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From: pfisterfarm on 26 Jan 2010 11:42
I'm trying to troubleshoot connectivity problems between a virtual
server at a central site and PCs in the same vlan at a remote site. At
the central site is several VMWare servers connected to a 3560 switch.
The PCs at the remote site need to reach this virtual server, and
while most do, some have trouble seeing it.

A common thread seems to be whether the 3560 has been able to learn
the MAC address of the PC. If it hasn't, we can put in a static
address and everything is OK.

I'm wondering... is there a limit to the number of dynamic MAC
addresses that a switch like the 3560 can learn? If so, can that limit
be changed, and is the situation the same for static addresses?

Also, is the limit of total MAC addresses for the switch fixed, or can
that be changed?

Thanks!
From: pfisterfarm on 26 Jan 2010 16:25
Just wanted to follow up with some more details on this network set
up...

[remote side 4500] ----> (CSME) ----> [central side 4500] ----> (ATM)
----> [central side 8540] ----> [vmware 3560] ----> [vmware server]

the remote side has a vlan, let's call it 321, and the vmware server
has a virtual machine set up for vlan 321. Most remote machines find
the vmware server, and some find it one minute and not the next.

The remote side has about 330 MAC addresses in the vlan in question.
The central side 4500 never seems to learn more than about 200 or so.
I'm assuming that the central side 4500 learns mac addresses from the
remote side, and passes it through the 8540 (configured for IRB) to
the 3560. None of the central side devices seem to learn much more
than 200 of the MAC addresses and I'm not sure where that limitation
would be. Does anyone have any idea what's going on here?
From: bod43 on 26 Jan 2010 17:45
On 26 Jan, 21:25, pfisterfarm <pfisterf...(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> Just wanted to follow up with some more details on this network set
> up...
>
> [remote side 4500] ----> (CSME) ----> [central side 4500] ----> (ATM)
> ---->  [central side 8540] ----> [vmware 3560] ----> [vmware server]
>
> the remote side has a vlan, let's call it 321, and the vmware server
> has a virtual machine set up for vlan 321. Most remote machines find
> the vmware server, and some find it one minute and not the next.
>
> The remote side has about 330 MAC addresses in the vlan in question.
> The central side 4500 never seems to learn more than about 200 or so.
> I'm assuming that the central side 4500 learns mac addresses from the
> remote side, and passes it through the 8540 (configured for IRB) to
> the 3560. None of the central side devices seem to learn much more
> than 200 of the MAC addresses and I'm not sure where that limitation
> would be. Does anyone have any idea what's going on here?

I don't recall a per VLAN limit but the MAC adddress
table in switches is implemented in hardware and there is a
total limit. It is certain to be way more than 330 though
thousands and thousands.

Ah! 8540!

Maybe I should have mentioned when I indicated the IRB
config earlier that the 8540 etc. was a somewhat problematical
device. Wouldn't touch one with a barge pole.

Remember that "missing" MAC addresses do not normally
cause a lack of communications since frames to Unknown
addresses are flooded out of all ports in the VLAN and so
do reach the destination.

I will have a closer look later and see of I can think how to
investigate.

Is this the Network with Unicast Flooding Prevention
turned on? That simply limits all normal traffic to some level.
Maybe that was another thread. Sorry, bit busy right now
and cant check.
If it is turn it off.
From: pfisterfarm on 27 Jan 2010 15:51
This issue turned out to be a limit to learned MAC addresses on the
CSME (AT&T) side. Increasing the limit made all problems go away...
Thanks for your help!
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