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Identifying the master switch and planning IRF member IDs
Determine which switch you want to use as the master for managing all member switches in the IRF
fabric.
An IRF fabric has only one master switch. You configure and manage all member switches in the IRF
fabric at the CLI of the master switch. IRF member switches automatically elect a master.
You can affect the election result by assigning a high member priority to the intended master switch.
For more information about master election, see the virtual technologies configuration guide for the
switch.
Prepare an IRF member ID assignment scheme. An IRF fabric uses member IDs to uniquely identify
and manage its members, and you must assign each IRF member switch a unique member ID.
Planning IRF topology and connections
You can create an IRF fabric in daisy chain topology or more reliable ring topology. 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.
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 a minimum of 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 switch can provide 5G/10GE/25G/40GE IRF connections. See
for the available IRF
physical ports. You can bind several IRF physical ports to an IRF port for increased bandwidth and
availability.
and
show the topologies of an IRF fabric made up of three S5560X-54F-HI
switches. The IRF port connections in the two figures are for illustration only, and more connection
methods are available.
Figure4-2 IRF fabric in daisy chain topology
IRF-port1
IRF-port2
IRF-port1
IRF-port2
1
2
3
1
2
3
