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Virtual Chassis Fabric Installation Overview

For best results, ensure you review and understand the Virtual Chassis Fabric (VCF) configuration options. These configuration options are explained in Virtual Chassis Fabric Hardware Overview and Understanding Virtual Chassis Fabric Configuration. Do not interconnect the switches with cables until directed in the procedure.

  1. Install the individual switches in a rack or cabinet following the guidelines in Plan a Virtual Chassis Fabric Deployment.
    Best Practice:

    Install spine devices at the top of the rack or cabinet in order of primary routing engine (RE), backup RE, and then other leaf devices.

  2. Make a list of all of the serial numbers of the devices.
  3. Log into each device and configure into fabric mode and mixed mode, if needed. Mixed mode is only necessary for QFX5100 VCF when QFX5100-96S, QFX5100-48T, QFX3500, QFX3600, or EX4300 devices are present as leaf devices in the configuration. If a spine device is not properly configured in fabric and mixed mode for QFX5100 mixed VCF, the VCF devices reboot to commit the mixed mode or fabric settings. When fabric and mixed mode are not set, you might need to manually correct any issues that are related to the VCF not forming correctly because the device did not immediately join the VCF.
    Warning:

    Only configure operational-level commands. If you commit any configuration-level commands (including assigning IP address), the Virtual Chassis Fabric cannot form and the switch must be zeroed.

  4. Configure the VCF into mixed mode if it is a QFX5100 VCF and the switch models span different lines of switches.
  5. Configure each device for one of the provisioning modes: autoprovision, preprovision, or nonprovision. See:
  6. Connect and configure one of the management ports (C0) or (C1) to a management switch as the Virtual Management Ethernet interface. Using this interface, you can configure and manage the devices in the VCF. See Connect a Device to a Network for Out-of-Band Management.
  7. Commit your changes.
  8. Cable the ports that you will use as VCPs. For cabling examples, see Connecting QFX5110 in a QFX5110 Virtual Chassis Fabric, Connecting a QFX5100 Device in a Virtual Chassis Fabric, Connecting a QFX3500 or QFX3600 Switch in a QFX5100 Virtual Chassis Fabric, and Connecting EX Series Switches in a QFX5100 Virtual Chassis Fabric.

    If you configured your devices as either autoprovisioned or preprovisioned, the Virtual Chassis ports (VCP) are automatically configured. If you configure the devices as nonprovisioned, you must manually configure the VCPs.