H3C S5820X&S5800 Series Ethernet Switches
IRF
Configuration Guide
Hangzhou H3C Technologies Co., Ltd.
http://www.h3c.com
Document Version: 6W103-20100716
Product Version: Release 1110
Copyright © 2009-2010, Hangzhou H3C Technologies Co., Ltd. and its licensors
All Rights Reserved
No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior
written consent of Hangzhou H3C Technologies Co., Ltd.
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3
Care,
, TOP G, , IRF, NetPilot, Neocean, NeoVTL,
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2
G, V
n
G, PSPT,
XGbus, N-Bus, TiGem, InnoVision and HUASAN are trademarks of Hangzhou H3C Technologies Co.,
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All other trademarks that may be mentioned in this manual are the property of their respective owners.
Notice
The information in this document is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made in the
preparation of this document to ensure accuracy of the contents, but all statements, information, and
recommendations in this document do not constitute the warranty of any kind, express or implied.
Preface
The H3C S5800&S5820X documentation set includes 11 configuration guides, which describe the
software features for the S5800&S5820X Series Ethernet Switches and guide you through the software
configuration procedures. These configuration guides also provide configuration examples to help you
apply software features to different network scenarios.
The IRF Configuration Guide describes how to use multiple S5800&S5820X switches to create an IRF
virtual device based on the IRF technology. It covers planning the switch roles in the IRF virtual device,
connecting the IRF link, and detecting and maintaining the IRF virtual device.
This preface includes:
z Audience
z Document Organization
z Conventions
z About the H3C S5820X&S5800 Documentation Set
z Obtaining Documentation
z Documentation Feedback
Audience
This documentation set is intended for:
z Network planners
z Field technical support and servicing engineers
z Network administrators working with the S5800 and S5820X series
Document Organization
The IRF Configuration Guide comprises the following part:
IRF Configuration
Conventions
This section describes the conventions used in this documentation set.
Command conventions
Convention Description
Boldface Bold text represents commands and keywords that you enter literally as shown.
italic
Italic text represents arguments that you replace with actual values.
[ ]
Square brackets enclose syntax choices (keywords or arguments) that are
optional.
{ x | y | ... }
Braces enclose a set of required syntax choices separated by vertical bars,
from which you select one.
[ x | y | ... ]
Square brackets enclose a set of optional syntax choices separated by vertical
bars, from which you select one or none.
Convention Description
{ x | y | ... } *
Asterisk marked braces enclose a set of required syntax choices separated by
vertical bars, from which you select at least one.
[ x | y | ... ] *
Asterisk marked square brackets enclose optional syntax choices separated by
vertical bars, from which you may select multiple choices or none.
&<1-n>
The argument or keyword and argument combination before the ampersand (&)
sign can be entered 1 to n times.
# A line that starts with a pound (#) sign is comments.
GUI conventions
Convention Description
Boldface
Window names, button names, field names, and menu items are in Boldface.
For example, the New User window appears; click OK.
>
Multi-level menus are separated by angle brackets. For example, File > Create
> Folder.
Symbols
Convention Description
Means reader be careful. Improper operation may cause data loss or damage to
equipment.
Means a complementary description.
About the H3C S5820X&S5800 Documentation Set
The H3C S5800&S5820X documentation set also includes:
Category Documents Purposes
Marketing brochures Describe product specifications and benefits.
Product description and
specifications
Technology white papers
Provide an in-depth description of software features
and technologies.
PSR150-A [ PSR150-D ]
Power Modules User
Manual
Describes the appearances, features, specifications,
installation, and removal of the pluggable 150W power
modules available for the products.
PSR300-12A
[ PSR300-12D1 ] Power
Modules User Manual
Describes the appearances, features, specifications,
installation, and removal of the pluggable 300W power
modules available for the products.
PSR750-A [ PSR750-D ]
Power Modules User
Manual
Describes the appearances, features, specifications,
installation, and removal of the pluggable 750W power
modules available for the products.
RPS User Manual
Describes the appearances, features, and
specifications of the RPS units available for the
products.
Pluggable module
description
LSW1FAN and
LSW1BFAN Installation
Manual
Describes the appearances, specifications,
installation, and removal of the pluggable fan modules
available for the products.
Category Documents Purposes
LSW148POEM Module
User Manual
Describes the appearance, features, installation, and
removal of the pluggable PoE module available for the
products.
S5820X [ S5800 ] Series
Ethernet Switches
Interface Cards User
Manual
Describes the models, hardware specifications,
installation, and removal of the interface cards
available for the products.
H3C OAP Cards User
Manual
Describes the benefits, features, hardware
specifications, installation, and removal of the OAP
cards available for the products.
H3C Low End Series
Ethernet Switches
Pluggable Modules
Manual
Describes the models, appearances, and
specifications of the pluggable modules available for
the products.
S5800-60C-PWR
Ethernet Switch Hot
Swappable Power
Module Ordering Guide
Guides you through ordering the hot-swappable power
modules available for the S5800-60C-PWR switches
in different cases.
Power configuration
RPS Ordering
Information for H3C
Low-End Ethernet
Switches
Provides the RPS and switch compatibility matrix and
RPS cable specifications.
z S5800 Series
Ethernet Switches
Quick Start
z S5820X Series
Ethernet Switches
Quick Start
z S5800 Series
Ethernet Switches
CE DOC
z S5820X Series
Ethernet Switches
CE DOC
Provides regulatory information and the safety
instructions that must be followed during installation.
z S5800 Series
Ethernet Switches
Quick Start
z S5820X Series
Ethernet Switches
Quick Start
Guides you through initial installation and setup
procedures to help you quickly set up and use your
device with the minimum configuration.
z S5800 Series
Ethernet Switches
Installation Manual
z S5820X Series
Ethernet Switches
Installation Manual
Provides a complete guide to hardware installation
and hardware specifications.
Hardware installation
Pluggable
SFP[SFP+][XFP]
Transceiver Modules
Installation Guide
Guides you through installing SFP/SFP+/XFP
transceiver modules.
Category Documents Purposes
z S5800-60C-PWR
Switch Video
Installation Guide
z S5820X-28C Switch
Video Installation
Guide
Shows how to install the H3C S5800-60C-PWR and
H3C S5820X-28C Ethernet switches.
Configuration guide
Describe software features and configuration
procedures.
Software configuration
Command reference Provide a quick reference to all available commands.
H3C Series Ethernet
Switches Login
Password Recovery
Manual
Tells how to find the lost password or recover the
password when the login password is lost.
Operations and
maintenance
Release notes
Provide information about the product release,
including the version history, hardware and software
compatibility matrix, version upgrade information,
technical support information, and software upgrading.
Obtaining Documentation
You can access the most up-to-date H3C product documentation on the World Wide Web at
http://www.h3c.com.
Click the links on the top navigation bar to obtain different categories of product documentation:
[Technical Support & Documents > Technical Documents] – Provides hardware installation, software
upgrading, and software feature configuration and maintenance documentation.
[Products & Solutions] – Provides information about products and technologies, as well as solutions.
[Technical Support & Documents > Software Download] – Provides the documentation released with
the software version.
Documentation Feedback
You can e-mail your comments about product documentation to [email protected].
We appreciate your comments.
i
Table of Contents
1 IRF Configuration ······································································································································1-1
IRF Overview ··········································································································································1-1
Introduction······································································································································1-1
Advantages······································································································································1-1
Application and Advantages············································································································1-2
Basic Concepts·······································································································································1-2
Working Process·····································································································································1-3
Physical Connections······················································································································1-4
Topology Collection·························································································································1-6
Role Election ···································································································································1-6
IRF Virtual Device Management ·····································································································1-7
IRF Multi-Active Detection (MAD) Mechanism··············································································1-10
IRF Virtual Device Configuration Task List···························································································1-11
IRF Virtual Device Configuration···········································································································1-12
Specifying a Domain ID for an IRF Virtual Device ········································································1-12
Setting a Member ID for a Device·································································································1-14
Configuring IRF Ports····················································································································1-15
Specifying a Priority for a Member································································································1-18
Specifying the Preservation Time of the Bridge MAC Address·····················································1-19
Enabling Auto Upgrade of Boot Files····························································································1-20
Setting the Delay Time for the Link Layer to Report a Link-Down Event······································1-20
Configuring MAD Detection ··················································································································1-21
Configuring LACP MAD·················································································································1-21
Configuring BFD MAD···················································································································1-23
Excluding a Port from the Shut Down Action upon Detection of Multi-Active Collision ················1-25
Manually Recovering an IRF Virtual Device··················································································1-26
Logging In to an IRF Virtual Device······································································································1-28
Logging In to the Master················································································································1-28
Logging In to a Slave·····················································································································1-28
Displaying and Maintaining an IRF Virtual Device················································································1-29
IRF Virtual Device Configuration Examples··························································································1-29
Configuration Example of Using the LACP MAD Detection··························································1-29
Configuration Example of Using the BFD MAD Detection····························································1-31
2 Index ···························································································································································2-1
1-1
1 IRF Configuration
This chapter includes these sections:
z IRF Overview
z Basic Concepts
z IRF Virtual Device Configuration Task List
z IRF Virtual Device Configuration
z Logging In to an IRF Virtual Device
z Displaying and Maintaining an IRF Virtual Device
z IRF Virtual Device Configuration Examples
You can establish an IRF virtual device by connecting switches of the same series, S5820X series or
S5800 series, or establish a mixed IRF virtual device that comprises both S5820X series and S5800
series switches.
IRF Overview
Introduction
Developed by H3C, Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF) provides a new method to connect multiple
devices. Individual devices join to form a distributed device. IRF realizes the cooperation, unified
management, and non-stop maintenance of multiple devices.
Advantages
IRF features the following advantages:
z Streamlined management. When an IRF virtual device is established, you can log in to it by
connecting to any port of any member to manage all members of the IRF virtual device. Compared
with traditional methods of managing multiple devices, you do not need to connect to each
member physically, allocate an IP address to each member, interconnect the members, nor run
routing protocols on each member.
z High reliability. An IRF virtual device comprises multiple member devices: the master runs,
manages and maintains the IRF virtual device, whereas the slaves process services as well as
functioning as the backups. As soon as the master fails, the IRF virtual device immediately elects a
new master to prevent service interruption and implement 1:N backup. In addition, not only the IRF
links of members can be aggregated, but also the physical links between the IRF virtual device and
1-2
the upper or lower layer devices can be aggregated, and thus the reliability of the IRF virtual device
is increased through link backup.
z Powerful network expansion capability. By adding member devices, the number of IRF ports and
network bandwidth of the IRF virtual device can be easily expanded. Each member device has its
own CPU and they can independently process and forward protocol packets; therefore, the
processing capability of the IRF virtual device also can be easily expanded.
Application and Advantages
As shown in Figure 1-1, the master and a slave form an IRF virtual device, which is a single device to
the upper and lower layer devices.
Figure 1-1 IRF networking
IP network
IRF virtual device
IP network
IRF link
Equal to
Master
Slave
Basic Concepts
The IRF technology involves the following basic concepts:
Role
The devices that form an IRF virtual device are called IRF member devices. Each of them plays either
of the following two roles:
z Master: Manages the IRF virtual device.
z Slave: All members that operate as the backups of the master are called slaves. When the master
fails, the IRF virtual device automatically elects a new master from one of the slaves.
Master and slaves are elected through the role election mechanism. An IRF virtual device has only one
master at a time. Other members are the slaves. For the detailed role election process, refer to
Role
Election.
IRF port
An IRF port is a logical port dedicated to the internal connection of an IRF virtual device, which can be
numbered as IRF-port1 or IRF-port2. An IRF port is effective only when it is bound to a physical IRF
port.
1-3
Physical IRF port
Physical ports used for connecting members of an IRF virtual device are called physical IRF ports.
Typically, an Ethernet port or optical port forwards packets to the network. When bound to an IRF port,
it acts as a physical IRF port and forwards data traffic such as IRF-related negotiation packets and data
traffic among members.
For the detailed information of physical IRF ports on the S5820X and S5800 series switches, see
Physical Connections.
IRF virtual device merge
As shown in Figure 1-2, two IRF virtual devices operate independently and steadily. You can connect
them physically and perform necessary configurations to make them form one IRF virtual device. This
process is called IRF virtual device merge.
Figure 1-2 IRF virtual device merge
IRF virtual device partition
As shown in Figure 1-3, when an IRF virtual device is formed, the failure of the IRF link causes physical
disconnection between the two members, and then the IRF virtual device is divided into two IRF virtual
devices. This process is called IRF virtual device partition.
Figure 1-3 IRF virtual device partition
Member priority
Member priority determines the role of a member during a role election process. A member with a
higher priority is more likely to be a master. The priority of a device defaults to 1. You can configure the
priority at the command line interface (CLI).
Working Process
IRF virtual device management involves four stages: Physical Connections, Topology Collection, Role
Election
, and IRF Virtual Device Management. You need to connect the members of an IRF virtual
device physically, and then the members perform topology collection and role election. Finally, the IRF
virtual device can operate normally and enter the IRF virtual device management and maintenance
stage.
1-4
Physical Connections
Physical port
To make an IRF virtual device operate normally, physically connect the member devices. For the
S5820X and S5800 series switches, use SFP+ ports on the front panel or SFP+ ports on an interface
card as physical IRF ports.
For details of SFP+ ports and interface cards used on different device models, refer to H3C S5800
Series Ethernet Switches Installation Manual and H3C S5820X Series Ethernet Switches Installation
Manual.
When you use SFP+ ports, select SFP+ transceivers and optical fibers or SFP+ cables described in
Table 1-1 for connecting member devices.
Table 1-1 SFP+ transceivers and cables supported by the S5820X series and S5800 series
Transceiver/
Cable type
Transceiver/Cable
Central
wavelength
Connector Fiber
Max
transmission
distance
SFP-XG-SX-MM850-A 850 nm
50/125 µm
multimode
optical fiber
300 m (984.3
ft.)
SFP-XG-LX220-MM1310
62.5/125 µm
multimode
optical fiber
220 m (721.8
ft.)
10 GE SFP+
transceiver
SFP-XG-LX-SM1310
1310 nm
LC
9/125 µm
single mode
optical fiber
10 km (about
6.2 mi)
LSWM1STK 0.65 m (2.1 ft.)
LSWM2STK 1.2 m (3.9 ft.)
Short-haul 10
GE SFP+
cable
LSWM3STK
— SFP+ SFP+ cable
3 m (9.8 ft.)
Use SFP+ transceivers with optical fibers when members are far from each other to increase network
flexibility; use SFP+ cables when members are all in one equipment room.
For the details of the interface modules, refer to H3C Low End Series Ethernet Switches Pluggable
Modules Manual.
Physical IRF ports can be used for connecting members and transmitting data traffic. To establish an
IRF virtual device, bind physical IRF ports to IRF ports.
Correspondence between an IRF port and a physical IRF port
The connection of IRF ports is based on that of physical IRF ports; therefore, bind an IRF port to
physical IRF port(s). An IRF port can be bound to one physical IRF port or, to back up links and expand
bandwidth, bound to multiple physical IRF ports (aggregated as an aggregate IRF port).
The following describes the correspondence between an IRF port and physical IRF port(s) on the
S5800 series and S5820X series:
1-5
Table 1-2 Correspondence between an IRF port and physical IRF port(s) for different device models
Device model Physical IRF port IRF port correspondence
S5800-60C-PWR
Physical IRF ports are provided on
the two interface cards on the front
panel.
All physical IRF ports bound to the same
IRF port must be located on the same
interface card.
z S5800-56C
z S5800-56C-PWR
z Four SFP+ ports are provided on
the front panel.
z Physical IRF ports are provided
on interface cards on the rear
panel.
All physical IRF ports bound to the same
IRF port must be located on the front
panel or on the interface card plugged in
the rear panel.
z S5800-32C
z S5800-32C-PWR
z Four SFP+ ports are provided on
the front panel.
z Physical IRF ports are provided
on interface cards on the rear
panel.
S5800-32F
z Four SFP+ ports are provided on
the front panel.
z The front panel can provide
physical IRF ports through
interface cards plugged in the
slots.
S5820X-28C
z The front panel can provide 14
SFP+ ports.
z Physical IRF ports are provided
on interface cards on the front
panel.
No location limitation to the physical IRF
ports bound to the same IRF port. Some
of the physical IRF ports can be located
on the front panel and some of them can
be located on interface cards.
S5820X-28S
24 SFP+ ports are provided on the
front panel.
No location limitation to the physical IRF
ports bound to the same IRF port.
Connection requirements
As shown in Figure 1-4, IRF-Port1 on one device can only be connected to the physical port bound to
IRF-Port2 of a neighbor device; otherwise, an IRF virtual device cannot be formed.
Figure 1-4 IRF physical connection
An IRF port can be bound to one physical IRF port or multiple physical IRF ports, thus to increase the
bandwidth and reliability of IRF links. You can bind at most four physical IRF ports to one IRF port on
the S5820X series or S5800 series.
1-6
IRF topology
An IRF virtual device typically adopts daisy chain connection or ring connection, as shown in Figure
1-5.
z A daisy chain connection is mainly used in a network where member devices are distributedly
located.
z A ring connection is more reliable than the daisy chain connection. In a daisy chained IRF virtual
device, the failure of one link can cause the IRF virtual device to partition into two independent IRF
virtual devices; where the failure of a link in a ring connection result in a daisy chain connection, not
affecting IRF services.
Figure 1-5 IRF connections
IRF virtual
device
Ring connection
Slave Slave
Master
IRF-Port1 IRF-Port2
IRF-Port1
IRF-Port2IRF-Port1
IRF-Port2
Daisy chain
connection
IRF
virtual
device
Master
Slave
Slave
IRF-Port2
IRF-Port2
IRF-Port1
IRF-Port1
Topology Collection
Each member exchanges hello packets with the directly connected neighbors to collect topology of the
IRF virtual device. The hello packets carry topology information, including IRF port connection states,
member IDs, priorities, and bridge MAC addresses.
Each member records its known topology information locally. At the initiation of the collection, the
members record their own topology information. When an IRF port of a member becomes up, the
member sends its known topology information from this port periodically. Upon receiving the topology
information, the directly connected neighbor updates the local topology information.
The collection process lasts for a period of time. When all members have obtained the complete
topology information (known as topology convergence), the IRF virtual device enters the next stage:
role election.
Role Election
The process of defining the role (master or slave) of members is role election.
Role election is held when the topology changes, such as, forming an IRF virtual device, adding a new
member, leaving or failure of the master, or IRF virtual device partition. The master is elected based on
1-7
the rules below, in the order specified. If the first rule does not apply, a second rule is tried, and so on,
until the only winner is found.
z The current master, even if a new member has a higher priority. (When an IRF virtual device is
being formed, all member devices consider themselves as the master, so this principle is skipped)
z A member with a higher priority.
z A member with the longest system up-time. (The system up-time information of each device is
delivered through IRF hello packets)
z A member with the lowest bridge MAC address.
Then, the IRF virtual device is formed and enters the next stage: IRF virtual device management and
maintenance.
z The precision of the system up-time is six minutes. For example, if two member devices with the
same priority values reboot one after another within six minutes, they have the same system
up-time and the last role election rule mentioned above is applied. In other words, the one with the
lowest bridge MAC address wins.
z Merge: The process of connecting two existing IRF virtual devices with cables. When two IRF
virtual devices are merged into one, an election is held, and members of the loser side reboot and
join the winner side as slaves.
z Partition: For an IRF virtual device, IRF link failure or power-off of a member causes physical
disconnection between two devices. The process is called IRF virtual device partition.
IRF Virtual Device Management
After role election, an IRF virtual device is established: all member devices operate as one virtual
device on the network, and all resources on the member devices are processed by this virtual device
and managed by the master.
Member ID
An IRF virtual device uses member IDs to uniquely identify and manage its members. For a device that
does not support IRF, an interface is named GigabitEthernet 1/0/1, where the first number is always 1;
for a device that supports IRF, if its member ID is 2, the name of the interface is GigabitEthernet 2/0/1,
where the first number indicates the member ID of the device.
A member ID is ranges from 1 to 10 and defaults to 1. To ensure the uniqueness of member IDs, plan
and configure member IDs before member devices join the IRF virtual device.
When multiple devices form an IRF virtual device, a logical distributed device is formed. Each member
device acts as a card on the distributed device. The master acts as the active main board (AMB), the
slaves act as the standby main boards (SMBs), and each member device also acts as an interface
board.
As shown in
Figure 1-6, an IRF virtual device comprises four members, which are numbered 1, 2, 3 and
4. When the IRF virtual device is established, it functions like a distributed device: slots 1,2, 3 and 4 are
1-8
inserted with cards, and each card has its own power supply unit (PSU), fan, CPU, console port and
Ethernet ports.
Figure 1-6 IRF virtual device
Interface name
For a device that operates independently (in other words, the device does not belong to any IRF virtual
device), its interface name is in the format of member ID/slot number/interface serial number, where:
z The default member ID is 1.
z When a device leaves an IRF virtual device, it retains its member ID.
z Subslot number is the number of the slot in which the interface card resides. On the S5820X series
or S5800 series, the subslot of the fixed port on the front panel is numbered 0; if the switch has only
one expansion slot, the subslot of this slot is numbered 1; if the switch has two expansion slots, the
subslots of the two expansion slots are numbered 1 and 2 from left to right.
z Interface serial number is dependent on the number of interfaces supported by the device. View
the silkscreen on the interface card for the number of supported interfaces.
For example, GigabitEthernet 1/0/1 is an interface on the independently operating device Sysname. To
set the link type of GigabitEthernet 1/0/1 to trunk, perform the following steps:
<Sysname> system-view
[Sysname] interface gigabitethernet 1/0/1
[Sysname-GigabitEthernet1/0/1] port link-type trunk
For a member of an IRF virtual device, the interface name also adopts the previously introduced format:
member ID/slot number/interface serial number, where
z The member ID identifies the IRF member on which the interface resides.
z Meaning and value of the subslot number and the interface serial number are the same as those
on an independently operating device.
For example, GigabitEthernet 1/0/1 is an interface on slave 3 (member ID is 3). To set the link type of
GigabitEthernet 1/0/1 to trunk, perform the following steps:
<Master> system-view
[Master] interface gigabitethernet 3/0/1
[Master-GigabitEthernet3/0/1] port link-type trunk
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File naming rules
You can use the name of a storage medium to access files on an independently operating device. For
the naming rules of a storage medium, see File Management Configuration in the Configuration
Fundamentals Configuration Guide.
To access the files of the master, use the name of the storage medium; to access files of a slave, use
the name in the following format: Member-ID#Storage-device-name.
For example:
1) To access the test folder in the root directory of the flash on the master, perform the following
steps:
<Master> mkdir test
...
%Created dir flash:/test.
<Master> dir
Directory of flash:/
0 -rw- 10105088 Apr 26 2000 13:44:57 test.app
1 -rw- 2445 Apr 26 2000 15:18:19 config.cfg
2 drw- - Jul 14 2008 15:20:35 test
30861 KB total (20961 KB free)
2) To create and access the test folder in the root directory of the flash on slave 3, perform the
following steps:
<Master> mkdir slot3#flash:/test
%Created dir slot3#flash:/test.
<Master> cd slot3#flash:/test
<Master> pwd
slot3#flash:/test
Or:
<Master> cd slot3#flash:/
<Master> mkdir test
%Created dir slot3#flash:/test.
3) To copy the test.app file on the master to the root directory of the flash on slave 3, perform the
following steps:
<Master> pwd
slot3#flash:
//The above information shows that the current working path is the root directory of the flash on slave 3.
<Master> cd flash:/
<Master> pwd
flash:
// The above operations show that the current working path is the root directory of the flash on the
master.
<Master> copy test.app slot3#flash:/
Copy flash:/test.app to slot3#flash:/test.app?[Y/N]:y
%Copy file flash:/test.app to slot3#flash:/test.app...Done.
Configuration file management
1) Configuration file synchronization
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IRF uses a strict configuration file synchronization mechanism to ensure that the members of an IRF
virtual device can work as a single device and that when the master fails, the other devices can operate
normally.
z When a slave starts up, it automatically searches for the master, synchronizes the master's
configuration file, and executes the configuration file. If all members start up simultaneously, the
slaves synchronize the master's initial configuration file and execute it.
z When the IRF virtual device operates normally, all your configurations are recorded into the current
configuration file of the master, and are synchronized to each member device. When you save the
current configuration file of the master as the startup configuration file by using the save command,
all slaves execute the same saving operation to make the startup configuration file of all members
consistent.
Through the real-time synchronization, all members keep the same configuration file. Even if the
master fails, all the other devices can execute various functions based on the same configuration file.
2) Configuration file application
The configuration file can be divided into two parts: global configuration and port configuration. When a
slave applies these two kinds of configurations of the master, it handles them as follows:
z Global configuration: All slaves execute the current global configuration on the master. In other
words, all members apply the same global configuration.
z Port configuration: When a slave applies the port configuration of the master, it cares about the
configuration related to its own port. For example, the slave with member ID 3 only cares about the
configuration related to the GigabitEthernet 3/0/x port on the master. If there is a configuration
related to its own port, it applies the configuration; if not, no matter what configuration has been
made to the port before the slave joins the IRF, the slave functions by using the default
configuration.
IRF topology maintenance
Direct neighbors of an IRF virtual device periodically exchange hello packets (the period is 200 ms).
Without receiving any hello packet from a direct neighbor for 100 periods, a member considers that the
hello packets timed out, and the expired device is isolated and the topology database is updated.
When an IRF port of a member is down, the member immediately broadcasts the information to all the
other members. If the IRF port of the master is down, an election is triggered.
IRF Multi-Active Detection (MAD) Mechanism
A link disconnection causes an IRF virtual device to divide into two or more IRF virtual devices with the
same global configuration, which may cause a network failure. Therefore, the multi-active detection
(MAD) mechanism is introduced to detect whether devices on the two sides of the detected link belong
to the same IRF virtual device and then judge whether the IRF virtual device is already partitioned into
multiple IRF virtual devices. The MAD mechanism provides the following functions:
z Detection: Enabled for an IRF virtual device, the MAD mechanism detects the network for multiple
active IRF virtual devices with the same global configuration. This is done with the Link
Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) or the Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) protocol.
z Collision handling: When an IRF virtual device is partitioned, if multiple active IRF virtual devices
are detected, the MAD mechanism keeps only the one with the lowest master ID to operate
normally (keeping the active state). The state of all the other IRF virtual devices are set to recovery
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(disabled) and all physical ports (usually the service ports) in them are shut down except for the
reserved ones to make sure that these IRF virtual devices cannot forward data traffic.
z Failure recovery: An IRF link failure triggers IRF virtual device partition and thus causes
multi-active collision. In this case, repair the failed IRF link to make the collided IRF virtual devices
merge into one and the failure is recovered. If the IRF virtual device in the recovery state fails
before the failure is recovered, repair both the failed IRF virtual device and the failed IRF link, and
then the collided IRF virtual devices can merge into one and the failure is recovered. If the IRF
virtual device in the active state fails before the failure is recovered, enable the IRF virtual device in
the recovery state at the CLI to make it take over the active IRF virtual device and protect the
services from being affected. Then, recover the MAD failure.
z When an IRF virtual device is portioned, the system disables all service ports on the member
devices from the loser side (equal to executing the shutdown command on these ports). However,
some ports are not disabled and they are called reserved ports. By default, only physical IRF ports
can be set to reserved ports. To set other ports (such as the port for telnetting) to reserved ports,
configure them at the CLI.
z For configuration information about LACP, see Ethernet Link Aggregation Configuration in the
Layer 2 - LAN Switching Configuration Guide; for configuration information about BFD, see BFD
Configuration in the High Availability Configuration Guide.
IRF Virtual Device Configuration Task List
Before configuring an IRF virtual device, define the roles and functions of all the members. Because
some configurations takes effect after device reboot, you are recommended to follow the procedure
shown in
Figure 1-7.
Figure 1-7 IRF configuration flow chart
You can connect physical IRF ports with SFP+ cables or fibers after activating IRF port configurations.
After the device detects that the IRF ports are connected normally, role election is started immediately,
and then the elected slaves automatically reboot.
When an IRF virtual device is formed, you can configure and manage it by logging in to any member
device. The operations you make take effect on the master, and are applied to all member devices. For
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easy fault location and device maintenance, the S5820X series or S5800 series provides slave view,
where you can execute the display, terminal, and debug commands.
Complete the following tasks to configure an IRF virtual device:
Task Remarks
Specifying a Domain ID for an IRF Virtual Device Optional
Setting a Member ID for a Device Optional
Configuring IRF Ports Required
Specifying a Priority for a Member Required
Specifying the Preservation Time of the Bridge MAC
Address
Optional
Enabling Auto Upgrade of Boot Files Optional
IRF Virtual Device
Configuration
Setting the Delay Time for the Link Layer to Report a
Link-Down Event
Optional
Connect the physical IRF ports of devices by using SFP+ cables or optical fibers (a ring connection is
recommended), and then power on the devices.
Configuring LACP MAD Optional
Configuring BFD MAD Optional
Excluding a Port from the Shut Down Action upon
Detection of Multi-Active Collision
Optional
Configuring MAD Detection
Manually Recovering an IRF Virtual Device Optional
Logging In to the Master Required
Logging In to an IRF Virtual
Device
Logging In to a Slave Optional
To avoid influence to your network caused by accidental partition of an IRF virtual device, you are
recommended to enable the MAD detection function after establishing the IRF virtual device.
IRF Virtual Device Configuration
Specifying a Domain ID for an IRF Virtual Device
Introduction to domain
To differentiate IRF virtual devices, each IRF virtual device is assigned a domain ID.
As shown in
Figure 1-8, Switch A and Switch B form IRF virtual device 1, and Switch C and Switch D
form IRF virtual device 2. If there is an LACP MAD detection link between IRF virtual device 1 and IRF
virtual device 2, they send MAD detection packets to each other through the detection link. In this case,
the system statuses and operations of both IRF virtual device 1 and IRF virtual device 2 are affected. To
solve this problem, specify different domain IDs for the two IRF virtual devices.
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Figure 1-8 Network diagram for multiple domains
Switch A Switch B
IRF virtual device 1
(domain 10)
IRF link
Core network
IRF virtual device 2
(domain 20)
IRF link
Switch C
Switch D
Access network
Assigning a domain ID to an IRF virtual device
If LACP MAD detection is applied for multiple IRF virtual devices and LACP MAD detection links exist
among the IRF virtual devices, assign different domain IDs for the IRF virtual devices. If there is no
LACP MAD detection link among IRF virtual devices, or BFD MAD detection is applied, you do not need
to assign domain IDs to them.
Follow these steps to assign a domain ID to an IRF virtual device:
To do… Use the command… Remarks
Enter system view
system-view
—
Assign a domain ID to an IRF
virtual device
irf domain
domain-id
Optional
By default, the domain ID of an
IRF virtual device is 0.
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