IRF configuration with 3 switches

[palmettoinfusio]

I have followed steps on setting up irf with 3 HPE 1950 JG963A switches, and still can't get it to work, I don't know what I am doing wrong, is there anyone that can help or lead me on how to accomplish this correctly?

[parnassus]

Which document/how-to/guide (official or not) have you followed "step-by-step" to setup the IRF Stack with your three HPE OfficeConnect 1950 switches?

What are their configurations (and which interfaces were involved on each unit), actually?

Please provide more details/info.

[palmettoinfusio]

I can't remember them all, i read a lot of them, here is one i found in particular, it's with 2 switches not three. https://community.hpe.com/t5/Web-and-Unmanaged/Stacking-IRF-three-1950-switches/td-p/6763035

I was wanting to use both SFP ports as I hav already ordered the cable for them.

[parnassus]

Interesting: HPE OfficeConnect 1950 Switch Series user guide (even the most recent one of August 2016) seems to understimate the IRF configuration necessary steps by showing just a two IRF Stack configuration deployed only through Web GUI (which looks somewhat trivial but doesn't tell the whole story about IRF)...then the fact that the word "Stack" is used on User Guide while the word "IRF" is used on Web GUI and Online Help adds confusion and doesn't help.

To be totally honest the HPE OfficeConnect 1950 Switch Series Getting Started Guide (August 2016) has an entire chapter starting at page 23 totally dedicated to "Setting up an HPE OfficeConnect 1950 stack" (where the word "stack" is literally "IRF", again) with a clear setup flow.

IMHO the best things you can do are:

• Start with Switches in their default state or, at least, with physical interfaces you plan to use as Logical IRF Ports in a default known state.
• Don't connect any physical link you're planning to bind to each Logical IRF Port until (when) the IRF configuration procedure states to do so.
• Start with updated Firmware (must be the same version in all involved units: actually, it's Comware 7.10 Release 3115 Patch 03...R3115P03 published on December 6th 2016...see here).
• keep in mind that IRF Merge methods were changed with R3111P03
• Plan to use IRF Ring or Daisy Chaing topologies: with IRF Ring Topology you will need two Logical IRF Ports (named IRF-1 and IRF-2) on each IRF Stack Member...the Logical IRF-1 Port will be connected to the Logical IRF-2 Port of the next closed neighbour - let's say you start from IRF Member 1 - until you will be able to close the loop by connecting the last member Logical IRF-1 Port (on your third unit) with the first member Logical IRF-2 Port (on your first unit). In case of an IRF Daisy Chain topology the connection schema is similar but you don't close the Loop between the first and last member (so only "in-between" member(s) needs/need to have two Logical IRF Ports defined).
• Forget about "IRF Port Link Aggregation" if you don't have physical ports to be reserved for deploying that feature (I mean binding more than one physical SFP+/10GbE port to each single Logical IRF Port, sort of special Link Aggregation dedicated to IRF links)...you probably will fall into the most simple 1:1 binding case: 1 SFP+/10GbE physical port to 1 Logical IRF Port...if, instead, you have resources/ports - that doubles when you consider a deployment with IRF Ring Topology - you can benefit of enhanced resiliency and load balancing by binding more than one physical port to the same Logical IRF Port.
• Connect physical links (or enable them if you previously disabled them) related to IRF Stack once the IRF configuration procedure finally tells you to do so.
• Keep an eye well open on specific HPE IRF Configuration Guides [*] written for Comware 5/7 based HPE FlexFabric/FlexNetwork units because those guides explains IRF Stack configurations really better (and you can perform any IRF Stack configurations essentially and completely by using the Switch's CLI).

[*] HPE IRF Configuration Guides can be easily found for all HPE FlexFabric/FlexNetwork switch series: as example, have a look at HPE 5500 HI Switch Series IRF Configuration Guide at "Configuring IRF" chapter.

[palmettoinfusio]

I tried this.

 sapsan.wclub5.com/archives/858  

Just adding a 3rd switch to the mix, and still no go.

now I am reloading firmware on all 3 of them.  Let me know if that is the correct way to go about itl

Thanks.

[Note: broken link updated/removed by Mod]

[palmettoinfusio]

Would this work? If I added an third into the mix?

• Login onto the switch using the console port
• <H3C>system-view (Enter system view aka config mode)
• [H3C]show version (Ensure that both switches are running the same software version)
• [H3C]reset saved-configuration (Reset the config)
• [H3C]irf member 1 renumber 1 (Assign an IRF member number to the first switch)
• [H3C]irf member 1 renumber 2 (Assign an IRF member number to the second switch)
• [H3C]quit (Quit to user view)
• <H3C>save (Save the config)
• <H3C>reboot (Reboot the switches)
• <H3C>system-view (Enter system view aka config mode)
• [H3C]irf mac-address persistent always (Enable MAC address persistance)
• [H3C]irf member 1 priority 32 (Set the highest priority on the first member/switch aka Master)
• [H3C]irf member 2 priority 30 (Set the second highest priority on the second member/switch aka Slave)
• [H3C]int GigabitEthernet 1/0/51
• shut
• [H3C]int GigabitEthernet 1/0/52
• shut
• [H3C]int GigabitEhternet 2/0/51
• shut
• [H3C]int GigabitEthernet 2/0/52
• shut (shutdown all interfaces you want to use for IRF on both switches)
• [H3C]irf port 1/1 (Create IRF port 1/1 on the first member)
• [H3C]port group interface GigabitEthernet 1/0/51 (add the switch port to the IRF port)
• [H3C]quit
• [H3C]irf port 1/2 (Create IRF port 1/2 on the first member)
• [H3C]port group interface GigabitEthernet 1/0/52 (add the switch port to the IRF port)
• [H3C]quit
• [H3C]irf port 2/1 (Create IRF port 2/1 on the second member)
• [H3C]port group interface GigabitEthernet 2/0/51 (add the switch port to the IRF port)
• [H3C]quit
• [H3C]irf port 2/2 (Create IRF port 2/2 on the second member)
• [H3C]port group interface GigabitEthernet 2/0/52 (add the switch port to the IRF port)
• [H3C]quit
• [H3C]save (Save config)
• [H3C]interface GigabitEthernet 1/0/51
• [H3C]undo shut
• interface GigabitEthernet 1/0/52
• [H3C]undo shut
• [H3C]interface GigabitEthernet 2/0/51
• [H3C]undo shut
• [H3C]interface GigabitEthernet 2/0/52
• [H3C]undo shut (enable all interfaces you want to use for IRF on both switches)
• [H3C]irf-port-configuration active (Activate the IRF config on BOTH switches)
• Now we connect our fiber CROSSWISE, so 1/0/51 to 2/0/52 and 1/0/52 to 2/0/51
• ATTENTION: The second IRF member will reboot! Wait for it to get back up. We will see the switches negotiate for about 30 seconds before the IRF becomes active.
• If all works well;
• [H3C]quit
• <H3C>save
• <H3C>reboot
• <H3C>system-view
• [H3C]display irf (Display the IRF setup)
• [H3C]display irf topology (Display the IRF Topology)
• [H3C]display irf configuration
• [H3C]display devices
• Both irf port should be up. If one is DOWN or DIS(abled), something went wrong.
• Check the IRF priority of the First member. It should be 32.
• Check the IRF priority of the second member. It should be 30.

[palmettoinfusio · Accepted solution]

I finally got this working, i updated all 3 JG963A's to the latest firmware, disabled the ports on each switch, set up irf ports, enabled ports, set member ID as 1/2/3 on each switch priorty 32/30/28 on each switch, activated IRF, and boom, plug the cables in correctly reboot you are good.  Here is a pic of how i plugged the cables in.

[parnassus]

That's good. Yep, glad you find the right path for your IRF scenario:

• On IRF Member id 1: irf-1/1 (XGE 1/0/51) to irf-2/2 (XGE 2/0/52)
• On IRF Member id 2: irf-2/1 (XGE 2/0/51) to irf-3/2 (XGE 3/0/52)
• On IRF Member id 3: irf-3/1 (XGE 3/0/51) to irf-1/2 (XGE 1/0/52) <-- that link closes the loop back to IRF Member id 1