Juniper EX-series switches is scalable. But, people don’t take advantage of this feature frequently. They use these Juniper switches like others. If you want to take advantage of the scalability features of the Juniper EX series, you should configure a Virtual Chassis. Not one or two, but this configuration is possible with all the Juniper Ex-series switches. The only difference is the number of member switches they can include.
For example, the EX3300 virtual chassis includes up to 6 member switches, the EX2200 and EX2200-C virtual chassis include up to 4 member switches, the EX3300 virtual chassis includes up to 10 member switches, and EX4200, EX4300, EX4500, EX4550, and EX4600 virtual chassis include up to 10 member switches. Connecting the member switches is possible using dedicated Virtual Chassis Ports or VCPs. Here, you do not have to configure the interface for the dedicated VCPs.
Why should you set up a Virtual Chassis configuration?
Virtual Chassis configuration allows accommodation of the networking needs of a growing office. Though there is a default configuration of a two-member Virtual Chassis, additional configuration is important. The Virtual Chassis configuration provides more access ports than what a single provides as well as high availability through redundancy.
We will take an example of a Virtual Chassis configuration composed of two EX4200 switches. Here, one of the switches has an uplink module with ports, configured to connect to a distribution switch or customer edge (CE) router or configured as Virtual Chassis Ports or VCPs to interconnect with a member switch that is located too far for the dedicated VCP cabling.
When you interconnect the switches with the dedicated VCPs and power on the switches, the VCPs become operational. The software assigns the primary role priorities and member IDs as well as elects a primary based on several criteria. One of the major criteria is how long a member switch has belonged to the Virtual Chassis configuration. It’s recommended to start by powering only one member switch. This member switch will be the one that you want to function as the primary.
The Virtual Chassis configuration can provide networking access for 50 onsite workers, sitting within the range of a single wiring closet. If your office grows and more members join your organization, you can add more switches and meet the increased need for access ports. At any cost, the operations and performance of your office will not get hampered.
How to Setup a Virtual Chassis on a Juniper EX Series
In this post, we will discuss setting up a Virtual Chassis configuration on a Juniper EX series by using the J-Web Interface.
Virtual Chassis configuration by using the J-Web Interface
- On the interface, select Configure and then Virtual Chassis.
- On the next page, the properties that you can configure are displayed. This is the Virtual Configuration page that is divided into two sections.
- In the first section, the page displays the Virtual Chassis member configuration. It includes a list of member switches, their member IDs, and the primary-role priority.
- In the second section, the page displays the operational status of the Virtual Chassis configuration, member details, and the dedicated and configured VCPs.
- Enter the asked details into the page. The details include the following:
- Member ID– You should specify the identifier for the member switch.
- Priority– You should specify the primary-role priority assigned to the member
- Disable Management VLAN– You can remove the Ethernet port from being part of the virtual management Ethernet (VME) interface if you want to reserve an individual member’s management Ethernet port.
- Refresh– You should refresh the operational status of Virtual Chassis members.
- On the next page, you should click one of the following options for the given reasons:
- Add– If you want a member’s configuration to the Virtual Chassis configuration
- Edit– If you want to modify an existing member’s configuration
- Delete– If you want to delete the configuration of a member
The last two steps will define the configuration process based on different models of the Juniper EX-series switches.
- Select the member in the Virtual Chassis members list and select the Action button and then Set Uplink Port as VCP to configure uplink ports on EX2200, EX2200-C, and EX3300 switches and uplink module ports on EX4200, EX4300, EX4500 and EX4600 switches as VCPs. You should select the port from the list.
To configure a VCP on EX4550 switches, you should select the member in the Virtual Chassis members list and select Action followed by Set Port as VCP.
- You can remove the VCP configuration as well. If you want to remove the VCP configuration from the uplink ports on EX2200, EX2200-C, and EX3300 switches and uplink module ports on EX4200, EX4300, EX4500, and EX4600 switches, you should select the member in the Virtual Chassis members list and select Action and then Delete Uplink Port a VCP.
To remove the VCP configuration from the port of a member on EX4550 switches, you should select the member in the Virtual Chassis members list and select Action followed by Delete Port as VCP.
Conclusion
Though the steps to set up Virtual Chassis on a Juniper EX-series are known, people face lots of problems when implementing them. They get stuck and face further problems. So, we recommend taking help from professionals. They know the configuration process in the right way.
To know more about Juniper EX-series and Virtual Chassis setup
Author: TechBlonHub
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