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Forum Discussion
GS110EMX Link Aggregation with ASUS XT9
I’m trying to set up link aggregation on my GS110EMX to an ASUS XT9. I follow the instructions for the GS110EMX and the XT9. The process seems to work. The switch reports that the LAG is up. Traffic generally routes, but some connections stop working.
- Ethernet backhaul stops working on my mesh nodes (also XT9s).
- I can’t connect to the GS110EMX
- I have a TiVo box that drops off the network.
I can’t tell if this is an issue on the NETGEAR side or the ASUS side or if it’s an incompatibility connecting a switch to a router. Set-up on both sides is pretty straight forward. The only prerequisite seems to be that each device supports 802.3ad.
- I assign ports 7 & 8 to LAD ID 1 / ch1
- I enable LAG ID 1 with LACP
- I enable link aggregation on my ASUS router
- I connect ports 7 & 8 on the switch to ports 2 & 3 on the router (as prescribed by ASUS documentation).
- After configuring
- LAG Status on the switch shows up.
- Ports 7 & 8 show connected at 1000M Full
- Link lights flicker on the switch on both ports 7 & 8 like traffic is flowing, but periodically, the link lights rock slowly back and forth between ports 7 & 8.
Thoughts?
9 Replies
Don't know anything about this Asus TX9.
Assuming Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) LAG is correct for the TX9, here again I have to repeat LACP the LAG config it's not applicable or available on the GS110EMX - only static LAG can be configured.
Correction - the GS110EMX does support LACP LAG configuration. The mode can be selected by LAG ID, don't forget to enable the LAG, and ensure the port memberships do not overlap with other LAGs. Sorry, my confusion. I've mixed up the config options with another Plus switch model.
I’m starting to think my link aggregation is not stable, but I don’t know how to tell what the issue is.
I think the link lights rocking back and forth are indicative of some error state. Are there any logs on this switch that anyone’s aware of?
Okay, I have a few more data points. My main questions are these:
- On a GS110EMX, what does it mean when the link lights toggle back and forth in a slow, methodical fashion?
- On a GS108T, what does it mean when a link light goes out and does not come back on without rebooting the switch.
- Is there anywhere to go to get more details about what’s failing?
So, I’ve got my hands on a GS108T which also does link aggregation. Here’s what I’m testing and seeing.
- I can put two ports in link aggregation on the GS110EMX and the GS108T, wire them up, and they work great. Seems to be an issue with interaction with the XT9.
- When I connect the GS108T to the XT9, both in link aggregation mode, the ports will light up for about 5 seconds, flitter and then go dark. They won’t come back unless you reboot the switch.
- There are no indications that a loop existed on either linked port. Nothing I can find tells me why the ports were deactivated nor allows me to reactivate the port logically.
- Similarly, when I connect the GS110EMX to the XT9 in link aggregation, the link lights flicker a bit, then rock back and forth in a slow steady pattern, then they flicker a bit more, then back to the rocking back and forth, and the pattern persists. No indication why it’s doing this other than the behavior itself.
- I can connect one cable between the link aggregated ports on the switch and the router. It connects, sends traffic and doesn’t move into the slow rocking pattern. If I try the same test with the GS108T and get a similar result: The port does not turn off. I do see my mesh nodes revert to WiFi backhaul versus wired when I do this.
- Like the switches, logging on the XT9 is pretty minimal. It does say that it established link aggregation, but it reports nothing relative to switching after that.
- One interesting difference between the GS110EMX and the GS108T is that the GS110EMX reports the link is up, even when exhibiting the odd link light behavior. The GS108T reports that the link aggregation is down.
Any thoughts or insights greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
When I have it right, most smaller Plus switches like the GS108E (and the GS110EMX if I remember right) don't have a strict monitoring on the LACP LAG status. The Web UI does show the LAG on when the LAG is configured logically.
Very different, as you already experienced, the smart switches like the GS108T are more advanced and informative in this context.
Have checked the Linux bonding status on this Asus XT9?
# cat /proc/net/bonding/bond0
Can't get rid of the impression the peer ports are not properly LACP enabled, the wrong port pair is plugged, or the like.
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