Switching the Global Primary and Backup Roles in a Virtual Chassis Configuration

You can change the primary role in an MX Series Virtual Chassis by switching the global roles of the primary router and backup router in the Virtual Chassis configuration. When you change the primary role by issuing the request virtual-chassis routing-engine master switch administrative command, the current primary router in the Virtual Chassis (also known as the Virtual Chassis protocol primary, or VC-P) becomes the backup router, and the current backup router (also known as the Virtual Chassis protocol backup, or VC-B) becomes the primary router.

Before you begin:

• Make sure the system configuration is synchronized between the primary router and the backup router.

  If the configuration between the member routers is not synchronized when you issue the request virtual-chassis routing-engine master switch command, the router displays the following error message and rejects the command.

• Make sure the Virtual Chassis is not in a transition state (for example, the backup router is in the process of disconnecting from the Virtual Chassis) when you issue the request virtual-chassis routing-engine master switch command.

  If you attempt to issue the request virtual-chassis routing-engine master switch command during a transition state, the router does not process the command.