MAC Moves Observed on NetScaler When More Than One Interface is in Same VLAN

MAC Moves Observed on NetScaler When More Than One Interface is in Same VLAN

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Article ID: CTX224626

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Description

MAC moves observed on NetScaler when more than one interface is in same VLAN.

The following entries are seen in newnslog:
current time is Mon Jun  5 17:03:55 2017
Channel 0/1 has been muted (conflict MAC 00:1d:45:24:b3:68)
Channel 1/1 has been muted (conflict MAC 00:1d:45:24:b3:68)
current time is Mon Jun  5 17:39:18 2017
Channel 0/1 has been unmuted now
Channel 1/1 has been unmuted now
current time is Mon Jun  5 17:40:07 2017
AWS: Master Forcefail
current time is Mon Jun  5 18:16:29 2017
Channel 0/1 has been muted (conflict MAC 00:50:56:b9:74:b2)
Channel 1/1 has been muted (conflict MAC 00:50:56:b9:74:b2)
current time is Mon Jun  5 18:24:49 2017
Channel 0/1 has been unmuted now
Channel 1/1 has been unmuted now
current time is Mon Jun  5 18:24:56 2017

Resolution

From the above logs we can conclude that NetScaler is experiencing very high layer 2 loops on Interface 0/1 & 0/2. These loops leads the interfaces to be muted several times.

To resolve this issue:
 

  1. Segregate the interfaces into different VLANs or aggregate the interfaces to a channel. Any network change that is made on the NetScaler also needs to be made on the switch. 
For more information on link aggregation, refer to Citrix Documentation - Configuring Link Aggregation.
https://docs.netscaler.com/en-us/citrix-adc/current-release/networking/interfaces/configuring-link-aggregation.html

As for Azure, the solution is to:
  1. Create 2 "fake" vlans on the ADC and bind them (Not Tagged) to the 1/1 and 1/2 interfaces and respective SNIPs.
  2. Do the same configuration in Secondary node by using the respective IP addresses.
Note: In Azure, you must also bind the SNIP to a NIC. Hence, the Interface you bind the VLAN/SNIP to in ADC MUST MATCH the NIC the SNIP is bound to in Azure, otherwise you will see Incomplete ARP.

Problem Cause

Incorrect configuration. Ensure Best Practices are followed.

Issue/Introduction

MAC moves observed on NetScaler when more than one interface is in same VLAN.

Additional Information

Refer to "nic_tot_bdg_mac_moved" counter to confirm this issue.

See Also: 
Basic Design Guidelines and Principles on NetScaler Routing, Default Routes, Interfaces and Channels, VLANs, and GARP

NetScaler Networking and VLAN Best Practices