29
NOTE:
IRF member switches will 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
HPE FlexFabric 5710 Switch Series IRF Configuration Guide
or
HPE FlexFabric 5710
Switch Series Virtual Technologies Configuration Guide
, depending on the software version.
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 reliably, ring topology. In ring topology,
the failure of one IRF link does not cause the IRF fabric to split as in daisy chain topology. Rather, 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 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 IRF port connections in the two figures are for illustration only, and more connection methods
are available.
Figure 35 IRF fabric in daisy chain topology
