Connecting a QFX5100-24Q Interconnect Device to a Fiber-Based QFX3000-M QFabric System Control Plane Network
Before you begin to connect a QFX5100-24Q Interconnect device to the fiber-based QFX3000-M QFabric system control plane and management network:
Install your QFabric system hardware (Director group, Interconnect devices, and Node devices). For more information, see Installing and Connecting a QFX3100 Director Device, Installing and Connecting a QFX3600 or QFX3600-I Device, and Installing and Connecting a QFX3500 Device, and QFX5100 Standalone Installation Overview.
Note:There can be a maximum of four Interconnect devices in the QFX3000-M QFabric system.
Install your EX4200 or EX4300 switches. See Installing and Connecting an EX4200 Switch or Installing and Connecting an EX4300 Switch.
Note:For a fiber-based control plane network, use an EX4200-24F switch or an EX4300-48P switch with an SFP+ uplink module installed.
Interconnect the two EX Series switches using the SFP+ uplink module ports. See Interconnecting Two EX Series Switches for QFX3000-M QFabric System Control Plane Redundancy.
Ensure that you have installed 1-Gigabit Ethernet SFP transceivers in management ports C0 and C1 on each QFX5100-24Q Interconnect device (see Installing a Transceiver in a QFX Series Device). For a list of supported transceivers and required cables, see Determining Transceiver Support for QFabric Systems.
Ensure that you have installed 1-Gigabit Ethernet SFP transceivers in the ports (labeled 16 through 19) you are using on each EX Series switch (see Install a Transceiver). For a list of supported transceivers, see Determining Transceiver Support for QFabric Systems.
Ensure that you have taken the necessary precautions for safe handling of lasers (see Laser and LED Safety Guidelines and Warnings for the QFX Series).
Use Table 1 to determine the QFX5100-24Q Interconnect device-to-EX Series switch port mappings. Specific ports have been reserved on the EX Series switch to connect to each of the QFX Series device types. Such design simplifies installation and facilitates timely deployment of a QFabric system.
Note:The numerical identifiers for each Interconnect device below are not preassigned to the Interconnect devices that are shipped to you. They represent the order in which you connect the Node devices. For example, the first Interconnect device (IC0) is connected to port 16 (ge-0/0/16) on the first EX Series switch EX0 and the second EX Series switch EX1.
Table 1: QFX3600-I Interconnect Device-to-EX Series Switch Port Mappings for Fiber-Based Control Plane Interconnect Device
EX Series Switch EX0
EX Series Switch EX1
IC0
IC0, management port C0 to port 16 (ge-0/0/16)
IC0, management port C1 to port 16 (ge-0/0/16)
IC1
IC1, management port C0 to port 17 (ge-0/0/17)
IC1, management port C1 to port 17 (ge-0/0/17)
IC2
IC2, management port C0 to port 18 (ge-0/0/18)
IC2, management port C1 to port 18 (ge-0/0/18)
IC3
IC3, management port C0 to port 19 (ge-0/0/19)
IC3, management port C1 to port 19 (ge-0/0/19)
A QFX3000-M QFabric system control plane and management network is formed by connecting the QFX Series devices in your network to two EX4200 or two EX4300 switches. QFX5100-24Q Interconnect devices have two management ports (labeled C0 and C1), to connect the QFX5100-24Q Interconnect device to each EX Series switch (see Figure 1).
You may not mix EX4200 and EX4300 switches in the same QFabric system.

Specific ports have been reserved on the EX Series switch to connect to the Interconnect devices, Node devices, and QFX3100 Director devices in your QFabric system. Such design simplifies installation and facilitates timely deployment of a QFabric system.
To connect each QFX5100-24Q Interconnect device to the fiber-based control plane network:
Do not look directly into a fiber-optic transceiver or into the ends of fiber-optic cables. Fiber-optic transceivers and fiber-optic cables connected to transceivers emit laser light that can damage your eyes.
- Connect the first QFX5100-24Q Interconnect device.
- If the fiber-optic cable connector is covered by a rubber safety cap, remove the cap. Save the cap.
- Remove the rubber safety cap from the SFP optical transceiver in the management port labeled C0. Save the cap.
- Insert the cable connector into the optical transceiver.
- Connect the other end of that cable to port ge-0/0/16 on the first EX Series switch.
- Remove the rubber safety cap from the SFP optical transceiver in the management port labeled C1. Save the cap.
- Insert the cable connector into the optical transceiver.
- Connect the other end of that cable to port ge-0/0/16 on the second EX Series switch.
- Connect the second QFX5100-24Q Interconnect device.
- If the fiber-optic cable connector is covered by a rubber safety cap, remove the cap. Save the cap.
- Remove the rubber safety cap from the SFP optical transceiver in the management port labeled C0. Save the cap.
- Insert the cable connector into the optical transceiver.
- Connect the other end of that cable to port ge-0/0/17 on the first EX Series switch.
- Remove the rubber safety cap from the SFP optical transceiver in the management port labeled C1. Save the cap.
- Insert the cable connector into the optical transceiver.
- Connect the other end of that cable to port ge-0/0/17 on the second EX Series switch.
- Connect the third QFX5100-24Q Interconnect device if
used.
- If the fiber-optic cable connector is covered by a rubber safety cap, remove the cap. Save the cap.
- Remove the rubber safety cap from the SFP optical transceiver in the management port labeled C0. Save the cap.
- Insert the cable connector into the optical transceiver.
- Connect the other end of that cable to port ge-0/0/18 on the first EX Series switch.
- Remove the rubber safety cap from the SFP optical transceiver in the management port labeled C1. Save the cap.
- Insert the cable connector into the optical transceiver.
- Connect the other end of that cable to port ge-0/0/18 on the second EX Series switch.
- Connect the fourth QFX5100-24Q Interconnect device if
used.
- If the fiber-optic cable connector is covered by a rubber safety cap, remove the cap. Save the cap.
- Remove the rubber safety cap from the SFP optical transceiver in the management port labeled C0. Save the cap.
- Insert the cable connector into the optical transceiver.
- Connect the other end of that cable to port ge-0/0/19 on the first EX Series switch.
- Remove the rubber safety cap from the SFP optical transceiver in the management port labeled C1. Save the cap.
- Insert the cable connector into the optical transceiver.
- Connect the other end of that cable to port ge-0/0/19 on the second EX Series switch.