HP 12500 Series User manual

HP FlexFabric 12500 and 12500E Routing
Switch Series
V
irtual Technologies
Configuration Guide
Part number: 5998-4860
Software version: 12500-CMW710-R7328
Document version: 6PW100-20140128

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i
Contents
IRF overview ································································································································································· 1
Hardware compatibility····················································································································································1
IRF benefits·········································································································································································1
Application scenario·························································································································································1
Network topologies ··························································································································································2
Basic concepts···································································································································································2
Operating mode·······················································································································································4
IRF member roles ······················································································································································4
IRF member ID···························································································································································5
MPU roles··································································································································································5
IRF port ······································································································································································5
IRF physical port ·······················································································································································6
IRF domain ID ···························································································································································6
IRF split ······································································································································································6
IRF merge ··································································································································································7
Member priority························································································································································7
Master election··································································································································································7
IRF multi-active detection ··················································································································································8
Multi-active handling procedure ·····························································································································8
LACP MAD ································································································································································9
BFD MAD ······························································································································································· 10
ARP MAD ······························································································································································· 11
ND MAD ································································································································································ 12
Configuring IRF···························································································································································14
General restrictions and configuration guidelines······································································································ 14
Software requirements ·········································································································································· 14
IRF size ··································································································································································· 14
MPU and IRF physical port restrictions················································································································ 14
IRF link redundancy··············································································································································· 15
Multichassis link aggregation ······························································································································ 15
Feature and IRF mode compatibility···················································································································· 15
MAD and IRF domain restrictions························································································································ 15
MDC ······································································································································································· 16
EVI restrictions························································································································································ 16
Other configuration guidelines ···························································································································· 16
Setup and configuration task list ·································································································································· 17
Planning the IRF fabric setup········································································································································· 17
Preconfiguring IRF member devices in standalone mode ·························································································· 18
Assigning a member ID to each IRF member device························································································· 18
Specifying a priority for each member device··································································································· 18
Binding physical ports to IRF ports ······················································································································ 19
Enabling enhanced IRF in standalone mode··············································································································· 20
Saving configuration to the next-startup configuration file ························································································ 20
Connecting physical IRF ports······································································································································· 21
Setting the operating mode to IRF mode ····················································································································· 22
Accessing the IRF fabric ················································································································································ 23
Configuring IRF member devices in IRF mode ············································································································ 23
Assigning an IRF domain ID to the IRF fabric····································································································· 23

ii
Changing the member ID of a device················································································································· 23
Changing the priority of a member device ········································································································ 24
Adding physical ports to an IRF port··················································································································· 24
Enabling enhanced IRF in IRF mode···················································································································· 26
Enabling IRF auto merge ······································································································································ 27
Configuring a member device description ········································································································· 27
Configuring IRF bridge MAC persistence··········································································································· 28
Enabling software auto-update for system software image synchronization ·················································· 29
Setting the IRF link down report delay ················································································································ 30
Configuring MAD·················································································································································· 30
Fast-restoring IRF configuration for a one-MPU member···························································································· 39
Displaying and maintaining an IRF fabric··················································································································· 40
Configuration examples ················································································································································ 41
LACP MAD-enabled IRF configuration example for a two-chassis IRF fabric·················································· 41
BFD MAD-enabled IRF configuration example for a two-chassis IRF fabric···················································· 43
ARP MAD-enabled IRF configuration example for a two-chassis IRF fabric···················································· 46
ND MAD-enabled IRF configuration example for a two-chassis IRF fabric····················································· 49
Configuration example for restoring standalone mode ···················································································· 51
Four-chassis IRF fabric configuration example ··································································································· 53
Configuring MDCs·····················································································································································59
Overview········································································································································································· 59
MDC applications ················································································································································· 59
Default MDC and non-default MDCs ·················································································································· 60
MDC configuration guidelines······································································································································ 60
MDC configuration task list··········································································································································· 61
Creating an MDC ·························································································································································· 62
Assigning hardware resources to an MDC················································································································· 62
Authorizing an MDC to use an LPU ···················································································································· 62
Assigning physical interfaces to an MDC··········································································································· 63
Specifying a CPU weight for an MDC················································································································ 64
Specifying a disk space percentage for an MDC ····························································································· 65
Specifying a memory space percentage for an MDC······················································································· 65
Starting an MDC ···························································································································································· 66
Accessing an MDC ························································································································································ 66
Displaying and maintaining MDCs······························································································································ 66
MDC configuration examples······································································································································· 67
MDC configuration example in standalone mode····························································································· 67
MDC configuration example in IRF mode ·········································································································· 72
Support and other resources ·····································································································································79
Contacting HP ································································································································································ 79
Subscription service ·············································································································································· 79
Related information························································································································································ 79
Documents······························································································································································ 79
Websites································································································································································· 79
Conventions ···································································································································································· 80
Index ···········································································································································································82

1
IRF overview
The HP Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF) technology creates a large IRF fabric from multiple devices to
provide data center class availability and scalability. IRF virtualization technology offers processing
power, interaction, unified management, and uninterrupted maintenance of multiple devices.
This book describes IRF concepts and guides you through the IRF setup procedure.
NOTE:
Unless otherwise stated, the term "12500" refers to both 12500 and 12500-E chassis.
Hardware compatibility
An HP 12500 switch can form an IRF fabric only with devices in the same series.
IRF benefits
IRF provides the following benefits:
•Simplified topology and easy management—An IRF fabric appears as one node and is accessible
at a single IP address on the network. You can use this IP address to log in at any member device
to manage all the members of the IRF fabric. In addition, you do not need to run the spanning tree
feature among the IRF members.
•1:N redundancy—In an IRF fabric, one member works as the master to manage and control the
entire IRF fabric. All other members process services while backing up the master. When the master
fails, all the other member devices elect a new master from among them to take over without
interrupting services.
•IRF link aggregation—You can assign several physical links between neighboring members to their
IRF ports to create a load-balanced aggregate IRF connection with redundancy.
•Multiple-chassis link aggregation—You can use the Ethernet link aggregation feature to aggregate
the physical links between the IRF fabric and its upstream or downstream devices across the IRF
members.
•Network scalability and resiliency—Processing capacity of an IRF fabric equals the total
processing capacities of all the members. You can increase ports, network bandwidth, and
processing capacity of an IRF fabric simply by adding member devices without changing the
network topology.
Application scenario
Figure 1 shows an IRF fabric that has two devices, which appear as a single node to the upper and lower
layer devices.

2
Figure 1 IRF application scenario
Network topologies
An IRF fabric can use a daisy-chain or ring topology. IRF does not support the full mesh topology. For
information about connecting IRF member devices, see "Connecting physical IRF ports."
Basic concepts
This section uses Figure 2 to describe the basic concepts that you might encounter when you work with
IRF.

3
Figure 2 Two-chassis IRF fabric implementation schematic diagram
In this figure, Device A and Device B form a two-chassis IRF fabric. The fabric has four MPUs (one active
and three standbys), and two times the number of interface cards that a single device provides. The IRF
fabric manages the physical and software resources of Device A and Device B in a centralized manner.
You can scale this two-chassis IRF fabric to a four-chassis IRF fabric for higher port density and
availability, as shown in Figure 3.

4
Figure 3 Four-chassis IRF fabric implementation schematic diagram
Operating mode
The device operates in one of the following modes:
•Standalone mode—The device cannot form an IRF fabric with other devices.
•IRF mode—The device can form an IRF fabric with other devices.
IRF member roles
IRF uses two member roles: master and standby (called "subordinate" throughout the documentation).
IRF link
IRF is
formed.
Master
Subordinate
IRF physical
ports IRF physical
ports
IRF-port2 IRF-port 1
Network
interfaces
Network
interfaces
IRF
Global active MPU
Global standby MPU
Global standby MPU
Global standby MPU
Active MPU
Device A Device B
( Member ID=2 )
IRF-port 2
IRF-port 2
Network
interfaces
Network
interfaces
Standby MPU
Active MPU
Standby MPU
IRF-port1
IRF physical
ports
IRF physical
ports
Active MPU
Standby MPU
Device C Device D
Active MPU
Standby MPU
IRF-port 1
IRF-port 2
IRF-port1
Subordinate
Global standby MPU
Global standby MPU
Subordinate
Global standby MPU
Global standby MPU
( Member ID=4 )
( Member ID=1 )
( Member ID=3 )
( Member ID=2 )( Member ID=1 )
( Member ID=3 ) ( Member ID=4 )

5
When devices form an IRF fabric, they elect a master to manage the IRF fabric, and all other devices back
up the master. When the master device fails, the other devices elect a new master automatically. For more
information about master election, see "Master election."
IRF member ID
An IRF fabric uses member IDs to uniquely identify and manage its members. If two devices have the
same IRF member ID, they cannot form an IRF fabric. If the IRF member ID of a device has been used in
an IRF fabric, the device cannot join the fabric.
Member ID information is included as the first part of interface numbers and file paths to uniquely
identify interfaces and files in an IRF fabric. For example, after you assign a device with member ID 2 to
an IRF fabric, the name of interface GigabitEthernet 3/0/1 changes to GigabitEthernet 2/3/0/1. The
file path changes from slot1#flash:/test.cfg to chassis2#slot1#flash:/test.cfg.
By default, the standby MPU of a device is assigned the same ID automatically as the active MPU. You
can change the standby MPU ID of one member device to quickly recover IRF configuration for another
member device that has only one MPU. The process is described in "Fast-restoring IRF configuration for
a one-MPU member."
MPU roles
Each IRF member device has one or two MPUs. The following are roles that the MPUs play:
Role Descri
p
tion
Master MPU Active MPU of the master device. It is also called the "global active MPU." You
configure and manage the entire IRF fabric at the CLI of the global active MPU.
Active MPU
Active MPU on each member device. An active MPU has the following
responsibilities:
•Manages the local device, including synchronizing configuration with the
local standby MPU, processing protocol packets, and creating and
maintaining route entries.
•Handles IRF related events, such as master election and topology collection.
Standby MPU
For the master MPU, all other MPUs, including active MPUs on subordinate
devices, are standby MPUs.
If a member device has two MPUs, the one backing up the local active MPU is
the local standby MPU from the perspective of the member device.
IRF port
An IRF port is a logical interface for the connection between IRF member devices. Every IRF-capable
device supports two IRF ports.
In standalone mode, the IRF ports are named IRF-port 1 and IRF-port 2.
In IRF mode, the IRF ports are named IRF-port n/1 and IRF-port n/2, where nis the member ID of the
device. The two IRF ports are referred to as "IRF-port 1" and "IRF-port 2" in this book for simplicity.
To use an IRF port, you must bind at least one physical port to it. The physical ports assigned to an IRF
port form an aggregate IRF link automatically. An IRF port goes down only if all its physical IRF ports are
down.

6
For two neighboring devices, their IRF physical links must be bound to IRF-port 1 on one device and to
IRF-port 2 on the other.
IRF physical port
IRF physical ports connect IRF member devices and must be bound to an IRF port. They forward the IRF
protocol packets between IRF member devices and the data packets that must travel across IRF member
devices.
IRF domain ID
One IRF fabric forms one IRF domain. IRF uses IRF domain IDs to uniquely identify IRF fabrics and prevent
IRF fabrics from interfering with one another.
As shown in Figure 4, Device A and Device B form IRF fabric 1, and Device C and Device D form IRF
fabric 2. Both fabrics use the LACP aggregate links between them for MAD. When a member device
receives an extended LACP packet for MAD, it checks the domain ID to see whether the packet is from
the local IRF fabric or from a different IRF fabric. Then, the device can handle the packet correctly.
Figure 4 A network that contains two IRF domains
IRF split
IRF split occurs when an IRF fabric breaks up into two or more IRF fabrics because of IRF link failures, as
shown in Figure 5. The split IRF fabrics operate with the same IP address and cause routing and
forwarding problems on the network. To quickly detect a multi-active collision, configure at least one
MAD mechanisms (see "IRF multi-active detection").

7
To avoid a card removal causing an IRF split, bind physical ports on different cards to an IRF port.
Figure 5 IRF split
IRF merge
IRF merge occurs when two split IRF fabrics reunite or when two independent IRF fabrics are combined,
as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6 IRF merge
Member priority
Member priority determines the possibility of a member device to be elected the master. A member with
higher priority is more likely to be elected the master.
The default member priority is 1. You can change the member priority of a device to affect the master
election result.
Master election
Master election is held each time the IRF fabric topology changes, for example, when the IRF fabric is
established, the master device fails or is removed, the IRF fabric splits, or active IRF fabrics merge. Master
election does not occur when two split IRF fabrics merge.
Master election uses the following rules in descending order:
1. Current master, even if a new member has higher priority.
When an IRF fabric is being formed, all member devices consider themselves as the master, and
this rule is skipped.
2. Member with higher priority.
3. Member with the longest system uptime.
Two members are considered starting up at the same time if their startup time difference is equal
to or less than 10 minutes. For these members, the next tiebreaker applies.
4. Member with the lowest CPU MAC address.
The IRF fabric is formed on election of the master.
IRF link
XGE1/3/0/1 XGE2/3/0/1
Device A Device B
Device A Device B
IRF 1 IRF 2 IRF
+=

8
During an IRF merge, members of the IRF fabric that has failed the master election must reboot to rejoin
the IRF fabric that wins the election. The reboot can be performed automatically or manually, depending
on the configuration. See "Enabling IRF auto merge."
After a master election, all subordinate devices reboot with the configuration on the master. The
configuration files of the subordinate members are still retained, but these files do not take effect in the
IRF fabric. A subordinate member reboots with its own startup configuration file only when it is converted
to the standalone mode.
IRF multi-active detection
An IRF link failure causes an IRF fabric to split in two IRF fabrics operating with the same Layer 3
configurations, including the same IP address. To avoid IP address collision and network problems, IRF
uses multi-active detection (MAD) mechanisms to detect the presence of multiple identical IRF fabrics,
handle collisions, and recover from faults.
Multi-active handling procedure
The multi-active handling procedure includes detection, collision handling, and failure recovery.
Detection
The MAD implementation of this device detects active IRF fabrics with the same Layer 3 global
configuration by extending the LACP, BFD, ARP, or IPv6 ND protocol.
These MAD mechanisms identify each IRF fabric with a domain ID and an active ID (the member ID of
the master). If multiple active IDs are detected in a domain, MAD determines that an IRF collision or split
has occurred.
You can use at least one of these mechanisms in an IRF fabric, depending on your network topology.
IMPORTANT:
LACP MAD handles collisions differently than BFD MAD, ARP MAD, and ND MAD. To avoid conflicts, do
not use LACP MAD together with any of those mechanisms. However, you can use BFD MAD, ARP MAD,
and ND MAD together.
For a comparison of these MAD mechanisms, see "Configuring MAD."
Collision handling
When MAD detects a multi-active collision, it allows one IRF fabric to forward traffic and sets all the other
IRF fabrics to the Recovery state. The Recovery-state IRF fabrics are inactive and cannot forward traffic.
LACP MAD handles a multi-active collision in the following procedure:
1. Compares the number of members in each fabric.
2. Allows the fabric that has the most members to forward traffic, and sets all other fabrics to the
Recovery state.
3. Compares the member IDs of the masters if all IRF fabrics have the same number of members.
4. Allows the IRF fabric that has the lowest numbered master to forward traffic, and all other fabrics
to the Recovery (inactive) state. To avoid network flapping caused by IRF split, HP recommends
that you configure the lowest numbered member as the master in a two-chassis IRF fabric.
5. Shuts down all physical network ports in the Recovery-state fabrics except for the following ports:

9
{Physical IRF ports
{Ports you have specified with the mad exclude interface command
In contrast, BFD MAD, ARP MAD, and ND MAD do not compare the number of members in fabrics.
These MAD mechanisms handle a multi-active collision in the following process:
6. Allow the IRF fabric that has the lowest numbered master to forward traffic.
7. Set all other fabrics to the Recovery state.
8. Take the same action on the network ports in Recovery-state fabrics as LACP MAD does.
Failure recovery
To merge two split IRF fabrics, first repair the failed IRF link and remove the IRF link failure.
If the IRF fabric in Recovery state fails before the failure is recovered, repair the failed IRF fabric and the
failed IRF link.
If the active IRF fabric fails before the failure is recovered, enable the inactive IRF fabric to take over the
active IRF fabric. Then, recover the MAD failure.
LACP MAD
LACP MAD requires that every IRF member have a link with an intermediate device, and all these links
form a dynamic link aggregation group, as shown in Figure 7. In addition, the intermediate device must
be an HP device that supports extended LACP for MAD.
The IRF member devices send extended LACPDUs with TLVs that convey the domain ID and the active ID
of the IRF fabric. The intermediate device transparently forwards the extended LACPDUs received from
one member device to all the other member devices:
•If the domain IDs and the active IDs in the extended LACPDUs sent by all the member devices are
the same, the IRF fabric is integrated.
•If the extended LACPDUs convey the same domain ID but different active IDs, a split has occurred.
LACP MAD handles this situation as described in "Collision handling."

10
Figure 7 LACP MAD application scenario
BFD MAD
BFD MAD can work with or without intermediate devices. Figure 8 shows a typical BFD MAD application
scenario.
To use BFD MAD:
•Set up dedicated BFD MAD link between each pair of IRF members or between each IRF member
and the intermediate device. Only use the BFD MAD links for BFD MAD.
•Assign the ports connected by BFD MAD links to the same VLAN, create a VLAN interface for the
VLAN, and assign a MAD IP address to each member on the VLAN interface.
The MAD IP addresses identify the member devices and must belong to the same subnet.
With BFD MAD, the master tries to establish BFD sessions with the other member devices by using its
MAD IP address as the source IP address:
•If the IRF fabric is integrated, only the MAD IP address of the master is effective, and the master
cannot establish a BFD session with any other member. If you execute the display bfd session
command, the state of the BFD sessions is Down.
•When the IRF fabric splits, the IP addresses of the masters in the split IRF fabrics take effect, and the
two masters can establish a BFD session. If you use the display bfd session command, the state of
the BFD session between the two devices is Up.
Intermediate device
Master
IRF
Internet
Customer
premise
network
IRF link
Common traffic path
LACP MAD traffic path
LACP-enabled dynamic
link aggregation
Subordinate
LACP-enabled dynamic
link aggregation

11
Figure 8 BFD MAD application scenario
ARP MAD
ARP MAD detects multi-active collisions by using extended ARP packets that convey the IRF domain ID
and the active ID.
You can set up ARP MAD links between neighbor IRF member devices, or between each IRF member
device and an intermediate device (see Figure 9). If an intermediate device is used, you must also run the
spanning tree feature between the IRF fabric and the intermediate device.
Device
Master Subordinate
IRF
Internet
Customer
premise
network
IRF link
Link aggregation
BFD MAD link
VLAN 2
192.168.1.2/24 VLAN 2
192.168.1.3/24

12
Figure 9 ARP MAD application scenario
Each IRF member compares the domain ID and the active ID in incoming extended ARP packets with its
domain ID and active ID:
•If the domain IDs are different, the extended ARP packet is from a different IRF fabric. The device
does not continue to process the packet with the MAD mechanism.
•If the domain IDs are the same, the device compares the active IDs:
{If the active IDs are different, the IRF fabric has split.
{If the active IDs are the same, the IRF fabric is integrated.
ND MAD
ND MAD detects multi-active collisions by using the ND protocol's NS packets to transmit the IRF domain
ID and the active ID.
You can set up ND MAD links between neighbor IRF member devices, or between each IRF member
device and an intermediate device (see Figure 10). If an intermediate device is used, you must also run
the spanning tree protocol between the IRF fabric and the intermediate device.

13
Figure 10 ND MAD application scenario
Each IRF member device compares the domain ID and the active ID in incoming NS packets with its
domain ID and active ID:
•If the domain IDs are different, the NS packet is from a different IRF fabric. The device does not
continue to process the packet with the MAD mechanism.
•If the domain IDs are the same, the device compares the active IDs:
{If the active IDs are different, the IRF fabric has split.
{If the active IDs are the same, the IRF fabric is integrated.

14
Configuring IRF
General restrictions and configuration guidelines
To ensure a successful IRF setup, read the configuration restrictions and guidelines carefully before you
connect and set up an IRF fabric.
Software requirements
All IRF member devices must run the same system software image version.
IRF size
A 12500 IRF fabric can have up to four chassis.
MPU and IRF physical port restrictions
MPU restrictions
When you set up an IRF fabric, follow these MPU restrictions and guidelines:
•Every IRF member must have at least one MPU.
•All member devices must use the same type of MPUs.
•To use enhanced IRF, make sure each IRF member has two MPUs.
Selecting IRF physical ports
You must use Layer 2 Ethernet fiber or copper ports for IRF connection. HP recommends using 10-GE fiber
ports for high performance.
IRF physical port binding restrictions
When you bind IRF physical ports to IRF ports, follow these restrictions and guidelines:
•Link aggregation member ports cannot be bound to an IRF port. To bind them to an IRF port, you
must first remove them from the aggregation group.
•If multiple physical links are used between two member chassis, bind them all to IRF-port 1 on one
chassis and to IRF-port 2 on the other. If the number of physical ports at the two ends of an
aggregate IRF link differs, the IRF fabric cannot be formed.
•In IRF mode, use the shutdown command to shut down a physical port before you bind it to or
remove it from an IRF port. In standalone mode, the shutdown operation is not required.
•Make sure you have brought up the IRF physical ports after you complete the binding operation.
Connecting IRF ports
When you connect two neighboring IRF members, connect the physical ports of IRF-port 1 on one
member to the physical ports of IRF-port 2 on the other.

15
Suppose you have four chassis: A, B, C, and D. IRF-port 1 and IRF-port 2 are represented by A1 and A2
on chassis A, represented by B1 and B2 on chassis B, and so on. To connect the four chassis into a ring
topology of A-B-C-D(A), the IRF link cabling scheme must be one of the following:
•A1-B2, B1-C2, C1-D2, and D1-A2.
•A 2- B 1, B 2- C 1, C 2- D 1, a n d D 2- A 1.
IRF link redundancy
When you configure an IRF fabric, follow these redundancy restrictions and guidelines:
•For link redundancy and load sharing, bind up to 12 physical ports to one IRF port.
•Physical ports bound to an IRF port can be located on different cards.
•HP recommends using multicard IRF links to avoid a card removal causing an IRF split.
Multichassis link aggregation
For high availability, connect a downstream device to each IRF member device, and assign the links to
one link aggregation group. See Figure 22.
Feature and IRF mode compatibility
To form an IRF fabric:
•All member devices in the IRF fabric must use the same ACL hardware mode. For more information
about hardware-based ACLs, see ACL and QoS Configuration Guide.
•All member devices in the IRF fabric must have the same irf mode enhanced command
configuration.
•All member devices in the IRF fabric must work in the same system operating mode. For more
information about the system operating mode, see Fundamentals Configuration Guide.
MAD and IRF domain restrictions
When you configure an IRF fabric, follow these MAD and IRF domain restrictions and guidelines:
•If LACP MAD, ARP MAD, or ND MAD runs between two IRF fabrics, assign each fabric a unique IRF
domain ID. (For BFD MAD, this task is optional.)
•An IRF fabric has only one IRF domain ID.
{You can change the IRF domain ID by using the following commands: irf domain, mad enable,
mad arp enable, or mad nd enable. The IRF domain IDs configured by using these commands
overwrite each other.
{In an MDC environment, if you change the IRF domain ID in one MDC, the IRF domain IDs in
all other MDCs change automatically. The irf domain command is available only on the default
MDC. The mad enable, mad arp enable, and mad nd enable commands are available on any
MDCs.
•LACP MAD handles collisions differently than BFD MAD, ARP MAD, and ND MAD. To avoid
conflicts, do not use LACP MAD together with any of those mechanisms in an IRF fabric. However,
you can configure BFD MAD, ARP MAD, and ND MAD together in an IRF fabric for prompt IRF split
detection.

16
•To exclude a port from the shutdown action that is executed when an IRF fabric transits to the
Recovery state, use the mad exclude interface command. To bring up a port after the IRF fabric
transits to the Recovery state, you must use the mad restore command instead of the undo shutdown
command.
MDC
If the IRF fabric splits, do not change the MDC settings on any IRF member devices before they reunite.
Except for the commands in Table 1, all IRF commands are available only on the default MDC.
Table 1 IRF commands available on both default and non-default MDCs
Command cate
g
or
y
Commands
Display commands
display irf link
display mad
display port restricted
MAD commands
mad arp enable
mad bfd enable
mad enable
mad nd enable
mad exclude interface
mad ip address
For more information about MDC, see "Configuring MDC."
EVI restrictions
In IRF mode, any type of outbound policies (for example, the outbound QoS policy) on an interface does
not take effect on packets that are received from an EVI tunnel.
Other configuration guidelines
•If a subordinate device uses the same next-startup configuration file name as the master device, the
file might be overwritten depending on your configuration file management settings. To continue to
use the configuration file after removing the device from the IRF fabric, back up the file before setting
up the IRF fabric.
•Strictly follow the IRF fabric setup procedure described in "Setup and configuration task list" to plan
the IRF fabric, identify IRF physical ports, connect IRF member devices, and configure basic settings.
•If two IRF fabrics have the same bridge MAC address, they cannot merge.
•Assign each member a unique IRF member ID to make sure they can merge. You must reboot the
members to validate the IRF member ID settings.
•Assign the highest member priority to the device you want to use as the master.
•Save any configuration you have made to the startup configuration file before you reboot the IRF
member devices.