Virtual Chassis; Overview - Nokia 7210 Configuration Manual

7210 SAS-M, T, R6, R12, Mxp, Sx, S Basic System
Configuration Guide

5 Virtual Chassis

This chapter provides information about the parameters required to create a virtual
chassis and how to configure them. A virtual chassis is also known as a stack of
nodes.
Topics in this chapter include provisioning, booting, and preprovisioning the virtual
chassis; provisioning service entities; replacing and upgrading nodes; and virtual
chassis boot scenarios and split scenarios.

5.1 Overview

The 7210 SAS supports the grouping together, or stacking, of a set of nodes to
create a virtual chassis (VC). The following nodes can be stacked to form a VC:
A VC provides operational simplicity because it uses a single IP address and MAC
address for the set of stacked nodes. The set of nodes can be provisioned and
monitored as a single platform rather than as individual nodes. For example, users
can provision services for all ports in the VC without having to log in and access each
node individually. As well, the NSP NFM-P management system can manage and
monitor the VC as a single platform rather than the individual nodes that comprise it.
In addition to operational simplicity, a VC increases service reliability by providing
redundancy in the following ways.
Up to three nodes can be provisioned in a single VC. Nodes can be added to or
removed from the VC to increase the total available ports or to replace a failed unit.
The nodes of the VC are connected through their stacking ports. The total capacity
provided by the stacking ports is equivalent to the sum of the bandwidth provided by
the individual port. The stacking ports are used for forwarding service traffic and for
exchanging management and control messages between the nodes in the VC. The
VC control traffic is prioritized over other traffic on the stacking ports.
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• the 7210 SAS-Sx 1/10GE and its variants
• the 7210 SAS-S 1/10GE and its variants
• If the node running control plane protocols in the VC fails, a standby node will
take over the master node function, minimizing service loss.
• Access devices can be connected using a mechanism such as LAG or G.8032
so that the impact of a node failure in a VC is minimized for services on the
access device.
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