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High Availability in Layer 3 Networks Using VRRP and MAC Address Synchronization for MC-LAG
Active-Active Bridging and VRRP over IRB Functionality Overview
Active-active bridging and VRRP over IRB support extends multichassis link aggregation group (MC-LAG) by adding the following functionality to MX Series routers and QFX Series switches:
Interchassis link (ICL) pseudowire interface or Ethernet interface (ICL-PL field) for active-active bridging
Active-active bridging
VRRP over IRB for active-active bridging
A single bridge domain not corresponding to two redundancy group IDs
Benefits of Active-Active Bridging and VRRP over IRB Functionality
Where Can I Use Active-Active Bridging and VRRP over IRB Functionality?
Points to Remember When Configuring MC-LAG Active-Active Bridge Domains
Topologies Supported for MC-LAG Active-Active Bridge Domains
Potential Problems When Configuring MC-LAG Active-Active Bridge Domains
Restrictions When Configuring MC-LAG Active-Active Bridge Domains
How Active-Active Bridging over IRB Functionality Works
Active-Active bridging over IRB functionality uses the address resolution protocol (ARP) Active-Active MC-LAG.
Suppose one of the PE routers issues an ARP request and another PE router gets the response and, because of the aggregated Ethernet distribution logic, the ARP resolution is not successful. Junos OS uses ARP response packet snooping to perform active-active multichassis link aggregation group support, providing synchronization without the need to maintain any specific state.
Address Resolution Protocol Active-Active MC-LAG Support Methodology
Suppose one of the PE routers issues an ARP request and another PE router gets the response and, because of the aggregated Ethernet distribution logic, the ARP resolution is not successful. Junos OS uses ARP response packet snooping to perform active-active multichassis link aggregation group support, providing easy synchronization without the need to maintain any specific state.
Benefits of Active-Active Bridging and VRRP over IRB Functionality
Benefits of active-active bridging and VRRP over IRB functionality include:
An MC-LAG reduces operational expenses by providing active-active links with a LAG, eliminates the need for Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), and provides faster Layer 2 convergence upon link and device failures.
An MC-LAG adds node-level redundancy to the normal link-level redundancy that a LAG provides. An MC-LAG improves network resiliency, which reduces network down time as well as expenses.
In data centers, it is desirable for servers to have redundant connections to the network. You probably want active-active connections along with links from any server to at least two separate routers.
An MC-LAG allows you to bond two or more physical links into a logical link between two routers or between a server and a router, which improves network efficiency. An MC-LAG enables you to load-balance traffic on multiple physical links. If a link fails, the traffic can be forwarded through the other available link, and the logical aggregated link remains in the UP state.
Where Can I Use Active-Active Bridging and VRRP over IRB Functionality?
Active-active bridging and Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) over integrated routing and bridging (IRB) is supported on MX Series routers and QFX Series switches.
MC-LAG Functions in an Active-Active Bridging Domain
The following functions are supported for MC-LAG in an active-active bridging domain:
MC-LAG is supported only between two chassis, using an interchassis link (ICL) pseudowire interface or Ethernet interface (ICL-PL field) for active-active bridging, and active-active bridging VRRP over IRB for active-active bridging.
For VPLS networks, you can configure the aggregated Ethernet (aeX) interfaces on MC-LAG devices with the encapsulation ethernet-vpls statement to use Ethernet VPLS encapsulation on Ethernet interfaces that have VPLS enabled and that must accept packets carrying standard Tag Protocol ID (TPID) values or the encapsulation vlan-vpls statement to use Ethernet VLAN encapsulation on VPLS circuits.
Layer 2 circuit functionalities are supported with ethernet-ccc as the encapsulation mode.
Network topologies in a triangular and square pattern are supported. In a triangular network design, with equal-cost paths to all redundant nodes, slower, timer-based convergence can possibly be prevented. Instead of indirect neighbor or route loss detection using hellos and dead timers, you can identify the physical link loss and denote a path as unusable and reroute all traffic to the alternate equal-cost path. In a square network design, depending on the location of the failure, the routing protocol might converge to identify a new path to the subnet or the VLAN, causing the convergence of the network to be slower.
Interoperation of Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) for MC-LAG devices is supported. LACP is one method of bundling several physical interfaces to form one logical interface. When LACP is enabled, the local and remote sides of the aggregated Ethernet links exchange protocol data units (PDUs), which contain information about the state of the link. You can configure Ethernet links to actively transmit PDUs, or you can configure the links to passively transmit them, sending out LACP PDUs only when the links receive the PDUs from another link. One side of the link must be configured as active for the link to be up.
Active-standby mode is supported using LACP. When an MC-LAG operates in the active-standby mode, one of the router’s ports only becomes active when failure is detected in the active links. In this mode, the provider edge (PE) routers perform an election to determine the active and standby routers.
Configuration of the pseudowire status type length variable (TLV) is supported. The pseudowire status TLV is used to communicate the status of a pseudowire back and forth between two PE routers. The pseudowire status negotiation process ensures that a PE router reverts back to the label withdraw method for pseudowire status if its remote PE router neighbor does not support the pseudowire status TLV.
The MC-LAG devices use Inter-Chassis Control Protocol (ICCP) to exchange the control information between two MC-LAG network devices.
Points to Remember When Configuring MC-LAG Active-Active Bridge Domains
Keep the following points in mind when you configure MC-LAG in an active-active bridging domain:
A single bridge domain cannot be associated with two redundancy groups. You cannot configure a bridge domain to contain logical interfaces from two different multichassis aggregated Ethernet interfaces and associate them with different redundancy group IDs by using the redundancy group group-id statement at the [edit interfaces aeX aggregated-ether-options] hierarchy level.
You must configure logical interfaces in a bridge domain from a single multichassis aggregated Ethernet interface and associate it with a redundancy group. You must configure a service ID by including the service-id vid statement at the [edit bridge-domains bd-name] hierarchy level for multichassis aggregated Ethernet interfaces if you configure logical interfaces on multichassis aggregated Ethernet interfaces that are part of the bridge domain.
More Data Traffic Forwarding Rules
In active-active bridging and VRRP over IRB topographies, network interfaces are categorized into three different interface types, as follows:
Based on incoming and outgoing interface types, some constraints are added to the Layer 2 forwarding rules for MC-LAG configurations, as described in the data traffic forwarding rules. Note that if only one of the MC-LAG member link is in the UP state, it is considered an S-Link.
The following data traffic forwarding rules apply:
- When an MC-LAG network receives a packet from a local
MC-Link or S-Link, the packet is forwarded to other local interfaces,
including S-Links and MC-Links based on the normal Layer 2 forwarding
rules and on the configuration of the mesh-group and no-local-switching statements. If MC-Links and S-Links are
in the same mesh group and their no-local-switching statements
are enabled, the received packets are only forwarded upstream and
not sent to MC-Links and S-Links.
Note The functionality described in Rule 2 is not supported.
- The following circumstances determine whether or not an
ICL receives a packet from a local MC-Link or S-Link:
If the peer MC-LAG network device has S-Links or MC-LAGs that do not reside on the local MC-LAG network device
Whether or not interfaces on two peering MC-LAG network devices are allowed to talk to each other only if both a. and b. are true. Traffic is always forwarded to the ICL.
- When an MC-LAG network receives a packet from the ICL, the packet is forwarded to all local S-Links and active MC-LAGs that do not exist in the MC-LAG network that the packet comes from.
Note In certain cases, for example the topology shown in Figure 1, there could be a loop caused by the ICL. To break the loop, one of the following mechanisms could be used:The topology shown in Figure 1 is not supported.
Run certain protocols, such as STP. In this case, whether packets received on one ICL are forwarded to other ICLs is determined by using Rule 3.
Configure the ICL to be fully meshed among the MC-LAG network devices. In this case, traffic received on the ICL would not be forwarded to any other ICLs.
In either case, duplicate packets could be forwarded to the MC-LAG clients. Consider the topology shown in Figure 1, where if network routing instance N1 receives a packet from ge-0/0/0.0, it could be flooded to ICL1 and ICL3.
When receiving from ICL1 and ICL3, network routing instances N3 and N2 could flood the same packet to MCL2, as shown in Figure 1. To prevent this from happening, the ICL designated forwarder should be elected between MC-LAG peers, and traffic received on an ICL could be forwarded to the active-active MC-LAG client by the designated forwarder only.
Figure 1: Loop Caused by the ICL Links - When received from an ICL, traffic should not be forwarded to the core-facing client link connection between two provider edge (PE) devices (MC-Link) if the peer chassis's (where the traffic is coming from) MC-Link is UP.
How to Configure MC-LAG Active-Active Bridge Domains
For a MC-LAG configured in an active-active bridge domain and with VRRP configured over an IRB interface, you must include the accept-data statement at the [edit interfaces interface-name unit logical-unit-number family inet address address vrrp-group group-id] hierarchy level to enable the router that functions as the master router to accept all packets destined for the virtual IP address.
On an MC-LAG, if you modify the source MAC address to be the virtual MAC address, you must specify the virtual IP address as the source IP address instead of the physical IP address. In such a case, the accept-data option is required for VRRP to prevent ARP from performing an incorrect mapping between IP and MAC addresses for customer edge (CE) devices. The accept-data attribute is needed for VRRP over IRB interfaces in MC-LAG to enable OSPF or other Layer 3 protocols and applications to work properly over multichassis aggregated Ethernet (mc-aeX) interfaces.
On an MC-LAG, the unit number associated with aggregated Ethernet interfaces on provider edge router PE1 must match the unit number associated with aggregated Ethernet interfaces on provider edge router PE2. If the unit numbers differ, MAC address synchronization does not happen. As a result, the status of the MAC address on the remote provider edge router remains in a pending state.
If you are using the VRRP over IRB or RVI method to enable Layer 3 functionality, you must configure static ARP entries for the IRB or RVI interface of the remote MC-LAG peer to allow routing protocols to run over the IRB or RVI interfaces.
MAC Address Management
If an MC-LAG is configured to be active-active, upstream and downstream traffic could go through different MC-LAG network devices. Since the media access control (MAC) address is learned only on one of the MC-LAG network devices, the reverse direction's traffic could be going through the other MC-LAG network and be flooded unnecessarily. Also, a single-homed client's MAC address is only learned on the MC-LAG network device it is attached to. If a client attached to the peer MC-LAG network needs to communicate with that single-homed client, then traffic would be flooded on the peer MC-LAG network device. To avoid unnecessary flooding, whenever a MAC address is learned on one of the MC-LAG network devices, it gets replicated to the peer MC-LAG network device. The following conditions should be applied when MAC address replication is performed:
MAC addresses learned on an MC-LAG of one MC-LAG network device should be replicated as learned on the same MC-LAG of the peer MC-LAG network device.
MAC addresses learned on single-homed customer edge (CE) clients of one MC-LAG network device should be replicated as learned on the ICL-PL interface of the peer MC-LAG network device.
MAC addresses learned on MC-LAG VE clients of one MC-LAG network device should be replicated as learned on the corresponding VE interface of the peer MC-LAG network device.
MAC address learning on an ICL is disabled from the data path. It depends on software to install MAC addresses replicated through Inter-Chassis Control Protocol (ICCP).
MAC Aging
MAC aging support in Junos OS extends aggregated Ethernet logic for a specified MC-LAG. A MAC address in software is deleted until all Packet Forwarding Engines have deleted the MAC address. In the case of an MC-LAG, a remote provider edge is treated as a remote Packet Forwarding Engine and has a bit in the MAC data structure.
Layer 3 Routing
In general, when an MC-LAG is configured to provide Layer 3 routing functions to downstream clients, the MC-LAG network peers should be configured to provide the same gateway address to the downstream clients. To the upstream routers, the MC-LAG network peers could be viewed as either equal-cost multipath (ECMP) or two routes with different preference values.
Junos OS supports active-active MC-LAGs by using VRRP over IRB. Junos OS also supports active-active MC-LAGs by using IRB MAC address synchronization. You must configure IRB using the same IP address across MC-LAG peers. IRB MAC synchronization is supported on 32-bit interfaces and interoperates with earlier MPC and MIC releases.
To ensure that Layer 3 operates properly, instead of dropping the Layer 3 packet, the VRRP backup attempts to perform routing functions if the packet is received on an MC-LAG. A VRRP backup sends and responds to Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) requests.
For ARP, the same issue exists as with Layer 2 MAC addresses. Once ARP is learned, it must be replicated to the MC-LAG through ICCP. The peer must install an ARP route based on the ARP information received through ICCP.
For ARP aging, ARP requests on the MC-LAG peers can be aged out independently.
Topologies Supported for MC-LAG Active-Active Bridge Domains
The topologies shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 are supported. These figures use the following abbreviations:
Aggregated Ethernet (AE)
Interchassis link (ICL)
Multichassis link (MCL)


Potential Problems When Configuring MC-LAG Active-Active Bridge Domains
When configured to be active-active, the client device load-balances the traffic to the peering MC-LAG network devices. In a bridging environment, this could potentially cause the following problems:
Traffic received on the MC-LAG from one MC-LAG network device could be looped back to the same MC-LAG on the other MC-LAG network device.
Duplicated packets could be received by the MC-LAG client device.
Traffic could be unnecessarily forwarded on the interchassis link.
To better illustrate the problems listed, consider Figure 4, where an MC-LAG device MCL1 and single-homed clients ge-0/0/0.0 and ge-1/0/0.0 are allowed to talk to each other through an ICL. These problems could occur:

Traffic received on network routing instance N1 from MCL1 could be flooded to ICL to reach network routing instance N2. Once it reaches network routing instance N2, it could flood again to MCL1.
Traffic received on interface ge-0/0/0.0 could be flooded to MCL1 and ICL on network routing instance N1. Once network routing instance N2 receives such traffic from ICL, it could again be flooded to MCL1.
If interface ge-1/0/0.0 does not exist on network routing instance N2, traffic received from interface ge-0/0/0.0 or MCL1 on network routing instance N1 could be flooded to network routing instance N2 through ICL unnecessarily since interface ge-0/0/0.0 and MCL1 could reach each other through network routing instance N1.
Restrictions When Configuring MC-LAG Active-Active Bridge Domains
In an IPv6 network, you cannot configure an MC-LAG in an active-active bridge domain if you specified the vlan-id none statement at the [edit bridge-domain bd-name] hierarchy level. The vlan-id none statement that enables the removal of the incoming VLAN tags identifying a Layer 2 logical interface when packets are sent over VPLS pseudowires is not supported for IPv6 packets in an MC-LAG.
The following functionality is not supported for MC-LAG active-active bridge domains:
Virtual private LAN service (VPLS) within the core
Bridged core
Topology as described in Rule 4 of More Data Traffic Forwarding Rules
Routed multichassis aggregated Ethernet interface, where the VRRP backup router is used in the edge of the network
Track object, where in the case of an MC-LAG, the status of the uplinks from the provider edge can be monitored, and the MC-LAG can act on the status
Mixed mode (active-active MC-LAG is supported on MX Series routers with MPC or MIC interfaces only)
All interfaces in the bridge domain that are multichassis aggregated Ethernet active-active must be on MPCs or MICs.
The topologies shown in Figure 5, Figure 6, and Figure 7 are not supported:



A redundancy group cannot span more than two routers.
IGMP Snooping on Active-Active MC-LAG
IGMP Snooping on Active-Active MC-LAG
For multicast to work in an active-active MC-LAG scenario, the typical topology is as shown in Figure 8 and Figure 9 with interested receivers over S-links and MC-Links. Starting in Junos OS Release 11.2, support is extended for sources connected over the Layer 2 interface.
If an MC-LAG is configured to be active-active, reports from MC-LAG clients could reach any of the MC-LAG network device peers. Therefore, the IGMP snooping module needs to replicate the states such that the Layer 2 multicast route state on both peers are the same. Additionally for S-Link clients, snooping needs to replicate these joins to its snooping peer, which in the case of Layer 3 connected source, passes this information to the PIM on IRB to enable the designated router to pull traffic for these groups,
The ICL should be configured as a router facing interface. For the scenario where traffic arrives through a Layer 3 interface, it is a requirement to have PIM and IGMP enabled on the IRB interface configured on the MC-LAG network device peers.

With reference to Figure 8, either Device N1 or N2 becomes a designated router (for this example, N1 is the designated router). Router N1 therefore pulls the multicast traffic from the core. Once multicast data hits the network Device N1, the data is forwarded based on the snooping learned route.
For MC-Link clients, data is forwarded through N1. In the case of failover of the MC-Links, the data reaches the client through N2. For S-Link clients on N1, data would be forwarded through normal snooping routes.
For S-Link clients on N2, data is forwarded through the ICL interface. Layer 2 multicast routes on N1 do not show these groups unless there is interest for the same group over MC-Links or over S-Links on N1. For the IRB scenario, the IGMP membership and Layer 3 multicast route on N1 does however show these groups learned over the IRB interface.
Therefore, for a case where a specific group interest is only on the S-Link on N2, data arriving on N1 reaches N2 through the default route, and the Layer 2 multicast route on N2 has the S-Link in the outgoing interface list.

In Figure 9, MCL1 and MCL2 are on different devices, and the multicast source or IGMP querier is connected through MCL2. The data forwarding behavior seen is similar to that explained for multicast topology with source connected through Layer 3.
IGMP snooping should not be configured in proxy mode. There should be no IGMP hosts or IGMP or PIM routers sitting on the ICL interface.
Up and Down Event Handling
The following conditions apply to up and down event handling:
If the Inter-Chassis Control Protocol (ICCP) connection is UP but the ICL interface goes DOWN, the router configured as the backup brings down all the multichassis aggregated Ethernet interfaces shared with the peer that is connected to ICL. This ensures that there are no loops in the network. Otherwise, both PEs become PIM-designated routers and, hence, forward multiple copies of the same packet to the customer edge.
If the ICCP connection is UP and the ICL comes UP, the router configured as the backup brings up the multichassis aggregated Ethernet interfaces shared with the peer.
If both the ICCP connection and the ICL are DOWN, the router configured as the backup brings up the multichassis aggregated Ethernet interfaces shared with the peer.
The Layer 2 address learning process (l2ald) does not store the information about a MAC address learned from a peer in the kernel. If l2ald restarts, and if the MAC address was not learned from the local multichassis aggregated Ethernet interface, l2ald clears the MAC addresses, which causes the router to flood the packets destined to this MAC address. This behavior is similar to that in a Routing Engine switchover. (Note that currently l2ald runs on a Routing Engine only when it is a master). Also, during the time l2ald is DOWN, ARP packets received from an ICCP peer are dropped. ARP retry takes care of this situation. This is the case with Routing Engine switchover, too.
If ICCP restarts, l2ald does not identify that a MAC address was learned from a peer and, if the MAC address was learned only from the peer, that MAC address is deleted, and the packets destined to this MAC address are flooded.
Inter-Chassis Control Protocol
Inter-Chassis Control Protocol (ICCP) is used to synchronize configurations, states, and data.
ICCP supports the following types of state information:
MC-LAG members and their operational states
Single-homed members and their operational states
ICCP supports the following application database synchronization parameters:
MAC addresses learned and to be aged
ARP information learned over IRB
Inter-Chassis Control Protocol Message
ICCP messages and attribute-value pairs (AVPs) are used for synchronizing MAC address and ARP information.
IGMP Snooping in MC-LAG Active-Active Mode
IGMP snooping in MC-LAG active-active mode is supported on MX240 routers, MX480 routers, MX960 routers and QFX Series switches.
The following topics are included:
Typically Supported Network Topology for IGMP Snooping with MC-LAG Active-Active Bridging
Control Plane State Updates Triggered by Packets Received on Remote Chassis
Pure Layer 2 Topology Without Integrated Routing and Bridging
IGMP Snooping in MC-LAG Active-Active Mode Functionality
Multichassis link aggregation group (MC-LAG) active-active mode and IGMP snooping in active-standby mode are supported. MC-LAG allows one device to form a logical LAG interface with two or more network devices. MC-LAG provides additional benefits including node level redundancy, multihoming, and a loop-free Layer 2 network without running Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). The following features are supported:
State synchronization between peers for IGMP snooping in a bridge domain with only Layer 2 interfaces
Qualified learning
Router-facing multichassis links
The following enhancements to active-active bridging and Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) over integrated routing and bridging (IRB) are supported:
MC-LAG support for IGMP snooping in a pure Layer 2 switch
MC-LAG support for IGMP snooping in bridge domains doing qualified learning
Support for MC-Links being router-facing interfaces
The following functions are not supported:
MC-LAG for VPLS instances
MC-Links trunk ports
Proxy mode for active-active
Adding interchassis links to outgoing interfaces on an as needed basis
Interchassis links can be added to the outgoing interface list as router-facing interfaces.
Typically Supported Network Topology for IGMP Snooping with MC-LAG Active-Active Bridging
Figure 10 depicts a typical network topology over which IGMP snooping with MC-LAG active-active bridging is supported.

Interfaces I3 and I4 are single-homed interfaces. The multichassis links ae0.0 and ae0.1 belong to the same bridge domain in both the chassis. Interfaces I3, ae0.0, and ae0.1 are in the same bridge domain in the secondary active (S-A) router. Interfaces I4, ae0.0, and ae0.1 are in the same bridge domain in the primary active (P-A) router. Interfaces I3, I4, ae0.0, and ae0.1 are in the same learning domain as is the interchassis link (ICL) connecting the two chassis.
The primary active router is the chassis in which integrated routing and bridging has become PIM-DR. The secondary active router is the chassis in which integrated routing and bridging is not PIM-DR. Router P-A is the chassis responsible for pulling traffic from the IP core. Hence, PIM-DR election is used to avoid duplication of data traffic.
Learning domains are described in Qualified Learning.
For the IGMP speakers (hosts and routers) in the learning domain, P-A and S-A together should appear as one device with interfaces I4, I3, ae0.0, and ae0.1.
No duplicate control packets should be sent on multichassis links, meaning the control packet should be sent through only one link.
Control Plane State Updates Triggered by Packets Received on Remote Chassis
Following are the control plane state updates that are triggered by the packets received on remote chassis:
The membership state in Layer 3 multicast routing is updated as a result of reports learned on remote legs of multichassis links and S-links attached to the remote chassis.
The membership state and routing entry in snooping are updated when reports are received on the remote legs of a multichassis link.
When reports are received on S-links attached to the remote chassis, the membership state or routing entry in snooping is not updated.
When synchronizing multicast snooping state between PE routers, timers, such as the Group Membership Timeout timer, are not synchronized. When the synch notification is received, the remote PE router receiving the notification starts or restarts the relevant timer.
The list of <s,g>s for which the state is maintained is the same in both the chassis under snooping as long as the outgoing interface lists involve only multichassis links.
Data Forwarding
This discussion assumes integrated routing and bridging on Router P-A is the PIM-DR. It pulls the traffic from sources in the core. Traffic might also come on Layer 2 interfaces in the bridge domain. For hosts directly connected to the P-A chassis, there is no change in the way data is delivered.
For delivering traffic to hosts connected to S-A (which is the non-DR) on the single-homed link like I3, we rely on the interchassis link. The traffic that hits P-A is sent over ICL to S-A to be delivered to the links that have reported interests in s,g and the links that are router-facing.
When the ae0 leg in P-A goes down, the hosts connected to the multichassis link receive traffic through ICL. In S-A, traffic received on ICL is sent to multichassis links in the outgoing interface list for which the ae counterpart in P-A is down.
Pure Layer 2 Topology Without Integrated Routing and Bridging
Figure 11 shows that the chassis connecting to the PIM-DR is the primary active (P-A) router and the other is the secondary active (S-A) router.

Qualified Learning
In this topology, interfaces I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I8, I9, and I10 are single-homed interfaces. The multichassis links ae0.0 and ae0.1 belong to the same bridge domain in both the chassis. Interfaces I10, I1,I7,I3,I5, ae0.0 and ae0.1 are in same bridge domain, bd1 in P-A. Interfaces I9, I2, I8, I4, I6, ae0.0, and ae0.1 are in same bridge domain, bd1 in S-A.
This discussion assumes the following configuration:
In P-A and S-A, qualified learning is ON in bd1.
Interfaces I1, I2, I3, ae0.0, and I4 belong to vlan1, learning domain ld1.
Interfaces I7, I8, I5, ae0.1, and I6 belong to vlan2, learning domain ld2.
Interfaces I9 and I10 belong to vlan3, learning domain ld3.
For the IGMP speakers (hosts and routers) in the same learning domain ld1, P-A and S-A linked should appear to be one switch.
For the IGMP speakers (hosts and routers) in the same learning domain ld2, P-A and S-A linked should appear to be one switch.
Since there are no multichassis links in learning domain ld3, for the IGMP speakers (hosts and routers) in learning domain ld3, P-A and S-A will not appear to be one switch.
This discussion assumes interchassis link ICL1 corresponds to learning domain ld1 and interchassis link ICL2 corresponds to learning domain ld2.
Control packet flow is supported, with the exception of passing information to IRB.
Data Forwarding with Qualified Learning
This discussion assumes one learning domain (LD), ld1, and further assumes that interface I1 on Router P-A is connected to the PIM-DR in the learning domain and pulls the traffic from sources in the core.
For delivering traffic to hosts connected to Router S-A (which is the non-DR) on the single-homed link like I2, I4 (belonging to ld1), we rely on ICL1. The traffic that hits Router P-A on interface I1 is sent over interchassis link ICL1 to Router S-A to be delivered to the links that have reported interests in s,g or the links that are router-facing in learning domain ld1.
When the interface ae0 leg in Router P-A goes down, the hosts connected to the multichassis link receive traffic from interface I1 using the interchassis link ICL1. In Router S-A, traffic received on interchassis link ICL1 is sent to multichassis links in the outgoing interface list for which the aggregated Ethernet counterpart in Router P-A is down.
It is further assumed that interface I9 in Router S-A belongs to the learning domain ld3 with interests in s,g, and that interface I10 in learning domain ld3 in Router P-A receives traffic for s,g. Interface I9 does not receive data in this topology because there are no multichassis links (in a-a mode) and hence no interchassis link in learning domain ld3.
Static Groups on Single-Homed Interfaces
For multichassis links, the static group configuration should exist on both legs, and synchronization with the other chassis is not required.
Synchronization of the static groups on single-homed interfaces between the chassis is not supported. However, the addition of logical interfaces to the default outgoing interface list supports traffic delivery to the interface within a static configuration.
Router-Facing Interfaces as Multichassis Links
IGMP queries could arrive on either leg of the multichassis links, but in both peers, the multichassis link should be considered as router-facing.
Reports should exit only once from the multichassis link, that is, from only one leg.
The following MC-LAG support for IGMP snooping in IRB is provided:
Non-proxy snooping
Logical interfaces must be outgoing interfaces for all routes including the default route
IGMP snooping in a pure Layer 2 switch
IGMP snooping in bridge domains doing qualified learning
Router-facing interface MC-Links
The following features are not supported:
Proxy mode for active-active
MC-LAG support for VPLS instances
Trunk ports as multichassis links
Adding logical interfaces to outgoing interfaces on an as need basis.
However, logical interfaces are always added as a router-facing interface to the outgoing interface list.
Example: Configuring IGMP Snooping in MC-LAG Active-Active Mode
This example shows how to configure Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) snooping for uninterrupted traffic flow with a multichassis link aggregation group (MC-LAG) in an active-active scenario.
Requirements
This example uses the following hardware and software components:
This example also applies to QFX10002 and QFX10008 switches.
Four Juniper Networks MX Series routers
Junos OS Release 11.2 or later running on all four routers
Before you begin, make sure that Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) and Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) are running on all interfaces that will receive multicast packets. IGMP is automatically enabled on all IPv4 interfaces on which you configure PIM.
Overview
When links are aggregated, the links can be treated as if they were a single link. Link aggregation increases bandwidth, provides graceful degradation as failure occurs, and increases availability. MC-LAG provides redundant Layer 2 access connectivity at the node level. This enables two or more systems to share a common LAG endpoint. The multiple endpoints present a single logical chassis to the start point, and the start node does not need to be aware that MC-LAG is being used.
In this example, the CE router is not aware that its aggregated Ethernet links are connected to two separate PE devices. The two PE devices each have a LAG connected to the CE device. The configured mode is active-active, meaning that both PE routers’ LAG ports are active and carrying traffic at the same time.
The other possible mode is active-standby, in which one of the router’s ports only becomes active when failure is detected in the active links. In active-standby mode, the PE routers perform an election to determine the active and standby routers.
From the perspective of the CE device, all four ports belonging to a LAG are connected to a single service provider device. Because the configured mode is active-active, all four ports are active, and the CE device load-balances the traffic to the peering PE devices. On the PE routers, a regular LAG is configured facing the CE device.
Inter-Chassis Control Protocol (ICCP) messages are sent between the two PE devices. These messages exchange MC-LAG configuration parameters and ensure that both chassis use the correct Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) parameters when talking to the CE device.
The interchassis link-protection link (ICL) provides redundancy when a link failure occurs on one of the active links. The ICL-PL between the MC-LAG peering devices relays traffic that would otherwise be dropped due to a link failure.
Topology Diagram
Figure 12 shows the topology used in this example.

Configuring the PE Routers
CLI Quick Configuration
To quickly configure this example, copy the following commands, paste them in a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level, and then enter commit from configuration mode.
Router PE1
Router PE2
Configuring the PE1 Router
Step-by-Step Procedure
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode.
To configure Router PE1:
Specify the number of aggregated Ethernet interfaces to be created.
[edit chassis]user@PE1# set aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 5Specify the members to be included within the aggregated Ethernet bundles.
[edit interfaces]user@PE1# set ge-1/0/1 gigether-options 802.3ad ae1user@PE1# set ge-1/0/6 gigether-options 802.3ad ae0Configure the interfaces that connect to multicast senders or receivers, the ICL interfaces, and the ICCP interfaces.
[edit interfaces]user@PE1# set ge-1/1/1 flexible-vlan-tagginguser@PE1# set ge-1/1/1 encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@PE1# set ge-1/1/1 unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@PE1# set ge-1/1/1 unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-110user@PE1# set ge-1/1/4 flexible-vlan-tagginguser@PE1# set ge-1/1/4 encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@PE1# set ge-1/1/4 unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@PE1# set ge-1/1/4 unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-110user@PE1# set ge-1/0/2 unit 0 family inet address 10.100.100.1/30Configure parameters on the aggregated Ethernet bundles.
[edit interfaces ae0]user@PE1# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@PE1# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@PE1# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@PE1# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-110user@PE1# set unit 0 multi-chassis-protection 10.100.100.2 interface ge-1/1/4.0[edit interfaces ae1]user@PE1# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@PE1# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@PE1# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@PE1# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-110user@PE1# set unit 0 multi-chassis-protection 10.100.100.2 interface ge-1/1/4.0Configure LACP on the aggregated Ethernet bundles.
[edit interfaces ae0 aggregated-ether-options]user@PE1# set lacp activeuser@PE1# set lacp system-priority 100user@PE1# set lacp system-id 00:00:00:00:00:05user@PE1# set lacp admin-key 1[edit interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options]user@PE1# set lacp activeuser@PE1# set lacp system-priority 100user@PE1# set lacp system-id 00:00:00:00:00:05user@PE1# set lacp admin-key 1- The multichassis aggregated Ethernet identification number (mc-ae-id) specifies which link aggregation group the aggregated Ethernet interface belongs to. The ae0 interfaces on Router PE1 and Router PE2 are configured with mc-ae-id 5. The ae1 interfaces on Router PE1 and Router PE2 are configured with mc-ae-id 10.
Configure the MC-LAG interfaces.
[edit interfaces ae0 aggregated-ether-options]user@PE1# set mc-ae mc-ae-id 5user@PE1# set mc-ae redundancy-group 10user@PE1# set mc-ae chassis-id 1user@PE1# set mc-ae mode active-activeuser@PE1# set mc-ae status-control active[edit interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options]user@PE1# set mc-ae mc-ae-id 10user@PE1# set mc-ae redundancy-group 10user@PE1# set mc-ae chassis-id 1user@PE1# set mc-ae mode active-activeuser@PE1# set mc-ae status-control activeThe redundancy-group 10 statement is used by ICCP to associate multiple chassis that perform similar redundancy functions and to establish a communication channel so that applications on peering chassis can send messages to each other. The ae0 and ae1 interfaces on Router PE1 and Router PE2 are configured with the same redundancy group, redundancy-group 10.
The chassis-id statement is used by LACP for calculating the port number of the MC-LAG's physical member links. Router PE1 uses chassid-id 1 to identify both its ae0 and ae1 interfaces. Router PE2 uses chassis-id 0 to identify both its ae0 and ae1 interfaces.
The mode statement indicates whether an MC-LAG is in active-standby mode or active-active mode. Chassis that are in the same group must be in the same mode.
- The ports within a bridge domain share the same flooding or broadcast characteristics in order to perform Layer 2 bridging.
Configure a domain that includes the set of logical ports.
[edit bridge-domains bd0]user@PE1# set domain-type bridgeuser@PE1# set vlan-id alluser@PE1# set service-id 20user@PE1# set interface ae0.0user@PE1# set interface ae1.0user@PE1# set interface ge-1/0/3.0user@PE1# set interface ge-1/1/1.0user@PE1# set interface ge-1/1/4.0The bridge-level service-id statement is required to link related bridge domains across peers (in this case Router PE1 and Router PE2), and should be configured with the same value.
At the global level and also in the bridge domain, replicate IGMP join and leave messages from the active link to the standby link of a dual-link MC-LAG interface, to enable faster recovery of membership information after failover.
[edit multicast-snooping-options]user@PE1# set multichassis-lag-replicate-state[edit bridge-domains bd0 multicast-snooping-options]user@PE1# set multichassis-lag-replicate-state- (Optional) Suppress MC-LAG reports to optimize the syncing
of the ICCP messages. By default, every IGMP packet received on the
MC-AE interface is replicated to the peer. If multiple hosts behind
the CE router send reports for the same group, all the packets are
synced even though only a single report is used for building the IGMP
snooping state on the peer. Also all subsequent refreshes sent in
response to the IGMP queries are also synced to this peer. This requires
significant CPU cycles on both peers which send and receive these
reports over ICCP. Starting with Junos OS Release 16.1, you can configure
the suppress-report statement at the [edit multicast-snooping-options
multichassis-lag-replicate-state] hierarchy level to optimize
the syncing of the ICCP messages.[edit multicast-snooping-options]user@PE1# set multichassis-lag-replicate-state suppress-report
Optimizing the syncing of ICCP messages ensures that the message exchanges using ICCP between the peers is more efficient. This also improves scaling by ensuring that the membership state is present only at the receiving PE.
Note Because the IGMP reports/leaves sent between the MC-LAG peers are suppressed, IGMP snooping statistics will not be the same on both peers. Total statistics will be the sum of the IGMP reports received on both MCLAG peers.
When MC-LAG reports are suppressed, the MCSNOOPD client application will not receive the source IP address (host information).
Configure multicast snooping for the MC-LAG interfaces.
[edit bridge-domains bd0]user@PE1# set protocols igmp-snooping vlan 100 interface ge-1/1/4.0 multicast-router-interfaceuser@PE1# set protocols igmp-snooping vlan 101 interface ge-1/1/4.0 multicast-router-interfaceuser@PE1# set protocols igmp-snooping vlan 200 interface ge-1/1/4.0 multicast-router-interfaceNote Starting with Junos OS Release 16.1, you can selectively add ICL to preserve ICL bandwidth. To do this, you must not configure the ICL as an multicast-router-interface as specified in this step. Instead, you must configure the enhanced-ip statement.
When you configure to selectively add ICL, control packets are directly sent from PFE to RPD. Therefore, if an IRB interface is attached to a bridge-domain, the proxy functionality in the L2 domain will not be effective because MCSNOOPD only proxies to external routers connected to the physical interfaces. In such scenarios, you can enable proxy to IRB. To do this, configure the irb statement at the [edit protocols igmp-snooping proxy] hierarchy level.
Configure ICCP parameters.
[edit protocols iccp]user@PE1# set local-ip-addr 10.100.100.1user@PE1# set peer 10.100.100.2 redundancy-group-id-list 10user@PE1# set peer 10.100.100.2 liveness-detection minimum-interval 1000- You must configure the same unique network-wide configuration for a service in the set of PE routers providing the service. This service ID is required if the multichassis aggregated Ethernet interfaces are part of a bridge domain.
Configure the service ID at the global level.
[edit switch-options]user@PE1# set service-id 10
Results
From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show bridge-domains, show chassis, show interfaces, show multicast-snooping-options, show protocols, and show switch-options commands. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.
If you are done configuring the device, enter commit from configuration mode.
Repeat the procedure for Router PE2, using the appropriate interface names and addresses.
Configuring the CE Device
CLI Quick Configuration
To quickly configure this example, copy the following commands, paste them in a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level, and then enter commit from configuration mode.
Device CE
Configuring the CE Device
Step-by-Step Procedure
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode.
To configure the CE device:
Specify the number of aggregated Ethernet interfaces to be created.
[edit chassis]user@CE# set aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 2Specify the members to be included within the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces]user@CE# set ge-2/0/2 gigether-options 802.3ad ae0user@CE# set ge-2/0/3 gigether-options 802.3ad ae0Configure an interface that connects to multicast senders or receivers.
[edit interfaces ge-2/1/6]user@CE# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@CE# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@CE# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@CE# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-110Configure parameters on the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces ae0]user@CE# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@CE# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@CE# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@CE# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-500- The active statement initiates transmission of LACP packets.
Configure LACP on the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces ae0 aggregated-ether-options]user@CE# set lacp activeuser@CE# set lacp system-priority 100For the system-priority statement, a smaller value indicates a higher priority. The device with the lower system priority value determines which links between LACP partner devices are active and which are in standby mode for each LACP group. The device on the controlling end of the link uses port priorities to determine which ports are bundled into the aggregated bundle and which ports are put in standby mode. Port priorities on the other device (the noncontrolling end of the link) are ignored.
- The ports within a bridge domain share the same flooding or broadcast characteristics in order to perform Layer 2 bridging.
Configure a domain that includes the set of logical ports.
[edit bridge-domains bd0]user@CE# set domain-type bridgeuser@CE# set vlan-id alluser@CE# set interface ge-2/1/6.0user@CE# set interface ae0.0
Results
From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show bridge-domains, show chassis, and show interfaces commands. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.
If you are done configuring the device, enter commit from configuration mode.
Configuring the Provider Router
CLI Quick Configuration
To quickly configure this example, copy the following commands, paste them in a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level, and then enter commit from configuration mode.
Router P
Configuring the P Router
Step-by-Step Procedure
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode .
To configure Router P:
Specify the number of aggregated Ethernet interfaces to be created.
[edit chassis]user@P# set aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 2Specify the members to be included within the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces]user@P# set ge-1/0/5 gigether-options 802.3ad ae1user@P# set ge-1/0/11 gigether-options 802.3ad ae1Configure an interface that connects to multicast senders or receivers.
[edit interfaces ge-1/1/3]user@P# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@P# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@P# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@P# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-500Configure parameters on the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces ae1]user@P# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@P# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@P# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@P# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-110Configure LACP on the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options]user@P# set lacp activeuser@P# set lacp system-priority 100Configure a domain that includes the set of logical ports.
[edit bridge-domains bd0]user@P# set vlan-id alluser@P# set domain-type bridgeuser@P# set interface ge-1/1/3.0user@P# set interface ae1.0
Results
From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show bridge-domains, show chassis, and show interfaces commands. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.
If you are done configuring the device, enter commit from configuration mode.
Verification
Verify that the configuration is working properly by running the following commands:
show iccp
show interfaces ae0
show interfaces ae1
show interfaces mc-ae
show l2-learning instance extensive
show multicast snooping route extensive
Example: Configuring Multichassis Link Aggregation for Layer 3 Multicast Using VRRP on EX9200 Switches
There are two methods for enabling Layer 3 multicast functionality across a multichassis link aggregation group (MC-LAG). You can choose either to configure Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) over the integrated routing and bridging (IRB) interface or to synchronize the MAC addresses for the Layer 3 interfaces of the switches participating in the MC-LAG. This provides redundancy and load balancing between the two MC-LAG peers. The procedure to configure VRRP for use in a Layer 3 multicast MC-LAG is included in this example.
Requirements
This example uses the following hardware and software components:
Two EX9200 switches
Junos OS Release 13.2R1 or later
Before you configure an MC-LAG for Layer 3 multicast using VRRP, be sure that you understand how to:
Configure aggregated Ethernet interfaces on a switch. See Configuring an Aggregated Ethernet Interface.
Configure Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) on aggregated Ethernet interfaces on a switch. See Configuring Aggregated Ethernet LACP.
Configure Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) on a switch. See Configuring Basic VRRP Support.
Overview
In this example, you configure two MC-LAGs between two switches, consisting of two aggregated Ethernet interfaces (ae1 and ae2). To support the MC-LAG, you create a third aggregated Ethernet interface (ae0) for the interchassis link (ICL). You also configure a multichassis protection link for the ICL, Inter-Chassis Control Protocol (ICCP) for the peers hosting the MC-LAG, and Layer 3 connectivity between MC-LAG peers.
Layer 3 connectivity is required for ICCP.
To complete the MC-LAG configuration, enable VRRP by completing the following tasks for each MC-LAG:
Create an IRB interface.
Create a VRRP group and assign a virtual IP address that is shared between each switch in the VRRP group.
Enable a member of a VRRP group to accept all packets destined for the virtual IP address if it is the master in the VRRP group.
Configure Layer 3 connectivity between the VRRP groups.
Topology
The topology used in this example consists of two switches hosting two MC-LAGs—ae1 and ae2. The two switches are connected to a multicast source (Server 1) over MC-LAG ae1, and a multicast receiver (Server 2) over MC-LAG ae2. Figure 13 shows the topology for this example.

Table 1 details the topology used in this configuration example.
Table 1: Components of the Topology for Configuring Two MC-LAGs Between Switch A and Switch B
Hostname | Base Hardware | Link Aggregation Groups |
---|---|---|
Switch A Switch B | EX9200 switch |
|
Configuration
CLI Quick Configuration
To quickly configure this example, copy the following commands, paste them in a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level, and then enter commit from configuration mode.
Switch A
Switch B
Configuring MC-LAG for Layer 3 Multicast Using VRRP on Two Switches
Step-by-Step Procedure
The following procedure requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode.
To enable a multichassis protection link between MC-LAG peers:
- Configure the number of LAGs on both Switch A and
Switch B.
Switch A and Switch B:
[edit chassis]user@switch# set aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 3 - Add member interfaces to the aggregated Ethernet interfaces
on both Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A and Switch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set xe-0/0/2 ether-options 802.3ad ae0user@switch# set xe-0/0/3 ether-options 802.3ad ae0Switch A:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set xe-0/0/4 ether-options 802.3ad ae1user@switch# set xe-0/0/5 ether-options 802.3ad ae2Switch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set xe-0/0/6 ether-options 802.3ad ae1user@switch# set xe-0/0/7 ether-options 802.3ad ae2 - Configure ae0 as the trunk interface between Switch A
and Switch B.
Switch A and Switch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching interface-mode trunk - Configure ae0 as the multichassis protection link between
Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit]Switch B:
[edit]
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable ICCP:
- Configure the local IP address to be in the ICCP connection
on Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]user@switch# set iccp local-ip-addr 10.3.3.2Switch B:
[edit protocols]user@switch# set iccp local-ip-addr 10.3.3.1 - Configure the peer IP address, minimum receive interval,
and minimum transmit interval for a Bidirectional Forwarding Detection
(BFD) session for ICCP on Switch A and Switch B.
Note Configuring the minimum receive interval is required to enable BFD. We recommend a minimum receive interval value of 60 seconds.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]Switch B:
[edit protocols] - (Optional) Configure the time during which an ICCP connection
must be established between MC-LAG peers on Switch A and Switch B.
Note On QFX and EX Series switches, the default session establishment hold time is 300 seconds. However, the session establishment time must be at least 100 seconds higher than the init delay time. You can optionally update the session establishment time to be 340 seconds and the init delay time to be 240 seconds.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]Switch B:
[edit protocols] - (Optional) Configure the backup-liveness-detection statement on
the management interface (fxp0) only.
We recommend that you configure the backup liveness detection feature to implement faster failover of data traffic during an MC-LAG peer reboot.
Note The backup-liveness-detection statement is supported starting in Junos OS Release 13.2R1.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]Switch B:
[edit protocols] - Configure Layer 3 connectivity between the MC-LAG peers
on both Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A and Switch B:
[edit vlans]user@switch# set v500 vlan-id 500user@switch# set v500 l3-interface irb.500[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching vlan members v500Switch A:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 500 family inet address 10.3.3.2/8Switch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 500 family inet address 10.3.3.1/8
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable the ae1 and ae2 MC-LAG interfaces:
- Enable LACP on the MC-LAG interfaces on Switch A
and Switch B.
Note At least one end needs to be active. The other end can be either active or passive.
- Specify the same multichassis aggregated Ethernet identification
number for each MC-LAG peer on Switch A and Switch B.[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae mc-ae-id 3user@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae mc-ae-id 4
- Specify a unique chassis ID for the MC-LAG on the MC-LAG
peers on Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae chassis-id 0user@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae chassis-id 0Switch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae chassis-id 1user@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae chassis-id 1 - Specify the operating mode of the MC-LAGs on both Switch A
and Switch B.[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae mode active-activeuser@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae mode active-active
- Specify the status control for the MC-LAGs on Switch A
and Switch B.
Note You must configure status control on both Switch A and Switch B that host the MC-LAGs. If one peer is in active mode, the other must be in standby mode.
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control activeuser@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control activeSwitch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control standbyuser@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control standbyNote If you configure both nodes as prefer-status-control-active, you must also configure ICCP peering using the peer’s loopback address to make sure that the ICCP session does not go down because of physical link failures. Additionally, you must configure backup liveness detection on both of the MC-LAG nodes.
- To minimize traffic loss, specify the number of seconds
by which to delay bringing the multichassis aggregated Ethernet interface
back to the up state when you reboot Switch A or Switch B.[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae init-delay-time 240user@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae init-delay-time 240
- Specify the same LACP system ID for each MC-LAG on Switch A and Switch B.
- Specify the same LACP administration key on both Switch A and Switch B.
- Enable a VLAN for each MC-LAG on Switch A and Switch B.[edit vlans]user@switch# set v100 vlan-id 100user@switch# set v200 vlan-id 200[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching vlan members v100user@switch# set ae2 unit 0 family ethernet-switching vlan members v200
- Configure ae1 and ae2 as trunk interfaces between Switch A
and Switch B. [edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching interface-mode trunkuser@switch# set ae2 unit 0 family ethernet-switching interface-mode trunk
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable VRRP on the MC-LAGs:
- Create an integrated routing and bridging (IRB) interface
for each MC-LAG, assign a virtual IP address that is shared between
each switch in the VRRP groups, and assign an individual IP address
for each switch in the VRRP groups.
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1user@switch# set irb unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.21/8 vrrp-group 2 virtual-address 10.1.1.2Switch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1user@switch# set irb unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.20/8 vrrp-group 2 virtual-address 10.1.1.2 - Assign the priority for each switch in the VRRP groups.
Note The switch configured with the highest priority is the master.
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 200user@switch# set irb unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.21/8 vrrp-group 2 priority 200Switch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 150user@switch# set irb unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.20/8 vrrp-group 2 priority 150 - Enable the switch to accept all packets destined for the
virtual IP address if it is the master in a VRRP group.
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-datauser@switch# set irb unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.21/8 vrrp-group 2 accept-dataSwitch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-datauser@switch# set irb unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.20/8 vrrp-group 2 accept-data - Configure Layer 3 connectivity between Switch A and
Switch B.[edit]user@switch# set v100 l3-interface irb.100user@switch# set v200 l3-interface irb.200
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable IGMP snooping:
- Enable IGMP snooping for all VLANs on Switch A and
Switch B.[edit protocols]user@switch# set igmp-snooping vlan v100user@switch# set igmp-snooping vlan v200user@switch# set igmp-snooping vlan v500
Note You must configure the multichassis-lag-replicate-state statement for IGMP snooping to work properly in an MC-LAG environment.
Step-by-Step Procedure
To configure OSPF as the Layer 3 protocol:
- Configure an OSPF area on Switch A and Switch B.[edit protocols ospf]user@switch# set area 0.0.0.0
- Assign the VLAN interfaces for the MC-LAGs as interfaces
to the OSPF area on Switch A and Switch B.[edit protocols ospf area 0.0.0.0]user@switch# set interface irb.100user@switch# set interface irb.200
- Configure the minimum receive interval, minimum transmit
interval, and transmit interval threshold for a Bidirectional Forwarding
Detection (BFD) session for the OSPF interfaces on Switch A and
Switch B.[edit protocols ospf area 0.0.0.0]user@switch# set interface irb.100 bfd-liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 700user@switch# set interface irb.100 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 350user@switch# set interface irb.100 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval threshold 500user@switch# set interface irb.200 bfd-liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 700user@switch# set interface irb.200 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 350user@switch# set interface irb.200 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval threshold 500
Step-by-Step Procedure
To configure Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) as the multicast protocol:
- Configure a static rendezvous point (RP) address on Switch A
and Switch B.[edit protocols pim]user@switch# set rp static address 10.0.0.3
- Configure the address ranges of the multicast groups for
which Switch A and Switch B can be an RP.[edit protocols pim rp static address 10.0.0.3]user@switch# set group-ranges 233.252.0.0/8
- Configure the priority of each PIM interface for being
selected as the designated router.
An interface with a higher priority value has a higher probability of being selected as the designated router.
Note Configure the IP address on the active MC-LAG peer with a high IP address or a high designated router priority.
Switch A:
[edit protocols pim]user@switch# set interface irb.100 priority 200user@switch# set interface irb.200 priority 600Switch B:
[edit protocols pim]user@switch# set interface irb.100 priority 100user@switch# set interface irb.200 priority 500
Results
From configuration mode on Switch A, confirm your configuration by entering the show chassis, show interfaces, show multi-chassis, show protocols, and show vlans commands. If the output does not display the required configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.
Switch A
Switch B
Verification
Verify that the configuration is working properly.
Confirm That Switch A Is the Master Designated Router
Purpose
Verify that Switch A is the master designated router (DR).
Action
user@switch> show pim interfaces
Stat = Status, V = Version, NbrCnt = Neighbor Count, S = Sparse, D = Dense, B = Bidirectional, DR = Designated Router, P2P = Point-to-point link, Active = Bidirectional is active, NotCap = Not Bidirectional Capable Name Stat Mode IP V State NbrCnt JoinCnt(sg/*g) DR address pime.32769 Down S 4 2 P2P,NotCap 0 0/0 irb.100 Up S 4 2 DDR-DR,NotCap 1 0/0 10.1.1.11 irb.200 Up S 4 2 DDR-DR,NotCap 2 0/0 10.1.1.21
Meaning
The DDR-DR state of the VLAN interfaces in the output shows that Switch A is the master designated router.
Verifying That Switch B Is the Backup Designated Router
Purpose
Confirm that Switch B is the backup designated router.
Action
user@switch> show pim interfaces
Stat = Status, V = Version, NbrCnt = Neighbor Count, S = Sparse, D = Dense, B = Bidirectional, DR = Designated Router, P2P = Point-to-point link, Active = Bidirectional is active, NotCap = Not Bidirectional Capable Name Stat Mode IP V State NbrCnt JoinCnt(sg/*g) DR address pime.32769 Down S 4 2 P2P,NotCap 0 0/0 irb.100 Up S 4 2 DDR-BDR,NotCap 1 0/0 10.1.1.11 irb.200 Up S 4 2 DDR-BDR,NotCap 2 0/0 10.1.1.21
Meaning
The DDR-BDR state of the VLAN interfaces in the output shows that Switch B is the backup designated router.
Example: Configuring Multichassis Link Aggregation for Layer 3 Unicast using MAC Address Synchronization
There are two methods for enabling Layer 3 unicast functionality across a multichassis link aggregation group (MC-LAG). You can choose either to synchronize the MAC addresses for the Layer 3 interfaces of the switches participating in the MC-LAG, or you can configure Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), but you cannot configure both at the same time. Because RVI interfaces share the same MAC address, if you enable MAC address synchronization, packets received on an MC-LAG peer with a destination MAC address that is the same as that of the peer’s IRB MAC address will not be forwarded. The procedure to configure MAC address synchronization is included in this example. For more information on configuring VRRP for use in a Layer 3 unicast MC-LAG, see Example: Configuring Multichassis Link Aggregation for Layer 3 Unicast Using VRRP.
Requirements
This example uses the following hardware and software components:
Junos OS Release 12.3 or later for the QFX Series
Revalidated with Junos OS Release 17.3R1 on QFX5100 and QFX10000 switches.
Two QFX3500, QFX3600, EX4600, QFX5100, or QFX10000 switches
Before you configure an MC-LAG for Layer 3 unicast, be sure that you understand how to:
Configure aggregated Ethernet interfaces on a switch. See Example: Configuring Link Aggregation Between a QFX Series Product and an Aggregation Switch.
Configure the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) on aggregated Ethernet interfaces on a switch. See Example: Configuring Link Aggregation with LACP Between a QFX Series Product and an Aggregation Switch.
Configure a standard MC-LAG between switches. See Example: Configuring Multichassis Link Aggregation.
Overview
In this example, you configure an MC-LAG across two switches by including interfaces from both switches in an aggregated Ethernet interface (ae1). To support the MC-LAG, you create a second aggregated Ethernet interface (ae0) for the interchassis link-protection link (ICL-PL). You also configure a multichassis protection link for the ICL-PL, Inter-Chassis Control Protocol (ICCP) for the peers hosting the MC-LAG, and Layer 3 connectivity between MC-LAG peers.
Layer 3 connectivity is required for ICCP.
On QFX5100 and QFX10000 switches, if you try to configure both VRRP over IRB and MAC synchronization, you will receive a commit error.
To complete the configuration, configure MAC address synchronization between the peers and specify the same IP address on both Layer 3 interface members (also known as the routed VLAN interface [RVI] or the integrated routing and bridging (IRB) interface) in the MC-LAG VLAN.
Topology
The topology used in this example consists of two switches hosting an MC-LAG. The two switches are connected to a server. Figure 14 shows the topology of this example.

Table 2 details the topology used in this configuration example.
Table 2: Components of the Topology for Configuring a Multichassis LAG Between Two Switches
Hostname | Base Hardware | Multichassis Link Aggregation Group |
---|---|---|
Switch A Switch B | QFX3500, QFX3600, EX4600, QFX5100, or QFX10000 switch QFX3500, QFX3600, EX4600, QFX5100, or QFX10000 switch | ae0 is configured as an aggregated Ethernet interface,
and is used as an ICL-PL. The following interfaces are part of ae0:
xe-0/0/12and xe-0/0/13 on Switch A and ae1 is configured as an MC-LAG, and the following two interfaces
are part of ae1: |
Configuration
CLI Quick Configuration
To quickly configure this example, copy the following commands, paste them in a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level, and then enter commit from configuration mode.
Switch A
Switch B
Configuring MC-LAG on Two Switches
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable multichassis protection link between MC-LAG peers:
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode.
To enable multichassis protection link between MC-LAG peers:
- Configure the number of LAGs on both Switch A and Switch
B.
Switch A and Switch B:
[edit chassis]
user@switch# set aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 2 - Add member interfaces to the aggregated Ethernet interfaces
on both Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A and Switch B:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set xe-0/0/12 ether-options 802.3ad ae0[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set xe-0/0/12 ether-options 802.3ad ae0[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set xe-0/0/13 ether-options 802.3ad ae0user@switch# set xe-0/0/13 ether-options 802.3ad ae0Switch A:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set xe-0/0/44 ether-options 802.3ad ae1Switch B
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set xe-0/0/46 ether-options 802.3ad ae1 - Configure a trunk interface between Switch A and Switch
B.[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching interface-mode trunk - Configure a multichassis protection link between Switch
A and Switch B.
Switch A: [edit]
user@switch# set multi-chassis multi-chassis-protection 10.3.3.2 interface ae0Switch B: [edit]
user@switch# set multi-chassis multi-chassis-protection 10.3.3.1 interface ae0
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable ICCP:
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode .
- Configure the local IP address to be in the ICCP connection
on Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A: [edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp local-ip-addr 10.3.3.2Switch B:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp local-ip-addr 10.3.3.1 - Configure the peer IP address and minimum receive interval
for a Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) session for ICCP on
Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.1 liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 1000Switch B:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.2 liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 1000 - Configure the peer IP address and minimum transmit interval
for a BFD session for ICCP on Switch A and Switch B.
Note Configure at least 1000 milliseconds as the transmit interval minimum interval.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.1 liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 1000Switch B:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.2 liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 1000 - (Optional) Configure the time during which an ICCP connection
must succeed between MC-LAG peers on Switch A and Switch B.
Note On QFX and EX Series switches, the default session establishment hold time is 300 seconds. However, the session establishment time must be at least 100 seconds higher than the init delay time. You can optionally update the session establishment time to be 340 seconds and the init delay time to be 240 seconds.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.1 session-establishment-hold-time 340Switch B:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.2 session-establishment-hold-time 340 - (Optional) Configure the backup IP address to be used
for backup liveness detection on both Switch A and Switch B.
Note By default, backup liveness detection is not enabled. Configuring a backup IP address helps achieve sub-second traffic loss during an MC-LAG peer reboot.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.1 backup-liveness-detection backup-peer-ip 10.207.64.233Switch B:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.2 backup-liveness-detection backup-peer-ip 10.207.64.234 - Configure Layer 3 connectivity across the ae0 ICCP link
by adding a Layer 3 interface on both Switch A and Switch B.[edit vlans v500]
user@switch# set vlan-id 500user@switch# set l3-interface irb.500[edit interfaces ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching]
user@switch# set interface-mode trunkuser@switch# set vlan members v500
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable the MC-LAG interface:
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode .
- Enable LACP on the MC-LAG interface on Switch A and Switch
B.
Note At least one end needs to be active. The other end can be either active or passive.
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options lacp active - Specify the same multichassis aggregated Ethernet identification
number on both MC-LAG peers on Switch A and Switch B.
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae mc-ae-id 3 - Specify a unique chassis ID for the MC-LAG on the MC-LAG
peers on Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae chassis-id 0Switch B:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae chassis-id 1 - Specify the operating mode of the MC-LAG on both Switch
A and Switch B.
Note Only active-active mode is supported at this time.
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae mode active-active - Specify the status control for MC-LAG on Switch A and
Switch B.
Note You must configure status control on both Switch A and Switch B hosting the MC-LAG. If one peer is in active mode, the other must be in standby mode.
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control activeSwitch B:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control standbyNote If you configure both nodes as prefer-status-control-active, you must also configure ICCP peering using the peer’s loopback address to make sure that the ICCP session does not go down because of physical link failures. Additionally, you must configure backup liveness detection on both of the MC-LAG nodes.
- Specify the number of seconds by which the bring-up of
the MC-AE interface should be deferred after you reboot Switch A and
Switch B.
Note On QFX and EX Series switches, the default session establishment hold time is 300 seconds. However, the session establishment time must be at least 100 seconds higher than the init delay time. You can optionally update the session establishment time to be 340 seconds and the init delay time to be 240 seconds.
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae init-delay-time 240 - Specify the same LACP system ID for the MC-LAG on Switch
A and Switch B.
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options lacp system-ID 00:01:02:03:04:05 - Specify the same LACP administration key on both Switch
A and Switch B.
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options lacp admin-key 3 - Enable a VLAN on the MC-LAG on Switch A and Switch B.
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching interface-mode trunk[edit]
user@switch# set vlans v100 vlan-id 100[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching vlan members v100 - Create a Layer 3 interface for the MC-LAG VLAN and assign
the same IP address on both Switch A and Switch B.
[edit]
user@switch# set vlans v100 l3-interface irb.100[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/24 - Configure MAC address synchronization in the MC-LAG VLAN
on both Switch A and Switch B.
[edit]
user@switch# set vlans v100 mcae-mac-synchronize
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable RSTP:
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode .
- Enable RSTP globally on all interfaces on Switch A and
Switch B.
[edit]
user@switch# set protocols rstp interface all mode point-to-point - Disable RSTP on the
ICL-PL interfaces on Switch A and Switch B:
[edit]
user@switch# set protocols rstp interface ae0.0 disable - Configure the MC-LAG interfaces as edge ports on Switch
A and Switch B.
Note The ae1 interface is a downstream interface. This is why RSTP and bpdu-block-on-edge need to be configured.
[edit]
user@switch# set protocols rstp interface ae1.0 edge - Enable BPDU blocking on all interfaces except for the
ICL-PL interfaces on Switch A and Switch B.
Note The ae1 interface is a downstream interface. This is why RSTP and bpdu-block-on-edge need to be configured.
[edit]
user@switch# set protocols rstp bpdu-block-on-edge
Results
Display the results of the configuration on Switch A.
Display the results of the configuration on Switch B.
Verification
To verify that the MC-LAG group has been created and is working properly, perform these tasks:
Verifying That the MC-AE and ICL-PL Interfaces Are Up on Switch A
Verifying That the MC-AE and ICL-PL Interfaces Are Up on Switch B
Verifying MAC Address Synchronization on Switch A and Switch B
Verifying MAC Address Synchronization on Switch A and Switch B Using MC-LAG Consistency Check
Verifying That ICCP Is Working on Switch A
Purpose
Verify that ICCP is running on Switch A.
Action
[edit]
user@switch# show iccp
Redundancy Group Information for peer 10.3.3.1
TCP Connection : Established Liveliness Detection : Up Client Application: lacpd Client Application: l2ald_iccpd_client
Meaning
This output shows that the TCP connection between the peers hosting the MC-LAG is up, liveness detection is up, and lacpd, and l2ald_iccpd_client applications are running.
Verifying That ICCP Is Working on Switch B
Purpose
Verify that ICCP is running on Switch B.
Action
show iccp
[edit]
user@switch# show iccp
Redundancy Group Information for peer 10.3.3.2
TCP Connection : Established Liveliness Detection : Up Client Application: lacpd Client Application: l2ald_iccpd_client
Meaning
This output shows that the TCP connection between the peers hosting the MC-LAG is up, liveness detection is up, and lacpd, and l2ald_iccpd_client applications are running.
Verifying That LACP Is Active on Switch A
Purpose
Verify that LACP is active on Switch A.
Action
[edit]
user@switch# show lacp
interfaces
Aggregated interface: ae1 LACP state: Role Exp Def Dist Col Syn Aggr Timeout Activity xe-0/0/46 Actor No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Fast Active xe-0/0/46 Partner No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Fast Active LACP protocol: Receive State Transmit State Mux State xe-0/0/46 Current Fast periodic Collecting distributing
Meaning
This output shows that Switch A is participating in LACP negotiation.
Verifying That LACP Is Active on Switch B
Purpose
Verify that LACP is active on Switch B
Action
[edit]
user@switch# show lacp
interfaces
Aggregated interface: ae1 LACP state: Role Exp Def Dist Col Syn Aggr Timeout Activity xe-0/0/44 Actor No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Fast Active xe-0/0/44 Partner No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Fast Active LACP protocol: Receive State Transmit State Mux State xe-0/0/44 Current Fast periodic Collecting distributing
Meaning
This output shows that Switch B is participating in LACP negotiation.
Verifying That the MC-AE and ICL-PL Interfaces Are Up on Switch A
Purpose
Verify that the MC-AE and ICL-PL interfaces are up on Switch A.
Action
[edit]
user@switch# show interfaces
mc-ae
Member Link : ae1 Current State Machine's State: mcae active state Local Status : active Local State : up Peer Status : active Peer State : up Logical Interface : ae1.0 Topology Type : bridge Local State : up Peer State : up Peer Ip/MCP/State : 10.3.3.1 ae0.0 up
Meaning
This output shows that the MC-AE interface on Switch A is up and active.
Verifying That the MC-AE and ICL-PL Interfaces Are Up on Switch B
Purpose
Verify that the MC-AE and ICL-PL interfaces are up on Switch B.
Action
[edit]
user@switch# show interfaces
mc-ae
Member Link : ae1 Current State Machine's State: mcae active state Local Status : active Local State : up Peer Status : active Peer State : up Logical Interface : ae1.0 Topology Type : bridge Local State : up Peer State : up Peer Ip/MCP/State : 10.3.3.2 ae0.0 up
Meaning
This output shows that the MC-AE interface on Switch B is up and active.
Verifying MAC Address Synchronization on Switch A and Switch B
Purpose
Confirm that MAC address synchronization is working on both Switch A and Switch B.
Action
[edit]
user@switch# show ethernet-switching
table vlan-id 100
Ethernet switching table : 1 entries, 1 learned Routing instance : default-switch Vlan MAC MAC Logical Active name address flags interface source v100 cc:e1:7f:65:0f:00 DL ae1.0
Meaning
This output shows that the downstream server MAC address is visible. From the server-side, both of the MC-LAG peer MAC addresses are visible.
Verifying MAC Address Synchronization on Switch A and Switch B Using MC-LAG Consistency Check
Purpose
On the QFX10000 switch only, if you have MC-LAG consistency check enabled, you can verify that MAC address synchronization is working on both Switch A and Switch B. If you do not have MC-LAG consistency check enabled, issue the set multi-chassis mc-lag consistency-check command and then commit this change.
Action
[edit]
user@switch> show multi-chassis
mc-lag configuration-consistency
Configuration Item Enforcement Level Local Value Peer Value Result ------------------ ----------------- ----------- ---------- ------- mcae-mac-synchronize Mandatory TRUE TRUE PASS Local IRB:irb.100 Peer IRB :irb.100
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting a LAG That Is Down
Problem
The show interfaces terse command shows that the MC-LAG is down
Solution
Check the following:
Verify that there is no configuration mismatch.
Verify that all member ports are up.
Verify that the MC-LAG is part of family Ethernet switching (Layer 2 LAG).
Verify that the MC-LAG member is connected to the correct MC-LAG member at the other end.
Example: Configuring Multichassis Link Aggregation for Layer 3 Unicast Using VRRP
Multichassis link aggregation (MC-LAG) is supported on QFX3500 and QFX3600 standalone switches running the original CLI, and QFX3500, QFX3600, QFX5100, EX4600, and QFX10000 standalone switches running Enhanced Layer 2 Software.
There are two methods for enabling Layer 3 unicast functionality across a multichassis link aggregation group (MC-LAG) to control traffic flow. You can choose either to synchronize the MAC addresses for the Layer 3 interfaces of the switches participating in the MC-LAG , or you can configure Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), but you cannot configure both at the same time. Because RVI interfaces share the same MAC address, if you enable MAC address synchronization, packets received on an MC-LAG peer with a destination MAC address that is the same as that of the peer’s IRB MAC address will not be forwarded. The procedure to configure VRRP for use in a Layer 3 unicast MC-LAG is included in this example. For more information about configuring MAC address synchronization, see Example: Configuring Multichassis Link Aggregation for Layer 3 Unicast using MAC Address Synchronization.
Requirements
This example uses the following hardware and software components:
Junos OS Release 12.3 or later for the QFX Series
Two QFX3500, QFX3600, EX4600, QFX5100, or QFX10000 switches
Before you configure an MC-LAG, be sure that you understand how to:
Configure aggregated Ethernet interfaces on a switch. See Example: Configuring Link Aggregation Between a QFX Series Product and an Aggregation Switch.
Configure the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) on aggregated Ethernet interfaces on a switch. See Example: Configuring Link Aggregation with LACP Between a QFX Series Product and an Aggregation Switch.
Configure Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) on a switch. See Configuring Basic VRRP Support for QFX.
Overview
In this example, you configure an MC-LAG across two switches by including interfaces from both switches in an aggregated Ethernet interface (ae1). To support the MC-LAG, create a second aggregated Ethernet interface (ae0) for the interchassis control link-protection link (ICL-PL). Configure a multichassis protection link for the ICL-PL, the Inter-Chassis Control Protocol (ICCP) for the peers hosting the MC-LAG, and Layer 3 connectivity between MC-LAG peers.
Layer 3 connectivity is required for ICCP.
On QFX5100 and QFX10000 switches, if you try to configure both VRRP over IRB and MAC synchronization, you will receive a commit error.
To complete the configuration, enable VRRP by completing the following steps:
Create a routed VLAN interface (RVI).
Create a VRRP group and assign a virtual IP address that is shared between each switch in the VRRP group.
Enable a member of a VRRP group to accept all packets destined for the virtual IP address if it is the master in the VRRP group.
Configure Layer 3 connectivity between the VRRP groups.
Topology
The topology used in this example consists of two switches hosting MC-LAGs. The two switches are connected to a server. Figure 15 shows the topology of this example.

Table 3 details the topology used in this configuration example.
Table 3: Components of the Topology for Configuring a Multichassis LAG Between Two Switches
Hostname | Base Hardware | Multichassis Link Aggregation Group |
---|---|---|
Switch A Switch B | QFX3500, QFX3600, EX4600, QFX5100, QFX10000 switch QFX3500, QFX3600, EX4600, QFX5100, QFX10000 switch | ae0 is configured as an aggregated Ethernet interface,
and is used as an ICL-PL. The following interfaces are part of ae0:
xe-0/0/12 and xe-0/0/13 on Switch A and ae1 is configured as an MC-LAG, and the following two interfaces
are part of ae1: |
Configuration
CLI Quick Configuration
To quickly configure this example, copy the following commands, paste them in a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level, and then enter commit from configuration mode.
This example shows how to configure MC-LAG using both the original CLI and Enhanced Layer 2 Software (ELS).
In ELS, there are three statements and one additional statement that are different from the original CLI:
The port-mode statement in the [edit interfaces interface-name unit number family ethernet-switching] hierarchy is not supported. Use the interface-mode statement instead.
The vlan statement in the [edit interfaces interface-name] hierarchy is not supported. Use the irb statement instead.
The vlan.logical-interface-number option in the [edit vlans vlan-name l3-interface] option is not supported. Use the irb.logical-interface-number option instead.
The service-id statement in the [edit switch-options] hierarchy is required in the ELS CLI.
Switch A—Original CLI:
set chassis aggregated-devices ethernet device-count
2
set interfaces xe-0/0/12 ether-options 802.3ad
ae0
set interfaces xe-0/0/13 ether-options 802.3ad
ae0
set interfaces xe-0/0/44 ether-options 802.3ad
ae1
set interfaces ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
port-mode trunk
set interfaces ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
vlan members v500 v100
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
lacp active
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
lacp system-id 00:01:02:03:04:05
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
lacp admin-key 3
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae mc-ae-id 3
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae chassis-id 0
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae mode active-active
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae status-control active
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae init-delay-time 240
set interfaces ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
port-mode trunk
set interfaces ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
vlan members v100
set interfaces vlan unit 100 family inet address
10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1
set interfaces vlan unit 100 family inet address
10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 200
set interfaces vlan unit 100 family inet address
10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-data
set interfaces vlan unit 500 family inet address
10.3.3.2/8
set vlans v100 vlan-id 100
set vlans v100 l3-interface vlan.100
set vlans v500 vlan-id 500
set vlans v500 l3-interface vlan.500
set protocols iccp local-ip-addr 10.3.3.2
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.1 session-establishment-hold-time
340
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.1 backup-liveness-detection
backup-peer-ip 10.207.64.233
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.1 liveness-detection
minimum-receive-interval 1000
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.1 liveness-detection
transmit-interval minimum-interval 1000
set protocols rstp interface ae0 disable
set protocols rstp interface ae1 edge
set protocols rstp interface all mode point-to-point
set protocols rstp bpdu-block-on-edge
set multi-chassis multi-chassis-protection 10.3.3.1
interface ae0
Switch A—ELS
set chassis aggregated-devices ethernet device-count
2
set interfaces xe-0/0/12 ether-options 802.3ad
ae0
set interfaces xe-0/0/13 ether-options 802.3ad
ae0
set interfaces xe-0/0/44 ether-options 802.3ad
ae1
set interfaces ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
interface-mode trunk
set interfaces ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
vlan members v500 v100
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
lacp active
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
lacp system-id 00:01:02:03:04:05
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
lacp admin-key 3
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae mc-ae-id 3
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae chassis-id 0
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae mode active-active
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae status-control active
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae init-delay-time 240
set interfaces ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
interface-mode trunk
set interfaces ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
vlan members v100
set interfaces irb unit 100 family inet address
10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1
set interfaces irb unit 100 family inet address
10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 200
set interfaces irb unit 100 family inet address
10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-data
set interfaces irb unit 500 family inet address
10.3.3.2/8
set vlans v100 vlan-id 100
set vlans v100 l3-interface irb.100
set vlans v500 vlan-id 500
set vlans v500 l3-interface irb.500
set protocols iccp local-ip-addr 10.3.3.2
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.1 session-establishment-hold-time
340
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.1 backup-liveness-detection
backup-peer-ip 10.207.64.233
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.1 liveness-detection
minimum-receive-interval 1000
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.1 liveness-detection
transmit-interval minimum-interval 1000
set protocols rstp interface ae1 edge
set protocols rstp interface ae1 mode point-to-point
set protocols rstp bpdu-block-on-edge
set multi-chassis multi-chassis-protection 10.3.3.1
interface ae0
set switch-options service-id 10
Switch B—Original CLI:
set chassis aggregated-devices ethernet device-count
2
set interfaces xe-0/0/12 ether-options 802.3ad
ae0
set interfaces xe-0/0/13 ether-options 802.3ad
ae0
set interfaces xe-0/0/46 ether-options 802.3ad
ae1
set interfaces ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
port-mode trunk
set interfaces ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
vlan members v500 v100
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
lacp active
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
lacp system-id 00:01:02:03:04:05
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
lacp admin-key 3
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae mc-ae-id 3
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae chassis-id 1
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae mode active-active
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae status-control standby
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae init-delay-time 240
set interfaces ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
port-mode trunk
set interfaces ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
vlan members v100
set interfaces vlan unit 100 family inet address
10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1
set interfaces vlan unit 100 family inet address
10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 150
set interfaces vlan unit 100 family inet address
10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-data
set interfaces vlan unit 500 family inet address
10.3.3.1/8
set vlans v100 vlan-id 100
set vlans v100 l3-interface vlan.100
set vlans v500 vlan-id 500
set vlans v500 l3-interface vlan.500
set protocols iccp local-ip-addr 10.3.3.1
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.2 session-establishment-hold-time
340
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.2 backup-liveness-detection
backup-peer-ip 10.207.64.234
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.2 liveness-detection
minimum-receive-interval 1000
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.2 liveness-detection
transmit-interval minimum-interval 1000
set protocols rstp interface ae0 disable
set protocols rstp interface ae1 edge
set protocols rstp interface all mode point-to-point
set protocols rstp bpdu-block-on-edge
set multi-chassis multi-chassis-protection 10.3.3.2
interface ae0
Switch B—ELS:
set chassis aggregated-devices ethernet device-count
2
set interfaces xe-0/0/12 ether-options 802.3ad
ae0
set interfaces xe-0/0/13 ether-options 802.3ad
ae0
set interfaces xe-0/0/46 ether-options 802.3ad
ae1
set interfaces ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
interface-mode trunk
set interfaces ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
vlan members v500 v100
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
lacp active
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
lacp system-id 00:01:02:03:04:05
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
lacp admin-key 3
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae mc-ae-id 3
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae chassis-id 1
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae mode active-active
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae status-control standby
set interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options
mc-ae init-delay-time 240
set interfaces ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
interface-mode trunk
set interfaces ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching
vlan members v100
set interfaces irb unit 100 family inet address
10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1
set interfaces irb unit 100 family inet address
10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 150
set interfaces irb unit 100 family inet address
10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-data
set interfaces irb unit 500 family inet address
10.3.3.1/8
set vlans v100 vlan-id 100
set vlans v100 l3-interface irb.100
set vlans v500 vlan-id 500
set vlans v500 l3-interface irb.500
set protocols iccp local-ip-addr 10.3.3.1
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.2 session-establishment-hold-time
340
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.2 backup-liveness-detection
backup-peer-ip 10.207.64.234
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.2 liveness-detection
minimum-receive-interval 1000
set protocols iccp peer 10.3.3.2 liveness-detection
transmit-interval minimum-interval 1000
set protocols rstp interface ae1 edge
set protocols rstp interface ae1 mode point-to-point
set protocols rstp bpdu-block-on-edge
set multi-chassis multi-chassis-protection 10.3.3.2
interface ae0
set switch-options service-id 10
Configuring MC-LAG on Two Switches
Step-by-Step Procedure
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode.
To enable multichassis protection link between MC-LAG peers:
- Configure the number of LAGs on both Switch A and Switch
B.[edit chassis]
user@switch# set aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 2 - Add member interfaces to the aggregated Ethernet interfaces
on both Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A and Switch B:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set xe-0/0/12 ether-options 802.3ad ae0[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set xe-0/0/13 ether-options 802.3ad ae0 ae0Switch A:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set xe-0/0/44 ether-options 802.3ad ae0 ae1Switch B:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set xe-0/0/46 ether-options 802.3ad ae0 ae1 - Configure a trunk interface between Switch A and Switch
B using the original CLI.[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching port-mode trunk - Configure a trunk interface between Switch A and Switch
B using ELS.[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching interface-mode trunk - Configure a multichassis protection link between Switch
A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit]
user@switch# set multi-chassis multi-chassis-protection 10.3.3.1 interface ae0Switch B:
[edit]
user@switch# set multi-chassis multi-chassis-protection 10.3.3.2 interface ae0
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable ICCP:
- Configure the local IP address to be in the ICCP connection
on Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp local-ip-addr 10.3.3.2Switch B:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp local-ip-addr 10.3.3.1 - Configure the peer IP address and minimum receive interval
for a Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) session for ICCP on
Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.1 liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 1000Switch B:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.2 liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 1000 - Configure the peer IP address and minimum transmit interval
for a BFD session for ICCP on Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.1 liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 1000Switch B:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.2 liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 1000 - (Optional) Configure the time during which an ICCP connection
must succeed between MC-LAG peers on Switch A and Switch B.
Note On QFX and EX Series switches, the default session establishment hold time is 300 seconds. However, the session establishment time must be at least 100 seconds higher than the init delay time. You can optionally update the session establishment time to be 340 seconds and the init delay time to be 240 seconds.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer10.3.3.1 session-establishment-hold-time 340Switch B:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.2 session-establishment-hold-time 340 - (Optional) Configure the backup IP address to be used
for backup liveness detection on both Switch A and Switch B.
Note By default, backup liveness detection is not enabled. Configuring a backup IP address helps achieve sub-second traffic loss during an MC-LAG peer reboot.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.1 backup-liveness-detection backup-peer-ip 10.207.64.233Switch B:
[edit protocols]
user@switch# set iccp peer 10.3.3.2 backup-liveness-detection backup-peer-ip 10.207.64.234 - Configure Layer 3 connectivity between the MC-LAG peers
on both Switch A and Switch B using the original CLI.[edit vlans]
user@switch# set v500 vlan-id 500[edit vlans]
user@switch# set v500 l3-interface vlan.500[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching port-mode trunk vlan members v500 v100 - Configure Layer 3 connectivity between the MC-LAG peers
on both Switch A and Switch B using ELS.edit vlans]
user@switch# set v500 vlan-id 500[edit vlans]
user@switch# set v500 l3-interface irb.500[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching interface-mode trunk vlan members v500 v100
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable the MC-LAG interface:
- Enable LACP on the MC-LAG interface on Switch A and Switch
B.
Note At least one end needs to be active. The other end can be either active or passive.
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options lacp active - Specify the same multichassis aggregated Ethernet identification
number on both MC-LAG peers on Switch A and Switch B.[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae mc-ae-id 3 - Specify the same service ID on Switch A and Switch B.
ELS:
[edit]
user@switch# set switch-options service-id 10 - Specify a unique chassis ID for the MC-LAG on the MC-LAG
peers on Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae chassis-id 0Switch B:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae chassis-id 1 - Specify the operating mode of the MC-LAG on both Switch
A and Switch B.
Note Only active-active mode is supported at this time.
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae mode active-active - Specify the status control for MC-LAG on Switch A and
Switch B.
Note You must configure status control on both Switch A and Switch B hosting the MC-LAG. If one peer is in active mode, the other must be in standby mode.
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control activeSwitch B:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control standbyNote f you configure both nodes as prefer-status-control-active, you must also configure ICCP peering using the peer’s loopback address to make sure that the ICCP session does not go down because of physical link failures. Additionally, you must configure backup liveness detection on both of the MC-LAG nodes.
- Specify the number of seconds by which the bring-up of
the multichassis aggregated Ethernet interface should be deferred
after you reboot Switch A and Switch B.
Note On QFX and EX Series switches, the default session establishment hold time is 300 seconds. However, the session establishment time must be at least 100 seconds higher than the init delay time. You can optionally update the session establishment time to be 340 seconds and the init delay time to be 240 seconds.
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae init-delay-time 240 - Specify the same LACP system ID for the MC-LAG on Switch
A and Switch B.[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options lacp system-ID 00:01:02:03:04:05 - Specify the same LACP administration key on both Switch
A and Switch B.[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options lacp admin-key 3 - Enable a VLAN on the MC-LAG on Switch A and Switch B using
the original CLI.[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching port-mode trunk[edit]
user@switch# set vlans v100 vlan-id 100[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching vlan members v100 - Enable a VLAN on the MC-LAG on Switch A and Switch B using
ELS.[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching interface-mode trunk[edit]
user@switch# set vlans v100 vlan-id 100[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching vlan members v100 - Enable VRRP on the MC-LAG on Switch A and Switch B:
Create a routed VLAN interface (RVI), assign a virtual IP address that is shared between each switch in the VRRP group, and assign an individual IP address for each switch in the VRRP group:
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1Switch B:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1Assign the priority for each switch in the VRRP group:
Note The switch configured with the highest priority is the master.
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 200Switch B:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 150Enable the switch to accept all packets destined for the virtual IP address if it is the master in the VRRP group:
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-dataSwitch B:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-dataConfigure Layer 3 connectivity between Switch A and Switch B.
- Enable VRRP on the MC-LAG on Switch A and Switch B using
ELS:
Create a routed VLAN interface (RVI), assign a virtual IP address that is shared between each switch in the VRRP group, and assign an individual IP address for each switch in the VRRP group:
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1Switch B:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1Assign the priority for each switch in the VRRP group:
Note The switch configured with the highest priority is the master.
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 200Switch B:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 150Enable the switch to accept all packets destined for the virtual IP address if it is the master in the VRRP group:
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-dataSwitch B:
[edit interfaces]
user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-dataConfigure Layer 3 connectivity between Switch A and Switch B.
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enabled RSTP:
- Enable RSTP globally on all interfaces on Switch A and
Switch B.
Note The all option is not available on ELS, so you cannot issue this command on ELS.
[edit]
user@switch# set protocols rstp interface all mode point-to-pointELS:
[edit]
user@switch# set protocols rstp interface ae1 mode point-to-point - Disable RSTP on the
ICL-PL interfaces on Switch A and Switch B.
Note This command is not needed on ELS.
[edit]
user@switch# set protocols rstp interface ae0 disable - Configure the MC-LAG interfaces as edge ports on Switch
A and Switch B.
Note The ae1 interface is a downstream interface. This is why RSTP and bpdu-block-on-edge need to be configured.
[edit]
user@switch# set protocols rstp interface ae1 edge - Enable BPDU blocking on all interfaces except for the
ICL-PL interfaces on Switch A and Switch B.
Note The ae1 interface is a downstream interface. This is why RSTP and bpdu-block-on-edge need to be configured.
[edit]
user@switch# set protocols rstp bpdu-block-on-edge
Results
From configuration mode , confirm your configuration by entering the show chassis, show interfaces, show protocols, show multi-chassis, and show vlans commands. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.
Switch A—Original CLI
Switch A—ELS
Switch B—Original CLI
Switch B—ELS
Verification
Verify that the configuration is working properly.
Verifying That the multichassis aggregated Ethernet and ICL-PL Interfaces Are Up on Switch A
Verifying That the Multichassis Aggregated Ethernet and ICL-PL Interfaces Are Up on Switch B
Verifying that Switch B is the Backup Member in the VRRP Group
Verifying that the Virtual IP Address is Attached to an Individual Address on Switch A
Verifying that the Virtual IP Address is Attached to an Individual Address on Switch B
Verifying That ICCP Is Working on Switch A
Purpose
Verify that ICCP is running on Switch A.
Action
[edit]
user@switch> show iccp
Redundancy Group Information for peer 10.3.3.1
TCP Connection : Established Liveliness Detection : Up Client Application: MCSNOOPD Client Application: eswd
Meaning
This output shows that the TCP connection between the peers hosting the MC-LAG is up, liveness detection is up, and MCSNOOPD and ESWD client applications are running.
Verifying That ICCP Is Working on Switch B
Purpose
Verify that ICCP is running on Switch B.
Action
show iccp
[edit]
user@switch> show iccp
Redundancy Group Information for peer 10.3.3.2
TCP Connection : Established Liveliness Detection : Up Client Application: MCSNOOPD Client Application: eswd
Meaning
This output shows that the TCP connection between the peers hosting the MC-LAG is up, liveness detection is up, and MCSNOOPD and ESWD client applications are running.
Verifying That LACP Is Active on Switch A
Purpose
Verify that LACP is active on Switch A.
Action
[edit]
user@switch> show lacp
interfaces
Aggregated interface: ae1 LACP state: Role Exp Def Dist Col Syn Aggr Timeout Activity xe-0/0/46 Actor No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Fast Active xe-0/0/46 Partner No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Fast Active LACP protocol: Receive State Transmit State Mux State xe-0/0/46 Current Fast periodic Collecting distributing
Meaning
This output shows that Switch A is participating in LACP negotiation.
Verifying That LACP Is Active on Switch B
Purpose
Verify that LACP is active on Switch B.
Action
[edit]
user@switch> show lacp
interfaces
Aggregated interface: ae1 LACP state: Role Exp Def Dist Col Syn Aggr Timeout Activity xe-0/0/44 Actor No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Fast Active xe-0/0/44 Partner No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Fast Active LACP protocol: Receive State Transmit State Mux State xe-0/0/44 Current Fast periodic Collecting distributing
Meaning
This output shows that Switch B is participating in LACP negotiation.
Verifying That the multichassis aggregated Ethernet and ICL-PL Interfaces Are Up on Switch A
Purpose
Verify that the multichassis aggregated Ethernet and Inter-chassis Link Protection (ICL-PL) interfaces are up on Switch A.
Action
[edit]
user@switch> show interfaces
mc-ae
Member Link : ae1 Current State Machine's State: mcae active state Local Status : active Local State : up Peer Status : active Peer State : up Logical Interface : ae1.0 Topology Type : bridge Local State : up Peer State : up Peer Ip/MCP/State : 10.3.3.1 ae0.0 up
Meaning
This output shows that the multichassis aggregated Ethernet and ICL-PL on Switch A is up and active.
Verifying That the Multichassis Aggregated Ethernet and ICL-PL Interfaces Are Up on Switch B
Purpose
Verify that the multichassis aggregated Ethernet and ICL-PL interfaces are up on Switch B.
Action
[edit]
user@switch> show interfaces
mc-ae
Member Link : ae1 Current State Machine's State: mcae active state Local Status : active Local State : up Peer Status : active Peer State : up Logical Interface : ae1.0 Topology Type : bridge Local State : up Peer State : up Peer Ip/MCP/State : 10.3.3.2 ae0.0 up
Meaning
This output shows that the multichassis aggregated Ethernet and ICL-PL interface on Switch B is up and active.
Verifying that MAC Learning Is Occurring on Switch A
Purpose
Verify that MAC learning is working on Switch A.
Action
[edit]
user@switch> show ethernet-switching
table
Ethernet-switching table: 6 entries, 1 learned, 0 persistent entriesC VLAN MAC address Type Age Interfaces v100 * Flood - All-members v100 00:00:5e:00:01:01 Static - Router v100 78:fe:3d:5a:07:42 Static - Router v100 78:fe:3d:5b:ad:c2 Learn(R) 0 ae0.0 v500 * Flood - All-members v500 78:fe:3d:5a:07:42 Static - Router
Meaning
The output shows two static MAC address in VLAN v100 and one static MAC address in VLAN v500. These addresses belong to the Layer 3 RVI addresses on both Switch A and Switch B that you configured in the MC-LAG. The ICL-PL interface configured on the VRRP master member learned the VLAN v100 Learn (R) MAC address of the VRRP backup member.
Verifying that MAC Learning Is Occurring on Switch B
Purpose
Verify that MAC learning is working on Switch B.
Action
[edit]
user@switch> show ethernet-switching
table
Ethernet-switching table: 7 entries, 1 learned, 0 persistent entries VLAN MAC address Type Age Interfaces v100 * Flood - All-members v100 00:00:5e:00:01:01 Static - Router v100 78:fe:3d:5a:07:42 Learn(R) 0 ae0.0 v100 78:fe:3d:5b:ad:c2 Static - Router v200 78:fe:3d:5b:ad:c2 Static - Router v500 * Flood - All-members v500 78:fe:3d:5b:ad:c2 Static - Router
Meaning
The output shows two static MAC address in VLAN v100 and one static MAC address in VLAN v500. These addresses belong to the Layer 3 RVI addresses on both Switch A and Switch B that you configured in the MC-LAG. The ICL-PL interface configured on the VRRP backup member learned the VLAN v100 Learn (R) MAC address of the VRRP master member.
Verifying that Switch A is the Master in the VRRP Group
Purpose
Verify that Switch A is the master member in the VRRP group.
Action
[edit]
user@switch> show vrrp
Interface State Group VR state VR Mode Timer Type Address vlan.100 up 1 master Active A 0.605 lcl 10.1.1.11 vip 10.1.1.1
Meaning
The output shows that Switch A is the master member in the VRRP group.
Verifying that Switch B is the Backup Member in the VRRP Group
Purpose
Verify that Switch B is the backup member in the VRRP group.
Action
[edit]
user@switch> show vrrp
Interface State Group VR state VR Mode Timer Type Address vlan.100 up 1 backup Active A 0.605 lcl 10.1.1.10 vip 10.1.1.1
Meaning
The output shows that Switch B is the backup member in the VRRP group.
Verifying that the Virtual IP Address is Attached to an Individual Address on Switch A
Purpose
Action
[edit]
user@switch# run show
interfaces terse vlan
Interface Admin Link Proto Local Remote vlan up up vlan.100 up up inet 10.1.1.1/8 10.1.1.11/8 vlan.500 up up inet 10.3.3.2/8
Meaning
The output shows that the virtual IP address (10.1.1.1/8) is bound to the individual IP address (10.1.1.11/8) on Switch A.
Verifying that the Virtual IP Address is Attached to an Individual Address on Switch B
Purpose
Action
[edit]
user@switch# run show
interfaces terse vlan
Interface Admin Link Proto Local Remote vlan up up vlan.100 up up inet 10.1.1.1/8 10.1.1.10/8 vlan.500 up up inet 10.3.3.1/8
Meaning
The output shows that the virtual IP address (10.1.1.1/8) is bound to the individual IP address (10.1.1.10/8) on Switch B.
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting a LAG That Is Down
Problem
The show interfaces terse command shows that the MC-LAG is down.
Solution
Check the following:
Verify that there is no configuration mismatch.
Verify that all member ports are up.
Verify that the MC-LAG is part of family Ethernet switching (Layer 2 LAG).
Verify that the MC-LAG member is connected to the correct MC-LAG member at the other end.
Example: Configuring Multichassis Link Aggregation for Layer 3 Multicast Using VRRP
Multichassis link aggregation (MC-LAG) is supported on QFX3500 and QFX3600 standalone switches running the original CLI and QFX3500, QFX3600, QFX5100, EX4600, and QFX10000 standalone switches running Enhanced Layer 2 Software (ELS).
There are two methods for enabling Layer 3 multicast functionality across a multichassis link aggregation group (MC-LAG) to control traffic. You can choose either to synchronize the MAC addresses for the Layer 3 interfaces of the switches participating in the MC-LAG , or you can configure Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), but you cannot configure both at the same time. Because RVI interfaces share the same MAC address, if you enable MAC address synchronization, packets received on an MC-LAG peer with a destination MAC address that is the same as that of the peer’s IRB MAC address will not be forwarded. The procedure to configure VRRP for use in a Layer 3 multicast MC-LAG is included in this example.
Requirements
This example uses the following hardware and software components:
Junos OS Release 12.3 or later for the QFX3500 and QFX3600 standalone switches and Junos OS Release 13.2X51-D10 or later for the QFX5100 and EX4600 standalone switches, and Junos OS Release 15.1X53-D10 or later for the standalone QFX10000 switches.
Two QFX3500 or QFX3600 standalone switches, two QFX5100 standalone switches, two EX4600, or two QFX10002 standalone switches.
Before you configure an MC-LAG for Layer 3 multicast using VRRP, be sure that you understand how to:
Configure aggregated Ethernet interfaces on a switch. See Example: Configuring Link Aggregation Between a QFX Series Product and an Aggregation Switch.
Configure the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) on aggregated Ethernet interfaces on a switch. See Example: Configuring Link Aggregation with LACP Between a QFX Series Product and an Aggregation Switch.
Overview
In this example, you configure two MC-LAGs across two switches, consisting of two aggregated Ethernet interfaces (ae1 and ae2). To support the MC-LAG, create a third aggregated Ethernet interface (ae0) for the interchassis control link-protection link (ICL-PL). Configure a multichassis protection link for the ICL-PL, the Inter-Chassis Control Protocol (ICCP) for the peers hosting the MC-LAG, and Layer 3 connectivity between MC-LAG peers.
Layer 3 connectivity is required for ICCP.
On QFX5100 and QFX10000 switches, if you try to configure both VRRP over IRB and MAC synchronization, you will receive a commit error.
To complete the configuration, enable VRRP by completing the following steps for each MC-LAG:
Create a routed VLAN interface (RVI).
Create a VRRP group and assign a virtual IP address that is shared between each switch in the VRRP group.
Enable a member of a VRRP group to accept all packets destined for the virtual IP address if it is the master in the VRRP group.
Configure Layer 3 connectivity between the VRRP groups.
Topology
The topology used in this example consists of two switches hosting two MC-LAGs—ae1 and ae2. The two switches are connected to a multicast source (Server 1) over the MC-LAG ae1, and a multicast receiver (Server 2) over the MC-LAG ae2. Figure 16 shows the topology of this example.

Table 4 details the topology used in this configuration example.
Table 4: Components of the Topology for Configuring a Multichassis LAG for Layer 3 Multicast Using VRRP
Hostname | Base Hardware | Multichassis Link Aggregation Group |
---|---|---|
Switch A Switch B | QFX3500, QFX3600, EX4600, QFX5100, or QFX10000 standalone switch QFX3500, QFX3600, EX4600, QFX5100, or QFX10000 standalone switch |
|
Configuration
CLI Quick Configuration
To quickly configure this example, copy the following commands, paste them in a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level , and then enter commit from configuration mode.
This example shows how to configure MC-LAG using both the original CLI and Enhanced Layer 2 Software (ELS).
In ELS, there are three different statements and one different option from the original CLI:
The port-mode statement in the [edit interfaces interface-name unit number family ethernet-switching] hierarchy is not supported. Use the interface-mode statement instead.
The vlan statement in the [edit interfaces interface-name] hierarchy is not supported. Use the irb statement instead.
The vlan.logical-interface-number hierarchy in the [edit vlans vlan-name l3-interface] option is not supported. Use the irb.logical-interface-number option instead.
The service-id statement in the [edit switch-options] hierarchy is required in the ELS CLI.
Switch A—Original CLI
Switch A—ELS
Switch B—Original CLI:
Switch B—ELS
Configuring MC-LAG for Layer 3 Multicast Using VRRP on Two Switches
Step-by-Step Procedure
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode .
To enable multichassis protection link between MC-LAG peers:
- Configure the number of LAGs on both Switch A and Switch
B.[edit chassis]user@switch# set aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 3
- Add member interfaces to the aggregated Ethernet interfaces
on both Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A and Switch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set xe-0/0/12 ether-options 802.3ad ae0user@switch# set xe-0/0/13 ether-options 802.3ad ae0Switch A:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set xe-0/0/44 ether-options 802.3ad ae1user@switch# set xe-0/0/45 ether-options 802.3ad ae2Switch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set xe-0/0/46 ether-options 802.3ad ae1user@switch# set xe-0/0/47 ether-options 802.3ad ae2 - Configure ae0 as the trunk interface between Switch A
and Switch B.
Switch A and Switch B:
[edit interfaces]Switch A and Switch B Using ELS:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching interface-mode trunk - Configure ae0 as the multichassis protection link between
Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit]Switch B:
[edit]
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable ICCP:
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode .
- Configure the local IP address to be in the ICCP connection
on Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]user@switch# set iccp local-ip-addr 10.3.3.2Switch B:
[edit protocols]user@switch# set iccp local-ip-addr 10.3.3.1 - Configure the peer IP address, minimum receive interval,
and minimum transmit interval for a Bidirectional Forwarding Detection
(BFD) session for ICCP on Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]Switch B:
[edit protocols] - (Optional) Configure the time during which an ICCP connection
must succeed between MC-LAG peers on Switch A and Switch B.
Note On QFX and EX Series switches, the default session establishment hold time is 300 seconds. However, the session establishment time must be at least 100 seconds higher than the init delay time. You can optionally update the session establishment time to be 340 seconds and the init delay time to be 240 seconds.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]Switch B:
[edit protocols] - (Optional) Configure the backup IP address to be used
for backup liveness detection on both Switch A and Switch B.
Note By default, backup liveness detection is not enabled. Configuring a backup IP address helps achieve sub-second traffic loss during an MC-LAG peer reboot.
Switch A:
[edit protocols]Switch B:
[edit protocols] - Configure Layer 3 connectivity between the MC-LAG peers
on both Switch A and Switch B.
Note In ELS, use the irb.logical-interface-number instead.
Switch A and Switch B:
[edit vlans]user@switch# set v500 vlan-id 500user@switch# set v500 l3-interface vlan.500Switch A and Switch B Using ELS:
[edit vlans]user@switch# set v500 vlan-id 500user@switch# set v500 l3-interface irb.500Switch A and Switch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae0 unit 0 family ethernet-switching vlan members v500Switch A Using the Original CLI:
[edit interfaces]Switch B Using the Original CLI:
[edit interfaces]
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable the ae1 and ae2 MC-LAG interfaces:
- Enable LACP on the MC-LAG interfaces on Switch A and Switch
B.
Note At least one end needs to be active. The other end can be either active or passive.
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options lacp activeuser@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options lacp active - Specify the same multichassis aggregated Ethernet identification
number for each MC-LAG peer on Switch A and Switch B.[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae mc-ae-id 3user@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae mc-ae-id 4
- Specify the same service ID on Switch A and Switch B.
ELS:
[edit]set switch-option service-id 10 - Specify a unique chassis ID for the MC-LAG on the MC-LAG
peers on Switch A and Switch B.
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae chassis-i 0user@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae chassis-i 0Switch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae chassis-id 1user@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae chassis-id 1 - Specify the operating mode of the MC-LAGs on both Switch
A and Switch B.
Note Only active-active mode is supported at this time.
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae mod active-activeuser@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae mod active-active - Specify the status control for the MC-LAGs on Switch A
and Switch B.
Note You must configure status control on both Switch A and Switch B hosting the MC-LAGs. If one peer is in active mode, the other must be in standby mode.
Switch A:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control activeuser@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control activeSwitch B:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control standbyuser@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control standbyNote If you configure both nodes as prefer-status-control-active, you must also configure ICCP peering using the peer’s loopback address to make sure that the ICCP session does not go down because of physical link failures. Additionally, you must configure backup liveness detection on both of the MC-LAG nodes.
- Specify the number of seconds by which the bring-up of
the MC-LAG interfaces should be deferred after you reboot Switch A
or Switch B.
Note The recommended value for maximum VLAN configuration (for example, 4,000 VLANS) is 240 seconds. If IGMP snooping is enabled on all of the VLANs, the recommended value is 420 seconds.
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae init-delay-time 240user@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae init-delay-time 240 - Specify the same LACP system ID for each MC-LAG on Switch
A and Switch B.[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options lacp system-ID 00:01:02:03:04:05user@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options lacp system-ID 00:01:02:03:04:06
- Specify the same LACP administration key on both Switch
A and Switch B.[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 aggregated-ether-options lacp admin-key 3user@switch# set ae2 aggregated-ether-options lacp admin-key 3
- Enable a VLAN for each MC-LAG on Switch A and Switch B.[edit vlans]user@switch# set v100 vlan-id 100user@switch# set v200 vlan-id 200[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching vlan members v100user@switch# set ae2 unit 0 family ethernet-switching vlan members v200
- Configure ae1 and ae2 as trunk interfaces between Switch
A and Switch B.
Original CLI:
[edit interfaces]ELS:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set ae1 unit 0 family ethernet-switching interface-mode trunkuser@switch# set ae2 unit 0 family ethernet-switching interface-mode trunk
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable VRRP on the MC-LAGs on Switch A and Switch B:
- Create a routed VLAN interface (RVI) for each MC-LAG,
assign a virtual IP address that is shared between each switch in
the VRRP groups, and assign an individual IP address for each switch
in the VRRP groups.
Switch A Using the Original CLI:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1user@switch# set vlan unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.21/8 vrrp-group 2 virtual-address 10.1.1.2Switch A Using ELS:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1user@switch# set irb unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.21/8 vrrp-group 2 virtual-address 10.1.1.2Switch B Using the Original CLI:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1user@switch# set vlan unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.20/8 vrrp-group 2 virtual-address 10.1.1.2Switch B Using ELS:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.1user@switch# set irb unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.20/8 vrrp-group 2 virtual-address 10.1.1.2 - Assign the priority for each switch in the VRRP groups:
Note The switch configured with the highest priority is the master.
Switch A Using the Original CLI:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 200user@switch# set vlan unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.21/8 vrrp-group 2 priority 200Switch A Using ELS:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 200user@switch# set irb unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.21/8 vrrp-group 2 priority 200Switch B Using the Original CLI:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 150user@switch# set vlan unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.20/8 vrrp-group 2 priority 150Switch B Using ELS:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 150user@switch# set irb unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.20/8 vrrp-group 2 priority 150 - Enable the switch to accept all packets destined for the
virtual IP address if it is the master in a VRRP group:
Switch A Using the Original CLI:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-datauser@switch# set vlan unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.21/8 vrrp-group 2 accept-dataSwitch A Using ELS:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-datauser@switch# set irb unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.21/8 vrrp-group 2 accept-dataSwitch B Using the Original CLI:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-datauser@switch# set vlan unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.20/8 vrrp-group 2 accept-dataSwitch B Using ELS:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set irb unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-datauser@switch# set irb unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.20/8 vrrp-group 2 accept-data - Configure Layer 3 connectivity between Switch A and Switch
B.
Original CLI:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set v100 l3-interface vlan.100user@switch# set v200 l3-interface vlan.200ELS:
[edit interfaces]user@switch# set v100 l3-interface irb.100user@switch# set v200 l3-interface irb.200
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable IGMP snooping:
- Enable IGMP snooping for all VLANs on Switch A and Switch
B.[edit protocols]user@switch# set igmp-snooping vlan all
Step-by-Step Procedure
To configure OSPF as the Layer 3 protocol:
- Configure an OSPF area on Switch A and Switch B.[edit protocols ospf]user@switch# set area 0.0.0.0
- Assign the VLAN interfaces for the MC-LAGs as interfaces
to the OSPF area on Switch A and Switch B.[edit protocols ospf area 0.0.0.0]user@switch# set interface vlan.100user@switch# set interface vlan.200
- Configure the minimum receive interval, minimum transmit
interval, and transmit interval threshold for a Bidirectional Forwarding
Detection (BFD) session for the OSPF interfaces on Switch A and Switch
B.
Note On a QFX5100 switch, the minimum transmit interval must be 1000 milliseconds or greater. Sub-second timers are not supported in Junos OS 13.2X51-D10 and later. If you configure the minimum transmit interval timer lower than 1000 milliseconds, the state of the MC-LAG can be affected.
[edit protocols ospf area 0.0.0.0]user@switch# set interface vlan.100 bfd-liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 700user@switch# set interface vlan.100 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 350user@switch# set interface vlan.100 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval threshold 500user@switch# set interface vlan.200 bfd-liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 700user@switch# set interface vlan.200 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 350user@switch# set interface vlan.200 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval threshold 500
Step-by-Step Procedure
To configure PIM as the multicast protocol:
- Configure a static rendezvous point (RP) address on Switch
A and Switch B.[edit protocols pim]user@switch# set rp static address 10.0.0.3
- Configure the address ranges of the multicast groups for
which Switch A and Switch B can be a rendezvous point (RP).[edit protocols pim rp static address 10.0.0.3]user@switch# set group-ranges 233.252.0.0/8
- Enable PIM on the VLAN interfaces for the MC-LAGs on Switch
A and Switch B.[edit protocols pim]user@switch# set interface vlan.100 dual-druser@switch# set interface vlan.200 dual-dr
- Configure each PIM interface’s priority for being
selected as the designated router (DR) on Switch A and Switch B.
An interface with a higher priority value has a higher probability of being selected as the DR.
Switch A:
[edit protocols pim]user@switch# set interface vlan.100 priority 200user@switch# set interface vlan.200 priority 600Switch B:
[edit protocols pim]user@switch# set interface vlan.100 priority 100user@switch# set interface vlan.200 priority 500 - Configure the minimum receive interval, minimum transmit
interval, and transmit interval threshold for a Bidirectional Forwarding
Detection (BFD) session for the PIM interfaces on Switch A and Switch
B.[edit protocols pim]user@switch# set interface vlan.100 bfd-liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 700user@switch# set interface vlan.100 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 350user@switch# set interface vlan.100 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval threshold 500user@switch# set interface vlan.200 bfd-liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 700user@switch# set interface vlan.200 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 350user@switch# set interface vlan.200 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval threshold 500
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable RSTP:
- Enable RSTP on Switch A and Switch B.
Original CLI:
[edit protocols rstp]user@switch# set interface ae1.0 mode point-to-point - Enable RSTP on Switch B.[edit protocols rstp]user@switch# set interface ae1.0 mode point-to-point
- Disable RSTP on the
ICL-PL interfaces on Switch A and Switch B.
Note This command does not apply on ELS.
[edit protocols rstp]user@switch# set interface ae0.0 disable - Configure the MC-LAG interfaces as edge ports on Switch
A and Switch B.
Note The ae1 and ae2 interfaces are downstream interfaces. This is why RSTP and bpdu-block-on-edge need to be configured.
[edit protocols rstp]user@switch# set interface ae1.0 edgeuser@switch# set interface ae2.0 edge - Enable BPDU blocking on all interfaces except for the
ICL-PL interfaces on Switch A and Switch B.
Note The ae1 and ae2 interfaces are downstream interfaces. This is why RSTP and bpdu-block-on-edge need to be configured.
[edit protocols rstp]user@switch# set bpdu-block-on-edge
Results
From configuration mode on Switch A, confirm your configuration by entering the show chassis, show interfaces, show multi-chassis, show protocols, and show vlans commands. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.
Switch A—Original CLI:
Switch A—ELS
From configuration mode on Switch B, confirm your configuration by entering the show chassis, show interfaces, show multi-chassis, show protocols, and show vlans commands. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.
Switch B--Original CLI
Switch B–ELS
Verification
Verify that the configuration is working properly.
Verifying That Switch A is the Master Designated Router
Purpose
Verify that Switch A is the master designated router (DR).
Action
From operational mode, enter the show pim interfaces command.
user@switch> show pim interfaces
Stat = Status, V = Version, NbrCnt = Neighbor Count, S = Sparse, D = Dense, B = Bidirectional, DR = Designated Router, P2P = Point-to-point link, Active = Bidirectional is active, NotCap = Not Bidirectional Capable Name Stat Mode IP V State NbrCnt JoinCnt(sg/*g) DR address pime.32769 Down S 4 2 P2P,NotCap 0 0/0 vlan.100 Up S 4 2 DDR-DR,NotCap 1 0/0 10.1.1.11 vlan.200 Up S 4 2 DDR-DR,NotCap 2 0/0 10.1.1.21
Meaning
The DDR-DR state of the VLAN interfaces in the output shows that Switch A is the master designated router.
Verifying That Switch B is the Backup Designated Router
Purpose
Verify that Switch B is the backup designated router (BDR).
Action
From operational mode, enter the show pim interfaces command.
user@switch> show pim interfaces
Stat = Status, V = Version, NbrCnt = Neighbor Count, S = Sparse, D = Dense, B = Bidirectional, DR = Designated Router, P2P = Point-to-point link, Active = Bidirectional is active, NotCap = Not Bidirectional Capable Name Stat Mode IP V State NbrCnt JoinCnt(sg/*g) DR address pime.32769 Down S 4 2 P2P,NotCap 0 0/0 vlan.100 Up S 4 2 DDR-BDR,NotCap 1 0/0 10.1.1.11 vlan.200 Up S 4 2 DDR-BDR,NotCap 2 0/0 10.1.1.21
Meaning
The DDR-BDR state of the VLAN interfaces in the output shows that Switch B is the backup designated router.
Example: Configuring Multichassis Link Aggregation for Layer 3 Multicast Using VRRP on MX Series Routers
There are two methods for enabling Layer 3 multicast functionality across a multichassis link aggregation group (MC-LAG). You can choose either to configure the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) or synchronize the MAC addresses for the Layer 3 interfaces of the routers participating in the MC-LAG to load balance the traffic. The procedure to configure VRRP for use in a Layer 3 multicast MC-LAG is included in this example.
Requirements
This example uses the following hardware and software components:
Four Juniper Networks MX Series routers
Junos OS Release 11.2 or later running on all four routers
Before you configure an MC-LAG for Layer 3 multicast using VRRP, be sure that you understand how to:
Configure aggregated Ethernet interfaces on a router.
Configure the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) on aggregated Ethernet interfaces on a router.
Configure the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) on a router.
Overview
In this example, you configure an MC-LAG across two routers by including interfaces from both routers in an aggregated Ethernet interface (ae1). To support the MC-LAG, create a second aggregated Ethernet interface (ae0) for the interchassis control link-protection link (ICL-PL). Configure a multichassis protection link for the ICL-PL, Inter-Chassis Control Protocol (ICCP) for the peers hosting the MC-LAG, and Layer 3 connectivity between MC-LAG peers.
Layer 3 connectivity is required for ICCP.
To complete the configuration, enable VRRP by completing the following steps:
Create a routed VLAN interface (RVI).
Create a VRRP group and assign a virtual IP address that is shared between each router in the VRRP group.
Enable a member of a VRRP group to accept all packets destined for the virtual IP address if it is the master in the VRRP group.
Consider a sample topology in which a customer edge router, CE, is connected to two provider edge (PE) routers, PE1 and PE2, respectively. The two PE devices each have a link aggregation group (LAG) connected to the CE device. The configured mode is active-active, meaning that both PE routers’ LAG ports are active and carrying traffic at the same time. PE1 and PE2 are connected to a single service provider router, P.
From the perspective of the CE device, all four ports belonging to a LAG are connected to a single service provider device. Because the configured mode is active-active, all four ports are active, and the CE device load-balances the traffic to the peering PE devices. On the PE routers, a regular LAG is configured facing the CE device.
On one end of an MC-LAG is an MC-LAG client device, such as a server, that has one or more physical links in a LAG. This client device does not need to detect the MC-LAG. On the other side of an MC-LAG are two MC-LAG routers. Each of the routers has one or more physical links connected to a single client device. The routers coordinate with each other to ensure that data traffic is forwarded properly.
Topology Diagram
Figure 17 shows the topology used in this example.

Configuring the PE Routers
CLI Quick Configuration
To quickly configure this example, copy the following commands, paste them in a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level , and then enter commit from configuration mode.
Router PE1
Router PE2
Configuring the PE1 Router
Step-by-Step Procedure
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode .
Repeat the procedure for Router PE2, after modifying the appropriate interface names, addresses, and other parameters.
To configure Router PE1:
Specify the number of aggregated Ethernet interfaces to be created.
[edit chassis]user@PE1# set aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 5Specify the members to be included within the aggregated Ethernet bundles.
[edit interfaces]user@PE1# set ge-1/0/1 gigether-options 802.3ad ae1user@PE1# set ge-1/0/6 gigether-options 802.3ad ae0Configure the interfaces that connect to senders or receivers, the interchassis link(ICL) interfaces, and the ICCP interfaces.
[edit interfaces]user@PE1# set ge-1/1/1 flexible-vlan-tagginguser@PE1# set ge-1/1/1 encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@PE1# set ge-1/1/1 unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@PE1# set ge-1/1/1 unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-110user@PE1# set ge-1/1/4 flexible-vlan-tagginguser@PE1# set ge-1/1/4 encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@PE1# set ge-1/1/4 unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@PE1# set ge-1/1/4 unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-110user@PE1# set ge-1/0/2 unit 0 family inet address 10.100.100.1/30Configure parameters on the aggregated Ethernet bundles.
[edit interfaces ae0]user@PE1# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@PE1# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@PE1# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@PE1# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-110user@PE1# set unit 0 multi-chassis-protection 10.100.100.2 interface ge-1/1/4.0[edit interfaces ae1]user@PE1# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@PE1# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@PE1# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@PE1# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-110user@PE1# set unit 0 multi-chassis-protection 10.100.100.2 interface ge-1/1/4.0Configure LACP on the aggregated Ethernet bundles.
[edit interfaces ae0 aggregated-ether-options]user@PE1# set lacp activeuser@PE1# set lacp system-priority 100user@PE1# set lacp system-id 00:00:00:00:00:05user@PE1# set lacp admin-key 1[edit interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options]user@PE1# set lacp activeuser@PE1# set lacp system-priority 100user@PE1# set lacp system-id 00:00:00:00:00:05user@PE1# set lacp admin-key 1- The multichassis aggregated Ethernet identification number (mc-ae-id) specifies which link aggregation group the aggregated Ethernet interface belongs to. The ae0 interfaces on Router PE1 and Router PE2 are configured with mc-ae-id 5. The ae1 interfaces on Router PE1 and Router PE2 are configured with mc-ae-id 10.
Configure the MC-LAG interfaces.
[edit interfaces ae0 aggregated-ether-options]user@PE1# set mc-ae mc-ae-id 5user@PE1# set mc-ae redundancy-group 10user@PE1# set mc-ae chassis-id 1user@PE1# set mc-ae mode active-activeuser@PE1# set mc-ae status-control active[edit interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options]user@PE1# set mc-ae mc-ae-id 10user@PE1# set mc-ae redundancy-group 10user@PE1# set mc-ae chassis-id 1user@PE1# set mc-ae mode active-activeuser@PE1# set mc-ae status-control activeThe redundancy-group 10 statement is used by ICCP to associate multiple chassis that perform similar redundancy functions and to establish a communication channel so that applications on peering chassis can send messages to each other. The ae0 and ae1 interfaces on Router PE1 and Router PE2 are configured with the same redundancy group redundancy-group 10.
The chassis-id statement is used by LACP for calculating the port number of the MC-LAG's physical member links. Router PE1 uses chassid-id 1 to identify both its ae0 and ae1 interfaces. Router PE2 uses chassis-id 0 to identify both its ae0 and ae1 interfaces.
The mode statement indicates whether an MC-LAG is in active-standby mode or active-active mode. Chassis that are in the same group must be in the same mode.
- The ports within a bridge domain share the same flooding or broadcast characteristics in order to perform Layer 2 bridging.
Configure a domain that includes the set of logical ports.
[edit bridge-domains bd0]user@PE1# set domain-type bridgeuser@PE1# set vlan-id alluser@PE1# set service-id 20user@PE1# set interface ae0.0user@PE1# set interface ae1.0user@PE1# set interface ge-1/0/3.0user@PE1# set interface ge-1/1/1.0user@PE1# set interface ge-1/1/4.0The bridge-level service-id statement is required to link related bridge domains across peers (in this case Router PE1 and Router PE2), and should be configured with the same value.
Configure ICCP parameters.
[edit protocols iccp]user@PE1# set local-ip-addr 10.100.100.1user@PE1# set peer 10.100.100.2 redundancy-group-id-list 10user@PE1# set peer 10.100.100.2 liveness-detection minimum-interval 1000- You must configure the same unique network-wide configuration for a service in the set of PE routers providing the service. This service ID is required if the multichassis aggregated Ethernet interfaces are part of a bridge domain.
Configure the service ID at the global level.
[edit switch-options]user@PE1# set service-id 10
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable VRRP on the MC-LAGs :
- Assign the priority for each router in the VRRP groups.
Note The router configured with the highest priority is the master.
PE1
[edit interfaces]user@PE1# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 200user@PE1 #set vlan unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.21/8 vrrp-group 2 priority 200PE2
[edit interfaces]user@PE2# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 priority 150user@PE2# set vlan unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.20/8 vrrp-group 2 priority 150 - Enable the router to accept all packets destined for the
virtual IP address if it is the master in a VRRP group.
PE1
[edit interfaces]user@PE1# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.11/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-dataPE2
[edit interfaces]user@PE2# set vlan unit 100 family inet address 10.1.1.10/8 vrrp-group 1 accept-datauser@PE2# set vlan unit 200 family inet address 10.1.1.20/8 vrrp-group 2 accept-data
Step-by-Step Procedure
To configure OSPF as the Layer 3 protocol:
- Configure an OSPF area .[edit protocols ospf]user@PE1# set area 0.0.0.0
- Assign the VLAN interfaces for the MC-LAGs as interfaces
to the OSPF area .[edit protocols ospf area 0.0.0.0]user@PE1# set interface ge-1/1/1.0user@PE1# set interface ge-1/4/1.0
- Configure the minimum receive interval, minimum transmit
interval, and transmit interval threshold for a Bidirectional Forwarding
Detection (BFD) session for the OSPF interfaces .[edit protocols ospf area 0.0.0.0]user@PE1# set interface ge-1/1/1.0 bfd-liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 700user@PE1# set interface ge-1/1/1.0 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 350user@PE1# set interface ge-1/1/1.0 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval threshold 500user@PE1# set interface ge-1/4/1.0 bfd-liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 700user@PE1# set interface ge-1/4/1.0 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 350user@PE1# set interface ge-1/4/1.0 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval threshold 500
Step-by-Step Procedure
To configure PIM as the multicast protocol:
- Configure a static rendezvous point (RP) address .[edit protocols pim]user@PE1# set rp static address 10.0.0.3
- Configure the address ranges of the multicast groups for
which PE1 and PE2 can be a rendezvous point (RP).[edit protocols pim rp static address 10.0.0.3]user@PE1# set group-ranges 233.252.0.0/8
- Enable PIM on the VLAN interfaces for the MC-LAGs on PE1
and PE2.[edit protocols pim]user@PE1# set interface ge-1/1/1.0 version 2user@PE1# set interface ge-1/4/1.0 version 2
- Configure each PIM interface’s priority for being
selected as the designated router (DR).
An interface with a higher priority value has a higher probability of being selected as the DR.
[edit protocols pim]user@PE1# set interface ge-1/1/1.0 priority 600user@PE1# set interface ge-1/4/1.0 priority 200 - Configure the minimum receive interval, minimum transmit
interval, and transmit interval threshold for a Bidirectional Forwarding
Detection (BFD) session for the PIM interfaces on PE1 and PE2.[edit protocols pim]user@PE1# set interface ge-1/1/1.0 bfd-liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 700user@PE1# set interface ge-1/1/1.0 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 350user@PE1# set interface ge-1/1/1.0 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval threshold 500user@PE1# set interface ge-1/4/1.0 bfd-liveness-detection minimum-receive-interval 700user@PE1# set interface ge-1/4/1.0 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval minimum-interval 350user@PE1# set interface ge-1/4/1.0 bfd-liveness-detection transmit-interval threshold 500
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable RSTP:
- Enable RSTP globally on all interfaces.
[edit]
user@PE1# set protocols rstp interface ae1.0 mode point-to-point - Configure the MC-LAG interfaces as edge ports on PE1 and
PE2.
Note The ae1 interface is a downstream interface. This is why RSTP and bpdu-block-on-edge need to be configured.
[edit]
user@PE1# set protocols rstp interface ae1.0 edge - Enable BPDU blocking on all interfaces except for the
ICL-PL interfaces on PE1 and PE2.
Note The ae1 interface is a downstream interface. This is why RSTP and bpdu-block-on-edge need to be configured.
[edit]
user@PE1# set protocols rstp bpdu-block-on-edge
Results
From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show bridge-domains, show chassis, show interfaces, show protocols, and show switch-options commands. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.
If you are done configuring the device, enter commit from configuration mode.
Repeat the procedure for Router PE2, using the appropriate interface names and addresses.
Configuring the CE Device
CLI Quick Configuration
To quickly configure this example, copy the following commands, paste them in a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level, and then enter commit from configuration mode.
Device CE
Configuring the CE Device
Step-by-Step Procedure
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode .
To configure Device CE:
Specify the number of aggregated Ethernet interfaces to be created.
[edit chassis]user@CE# set aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 2Specify the members to be included within the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces]user@CE# set ge-2/0/2 gigether-options 802.3ad ae0user@CE# set ge-2/0/3 gigether-options 802.3ad ae0Configure an interface that connects to senders or receivers.
[edit interfaces ge-2/1/6]user@CE# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@CE# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@CE# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@CE# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-110Configure parameters on the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces ae0]user@CE# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@CE# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@CE# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@CE# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-500- The active statement initiates transmission of LACP packets.
Configure LACP on the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces ae0 aggregated-ether-options]user@CE# set lacp activeuser@CE# set lacp system-priority 100For the system-priority statement, a smaller value indicates a higher priority. The device with the lower system priority value determines which links between LACP partner devices are active and which are in standby mode for each LACP group. The device on the controlling end of the link uses port priorities to determine which ports are bundled into the aggregated bundle and which ports are put in standby mode. Port priorities on the other device (the noncontrolling end of the link) are ignored.
- The ports within a bridge domain share the same flooding or broadcast characteristics in order to perform Layer 2 bridging.
Configure a domain that includes the set of logical ports.
[edit bridge-domains bd0]user@CE# set domain-type bridgeuser@CE# set vlan-id alluser@CE# set interface ge-2/1/6.0user@CE# set interface ae0.0
Results
From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show bridge-domains, show chassis, and show interfaces commands. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.
If you are done configuring the device, enter commit from configuration mode.
Configuring the Provider Router
CLI Quick Configuration
To quickly configure this example, copy the following commands, paste them in a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level , and then enter commit from configuration mode.
Router P
Configuring the P Router
Step-by-Step Procedure
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode .
To configure Router P:
Specify the number of aggregated Ethernet interfaces to be created.
[edit chassis]user@P# set aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 2Specify the members to be included within the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces]user@P# set ge-1/0/5 gigether-options 802.3ad ae1user@P# set ge-1/0/11 gigether-options 802.3ad ae1Configure an interface that connects to senders or receivers.
[edit interfaces ge-1/1/3]user@P# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@P# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@P# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@P# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-500Configure parameters on the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces ae1]user@P# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@P# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@P# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@P# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-110Configure LACP on the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options]user@P# set lacp activeuser@P# set lacp system-priority 100Configure a domain that includes the set of logical ports.
[edit bridge-domains bd0]user@P# set vlan-id alluser@P# set domain-type bridgeuser@P# set interface ge-1/1/3.0user@P# set interface ae1.0
Results
From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show bridge-domains, show chassis, and show interfaces commands. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.
If you are done configuring the device, enter commit from configuration mode.
Verification
Confirm that the configuration is working properly by running the following commands:
show iccp
show interfaces ae0
show interfaces ae1
show interfaces mc-ae
show pim interfaces
show vrrp
show l2-learning instance extensive
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting a LAG That Is Down
Problem
The show interfaces terse command shows that the MC-LAG is down.
Solution
Check the following:
Verify that there is no configuration mismatch.
Verify that all member ports are up.
Verify that the MC-LAG is part of family Ethernet switching (Layer 2 LAG).
Verify that the MC-LAG member is connected to the correct MC-LAG member at the other end.
Example: Configuring Multichassis Link Aggregation for Layer 3 Unicast Using VRRP on MX Series Routers
There are two methods for enabling Layer 3 unicast functionality across a multichassis link aggregation group (MC-LAG) to control traffic flow. You can choose either to configure Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) or synchronize the MAC addresses for the Layer 3 interfaces of the routers participating in the MC-LAG. The procedure to configure VRRP for use in a Layer 3 unicast MC-LAG is included in this example.
Requirements
This example uses the following hardware and software components:
Four Juniper Networks MX Series routers
Junos OS Release 11.2 or later running on all four routers
Before you configure an MC-LAG, be sure that you understand how to:
Configure aggregated Ethernet interfaces on a router.
Configure Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) on aggregated Ethernet interfaces on a router.
Configure Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) on a router.
Overview
In this example, you configure an MC-LAG across two routers by including interfaces from both routers in an aggregated Ethernet interface (ae0). Configure a multichassis protection link for the ICL-PL, Inter-Chassis Control Protocol (ICCP) for the peers hosting the MC-LAG, and Layer 3 connectivity between MC-LAG peers.
Layer 3 connectivity is required for ICCP.
To complete the configuration, enable VRRP by completing the following steps:
Create a routed VLAN interface (RVI).
Create a VRRP group and assign a virtual IP address that is shared between each router in the VRRP group.
Enable a member of a VRRP group to accept all packets destined for the virtual IP address.
Consider a sample topology in which a customer edge router, CE, is connected to two provider edge (PE) routers, PE1 and PE2, respectively. The two PE devices each have a LAG connected to the CE device. The configured mode is active-active, meaning that both PE routers’ LAG ports are active and carrying traffic at the same time. PE1 and PE2 are connected to a single service provider router, the P router.
In this example, the CE router is not aware that its aggregated Ethernet links are connected to two separate PE devices. The two PE devices each have a LAG connected to the CE device. The configured mode is active-active, meaning that both PE routers’ LAG ports are active and carrying traffic at the same time.
From the perspective of Router CE, the two ports belonging to a LAG are connected to a single service provider device. Because the configured mode is active-active, the two ports are active, and the CE device load-balances the traffic to the peering PE devices. On the PE routers, a regular LAG is configured facing the CE device.
On one end of an MC-LAG is an MC-LAG client device, such as a server, that has one or more physical links in a link aggregation group (LAG). This client device does not need to detect the MC-LAG. On the other side of an MC-LAG are two MC-LAG routers. Each of the routers has one or more physical links connected to a single client device. The routers coordinate with each other to ensure that data traffic is forwarded properly.
ICCP messages are sent between the two PE devices. In this example, you configure an MC-LAG across two routers, consisting of two aggregated Ethernet interfaces, an interchassis link-protection link (ICL-PL), multichassis protection link for the ICL-PL, and ICCP for the peers hosting the MC-LAG.
Topology Diagram
Figure 18 shows the topology used in this example.

Configuring the PE Routers
CLI Quick Configuration
To quickly configure this example, copy the following commands, paste them in a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level, and then enter commit from configuration mode.
Router PE1
Router PE2
Configuring the PE1 Router
Step-by-Step Procedure
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode .
Repeat this procedure for Router PE2, after modifying the appropriate interface names, addresses, and other parameters.
To configure Router PE1:
Specify the number of aggregated Ethernet interfaces to be created.
[edit chassis]user@PE1# set chassis aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 4Specify the members to be included within the aggregated Ethernet bundles.
[edit interfaces]user@PE1# set ge-0/0/1 gigether-options 802.3ad ae0Configure the interfaces that connect to senders or receivers, the ICL interfaces, and the ICCP interfaces.
[edit interfaces]user@PE1# set ge-0/0/2 description "icl link"user@PE1# set ge-0/0/2 flexible-vlan-tagginguser@PE1# set ge-0/0/2 encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@PE1# set ge-0/0/2 unit 1 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@PE1# set ge-0/0/2 unit 1 vlan-id 1user@PE1# set ge-0/0/3 description "ICCP Link"user@PE1# set ge-0/0/3 unit 0 family inet address 192.168.143.17/24Configure parameters on the aggregated Ethernet bundles.
[edit interfaces ae0]user@PE1# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@PE1# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-services- The multichassis aggregated Ethernet identification number (mc-ae-id) specifies which link aggregation group the aggregated Ethernet interface belongs to. The ae0 interface on Router PE1 is configured with mc-ae-id 1.
Configure the MC-LAG interfaces.
[edit interfaces ae0 aggregated-ether-options]user@PE1# set mc-ae mc-ae-id 1user@PE1# set mc-ae redundancy-group 1user@PE1# set mc-ae chassis-id 1user@PE1# set mc-ae mode active-activeuser@PE1# set interfaces ae0 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control standbyThe redundancy-group 1 statement is used by ICCP to associate multiple chassis that perform similar redundancy functions and to establish a communication channel so that applications on peering chassis can send messages to each other. The ae0 interfaces on Router PE1 and Router PE2 are configured with the same redundancy group, redundancy-group 1.
The chassis-id statement is used by LACP for calculating the port number of the MC-LAG's physical member links. Router PE1 uses chassid-id 1 to identify ae0 interface.
The mode statement indicates whether an MC-LAG is in active-standby mode or active-active mode. Chassis that are in the same group must be in the same mode.
- The ports within a bridge domain share the same flooding or broadcast characteristics in order to perform Layer 2 bridging.
Configure a domain that includes the set of logical ports.
[edit bridge-domains bd0]user@PE1# set domain-type bridgeuser@PE1# set vlan-id 1user@PE1# set service-id 1user@PE1# set interface ae0.1user@PE1# set interface ge-0/0/2.1The bridge-level service-id statement is required to link related bridge domains across peers (in this case Router PE1 and Router PE2), and should be configured with the same value.
Configure ICCP parameters.
[edit protocols iccp]user@PE1# set local-ip-addr 192.168.143.17user@PE1# set peer 192.168.143.16 redundancy-group-id-list 1user@PE1# set peer 1192.168.143.16 liveness-detection minimum-interval 2500user@PE1# set peer 1192.168.143.16 liveness-detection multiplier 3- You must configure the same unique network-wide configuration for a service in the set of PE routers providing the service. This service ID is required if the multichassis aggregated Ethernet interfaces are part of a bridge domain.
Configure the service ID at the global level.
[edit switch-options]user@PE1# set service-id 1
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable VRRP on the MC-LAGs :
- Enable VRRP on the MC-LAG.
Create a Integrated Routing and Bridging (IRB), assign a virtual IP address that is shared between each router in the VRRP group, and assign an individual IP address for each router in the VRRP group.
[edit]user@PE1# set interfaces irb unit 1 family inet address 10.1.1.3/24 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.5Assign the priority for each router in the VRRP group.
Note The router configured with the highest priority is the master.
[edit interfaces irb]user@PE1# unit 1 family inet address 10.1.1.2/24 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.5user@PE1# unit 1 family inet address 10.1.1.2/24 vrrp-group 1 priority 200Enable the router to accept all packets destined for the virtual IP address.
[edit interfaces irb]user@PE1# unit 1 family inet address 10.1.1.2/24 vrrp-group 1 accept-data
Configuring the PE2 Router
Step-by-Step Procedure
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode .
To configure Router PE2:
Specify the number of aggregated Ethernet interfaces to be created.
[edit chassis]user@PE2# set chassis aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 4Specify the members to be included within the aggregated Ethernet bundles.
[edit interfaces]user@PE2# set ge-0/0/1 gigether-options 802.3ad ae0Configure the interfaces that connect to senders or receivers, the ICL interfaces, and the ICCP interfaces.
[edit interfaces]user@PE2# set ge-0/0/2 description "icl link"user@PE2# set ge-0/0/2 flexible-vlan-tagginguser@PE2# set ge-0/0/2 encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@PE2# set ge-0/0/2 unit 1 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@PE2# set ge-0/0/2 unit 1 vlan-id 1user@PE2# set ge-0/0/3 description "ICCP Link"user@PE2# set ge-0/0/3 unit 0 family inet address 192.168.143.16/24Configure parameters on the aggregated Ethernet bundles.
[edit interfaces ae0]user@PE2# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@PE2# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-services- The multichassis aggregated Ethernet identification number (mc-ae-id) specifies which link aggregation group the aggregated Ethernet interface belongs to. The ae0 interface on Router PE2 is configured with mc-ae-id 1.
Configure the MC-LAG interfaces.
[edit interfaces ae0 aggregated-ether-options]user@PE2# set mc-ae mc-ae-id 1user@PE2# set mc-ae redundancy-group 1user@PE2# set mc-ae chassis-id 0user@PE2# set mc-ae mode active-activeuser@PE2# set interfaces ae0 aggregated-ether-options mc-ae status-control activeThe redundancy-group 1 statement is used by ICCP to associate multiple chassis that perform similar redundancy functions and to establish a communication channel so that applications on peering chassis can send messages to each other. The ae0 interfaces on Router PE1 and Router PE2 are configured with the same redundancy group, redundancy-group 1.
The chassis-id statement is used by LACP for calculating the port number of the MC-LAG's physical member links. Router PE2 uses chassid-id 0 to identify its ae0.
The mode statement indicates whether an MC-LAG is in active-standby mode or active-active mode. Chassis that are in the same group must be in the same mode.
- The ports within a bridge domain share the same flooding or broadcast characteristics in order to perform Layer 2 bridging.
Configure a domain that includes the set of logical ports.
[edit bridge-domains bd0]user@PE2# set domain-type bridgeuser@PE2# set vlan-id 1user@PE2# set service-id 1user@PE2# set interface ae0.1user@PE2# set interface ge-0/0/2.1The bridge-level service-id statement is required to link related bridge domains across peers (in this case Router PE1 and Router PE2), and should be configured with the same value.
Configure ICCP parameters.
[edit protocols iccp]user@PE2# set local-ip-addr 192.168.143.16user@PE2# set peer 192.168.143.17 redundancy-group-id-list 1user@PE2# set peer 1192.168.143.17 liveness-detection minimum-interval 2500user@PE2# set peer 1192.168.143.17 liveness-detection multiplier 3- You must configure the same unique network-wide configuration for a service in the set of PE routers providing the service. This service ID is required if the multichassis aggregated Ethernet interfaces are part of a bridge domain.
Configure the service ID at the global level.
[edit switch-options]user@PE1# set service-id 1
Step-by-Step Procedure
To enable VRRP on the MC-LAGs :
- Enable VRRP on the MC-LAG.
Create a Integrated and Bridging Interface (IRB), assign a virtual IP address that is shared between each router in the VRRP group, and assign an individual IP address for each router in the VRRP group.
[edit]user@PE2set interfaces irb unit 1 family inet address 10.1.1.3/24 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.5Assign the priority for each router in the VRRP group.
Note The router configured with the highest priority is the master.
[edit interfaces irb]user@PE2#unit 1 family inet address 10.1.1.3/24 vrrp-group 1 virtual-address 10.1.1.5user@PE2#unit 1 family inet address 10.1.1.3/24 vrrp-group 1 priority 200Enable the router to accept all packets destined for the virtual IP address.
[edit interfaces irb]user@PE1# unit 1 family inet address 10.1.1.3/24 vrrp-group 1 accept-data
Results
From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show bridge-domains, show chassis, show interfaces, show protocols, and show switch-options commands. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.
If you are done configuring the device, enter commit from configuration mode.
Configuring the CE Device
CLI Quick Configuration
To quickly configure this example, copy the following commands, paste them in a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level, and then enter commit from configuration mode.
Device CE
Configuring the CE Device
Step-by-Step Procedure
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode .
To configure Device CE:
Specify the number of aggregated Ethernet interfaces to be created.
[edit chassis]user@CE# set aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 4Specify the members to be included within the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces]user@CE# set ge-0/0/1 gigether-options 802.3ad ae0user@CE# set ge-0/0/2 gigether-options 802.3ad ae0Configure an interface that connects to senders or receivers.
[edit interfaces ge-0/0/0]user@CE# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@CE# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@CE# set unit 1 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@CE# set unit 1 vlan-id 1Configure parameters on the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces ae0]user@CE# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@CE# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-services- The active statement initiates transmission of LACP packets.
Configure LACP on the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces ae0 aggregated-ether-options]user@CE# set lacp activeuser@CE# set lacp periodic fastuser@CE# set lacp system-priority 127user@CE# set lacp system-id 00:00:00:00:00:01For the system-priority statement, a smaller value indicates a higher priority. The device with the lower system priority value determines which links between LACP partner devices are active and which are in standby mode for each LACP group. The device on the controlling end of the link uses port priorities to determine which ports are bundled into the aggregated bundle and which ports are put in standby mode. Port priorities on the other device (the noncontrolling end of the link) are ignored.
- The ports within a bridge domain share the same flooding or broadcast characteristics in order to perform Layer 2 bridging.
Configure a domain that includes the set of logical ports.
[edit bridge-domains bd0]user@CE# set domain-type bridgeuser@CE# set vlan-id 1user@CE# set interface ge-0/0/0.1user@CE# set interface ae0.1
Results
From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show bridge-domains, show chassis, and show interfaces commands. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.
If you are done configuring the device, enter commit from configuration mode.
Configuring the Provider Router, P
CLI Quick Configuration
To quickly configure this example, copy the following commands, paste them in a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level, and then enter commit from configuration mode.
Router P
Configuring the P Router
Step-by-Step Procedure
The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For information about navigating the CLI, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode .
To configure Router P:
Specify the number of aggregated Ethernet interfaces to be created.
[edit chassis]user@P# set aggregated-devices ethernet device-count 4Specify the members to be included within the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces]user@P# setge-0/0/1 gigether-options 802.3ad ae0user@P# set ge-1/0/11 gigether-options 802.3ad ae1Configure an interface that connects to senders or receivers.
[edit interfaces ge-1/1/3]user@P# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@P# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@P# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@P# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-500Configure parameters on the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces ae1]user@P# set flexible-vlan-tagginguser@P# set encapsulation flexible-ethernet-servicesuser@P# set unit 0 encapsulation vlan-bridgeuser@P# set unit 0 vlan-id-range 100-110Configure LACP on the aggregated Ethernet bundle.
[edit interfaces ae1 aggregated-ether-options]user@P# set lacp activeuser@P# set lacp system-priority 100Configure a domain that includes the set of logical ports.
[edit bridge-domains bd0]user@P# set vlan-id alluser@P# set domain-type bridgeuser@P# set interface ge-1/1/3.0user@P# set interface ae1.0
Results
From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show bridge-domains, show chassis, and show interfaces commands. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.
If you are done configuring the device, enter commit from configuration mode.
Verification
Confirm that the configuration is working properly by running the following commands:
show iccp
show interfaces ae0
show interfaces ae1
show interfaces mc-ae
show vrrp
show l2-learning instance extensive
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting a LAG That Is Down
Problem
The show interfaces terse command shows that the MC-LAG is down.
Solution
Check the following:
Verify that there is no configuration mismatch.
Verify that all member ports are up.
Verify that the MC-LAG is part of family Ethernet switching (Layer 2 LAG).
Verify that the MC-LAG member is connected to the correct MC-LAG member at the other end.