Underlay Orchestration

This section describes how to deploy an OSPF campus underlay network using the HPE Aruba Networking Central NetConductor underlay orchestration workflow. Review requirements listed in the NetConductor Architecture Guide before proceeding with this procedure, especially if using in-band management for switches.

A three-tier network identified as Herndon is used to illustrate this process.

Table of contents

• Underlay Orchestration
  • Plan the Underlay
    • Create a Central Group
  • Configure the Underlay

Plan the Underlay

Note: Underlay Orchestration requires a minimum AOS-CX firmware version 10.12.

All switches must be online and added to the appropriate Central group to starting the workflow. Connectivity to Central can be established using either in-band management or out-of-band management interface.

For 8000, 9000, and 10000 series CX switches, all ports are configured as Layer 3 and are administratively shut by default. A one-touch provisioning process is required to bring these switches online. In addition, these platforms may require manual configuration of interface speed when connecting to devices using non-default speeds, as well as split-port configurations when breakout cables are in use.

Before running the Underlay Orchestration workflow, all physical links between switches must be connected. This includes the VSX inter-switch link and the VSX keepalive connection. The orchestration process uses these physical connections to determine the network topology and automatically configure OSPF and VSX. Establishing these links during switch deployment allows the workflow to detect redundant switch pairs and apply the appropriate VSX configuration.

The Underlay Orchestration workflow requires two IP address pools. The pools are used to configure point-to-point OSPF links between switches in the fabric and to create two loopback interfaces on each switch. The loopback0 interface is used as the OSPF router ID and in-band management interface. The loopback1 interface is used as the VTEP source interface if an EVPN-VXLAN fabric is deployed next.

Note: Hostnames shown above have been abbreviated for readability.

Create a Central Group

All switches must be online and in the same group. Wireless gateways and APs may be in a different group; however, consider including them in the same group for ease of network management in a greenfield deployment.

For step-by-step instructions on creating a new group and adding devices to it, consult the Central section found earlier in this guide.

Configure the Underlay

Use this procedure to configure an OSPF campus using the Underlay Orchestration workflow in Central.

Step 1 In the Global dropdown, select the switch group. In this example, the group is HERCP-FAB.

Step 2 On the left menu, select Devices.

Step 3 Select Switches, then select Config.

Step 4 Under Routing, select Underlay Networks.

Step 5 In the Networks table, click the + (plus sign) at the top right.

Step 6 The Guided Setup for Underlay Network workflow appears. In the Network Type window, assign the following settings, and click Next.

• Network Name: HERCP-Underlay
• What type of network to configure?: Campus(3 tier L3 access)

Step 7 In the Structure window, assign the following settings and click Next.

• On which devices the WAN gateways (site uplink) is connected?: Service Aggregation Switches
• Do you have WLAN gateway?: Yes, Connected to Service Aggregation Switches

Step 8 In the Device Assignment window, select the Core Switches of the network and click Next.

Step 9 In the Device Assignment window, select the WLAN Service Aggregation Switches for the network and click Next.

Step 10 In the Device Assignment window, select the WAN Service Aggregation Switches for the network and click Next.

Note: In the topology above, the WAN Service Aggregation switches are a VSF stack and only one logical switch is selected.

Step 10 In the Device Assignment window, select the Access Aggregation Switches for the network and click Next.

Step 11 In the Device Assignment window, select the Access Switches for the network and click Next.

Step 12 In the Configuration window, enter the following values or leave the default, then click Next:

• Interface IPv4 subnet pool: 10.10.0.1/24
• Loopback IPv4 subnet pool: 10.10.1.1/24
• MTU size (bytes): Leave default
• VSX-Pair Transit VLAN: Leave default
• Use out-of-band management port for VSX keepalive: Leave unchecked
• Use NTP servers: Slide to the right
  • Inherited from group
• Use DNS servers: Slide to the right
  • Inherited from group

Step 13 In the Summary window, review the configuration details, then click Finish. Central immediately begins to configure the network.

Step 14 On the left menu, select Audit Log. Confirm the successful deployment of the underlay configuration by observing the log messages highlighted below.

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