Selecting A Layer 3 Distributed Core Fabric Design - Dell Active Fabric Manager Deployment Manual

• Obtain the Remote Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) / File Transfer Protocol (FTP) address from your network
administrator or network operator.
• Download the software image for each type of switch in the fabric: S4810 or Z9000. Each type of switch must use
the same version of the software image within the fabric. Place the software images on the TFTP/FTP site so
that the switches can install the appropriate FTOS software image and configuration file. The AFM
automatically copies the minimum configuration into the specified TFTP/FTP location. To specify a TFTP/FTP
site, go to Administration > Settings screen. For information about which software packages to use, see the
Release Notes.
• Obtain the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server address to be used for the fabric from your DHCP
network administrator or network operator. If a remote DHCP server is not available, AFM also provides a local
DHCP. The DHCP server must be in the same subnet where the switches are located. After you power cycle the
switches, the switches communicate with the DHCP server to obtain a management IP address based on the
system MAC address. The DHCP server contains information about where to load the correct software image
configuration file for each type of switch from the TFTP/FTP site during BMP. For information about BMP, see
Pre-Deployment – Step 7: DHCP
• Obtain pool of IP addresses for the management port for each switch in the fabric.
• Obtain IP addresses (2-8 addresses, must be an even number) for the uplink configuration from the ISP service.
• Obtain IP addresses for the downlink configuration for connecting to the server or ToR.
• Obtain IP addresses for the Fabric Interlink Configuration for the spine and leaf switches.
• Gather protocol configuration for uplinks, downlinks and fabric interlink configuration

Selecting a Layer 3 Distributed Core Fabric Design

For large fabric deployments, use the Layer 3 distributed core fabric. AFM supports the following distributed core fabric
designs:
• Type 1: Extra Large Core Fabric
• Type 2: Large Distributed Core Fabric
• Type 3: Medium Distributed Core Fabric
• Type 4: Small Distributed Core Fabric
To select the appropriate Layer 3 distributed core fabric design, use the following table as a guide. For more information
about a Layer 3 distributed core, see
Core Fabric. See also the Flowchart for Designing and Deploying a Fabric.
Table 1. Layer 3 Distributed Core Design Fabric Designs
Distributed Core Type 1-Extra Large Core
Fabrics
Spine device Z9000
Leaf device Z9000
fabric over- 1:1 (line rate)
subscription (OS)
ratio
Max # of spine 16
devices
22
Integration.
Overview of a Distributed Core
Type 2-Large Core
S4810
S4810
1:1 (line rate)
32
and Key Considerations for Designing a Distributed
Type 3-Medium Core
Z9000
S4810
3:1 (default)
4:1
4 spines with a fabric OS
ratio of 3:1
Type 4-Small Core
S4810
S4810
3:1 (default)
5:1
2 or 4