Ethernet switches as well including Cisco Catalyst series switches and even switches from Cisco competitors as long as those switches use the industry standard protocols.

Majority of UCS field deployments are designed using Nexus 5K/7K switches. Therefore, we will explain the upstream configuration using Cisco Nexus 5K switches.

Configuring upstream switches

Northbound connectivity from Fabric Interconnect can be achieved through a standard uplink, a port channel, or virtual PortChannel configuration. The recommended configuration for the northbound connectivity is through Nexus switches and configuring a vPC.

The vPC configuration aggregates bandwidth and provides redundancy across two physical northbound Nexus switches...