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Preprovisioning a Virtual Chassis Fabric

Before you begin:

• Update all devices to the same version of Junos OS that supports VCF. See Upgrading Software or Installing Software on an EX Series Switch with a Single Routing Engine (CLI Procedure).
• If automatic software update is enabled, disable automatic software update by entering the delete chassis auto-image-upgrade statement.

1. Make a list of the serial numbers of all the devices to be connected in the VCF. You can get a device’s serial number in the show virtual-chassis output or by following the instructions in Locating the Serial Number on a QFX5100 Device or Component, Locating the Serial Number on a QFX3600 or QFX3600-I Device or Component, Locating the Serial Number on a QFX3500 Device or Component, or Locating the Serial Number on an EX4300 Switch or Component.
2. Decide the desired role (routing-engine or line-card) for each device.

   In a VCF, you configure two QFX5100 devices acting in the Routing Engine role into spine devices. All other devices—the spine devices not assuming the master or backup Routing Engine role and all leaf devices—are configured into the linecard role as leaf devices.

3. Configure each individual device into fabric mode. If needed, configure the devices into mixed mode.

   Reboot each device to complete this configuration step.

   Mixed mode must be configured if your VCF includes QFX3500, QFX3600, or EX4300 devices as leaf nodes.

   If you are configuring a VCF composed entirely of QFX5100 devices:

   user@device> request virtual-chassis mode fabric local reboot


   If you are configuring a VCF that includes EX4300, QFX3500, or QFX3600 devices as leaf nodes:

   user@device> request virtual-chassis mode fabric mixed local reboot


   Note: A device whose fabric or mixed mode setting is improperly set cannot join a VCF. You can check the mode settings using the show virtual-chassis mode command. We recommend that you set the fabric and mixed mode before you interconnect your devices into a VCF to avoid the following issues: Incurring downtime as the devices reboot to commit the mixed mode or fabric settings. Manually correcting potential issues related to VCF formation because the device did not immediately join the VCF. You can, however, use the request virtual-chassis mode fabric local or request virtual-chassis mode mixed local commands to set a device into fabric or mixed mode after interconnecting your VCF.

4. Log in to one of your spine devicesthat will be configured into the Routing Engine role after the reboot has completed.
5. Specify the preprovisioned configuration mode:
   [edit virtual-chassis]
user@device# set preprovisioned

6. Associate a member ID with a serial number for each device in your VCF, and configure the role for each device:
   [edit virtual-chassis]
user@device# set member member-id serial-number serial-number role (line-card | routing-engine)


   Configure two spine devices into the Routing Engine role, and the additional spine devices into the linecard role if your VCF supports three or more spine devices. You must use QFX5100 devices as your spine devices.

   Configure your leaf devices into the linecard role.

   For instance, if you wanted to preprovision a VCF with twenty member devices that uses member 0 and 1 in the Routing Engine role, members 2 and 3 as spine devices in the line card role, and the remaining devices as leaf devices:

   [edit virtual-chassis]
user@device# set member 0 serial-number SERIALNUMB00 role routing-engine
user@device# set member 1 serial-number SERIALNUMB01 role routing-engine
user@device# set member 2 serial-number SERIALNUMB02 role line-card
user@device# set member 3 serial-number SERIALNUMB03 role line-card
user@device# set member 4 serial-number SERIALNUMB04 role line-card
user@device# set member 5 serial-number SERIALNUMB05 role line-card
user@device# set member 6 serial-number SERIALNUMB06 role line-card
user@device# set member 7 serial-number SERIALNUMB07 role line-card
user@device# set member 8 serial-number SERIALNUMB08 role line-card
user@device# set member 9 serial-number SERIALNUMB09 role line-card
user@device# set member 10 serial-number SERIALNUMB10 role line-card
user@device# set member 11 serial-number SERIALNUMB11 role line-card
user@device# set member 12 serial-number SERIALNUMB12 role line-card
user@device# set member 13 serial-number SERIALNUMB13 role line-card
user@device# set member 14 serial-number SERIALNUMB14 role line-card
user@device# set member 15 serial-number SERIALNUMB15 role line-card
user@device# set member 16 serial-number SERIALNUMB16 role line-card
user@device# set member 17 serial-number SERIALNUMB17 role line-card
user@device# set member 18 serial-number SERIALNUMB18 role line-card
user@device# set member 19 serial-number SERIALNUMB19 role line-card

7. (Recommended) Configure a virtual management Ethernet (VME) interface for management of the VCF configuration:
   [edit]
user@device# set interfaces vme unit 0 family inet address /ip-address/mask/

   Note: A VME accesses the device in the master Routing Engine role using a management port, so cable management port em0 or em1 on each spine device in your VCF so the VME is available regardless of which spine device assumes the master Routing Engine role. See Connecting a QFX Series Device to a Management Console

8. Commit the configuration:
   user@device# commit
9. (EX4300 switches using 40-Gbps QSFP+ interfaces as VCPs only) Perform one of the following tasks to convert the 40-Gbps QSFP+ interfaces into VCPs:

   Note: Automatic VCP conversion only works when the interfaces on both ends of a link are not configured into VCPs. This step is needed on EX4300 switches using 40-Gbps QSFP+ interfaces as VCPs because the 40-Gbps QSFP+ interfaces on EX4300 switches are configured as VCPs, by default. If you are cabling the EX4300 switch to the spine switch with a DAC cable in the 40-Gbps QSFP+ interface, you must use the request virtual-chassis vc-port set command to manually convert the 40-Gbps QSFP+ interface on the spine device into a VCP, as described in the second bullet below.

   • Delete the VCP configuration on the 40-Gbps QSFP+ interface using the request virtual-chassis vc-port delete command.

     For instance, to delete the VCP configuration on all four QSFP+ interfaces on an EX4300-48T switch:

     user@leaf-device# request virtual-chassis vc-port delete pic-slot 1 port 0

     user@leaf-device# request virtual-chassis vc-port delete pic-slot 1 port 1

     user@leaf-device# request virtual-chassis vc-port delete pic-slot 1 port 2

     user@leaf-device# request virtual-chassis vc-port delete pic-slot 1 port 3
   • Manually configure the 40-Gbps QSFP+ interface on the spine device into a VCP using the request virtual-chassis vc-port set. For instance:
     user@spine-device# request virtual-chassis vc-port set pic-slot 1 port 0

     user@spine-device# request virtual-chassis vc-port set pic-slot 1 port 1

     user@spine-device# request virtual-chassis vc-port set pic-slot 1 port 2

     user@spine-device# request virtual-chassis vc-port set pic-slot 1 port 3
10. Interconnect the spine device that you configured in the previous steps to all leaf devices by using the supported SFP+ and QSFP+ interfaces.

    Note: The automatic Virtual Chassis port (VCP) conversion feature is enabled and automatically configures SFP+ and QSFP+ interfaces into VCPs when the VCF configuration mode is set to preprovisioned. You do not need to manually configure VCPs. If you want to configure an SFP+ or QSFP+ interface into a network interface, disable LLDP on that interface. See Configuring LLDP.

11. Interconnect all other spine devices to all other leaf devices using the supported SFP+ and QSFP+ interfaces.
12. Install the VCF feature licenses.

    For a VCF deployment, two license keys are recommended for redundancy—one for the device in the master role and the other for the device in the backup role.

    To purchase a feature license for VCF, contact your Juniper Networks sales representative (https://www.juniper.net/us/en/contact-us/sales-offices). The Juniper sales representative will provide you with the feature license files and license keys. You will be asked to supply the chassis serial number of your switch; you can obtain the serial number by running the show virtual-chassis command.

    After obtaining the licenses, follow the instructions in Generating License Keys.