Understanding the Director Software

Because the QFabric switch consists of multiple Director, Node, and Interconnect devices, the architects of the QFabric switch system determined that it would be useful to manage the entire system as a single logical entity. As a result, the Director software handles administration tasks for the entire QFabric switch, such as fabric management and configuration. The Director software runs on the Director group, provides a single consolidated view of the QFabric switch, and allows the main QFabric switch administrator to configure, manage, monitor, and troubleshoot QFabric switch components from a centralized location. In the Junos operating system (Junos OS) command-line interface (CLI), you can access the Director software by logging in to the default partition.

• Provides command-line interface (CLI) access to all QFabric switch components that you have permission to manage or view.
• Evaluates configuration statements and operational mode commands for their scope and sends requests to the applicable Director, Node, and Interconnect devices. (This operation is sometimes referred to as scattering.)
• Consolidates responses from Director, Node, and Interconnect devices, and displays output from the devices in a unified, centralized manner. (This operation is sometimes referred to as gathering.)
• Coordinates configuration and operational efforts with a database housed in the Director group to store and retrieve configurations, software images, event logs, and system log messages.
• Facilitates control plane communication between the Node devices, the Routing Engine services running on the Director group, and the Interconnect devices.
• Runs parallel processes on the Director group devices to provide high availability for the QFabric switch system.
• Coordinates interactions with QFabric switch components to provide load balancing of processing tasks across the Director group devices.
• Manages user access and privileges.
• Enables you to configure, manage, monitor, and troubleshoot QFabric switch components that are assigned to you.
• Gathers QFabric switch inventory and topology details.
• Offers a way to manage Director group devices, including the ability to add and delete Director devices in the cluster, set and switch mastership in the Director group, and monitor Director group status.
• Provides a centralized way to coordinate software upgrades for QFabric switch components.

The Director software provides a backbone of functionality that supports the entire QFabric switch system. It is an essential component of the QFabric switch and allows you to implement the system in a logical and efficient way.