Nexus 9000 NX-OS Switching
NX-OS's CLI is close enough to IOS to be dangerous. The vPC and role-election concepts trip up engineers who assume it behaves like a Catalyst switch. This lab puts you on real Nexus 9000s in NX-OS standalone mode to configure vPC pairs the way a real data-center access layer actually runs.
The problem
A vPC pair that was working fine suddenly shows one switch's ports suspended, and downstream devices connected through it start losing connectivity.
What you'll practice
- Configure a vPC domain between two Nexus 9000 switches
- Set up peer-link and peer-keepalive connectivity
- Verify vPC consistency checks and role election
- Configure port-channels toward downstream and upstream devices
- Diagnose a vPC in a suspended or inconsistent state
The topology
Two Nexus 9000 switches form a vPC domain over a dedicated peer-link, each connecting downstream to a shared access switch, the standard vPC dual-homing topology used in production data-center access layers.
Topology diagram
Frequently asked
Is this NX-OS standalone mode or ACI mode?
Standalone NX-OS: the CLI-driven mode most CCNP DCINX9K and day-to-day data-center switching work uses, distinct from the ACI fabric labs.
Do I need real Nexus 9000 hardware?
No. The Nexus 9000 images are already running and licensed. You configure vPC and switching, not physical cabling.
Ready to run this lab yourself?
No setup, no image sourcing. Book a session or ask for a live demo.