ESRP-Aware Switches

Extreme Networks switches that are not actively participating in ESRP but are connected on a network that has other Extreme Networks switches running ESRP are ESRP-aware. When ESRP-aware switches are attached to ESRP-enabled switches, the ESRP-aware switches reliably perform failover and failback scenarios in the prescribed recovery times.

If Extreme Networks switches running ESRP are connected to Layer 2 switches that are manufactured by third-party vendors, the failover times for traffic local to that segment may appear longer, depending on the application involved and the FDB timer used by the other vendor‘s Layer 2 switch. ESRP can be used with Layer 2 switches from other vendors, but the recovery times vary.

The VLANs associated with the ports connecting an ESRP-aware switch to an ESRP-enabled switch must be configured using an 802.1Q tag on the connecting port; or, if only a single VLAN is involved, as untagged using the protocol filter 'any.' ESRP does not function correctly if the ESRP-aware switch interconnection port is configured for a protocol-sensitive VLAN using untagged traffic. You can also use port restart in this scenario. For more information, see ESRP Port Restart.

The following sections provide information on managing ESRP-aware switches: