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You connect the IRF member switches through IRF ports, the logical interfaces for the connections
between IRF member switches. Each IRF member switch has two IRF ports: IRF-port 1 and IRF-port
2. To use an IRF port, you must bind at least one physical port to it.
When connecting two neighboring IRF member switches, you must connect the physical ports of
IRF-port 1 on one switch to the physical ports of IRF-port 2 on the other switch.
The S5130-EI switches can provide 10-GE IRF connections through 1/10 GE Ethernet ports or SFP+
ports, and you can bind several 1/10 GE Ethernet ports or SFP+ ports to an IRF port for increased
bandwidth and availability.
and
show the topologies of an IRF fabric made up of three S5130-28S-EI
switches. The IRF port connections in the two figures are for illustration only, and more connection
methods are available.
Figure 30 IRF fabric in daisy chain topology
Figure 31 IRF fabric in ring topology
Identifying physical IRF ports on the member switches
Identify the physical IRF ports on the member switches according to your topology and connection
scheme.
Planning the cabling scheme
Use twisted pair cables, SFP+ DAC cables, or SFP+ transceiver modules and fibers to connect the
IRF member switches. If the IRF member switches are far away from one another, choose the SFP+
transceiver modules with optical fibers. If the IRF member switches are all in one equipment room,
choose twisted pair cables or SFP+ DAC cables.
