1. Maintenance Items
  2. 0163
  3. Request
Requested revision
Standard:802.1AX-2014Clause:9.3.2
Clause title:Intra-Portal Link
Rationale for revision
When a DRNI portal is created, it is critical for the LACP partner of 
the portal to be configured with one and only one aggregator using the 
same key value as the ports connected to the DRNI portal.  Failure to 
do this will result in a loop if the IPL in the Portal fails.  The 
necessity of this configuration for loop-free fault recovery is not 
mentioned anywhere in the document.
Proposed text
Add the following paragraph to the end of 9.3.2 (prior to 9.3.2.1):

The operation of the DR Function state machines and Control Protocol 
specified in the following sections assures that if a loss of connectivity
via the IPL results in a Portal System being unable to communicate with 
other Portal Systems in the Portal, those Portal Systems will used different
key values in LACPDUs exchanged on the Aggregation Links attached to the 
Portal Systems.  This prevents Aggregation Links attached to Portal Systems 
that cannot communicate via an IPL from being selected for the same LAG.  
It is possible that these Aggregation  Links could become operational
in separate LAGs, however, potentially creating a communication loop through 
the LACP partner of the Portal Systems.  To prevent this loop it is essential 
that the LACP partner of the DRNI Portal be configured such that there is 
one and only one Aggregator with the same key value as the Aggregation Ports 
connected to the DRNI Portal.
Impact on existing networks
If there is an existing network with the LACP partner of a DRNI Portal that is not already configured in this matter, then a configuration change would be necessary to avoid the possibility of creating a loop upon the failure of an IPL.
Originator
Name:Stephen HaddockEmail:shaddock@stanfordalumni.org
Affiliation:Stephen Haddock Consulting LLC
Submitted:2015-05-18