Switching

Hi 

 

Please can anyone provide any advice?

 

My company runs a VCF with 6 QFX5100s with 2 Spine and 4 Leaf switches.

Please can someone tell me if it possible to 'uplink' another switch platform with a 'traditional' configuration to the spines? What I mean by traditional is running LACP, 802.1q tagged uplink ports, STP and to not have the new switches participate in the VCF. The switches I would like to uplink to the VCF Spines are two QFX5100s. Oh, also I forgot to say ( Please don't ask why )

 

New Switches (Non-VCF)

Model: qfx5100-48s-6q
Junos: 14.1X53-D35.3

 

Exsisting VCF

Model: qfx5100-48s-6q

Junos: 14.1X53-D35.3

 

Hi

I don't think there should be any problems in connecting a separate switch with traditional config. It would be like connecting a standalone device to a VCF setup. By default even if it is qfx5100 the device will not participate in the VCF unless specifically configured.

VCF is an advancement to Juniper's VC technology. When we say VCF, it is an Ethernet fabric, and whole fabric acts as a single switch - one IP to manage the entire fabric.

Now, consider your VCF as one chassis, and you can connect other devices as if you are connecting those to a single device.

All good as long as you are not going to make new switch(es) part of the fabric, in that case, you have the restrictions, i.e. what specific models can join the fabric. 

@future-netops you need to make sure you set the interfaces on the Spine as non-VCP and make sure the devices you are plugging in are not set to fabric-mode.  For info, see below.

 

https://www.juniper.net/documentation/en_US/junos/topics/task/configuration/vcf-nonprovisioned.html

Thanks to all, and thanks @rccpgm that's all good advice. I will make sure to accept the solution I still have a job after the deployment. 😉

@ future-netops - I think you meant to write "if I have a job"  Don't worry, I've taken down more networks that I really wish to admit to.

 

Good luck, and don't worry!!!