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Configuration Examples

The following sections provide Drain Mode configuration examples for different OS and device combinations.

Drain Spine Devices (L2 and L3 Blueprints)

The following occurs when draining the Spine:

  • Outbound routes are removed from the device’s routing table.

  • Routes to destinations with the device’s ASN (Autonomous System Numbers) in the AS-PATH are removed from all devices in the network.

  • Packets are forwarded through remaining ECMP (Equal Cost Multi-Path) paths for all destinations.

Note:

It is highly unlikely that a single in-flight packet will be lost. This is dependent however, on the L3 ECMP to L2 path hashing algorithms in the hardware and NOS.


Spine-leaf network maintenance steps: Draining a spine switch stops route advertisements, rerouting traffic; removal ensures uninterrupted traffic flow.

Drain (NX-OS)

Drain (Junos)

Drain Leaf Devices (Server-Facing Ports w/ MLAG)

The following occurs when draining Leaf devices with a server-facing port in an MLAG:

  • A route-map is placed on all BGP neighbors restricting inbound and outbound routes.

  • Server facing interfaces are shutdown.

  • MLAG peer interfaces are shutdown.

What happens at L3:

  • Outbound routes are removed from the device’s routing table.

  • Routes to destinations with the device’s ASN in the AS-PATH are removed from all devices in the network.

  • Packets are forwarded through remaining ECMP paths for all destinations.

Note:

It is highly unlikely that a single in-flight packet will be lost, however, this is dependent on the L3 ECMP to L2 path hashing algorithms in the hardware and NOS.

What happens at L2:

  • Server interfaces to this device will go DOWN.

  • Packets from the server that happen to be hashed onto this device via MLAG may be dropped depending on where they are in the forwarding process.

  • Packets from the server that happen to be hashed onto this device via MLAG may be forwarded over the MLAG peer link depending on where they are in the forwarding process.

  • Flows will be reestablished on the alternate MLAG interfaces.

  • New flows will be established on the remaining MLAG interfaces.


Network maintenance process showing a leaf switch in Drain state being removed from an L2 network topology and traffic rerouted to other switches.

Drain (NX-OS)

Drain (EOS)

Undrain (NS-OS)

What happens at L2:

  • Server interface to this device will go UP

  • New flows will be hashed onto the newly available MLAG interface

Undrain (EOS)

What happens at L2:

  • Server interface to this device will go UP

  • New flows will be hashed onto the newly available MLAG interface

Drain Leaf Devices (L2 Server-Facing Ports no MLAG)

The following occurs when draining a Leaf device with a server-facing port with no MLAG:

  • A route-map is placed on all BGP neighbors restricting inbound and outbound routes

  • Server facing interfaces are shutdown

Drain (Junos)

Drain (NX-OS)

Drain (EOS)

Undrain (NX-OS)

Undrain (EOS)

Drain Leaf Devices (L3 Connected Servers)

The following occurs when draining a Leaf device with a server connected at L3.

Network maintenance process with MLAG leaf switch: Drain stage reroutes traffic; Ready stage removes switch, keeping network operational.

Drain (EOS)

Undrain (EOS)