The network architecture employs a VLT connection between the two top-of-rack (ToR) switches. The inherent redundancy of a non-VLT environment requires standby equipment, which drives up infrastructure costs and increases risks. In a VLT environment, all paths are active, adding immediate value and throughput while still protecting against hardware failures.

VLT technology enables a server or bridge to uplink a physical trunk into more than one Dell EMC PowerSwitch switch by treating the uplink as one logical trunk. A VLT-connected pair of switches acts as a single switch to a connecting bridge or server. Both links from the bridge network can actively forward and receive traffic. VLT provides a replacement for Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)-based networks by providing both redundancy and full bandwidth utilization using multiple active paths.

Major benefits of VLT technology include:

• Dual control plane for highly available resilient network services
• Full utilization of the active link aggregation group (LAG) interfaces
• Active/active design for seamless operations during maintenance events