HPE 6127XLG User manual

HPE 6127XLG Blade Switch Series
IRF
Configuration Guide
Part number: 797703-002
Software version: Release 24xx
Document version: 6W101-20170705

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Contents
Setting up an IRF fabric·····································································1
Overview····································································································································1
Network topology ··················································································································2
Basic concepts ·····················································································································2
Interface naming conventions··································································································4
File system naming conventions·······························································································4
Configuration synchronization··································································································6
Master election ·····················································································································6
Multi-active handling procedure································································································6
MAD mechanisms ·················································································································7
Hardware compatibility················································································································ 12
General restrictions and configuration guidelines ············································································· 12
Software requirements ········································································································· 12
IRF physical interface requirements························································································ 12
Connecting IRF ports ··········································································································· 13
Feature compatibility and configuration restrictions···································································· 13
Configuration backup··········································································································· 14
Setup and configuration task list ··································································································· 14
Planning the IRF fabric setup ······································································································· 15
Assigning a member ID to each IRF member device········································································· 15
Specifying a priority for each member device··················································································· 16
Connecting IRF physical interfaces································································································ 16
Binding physical interfaces to IRF ports·························································································· 17
Accessing the IRF fabric·············································································································· 19
Configuring a member device description ······················································································· 19
Configuring IRF link load sharing mode·························································································· 19
Configuration restrictions and guidelines·················································································· 19
Configuring the global load sharing mode ················································································ 20
Configuring a port-specific load sharing mode··········································································· 20
Configuring IRF bridge MAC persistence························································································ 20
Enabling software auto-update for software image synchronization ····················································· 21
Configuration prerequisites···································································································· 22
Configuration procedure ······································································································· 22
Setting the IRF link down report delay···························································································· 22
Configuring MAD ······················································································································· 23
Configuring LACP MAD········································································································ 23
Configuring BFD MAD·········································································································· 24
Configuring ARP MAD·········································································································· 25
Configuring ND MAD ··········································································································· 27
Excluding a port from the shutdown action upon detection of multi-active collision···························28
Recovering an IRF fabric············································································································· 28
Displaying and maintaining an IRF fabric························································································ 30
Configuration examples··············································································································· 30
LACP MAD-enabled IRF configuration example (using crosslink ports)·········································· 30
BFD MAD-enabled IRF configuration example (using crosslink ports) ···········································32
ARP MAD-enabled IRF configuration example (using uplink ports) ··············································· 35
ND MAD-enabled IRF configuration example (using uplink ports)·················································39
Document conventions and icons ······················································44
Conventions······························································································································ 44
Network topology icons ··············································································································· 45
Support and other resources·····························································46
Accessing Hewlett Packard Enterprise Support················································································ 46
Accessing updates····················································································································· 46
Websites ··························································································································· 47
Customer self repair ············································································································ 47

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Remote support ·················································································································· 47
Documentation feedback ······································································································ 47
Index···························································································48

1
Setting up an IRF fabric
Overview
The Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF) technology is proprietary to Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
The technology virtualizes multiple physical devices at the same layer into one virtual fabric to
provide data center class availability and scalability. IRF virtualization technology offers processing
power, interaction, unified management, and uninterrupted maintenance of multiple devices.
Figure 1 shows an IRF fabric that has two member devices, which appear as a single node to the
upper-layer and lower-layer devices.
NOTE:
IRF member devices in this document are HPE 6127XLG switch modules.
Figure 1 IRF application scenario
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 acts as the master to manage and control the
entire IRF fabric. All the 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.
•
Multi-member 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
IP network
IRF fabric
IP network
IRF link Simplified to
Master Subordinate

2
processing capacity of an IRF fabric simply by adding member devices without changing the
network topology.
Network topology
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 IRF physical interfaces."
Basic concepts
IRF member roles
IRF uses two member roles: master and standby (called subordinate throughout the
documentation).
When devices form an IRF fabric, they elect a master to manage and control the IRF fabric, and all
the other devices back up the master. When the master device fails, the other devices automatically
elect a new master. 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. This 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 more information about interface and file path naming, see
"Interface naming conventions" and "File system naming conventions."
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.
IRF port
An IRF port is a logical interface that connects IRF member devices. Every IRF-capable device
supports two IRF ports. 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.
To use an IRF port, you must bind a minimum of one physical interface to it. The physical interfaces
assigned to an IRF port automatically form an aggregate IRF link. An IRF port goes down only if all
its IRF physical interfaces are down.
IRF physical interface
IRF physical interfaces 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.
For more information about physical interfaces that can be used for IRF links, see "IRF physical
interface requirements."
MAD
An IRF link failure causes an IRF fabric to split in two IRF fabrics operating with the same Layer 3
settings, 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.
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 2, IRF fabric 1 contains Device Aand Device B, and IRF fabric 2 contains Device
C and Device D. Both fabrics use the LACP aggregate links between them for MAD. When a
member device receives an extended LACPDU for MAD, it checks the domain ID to see whether the
packet is from the local IRF fabric. Then, the device can handle the packet correctly.

3
Figure 2 A network that contains two IRF domains
IRF split
IRF split occurs when an IRF fabric breaks up into multiple IRF fabrics because of IRF link failures,
as shown in Figure 3. The split IRF fabrics operate with the same IP address. IRF split causes
routing and forwarding problems on the network. To quickly detect a multi-active collision, configure
a minimum of one MAD mechanism (see "Configuring MAD").
Figure 3 IRF split
IRF merge
IRF merge occurs when two split IRF fabrics reunite or when two independent IRF fabrics are united,
as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4 IRF merge
Device A Device B
IRF fabric 1
(domain 10)
IRF link
Core network
IRF fabric 2
(domain 20)
IRF link
Device C Device D
Access network
=
IRF link
Device A Device B
IRF fabric
Device A Device B
IRF fabric 1 IRF fabric 2
+
IRF link
Device A Device B
Device A Device B
IRF fabric 1 IRF fabric 2 IRF fabric
+=

4
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.
Interface naming conventions
Physical interfaces include uplink ports, downlink ports, and crosslink ports.
A physical interface is named in the slot-number/subslot-number/port-index format.
•
slot-number—IRF member ID of the switch module. This argument defaults to 1. The IRF
member ID always takes effect, whether or not the module has formed an IRF fabric with other
switch modules. If the module is alone, the module is considered to be a single-member IRF
fabric.
•
subslot-number—The subslot number of the uplink ports on the front panel is fixed at 1. The
subslot number of the downlink ports and crosslink ports on the rear panel is fixed at 0.
•
port-index—Port index of the interface. To identify the port index, see Figure 5.
Figure 5 Port indexes
For example:
•
On the single-member IRF fabric Sysname, FortyGigE 1/1/1 represents the first uplink port on
the front panel. Set its link type to trunk, as follows:
<Sysname> system-view
[Sysname] interface fortygige 1/1/1
[Sysname-FortyGigE1/1/1] port link-type trunk
•
On the multi-member IRF fabric Master, FortyGigE 3/1/1 represents the first uplink port on the
front panel of member device 3. Set its link type to trunk, as follows:
<Master> system-view
[Master] interface fortygige 3/1/1
[Master-FortyGigE3/1/1] port link-type trunk
File system naming conventions
On a single-member fabric, you can use its storage device name to access its file system.
6127XLG
External uplink port
1
23
4
5
6
7
8
9
1011
12
SFP+ port QSFP+ port
Internal downlink port
Backplane
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 181920
Internal crosslink port

5
On a multi-member IRF fabric, you can use the storage device name to access the file system of the
master. To access the file system of any other member device, use the name in the
slotmember-ID#storage-device-name format.
For example:
To access the test folder under the root directory of the flash memory on the master device:
<Master> mkdir test
Creating directory flash:/test... Done.
<Master> dir
Directory of flash:
0 -rw-43548660 Jan 01 2011 08:21:29 system.ipe
1 drw-- Jan 01 2011 00:00:30 diagfile
2 -rw-567 Jan 02 2011 01:41:54 dsakey
3 -rw-735 Jan 02 2011 01:42:03 hostkey
4 -rw-36 Jan 01 2011 00:07:52 ifindex.dat
5 -rw-0 Jan 01 2011 00:53:09 lauth.dat
6 drw-- Jan 01 2011 06:33:55 license
7 drw-- Jan 02 2000 00:00:07 logfile
8 -rw-23724032 Jan 01 2011 00:49:47 switch-cmw710-system.bin
9 drw-- Jan 01 2000 00:00:07 seclog
10 -rw-591 Jan 02 2011 01:42:03 serverkey
11 -rw-4609 Jan 01 2011 00:07:53 startup.cfg
12 -rw-3626 Jan 01 2011 01:51:56 startup.cfg_bak
13 -rw-78833 Jan 01 2011 00:07:53 startup.mdb
14 drw-- Jan 01 2011 00:15:48 test
25 drw-- Jan 01 2011 04:16:53 versionInfo
524288 KB total (365292 KB free)
To create and access the test folder under the root directory of the flash memory on member device
3:
<Master> mkdir slot3#flash:/test
Creating directory slot3#flash:/test... Done.
<Master> cd slot3#flash:/test
<Master> pwd
slot3#flash:/test
Or:
<Master> cd slot3#flash:/
<Master> mkdir test
Creating directory slot3#flash:/test... Done.
To copy the file test.ipe on the master to the root directory of the flash memory on member device 3:
# Display the current working path. In this example, the current working path is the root directory of
the flash on member device 3.
<Master> pwd
slot3#flash:
# Change the current working path to the root directory of the flash memory on the master device.
<Master> cd flash:/
<Master> pwd
flash:

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# Copy the file to member device 3.
<Master> copy test.ipe slot3#flash:/
Copy flash:/test.ipe to slot3#flash:/test.ipe?[Y/N]:y
Copying file flash:/test.ipe to slot3#flash:/test.ipe... Done.
For more information about storage device naming conventions, see Fundamentals Configuration
Guide.
Configuration synchronization
IRF uses a strict running-configuration synchronization mechanism. In an IRF fabric, all member
devices get and run the running configuration of the master. Any configuration change is
automatically propagated from the master to the other member devices. The configuration files of
these devices are still retained, but these files do not take effect. The devices use their own startup
configuration files only after they are removed from the IRF fabric.
For more information about configuration management, see Fundamentals Configuration Guide.
Master election
Master election occurs each time the IRF fabric topology changes in the following situations:
•
The IRF fabric is established.
•
The master device fails or is removed.
•
The IRF fabric splits.
•
Independent IRF fabrics merge.
NOTE:
Master election does not occur when two split IRF fabrics merge.
Master election selects a master in descending order:
1. Current master, even if a new member has higher priority.
When an IRF fabric is being formed, all members consider themselves as the master. This rule
is skipped.
2. Member with higher priority. If all members have the same priority, this rule is skipped.
3. Member with the longest system uptime.
Two members are considered to start up at the same time if the difference between their startup
times is equal to or less than 10 minutes. For these members, the next tiebreaker applies.
4. Member with the lowest CPU MAC address.
For the setup of a new IRF fabric, the subordinate devices must reboot to complete the setup after
the master election.
For an IRF merge, devices must reboot if they are in the IRF fabric that fails the master election.
Multi-active handling procedure
The multi-active handling procedure includes detection, collision handling, and failure recovery.
Detection
MAD identifies 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.

7
For more information about the MAD mechanisms and their application scenarios, see "MAD
mechanisms."
Collision handling
When MAD detects a multi-active collision, it sets all IRF fabrics except one to the Recovery state.
The fabric that is not placed in Recovery state can continue to forward traffic. The Recovery-state
IRF fabrics are inactive and cannot forward traffic.
LACP MAD uses the following process to handle a multi-active collision:
1. Compares the number of members in each fabric.
2. Sets all fabrics to the Recovery state except the one that has the most members.
3. Compares the member IDs of the masters if all IRF fabrics have the same number of members.
4. Sets all fabrics to the Recovery state except the one that has the lowest numbered master.
5. Shuts down all physical network ports in the Recovery-state fabrics except for the following
ports:
IRF physical interfaces.
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 use the following process to hand a multi-active collision:
1. Compare the member IDs of the masters in the IRF fabrics.
2. Set all fabrics to the Recovery state except the one that has the lowest numbered master.
3. Take the same action on the network ports in Recovery-state fabrics as LACP MAD.
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.
MAD mechanisms
IRF provides MAD mechanisms by extending LACP, BFD, ARP, and IPv6 ND.
IMPORTANT:
You can configure BFD MAD, ARP MAD, and ND MAD together in an IRF fabric for prompt IRF split
detection
. However, do not configure any of these mechanisms together with LACP MAD, because
they handle collisions differently.
Table 1 compares the MAD mechanisms and their application scenarios.
Table 1 Comparison of MAD mechanisms
MAD
mechanism Advantages Disadvantages Application scenario
LACP MAD
•Detection speed is
fast.
•Does not require
MAD-dedicated
physical links or
Layer 3 interfaces.
Requires an intermediate device
that supports extended LACP for
MAD.
Link aggregation is used
between the IRF fabric and
its upstream or downstream
device.
For information about LACP,
see Layer 2—LAN Switching
Configuration Guide.

8
MAD
mechanism Advantages Disadvantages Application scenario
BFD MAD
•Detection speed is
fast.
•No intermediate
device is required.
•Intermediate
device, if used,
can come from any
vendor.
•Requires MAD dedicated
physical links and Layer 3
interfaces, which cannot be
used for transmitting user
traffic.
•If no intermediate device is
used, any two IRF
members must have a BFD
MAD link to each other.
•If an intermediate device is
used, every IRF member
must have a BFD MAD link
to the intermediate device.
•No special
requirements for
network scenarios.
•If no intermediate
device is used, this
mechanism is only
suitable for IRF fabrics
that have a small
number of members
that are geographically
close to one another.
For information about BFD,
see High Availability
Configuration Guide.
ARP MAD
•No intermediate
device is required.
•Intermediate
device, if used,
can come from any
vendor.
•Does not require
MAD dedicated
ports.
•Detection speed is slower
than BFD MAD and LACP
MAD.
•The spanning tree feature
must be enabled.
Spanning tree-enabled
non-link aggregation IPv4
network scenario.
For information about ARP,
see Layer 3—IP Services
Configuration Guide.
ND MAD
•No intermediate
device is required.
•Intermediate
device, if used,
can come from any
vendor.
•Does not require
MAD dedicated
ports.
•Detection speed is slower
than BFD MAD and LACP
MAD.
•The spanning tree feature
must be enabled.
Spanning tree-enabled
non-link aggregation IPv6
network scenario.
LACP MAD
As shown in Figure 6, LACP MAD has the following requirements:
•
Every IRF member must have a link with an intermediate device.
•
All the links form a dynamic link aggregation group.
•
The intermediate device must be a device that supports extended LACP for MAD.
The IRF member devices send extended LACPDUs that convey a domain ID and an active ID. The
intermediate device transparently forwards the extended LACPDUs received from one member
device to all the other member devices.
•
If the domain IDs and active IDs 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."

9
Figure 6 LACP MAD scenario
BFD MAD
BFD MAD can work with or without intermediate devices. Figure 7 shows a typical BFD MAD
scenario that uses an intermediate device. Figure 8 shows a typical BFD MAD scenario that does not
use an intermediate device.
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. Do not use the BFD MAD links for any other purposes.
•
Assign the ports connected by BFD MAD links to the same VLAN.
On the intermediate device (if any), you must also create the VLAN and assign the ports on the
BFD MAD links to the VLAN.
•
Create a VLAN interface for the VLAN, and assign a MAD IP address to each member on the
VLAN interface.
NOTE:
The MAD addresses identify the member devices and must
belong to the same subnet.
As a best practice, use an intermediate device to connect IRF member devices if the IRF fabric
has more than two member devices. A full mesh of IRF members might cause broadcast loops.
With BFD MAD, the master attempts to establish BFD sessions with 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 takes effect. 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.
Intermediate device
Master Subordinate
IRF fabric
Internet
Customer
premise
network
IRF link
Common traffic path
LACP MAD traffic path
LACP-enabled dynamic
link aggregation
LACP-enabled dynamic
link aggregation

10
•
When the IRF fabric splits, the IP addresses of the masters in the split IRF fabrics take effect.
The masters can establish a BFD session. If you execute the display bfd session command,
the state of the BFD session between the two devices is Up.
Figure 7 BFD MAD scenario with intermediate device
Figure 8 BFD MAD scenario without intermediate device
ARP MAD
ARP MAD detects multi-active collisions by using extended ARP packets that convey the IRF
domain ID and the active ID.
ARP MAD can work with or without an intermediate device. Make sure the following requirements
are met:
•
If an intermediate device is used, connect each IRF member device to the intermediate device.
Run the spanning tree feature between the IRF fabric and the intermediate device. In this
situation, data links can be used.
•
If an intermediate device is not used, connect each IRF member device to all other member
devices. In this situation, IRF links cannot be used for ARP MAD.
Figure 9 shows a typical ARP MAD scenario that uses an intermediate device.
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.
Device
Master Subordinate
IRF fabric
IRF link
192.168.1.2/24 192.168.1.3/24
BFD MAD linkBFD MAD link
Master Subordinate
IRF fabric
IRF link
BFD MAD link
VLAN 2
192.168.1.2/24 VLAN 2
192.168.1.3/24

11
Figure 9 ARP MAD scenario
ND MAD
ND MAD detects multi-active collisions by using 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.
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.
Device
Master Subordinate
IRF
fabric
Internet
Customer
premise
network
IRF link
Common traffic path
Extended ARP traffic path
STP domain (all devices
must run the spanning
tree feature)

12
Figure 10 ND MAD scenario
Hardware compatibility
An HPE 6127XLG switch module can form an IRF fabric only with switch modules in the same
series.
General restrictions and configuration guidelines
For a successful IRF setup, follow the restrictions and guidelines in this section and the setup
procedure in "Setup and configuration task list."
Software requirements
All IRF member devices must run the same software image version. Make sure the software
auto-update feature is enabled on all member devices.
IRF physical interface requirements
Candidate IRF physical interfaces
To connect switch modules in different chassis into an IRF fabric, you must use the SFP+ or QSFP+
uplink ports on the front panel.
To connect switch modules in the same chassis into an IRF fabric, use the following ports:
Device
Master Subordinate
IRF
fabric
Internet
Customer
premise
network
IRF link
Common traffic path
Extended ND traffic path
STP domain (all devices
must run the spanning
tree feature)

13
•
If the switch modules have internal crosslinks, use the crosslink ports on the rear panel as a
best practice. These ports are invisible to users and do not require physical cabling.
The HP 6127XLG or HP 6127XLG TAA switch module has four crosslink ports, which are
numbered 17, 18, 19, and 20. By default, the four ports are shut down to avoid loops.
The crosslink ports used as IRF physical interfaces on neighboring members must have the
same interface number.
•
If the switch modules do not have internal crosslinks, you must use the SFP+ or QSFP+ uplink
ports on the front panel.
To identify internal crosslinks between switch modules in a chassis, see the enclosure setup and
installation guide.
Selecting transceiver modules and cables
When you select transceiver modules and cables, follow these restrictions and guidelines:
•
Use SFP+ or QSFP+ DAC cables to connect SFP+ or QSFP+ ports in a short distance.
•
Use SFP+ or QSFP+ transceiver modules and fibers to connect SFP+ or QSFP+ ports in a long
distance.
•
The transceiver modules at the two ends of an IRF link must be the same type.
For more information about the SFP+ and QSFP+ transceiver modules, see the switch installation
guide and HPE Comware-Based Devices Transceiver Modules User Guide.
NOTE:
The modules and
DAC cables available for IRF links
are subject to change over time. For the most
up
-to-date list of modules and DAC cables for IRF links, contact your Hewlett Packard Enterprise
sales representative.
Connecting IRF ports
When you connect two neighboring IRF members, connect the physical interfaces of IRF-port 1 on
one member to the physical interfaces of IRF-port 2 on the other.
Feature compatibility and configuration restrictions
Make sure the feature settings in Table 2 are the same across member devices.
Table 2 IRF and feature compatibility
Feature Command Remarks
Enhanced ECMP mode ecmp mode enhanced See Layer 3—IP Routing Configuration
Guide.
Maximum number of ECMP
routes max-ecmp-num See Layer 3—IP Routing Configuration
Guide.
Table capacity mode switch-mode See Fundamentals Configuration Guide.
Support for the IPv6 routes
with prefixes longer than 64
bits
switch-routing-mode
ipv6-128 See Layer 3—IP Routing Configuration
Guide.
System operating mode system-working-mode See Fundamentals Configuration Guide.

14
Configuration backup
As a best practice, back up the next-startup configuration file on a device before adding the device to
an IRF fabric as a subordinate device.
A subordinate device's next-startup configuration file might be overwritten if the master and the
subordinate use the same file name for their next-startup configuration files. You can use the backup
file to restore the original configuration after removing the subordinate from the IRF fabric.
Setup and configuration task list
To set up an IRF fabric, perform the following tasks:
Tasks at a glance Remarks
1. (Required.) Planning the IRF fabric setup N/A
2. (Required.) Assigning a member ID to each IRF member device Perform this task on each
member device.
3. (Optional.) Specifying a priority for each member device Perform this task on one or
multiple member devices to affect
the master election result.
4. (Required.) Connecting IRF physical interfaces For information about connecting
the crosslink ports, see the user
manual for the enclosure.
5. (Required.) Binding physical interfaces to IRF ports
Perform this task on each
member device.
When you complete IRF port
binding and activation on all IRF
member devices, the IRF fabric is
formed.
6. (Required.) Accessing the IRF fabric
When you log in to the IRF fabric,
you are placed at the master's
CLI, where you complete
subsequent IRF settings and
configure other features for the
member devices as if they were
one device.
7. (Optional.) Configuring a member device description N/A
8. (Optional.) Configuring IRF link load sharing mode:
Configuring the global load sharing mode
Configuring a port-specific load sharing mode N/A
9. (Optional.) Configuring IRF bridge MAC persistence N/A
10. (Optional.) Enabling software auto-update for software image
synchronization
As a best practice, enable
software auto-update to ensure
system software image
synchronization.
11. (Optional.) Setting the IRF link down report delay N/A
12. (Required.) Configuring MAD:
Configuring LACP MAD
Configuring BFD MAD
MAD mechanisms are
independent of one another. You
can configure multiple MAD
mechanisms for an IRF fabric.

15
Tasks at a glance Remarks

Configuring ARP MAD
Configuring ND MAD
Excluding a port from the shutdown action upon detection of
multi-active collision
13. (Optional.) Recovering an IRF fabric N/A
Planning the IRF fabric setup
Consider the following items when you plan an IRF fabric:
•
Hardware compatibility and restrictions.
•
IRF fabric size.
•
Master device.
•
IRF physical interfaces.
•
Member ID and priority assignment scheme.
•
Fabric topology and cabling scheme.
For more information about hardware and cabling, see the switch installation guide.
Assigning a member ID to each IRF member
device
CAUTION:
In an IRF fabric, changing IRF member I
Ds might cause undesirable configuration changes and
even data loss. Before you do that, back up the configuration and make sure you fully understand
the impact on your network. For example, all member
devices
in an IRF fabric are the same model.
If you swapped the IDs of any two members, their interface settings would also be swapped.
To create an IRF fabric, you must assign a unique IRF member ID to each member device.
To prevent any undesirable configuration change or data loss, avoid changing member IDs after the
IRF fabric is formed.
The new member ID takes effect at a reboot. After the device reboots, the settings on all member
ID-related physical resources (including common physical network ports) are removed, regardless of
whether you have saved the configuration.
To assign a member ID to a device:
Step Command Remarks
1. Enter system view. system-view N/A
2. Assign a member ID to a
member device. irf member member-id renumber
new-member-id The default IRF member ID is 1.
3. (Optional.) Save the
configuration. save
If you have bound physical
interfaces to IRF ports or
assigned member priority, save
the configuration before
rebooting the device so these
settings can continue to take

16
Step Command Remarks
effect after the reboot.
4. Reboot the device. reboot [ slot slot-number ] [ force ]N/A
Specifying a priority for each member device
IRF member priority represents the possibility for a device to be elected the master in an IRF fabric.
The higher the priority, the higher the possibility.
A change to member priority affects the election result at the next master election. However, it does
not cause an immediate master re-election.
To specify a priority for a member device:
Step Command Remarks
1. Enter system view.
system-view
N/A
2. Specify a priority for the
device. irf member member-id priority
priority The default IRF member priority
is 1.
Connecting IRF physical interfaces
When you connect two neighboring IRF members, connect the physical interfaces of IRF-port 1 on
one member to the physical interfaces of IRF-port 2 on the other.
For example, you have four member devices: A, B, C, and D. IRF-port 1 and IRF-port 2 are
represented by A1 and A2 on member device A, represented by B1 and B2 on member device B,
and so on. To connect the four member devices 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.
•
A2-B1, B2-C1, C2-D1, and D2-A1.
IMPORTANT:
No intermediate devices are allowed between neighboring members.
Figure 11 shows how to connect two switch modules.
Figure 11 Connecting IRF physical interfaces
Figure 12 shows how to connect two switch modules through crosslink ports numbered 17.
IRF-port 1IRF-port 2
IRF fabric