- play_arrow Understanding How a Virtual Chassis Works
- play_arrow Configuring a Virtual Chassis
- Configuring Interchassis Redundancy for MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platforms Using a Virtual Chassis
- Preparing for a Virtual Chassis Configuration
- Creating and Applying Configuration Groups for a Virtual Chassis
- Configuring Preprovisioned Member Information for a Virtual Chassis
- Configuring Enhanced IP Network Services for a Virtual Chassis
- Configuring Enhanced LAN Mode for a Virtual Chassis
- Enabling Graceful Routing Engine Switchover and Nonstop Active Routing for a Virtual Chassis
- Configuring Member IDs for a Virtual Chassis
- Configuring an MX2020 Member Router in an Existing MX Series Virtual Chassis
- Switching the Global Primary and Backup Roles in a Virtual Chassis Configuration
- Deleting Member IDs in a Virtual Chassis Configuration
- Example: Replacing a Routing Engine in a Virtual Chassis Configuration for MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platforms
- Deleting a Virtual Chassis Configuration for MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platforms
- Example: Deleting a Virtual Chassis Configuration for MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platforms
- Upgrading an MX Virtual Chassis SCB or SCBE to SCBE2
- play_arrow Configuring Virtual Chassis Ports to Interconnect Member Devices
- play_arrow Configuring Locality Bias to Conserve Bandwidth on Virtual Chassis Ports
- play_arrow Configuring Class of Service for Virtual Chassis Ports
- play_arrow Configuring Redundancy Mechanisms on Aggregated Ethernet Interfaces in a Virtual Chassis
- Redundancy Mechanisms on Aggregated Ethernet Interfaces in a Virtual Chassis
- Configuring Module Redundancy for a Virtual Chassis
- Configuring Chassis Redundancy for a Virtual Chassis
- Multichassis Link Aggregation in a Virtual Chassis
- Targeted Traffic Distribution on Aggregated Ethernet Interfaces in a Virtual Chassis
- Understanding Support for Targeted Distribution of Logical Interface Sets of Static VLANs over Aggregated Ethernet Logical Interfaces
- play_arrow Upgrading Junos OS in a Virtual Chassis Configuration for MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platforms by Rebooting the Routing Engines
- play_arrow Upgrading Junos OS in an MX Series Virtual Chassis by Performing a Unified In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU)
- play_arrow Upgrading Junos OS in an MX Series Virtual Chassis by Performing a Sequential Upgrade
- play_arrow Monitoring an MX Series Virtual Chassis
- Accessing the Virtual Chassis Through the Management Interface
- Verifying the Status of Virtual Chassis Member Routers or Switches
- Verifying the Operation of Virtual Chassis Ports
- Verifying Neighbor Reachability for Member Routers or Switches in a Virtual Chassis
- Verifying Neighbor Reachability for Hardware Devices in a Virtual Chassis
- Determining GRES Readiness in a Virtual Chassis Configuration
- Viewing Information in the Virtual Chassis Control Protocol Adjacency Database
- Viewing Information in the Virtual Chassis Control Protocol Link-State Database
- Viewing Information About Virtual Chassis Port Interfaces in the Virtual Chassis Control Protocol Database
- Viewing Virtual Chassis Control Protocol Routing Tables
- Viewing Virtual Chassis Control Protocol Statistics for Member Devices and Virtual Chassis Ports
- Verifying and Managing the Virtual Chassis Heartbeat Connection
- Inline Flow Monitoring for Virtual Chassis Overview
- Managing Files on Virtual Chassis Member Routers or Switches
- Virtual Chassis SNMP Traps
- Virtual Chassis Slot Number Mapping for Use with SNMP
- Example: Determining Member Health Using an MX Series Virtual Chassis Heartbeat Connection with Member Routers in the Same Subnet
- Example: Determining Member Health Using an MX Series Virtual Chassis Heartbeat Connection with Member Routers in Different Subnets
- play_arrow Tracing Virtual Chassis Operations for Troubleshooting Purposes
- Tracing Virtual Chassis Operations for MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platforms
- Configuring the Name of the Virtual Chassis Trace Log File
- Configuring Characteristics of the Virtual Chassis Trace Log File
- Configuring Access to the Virtual Chassis Trace Log File
- Using Regular Expressions to Refine the Output of the Virtual Chassis Trace Log File
- Configuring the Virtual Chassis Operations to Trace
- play_arrow Configuration Statements and Operational Commands
Interchassis Redundancy and Virtual Chassis Overview
As more high-priority voice and video traffic is carried on the network, interchassis redundancy has become a baseline requirement for providing stateful redundancy on broadband subscriber management equipment such as broadband services routers, broadband network gateways, and broadband remote access servers. To provide a stateful interchassis redundancy solution for MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platforms, you can configure a Virtual Chassis.
This topic provides an overview of interchassis redundancy and the Virtual Chassis, and explains the benefits of configuring a Virtual Chassis on supported MX Series routers.
Interchassis Redundancy Overview
Traditionally, redundancy in broadband edge equipment has used an intrachassis approach, which focuses on providing redundancy within a single system. However, a single-system redundancy mechanism no longer provides the degree of high availability required by service providers who must carry mission-critical voice and video traffic on their network. Consequently, service providers are requiring interchassis redundancy solutions that can span multiple systems that are colocated or geographically dispersed.
Interchassis redundancy is a high availability feature that prevents network outages and protects routers against access link failures, uplink failures, and wholesale chassis failures without visibly disrupting the attached subscribers or increasing the network management burden for service providers. Network outages can cause service providers to lose revenues and require them to register formal reports with government agencies. A robust interchassis redundancy implementation enables service providers to fulfill strict service-level agreements (SLAs) and avoid unplanned network outages to better meet the needs of their customers.
Virtual Chassis Overview
One approach to providing interchassis redundancy is the Virtual Chassis model. In general terms, a Virtual Chassis configuration enables a collection of member routers to function as a single virtual router, and extends the features available on a single router to the member routers in the Virtual Chassis. The interconnected member routers in a Virtual Chassis are managed as a single network element that appears to the network administrator as a single chassis with additional line card slots, and to the access network as a single system.
To provide a stateful interchassis redundancy solution for MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platforms, you can configure a Virtual Chassis. An MX Series Virtual Chassis interconnects two MX Series routers into a logical system that you can manage as a single network element. The member routers in a Virtual Chassis are designated as the Virtual Chassis primary router (also known as the protocol primary) and the Virtual Chassis backup router (also known as the protocol backup). The member routers are interconnected by means of dedicated Virtual Chassis ports that you configure on Modular Port Concentrator/Modular Interface Card (MPC/MIC) interfaces.
An MX Series Virtual Chassis is managed by the Virtual Chassis Control Protocol (VCCP), which is a dedicated control protocol based on IS-IS. VCCP runs on the Virtual Chassis port interfaces and is responsible for building the Virtual Chassis topology, electing the Virtual Chassis primary router, and establishing the interchassis routing table to route traffic within the Virtual Chassis.
MX Series Virtual Chassis does not support Ethernet OAM, distributed inline connectivity fault management, Ethernet frame delay measurement, loss measurement, synthetic loss measurement, and Ethernet alarm indication signal (ETH-AIS).
Benefits of Configuring a Virtual Chassis
Configuring a Virtual Chassis for MX Series routers provides the following benefits:
Simplifies network management of two routers that are either colocated or geographically dispersed across a Layer 2 point-to-point network.
Provides resiliency against network outages and protects member routers against access link failures, uplink failures, and chassis failures without visibly disrupting attached subscribers or increasing the network management burden for service providers.
Extends the high availability capabilities of applications such as graceful Routing Engine switchover (GRES) and nonstop active routing (NSR) beyond a single MX Series router to both member routers in the Virtual Chassis.
Enables service providers to fulfill strict service level agreements (SLAs) and avoid unplanned network outages to better meet their customers’ needs.
Provides the ability to scale bandwidth and service capacity as more high-priority voice and video traffic is carried on the network.
Supported Routing Platforms for MX Series Virtual Chassis
You can configure a Virtual Chassis on the following MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platforms with MPC/MIC interfaces:
MX240 Universal Routing Platform
MX480 Universal Routing Platform
MX960 Universal Routing Platform
MX2010 Universal Routing Platform
MX2020 Universal Routing Platform
MX10003 Universal Routing Platform
Platform support depends on the Junos OS release in your installation.
Graceful Routing Engine switchover (GRES) and nonstop active routing (NSR) must be enabled on both member routers in the Virtual Chassis.
Supported Member Router Combinations
A two-member MX Series Virtual Chassis supports the member router combinations marked as Yes in Table 1.
Member Router Type | MX240 | MX480 | MX960 | MX2010 | MX2020 | MX10003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MX240 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
MX480 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
MX960 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
MX2010 | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
MX2020 | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
MX10003 | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Routing Engine Requirements
Each member router in the Virtual Chassis must have dual Routing Engines installed, and all four Routing Engines in the Virtual Chassis must be the same model. For example, you cannot configure a Virtual Chassis if one member router has two RE-S-2000 Routing Engines installed and the other member router has two RE-S-1800 Routing Engines installed.
For an MX Series Virtual Chassis configuration that includes an MX2020 router, all four Routing Engines in the Virtual Chassis must have at least 16 gigabytes of memory.
