HPE FlexNetwork HSR6800 series User manual

HPE FlexNetwork HSR6800 Routers
IRF Configuration Guide
Part number: 5998-4487R
Software version: HSR6800-CMW520-R3303P25
Document version: 6W105-20151231

© Copyright 2015 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for Hewlett Packard
Enterprise products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such
products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. Hewlett
Packard Enterprise shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
Confidential computer software. Valid license from Hewlett Packard Enterprise required for possession, use, or
copying. Consistent with FAR 12.211 and 12.212, Commercial Computer Software, Computer Software
Documentation, and Technical Data for Commercial Items are licensed to the U.S. Government under vendor’s
standard commercial license.
Links to third-party websites take you outside the Hewlett Packard Enterprise website. Hewlett Packard
Enterprise has no control over and is not responsible for information outside the Hewlett Packard Enterprise
website.
Acknowledgments
Intel®, Itanium®, Pentium®, Intel Inside®, and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the
United States and other countries.
Microsoft® and Windows® are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
Adobe® andAcrobat® are trademarks ofAdobe Systems Incorporated.
Java and Oracle are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
UNIX® is a registered trademark of The Open Group.

i
Contents
IRF overview···································································································1
Hardware compatibility·······································································································································1
Chassis compatibility··································································································································1
Card compatibility·······································································································································1
IRF benefits························································································································································1
Application scenario···········································································································································2
Basic concepts···················································································································································2
Operating mode ·········································································································································3
IRF member roles ······································································································································3
IRF member ID···········································································································································4
MPU roles ··················································································································································4
IRF port······················································································································································4
IRF physical port········································································································································4
IRF domain ID············································································································································5
IRF split······················································································································································5
IRF merge··················································································································································6
Member priority··········································································································································6
Master election···················································································································································6
IRF multi-active detection ··································································································································6
Multi-active handling procedure·················································································································7
LACP MAD·················································································································································7
BFD MAD···················································································································································8
ARP MAD···················································································································································9
Configuring IRF·····························································································11
General restrictions and configuration guidelines····························································································11
Software requirements·····························································································································11
MPU and IRF physical port restrictions····································································································11
IRF link redundancy·································································································································11
MAD·························································································································································11
Other configuration guidelines ·················································································································11
Setup and configuration task list······················································································································12
Planning the IRF fabric setup···························································································································12
Preconfiguring IRF member devices in standalone mode ···············································································13
Assigning a member ID to each IRF member device···············································································13
Specifying a priority for each member device··························································································13
Binding physical ports to IRF ports ··········································································································13
Saving configuration to the next-startup configuration file ···············································································14
Connecting physical IRF ports·························································································································14
Setting the operating mode to IRF mode·········································································································15
Accessing the IRF fabric··································································································································16
Accessing the global active MPU of the IRF fabric··················································································16
Accessing a standby MPU in the IRF fabric·····························································································16
Configuring IRF member devices in IRF mode································································································17
Assigning an IRF domain ID to the IRF fabric··························································································17
Changing the member ID of a device·······································································································18
Changing the priority of a member device ·······························································································18
Adding physical ports to an IRF port········································································································18
Enabling IRF auto merge·························································································································20
Configuring a member device description································································································20
Configuring IRF bridge MAC persistence·································································································20
Enabling software auto-update for system software image synchronization ···········································21
Setting the IRF link down report delay·····································································································22
Configuring MAD······································································································································22
Displaying and maintaining an IRF fabric ········································································································28
Configuration examples ···································································································································29
LACP MAD-enabled IRF configuration example······················································································29

ii
BFD MAD-enabled IRF configuration example························································································32
ARP MAD-enabled IRF configuration example························································································34
Restoring standalone mode·····················································································································37
Document conventions and icons·································································40
Conventions·····················································································································································40
Network topology icons····································································································································41
Support and other resources ········································································42
Accessing Hewlett Packard Enterprise Support ······························································································42
Accessing updates···········································································································································42
Websites ··················································································································································43
Customer self repair·································································································································43
Remote support········································································································································43
Documentation feedback ·························································································································43
Index·············································································································45

1
IRF overview
The Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF) technology is proprietary to Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
This 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.
Hardware compatibility
This section describes the IRF and hardware compatibility.
Chassis compatibility
IRF is available only on HSR6802, HSR6804, and HSR6808 routers.
An HSR6800 IRF fabric can contain any combinations of these router models. For example, you can
use both HSR6802 and HSR6804 routers to build an IRF fabric.
An HSR6800 IRF fabric can have only up to two chassis.
Card compatibility
You must install the SAP-4EXP card to provide physical ports for IRF connection.
IRF benefits
IRF delivers 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, and 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.

2
Application scenario
Figure 1 shows an IRF fabric that has two devices, which appears as a single node to the upper and
lower layer devices.
Figure 1 IRF application scenario
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 that 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.
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 slave (called "subordinate" throughout the documentation).
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 automatically elect a new
master. For more information about master election, see "Master election."
IRF link
An IRF fabric
is formed.
Master
(MemberID=1)
Subordinate
(MemberID=2)
Active MPU
Device A
(MemberID=1) Device B
(MemberID=2)
XGE1/3/0/1
Physical IRF
port
XGE2/3/0/1
Physical IRF
port
IRF-port 2 IRF-port 1
Service
interface
Service
interface
IRF
Standby MPU
Active MPU
Standby MPU
IRF’s Active MPU
IRF’s standby MPU
IRF’s standby MPU
IRF’s standby MPU

4
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 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, and the
file path slot1#cfa0:/test.cfg changes to chassis2#slot1#cfa0:/test.cfg.
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.
MPU roles
Each IRF member device has one or two MPUs, which play different roles, as follows:
Role Description
Global active MPU Active MPU of the master device. You configure and manage the entire IRF
fabric at the CLI of the global active MPU.
Local active MPU
Active MPU that manages the local device. This MPU has the following
responsibilities:
•Manages the local device, including synchronizing configuration
between the local active MPU and 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 global active MPU, all other MPUs, including local active MPUs, are
standby MPUs.
If a member device has two MPUs, the one backing up the local 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 automatically form an aggregate IRF link.An IRF port goes down only if all its physical IRF
ports are down.
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 memberdevices and the data packets that must travelacross IRF
member devices.

5
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 3, Device Aand Device B form IRF fabric 1, and RouterAand Router B form IRF
fabric 2. The fabrics have LACP MAD links between them. When a member device in one IRF fabric
receives an extended LACP packet for MAD, it looks at the domain ID in the packet 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 3 A network that comprises 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 4. The split IRF fabrics operate with the same IP address and cause
routing and forwarding problems on the network.
Figure 4 IRF split

6
IRF merge
IRF merge occurs when two split IRF fabrics reunite or when you configure and connect two
independent IRF fabrics to be one, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5 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 member 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 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.
4. Member with the lowest bridge MAC address.
The IRF fabric is formed on election of the master.
During an IRF merge, the devices of the IRF fabric that fails the master election must reboot to rejoin
the IRF fabric that wins the election. The reboot can be automatically performed or manually
performed, depending on the configuration. See "Enabling IRF auto merge."
After a master election, all subordinate devices reboot with the configuration on the master. Their
original configuration, even if it has beensaved, does not take effect. The configuration files on these
subordinate devices do not take effect in IRF mode. After the operating mode is converted to
standalone, their configuration files continue to take effect.
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.
IRF link
XGE1/3/0/1 XGE2/3/0/1
Device A Device B
Device A Device B
IRF 1 IRF 2 IRF
+=

7
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, or gratuitous ARP 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.
For a comparison of these MAD mechanisms, see "Configuring MAD."
Collision handling
When multiple identical active IRF fabrics are detected, MAD compares the member IDs of their
masters. If the master in one IRF fabric has the lowest member ID among all the masters, the
members in the fabric continue to operate in Detect state and forward traffic. MAD sets all the other
IRF fabrics in Recovery (disabled) state and shuts down all their physical ports butthe console ports,
physical IRF ports, and any ports you have specified with the mad exclude interface command.
The Detect-state IRF fabric is active. The Recovery-state IRF fabric is inactive. Only members in the
Detect-state fabric can continue to forward traffic.
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 and protect services from being affected. After that, 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 6. In addition, the intermediate
device must be an HPE 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. To handle this situation, LACP MAD sets the IRF fabric with higher active ID in
Recovery state, and shuts down all its physical ports except for the console ports, IRF ports,
and any ports you have specified with the mad exclude interface command. The IRF fabric
with lower active ID is still in Detect state and forwards traffic.

8
Figure 6 LACP MAD application scenario
BFD MAD
BFD MAD can work with or without intermediate devices. Figure 7 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. Do not use the BFD MAD links for any other purpose.
•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 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.

9
Figure 7 BFD MAD application scenario
ARP MAD
ARP MAD detects multi-active collisions by using extended gratuitousARP packets that convey the
IRF domain ID and the active ID.
You can set upARPMAD links between neighbor IRFmember devices, or more commonly, between
each IRF member device and an intermediate device (see Figure 8). 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
premises
network
IRF link
Link aggregation
BFD MAD link
VLAN 2
192.168.1.2/24 VLAN 2
192.168.1.3/24

10
Figure 8 ARP MAD application scenario
Each IRF member compares the domain ID and the active ID in incoming extended gratuitous ARP
packets with its domain ID and active ID:
•If the domain IDs are different, the extended gratuitous ARPpacketis 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
Internet
Customer
premises
network
IRF link
Common traffic path
Extended gratuitous ARP traffic path
STP Domain
To avoid loops, all devices
in the domain must run the
spanning tree feature.

11
Configuring IRF
To ensure a successful IRF setup, read the configuration restrictions and guidelines carefully before
you connect and set up an IRF fabric.
General restrictions and configuration guidelines
Software requirements
All IRF member devices must run the same system software image version.
MPU and IRF physical port restrictions
•You can only use the 10-GE fiber ports on the SAP-4EXP cards for IRF connection.
•Make sure every IRF member has at least one MPU.
•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.
IRF link redundancy
•For link redundancy and load sharing, bind up to four physical ports to one IRF port.
•Physical ports bound to an IRF port can be located on different cards.
MAD
•Configure at least one MAD mechanism for prompt detection and recovery of IRF split.
•If LACP MAD orARP MAD runs between two IRF fabrics, assign each fabric a unique IRF
domain ID. For BFD MAD, this task is optional.
•To exclude a port from the shutdown action 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 to activate the
entire IRF fabric, rather than using the undo shutdown command.
Other configuration guidelines
•If a subordinate device uses the same next-startupconfiguration 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.
•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 rebooting the IRF
member devices.

12
Setup and configuration task list
To set up and configure an IRF fabric:
Tasks at a glance Remarks
1. Planning the IRF fabric setup Required.
2. Preconfiguring IRF member devices in standalone mode:
{Assigning a member ID to each IRF member device
{Specifying a priority for each member device
{Binding physical ports to IRF ports
Required.
3. Saving configuration to the next-startup configuration file Required.
4. Connecting physical IRF ports Required.
Make sure that they are
interoperable.
5. Setting the operating mode to IRF mode Required.
6. Accessing the IRF fabric:
{Accessing the global active MPU of the IRF fabric
{Accessing a standby MPU in the IRF fabric
Login to the global active MPU is
required.
From the active MPU, you can log
in to a standby MPU to execute a
limited set of maintenance
commands.
7. Configuring IRF member devices in IRF mode:
{Assigning an IRF domain ID to the IRF fabric
{Changing the member ID of a device
{Changing the priority of a member device
{Adding physical ports to an IRF port
{Enabling IRF auto merge
{Configuring a member device description
{Configuring IRF bridge MAC persistence
{Enabling software auto-update for system software image
synchronization
{Setting the IRF link down report delay
{Configuring MAD
All these tasks are optional.
If IRF ports have not been
configured when a member device
operating in standalone mode, you
must configure its IRF ports.
CAUTION:
After an IRF fabric is set up, you
can modify the IRF port, member
ID, and member priority settings for
a member device, but must make
sure you fully understand the
impact on the live network. For
example, a member ID change can
void member ID-related settings, a
priority change might cause master
re-election, and a reconfiguration of
IRF port settings or bindings might
cause an IRF split or merge.
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 ports
•Member ID and priority assignment scheme
•Fabric topology and cabling scheme

13
For more information about hardware and cabling, see the installation guide for the device.
Preconfiguring IRF member devices in standalone
mode
Perform the tasks in this section on every IRF member device. These settings take effect on each
member device after their operating mode changes to IRF.
Assigning a member ID to each IRF member device
A device by default operates in standalone mode without an IRF member ID. You must assign it a
unique IRF member ID before changing its operating mode to IRF.
Execute the display irf configuration command and examine the MemberID field. If the device has
no IRF member ID, the field displays two hyphens (--).
The member ID assigned to a device is saved in both active and standby MPUs of the device. If the
standby MPU has a different member ID than the active MPU, for example, because of an MPU
replacement, the member ID in the active MPU takes effect and is automatically updated to the
standby MPU.
To set a member ID for the device in standalone mode:
Step Command Remarks
8. Enter system view. system-view N/A
9. Assign an IRF member ID
to the device. irf member member-id By default, the device has no
IRF member ID.
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.
To specify a priority for the device:
Step Command Remarks
10. Enter system view. system-view N/A
11. Specify a priority for the
device. irf priority priority The default IRF member priority
is 1.
Binding physical ports to IRF ports
To establish an IRF connection between two devices, you must bind at least one physical port to
IRF-port 1 on one device and to IRF-port 2 on the other. For link redundancy and load sharing, bind
multiple physical ports to one IRF port.
Make sure the IRF physical ports are operating as Layer 2 interfaces. Layer 3 interfaces cannot be
bound to IRF ports. You can set a physical port as a Layer 2 or Layer 3 interface by using the port
link-mode { bridge | route } command (see Layer 2—LAN Switching Configuration Guide).
In standalone mode, binding a physical port to an IRF port does not affect the current configuration of
the port. However, when the operating mode changes to IRF mode, the default configuration of the
physical IRF port restores, and you can only execute the shutdown, default, description, and

14
flow-interval commands on the physical port. For more information about these commands, see
Layer 2—LAN Switching Command Reference.
To bind physical ports to IRF ports:
Step Command Remarks
1. Enter system view. system-view N/A
2. Create an IRF port and
enter IRF port view. irf-port port-number By default, no IRF port is
created.
3. Bind a physical IRF port to
the IRF port. port group interface interface-type
interface-number [ mode { enhanced
| normal } ]
By default, no physical ports are
bound to any IRF port.
Repeat this step to assign more
physical ports to the IRF port.
Every IRF port can have up to
four physical ports.
Saving configuration to the next-startup
configuration file
Save the running configuration before converting to the IRF mode. The mode change requires a
reboot, which can cause all unsaved settings to be lost.
Perform the following task in any view:
Task Command
Save the running configuration to
the startup configuration file. save [ safely ] [ backup | main ] [ force ]
Connecting physical 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, as shown in Figure 9.
Follow these guidelines when selecting transceiver modules and cables:
•Use SFP+ transceiver modules and fibers for long-distance connection.
•When you connect SFP+ ports, connect the transmit port of an SFP+ transceiver moduleat one
end to the receive port of an SFP+ transceiver module at the other end.
•The transceiver modules at the two ends of an IRF link must be the same type.
For more information about transceiver modules, see the device installation guide.
IMPORTANT:
No intermediate devices are allowed between neighboring members.

15
Figure 9 Connecting IRF physical ports
Connect the devices into a daisy chain topology or a ring topology. A ring topology is more reliable
(see Figure 10). In ring topology, the failure of one IRF link does not cause the IRF fabric to split as in
daisy chain topology. Instead, the IRF fabric changes to a daisy chain topology without interrupting
network services.
To use the ring topology, you must have at least three member devices.
Figure 10 Daisy chain topology versus ring topology
Setting the operating mode to IRF mode
By default, the device is operating in standalone mode. To assign the device to an IRF fabric, you
must change its operating mode to IRF mode.
Before changing to IRF mode, use the display irf configuration command to verify that a member
ID has been assigned to the device. If the MemberID field displays two hyphens (--), first assign a
member ID to the device.
To set the operating mode of a device to IRF mode:
Step Command Remarks
1. Enter system view. system-view N/A
2. Set the operating mode to
IRF mode. chassis convert mode irf The default operating mode is
standalone mode.
After you change the operating mode, the device automatically reboots to validate the change.
During the reboot, you may choose to have the system automatically convert the startup
configuration file to prevent some slot- or interface-related configurations from becoming invalid. For
IRF
Ring topology
Subordinate Subordinate
Master
IRF-Port1 IRF-Port2
IRF-Port1
IRF-Port2IRF-Port1
IRF-Port2
Daisy chain topology
IRF
Master
Subordinate
Subordinate
IRF-Port2
IRF-Port2
IRF-Port1
IRF-Port1

16
example, the system can convert the slot slot-number parameter set in standalone mode to the
chassis chassis-number slot slot-number parameter in IRF mode, and add the chassis ID in an
interface number.
To restore the standalone mode, use the undo chassis convert mode command.
TIP:
IRF generates packets on a device in IRF mode even if the device does not form an IRF fabric with
any other device. To protect system resources, set a device to operate in standalone mode after
removing it from an IRF fabric.
Accessing the IRF fabric
The IRF fabric appears as one device after it is formed. You configure and manage all IRF members
at the CLI of the global active MPU. All settings you made are automatically propagated to the IRF
members.
When you log in to an IRF fabric, you are placed at the CLI of the global active MPU, regardless of at
which member device you are logged in. After that, you can access the CLI of a standby MPU to
execute a limited set of maintenance commands.
The IRF fabric supports up to five concurrent VTY users. The maximum number of concurrent
console users equals the total number of MPUs in the IRF fabric.
Accessing the global active MPU of the IRF fabric
Access an IRF fabric in one of the following ways:
•Local login—Log in through the console port of a member device.
•Remote login—Remotely log in at a Layer 3 Ethernet interface on any member device by using
methods including Telnet, Web, and SNMP.
For more information, see the chapter on login in Fundamentals Configuration Guide.
Accessing a standby MPU in the IRF fabric
You can log in to the CLI of a standby MPU for maintenance or debugging. When you change from
the global active MPU's CLIto the standby MPU's CLI, you are placed in user view and the command
prompt changes to <Sysname-Slave#member-ID/slot-number>, for example,
<Sysname-Slave#1/0>. You can execute the following commands at a standby MPU's CLI:
•display
•quit
•return
•system-view
•debugging
•terminal debugging
•terminal logging
•terminal monitor
•terminal trapping
Perform the following task in user view: