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EX Series Virtual Chassis Overview

Note: This topic applies to all EX Series Virtual Chassis except EX8200 Virtual Chassis. See EX8200 Virtual Chassis Overview for information about EX8200 Virtual Chassis.

Many Juniper Networks EX Series switches support the Virtual Chassis flexible, scaling switch solution. You can connect individual switches together to form one unit and manage the unit as a single chassis.

The following Virtual Chassis are supported on EX Series switches:

• An EX2200 Virtual Chassis, composed of up to four EX2200 switches
• An EX3300 Virtual Chassis, composed of up to ten EX3300 switches
• An EX4200 Virtual Chassis, composed of up to ten EX4200 switches
• An EX4500 Virtual Chassis, composed of up to ten EX4500 switches
• An EX4550 Virtual Chassis, composed of up to ten EX4550 switches
• A mixed EX4200 and EX4500 Virtual Chassis, a Virtual Chassis composed of up to ten total EX4200 and EX4500 switches
• A mixed EX4200 and EX4550 Virtual Chassis, a Virtual Chassis composed of up to ten total EX4200 and EX4550 switches
• A mixed EX4200, EX4500, and EX4550 Virtual Chassis, a Virtual Chassis composed of up to ten total EX4200, EX4500, and EX4550 switches
• A mixed EX4500 and EX4550 Virtual Chassis, a Virtual Chassis composed of up to ten total EX4500 and EX4550 switches
• An EX8200 Virtual Chassis, composed of up to four EX8200 switches

  Note: This topic applies to all EX Series Virtual Chassis except EX8200 Virtual Chassis. See EX8200 Virtual Chassis Overview.

Table 1 lists the initial Junos OS release that supports each Virtual Chassis combination.

Table 1: Minimum Junos OS Release by Virtual Chassis Connection Type

Switch	EX2200 Switch	EX3300 Switch	EX4200 Switch	EX4500 Switch	EX4550 Switch
EX2200 Switch	12.2R1	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
EX3300 Switch	Not supported	11.3R1	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
EX4200 Switch	Not supported	Not supported	9.0R1	11.1R1	12.2R1
EX4500 Switch	Not supported	Not supported	11.1R1	11.1R1	12.2R1
EX4550 Switch	Not supported	Not supported	12.2R1	12.2R1	12.2R1

This topic describes:

Basic Configuration of a Virtual Chassis

You need to interconnect at least two switches to form a Virtual Chassis.

You interconnect EX2200 switches into an EX2200 Virtual Chassis by configuring uplink ports that connect two or more switches as Virtual Chassis Ports (VCPs). You can configure all EX2200 uplink ports which support 1-Gpbs speeds into VCPs.

You interconnect EX3300 switches into a Virtual Chassis by interconnecting uplink port connections configured as VCPs between two or more switches. By default, uplink ports 2 and 3 on EX3300 switches are configured as VCPs. EX3300 switches do not have dedicated VCPs. See Configuring an EX3300 Virtual Chassis (CLI Procedure).

You interconnect EX4200, EX4500, and EX4550 switches in a Virtual Chassis by either interconnecting the switches through the dedicated VCPs or by configuring the optical port connections as VCPs. All EX4200 switches are shipped with two built-in dedicated VCPs. The dedicated VCPs are on the Virtual Chassis module in an EX4500 or EX4550 switch. All supported SFP, SFP+, and XFP uplink connections between EX4200, EX4500, and EX4550 switches can be configured as VCPs.

See Configuring an EX4200, EX4500, or EX4550 Virtual Chassis (CLI Procedure) or Configuring a Mixed Virtual Chassis with EX4200, EX4500, and EX4550 Member Switches (CLI Procedure).

Expanding Configurations—Within a Single Wiring Closet and Across Wiring Closets

Within a single wiring closet, you can simply add an EX4200, EX4500, or EX4550 member switch to a Virtual Chassis by cabling the member switch into the Virtual Chassis using the dedicated VCPs.

You can easily expand a Virtual Chassis configuration beyond a single wiring closet or over a longer distance by connecting member switches together using SFP, SFP+, or XFP uplink connections and configuring those connections as VCPs. All supported SFP, SFP+, and XFP uplink connections between EX4200, EX4500, and EX4550 switches can be configured as VCPs.

EX2200 and EX3300 switches do not have dedicated VCPs. You must always use the uplink ports on an EX2200 or an EX3300 switch to connect the Virtual Chassis both within a wiring closet and across wiring closets. Uplink ports 2 and 3 are automatically configured as VCPs on EX3300 switches. No uplink ports on EX2200 switches are automatically configured as VCPs.

When you are creating a Virtual Chassis, you might want to deterministically control the role and member ID assigned to each member switch. You can do this by creating a preprovisioned configuration. You can add switches to a preprovisioned configuration by using the autoprovisioning feature to automatically configure the uplink ports as VCPs on the switches being added.

To add a new switch to a wiring closet, see:

• Adding a New Switch to an Existing EX3300 Virtual Chassis (CLI Procedure)
• Adding a New EX4200 Switch to an Existing EX4200 Virtual Chassis (CLI Procedure)
• Adding an EX4200 Switch to a Preprovisioned EX4500 Virtual Chassis or a Preprovisioned Mixed EX4200 and EX4500 Virtual Chassis (CLI Procedure)
• Adding an EX4500 Switch to a Preprovisioned EX4200 Virtual Chassis (CLI Procedure)
• Adding an EX4500 Switch to a Nonprovisioned EX4200 Virtual Chassis (CLI Procedure)

To manually configure a VCP, see:

• Setting an Uplink Port on an EX2200, EX3300, or EX4200 Switch as a Virtual Chassis Port (CLI Procedure)
• Setting an Uplink Port as a Virtual Chassis Port on an EX4500 or EX4550 Switch (CLI Procedure)

To use preprovisioning to configure a Virtual Chassis or autoprovisioning to add a switch to a Virtual Chassis, see:

• Configuring an EX4200, EX4500, or EX4550 Virtual Chassis (CLI Procedure)
• Configuring a Mixed Virtual Chassis with EX4200, EX4500, and EX4550 Member Switches (CLI Procedure)
• Adding a New EX4200 Switch to an Existing EX4200 Virtual Chassis (CLI Procedure)

Global Management of Member Switches in a Virtual Chassis

The interconnected member switches in a Virtual Chassis operate as a single network entity. You run EZSetup only once to specify the identification parameters for the master, and these parameters implicitly apply to all members of the Virtual Chassis. You can view the Virtual Chassis as a single device in the J-Web user interface (on platforms and software that support J-Web) and apply various device management functions to all members of the Virtual Chassis.

The serial console port and dedicated out-of-band management port that are on the rear panel of the individual switches have global virtual counterparts when the switches are interconnected in a Virtual Chassis configuration. A PC or laptop allows you to connect to the master switch by connecting a terminal directly to the console port of any member switch. A virtual management Ethernet (VME) interface allows you to remotely manage the Virtual Chassis configuration by connecting to the out-of-band management port of any member switch through a single IP address. See Understanding Global Management of an EX Series Virtual Chassis.

High Availability Through Redundant Routing Engines

You increase your network’s high availability when you interconnect an EX Series switch into a Virtual Chassis. A Virtual Chassis is more fault tolerant then a standalone EX series switch because it remains up when a single member switch fails.

A Virtual Chassis has dual Routing Engines—the switch in the master role and the switch in the backup role—and therefore supports many high availability features not supported on standalone EX Series switches. See Understanding High Availability on an EX Series Virtual Chassis.

You can further improve the high availability of your network by configuring the high availability features available for your EX Series Virtual Chassis. You can, for instance, configure Link Aggregation Groups (LAG) bundles to include member links on multiple member switches in the same Virtual Chassis. This configuration increases fault tolerance because traffic traversing the LAG can be redirected to an active member switch when a single member switch fails.

Adaptability as an Access Switch or Distribution Switch

A Virtual Chassis configuration supports a variety of user environments, because it can be composed of different models of switches. You can select different switch models to support various functions. For example, you might set up one Virtual Chassis access switch configuration composed of the full Power over Ethernet (PoE) models to support users sitting in cubicles equipped with PCs and Voice over IP (VoIP) phones. You could set up another Virtual Chassis configuration with partial PoE models to support the company's internal servers and configure one more Virtual Chassis configuration with partial PoE models to support the company's external servers. Alternatively, you can use the Virtual Chassis as a distribution switch.