HP 5500 SWITCHES SERIES - HOW TO CONFIGURE INTELLIGENT RESILIENT FRAMEWORK (IRF)

FACT: HP 5500 Switch Series

FACT: Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF)

SYMPTOM:What are the step to configure IRF on HP 5500 switches?

CAUSE: Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF) is a software virtualization technology. It connects multiple network devices through physical ports and performs necessary configurations. These devices are virtualized into a distributed device. IRF technology extends network control over multiple active switches. Management of a group of IRF enabled switches is consolidated around a single management IP address, which vastly simplifies network configuration and operations. The user can combine as many as nine HP A-series switches to create an ultra-resilient virtual switching fabric comprising hundreds or even thousands of 1GbE or 10GbE switch ports.

FIX:In the following example, switches Rack4sw1 and Rack4sw2 are configured for IRF. Switch Rack4sw1 is configured as member 1 and switch Rack4sw2 is configured as member 2.