The VSX Keepalive link is a crucial secondary communication path used to prevent "split-brain" scenarios by monitoring the health of the peer switch when the Inter-Switch Link (ISL) fails.
While multiple methods are technically supported, the OOBM (Out-of-Band Management) interface is generally recommended only as a last resort and should be avoided in high-performance or critical environments for the following reasons:
Shared Management Infrastructure: Using the OOBM port makes the VSX state dependent on the management network’s reliability. If the management switch or network between the two VSX peers fails, it can trigger a false Keepalive failure.
Latency and Convergence: The OOBM interface typically has lower processing priority and bandwidth compared to front-panel data ports, which can lead to slower convergence or missed heartbeats during periods of high management traffic.
Best Practice: The preferred method is a Dedicated Interface (Option B) using a direct physical connection between the two switches on a dedicated VRF to ensure maximum reliability and isolation from both the data plane and the management plane.
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