Top-of-Rack (ToR) Switch Deployment for Nutanix Infrastructure
Deployed Top-of-Rack switches for Nutanix infrastructure using ISSU stacking, giving the cluster fast, redundant connections and software upgrades with no downtime.
Overview
This project set up new Top-of-Rack (ToR) switches to connect the Nutanix nodes in the data center. The switches were configured as a stack with ISSU (In-Service Software Upgrade) support, so the network stays up even during firmware upgrades.
The challenge
Nutanix clusters need fast and stable network connections between nodes, because storage and VM traffic move across the network all the time. A switch failure or planned upgrade could interrupt the whole cluster. The organization needed a switch setup with no single point of failure and a way to upgrade without service downtime.
The approach
We installed two ToR switches in each rack and joined them as one stack with ISSU enabled. Each Nutanix node was connected to both switches, so traffic keeps flowing if one switch or link fails. We created separate VLANs for management, storage, and VM traffic, and set the right port settings for Nutanix best practices. Uplinks to the core network were also made redundant. Finally, we tested link failover and an ISSU upgrade to confirm the cluster stayed online.
Results
- Fast and stable network for the Nutanix cluster - Redundant connections with no single point of failure - Software upgrades with no downtime using ISSU - Separated traffic for better performance and security - Simple management with the switches working as one stack