Considerations for sharing private layer 2 networks

MetroCluster ISL requirements in shared networks
When sharing ISL traffic in a shared network, you must ensure that you have adequate capacity and size the ISLs appropriately. Low latency is critical for replication of data between the MetroCluster sites. Latency issues on these connections can impact client I/O.

ISL cabling requirements
When using shared ISLs in a MetroCluster IP configuration, you must be aware of the requirements for the end-to-end MetroCluster ISL running from controller ports on site A to controller ports on site B.

Required settings on intermediate switches
When sharing ISL traffic in a shared network, the configuration of the intermediate switches provided by the customer must ensure that the MetroCluster traffic (RDMA and storage) meets the required service levels across the entire path between the MetroCluster sites.

Examples of MetroCluster network topologies
Starting with ONTAP 9.6, some shared ISL network configurations are supported for MetroCluster IP configurations.