Supported Platforms
Related Documentation
Understanding Long-Distance Virtual Chassis Port Configuration for an EX8200 Virtual Chassis
An EX8200 Virtual Chassis is formed when XRE200 External Routing Engines and EX8200 switches are interconnected to form a Virtual Chassis.
The maximum length supported to connect an XRE200 External Routing Engine to another XRE200 External Routing Engine is 43.5 miles (70 kilometers). You must use the 4-port 1000BASE-X small form-factor pluggable (SFP) module on each XRE200 External Routing Engine to establish this VCP connection over any distance greater than 328 feet (100 meters). See Virtual Chassis Control Interface (VCCI) Modules in an XRE200 External Routing Engine.
An XRE200 External Routing Engine can connect to an EX8200 switch over a distance up to 43.5 miles using an SFP connection only if an intermediary switch that supports SFPs is used to convert the SFP optical connection into a fiber connection. This conversion is necessary because the management interface (labeled MGMT) on the Routing Engine (RE) or Switch Fabric and Routing Engine (SRE) in the EX8200 switch does not support SFP connections. See Configuring a Long-Distance Virtual Chassis Port Connection for an EX8200 Virtual Chassis.
An EX Series switch used as an intermediary switch for this purpose must be dedicated to this task. VLANs must be created on the intermediary switch to properly direct VCCP traffic between the XRE200 External Routing Engines and the EX8200 switches. This switch cannot receive or transmit any other traffic. Any EX Series switch can be used for this purpose.
 | Note: The most affordable EX Series switch is an EX2200 switch with 24 total ports and no Power over Ethernet (PoE) ports (model number EX2200-24T-4G). If you need to purchase a new switch to extend a VCP for an EX8200 Virtual Chassis, we recommend purchasing this switch with an SFP uplink module and an SFP cable whose length is appropriate for your environment. The EX2200 switch supports uplink modules with SFP connections that span up to 43.5 miles (70 km). |
