Cisco VPC technology has solved network redundancy and reliability issues for a long time. However, like any technology, it has potential pitfalls. This video explores the various VPC failure scenarios in a Cisco VPC environment.
Summary
- If the VPC peer link is up, the peer keepalive link failure will not be affected. So, the VPC domain forwarding.
- If the VPC peer link goes down while having the keepalive link up, then the secondary peer shuts down its VPC interfaces, and only the primary VPC peer will be in a forwarding state.
- In case the VPC peer link goes down while having the keepalive link down, then both VPC peers think that the other switch is down, and that causes a split-brain scenario, which causes a forwarding issue.
- The VPC auto-recovery command enables the secondary peer to detect gradual failures.
Looking for Comprehensive Cisco Data Center Training?
Take your data center skills to the next level with my deep-dive courses, designed for real-world application.
Modern DC Architecture & Automation:
- Cisco Data Centers | ACI Core
- Cisco Data Centers | ACI Automation With Ansible
- Cisco Data Centers | VXLAN EVPN
Core Protocols & CCIE Prep:
Need Personalized Guidance?

