Being involved in different Data Center design projects requires you knowing how to interconnect Data Centers. Below you’ll find my notes from Cisco Data Center Design & Implementation Guide, System Release 1.0.
DCI Business Drivers: HA Clusters/Geoclusters
- Microsoft MSCS
- Veritas Cluster Server (Local)
- Solaris Sun Cluster Enterprise
- VMware Cluster (Local)
- VMware VMotion
- Oracle Real Application Cluster (RAC)
- IBM HACMP
- EMS/Legato Automated Availability Manager
- NetApp Metro Cluster
- HP Metrocluster
Active/Standby Migration, Move/Consolidate Servers
- VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM)
- Microsoft Server 2008 Layer 3 Clustering
- VMware Vmotion
The applications above drive the business and operation requirement for extending the Layer 2 domain across geographically dispersed data centers. Extending Layer 2 domains across data centers present challenges including, but not limited to:
- Spanning tree isolation across data centers
- Achieving high availability
- Full utilization of cross sectional bandwidth across the Layer 2 domain
- Network loop avoidance, given redundant links and devices without spanning tree