In an active/active configuration, you can access data from both storage systems even if one of the storage systems in the configuration fails. With a second-level vif connected in a single-mode configuration, you can maintain connectivity to your storage system even if one of the switches fails. Thus, by using the two configurations together, you can achieve a fully redundant storage system connectivity architecture.
The following figure shows second-level vifs in a cluster. When both storage systems are in operation, the following connections exist:
Firstlev2 and Firstlev3 are in standby mode.
If one of the switches fails, the following happens:
In the following figure, Switch 1 fails in a cluster. Firstlev2 takes over the MAC address of Firstlev1 and maintains the connectivity through Switch 2.