MX240 Component Redundancy

The MX240 chassis provides redundancy and resiliency. The hardware system is fully redundant, including power supplies, Routing Engines, and SCBs.

A fully configured router is designed so that no single point of failure can cause the entire system to fail. Only a fully configured router provides complete redundancy. All other configurations provide partial redundancy. The following major hardware components are redundant:

• Host subsystem—The host subsystem consists of a Routing Engine functioning together with an SCB. The router can have one or two host subsystems. If two host subsystems are installed, one functions as the master and the other functions as the backup. If the master host subsystem (or either of its components) fails, the backup can take over as the master. To operate, each host subsystem requires a Routing Engine installed directly into in an SCB.
• In the high-line (220 V) AC power configuration, the MX240 router contains one or two AC power supplies, located horizontally at the rear of the chassis in slots PEM0 and PEM2 (left to right). The high-line configuration requires one power supply, with the second power supply providing redundancy. Each AC power supply provides power to all components in the router. When two power supplies are present, they share power almost equally within a fully populated system. If one power supply fails or is removed, the remaining power supply assumes the entire electrical load without interruption. One power supply can provide the maximum configuration with full power for as long as the router is operational.
• In the low-line (110 V) AC power configuration, the MX240 router contains either two AC power supplies (nonredundant), located horizontally at the rear of the chassis in slots PEM0 and PEM1 (left to right); or four AC power supplies (redundant), located in slots PEM0 through PEM3 (left to right). The low-line configuration requires two power supplies, and the third and fourth power supplies provide redundancy. Each AC power supply provides power to all components in the router. When two power supplies are present, they share power almost equally within a fully populated system. If one power supply in a redundant configuration fails or is removed, the remaining power supplies assume the entire electrical load without interruption. Two power supplies provide the maximum configuration with full power for as long as the router is operational.
• Cooling system—The cooling system has redundant components, which are controlled by the host subsystem. If one of the fans fails, the host subsystem increases the speed of the remaining fans to provide sufficient cooling for the router indefinitely.