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    VLANs having same mac address causing flapping error on cisco switch

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved L2/Switching/VLANs
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    • DerelictD
      Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
      last edited by

      Screenshot please. That should not be the case. Unless maybe something you did under the hood is preventing that from working any longer somehow.

      Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
      A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
      DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
      Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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      • E
        erasedhammer
        last edited by

        laggs.PNG

        ix1 is only the 10gig sfp+.
        Eth1-8 are not shown.

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        • DerelictD
          Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
          last edited by

          No.

          Interfaces > Switches, Ports

          Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
          A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
          DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
          Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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          • E
            erasedhammer
            last edited by

            If you are referring to inputting the lagg id manually there... that instantly destroys the web gui and requires the firewall to restart.

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            • DerelictD
              Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
              last edited by

              Don't do it on a port you are trying to manage the firewall from. Same way you would not make a change to a switch port you are managing the switch from.

              Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
              A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
              DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
              Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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              • E
                erasedhammer
                last edited by

                Sure, I understand that.

                Referencing back to the original question, the xg7100 has the same MAC addr assigned to eth1-8 on the marvell switch, right?

                So wouldnt creating separate LAGGs across that marvell switch cause a downstream switch to see the same mac for multiple channel groups, then cause the flapping error?

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                • DerelictD
                  Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                  last edited by

                  No. MAC Address tables should be separated in the switch by VLAN/broadcast domain.

                  The MAC address being seen by the switch is actually the MAC address of the lagg0 created by ix2 and ix3 on the pfSense software on the uplink.

                  Layer 2 switch ports do not have individual MAC addresses. The have MAC address tables and forward traffic between different MAC addresses in the same broadcast domain.

                  Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                  A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                  DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                  Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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                  • E
                    erasedhammer
                    last edited by

                    Okay, but the downstream switch has its own mac address table and when the vlans all show up as the same mac, I'm pretty sure that causes the flapping error.

                    I'm not 100% sure what the flapping error exactly is, but I don't really see what else could cause the error since it stops when I change the macs for the vlans.

                    JKnottJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • DerelictD
                      Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                      last edited by

                      Perhaps the load balance lagg/port channel in that switch is incompatible with the load-balance lagg in the Marvell chipset. Really hard to tell from here.

                      The port channel should allow input from any MAC on any of the ports at any time.

                      Are Po1 and Po2 in your OP members of the same port channel? Is the port channel properly-configured?

                      Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                      A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                      DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                      Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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                      • JKnottJ
                        JKnott @erasedhammer
                        last edited by

                        @erasedhammer

                        Your original post showed the MAC as switching between interfaces. That wouldn't normally happen with VLANs.

                        PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                        i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                        UniFi AC-Lite access point

                        I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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                        • E
                          erasedhammer
                          last edited by

                          That's what Im trying to explain, that the switch thinks its switching because the vlans all show up as the same mac.

                          My original post showed the switch saying it was switching, but if all the interfaces have the same mac, how would it know it was switching?

                          JKnottJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • DerelictD
                            Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                            last edited by Derelict

                            Because the same MAC is showing up on the same VLAN on two different ports (or port channels in this case.) It is not just the same MAC address, it is the same MAC address on the same VLAN. You should get the same log moving any host from one port to another, though it might be suppressed because of the link down clearing the CAM table when you move it.

                            Both of those in your OP are VLAN 1, not two different VLANs.

                            Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                            A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                            DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                            Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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                            • E
                              erasedhammer
                              last edited by

                              Im not sure the vlan1 makes a difference. Vlan1 is not in use on my switch, it is simply the default vlan and since the trunk ports on the switch cant have a vlan assigned directly, they only can have allowed vlans assigned, it shows up in the logging as vlan1.

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                              • JKnottJ
                                JKnott @erasedhammer
                                last edited by

                                @erasedhammer said in VLANs having same mac address causing flapping error on cisco switch:

                                My original post showed the switch saying it was switching, but if all the interfaces have the same mac, how would it know it was switching?

                                I think you may be getting things confused. The MAC address refers to the original interface. I assume that's the pfSense box. Switches do not change the MAC address of frames passing through them. So, no matter where that frame goes, the MAC address will remain the same. Switches then learn which interface is closest to that interface, though spanning tree can change that, when the configuration changes.

                                PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                                i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                                UniFi AC-Lite access point

                                I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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                                • E
                                  erasedhammer
                                  last edited by

                                  Okay, so then my question is why doesn't the xg7100 have the ability to assign macs to the switch ports on the marvell?
                                  Is that a software or hardware limitation?

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                                  • DerelictD
                                    Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                                    last edited by Derelict

                                    Because Layer 2 switch ports don't have MAC addresses.

                                    Please post your current etherswitchcfg output.

                                    And the port channel configurations on the switch and what ports are connected to what.

                                    Thanks.

                                    Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                                    A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                                    DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                                    Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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                                    • E
                                      erasedhammer
                                      last edited by

                                      Ah! I see what youre saying now.

                                      So what solutions are there to ensure separate mac addresses for the separate vlan ? I am referring to potentially assigning the vlan on pfsense with a mac addr, although I know this is not possible from what I've read.
                                      The reason I ask is because ifconfig lladdr does not survive a reboot.

                                      pfsense etherswitchcfg:

                                      etherswitch0: VLAN mode: DOT1Q
                                      port1:
                                      pvid: 5
                                      state=8<FORWARDING>
                                      flags=0<>
                                      media: Ethernet autoselect (1000baseT <full-duplex>)
                                      status: active
                                      port2:
                                      pvid: 5
                                      state=8<FORWARDING>
                                      flags=0<>
                                      media: Ethernet autoselect (1000baseT <full-duplex>)
                                      status: active
                                      port3:
                                      pvid: 5
                                      state=8<FORWARDING>
                                      flags=0<>
                                      media: Ethernet autoselect (1000baseT <full-duplex>)
                                      status: active
                                      port4:
                                      pvid: 10
                                      state=8<FORWARDING>
                                      flags=0<>
                                      media: Ethernet autoselect (1000baseT <full-duplex>)
                                      status: active
                                      port5:
                                      pvid: 10
                                      state=8<FORWARDING>
                                      flags=0<>
                                      media: Ethernet autoselect (1000baseT <full-duplex>)
                                      status: active
                                      port6:
                                      pvid: 10
                                      state=8<FORWARDING>
                                      flags=0<>
                                      media: Ethernet autoselect (1000baseT <full-duplex>)
                                      status: active
                                      port7:
                                      pvid: 30
                                      state=8<FORWARDING>
                                      flags=0<>
                                      media: Ethernet autoselect (1000baseT <full-duplex>)
                                      status: active
                                      port8:
                                      pvid: 30
                                      state=8<FORWARDING>
                                      flags=0<>
                                      media: Ethernet autoselect (none)
                                      status: no carrier
                                      port9:
                                      pvid: 1
                                      state=8<FORWARDING>
                                      flags=1<CPUPORT>
                                      media: Ethernet 2500Base-KX <full-duplex>
                                      status: active
                                      port10:
                                      pvid: 1
                                      state=8<FORWARDING>
                                      flags=1<CPUPORT>
                                      media: Ethernet 2500Base-KX <full-duplex>
                                      status: active
                                      laggroup0:
                                      members 9,10
                                      laggroup1:
                                      members 2,3
                                      laggroup2:
                                      members 4,5,6
                                      laggroup3:
                                      members 7,8
                                      vlangroup0:
                                      vlan: 1
                                      members none
                                      vlangroup1:
                                      vlan: 5
                                      members 1,2,3,9t,10t
                                      vlangroup3:
                                      vlan: 30
                                      members 7,8,9t,10t
                                      vlangroup4:
                                      vlan: 10
                                      members 4,5,6,9t,10t

                                      cisco:
                                      !
                                      interface Port-channel1
                                      switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
                                      !
                                      interface Port-channel2
                                      switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
                                      !
                                      interface Port-channel3
                                      switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
                                      !
                                      !
                                      interface GigabitEthernet0/2
                                      description RTR-UPLINK-MGNT
                                      switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
                                      channel-group 1 mode on
                                      !
                                      interface GigabitEthernet0/3
                                      description RTR-UPLINK-MGNT
                                      switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
                                      channel-group 1 mode on
                                      !
                                      interface GigabitEthernet0/4
                                      description RTR-UPLINK-USERS
                                      switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
                                      channel-group 2 mode on
                                      !
                                      interface GigabitEthernet0/5
                                      description RTR-UPLINK-USERS
                                      switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
                                      channel-group 2 mode on
                                      !
                                      interface GigabitEthernet0/6
                                      description RTR-UPLINK-USERS
                                      switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
                                      channel-group 2 mode on
                                      !
                                      interface GigabitEthernet0/7
                                      description RTR-UPLINK-LAB
                                      switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
                                      channel-group 3 mode on
                                      !
                                      interface GigabitEthernet0/8
                                      description RTR-UPLINK-LAB
                                      switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
                                      channel-group 3 mode on

                                      JKnottJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • DerelictD
                                        Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                                        last edited by

                                        You should probably set the PVID of channel-group 1 to 5, the PVID on channel-group 2 to 10 and the PVID of channel-group 3 to 30.

                                        At least I think that's what I see there.

                                        You are sending untagged traffic for three different VLANs into three different switch ports (port-channels, actually) you need to separate those VLANs on the cisco switch side too. The switch has no way to tell the traffic for one VLAN from another because it has no VLAN tags to work with.

                                        Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                                        A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                                        DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                                        Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

                                        E 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • JKnottJ
                                          JKnott @erasedhammer
                                          last edited by

                                          @erasedhammer said in VLANs having same mac address causing flapping error on cisco switch:

                                          So what solutions are there to ensure separate mac addresses for the separate vlan ? I am referring to potentially assigning the vlan on pfsense with a mac addr,

                                          Once again, not possible. You're asking software to change hardware. While you can change the MAC, it will change for every frame transmitted by that NIC. The difference between different VLANs is the content of the VLAN tag. That's it. So, when a frame goes out on a VLAN, the contents of the tag are set for that VLAN.

                                          One thing to bear in mind is that all communication on the LAN is via MAC address. If you were to somehow change it when transmitting a frame, you might have the wrong MAC for a frame sent to another VLAN and that frame will be lost.

                                          PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                                          i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                                          UniFi AC-Lite access point

                                          I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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                                          • E
                                            erasedhammer @Derelict
                                            last edited by

                                            @Derelict
                                            I would assume setting native vlan (5, 10, 30) on those would be sufficient? Little divergent in the topic, but your help is much appreciated.

                                            JKnottJ DerelictD 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
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