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REP, Asymmetric Routing and HSRP
Table of Contents
1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Problem Statement ....................................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Topology........................................................................................................................................ 2
1.3 Configuration ................................................................................................................................ 3
2 Traffic Flow.......................................................................................................................................... 10
2.1 Traffic from Host (H1) on REP Segment-1................................................................................... 10
2.2 Traffic to Host (H1) on REP Segment-1 ....................................................................................... 11
2.3 Traffic from Host (H2) on REP Segment-2................................................................................... 12
2.4 Traffic to Host (H2) on REP Segment-2 ....................................................................................... 13
3 Consequence of Paths......................................................................................................................... 14
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REP, Asymmetric Routing and HSRP
To explain the phenomena, its document mentioned two routers runs two HSRP instances for two VLAN,
one router active for one VLAN and other Router for another VLAN. And both routers serve as a default
gateway for one host connect to it, in the VLAN for which it is the Active HSRP peer.
1.2 Topology
Here I will try to explain same phenomena with following topology:
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REP, Asymmetric Routing and HSRP
Two REP (Resilience Ethernet Protocol) rings are connected around two routers (cisco 7600 + RSP720).
Hosts, connected on the rings, are in same Vlan (Vlan 600). Dot1q Trunks runs through switches
(ME3400) and Routers to create a layer 2 domain for VLAN 600.
7600-A and 7600-B have implemented HSRP for VLAN 600. 7600-A is standby whereas 7600-B is Active
peer.
For sake load balancing Primary-Edge port of REP-Segment-1 terminate on 7600-A and REP-Segment-2’s
primary port on 7600-B. Edge Ports of both segments are terminated on alternate routers, for Segment-
1 it is 7600-B and for Segment-2 it is 7600-A. Traffic in REP Segment-1 and Segment-2 flow towards
7600-A and 7600-B respectively.
To have a traffic flow in & out of VLAN 600, a Host (Svr) in connected on 7600-C. To simulate
asymmetric routing, for this case study, static routes are configured between 7600-A, 7600-b and 7600-
C.
1.3 Configuration
Router: 7600-A Configuration
vlan 3
name REP-Admin
!
vlan 5
name Native-Vlan
!
vlan 600
name HSRP
!
interface Vlan600
description *** HSPR StandBy GW for VLAN 600***
ip address 10.0.0.253 255.255.255.0
standby 6 ip 10.1.90.6
standby 6 priority 91
standby 6 preempt
!
interface Port-channel1
description *** REP-HSRP-L2-TRUNK ***
switchport
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rep segment 2
!
interface GigabitEthernet1/1
description *** Access-Sw REP-Segment-2 Port ***
port-type nni
switchport trunk native vlan 5
rep segment 2
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2 Traffic Flow
2.1 Traffic from Host (H1) on REP Segment-1
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REP, Asymmetric Routing and HSRP
b. Devices like Sw-6, Sw-7, Sw-8, Sw-9 and Sw-10 did heard ARP broadcast from H1 and
entered its MAC Address in their MAC tables. But since then they didn’t received any
frame sourced by H1 MAC address for this communication session (H1 Svr)
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REP, Asymmetric Routing and HSRP
5. The 7600-A ARP broadcasted Request, provide 7600-A SVI600 MAC address (bia MAC Address) to
all device mentioned in 4-b. and build ARP entry in Host (H1) ARP table with 7600-A’s IP
Address & MAC address
6. The Host H1(10.0.0.10) unicast Reply, reset the timer of the entry of its MAC address in MAC
table all devices in the path[Sw-5, Sw-4, Sw-3, Sw-2, Sw-1 and 7600-A] to 7600-A (as they have
already learned its MAC address in section 2.1 bullet 3 ) and provide data for ARP table of
7600-A with its IP Address & its MAC address
7. Now data traffic can be forward from Svr to H1 via 7600-A.
a. This data traffic will keep on resetting MAC address timer of 7600-A’s SVI600 MAC
Address (bia MAC Address) in all the device in the path to H1.
i. Devices are : Sw-1, Sw-2, Sw-3, Sw-4, Sw-5, 7600-A
b. Devices like 7600-B, Sw-6, Sw-7, Sw-8, Sw-9 and Sw-10 did heard ARP broadcast from
7600-A and entered its MAC Address in their MAC tables. But they didn’t received any
frame sourced by 7600-A MAC address for this communication (SvrH1)
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2. Svr (10.2.0.2 ) search its ARP Cache to find the MAC of its GW(10.2.0.1) and got it .
[Note: ARP cache was build when Svr reply to H1 describe in section 2.2. ARP Cache can be
used if time difference between “reply to H1” & “reply to H2” is less than 4 hours otherwise
ARP request will be regenerated]
3. Svr (10.2.0.2) forward frame to 7600-C (10.2.0.1), 7600-C route the packet towards 7600-A
because of Static Route configure for 10.0.0.0/24 towards 10.1.0.5
4. 7600-A received the packet for (H2)10.0.0.11. Routing finds the fact that host H2 (10.0.0.11) is
on connected network. So, router generate an ARP request for host H2 (10.0.0.11).
a. So 7600-A broadcast ARP Request to find MAC for IP address 10.0.0.11
b. All Networking nodes, configured with vlan 600 (all Switch Sw-1 to Sw-10,7600-A, 7600-
B, H1 and H2) hears the broadcast from 7600-A. But only host H2 (10.0.0.11) replies the
broadcast with its MAC.
5. The 7600-A broadcasted ARP Request, provide 7600-A SVI600 MAC address (bia MAC Address) to
all device mentioned in 4-b, those who have MAC address will reset the timer and those don’t,
they register its MAC address. This ARP Request also build ARP entry in Host (H2) ARP table
with 7600-A’s IP Address & MAC address
6. The Host H2(10.0.0.11) unicast Reply, reset the timer of the entry of its MAC address in MAC
table of the devices in path to 7600-A [devices: Sw-7, Sw-6, 7600-B] (as they have already
learned its MAC address in previous section’s 2.3 bullet 3 ) and provide data for ARP table of
7600-A with its IP Address & its MAC address.
7. Now data traffic can be forward from Svr to H2 via 7600-A.
a. This data traffic will keep on resetting MAC address timer of 7600-A’s SVI600 MAC
Address (bia MAC Address) in all the device in the path to H2.
i. Devices are : Sw6, Sw7, 7600-A and 7600-B
ii. Devices like Sw-1, Sw-2, Sw-3, Sw-4, Sw-5, Sw-8, Sw-
9, Sw-10 did heard ARP broadcast from 7600-A and entered its MAC
Address in their MAC tables. But if they didn’t received any frame
sourced by 7600-A MAC address for this communication (SvrH2)
3 Consequence of Paths
In above section we have seen four paths
1. Two for H1 and Svr communication
a. (Forward) H1 Sw-5 Sw-4 Sw-3 Sw-2 Sw-1 7600-A 7600-B 7600-C Svr
b. (Return) Svr 7600-C 7600-A Sw-1 Sw-2 Sw-3 Sw-4 Sw-5 H1
2. Two for H2 and Svr communication
a. (Forward) H2 Sw-7 7600-B 7600-C Svr
b. (Return) Svr 7600-C 7600-A 7600-A Sw-6 Sw-7 H2
So, for H1 and Svr communication, frames travel on forward path keep on updating the MAC tables
(with the source: H1 MAC address) of the all devices that will going to be used for return traffic. But in
case of H2 and Svr communication, frames travel on forward path do not update MAC table of 7600-A,
7600-A has to learn the MAC Address of H2 through ARP process. ARP take 4 hours to flush the ARP
entry whereas 7600-A MAC address table flush the entry after 5 mins.
So 7600-A doesn’t find the MAC Address of H2 in its table after five from ARP reply received, and it has
to flood packets to ports carry VLAN 600.
When flooded packet reach 7600-B, it finds the MAC address of H2 and forward to correct port. When
flooded packet reach Sw-1 it again flood to all ports expect form where it received the frame and this
flooding will go on for all switches in REP Segment -1.
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