HPe Switch Stack - Confusion ...

[stuart_d1]

I'm very confused. I've been reading this excellent article:

https://support.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=mmr_kc-0119192

and it has clarified a lot of things around stacking / IRF. However, I'm trying to do two things.

1. create an internal support note to assist the team in troubleshooting stacks (we are traditionally a Cisco only place but we have recently had an influx of HPe devices to support so need to adapt).
2. Work out how best to monitor the stack interfaces.... but that's more a query for the folks who's software we use for our monitoring.

So, for example, I have a 2 switch stack consisting of 2 x 5130-48G's. I know that TG 1/0/51 connects to TG 2/0/28 because dis lldp nei list tells me so:

Name_SW01  XGE1/0/51       2c23-3af3-509f  Ten-GigabitEthernet2/0/28
Name_SW01  XGE2/0/28       2c23-3af3-509f  Ten-GigabitEthernet1/0/51

However a dis irf link (see below output) adds to the confusion as it tells me I have 4 IRF ports and they are all UP and a dis int br agrees that all 4 ports are up. However, that's not what CDP said... as it shows no connection on / between 1/0/52 and 2/0/27

Member 1
 IRF Port  Interface                             Status
 1         Ten-GigabitEthernet1/0/51             UP
 2         Ten-GigabitEthernet1/0/52             UP
Member 2
 IRF Port  Interface                             Status
 1         Ten-GigabitEthernet2/0/27             UP
 2         Ten-GigabitEthernet2/0/28             UP

A dis irf topo gives:

                             Topology Info
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------
               IRF-Port1                IRF-Port2
 MemberID    Link       neighbor      Link       neighbor    Belong To
 1           UP         2             UP         2           00e0-fc0f-8c02
 2           UP         1             UP         1           00e0-fc0f-8c02

So what am I seeing or probably more correctly, what am I mis-understanding about this?

[parnassus]

First of all, if not already done, have a look at HPE 5130 EI Switch series documentation (latest grouped portfolio I was able to find is contained into this PDF, here you will be able to find IRF Configuration Guide).

What exact software version is running on both your HPE 5130 EI Switches (display version)?

Can you provide outputs of display irf configuration and display irf commands?

[stuart_d1]

Hi parnassus and thanks for the response. I will certainly take a look at the documentation but part of the issue stems from us having had no training / experience and having had these devices 'dropped' on us and we are now scrambling to understand and support them now.

display version:

HPE Comware Software, Version 7.1.045, Release 3115P07
Copyright (c) 2010-2017 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
HPE 5130 48G PoE+ 4SFP+ EI Switch uptime is 33 weeks, 4 days, 21 hours, 26 minutes
Last reboot reason : Cold reboot

Boot image: flash:/5130ei-cmw710-boot-r3115p07.bin
Boot image version: 7.1.045, Release 3115P07
  Compiled Feb 10 2017 16:00:00
System image: flash:/5130ei-cmw710-system-r3115p07.bin
System image version: 7.1.045, Release 3115P07
  Compiled Feb 10 2017 16:00:00

display irf conf:
 MemberID NewID    IRF-Port1                     IRF-Port2
 1        1        Ten-GigabitEthernet1/0/51     Ten-GigabitEthernet1/0/52
 2        2        Ten-GigabitEthernet2/0/27     Ten-GigabitEthernet2/0/28

display irf:
MemberID    Role    Priority  CPU-Mac         Description
 *+1        Master  32        00e0-fc0f-8c02  ---
   2        Standby 20        00e0-fc0f-8c03  ---
--------------------------------------------------
 * indicates the device is the master.
 + indicates the device through which the user logs in.

 The bridge MAC of the IRF is: 2c23-3af2-d9bf
 Auto upgrade                : yes
 Mac persistent              : 6 min
 Domain ID                   : 11

Thanks.

[stuart_d1 · Accepted solution]

For the record....

I have managed to sit down and spent some time looking at the information presented and I now understand what the output is telling me so I am able to see, for example, which interface physically connetcs to which.

What wasn't helping is that it would appear that the extract from the device I was looking at may be suffering from a bug of some form related to it "dropping" one of its stack members last week. We are going to do some further OOH investigations to see what happens.

Thank you again @parnassusfor your help.